Reviews
Reviews, Pleeze! - Page 2
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Title: I am Charlotte Simmons | Rating: |
| Author: Tom Wolfe |  |
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| Genre: Fiction | ||
| ISBN: 0312424442 | ||
| Reviewer: Betty Jo |
We all know a Charlotte
Reading this book has transported me back to my days
at LSU. Coming from a small town in the Louisiana Delta and graduating with
a class of 22 kids...needless to say I was not prepared for what the large
campus life offered. The passage in the book when Charlotte is moving into
her dorm room and meets her roommate for the first time made my skin crawl.
I think Tom Wolfe is on track with the current trends in college life. It makes
my experience seem lame in comparison. I have to say however some things are
still the same. The strata of college society seems to have changed very little.
Being a part of a popular sorority seemed to help me fit in...but some of those
girls were unbelievable.
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Title: Lord of the Flies | Rating: |
| Author: William Golding | |
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| Genre: Fiction | ||
| ISBN: 0-571-19147-9 | ||
| Reviewer: Annabelle Brough |
Golding's Savages
After reading Lord of the Flies, and then studying it, I
became entranced by the way William Golding transformed the novel by the language
use and the simple meaning of survival. At first the novel appeared to me as
being a little slow paced, however after studying it in depth I realized that
Golding had hidden important characteristics of the book within the words.
Which meant a bit of mystery was added to the novel.
Golding destroys the concept of civilization in this gripping, twisted and chillingly violent novel.
Isolated on an edenic desert island following a plane crash, the all-boy survivors find themselves trapped in a world of anxiety and fear. What follows is a descent into a black abyss of disastrous events and without any adult figures; the boys become entranced by the island and what profound secrets it holds. With no restraints the public schoolboys turned savages become demonic beasts addicted to pain and death.
With only a conch for authority, and to bring everyone together, the battle for leadership soon takes a sinister turn. Ralph is elected leader, much to the annoyance of head choirboy Jack. The leadership forces a bar between the two boys, and they soon end up seeing different views for the island's inhabitants, resulting in the island being split into two groups. The once innocent exploration begins to take a poisonous turn. What secrets does the wilderness hold? The nightmare begins and the sequence of events that unfolds gets more and more dramatic, with Golding successfully making the savages turn even more sinister, even to the extent where it seems that they aren't aware of what they are doing. It's almost as if Golding is taking us through a journey back to the cavemen period, as we read the novel we are observers of how man survived without the modern government or leadership.
Golding has the ultimate gift of being able to contrast scenes with great skill, voyaging into the unvisited world of death and afterlife. Exchanging the blood and sweat for the gentle drift of waves, and touching the subject deeply with spiritual intellect and breath-taking beauty. However, minutes before there was death, filled with terror and brutality. The atmosphere is changed instantly so that the reader is taken out of the brutality and into the beauty.
"The tide swelled in over the rain pitted sand and smoothed everything with a layer of silver". This line portrays the sense of peace with the world, and the beauty of even the most tragic circumstances.
One by one, the boys flee to Jack's group where they are promised food. This nightmare takes an even more fatal turn when Ralph's life hangs in the balance. Will he make it off the island alive, or is he destined to lay with the deceased for the rest of eternity?
Lord of the flies, is definitely a book that you should read, it is filled with engaging language that makes the reader feel as if they are looking down on the island and are actually in the vicinity of the boys. The isolated island is a character within itself; the beauty is turned to horror as Golding unravels the plot carefully.
The importance of the novel and the aspects that make it so thought-provoking is the overwhelming way of language use: "Some source of power began to pulse in Roger's body". Roger here is portrayed as the worst of the savages; he has been completely transformed into a beast. Some may say he is pure evil!
Golding's novel produces what everyone fears, how innocence can be transformed into beastly characteristics in the survival of the fittest. Also, he portrays how anyone can be engulfed by the immense power of authority and leadership.
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Title: The Shape Shifter | Rating: |
| Author: Tony Hillerman | |
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| Genre: Mystery | ||
| ISBN: 0-06-056345-1 | ||
| Reviewer: John Randolph |
Joe Leaphorn Investigates Again
This is a Tony Hillerman book. Yeah, I know.
It says so on the cover. But you could tell that it's a Hillerman book just
from the story. It's got the big res. It's got Navajo history. It's got Leaphorn
and Chee. Anybody who's into Tony Hillerman, and we're pretty thick on the
ground, has got to have high expectations. Unfortunately, the book disappoints.
A letter from an old acquaintance breathes life back into one of Joe Leaphorn's dead cases. Then the acquaintance disappears. The retired detective investigates on his own. He has no hard facts to give to the police, but he suspects that what has been classified as an accidental death by fire may have been intentional. And this may not be the only death the killer has arranged.
That sounds interesting, but what Hillerman delivers on this premise is a workaday, fairly predictable detective story. The plot lacks complexity. There are no stunning twists, no compelling secondary characters, no intriguing sub-plots. But the major lack in this book is the simple importance of other Hillerman works like, say, "The Thief of Time" or of "Finding Moon."
