Short & Sweet

Yes, these two books were "Short & Sweet". I really enjoyed both of them. I ended up reading "Skylark" first. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it would have been nice to have some attachment to the characters going into it. The writing was beautifully poetic. I too appreciated all that was said without words.

I thought that Sarah was an inspiration. How courageous she was to leave behind all that she knew and loved to go to a place and to people that she only hoped that she could love. How often in life do we cling, for too long, to what we know and trust, and consequently miss out on what we could have.

I appreciated the selflessness of the children. I don't know if I'd be willing to accept a stranger into my heart and home.

I did enjoy the stories, but find that I have little to say. I can't wait to find out what the next book will be.

Karen B.

I wasn't disappointed

I read Sarah Plain and Tall many years ago and loved it! I remember being so impressed with MacLachlan's ability to not say things. So many times authors, particularly of adolescent/kid lit, think they need to make sure their readers "get it." KT put it best, "Most of what was said wasn't written." It was great to read a story that could speak to audiences of such widely different ages.

Because I loved Sarah Plain and Tall, I was very excited to read Skylark. I wasn't disappointed. It was a quick read and I found once I started it I couldn't put it down. (I finished at about 1:00 a.m.) I usually mark my books up so I can find favorite passages, but I wanted to be able to make this one available for my students, so I restrained myself. (This made it harder to find my favorite passages, however.) I loved the relationship of Sarah to her immediate and extended family. I loved the ruggedly independent New Englanders. I particularly appreciated the strength and commitment of family ties--especially between Jacob and Sarah--and their efforts to do what was best for their children, even when it was difficult for them personally. Sarah's journey, both physically and emotionally, was so insightful. When she wrote her name, it marked the end of her journey. She understood herself and was very clear about what was important.

Like Laurenda, I want to read MacLauchlan's other books and plan to buy Caleb's Story and More Perfect than the Moon ASAP. (By the way Laurenda, welcome back to the midwest. Where is Bonner Springs and why are you moving there? And congratulations on your expected new arrival! When will Rod & I get to see you?)

Happy Thanksgiving!

--Karen

Sarah Plain and Tall, & Skylark

I am sorry that I did not read these books. My life became very busy and I did not make it a priority.:( I wish I had after reading your posts!

Didn't want the stories to end...

I found the dating process in the book absolutely beautiful. When I first started reading Sarah, I thought "ah, the precursor to internet dating." A single man posts his profile; an available woman answers. The only thing that made this different from internet dating is the lack of "must-haves." i.e. she must be 5'4", must be a size 2, must be X years younger than I am, etc.

I'm glad Sarah was an independent woman. She knew how to fix a roof, learned how to ride a horse, drive a wagon, etc. She wasn't waiting for a man to make her happy, or to provide for her, or to "complete her."

I liked that the narrative was from a child's perspective. So innocent, so full of faith, and so straight-forward, totally lacking in pretense (my favorite quote from Sarah: "In the morning, Sarah dressed in a pair of overalls and went to the barn to have an argument with Papa." Every emotion was totally real. Like Laurenda, I found myself smiling with Caleb every time he took something Sarah said to mean she would stay (for example, "..[Caleb's] mouth formed the words I had heard, too. Our dune.") And I found myself crying with Caleb when Sarah returned from town.

I also loved the simplicity of these books. I enjoyed reading them, and found that, at the end, I wanted more. Patricia MacLachlan's writing was a lot like Jacob's way with words. Most of what was said wasn't written.

Patricia MacLachlan's Gems...

Hello Ladies!

This is probably going to be far shorter than I want it to be, as we are scurrying around trying to get things packed for our moved back out to the midwest (we are heading to Bonner Springs, KS, for those of you back "home"). There have been so many parrallels to my real life while I've been reading these books, I found it kinda ironic. Maybe I was just being prepared for things to come.

