Ernest Hemingway is a writer steeped in both history and mystery. A fascinating character, one whose mythos extends 50 years past his suicide death. The Paris Wife is not about Hemingway, per se. It is about his first wife Hadley Richardson, a woman who he was wed to for 5 years and had one son, called Bumby. It is a somewhat fictionalized account of their marriage (the details are real, but who knows about the private conversations or how Hemingway was feeling and thinking?) and life in Paris in Hemingway's early writing years.
McLain paints "Hem" (and from what has been written about him before, probably very accurately) as a self-centered, drunken jerk, very impressed with "Hemingway" as a personality rather than invested in himself as a person, husband, father or friend. He was extremely macho and obsessed with Spanish bullfighting (read The Sun Also Rises, for more information on that!). He was not unloving, and seemed to believe that Hadley was his true love- that is until Paulette came along and befriended Hadley to get close to Hem and begin an affair with him.
Hadley is not drawn as a feminist, or as the time period might have suggested, a suffragette. She was a simple person, musically gifted, loving and unfussy. This was probably the best kind of mate Hemingway might have had, someone to balance his dark moods and drinking, except that she often took to drinking to maintain her relationship with Hemingway herself.
One of the most fascinating things about this story is the depiction of relationships between Hem and Hadley and the 1920's Paris expat literary glitterati, including Gertrude Stein (of course, not without Alice B. Toklas), Archibald McLeish and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Reading about these real writers as people casually throwing out statements about trying to get published, "It's called The Great Gatsby...and this Gatsby fellow is still with me" is quite thrilling for someone who enjoys classic literature. Of course, Fitzgerald, like Hemingway, was a drunk and his bad behavior outdid even Hem's.
The story is fascinating on its own, even without the name-dropping, and at it's heart a true depiction of a flawed and co-dependent marriage. It was refreshing to find that Hadley did eventually find love, of the stable and kind variety after Hemingway. But McLain does a terrific job of writing two people truly in love who have no idea how to form a marriage, especially since one of them is a flawed, creative type of person who is only in his early 20's and appears to have PTSD from his experiences in Italy during WWI. One could assume their marriage was doomed from the start, but while Hadley describes them as continually "naive", there is an element of hope from both Hemingway and Hadley, and they did seem to want to truly make it work, at least for a while.
I would recommend this book to all readers, but especially to those who are fans of the classics.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
A Review of Room by Emma Donoghue (some spoilers included)
Room is a story narrated by Jack, who lives with his Ma in Room. Jack is five, and through his perspective, we come to understand that Ma was kidnapped by a man Jack refers to as "Old Nick" several years before. She has been held in Room and visited in the night by Old Nick. Eventually, she gave birth to Jack there, and has raised him as best she can in this tiny space.
The book is told in several parts, but it is divided mainly between the beginning, in which Jack and Ma are living in Room and after they escape, by having Jack play dead.
The author tells the story from Jack's perception, which is not narrow but is limited by his 5 years of only living in Room. He has no contact with the outside world, which he thinks of as everything in the television. People outside aren't real, buildings, other lives not held captive aren't real to Jack.
After coming out of Room, Jack is forced to confront a world in which he has no frame of reference at all, except in the one hour per day of television his Ma lets him watch. He is exposed to paparazzi, well-meaning, and not-so-well-meaning relatives, germs and just regular people who do things Jack cannot understand.
Despite this, it is Ma who has a much harder time reintegrating into the real world. She goes a little crazy, and Jack is forced to be without her for a time, something he has never had to experience in his life.
Room is a sad but hopeful story about the human condition. It is well written and telling it from Jack's perspective keeps it fresh as well as preventing the story from sinking into melodrama or maudlin territory. It does not, and the end of the tale is a hopeful one, we are hopeful that Jack will adapt to life outside of Room and become just like any other child in the world.
The book is told in several parts, but it is divided mainly between the beginning, in which Jack and Ma are living in Room and after they escape, by having Jack play dead.
The author tells the story from Jack's perception, which is not narrow but is limited by his 5 years of only living in Room. He has no contact with the outside world, which he thinks of as everything in the television. People outside aren't real, buildings, other lives not held captive aren't real to Jack.
After coming out of Room, Jack is forced to confront a world in which he has no frame of reference at all, except in the one hour per day of television his Ma lets him watch. He is exposed to paparazzi, well-meaning, and not-so-well-meaning relatives, germs and just regular people who do things Jack cannot understand.
Despite this, it is Ma who has a much harder time reintegrating into the real world. She goes a little crazy, and Jack is forced to be without her for a time, something he has never had to experience in his life.
Room is a sad but hopeful story about the human condition. It is well written and telling it from Jack's perspective keeps it fresh as well as preventing the story from sinking into melodrama or maudlin territory. It does not, and the end of the tale is a hopeful one, we are hopeful that Jack will adapt to life outside of Room and become just like any other child in the world.
