Tigers in Red Weather: A Novel

I find reviews in which people re-write the entire synopsis very

I find reviews in which people re-write the entire synopsis very unhelpful....SO -- I thought this book was well written, captivating in that the book unfolds as it is told by different characters. It wasn't overly wordy - in a way that become tedious - the descriptions and character development were great - I found my self thinking about the plot even after I finished it. I was a little dissappointed with the ending - I felt that they book could have kept going a bit. All in all, it was a great summer read.

21 out of 23 people found this review helpful.

Nick and her cousin, Helena, are two women searching for their p

Nick and her cousin, Helena, are two women searching for their place in the world. With the Second World War drawing two a close, both women find themselves ready to take on the rest of their lives. In author Liza Klaussmann's debut novel, "Tigers in Red Weather", readers are provided with the strong characterization of an intriguing family.

Nick and her husband Hughes are finding it difficult to adjust to domestic life after the end of the war. They live in a small, Florida cottage where the repetition of their daily routines is taking a toll on them. Hughes follows the role that most men of the era do, consistently attending work to provide for his family. Nick, never much of a cook, finds it difficult to complete her daily tasks, and longs for something more.

Meanwhile, her cousin Helena is starting her new life by marrying a Hollywood producer. After the unfortunate death of her first husband, who lost his life in the war, Helena finally seems to be on the path to her dream life. Unfortunately, the lights of her Hollywood marriage are not as bright as she thought. Her husband seems interested in only using her family's money to fund his ill-fated project.

Fast-forward ten years, and both Nick and Helena are mothers to Daisy and Ed respectively. The two women, along with their children and Hughes, are spending the summer at the family's coastal property, The Tiger House. Despite their age, both women long for a more interesting life. When Daisy and Ed stumble upon the brutally murdered corpse of a maid, the facade of happiness that the entire family has built begins to come crashing down.

In this debut, reminiscent of "The Great Gatsby" in both style and substance, Klaussmann provides readers with a tale full of genuine characters and suspense, making this novel the perfect intellectual summer read. The story is broken into five sections, each narrated by a different main character, providing intimate insights into each person's thoughts, emotions, and motivations. Chronology became a bit muddied at times, especially when characters reminisce through flashbacks, but Klaussmann does a commendable job keeping the times labeled. There is a murder in the story, but the focus becomes more about the characters, the murder merely a means to explore the family dynamics. Overall, this novel has a great mix of historical setting, interesting characters, and narrative momentum. I definitely recommend this book as a strong summer read.

20 out of 30 people found this review helpful.

Wow

I loved this book. It started out a little slow but the more I read, the more I couldn't put it down. All books should be this good

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

ODD

This is such an odd story and overall just did not feel like there was anything redeeming about it. The story is told by five points of view, one person at a time, that in itself causes some confusion having to go back and forth in time. I did not like the characters and was disenchanted with their lack of morals and commitment to one another. There was just nothing that bound them together except for their gin and tonic. Oh boy!

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

I read this book in less than one week. I could not put it down

I read this book in less than one week. I could not put it down I really
liked the way the author told the story though the perspective of each
of the main characters. It was clever and captivating. I highly recommend.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Family

After done reading i felt myself thinking about the different types of people that make up a family. Which role do you play? Great summer read. Would recommend.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

This was not the typical summer beach read that i was expecting

This was not the typical summer beach read that i was expecting it to be. It was defiantly an interesting book with well developed characters, but some of the twists and plot lines were expected.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

I think this was one of the best books I read this summer... it

I think this was one of the best books I read this summer... it is smart and funny and a real page turner.
I just loved it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

About a quirky family, and who doesn't have that ? I really enj

About a quirky family, and who doesn't have that ? I really enjoyed this book. A bit sad, a bit like running with sissors,or I would compare it to the secret life of bees which I loved! I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

highly recommend

A very enjoyable book that kept me turning the pages.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, whose characters are well develo

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, whose characters are well developed and interesting. I think we all know people like Nick and Hughes, Helena, Daisy, Tyler and the rest, except (thankfully) for Ed. The plot twists and the ending were not at all predictable, which I appreciated.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A few months ago, when living in Denver, Allison @ The Book Whee

A few months ago, when living in Denver, Allison @ The Book Wheel and I randomly blog met and then real-life met.  One of the first things we did (after making sure we weren't scary people that we met online) was exchange book suggestions.  And the book suggestion Allison gave me months ago was Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann.

Nick and her cousin Helena marry well. . . or so they think at first.  Nick's husband Hughes doesn't provide enough love and affection, so she seeks it elsewhere.  Helena's husband is a loser, and their son, Ed, seems to be a little "off."  Ed and Daisy (Nick & Hughes' daughter) discover a murdered maid, and things begin to fall apart rapidly.  

