Tag Archives: Scribner

Review: After the Parade

After the Parade

After the Parade
By Lori Ostlund
Scribner Book Company, Hardcover, 9781476790107, September 22, 2015, 352pp.

The Short of It:

With pain, comes growth.

The Rest of It:

As a young child, Aaron Englund had no idea how his father’s death after a fall from a parade float would affect him in the years to come but when his adult relationship with his beloved Walter ends, he’s forced to take a look at his past.

After the Parade is exactly what I look for in a good read. It’s a quiet story with interesting, quirky characters and unusual situations. When Aaron realizes that he can no longer maintain a relationship with Walter, he moves out and meets a host of people who, although flawed, serve a purpose in his healing.

This is truly a book about relationships. Mother and son, father and son, colleague to colleague, innocent bystanders, etc. I loved how open Aaron was to all of it. He’s a sensible guy and takes his hits as they come but he learns from them too which makes him so relatable. This book is filled with quite “aha” moments. I found myself rereading sections just to let the ideas sink in.

If you are like me and like quiet, meaningful reads then you will enjoy this one. It will be on my list of faves for the year because to me, this was the full package as far as reads go.

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

Review: My Last Continent

My Last Continent

My Last Continent
By Midge Raymond
Scribner Book Company, Hardcover, 9781501124709, June 21, 2016, 320pp.

The Short of It:

A highly readable story touching on the environmental impact of tourism upon Antarctica and its native penguins.

The Rest of It:

If you’re not familiar with Midge Raymond, you ought to be. Years ago she asked me to review a collection of short stories titled (Forgetting English) and it was one of the first short story collections that I read and actually enjoyed. The stories were so well-developed, which is what I worry about when reading short stories. Will I feel satisfied after reading them? Yes. In this case, yes.

My Last Continent is her first novel and it’s actually an expansion of one of my favorite stories from Forgetting English, (The Ecstatic Cry). In this novel, we meet Deb Gardner who has been studying the habits of penguins in the frigid waters of Antarctica. Year after year she returns and takes great pleasure in the solitude that her research provides. But at times, it does get lonely so when she meets and falls in love with Keller Sullivan, she’s conflicted. Can you have a successful relationship with someone when your research takes you to one of the most remote areas of the world?

I read this book in a day. It’s smart, makes you think about the impact of tourism on wildlife and has a little bit of something for everyone. There’s a bit of romance, a little science and a terrific, harrowing account of a ship sinking (not a spoiler).

The most impressive thing about this book is the handling of the timeline. The story bounces back and forth in time, sometimes by hours and sometimes by decades, but it’s executed so well. I had no problem moving between chapters and I found myself fully immersed in the landscape Raymond depicts.

If the summer heat is already beating you down, pick this one up because as soon as you step into the world that Raymond creates, you’ll cool off pretty fast and learn something new in the process. Plus, hello! Penguins. How can you resist?

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