Judy Reene SingerRecensioni

Nice book. quick read.

A "hen lit" book. The main character has just divorced and is out to find a new life. She ends up working on the "farm" of a former Olympian along with other horse loving middle aged women. There is of course a man or two, an adventure or two, and more laughs than I could count!

4.5 stars.

Alternating back and forth between the present and the early '40s, In the Shadow of Alabama by Judy Reene Singer is a heartrending novel of complex and difficult relationships, race relations in the South and the lingering effects of wartime.

Rachel Fleischer's relationships with her family are fraught with tension and the last place she wants to be is her father's bedside as he refuses medical treatment for his failing heart. Marty Fleischer has always been a hypercritical, bitter, angry and deeply dissatisfied man whose hateful words continue to haunt her. At the urging of her farm manager and friend Malachi Charge, Rachel reluctantly goes to see her father one last time before his death. At his funeral, stranger Rowena Jackson presents them with a puzzling package from her father, Willie Jackson. Intrigued and wanting to understand a shocking allegation against her father, Rachel later goes to Boston to meet Willie where he recounts his tangled history with Marty.

Rachel's dysfunctional childhood left an indelible mark on her and even as an adult, she cannot escape the legacy of her father's painful words and lack of love. The owner of a horse farm, she lives with her longtime partner, David, and Malachi. Emotionally closed off and protective of her heart, Rachel is unable to fully commit to David and she soon becomes aware there are deep fractures in their relationship. Reluctant to discuss her fears and concerns with him, she ignores the growing distance between them and instead makes the decision to go to Boston to meet Willie.

Rachel knows absolutely nothing of Marty's experiences in World War II and she is quite shocked to learn that he was in charge of a colored squadron in Alabama. Neither man lived in the South prior to their assignment at Gunter Field so they are ill prepared for the reality of segregation and the animosity directed towards Jews. Although both men are college educated, they are assigned to a squadron that cleans aircraft engines. Marty is a benevolent leader who looks out for the men serving under him although his efforts are not at all appreciated by the white soldiers on the base. Despite Willie's best efforts to remain under the radar, he and Marty form a friendship of sorts that comes to an abrupt end following Marty's well intentioned but misguided efforts to treat his men as equals. The two men eventually go back to their regular lives but neither of them are able to escape the tragedies of their shared history.

Based on the real life experiences of Judy Reene Singer and her father, In the Shadow of Alabama is a deeply affecting and rather poignant novel of reconciliation and healing. After learning of the events that shaped her father into the haunted man who raised her, Rachel has a better understanding of herself, her mother and her sister. With newfound awareness of the negative effects of her behavior, Rachel tries to repair her tattered relationships, but is it too late to salvage the one that means the most to her?

Judy Reene Singer's historical novel moves from the present day to the days of WWII at an Army camp in Alabama. The present day story tells of a young woman's struggle to come to terms with her life with her father, to manage a horse farm, to cope with the death of her best friend and surrogate father, and to develop the courage to go forward. The historical story tells of a group of Negro soldiers relegated to the hanger to service the planes, of the Jewish sergeant who is in charge of them, of the rampant racism of the time, and of the difficulty that arises when the culture of one group of people meets the culture of another group of people.

A young widow, a wounded Navy Seal, and a battered Pit Bull make up the heart of this novel. Set in a small coastal village on Cape Cod, where Aila, the widow, runs the towns general store; one that has been in her family for generations. As she opens the store one morning she sees a starving Pit Bull and feeling sorry for him she gives him some food, but doesn’t want to keep him. Then she meets Sam, the Ex Navy Seal who is as emotionally messed up as she is and she cautiously becomes his friend. As the 3 of them navigate the mine field of their hurtful pasts, they also have to deal with small town gossip, prejudice, and hostility that could destroy them or lead them to healing and forgiveness. A powerful story that could be taken out of today’s headlines, and is a microcosm of life in America today. 4 stars.

Sweet book about gullible Neelie Sterling; loves Matt, her vet husband, horses and donuts. Already sad at not having children, she is devastated by a call from her husband's colleague, Holly. Thankfully her family and friends help her deal with emotions of betrayal, depression and anger.

