Book Review: Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary Trump

Book Review: Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary Trump (2020) (Nonfiction) 4 Stars ****

Is turning into your parents one of your greatest fears? That’s exactly what happens to Donald Trump, President of the United States. This diatribe by the president’s niece should more correctly have a photo of
her grandfather Fred Trump Sr. and all of his children on the cover—except the author’s father. Fred Jr., the hapless victim of his father’s and younger brother Donald’s merciless criticism and public insults. Fred wanted his kids to be killers, i.e. always the winner in any situation by any means necessary. Anyone who is not a winner, is a loser. Period. The dirtier the deal and the conduct, the louder and bigger the lies, the more people stepped on, the more praise is deserved. If you can’t use them to attain your goals and better your deal, get rid of them—just useless trash not worthy of your time. Ill-fated Fred Jr. lacked the killer instinct—out he went with his younger brother Donald, an apt and eager student for his father’s warped ideals, ready to take his coveted place in the Trump Empire. Look out New York City!

Fred Sr. was a force to be reckoned with. His sons longed for his approval. With an unreasonably condemnatory and demanding father and an aloof, sickly, uninvolved mother, the five Trump siblings struggled for approval, attention, and love. Taught to be hypercrtical of one another, suppress feelings and vulnerabilities, and always put themselves before all others, this dysfunctional family became a war zone at the family and holiday dinner table. Drowning? Too bad for you. You should have learned to swim. Your baby is critically ill and near death? So, what do you want me to do about that? Your brother lies dying in his hospital bed at 42 years old from a heart attack brought on by years of alcoholism and depression? What’s that got to do with me? I’m going to the movies.

The Trump family is portrayed as greedy, spiteful, cold, merciless, deceitful manipulating lawbreakers by Mary Trump who holds a MS in Literature and a PhD in Clinical Psychology. She labels her grandfather Fred Sr. and her uncle Donald as two peas in a pod. She attributes the following to Donald Trump: anti-social personality disorder, dependent personality, narcissism, learning disabled, and sociopathy to name a few, which is all exacerbated by his poor diet, lack of exercise and sleep, and his protected environment (body guards, Oval Office, military school, private schools, colleges where his parents donated millions of dollars) whereby people outside of his coterie cannot get near him. Mary Trump concludes, “We can’t evaluate his day-to-day functioning because he is, in the West Wing, essentially institutionalized. Donald has been institutionalized for most of his adult life, so there is no way to know how he would thrive, or even survive, on his own in the real world.”

Wow! Wow! and Wow!

It’s obvious that Mary Trump has an ax to grind. If what she says is true, the Trump family intentionally went out of their way to cheat her and her brother out of the fortunes due them. Fred Sr. had only contempt for his oldest son Fred Jr., loathed his weak, purposeless wife, hated their two children for blatant disrespect such as not wearing a tie or or in Mary’s case, wearing a baggy sweater to the dinner table. Fred Jr. is dead. He was a useless, weak disappointment. He’s not around to receive his share of the family fortune. Why should his lazy widow and equally lazy kids get the money that would have been his? He’s not here, but we are. (BTW, the kids aren’t at all lazy and their mother was a stay at home mom, as was the custom of the day.)

Mary Trump is now exacting revenge on the whole clan by using her uncle Donald as a pawn in her scheme to topple the Trump family right off their pedestals. By now you’ve heard of the major tax fraud investigation being brought against Donald Trump? Guess who supplied the New York Times with boxes and boxes of family financial statements, records and receipts?  It seems Mary inherited the family thirst for revenge, “When I finally realized that my grandfather didn’t care what I accomplished or contributed and that my own unrealistic expectations were paralyzing me, I still felt that only a grand gesture would set it right. It wasn’t enough for me to volunteer at an organization helping Syrian refugees; I had to take Donald down.”

Regardless of your politics and whether you believe Donald Trump was a great president or a total disaster, we can’t ignore that this books airs dirty Trump family laundry. Who knows what is true, false or that vast gray area in between? As I have said many times: When a parent abuses a child physically, mentally or emotionally, the child does not grow up to hate the parent; they grow up to hate themselves.

Please let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at elainewrites@earthlink.net

I wish you all a life inspired by the wonder of the world around us. May you find and live your truth, in harmony with people, nature and the environment. May you be a force for good and a source of love and comfort. May the world be a better place for you having lived and loved here.

