Linda Kass' 3 favorite reads in 2024

• 2023
• 2024

It tells the somewhat true story of Lucrezia di Cosimo de’Medici, who at 15 was forced by her parents to marry the older Alfonso II d’Este, Duke of Ferrara, thus merging two dynasties. The author develops tension with a split time frame, opening in 1561 one year into the marriage in “a wild and lonely place” to which 16-year-old Lucrezia is quite sure Alfonso has brought her to be killed, then circling back to depict her childhood in Florence, including a life-changing encounter with a tiger in her father’s private menagerie. From there the two narratives move forward in tandem: We see Lucrezia growing up to be sacrificed to political maneuvering that mandates her marriage to the suave Alfonso and growing aware in Ferrara that her outwardly courteous and kind husband is brutally determined to cement his shaky hold on the dukedom and ferociously intent on making sure she produces an heir. O’Farrell writes in close third-person with much description and melodrama. I was captivated by this story.

This was a profound coming of age story with an unforgettable character, Eilis Lacey, who lives in a small town in Ireland with her mother and older sister, Rose. It takes place just after World War II. Eilis has no interest to leave her life, but after an Irish priest from Brooklyn offers to sponsor her in America, she submits to her sister’s determination that this is right for her. Eilis is a meek young woman, does what is expected, and wishes to please her mother and sister. One of the traits of all three women is that each does not say out loud what she is thinking. Eilis has an uncritical nature and possesses no impulse to initiate confrontation. Tóibín offers a touching portrayal of his protagonist, giving her great respect despite her passivity. She is settled into a boarding house with a job at a clothing store, both arranged by the priest, but she has no roots and soon the letters from home produce a deep homesickness. Eilis later meets a young Italian man named Tony, falls in love, and suddenly this new place, Brooklyn, becomes home. When she is called back to Ireland after her sister’s sudden death, Brooklyn begins to feel like a dream and Ireland offers comfort and an attractive beau. Tóibín created a compelling characterization of a woman caught between two worlds, unsure almost until the novel’s final page where her obligations and affections truly reside.

This is a heartfelt and heart wrenching epic story of a deeply connected and rooted family, of unshakeable devotion, of tragedy, loss, friendship, loyalty, and what and who we choose to love. We meet four sisters—Julia, Sylvie, twins Emeline and Cecelia—their parents Rose and Charlie Padavano, and all are anchored in a working-class neighborhood of Chicago called Pilsen. Enter the emotionally neglected William Waters who grows up in a house silenced by loss. Joy and laughter ensue, as do rupture and estrangement. There are many more memorable and devoted characters we get to know within a detailed story line that fluctuates like a tide over three decades. All the while, we are hearing from everyone, so the reader sees all that brings this family its happiness and all that damages it. There are no heroes or villains in this story; their flaws and limits are as deeply rooted as their capacity for kindness and compassion. They become us. One more important characteristic of a successful—no, a brilliant—story is one that changes you, that expands your universe and your emotions, that reaffirms those deeply held truths you almost forgot about. Hello Beautiful did all that for me.