I am not telling you not to read this book. If you're a Hillerman nut, like I am, you will anyway. But I'm sorry to say I found this book to be the weakest of the series.
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Title: The Foreign Correspondent | Rating: |
| Author: Alan Furst | |
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| Genre: Espionage | ||
| ISBN: 1-4000-6019-2 | ||
| Reviewer: John Randolph |
Paris When It Sizzles
Here's how to read an Alan Furst book. Buy it. Take it
home and put it on the shelf. It's going to be good, and you need to prepare.
When you're ready in all respects, and for me this takes about a week, take
the book down. Have a seat. Make sure that your tray table is in the upright
and locked position. Then crack the sucker open and start reading.
Furst writes historical spy novels. Make no mistake, though, these are not James Bond books. They are historical novels about people who happen to get tangled up in the intrigues before and during the Second World War. In The Foreign Correspondent, the action takes place in 1938. The hero, Carlo Weisz, is the editor of an Italian anti-Fascist underground newspaper. Under police pressure, he flees to Paris where he takes a job as a Reuters correspondent. But the Italian secret police are active even there. A leading Italian émigré anti-Fascist activist is murdered. Because of his past, Weisz gets sucked into the whirl of Sûreté investigators, Italian spies and the anti-Fascist underground.
That's all very well, but it's not what makes Furst such a good read. He fills his pages with people who live and breathe, who have depth, who you could recognize if you met them on the street, and who you care about. Furst's characters move through a world so well drawn that you can smell it, and which spins inexorably toward the cataclysm of war. That's the underlying source of tension in this book. You know that the lives being lived on these pages are going to be at least disrupted, and perhaps ended, when the inevitable conflict arrives.
So do I recommend this book? Well, it's another Alan Furst book. Which means: Go get it. Read it. Check your tray table first.
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Title: Envious Shadows | Rating: |
| Author: R. P. Burnham | |
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| Genre: Literary | ||
| ISBN: 0-9766274-2-6 | ||
| Reviewer: Mayra Calvani |
A Deftly Crafted and Controversial Novel
Envious Shadows is a deftly crafted,
engrossing contemporary novel, one of those works which is not afraid to face
the grim realities of life and the cruelties of society.
The story revolves around four main characters, all in some way alienated and simply trying to make the best of their lives in a world that ultimately is uncooperative and oppressive.
Fiona Sparrow is a shy young black woman who works at a house for schizophrenics and manic-depressives in Portland, Maine. Though well-educated, she is deeply insecure, a result of being the only black person in Waska, where she grew up. Adding to her identity conflict is the fact that she is the daughter of a white woman and a black man. The house where she works may very well serve as a metaphor for her life, for as a minor character states early in the novel, "To be black in America is to be schizophrenic." (p. 14)
Lowell Edgecomb has come back to Portland after being away many years. The son of a hippy mother and a father who deserted him early in life, he is also in many ways alienated and plagued by feelings of inferiority, shame, indifference and passivity. After having come into money in a most unexpected way, he now plans to build a cottage close to his mother's house. In a softball game, he meets Fiona. The rapport between them is instant. Most of their friends don't mind their "mixed" relationship, but other people in their community strongly do. It is with these people Nazis and KKKs that Lowell and Fiona have to deal with.
Bill Paine is Lowell's half brother. In spite of this, they are very close and trust and support one another. He has a solid, stable job, yet, like his brother, he is afflicted with feelings of inferiority due to his upbringing. He too has been deserted by his father. He has the "perfect" marriage and his wife Becky is the "perfect" mother to his two beautiful young sons. Yet Bill feels lonely, ignored, unloved, and ultimately vulnerable to another woman's charms.
Marilyn, described as a "female Don Juan," is Fiona's white cousin. This is one of the loneliest, saddest, most hopeless characters in this book. Her tragedy lies in being unaware of her own selfish and destructive behaviour. A temptress at heart with no consideration for anybody but herself, she "steals" Bill from his wife and children, an event which eventually has disastrous consequences for Bill.
Another character who though minor is worth mentioning because of his influence all throughout the novel as well as his impact in the end, is Rett Murrey. A Nazi with dreams of greatness, he exemplifies all the ignorance, pathos, cruelty and injustice of society. His ugly essence permeates the whole novel like a poison cloud, even when he's not present in a scene.
The characterization in this novel really stands out. Bill Paine is the best portrayal of an unfaithful husband as I have ever seen in a novel. With the candor and sharpness of a razor, the characters' voices come to life, exuding all their insecurities and feelings of powerlessness. The other aspect of the novel which stands out is the insightful, elegant prose of its author. In spite of the book's small print and long, slow paragraphs, most of the time words flow beautifully and effortlessly, keeping a tight grip on the reader's suspension of disbelief. "Dinner over, they had walked down to Deering Oaks to spend together the remaining hour before she had to return to work," the author writes. "Their hands sought each other, the warmth of their palms like a transformer connecting two circuits. The sun was low in the west and the clouds glorious Japanese lanterns of purples, pinks and oranges as they strolled past the duck pond. The beauty of love is that it made you love not just an individual but the whole world, life itself. 'I love the evening, the quiet of it, the peacefulness,' he had said, and she had answered in a hushed tone, 'Isn't it lovely?' They had stopped and looked into each other's eyes. He had squeezed her hand. They both could feel love hovering between them like a beautiful butterfly, but first Fiona wanted to make sure no impediment, no misunderstanding, clouded that feeling. Haltingly she said, 'Lowell, you know that I am a black woman. That s how I see myself, I mean. It's my identity.'"
