Love, Theoretically

 Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood took me way longer to read than it should have, considering Brenda gave me a copy at the beginning of the summer and I just finished it last night 9/17/23. Her paperback has long since been returned, and I downloaded a kindle copy that was so overdue from CLAMS I had to resort to the airplane mode trick.

This is a romance novel with a twist, a scientific slant that brings some legitimacy and intellect to the typical rom-com plot line. The main characters and love interests are physicists, albeit smarties with flawed personalities and plenty of baggage from their childhoods. 

The reader can easily see through the contrived tension between the pair in the beginning, and we know they will end up together. I think the slow burn leading to the consummation of their relationship is worth it though.

Lady Clementine

Lady Clementine is another novelization of a historical figure by Marie Benedict. This time Benedict takes on the life of Winston Churchill’s indomitable wife, Clementine (which I discovered the British pronounce Clem-en-teen).

I learned a lot about Winston Churchill’s role during this historical time period, but I also found myself wondering if the portrayal of his relationship with his wife was completely accurate. Reading  fictionalized conversations between real-life characters always distracts me from the authenticity of the story.

Foster

When asked about his favorite writers at a talk I attended recently, Andre Dubus III, who wrote The House of Sand and Fog (which I loved) and (the more recent) Kindness, mentioned Irish author Claire Keegan, known for her emotionally penetrating short stories and novellas. Such high praise from Dubus led me to download Foster since Small Things Like These was unavailable. 

Sparse writing that is nonetheless saturated with a profound depth of sentiment and insight, is the hallmark of Keegan’s writing style. The portrayal of a family struggling financially forced to surrender one of their children to live with relatives is powerful and moving subject matter. I empathized with the child who describes her circumstance this way, “I am in a spot where I can neither be what I always am nor turn into what I could be.”

Edit 1/11/26: I just watched a sweet movie on Hulu called The Quiet Girl, based on this book. The film captures all the atmosphere and tension of the book, and the visuals provide even more context to the complex relationships between the characters. Closely following the plot of the book, the tender story’s poignant ending fills the viewer with empathy and melancholy.

 

The Only Woman in the Room

The end of The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict is the best part. After reading the Author’s Note, I was inspired to watch this YouTube video that captures the spirit of Hedy Lamarr better than the book did for me. Reading this book was even more slow-going than usual for me because I felt that the voice was all wrong. Benedict is a lawyer, and I couldn’t help thinking that the tone was too “lawyerly” for the novelization of Hedy Lamar’s story. Benedict’s writing style seems more suited to a nonfiction slant similar to the approach taken by author Nancy Rubin Stuart when writing about the women in Benjamin Franklin’s life.

It’s difficult for me to be too critical though because I met Marie Benedict at a speed-signing at Titcomb’s Book Store this summer, and she is gracious and lovely! Two friends of mine, Deb J and Brenda, loved this book, so clearly Benedict’s style is appealing in ways that other people appreciate. 

I’ll be interested to compare the writing with that of The First Ladies, co-written by Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (who was also present at the signing and coauthored The Personal Librarian with Benedict). I bought that book but have lent it out to Brenda and Lisa while I slog my way through another solo-Benedict selection about Winston Churchill’s wife, Clementine. 

Demon Copperhead

Here’s the thing about Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. I was immediately drawn into the story and became invested in the imperfect lives of the downtrodden characters. Halfway through, for some reason, I started to lose interest in the escapades of the  David Copperfield-esque main character. Now that I’ve finished reading the book, I miss hanging out with Demon, Maggot, Angus, Fast Forward, and all their other larger-than-life associates.

The book shines a light on some thorny societal issues including poverty, foster care and children’s services, and substance abuse. This can sometimes feel preachy and heavy-handed, but by far what kept me reading was the characterization, especially the distinctive voice of the wise-beyond-his-years protagonist, Demon.