REVIEW: BIG LITTLE LIES BY LIANE MORIARTY

Published by Audible Audio, 2014.
Goodreads Description
         This is why I read. I adored this story in so many ways, and spent almost a month with it. I might reinstate my Audible account so I can have more of Moriarty's books on audio, as Caroline Lee brought these characters to life. I literally teared up when I realized my time with Jane, Celeste, and Madeline was about to end. She covers so much ground in this story. The lies we tell people for myriads of reasons, cycles of abuse, making erroneous snap judgements (with devastating consequences), hard-fought forgiveness, female friendships, and navigating the treacherous waters of parenthood to name just a very few!
      I underestimated this book from the description. I didn't imagine that the average family/relationship drama with kids at school could contain so many layers. Silly me. I felt incredible amounts of empathy for these women, and desperately wanted the best outcome for them. They each screwed up royally, but tried to forge ahead the best way they could. 
     The story being told leading up to the tragic "Trivia Night" was a brilliant narrative choice that added just the right amount of mystery to an already excellent story. For the last quarter of the book, I almost forgot I was reading fiction. While the trivia night was an exaggerated account of events that could take place with too much alcohol/late food arrival, most of the occurrences seemed feasible.....with an odd blend of frightening and funny.
      Most importantly, it opened my eyes to areas of people's private lives that I have been privileged enough not to experience. This is a grand statement, but I came away with an understanding of abuse that I had never achieved with any other book. Do we mean to look away? Do we pay enough attention to the people in our lives? We can also learn a lot about kindness through childhood innocence. It's adults that often muddle situations with our interference (sometimes!). 
      I think there is something in this for every female who has had ANY kind of relationship, which is all of us. It was deeply heartfelt and intensely resonated with me. I'd particularly recommend it to anyone working in the school system, as there are some funny insights from poor Ms. Barnes, the kindergarten teacher. She was a hoot. 
       The only tiny negative I must mention is it drags a bit at the beginning. The plot is secondary to Moriarty forming our connection to the people and relationships. Caroline Lee's narration bumped this up several notches, especially with her emotive exclamations of "Oh Calamity!" and "For God Sakes!" The Australian charm in her accent added to the ambience of the water-front community location. I'm hoping Moriarty's other works are as wonderful as this one... she'll be well on her way to becoming a favorite author. I'm sure I will re-listen to this one day.

REVIEW: SWIMMING TO ANTARCTICA (TALES OF A LONG-DISTANCE SWIMMER) BY LYNNE COX

Published by Knopf, 2004. Hardcover, 323 pgs
I LOVED THIS AND YOU WILL TOO!
      I was on my neighborhood swim team in elementary school. I wish I'd had the opportunity to continue, or enough self-awareness to ask my parents to find an indoor pool at the end of the season. Fast forward to this summer when I joined the YMCA and began lap swimming again as my kids go through swim lessons.
      I'm embarrassed it's taken me this long to get back to the water. My form needs work and my breathing is atrocious, but I'm thrilled to be experiencing the joy of swimming again. This had me digging for swimming books! This one popped up as highly rated, as well as topping many lists. Do I want to swim in the ocean or do long distances? Absolutely positively no! I'll take my lap pool at 75 degrees thank you very much. I just find it exciting to read about top performers in their field, particularly when it's an area of personal interest.
      THIS BOOK. It's just about everything. Cox is the rare athlete who has incredible writing chops. Combined with a near photographic memory (and I'm assuming extensive journals or diary entries- or she's a freaky savant), the descriptions of her channel swims were so evocative, I felt like I was in the boat beside her- many times holding my breath or feeling chilled right along with her. This passionate writing made me interested in all the details. There are too many points of interest to name, but my top favorites were how she procured a swim pilot, what tides were acceptable for swimming, the navigational systems used before GPS to help chart the course, the tests done on her uncanny ability to maintain necessary core body temperature in frozen waters, the affects of salt water on the body....this book was bonkers.
         Cox somehow manages to sound humble and gracious- no small feat when statistically you are superior to all distance swimmers, and also swimming where no attempts have previously been made. Her 1987 swim of the Bering Strait was literally hailed by Gorbachev as "diminishing tensions between Russia and the United States."
         There is also careful acknowledgement and deep gratitude for race officials, mentors, family, friends, and native residents of the places she swam. She says "no one ever achieves great things alone." Many of these accounts are nothing short of miraculous. It's truly hard to envision surviving these conditions, much less setting records or charting new paths. If you want to read a jaw-dropping memoir about a super athlete, look no further. Lynne Cox is truly a class act. I can't think of anything she could have added or deleted. Plus, the good vibes from her triumphs make it the perfect summer read:-)

