Book Review: The Secret Keeper

I just finished reading Kate Morton’s “the Secret Keeper.” It’s long and fat and I read it in 3 days so I could go to bookclub and not have the ending spoiled.

This is the second Kate Morton book I’ve read (the Forgotten Garden was the first) and it did not disappoint. In fact, it was fantastic. One of the things I love about Morton’s writing is that she places you so firmly in the setting, which is important because the two books I’ve read jump around quite a bit both in time and place.

“The Secret Keeper,” set in England, is about a daughter, her mother, a shared traumatic experience and the search for a long held secret. Laurel returns home in 2011 to Greenacre, together with her siblings, to be with her mother in her final days. Being home brings back all sorts of memories for Laurel and soon she has more questions than answers. That starts her on a massive search for answers that takes us back in time to 1941 and 1961 (or thereabouts).

The trip through time is historically interesting and Morton does a wonderful job of staying true to history and making it come alive so much that you feel you are there. When she whisks you off to another time and place, you are loath to leave where you came from until she wraps you up in the new setting. But it’s not abrupt. It’s skillfully and gently done. The skill of writing it takes to do that is beyond me. It’s amazing.

The characters are well drawn, the setting is tangible, the prose is inspiring. My only problem was that I wanted the answers as much as Laurel and a few times I just wanted less fluff and more answers. But that’s her style and it sure is beautiful writing. One of my favorite parts of this novel is that the characters, the main protagonists, the hero/heroines have faults. So though you love them, you also want to shake them by the shoulder and beg them to be stronger or more patient or more kind.

My favorite character was Jimmy, the love interest in 1941. So loyal and principled. He was a photographer and took photos of the fall-out from the London Blitz. About one of the pictures of a newly orphaned, young girl, the book reads: “Small individual tragedies like this little girl’s were nothing to the larger scale of the war; she and her tap shoes could be swept as easily as dust beneath history’s carpet. That photograph was real, though; it captured its moment and preserved it for the future like an insect in amber. It reminded Jimmy why what he did, recording the truth of the war, was important.”

One of the themes of the novel is that we often don’t know the story, the history, of the people we love, our families and in particular to this book, our mothers. Laurel didn’t know her mother’s past. Dolly didn’t know the past of the woman who employed her. The book gives us insight into the past of all the main characters and guess what? The past becomes super important and fascinating.

So it got me thinking about my mom and sure, I know a few stories here and there but what about the meat? Do I know enough? Do my kids know enough? After reading this book, I am so motivated to know my own mother’s past and learn from her personal history, because it’s important.

I must confess, my admiration for this book was greatly increased when Morton referenced the Tardis from Doctor Who. How can you go wrong with a book that sweeps generations and mentions the Tardis? So read “The Secret Keeper”! Then go read “The Forgotten Garden.” You will be transported to amazing times and places and you won’t regret it.

Book Review: Wonder

The last book was Wonder. Late again to the party. This book has been around for a while. So I have a 6^th grade son and, boy, does this author get the 5^th/6^th grade social scene. I loved how the story was told. With each new point of view going back in time just a little and then propelling the story further on. Genius. Each voice was clear and dead on as far as I’m concerned, for the age group.

As a parent, I appreciated the role and characterization of the parents. They were supportive and real. They struggled just as much as any other character in the story and parents reading the book could relate. Humor was a great part of the story as well, especially from Auggie (who probably got it from his Dad). My son liked it a lot and quoted it around the house for a few days.

I am glad Auggie had friends. Sometimes in real life, that doesn’t happen, so I felt like the story was a little sugar coated but I’m glad it was, especially for this age group. I think they need an example of the correct way to deal with difficult situations, which is one of the purposes of literature. I hope there are kids like that in my son’s school, who will stand up for the underdog. I would like to hope my son would stand up, or sit down at lunch, with the “Auggies” in his school.

Like “Fault in Our Stars” I felt like this book did a great job of voicing and describing the pre-adolescent and adolescent life. I really think everyone should read this book. If I had to pick one of the three in this post to recommend, it would be an easy choice. Wonder, for sure.

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

Ok, the next book I read was Fault In Our Stars. I know, I’m a little late to the party on this one. I wanted to see it with my teenage daughter and I just have a hard time seeing a movie based on a book without reading it first. And then, while I was reading it, she went and saw it anyway without me. Wahwah. Let me preface this by saying I’m not a romance reader (or writer, I’m a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad romance writer). So why am I rewriting Cinderella? I don’t know. Let’s just say it may not be that romantic.

