novel

Read and Review (R&R) – “Spirit Crossing” by William Kent Krueger

“Spirit Crossing” is book number 20 in the Cork O’Connor series. While I haven’t read the first 19, I was able to follow along with the characters.

Krueger writes this series set in the north woods of Minnesota. His protagonist is Cork O’Connor, the former sheriff of Tamarack County and a man of mixed heritage—part Irish and part Ojibwe.

The novel centers around missing young Indian women who have disappeared with little attention from law enforcement. When the daughter of a rich white politician goes missing, all levels of law enforcement become involved. The mystery heats up when Cork’s grandson discovers a body in a shallow grave while blueberry picking. His visions put himself and his family in the crosshairs of the killer.

William Kent Krueger is well-known for his gripping, heartfelt stories, and this one is among them.

I, like many, am unaware of the cruelty that Native Americans (especially women) endure. This book opened my eyes to their struggles. Like the others I have read by Krueger, it is wonderfully written. I have also read his stand-alone novel, “Ordinary Grace,” and “This Tender Land.”

Read and Review (R&R) – “Hello Beautiful” by Ann Napolitano

This month’s book club read was Hello Beautiful, by Ann Napolitano.

It was a 2023 Oprah’s Book Club pick.

This is the first novel I have read by this author and it was told from the point of view of the main characters over the course of three decades.

A novel not only about the family you are born into, but the family you gain over the years through schooling, work, and interests. A deep and heartbreaking portrayal of a family of sisters, the Padavano sisters (four in all) and a man, William, who marries into the family. William brings with him a tragic past that he is still living. It’s a story of sadness and loss, promise, hope, and the love, complexity, and quirks of family-both good and bad.

I have mixed emotions about this book mainly because of its depressive nature, and I will be very interested to attend my book club next week to get the others thoughts on this novel. I read this 383-page story over the course of a week returning each night to find out what would happen next to this once close-knit group of sisters. I thought the author did a great job of putting you in the time period and moment. Some of the characters’ actions and inflexibility irritated me, but I give credit to the author for invoking these emotions. Hello Beautiful exposes the not so pretty truths of life and family.