Call
# Title
F
Alv How
the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
The four
Garcia girls escape the
F
Ben Squared Circle
Sonny, a
university freshman and star basketball player, finds that the pressures of
college life, NCAA competition, and an unsettling relationship with his
feminist cousin bring up painful memories that he must face before he can
decide what is important in his life.
F
Bra Dandelion Wine
In 1928,
Douglas Spaulding wanders around
F
Eng Peace Like
a River
Set in
the
F
Esq Like Water for Chocolate
At the
beginning of the 20th century, Tita, the youngest of
three daughters, is expected to serve her mother for the rest of her life, but
in order to show her love to Pedro, who is engaged to her sister, Tita cooks for him.
F
Gri The Client
Eleven-year-old
Mark Sway accidentally witnesses a murder and becomes the target of relentless
prosecutors and the mob, and the only person who can save him is Reggie Love,
an attorney barely out of law school
F
Gue Ordinary
People
17-year-old
Conrad Jarrett, just returned from 8 months in a mental institution after a
suicide attempt, tries to pick up his life at home and at school.
F
Kid The
Secret Life of Bees
After her
"stand-in mother," a bold black woman named Rosaleen,
insults the three biggest racists in town, Lily Owens joins Rosaleen
on a journey to
F
Mar Life of Pi: A Novel
Life of
Pi is the story of
a 16-year old Indian boy adrift at sea for 227 days with only a dangerous
F
Seb The Lovely Bones
Looking
down from heaven, 14-year-old Susie Salmon recounts her rape and murder and
watches her family as they cope with their grief and "the lovely
bones" growing around her absence.
F
Spa A Walk to Remember
A nostalgic
look back at the 1950s in a story of first love set in a small
F
Tru Stuck
in Neutral
Fourteen-year-old
Shawn McDaniel, who suffers from severe cerebral palsy and cannot function,
relates his perceptions of his life, his family, and his condition, especially
as he believes his father is planning to kill him.
F
Alv How
the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents
Plot
Overview
The
four Garcia sisters, Carla,
Sandra,
Yolanda
and Sofia,
enjoyed a fairly sheltered and luxurious childhood in the Dominican Republic.
They often received exciting presents from FAO Schwarz in the
When
their father, Carlos,
got in trouble with the secret police for agitating against the military
dictatorship, the family enlisted the help of a CIA operative, Vic,
to get them out of the country. They fled to
Dr.
Fanning helped Carlos get a medical fellowship, and offered to take the
family out for a celebratory dinner once they had settled in the
In college, Yolanda had trouble relating to
men, since she was turned off by the vocabulary men use to describe sex. Though
she was attracted to a boy, Rudy,
she would not sleep with him and he accused her of being frigid. She was hurt
by this but later realized that he was just a jerk. She later married a man she
thought she loved, John,
though at a certain point they had problems communicating. Like Rudy, he did
not understand her Dominican cultural heritage, and could not appreciate the
Spanish language. When Yolanda stopped trusting and loving John, she could not
understand the words he used, and only heard "babble, babble." She
had a mental breakdown at her parents' house, in which she could only quote and
misquote bits of things she had read and heard throughout her life. She spent
time in a mental hospital until she recovered. Her sister Sandra also had a
mental breakdown, in which she thought she was regressing through evolution,
and would eventually cease to be human.
After Sandra is released from the hospital,
F
Ben Squared Circle
Bennett,
James. The Squared Circle.
ISBN: 0-59048671-3
Summary: With nothing on his
mind but an endless succession of dunks, Sonny Youngblood is a myopic, SIU
basketball whiz, on the verge of discovering the realities of college sports
and life. He is oblivious to scandalous developments surrounding his stardom,
content to take orders from coaches, gifts from his Uncle Seth, and
acclaim
from the media. By necessity, Sonny makes the acquaintance of his cousin,
Sissy, a liberal, outspoken art professor at the same university. Despite their
philosophical differences, their relationship triggers epiphany for Sonny. He
discovers that life holds beauty beyond the court. Despite his genius, Sonny
begins to question his commitment to basketball and the toll that it takes on
his personal satisfaction. Genius and contentment are not synonymous.
