Once Upon a Time, There Was You by Elizabeth Berg

 We have been buying a new home and attempting to sell our current one, here in St. George. It is a stressful business, and I needed to stay focused! So, I went without a book for awhile, because I needed to keep my nose to the grindstone. When there was a little breath of a break, I went to the library. I knew I wanted something lighter and relaxing. I had just finished A Gentleman in Moscow for the third or fourth time, and I loved it so so so much, but it also required my focus to remember all the characters and all the little tempting bread crumbs along the way. Elizabeth Berg seemed the right one to take a break with. I'm so happy I did. I checked out three at once. So luxurious! This is the first of the three.

The story is set in both Minnesota and San Francisco, which are both places I love. So that was fun. Berg has a way of writing that is lighter and delightful; great analogies and great insights into relationships and the way people think and feel. Conversations feel authentic. Nothing is too dangerous or gruesome, despite an abduction in this book. I enjoyed the relationship between the divorced parents and their daughter, and the way they all learned and grew and became more self-aware. I thought it interesting that the mother was the one character who refused to grow...but maybe that is reality. At any rate, it was a great little enjoyable respite from the stress of our house selling and buying!

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger

 I have enjoyed this author, so I thought I'd try another one of his. It was in the library, so I took it home and savored it. It has been awhile since I got so engrossed in a story that I shut down all systems to read through to the end. This one did it for me.

I really liked the characters and the way their stories unfolded, one by one. I loved the small town interactions, the way the sheriff handled the jail, the way everyone knew everyone, yet there were still a lot of surprises. I especially liked how the main character finally grew out of his affair with his sister in law, though it took too long!

The racial prejudice of this small town reminded me of South Dakota life in many ways. Lots of good people, and a few who can't get over their narrow thinking. 

I like the way the farming and country life is described and it felt true to me. The last part of the book got darker as the story of how the central murder happened...The despicable victim's life was difficult to contemplate and read about. Up until the ending, though, there were a lot of sympathetic and interesting characters. I enjoyed it... A Lot. 

Lightning Strike by William Kent Krueger

 I've read some Krueger before and enjoyed it. At last month's book club here in St. George, we decided to read This Tender Land, which I have read years ago. I decided to read it again, and, while at the library browsing, I came upon this one. It's the prequel to his "popular" Cork O'Connor series. So, I thought, I'll give this one a try. It's good. Not as lyrical or inspiring as his others, but okay. Not a great detective story either, but I enjoyed the characters. It's kind of low key.

I enjoyed the accurate depiction of the stress between Native Americans and the whites who live nearby the reservations. This story is set in Minnesota, but is very like what I felt and saw in South Dakota, though a bit over-simplified. I liked the twelve-year-old Cork character--what a good and honest kid! I may read another one of this series when he's an adult, but may not. We'll see. Still searching for some great authors and some great literature! Sigh...

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

 There seem to be quite a few wonderful Minnesota writers who write lovingly about this part of the world--the upper Midwest. This one is set in the Depression era, and includes fascinating characters and wonderful examples of overcoming the odds. The issue of faith and faith healers enters the story in a beautiful and unexpected way. This part of the country also has a history of abuse of Native Americans, and this issue is a theme in the book as well. This story is somewhat reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn, since this group of young people travel on the Mississippi River as well. The landscape and era are as important as the characters. I wondered many times, how on earth did these people survive? They had incredible hardship and they were incredibly resourceful. 

This little band of travelers included the main character, Odie, his older brother Albert, their friend Mose, and the little girl they rescued, Emmy. The story begins in the Lincoln School, a boarding school that is every bit as atrocious as history recounts they often were. Yet there are redeeming characters here as well, in the form of a teacher's family and a kind older employee. 

