Book Review: "The Girl You Left Behind" by Jojo Moyes

I had never heard of Jojo Moyes before I read her last book, Me Before You, earlier this year. As I mentioned in my review of that book, it kicked my a-- emotionally, and it will definitely be included on my list of the best books I read in 2013.

Needless to say, following that book definitely raised my expectations about her latest, The Girl You Left Behind. And while this book may not have left me an emotional wreck, it, too, was tremendously satisfying, compelling, and overall, a terrific read.

During World War I, Sophie Lefevre is left alone with her sister, her niece and nephew, and her teenage brother when her artist husband, Edouard, goes off to fight. When their French town is taken over by German soldiers, Sophie and her family find their small hotel becomes the place the soldiers eat their dinner each night. While this move creates a great deal of work for Sophie and her sister, Helene, it also gives them a chance to get supplies and other comforts that have been stripped from them since the occupation began, and this causes some resentment and suspicion among their neighbors.

Sophie also catches the attention of the new Kommandant, who appears to be a man conflicted about his role in the war. The Kommandant is also drawn to a painting of Sophie that her husband did shortly after they met. Risking her life and the lives and well-being of her family, as well as her reputation, Sophie decides to leverage the Kommandant's interest to help reunite her with her husband. But the consequences of this request have far-reaching implications.

Fast forward nearly 100 years. The painting of Sophie was given to Liv Halston as a gift from her architect husband, and it remains one of her most treasured possessions after his unexpected death. When a random series of events calls the painting's provenance into question, Liv is forced into fighting to hold onto this keepsake, even as an unpleasant truth is uncovered, and even though the risks of her fighting cost her financially and emotionally.

This is a powerful book about courage, fighting for what you believe in no matter what happens around you and no matter what the consequences, and the power of love. It also is an interesting exploration about the way art and other valuables were seized during the first and second World Wars, which I'd always heard about but never really thought much about.

What I love so much about the way Moyes writes is that she creates complex characters that are more than meets the eye. She's not afraid to give them flaws, to make them slightly unlikeable. She draws you into the plot immediately, and you find yourself hooked, because you need to know how the plot will be resolved. The Girl You Left Behind proves that the appeal and the success of Me Before You wasn't just a fluke, and now I'll need to go back and read some of her earlier novels.

Simply put, Jojo Moyes is an author to add to your reading list if you haven't already, and then you'll find that at least her two most recent books are utterly worth reading.

To my little sister...

Today my sister Meredith celebrates the big 4-0. And in honor of her birthday, I share this classic McDonald's commercial from the 1980s.

There's not that much of an age gap (despite what she likes to tell people), and our lives didn't really emulate the commercial, but the sentiment is the same. (There was more eating of my crayons and destroying my coloring books, plus busting the door to my bedroom open when I was singing at the top of my lungs, but it is what it is.)

Plus, the commercial makes me cry.

So, Meredith, I wish you the happiest of birthdays and every wish you wish for yourself. I love you!

Cool cover song of the week...

Michael Jackson was so exceptionally talented, there have been (and continue to be) so many artists who have tried to emulate or imitate him. While some have been more successful than others in these attempts, it is a tribute to the breadth and depth of Jackson's talent that his music and his dancing continues to live on through others.

Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) was released by The Jacksons in late 1978. It hit #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1979, and #3 on the R&B Singles chart. The first performance of the song was on the second leg of The Jacksons' Destiny Tour in 1979. In 1984 it was performed on the Victory Tour, and it would be the last song performed live by the Jacksons before the death of Michael Jackson in 2009.

Justin Timberlake has proven himself to be far more talented than people gave him credit for when he hit the scene with N'Sync in the late 1990s (after his stint as a Mouseketeer). He sings, he dances, he acts, and he's proven tremendously deft with comedy, as his many appearances on Saturday Night Live have proven. He recently took on a live performance (dancing and all) of Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) for BBC Radio 1, and it's pretty impressive.

