My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A few years ago I was reading allot of fiction about historical women. The book that opened the door to what I call my "female centric phase" was The Red Tent by Anita Diamant.
I want to put in a caveat right here that while I really enjoyed this book, it is not for everyone. Some people can't get past the first couple of chapters. There are many graphic depictions of physical and health related issues that are common to all women - cycles, pregnancy, birth.
Aside from the fact that I felt the writing was engaging I enjoyed the perspective this book gave me on what it meant in the past to be part of a community of women. Through the eyes of Jacob's daughter Dinah this novel takes the reader into the real lives that lay behind the book of Genesis. Reading between the lines Anita Diamant embraces the truth of the bible, mixes in some real history, and invents characters and events that reflect the common issues and experiences of modern women. The book made me laugh and cry - but in ways I didn't really expect. It made me cringe, and it also made me want to embrace my womanhood in a new way.
I would not recommend this book for men, anyone with a weak stomache, or anyone who wants a really fast paced plot.
This is a great book for people who are interested in biblical history, women's issues, or enjoyes novels that depict the intricate dramas of daily life.
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Review: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Review: Peony in Love by Lisa See
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this novel. Well written, this poignant account of love and longing is actually a story within a story. Peony is a young girl who is betrothed to a man she has never met when she meets and falls in love with the boy next door. Cloistered within the walls of her father's home and constrained by the values of her society she sees no way out of her situation and becomes consumed by an epic love poem. When she literally dies of heartache the plot takes a fascinating turn into supernatural realms.
Fast paced and multi-dimensional this book left me feeling more emotions than I could keep track of. I recommend it as a good love story, a good ghost story, and a fascinating insight into the history of Chinese society and women.
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On Day 20 of NaNoWriMo I finally caught up with the suggested daily word count with 33,387 words. By immersing myself things that relate to my own characters and plot I've been able to piece together much more of the story they want to tell.
Following the narrative lifetimes of a family across 15 generations and through three story arcs, I am exploring the emergence of a new societal construct. The world as we know it will end, bringing about the demise of the world economy, major political institutions, and entire countries. The ensuing battle for survival against all odds will force people to return to their roots and find a more simplistic way of life. Will successive generations found a new industrial age, or a paradise as yet undefined?
While I know I will be meeting my goal for NaNoWriMo 2010, I also believe it will be several months longer before I finish even the first draft of my new story. I'm terribly excited about it, but don't expect it to be reader-ready until 2012 at the earliest. So, wish me luck, and if you are interested follow along to see if I make any more progress reports for this project!
NaNoWriMo - Only 17,000 words behind!
Review: An Unholy Alliance by Susanna Gregory
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I picked this novel up from the library at random and really enjoyed it. Part murder mystery and part historical fiction this fast paced plot kept me interested from cover to cover. The author painted a thrilling and dynamic picture of life in the post-plague eta, and managed to include elements of horror and suspense without becoming gruesome or banal.
I am thrilled to find that it is part of a series and can not wait to find out what sort of trouble Matthew Bartholomew finds himself in next!
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Review: The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
As much as I enjoy Philippa Gregory's rich depiction of historical scenes and vibrant characters, this is not among my favorites in her collection.
I felt that the portrayal of Margaret Beaufort was inconsistent in that she had vastly differing opinions of herself as the plot progressed. I'm not sure if this was in an attempt to represent real vacillations in her character, or if it was pure invention, but the result was that the story felt a little disjointed and left me with no real protagonist to root for. Normally I can find something compelling in even the darkest of Gregory's character inventions, but this time I was lost.
The book is still a good read, and I would recommend it to others who have a love of Tudor history - although I would suggest reading the White Queen first as it is, to my mind, a better novel overall.
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Review: The Devil's Queen: A Novel of Catherine de Medici by Jeanne Kalogridis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This dark take on the development Catherine de Medici's dark and dynamic character is both heartbreaking and revolting. In this version of events we see the deterioration of a strong and dynamic soul into a weak and fractured woman whose life has become mastered by that which she attempted to master. Catherine de Medici's dabbling in the occult, as told in this story, allowed her to reach her dreams even as she destroyed them.
Jeanne Kalogridis captured the drama and mystique of life in the upper eschelon of aristocracy in beatiful scenes undercut with cynicism and fear.
If you like historical fiction, rich and dark female characters, or have a particular interest in the Medici's I would recommend this book.
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Review: The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ali Shaw manages to surprise and delight with an ending that you both anticipate and fear in a heartwarming and emotionally shattering story about the true value of love and life.
The girl with glass feet was a really insightful look into what makes a relationship valuable. Almost afraid to turn the page for fear of its ending, the story gently touches upon secret dreams and fears as it explores the last days of a woman who knows she is doomed.