Though this is his debut novel, author R.P. Burnham is editor of the well-established The Long Story literary magazine, and has published a book of essays. He also has a forthcoming book dealing with similar themes of alienation and the nature of evil in society explored in this book.
Controversial issues of prejudice, racism, and the conflict between men's and women's roles are the landmarks of this novel. A beautiful work which depicts life in all its grim realities, Envious Shadows is a rewarding read and one I strongly recommend for group discussions.
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Title: Blindness | Rating: |
| Author: Jose Saramago | |
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| Genre: Literary | ||
| ISBN: 0-15-600775-4 | ||
| Reviewer: Mayra Calvani |
A Complex Novel for the Sophisticated Reader
After reading this complex, unsettling,
brilliant novel, the reader will not be surprised by the fact that its Portuguese
author, Jose Saramago, won the 1998 Nobel Prize for Literature a short time
after having written it. At its core, Blindness explores the morbid, darkest
side of human nature caused by fear and the instinct for survival.
The story begins in a nameless metropolitan city when a motorist abruptly becomes blind at a red light. Instead of the usual dark blindness, this blindness is white. Another man, a stranger, helps the motorist walk to his nearby home, then goes back to the street and steals the motorist's car. At the motorist's home, the wife immediately makes an emergency appointment with an ophthalmologist, who, mystified by the oddness of the symptoms, agrees to see the blind man. However, a short time after having had contact with the motorist, the doctor also turns blind. Soon all the people who have had contact with the first blind man turn blind. Like an evil cloud, the white sickness begins to spread through the city. Oddly, the first blind man's wife is the only one who is not affected by this illness. The reason for this is never explained, an example of the magical realism used by Saramago. In magical realism, strange and illogical situations don t have to be explained because they serve a deeper, more complex reality.
At this point it is important to mention that the characters in this book don t have names. Instead they referred as "the first blind man," "the wife," "the doctor," "the thief," "the girl with the dark glasses," "the boy with the squint," "the soldier," etc..
In order to prevent an epidemic, the blind are transported like cattle to a large empty asylum and promised medical care, food and supplies. In order to stay close to her husband, the wife lies about her healthy eyesight and is also sent to the asylum. It is through her eyes that the reader sees what takes place inside.
Little do the internees suspect what awaits them. Hardly any food is brought in, at least not enough for everybody. Without soaps or detergents, and as more blind are brought to the asylum, the hygienic conditions quickly become deplorable. "It was not just the fetid smell that came from the lavatories in gusts that made you want to throw up, it was also the accumulated body odour of two hundred and fifty people, whose bodies were steeped in their own sweat, who were neither able nor knew how to wash themselves, who wore clothes that got filthier by the day, who slept in beds where they had frequently defecated," writes Saramago.
Without order and a good leader, it is not long before anarchy and chaos follow. A group of "evil" blind men take control of the food and soon become the leaders. They subject the other blind to violence, murder and rape. The victims can't call for help. Outside of the asylum soldiers keep watch, but terrified themselves with the risk of becoming blind, they shoot on the spot any blind person who dares approach the gate. As the author states, "when we are in great distress and plagued by pain and anguish that is when the animal side of our nature becomes more apparent." In fact, the inhuman way in which the soldiers treat the blind makes the reader wonder who is the real blind here.
Eventually the internees manage to escape from the asylum, only to find a grim, desolate world where absolutely everybody except the wife has turned blind, a world where human beings have been reduced to animals. In a scene where one of the characters eats raw meat, the reader concludes that under extreme circumstances, human beings get used to everything in the end.
The novel is opened to interpretation. It is a metaphor of how living in a world without hope is to be blind, an allegory of how chaos and disorganisation can cloud people's minds.
Controversial themes explored in this book are how the force and nature of circumstances have considerable influence over language and behaviour, and whether the end, however "grand," ever justifies the means.
Saramago writes long paragraphs and uses no speech, exclamation or question marks. As exemplified by the following passage, the dialogue between the different characters is marked by commas and capital letters. This is a bit confusing in the beginning, but as the story unfolds the reader gets used to it: "Fine, let's go down, wait at the door while I go to find it, where did you put the keys, I don t know, he never gave them back to me, Who's he, The man who brought me home, it was a man, He must have left them somewhere, I'll have a look round, It's pointless searching, he didn't enter the flat, But the keys have to be somewhere, Most likely he forgot" and so on. This writing style has a peculiar effect on the reader, especially later in the asylum. It creates a sensation of confusion. In other words, the reader somehow becomes "blind." This also makes the book seem much longer than what it really is.