Give it a look:

And here's the original from the Jacksons:

Check out my previous Cool Cover Songs of the Week:

Borderline by The Counting Crows

How Deep Is Your Love by The Bird and The Bee

Life in a Northern Town by Sugarland, Little Big Town, and Jake Owen

I Don't Want to Talk About It by The Indigo Girls

Only You by Joshua Radin

Pure Imagination by Maroon 5

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by Blake Stratton

What a Fool Believes by Neri Per Caso

Poker Face by Daughtry

Back to Black by Ronnie Spector

I Will Survive by Cake

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by The Stereophonics

Rolling in the Deep by John Legend

Go Your Own Way by Lissie

Winner Takes it All by McFly

What a Wonderful World by Joey Ramone

Careless Whisper by Seether

I Walk the Line by Live

Dear Prudence by Siouxsie and The Banshees

Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm

Who Wants to Live Forever by Breaking Benjamin

Redemption Song by Chris Cornell and Audioslave

Love Me Tender by Chris Isaak and Brandi Carlile

All You Need is Love by The Flaming Lips

Lovesong by Adele

I Love It by Robin Thicke

Billie Jean by The Civil Wars

Across the Universe by The Scorpions

Can't Hold Us by Pentatonix

Wicked Game by James Vincent McMorrow

Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) by The Postal Service

Jolene by The White Stripes

Book Review: "The Maid's Version" by Daniel Woodrell

Certain authors have a language and a style all their own. I don't mean an invented language, like Tolkien, Pratchett, or Rowling, but rather a way of capturing language that is unique to them. Daniel Woodrell, who has written books such as Winter's Bone and The Death of Sweet Mister is one of those authors. His ability to capture the language of people in the Ozarks makes his books feel tremendously authentic and even more captivating.

In 1929, the small community of West Table, Missouri was rocked by a fire and explosion in the Arbor Dance Hall, which killed 42 people. As with any tragedy, immediately talk turned to the causes of this disaster and who was responsible. Was it caused by the local gypsies? Mobsters from St. Louis on the hunt for one of their own? The frenzy unleashed by a preacher who lashed out at the immoral behavior of the dancers and partiers? Or was it simply a tragic accident?

Alma DeGeer Dunahew knows what caused the tragedy that killed her flirtatious sister, Ruby. But Alma, who works as a maid for one of West Table's most prominent families, is viewed as crazy by the town citizens, many of whom don't really want to know what happened that night, or are willing to turn a blind eye to the truth if it protects the town from the effects of the Great Depression. Her need to speak the truth leads her to lose her job, her mind, and estranges her from one of her sons, John Paul.

Years later, Alma finally has the opportunity to tell her story from start to finish, to her grandson, Alek. And the story, populated with mobsters, hobos, preachers, local businessmen, criminals, and lawmen, not to mention brief glimpses of many of those who were killed or injured in the fire, is a complicated one, but one that utterly captures the Dunahew family's struggles. Alma encourages Alek to "Tell it. Go on and tell it." And tell it he does.

The Maid's Version is a short book—only about 170 pages—but it is packed with a powerful narrative and so many colorful characters, it's difficult to remember who everyone is. Woodrell's storytelling ability is in fine form, as is his evocative language, and while this book may not be as strong as some of his previous ones, it's still a tremendously interesting and, ultimately, tragic story. It does take some concentrating, however, because the book meanders back and forth between 1929 and 1963, when Alek is, essentially, hearing Alma's story.

Daniel Woodrell is an exceptional writer. While this book doesn't have the tension or violence of some of his other books, Alma's story is very much worth hearing.

Movie Review: "The Family"

When I first started seeing previews for The Family, I thought, "Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer on the run from the mob? Yes, please." Of course, I hoped that the movie wouldn't be a total waste of their talents. While it doesn't break any new ground, the two have the opportunity to have more fun than they often have in movies, so how can that be disappointing?

Giovanni Manzoni (De Niro) and his family have been in the witness protection program since his testimony led to several high ranking members of a Mafia family to be imprisoned. Protecting them is a tough job for FBI agent Robert "Stan" Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones, at his taciturnest), because old habits die hard, and the family doesn't seem to assimilate very well. So Giovanni "becomes" Fred Blake, and his family—wife Maggie (Pfeiffer), daughter Belle (Glee's Dianna Agron), and son Warren (John D'Leo)—wind up in a remote village in France, and fitting in proves, well, difficult.

More often than not, the family seems to have a bit of a tendency toward violence as a way of solving problems (except for Warren, who leans more toward extortion, theft, and blackmail). And suddenly Giovanni has an unquenchable urge to write his memoirs, which no one will be able to read. It's not long before the mob higher-ups find out where they're hiding, and they descend upon the little town, embodying every mafia stereotype imaginable.

