Review: Clara and Mr. Tiffany

From the book: It’s 1893, and at the Chicago World’s Fair, Louis Comfort Tiffany makes his debut with a luminous exhibition of innovative stained-glass windows that he hopes will earn him a place on the international artistic stage. But behind the scenes in his New York studio is the freethinking Clara Driscoll, head of his women’s division, who conceives of and designs nearly all of the iconic leaded-glass lamps for which Tiffany will long be remembered.

Never publicly acknowledged, Clara struggles with her desire for artistic recognition and the seemingly insurmountable challenges that she faces as a professional woman. She also yearns for love and companionship, and is devoted in different ways to five men, including Tiffany, who enforces a strict policy: He does not employ married women. Ultimately, Clara must decide what makes her happiest—the professional world of her hands or the personal world of her heart.

My thoughts: As a student of both English and History, Susan Vreeland's historical fiction novel was incredibly appealing to me. I absolutely loved this story. Full of beautiful imagery from the glass studio of the Tiffany work room where Clara works to the setting of New York City, Vreeland creates lasting images that stick with the reader long after finishing the novel. Clara, the progressive, independent woman who fights for her professional rights while navigating the matters of her heart, captured my attention from the first chapter. Vreeland masterfully weaves together words and sentences to tell a story pulling the reader into the professional and personal lives of the main characters, while leaving one wanting to learn more about the early women's movements and the Tiffany company. A story of friendships, loyalties, and differing levels of affection make this novel a must read for any history buff.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to review by TLC Tours and the publishing company but was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own.

Homeward Bound

I'm headed to Ohio for a long weekend! I'm driving the 10+ hours myself so please send good thoughts for a safe trip. I'm beyond excited to be going home. I'll be logging quality time with my mom, brother, and stepdad. There will be sleepover with my younger cousins complete with late night talking, pretzel baking, and giggling. I'll celebrate mother's day with my whole family. I get to see my dog! There are plans for a trip to the Fiesta outlet (side note, if you want anything let me know!). On Monday, I  have an on-site interview for a new position. Keep your fingers crossed for me friends.

Source: etsy.com via Mandy on Pinterest

I am so looking forward to driving familiar streets, seeing the beautiful landscape of the foothills, and the river. 

I'll be sure to keep you updated on all the shenanigans via twitter, so follow me there!

Review: The Shoemaker's Wife

From the book:
The majestic and haunting beauty of the Italian Alps is the setting of the first meeting of Enza, a practical beauty, and Ciro, a strapping mountain boy, who meet as teenagers, despite growing up in villages just a few miles apart. At the turn of the last century, when Ciro catches the local priest in a scandal, he is banished from his village and sent to hide in America as an apprentice to a shoemaker in Little Italy. Without explanation, he leaves a bereft Enza behind. Soon, Enza’s family faces disaster and she, too, is forced to go to America with her father to secure their future.

Unbeknownst to one another, they both build fledgling lives in America, Ciro masters shoemaking and Enza takes a factory job in Hoboken until fate intervenes and reunites them. But it is too late: Ciro has volunteered to serve in World War I and Enza, determined to forge a life without him, begins her impressive career as a seamstress at the Metropolitan Opera House that will sweep her into the glamorous salons of Manhattan and into the life of the international singing sensation, Enrico Caruso.

From the stately mansions of Carnegie Hill, to the cobblestone streets of Little Italy, over the perilous cliffs of northern Italy, to the white-capped lakes of northern Minnesota, these star-crossed lovers meet and separate, until, finally, the power of their love changes both of their lives forever.

Lush and evocative, told in tantalizing detail and enriched with lovable, unforgettable characters, The Shoemaker’s Wife is a portrait of the times, the places and the people who defined the immigrant experience, claiming their portion of the American dream with ambition and resolve, cutting it to fit their needs like the finest Italian silk.

This riveting historical epic of love and family, war and loss, risk and destiny is the novel Adriana Trigiani was born to write, one inspired by her own family history and the love of tradition that has propelled her body of bestselling novels to international acclaim. Like Lucia, Lucia, The Shoemaker’s Wife defines an era with clarity and splendor, with operatic scope and a vivid cast of characters who will live on in the imaginations of readers for years to come.