The author often interrupts the story to reflect on an idea, and though this breaks the suspension of disbelief, his thoughts are always intelligent and insightful, sometimes even ironically funny.
This is a novel at times brutal, at times beautiful. There is a particular touching scene towards the end where the wife, too tired of surviving and totally hopeless, wraps her thin arms round a lost dog in the street and starts crying. Saramago refers to this dog as "the dog of tears."
Other books in the past which have dealt with similar plots and themes, and which are worth reading, are Albert Camus' The Plague and John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids.
Not an easy read but certainly a well-worth one, Blindness is a disturbing, powerful book about injustice at its worst and the horrors human beings are capable of under extreme circumstances.
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Title: Bumped Off in Baltimore | Rating: |
| Author: Louise Titchener | |
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| Genre: Mystery | ||
| ISBN: 0-7599-3744-3 | ||
| Reviewer: Mayra Calvani |
An Enjoyable Mystery
One thing is for sure, Toni Credella is not your usual,
stereotype "investigator." Not
only does she combine an innocent quality with a darkly humorous attitude,
is dyslexic, and owns an unsuccessful home decorating business, but she has
to live with the stigma of having shot and killed her abusive cop husband a
few years back. It is primarily to make some extra bucks that she works part-time
for private detective Angus Maloney.
The story begins when Toni is assigned to keep an eye on Regina Fioni, a gorgeous opera singer who is being stalked by her troublesome ex-boyfriend, Darren Pescoso. Everything goes well in the beginning, until Toni becomes one of the suspects for the murder of Thea Berklyn, a rich woman who had just hired Toni to re-decorate her kitchen.
To make matters worse, a few days later Pescoso's throat is cut at the opera during an evening performance of Carmen. The event puts Toni in a delicate position, to say the least, for now she is suspected for two murders!
At the same time, a long lost uncle Toni had never met before suddenly appears into her life. Uncle Vanni, however, vanishes on the night of Pescoso's murder.
As a variety of suspects arise and more corpses appear, the case takes Toni to Vegas, where, besides keeping an eye on Regina, she tries to learn everything possible about Uncle Vanni. Who is he? Why did he disappear thirty years ago? Is there a connection between Uncle Vanni, and Berklyn's and Pescoso's murder? How are all the suspects related to the new developments which soon will take place along the city's waterside?
Written in a sharp, no-nonsense language with a touch of wit, this is the perfect book for readers who love light, fast-paced mysteries. Toni is a very sympathetic character and her relationship with Sergeant Gus O'Dell brings a refreshing romantic air to the story without overwhelming the mystery. Titchener's book is a great addition to her Toni Credella series.
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Title: Camille Claudel: A Novel | Rating: |
| Author: Alma H. Bond | |
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| Genre: Historical | ||
| ISBN: 1-4241-1670-8 | ||
| Reviewer: Mayra Calvani |
A Flawlessly Crafted and Totally Engrossing Novel
In this her latest novel,
psychoanalyst-turned-author Alma H. Bond offers the reader a beautiful, yet
highly disturbing portrait of Camille Claudel, the gifted French sculptress
from the late 1800's who was mistress to famous sculptor Auguste Rodin.
The story is told in first person through the eyes of Camille herself as she writes her own story while confined to an asylum, where she tragically spent the last thirty years of her life.
In lovely detail Camille pens her life from her early childhood to her very last days, giving a grim glimpse of her love/hate relationship with her mother, her love, edging on incest, to her younger brother, her struggle with the male-dominated artistic establishments of the time, and her turbulent, obsessive, destructive affair with Rodin, who was a married man.
The tale is addictive and totally engrossing. Bond brings to life the dark workings of Camille's genius mind, from her deepest obsessions to her paranoia. Camille comes across as an arrogant, selfish, ambitious yet complex and tragically frail figure of her times, when women artists were nothing more than "anomalies." Most remarkable is the gradual change in Camille's mind as she becomes more and more unstable. Flawlessly crafted and beautifully written, Camille Claudel: A Novel comes highly recommended from this reviewer.
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Title: Creatures of the Night | Rating: |
| Author: Stephen Brooks | |
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| Genre: Children's Picture Book | ||
| ISBN: 0-9769017-1-4 | ||
| Reviewer: Mayra Calvani |
Lovely story, Beautiful Illustrations
Has your young child ever wondered about
those noises in the night, or about those creatures that come out to play only
at night?
Creatures of the Night is a lovely rhyming story about those nocturnal creatures that "Come out to run and play," like "The sly and wily old raccoon,/With a mask around its eyes,/Sneaks about in search of food/in his ever so clever disguise."
Other creatures of the night mentioned in the book include the owl, field mice, crickets, frogs, fireflies, coyote, opossum, and muskrats.
The rhymes are delightful and the illustrations beautiful, with a serene, peaceful quality to them, bringing to life the magic of the night and its creatures. It is the kind of book young children will want to listen to in bed at night many times, if only to look at the lovely images of the animals.
