One Plus One

 A good friend of mine has been raving about Jojo Moyes' novels, so when I saw her newest at the library, I snagged it. And while women's fiction isn't always my first choice of genre, I did quite enjoy this one.

Jess is a young single mother, struggling to raise her ten-year-old math whiz of a daughter, Tanzie, and her ex's son, Nick, a sweet-hearted but odd loner of a teenage boy. She works two jobs to make ends meet, and her life pretty much revolves around her children. But she can't seem to figure out how to protect Nick from the local bullies, and when Tanzie has the opportunity to go to a fantastic private school on a generous scholarship, she can't seem to find the money she needs to make that happen.

But then a freak opportunity presents itself: a math Olympiad with enough prize money to cover the remaining school fees. The only problem: the Olympiad is in Scotland, Jess can't afford train fees for the three of them (not to mention their enormous black dog, Norman), and her ex's old Rolls Royce barely runs, and Jess doesn't have insurance.

Enter "Geeky Ed," the man Jess has met only occasionally--as his cleaning lady. Deeply embroiled in his own woes (accused of insider trading when all he really wanted to do was uncomplicated his love life), Ed wants nothing to do with Jess and her crew. Yet somehow, he finds him taking all three of them--and the dog--to Scotland. And no one's life will be the same.

It took me a while to get into the story: there's a lot of POV shifting in the first little bit. And I still think Ed agreeing to drive them all the way to Scotland is a little far-fetched. Setting that aside, I did really enjoy this. The characters are engaging (particularly Jess), and Moyes does a great job getting inside all their heads. The last quarter of the book was unexpectedly wrenching.

Overall, a solid read.

House at Rose Creek

Jenny Proctor, The House at Rose Creek (Whitney finalist, General)

When aspiring young marketer Kate inherits her late aunt’s house in Rose Creek, she’s touched but also astounded. Though her aunt’s funeral has brought her a little closer to the cousins she was raised with, Kate still feels the effects of their recent estrangement, and she knows her cousins resent their mother’s bequest. And Kate isn’t sure what to do with the house—she has a busy job in Atlanta and can see no life for herself in the sleepy town. But she takes a couple of weeks off work to put her affairs and the house in order, and makes a few discoveries that unsettle her world. First, she meets Andrew, a handsome young architect. Second, she discovers an old journal left by an ancestor in the attic of the house that raises all kinds of religious questions for Kate. And finally, she discovers a legal action against the property that might cost her the house she’s coming increasingly to love.

Proctor does a great job establishing the southern setting of this novel, and I thought she did a great job characterizing Kate. I do agree, though, with the question Shelah raised about the book’s audience. For a primarily Mormon audience, some of the long explanations of the faith Kate begins investigating seem unnecessary; for a non-Mormon audience, they might seem a little didactic. Personally, I enjoyed the other plotlines (particularly the complex relations with her extended family) more than the faith substory.

Ruby's Secret

Whitney Finalist, General

I've read several other books in the Newport ladies book club, and the concept is always entertaining: the series alternates between the point of view of the different women in the book club. Each book overlaps the others in terms of time, and it's been fun to get peeks at what goes on behind the scenes of each woman's life. The book club scenes are similar in each book, though of course you get a new perspective based on what the point of view character notices.

This one features Ruby, the older woman who organized the book club in the first place. At 62, Ruby is a widow, but she's put that behind her and she's determined to enjoy life. In addition to arranging the book club, she also joins a senior center and is talked into taking a trip with the group to Greece.

There she meets the charming tour guide, Gabriel, whose sister Maria is a friend of Ruby's back in California. Initially, Ruby's enjoyment of the tour is dampened by her previous experience in Greece: her husband spent most of their shared vacation at meetings, and it was after that trip that she first found out that he was unfaithful to her. Ruby is still deeply conflicted by what she sees as a failed marriage (though she stayed with him to his death) and this creates trouble as Gabriel begins to show interest and seek her out. Ruby isn't sure she wants another romantic relationship--and she isn't sure she deserves one.

I liked that the perspective of this romance was that of an older woman--I don't think we see that often. And I liked how caring and concerned Ruby was for the women around her. I did get frustrated at times with Ruby, because I felt she was punishing herself too much, but that did seem in keeping for her character.