Friday, July 8, 2011
A Review of The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
This trio of young adult novels by Suzanne Collins takes place in the future world of Panem, located in what was once North America. Panem is made up of 12 districts and the Capitol, all controlled by President Snow and various other members of the Capitol city. The citizens of the rest of the 12 districts exist only to provide for the Capitol; provide food, clothing, medicine, coal and very importantly, entertainment.
Many years past, the citizens of the 13 original districts had risen up to rebel against a very unfair living arrangement. District 13 was obliterated and the Hunger Games were begun as a way to control the other districts. Each year, a boy and a girl from each district, between the ages of 12 and 17, is "reaped", their names chosen from a list of all of the children in that district. Once chosen, those two children join the 22 others from the remaining districts for a fight to the death in an arena, termed the Hunger Games. This spectacle is broadcast as required watching for all citizens of Panem, who in the 12 districts get to watch those they know and love get brutally murdered by other children.
In District 12, Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year old living in the poorest of the districts, supports her mother and beloved younger sister, Prim, with her illegal hunting and creative ways of providing for her family.
On the day of the reaping this year, Prim is the one whose name is chosen. Katniss immediately volunteers to go for Prim instead. In her mind, she has agreed to die for her but cannot bear the thought of Prim dying in the Games.
What unfolds from here is a spectacular tale of rising up against oppression, with Katniss becoming the symbol for the rebellion. She is joined in the Hunger Games by the first of two love interests, Peeta, who is a baker's son she's known for years.
Throughout this story (it is truly one long story broken into three parts), the author does an amazing job of writing flawed characters. Put into this world, there are few who are selfless, or even marginally kind. Katniss herself is surly at best, having been forced to care for her family since her father died when she was 11. For any young adult reading this novel, it truly shows how a young girl feels inside at this age; not always able to see the true motives of those around her or believe the truly good things about herself.
This story also a commentary on many social and political issues, interspersed with lessons about what should and should not be trusted in life. The politics of those on Katniss' own side of the war, for example, is a lesson on how those in power are those who disseminate the information, and how they spin it and whether how they act on in is in the best interest of the people. It is a lesson on how human beings treat each other and why, how arbitrary things are in life and how betrayal is a part of that.
Although these books were written for YA, they are easily accessible for adults. I found myself riveted, in no small part because of how much the author made me root for Katniss. She is an extremely complicated character, but one I would want on my side in a rough situation. She can't help but protect those who are smaller or weaker than she is, and even those who aren't. She is cold and calculating, though, which makes her decisions and her words unlikable at times, but she is as real a character as I've ever read.
I was struck by the more esoteric parts of Suzanne Collins' writing as well. For example, she references other literature, most notably numbering Katniss' army squadron (from the final book, Mockingjay) 451. The numbers have no meaning in the army, and this number is most easily remembered from Ray Bradbury's tale, Fahrenheit 451, another futuristic story about government control. This is only one reference, however. She uses character's names (eg. Cressida, Castor, Pollux) to further reference historical and literary ideas, as well as metaphorical ideas (naming the very evil President Snow, whose breath smells like blood and roses).
In all, these novels are well-worth reading for those of all ages who like a gripping futuristic tale that isn't all that far-fetched.
Many years past, the citizens of the 13 original districts had risen up to rebel against a very unfair living arrangement. District 13 was obliterated and the Hunger Games were begun as a way to control the other districts. Each year, a boy and a girl from each district, between the ages of 12 and 17, is "reaped", their names chosen from a list of all of the children in that district. Once chosen, those two children join the 22 others from the remaining districts for a fight to the death in an arena, termed the Hunger Games. This spectacle is broadcast as required watching for all citizens of Panem, who in the 12 districts get to watch those they know and love get brutally murdered by other children.
In District 12, Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year old living in the poorest of the districts, supports her mother and beloved younger sister, Prim, with her illegal hunting and creative ways of providing for her family.
On the day of the reaping this year, Prim is the one whose name is chosen. Katniss immediately volunteers to go for Prim instead. In her mind, she has agreed to die for her but cannot bear the thought of Prim dying in the Games.
What unfolds from here is a spectacular tale of rising up against oppression, with Katniss becoming the symbol for the rebellion. She is joined in the Hunger Games by the first of two love interests, Peeta, who is a baker's son she's known for years.
Throughout this story (it is truly one long story broken into three parts), the author does an amazing job of writing flawed characters. Put into this world, there are few who are selfless, or even marginally kind. Katniss herself is surly at best, having been forced to care for her family since her father died when she was 11. For any young adult reading this novel, it truly shows how a young girl feels inside at this age; not always able to see the true motives of those around her or believe the truly good things about herself.
