Both woman and dolphins come to vivid life in this fascinating and beautifully realized novel.
A woman navigates life in 1960s America, finding her way while interacting with dolphins in a scientific-research project.
In 1965, hearing-impaired Cora is a waitress in a Florida club, one in which her tight-fitting bunny costume includes ears and a tail. While using her earnings to pay off new hearing aids that “masqueraded as cat-eye glasses,” Cora manages a tricky situation nicely until, that is, one man’s wandering hands wander a little too far. Then, inspired by a sign for South Pacific, she buys a one-way ticket to St. Thomas, where she crosses paths with Dr. Blum, a research scientist studying dolphins. In the water with the mammals, Cora discovers a wonderful new angle to her world: she can “hear” the dolphins spectacularly underwater—and they respond to her, too. As she wins their trust, the scene is set for a tale that’s both inspiring and ghastly—Blum is conducting physical research on the dolphins, after all—but the relationship between Cora and the mammals is joyfully detailed and a pleasure to follow. Schulman builds a lovely picture of the growth of mutual trust and enjoyment among the dolphins and Cora as she works to train the sea mammals to communicate linguistically with humans. Given the time frame, casual sexism is par for the course on the part of Blum and his male colleagues. The men are most likely to be found glued to the television, iced cocktails in hand, but that just leaves Cora more space to interact with the dolphins. She develops Blum’s research processes, educates herself by reading Blum’s science books, and even challenges him. Then, when Cora moves into a purpose-built homearium with one of the dolphins, the situation takes an intriguing turn.
Both woman and dolphins come to vivid life in this fascinating and beautifully realized novel.Pub Date: April 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-60945-784-6
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2022
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.
A young woman’s experience as a nurse in Vietnam casts a deep shadow over her life.
When we learn that the farewell party in the opening scene is for Frances “Frankie” McGrath’s older brother—“a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften”—who is leaving to serve in Vietnam in 1966, we feel pretty certain that poor Finley McGrath is marked for death. Still, it’s a surprise when the fateful doorbell rings less than 20 pages later. His death inspires his sister to enlist as an Army nurse, and this turn of events is just the beginning of a roller coaster of a plot that’s impressive and engrossing if at times a bit formulaic. Hannah renders the experiences of the young women who served in Vietnam in all-encompassing detail. The first half of the book, set in gore-drenched hospital wards, mildewed dorm rooms, and boozy officers’ clubs, is an exciting read, tracking the transformation of virginal, uptight Frankie into a crack surgical nurse and woman of the world. Her tensely platonic romance with a married surgeon ends when his broken, unbreathing body is airlifted out by helicopter; she throws her pent-up passion into a wild affair with a soldier who happens to be her dead brother’s best friend. In the second part of the book, after the war, Frankie seems to experience every possible bad break. A drawback of the story is that none of the secondary characters in her life are fully three-dimensional: Her dismissive, chauvinistic father and tight-lipped, pill-popping mother, her fellow nurses, and her various love interests are more plot devices than people. You’ll wish you could have gone to Vegas and placed a bet on the ending—while it’s against all the odds, you’ll see it coming from a mile away.
A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781250178633
Page Count: 480
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
BOOK TO SCREEN
SEEN & HEARD
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.
The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.
Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.
Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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