All rights reserved 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

Book Review: Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)

Book Review: Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling) (2020) (Mystery) 4 Stars ****

N.B. Let me start off by saying I had no idea of the controversy surrounding this book. This book and its author have been chastised and ostracized for what is deemed by a segment of society to be transphobic bias because the serial killer sometimes dresses in women’s clothing in order to make his approach to young women less intimidating. He sometimes masturbates into their underwear and sometimes wears their underwear, and saves their jewelry as keepsakes as he violently tortures, rapes, and kills them. Anyone who is familiar with the behavior of sexual predators knows this is common behavior and is in no way indicative of a bias against transgender people. That bring said, the character is never mentioned as trans, and only uses women’s clothing as a disguise to gain trust—just as actual kidnappers/rapists/killers have dressed as women, pizza and UPS delivery, gas and electric company service, police, clergy, and false emissaries from relatives or people supposedly in need of help. Sexuality, one way or the other, is not judged.

This being said, let’s get on with the plot …

Set in England in 2013-2014, private detectives Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott are hired to solve the 40 year old cold case disappearance of Dr. Margot Bamborough in 1974. While the now imprisoned serial killer/rapist/torturer Dennis Creed has never admitted to her abduction and murder, many believe that she was one of his victims, even though no body was ever found. The sexual tension between the two detectives runs rampant throughout the chapters. These two barely move an inch closer to each other in this book with over 900 pages. The list of co-workers, characters, suspects, red herrings, locations , etc. is longer than a monthly grocery list. There are close to 100 characters mentioned in the book with varying degrees of importance.

Strike and Robin are beset by personal problems and baggage from their pasts. Loners, trying to keep it together, it’s one thing after another. Strike ponders, … “Then he closed his eyes, and like millions of his fellow humans, wondered why troubles could never come singly, but in avalanches, so that you became increasingly destabilized with every blow that hit you.”

Our wise author tells us, “We aren’t our mistakes. It’s what we do about the mistake that shows who we are.”

Each setback only temporarily slows them down … unless it’s their attraction for each other, of course.

With determination and an uncanny attention to detail, the pair shovel through copious, confusing notes left by investigating police detectives from the past (one detective put heavy emphasis on astrological signs and attributes), interview witnesses, compare testimony, check alibis, and discuss likelihood and probability in order to solve the case. They encounter roadblocks: deceased witnesses, untruthful or mistaken testimony, conflicting information and so many leads that take them further away from the case, rather than closer.

Somehow, after a year’s time, Robin recognizes a pattern and an incongruity—and voilà!—the culprit is discovered! Believe me, it’s no one you would suspect! This is certainly a surprise ending with focus on the untimely demise of numerous characters. A twist of an ending after so many red herrings.

So, what didn’t I like? The book is way too long. The author’s style has always been to use a thousand words where a hundred could make the point. Exhausting! Too many details and descriptions that are not essential to the plot. So many characters make it hard to keep track. Was the astrology that occupied hours and hours of analysis and verification even necessary to the plot? The truth is: This author, whether writing as Robert Galbraith or J.K. Rowling, loves to turn a phrase into a tome. Case in point—this book as well as the Harry Potter series.

I also find the characterization of Italians as crime families offensive and prejudicial stereotyping. While society defends gender and criminal rights, as well as political correctness for racial stereotyping of black and brown people, why is there never an outcry against the negative portrayal of Italians as gangsters? Why do so many authors get away with mentioning the Italian background of a character, and leaving it like that, as if assumptions can be made and no qualifying statements are necessary? This is never allowed against other groups. Other people can be addicts, alcoholics, rapists, abusers, murderers, thieves, etc, without their national backgrounds mentioned. Why not the same respect for Italians and Italian-Americans? If anyone out there reading this is a member of the ACLU or a defender against bias, how about adding this underserved and over-exploited group to your list of causes?

 

Please let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at elainewrites@earthlink.net

I wish you all a life inspired by the wonder of the world around us. May you find and live your truth, in harmony with people, nature and the environment. May you be a force for good and a source of love and comfort. May the world be a better place for you having lived and loved here.

