JULIET by Anne Fortier

When Julie Jacobs' aunt died, she received a letter that reveals her name is actually Giulietta Tolomei, a descendant of the real-life families that inspired Romeo and Juliet.  Julie's twin sister inherits everything; Julie is told to go to Italy to find a safety deposit box.  Julie has always had a great love for the work of Shakespeare and for the play 'Romeo and Juliet' in particular.  While in Italy, Julie discovers her family history and finds love.

This book was very confusing to me.  It is as if three different authors collaborated on it - and not particularly well.  The story of the modern day Julie, her sister Janice, and the modern day love interest 'Romeo' felt way too contrived to me.  The author used modern day slang that felt very forced.  I simply did not buy into the love at first sight angle at all and the characters were very two-dimensional.  The 'historical' component of the book was, in contrast, beautifully written and very interesting and far more believable than Shakespeare's play (I must disclose here that 'Romeo and Juliet' has never been a favourite of mine.)  Then, suddenly, the book turned into a suspense thriller - where did that come from?

Overall, this book is probably fine as a quick read without much substance - but it won't stay on my bookshelf.

ROAD TO VALOUR by Aili and Andres McConnon

I am a big fan of The Tour de France .  Gino Bartali, the Italian cycling legend (and subject of this biography) holds the distinction of winning the Tour twice and the record of the longest time span (10 years) between wins.

The authors, Aili and Andres McConnon chronicle Bartali's life - from an impoverished childhood in rural Tuscany to his first triumph in the 1938 Tour de France.  As World War II ravaged Europe, Bartali undertook dangerous missions to help those being targeted in Italy, including sheltering a family of Jews and smuggling counterfeit identity documents in the frame of his bicycle.  When the Tour resumed after the War, Bartoli came back to win the 1948 Tour de France - this time as the underdog - in an exhilarating performance that helped to heal and inspire his country in the aftermath of the war.

THE PERFUME COLLECTOR by Kathleen Tessaro

Grace Munroe lives the life of a socialite in the 1950's - parties, shopping, charity events - all on the arm of a husband who expects the perfect wife to advance his career and their social standing.  Eva D'Orsey is a young orphan in the 1920's - a poor chambermaid with a head for numbers at a hotel that caters discretely to the whims and wishes of the rich and famous.
Not long after Grace learns of her husband's infidelity, she receives a letter from a solicitor in Paris informing her that she is the sole heir to the fortune of Eva D'Orsey - a woman who is a complete stranger to her.  Grace travels to Paris to find out about the woman who has changed her life.

Kathleen Tessaro takes us through the lives of these two women and eventually discloses the connection.  (Non-spoiler - although the author does not disclose the connection until late in the book, it is pretty easy to figure out early on).  Through the contacts made in the hotel, Eva eventually becomes the muse for one of the great perfumers in the world.  Easily the best thing about this book for me were the descriptions of the creation of perfumes.  In this day and age when every pop star, reality star and people famous for doing nothing are flooding the market with their 'signature scents', it is extremely interesting to read what a serious, creative process creating a memorable scent really is.  The book is worth reading for this alone.

Tessaro has written a very readable and enjoyable book.  It has been labelled as historical fiction, but I would have to put it in the 'chick-lit' category.  It's a good vacation read, but I'd pack it in my carry-on bag to read on the plane.

STRONG MEDICINE  by Arthur Hailey

I picked this book up in a thrift shop because I remembered reading and enjoying it years ago.  I thought it would be like reading an episode of 'Mad Men' - all retro and the like.

It wasn't actually anything like that.  I didn't get that 'retro' feel because it wasn't.  There were no pretty lights and shadows to cover up the fact that this book was misogynistic, homophobic and racist and that, in 1984 that was okay.  I suppose the storytelling was interesting enough - it follows the story of Celia Jordan - a woman who, against all odds, rises to the top of her profession in the pharmaceutical industry.  We follow the development of new drugs - the testing, the approval, the success and occasionally the spectacular failure.  I'm thinking that a modern retelling of a story on this topic could very well be worth reading - this version is no longer the correct vehicle for this story.

WORLD'S FAIR by E.L.Doctorow

I am always delighted to pick up and re-read a book by E.L.Doctorow - easily one of my favourite authors.  Once again, this book did not disappoint.  Doctorow is a literary time traveller who takes us with him - in this case to New York in the 1930's.  World's Fair feels like a thinly disguised autobiography.  The author was able to tell a coming-of-age story through the eyes of Edgar, the youngest child of the family.  Occasionally, he includes chapters narrated by other adult family members to help underscore how the impressions of a boy are not always what he thinks they are.

Edgar's dad was a charming dreamer, losing money hand over fist and firmly attached by the apron strings to his own family.   His mum was too harried and too overworked to wring much enjoyment from life.  Still, Edgar is reassured that they loved him and that he loved them right back. It’s probably that way with most families. When all the grudges and grievances wear down, what remains is the love.

Towards the end of World’s Fair, Edgar enters an essay-writing competition on the theme of the typical American boy. “The Typical American Boy is not fearful of Dangers,” he writes. “If he is Jewish he should say so.  If he is anything he should say what it is when challenged.” In a more sappy coming-of-age story this effort would win first prize and its author be hailed as a literary star in the making. In the real world, though, magic takes softer, more subtle forms.  So no, Edgar’s earnest, heartfelt essay can’t mend his parents’ failing marriage or save his dad’s floundering music shop.  But it does earn honourable mention in the local paper and affords the family the opportunity to attend the World's Fair in its waning days.

For me, this is a quiet little perfect book.

THE MYSTERIES by Robert McGill

A young woman disappears from a small town in northern Ontario.  The author teases at the knot that holds the mystery together until it is loosened and each strand adds a detail or two.

Robert is a young traveller who finds himself in the small Ontario town of Sunshine, in the middle of a party at the town's wildlife park.  A stranger has given him a yellow notebook and told him to deliver it to an Alice Pedersen. But Alice Pedersen disappeared two years ago.

Six months before Robert's arrival, human remains have been recovered from the local shoreline.  Stoddard Fremlin, the hockey coach, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.  Daniel Barrie, who was having an affair with Alice and who left for England immediately after her disappearance, has suddenly returned.  Rocket de Witt, a rising hockey star with deep secrets of his own and one of the last people to see Alice alive, has left town. Amid all this, there is a tiger on the loose.

Throw in the wildlife park owner who may have built his animal sanctuary on sacred native burial grounds, an eccentric hoarder and an insurance investigator who may be getting a little too personal with this case and you have an absorbing read that kept me engaged to the very end. Told from the perspective of several of the townsfolk, the mystery of Alice's disappearance slowly unravels, at the same time revealing the dark and carefully kept secrets of the inhabitants of Sunshine.