I would tell potential readers that the pace was a bit slow in the beginning, but the main characters were intriguing enough to keep me interested as the plot developed. It's worth the read, especially if you are a lover of deep and transcendent characters.
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The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Title: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Author: Stieg Larsson
ISBN: 9780307454546
Publication: Vintage Books, Random House, 2008
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has become a national bestseller, and received rave reviews. I have to agree with the reviews with regard to a couple of things. The author certainly has an intriguing plot and thoroughly fleshed out characters, but that's where my agreement ends.
I normally finish a book of this length in a matter of days - I've been working on this one for over a week, and I'm not even half through. It's boring. Yes, the plot is great, but the pacing is off. True, the characters are well developed, but their interactions are stifled. Great effort has been made to detail odd props, while almost no effort has been made to trigger any senses beyond the visual. I know, I know: it's cold. That's nice. Show me what cold means, let me experience cold.
As intriguing and developed as the plot is, the story really plods along. I'm bored, and I don't bore easily. Besides my boredom - I am pretty sure I know what the "twist" at the end is going to be. If I really figured it out this early, if I am right, then that is really going to steam my carrots.
Maybe if I put the book down and come back to it in a couple of months my impression will differ.
The Mirror's Edge
Title: The Mirror's Edge
Author: Steven Sidor
ISBN: 0312354134, 9780312354138
Publication: St. Martin's Press, April 1 2008
The Mirror's Edge is fast paced, cut-throat, and immensely entertaining. The narrative is perfectly paced to keep readers engaged, but without the normal stall tactics and switchbacks normally employed to break up the action. Cover-to-cover, this book is pure action.
Don't let all that action fool you - this is a psychological thriller, not just a bunch of action packed nonsense. With every page the mind sinks deeper into the dark underbelly of the human imagination. The settings and characters are so richly detailed that it's easy to forget you're reading a book.
What most impressed me about the novel is Sidor's ability to tackle the tricky subject of satanism in a way that stays one step ahead of cliche but still provides enough mainstream imagery to strike a chord with the reader. This book was frightening in a very tangible way. When the pages are closed and the novel settled back onto the shelf, you will be left with lingering fingers of fear. I guarantee it.
Another thing about this book - I really liked the language. Throughout Mirror's Edge Steven Sidor uses a very sharp clipped style of writing that I felt fit perfectly with the subject matter and the characterization of the narrator. One of my primary problems with writing is that I tend to go overboard. I say too much and in such a convoluted way. I was actually able to learn something from Sidor about paring it down - I can say just as much without it sounding like too much detail. He's able to work in the nuances of a situation without you even realizing that he provided them to you - the way something smells, the taste, etc. This book is really well written, and I cannot wait to read more from this author.
Just for the record - I liked this book so well that for the first time ever, I actually contacted the author to tell him.
Q & A (Slumdog Millionaire)
Title: Q & A (Slumdog Millionaire)
Author: Vikas Swarup
ISBN: 0743267486, 9780743267489
Publication: August 12, 2008
Q&A is the first selection of the Leaves in Sheaves book club! When Steph (the co-organizer of our club) suggested it, I was immediately a little skeptical. I haven't seen the movie, but I tend to dislike allot of the movies that get rave reviews. Thinking that this would be the case with the movie Slumdog Millionaire, I erroneously judged the book to be a little - cheap. Boy was I surprised when I started reading! I guess I should have known not to judge a book by it's cover!
The author, Vikas Swarup, takes us on a fast paced journey through the life of an 18 year old young man. The story is in turns tragic and uplifting. From the very first page the characters grab your attention and will not let go. This is one of those perfect stories where you close the book and immediately feel a sense of loss; I will miss the people I met in this narrative.
What strikes me most about this novel is the way so much life is packed into such a tiny package! Through Q&A we experience the extremes of poverty and wealth in a society that has a rigid hierarchical class system. We delve into topics as diverse as gambling and religion. We feel the tension of a community struggling to come to grips with a cultural revolution that's been decades in the making. The narrative is perfectly paced to allow the reader to experience the wide array of settings and circumstances.
In addition to the dynamic plot, the character development is astounding. Swarup manages to quickly insert characters with such depth and dimension that the reader can't help but accept them.
Q&A is one of those books that you just have to read. Even people who don't usually like to read would probably enjoy this book. It has a great balance of action, romance, drama, suspense, and even a little mystery. There are a plenty of twists in the plot to keep even the most wandering minds engaged. Not only does Q&A get 5 stars from me - I think it might even be one of my top-five favorite books!
Marked - House of Night Series
Title: Marked (House of Night series)
Author: P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
ISBN: 0312360266, 9780312360269
Publication: St. Martin's Press, 2007
Marked, along with the rest of the House of Night series, was written by a mother/daughter team. At times (especially later in the series) it is clear that there are two voices represented in the narrative.
