Category: Fiction

According to the author Jesse Sutano, this is the last novel in the Aunties series. I enjoyed all three titles; they provide a humorous window into the workings of Asian- American families. Meddy is traveling to Jakarta, Indonesia, with her newlywed husband Nathan, her mother and her three aunties to celebrate Chinese New Year with their extended family. But when Second Aunt reunites with an old flame, all hell breaks loose, as they find themselves mixed up with three ruthless, possibly mafia business rivals. They must find a land deed and rescue Second Aunt when she is kidnapped. A lighthearted look at the sometimes darker side of business dealings, with matters of the heart thrown in.

My niece recommended this title to me, so I decided to give it a try. The novel’s protagonist facing a long jail term in a maximum security Australian prison for armed robbery, which prompts him to plan an escape. He succeeds, eventually finding himself in Bombay, India, where he meets a long cast of characters. Giving them a false name, Lindsay, he quickly becomes “Linbaba”, a nickname given to him by a close acquaintance and soon to be best friend, Prabaker. He travels with Prabaker to his family home in a small rural village, and wins over the family. His new surrogate mother renames him “Shantaram”, which means man of God’s peace. This soon becomes a tale of personal redemption – Linbaba returns to Bombay and establishes a free clinic out of his tent in a slum, and realizes how greatly the experience enriches him, by serving others. He later follows another path. joining the Bombay mafia, growing close to his boss, Abdul Khader Khan, who becomes a surrogate father to him. I realized after I finished the 900 plus pages that the novel is actually based on the author’s life. I found it very difficult to put down once I began reading it, so allow yourself enough time if you decide to give it a go. I do recommend it; it’s a fascinating story which gives insight into how life is lived in India…

So much fiction is written about World War II; it was a welcome change to read a novel based on a different war. Hannah provides a excellent view into the challenges women faced as nurses serving in Vietnam during the war. Her protagonist, Frances “Frankie” McGrath, joins the army as a nurse in 1967, shipping overseas just after basic training. Unfortunately, she discovers conditions are completely different from her expectations. Young soldiers are brought in with horrific wounds, shocking Frankie, but she quickly adapts, with the help of two other nurses who take Frankie under their wing. When her tour of duty is over, upon returning home, Frankie is taken aback with how much derision and hatred she faces from so many against the war, and she begins to suffer from all the trauma she experienced while in Vietnam. Hannah does a wonderful job of illustrating the total lack of support services in the U.S. for female veterans, as they weren’t considered as having served “in combat” like male veterans. This is another great novel about the resilience and bravery of women;, I would highly recommend it.

I am glad that a friend recommended this to me – it was excellent! If you are a woman and haven’t read it, please check it out! It really drives home how far we have come as a society in our attitudes towards women, but still need to keep moving ahead. Elizabeth Zott is a female chemist in a male-dominated 1950’s world. No one takes her work seriously until she meets Calvin Evans, a brilliant fellow chemist at her workplace. There is an instant attraction — a chemistry –between them, and they soon become a couple. But their co-habitation is frowned upon, and all their colleagues are jealous of their success and happiness. Garmus has written an eye-opening chronicle of the times and the battles faced by women, especially stay- at- home moms, or “housewives”, as they used to be called. Elizabeth Zott is a real trail blazing heroine, don’t miss out on her story!