This story also a commentary on many social and political issues, interspersed with lessons about what should and should not be trusted in life. The politics of those on Katniss' own side of the war, for example, is a lesson on how those in power are those who disseminate the information, and how they spin it and whether how they act on in is in the best interest of the people. It is a lesson on how human beings treat each other and why, how arbitrary things are in life and how betrayal is a part of that.
Although these books were written for YA, they are easily accessible for adults. I found myself riveted, in no small part because of how much the author made me root for Katniss. She is an extremely complicated character, but one I would want on my side in a rough situation. She can't help but protect those who are smaller or weaker than she is, and even those who aren't. She is cold and calculating, though, which makes her decisions and her words unlikable at times, but she is as real a character as I've ever read.
I was struck by the more esoteric parts of Suzanne Collins' writing as well. For example, she references other literature, most notably numbering Katniss' army squadron (from the final book, Mockingjay) 451. The numbers have no meaning in the army, and this number is most easily remembered from Ray Bradbury's tale, Fahrenheit 451, another futuristic story about government control. This is only one reference, however. She uses character's names (eg. Cressida, Castor, Pollux) to further reference historical and literary ideas, as well as metaphorical ideas (naming the very evil President Snow, whose breath smells like blood and roses).
In all, these novels are well-worth reading for those of all ages who like a gripping futuristic tale that isn't all that far-fetched.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
A Review of The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon
The Story of Beautiful Girl is a tale of the purposely forgotten, the mentally and physically disabled who were forced into living in group settings in the 20th century. These homes were neglectful, abusive and harsh, extremely unpleasant for those living there, some of whom were not disabled much at all, only misunderstood.
Beautiful Girl is Lynnie, a resident at one of these homes, who along with her deaf boyfriend, who in the beginning of the story is only known as Number 42, escapes from the institution to give birth to her daughter. Since they have escaped, they must find someone to help them, which they do accidentally in the form of septuagenarian Martha, whom they press the newborn baby upon. When the authorities from the home find them there, Lynnie is caught, Number 42 (who we later find out is named Homan) escapes, and Martha keeps the child, Julia, and raises her.
This story is told over years, jumping from Martha, to Lynnie, to Kate one of the caretakers at the institution who helps tell Lynnie's story, to Homan. Lynnie and Homan love each other, and are separated by ignorance, geography and their respective disabilities.
This tale is a harsh one, although fiction, it baldly shows what these institutions were like and how they treated their residents. It manages to be a beautiful tale of love: both family love and romantic love.
Ms. Simon does a fantastic job of rendering the tale from the perspective of those who view the world in the way of those who are marginalized. Although we know Homan is deaf, he is unable to sign, read or write, and so his part of the story is told from his limited perspective, as is Lynnie's. We don't know her disability, but it appears she is of limited intelligence. However, she is an artist of rare talent, something that is eventually nurtured as it should be and blossoms to show she may be limited in her means of communication, but that she is not necessarily limited as a human being.
This is a beautiful story of how love can unite people, some who don't even know each other at all. It is also a social commentary, and a heart-wrenching one, making us all ashamed of the marginalization of the disabled in our society.
I would recommend this book to all readers.
Beautiful Girl is Lynnie, a resident at one of these homes, who along with her deaf boyfriend, who in the beginning of the story is only known as Number 42, escapes from the institution to give birth to her daughter. Since they have escaped, they must find someone to help them, which they do accidentally in the form of septuagenarian Martha, whom they press the newborn baby upon. When the authorities from the home find them there, Lynnie is caught, Number 42 (who we later find out is named Homan) escapes, and Martha keeps the child, Julia, and raises her.
This story is told over years, jumping from Martha, to Lynnie, to Kate one of the caretakers at the institution who helps tell Lynnie's story, to Homan. Lynnie and Homan love each other, and are separated by ignorance, geography and their respective disabilities.
This tale is a harsh one, although fiction, it baldly shows what these institutions were like and how they treated their residents. It manages to be a beautiful tale of love: both family love and romantic love.
Ms. Simon does a fantastic job of rendering the tale from the perspective of those who view the world in the way of those who are marginalized. Although we know Homan is deaf, he is unable to sign, read or write, and so his part of the story is told from his limited perspective, as is Lynnie's. We don't know her disability, but it appears she is of limited intelligence. However, she is an artist of rare talent, something that is eventually nurtured as it should be and blossoms to show she may be limited in her means of communication, but that she is not necessarily limited as a human being.
This is a beautiful story of how love can unite people, some who don't even know each other at all. It is also a social commentary, and a heart-wrenching one, making us all ashamed of the marginalization of the disabled in our society.
