Tag Archives: Book Club

Book Review

Review: Telephone

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TelephoneTelephone
By Percival Everett
Graywolf Press,9781644450222, 2020, 224pp.

The Short of It:

Unexpectedly clever.

The Rest of It:

I read Telephone some time back and I am just now sitting down to write up my thoughts. This book was chosen for my book club and what appeared to be a story about a father and his terminally ill daughter, turned out to be a lot more. A lot.

There are failed relationships. Pleas for help from women who have been trafficked. Uncomfortable interactions between colleagues. Come to find out, the author has three slightly different versions of this book. Between the members of my club all three versions were read and when we came together to discuss the book, we quickly realized endings were different.

I really enjoyed the writing even though the story seemed a little choppy in places. I definitely appreciated its uniqueness. Our club will be reading his new book later this year (James).

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

Book Review

Review: The Marriage Portrait

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The Marriage Portrait

The Marriage Portrait
By Maggie O’Farrell
Vintage Books, 9780593315088. July 2023, 352 pp.

The Short of It:

Marriage can be hard, especially when your husband wants you dead.

The Rest of It:

Florence in the 1550s. Marriages are carefully arranged to preserve
status, to guarantee the continuance of the family line, and sometimes, attraction is taken into consideration. But in The Marriage Portrait, young Lucrezia stands in for her sister who passed away right before her wedding. Lucrezia is just a child. Far too young to be married so her nurse manages to delay their joining for a short while, but Lucrezia doesn’t want anything to do with any of it. She just wants to roam her childhood home, drawing and painting her natural surroundings.

As much as she fights it, her parents fully support the union and what it will mean for their family. Lucrezia is young but once she becomes a woman, she should be able to produce many heirs which is what her future husband Alfonso is counting on. But we learn very early on that Lucrezia will not survive this marriage and what unfolds is an unputdownable story.

I enjoyed O’Farrell’s previous book, Hamnet so when it came time to choose another book for book club I chose The Marriage Portrait and it did not disappoint. It’s full of beautiful passages, and centers itself around art and beauty, even with the threat of something darker lurking in the background. The characters are well-developed and although the story is based on true events, O’Farrell gives Lucrezia the ending that she wants her to have. It’s very well done and now I’ve added all of O’Farrell’s books to my Libby list.

Highly recommend.

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