Restless she goes on a risky but life-changing trip to Zimbabwe. While still confused about the future she gains a new perspective on life, becoming stronger and more independent. And in time she makes a number of decisions and a major change in her life on how to move forward.

I enjoyed reading this because while it described the shattering of Neelie's world and trust, novel is balanced out with Neelie's amusing 'mishearing.' Reminded me of the Amelia Bedelia books I read to my sons years ago. (I liked the stories more than they did.) But, of course, not the same at all because Amelia was simply a 'literalist' while Neelie's hearing issue may be a psychological response to an overwhelming childhood ordeal involving a beloved horse.

I was a bit disappointed in ending but book is very good.

In the Shadow of Alabama
By Judy Reene Singer
Narrated By Carol Monda
Published 2017 by Recorded Books
10 hours and 56 minutes

I received a free audio copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Fleischer, a middle-aged woman with emotional baggage and a troubled love-life, returns home to see her estranged father who is on his deathbed. At her father’s funeral, a stranger brings an unusual gift and an apology which sparks the beginning of Rachel’s journey towards discovering the truth about her father.

I immediately connected with Rachel. She is a strong, independent woman who runs a horse farm and is a successful writer in spite of having left home at 16 with no familial support. Her internal struggle between the desire to be a good daughter that is worthy of love and the overwhelming need to protect her heart from additional pain and rejection is raw and real. Rachel is searching for excuses for her father’s behavior—reasons that might allow her to forgive and move on. The more she learns about her father’s past, the more sympathetic she becomes toward her father.

This story alternates between present day and flashbacks to her father’s time as Sergeant Fleisher in the Army Air Force during WWII. Sergeant Fleisher was a Jewish soldier in charge of a troop of all black soldiers in 1940s Alabama. It becomes obvious to Rachel that her father’s experiences during his time as a soldier are directly responsible for the hard man Rachel knew as her father. I don’t think this knowledge was able to excuse his behavior, but it did lend an understanding that eventually allowed Rachel to move on with hope towards her future.

This book is a glowing example of literary fiction. The complex, well-developed characters made this story one to remember. My favorite character was Malachi, the 80-something farm manager. Everything about Malachi tugged on my heartstrings. I would love to see him get a book of his own to learn his backstory and what made him into the man he was. The writing style was also noteworthy and there were several profound ideas that made me wish for a highlighter and a physical copy to mark up.

This book was narrated by the talented Carol Monda. I will be adding her to my auto-buy narrator list. Her voice has a maturity and heaviness that complemented the serious subject matter. I really appreciated the inflections and emotion that she conveyed through her reading. Not only was she the perfect choice to tell Rachel’s story, but the multi-character performance of the soldiers was extraordinary.

So, so much is right with this wonderful book, from the title, the inviting and gorgeous cover to the heartfelt story and amazing characters.Have adored horses since I was a preteen, and Rachel our main character is writer who also happens to raise and train horses on her very own ranch. The old man Malachi, who seems to have come with the property quickly won my heart, just adored this character.

Rachel's father is dying, she receives a call from her sister and though she does not have any fond memories of her father, nor feel much love for the man he was, guilt and responsibility wins the day. He subsequently dies, and a happening at his burial will have Rachel seeking answers and understanding for the man she felt she never knew. This quest will take her and us back t 1941, an army base in Alabama where her father was the Jewish lieutenant in charge of an all negro crew.

Racial prejucide and the treatment of blacks in the service, so awful how these men were treated. A man who cared so much for his men but coming from the North had little or no understanding of how things went in the South for blacks at this time. Experiences that scarred many for life, the effects of PTSD, and all around disillisionment with the human race, reflected in the treatment of family and friends. We meet a wonderful elderly black man who will tell Rachel her father's story and it is the realization of the man he was that propels Rachel to examine and make changes in her own life.

I loved the story before reading the acknowledgements, but after reading that this is basically her own father's story I realized why this story seemed so real, why the writing seemed so personal. A wonderful story about a heartbreaking time with serious repercussions.

