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ClareR (5950 KP) rated The Switch in Books

Jul 18, 2020  
The Switch
The Switch
Beth O'Leary | 2020 | Contemporary
10
9.1 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Switch by Beth O’Leary was a book that I was very much looking forward to reading. I had read, loved and gifted The Flatshare, her debut book. Then I read the synopsis for this book, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little trepidatious (is that a real word?). I had visions of Tom Hanks in Big, or of Jodie Foster in Freaky Friday, if I’m honest. I needn’t have worried, because this isn’t Big or Freaky Friday (sorry, if that’s what you’re expecting 🤷🏼‍♀️).

Instead, this is the story of two Eileens: 79 year old Eileen and her granddaughter Leena who is 29. They are both at times of great change in their lives. They’ve both just experienced the death of Leena’s sister, and Eileen’s husband has left her for a younger woman.

When Leena comes home for a visit, she realises that Eileen has been casing the men in the village with a mind to dating one. There isn’t a great choice. After a look on a dating website, she realises that the choice of men in their 70’s is far greater in London, so Leena creates an account on the dating website for her Grandma, and they swap lives for 8 weeks - the length of time that Leena’s boss has given her as a holiday, to try and recover from the loss of her sister.

I adored this book. Need I say more? OK, I suppose I should.
I loved how Eileen was treated as an adult with real feelings and sexual urges. She may be 79, but she isn’t some sexless old biddy, treated like a child. As much as we don’t necessarily like to think of our mothers/ grandmothers having sex , it’s highly likely that they do, and why not?

I loved how the death of Leena’s sister was treated. The long, slow process of grieving, and how it doesn’t just switch off, that there are no rules.

Leena’s love life is very entertaining too, and I was rooting for one particular character throughout.

So in conclusion, just do yourself a favour and go and buy this book. It’s ace. Beth O’Leary writes wonderful stories it would seem, about wonderful, quirky, normal people. I’ll be waiting and ready to read whatever she puts out there next, of that I’m sure!
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) Aug 3, 2020

I'm so looking forward to reading this - glad to hear how much you enjoyed this!

What Could Be Saved
What Could Be Saved
Liese O'Halloran Schwarz | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A lyrical and fascinating look at the pull of family
This is the twenty-third book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Let's clear those shelves and delve into that backlist!

Much of Laura Preston's life has been defined by the disappearance of her brother, Philip, when they were children. The family lived in Bangkok in the 1970s for her father's work. While there, Philip went to judo class--and never returned. His loss tore their family apart. When a stranger contacts Laura, claiming to have information about Philip, she defies her older sister's wishes and flies to Thailand to see if this is indeed true. Laura knows that this is what their mom, Genevieve, now suffering from dementia, would want.

This was a fascinating, atmospheric book that pulled me in immediately. It's beautifully, lyrically written. The story is told in the present day, with Laura's perspective as a somewhat struggling painter in Washington, DC and then flashing back to Bangkok in the 1970s, with Genevieve's story and even Philip's. It's utterly compelling, weaving both a mystery yet also a character-driven tale.

Schwarz offers such unique and well-done characters. Not just the Preston family, but also their servants in Bangkok, including Noi, who accompanies the family back to America. There's Robert Preston, the family patriarch, who has a mysterious career, and his boss, who pulls Genevieve into his orbit. There's Genevieve, who tries to mimic the life her children might have in the United States--and then basically abandons the role of mother once Philip disappears. Bea, who tries to be a strong big sister for Laura. And Laura, who struggles as the youngest and sometimes forgotten child in the wake of her brother's disappearance.

Each Preston--and those in their orbit--is well-written and flawed. They seem real and true. Schwarz's writing is thoughtful and excellent and everyone comes to life as you read. Her descriptions of Bangkok and Thailand are excellent as well.

I was totally immersed in this tale, wondering what had happened to Philip; in many ways, this is a heartbreaking tale. It's a beautiful look at family and what it means. Schwarz's story makes you think and allows you insight into the Preston family's world. It's illuminating and lovely. Certainly worth the read. 4.5 stars.
  
Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 by The Traveling Wilburys
Traveling Wilburys, Vol. 1 by The Traveling Wilburys
1988 | Rock
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Favorite

"I’ve chosen this because it was such an amazing thing to happen. It sounds really good and it was such a brand new kind of sound. It really was! Not just because me and George [Harrison] produced it but it was the actual thing of it existing even. It came about as a whim when I was working with George on Cloud Nine, and he said to me one night after we finished work and we were having a couple of bevies, he said, ""you know what? Me and you should have a group."" And I said, ""well, that’s a good idea. Who would we have in it?"" And he said, ""oh, Bob Dylan."" And I said, ""oh, Bob Dylan, yeah. How about Roy Orbison?"" And I thought we were joking and he says, ""yeah, OK. Roy’d be great."" And then we both said ""Tom Petty"". We both loved Tom and we’d met him a couple of times. Anyway, everybody wanted to join so that was how the Wilburys came about. And so we went to LA, recorded ‘Handle With Care’, at first as a bonus track for George’s single off Cloud Nine, but when [label boss] Mo Ostin heard it he said, ""you can’t do that! This is the first track off your new group!"" and we all went, ""oh yeah! That’s a good idea."" ‘Cause we had recorded it in Bob Dylan’s garage, which is pretty amazing. We had a barbeque in his back garden and after that we wrote the words to ‘Handle With Care’, finished the words and George had got the chorus but he hasn’t got the verses so I wrote them at dinner time, sang them in the evening and it was finished. We had to mix it at George’s house later. That’s why it’s interesting to me, how it came about. The rest of the songs we did in Dave Stewart’s studio and they were all instant songs. Each song only took a day. We gave ourselves one day to write a song so we did ten days and ten songs. I did have to pinch myself! I got used to it in the end and of course we did another album after Roy had passed but it was a marvellous time and that’s why I chose it."

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