I loved that these books were so simple, and yet so powerful and emotionally packed...I wonder if they were hard to write because they were so easy to read. I also appreciated that Sarah, Plain and Tall was based on an actual family occurrence--go geneology! Wahoo! It's no wonder that Sarah is an award winner. I felt like I was reading poetry and was often soothed by it.

I thought there were several overall themes that both books shared, but the one that really sticks out in my mind is faith. In Sarah, it was a child like faith and hope that Sarah would stay (I loved the quiet romance that took place, too). In Skylark, it was definitely more an adult faith (when will it rain...) and loving what you know first, but being willing to adapt.

In my own life, there are many many life changes going on, it's almost overwhelming. Wonderful, surprising things (will our house sell before we move on Friday? Is it the right decision to go before it sells? Is that really a double line on that pregnancy test??????) and potentially frustrating things (what to pack now....what to leave so the house shows better? How will the kids do with a 22+ hour drive?) and that Jason will be coming back to Las Vegas for a bit while I am in Kansas with the girls. Crazy. (and yes, I am pregnant with my 3rd child...about 6ish weeks, so I can appreciate Sarah's moment, too).

But the thing that I take/took comfort (and cried and cried) is that Sarah stayed (in Sarah), and that the rains came (in Skylark). I loved the visual in the first book of Caleb saying, while crying with relief, "Seal was worried!!!" That made me laugh through my tears. And then Sarah and Jacob's reunion. oh!!!! bawled bawled bawled.

Soooo, being a total sap, I went and checked out the 3rd book (the sequel to the sequel), "Caleb's Story", which is also simply wonderful, with a powerful theme of forgiveness. I'd recommend this one, too!!!!!

I so enjoyed these books, and I hope you all did too! I look forward to reading these when I finally get back to a computer. (we are leaving on the 18th and will go and try to find a place when we get there...see???? Lots of opportunity to exercise faith. Where is my glass to set out???? Lolol).

Happy Thanksgiving, Les Liseuses!

:) Laurenda

Sorry I am late

Hi. Sorry I am late. I really enjoyed the book. I love to read and this book had an unusual concept and was beautifully written.

I found two concepts of the book compelling. The first was isolation Max felt as a person with a disability. Already isolated by his unique condition, he was further isolated by his mom who insisted that he "be who they think you are" (sorry if I misquoted there). Max never really had the opportunity to be true to himself and honest with the world- instead he lived in some made-up world where he scrambled to meet everyone else's superficial assumptions of who he was. How lonely a life that would be.

I work with people with disabilities and often see a similar frustration in the people I work with. Often, the world looks at them and sees a person using a wheelchair or a person who looks "crazy" and makes assumptions- never bothering to check the accuracies of their biases. This, too, leads to isolation and loneliness.

The second theme I saw was the idea of waiting for your life to happen. Max wanted and dreamed of loving, being loved by, and sharing his life with Alice. It seemed that he stopped living in the moment- and instead lived in the future- waiting for his chance to be with Alice. I saw this in his inability to love or truly know those around him. For example, it seemed that Max never really appreciated Hughie and his loyalty and friendship.

This struck a chord with me for several reasons. I think we all do this to a certain extent. My brother is single and 26. He is frustrated with not being married or in a relationship and I know it causes him great concern. We have talked about it at length and it seems that he is finally understanding that his life is happening NOW and that NOW is a good place to be. Sometimes, we just have to stop and look at our NOW and help ourselves appreciate it.

I really appreciated the book's honesty. Life is hard. We have difficult choices to make and sometimes we make the wrong ones. I appreciated his musings at the end on the importance of relationships. I agree with Karen, that the relationships in this book seemed stilted and artificial. I wonder if that had something to do with Max and his disability. It must be difficult to have honest relationships when you aren't able to be honest about who you are.

The Confessions of Max Tivoli has caused me to hug my daughter a little tighter today and ponder on my relationship with her and the rest of my family. I think honest relationships are often a goal that is easily made but not so easily achieved.

I hope this made sense! Looking forward to the next book.

I finished by the deadline!