Review: In spite of its
categorization as a young adult novel,
F
Bra Dandelion Wine
Dandelion Wine, originally published in 1957, was, for Bradbury, an
intensely personal and emotional book. Rather than giving you a list of the
reminiscences in the book, or a dry pedantic analysis of Dandelion Wine
as a series of sensory-rich vignettes of Bradbury's life as a youngster in his
home town of Waukegan, Illinois, in the late 1920s, I thought that I'd take a
similar approach to Bradbury's. Besides, it isn't likely that I'd be saying
anything that reviewers and literary scholars haven't been saying over the last
40 years.
F
Eng Peace Like
a River
Equal parts tragedy, romance, adventure yarn, and meditation, Peace
Like a River is an inspired story of family love, religious faith, and the
lifelong work and trust required of both. Leif Enger's first novel
is a work of easy generosity and uncommon wisdom, a book to be shared with
friends and loved ones.
F
Esq Like Water for Chocolate
In
a style that is epic in scope yet intensely personal in focus, Laura Esquivel's
Like Water For Chocolate
tells the story of Tita De La Garza, the youngest daughter in a family
living in
Like Water For
Chocolate tells the story of Tita De La Garza,
the youngest daughter in a family living in
Sensing that Roberto is drawing Pedro and Tita closer together, Mama Elena arranges for Rosaura's family to move to
The death of Mama Elena frees Tita from the curse of her birthright and she accepts an
engagement proposal from John Brown, with whom she has fallen in love. In the
meantime, Rosaura and Pedro have returned to the
ranch and have produced a second child, Esperanza.
Immediately, Pedro's presence throws into question Tita's
love for John. The night that John officially asks Pedro to bless the marriage,
Pedro corners Tita in a hidden room and makes love to
her, taking her virginity. Soon after, Tita is
certain that she is pregnant and knows that she will have to end her engagement
to John. The affair between Pedro and Tita prompts
the return of Mama Elena, who comes in spirit form to curse Tita
and her unborn child. Tita is distraught and has no
one in whom she can confide.
In the midst of Tita's
despair, the long-lost Gertrudis returns to the ranch
as a general in the revolutionary army, at the helm of a regiment of fifty men.
Tita is overjoyed at the return of Gertrudis, who is just the companion she seeks. Gertrudis forces Tita to tell
Pedro about the pregnancy. He is gladdened at the news, and he drunkenly
serenades Tita from below her window. Outraged, Mama
Elena's ghost returns, violently threatening Tita and
declaring that she must leave the ranch. For the first time, Tita stands up to Mama Elena and, in forceful words,
declares her autonomy, banishing her mother's spirit, which shrinks from an
imposing presence into a tiny fiery light. As she expels the ghost, Tita is simultaneously relieved of all her symptoms of
pregnancy. The light from Mama Elena's ghost bursts through Tita's
window and onto the patio below where Pedro still sits, setting fire to his
entire body. After rescuing Pedro, Tita is consumed
with caring for him and helping him recover. John Brown returns from a trip to
the
Years pass, and the ranch focuses its
attention on another wedding, this time between Esperanza and Alex,
the son of John Brown. Rosaura has died, freeing her
only daughter, Esperanza, from the stricture that had previously forbidden her,
as it had Tita, from marrying. With Rosaura dead and Esperanza married, Tita
and Pedro are finally free to express their love in the open. On their first
night together, Tita and Pedro experience love so
intense that both are led to a tunnel that will carry them to the afterlife. Tita turns back, wanting to continue in life and in love
with Pedro. Once she does, she realizes that Pedro has already crossed over.
Wanting desperately to be with him, Tita attempts to
ignite her inner fire by eating the candles that had lit the room until they
extinguished themselves at the moment of Pedro's death. When she succeeds in
recreating the climate of true passion, she reenters the luminous tunnel and
meets Pedro in the spirit world. The final union of their bodies and spirits
sets fire to the entire ranch, and the only remnant left of their love is the
recipe book in which Tita recorded her wisdom.
