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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Jetsetters in Books

Mar 19, 2020  
The Jetsetters
The Jetsetters
Amanda Eyre Ward | 2020 | Romance
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Charlotte Perkins is 71, and her best friend has just died. Long single, she longs to be touched and loved again, so she writes an essay (a rather racy one at that) to the "Become a Jetsetter" contest to win a trip for her entire family (and to perhaps meet someone). Charlotte is shocked and elated when she actually wins, earning the the chance to take her three children to Athens, Greece and on a nine-day cruise to Barcelona, Spain. Lee, a struggling actress who has just returned home on a "break" from acting (and from her famous ex-boyfriend) figures she has nothing better to do. Cord, her son, a wealthy New Yorker, isn't thrilled about being trapped on a ship while he struggles with his sobriety. And Regan, an exhausted mother of two daughters, can't believe it when her irritating husband Matt joins the group. This will be a particularly fun trip since Lee and Regan haven't spoken in ten years. Trapped on this adventure together, secrets come out and the Perkins family suddenly learns more than they ever wanted to know about each one another.

It took me a while to process this one. I really enjoy Amanda Eyre Ward's writing, and I have such a soft spot for her book, The Same Sky, which is one of my absolute favorite novels. This book is very different from that one, and it took me some time to warm to the pacing and the characters. Charlotte turned me off in the beginning, and I was just slow to get into the book. We learn that the Perkins kids had a rough childhood, but one that also bonded them together. Yet when the book opens, none of them are particularly close to each other--or their mother.


"This day, and the two more excruciating days that followed--days of sand and beer-scented misery--would be the last time Lee went on vacation with her mother and siblings. Until thirty-two years later, when they became jetsetters."


The book presents the story from not only Charlotte's point of view, but that of each of her wayward children. None of the kids are easy to like at first, but Ward's prose makes them come to life before our eyes. They are fallible, for sure, and it's hard not to feel a bit sorry for everyone. I for one am not sure I could handle being trapped on a cruise ship with a group of unhappy family members.


"Oh. Charlotte's children. To her great sadness and bewilderment, Charlotte's three adult children were lost to her, and perhaps to themselves."


The novel does an excellent job at portraying all the difficult relationships in the book, giving us an in-depth portrait of a complicated family. While the story is told solely over the span of their trip, we learn all about Charlotte's life--much of it hidden away from her children--and the lives of her three kids, even bits and pieces of their childhood and backstories. No one has had an easy go of it, for sure. How much do parents, and their actions, affect their kids, the book asks. How do families in general influence the people we become. They have so much power: both to help and to hurt.

It's funny, this wasn't always a story I enjoyed, even though there are humorous and touching moments, but I recognized its powerful parts too. Overall, I would rate this at 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4 stars here. It's worth a read.
  
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Little Ray Of Sunshine (41 KP) rated Broken Branches in Books

Jan 11, 2019 (Updated Feb 10, 2019)  
BB
Broken Branches
M. Jonathan Lee | 2017
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Book Review | Broken Branches by M. Jonathan Lee
Blurb
'Family curses don't exist. Sure, some families seem to suffer more pain than others, but a curse? An actual curse? I don't think so.'

A family tragedy was the catalyst for Ian Perkins to return to the isolated cottage with his wife and young son. But now they are back, it seems yet more grief might befall the family.

There is still time to act, but that means Ian must face the uncomfortable truth about his past. And in doing so, he must uncover the trust behind the supposed family curse.

Review
Ian Perkins is the main character in this novel. Ian returns to the family cottage 'Cobweb Cottage' with hes wife Rachel and son Harry the cottage as been isolated for some time. Ian starts searching about hes family 'curse' he heard hes dad speak about when he was younger. Ian's Uncle Stephen dies in a tragic accident and hes brother took he's own life. He wants to know why this happened and if the 'curse' is true but he get's obsessed with searching hes family documents.
I do feel the beginning was slow to me but I understand the writer wanted to show you what happened from the present and the past to show where this family 'curse' suppose to start from the documents Ian found in the 'Cobweb Cottage'.

I do feel some parts confused me as it kept jumping from past to present without telling you, like one scene it got scary but then it jumped to the past. It did make me question what is happening but near to the end of the book I got glued to it to find out if the curse was real and what will happen.

I have questions like if the curse is real will it continue on Ian's family? Will the curse continue on? I felt the darkness from the book and was always thinking what was wrong with Ian's wife Rachel. Will they see the light at the end of the tunnel? As they need some good to happen as I feel their emotions especially Rachel she comes into scenes quietly and it's like you don't notice her and Harry aren't there before they leave for her parents.

I would like to read more of the authors books in the future.
I want to thank Hideaway Fall for sending me out Broken Branches by M Jonathan Lee. They sent me out a paperback to write a honest review. This is all my own opinion of the book.
  
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Russ Troutt (291 KP) rated Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll in Books

Jul 18, 2019  
Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll
Sam Phillips: The Man Who Invented Rock 'n' Roll
Peter Guralnick | 2015 | Biography
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
For those not familiar with the name Sam Phillips, he is the man who started up Sun Records in Memphis, TN. And it was there at 706 Union Avenue that Sam invented rock n roll. Now, he didn't invent the music or the soul behind rock n roll, rock n roll was cooked up by the men and women working in the cotton fields, folks in the churches singing hymns, heartbreak, and good times goofing off with friends; just to name a few ingredients. With any recipe, no matter how great the ingredients, a great cook is needed; and Sam Phillips was a five star chef ahead of his time. Thankfully for all us, he made it his time. He produced and laid down the first tracks for some of the greats, such as Howlin' Wolf, Ike Turner, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis just to name a few. I wouldn't say he discovered these great musicians, but rather helped them discover themselves. Back to the book, that's only a small portion of his story. Learning more about the man, who and what made him who he was, all of his accomplishments, and all of the details of what most know and a lot of what you had no idea about, made for a very fascinating read. If you have a love for music, then this is a must read book.