My Friends by Fredrik Backman—If you have read A Man Called Ove, Britt-Marie was Here or other Backman novels, you know that life in Backman’s world is never easy and some of the characters are broken. My Friends is no different.
Louisa is almost 18, fresh from a life in foster care and all she wants to do is see the painting that has had an impact on her life. What follows is a journey, where Louisa learns the story of four friends.
25 years earlier, four friends, almost 15 years old, spent a summer together in a seaside town that will change their lives, but never change the love they have for each other. All are broken from families that are broken. Joar, Ted, Ali and “The Artist” have a plan to make sure The Artist paints a picture that will get him into a competition which he will certainly win and give him a wealthy and happy life. Almost nothing goes the way they thought it would and almost nothing in the novel does as well.
I don’t want to reveal the whole story, but I will say, there are tears and laughter and you will remember all these strange characters forever, including your 15-year-old friends. I sure did. Backman always writes from the heart.
So Many Steves: Afternoons with Steve Martin by Steve Martin and Adam Gopnik—I have been a Steve Martin fan, I guess since he appeared as The Wild and Crazy Guy on SNL many decades ago. I’ve read his books and even saw the play he wrote: “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” on Broadway!
But this is not a tell all memoir. It is a deep dive into his soul, mind and spirit. Adam Gopnik, author and writer for the New Yorker, and a friend and admirer (of Steve’s, not me), rode his bike on many afternoons, across Manhattan to Martin’s apartment, to interview him and they produced this wonderful audiobook.
And the title couldn’t have been more appropriate. He is best known for his comedic roles. But he is deeply into music, particularly banjo, acting, writing, art collecting, and at the heart of it all, philosophy.
This audiobook (and it is only available on audiobook) is sprinkled with conversations between he and Gopnik, along with comedy bits, movie excerpts and musical interludes. It was thoroughly entertaining. I finished it feeling like I know the essence of Steve Martin. What a pleasure.
Speak to Me of Home: A Novel by Jeanine Cummins—After Cummins’ previous best seller American Dirt, she decided to write about her own background in Puerto Rico. It is a novel, but this time no one can accuse her of cultural misappropriation. This is her story, and much is based on her family. We begin with Rafaela, brought up in San Juan in a rich family, until they weren’t anymore. As a teen, she is sent to Trinidad to work and it was there that she meets Peter, an Irish American whom she marries. After their children Benny and Ruth were 9 and 7, Peter decided to relocate their family to Missouri. It was then, because Benny could never pick up English, that they banned the use of the Spanish language in their home. Rafaela became very unhappy, but Ruth embraced the American life. And as she raised her own children, 20 years later, she considered her family “white”.
The novel is not linear. Each chapter is a different year, with a different perspective. But the first chapter is in 2023, when Daisy, Ruth’s daughter, moves back to San Juan and reclaims her Puerto Rican heritage. It is in the middle of a terrible hurricane that 18-year-old Daisy was hit by a car and falls into a coma. The rest of the book is about the family history, especially her mother and grandmother, rushing to her side while contemplating their own lives.
I was entranced by the story of a multicultural family, how they identified themselves and how they adapted. When Ruth attends college and goes to the cafeteria on her first day, she must decide where to eat, because the tables were seemingly divided into White, Black, Asian and Latino. But Ruth was mixed, didn’t speak Spanish and was brought up in Missouri. She had no place to go. This was based on Cummin’s life and obviously made an impression on her.
A Bookseller in Madrid by Mario Escobar—Barbara Spiel is a young German woman full of love, ambition and a passion for books. Unfortunately, she is growing up in the wrong place and the wrong time: 1930’s Germany. Working in a bookstore owned by Jews, the bookstore is attacked but she is helped by a handsome (of course he is) Spaniard with whom she develops a relationship. She realizes that she must flee Germany and moves to Spain where with a limited knowledge of the Spanish language, she plans to open a bookstore, selling primarily German and French books. No one thinks it’s a good idea, and with our 2020 hindsight neither do we.
But move she does and therein lies the fascinating history of 20th Century Spain and the complex politics that lead to the Spanish Civil War. If you are a fan of books (and you are), the Spanish Civil War, feminist fiction and adventure, then this may be the book for you.
The Hunter by Tana French—Irish crime fiction, that’s where Tana French lives. The Hunter (part 2 of the Cal Hooper series) brings us up to date in the village of Ardnakelty where Cal Hooper, former detective from Chicago has retired. He and Lena, a nearby widow have formed a relationship. He fixes up old furniture and takes Trey under his wing, a teenage girl with lots of issues including an absent father and a missing/dead brother. When Trey’s father shows up, no one is eager to see him, especially Trey, and when he presents a scheme, this time involving gold and a rich Englishman, Cal, and just about everyone else, is sure he is up to no good. And just when Trey is starting to get her life on track, her father seems to set her on the wrong path.
And then there is a murder. But who is the murderer? Certainly no one in Ardnakelty will talk about it. All the villagers will do what they can to protect themselves and Cal and Lena will do whatever they can to protect Trey. And who is Trey trying to protect?
I love the characters and can still hear their Irish brogue in my head.
I hope you enjoy these worldly books from a seaside town in Sweden, New York City, Madrid, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Ardnakelty, Ireland!
I’m off to the beach, trying to keep my mind on the ocean and soft ice cream and off of politics. Stay cool.
GET LIT WITH LISA 