REVIEW: Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

After reading this novel, I think Ariana Franklin (AKA Diana Norman) should be awarded the title “Mistress of the Art of Storytelling”. What an engrossing book! Mistress is a historical mystery which tells the story of Adelia Aguilar who is a 12th century forensics specialist-she “reads” dead bodies to clue her in to how they died. Adelia is brought to England with her friend and fellow investigator Simon of Naples in order to discover who is torturing and killing children in the town of Cambridge. Four children were murdered in the area and it is up to Adelia, Simon, and her eunuch bodyguard Mansur to figure out who is behind these heinous crimes and to exonerate the local Jewish community who stands accused of the crimes.

Honestly there is not one bad thing I can say about this book. The story has many twists and turns that keep you guessing, characters that are interesting, and there is a little romance thrown in too but not enough that it takes away from the book. The author gives so many potential suspects that you will constantly chance your mind about who the villain is and even at the end you’ll be somewhat surprised.

This is the first book in the Adelia Aguilar series. It is followed by The Serpent’s Tale, Grave Goods and A Murderous Procession which is being released in April of 2010. I cannot wait to read these ones as well. I am so glad I stumbled onto this series.

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library

REVIEW: The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir

My introduction to the fascinating life of Queen Elizabeth I was Jean Plaidy’s Queen of this Realm. I also really enjoyed The Queen’s Bastard and Virgin: Prelude to the Throne by Robin Maxwell and the Virgin’s Lover by Philippa Gregory and also watched Elizabeth I and Elizabeth the Golden Age starring Cate Blanchett and the television mini-series Elizabeth I starring Helen Mirren so needless to say I am 1) fascinated by this Queen and 2) pretty well versed on the ins and outs of her story. That being said, there wasn’t really much that Weir’s biography could tell me that I didn’t already know. Even so, I found her account of Elizabeth’s life to be interesting and detailed. I especially enjoyed her account of the relationship between Elizabeth and Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. Weir made Elizabeth come alive and definitely left me with a sense of why she was so revered. The way she is described she reminds me of Princess Diana in that she had “common touch” and captured the hearts of her people. That she fended off all outside threats and managed to make her country prosper in a time when women were still looked upon as weak, feeble, and unfit to rule is remarkable.

There were a few things in this account that I didn’t care for. Weir used some passages (speeches and the like) more than once to demonstrate her point which could be a bit confusing. I had a sense of déjà vu a couple of times and rightly so. Also I felt (like many who have reviewed this book on Amazon) that the book was a bit narrow. It just briefly touched on Elizabeth’s childhood, the cultural aspects of the reign and England’s foray into the new world like they didn’t rank as high in importance as her issues with Philip of Spain, Mary Queen of Scots and her numerous courtships. To those truly interested in all facets of Elizabeth and her reign these topics probably would have been of interest also.

Although a little daunting in size, I found it to be a worthwhile read. Some histories tend to be so dry and boring I would rather gouge my eye out with a rusty spoon than continue to read them. This book was definitely not in that category. I would recommend it to anyone who would like to read a detailed account of Elizabeth’s reign but I’m not sure I would tackle this if it is your first foray into Elizabeth’s world. I suggest reading a few other books about this Great Lady (fiction or non-fiction) first.

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library

REVIEW: Vivaldi's Virgins by Barbara Quick

FROM AMAZON “Abandoned as an infant, fourteen-year-old Anna Maria dal Violin is one of the elite musicians living in the foundling home where the "Red Priest," Antonio Vivaldi, is maestro and composer. Fiercely determined to find out where she came from, Anna Maria embarks on a journey of self-discovery that carries her into a wondrous and haunting world of music and spectacle, bringing eighteenth-century Venice magically to life.”