I thought Fault In Our Stars was a good book but I’m not in love with it like others are. I felt like some language and some of the sexual content was more than I would have liked for my slightly sheltered, Mormon daughter (jr. high age). But she read it and watched it and we talked about it and all is well in Zion.

I really enjoyed the friendship between the main characters and others. Gus and Hazel were quite mature. Maybe that comes with dealing with life and death situations as part of your normal routine. I wonder if teens got that depth. As an adult I really enjoyed it. It made me think more deeply about life, death, relationships and where I place my priorities.

I really appreciate when things don’t play out perfectly. Life isn’t perfect and often disappoints. So I liked how the highly esteemed author turns out to be a jerk, even to the end. And Gus’s other girlfriend had a downer attitude. That’s real life. So I enjoyed the book but I didn’t love it like so many others did. Maybe because of life experiences.

So this got me thinking. I didn’t absolutely love it but I’m quite sure that if I were to get together with others and discuss it, I would find more to like about the book. SO, is part of my love of some books related to the discussion and sharing of feelings I have with others? Books are powerful alone, but they are also powerful when shared through thought and discussion.

Anyway, I do have to say though, I don’t recommend reading this book if you are in the middle of being called back for further diagnosis of an abnormal mammogram and contemplating your own diagnosis. That was a little unsettling but everything turned out fine and I’m ok and the book was great. I really liked it and felt philosophical and hip while reading it.

Book Review: Cinder

I just finished a reading splurge. I read three great books, all very different in my opinion. Well, two of them are a little similar and the third is very different from the others but not better, so we’ll start with that one.

Cinder, as you might guess from the title, is a retelling of Cinderella. This caught my eye because, hello, I’m in the middle of writing a retelling of Cinderella. This story is fun because it is set in the future in a very techno-savy, robotic society. It even involves a race of beings from the moon. The main character is a strong and intelligent woman but still the oppressed underdog, at the mercy of her stepmother. The prince is endearing and sympathetic. A very likable character. And the peripheral characters are mostly well done. There was heartache and humor. The romance was sweet.

The problem is the whole time I’m reading, I’m thinking, if you break this down to a rough outline, it’s very similar to my story. I know, I know, they’re both Cinderella, so of course they are going to be similar. But even still, some of the things I changed, she changed too. Not to give too much away, but the family situation is similar. The way Cinder, (my character, Dru) is looked down upon and why, is similar. Their insecurity stems from the same place. But the thing is, this other author’s setting is so unique, set in the future with all the techno stuff. Mine is set in same old, same old fairytale land. And I’m struggling right now with how to make my story unique and stronger. How can I make Dru stand out? How can I make the juxtaposition more dangerous or weighty (what’s the word?) between good and evil, natural impulse and expectation, dark magic and good intentions. And if I’m not seeing similarities with Cinder, I’m seeing them with the movie Ever After. They were the furthest thing from my mind when I wrote my version. I didn’t even know about Cinder, but now I just feel like mine is a cheap imitation. I don’t know. I’m still trying to figure it out.

Anyway, Cinder was a great read. It really ends on the edge of a cliff. Not really an ending at all, just a beginning for more to come. So I read the preview chapter of the next book, Scarlet, which I assume is Red Riding Hood, which coincidentally, I also have a rough draft of. But it didn’t really hook me from the get go. Maybe I’ll get to it eventually but I’m in no rush.

Gospel Doctrine OT c34: Hosea

Gospel Doctrine OT c34 – Hosea

What are the following an example of?

It’s been a hard day’s night and I’ve been working like a dog (Beattles)

And I’m hungry like a wolf (Duran Duran)

Ogres are like onions. (Shrek)

Life is like a box of chocolates. (Forrest Gump)

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? (Shakespeare)

O, my luve’s like a red, red rose. (Robert Burns)

Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18)

How oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings. (3 Nephi 10:4)

What is a similie? A simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid. (OxfordDictionary)

??Why does the Lord use similes and metaphors? The manual says comparing a complicated or unfamiliar idea with one that is simpler or more familiar makes it (1.) more understandable to the people who are being taught. Comparisons also help (2.) provide a lot of detail in just a few words.

Hosea used similitudes in his record in the bible.

History: “Hosea lived during one of the most prosperous eras of ancient Israel’s history and was a contemporary of the prophet Amos. But as his book reveals, his society was deeply marred by depravity and evil. His written record exhibits an extraordinary measure of tenderness and compassion which is combined with a stern resolve against wickedness and, particularly corruption in high places.”  (S. Kent Brown)

Hosea uses a similitude we see frequently in the scriptures, which is marriage; the Lord as the bridegroom or husband and his covenant people as the bride or wife.

From the manual: “Using the similitude of a faithful husband and an adulterous wife, Hosea describes the relationship between the Lord and Israel.”

