Reader's Digest Select Editions 2010 - The Chosen One, Mr Rosenblum's List, Nowhere To Run, Safe Haven

by Reader's Digest Association, Natasha Solomons, C.J. Box

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

576 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. is a global media and direct marketing company based in Chappaqua, New York, best known for its flagship publication founded in 1922, Reader's Digest. The company's headquarters are in New York City, where it moved from Pleasantville, New York.

The company was founded by DeWitt and Lila Wallace in 1922 with the first publication of Reader's Digest magazine, but has grown to include a diverse range of magazines, books, music, DVDs and online content.

Reviews

[Carinya Kappler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Rosenblum's List by Natasha Solomons book review by Carinya
Anyone who loves whimsical, poignant, humorous tales will adore this portrayal of the unforgettable Mr Jack Rosenblum as he strives to make himself more english than the english. He is a lovable, single minded character, full of love and naive trust. He is subject to the most bitter disappointments, the most treacherous of betrayals but finds love, loyalty and fulfillment eventually.
His aim is to build a golf course in the English county of Dorset. Picture the best and the worse of English weather, the foibles of small town people in the 1950s, fables, folk lore enough to rival even the leprechauns of Ireland, and this is the setting for this endearing book.
wonderful reading!
carinya

[Hazeanni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the theme of this edition was NICHE, which is good as i preferred niche stories. The Choosen One was about banking cartel choosing candidates for POTUS right from their schooling days. Rosenblum was a jew family from German resettled in England during pre and post WWII. Their willingness to blended in and assimilate; to meet the listed criteria of being an Englishman up to the points of obsessiveness was a huge hit with me. Definitely my favourite. Wish to read more from Natasha Solomons soon. This edition was accompanied by interviews with authors at end of stories which is a bonus.

[Sangeetha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for “The Chosen One”, 3 for Mr.Rosenblum’s list, 4 for “Nowhere to Run” (A very fast moving and a really interesting plot) and 3 for “Safe Haven” (A new element or two in Sparks’s writing.) Average=3.25

[Lizzie Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the trio I've only read 'Mr Rosemblum's List' but it's not available as a stand-along option here. I've started using a book exchange at my local station and this was a random book I picked up. It was good, very well told! Telling the story of a post-WW2 emigrant obsessed with English habits and particularly golf courses, it was a humorously poignant tale that was indeed random.
Characterisation of the protagonist and his wife were strong, and her diasporic nostalgia for ways that no longer were and faces she no longer saw, except in visions, rent a vivid contrast between the pair, that not only added dramatic conflict to the story – loggerheaded misunderstandings which pulled at the reader's heartstrings – but also gave pause to reflect and marvel at the totally different ways two humans can perceive and handle the very same circumstances.
A sweetly told story and diverting read – yet, unfortunately, the challenges of assimilation and a bunch of hurtful reactions from villagers bring the story bang up to date, so not a total diversion, but all the more worth reading for this.
All this said, I'd like to be able to give half star ratings on here, because although it was a good old read it was not exactly a work of literature, and, without meaning to be harsh, not particularly written in a way that one would think would have challenged either writer or reader, if you see what I mean. Jolly and thoughtful, though, so I'd give it 3.5 rather than 3 if I could.