This was yet another book I picked up from the library to fulfill the requirements of a challenge. I was surprised with a decent fast paced historical fiction novel with a rather spunky protagonist. Anna Maria is orphaned as an infant and is brought up in the Pieta where her musical talent with the Violin is recognized and Vivaldi eventually becomes her Maestro. Even though many of the girls in the book have been abandoned here, some do know their parentage but were given up for a variety of reasons, from destitute mothers to those who are noble bastards. The highlight of this book are Anna Maria and the girls at the Pieta-spunky Marietta who uses her cleverness to attain a good marriage with a noble family, Guilietta-Anna Maria’s best friend who runs away and marries a painter, Bernardina-Anna Maria’s half blind rival. They all made for interesting reading. Throughout the novel Anna Maria constantly gets into mischief and delays her promotions in the Coro (choir) while trying to discover the identity of her mother and where she came from-a search which is inspired by a locket that comes into her possession.

I would call this book a bit predictable as I figured out who Anna Maria’s mother was way before the book ended but it was still an entertaining story. Unfortunately, as I know squat about Venice during this time period I can’t attest to the historical accuracy of this book so I don’t know if the purists will enjoy it or not.

As for Mr. Vivaldi, I like some classical music but have a VERY limited knowledge of it. I knew the name Vivaldi but couldn’t place any of his compositions so I googled “Four Seasons” which is his most famous work and recognized it instantly as it began to play. I dug up a little more information on the Italian Maestro and discovered that he was really underappreciated and didn’t become extremely popular until the 1960’s! Wow, was that a long time in coming. In any event, the book has inspired me to bone up on my classical music :)

If the FTC is wondering: I got this book from the library

REVIEW: The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

FROM AMAZON: “The Things They Carried depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and of course, the character Tim O'Brien who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of forty-three. They battle the enemy (or maybe more the idea of the enemy), and occasionally each other. In their relationships we see their isolation and loneliness, their rage and fear. They miss their families, their girlfriends and buddies; they miss the lives they left back home. Yet they find sympathy and kindness for strangers (the old man who leads them unscathed through the mine field, the girl who grieves while she dances), and love for each other, because in Vietnam they are the only family they have. We hear the voices of the men and build images upon their dialogue. The way they tell stories about others, we hear them telling stories about themselves.”

I finished this book a couple of days ago and I had to let it stew a couple of days before I reviewed it. As a rule I DO NOT read books about war. The reason for this is I am a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom myself and it is a time in my life I would rather forget about. Reading war books just reminds me of what I do not want to be reminded of. No, I did not kill anyone nor did I see anyone killed. We did have people in my Unit and my Division that did not make it home and I am eternally thankful that I and my husband spent a year over there and emerged physically unscathed. Emotionally, that is another story entirely and why I mention it here is because I am glad I did give The Things They Carried a go because I could relate to Tim O’Brien and many of the things he felt as a Soldier in a war zone.

The Things They Carried is really a collection of war stories and recollections from Tim O’Brien who served in the Vietnam War. He tells stories about the members of his platoon and how they interacted with each other in an environment that is constant stress. He recalls members of his unit and how they died-Lavender, Lemon, Kiowa (who was sucked into a mud pit-what a horrible way to go..). It is not the story that comes through though. It is the feelings associated with the stories. He talks about his inner turmoil in first learning he was going to ‘Nam and how Soldiers over there make a mockery of death as a coping mechanism. He talks of how desensitized you become to what is happening around you and to the people around you and also to the local population. He touches on the struggle when you return and how hard it is because those around you haven’t been there and they just don’t get it and how some eventually decide they cannot cope. I think this book is especially relevant now with the war going on in Iraq/Afghanistan because we have Soldiers and Veterans now that are going through the same thing Mr. O’Brien went through 35 years ago.

Is it the best book I’ve read? No. Is it a book that has gone beyond entertainment value and touched something deeper inside? Yes. I definitely recommend it.