A book that both teaches and stimulates young children's imaginations, Creatures of the Night is a keeper, and well-worth its hardcover price.
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Title: Death of a Dancer | Rating: |
| Author: S. H. Baker | |
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| Genre: Mystery | ||
| ISBN: 1-55410-126-3 | ||
| Reviewer: Mayra Calvani |
Nice Mystery
After having left New Orleans about a year ago, Marshall's Bayou's
Chief of Police Dassas Cormier returns to this city for a short visit with
his nephew. Though he loves its lively jazz musicians and hum of streetcars,
the place brings back dark haunting memories: not long ago, while still a police
officer for the New Orleans Police Department, he had shot an innocent woman
by mistake, an event that has left him permanently scarred for life.
However, what was meant to be a pleasant stay soon turns into a nightmare when Cormier learns that his dear friend Cherry Blossom, a sweet and kind dancer who once had quite literally saved his life, was murdered, shot twice in her bedroom.
Cormier makes a pledge: to find her killer and bring him or her to justice.
Although a man already has been arrested, after a short interrogation with him Cormier believes this suspect is innocent of the crime. His investigations soon led him to realize that Cherry's death goes beyond a simple murder. His former partner and best friend Ty Fuller seems to know more than he's willing to admit, an emerald necklace has disappeared, a federal agent is following Cormier, and Josiah Powers, one of the most influential men in the city, soon to run for major, seems to be connected with the murder. Add to these a touch of illegal operations and a sprinkle of corruption, and you have the perfect ingredients for a mystery that will keep you turning those pages.
Told in the first person, this is a well-written, cozy mystery set in the 1920's that will please any reader of the genre. New Orleans comes alive with the blast of jazz music pouring out of nightclubs, the rustle of myrtle and magnolia trees and the perfume of roses and jasmine. I look forward to reading more of Dassas Cormier adventures.
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Title: Death On Delivery | Rating: |
| Author: Anne K. Edwards | |
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| Genre: Mystery | ||
| ISBN: 1931201609 | ||
| Reviewer: Mayra Calvani |
Great Mystery, Compelling Characterization
When local society matron Jania
Yewbanks dies of natural causes, her sister contracts the services of Brom
Investigations to look into the case and prove that Jania's husband, Ted, murdered
her.
Hannah Clare, widow of Brom's ex-partner, cannot settle to be the adoring granny. A sharp mind with a taste for danger, she needs work and action. Knowing her for twenty-four years and seeing her so eager to get back to work, Brom brings her into the case. Ted Yewbanks, now widowed and living alone, needs a housekeeper, and what better person than Hannah to take the job?
Then in the midst of her investigations Brom dies for no apparent reasons. Stunned, Hannah realizes his death resembles that of Jania's. Something strange and evil is working its way into this small community. During the last few months there have been other unexplained, naturally caused deaths and this fact hasn't escaped Hannah's sharp eyes. Are they all murders? Soon a pattern begins to emerge, and an innocuous-looking gift advertising ad in a woman's magazine seems to be at the heart of these demises.
The characterization in this mystery really stands out. The minor characters are as complex, interesting, and carefully drawn as the main ones. With an excellent understanding of human behavior and motivations, this author has succeeded in creating a deftly crafted, classic suspenseful mystery that will keep you submerged from beginning to end. The climax made my heart race. Hannah is certainly a character with her no-nonsense, practical, tough yet sensitive and compassionate approach to life and I look forward to reading more of her future adventures in the second book for these series.
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Title: Survival: Species Imperative #1 | Rating: |
| Author: Julie E. Czerneda | |
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| Genre: Science Fiction | ||
| ISBN: 0756402611 | ||
| Reviewer: Jim C. Hines |
Delightful Start to an Ambitious Trilogy
I finished reading Survival: Species
Imperative #1 last night. This is the third book I've read by Julie E. Czerneda,
and I believe it's her best by far. (Which is not a slam on her other books,
but rather a sign that she's getting better.)
In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I've sold two stories to Julie Czerneda for Fantastic Companions and Misspelled. I also bought her story "A Touch of Blue" for Heroes in Training.
Survival introduces us to Dr. Mackenzie Winifred Elizabeth Wright Conner (Mac), a salmon researcher whose day-to-day struggles revolve around securing permission for her studies and getting her scanners ready for the next salmon migration. Enter Brymn, the seven-armed Dhryn (check the cover art). Brymn is an archaeologist studying the Chasm, a section of space where all life was wiped out thousands of years ago. The Dhryn have no biologists -- indeed, the study of biology is taboo -- but Brymn's a bit of a rebel, and he's hoping Mac can help him with his research. Because whatever created the Chasm has returned to kill again.
Over the next 450 pages, she must learn the truth behind that ancient slaughter, while also dealing with alien attacks, kidnappings, betrayals, a touch of romantic tension, and the day-to-day details of surviving on an alien world. (Things like finding shower facilities that won't burn human flesh, for starters...)
