Happy Monday, Bookworms!
I hope all of you in the US had a safe and enjoyable 4th of July weekend. I know I did. I read TWO BOOKS! I know. It’s been a while since I’ve had the luxury of pure binge reading with no real obligations and it was glorious. The first of the books I devoured was Sisters of Heart and Snow
Drew and Rachel Snow are sisters with a strained relationship. Rachel is a married mother of two in suburbia. A rather surprising outcome given that her wild teenage antics led to her being expelled from her childhood home. Drew is a bit of a drifter, a musician who follows her passion but never quite manages a semblance of adult stability. The girls haven’t been especially close thanks to the familial rift, but they’re thrown back into each other’s lives when their mother, a Japanese immigrant, begins to suffer from dementia. Though she requires constant care, while she was still lucid, Hikari awarded her elder daughter Rachel power of attorney, enraging her douchebag father, Killian.
During one of Rachel’s visits to the nursing home, Hikari asks Rachel to locate a book she kept in her sewing room. The book and its contents lead Rachel and Drew on a journey back into each other’s lives and shed light on their mother’s difficult past. The book tells the story of Tomoe Gozen, a badass lady samurai in twelfth century Japan, an unlikely tale that resonates across time.
You guys, I love me some Margaret Dilloway! Her inclusion of the badass lady samurai was just the icing on the cake. Drew and Rachel’s relationship was beautifully rendered. The crazy Snow family dynamic was masterfully portrayed even though I wanted to PUMMEL Killian. OMG. PUMMEL. Is it okay to want to pummel a very old man in a walker? I don’t care, he’s fictional and so are my punches. But I hate him. Luckily his awfulness didn’t rub off on his daughters. Long story short? You should probably read Sisters of Heart and Snow.
Talk to me Bookworms. How often do you want to punch fictional characters? Is this a thing that happens to other people?
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Isi
Thank you for making me add a new word in my vocabulary in English (pummel), haha.
I didn’t know the author, but this book sounds very good, even if it made you become violent :))
Words For Worms
Ha! I live to serve, my dear.
Megan M.
I can’t remember if I’ve ever wanted to punch anyone more than John Thorpe of Northanger Abbey. That character was designed to push my buttons! Also, I would love to punch Henry Higgins. And Eliza’s father. And sometimes Eliza herself. (I may or may not have been forced to watch My Fair Lady over the weekend. It is just not my fave.)
AMB
I’m with you on John Thorpe! I feel that way about his sister too.
Words For Worms
Ugh John Thorpe was AWFUL! I hated that guy too. My Fair Lady isn’t among my favorite musicals either, though I do have a weakness for them. Henry Higgins is a complete dick. He doesn’t deserve Eliza.
AMB
A badass lady samurai? This book sounds interesting! It’s great that you were able to get so much reading done over the July 4th weekend.
Words For Worms
It was a needed respite. Escaping into a book is the best therapy.
thatashgirl
Oh I have totally wanted to slap the crap our of a fictional character.
Words For Worms
A natural response, no?
Jenny @ Reading the End
Oh I OFTEN want to punch fictional characters. Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Boys books? I want to punch every single one of the fathers of those characters. They’re just asking for it.
Words For Worms
Maggie Stiefvater is on my “OMG how have you not read this yet?!” list. I neeeeeed to. But it’s good to know I’ll get punchy. I like to be warned. I’m not one who gets upset by spoilers. Of course, neither are you, Miss Reading the End Before I Read the Beginning 😉