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library

REVIEW: Hotel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Well, I knew when I picked this up from the library and saw the cheese-tastic cover that I would be in for an interesting read. Unfortunately, it can be interesting in a bad way too. This novel is about a vampire named St. Germain who is actually a good guy. He falls in love with human 19 yr old Madelaine de Montalia who is the object of desire for a bunch of Satan worshippers who wish to sacrifice her to gain power from the devil. Whaa?? you say-yeah that's what I said too. The premise is interesting enough but this book really dragged for me in the first half. I read a few reviews on amazon as I like to do when a book just isn't capturing my interest right away to see if others thought it was a worthwhile read. I agree with those who said that the author spends way too much time describing what people are wearing and dwelling on mundane things in the book when she could have focused on other things.

Parts of it actually left me confused. For instance Madelaine discovers St. Germain is a vampire but I don't remember the book explaining exactly how she came to that discovery and also the automatic acceptance of St. Germain after finding out this information like it was an every day occurrence was a little jarring. The villain, St. Sebastien (evil leader of the Satan worshippers) was definitely well fleshed out. You could feel his evilness oozing from the pages. Some of the content in this book is not for the faint of heart. It contains rape, sexual torture, other methods of torture, orgies etc so if you cannot stomach reading about any of those topics this book is not for you (although the book is not too graphic or descriptive about any of it, it may still be disturbing).

It does pick up a little bit in the second half when the Satan worshippers finally manage to kidnap Madelaine and St. Germain has to go after her. Still you can see it coming that this will eventually happen. Also there is some back story going on about a group of alchemists and their knowledge of how to make jewels but I never really got what that was about.

Surprisingly (to me anyway) many people must have liked this book because it spawned about 15 other books with the newest one, Burning Shadows coming out in hardcover today. Maybe its because this is not something I would normally read so I was inclined to dislike it or maybe its just me and I'm missing the key points that would make this a really great book, but this was just not my cup of tea. I'm debating on whether I'll eventually give the 2nd book in the series a try to see if I like that one any better or if I should just give up on it now.

If the FTC is wondering: I got this book from the library

REVIEW: The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory

The Other Queen is Philippa Gregory's take on the much written of Mary Queen of Scots. This book picks up shortly after Queen Mary crosses into England and becomes the prisoner of Queen Elizabeth. It alternates viewpoints between Queen Mary and her "hosts" Bess and George Talbot-Countess and Earl of Shrewsbury. I like books that alternate viewpoints as long as the transition between viewpoints is one that can be easily followed. No problem on that front in this book. The characters each had a distinct voice and the chapters were short enough that the story was pretty easy to follow.

The story covers the various plots to free Queen Mary and either restore her to her throne or in some plots, overthrow Elizabeth and take the throne of England. I was familiar with the story already from reading Mary Queen of Scots and the Isles by Margaret George (a huge but very intriguing take on Mary Q0fS). I think the story itself was interesting enough but I have to say I did not like Gregory's Queen Mary at all. In this novel she was vain, self absorbed and did not care at all who was sacrificed in her bid to realize her ambitions. There was a lot of "I am so beautiful and charming, nobody can resist me" going on in this book that just made me cringe.

What redeemed the book for me was the viewpoints of Bess and George. I could be more sympathetic to Bess, the unwilling hostess who had to endure the great expense of having the Queen around while she constantly put the household in danger through her plots and also having to endure her husband becoming hopelessly besotted with the Queen. George also was an interesting character in that he valued honor above all and given the ultimate choice supported Elizabeth, but was really torn throughout the novel.

Again, this is not the best PG book I have ever read but it was entertaining enough for me. I would be interested in reading more on Bess of Hardwick.

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library

REVIEW: Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet by Xinran

Sky burial tells the story of Shu Wen, a Chinese woman who left her home of China to search for her husband who was killed while serving in the Army as a Doctor in Tibet. She lives in Tibet and continues her search for over 30 years before finally finding out what happened to her husband.

This story is insightful and heartbreaking. I got a glimpse into a tumultuous Tibet and the results of the mistrust and fear between the Tibetans and the Chinese. Admittedly, I know very little about Buddhism or the Tibetan culture but it was nice to follow along with Shu Wen as she learned and adapted to the way of life in Tibet. Along the way she meets a friend, Zhouma, who is also searching for her lost love and a nomad family that they both stay with for several years while preparing for the journey that will take them all over Tibet.

