Review of Alpha Bette
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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Alpha Bette" by Jennifer Manocherian.]
Bette Gartner is a ninety-five-year-old woman. Her late husband, George, died at the age of one hundred. They had a good marriage. Life hasn’t been easier since George’s death. It doesn’t help that she is old herself, and she can sense that her time is nearly up. She is not alone, though; she has people taking care of her, one of them being Rosie, another an illegal immigrant from Croatia, Venera. Rosie is a housekeeper and has been working for the Gartners the longest, while Venera is Mrs Gartner’s night aide and was employed recently. Venera has left her family and fiancé back in Croatia. She worries about them and doubts whether she has done a good thing by coming to the U.S.A. She worries about being found out and deported, and about her future should Mrs Gartner pass away.
Mrs Gartner has a neighbour called Miss Sidenstriker. Sidenstriker lives by herself. She doesn’t like Venera and sometimes has thoughts of calling the immigration law enforcement on her. Back to Mrs Gartner, she has a daughter, Claire, and a great-granddaughter, Jia. Claire is battling with night terrors, which her husband urges her to do something about them. Jia thinks she has cancer, but doesn’t want to tell anyone yet until she is certain. Amidst all of this, Better Gartner organises a family dinner and invites everyone. What is it about? Is there something important she wants to share? Does it pertain to her inheritance? Is there a secret she wants to reveal before it’s too late?
Read[I]Alpha Bette[/I] by Jennifer Manocherian to find out for yourself. This was such a beautiful read. I enjoyed reading every word of this beautiful novel; I didn’t wish for it to end. As you can see from my summary, it has a huge cast, but it was easy to tell them apart because of the awesome presentation done by the author. The first thing the author did was to tell the story from each character’s point of view. Each chapter focused on one particular character, and I loved that there was a title to show which character’s P.O.V. you were now reading. This meant the chapters were short, making for a quick read. This switching of P.O.V.s enabled me as a reader to intimately understand each character. I think if there were no switching P.O.V.s, I would have been left wondering about what the other characters felt about certain events. But this made sure I understood their thoughts, worries, hopes, and dreams.
The second thing I liked was the characters themselves. I feel wrong referring to them as characters. They were more than that. They were humans. They felt like humans you have bumped across on the streets multiple times without realising. The characterisation was well executed. The author started the first chapters by introducing each character, but it didn’t feel like an introduction. From the start, I was invested in each character. As soon as the P.O.V. changed, I didn’t feel sad that the character I had come to love was no longer appearing because the next character was just as interesting, if not more so. All of them had history. Venera was the most intriguing. I felt like she had a lot to lose in this scenario. Miss Sidenstriker was controversial. Others might love her, while others might love to hate her. It depends on where you’re coming from as a reader.
The writing felt original and rich. It suited the diverse characters featured. When it was Mrs Gartner’s P.O.V., it felt realistic. Mrs Gartner acted and thought like an old woman. She faced her own mortality with grace and humility. When it switched to younger characters, there was some upbeat in the writing that matched their age. This way, the writing itself felt alive, like you could engage with it. I also liked the themes this book touched on. Themes of loss, mortality, grief, and love came up throughout the book. Each character embodied each theme.
The whole novel read as a drumroll that kept getting faster and louder approaching the end, so that by the time the ending arrived, I didn’t know what hit me. I had to reread the last chapter to see that I didn’t miss anything. It’s a kind of ending that is open to interpretation and should make a good discussion in book clubs. I loved it. It wasn’t spoon-feeding. There’s nothing to dislike about this book.
I saw minor errors, proving the book was exceptionally edited. I rate it five out of five stars and strongly urge everyone from the age of seventeen to get their hands on it. It’s a book about people. It contains strong language. I’m looking forward to the author’s future offerings.
******
Alpha Bette
View: on Bookshelves
Bette Gartner is a ninety-five-year-old woman. Her late husband, George, died at the age of one hundred. They had a good marriage. Life hasn’t been easier since George’s death. It doesn’t help that she is old herself, and she can sense that her time is nearly up. She is not alone, though; she has people taking care of her, one of them being Rosie, another an illegal immigrant from Croatia, Venera. Rosie is a housekeeper and has been working for the Gartners the longest, while Venera is Mrs Gartner’s night aide and was employed recently. Venera has left her family and fiancé back in Croatia. She worries about them and doubts whether she has done a good thing by coming to the U.S.A. She worries about being found out and deported, and about her future should Mrs Gartner pass away.
Mrs Gartner has a neighbour called Miss Sidenstriker. Sidenstriker lives by herself. She doesn’t like Venera and sometimes has thoughts of calling the immigration law enforcement on her. Back to Mrs Gartner, she has a daughter, Claire, and a great-granddaughter, Jia. Claire is battling with night terrors, which her husband urges her to do something about them. Jia thinks she has cancer, but doesn’t want to tell anyone yet until she is certain. Amidst all of this, Better Gartner organises a family dinner and invites everyone. What is it about? Is there something important she wants to share? Does it pertain to her inheritance? Is there a secret she wants to reveal before it’s too late?
Read
The second thing I liked was the characters themselves. I feel wrong referring to them as characters. They were more than that. They were humans. They felt like humans you have bumped across on the streets multiple times without realising. The characterisation was well executed. The author started the first chapters by introducing each character, but it didn’t feel like an introduction. From the start, I was invested in each character. As soon as the P.O.V. changed, I didn’t feel sad that the character I had come to love was no longer appearing because the next character was just as interesting, if not more so. All of them had history. Venera was the most intriguing. I felt like she had a lot to lose in this scenario. Miss Sidenstriker was controversial. Others might love her, while others might love to hate her. It depends on where you’re coming from as a reader.
The writing felt original and rich. It suited the diverse characters featured. When it was Mrs Gartner’s P.O.V., it felt realistic. Mrs Gartner acted and thought like an old woman. She faced her own mortality with grace and humility. When it switched to younger characters, there was some upbeat in the writing that matched their age. This way, the writing itself felt alive, like you could engage with it. I also liked the themes this book touched on. Themes of loss, mortality, grief, and love came up throughout the book. Each character embodied each theme.
The whole novel read as a drumroll that kept getting faster and louder approaching the end, so that by the time the ending arrived, I didn’t know what hit me. I had to reread the last chapter to see that I didn’t miss anything. It’s a kind of ending that is open to interpretation and should make a good discussion in book clubs. I loved it. It wasn’t spoon-feeding. There’s nothing to dislike about this book.
I saw minor errors, proving the book was exceptionally edited. I rate it five out of five stars and strongly urge everyone from the age of seventeen to get their hands on it. It’s a book about people. It contains strong language. I’m looking forward to the author’s future offerings.
******
Alpha Bette
View: on Bookshelves
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