The climate and the land figure prominently in the story as well, especially when a tornado wipes out the struggling teacher-farmer's wife. One of my favorite characters was Sister Eve. She was the epitome of charismatic goodness, and used her gifts well. Odie was a wonderful character as well, and it was a good experience to live the story through his eyes. It was beautiful to witness his growing understanding of his brother. A fascinating case study in leadership could also be made from this story as the little group struggled to make decisions about how and when to travel and solve the obstacles that came their way. I enjoyed this story enough to want to read it again sometime. 

Update - I re-read this one in December 2024--for my Ridgeview Ward book club. I'm so glad I did! I visited with Linda Terry about it yesterday during a slow moment on our temple shift. We agreed we loved the sotry and the colorful characters. At the end, and I had forgotten this, there were many complicated twists and turns in the plot and the relationships. A few surprises! I think I enjoyed this book even more the second time through. When I returned it to the library, I perused the shelf for some more of Krueger's work, and it will be interesting to see if I like the River one as well...So far I do!

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger

This book was a delight, with just a tinge of darkness. I love Enger's writing--he's amazing in his imagery and word choices, not to mention his wonderful characters who are quirky and fascinating. Here's an example from page 173: "Ellen was working things through. One week she'd show up plain as a hymnal, eyes cast down and her hair yanked back; the next she arrived in glitter and paint, short and bright as a puffin." 

The narrator in this book is hapless and humble. Bordering on crazy and slightly worried about that. His voice is very similar to the narrator in Enger's other two books. Very lovable and vulnerable. He has crashed his car into Lake Superior and rides around the dying town on an old Schwinn. He loves from afar and when this love is returned, he can barely believe it.

One image and character I really enjoyed in this book is the Norwegian Rune. He builds and flies kites. And Enger describes them so beautifully that you want to see them. He describes flying them as a transformative experience--you want to go fly a kite. There's a surreal almost spiritual quality to both Rune and Virgil. It's interesting to notice Enger's feelings about God and faith. In his first book (Peace Like a River), it's evident the narrator son is amazed by the goodness and faith and power of his father. In his second book (So Brave, Young and Handsome) there's a feeling the narrator is not relying on or expecting help from God. It's more about goodness and evil and persistence... And in this story, the character of Adam Leer is thoroughly evil and is pitted against Virgil. I wonder what Enger is trying to tell me...

The small dying town of Greenstone, Minnesota is well- but depressingly-described. I love the setting of cold Lake Superior and the proximity of Duluth, having visited there last summer. I related to and enjoyed the descriptions of that very beautiful yet isolated part of the country. 

I really love Enger's word choices. They are beautifully simple but evocative. I enjoy his characters, even though some of them scare me. His stories and settings are charming, yet there's a darkness that creeps in...but the light prevails. I like that. I don't read to explore darkness...but maybe it's useful to consider its complexity and counterpoint to goodness and light. 

So Brave, Young, and Handsome, by Leif Enger

Because I enjoyed "Peace Like a River" so much, I wanted to try another one by this author. This one is a treasure too. It's another cowboy story, kind of, and the narrator is similar to the one in his first book. That is, the narrator is humble, vulnerable, quirky, and often funny. Both narrators are absolutely delightful and honest and engaging.

Another similarity between the two books is that they deal with a criminal on the run. Outlaws and horses are involved in both stories as well. And both books have fascinating and witty and colorful characters who get caught up in crazy, outlandish, but somehow charming adventures.

I really liked the way this story unfolded. I enjoyed following Monte Becket's adventure, although I worried about him. I liked him so much, I felt protective of him. I wanted him to go home to Susannah, but he just could never get there! Things kept cropping up...and I enjoyed reading about what a road trip across Kansas and Oklahoma, etc., was like. I enjoyed the way he camped out, rode trains, met people, and was true to his friend Glendon. The final chapters set in the citrus orchards of California were beautiful reading too. Enger creates such idyllic settings and warmth, you want to enter the story somehow! He's also very funny. Laugh out loud funny sometimes. That Pinkerton detective, Charlie Siringo, unfolds in a fascinating way, as do all of the characters here. His language, metaphors, and visuals are STUNNING.