This story is actually a factual account told to the journalist Xinran by an elderly Shu Wen before she once again disappeared. I loved that the writing was so simplistic, yet beautiful. I actually read this for an author A-Z challenge and only chose to read it because I couldn't find many authors beginning with "X". I am glad I did pick it up though. It was well worth it.

If the FTC is wondering: I got this book from the library

REVIEW: The Rose without a Thorn by Jean Plaidy

The Rose Without a Thorn, the 11th and final book in Jean Plaidy's Queens of England Series is the story of Katherine Howard, the 5th wife of Henry VIII, told in her own words.

It begins with her imprisonment in the tower where she asks her scribe to aid her in recounting her life before her sentence of execution for treason is carried out. She then takes us back to where she first garners notice in her family and continues on to her upbringing in the house of her grandmother, the dowager Duchess of Norfolk and how the environment there set her on the path to her eventual downfall.

You have to feel sorry for both Katherine Howard and Henry VIII, Katherine because she was so young and did the same things many other girls her age probably did and it only became an issue because she became the wife of the King. You also have to feel for Henry VIII even though he could be quite the tyrant because he was getting up there in years at this point and finally thought he had found true love only to have this illusion completely crushed.

I was already really familiar with the story of Katherine Howard but I really liked how Plaidy told this one. I think this is one of her better books in the Queens of England series and a really fast and easy read too. I admit to being an addict of the Showtime series the Tudors and even though that is pure entertainment, Plaidy's novels give a much more accurate picture of the time period. I'm kind of sad that I'm done with this series. :(

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library

REVIEW: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

This one started out really slow for me. It actually took me three tries to be able to complete it. I'm glad I did stick with it because after the first 100 pages the story really started to pick up. Devil in the White City tells two stories that intertwine: the story of the Chicago World's Fair and the story of H. H. Holmes, America's first serial killer that operated in Chicago during the time of the World's Fair.

First the story of the World's Fair-This book gives a detailed accounting of all obstacles that were faced to make this a reality, and there were many. Apparently at that time Chicago was viewed as an inferior city and no one thought that the architects brought together to design the World's Fair could pulll it off. Miraculously they did and ended up blowing the World's Fair in Paris (where the Eiffel Tower was unveiled) out of the water. It really was an interesting story, at times with too much detail which kind of made the story drag a bit here and there. Still it was good and I kept trying to picture present day Chicago in my mind throughout the book, mentally comparing what was still there of the fair. Not much I'm afraid.

The second story which details the operations of H. H. Holmes, stealth serial killer at large was equally fascinating. The book focused more on the timeline of who Holmes killed and offered a little here and there of how he accomplished it but did not focus on the details of how all the individual murders were committed. This is something that I think actually ended up being a good thing because I think it would have bogged down the book. I will not give away how he was finally caught but the manner in which he was caught and the fact that the Chicago Police Department was completely oblivious just boggled my mind.

Definitely a good piece of history that doesn't read like a boring history book at all. I'm glad I stuck with this one.

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library

REVIEW: William's Wife by Jean Plaidy

This book is the 10th in Jean Plaidy's Queens of England series and as with all the others is written from the point of view of the main character. In this novel Lady Mary of York, daughter of King James II of England and niece to Charles II (the Merry Monarch) tells her story.

Mary appears to have a decent childhood and the adoration of her father. She lives an idyllic life up until she becomes of marriageable age and it is decided to she will marry Prince William of Orange who turns out to be a cold distant husband throughout their relationship. Mary is raised Protestant which puts her in conflict with her father later in life due to his ardent support of the Catholic church. Seems England has had a lot of the Protestant vs. Catholic theme that has divided several royal family members, eh?