I have to admit that I had trouble getting into this book, but with a deadline looming . . . I started skimming last night and then I got hooked. I read until midnight (even though I had school this morning) and just finished. Then I read everyone else's (is this a word?) comments before posting my own. I was excited to join the discussion, but discovered that I had forgotten my user name and password. Half and hour later, I am finally posting my commments/responses on Confessions.

First, like Katrina, I was very impressed with Greer's author's craft. There were so many powerful phrases and images. One that I underlined was, "I took the moment--snip--and coiled it in the enamel locket of my heart." Whoa! I'd love to write like that. The plot had enough of the unique and unexpected (maybe I am just a little slow), that I was intrigued. (At the end of Book II, I was genuinely surprise that Mrs. Ramsey was Mrs. Alice Ramsey. I felt like I did at the end of 6th Sense when I finally figured it out!) Also, the characters showed depth and humanity and growth. This book made me think.

The choices the characters made throughout the book, while sympathetic, were a bit frustrating to me. I wanted Max to be more insightful when interacting with Hughie, his mother and sister, Alice's mother, etc. The individuals and families all seemed to be out-of-sync with each other somehow; they never really connected in long lasting, meaningful relationships . . . with the exception of Alice and Sammie. Is this the one parent-child relationship that is going to work? One can only hope, but it doesn't seem likely.

This book was definitely worth reading. Thanks, Katie, for suggesting it. (By the way, I was sickened by the bear's death. It made me cringe!) Karen Buxton . . . you expressed the pain of the book: shattered dreams, missed opportunities and unfulfilled expectations. All of this was related so matter-of-factly, that it wasn't a downer; it was just thought-provoking. Laurenda, I am looking forward to the next selection. I loved Sarah Plain and Tall, but have not read the sequal. I bought it last week. (I can't read a book without marking it all up, so I have to own the books I read.)

Celia, I may have missed a few details (I was skimming the book), but Max' father ends up in Alaska, marries, becomes wealthy and when he dies, leaves enough money to Max that he can live comfortably. Greer doesn't spell out exactly why he walks out on his family and that is a good thing. I found that thinking about what was going on in his mind was a lot more interesting than having the author spell it all out.

Max Tivoli

Hello Ladies! I did not have time to read "...Max...". I checked the book from the library six weeks ago, then renewed three weeks ago and still have not opened it. Sorry. However, I did read the reviews and I am feeling a little intimidated by all the intellect and insightfulness! The reviews were very informative and well written. I feel as though I already know about the book from the reviews. Anyway, please be patient with me !! Love, Sandi

Sorry, couln't read it

Hi. I'm sorry I didn't get to read this one. They didn't have it in my library, and it's still on hold for me at another library but hasn't come in yet. In the meantime I got to read the new Harry Potter(loved it) and a couple others that weren't so great. Hopefully I have more luck with these next books.

Confessions...

Hello ladies!!!

Hooray for Les Liseuses! So excited to be part of the group.

That being stated, let me just say it was a pleasure to read the book and I really really enjoyed it. It was so lyrical and soooooo sad. Bittersweet, perhaps is a better word. No...sad. ANYWAY!!! I thought it was such an interesting exploration of love--or to be honest, the true lack of it.

I think Max was more obsessed than truly in love with Alice, even though he kept saying how much he loved her. Poor Howie knew this as well, as do most of our dear friend when we are involved with the wrong people ("He beats you! He yells at you! You must leave him!" "But I loves him, Roweena!"). Alice was Max's drug of choice and he had to face the consequences of that addiction--for good and ill. And Alice, as we all discovered, was never in love with him. Such a life lesson! And poor Howie! tsk.

I loved the insight into California during the turn of the century. Doesn't it make you wonder what things people will be amazed at when they look back at our era, a hundred years from now?

As I was coming off of my Harry Potter, Book 6 obsession, this was indeed a welcome change. It was easy to read and I really dug the fact there were no traditional chapters. I could read bits of it and put the book down if I needed to, though I would often read later at night than I should have. :)

Enjoyed it alot. :) I'm going to post this now and read what YOU all thought.