I would recommend this book to all readers.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
A Review of Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult is a story told from the perspective of the three main characters in it: Zoe, Max and Vanessa. The story begins with Max and Zoe as a married couple suffering through infertility. They have gone through repeated cycles of IVF, and Zoe wound up losing a baby late in pregnancy to stillbirth. At this point, Max decides he can't be married to her anymore and asks for a divorce.
Max is a weak link, an alcoholic without the ability to make decisions for himself, even after he quits drinking. He becomes a born-again Christian, which appears to solve all his problems at the beginning. The church he joins is Evangelical, and believes everyone is going to hell and they should crusade against pretty much all of society that isn't exactly like they are. Max is living with his brother Reid and sister-in-law Liddy, who are devoted church members themselves.
Zoe eventually comes out of her depression after losing both her baby and her husband when she starts spending time with Vanessa. She already knows Vanessa through work. Zoe is a music therapist who works with senior citizens as well as dying, autistic, and depressed children. Vanessa is a counselor in the school Zoe works in. First, they are friends. Zoe is aware that Vanessa is gay, but doesn't think much about it until she realizes that she has fallen for Vanessa, who is already half in love with Zoe anyway. They begin a relationship which leads to marriage, but they cannot get married in Rhode Island and must go to Massachussetts to do so.
Eventually, Vanessa offers to carry a child since Zoe cannot, and they ask Max for access to the embryos that were left from the marriage. This is when everything begins to happen.
Max, being now a religious Christian, is horrified that his ex-wife is now "choosing" to be gay, and his Pastor hires an Evangelical Christian attorney who's main work is to crusade around the country spreading hate everywhere he goes. They start a court case to keep Zoe and Vanessa from getting the embryos.
This story is extremely emotional, and well-told from both sides. Although it is clear Ms. Picoult falls on the more liberal side of the political spectrum, she handles both sides of the story and all character's viewpoints equally. It would have been easy to paint Max as "the bad guy", but he truly is not. The Pastor and the lawyer are definitely shown as the nasty human beings they are, always so convinced that they are right, and manipulating everyone else to do their bidding. Max is such a character, so easily swayed by their machinations. But in the end, he does stand up for himself, rather than just his newfound beliefs.
I enjoyed this book, but some of it was difficult to read. I am aware of those loudmouth political people who are out there spouting hate left and right, but in the interest of my own sanity, I usually try to avoid listening or reading about them. This was a bit enforced, as it was crucial to the story. It's hard to hear such hatred being spewed at anyone, whether I am part of the group or not.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the topic. It was well-written and very timely in it's subject matter. I hope someday to revisit this story and find it dated in it's viewpoints.
Max is a weak link, an alcoholic without the ability to make decisions for himself, even after he quits drinking. He becomes a born-again Christian, which appears to solve all his problems at the beginning. The church he joins is Evangelical, and believes everyone is going to hell and they should crusade against pretty much all of society that isn't exactly like they are. Max is living with his brother Reid and sister-in-law Liddy, who are devoted church members themselves.
Zoe eventually comes out of her depression after losing both her baby and her husband when she starts spending time with Vanessa. She already knows Vanessa through work. Zoe is a music therapist who works with senior citizens as well as dying, autistic, and depressed children. Vanessa is a counselor in the school Zoe works in. First, they are friends. Zoe is aware that Vanessa is gay, but doesn't think much about it until she realizes that she has fallen for Vanessa, who is already half in love with Zoe anyway. They begin a relationship which leads to marriage, but they cannot get married in Rhode Island and must go to Massachussetts to do so.
Eventually, Vanessa offers to carry a child since Zoe cannot, and they ask Max for access to the embryos that were left from the marriage. This is when everything begins to happen.
Max, being now a religious Christian, is horrified that his ex-wife is now "choosing" to be gay, and his Pastor hires an Evangelical Christian attorney who's main work is to crusade around the country spreading hate everywhere he goes. They start a court case to keep Zoe and Vanessa from getting the embryos.
This story is extremely emotional, and well-told from both sides. Although it is clear Ms. Picoult falls on the more liberal side of the political spectrum, she handles both sides of the story and all character's viewpoints equally. It would have been easy to paint Max as "the bad guy", but he truly is not. The Pastor and the lawyer are definitely shown as the nasty human beings they are, always so convinced that they are right, and manipulating everyone else to do their bidding. Max is such a character, so easily swayed by their machinations. But in the end, he does stand up for himself, rather than just his newfound beliefs.
I enjoyed this book, but some of it was difficult to read. I am aware of those loudmouth political people who are out there spouting hate left and right, but in the interest of my own sanity, I usually try to avoid listening or reading about them. This was a bit enforced, as it was crucial to the story. It's hard to hear such hatred being spewed at anyone, whether I am part of the group or not.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the topic. It was well-written and very timely in it's subject matter. I hope someday to revisit this story and find it dated in it's viewpoints.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
A Review of The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
In reading The Forgotten Garden I was struck by the deft way in which the author weaves together different perspectives of characters living in different times and creates one whole tale.
