Love | Book Chatter

Nantucket
By Nan Rossiter
Kensington Publishing Corporation, Paperback, 9781617736506, August 25, 2015, 352pp.)

The Short of It:

Nantucket is such an idyllic, beautiful locale but even though it’s always been home for Liam Tate it’s also a reminder of what was.

The Rest of It:

After losing his parents in a car accident, Liam Tate moves into his Uncle’s house on Nantucket. Together, they while away the years working on boats or fixing up the house. For Liam, it’s a happy time and he loves living on the island and can’t imagine calling any other place home.

One summer, Cadie and her family vacation on the island. After meeting Liam, it’s pretty much love at first sight but Cadie’s from a well-to-do family and Liam is just a hardworking kid working in the boatyard. Clearly, the two have little in common but their immediate attraction to one another is something Cadie’s father will not tolerate so he whisks her back to New York, far away from Liam Tate.

Liam waits for a letter or phone call but he receives nothing from Cadie. He just assumes that she’s gone off to college to live the life she was meant to live. Several years later, the two are reunited and even though many years have passed, Liam can’t help but feel something for the woman who stole his heart so long ago.

I’ve read all of Nan Rossiter’s books so I was pretty excited to get my hands on this new one. One thing you can always count on is a fabulous setting and this novel is no exception. The other thing you can count on, four-legged characters you can’t ignore. In this case, Tuck, a lovable retriever and his feline buddy, affectionately called, Mobe.

In this novel, Rossiter’s focus is Liam and Cadie’s relationship and the role of second chances. Is it possible to love again after so many years? There is a slightly weightier edge to this story than the ones I’ve read before. Liam is forced to make some very difficult decisions and you all know how much I love it when characters are pushed outside of their comfort zones.

Speaking of characters, I adored Liam. I adored his dog, Tuck. I did not adore Cadie. Gasp! Cadie was just a young girl when this all went down but I was so angry at her for not contacting Liam after she left the island. Sure, she was young but what young person listens to their parents anyway?

That said, this story is a reminder at just how quickly your life can change and how having a little bit of faith can lead you in the right direction. It’s got a fabulous setting, a little bit of romance and some soul-searching, weightier issues to consider. There’s something for everyone.

Nan has been incredibly generous with her books and is offering one copy for me to give away! If you’d like a chance to win a copy, check out the details below.

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

This giveaway is for one copy of Nantucket and is open to the US and Canada. A winner will be chosen randomly by me. The book will come directly from the author. Only one entry per person. Giveaway closes on August 31, 2015 (pacific). I will contact the winner for his/her mailing address.

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!

Source: Review and giveaway copies provided by the author.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Norwegian Wood
By Haruki Murakami
(Vintage, Paperback, 9780375704024, September 2000, 304pp.)

The Short of It:

Norwegian Wood is arguably THE book that put Murakami on the map, yet its transparency and predictability frustrated me.

The Rest of It:

Murakami is known for his odd, quirky characters and his affinity for talking cats, but Norwegian Wood is a departure from that. Yes, the characters are quirky but probably the least quirky I’ve encountered thus far and I’ve read eight of his books in the past year and a half.

Essentially, the book functions as a love story. At its center is Toru Watanabe. He’s an average guy and a decent student. While at college, he befriends Kizuki and Naoko who happen to be dating but the two of them are not complete without the addition of Toru’s friendship. All three of them acknowledge this at some point in their relationship, yet when Kizuki dies tragically, Naoko and Toru remain friends, but their friendship is challenged by Naoko’s inability to function without Kizuki. This forces her to spend some time away, recuperating from her sadness.

While away, Toru goes about his life as he normally would trying to figure out where he stands with Naoko and then in walks Midori. Midori has her own issues and although the two take comfort in each other’s company, they can’t seem to move past the Toru/Naoko connection. What starts off as an innocent friendship turns into something else, but how far can it go when your heart also loves another?

My reaction to the book may have been due to the translation but the writing was simplistic to me. Overly so, and that’s not something I expect while reading a Murakami novel. The dialogue was stilted and almost seemed forced in some places. At first, I enjoyed the slowness of it, but when the dialogue continued this way, I began to get frustrated with it. It really played out as a “He Said, She Said” and its predictability in both plot and pattern nearly put me to sleep at one point. But, there are telltale signs of Murakami’s familiar style too which is probably why I continued reading. His characters are always so interesting even if what they had to say wasn’t.

However, there was a “creep” factor to this novel that I’ve not experienced with any of Murakami’s other books. The “relations” between some of the characters set my teeth on edge. Many have said this is one of Murakami’s more erotic novels but I didn’t find it to be overly erotic or graphic. However, I did feel uncomfortable numerous times while reading it. The conversations about sex just didn’t seem realistic me. You wouldn’t walk up to a friend and say, “Hey, it would be nice to see your penis just to see how impressive it is. Don’t you think?” Not a line from the book but it’s a good example of what I am talking about. Polite and smutty all at the same time.

Overall, I enjoyed the musical references and listened to Norwegian Wood a few times while reading but the story was very slow and the high creep factor turned me off. Not one of my favorites, but I suspect that readers who do not appreciate the surreal quality of his other novels, might prefer the straight-forwardness of this one.

Note from Ti: Haven’t seen the movie yet but I’m curious enough to check it out.

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

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