:) Laurenda

Max Tivoli

I read to page 72 and have a few comments on what I read. The idea of being born old and aging to babyhood is very creative and unique. Except, while I was reading this book, I kept saying to myself, “This would never happen in real life.” I kept wanting the book to be written about something that does happen in real life. Maybe about a very smart person in a crippled body. Everyone thinks he is mentally handicapped, but he really isn’t. A story about his struggles, and a good woman falling in love with him.

I am disappointed in Max’s father. He left them without a note of explanation, or anything. They couldn’t even trace him. They couldn’t get his life insurance reimbursement. Did he commit suicide in the ocean because Max said his footprints literally ran into the water and never showed up anywhere else? Did he leave because of his debts, or because his wife was pregnant? [Please actually reply and answer these questions for me!] He was very weak to do this. I hate putting men into the stereotype of deadbeat dads. The whole first part of the book portrayed him as a strong, good Father who was always there. Him leaving came as a complete surprise to us readers, and to Max.

In the beginning of the book, I was offended by the description of his Mother‘s and Dad’s love scene. Although, I concede it is a lot cleaner compared to other books. Later in the book, I was also offended that Max makes love on a regular basis with Mrs. Levy, when he is really in love with her daughter, Alice. His situation is more vulnerable because to Mrs. Levy he is a 50-year-old-man, and his coming there to meet her meant he knew he was coming for “love.” Also, he thought he was going to meet Alice, and therefore, wasn’t prepared to meet Mrs. Levy’s advances. But, in our religion we are taught to be prepared for these situations and have the strength to avoid them. We follow our morals no matter what. His actions were unacceptable to me, he became weak in my eyes. He was not an interesting or strong Hero to me anymore. Hence, I stopped reading the book. But please, do not take offense! As you will find out, I like the “squeaky clean” books. You will see this by my choice of book when it’s my turn.

-Celia

...a beautiful thing to waste one's life for love

I found the book to be strange, but also strangely lyrical. The author really painted pictures with his words – and not just pictures of people or places, but pictures of feelings and emotions.

"It is a brave and stupid thing, a beautiful thing to waste one's life for love."

Well, I agree with the stupid thing. Although I enjoyed the book, I was frustrated by Max’s obsession with Alice. I’m all for falling in love, but never at the cost of WASTING one’s life. Life can be full of love without having “the love of [your] life.” Max had a best friend I don’t think he really appreciated until he was gone (of course, if I understood the book correctly, Max was the love of Howie’s life). Does this make me sound like an old-maid single person?

Max kept waiting for his circumstances (his Alice) to make him happy, which of course, never happened.

I did find myself asking why the author chose this specific time period? Was it simply to showcase San Francisco history at the time of the great earthquake? How would the book have been different if the story were set in the present day? The 1950’s?

Did anyone else cry when the bear was killed?

The Confessions of Max Tivoli

What an intriguing idea. The whole story was very thought provoking. I spent time considering how dependent we are upon the idea of time and the way that we progress through it. We have limited control over how our lives are played out, so we find comfort in at least knowing that we will progress from childhood into old age. That's not to say that we are comfortable with growing old, but at least we have an idea of what to expect.

I had to question whether or not it was fair that his mother required him to act the part of an adult while he was yet a child. I realize that it was for his protection as well as hers, but when he wanted to be a child he was not allowed, and when he was an adult he was forced to act the part of a child. What a confused individual such a creed would produce.

Then there was the bizarre love triangle. It was...Well, bizarre. Was there anyone in the story that had any lasting happiness? I sure hope that when I approach the end of my life that I don't look back and only see shattered dreams, missed opportunities and unfulfilled expectations. What a bummer. Perhaps that outlook comes from living in a rainy place like San Francisco.

I really didn't find the book to be all dismal, but it wasn't overwhelmingly uplifting either. There was enough humor in it to keep it from being too heavy. It was a good read.

There is much more to be said, but I'll cut it short.