'The Age of Innocence' by Edith Wharton

The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton (4.0)

Many people believe money brings happiness. Edith Wharton clearly proves that, at least with regards to the late 1800’s New York’s socialite families, old money and it’s societal rules can become a type of prison. This is articulated through the main character, Newland Archer, a young man from one of the main, ‘good’, NYC families. He knows the rules of society and generally appreciates them. That is until he meets his fiancée’s cousin and starts to appreciate her differences and the freedom from the rules that she eschews. As typical of novels of this time period, not a lot happens, plot-wise. The beauty is in the writing and the nuances. We watch Newland struggle with seeing the life he always felt he would lead versus one of passion while his family and their peers slowly bring the prison walls down. Although not exactly uplifting and optimistic, if read slowly, the words alone will be worth it.

'The Man Who Broke Capitalism'

The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America—and How to Undo His Legacy, David Gelles (3.5)

Tough book to read: depressing, disappointing with quite a bit of hyperbole. In the beginning, I was put off by the simplicity of ‘Jack Welch ruined everything’, but I’ll admit that Gelles does a good job at laying much of the blame at Welch and his protégés’ feet. He did more damage to GE than I realized at the time – particularly with the emergence of GE Capital and the focus on financial businesses and away from manufacturing. One big surprise for me was the M&A strategy of GE. I participated in the M&A process at Allied Signal under Larry Bossidy and we were required to justify thoroughly how our targets fit into our Business Unit and company strategy. Gelles’ assertion that GE was buying businesses that didn’t fit their BU’s strategy seemed odd. There were other assertions about companies and people I had met that were a little off (i.e. the Allied Signal/Honeywell merger had a lot of issues due to large culture differences, not stress over a possible GE takeover). Overall, I agree with many of his points and am glad to see the shift from shareholder value to the more important, and inclusive, stakeholder value. I’d say the book leans a little too heavy to one side, but eventually gets to the important points.

'Cloud Atlas' by David Mitchell

Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (3.5)

I had this book in my ‘to read’ list for many years. The rave reviews and comparisons to Murakami and P.K. Dick intrigued me. While it had a unique way of telling a story, in the end it did not come together in the powerful way I had hoped for. The chapters are short stories, somewhat independent from one another, moving through time from the 1800’s to the future. Once we finish the last future chapter, they repeat in descending order advancing each story with some hints of how they connect. I enjoyed three of the six storylines and found they could stand on their own. The other three were less interesting. Descriptions of the book talk of reincarnation (the movie version apparently has Tom Hanks and Halle Barry playing characters in each story), but I did not get a strong feeling (except for a birthmark mentioned on various characters) for how that was determined by the reader. The synopsis talks about a killer reincarnated as a hero – frankly I only figured out who they meant by seeing which actor played those two roles in the movie. I don’t enjoy obvious foreshadowing, but this was a bit too cryptic for me!

'Box 88' by Charles Cumming

Box 88, Charles Cumming (4.0)

I really enjoyed this spy thriller. While ‘Mission Impossible’ like books may be a roller coaster ride, good espionage books for me are more complex and believable. Many people have compared Cumming to Le Carre and I agree. As the introductory volume to presumably many more featuring Lachlan Kite, a spy with a subversive group of CIA and MI6 agents, it fills in his background while embroiling him in a present-day perilous situation. The contrast with spy-craft from the 80’s to today was done well and most of the characters were well written. The progression of a quiet, observant, boarding school kid to extremely capable agent was interesting to read and much of what was enjoyable about the book. I hope Mr. Cumming can come up with an equally intriguing second book for Lachie!

'Writers and Lovers' by Lily King

Writers and Lovers, Lily King (3.0)

I found this book both interesting and a bit whingey. It reminded me a lot of a recent movie, ‘The Worst Person in the World’, which follows a young woman through career and romance decisions. Both seem to make it through, though just barely. In this case, the main character is a writer working as a waitress. As she tries to write her first novel, she gets involved with two guys in very different places in their lives. The best parts of this book for me were the descriptions of why a writer writes and the comments by readers on how to make the writing better. I found this a good summer read for those interested in writing.

'The Impossible Us' by Sarah Lotz

The Impossible Us, Sarah Lotz (4.5)

I really enjoyed this book, a refreshing romantic story with a good twist that completely surprised me, despite the foreshadowing. This book starts off very rom-com-ish with witty dialogue via email between two relatively unhappy people. While I normally find reading other’s emails annoying, the flow here was quite easy to read and I enjoyed watching the growing friendship turn flirty. Their lives are filled in around the email exchanges as you come to know the two main characters. When they finally decide to meet in person, things go wonky. I won’t ruin the twist, but even if you are somewhat put off by it, keep reading as the book is mainly about the question: what would you be willing to do for love?

'Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas' by Jennifer Raff

 

Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas, Jennifer Raff (3.5)

There are many things I found interesting about this book and would have given it 4 stars except for a few issues with the writing. Given the advances in DNA mapping, new data has emerged in the last 10 years concerning how and when people first came to the Americas. I appreciated how the author discussed the science both recent and past and how newer evidence has changed the theories of how and when the first peoples came to the Americas. She thoughtfully outlined what scientists theorized over many years and what the likely scenario is based on current information. My main complaint had to do with two writing techniques: outlining all you are going to tell us (in detail) prior to telling, and including short narratives describing possible stories of how the archeological evidence had come to that location. Given the author is a geneticist, the stories seemed forced and unnecessary.