F
Gri The Client
The novel The Client by John
Grisham is filled with evil and sleaziness; but in the end, good triumphs. The
main character
experiences many hardships, but finds consolation in his lawyer and the
importance of trust. Mark, an eleven-year old, lives in an abusive
household with an eight-year old brother, Ricky. Mark smokes regularly, and
Ricky thinks he is cool. His father is an alcoholic who beats both boys and
their mother. These hardships help Mark to triumph in the end because of his
maturity and his experience with tough situations.
The setting begins in the busy city of
The novel begins in the woods behind their trailer as Mark and Ricky are
walking down the path to smoke cigarettes. Then, a
black, shiny
commit suicide. Ricky goes into shock and is taken to a hospital. Romey is the lawyer for Barry "The Blade" Muldanno, a
member of the mob who has killed U.S. Senator Boyd Boyette.
The mob finds out about Romey's death and Mark, who
had
briefly chatted with the deceased lawyer. The boy then goes on a quest to find Boyette's hidden body.
The novel is written in third person point of view.
John Grisham uses characterization to make you love or hate the people. The
plot is uplifting because despite the hardships Mark may face, he always finds
a way to overcome them. Grisham wrote this novel to entertain, but also to
express his feelings about the American legal system. The setting is not
extremely important, but is close to John Grisham's childhood home, so he knows
the area. He also describes the characters' inner and outer traits and their
backgrounds.
The title of this novel is very significant.
Throughout the novel, Grisham portrays the companionship of a lawyer and their
client. For example, Mark's lawyer, Reggie Love, breaks laws in order to help
the eleven-year old succeed in his quest to find the dead senator's body. I
believe Grisham is proving that no matter how many bad people and lawyers there
are, there are always good people and lawyers that
will overcome and win. The bad ones just win every once in a while.
The Client's theme is unquestionably
important as Mark and Reggie become closer as they get further along in their
quest. The theme is about life's difficulties and problems, and how a good
friend or advisor can help. I believe that Grisham is trying to state that no
matter how big a conflict may become, that a true friend will come through for
you.
In conclusion, I enjoyed this novel very much because of
Grisham's talented methods of keeping the reader interested
throughout the novel. I consider Grisham to be an excellent writer with a great
knowledge of the legal system and a grasp of
interpersonal relationships. The book, although law-related, is easy to read
because of his writing style. Now nationally known,
John Grisham stands out as one of the most famous
F
Gue Ordinary
People
In 1976, Judith
Guest's Ordinary People became
the first unsolicited manuscript published by Viking Press in twenty-six years.
Since then the popularity of the novel has remained undiminished. It is read by
adults and teenagers alike for its sensitive characterizations of the troubled
teenager Conrad Jarrett and his confused father, Calvin. The story of a
teenaged boy's journey back from a suicide attempt after his older brother's death
in a boating accident, and the grief and guilt that tear the Jarretts apart, Ordinary
People was an instant best-seller It was also made into an
award-winning film. Guest's themes of alienation, the search for identity, and
coming of age were timely ones, as the 1970s saw a trend toward self-discovery.
Thus, psychology plays a key role in the novel, as young Conrad learns to
express rather than repress his emotions with the help of a psychiatrist, while
his mother's inability to confront her feelings leads her to leave her husband
and son. Judith Guest has been especially praised for her insight into the
feelings and experiences of her adolescent male protagonist, Conrad Jarrett, as
well as for her ear for dialogue. Some critics have found Guest's emphasis on
surrendering control ironic, as the style of the novel is tightly controlled,
though unconventional, with its shifts between the perspectives of Calvin and
Conrad Jarrett. Critics have also found that Guest's ending is too contrived;
the troubled relationship between Conrad and his mother is resolved through the
healing power of love, even though the two are not in contact with each other.
Nevertheless, Ordinary People, with
its universal insights into the grief process and the relationships between
family members and its sensitive and realistic portrayals of its characters,
will probably continue to be read for years to come.
F
Kid The
Secret Life of Bees
Set in the American South
in 1964, the year of the Civil Rights Act and intensifying racial unrest, Sue
Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees is a powerful story of
coming-of-age, of the ability of love to transform our lives, and the often
unacknowledged longing for the universal feminine divine. Addressing the wounds
of loss, betrayal, and the scarcity of love, Kidd demonstrates the power of
women coming together to heal those wounds, to mother each other and
themselves, and to create a sanctuary of true family and home.
