Covid Summer Reads

THE PIECES WE KEEP by Kristina McMorris
Because I enjoyed this author's Sold On a Monday, I tried another of her books.  She ran two story lines, one from WWII and the other present day.  Vivian falls deeply in love with a German during the war, and though she ends up marrying a different man; that first love haunts her as she raises his child. Audra is a veterinarian reeling from the loss of her husband, and trying to parent a hurting child. Both stories were intriguing, but my disappointment came at the end when I didn't feel she connected the stories together in a satisfying way.

I will try a few more books from McMorris as she is very readable and she develops some unusual plots.  The poor ending, in my opinion, did not dissuade me enough to give up on her!

PEACE LIKE A RIVER by Leif Enger
With the turmoil of Covid and Social Justice protests swirling around us, I found great satisfaction and calm in this book.  Each of the main characters added an important element to the development of the story.  Eleven year old asthmatic Reuben narrates; nine year old Swede, as the only girl, "manages" her brother and her father as she writes beautiful poems describing the plots and twists of their lives; teenager Davy commits the ultimate deliberate revenge to two low-lifes who briefly kidnap and frighten his sister; and Jeremiah, a single father, constantly gives grace and redeeming love to these kids as well as to all he meets, driven by his limitless faith in God.

I truly loved this story.  Enger is a character developer, not a page turning author.  His phrases sometimes need to be re-read to appreciate their depth of meaning.  He incorporates the best in people with quirky traits.  His story stays with you and makes you turn it over again in your head.  He is hopeful in these almost hope-less times.  I will read more from him.

THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE by Lisa See
I enjoyed taking this cultural journey into China with Li-Yan (re-named Tina in America).  The Akha people in a remote mountain village, live in poverty as they daily work the tea fields, both adults and children.  See does a great job in explaining the living conditions in the late 1980's which contrast greatly to the western world at that time.  As the story develops, the world seeps into village life but one thing does not change...the love of Pu'er tea and the sustenance and prosperity that it brings to these villagers.

The very personal journey of Li-Yan gives hope that education and taking challenges/risks can bring success; but the strong theme of family and community undergird this.  The ending is a beautiful picture of perseverance, and the enduring love of mothers and daughters.

Though I did not research some of the cultural village oddities presented by the author (acceptance of pre-marital "sowing your oats" similar to the Amish Rumspringa), I found other traditions (like the Village priest calling together the Village to assist in conflicts) to be extremely Biblical.  It was a refreshing change to "travel internationally" into the lives of the Asian people.