Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld, a review

I stumbled upon this book almost by accident. I had been talking to a friend about books that we enjoyed reading and found out that it was coming out - Curtis Sittenfeld is one of my most favorite authors and I re-read her novel, Prep, often.  So when I heard that she was coming out with a retelling of Hill's life, I was all in!

This book literally imagines what Hillary Rodham Clinton's life would have been like if she had never married Bill Clinton. This book is, in a single word: mesmerizing.

So, Hillary at Wellesley (full disclosure:  I graduated from Wellesley in 2001) is still the same, down to the Commencement address she gave in 1969 - she was the first student commencement speaker at a graduation in Wellesley history. She goes to Yale Law, meets Bill and travels some with him, but instead of marrying him, she leaves him and goes back to Chicago. What is brilliant about this novel is that it's a a fictional re-telling of Hillary's Living History.

I found myself experiencing a lot of emotions here - I found myself charmed by the early romance and then horrified in turn at how Bill acted, but I still couldn't tear myself away. I felt uncomfortable with some of the compromises that were made by Hillary - particularly when it came to Donald Trump (who plays an interesting role here). I felt a little squeamish reading about the fictional Hillary talking about sex and other bodily functions, much as I would any other person talking about that - I'm sure Hillary is reading it - can you imagine HER reaction?!

And yet, in spite of this, (or maybe because of it), I couldn't put the book down. It's the most technically perfect book I've read in a very long time and I was absolutely enthralled and mesmerized by it.  Definitely recommended. 

Origin by Dan Brown - a review

It has been such a long time since I posted a review in large part because it has been so hard to just read during this public health crisis. My life has been turned upside down quite frankly - what with working remotely, my actual job undergoing some changes and my children remotely learning for the rest of this year.  I don't even know if I will get to see my family in Connecticut or New York this summer.  It's been very stressful and difficult for me to deal with.  I've since gotten back to reading because I'm trying to get some self care in and reading has always been that for me, so here I am.

Dan Brown is high on my list of readable authors - I love mysteries, steeped in history and religion and he hits all of those marks.  The fact that he is from New Hampshire is an added benefit - I can say I'm supporting a local author other than John Irving. I have loved Dan Brown since my mom handed me a copy of The Da Vinci Code and insisted I read it (thanks mom!).

For those of you that have read other Dan Brown books, specifically Inferno, don't worry - this is a standalone. This should also appease all of the people that haven't read a Dan Brown book too - go ahead and pick this one up to start. Origin is the Fifth in the Langdon series - although you don't need to have read the previous books in order to appreciate and love this book. THis book is set in Spain with Langdon's former student and Elon Musk wannabe Edmond Kirsch giving a talk that is probably going to really, really piss off the religious folk - because all of these books are about pissing off the religious folk. As Kirsch is giving the talk, an assassin shoots him and Langdon and his female companion (who always changes, James Bond style) have to get the talk out!

At the time that I was reading this book - right when our lives were changing in massive ways - this book was exactly what I needed.  The chapters were short to match my overanxiously short attention span and I didn't have to really "think" or concentrate in my sometimes preoccupied and sometimes down state.  It took me away when I needed to be taken away and provided entertainment.  I enjoyed it, even though it was somewhat predictable.  It was fun and earnest and I loved it. It transported me to Spain and into lives and places that I had never been to before and if that's not the mark of a good book, then I don't know what is.