In Search of Eden, by Linda Nichols

Book pick for book club meeting on September 11.

Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Nichols's latest novel follows the wanderings of Miranda DeSpain, a young woman who has been unable to recover from a painful adolescent experience. An upstanding drifter (she always finds gainful employment where ever she goes), Miranda finds herself in bucolic Abingdon, Virginia, where she meets an array of lovely Christian townsfolk, among them a spunky 11-year-old girl named Eden who helps Miranda find a job and a place to live. Nichols's writing style is often engaging, and while some of her characters are clichéd (the ruggedly handsome, tough but tender leading man, for example), a few of her characters, most notably Eden, are quirky and real. Nichols blends the romance genre with a more problem-oriented women's novel here. While there are few surprises and the many coincidences make it difficult to suspend disbelief, the plot holds together well enough, with likable characters fighting nobly against adversity and unlikable characters trying their best to change. Spiritual themes such as forgiveness and redemption are well integrated into the novel, and the Christian characters are genuine, openhearted and giving. Readers looking for sentimental yet well-written women's fiction won't be disappointed.

Life As We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Amazon.com
It's almost the end of Miranda's sophomore year in high school, and her journal reflects the busy life of a typical teenager: conversations with friends, fights with mom, and fervent hopes for a driver's license. When Miranda first begins hearing the reports of a meteor on a collision course with the moon, it hardly seems worth a mention in her diary. But after the meteor hits, pushing the moon off its axis and causing worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes, all the things Miranda used to take for granted begin to disappear. Food and gas shortages, along with extreme weather changes, come to her small Pennsylvania town; and Miranda's voice is by turns petulant, angry, and finally resigned, as her family is forced to make tough choices while they consider their increasingly limited options. Yet even as suspicious neighbors stockpile food in anticipation of a looming winter without heat or electricity, Miranda knows that that her future is still hers to decide even if life as she knew it is over.

This was not a book club pick but may well be my pick for my month. It is a young adult selection and it was brought to my attention by my husband who is a Junior High principal who is reading from a book list that is available to his students. This book grabs you and really doesn't let go until the end. The concept of the moon getting knocked out of it's orbit moving closer to the earth and the environmental effects on a teenager girl, her family, friends and ultimately, the world, is a very engrossing read. Because of the gravitational pull of the moon is increased, the earth experiences constant extreme weather circumstances that take their toll on human population. The book is written from a teenage girl's perspective in journal form and we see how a normal teenager goes from worrying about boys and the prom to wondering where her next food is coming from and will she survive the winter. It sounds depressing, but it really is a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to others.

If you've read it, I'd love to hear what you thought.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards

Our book for August was, "The Memory Keeper's Daughter", by Kim Edwards. This novel begins on a winter night in 1964. A blizzard forces Dr. David Henry to deliver his own twins. One child, a boy, is born perfect and healthy. His little girl is born with Down's syndrome. On the basis of good intentions, the doctor sends the little girl baby off to an institution and tells his wife she was born dead. The novel deals with the separate lives of Dr. Henry and his family and the life of the little girl, "Phoebe" that grows up apart from her relatives. The secret that the doctor keeps haunts him and does irreparable damage to the people in his life.

In discussing the book, we were split on deciding how good a read it was. Some thought it was too drawn out and hard to get into. Others felt it was a great read and appreciated the story. I thought while I might recommend it to others, it did take a while to get into the story. I also found it hard to relate to the concept of giving your child away and telling your spouse they had died. It was a good book for discussion whether you like it or not.

If you've read this book, please leave your thoughts.