The Professor's House

By Willa Cather

This book was surprisingly a slower read than expected for a Cather book. It took me much longer to get into than I expected. Perhaps the reading circumstances are to blame (I was away from home when I started it). Nevertheless, it was still an enjoyable read, with all the underlying themes and criticisms. It's interesting how she combined two story lines, that of Tom Outland, which she wrote first, and the that of the professor's, which envelopes that of Outland's. [258 pp.]

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The Redeemed

By Tim Pears

The third and final book of the West Country Trilogy. Like the other two, this book was a pleasure to read, for the most part. And like the first two, it also included some gruesome descriptions which were not pleasant to read at all, mostly during the Great War. Leo is now a diver in the Royal Navy, and what happens to him during the war was inspired by the writer's grandfather's experiences. After leaving the Navy, he joins a historic person by the name of Ernest Cox, who ran a salvage operation of German ships that were deliberately sunk after the war. Meanwhile, Lottie becomes the estate's veterinarian, though without the whole official training (though she is one of two female vet students who are allowed to participate in some courses for 6 months). Finally, toward the end **spoiler alert** we can finally relax and enjoy the reunion of Leo and Lottie. [400 pp.]

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