At it's core, the story is about three generations of women: Eliza Makepeace, an orphaned girl living with wealthy relatives who don't care for her close to the turn of the 20th century, Nell, who is living in the 1970's, and Nell's granddaughter Cassandra, who is trying to solve the mystery of Nell's past and origins, living in 2005.
This is a very complicated story of family disfunction, love, abandonment and ultimately salvation for its three main characters.
There is a mystery at the heart of this story, one in which I will not describe in detail so as not to give away any of the plot, which is convoluted, complicated and very interesting.
Each of these three women tells her part of the story, living it during her time, and reveals pieces of the mystery as they go. There are other narrators as well: Eliza's cousin, Rose, whom she loves dearly; Adeline, Rose's mother, who hates Eliza ferociously, and several others who are brought in to add significant details.
The author deals out small parts of the mystery in a tantalizing fashion; she is able to keep the reader guessing through a good portion of the book, although she cleverly continues to reveal more and more, even right up to the very end of the story.
It is also interesting how the author treats the men in her story. The two main male characters, Linus Mountrachet, Rose's father, and William, Rose's husband, are both weak as people. Linus is certifiably insane, which no one seems to notice or care about. He wanders about, taking secret photographs (which is extremely odd, as this takes place in the early part of the 20th century) and pining over his lost "poupee", Georgianna, who was Eliza's mother. William is an artist whose love is for sketching. He is forced into portraiture of the elite by Adeline, his mother in law. He hates it with a passion, and spends most of his time trying to please the women in his life. There are several other male characters, and while they might be stronger men, they are also incidental to the story, with some minor exceptions.
I find it interesting that none of her three main female characters is married and each had only one child, whom they are not in any way close to (Cassandra is the exception, but again, I don't want to give away the plot, so I won't elaborate).
I found this story a bit slow to start, but after 30 or so pages, it was completely engaging and it's jumps through time were very well-done. It could have been dull in parts, and was not.
I would recommend this book to all readers.
At it's core, the story is about three generations of women: Eliza Makepeace, an orphaned girl living with wealthy relatives who don't care for her close to the turn of the 20th century, Nell, who is living in the 1970's, and Nell's granddaughter Cassandra, who is trying to solve the mystery of Nell's past and origins, living in 2005.
This is a very complicated story of family disfunction, love, abandonment and ultimately salvation for its three main characters.
There is a mystery at the heart of this story, one in which I will not describe in detail so as not to give away any of the plot, which is convoluted, complicated and very interesting.
Each of these three women tells her part of the story, living it during her time, and reveals pieces of the mystery as they go. There are other narrators as well: Eliza's cousin, Rose, whom she loves dearly; Adeline, Rose's mother, who hates Eliza ferociously, and several others who are brought in to add significant details.
The author deals out small parts of the mystery in a tantalizing fashion; she is able to keep the reader guessing through a good portion of the book, although she cleverly continues to reveal more and more, even right up to the very end of the story.
It is also interesting how the author treats the men in her story. The two main male characters, Linus Mountrachet, Rose's father, and William, Rose's husband, are both weak as people. Linus is certifiably insane, which no one seems to notice or care about. He wanders about, taking secret photographs (which is extremely odd, as this takes place in the early part of the 20th century) and pining over his lost "poupee", Georgianna, who was Eliza's mother. William is an artist whose love is for sketching. He is forced into portraiture of the elite by Adeline, his mother in law. He hates it with a passion, and spends most of his time trying to please the women in his life. There are several other male characters, and while they might be stronger men, they are also incidental to the story, with some minor exceptions.
I find it interesting that none of her three main female characters is married and each had only one child, whom they are not in any way close to (Cassandra is the exception, but again, I don't want to give away the plot, so I won't elaborate).
I found this story a bit slow to start, but after 30 or so pages, it was completely engaging and it's jumps through time were very well-done. It could have been dull in parts, and was not.
I would recommend this book to all readers.
Monday, March 21, 2011
A Review of A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Okay, so I've been writing this blog for about 10 months now, and I've been mostly pretty highbrow about it. I absolutely love to read, and while quality literature is something I enjoy a great deal, I love (ahem) other types of books as well. My current favorite genre is supernatural romance-type novels. Yes, vampires, witches, werewolves, faeries, and the like are what makes my heart go pitter-patter. Especially if it's a series. These types of books run the gamut, from truly trashy and smutty (love it!) to the more quality-type literature. I don't truly love the types that are all about love and romance, per se. I do love the ones with action, violence, sex and complicated plots.
With all of that being said, I absolutely loved A Discovery of Witches. The story is about Diana Bishop, an extremely powerful witch who has eschewed her considerable power for all of her life, since her also-extremely powerful witch parents were murdered in Africa when she was 7. Diana has spent her life becoming a book historian (which is the true occupation of author Deborah Harkness) and works at Oxford as a professor and author.