Survival is not an action-oriented, shoot-em-up kind of book. There is plenty of action, especially near the end, but Czerneda also spends a fair amount of time developing the relationships between Mac and others. Even the minor characters are well-developed and real. As a result, the emotional impact of the book is far more powerful. Reading the book, you truly care about Mac and everything she's going through. The biology is equally thought-out. This is about as far from the rubber-nose aliens of Star Trek as you can get. Czerneda's aliens feel alien, and it's great! How can you not love a species who demonstrates their emotional state by the color of their mucus?
My one complaint came with the end, which felt far more like the end of a chapter than the end of a book. While the immediate mysteries have been answered, the overall story is clearly unfinished. (Not quite as bad as the end of Uglies, but it's up there. Somewhere between Uglies and Empire Strikes Back.)
This is a big, ambitious story, and I understand that it will take several books to tell. As the title implies, species imperatives are a driving theme, and you can't do justice to an entire alien species in a single book. At the same time, I wish we had seen a bit more closure, at least for now.
The good news is, the second and third books are already out. If this sounds like the kind of book you'd enjoy, I'd strongly suggest you pick up all three, because you won't want to wait around for Amazon to ship the next one.
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Title: Every Waking Moment | Rating: |
| Author: Brenda Novak | |
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| Genre: Romantic Suspense | ||
| ISBN: 0-373-77045-6 | ||
| Reviewer: Mayra Calvani |
A Compelling and Suspenseful Romance
Brenda Novak's gift lies in grabbing
the reader mercilessly by the throat and not letting go until the very end.
Her latest romantic suspense, Every Waking Moment, is one of those special
books which will make readers so deeply involved with the story and characters
they will laugh, scream and even shed a few tears.
On the surface, Vanessa Beacon leads the kind of life most women would be envious of. She lives in a luxurious mansion, drives a Jaguar, and wears ten-thousand dollar studs on her earlobes. Many would say she has the perfect boyfriend, the arrogant, handsome and successful Manuel Rodriguez, with whom she has been living together for five years and who happens to be father of her young son, Dominick.
But Vanessa's life has a much darker side. The lovely mansion she lives in is, in fact, her prison, and her handsome boyfriend, her captor. Suspicious of her every move, Manuel obsessively controls everything she thinks and does, and even goes to the extreme of having her constantly followed wherever she goes and denying her any kind of economic independence. Deep inside, she knows Manuel is a dangerous man, and his "business" dealings more than dubious. To add to her predicament, her son Dominick suffers from diabetes and she must care for him constantly, administering insulin and checking his blood levels several times through the day and night.
But abuse situations sometimes reach a limit and today Vanessa is leaving Manuel.
With the housekeeper's help, Vanessa and Dominick are able to escape . . . but for how long?
Haunted for the past two years by a tragic event in his life, Preston Holman
is
obsessed with a deadly mission, one he will fulfill or die trying. When his
destiny clashes with Vanessa's, the last thing he wants is getting involved
with her, especially with her son, whose sight constantly brings a torrent
of heart-wrenching memories. Besides, their presence will complicate his plan.
But how can he not help her, when she seems so terrified?
Preston tells her he will bring her as far as Iowa, no more. But as they move from state to state in his van, and stay in motels at night, the emotional and physical attraction between the two become irresistible. To complicate matters, Preston begins to feel attached to Dominick, and vice versa.
With Manuel and his men closing behind on a death wish, will Vanessa and Dominick ever be able to find freedom and happiness? What about Preston's mysterious mission in Iowa? Will he bring it to fruition and still survive?
Fast-paced scenes filled with sparkling dialogue, romantic tension, and a
series of
pulse-racing plot twists bring the story to a heart-stopping climax and a conclusion
that will form a knot in most readers' throats. The hero and heroine, as well
as the little boy Dominick, really stand out, casting their magic to maintain
a continuous suspension of disbelief. An exciting, compelling, entertaining
read, Every Waking Moment comes highly recommended from this reviewer.
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Title: Baby Dog Beans Comes Home | Rating: |
| Author: Jennie Hale Book | |
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| Genre: Children's Picture Book | ||
| ISBN: 0-9767514-2-9 | ||
| Reviewer: Mayra Calvani |
Adorable book about sibling rivalry
What is it about golden retrievers that makes a dog lover, young or old, go wild?
In Baby Dog Beans Comes Home, author Jennie Hale captures the sweet "magic" of these gentle, devoted, intelligent dogs while offering young children an important message they can identify with.
The story is seen from the perspective of Paul, the older dog who until now has been the only "child" in the family, and Beans, the new baby brother. More than anything, Beans wishes to be accepted by his older brother, but Paul is not ready to be friends, play catch, or share any of his toys. As a matter of fact, Paul liked it a lot better when it was just him. All this changes when Beans runs into serious trouble and Paul rescues him.
As Paul realizes in the end, "It's not always easy when a new brother or sister comes into the family. But even if you're not best friends right away . . . give them a chance and you'll have someone who'll be there for you your whole life. And that's pretty great."
This is a book that can be read to a very young child, and one that early readers will relish on their own. The large, adorable photographs are sure to delight people of all ages.