ARC from Netgalley.

part 2 of story of Neelie,but some new characters to add to the mangeree like Diamond- Rose and Gisha the Russian. Neelie rescues some horses and says goodbye to Margo and Abbie but we meet a new elephant named Tuskar who we meet in Africa.
I think this book was better then the first," Still Life with elephant"½

being a wildlife lover, I enjoyed many aspects of this book. It does however border on a bit of a romance novel. It is saved from being too predictable by Neelie herself who has a really fun habit of not hearing properly and we get to try and figure out with her what people are saying.
The best parts of this book are the parts where Neelie is in Africa or working with the mother elephant Margo or the baby elephant Abbie.

Very readable---good story! I'm happy she has at least two other books for me to read.

Started out strong. Loved the premise of the horse trainer who isn't good with humans, and falls in love with elephants. The stuff about animal body language was fascinating. Cast of characters (except for soon-to-be-ex-husband and his girlfriend) were reasonably appealing. Genuinely humorous dialogue.

And then the rich boyfriend who only wants to make Neelie happy shows up. And fixes everything.

Story went off the rails into soppiness for the last 60 pages.

Definitely didn't appreciate the digs at mental illnesses, whether of horses or human beings.½

I read An Inconvenient Elephant by Judy Reene Singer in 2010 and loved her little quips. I picked up Horseplay because she wrote it and I like reading stories where people ride horses so I can relive my childhood through literature.

In this story Judy Van Brunt leaves her cheating husband and moves to a horse farm in North Carolina where she has secured a job as a groom. **SPOILER ALERT** She rides horses, makes new friends, and solves a mystery. By the end of the story she even has a new man. Isn't life easy?

The author made me laugh out loud every once in awhile, and it's quotes like these that make the plot predictability worthwhile:

Men are like horses. If they're even-tempered and sweet, you stay on for the ride. If they buck around, you get off before you get hurt.

and

Normally, I would trust a new horse on trails about as much as I would trust myself in a Godiva chocolate shop.

Chick lit takes up less and less of my reading time as the years progress, but it's nice to revisit every once in awhile.

WONDERFUL: If you have read "Horse Play" and are a fan...what can I say. It is wonderful. If you are new...enjoy, you are in for a wonderful ride!

Judy is just trying to get a new life with horses away from her husband. She has everything to lose, but she gains a ton in this horsey tale. I thought this was a really fun book to read.

An Inconvenient Elephant
By Judy Reene Singer

I received this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program in exchange for a review.

The beginning of the book and other sections were a somewhat difficult to follow. The story line of attempting to save elephants under unbelievable circumstances ran the gambit of irritating to hilarious.

The author outlines her unconditional love of elephants and her determination to save these elephants from slaughter. She has previously written “Still Life with Elephant” about this devotion...but you do not need to read the prequel to enjoy her second book.

Woven into this storyline is the unconventional new fearless girlfriend, Diamond-Rose and her past wealthy lover, Tom. Both bring much humor and sympathy to the engaging tale.

I recommend this book to animal lovers and those people who are courageous enough to tackle those seemingly impossible endeavors. Enjoy this easy to read book that will fill your heart with hope and a happy ending.

An Inconvenient Elephant is the story of Neelie Sterling, an elephant rescuer who returns back to New York from spending a year in Africa working with baby elephants. Once in New York, Neelie and her friend Diamond-Rose try to raise enough funds to send for an elephant they had to leave behind in Zimbabwe. Her year in Africa is the subject of Still Life With Elephant. I haven't read that book but I didn't have any trouble jumping right into this book.

I enjoyed this book for the most part but Neelie started to get on my nerves about halfway through. She behaves and thinks a lot like a thirteen year old girl and I had trouble understanding what her love interest saw in her. I'm an animal lover but her obsession with elephants was beyond my understanding as well.

Overall this was a good story with elements of romance, adventure and humor.