Unfortunately for Diana, she is destined to become everything she has shunned. She discovers a book called Ashmole 782, which is a palimpsest. This is a manuscript that has another written over it, one that needs a certain type of light or power to be able to read. The book is one that has been sought after by witches, daemons and vampires for hundreds of years, as it is rumored to be a detailed description of how each type of "creature" was formed, or how they evolved. These three types of creatures do not like each other and do not intermix. Ever.
Diana is somehow able to get Ashmole 782 out of the library wholly by accident, or because her power is so great. Many creatures become aware of this, and subsequently aware of her power, whether she uses it or not. Diana becomes an instant target.
Fortunately, while working in the library one day, she surreptitiously uses magic to get a book down from a shelf and is spotted by Matthew Clairmont, who also happens to be a 1,500 year old vampire, as well as an extremely-well respected scientist. Despite all of the odds against it, they fall in love and travel on an adventure that does not come to a close at the end of the story. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel!
I enjoyed this book for many reasons, not the least of which is it's "highbrow" pedigree. It is full of accurate science and history, which I find fascinating. The author uses her considerable knowledge to highlight everything from history to biology and DNA, bringing a fascinating glimpse of how science has changed over centuries.
I have always found basic romance novels to be dull and uninteresting. I truly enjoy a bit of romance in a book full of history. This book reminds me of several past favorites, not the least of which is Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.
In all, I found this story to be very engaging, the characters to be well-drawn and complicated and the history and science to be fascinating. I would recommend this book very highly.
With all of that being said, I absolutely loved A Discovery of Witches. The story is about Diana Bishop, an extremely powerful witch who has eschewed her considerable power for all of her life, since her also-extremely powerful witch parents were murdered in Africa when she was 7. Diana has spent her life becoming a book historian (which is the true occupation of author Deborah Harkness) and works at Oxford as a professor and author.
Unfortunately for Diana, she is destined to become everything she has shunned. She discovers a book called Ashmole 782, which is a palimpsest. This is a manuscript that has another written over it, one that needs a certain type of light or power to be able to read. The book is one that has been sought after by witches, daemons and vampires for hundreds of years, as it is rumored to be a detailed description of how each type of "creature" was formed, or how they evolved. These three types of creatures do not like each other and do not intermix. Ever.
Diana is somehow able to get Ashmole 782 out of the library wholly by accident, or because her power is so great. Many creatures become aware of this, and subsequently aware of her power, whether she uses it or not. Diana becomes an instant target.
Fortunately, while working in the library one day, she surreptitiously uses magic to get a book down from a shelf and is spotted by Matthew Clairmont, who also happens to be a 1,500 year old vampire, as well as an extremely-well respected scientist. Despite all of the odds against it, they fall in love and travel on an adventure that does not come to a close at the end of the story. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel!
I enjoyed this book for many reasons, not the least of which is it's "highbrow" pedigree. It is full of accurate science and history, which I find fascinating. The author uses her considerable knowledge to highlight everything from history to biology and DNA, bringing a fascinating glimpse of how science has changed over centuries.
I have always found basic romance novels to be dull and uninteresting. I truly enjoy a bit of romance in a book full of history. This book reminds me of several past favorites, not the least of which is Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.
In all, I found this story to be very engaging, the characters to be well-drawn and complicated and the history and science to be fascinating. I would recommend this book very highly.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Plan B by Jonathan Tropper
Jonathan Tropper is one of my favorite authors, ever since I read This is Where I Leave You last year (reviewed on this blog previously). I am a big fan of his easy writing style, sense of humor and sad-sack Jewish, male main characters.
Plan B fit into this mold. The story is about a group of college friends, our narrator being Ben, the Jewish sad-sack of this story. All of the friends have moved to NYC after college, except Jack, who has moved to LA and become a movie star. The other characters, Allison the lawyer, Lindsey the teacher-cum-world explorer, and Chuck the doctor. Ben is just getting a divorce from his wife, who was actually a rebound after breaking up with Lindsey, the love of his life. Lindsey is unemployed, Chuck is a man-child bent on sleeping with every woman who crosses his path and Allison is still in love with Jack, after 10 years.
Jack has now become the typical Hollywood party boy and is addicted to coke. The group hatches a plan to kidnap him and get him sober. There are many twists and turns to the harebrained scheme, and nothing works out as it's supposed to. But, as many things in Jonathan Tropper's world, everything works out in the end.
One of the main things I like about Tropper's work is his ability to make those pathetic characters seem like a person you know, not just a basket case. Plan B was not nearly as funny as This is Where I Leave You, but it does have humorous parts. I can tell that this is a much earlier work of Tropper's, as it lacks the sharpness of his later novel.