**Originally published in The Bloomsbury Review.
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Title: Beyond The Summit | Rating: |
| Author: Linda LeBlanc | |
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| Genre: Fiction | ||
| ISBN: 0-9785353-0-8 | ||
| Reviewer: Sandra Shwayder Sanchez |
Love and redemption at the top of the world
If you love mountain hiking, good stories and yearn to travel, you will certainly
love this book. The author is a consummate craftswoman with an excellent
eye for descriptive detail and a sensitive ear for a variety of voices. Even
secondary characters, however brief their sojourn in these pages, are given
distinctive and authentic voices. She also knows her subject as she used
to earn her living taking groups of trekkers to Everest Base Camp.
There are two important story threads here: the love affair between an American journalist and a Sherpa guide named Dorje and the conflict between Dorje and his father who abhors the new ways brought to his land by the tourist climbers. The father, Mingma, is an intimidating man with a secret pain and vulnerability. His story is so deftly foreshadowed that when he finally reveals it the emotional impact is overwhelming.
It is through his sensibilities that we learn of the brutal and violent conquest of Tibet (where he studied in his youth) by the Chinese and the more subtle but also catastrophic economic conquest of Nepal by an outside world eager to "conquer" the highest mountain on earth.
To refuse to abandon the old ways is to be left on the brink of starvation, to acquiesce and join in the new tourist dependent economy means a loss of dignity and sometimes of life itself. Dorje's love for the American Beth gives him the insight to finally forgive and love his father as he has longed to do and the courage to realize his lifelong dream of climbing to the summit of Chomolungma (the Tibetan word for Everest, Mother Goddess of the world).
LeBlanc is equally adept at describing complex elusive emotions and the beautiful, terrifying aspect of the Himalayan Mountains. When she describes the cold you want to wrap youself in a blanket and her description of a race with an avalanche will take your breath away. But she outdoes herself with her description of the climb to the summit. It is a gut wrenching, inching on hands and knees, free falling, rope hanging, hallucinating experience at the top of the world. At the end you will feel like you've taken the trip of a lifetime.
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Title: The Plot Against America | Rating: |
| Author: Philip Roth | |
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| Genre: Literary Fiction | ||
| Reviewer: Lisa Gray |
Way to use your imagination!
A book of the imagination. It's the early 1940's,
and instead of what actually happened, the author imagines another outcome.
Charles Lindbergh, a man with some actual association with Nazi Germany,
gets elected President of the United States. Instead of entering World War
II, America takes a neutral stance. Instead of Hitler being stopped in his
tracks, his influence spreads throughout the world until the U.S. is sucked
into a Anti-Semite, Nazi leaning state. Told from the Jewish perspective,
it's pretty harrowing stuff.
I must confess, I couldn't help wondering what Charles Lindbergh's living relatives think of the book. They can't have been too pleased with his characterization!
Philip Roth's writing is delicious. That's the only word I can think of that fits. I originally got this book on Audio CD, though, and I must confess I enjoyed listening to it a bit more than reading it. The sentences are long and flowery in nature, and being a speedy reader, I find it slows me down a bit in order to savor and enjoy all his skill with language. I'd like to read more of him, and plan to.
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Title: The Inheritance of Loss | Rating: |
| Author: Kiran Desai | |
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| Genre: Literary Fiction | ||
| ISBN: 0-87113-929-4 | ||
| Reviewer: Sandra Shwayder Sanchez |
A Novel to Relish
There are some books you just can't put down and then there
are books you have to put down periodically just to relish the images evoked
by a single line, the stories encapsulated in a single paragraph. These are
the books destined to live on in literature long after their authors are
gone. Inheritance of Loss by Indian writer Kiran Desai is such a work. On
one level Desai manages to describe more realistically and accessibly than
most political scientists, the maze of racial, ethnic and class prejudices
that have plagued India since its colonization by the British. The complexity
of the resentments between Anglo and Indian, Nepali and Indian and Muslim
and Hindu as well as upper and lower classes and the difficulties encountered
by individuals who emigrate (usually to the United States or England) is
clarified with an uncanny insight into human psychology. On a deeper level,
she demonstrates two contrasting individual responses to prejudice and poverty
in two parallel stories, one taking place in the late 1930s and early 1940s
in Cambridge, England and the other in the mid 1980s in Manhattan.
Jemubhai Patel, whose father is an uneducated man with higher ambitions for his son, is married to a 14 year old bride whose dowry will pay his tuition to Cambridge where he will study to be a judge. In the novel, he is called "the Judge" in his present life as a powerful but alienated man in his own land and Jemubhai when he is remembering the journey that brought him to that place in his life. This is clearly symbolic of the fact that while in Cambridge, ashamed of his skin color, his habits, everything that identified him as Indian, he lost himself. He does everything he can to emulate the English, going so far as to apply white powder to his face. Because the English he encounters at Cambridge clearly despise him, he despises himself. Most unfortunately, he returns home despising the young romantic Indian Bride who has been waiting for him. Her story, though briefly told is the most heartbreaking in a book full of heartbreak.
