Not long ago I heard a story on NPR about the effects of e-readers on the world of reading. People are reading more, particularly young people. The commentator suggested the increase could be due to anonymity: when you're on an electronic device, people might not know you're reading. Could be the kid on the bus next to you isn't just listening to rap or playing a game. He might be reading Great Expectations without fear of being labeled a nerd - or whatever it is kids call each other these days.

I was about to buy a copy of Jack Remick's Gabriela and the Widow in paperback because I'm old school, because I don't have an e-reader, because I like the feel of paper in my hands. But NPR made me question my bias against e-books, so I downloaded Kindle on my small Acer laptop, bought my first e-book and began to read.

I didn't like slipping into bed with a cold hard laptop. I couldn't float on the magic and mystery of Remick's lyrical prose. I was dog paddling with arrow buttons, unable to scan ahead or flip back to reread with the ease of turning a page. Still, the power of Remick's words kept me at it, pulled me to a computer screen long after my teaching and writing day was over. That screen became a portal and the story took me to the far side of my own life's mirror, a life I once lived and allowed to slip from memory.

“When you go through your reflection you become who you are.”

The Widow reminds us that we must never forget our past, for it is what makes us who we are and who we become.

“You must speak from inside the tears and you must smell the pain on your skin or you will never be whole again.”

Remick writes the tools of the craft into his story: a list of events and a stack of notecards, each labeled with date, place and object. Gabriela and the Widow use these tools to construct the List of the Widow's life and in doing so Gabriela experiences new ways of being, alternatives to the violent patterns that have marked of her young life. Throw nothing of yourself away, the Widow teaches. Save your fingernail clippings, your hair trimmings, your life stories. A lesson on living. A lesson on writing. I see Gabriela with her notecards and her long list as I work the notecards on the storyboard of my current novel.
Gabriela and the Widow is a lyrical treasure that paints a magical mysterious world of two women, so close they inhabit each other's dreams and relive each other's experiences. In doing so the Widow leaves a bit of herself behind when she passes and Gabriela enters womanhood regaining a life tragically interrupted in childhood as an innocent victim of the atrocities of war.

This is a beautiful, horrific, captivating read full of the lights and colors, the smells and music of southern Mexico and central California. The story held me to the screen and that says a lot. I have no doubt some of you will point out that reading off a computer is not the same as using an e-reader. You may even insist that I give Kindle a chance, certain I'll love it once I get used to it. Maybe so, but I'm not ready to make the jump to an e-reader just yet. I still want a signed paperback copy of Jack Remick's Gabriela and the Widow for my library.
www.arleenwilliams.com ( )

Describe 2 different settings or locations. Lots of bodies laying on the ground. Rotted flesh, still attached to the bones. Rancid smell of rotting flesh.

The toad shop - Giant toad skins hanging on the wall. Still bloody with a small like infection from a deep wound. Purses were made from the toads, with eyes still intact.

What I liked. I liked the entire book. The prose was captivating and the way it floated in and out with a little Spanish, it made me think of Penelope Cruz playing Gabby.

What kind of book is this? Fiction - Gabby became LaViuda. All the visions Gabby got from LaViuda. The toad shop. It is also a very emotional read filled with revenge, sadness, myth and legend.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from the author. ( )

If you could continue the story, what events would you include? I would have liked for Gabriela to find someone who truly loved her. She never had a man’s love and throughout the book I always wondered it would be like if she had known different kinds of love did exist.

What did you like about the beginning? When Gabriela went back to her village and everyone had been slaughtered. All homes were burnt to the ground and loss she felt seemed so out of reach yet depicted with a lot of meaning by the author, Jack Remick. .

How did the pacing of the story feel for you? This book had a dark, twisted foundation and Gabriela was a compelling character who was a single light in the darkness. I really liked this book and recommend it to anyone who likes a dramatic coming of age story.

Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review. ( )

Does the setting fit the mood and the plot? Every time Remick introduced a new setting, he also provided visual imagery that easily transported the reader so you are able to experience the scene with the character. I enjoyed the story immensely.

Did you like the way the story ended? The ending was great and by the time you get to it, you understand all of Gabriela’s thoughts, feelings and motivations. In my eyes, this book holds the reader’s attention with a lot of twists and turns.

What did you enjoy about this book? The book pulled me in from the very beginning. It was lively and interesting with characters who could compete with any long running soap opera. Gabriela always felt real to me and it saddens me that somewhere, some time a woman had to undergo a life such as this.

Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review. ( )

What were your overall thoughts about the book? Quite possibly, this is the best story I’ve been told in a long time. The author spun a marvelous, entertaining story based on the life of a single young woman who wanted to be accepted.

What do you think the author was trying to accomplish with this novel? He wanted to highlight how some women are treated, in my opinion. At first, you think the story is an exaggeration but as Gabriela’s story sinks in it is easy to imagine the low status given to women by men crave for power.

Who was your favorite character? Gabriela was a determined character and reminded me of Hester Prynne from The Scarlett Letter. There are many layers to her which you can’t really appreciate all at once but one way or another, this is a character who will touch your heart.

Disclosure - As a Quality Reads Book Club member, I received a free copy of this book from the author via Orangeberry Book Tours in exchange for my honest review. ( )