Plaidy portays Queen Mary as a likeable woman, even if she was somewhat weak. Mary could have been a great ruler in her own right but always chose to be subservient to her husband even though no one liked him. I find it sad that she had to endure such a loveless marriage and even outright disrespect and indiffererence from her husband yet somehow they grew to have a mutual respect for eachother. Plaidy rightfully portrayed William of Orange as a cad. It is sad that she endured so much grief in her personal relationships when she really didn't have to.

I must say I enjoyed this book, as I have all but one of the books in the Queens of England series (In the Shadow of the Crown was just eh for me).

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library

REVIEW: Geisha, a Life by Mineko Iwasaki

Mineko Iwasaki tells the story of her time as one Japan's top Geishas until she retired at the age of 29. Her story is what Arthur Golden based his book Memoirs of a Geisha on (a book I loved by the way). The first thing I noticed right in the first chapter was the story had a lot of "I" in it. I know it is her story, but having the word "I" start 90% of the sentences on the page can get kind of irritating. When I was able to get past that I found her story to be really interesting. She portrayed herself as a very astute little girl who was able to make complicated, adult level decisions at a very young age. I have heard some criticize this memoir, saying there is no way she could remember with such clarity what happened in her life from the time she was three.

I think she did do an excellent job of explaining the intricacies of the Geisha world and the years of hard work involved in perfecting the art of becoming a Geisha. Her perspective was a unique one even in this society because she was chosen at a very young age to be the successor at her Okiya (Geisha house) which meant that she had a markedly different and more privileged existence than those who are not chosen for this role. She attributes her success to her constantly pushing herself to be the best and emphasizes this several times throughout the book.

A few things I didn't like: She constantly mentions that she tried to reform the way things were done within the Geisha community but she never goes into detail about what exactly she did. She also does a brief blurb about how courtesans differ from Geisha in that they also have mizauge (coming out ceremony) but courtesans sell their virginity and Geisha do not. It would have been helpful for her to go into more detail here since I think it is a misconception (especially after the Memoirs of a Geisha book and movie came out) that this is standard practice in the Geisha community.

If you are looking for more insight into the Geisha world then I would recommend this book even though I felt it could be less egocentric and more elaborate in some spots. If you are looking for pure entertainment value I would go with the infinitely more readable (and enjoyable) Memoirs of Geisha as long as you keep in mind that that one is fiction and the author did take liberties :)

If the FTC is wondering: I got this book from the library

REVIEW: The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

***possible spoilers***

This is the first of her War of the Roses novels which will be followed by The Red Queen coming out in 2010 and the White Princess at a later date. I haven’t read very many novels that painted a sympathetic portrait of Elizabeth Woodville as this one did. Most paint an unflattering portrait of her as a power hungry queen, possibly involved in witchcraft, and whose main focus was the advancement of her own family.

In Gregory’s novel, Elizabeth Woodville’s marriage to Yorkist King Edward IV is one of love. It is interesting that the union happened at all considering her family was staunchly for the House of Lancaster previously. It begins with Elizabeth’s fateful meeting with Edward and takes us through her secret marriage, the births of her many children, and her battles with several different entities to protect her family (Margaret of Anjou and the Lancasters, Edward’s brothers Richard and George, and several other noblemen who threw their lots in with whomever could get them the best deal and most prestige).

Two interesting theories that Gregory chose to incorporate into the novel are the claim that the Woodville family was descended from the Goddess Melusine and the women had special “powers” and that one of the Princes may have survived and escaped to Flanders (known as the Perkin Warbeck conspiracy).

It was definitely an interesting viewpoint of the War of the Roses and allows you to see Elizabeth Woodville as a human being and get some insight into why she may have made some of the decisions she did throughout her life. I think though that I would have gotten more out of this book had I waited for The Red Queen and The White Princess to come out and then read them all in succession. I have a feeling that each book will enrich the other two and make for a better story. Overall I would say this Gregory novel was middle of the road-a category I would put the 2nd and 3rd books in her Wideacre Trilogy and the Virgin’s Lover in. It’s a good read f you don’t mind a little romance in your history and an author that strays off the historical accuracy path in the interest of a good story.

