Picture Perfect Autumn

Finished March 31

Picture Perfect Autumn by Shelley Noble

This contemporary romance was an enjoyable read. The main character, Dani Campbell, is one of the hottest new photographers on the New York scene, but she is insecure and feels that something is missing from her work. On a visit to a thrift store for inspiration, she comes across an envelope of photographs and is determined to track down the photographer. He is Lawrence Sinclair, an 80-year-old reclusive man who lives alone in a run down Rhode Island beach house. 

Dani is insistent on getting him to mentor her and she makes assumptions based on what she sees of his life. She agrees to pay him rent to stay at the house and also agrees to do chores for him in exchange for his mentorship. She really puts her heart into it, bringing the house back to life. She also gets drawn into the local community, particularly getting involved in a local art school run by three aging nuns. Her life in Rhode Island is juxtaposed by her New York persona, where she dresses for attention and mingles with the wealthy. Her agent is supportive but also demanding and there are things happening in New York that she can't opt out of, including a show and a potential sponsorship opportunity. 

Lawrence is still grieving the losses of his life: his wife, his son, and his relationship with his grandson Peter who he was close to before his son's death. Lawrence isn't poor, although the way he lives gives this impression. Peter has recently joined the family business, something he was pressured into by his mother. This is not the type of law he wants to practice and he resents the situation he is in. He also misses his grandfather and their previous relationship.

When Peter's mom pressures him to visit his grandfather, Dani misrepresents herself as Lawrence's housekeeper, while Peter's mother is looking for signs of his loss of capability to function on his own. 

This is an interesting study of the three main characters. Dani, successful but insecure; Peter, successful, but unhappy; and Lawrence, caught in the past until the present insists on his presence. 

I liked the characters and the plot, and found the themes covered here meaningful to me. 

Mansion Beach

Finished April 25

Mansion Beach by Meg Mitchell Moore

This novel is supposed to be a modern spin on The Great Gatsby, and follows Nicola Carr as she spends the summer on Block Island, where she is doing an internship as a marine wildlife researcher. She has left her previous partner and career and is taking her life in a new direction. She is staying in a small house that is owned by her cousin's wife's family. David is her favourite cousin, and they grew up very close, almost like siblings, including spending the summers at the lake in a family home. Now he is married to a real estate heiress, Taylor Buchanan. Taylor is very involved in her father's real estate empire and does whatever he asks of her, leaving her little time for David and their young daughter. 

Nicola soon discovers that her next door neighbour is Juliana George, creator of a fashion-based social media empire called LookBook. Staying with David and Taylor is an old college friend of David's, Jack, who is a pro golfer, taking time for an Achilles tendon injury. 

As Nicola continues getting a variety of job experience and exploring the small island, she also gets to know her neighbour Juliana and learn a little of her story of building her business and how her life has changed over time. She also finds herself courted by Jack, and unsure about Taylor given her standoffish attitude and how little time she is spending with her family. Nicola tries to avoid being drawn into any of the drama going on, but she also finds it all interesting, seeing these people in a world she is unlikely to ever live in. 

The story is interrupted by transcripts from a podcast about what happened on the island that summer, but that part of it feels like it isn't really needed for the story. 

This is an interesting tale of questionable relationships, social class, and misadventure. 

The Islanders

Finished August 23
The Islanders by Meg Mitchell Moore

This story takes place on Block Island, off the coast of Rhode Island, and follows several characters, each dealing with their own challenges. Anthony Puckett is a writer whose first novel made huge sales and won critical acclaim. His next novel put him under pressure, and when working one particular section he used something written by a long-dead author, always intending to go back and replace it with something he'd written, but he was outed by one of the advance readers, and this caused huge fallout including his wife kicking him out. He's taken refuge in a small cottage on the island owned by the elderly uncle of a friend. He's desperately missing his young son Max, and feeling shut out by his famous author father Leonard. He's using a fake last name to keep his privacy.
Joy Sousa is a single mom of a young teen girl, Maggie. Her husband left when Maggie was very young, and she's made a life for herself running a shop on the island that sells Whoopie Pies. But now, her landlord is upping the rent, her daughter is less sharing than she used to be, and her ex-husband has reentered Maggie's life. She's definitely feeling the stress.
Lu Trusdale was a successful lawyer until she resigned after having her second child. She's been a stay-at-home mom for a few years, with the family running a tight budget as her husband gets his medical practice started, and he works long hours. Lu wasn't finding fulfillment without some form of outside work, and she's secretly been writing a food blog. Now it is starting to be successful, her husband is pressuring her for a third child, and she must finally step out of the shadows and reveal what she wants to those close to her.
There is lots going on here, and with a small community there is interaction between all these characters. I really enjoyed the various storylines, and liked how they came together.

The Lowland

Finished October 17
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

This novel tells the story of Subhash and Udayan Mitra, brothers born 15 months apart who were almost inseparable until the started university. The Mitra family lived in the Tollygunge neighbourhood in the outskirts of Calcutta, and the boys observed the activity of the local golf club in an interested way, as outsiders that couldn't hope to participate in the club's activities. Udayan took the feeling of being an outsider to heart and wanted to help those whe he felt were oppressed free themselves. At university they attended different schools, Subhash studying chemical engineering and Udayan studying physics. Udayan became involved in the Naxalite movement in the late 1960s and engaged in activities that acted against the government. . Subhash worried about this but tried to distance himself from this activity and went on to graduate studies in Rhode Island. Udayan's choices affect both brothers' lives in massive ways, and Subhash feels the need to take on his brother's responsibilities when Udayan is unable to fulfill them. Subhash's marriage is one he takes on in good faith, and he proves to be an excellent father to Bela. But his wife is not as committed to the marriage and makes her own choices and sets different priorities that lead to an estrangement and different paths.
This is a story of family, of responsibilities, of regrets, but also of unexpected love. This is a book I couldn't put down and thoroughly enjoyed.

Sing You Home

Finished April 28
Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

This novel features Zoe, a musician and music therapist who has been trying for years to have a baby, with no success and much heartbreak. When her marriage ends, Zoe finds comfort and support from her mother and her new best friend Vanessa, but finds herself wanting more and hoping for a new chance to make a family.
Max was upset to leave Zoe, but finds a new beginning with his brother and sister-in-law and their church, but finds lingering feelings for Zoe.
Vanessa wants a friend and Zoe and her hit it off amazingly well, but will their friendship last through the new difficulties they face together?
Music is a theme here, for connection, for healing, for communication, and the author provides a soundtrack available on the book's website.
There is, as with all Picoult's books, an issue, more than one here, and she has the reader guessing as the plot twists and turns to keep you guessing how things will turn out right until the end.