Read Hosea 1:2-3 

FIRST: What does comparing our relationship with the Lord- to marriage, teach us about the level of commitment and devotion the Lord expects from us?

If we are instructed to liken the scriptures to ourselves, the Lord is the husband which makes us a wife of whoredoms. It feels uncomfortable to place us there but we must continue with the similitude or comparison. To get rid of the “w” word, we need to know what it is.

?? Reading v.2 again, what is a great whoredom committed? “departing from the Lord.”

?? What things may divert us from our dedication to following the Savior?

?? What else did the ‘wife’ do in chapter 2?

Read Hosea 2:5.

?? How do we give credit to false gods for the blessings we receive?

Hosea 2: 8,13  “For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.” “And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the Lord.”

What is the Lord’s response to the behavior of the ‘wife’?

Read Hosea 2:6-7

“After later abandoning Hosea, Gomer recognized her mistakes and wanted to return; but by then – one must infer – she had become a slave. The Lord directed Hosea to buy her back, a course which he pursued willingly, for he still loved her despite all. The prophet next disciplined Gomer by severely restricting her movements and associations with others before restoring her fully to her former status.” (S. Kent Brown)

Read Hosea 2:14-16

Bring her to the wilderness

Speak comfortably with her

Valley of Achor (Trouble) for a door of hope

As in the days of her youth

Though shalt call me Ishi (husband)

And shalt call me no more Baali (master)

??What does it mean to you that you as the ‘wife’ will call the Lord no more ‘master’ but will call him ‘husband’?

VIDEO

“Genuine repentance changes entirely our relationship with the Savior. We are no longer slaves to the merciless mastery of Justice; we are married to the mercies of God.” (Breck England, Meridian Magazine)

“Just as the landfill requires dedicated work and attention, laboriously applying layer after layer of fill to reclaim the low-lying ground, our lives also require the same vigilance, continually applying layer after layer of the healing gift of repentance.” (Elder Shayne M. Bowen, Gen. Conf. Oct 2006)

“The Atonement of Jesus Christ is available to each of us. His Atonement is infinite. It applies toe veryone, even you. It can clean, reclaim, and sanctify even you. That is what infinite means—total, complete, all, forever. President Boyd K. Packer has taught: ‘There is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the atonement of Christ’ (‘The Brilliant Morning of Forgiveness,’ Ensign, Nov. 1995)” (Elder Shayne M. Bowen, Gen. Conf. Oct 2006)

Hosea 13:910; Hosea 14:4 Ultimately God loves us!

Just like the harlot wife thinks all her blessings come from her lovers. Hosea 2:8-13

Another similitude – Hosea 11:1, 3-4  As a father to a child. But they knew not that I healed them.

Hosea 13:5-6  According to their pasture, so were they filled. They have forgotten me.

“On such a view, this sorrowful episode deepened Hosea’s appreciation for the Lord’s frustration at Israel’s infidelity and apostasy, thus fashioning the prophet into an apt spokesman for the messages of divine disappointment and stern warning. In addition, this representation of Hosea’s marital troubles fits a wider pattern perceptible in the Lord’s dealings with his agents: he leads them through experiences that make them effective messengers for their time and place.” (S. Kent Brown)

“The Hebrew text of Hosea’s book unfortunately, is very corrupted, making some passages difficult to grasp. Even so, it is certain that the key for comprehending all of Hosea’s words lies in chapters 1 through 3, the report of his marriage to a harlot.” (S, Kent Brown)

** S. Kent Brown, “Studies in Scripture – vol. 4 1Kings to Malachi,” edited by Kent P. Jackson

EXTRA QUOTES:

“The joyful news for anyone who desires to be rid of the consequences of poor choices is that the Lord sees weaknesses differently than He does rebellion. Whereas the Lord warns that unrepented rebellion will bring punishment, when the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy.”

(Elder Richard G. Scott, Gen. Conf. Oct 2013)

“Throughout your life there may be times when you have gone places you never should have gone and done things you never should have don.e If you will turn away from sin, you will be able one day to know the peace that comes from following the pathway of complete repentance.

“No matter what our transgressions have been, no matter how much our actions may have hurt others, that guilt can all be wiped out. To me, perhaps the most beautiful phrase in all scripture is when the Lord said, ‘Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more’ (D&C 58:42).

“That is the promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Atonement: to take anyone who comes, anyone who will join, and put them through an experience so that at the end of their life, they can go through the veil having repented of their sins and having been washed clean through the blood of Christ (see Revelation 1:5).”

(Pres. Boyd K. Packer, Gen Conf. Oct 2012)