#amy ephron

[stressedspidergirlsfitnessblog]

My next read.

It's really short, so I assume it'll take me a day or two tops depending on work. I have a lot to do before I can go home, but. If I can get it done I get to read. :) I have read a page so far and it seems okay.

Definitely a shift from the other books.

[nochargebookbunch]

Discovering Amy Ephron

With that famous last name, my expectations were high for this author. Younger sister to Nora Ephron, Amy is a prolific writer too. I found Unseasonably Cold by accident. The story follows the mysterious disappearsnce of a socialite in 1930s New York City. At the one year anniversary of her death, her best friend Liza confronts Jane’s husband Billy, suspecting him of foul play when Liza’s…

[hiphuman2020]

The Ephron Family - By Way of Siracusa

The Ephron Family – By Way of Siracusa

Preface: The Coronavirus pandemic has made worriers of us all, for good reason. I’ve been passing around news articles and alerts with friends and family (like everyone else). But, so far, I’m unable to grasp the import and meaning of this crisis fully enough to write anything worthwhile about it. As always, I turn to books to balance my fears.

Carl Sagan said, “To read is to voyage through…

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[chatterbreath-blog]

Book Review - Carnival Magic

Magic, music, and heart flow through Carnival Magic, the sequel to Amy Ephron's The Castle in the Mist. Siblings Tess and Max Barnes are staying with their aunt for a short vacation in Devon-by-the-Sea, a quaint seaside town in England. When Tess and Max decide to visit the local carnival, they are trapped inside the carnival and unable to escape. They befriend the Baranova twins, stunning aerial acrobats who miss their family, and attempt to figure out a method to return home. Carnival Magic has it all: a malicious carnival owner, a magical House of Mirrors, breathtaking oceans, reunited family, and best of all, adorable baby tigers! Ms. Ephron does a job well done in making this story engaging with her remarkably clear voice. Reminiscent somewhat of Edgar Eager's Seven-day Magic, this story follows the adventures of two children trying to find their way home with the help of their friends and remembered advice from their father. The two main characters will often throughout the book recall a saying or quote from their dad, which influences the choices they make. When they have the opportunity to possibly return home in a convoluted plan involving riding a horse against a high tide, the siblings choose to turn back rather than leave their friends, and attempt to find another way to return home. Their father's advice is what improves their outlook on their predicament at the end of the book; Tess says that she isn't lost, but merely has found her way home again, just like her father had advised her to do long ago. Ms. Ephron's descriptions are also vivid. When the Barnes siblings travel to what they call a "ghost carnival" full of colorless and strange scenery and people, they notice that the colors of various objects are . . . faded. Not altered or unnatural, but simply not completely there. However, when Tess and Max await the tide on horseback in anticipation of going home, they realize that the beach transforms from mostly monochrome, with black and white hues, to full of color as the sun rises and they gallop away from the ocean. I like that particular image in the book: the two siblings turn back from the ocean, having changed their minds and decided to not leave for home without their friends; as they do this, they realize they have made the right decision and the world isn't black and white anymore, and that the sunrise (symbolizing transformation and impending change) has brought color back into their lives. As color returns to the world for the siblings, something else also returns: their confidence. Instead of worrying for long hours about how to get home and whether their parents are looking for them, Tess and Max know they have done the right thing by not turning their backs on the people they care about. Without anxiety, they are allowed to live life to the fullest again; with the release of stress comes a liberation of sorts: a freedom to enjoy what could go right in life instead of stressing about what could go wrong. Tess, the Barnes sister, also discovers a magical needle that not only seems to reflect but also radiate light in all colors of the visible spectrum: magical blues and greens, dancing purples, animate reds. Just like a needle in a compass points unwaveringly north, Tess's needle serves as a comfort, a source of magic and encouragement to continue with her journey, and maybe--just maybe--a pointing in the right direction. Tess and Max flee the ghost carnivals and the cruel demands of the carnival owners, in the process reuniting an avuncular figure with his long-time companion and horse, and reuniting the eldest Baranova sibling with her younger brother and sister. Although it isn't explicitly revealed in the book, the feelings of the two main characters--we know both, seeing as the story is told in 3rd person omniscient--reflect the hidden meaning that the emotional arc of the plot hides: that in the end, the Barnes siblings have realized that since they were given the opportunity to help others, grow out of their shells, and try new experiences, the journey home itself was more important than home.

