Janet Hubbard's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Verghese is a master storyteller. This novel’s genesis was stories from his mother written in a spiral notebook, but what the author did after that is nothing short of miraculous. It is an art to bring the reader into the consciousness of the characters the way he does.

We follow them through their joys and their tragedies, these generations of a family that we come to love with all their flaws, illnesses, courage, and humanity. I don’t understand when readers say they don’t like to read unhappy or disturbing stories or books, for by entering into the darker side of various characters, we are often transported into the light.

This book overflows with love—partners; mothers for children; fathers for children; and extended family. I couldn’t pick up another novel for days after, knowing that nothing could compare. It deserves the undivided time and attention of the reader. It’s not a quick read, but honestly, it was one of the most satisfying reads of my life (and I am not young). It is a novel on a level with War and Peace, but more digestible.

I was swept into the mind of the protagonist, Ulysses, from the start, a young man who carried a wry sense of optimism, who accepted all for who they were, and who had a deep sense of caring. (He took a child to raise on his own!)

The author avoided being sentimental, but at the same time, her book is imbued with love, albeit among a group of outliers who fail at traditional love relationships yet who discover over time their loyalty to each other. I liked the “era” when it was set, after the Great War. I loved being in Italy, and the inclusion of art history thrilled me.

The author presented Evelyn as intelligent, elegant, eloquent, entertaining (someone you wish you knew), and gay. This is presented seamlessly, naturally, and beautifully, unlike some recent novels that need to hammer the reader on the head with that knowledge. I adored little Alys, who grew up in front of my eyes and who, like many wounded children, has wisdom.

A wonderful read. It was hard to say goodbye to it. 

This memoir is an important book, for it changed the French consciousness (and law) about statutory rape. And it brought down the famous author, Gabriel Matzneff, who set out to groom a fourteen-year-old girl into having an affair with him. Some of his earlier books were about his lust for little boys. He was, in fact, a pedophile, disguised as an author.

This is far from a misery memoir, which is how detractors like to describe women’s memoirs dealing with assault or abuse. The writing describes the political climate in which Springora enters into a relationship at fourteen with a man who has a paternal smile, which had great appeal as her abusive father had abandoned her mother and her.

I couldn’t put the book down, though there are a few cringe moments as I am like, he wouldn’t! But, of course, he would. I have a daughter, and I would have fought hard against a man like that daring to think he could seduce my daughter, but Springora’s mother was in a different country and of a different mindset, the hedonistic 60s era.

I love that, with words, Springora was able to bring this man into the spotlight and show him for who he truly is. I love that it changed the attitude that men of letters can do as they please and get away with it. I was practically cheering at the end when I wasn’t in tears.

She is no Brittany Spears, whose memoir today is hailed as a tour de force, but neither did Springora set out to have the world at her feet. Her story is beautifully told and honest. She is a hero.