The Greatest Game Ever Played

The Greatest Game Ever Played, by Mark Frost; Hyperion Publishers, 2005

Reviewed by Vivian Chapin

The Greatest Game Ever Played is a highly recommended story of Francis Ouimet, a former caddy who rose to become the first amateur to win the U.S. Open golf tournament--at age 20. Ouiment grew up poor, across the street from the "blue-blooded" country club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Despite his father's disapproval, Ouiment taught himself to play golf. Author Frost jumps between the story of Ouiment and British golf champion Harry Vardon, who came from a similar background, yet also rose to become a golfing great. Ouiment's and Vardon's golfing duel at the 1913 U.S. Open provides this book an exciting climax. Nancy Marie Brown's The Far Traveller is an intriguing story about Gudrid, a Viking woman who sailed from her homeland (Norway) to the far reaches of the West and the Middle East, hundreds of years before Columbus and other European voyagers did. Recent archaeological findings support this fascinating book. Also, try the Devil's Brood, by Sharon Kay Penman. This is a well-written novel of the last days of Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their dysfunctional family.

Cutting for Stone

Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese; Vintage Publishing, 2010

Reviewed by Macy Mullarky

I highly recommend Cutting for Stone, a complicated story of twin boys who live very different lives, but share a common heritage. This is a far-sweeping novel that moves from India to Ethiopia to an inner-city hospital in New York City over decades and generations. Sister Mary Joseph Praise, a devout young nun, leaves the south Indian state of Kerala in 1947 for a missionary post in Yemen. During the arduous sea voyage, she saves the life of an English doctor bound for Ethiopia, who becomes a key player in her destiny when they meet up again at Missing Hospital in Addis Ababa. Seven years later, Sister Praise dies giving birth to twin boys: Shiva and Marion, the latter narrating his own and his brothers story. I also recommend Hilary Spurling's nonfiction book Pearl Buck in China: Journey to the Good Earth, which is a fascinating accounting of Pearl Buck's life, with an emphasis on her early years. Buck had a harsh childhood which affected her future writings. Another great read is Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, by Helen Simonson. This is a charming story of a cross-cultural relationship between a middle-aged Englishman and a Pakistani woman.