REVIEW: SHIP OF MAGIC (LIVESHIP TRADERS #1) BY ROBIN HOBB

Published by Del Rey, 2014. Mass Market Paperback, 809 pages

     I've been a bit silent on the book reviewing front. Sorry about that! I went through an unusual reading slump after dragging myself through a few books, and took a small break. I wanted to return to a sure thing....and Hobb has proven her excellence time and again. She is truly a master and I can't sing her praises highly enough. If you ever try Fantasy, I recommend her novels as a jumping off point.
      I have written reviews for the Farseer Trilogy in Hobb's expansive Realm of the Elderlings series, and have been told by countless people on Booktube that this is some of her best work yet (thank the Good Lord she's sactively writing!!!). I just started the second book and will marathon these similarly to how I read the first set.
       We follow characters in Bingtown and Jamailla, where Old Trader families are experiencing hard times due to slave labor and wars in the North. The ruling leader-Satrap- has allowed the areas to fall into neglect because of his inattention and addiction, which has also made him susceptible to bribes from New Traders hoping to takeover the Old Trader holdings. 
       The Liveships are the center of this tale. They are ships made from magical Wizardwood, which is only available in the Rain Wild Forests. Once a member from three generations of family have lived and died aboard the ship, it is "quickened" and becomes alive- a thriving vessel that brings prosperity and easier sailing for it's family. This valuable resource must be handled appropriately.
       I have so many things to say that I could ramble for paragraphs on end, and that would be a tedious experience indeed. Here's just a few of my my favorite things in this book.

CHARACTERS- Good grief, the development of her characters continues to astonish me. The Vestrit Trader family is nuanced and goes through extreme emotional turmoil as their livelihood is threatened. Each person responds differently to the family threat, and acts according to their life experience. I found I kept making parallels between characters in the Farseer books to these (Burrich to Brashen, Wintrow to Fitz (although Althea could be likened to Fitz as well due to the outcast angle). While this comparison could be problematic with a less-skilled author, the story still felt wholly new and original.
    
Also, there is an appropriate level of death. People aren't killed off willy-nilly. There is time for connections to develop, and when one does happen, it seems imminent and/or realistic for the situation.

PERSONIFICATION: The idea of reading about a ship weeping doesn't sound that entertaining. It sounds weird, not beautiful or interesting. Well, Robin Hobb can make it feel like your family member is crying. The beauty of the Liveship Vivacia when talking to Wintrow about family ties is one such surprising passage: "Who are you, I wonder, you creatures of flesh and blood and bone, born in your own bodies and doomed to perish when that flesh fails?....Yet when one of you is near, I feel you are woven of the same strand as I, that we are but extensions of a segmented life, and that together we complete one another. I feel a joy in your presence, because I feel my own life wax greater when we are close to one another." (pg 163)
Another quote when Vivacia is feeling anxious: "It was a terrible division, to feel such need for someone, and yet to feel angry that the need existed." (pg 704).

Okay, I guess it's still weird that a ship is that complex. But Hobb can pull it off, somehow.

WRITING: Stellar, magnificent, awesome, EVERYTHING. I might have said this before (I've certainly heard others mention it), but if you enjoy literary fiction and are curious about Fantasy, she's your girl.

PLOT: Even if you don't care about strong writing and simply want good action, she provides. If you like sea adventures (that even feature serpents!), pirates, romance, complex family dynamics, with the backdrop of an expansive world, here ya go.

PACING: Even though this story is told in a linear fashion without time jumps, having this many characters is a challenge. Somehow, I always felt like people received their fair time. I wasn't wishing I was back with other characters, everyone got an appropriate page count. I wasn't left with that all-too-familiar readerly feeling of wishing someone had more time in the book because I felt cheated. When I started to feel curious about how the Vestrits were getting on, almost instantaneously (okay, a few pages later) I was back with them. I think you've found your perfect author when that happens...it's like they sense your needs.
My least favorite parts were the shortest, such as the sections with the serpent tangle. I knew they were important, but I didn't want to hear from them in full-length chapter detail. Hobb knew. Their interludes were just a couple pages sprinkled throughout the chapters. I'm sure they'll play a larger part in the next two books, but for now have the perfect amount of attention. Readers, the story flows without a hitch.

WORLD BUILDING: I love a book with good maps! This series has one of the most extensive worlds I've ever experienced. It's not necessary to read the Farseer books before this, but there are cool passing references that are alluded to in this book. It's fun to to know the Rain Wild people have their own Chronicles in the next trilogy. There are tons of nooks and crannies to get lost in. It's hard for me to pick a favorite location. Every time I decide, I'm reminded of other areas I love.

CONS: There weren't any for me. As in most fantasy worlds, it's involved. It will take 50-75 pages to get your bearings with the people and setting. The connections take some mental energy, so if you're wanting a quick, non-taxing read, hold off on this until you can fully appreciate the content. However, it's not needlessly complex and convoluted the way many are. Everything has a point and a payoff. 

     I really hope you'll pick up Robin Hobb at some point in your reading life. I'd love to chat with you if you do! She's firmly on my "Authors to Meet" bucket list. I'm sure I'll simply utter an awkward "Thank You!!!", but feel that's sufficient for meeting someone I hold in such high esteem. This is storytelling at it's finest.