Barbara B

Myth or legend, the idea of Camelot during the Kennedy political years was proposed by Jackie Kennedy in interviews with journalist Theodore White after JFK's death. Jackie was adept and convincing at creating a positive image from a lamentable life and marriage. Told from Jackie's point of view, this historical fiction does a wonderful job of debunking their fairytale lifestyle.

The novel displays a solid partnership between Jackie and the Kennedy family. Together, they spin an almost fairy-tale image to America and the world. To the contrary, their lives were slightly tragic with attempts to cover up sadness. Jackie helped tremendously with JFK's book, Profiles In Courage, and then she debated leaving him at times. This novel is highly skilled at revealing the contradictions in their lives.

I have a fascination for historical memoirs, and this one is wonderful. It is full of holocaust history and is specifically knowledgeable about the small Ukrainian towns and their citizens destroyed and murdered by the Nazis.

Astonishing and overwhelming discoveries were made by the author, Esther Safran Foer, after she and her sons began questioning her mother and searching her family's history in Ukraine. Esther and her sons felt a link to their past, and in the process encountered distant relatives and acquaintances who provided valuable information. It is true that ancestral research can provide powerful results.

Dotted with lighthearted laughter and serious moments, Carl and Duffy reign supreme at the Centennial Assisted Living home where they are roommates. Their lives change suddenly when Carl's granddaughter climbs through the window into their room. Josie has no other place to go, so she begins her slightly unwelcome hideaway at the assisted living facility. The novel quickly becomes realistic, and the characters all mesh as the 5-day encounter makes everyone value life tremendously. The author does an excellent job of storytelling from Duffy's 88-year-old point of view. The happy banter is ongoing, although the heart crushing grief of life and loss occurs just as often.

Do dreams really come true? They do in this thoroughly modern love story. Newlywed Mia is obsessed with a man in her life and in her dreams, but that man isn't her husband Harrison. This contemporary marriage is on very thin ice, and there are several reasons why the past has impacted Mia's and Harrison's married bliss. Couples change after their vows, and their marriages need adjustments. From the very beginning of the story, I wanted Mia to forget her dreams and discover something more realistic and valuable for her life.

Travelers is a fresh, original, fictional look at refugee travel in Europe and Africa. For me the real question remains: Am I empathetic to the lives of these travelers after reading the novel? Overall, I'd say no. The main nameless character from Nigeria makes poor choices. Throughout the six sections of the book, I see the characters slipping into mistakes.
This novel is excellent in its originality and realism. College classes in current events might be judicious in using Travelers paired with nonfiction readings about current political asylum.