Criticisms aside, I have managed to read each of the books in this series. They are just scary enough to be interesting, without giving the reader nightmares. The series veers wildly away from traditional vampire lore incorporating elements of modern Wicca.
However, the series is mostly disappointing. The books are full of grammatical errors, and at times it seems that the authors have their own characters mixed up: they might say "Darius replied" when it was obvious that they meant Damien.
The main characters, all high school students, are charismatic and engaging but ultimately under-developed. The language, vocabulary, and plot are all tailored for a young teenage audience. The story drags in places, and is often unbelievable (in a bad way).
Ultimately I think this book was written and published right in time to ride the wave of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. If you need a young adult vampire fix, the House of Night series will do. Just don't expect too much depth.
Blue Bloods
Title: Blue Bloods
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
ISBN: 142310126X, 9781423101260
Publication: Hyperion Press, 2007
Blue Bloods is a fun, flirty, entertaining start to an enticing young adult series.
Melissa de la Cruz manages to combine history, fashion, glamour, and blood into a whole new vampire mythology.
Blue Bloods is not a deep or inspiring book, but it's allot of fun. The teenage characters are well developed and relatable, the drama is soap-opera worthy, and the romance just steamy enough for high schoolers without grossing out the adults. I really liked the way de la Cruz combined real elements of history and politics into this entirely fabricated world. Her portrayal of the vampire rich and famous kept me laughing.
The book was well written; the plot was developed, the story (though outrageous) made sense and was easy to follow, and I don't remember any glaring grammatical errors. Like so much of today's popular media, this book (the entire series) does glamorize the more shallow aspects of fame and fortune. The authors attempts at developing ethical or moral depth are apparent, but fall short. All in all, this is an enjoyable read on a lazy rainy day.Review: The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutherford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
* Interesting - the change experience by a culture over a millennia * Educational - historically and linguistically * Emotional - poignant and full of adventure
This historical saga based in ancient Ireland is the 1st of a Trilogy exploring the history of Ireland and her people.
Beginning with a love story set in Dubh Linn 480 AD, The Princes of Ireland narrates the lives and lineage of several families over more than 1,000 years of Irish history. The weighty novel is intellectual and challenging – it will exercise the vocabulary. The subject matter is really interesting and educational both historically and linguistically.
It is absolutely unbelievable the depth of this narrative. Every page is a rich portrait of life in time we know only through legend and folklore. Rutherford does an exceptional job weaving together the threads of history and religion to create believable characters and subplots.
The only criticism I can find for The Princes of Ireland is that the book is very large and could probably have been split into smaller novels. This is not a book you can easily carry with you.
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Beginning with a love story set in Dubh Linn 480 AD, The Princes of Ireland narrates the lives and lineage of several families over more than 1,000 years of Irish history. The weighty novel is intellectual and challenging – it will exercise the vocabulary. The subject matter is really interesting and educational both historically and linguistically.
* Interesting - the change experience by a culture over a millennia
* Educational - historically and linguistically
* Emotional - poignant and full of adventure
It is absolutely unbelievable the depth of this narrative. Every page is a rich portrait of life in time we know only through legend and folklore. Rutherford does an exceptional job weaving together the threads of history and religion to create believable characters and subplots.
The only criticism I can find for The Princes of Ireland is that the book is very large and could probably have been split into smaller novels. This is not a book you can easily carry with you.
Only Revolutions
Title: Only Revolutions
Author: Mark C. Danielewski
ISBN: 0375421769
Publication: Pantheon, September 12, 2006
This post-modern, genre-defying, maze of a book is by far the most fascinating work of literary art I've picked up since college. I am not through exploring Only Revolutions, but I think it's marvelous. This is not a book you can read, it's a labyrinth you have to travel. It's challenging if you try to make too much sense of it, but I think that must be purposeful. The formatting is the first thing that sets the reader off-balance from the first moment you pick up the book and try to find it's front cover! There is also some creative use of color and typeface that seem to relate to the covers and perhaps some deeper underlying current that I haven't fully understood.
In addition to the unusual structure, the story itself is a complex interweaving of lives, true history, and heady accounts of life from the perspective of youth. Each page is something like a journal entry, and the novel stitches together over 200 days in the lives of Hailey and Sam who are perpetually 16. The characters themselves are as eccentric as the times they live in. Like the two teens, Only Revolutions is a force unto itself that could never be confused for another.