All rights reserved 2021

Book Review: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Book Review: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (2021) (Historical Fiction) 3 Stars ***

With a heart-wrenching depiction of the Depression Era Dust Bowl in the American Plains in the 1930’s, we first meet hapless twenty-five-year-old virginal Elsa Wolcott in 1921 Texas—gangly and deemed embarrassingly unattractive and therefore, unloved and ostracized from family activities by her parents and beautiful sisters—who has accepted her fate as an old maid, destined to suffer alone for being plain and sickly from exaggerated concern for a long-ago childhood illness … until one fateful day when Elsa dresses herself up, takes herself out, and changes the course of her life.

Elsa hooks up with charming Rafe Martinelli, a sweet but immature Sicilian dreamer, seven years her junior. Elsa’s  wealthy family, disgraced by her pregnancy, disown her and demand that Rafe marry their daughter. Rafe’s parents are in agreement, so Rafe reluctantly agrees.

Rafe’s parents accept her into their lives and, for the first time, Elsa feels loved and protected as part of a family. Elsa learns to love the land. Her mother-in-law teaches her to cook. Elsa is a wonderful, caring mother to her two children, but Rafe continues to dream. His musings lead him astray, so Elsa and her in-laws are left holding the bag as drought and dust storms rage around them, killing people, animals, and crops. Starvation, dehydration, malnutrition, death and disease surrround them. The people of the Plains are devastated but the federal government is slow to respond with help. It is years into this well-documented environmental catastrophe until the federal government sends aid and advice on how to counteract the problem of the barren land.

Elsa leaves with her children for a better life in California, leaving her in-laws behind by their own choice. Many others also travel to California, some alone, some with entire families—walking, jumping on trains, begging for rides. Instead of paradise, they encounter deplorable conditions in work camps where they are exploited and victimized. Californians are strongly prejudiced against these dirty, desperate people whom they view as lazy and looking for a handout. They refuse them medical care, medicine, and basic human respect.

So, is there a happy ending? Conditions in the Plains improve over time when the climate conditions change. Elsa is a hard-working woman who serves as a role model and comfort for others.

What didn’t I like about the book? It lacks the emotional connection to the characters I’ve come to expect from this author. Way too much narration detracts from the high emotional content of this very disturbing story. Few deep, insightful dialogue exchanges. It reads more like a newspaper account than a family saga. Maybe it should have been written as a diary or epistolary format to help the author capture feelings?

Also, I hated that Elsa’s experiences are brought about by her relationships with the men she chooses to keep in her life. These liasions only bring her to tragedy. She is a strong woman in her own right, but only moves ahead to help the men in her life achieve their ends. Bad karma. So used to her childhood coping mechanism of keeping her mouth shut so as to not give people reasons not to like her, Elsa does not grow as an authentic self-actualized person. Always giving in, staying quiet, removing herself from the fray does not improve her plight. A constant victim of unkind people, random negative conditions, exploitative men, and her own lack of self-worth, does not make an admirable character. She worked so hard, as a horse would, obeying commands given by others, but never having a plan of her own. Yes, she went to California but the idea was originally Rafe’s. Elsa never really reacts to the handwriting on the wall. Appeasement is the name of her game.

 

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Please let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at elainewrites@earthlink.net

I wish you all a life inspired by the wonder of the world around us. May you find and live your truth, in harmony with people, nature and the environment. May you be a force for good and a source of love and comfort. May the world be a better place for you having lived and loved here.

All rights reserved 2021

Book Review: Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

Book Review: Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight (2013) (Adult, Young Adult) (Psychological Fiction) 4 Stars ****

Fifteen-year-old high school sophomore Amelia Baron is suddenly dead. Single-mother Kate, high-powered, overworked partner in a prestigious Manhattan, New York law firm, receives a phone call at work at an inopportune time to come to the school immediately because her usually perfectly behaved, studious daughter is being suspended for plagiarism. Subway delays cause Kate to be one and a half hours later than expected. But things have changed. The police and emergency services are swarming the outside of the school. There’s been a terrible incident. Kate is told that there is little doubt that Amelia has jumped off the school roof with the intention of committing suicide.

