Remarkable Creatures, by Tracy Chevalier [2010]

Tracy Chevalier has a way of making history come alive. If you have read her earlier books, The Virgin Blue, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Falling Angels, The Lady and the Unicorn, and Burning Bright, you will probably enjoy this latest novelization of a non-fictional slice of history.

Set in Lyme Regis, England, in the mid 1800's the novel brings together two women from very different social positions. Mary Anning, born to an impoverished family, is a fossil hunter. Elizabeth Philpot, a middle-class spinster, exiled to the small town of Lyme with her two equally spinstered sisters, befriends Mary and they become unlikely partners in their quest and love of fossil remains.

In an age where women should be seen not heard, when women were counted only as useful as the dowry they could bring to a man, these two women set their sights on charting their own destinies. In real life, Mary Anning become a well-known name in the Royal Geological Society, and had many admirerers. The fame she garnered was tempered by the fact that she spent her entire life in relative poverty and was never formally acknowledged for her contributions to the understanding of our fossil history until long after her death.

Tracy Chevalier weaves a beautiful poignant story of two intelligent, curious women who tried to break the bounds of convention and be what they longed to be--fossil hunters and scientists!

Noah's Compass, by Anne Tyler (2009)

Are we who we are because we can remember our past, or are we who we are despite our recollections? Liam Pennywell, 61, and facing retirement from his school teacher career, is about to deal with the question.

When Liam loses memory of moving into his new apartment, his life is thrown for a turn. In trying to recover his memories, he finds his life, which has been quite solitary from estranged children and wives, is now filling up again as his family reaches out to him. When he meets a professional memory collector, Liam believes he's found a simple way to regain his past. Instead, his life is about to get very complicated!

Very well-written, this slice-of-life story of the singular Liam Pennywell is an easy read with some interesting themes and surprises.

Mr Wroe's Virgins, by Jane Rogers [1991]

Sometimes the plot of a story is enough to carry a reader along, and sometimes the excellence of the writing style is the strong point in a novel. In Jane Roger's book, we are graced with both attributes.

This is one of the most unique and well-written novels I have read in a while. Set in Great Britain in the 1830s, and based in part of the true life of the religious leader, Prophet Wroe, Roger's book begins with Mr Wroe's latest dream prophecy. Mr Wroe, a Christian Israelite, dreams that God has directed him to choose seven virgins from his flock who will come and live with him.

The seven women come from very different backgrounds and circumstances. Each chapter gives us more insight into the wives' earlier lives, their current circumstances and their hopes, if any, for the future. As the inner motivations of religion, sex, and power direct the outward lives of the women, each tries to find some meaning for their new role as one of the great prophet's wives.

Jane Rogers provides a wonderful peak at a time when the communal dreams of the Owen movement were on the rise, the labour movement was starting to organize weavers and spinners, and the world seemed poised on the brink of a new era, or as Prophet Wroe was claiming, the end of the World!

The Possibility of Everything, by Hope Edelman (2009)

Hope Edelman's true story of dealing with her young daughter Maya's imaginary friend will, I believe, capture the interest of a wide range of readers. This is due to the fact that Hope's journey covers a wide range of solutions that she was willing to follow to try and help her daughter.

As Hope discovers, it's not that unusual for three year olds to develop imaginary friends. However, when these imaginary friends cause the child to hit other people, to scream uncontrollably, or to have night terrors, the aberrant behaviour can become a nightmare for the entire family.

Hope is willing to reach out to professionals for help. She talks to Maya's preschool teacher, to doctors, to friends, to psychologists. When conventional wisdom fails to bring resolution to the family, she begins to consider alternatives beyond her own comfort zone. Her daughter's nanny suggests a more radical solution: perform a native Nicaraguan healing ritual to rid Maya of this unwanted companion. Hope is very suprised when the ritual actually brings relief and the imaginary friend disappears for a few days. When the imaginary friend, or evil spirit, comes back, Hope must decide how best to help her daughter.

Could her daughter actually be in contact with an evil spirit? Would a native healer, or shaman, be of help? When Hope and her husband plan a Christmas trip to the jungles of Belize, the opportunity to meet such healers comes their way. Will Hope be able to overcome her skepticism and reach out for help?

Read this memoir and travel with Hope and her family as they struggle to deal with this frightening phenomenon that has taken over their daughter's personality and the family's peace of mind.

Tales of the City, by Armistead Maupin (1978)

San Francisco in the late 70's was in it's heyday of defying Middle American standards and values. In this wonderful series of vignettes, first published as a newspaper serial, Maupin captures the highs and lows of life in on the hill.

Mary-Anne Singleton is trying to escape what she sees as an inevitable fate of suburban marriage and ennui in Cleveland, by moving to San Francisco. She finds herself a great apartment in a house full of other singles, running the gamut from hetero to homo, from upbeat to down. Each chapter in the story follows one of the inhabitants as they mingle and match with an assortment of offbeat, but totally believable characters in the world beyond their lodging house on Barbary Lane.

Maupin's gift for original and honest dialogue creates wonderful characters. I can't wait to read the sequel "More Tales of the City."

Warrior's Princess, by Barbara Erskine (2009)

Fans of Barbara Erskine's novels will, I imagine, find this latest historical fiction novel to be quite up to snuff. I really enjoyed the historical settings and drama that the author portrayed in this book.

For Warrior's Princess, we are transported between Wales and Rome at the time the British tribes are being eradicated by the Romans. Caratacus, king of one of the tribes, is captured, along with his wife and daughter, the princess Eigon. All three are taken to Rome to await their fate at the hands of the Roman Emporer, Claudius.

Back in the present day, the main character, Jess, finds herself linked in a psychic connection to the Princess Eigon and, while attempting to flee from her modern day pursuer, she travels to Rome to discover the parallel pursuer who threatened Eigon's life two thousand years ago.

For the most part I did enjoy this book, especially the historic story of ancient Rome. However, I do have some reservations about the modern story. The main character, Jess, seems to be a bit contrived, in my opinion. She is supposed to be an intelligent woman, yet she cannot think clearly about her situation. Her desire to keep everything a "secret" and handle things on her own leads her into more and more problems. Her problem solving seems out of character and ends up being a mere vehicle to keep the story line going.

As well, the dialogue of the characters in Ancient Rome seems problematic at times. While it would be impossible to translate exactly the Latin of the day into modern fiction without it seeming stilted an difficult to follow, it seems a bit too modern when one young Roman woman refers to a young man as "dishy."

These points notwithstanding, the book is an enjoyable read.

Have a Little Faith, by Mitch Albom [2009]

I am not sure why Mitch Albom's path crisscrosses with people who are grappling with the issue of death, but the theme is one he handles very gracefully. Following on his "Tuesdays with Morrie," where Mitch begins a five-year dialogue with his dying professor, "Have a Little Faith" is an eight-year journey with his childhood rabbi, Albert Lewis.

The book begins with a request by the rabbi that Mitch write his eulogy. That Mitch has not attended a religious service in decades, or that the rabbi is not imminently in danger of dying is no deterrent to the beginning of a relationship that brings meaning, friendship, and learning to both parties.

Over the eight years that Mitch and the Rabbi Lewis carry on their frienship, Mitch also becomes involved in the life of another religious leader, Henry Covington. Henry's journey to faith has led him from a life of crime and drug addiction in the slums of Detroit, to the role of pastor for the homeless and indigent of his home town.

This book will appeal to readers of all faiths who are interested in the human condition, in the journey of life, and of finding our own paths to enlightenment.