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library

REVIEW: Castile for Isabella by Jean Plaidy

From the back cover: "Fifteenth-century Spain is rent with intrigue an threatened by civil war. Here, the young Isabella becomes the pawn of her half-crazed mother and a virtual prisoner of at the licentious court of her half-brother Henry IV.

At just sixteen years old, is she already fated to be the victim of the Queen's revenge, the Archbishop's ambition and the lust of the lecherous Don Pedro Giron? Numbed by grief and fear, Isabella remains steadfast in her determination to marry Ferdinand, the handsome young price of Aragon, her only true betrothed."

First let me say that I have read all but two of Plaidy's Queens of England series and there was only one of those that I really didn't love. This is the first Plaidy book I've read that was not from the first person point of view and I must say I liked it. You have to feel a bit sorry for Isabella and her brother Alfonso who are constantly remind throughout their childhood that they are destined to rule and are really robbed of their childhood as a result of being the pawn of so many. Henry IV is portrayed as being an awful king to his people, and the politically ambitious people surrounding him are constantly using this as an opportunity to set up first Alfonso and then Isabella in his place so that they may rule through them.

From a young age Isabella is betrothed to Ferdinand of Aragon and throughout her life even though she is pushed into marriage with others she refuses because she "loves and is destined for Ferdinand". This is the only theme of the book that I really didn't enjoy. I can understand wanting to stick it out and marry the handsome young Prince of Aragon vs. old kings and lecherous men but constantly stating that Isabella instinctively knows she loves and is destined for Ferdinand is a bit like pointing out someone you don't know in your high school year book and refusing all dates from that point on until this person finally asks you out because you believe you are "destined to be together". I am more inclined to believe that she held fast to marrying Ferdinand because she wanted to marry someone closer to her own age and because she was set on uniting Aragon and Castile for a better Spain.

Though there are several obstacles in the book to keep them apart Isabella and Ferdinand are finally united and married and on the death of her brother she becomes Queen of Castile. This sets the reader up for the next book in the trilogy, Spain for the Sovereigns. None of the historical fiction I have read so far has been set in this time period so I found it really interesting. It was not the best Plaidy book I have read but it was definitely good enough for me to want to read the rest of the trilogy.

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library

REVIEW: Meridon by Philippa Gregory

This review was originally written on 13 April, 2009

Meridon is the conclusion of Philippa Gregory’s Wideacre Trilogy and tells the story of Meridon who has longed all her life for “Wide” a land she has never seen but cannot forget. Meridon grows up living a hard life as a child of gypsies with her “twin sister” Dandy. M has a gift for horses and she and her sister are sold to Robert Gower, a man with a horse show, so her stepfather no longer has to be responsible for them. Robert sees M’s gift with horses and trains her as a horsewoman and develops an aerial act where he trains Dandy and his son Jack as trapeze artists. After tragedy strikes M strikes out on her own and finally stumbles across Wideacre, the place of her dreams but finds herself at odds with the lifestyle of the Quality and how the estate is run.I liked this one better than book 2 but I still think book 1 was the best of the three. I like that Gregory made Meridon a strong female character like Beatrice was. The only thing that irked me was I kept wondering what happened to some of the minor characters from book 2. It never said what happened to Ralph Megson or to the Haverings that owned Havering Hall beforehand. I felt it would have been a little bit better had this been explained and I also recommend that all the books be read back to back. I did read 2 and 3 back to back but I read the first one 6 months ago and forgot quite a bit of the back-story between then and now.