Kate does not want to accept the fact that her daughter is dead by her own hand. How can this be? Amelia looked forward to so much. Kate begins and intensive investigation with the support of a homicide detective assigned to the case. Poring through Amelia’s emails, text messages, interviews with classmates, friends, teachers, and school administrators all serve to present Amelia in a very different light. Kate did not know her daughter at all. In a few short weeks, Amelia’s life was turned upside down. From September to October, this happy, optimistic girl  drastically changed. Betrayed in a same-sex affair with a girl who later turns her back on Amelia, not knowing who her father is, victimized by cyber-bullying, manipulated by girls in the secret school society she regretted joining, having provocative photos of her posted online, the subject of an anonymous school blog known for its salacious gossip, shunned and teased by numerous students in this small, very posh private school, disappointed by a dear distant male friend, desperately needing guidance and to talk it all out with her too busy, mostly absent  mother, it appears that Amelia may have actually caved in to the pressures swallowing her alive.

Amelia never finds out the source of all her problems. The reader does, however. We find out who her real father is, his role in this drama, the shocking identity of the gRaCeFULLY blog poster, who was present at the time of Amelia’s death, why Amelia’s love interest unceremoniously pushed her away, how her mother really felt about having a child out of wedlock, why her mother was mistaken about the man whom she believed to be Amelia’s father and why Kate never told this man about her pregnancy even though they were co-workers and neighbors, why the teachers and school administrators refused to act on the destructive bullying of which they were well aware, and which classmates’ parents had a knowing, self-serving role in Amelia’s destruction.

A very sad book indeed. Characters are flawed and generally not likable. Only Amelia and the homicide detective are sympathetic characters. The adults in the story cannot be trusted. The classmates are even worse. Sexually manipulative, lying, deceitful, plotting, self-serving—what a bunch! Pray that your kids don’t run into a mob like this.

The book is powerful but here are some of the things that just don’t make sense. Readers must suspend belief. That Kate thinks the wrong man is Amelia’s father does not seem plausible for a high powered attorney. That Kate did not accurately analyze the facts that were in front of her face to determine who was actually Amelia’s father does not make sense, especially for the reasons that are later presented at the time the truth is unveiled. The shocking revelation of the gRaCeFULLY blogger is handled in one sentence—this blogger thought this breach of trust would bring her closer to the students. PUhLEEEZE! It is not plausible that any New York City Homicide Detective would allow the mother of a victim to accompany him during investigations and interviews. That Amelia’s real father is secretly monitoring her but does not act to step in when things get out of hand is hard to believe. That Kate expected that Amelia would never find her hidden journals expressing ambivalence over her pregnancy and the birth and raising of her daughter shows an arrogance and a sense of superiority. Don’t we all know, as parents, our kids will check under mattresses and boxes pushed far into the back of a closet to find our secrets?

We have a lot of voyeurs in this story—people who observe and judge, but don’t want to get involved.

 

Please let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at elainewrites@earthlink.net

I wish you all a life inspired by the wonder of the world around us. May you find and live your truth, in harmony with people, nature and the environment. May you be a force for good and a source of love and comfort. May the world be a better place for you having lived and loved here.

All rights reserved 2021

Book Review: Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell

Book Review: Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell (2020) (Psychological Thriller) 4 Stars ****

Somewhere in England, seventeen-year-old Saffyre Maddox is a very troubled girl haunted by a childhood sexual trauma, orphaned, but lovingly raised by her uncle and a grandfather who has recently passed away. Saffyre stands at the middle of this story—the catalyst for most of the action and the eyes for what is mostly hidden from view. The action comes to a head on Valentine’s night when all the characters are pulled into a complex scenario that unknowingly involves all the players in this small community. Saffyre has suddenly disappeared. There is a sexual predator on the loose. Is Saffyre a victim or just a self-centered, immature teenager indifferent to the suffering she causes? What is the significance of the ever-present, always watching fox with its glowing night eyes and hesitant friendships?

Focus is on thirty-three-year old Owen Pick, a science teacher who has recently been suspended from his job for reported sexual misconduct with female students. Categorically denying all charges, Owen lacks self-awareness as to his psychological profile and how his fractured past has carried over into his present actions, of which he has little memory, especially after a few drinks for which his body has no tolerance. Owen unwisely aligns himself for a very short time with an incel group, i.e., involuntary celibate men who harbor thoughts of extreme hatred and violence against women. Innocent or pervert? At the very least, Owen is creepy and inappropriate, but …?

