The Women by T.C. Boyle

Review by Maggie:

If you liked Paris Wife you will love The Women by T.C. Boyle.   Boyle takes a look at the scandalous life of Wright through his wives and mistress----he had three wives and Mamah Cheney the woman he left his first marriage for----This book is told through the eyes of a Japanese intern who arrives at Taliesin to apprentice with the master.  In his first week there Wright has the intern peeling potatoes. The author uses the experiences of the women, Kitty his first wife, who even though she bore him six children gets very little attention in the book, Mamah the tragic mistress, Maude an opiate addict and Olga his exotic last wife. . .

Wright lived an unconventional life and his public life was always tied to what was going on in his tempestuous private life.  

This is an excellent read---I liked it much better than Loving Frank by Nancy Horan which came out about the same time.   Wright led such a colorful life driven by his appetites and huge ego and his refusal to conform to societal norms he makes a wonderful subject for novelists especially one as good as Boyle.
~Maggie

Request The Women from The Bangor Public Library

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

Review by Jan:

I adored Garden Spells by this author and am very pleased to write that I enjoyed The Sugar Queen just as much.

(Garden Spells review)

The Sugar Queen is about a young woman named Josey who cares for her overbearing mother.  Josey stores candy in her secret closet and reads romance novels and travel books, dreaming of adventure and leaving the responsibilities of her repressed life behind. Everything changes when a local woman named Della shows up in her closet, hiding from an abusive boyfriend, and teaches Josey how to have the courage to reach for happiness.  Josey's emotional journey from an unhappy recluse to social confidence is as heart-wrenching as it is beautiful, and like Garden Spells, every character is worth remembering.

This is a stand-alone book, not connected to Garden Spells, but with a similar setting in a southern quirky community. Once again, the story is sprinkled with just the right amount of magic to keep it intriguing, and with a unique cast of characters, flawed yet exquisitely penned.  Allen's writing style is simply perfect.  I devoured this book in one evening, and I do hope you give it a try.

Hope to see you in our library someday soon,
Jan

Request The Sugar Queen from the Bangor Public Library