Review: What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton

What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I took my time with this one, reading it over several months. There are a few reasons for this ... one, it broke my heart when it reminded me of what could have been. Of where we could have been. And because I am a huge Hillary Clinton fan from way back, reading her book only made me love her more. I admire her in every way ... she is such an amazing woman. And this book only reinforced what I was already feeling about our current political moment ... devastated at where we are and sad for our nation to be led by Donald Trump.

America deserved Hillary Clinton as our leader. Just reading this book reminded me (again) how much she brought to the table ... skills and ideas that we NEED. Her loss was a devastating loss for me personally but an even more devastating loss for our nation. To go from the idea of a competent, intelligent and honorable person as our President to the reality of a Trump presidency. He's a joke. An idiot. A sexist, racist man who cares about no one more than himself. And reading about her ideas and her experiences only reminded me again of what a HUGE loss it was for all of us. Over a year later and I'm still feeling the loss.

I love how this book gave Hillary the opportunity to tell her side of the story, explaining her thoughts and feelings about the election and her life of service. I know many people don't appreciate her ... she's not liked by many. I think this book gave the reader a little view into her as a woman, a mother, a wife, a grandmother. The sides that aren't often seen in the media. I appreciated her candor - she owns her mistakes, she looked at herself in a very honest way. She explored the uncomfortable aspects of the campaign and took a hard look at what she could have done differently.

I really appreciated the time and energy she put into this book. She obviously gave a lot of thought to this book and I think it was so reassuring to see how thoughtful she is about her life and her impact in the world. I found the chapter about the Russian influence in the election to be extremely compelling. Very thoughtful and realistic analysis of what happened and what it means to us and our democracy.

That a woman who has been in public life, giving her all to the people of the United States, has continued to fight despite the ugliness constantly thrown at her is so inspiring to me. And it reminds me that this isn't over ... we can and will fight back against the misogyny and racism that seems to be so front and center in today's day to day.

All in all, I just can't say enough about how much I loved this book. She is an amazing woman and I'm still heartbroken that she's not the President of our nation. She deserved it. We deserved it. I highly recommend this book.For me, this is the very book that I needed after the heartbreaking election results.

[I'm sorry to get political and I know that some of my words may anger some people who supported/support Trump but I have to speak my own truth about this one. We may or may not agree politically but I am proud to live in a nation that allows all of us to express our own beliefs].

Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I struggled a bit with this review ... although I loved the book as a whole, I didn't find the journey nearly as satisfying as it could be. Eleanor, as a character, is fantastic - her journey in the novel is what really makes it special. She's unique and interesting - a puzzle in many ways. As her story unfolds, you begin to put the pieces together and better understand the unique aspects of her personality and her experience of the world. For me, the story really felt like it was really well done and yet it felt, at times, that it was moving at a glacial pace. It felt like it took forever for the story to move along. Once it did, I loved where it went. But, in the middle, it was a struggle to get there. In the end, I loved it. But, it wasn't a smooth ride for me. But, all in all, I highly recommend it. Eleanor is an unforgettable character, one that we can all learn from. This really is one of those books that gives the reader something special. It's definitely worth the read! There is a reason that this book is showing up on so many people's favorite books of the year lists.

Review: Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Commonwealth by Ann Patchett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It is killing me to give an Ann Patchett novel 3 stars. I'm a huge fan of her work. This is really the first of her novels that I didn't love. Now, let me start with the fact that this novel is beautifully written. Ann Patchett can WRITE! As I read what this was about, I was sure it was going to be a new favorite - everything about it screamed to me. It's about blended families, for goodness sake. So in my wheelhouse. And yet, the actual reading of it just didn't connect with me. The writing was fabulous and the story was right up my alley. And yet, I never connected with this one. I typically find Patchett's work to almost dance on the page - it's so engaging and compelling. But, this particular novel never popped for me ... it felt almost stagnant in some way. In addition, I felt like it flowed in a funky way and never met the promise it had in the beginning. All in all, I'm still a huge fan of Patchett but I just didn't connect with this particular one. But, I appear to be in the minority of readers ... most of my bookish friends really loved this one. So, if you're a Patchett fan, please give this one a shot. I'm hoping you'll be one of the readers who love this one!