Across the street from Owen live the Four family: child psychologist Roan, his mostly stay at home wife Cate, their snippy teenage daughter Georgia, and their angelic son Josh. This family is at odds with one another. Mistrust, lying, covering up, a lack of communication are the norms. Something is definitely wrong.  Cate begins to suspect that her husband and son might be the sexual predators roaming the dark streets to molest unsuspecting women and girls. Hmmm.

The attention of the police is focused on the block where Owen and the Four family live. Investigations prove to be fruitful as each interview reveals another layer of complex relationships. Oh, what a tangled web we weave …. Is the dark shadow figure following me, or am I imagining things? Am I guilty of the accusations or am I being railroaded into a confession? Are my recollections reliable or am I blocking unpleasant facts? Is that a shadow or is someone actually there? Should I report this or keep it to myself?

The story is told from alternating viewpoints. Saffyre in the first person; Owen and Cate in the third person. The story is tightly told with all plot points neatly threaded and resolved. A thoroughly enjoyable story that sometimes seems a little slow. Surprisingly, the story lacks suspense. The characters are unlikable because they cannot be trusted in their assessments of the situation. Like real people, the characters are flawed and running a game to protect their little worlds.

Significance of title? Saffyre tells us, “It was like I was Superman or something, with my two different personas. By day I was Saffyre Maddox, aloof but popular, mild-mannered A-grade student. By night i was a kind of nocturnal animal, like the human equivalent of a fox. My superpower was invisibility. There in the playground at school, or in the sixth-form common room, all eyes were on me, but at night I did not exist. I was the Invisible Girl. Invisibility was my favorite state of existence.”

Can we ever completely recover from character defamation? Are we to be judged by the actions of our family members? Do we have a moral obligation to reveal what we know even if it might implicate those we love? Should serving our own needs come first? Are we ever justified in exacting revenge on those who have hurt us? Can we always tell the saviors from the predators? So many questions, so few answers.

 

Please let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at elainewrites@earthlink.net

I wish you all a life inspired by the wonder of the world around us. May you find and live your truth, in harmony with people, nature and the environment. May you be a force for good and a source of love and comfort. May the world be a better place for you having lived and loved here.

All rights reserved 2021

 

Book Review: Mary Underwater by Shannon Doleski

Book Review: Mary Underwater by Shannon Doleski (2020) (Middle Grade) (Teen) 4 Stars ****

Thirteen-year-old eighth grader Mary Murphy has a problem. Her father leaves her scarred and black-and-blue whenever he decides he doesn’t like what she’s doing. Her mother doesn’t stand up to him to protect her daughter or herself. Although he’s often imprisoned for his abusive behavior, whenever he returns, Mary lives in fear for her well-being and most often sleeps at a neighbor’s house. She doesn’t want to admit to her friends, teachers or social worker what’s going on at home. She fears they will perceive her as a loser—that somehow, it’s her fault that her father physically abuses her. To find strength to get through the hard times, Mary carries a photo of Joan of Arc, the young girl who led the French army in a victory against the British, as inspiration. She looks to Joan and repeats her affirmation, “I am not afraid. I am not afraid. I am not afraid.”

With help and encouragement from her Aunt Betty, love interest Kip, and best friend Lydia, Mary is determined to build a submersible craft to journey the seven miles across Chesapeake Bay. A submarine scientist agrees to guide her, hands her the book he’s written on the subject, and tells her to get to it. With the money Mary makes at her summer job at the public library, she’s able to purchase the parts and material necessary to complete her project.

With her new found success, Mary feels her inner strength and remembering Joan of Arc, stands up to her father, leaves home with her mother’s blessing to live with her loving Aunt Betty and her wife, and reports the abuse to the social worker and the authorities.

Mary is bolstered by the love and support of those around her. Instead of contempt, they feel admiration for Mary’s desire to change her abusive situation and do everything they can to help her experience loving surroundings.

This book makes the point without being preachy or melodramatic. The author encourages Mary and other abused children to find an adult they can trust, and allow them to help improve the situation or, if need be, remove them from the destructive home environment.

Need help? Call Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child)

Interested in building an immersible craft? Remember, lack of oxygen has serious consequences. Don’t go it alone. Be safe with help from professional organizations: Seaperch.org, Psubs.org, facebook.com/piscessub. Play video games Subnautica and Subnautica: Below Zero. Read Manned Submersibles by R. Frank Busby.

