Mary_A

I hesitate to send this review because it is so negative. Meet Me at the Museum does not compare favorably to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: Mary Ann Shaffer  which thoroughly enjoyed.

I found the book to be tiresome, contrived and wordy. The pace was uneven. It began with a letter written by an English Farmer's wife, Tina Hopgood, written to Silkeborg Museum's curator, Kristian Larson. Tina wanted to know about the Tollund Man and the Bog people she had learned about in school. This correspondence evolved into a sharing of thoughts and confidences about their lives, and discovering they are two lonely people who have found each other. I did not like any of the characters.

I really enjoyed this book. I would characterize it as deceptively simple. Daniel Wallace has written an extraordinary, quirky, coming of age novel. The characters are eccentric and pique the reader's interest. The plot provides the motivation that Edsel Bronfman needs for his adventures. The real strength of the novel is the well developed characters and Wallace's descriptions.

Edsel Bronfman has wandered through his 34 years, knowing that something is missing from his life, but he can't quite figure it out. Bronfman's mother, Muriel is senile, but has moments of lucidity. Bronfman cannot always tell when she is lucid. Sheila McNabb flits first one way, then another, unable to find an anchor. Thomas Edison is Bronfman's neighbor and drug dealer. Serena Stanton is the local cop. Wallace brings them together. As I read the book, Bronfman and Sheila became my friends. When I finished reading, I wanted to know about their next extraordinary adventures.

In the Deep South, during the first half of the 20th Century, two half-sisters go on a road trip find their white father.

I just finished reading Recipes for Love and Murder: a Tannie Marie Mystery by Sally Andrew. Andrews lives in South Africa on the nature reserve, Klien Karoo. This is her first book of fiction. I have only good things to say about her writing. It is more than a mystery set in an exotic local. The characters are well developed; there are interesting recipes, beautifully described natural landscape, a peek into another way of life, including women's issue. I feel that the resolution of the conflict was contrived. However, I loved this book especially the the writing. I highly recommend it.