An engaging read, particularly for cat lovers, and a promising debut.
A fictionalized saga of a real-life Hungarian refugee turned cat rescuer.
In her debut novel, Caruthers takes on the nearly impossible task of piecing together a life kept purposefully hidden. She combines research and imagination to pay tribute to her departed friend Vivie Degirdro, a college professor and cat lover with a tragic past. The narrative, though fictionalized, will still give readers an idea of the resilient, intelligent, and compassionate woman that Caruthers knew. On the eve of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising, 12-year old Vivie Degirdro is forced to flee a suburb of Budapest on foot with her affluent parents and young sister. All too quickly, Vivie’s carefree innocence is tempered by violence and cruelty, which they encounter with every passing mile. When her loving family is irreparably shattered by tragedy, Vivie must find a way forwardin America while guarding a family secret that she’s resolved to take to the grave. In her sojourn across Europe and beyond, Vivie exhibits ingenuity, determination, and a notable affinity for animals. She’s shaken by the abrupt loss of her cat in her initial escape from Budapest, but her bond with the many cats she encounters afterward becomes her greatest comfort. The cat-centered moments sometimes feel tonally unbalanced, as they’re juxtaposed with genuinely harrowing scenes in which Vivie flees gunmen on a moving train or witnesses a brutal assault. The latter scenes feel more visceral and arresting than the former, in which she expounds on the importance of spaying strays, for instance, or tearfully mourns her pet. As the novel follows Vivie into adulthood, the pacing begins to slow as the story meanders through various loosely connected snippets, although cats continue to be a major feature. Nonetheless, the author’s prose offers strong, memorable imagery: “In the moonlight, Vivie stared out across the distant field at the chevaux-de-frise. The large, wooden-spiked, knife-rest barriers lined the acreage as though a child had taken a fat brown crayon and drawn giant asterisks across the expanse.” Despite the story’s rough edges, Caruthers reveals stalwart empathy and admiration, not just for her friend, but for anyone who seeks to make positive change in a world of suffering.
An engaging read, particularly for cat lovers, and a promising debut.Pub Date: July 23, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68433-527-5
Page Count: 222
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A moving, realistic look at one woman’s post-divorce family life that manages to be both poignant and funny.
A recently divorced writer juggles a chaotic full house, a struggling career, and a confusing romantic life.
Lila Kennedy thought she had the perfect family—a loving mother, a doting stepfather, two wonderful daughters, and a great husband. She even wrote a self-help book about repairing a marriage, which was published a mere two weeks before her husband left her. After her own mother’s sudden death, Lila finds herself an unexpected single mom with her health-nut stepfather, Bill, for a roommate. When her long-absent actor father, Gene, moves in, things go from crowded to chaotic. When Gene isn’t talking about his memories of starring on a Star Trek–like television show, he’s starting fights with Bill. Perhaps the worst part is that Lila’s supposed to produce a new book about the unexpected direction her life has taken. She quickly finds that writing about her real-life romantic exploits (including the kind gardener Bill hired and the sexy single dad she lusts after at school pick-up) and the actual heartbreak that upended her family is easier said than done. Moyes creates a world that is believable and funny. It’s hilarious to read about the distinct characters in Lila’s life—such as her lentil-loving stepfather and egocentric biological father—interacting with each other. There’s plenty of drama here, but none of it feels forced. It all comes from flawed people doing their best to coexist and making plenty of mistakes along the way. Moyes combines the warmth of an Annabel Monaghan rom-com with the humanity of a Catherine Newman novel, creating a story that will provoke tears and laughter.
A moving, realistic look at one woman’s post-divorce family life that manages to be both poignant and funny.Pub Date: Feb. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9781984879325
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Pamela Dorman/Viking
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
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
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