 

Please let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at elainewrites@earthlink.net

I wish you all a life inspired by the wonder of the world around us. May you find and live your truth, in harmony with people, nature and the environment. May you be a force for good and a source of love and comfort. May the world be a better place for you having lived and loved here.

All rights reserved 2020

 

Book Review: Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary Trump

Book Review: Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary Trump (2020) (Nonfiction) 4 Stars ****

Is turning into your parents one of your greatest fears? That’s exactly what happens to Donald Trump, President of the United States. This diatribe by the president’s niece should more correctly have a photo of her grandfather Fred Trump Sr. and all of his children on the cover—except the author’s father. Fred Jr., the hapless victim of his father’s and younger brother Donald’s merciless criticism and public insults. Fred wanted his kids to be killers, i.e. always the winner in any situation by any means necessary. Anyone who is not a winner, is a loser. Period. The dirtier the deal and the conduct, the louder and bigger the lies, the more people stepped on, the more praise is deserved. If you can’t use them to attain your goals and better your deal, get rid of them—just useless trash not worthy of your time. Ill-fated Fred Jr. lacked the killer instinct—out he went with his younger brother Donald, an apt and eager student for his father’s warped ideals, ready to take his coveted place in the Trump Empire. Look out New York City!

Fred Sr. was a force to be reckoned with. His sons longed for his approval. With an unreasonably condemnatory and demanding father and an aloof, sickly, uninvolved mother, the five Trump siblings struggled for approval, attention, and love. Taught to be hypercrtical of one another, suppress feelings and vulnerabilities, and always put themselves before all others, this dysfunctional family became a war zone at the family and holiday dinner table. Drowning? Too bad for you. You should have learned to swim. Your baby is critically ill and near death? So, what do you want me to do about that? Your brother lies dying in his hospital bed at 42 years old from a heart attack brought on by years of alcoholism and depression? What’s that got to do with me? I’m going to the movies.

The Trump family is portrayed as greedy, spiteful, cold, merciless, deceitful manipulating lawbreakers by Mary Trump who holds a MS in Literature and a PhD in Clinical Psychology. She labels her grandfather Fred Sr. and her uncle Donald as two peas in a pod. She attributes the following to Donald Trump: anti-social personality disorder, dependent personality, narcissism, learning disabled, and sociopathy to name a few, which is all exacerbated by his poor diet, lack of exercise and sleep, and his protected environment (body guards, Oval Office, military school, private schools, colleges where his parents donated millions of dollars) whereby people outside of his coterie cannot get near him. Mary Trump concludes, “We can’t evaluate his day-to-day functioning because he is, in the West Wing, essentially institutionalized. Donald has been institutionalized for most of his adult life, so there is no way to know how he would thrive, or even survive, on his own in the real world.”

Wow! Wow! and Wow!

It’s obvious that Mary Trump has an ax to grind. If what she says is true, the Trump family intentionally went out of their way to cheat her and her brother out of the fortunes due them. Fred Sr. had only contempt for his oldest son Fred Jr., loathed his weak, purposeless wife, hated their two children for blatant disrespect such as not wearing a tie or or in Mary’s case, wearing a baggy sweater to the dinner table. Fred Jr. is dead. He was a useless, weak disappointment. He’s not around to receive his share of the family fortune. Why should his lazy widow and equally lazy kids get the money that would have been his? He’s not here, but we are. (BTW, the kids aren’t at all lazy and their mother was a stay at home mom, as was the custom of the day.)

Mary Trump is now exacting revenge on the whole clan by using her uncle Donald as a pawn in her scheme to topple the Trump family right off their pedestals. By now you’ve heard of the major tax fraud investigation being brought against Donald Trump? Guess who supplied the New York Times with boxes and boxes of family financial statements, records and receipts?  It seems Mary inherited the family thirst for revenge, “When I finally realized that my grandfather didn’t care what I accomplished or contributed and that my own unrealistic expectations were paralyzing me, I still felt that only a grand gesture would set it right. It wasn’t enough for me to volunteer at an organization helping Syrian refugees; I had to take Donald down.”

Regardless of your politics and whether you believe Donald Trump is a great president or a total disaster, we can’t ignore that this books airs dirty Trump family laundry. Who knows what is true, false or that vast gray area in between? As I have said many times: When a parent abuses a child physically, mentally or emotionally, the child does not grow up to hate the parent; they grow up to hate themselves.