I don't easily "put down" a book I've started. I have a rule to read 15% of a book before making this decision to give the book a fair chance. I read almost 25% of this book before (reluctantly) putting it down. I felt no connection with any of the characters and especially the protagonist. Although I consider myself an animal lover, I really wasn't emotionally moved by this elephant tale. Some of the writing was quite good, but just not enough to keep me reading. I did give it two and a half stars for the writing. Perhaps someday I'll pick it up again.½

I was thinking this was [b:Water for Elephants|43641|Water for Elephants|Sara Gruen|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170161179s/43641.jpg|3441236] when I found it at the library, but I was mistaken. It was OK, but I never really felt I developed much feeling for the characters...couldn't take the big leaps required in the main character's life.

An Inconvenient Elephant is a fictional story about a young American woman who meets a "troublesome" bull elephant in Africa, and strives to save him from being destroyed. A great premise. But the novel is "light" to the point of being slapstick silly. And the main character is not believable -- she is supposedly a true animal lover who is extremely passionate to save the bull elephant she's seen a few times; yet her actions show weaker feelings toward the horse, dog, and other elephants that she has shared much more of her life with. The book does have its funny moments, though.½

Like some of the other reviewers, I had no idea this was a sequel to a book. I read it anyhow. It was good but I've read better. I felt it was a bit predictable (I hate predictable) so maybe that was my problem, I don't know, maybe it was just my mood. Anyhow, I liked how it ended and I definitely would suggest to anyone who likes to read stories with animals.

This story and its characters was captivating from the first pages as we look into the life of Neelie who has been an elephant caretaker in the wild in Kenya. The setting is described beautifully and the main character is just "off" enough to be interesting and loveable. It is apparently a sequel to a previous novel but it reads independently of that sequel...I was able to read it and follow along even without having read the first novel prior. If you liked Hannah's Dream, or The Art of Racing in the Rain...you'll appreciate the animal and human love affair contained within these pages. A VERY GOOD read which I would recommend. I now am going to read the prequel to see what I missed!

Upon receipt I discovered that this is actually the sequel to another book called Still Life with Elephant. I decided to go ahead and read it without the prequel and had no problem understanding the story.

Neelie is a woman who has been caring for baby elephants in Kenya for the last year. On her way home to the United States she meets Tusker, a bull elephant with a death sentence because he likes to share campers' food, just like the raccoons in Grand Canyon but bigger. She feels compelled to save the magnificent creature but there are a few minor details she needs to take care of. First, raising $35,000 as a pay-off, second, getting him and his best friend Shamwari (which means My Friend in Zulu) to the U.S., and third, convincing her ex-boyfriend to allow them into his elephant preserve.

There was some corny dialogue in the first chapter which made me feel like I was going to be in for a long ride, but it picked up from there and only got better. I loved the numerous African proverbs sprinkled throughout the story such as, "As they say in Swahili, It can rain on your head all day but it won't grow a banana tree."

This is a great book for animal lovers and environmentalists alike. And now I want to read the prequel...

I haven't read the prequel to this book, Still Life With Elephant, so I wasn't sure what to expect. An Inconvenient Elephant turned out to be a really enjoyable book! I especially liked that the story began in Kenya and Zimbabwe, which really helped me to understand who the characters are and why they do what they do. Once I started reading, I had a hard time putting the book down. I'll definitely be on the lookout for the prequel now!

[An Inconvenient Elephant] is the story of Neelie Sterling's try to resue 2 elephants from Africa. At the beginning of the book, she is trying to leave Kenya which has fallen into political chaos. Along the way, she acquires a friend Diamond-Rose , a safari operator, who is also trying to get to the US. In the course of their escape through Africa to get out, they come across an elephant who is destined for execution. They decide that they need to save this elephant.

I found the beginning of the book and places here and there a litlle confusing. I think probably because the author did not spend a lot of the book on the back story. Maybe if I had read the first book, the background of the people and Neelie's story would not have confused me. But, I eventually got most of the drift of her story and I can't say that it interferred with my enjoyment of the book.

I also felt that Neelie is the same type of heroine as Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum - slightly kooky with an odd way of looking at things sometimes. Overall, a very enjoyable, light read. I'll probably try to go back and read the first book sometime.