The Judge employs, disdains and mistreats a cook who lives only for his son Biju. Biju manages to get a travel visa to the United States and stays to work in restaurants where his illegal status makes it easier for his employers to exploit him. Biju experiences poverty far worse than that endured by Jemubhai in Cambridge forty years earlier but he is able to cope more successfully with prejudice because he overcomes his own prejudice against other immigrants. His friendship with a Muslim from Zanzibar sustains him in Manhattan although he learns that such friendships must end: "Biju knew he probably wouldn't see him again. This was what happened, he had learned by now. You lived intensely with others, only to have them disappear overnight, since the shadow class was condemned to movement . . . ."
Biju finds the dignity to quit the best job he has found thus far because it requires him to cook beef. He is both beggar and chooser as he rejects one job after another until he finds one that does not require him to violate his religious traditions. When he finally returns to India it is because he does not want to risk losing what is most important to him.
In addition to these characters, there is Sai, the Judge's 16 year old daughter. Sai is a sensitive young woman who observes and thinks about everything around her and it is through her senses and observations that the reader experiences the feelings and conditions of some of the other characters. It is also through the story of Sai's romantic relationship with her tutor, a young man from a lower class, that Desai is able to describe so masterfully the complex political and social dilemmas of India.
The author evokes the weather and landscape of India as well as its society with the kind of detail that demonstrates a great love and care for her country. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in India as well as classic literature.
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Title: Arturo el Rey | Rating: |
| Author: Joan Upton Hall | |
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| Genre: Fantasy | ||
| ISBN: 1554102588 | ||
| Reviewer: Cheryl Swanson, Author of suspense/thriller Death Game |
Futuristic Fantasy Keeps Brain and Pulse Racing
Arturo el Rey is a superbly conceived tale in which a futuristic plot of
biochemical warfare kicks into reverse, colliding with the Arthurian Age.
Penned by Joan Upton Hall, the story begins in Texas in 2011. The opening
pages crackle with tension, as readers are ushered into a world where a
deadly virus has reduced what is left of mankind to killing each other
to survive.
While violent gangs struggle for control, Arturo Reyes and his band of outcasts try to defend and unite the innocent. As the story develops, Art begins having haunting visions of his future death as well as a puzzling sense he has a purpose and perhaps some connection to King Arthur.
Joan Hall has a masterful grip on the ins and outs of her complex plot and whips the action along at a brisk pace. This is what keeps you flipping the pages of Arturo el Rey faster and faster - it is such a great story. But she is also a wonderful student of human nature and her characters are compellingly drawn. Tense and gripping, Arturo el Rey is an extraordinary tale that gets both the brain and pulse racing.
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Title: Rebel Nation | Rating: |
| Author: Christopher Stires | |
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| Genre: Alternate History/Suspence | ||
| ISBN: 1554102197 | ||
| Reviewer: Gloria Oliver |
Rebel Nation by Christopher Stires
Premise: Alternate Earth where the South succeeded with their play
to separate from the Union and become their own country. Now in the present,
as the Confederate States deals with a turbulent time of political change
and possible brighter future for their minorities, news reporter McKenna
Alexander must deal with the fact her ex-husband is rumored to have been
the one who put the 5 million dollar hit on a recently released rights
activist. Would even Cullen sink to such depths, or does someone else have
an agenda and is just using him?
Review: Totally fascinating. If you've ever even considered reading alternate history, this book is for you! Wonderful attention to detail and world building. Great suspense, awesome prose, and plenty of hair raising excitement to boot! Characters are well developed from all sides, with plenty of insights for a nice 360 degree view. Intrigue, love, murder, hate, misguided manipulations, sacrifice, this one has it all!
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Title: Death Game | Rating: |
| Author: Cheryl Swanson | |
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| Genre: Thriller | ||
| ISBN: 1-554110-326-6 | ||
| Reviewer: Mayra Calvani |
An exciting, suspenseful read!
CG expert Cooper O'Brian's life turns upside
down when her younger brother, a troubled teenager, is accused of murdering
another boy in what looks like a deadly game. In spite of the evidence,
including a tape which shows her brother shooting the victim, Cooper believes
something just doesn t feel right. Is the tape fake? How can she prove
it?
With her brother on the run and the authorities after him, Cooper begins to investigate on her own, only to discover a bottomless vortex of deceit, rage and death. As the story unfolds it becomes obvious that something much more sinister and terrifying than a simple murder is at stake.
Twisted computer games, closed cities, terrorism, and a massive conspiracy mix together to create a suspenseful thriller that will touch readers on an emotional level.
Its horrifying implications are not far from reality in the present world we live in. Though the story is written in first person, which is somewhat unusual for a thriller, talented author Cheryl Swanson maintains a quick pace that reaches a spine-tingling, heart-stopping climax. Sensitive readers who are easily offended by explicit language should be aware that this book contains its fair share of it. Swanson's style is characterized by a stabbing wit and razor-sharp sentences that suit the plot and add momentum to the pace. An impressive debut novel by a promising author.