Please let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at elainewrites@earthlink.net

I wish you all a life inspired by the wonder of the world around us. May you find and live your truth, in harmony with people, nature and the environment. May you be a force for good and a source of love and comfort. May the world be a better place for you having lived and loved here.

All rights reserved 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

Book Review: Luster by Raven Leilani

Book Review: Luster by Raven Leilani (2020) (Psychological Fiction)  3 Stars ***

We meet messed up, careless Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York resident Edie. All of Edie’s one-night-stands end in disaster. “I have not had much success with men. This is not a statement of self-pity. This is just a statement of the facts. Here’s a fact: I have great breasts, which have warped my spine. More facts: My salary is very low. I have trouble making friends, and men lose interest in me when I talk. It always goes well initially, but then I talk too explicitly about my ovarian torsion or my rent.”

Twenty-something Edie barely works at her job as managing editorial coordinator for a publishing company’s children’s imprint. Known as the office slut, Edie never practices impulse control, but her need to be validated, seen, and held in high esteem by someone, anyone actually, drives her conduct right into the trash bin. Her newest affair with a boring co-worker Eric leads Edie into another dimension. Having gone too far with her ladies’ room, men’s room, under the desk, in the elevator office romps, HR has had enough sexual harrassment complaints against Edie and witness complaints against her debauchery, and fires her forthwith.

Edie uses her blackness as an excuse for her failures and disappointments. When a new, very attractive, appropriately dressed also black employee usurps Edie’s position, Edie resents her for her willingness to work hard and to conduct herself with dignity. “You think because you slack and express no impulse control that you’re like black power. Sticking it to the white man or whatever.” Edie starts to wonder if she’s actually the one to blame for her problems.

Edie looks to Eric for consolation. Twenty-three years Edie’s senior, she is surprised this white man finds anything appealing in her. Aloof and elusive, married, living in suburban New Jersey with his wife and adopted black daughter, Eric is anything but available. Fate intervenes as Edie becomes friends with Eric’s wife who then invites the out of work, out of food, out of luck Edie to live in their house. Edie witnesses the dysfunction of the family and the coldness of the marriage. In time, she ignites an affair with Eric, an interdependent friendship with Eric’s wife, and a mentorship for being black for Eric’s young daughter.

When Edie’s unprotected sexual activity results in an expected situation, it is Eric’s wife who saves Edie during a very rough time. The bond between the women is strengthened. It is Edie who manages to have a relationship with Eric, his wife, and his daughter although these three cannot seem to have a loving relationship with one another within the nuclear family.

The story suddenly stops, leaving the reader wondering as to what will happen next. Will the saga continue in a sequel? Or, will readers be left without a resolution while only imagining which path Edie’s future will take?

Often hard to read, the author uses stream of consciousness without quotation marks to attribute dialogue. Insight into the main character’s thoughts and motives demonstrates the close relationship between the author and this character she has created. The author understands Edie very well and actions are always true to Edie’s nature.

I need to say the writing is on a higher level than the plot. The story line is improbable. One of my college professors used to say, “If the rocks in your head fit the holes in someone else’s, that’s all you need.” Maybe that’s what’s happening here?

Please let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at elainewrites@earthlink.net

I wish you all a life inspired by the wonder of the world around us. May you find and live your truth, in harmony with people, nature and the environment. May you be a force for good and a source of love and comfort. May the world be a better place for you having lived and loved here.

All rights reserved 2020

 

 

Book Review: The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Book Review: The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (2015) (Middle Grade) (Historical Fiction/Fiction) 5 Stars *****

Set in the WWII era in London, England and its surroundings, siblings Ada and Jamie are taken from their London hovel into the English countryside as a precaution against the anticipated blitz by Hitler’s forces. Both children step into a world they never knew existed: clean sheets, warm beds, full bellies, daily bathing, laundered clothing, nonexistent vermin, kind and loving words, absence of corporal punishment, and a feeling of community and acceptance. Their abusive, neglectful mother is happy to be rid of her cheldren—especially Ada, afflicted with an untreated, infected club foot, who cannot walk without agonizing pain and who is not allowed out of the house because her mother is ashamed of her disgusting daughter. Physical deformities are punishment for bad deeds, and Ada’s mother fears people will look upon her with disdain.