Ms. Ephron's language has a poetic and rhythmic aesthetic not unlike that common in free verse. Her prose is fluid and delicate, albeit suppressed by the fact she has written her book for young audiences. In an attempt to make her writing more "kid-friendly", she has employed several colloquialisms and pieces of slang, like "pretty cool" and "kind of". If she had not felt the need to write in the style of informal sixth-grade speech, her book would have appealed to wider range of audiences, not just ten and under. When it comes to writing a book or other important work, Ms. Ephron, let's please resist the need to pretend to be an elementary-school student. Readers like me appreciate a sophisticated vocabulary more than an attempt to talk like a child. All in all, I rate Amy Ephron's Carnival Magic 3.5/4 stars for beautiful, thought-provoking descriptions, riveting, fast-paced action, and poetic yet unsophisticated writing style. And, of course, it never hurts to have an adorable baby tiger or three, either.

[abiasedcut-blog]

"And she was game for practically anything. You couldn’t help but feel she had her passport on her at all times just in case anyone made an offer that she couldn’t refuse."

- Amy Ephron, Loose Diamonds

[aviatormermaids-blog-blog-b-blog]

Loose Diamonds and Loose Ends

Loose Diamonds by Amy Ephron: I am going to do the tacky thing and immediately mention that Amy Ephron is Nora Ephron's sister. I love Nora Ephron. Nora wrote many books and movies I love: I Feel Bad About My Neck, I Remember Nothing, You've Got Mail (!), Julie & Julia, Sleepless in Seattle, and When Harry Met Sally. Nora is my kind of girl.

Amy is a different kind of girl, but I still found her to be a sympathetic character of her own memoir, Loose Diamonds. It's funny how I feel like I would fit right in with Nora, but Amy reminds me that she and I are from two different worlds. She grew up Privileged with a capital P. I was born into a working-class family from the Show-Me State, and I happily shop at Target over Saks Fifth Avenue. I'm more like a Nora Ephron movie character, and Amy is more like, well, an Ephron.

The book is a collection of memories ranging from mildly interesting (as a child she befriended a man who owned many tropical birds) to wildly entertaining (pre-9/11, a man told her the plane they were boarding would explode and she had to decide what exactly to do next). Sometimes I wanted her to elaborate. For example, she claims to be psychic, and I am actually open-minded about that. But then she also says she moved a key out of its hole and onto a table solely with her mind power to prove to friends that she could. Yet, she doesn't elaborate more than to say the other people in the room got quiet before continuing on with their card game. If someone moved an object with their freaking mind, you can bet the last thing I'd be interested in is our game of Canasta. Also, later that day after reading the chapter about her psychic powers, I tried moving objects in my doctor's office while waiting for my doctor to come in. Sadly, none of the disposable ear cones, tissues, or paper towels even flinched. I want details on how she did it. Does the moving begin in the mind or behind the eyes?

Still, I felt fiercely protective of Amy when her husband's mistress rammed her car into Amy's bumper and especially when some writer from The National Lampoon date-raped Amy then spread vicious rumors about her. I always wanted Amy's diamond jewelry to return to her after a burglary.

I enjoy reading memoirs from the Ephrons, because it is like trying on someone else's life for a little while. I recommend this book as something to grab from the library to read in enjoyable spurts like waiting in the doctor's office or just before bed.

[booknerdy-blog]

Champagne by the Case

by Amy Ephron

Jonathan BeckerALONE, TOGETHER — The author, far left, enjoyed a moment to herself at a party in the 1970s.

The bubbly flowed, the diamonds too. For one good-time girl in ’70s L.A., it seemed as if the party would never end. Adapted from “Loose Diamonds … and Other Things I’ve Lost (and Found) Along the Way,” to be published by William Morrow in September. Some names have been changed.

I have a theory that single women who buy Champagne by the case rarely end well.

Disclaimer: I’ve been known to make generalizations based on a case study of four.

Honey Hathaway was the first single woman I knew who bought Champagne by the case (except for a random movie star friend of my mother’s). In Honey’s case, it was Cristal. And let me say, right from the start, that I don’t actually know what happened to Honey, which leads me to my second theory that I’ve never tested but always believed: that in some way, the U.S.A. could be a perfect place to hide, just vanish, set up another identity and carry on... (Read more.) 

[martynbeardsley-blog]

A nice cup of tea

Just finished A Cup of Tea by Amy Ephron. I really enjoyed it and would strongly recommend it. It's set in New York in 1917 and the enigmatic characters and atmospheric, understated writing really draws you in.

My only minor reservation is her wandering POV. The viewpoint of the story hops about from character to character randomly. I'm sure she did it deliberately and had her reasons, but for me it would have been even better sticking to a consistent POV because it would allow the reader to get to know at least one of the characters better. I didn't really feel as though I "knew" any of the characters and wasn't even sure if I liked them.

In most books that would be a nmajor gripe, but actually the writing is so good that it barely matters, and it's one of those books you think about after you've finished reading it - always a good sign. And the cover's great!