It's fun to watch Pfeiffer and De Niro poke fun at their previous roles in mafia movies—Pfeiffer in Married to the Mob and De Niro in, well, too many to count. While they don't have a ton of scenes together, the pair has a believable chemistry. Jones does what Jones does best, glower and grimace, and act irritated, and it's funniest when he's stuck watching Giovanni speaking at a local film club meeting about—of all things—Goodfellas. Agron and D'Leo both have their moments and more than hold their own against De Niro and Pfeiffer.

While the movie has a predictable plot, and you can see many of the jokes coming in advance (especially if you've seen the previews), it's still good fun to see De Niro not be so intense, and see Pfeiffer at ease in a movie for the first time in a long while. Definitely worth a matinee or a home viewing when it's available.

Book Review: "The Sound of Things Falling" by Juan Gabriel Vasquez

Antonio Yammara was a young law professor in Colombia during the violent days in which Pablo Escobar ruled and frightened his country. He enjoys speaking about the law to his students, even in such a lawless country, and is enjoying a romantic relationship with one of them.

One day he has a chance encounter with Ricardo Laverde, a mysterious ex-convict, at a billiards club. The two begin to form a casual friendship, although Antonio has more questions about Laverde than he is willing to ask. And then one day, their lives become intertwined indelibly, as Laverde is murdered in a drive-by shooting and Antonio is wounded.

A few years later, Antonio continues to live in pain and in fear, his life and his relationships in shambles because of it. Reading a news story rekindles a fire in his memory about the day Laverde was killed, and stokes Antonio's need to understand why. This need leads him on a journey to a young beekeeper in the Colombian countryside, who helps answer some of his questions about who Laverde was and why he was killed, but there are still questions that remain unanswered, both about Laverde as well as Antonio's country.

This book wasn't quite what I expected given how it began. I thought it was beautifully written and very well-translated, and the story was very compelling, with some scenes of immense emotional power. I really liked the characters and found them complex and tremendously intriguing. However, I felt as if the book spent more time than necessary on Laverde's family history, and while the story of his relationship with his wife was lovely to read, I wanted the book to devote more time to Antonio and his search for answers, as it left me with more questions than resolution. I also felt that the book meandered a bit too much, and never quite got back on course.

Life is never simple, and sometimes trying to unravel a mystery leaves us with more questions than answers. The Sound of Things Falling is a poetic look at the mysteries of life and a lamenting reminiscence of a country with a rich history and a troubling legacy of violence. It's imperfect, but pretty powerful.

It's almost like Stephen King's "It"...

Warning: Do not read this blog post if you suffer from coulrophobia, the debilitating fear of clowns.

The town of Northampton, England, about 60 miles outside of London, is a fairly idyllic town which has a rich history dating back to the Bronze Age and is home to two rugby teams.

Oh, and since Friday, September 13, it's been terrorized by a clown.

Yes, you read that right. A red-haired, masked stranger in full clown regalia who wanders the streets at night carrying a bouquet of balloons, has appeared every night at various places around Northampton. But although he has frightened Northampton's citizens, who liken him to Pennywise, the evil clown in Stephen King's novel, It, the clown says, "I don't terrorise people. I just want to be spotted."

"He doesn't juggle. He doesn't twist balloons into animal shapes. He just stares," Northampton Herald & Post explained.

Is this a publicity stunt? A cry for help? Not at all, says the Northampton Clown. He has said—on his Facebook page and in a few interviews with media—that while people may be scared when he pops up, that's all part of the fun. That's his goal: "I just want to amuse people."

"Most people enjoy being a bit freaked out and then they can laugh about it afterwards," he said. "It's like watching a horror movie, when people get scared they usually start laughing."

And apparently that's not all. Because the clown has apparently given birth (so to speak) to a legion of friends and enemies, including Boris, the self-proclaimed "Clown Catcher." Dressed in a purple superhero suit, he also wanders the streets after dark and, on his Facebook page explains, "I am the official clown catcher. I am not here to scare anyone. I am not here to hurt anyone. I come in peace!" In fact, he only seems to want to meet the clown and take a picture with him.

Not quite sure what to make of this, but it reminds me of my freshman year in college when I read King's It. I had never been afraid of clowns before but, as those of you who've read the book can attest, Pennywise the clown scared the crap out of me. One of my college roommates used to pick up the book and read it when I was busy. One afternoon we were playing basketball in our room, and the ball rolled under my bed. Apparently my roommate had hidden a clown mask under there as a prank.

I didn't sleep in my bed for a week. Needless to say, I'm not visiting Northampton anytime soon...