Isolated on a
Lily is raised by Rosaleen, her proud and outspoken African-American nanny.
When Rosaleen attempts to exercise her newly won
right to vote, she is attacked by the three worst racists in town and is thrown
into jail. Lily is determined to save Rosaleen and
finally escape her own father as well. Seizing the moment, she springs Rosaleen from jail, and the two set out across
Their destination is
Captured by the voice of this Southern adolescent, one becomes enveloped in the
hot
In the end, though she cannot find the mother she lost, Lily discovers and
comes to terms with her mother's past, finds a hive of new mothers, and falls
in love with the great universal mother.
F
Mar Life of Pi: A Novel
Winner of
the 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction
Pi Patel is an unusual boy. The son of a zookeeper, he has an encyclopedic
knowledge of animal behavior, a fervent love of stories, and practices not only
his native Hinduism, but also Christianity and Islam. When Pi is sixteen, his
family emigrates from
The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a
hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound
Life of Pi is at once a realistic, rousing adventure and a meta-tale of
survival that explores the redemptive power of storytelling and the
transformative nature of fiction. It's a story, as one character puts it, to
make you believe in God.
F
Seb The Lovely Bones
When we first meet Susie Salmon, she is
already in heaven. As she looks down from this strange new place, she tells us,
in the fresh and spirited voice of a fourteen-year-old girl, a tale that is
both haunting and full of hope.
In the weeks following her death, Susie
watches life on Earth continuing without her-her school friends trading rumors
about her disappearance, her family holding out hope that she'll be found, her
killer trying to cover his tracks. As months pass without leads, Susie sees her
parents' marriage being contorted by loss, her sister hardening herself in an
effort to stay strong, and her little brother trying to grasp the meaning of
the word gone.
And she explores the place called heaven. It
looks a lot like her school playground, with the good kind of swing sets. There
are counselors to help newcomers adjust and friends to room with. Everything
she ever wanted appears as soon as she thinks of it-except the thing she most
wants: to be back with the people she loved on Earth.
With compassion, longing, and a growing
understanding, Susie sees her loved ones pass through grief and begin to mend.
Her father embarks on a risky quest to ensnare her killer. Her sister
undertakes a feat of remarkable daring. And the boy Susie cared for moves on,
only to find himself at the center of a miraculous event.
The Lovely
Bones is luminous and astonishing, a
novel that builds out of grief the most hopeful of stories. In the hands of a
brilliant new writer, this story of the worst thing a family can face is
transformed into a suspenseful and even funny novel about love, memory, joy,
heaven, and healing.
F
Spa A Walk to Remember
There was a time when the world was
sweeter...when the women in
Every April, when the wind smells of both the sea and lilacs, Landon Carter
remembers 1958, his last year at Beaufort High. Landon had dated a girl or two,
and even once sworn that he'd been in love. Certainly the last person he
thought he'd fall for was Jamie, the shy, almost ethereal daughter of the
town's Baptist minister...Jamie, who was destined to show him the depths of the
human heart-and the joy and pain of living.
The inspiration for this novel came from
Nicholas Sparks's sister: her life and her courage.
From the internationally bestselling author Nicholas Sparks, comes his most
moving story yet...
When I was
seventeen, my life changed forever....I'm fifty-seven years old, but even now I
remember everything from that year, down to the smallest details. I relive that
year often in my mind, bringing it back to life, and I realize that when I do,
I always feel a strange combination of sadness and joy....This is my story; I
promise to leave nothing out.
First you will smile, and then
you will cry-don't say you haven't been warned....
And so begins a tale of true
love, first love, and everlasting love that you will never forget...
A WALK TO REMEMBER
F
Tru Stuck
in Neutral
No one
really knows what Shawn McDaniel is like. Especially his
father. All they see when they look at Shawn is a boy with cerebral
palsy who cannot communicate at all or even move his body of his own will. But
readers know that Shawn has a brilliant --- and constantly active --- mind. He
can understand and remember everything he hears, people just aren't aware of
that fact. And in this book, when Shawn relates statements like "I'm 14
years old. I think my father is planning to kill me," you'll be enticed to
unravel his amazing and powerful story.