My thoughts -- I cannot begin to tell you how much I truly loved and enjoyed this novel. Adriana Trigiani is a master at weaving words into dream like sentences that sweep the reader off to the picturesque Italian Alps, through the bustling city of New York and to the bitterly cold plains of Minnesota. Through her beautiful words, the reader gets to fully know and understand each of the main characters -- what drives them, their heart aches, and more importantly their determination. While the book spans several decades of the characters lives, it went by much too quickly. Once I started reading, I had to know what came next in the lives of Ciro and Enza, and read the nearly 500 pages in about a day and a half.

The masterful storytelling in this book immediately connected and bonded me to the characters. The plot is so  moving that I literally wept more than once. The book is partially based on Trigiani's own family history, I definitely had the nostalgic feeling I was sitting at a grandparent's knee listening to them spin this wonderful tale.

I wholeheartedly recommend this engaging novel. Its definitely one of the best books I've read this year and I cannot wait to read more by this dynamic author. You can learn more about Adriana Trigiani by visiting her website and reading the other reviews by stopping by the TLC Book Tours site.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to review by TLC Tours and the publishing company but was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own.

Sometimes I...

Sometimes I do fun things but then neglect to blog about them. Earlier this month I spent a Saturday hanging around River Street in Savannah, which is probably my most favorite place in the city. I sampled treats at the candy store, walked through an open air market, ate ice cream while watching the river pass by, and relaxing on a river boat.

Sometimes I get really homesick for home. Its been happening a lot more lately, I haven't seen my family (or dog) since Christmas. A trip home is definitely in order so I've decided to go home Mother's Day weekend. Its a long drive to make by myself, but my need to see my family outweighs the 11 hour drive. Fingers crossed I have good weather to road trip home that weekend!

Sometimes I read some really great books that sweep me off to another time and place. I've read a few of those books lately and I'm excited to share them with you in up coming posts.

Sometimes I get frustrated about my situation. I've had several phone interviews (and actually have another one today), a few second phone interviews, but no job offers. I know these things take time and the right opportunity will happen when its supposed to, but sometimes, I get really impatient.

Sometimes I go for days without wearing makeup, then there are days like today, that are absolutely red lipstick days. I've found my perfect red. It makes me feel powerful and confident, well, even more than I usually do. As an added bonus, it has elicited some interesting comments from my very Southern, very conservative co-workers.

Now its your turn! Fill in the blank. Sometimes I ____________________________________________.

What I've Learned So Far (1)

While glancing back through my journal last evening, a lot of the entries I've written revolve around what I've learned so far during 6.5 months here in the South. Some things I knew before leaving my valley, but others have become strongly evident in the past few months. I've decided to start sharing those lessons that I've learned throughout the next several weeks.

 via

The South provides some stunning displays of the beauty. While a majority of the country was cold and snowy, I was enjoying vibrantly colored azalea bushes in January and the delicate, feminine flowers of dogwood trees. A short drive away, into Savannah, one can be swept away into the dreaminess that Spanish moss, hanging haphazardly from centuries old trees provides; the perfect backdrop to a gentle, historic city. Then of course there is the beach with swaying palm trees and the call of the ocean. There's no denying, the South is beautiful, it's just not my kind of beauty. With all the rural, open country side around me, there is certainly a dry, hard earthy, rawness that I've never known or experienced any where else.

I am a child of the mountains and foothills. One  of the main things I miss most (besides my family of course) about the North is the hills, true peaks and valleys that rise and fall with no logic. Its incredibly easy to gain perspective when one stands at the top of a hill experiencing the sights into a valley can provide, especially when fog is lifting or settling. True beauty to me, are the hills emblazoned with reds and golds of the Autumnal season or the lush greenness they bloom with in the Spring. prefer a cool breeze gently rolling off the hills to the wide sweeping air of the low lands. I miss thick, full grass beneath my feet instead of granules of rocky sand. I miss how much my own life mirrors the hills rise and fall, the seasons and shelter they provide. And the way the fog lifts off the rivers before dissipating over their tops into the atmosphere. The peaks and valleys of the Appalachians are where I am most inspired and feel most alive.

