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The Bird Hotel
By Joyce Maynard
Published by Arcade, May 2, 2023,9781956763737, 432 pp.

The Short of It:

Maynard never fails to tell a story, and tell it well.

The Rest of It:

After a childhood filled with heartbreak, Irene, a talented artist, finds herself in a small Central American village where she checks into a beautiful but decaying lakefront hotel called La Llorona at the base of a volcano.

The Bird Hotel tells the story of this young American who, after suffering tragedy, restores and runs La Llorona. Along the way we meet a rich assortment of characters who live in the village or come to stay at the hotel. With a mystery at its center and filled with warmth, drama, romance, humor, pop culture, and a little magical realism, The Bird Hotel has all the hallmarks of a Joyce Maynard novel that have made her a leading voice of her generation. ~ Indiebound

I was delightfully surprised by this novel. I expected to love it, but I didn’t expect La Llorona to find a place in my heart. I love it when a home, village or dwelling is so well-imagined that it takes on an identity of its own. The crumbling hotel with all its challenges is lovingly restored by Irene. Her sensitivity to the environment around her and the respect she has for the hotel’s original staff, earns her respect in the village.

People come to La Llorona for many reasons. To get away from it all, to find elusive herbs, to profit off the locals and yes, sometimes to hide as Irene continues to lay low to protect the secret she is hiding. Irene’s grief over losing a child and husband continues to grow and hold her captive, Memories of her mother’s last words replay in her head. She is heavy with grief and La Llorona gently calls her mind to other things.

People come together. Some become family, others become enemies. There’s heartache and great displays of loyalty. I found myself completely absorbed by the hotel and its people. It was one of those reads that you fall right into.

Recommend.

Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Horse
By Geraldine Brooks
Published by Viking, June 2022,9780399562969, 416 pp.

The Short of It:

An interesting snapshot of a time long gone.

The Rest of It:

A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history. ~ Indiebound

Based on the true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington, Horse is a living and breathing account of Kentucky in 1850 and beyond. Jarret is the enslaved groom hired to care for young Lexington. A horse bred to win, but the unusual bond between the two is threatened to be broken when Lexington begins to get the attention of those wanting to profit off of Lexington’s noble lineage.

Fast forward to 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist becomes curious about a skeleton found in the attic of the museum. As she works to restore it, properly articulating each bone, she realizes that a horse of this stature most likely had quite a history. Enter Theo, he finds a discarded painting of a horse and it turns out that the two are related.

Horse is one of those stories that spans decades and includes many key players but the story that held my attention the most was the bond between Jarret and Lexington. Everything else, although interesting on its own, took me away from what I really wanted to focus on, this magnificent creature and the boy hired to care for him. Status, race, slavery. It’s all here.

This is not a book I would have picked up on my own but as a book club book, I think there will be plenty to discuss.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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