Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft
After a childhood spent swindling men under the instruction of her mother, Bea wants nothing more to escape her shadow, close the door on their sordid past, and disappear safely into old-money domesticity. When Bea finds her final mark in the perfectly dull blue-blooded Collin, she’s ready to deploy all her tricks one last time. Getting the ring is easy, the real challenge is winning the approval of Collin’s family, including his childhood best friend Gale. What begins as an amusing cat-and-mouse game with Gale develops into a dangerous chase as the truth of Bea’s past threatens to undo her work.
I love reading stories about con women, but was let down by this one. The narrative is mostly Bea’s inner monologue rather than active action. Often Bea would be planning something in her head, and then it would jump to Bea recounting what had happened afterwards. This made much of the book fairly boring despite the fact it was well-written otherwise. Throughout the book there were flashbacks to Bea as a child which were much more interesting to read. Overall, it didn’t feel like Bea really did anything. It did a lot of telling instead of showing. It was repetitive and not the fun or juicy thriller I expected. I kept picturing Gale as Selma Blair’s character from Legally Blonde, though, which seemed to fit her well.
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
“I was a poor, helpless, miserable wretch; I knew, and could distinguish, nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept.”
While I began by reading the physical book, I actually read Frankenstein via this audiobook I found on YouTube (which I highly recommend) as I had no idea the story was flanked by letters, which I found incredibly boring to begin with. The writer, Walton, addresses these letters to his sister and goes on and on about many dull things. Eventually, he writes that he met a man called Victor Frankenstein who told him the strangest story and he writes everything he said in these letters. Within these letters is also the story Frankenstein’s creation recounted to Victor of his experiences. It’s like a story within a story within a story.
Mary Shelley’s writing is beautiful, but there’s so much information about everyone’s lives—Walton, Victor, his family, his “monster,” a family the monster becomes fascinated with—which could be very dull to read, even if it often revealed more about the characters. There are also many passages which are very engaging, such as the ones told from the monster’s POV and the family he observes. I found the book to constantly flip between compelling and boring. I was really surprised to learn the full story of Frankenstein—I was shocked by many aspects and gripped by the tale’s themes. I read this before checking out the 1931 Frankenstein film and Guillermo del Toro’s new adaptation, and was surprised that both are not faithful adaptations, but obviously it makes sense to bring something new to such as well-known story today.
Trying: A Memoir by Chloé Caldwell
During the years that Chloé Caldwell had been married and hoping to conceive a child, she read everything she could find on infertility—or, in her case, “unexplained” infertility. But no memoir or message board reflected her experience, especially as most stories ended in success: with a baby. Writing in real life, Caldwell explores the process of trying to conceive when you have fertility problems, while also working part-time at a store that sells “life changing pants.” But her journey becomes something else entirely when her husband makes a devastating confession which frees Caldwell from domesticity and plunges her back into relationships with women, causing her to ask herself if her deep desire to have a baby is still alive.
I’ve read all of Caldwell’s books and, in a way, Trying feels like the unofficial sequel to her other memoir, The Red Zone, which follows her experiences with PMDD. It’s during this book that we first meet her husband and his daughter, whom Caldwell becomes a stepmother to. I love the way Caldwell writes. It’s chaotic, freeing, and funny, but also very vulnerable and decisive. She’s the master of throwing in an unexpected offhand comment. Caldwell’s writing also feels grounded in the real world as she makes otherwise normal and arguably boring thoughts and activities very engaging to read about. She also isn’t afraid of being messy and imperfect which is what makes her writing so relatable. Despite Caldwell’s humour, there’s still an emotional weight to her writing considering the subject matter. When she learns about her husband’s betrayal, Caldwell is honest as she is approaching the book’s deadline. What happens when a book is without resolution? Trying is emotionally raw. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book and reviewed it for my website Cineberry if you wanted to learn more.
The Uncool: A Memoir by Cameron Crowe
“I had learned that over time the details fade. What lasts is the way someone made you feel.”