In all, I enjoyed living in this world as much as I did before, and again, I would not want to be a permanent resident, but only a visitor.
Plan B fit into this mold. The story is about a group of college friends, our narrator being Ben, the Jewish sad-sack of this story. All of the friends have moved to NYC after college, except Jack, who has moved to LA and become a movie star. The other characters, Allison the lawyer, Lindsey the teacher-cum-world explorer, and Chuck the doctor. Ben is just getting a divorce from his wife, who was actually a rebound after breaking up with Lindsey, the love of his life. Lindsey is unemployed, Chuck is a man-child bent on sleeping with every woman who crosses his path and Allison is still in love with Jack, after 10 years.
Jack has now become the typical Hollywood party boy and is addicted to coke. The group hatches a plan to kidnap him and get him sober. There are many twists and turns to the harebrained scheme, and nothing works out as it's supposed to. But, as many things in Jonathan Tropper's world, everything works out in the end.
One of the main things I like about Tropper's work is his ability to make those pathetic characters seem like a person you know, not just a basket case. Plan B was not nearly as funny as This is Where I Leave You, but it does have humorous parts. I can tell that this is a much earlier work of Tropper's, as it lacks the sharpness of his later novel.
In all, I enjoyed living in this world as much as I did before, and again, I would not want to be a permanent resident, but only a visitor.
Friday, January 14, 2011
A Review of Black and White by Dani Shapiro
What if the one person who is supposed to protect you against the world is the one who exploits you? That is the topic in Black and White, a novel about Clara Dunne, whose mother is Ruth Dunne, a world-famous photographer. Clara was Ruth's muse, her favorite subject for photography, and Ruth always photographed her in the nude. The story is told from Clara's point of view, now an adult with a daughter of her own. She ran away from her home in New York City at age 18, and never looked back. Living in Maine with her artist husband, Clara is contacted by her older sister, Robin, when Ruth's failing health reaches the point of no return. Clara is forced to face her past, face having been exploited by her mother, face Robin, perpetually angry at having been ignored by their mother, and face the fact that her mother's fame outshines any notion of how the "Clara Series" affected it's subject.
Ruth is seen as the ultimate artiste, beautiful, talented, brilliant even, in her depictions of Clara. From the age of three, Clara is photographed naked in all sorts of ways- Clara With The Lizard was the beginning, a photograph of Clara in the bathtub with a plastic lizard in her mouth, one leg up on the side of the tub, "splayed open" for all to see. It ended with "Clara at Age 14", at which point Clara makes sure her mother will no longer photograph her.
This story is a raw, emotional one. Clara as an adult is not in touch with any emotions of her past. She focuses solely on the present; her marriage, daughter and life on a remote island off the coast of Maine. When she does finally see Ruth again, Ruth is still the elitist, the snobby artist surrounded by sycophants who only value her for her work.
I did enjoy this story very much. It unravels perfectly, bits of information about the past doled out piece by piece. It subtly hits the same question over and over: Does Ruth deserve forgiveness? It isn't only Clara who needs to forgive; Robin has also been damaged as her mother ignored her completely in favor of her work, which just happened to be Clara. The one thing that bothered me about the story was Ruth herself. While she is not one-dimensional as a character, she comes off as very self-involved as well as unapologetic, and since she is dying, does not really evolve much as a character. So-called 'villians' should not be truly one-dimensional; they rarely are in real life.
In all, this was an emotionally moving, well told story. I felt for the characters, as flawed as they all were. I would be interested in reading more by this author.
Ruth is seen as the ultimate artiste, beautiful, talented, brilliant even, in her depictions of Clara. From the age of three, Clara is photographed naked in all sorts of ways- Clara With The Lizard was the beginning, a photograph of Clara in the bathtub with a plastic lizard in her mouth, one leg up on the side of the tub, "splayed open" for all to see. It ended with "Clara at Age 14", at which point Clara makes sure her mother will no longer photograph her.
This story is a raw, emotional one. Clara as an adult is not in touch with any emotions of her past. She focuses solely on the present; her marriage, daughter and life on a remote island off the coast of Maine. When she does finally see Ruth again, Ruth is still the elitist, the snobby artist surrounded by sycophants who only value her for her work.
I did enjoy this story very much. It unravels perfectly, bits of information about the past doled out piece by piece. It subtly hits the same question over and over: Does Ruth deserve forgiveness? It isn't only Clara who needs to forgive; Robin has also been damaged as her mother ignored her completely in favor of her work, which just happened to be Clara. The one thing that bothered me about the story was Ruth herself. While she is not one-dimensional as a character, she comes off as very self-involved as well as unapologetic, and since she is dying, does not really evolve much as a character. So-called 'villians' should not be truly one-dimensional; they rarely are in real life.