I really enjoyed Tigers in Red Weather.  I like how sections of the book are told from the perspectives of all of the main characters, sometimes overlapping to give a very well-rounded point of view.  

Tigers is subtly but keeps your interest.  It's a great summer read, being "beachy" but not light and fluffy, taking place in the 50s and 60s.  

Here's a quote I loved from the book: 

"If there's one thing you can be sure about in this life, it's that you won't always be kissing the right person" - Nick, p. 140

What book are you looking forward to for a summer read?

Thanks for reading, 

Rebecca @ Love at First Book

Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite Author Liza Klau

Reviewed by Alice DiNizo for Readers' Favorite

Author Liza Klaussmann, descendent of Herman Melville, has written the brilliant novel "Tigers in Red Weather", a story of family strife and secrets. Now the novel has been made into 9 unabridged CD's for readers' listening pleasure. And a pleasure it is, as the upper-class world of cousins Nick and Helena is captured as the years after World War II pass. Nick and Helena have kept their family home, Tiger House, on Martha's Vineyard and that home is the novel's primary setting for its drama. Nick's family has done better financially than Helena's and the money/no money controversy continues as Helena marries charming Avery Lewis who purports to have Hollywood connections while Nick stays with lawyer Hughes Derringer whom she married before World War II began. Nick and Hughes' daughter Daisy and Helena's son Ed continue the family line, although Ed is obviously emotionally and mentally disturbed and Daisy almost attaches herself to Tyler who is one of her own mother's lovers. Helena meanwhile becomes drug and alcohol addicted while living out in California with Avery. Enough? No. A murdered and mutilated body is discovered by Ed and Daisy in a dilapidated shed near Tiger House. How will this horrific event foreshadow the family's future?

"Tigers in Red Weather" is well-captured by reader Katherine Kellgren although her voices of Nick and Helena need adjusting from upper-class British to that of wealthy, privileged New Englanders. The story's plot-line is carried well by Katherine Kellgren as she does a superb job of recounting through the eyes of Hughes and then, finally, Ed. That the story concludes as Daisy reads the poem that ends with "tigers in red weather" is perfect! These nine CD's will entertain and totally entrance all readers who want to listen to a story as well as read it.

Sometimes you pick up a book and you know from the first few

Sometimes you pick up a book and you know from the first few pages that you are going to love it. This is one of those books. Tigers in Red Weather by first-timer Liza Klaussmann (she’s so new she doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page) is a story about family, marriage and obligations. It takes place over the course of two decades, beginning with the end of World War II and into the late 1960’s, and is narrated (in sections) by all five of the main characters. There is a murder, but that fact is both omnipresent and unimportant at the same time. Sounds cliché, I know, but the book is really much better than the description I’m giving. I promise!




 I knew from the first few pages that this was a book that I wanted to curl up with and read from cover to cover. Of course, life got in the way, but I still loved the time I spent imagining I was in a glorious Massachusetts beach cottage with Nick, Hughes, Helena, Daisy and Ed.




 “Sometimes a thing like that, a thing you’ve never even imagined in your head, can go down surprisingly easy.”




This is one of those sentences that jumped out at me and I knew it was going to be important the minute I read it. It takes place on page 33, but it stayed with me right up until the very end of this wonderful book. This book is, in fact, filled with all sorts of little clues that will keep you reading hungrily for more. I had all sorts of questions scribbled down, such as, “Did she do that on purpose? Why was he there? What was he thinking? Are they really going to do that?”




The only thing that I didn’t love about the book was the narration of Helena. Helena is a central character and I feel like her section was hurried and underdeveloped. Her story was both tragic and unfinished, which left me wanting for more (and not in a good way).Unlike some books (like White Oleander) this one was rich and full of life without being tedious and overwritten. I had no problem envisioning the setting and didn’t feel stifled by detail overkill. The author’s way of describing difficulties in a marriage seemed dead-on, and although the author loves to foreshadow upcoming events, the important clues are subtle. They are in the tilt of  a head or the way a question is asked. Even the murder that is present throughout the book is riding an underground current that is always in the back of the reader’s mind but never quite makes it to the forefront. Subtle oddities are what propel this book forward to and ending I wasn’t expecting (the last book to surprise me was Gone Girl).




In sum, the book as a whole is beautifully written and has a great story. It’s not as sappy as Anita Shreve (who I like) but will bring the you into a world that is both seductive and unnerving at the same time. Read it, because I can’t express how great this book is!

Fabulous book

Loved this book!!! Couldnt put it down!!!

If nothing else...

Tigers in Red Weather was decent, but I found myself to be bored at times. The last half was better though.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Solus

Here

0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Great book - different

I liked the book - it was a different stiry of friends through the years - not caught up in the typical story that follows peo[le through their lives

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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