Six-year-old Jamie is allowed to attend school, but not Ada. Jaime is learning to read and write, but Ada, who is believed to be nine years old, has never been taught. Their mother is sure of Jamie’s age, but doesn’t know and doesn’t care to remember Ada’s date of birth. Ada is smacked constantly, especially if she tries to walk or tries to engage in conversation. Ada is often punished by being imprisoned in the too-small under-sink cabinet overnight, muscles aching, roaches crawling over her body and in her ears. The children’s evacuee train into safety gives Ada an opportunity to escape from the horror that is her life. With her beloved little brother in tow, the children are taken in by the kind and loving Miss Smith.

The children thrive in their new environment. In a few short months, they gain weight, grow in stature, attend to their education, have friends, learn to take responsibility within the household and with needy neighbors, increase their self-esteem, learn to give and accept affection and love. A more mature Ada learns to walk on crutches, ride a horse, help with the war effort, identify a spy, and stick up for herself. Jamie is a happy kid who takes comfort from those around him and no longer wets the bed.

When the children’s mother suddenly appears to take them back to London, Ada and Jamie do not want to go, but are forced, kicking and screaming. Ada finds their birth certificates and now knows she is eleven years old. Miss Smith goes after them, narrowly avoiding tragedy for all involved, except for one person whose number comes up. Karma can be a b-tch!

I loved this book. The characters are flawed, but so many of them do the right thing when called upon to help. It’s not easy being any one of them, but they persevere and through it all, live with love in their hearts. Ada’s lesson learned is that she is not a monster because of her club foot. She can be helped and will be. As long as the evil Mam cannot interfere, her kids will live happily ever after.

 

Please let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at elainewrites@earthlink.net

I wish you all a life inspired by the wonder of the world around us. May you find and live your truth, in harmony with people, nature and the environment. May you be a force for good and a source of love and comfort. May the world be a better place for you having lived and loved here.

All rights reserved 2020

Book Review: The Girl From Widow Hills by Megan Miranda

Book Review: The Girl From Widow Hills by Megan Miranda (Psychological Thriller) (2020) 3 Stars ***

Six-year-old sleepwalker Arden Maynard is thankfully rescued from an underground storm drain three days after being swept away during a violent rain storm. Well, anyway, that’s how the story goes. Arden becomes the unrelenting focus of national attention leading to a name change and a move to a new town for the now adult girl from Widow Hills. At twenty-six-years old, Arden is now known as Olivia and goes to great lengths to hide her celebrity. Unfortunately for Olivia, a media circus ensues at the twentieth anniversary of Olivia’s ordeal and rescue. Her cover is blown. Strange things happen: People from the past appear and disappear, bodies are discovered. Who is responsible? Could it be the nightmare-plagued Olivia herself?

Olivia is not a reliable narrator. Incomplete memories and facts often conflict. Her troubled sleep and paranoia suggests psychological stresses not associated with the experience. Lacking deep familial and social relationships, Olivia does not know whom to trust. A newly found box of memorabilia from Olivia’s mother triggers a chain of events, flashbacks, and possible clues. Someone in Olivia’s inner circle is a predator.

Olivia is screwed up. Her memories are disjointed. She can’t distinguish reality from her night terrors. Her time frame is off. Olivia cannot remember much of what was told to her to be the truth of her experience. Why can’t she fill in the blanks?

The author does not give enough clues to support the ending. Specific important events and people are presented in the same tone of voice as a weather report. This story needs more suspense, more excitement. The premise is more exciting than the execution. Instead of being sympathetic to Olivia during her travails, I found myself losing patience. Maybe this is the result of poor editing, rather than poor writing?

The first third of the book was s-l-o-w and rambling. It got better, but that’s not saying much. I kept reading because I wanted to know the big secret of the story so I decided not to skip to the last three chapters as I usually do when I’m bored and can’t  wait to get to the end.

But, still, it’s a popular book. Who knows? You might like it, especially if you like being inside a confused person’s head.

Please let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you. You can email me at elainewrites@earthlink.net

I wish you all a life inspired by the wonder of the world around us. May you find and live your truth, in harmony with people, nature and the environment. May you be a force for good and a source of love and comfort. May the world be a better place for you having lived and loved here.

All rights reserved 2020