We all have different ideas of beauty and for me, I've learned the beauty of the Southern low coastal country is a beautiful place to visit, but not necessarily to live. Its visually beautiful here, but its not a beauty I can feel, if that makes any sense. What do you consider to be your kind of beauty, is it the ocean, the mountains, a city?

Chasing Happiness

I’ve been elusively chasing happiness for several months now, longer than I’ve ever chased it before. Typically when something disruptive happens in my life, I fight against that change then settle into my new normal. Last March, when I lost my job, I was incredibly scared of what the upcoming months would hold. They certainly weren’t ideal but offered me a time to heal and move forward from what had become a less than ideal work situation. I found happiness in little things, in small moments rather than material things or sweeping grand gestures.

Since moving to Georgia, there have been brief, fleeting moments of happiness; but then like a butterfly, those feelings quickly move on. Last week, during a brief phone call, someone asked if I was happy. After readily admitting that I wasn’t, she advised me to give my transition more time, “Give it a year or so, then you’ll settle in a little better and realize that things aren’t so bad there.” I thanked her for her advice while silently cursing her as I pushed the end button on my cell. She’s not the first person to suggest that to me.

Waiting a year to settle in isn’t an option for me. I recognize that it may take that long to get myself out of this place I’ve found myself in, but I’m not going to sit around waiting for things to change, for me to “settle in.” I deserve to be happy now. Regardless of how long I stay, Georgia will never be that place that brings me happiness. I realized that shortly after arriving and I think a part of me, deep down, knew that before I left. No matter how many times I visit Savannah or the shore or even driving down the country roads I travel daily, I’m not connected here. Not in the way my soul needs to be connected for me to be blissfully happy.

While I do appreciate the advice, I also trust that I know myself in ways no else does. I know that I need to keep looking forward to a time that doesn’t involve a Georgia zip code. I need to keep working to find a different job in a place where I’m around more like-minded people. I need to keep looking forward. I need to do what I need to do to find my happiness and that doesn’t include the “settling in” that others keep recommending I do.

Do you wait for happiness or do chase it down?

Review: Being Lara

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (March 13, 2012)


What other explanation could there be? With her dark complexion and kinky hair, so unlike her fair-skinned parents, Lara knew she was different. At eight she finally learned the word “adopted.” Twenty-two years later, a stranger arrives as she blows out the candles on her thirtieth birthday cake—a woman in a blue-and-black head tie who also claims the title “Lara’s mother.”


Lara, always in control, now finds her life slipping free of the stranglehold she’s had on it. Unexpected, dangerously unfamiliar emotions are turning Lara’s life upside down, pulling her between Nigeria and London, forcing her to confront the truth about her past. But if she’s brave enough to embrace the lives of her two mothers, she may discover once and for all what it truly means to be Lara.

My thoughts-- Being Lara, is the story of three women woven into one novel. Alternating between present and past, this book gives an inside look at the journey of adoption from three perspectives. First there is Lara, a Nigerian orphan adopted into a Caucasian British family who struggles with being different from her parents. She endures strangers gazes, the name calling of classmates, and yearns for a connection to her birth land. After thirty years, she thought she had chosen a life she was comfortable with, but the unexpected appearance of her birth mother changes everything. Then there are Pat and Yomi, the adoptive mother and birth mother, the circumstances that led them to make the decisions they did and  how they can reconcile their love for their one daughter.

This book was an easy read, but had a lot going on between the covers. I would have liked  a little more character development. I sometimes struggled to relate to Lara and the thoughts she was thinking. I really enjoyed the alternating view points of the mothers though, as it provided some excellent insight into what each was feeling and what led them to their decisions. The secondary characters rounded out the plot and at times provided some comedic relief from what is a very heavy subject.

Overall, I would rate the book a 3 our of 5. I liked reading this book, but its not one I will reach for time and time again.

To learn more about this book and the author head over to TLC Book Tours.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to review by TLC Tours and the publishing company but was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own.