The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

This is a well-reviewed first novel by the author, and I read it for my book club. It will be an interesting discussion since several members of my club work with children's services and family therapy. In the Language of Flowers we meet a main character, Victoria, who is just leaving the foster home program as she turns 18. We learn about her troubling past, and we can see how it has molded her into someone who has major issues with forming relationships. I thought that this part of the book was fascinating even though there were times when I wanted to reach into the book and smack her. The other interesting part of the book is the information on flowers and how they can be used to communicate emotions. The first half of the book is wonderful. There are many holes in the second half, and while it still is enjoyable to read, it becomes a bit frustrating. Even the ending leaves some unanswered questions. I think the author felt that the happy ending was complete, but there were still people Victoria dumped along the way who were truly good to her. If we are supposed to feel that Victoria has changed..... well, she still has a really long way to good. But I still recommend the book. -June

Skippy Dies by Paul Murray

This novel has it all - suspense, drugs, sex, humor, amazing characters, and more. The book takes place over the course of about six months in a boy's Catholic school in Ireland. And yes, Skippy does die in the first chapter. It's a long book and it's intense, but it's worth it. There were some parts that I admit were strange enough for me to just skim over (scientific stuff and video game stream-of-consciousness writing) but I loved how you really understand where each character comes from. But my favorite parts of the books were little nuggets of philosophy the author throws in that tie into the book - but are not really a part of the plot. Here's an example:

You know, you spend your childhood watching TV, assuming that at some point in the future everything you see there will one day happen to you: that you too will win a Formula One race, hop a train, foil a group of terrorists, tell someone "Give me a gun", etc. Then you start secondary school, and suddenly everyone's asking you about your career plans and your long-term goals, and by goals they don't mean the kind you are planning to score in the FA Cup. Gradually the awful truth dawns on you: that Santa Clause was just the tip of the iceberg - that your future will not be the rollercoaster ride you'd imagined, that the world occupied by your parents, the world of washing the dishes, going to the dentist, weekend trips to the DIY superstore to buy floor-tiles, is actually largely what people mean when they speak of "life". Now, with every day that passes, another door seems to close, the one marked PROFESSIONAL STUNTMAN, or FIGHT EVIL ROBOT, until as the weeks go by and the doors - GET BITTEN BY A SNAKE, SAVE WORLD FROM ASTEROID, DISMANTLE BOMB WITH SECONDS TO SPARE - keep closing, you begin to hear the sound as a good thing, and start closing some yourself, even the ones that didn't necessarily need to be closed.

Each time I'd run across one of these, I marveled at the creativity and talent it took to put those thoughts together. Anyway, loved the book but not for the squeamish. -June

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

I need to get back to current fiction! After reading two classics, I'm ready for a change. The Age of Innocence was a book club selection, and I guess it was "good for me".... kind of like exercising when I really don't want to. Yes, the characters are well developed and the writing is good. But I struggled to find one character I liked! And the ending.... well, I just didn't understand why the main character did what he did!! I wanted to reach into the book and shake him. The book was made into a movie, and I'm planning to rent it to see what I think of that. I hope they changed the ending. -June