Flower Children

Title: Flower Children Author: Maxine Swann Publisher: Riverhead Books Pages: 211 Copyright: 2007

I was intrigued by the cover of this book. I grew up during the same era, and the picture of the children playing (in 70's attire) took me back to my childhood. This is a fictionalized account of Swann's childhood growing up with two Harvard-educated hippies as parents. She and her siblings had no discipline, no rules. Their parents grew pot underneath the kitchen sink. A swing hung from the ceiling. 

The story follows the four children from early childhood through the middle school years as they begin to come of age. Their parents divorce, subsequent lovers, and visits to their wealthy (and very different) grandparents' homes all add to the children's view of the world and their view of their parents as well.

I enjoyed this book. However, the switching back and forth between first and third person points of view was distracting. I'd love to know what became of the children and their parents in later years. (You know it's a good story when you are left wondering what happened later.)

Read this book if:

*you love stories that take place in the 1970's

*you love stories about the hippies/ counter-culture of the 1970's

The Book of Fred

Title: The Book of Fred Author: Abby Bardi Publisher:Atria Books Pages: 314 C: 2001

I really like this book- even more than I expected, actually. 15-year-old Mary Fred is taken into foster care while her parents, members of a religious cult, are tried for the wrongful deaths of her brothers. Having lived on "The Compound" and "The Outpost" all her life, Mary Fred is totally unprepared for the real world. Alice, her foster mother, is a mousy librarian who never got over her divorce from the father of Heather, her blue-haired rebel daughter. Heather also still struggles with her parents' divorce and hides behind an angry facade in order to cope. Add Alice's reclusive younger brother, Roy, into the mix and you get a rather unusual foster family for Mary Fred. 

Because she has never been allowed to watch TV, read books or newspapers, visit restaurants or stores, or wear any color other than brown, Mary Fred is lost in her new world. At first, Alice, Heather, and Roy are too lost in themselves to take much notice. Slowly, however, the four lost individuals come together and form their own family. When tragedy strikes, they slowly begin to come to terms with themselves.

When Mary Fred's mother returns from prison and attempts to reclaim Mary Fred into the cult, Mary Fred has to make a life changing decision.

I won't include spoilers, but this is not one of those predictable books where you pretty much know the ending from the beginning. It kept me guessing. Set against the backdrop of the doomsday predictions of Y2K, this book is an excellent character study, told in turns through the eyes of Mary Fred, Alice, Heather, and Roy. I was drawn to Mary Fred and her innocence. Bardi has drawn well-rounded characters- human and lovable, yet flawed. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I highly recommend it.

Read this novel if...

...you enjoy modern fiction

...you enjoy stories about family

...you are intrigued by religious cults and their followers

Haunting Jasmine by: Anjali Banerjee

Title: Haunting Jasmine  Author: Anjali Banerjee Publisher: Berkely Trade Pages: 304

I checked this book out from my local library after reading a review on another site.

From the back cover: Divorcee Jasmine Mistry is intent on restarting her life when she gets the chance to do just that.  A call from the past brings her home to Shelter Island, a green dot on the middle of Puget Sound, to run her beloved aunt's bookstore.  The familiarity is heartening- the rocky beaches, pewter skies, country boutiques and above all, Auntie's Bookstore, nestled in a quaint Queen Anne Victorian, and believed, not incidentally, to be haunted.

Although my fiction tastes normally run toward southern fiction, I felt I had to give this one a try. It has books, it has ghosts, it has a female character who finds her independence... I was intrigued.  I admit, I was afraid I would find a sappy romance here- a woman loses her love but is saved by another man.  (I hate those books!)  This book was surprisingly different.  I don't want to spoil it. I will say that the book is realistic in its depiction of the character's divorce and the way she deals with her former husband's infidelity. However, the book also has a magical quality. The bookstore is haunted- not just by any ghosts, but by the ghosts of authors, no less.  Beatrix Potter, Edgar Allen Poe...even Dr. Seuss makes an appearance.
While the book is not a traditional romance-I HATE those- there is an underlying theme of love.  How does love change over time?  How does love change us?  Jasmine is reeling from the pain of her ex-husband's infidelity while her sister is planning a marriage to the man of her dreams.  A family friend walks away from the "perfect family" and never looks back. Again, the thing I love the most about this book, is that the character finds her ability to start over and find her place in this world within herself, not from a man. Does a man have a place in her life? Yes...but I won't spoil that for you....Let's just say he is a catalyst for change...and that's not a bad thing....

Read this book if:
* You love books and book stores
*You love books about women who save themselves
*You love reality with a little magic thrown in