All the Acorns On the Forest Floor

All the Acorns on the Forest Floor by Kim Hooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As in the Paris Hours the characters in this book cross paths without knowing the stories revealed in this book. I loved that in both books--sometimes they actually interact with each other, yet sometimes it is more like degrees of separation. In any case, the unconscious interaction of people just passing by each other is fascinating.
The theme of the book is Motherhood but it is so much more. Some of the women don't want children, others want them desperately and either cannot get pregnant or cannot carry a child to full-term. Still some of these women miscarry or give the child up. No matter the case, all of them in some way are concerned with the role of " MOTHER ". All of these women are three dimensional and no matter the reader's relationship with motherhood, they are all sympathetic and real. I only cried at the end of one story but was moved by them all.
Lest you think this is the sole focus of the book, do not be mislead. There is more to the story--the men involved. How supportive are they, how understanding, how loving, how present--or not. And communication--how much do these women share with their partners, family or friends so that their feelings are better understood? How much do they communicate with themselves? What secrets do they keep from those who want to be there for them but just don't know enough to totally understand what they are going through? What do they deny to themselves about themselves to help them cope and make decisions about their lives?
For such a small book, there is quite a bit within these pages to make one think about relationships, life's choices, nature's quirks . Yet, it is a fast and easy read with a lot of warmth and humor. For many of us there are characters who will remind us of either ourselves and/or people we've known. Very realistic and enjoyable over all.

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Tsarina

Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There are authors such as McCullough and Larsen who are able to make the historical characters about whom they write jump off the page so that the reader feels as though they are in their presence. Alpsten does not have that ability. The book is much too long, with extensive and unnecessary scenes of debauchery and cruelty. The first 350 pages are so stultifying it is almost like reading a Russian history ( deathly in itself ) textbook. It is not until after Alexy's death that there is any life to the main character and Peter. The rest never truly come alive. As to the supposed shrewd intelligence and calculating manipulation possessed by Catherine, they are never truly revealed. There is as the blurbs claim--sumptuous decadence but not vivid life. There is a Cinderella story, I suppose, though this handsome prince is barbarous to all around him, including Catherine and cannot be accused of fidelity. It took me forever to get through the book, but I hoped to learn something of a supposed strong, powerful woman--well, she was strong, I guess, but not terribly powerful. This is a review of an ARC won from Goodreads for that purpose

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