The physical layout of the book is so complex, I leave it to wikipedia to describe:
Only Revolutions is printed in such a way that both covers appear to be the front of the book. The side with the green cover is the story as told by Sam, and the side with the gold cover is the story as told by Hailey. Every page contains upside-down text in the bottom margin, which is actually later pages of the opposite volume. For example, the first page of Hailey's story contains the last several lines of Sam's story, apparently upside down. When you reach that page while reading Sam's story, those lines will appear to be the only right-side-up text on the page.The first letter of each 8 page "section" is larger and bold when compared to the other letters. When the reader puts the single letters together from Hailey's side they spell out "Sam and Hailey and Sam and Hailey..." etc. When read from Sam's side, they spell out "Hailey and Sam and Hailey and Sam..." etc.
Each half-page contains exactly 90 words. When both stories are combined, the words add together for a total of 180 words per page, perhaps to symbolize the 180 degrees the reader must turn the book to read the opposite volume.
The publisher recommends the reading of eight pages from one story, then the other, and so on.
In addition, every page contains a sidebar with a date and a list of world events that happened between that date and the one which appears on the next page. Dates in Sam's story run from Nov 22, 1863 to Nov 22, 1963, while dates in Hailey's story run from Nov 22, 1963 to Jan 19, 2063. This chronological sidebar, which offers a mosaic of 19th - 21st Century historical quotations, becomes blank after Only Revolutions' own publication date. The diverging point between Sam's line and Hailey's line is set at the date of the John F. Kennedy assassination, November 22, 1963.
I was very intimidated by the format, and so held onto the curiosity for months before I really delved into the story. When I began to read, I was struck by the fact that while this book clearly labels itself "A Novel" on it's cover (both covers!) it seems more like poetry to me.
If you like to read for the sake of reading - or if you really want something to challenge and twist your mind - this is the book for you. I guarantee you've never met a book like it!
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Title: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Author: Lisa See
ISBN: 0812968069, 9780812968064
Publication: Random House Publishing Group, 2006
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a novel that touched my heart and has stayed with me since I first read it in 2006.
This tale of friendship draws the reader into the world of 19th century Chinese women. We follow Snow Flower and Lily from early girlhood into their adult lives, experiencing the value, strength, and ultimate fragility of a deep bond between to women.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a heart-rending tale of love between two women. It's also an enlightening tribute to the strength of the female spirit throughout a history of opression.
The Wise Woman
Title: The Wise Woman
Author: Philippa Gregory
ISBN: 0812978978, 0006514642
Publication: HarperCollins Publishers, 2002
Philippa Gregory is one of my favorite authors to curl up with on a rainy afternoon. Her novels are always an energetic and emotional roller coaster. The Wise Woman is no exception.
The story centers on a young girl during the reign of Henry VIII in England. The orphaned girl is living in squalor being trained by a Wise Woman when everything changes. She falls in love, loses him, and ends up living in a convent where she feels loved and safe for the first time in her life. When tragedy strikes the convent she escapes, leaving all of her Sisters behind to die. That's where the story really becomes tragic.
The Wise Woman is a dark, brooding story with barely the feel fiction. Even months after reading the novel I am unsure how I feel about Alys and the choices that she made - right up to the last page of the book. I am struck by the undercurrents of modern life in this historical fantasy.
The subject matter is so disturbing, and the emotional effect the novel so unsettling, that I only give it 4 stars and recommend it with caution. It's an enticing and passionate story, well written, and engaging. Just be warned, it's a trip down the rabbit hole for sure!
The Book of the Unknown: Tales of the Thirty-six
Title: The Book of the Unknown: Tales of the Thirty-six
Author: Jonathan Keats
ISBN: 0812978978, 9780812978971
Publication: Random House, 10 February 2009
I obtained an Advance Reader's copy of this book, which will be published this week! I'm really excited about it, and think it will be an instant success. The Book of the Unknown combines elements of history, faith, and folklore to create a narrative that's engaging and insightful.
The Book of the Unknown is based on a fascinating concept called the "lamed vov" or the "thirty-six" stating that there is a minimum of 36 righteous individuals living in the world at all times. This Jewish tradition comes from the Talmud, and may have origins in Genesis. Basically, the book is a collection of short stories depicting the lives of a few of the 36 at one point in time. (You can learn more about the Lamed Vov here: http://www.neveshalom.org/html/arts/art_gallery_legend36.htm)
The author gives us a foundational story about a man, John Katz, who finds a manuscript during an archeological dig and holds onto it for many years. The manuscript is a list of his contemporary 36, written by a Kabbalist and buried after his death. Jon Katz begins researching the names on the list, and has combined 12 of their stories for us to enjoy.
What strikes me about the stories are the seemingly degenerate nature of these righteous people. In fact, one of them isn't even human! The author introduces us to a golum (a woman made of mud and brought to life using magic) as one of the lamed vov. Others include at thief, a clown, a negligent sin-eater and an adulterer.
This fascinating fictional account is entertaining, solidly written, and hopeful. I highly recommend this book, and think it would make an excellent gift as well!