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library

REVIEW: The Favored Child by Philippa Gregory

This review was originally written on 13 April, 2009

Favored Child, the 2nd book in the Wideacre trilogy, continues the story of the Lacey’s of Wideacre. This time the book focuses on Julia and Richard, “cousins” and joint heirs to the Wideacre estate. Unlike Beatrice Lacey in the first book, Julia Lacey was not as strong of a character throughout. Richard was the one hell bent and determined to prove that he is the Favored Child and the rightful squire of Wideacre. This stems from a legend in the village of Acre that only one of them is the true heir of Beatrice who had a special relationship with the estate and could make it grow and prosper.This book was not nearly as dark as the first one which shocked you repeatedly with its tales of rape, murder and incest, all for the love of the land. This one did have some dark undertones too though.I had a hard time with Julia being such a wishy washy character, especially when Beatrice Lacey was such a no holds barred one in the last book. I also had a hard time believing that her love for Richard blinded her so much that she couldn’t see how evil he really was. I love Philippa Gregory’s books and although I didn’t like this one as much as Boleyn Girl, Boleyn Inheritance or Queen’s Fool, it was still a pretty good read. I definitely think it had a little bit of “middle book” syndrome though where the 2nd book in a trilogy still manages to progress the story but it just kind of sandwiched in between the 1st and 2nd book and not nearly as good.

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library

REVIEW: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

This review was originally written 13 April, 2009

Interesting read which tells the story of Griet, a Dutch girl who is sent to live as a servant for the painter Vermeer to earn money for her family after her father is blinded and can no longer work. The Vermeer household features several children, Catharina-the cold mistress of the household, and another servant. Tensions arise when one of the girls takes a dislike to Griet and constantly tries to get her in trouble. She also creates tension when Vermeer recognizes her abilities and tasks her to assist him which creates jealousy among the household and also when she catches the eye of a wealthy customer and must resist his advances. Eventually the only way to appease him is for Griet to sit for a portrait (The Girl with the Pearl Earring).I like that the focus of the book stayed on Griet and that kept the story simple and enjoyable. There are so many different points of focus the book could have had but I think Chevalier was smart to keep the focus on the protagonist, Griet. In doing this I got a good impression of what it was like to live in Delft and the differences between the classes and how people were expected to act. Its not easy to picture in your mind how characters should be in a time you know nothing about but I felt liked the way the writing and descriptions allowed you to “see” it without it being too much. I also didn’t mind the background story of the butcher’s son vying for Griet’s attention throughout the book. Good description, likeable main character and it made me interested enough to look up some of Vermeer’s work on Wikipedia so I could see for myself the paintings that were discussed in the book.

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library

REVIEW: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This review was originally written on 13 April, 2009

I don’t think I have ever read a book that was narrated by Death before. It definitely gave the book an interesting perspective. The Book Thief tells the story of Liesel Meminger who comes to live with the Himmerman family in Nazi Germany after her mother can no longer care for her. Death tells the different times he meets Liesel and how she came to be known as the Book Thief. It also gives a glimpse into how it was to live in Munich during the time of the Nazi’s and also the trials the Himmerman family goes through to hide Max, the Jewish son of Hans Himmermans’ old deceased war buddy, after Hans made a promise to help his widow if she ever needed anything.If this story were told from the perspective of one of the actual characters (Liesel, Hans, Max, or Rudy-Liesel’s neighbor and best friend) I don’t think the story would have been nearly as good. It’s the story told from Death’s point of view and how among all the people in the world and all the suffering at the time this girl stood out to him and his telling of her story and those around her which puts the book in a class by itself.I like books that allow you to put a human face on tribulations endured. For the Holocaust the Diary of Anne Frank did that, Elie Wiesel’s Night did that, and the Book Thief accomplished this also. Great, although very sad read.

