2011 March 02

Book Review (My Husband’s): Skipping A Beat by Sarah Pekkanen

Title: Skipping A Beat
Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Publication Date: February 22, 2011
Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN: 978-1451609820
Genre: Fiction

From the Publisher:

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOUR HUSBAND SUDDENLY WANTED TO REWRITE THE RULES OF YOUR RELATIONSHIP?

My Thoughts:

I have heard nothing but high praise for Skipping a Beat and while I enjoyed the storyline, I was not emotionally invested like I was in The Opposite of Me. So after reading Skipping a Beat, which is told through Julia’s voice, I wanted to know what a man would think of this book. Would a husband have the same thoughts as his wife? This is where my husband came into the picture and he agreed to read the book, rate the book and write his first review of a book. After he completed the book we briefly discussed the book and while I found I related better to Michael than Julia, my husband said he was unable to relate with either character. Without further ado…

My Husband’s Review:

It is truly a rare circumstance when a single event has such a profound effect on life, and in Sarah Pekkanen’s novel Skipping a Beat, we are immersed into the lives of a man and woman who have chanced upon one of those circumstances. Michael and Julia spent the better part of their lives together, beginning as high school sweethearts who went through college together and finally tying the knot once out of school. Life threw its share of difficulties at the young couple, requiring them to expend a lot of their energy on just getting by. Their dedication to their respective careers (Julia started her own party planning company while Michael eventually won success in his health beverage company) eventually pays off, but with success came simultaneous losses borne by their marriage as Michael’s growing interest in his burgeoning drink company gradually took more of his time, leaving less for his relationship with Julia. To compensate for the loss of intimacy and attention from her spouse, Julia found comfort in embracing the amassed possessions of the now very successful and wealthy couple. With so much reliance on material possessions, few events could derail the faux happiness built around the inanimate, so when Michael has a near-death experience, his perspective becomes instantly transformed as he discovers the veil of wealth that stood between him and the reality of his life. Michael suddenly loses his desire for the material things to which Julia remains intimately attached, a metamorphosis none too comforting for Julia, a twist made ironic by the fact that Michael now wishes to devote his time to his wife. The questions Julia must answer in order to bring order to her life with the “new” Michael make for a rather interesting read and Pekkanen offers some rather pensive discussion questions in the appendix, questions that make this a great discussion group pick.

About the Author:

Sarah Pekkanen is the author of The Opposite of Me and Skipping a Beat. Her work has been published in People, The Washington Post, USA Today, The New Republic, The Baltimore Sun, Reader’s Digest, and Washingtonian, among others. She writes a monthly Erma Bombeck type column for Bethesda Magazine, and has been an on-air contributor to NPR and E! Entertainment’s “Gossip Show.” She is the winner of a Dateline award and the Paul Miller Reporting Fellowship. Sarah lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with her husband and three young sons.

To learn more about the author and her books please visit her website.

I received a complimentary copy of Skipping A Beat by Sarah Pekkanen from BookSparks PR to offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.

Book Review: The Fifth Servant by Kenneth Wishnia

Title: The Fifth Servant
Author: Kenneth Wishnia
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition
Publication Date: February 8, 2011
Paperback: 416 pages
ISBN: 978-0061725388
Genre: Historical Fiction

From the Publisher:

In 1592, Prague is a relatively safe refuge for Jews who live within the gated walls of its ghetto. But the peace is threatened when a young Christian girl is found with her throat slashed in a Jewish shop on the eve of Passover. Charged with blood libel, the shopkeeper and his family are arrested, and all that stands in the way of a rabid Christian mob is a clever Talmudic scholar, newly arrived from Poland, named Benyamin Ben-Akiva. Granted just three days to bring the true killer to justice—hampered by rabbinic law, with no allies or connections, and only his wits, knowledge, and faith to guide him—Benyamin sets off on a desperate search for answers. Following a twisting trail from the streets to the shul, from the forbidden back rooms of a ghetto brothel to the emperor Rudolf II’s lavish palace, he will dare the impossible—and commit the unthinkable—to save the Jews of Prague . . . and himself.

My Review:

I must confess what first intrigued me about The Fifth Servant by Kenneth Wishnia was the setting. I adore history and to this day I still have relatives living in Prague, but I knew little about the events that occurred in and around 1592 in Prague. Wishnia has brilliantly crafted a multilayered historical and religious mystery, which occurs in the late 16th Century. Wishnia gives his book further depth my expounding on the religious and historical events, thoughts and beliefs of the times. While The Fifth Servant is indeed a murder mystery, Wishnia takes his book up a few notches to add in philosophical and theological debate. This is not a light hearted book, rather it is a deeply complex novel with several prevailing threads seamlessly interwoven by Wishnia to create an intelligent and interesting historical fiction mystery. There are a lot of characters and yet Wishnia manages to keep them all well organised and does not make it too difficult to follow. As for using Czech, German, and Yiddish terms throughout the book, Wishnia offers up a glossary in the back for help with translating the foreign words. I found the threads of several different narratives being woven into one was quite solid and proved to be enthralling. Finally it is with exceptionally beautiful and lyrical prose that Wishnia brings his book to life. While I enjoyed The Fifth Servant I must mention it is a deep novel, one must take time reading this to obtain the full effect, not just to follow the mystery, but rather the underlying currents. It is my belief this book would best be read as a discussion group pick, as there are so very many important issues to be debated and discussed. On a whole I would recommend The Fifth Servant to any reader who enjoys an intriguing mystery intertwined in a historical fiction book.

About the Author:

Kenneth Wishnia has a Ph.D. in comparative literature. His crime fiction has been nominated for the Edgar and Anthony awards. He teaches composition, literature, and creative writing at Suffolk Community College on Long Island, where he lives with his wife and children.

To learn more about Kenneth Wishnia please visit his website.

For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.

I received a complimentary copy of The Fifth Servant by Kenneth Wishnia from TLC Book Tours to be a part of this tour and offer my honest review of the book. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned book.