In all, this was an emotionally moving, well told story. I felt for the characters, as flawed as they all were. I would be interested in reading more by this author.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
A Review of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fanny Flagg
I have seen the movie Fried Green Tomatoes multiple times and have enjoyed it quite a bit. So I decided to read the book because I was curious if I would enjoy it as well. I have read several other books by Ms. Flagg, and have enjoyed her writing style and stories of Southern life and the women who live there. This book was no exception.
The story takes place in two different time periods: the 1980's, with the story of Ninny Threadgoode, an 86-year-old living in a Birmingham, Alabama nursing home and her interactions with Evelyn Couch, a 48-year-old dissatisfied housewife. Cleo shares with Evelyn her memories of Ruth Jamison and Idgie Threadgoode (Ninny's sister-in-law), who lived in the 1920's-30's in Whistle Stop Alabama.
Both stories take their turns detailing the lives of the individual women, and the two separate friendships. Evelyn visits the nursing home with her husband to visit his mother, and she winds up spending a good deal of time with Ninny. Evelyn sees her as a nuisance in the beginning, but eventually comes to depend on Ninny for her rough charm and common sense. Evelyn is suffering from menopause-induced mid-life crisis. She feels useless and helpless, confused by the world around her and her lack of connection with it. Ninny needs a friend, and an ear to listen to her tales. And so these two women become erstwhile friends, much as the other two women whose tales are spun by Ninny, became friends earlier in the century.
It appears that Ruth and Idgie have a relationship that borders on romantic, as both act as though they love each other as more than just friends. Their friendship includes raising a child, one that Ruth has had by her husband, Frank Bennett, whom she left after being unable to endure any more of his beatings. He appears later in the story as well, and is part of the mystery that is present here.
This story is well-written and engaging, the characters and narrative the driving force. Neither story is more or less engaging than the other, and while I often get frustrated with books that switch back and forth because I am more invested in one story line than the other, that did not happen here. I was just as interested in what was going on with Ninny and Evelyn as I was with Idgie and Ruth. Both stories were both funny and heartbreaking, as Evelyn battles her feelings of helplessness by acting in ways that we have all imagined but never have actually done, for fear of the consequences. For example, when a young girl "steals" a parking space Evelyn was waiting for and then sasses Evelyn when she calls her on it, Evelyn decides to get even. She slams into the parked VW bug with her big boat of a car until it's no more than junk. Her character definitely is the most evolved throughout the story, and the one with the happiest ending. The others have their own endings, as such, some happier than others. In all, I enjoyed spending time in Alabama with Fanny Flagg's iconic characters. The book was just as wonderful as the movie.
The story takes place in two different time periods: the 1980's, with the story of Ninny Threadgoode, an 86-year-old living in a Birmingham, Alabama nursing home and her interactions with Evelyn Couch, a 48-year-old dissatisfied housewife. Cleo shares with Evelyn her memories of Ruth Jamison and Idgie Threadgoode (Ninny's sister-in-law), who lived in the 1920's-30's in Whistle Stop Alabama.
Both stories take their turns detailing the lives of the individual women, and the two separate friendships. Evelyn visits the nursing home with her husband to visit his mother, and she winds up spending a good deal of time with Ninny. Evelyn sees her as a nuisance in the beginning, but eventually comes to depend on Ninny for her rough charm and common sense. Evelyn is suffering from menopause-induced mid-life crisis. She feels useless and helpless, confused by the world around her and her lack of connection with it. Ninny needs a friend, and an ear to listen to her tales. And so these two women become erstwhile friends, much as the other two women whose tales are spun by Ninny, became friends earlier in the century.
It appears that Ruth and Idgie have a relationship that borders on romantic, as both act as though they love each other as more than just friends. Their friendship includes raising a child, one that Ruth has had by her husband, Frank Bennett, whom she left after being unable to endure any more of his beatings. He appears later in the story as well, and is part of the mystery that is present here.
This story is well-written and engaging, the characters and narrative the driving force. Neither story is more or less engaging than the other, and while I often get frustrated with books that switch back and forth because I am more invested in one story line than the other, that did not happen here. I was just as interested in what was going on with Ninny and Evelyn as I was with Idgie and Ruth. Both stories were both funny and heartbreaking, as Evelyn battles her feelings of helplessness by acting in ways that we have all imagined but never have actually done, for fear of the consequences. For example, when a young girl "steals" a parking space Evelyn was waiting for and then sasses Evelyn when she calls her on it, Evelyn decides to get even. She slams into the parked VW bug with her big boat of a car until it's no more than junk. Her character definitely is the most evolved throughout the story, and the one with the happiest ending. The others have their own endings, as such, some happier than others. In all, I enjoyed spending time in Alabama with Fanny Flagg's iconic characters. The book was just as wonderful as the movie.
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