If the FTC is wondering: This book was obtained from the Library

REVIEW: 3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows by Anne Brashares

This review was originally written on 13 April, 2009

Brashares decided to branch out from Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and create a new sisterhood of sorts. This sisterhood only has three members Ama, Polly and Jo. In this book Ama, the braniac of the bunch, is awarded a scholarship to attend a program at one of the local universities over the summer but to her horror is assigned to go to a wilderness camp. Polly decides she wants to be a model (even though she is not the “model” type) and Jo decides to stay with her mom on the beach and takes a job at a local beach cafe after her mom and dad split up. While there she meets and older boy and has to vie for his affections after his old flame (Effie, younger sister of Lena from the SOTP series) shows up to work there again.I was a little concerned that when I started reading this that the author would have basically the same characters as the original sisterhood but have given them all different names. I was pleasantly surprised because the characters of this new sisterhood stood on their own and didn’t remind me of the original girls at all. I’m not sure if I liked the character names though. When I read Ama in my mind I kept seeing Anna. I like the individual story lines of each of the girls and I think the author did a good job of showing how people who grow know each other for most of their lives can still reach that point where they grow apart a little bit. I know I have friendships like that-still friends but we all went our individual ways.I think the only thing I didn’t like was the cameos from some of the SOTP characters, namely Effie. I didn’t like her in the other novels and I didn’t like her in this one. I can see that the author was maybe trying to do a passing of the torch type thing but I think the book could have stood by itself without bringing the old characters back.

If the FTC is wondering: this book is from my own personal library

REVIEW: The Witch's Trinity by Erika Mailman

This review was originally written on 13 April, 2009

The Witch’s Trinity centers on a village in Germany in the 16th century and how the villagers slowly turn on one another by accusing each other of witchcraft in explanation of the long period of bad crops and starvation they have been experiencing. The main character, Gude, is an old woman who lives with her son, wife, and two children and is accused by her daughter-in-law as a convenient way to get rid of the old woman so they would no longer have to feed her. This occurs after Gude’s dearest friend is accused and found guilty after a Priest tries her using the Witch’s Hammer, a “Bible” of recognizing and dealing with witchcraft.I have to say that I really enjoyed this short read and was able to finish it within a couple of hours. The author definitely has a good imagination. She does a great job of conveying Gude’s vulnerability as an old woman, and does a fantastic job in blurring the lines so we don’t know if Gude really is experiencing what is described in the book or if it is just an old woman’s imagination run wild. Also the glimpse we get of the teachings of the Witch’s Hammer and the methods of torture used to exact confessions from the accused actually made me cringe. I can’t imagine having to go through any of that.I read The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent which centered on the Carrier family and the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. That story was interesting also but was dull and bogged down in parts and you sort of lost the characters. In my opinion Witch’s Trinity is a much better read because I can’t recall any dull parts at all. I loved the writing style and I hope I get to read more from this author.

If the FTC is wondering: this book is from my own personal library

REVIEW: The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb

This review was originally written on 31 March, 2009

I really liked Wally Lamb's other two books so I was anticipating a good read with this one and I got it.The story at first seems to be about the tragedy at Columbine but really it is about how a married couple deals with the fallout from the tragedy as well as other things that have affected their lives. Also the exploration of the family history of the main character takes up the latter half of the book. This may at times make it seem like HIFB is two separate stories rolled into one which can be weird for some.What I really liked about this book was that the characters were human and really believable. I didn't necessarily like Caelum Quirk or his reactions to some of the issues he deals with in the book but it is how I would imagine a real person would react.I loved how the book dealt with the PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) issue. I have something similiar to PTSD so I was really skeptical about how accurately the author would portray the relationship between Caelum and Maureen after the Columbine fallout. I realize not all people will react the same but a lot of the symptoms are the same and Mr. Lamb nailed the struggles on that front. There were parts of the book where I felt the author had to have been standing in my living room observing me and my hubby before he wrote this book.The history of the Quirk family was interesting also but it was in this section that the story kind of got bogged down a bit. The author was laying the groundwork for this phase and it got a little less interesting but it did pick back up as the story got more involved.The story deals with heavy issues so it is probably not for someone who requires a happy ending to everything they read. It is rare that I retain much from a book for more than a day or two but this one stuck with me. Great book overall. I am looking forward to Mr. Lamb's next one.

If the FTC is wondering: This book is from my own personal library