As some of you may know, my favourite film is Almost Famous (2000). Set in 1973, the story follows 15-year-old William Miller whose unabashed love of music and desire to become a rock journalist lands him an assignment from Rolling Stone magazine to interview and tour with an up-and-coming band. This story is based on the real life of its writer and director, Cameron Crowe, and he finally wrote a memoir about it. And holy shit was I fucking excited!! I don’t know why but it always feels very hard to talk about something you really love, it’s hard to do the film and this book justice.
Crowe’s memoir is simply excellent. It’s engaging and well-written as he manages to create the magic he felt while living this incredible life coming-of-age and interviewing rock stars during the 70s. He was the epitome of always being in the right place at the right time, interviewing the likes of The Allman Brothers Band, David Bowie, Joni Mitchell, Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, and more. I loved seeing what Crowe used as inspiration for Almost Famous and how things were incorporated or changed for his fictionalised retelling—which includes his family, who were a big part of his life and a big part of the film. I am simply in awe of the experience he got to have and I was frequently moved to tears just from the warmth, happiness, love and connection, but also the sadness that permeates many areas of his life. Ultimately, I was left in awe of Crowe’s spirit and what he was able to capture in this memoir. His experiences, writing, and cinematic vision are special. The 70s, both lifestyle and music, feel superior to me. He was living the dream.
Die, My Love by Ariana Harwicz
“All men are sweet when they’re half-asleep, as if something has relaxed in the triangle between their eyes, nose and mouth, something that makes them seem less like men.”
In a forgotten patch of French countryside, a woman is battling her demons—she is embracing exclusion yet wanting to belong, craving freedom while feeling trapped, and yearning for family life while wanting to burn the entire house down. Given surprising leeway by her family for her increasingly erratic behaviour, she continues to feel stifled and repressed while in the throes of motherhood.
I had wanted to read Die, My Love since hearing about the film adaptation starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. Yes, of course I want to watch Jennifer Lawrence go batshit insane in another film. Of course I need to see these two stars of competing beloved dystopian teen franchises come together for this. I put off starting the book for a while due to its depressing subject matter, but eventually I made a start as its only 123 pages. Unfortunately I struggled a lot with the writing style, the rambling and confusing prose filled with heavy metaphors and no quotation marks for any dialogue. There were times I wasn’t sure who the speaker was or what was real or imagined. I understand this blurring of reality is intentional to emulate the protagonist’s state of mind, but I found it hard to follow. I’ve read books like this before, such as The Days of Abandonment, which I thought did a better job. Still, Ariana Harwicz writes some beautiful and unnerving passages which capture the rage, horror, despair and madness or a woman falling apart. I think this is an important story, but I just kept getting lost. I hope I like the film adaptation more.
The Rules of Magic (Practical Magic #0.2) by Alice Hoffman
“Why is anything a secret? People want to protect themselves from the past. Not that it works.” / “Life is a mess but all we can do is live it.”
It turns out that the titular book in the Practical Magic series is the weakest one—and that’s saying something because that’s still a pretty good book. Its prequel, The Rules of Magic, is set in New York City on the cusp of the 60s and follows Susanna Owens’ three children: difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk. From the start, Susanna had to lay down some ground rules, including no walking in the moonlight, no wearing black, no cats or crows, no candles, no red shoes, and no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle in a small town in Massachusetts, the siblings start uncovering who they really are and wonder if they can ever break the family curse.
Despite the inevitable emotional and tragic story beats, the Practical Magic books are so enjoyable and heartwarming. They’re full of engaging characters who really come alive, especially as Alice Hoffman takes us through decades of their lives. Towards the end of The Rules of Magic, we’re also reintroduced to Gillian and Sally as children, and how they came to live with Jet and Franny. These books add so much more depth to these characters, the world they inhabit, and of course the magic that courses through their blood. Having the backstory for Gillian and Sally’s aunts adds an entire new layer to the experience of Practical Magic, which I am currently re-reading. I couldn’t recommend these books enough, especially the audiobooks.