W.W. Norton & Company

Book Review: Wherever You Go by Joan Leegant

Title: Wherever You Go
Author: Joan Leegant
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition
Publication Date: July 25, 2011
Paperback: 253 pages
ISBN: 978-0393339895
Genre: Historical Fiction

From the back of the book:

In this sweeping and beautifully written novel, Joan Leegant weaves together three lives caught in the grip of a volatile and uncompromising faith. Yona Stern has traveled to Jerusalem from New York to make amends with her sister, a stoic mother of five dedicated to the hard-line West Bank settlement cause. Mark Greenglass, a gifted Talmud teacher and a former drug dealer saved by religion, has lost his passion and wonders if he’s done with God. Enter Aaron Blinder, an unstable college dropout with a history of failure who finds a home on the radical fringe of Israeli society. Emotionally gripping, timely and prophetic, Wherever You Go tells the story of three Americans in Israel and the attractions-and dangers-of Jewish religious and political extremism.

My Review:

Wherever You Go by Joan Leegant is a beautifully uplifting debut novel about three Americans, living in Israel, who struggle for religious and political identity. In times where religious and political extremism are becoming increasingly a concern for many, Leegant touches on this subject in a delicate, yet true to life manner that will give readers more than just a glimpse at the draw of extremist views. As the three main characters, Yona, Aaron and Mark each has their individual motivations for coming to Israel, Leegant capitalizes on these unrelated characters to build her story into a message far greater than the sum of the characters’ reasons for their actions. A book about spirituality in a rigid faith, Leegant portrays the challenges and obstacles faced by these characters as they are brought together through a tragic event. Told with changing perspectives, Wherever You Go gives different points of view as the story unfolds, a writing style that I think really worked well for such a weighty and personal subject. I strongly recommend Joan Leegant’s debut, Wherever You Go to all readers and I think book discussion groups will find Wherever You Go a fascinating book to examine.

To learn more about author Joan Leegant, please visit her website: www.joanleegant.com

For more reviews of the book, please follow the TLC Book Tour.

I received a complimentary arc of Wherever You Go by Joan Leegant 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.

Book Review and Tour: The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn

Title: The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson
Author: Jerome Charyn
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Publication Date: February 14, 2011
Paperback: 348 pages
ISBN: 978-0393339178
Genre: Fiction, Historical

From the Publisher:

Jerome Charyn, “one of the most important writers in American literature” (Michael Chabon), continues his exploration of American history through fiction with The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson, hailed by prize-winning literary historian Brenda Wineapple as a “breathtaking high-wire act of ventriloquism.” Channeling the devilish rhythms and ghosts of a seemingly buried literary past, Charyn removes the mysterious veils that have long enshrouded Dickinson, revealing her passions, inner turmoil, and powerful sexuality. The novel, daringly written in first person, begins in the snow. It’s 1848, and Emily is a student at Mount Holyoke, with its mournful headmistress and strict, strict rules. Inspired by her letters and poetry, Charyn goes on to capture the occasionally comic, always fevered, ultimately tragic story of her life-from defiant Holyoke seminarian to dying recluse.

My Review:

A very bold undertaking, The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn is an attempt to tell Emily Dickinson’s life story through her voice. Charyn’s prose if effusive, beautiful and entertaining, yet I was not enthralled. I did enjoy the story, as a story, but as a biological account of Emily Dickinson, it just did not ring true to me, however I am not a Dickinson expert by any account and recommend following the tour for other insights into this extremely intriguing book. Based on the amount of poetry Emily Dickinson wrote in her lifetime and the quality of her poetry, I did not think it matched with the Dickinson Charyn introduces the reader to. I did immensely enjoy learning more about the time period and the thinking process of those living in this time period. Not being a Dickinson scholar I cannot truly know how close Charyn came to accurately portraying Emily Dickinson. Did I enjoy the writing? Absolutely. Did I find the story entertaining? To a point, yes. Would I have enjoyed the book more if this had been completely fictional and not about a well respected poet? Absolutely. Until the time comes when I am able to read more biographies on Emily Dickinson, I will need to hold off my critique. On the whole, Charyn weaves together an interesting narrative. I would recommend The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson to those who enjoy historical fiction and if it had not been for this book, I most likely would not be searching out biographies of Emily Dickinson.

About the Author:

Jerome Charyn has been a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and has received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His novels include Johnny One-Eye and The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson. He lives in Paris and New York.

To learn about the author and her writings please visit Jerome Charyn’s website, facebook page, and book facebook page.

To see more reviews and to follow the book tour visit the tour site.

I received a complimentary copy of The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson by Jerome Charyn from Tribute Books to review. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.