Lisa Gornick

On her sixtieth birthday, Ana’s mother sent her an email stating it was “appropriate” to inform her of the exact cost of raising her, adjusted for the current dollar value, and how, if she had invested the money, it would have been a quarter of a million dollars. “Being a parent is a great sacrifice,” she concludes.

Ana’s mother was a beautiful teenage model when she became pregnant with Ana. The father married her, but was unfaithful, and the marriage didn’t last. Ana was a disappointment to her mother, but she doted on her son.

Ana is married to a doctor, a good man, but addicted to pot after an accident left him him continual pain; their intimacy came to an end. For seven years, Ana has been involved with another man, a gorgeous hunk. Her best friend, Fiona, knows all Ana’s secrets.

Over the course of the day, Ana meets with a client, her lover, a niece, her mother, her friend, and the day concludes with a family gathering. Over the course of the day we learn about Ana and her family through her memories and those of her family.

To grow up with a parent without wisdom is like navigating without a map. You can find your way, but it’s so much harder.
from Ana Turns by Lisa Gornick

Ana’s self-centered family has never been there for her, and the hurt remains. Her mother is bitter, her ‘ruined’ by a man and pregnancy. Ana’s father grew up in her father’ Swiss hotel, his father collaborating with Nazis to survive. Her cold brother George has never offered help or support when she needed it. With her husband withdrawn since his accident, they live separate lives. Ana’s only child has announced they are trans, throwing Ana off balance. She has her work, the nieces who love her, her best friend, and her lover.

At the end of the day, Ana acknowledges that her family is still family, to see them as they are, and to understand she alone is responsible for her happiness.

Ana turns sixty, and become wise, she turns to the future.

Lisa Gornick’s novel is rich in psychological insight, bringing her characters into sharp focus, allowing readers to be transformed with Ana. It is refreshing to read about a character who has reached the end of her middle years, still young enough to alter the shape of her future. There are so many things that could be discussed by a book club.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.… (mais)

Ana Turns by Lisa Gornick tells a story that, to some extent, most people will be able to relate to, that of using a birthday to both reflect and look forward. Ana is turning 60 and has quite the cast of characters in her life.

When I started reading this, I was immediately caught up in Ana's voice. It is both open and thoughtful, trying to assess as honestly as one can her own life, both positive and negative. We get the usual rationalizations we all use and we experience everything from insecurity to empowerment. If anything, we probably want her to worry a little less about catering to everyone else and take care of herself, but that will come.

I have a tendency to latch onto ideas when I read and I found some elements of how the characters think thought-provoking. In particular, Fiona and her "truth in lies." First of all, this is not like the right-wing disguising of pure lies as "alternative facts," though like anyone Fiona does pick and choose how and when to apply the idea. What struck me and made me give the broader concept more thought was the sentence after where the "truth in lies" is mentioned. "Honesty is a worthy aim, but as a virtue is inferior to kindness or respect." To way oversimplify my thinking, it shows that taken in isolation any "virtue" is lacking. If one places honesty, in a vacuum, as THE one to uphold, then it is ethical to tell the murderer where his intended victim is hiding. Otherwise, one is lying, which is the most basic form of dishonesty. Context, even when dealing with something we think as positive like honesty, has to be used to temper its application. Same with other virtues. Anyway, I digress.

I've avoided the Dalloway comparisons mainly because they will be mentioned everywhere else and I think this stands on its own and not as a better or worse Dallowayesque novel. I think a reader who enjoys getting a character's life story within the frame of "a day in the life" story will enjoy this. The fact it is a birthday helps bring the various strands together without straining credibility. Having input from these characters really gives the novel more breadth without taking the reader away from the fact it is Ana's story, past and future.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (mais)

I initially thought this book would be centered on Louis Comfort Tiffany and his family. However, the book is mainly about Prudence and her family who worked in the Tiffany household as the gardener and staff.
The story is a multi generational family saga. Prudence is now over 100 years old and unexpectedly gets to meet her great niece. The Tiffany family is just a backdrop to the real story which is about Prudence, her brother and his children. It was a wonderful story of family, their mistakes, triumphs, loss and closure. I received a complimentary book as part of the Goodreads giveaway program.… (mais)

The Peacock Feast, amply named after the most famous of Tiffany lamps, is not a story about Louis Tiffany, rather it's about a family who worked for him. Gardner, housekeeper, and siblings Prudence and Randall. These siblings haven't seen each other in a very long time. Grace, a relation to Randall, visits Prudence one day with some mementos. Of course, there is a story here. It's a story spanning nearly a hundred years. A tale of survival, grief, regret and acceptance. Choices made in a lifetime cannot be undone, even through regret or unhappiness. I really found this story sad. I enjoyed it, but I hated the sadness. The characters are loveable and charming. The ending is satisfying. This is a great read for fans of historical fiction. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.… (mais)