Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock

 I almost don't want to review Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock because I don't want to spend another minute of my life thinking about this book! It is a Canadian classic and with the new illustrated edition released, I thought it was about time I read it. However, it was not an easy read. I actually put this book down for so many months I had to reread the first 50 pages just to remember what happened. That basically never happens with me. Unfortunately, when I picked it up again finishing it was an exercise in endurance and stubbornness (I mean it's not really that long!) rather than one of reading enjoyment.

Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town tells a bunch of short stories about the people living in a little town called Mariposa. I know this book is supposed to be funny and clever, but it just didn't keep my attention at all. The characters felt like caricatures, and I didn't care about them. The illustrations weren't even a style I particularly enjoyed, and by the end I was just bitter I was still reading the book. I just did not connect at all. These are boring adventures that Leacock writes about as if they were exciting, and I know that's part of the point and appeal, but to me, they were still boring adventures. I'm sorry if it makes me a bad Canadian and I'm disappointed I was so disappointed, but I cannot see myself picking up any future Leacock books after my experience with Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. 

Release Date: October 15th 2013 (originally 1912) Pages: 288  Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher  Publisher: McClelland & Stewart  Buy It: Book Depository

Meghan Review: Indiscretion by Charles Dubow

Indiscretion by Charles Dubow combines some of my favorite literary elements into a delicious and opulent cocktail. The lifestyle of the extremely rich, an outside narrator with close connections to central characters (much like Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby), a love triangle with three strong and well-fleshed sides---Indiscretion has it all.

The plot revolves around the magnetic marriage of Harry and Maddy, a power couple that draws everyone around them into their glamorous life. Harry and Maddy seem to have everything---money, a beautiful son, and the kind of relationship everyone around them envies. But when they meet Claire, a young, charismatic woman, with an instant connection with Harry, the life they love so much is suddenly thrown into question.

Narrated by Maddy's childhood friend Walter, Indiscretion develops itself as slowly as the fine wine the characters love. Though usually I am understandably repulsed by affair narratives, this one was unique. It gave me the perspectives of all three individuals involved, and although it was from the somewhat biased view of Walter, it did work hard to develop each angle. Though I ultimately didn't sympathize with all the characters, and actually ended up hating some of them, I did love that I got a valid view from all perspectives.

However, the real strength of this narrative isn't the story itself, but the writing. Dubow is poetic and lyrical, illuminating the environment of very setting, from beach cottage to the city streets of Paris. I could almost taste the oysters sitting coldly on china platters!

Recommended to: any fans of relationship dramas (Nora Roberts, Jodi Picoult), people who party with Jay Gatsby, anyone who loves to fall in love with a setting.

Release Date: February 5, 2013  Pages: 400 Format: ARC

Source:  TLC Book Tours Publisher: William Morrow Buy It: Book Depository

This is a review by Meghan. You can find her here on Goodreads or on Twitter @meghanc303