Reviews: February 2014 Releases

I have review copies of several upcoming releases.  Today, I’m featuring reviews of two books released last week (on February 4).  I would have scheduled this post for last week, but I let Digital Learning Day take precedence.

Without further ado…

Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan

Ballentine Books, 2014.  Hardcover, 240 pages.

Glitter and Glue is the third in a series of memoirs* by Kelly Corrigan.  In this one, she explores her relationship with her mother through the lens of a short-term nanny job she took in Australia.  As a twenty-something, Kelly and her best friend Tracy decide to see the world.  However, they did not budget well.  A month after leaving the United States, they are nearly out of money with eleven months of their trip left.  Thus they looked for jobs while in Australia and Kelly becomes a nanny to a widower’s children.  As Kelly guides the Martin and Milly through life, she begins to realize she is more like her mother than she ever dreamed possible.  With this awareness, Kelly learns to respect the mother she never understood growing up.

I found the memoir fast-paced and highly entertaining.  While the underlying message of the book is constant, Corrigan adds humor to many situations.  She also explores issues common to twenty-somethings, such as the need for independence, desire to explore the world, and life in love (in this case, with her employer’s adult stepson).  Between both themes, this book should have an equal appeal to women of all ages.

The Deepest Secret by Cara Buckley

Bantam, 2014.  Hardcover, 448 pages.

The Deepest Secret is the perfect title of a book where multiple characters have secrets they do not wish to ever be disclosed.  The bulk of the story follows Eve and Tyler Lattimore, a son with the fatal disease XP (sometimes called allergic to the sun) and his overprotective mother.  While Tyler has taken to roaming the neighborhood at night and peeking into his neighbors’ worlds, his mother accidentally commits a terrible crime.  Also a critical part of the story is the search for Amy, a missing neighborhood girl (the youngest daughter of Eve’s best friend) and it’s outcome.  The book is about hiding these secrets and others with a bit of mystery and intrigue mixed in.  As the title hints at, every character has a secret they never wish to be disclosed.  However, the revelation at the end shows how these secrets can be damning.  Another theme within the novel is the strength of a mother’s love, as Eve and Amy’s mother, Charlotte, frequently demonstrate through the lengths they go to protect or find their child.

The Deepest Secret was a quick read.  The text flowed easily and one wanted to know the ultimate outcome.  At times, it was heart-wrenching.  Compared to other fiction, I think the novel is fairly average.

Next week, I’m hoping for the return to history!

*2008’s The Middle Place examines her relationship with her father and battle with cancer while Lift is about raising her children.  I haven’t read these, but I think I someday will.

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