"The Dovekeepers" by Alice Hoffman
Published 2011 by Scribner
I was excited to read this book. I expected to like it. And I did.
It's inevitable that the comparisons to Diamant's "The Red Tent" are going to come up. I am guilty of using it when I recommend "The Dovekeepers" to others. It's true, if you enjoyed "The Red Tent" you will most likely enjoy this. Strong female characters, ancient Israel and a bit of magic work well in both books. But I think I liked Hoffman's better.
Hoffman's characters are more exciting. The trials they suffer through, the strength they demonstrate, the self doubt, the bonding between them, literally makes them come alive. These are characters that are going to stay with you. And I enjoyed the way Hoffman dealt with the women's feminine mystic. She describes magic and spells, incantations and tokens but between the lines she lets you see how it was the women's faith that made the magic work. Someone who is a complete non-believer in magic or witchcraft, or who simply dislikes books of that ilk, can still read this book. It is essentially the story of the women's faith not only in their God but in themselves and each other.
OK, Hoffman may not be the greatest writer out there. I've read criticisms of the book that I have to agree with. Her metaphors can seem a bit trite at times. But if you aren't a literary critic and you are willing to "go with the flow", I guarantee you'll be entertained. Personally, that means alot to me. I do read for pleasure.
I would also suggest picking up this book sooner rather than later. Some of the enjoyment comes from finding out the history it's based on and the longer you wait to pick this one up, the more talk you are going to hear about it. Good and bad.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
"The Soldier's Wife" by Margaret Leroy
published 2011 by Hyperion
I wanted to like this book.
I did appreciate the story and enjoyed Leroy's wonderful descriptions of Guernsey, but the characters were poor. I never felt the anguish that they must of experienced being trapped on Guernsey under German rule while the war moved on around them. From her very first decision not to leave on the boat, I questioned the protagonist's motivations. She even enters into the romance without any credible prompt to do so. First she makes the sudden decision not to leave the island thereby risking her and her daughters safety, she enters into a forbidden relationship without sincere concern for the family's safety, she harbors a prisoner without thought for anyone's safety (including her lover), and at the end she seemly gives it all up for nothing. Her daughters, who should be rebelling or at least questioning seem content to eat turnip bread and go to school. Her lover seems oblivious to the ramifications of the affair, for himself, his wife or the protagonist and her family.
For a story ripe for conflict at every angle, the author seems to shy away from it... [spoiler alert!]
The boat she did not take doesn't go down. What would she have felt if it did?
The friends and family in London during the bombing don't die. We never even get a hint of them. What if letter would have gotten through?
The girls at the dance and dating German soldiers are never abused by their lovers or the townspeople. What if a girl was ostracized?
The boys who plan rebellion never seem to actually do much and when one is caught, he goes to prison and returns home safely. What if the boy had been killed?
The grandmother never says anything against the Germans directly. What if she confronted one of the soldiers living next door?
The protagonist carries on an illicit affair in her own bedroom and never gets caught!
The protagonist harbors a prisoner in her home which is searched by the Germans, which the prisoner runs from, but she is never accused!
Her husband cheats on her, she never confronts him.
Her lover cheats on his wife and she never confronts him. What if he reconciled with his wife when he returned home for a visit?
She sees prisoners being beaten but abides by her lovers request to not speak of it. What if she had a break down?
There is a food shortage but yet no one complains of hunger. What if the youngest child resorts to stealing?
The youngest girl's best friend is a trouble maker, yet they never get in trouble. What if he convinced her to steal from her German neighbors?
Winter comes and yet the author continues to harp about the beauty of Guernsey and mentions only some stormy seas and cold winds.
The protagonist regrets dumping her lover and then misses him at the airfield. What if she caught up with him, he still had to leave and THEN he dies?
And seriously, a baby? Who didn't see that coming? Her daughters, the townspeople, everyone, I guess - as we never learn about their reaction!
I still might recommend this book to some folks who want a simple romance but I can't promote it as a great piece of literature. I would suggest reading "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak and "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer instead.
published 2011 by Hyperion
I wanted to like this book.
I did appreciate the story and enjoyed Leroy's wonderful descriptions of Guernsey, but the characters were poor. I never felt the anguish that they must of experienced being trapped on Guernsey under German rule while the war moved on around them. From her very first decision not to leave on the boat, I questioned the protagonist's motivations. She even enters into the romance without any credible prompt to do so. First she makes the sudden decision not to leave the island thereby risking her and her daughters safety, she enters into a forbidden relationship without sincere concern for the family's safety, she harbors a prisoner without thought for anyone's safety (including her lover), and at the end she seemly gives it all up for nothing. Her daughters, who should be rebelling or at least questioning seem content to eat turnip bread and go to school. Her lover seems oblivious to the ramifications of the affair, for himself, his wife or the protagonist and her family.
For a story ripe for conflict at every angle, the author seems to shy away from it... [spoiler alert!]
The boat she did not take doesn't go down. What would she have felt if it did?
The friends and family in London during the bombing don't die. We never even get a hint of them. What if letter would have gotten through?
The girls at the dance and dating German soldiers are never abused by their lovers or the townspeople. What if a girl was ostracized?
The boys who plan rebellion never seem to actually do much and when one is caught, he goes to prison and returns home safely. What if the boy had been killed?
The grandmother never says anything against the Germans directly. What if she confronted one of the soldiers living next door?
The protagonist carries on an illicit affair in her own bedroom and never gets caught!
The protagonist harbors a prisoner in her home which is searched by the Germans, which the prisoner runs from, but she is never accused!
Her husband cheats on her, she never confronts him.
Her lover cheats on his wife and she never confronts him. What if he reconciled with his wife when he returned home for a visit?
She sees prisoners being beaten but abides by her lovers request to not speak of it. What if she had a break down?
There is a food shortage but yet no one complains of hunger. What if the youngest child resorts to stealing?
The youngest girl's best friend is a trouble maker, yet they never get in trouble. What if he convinced her to steal from her German neighbors?
Winter comes and yet the author continues to harp about the beauty of Guernsey and mentions only some stormy seas and cold winds.
The protagonist regrets dumping her lover and then misses him at the airfield. What if she caught up with him, he still had to leave and THEN he dies?
And seriously, a baby? Who didn't see that coming? Her daughters, the townspeople, everyone, I guess - as we never learn about their reaction!
I still might recommend this book to some folks who want a simple romance but I can't promote it as a great piece of literature. I would suggest reading "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak and "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shaffer instead.
"The Last Werewolf" by Glen Duncan
published 2011 by Canongate Books
What a great ride. I’ve heard other reviewers use this phrase when talking about a book but until “The Last Werewolf” by Glen Duncan I’ve never had reason to myself. Now I will say it - what a ride. You open the book, read the opening sentence, climb aboard and you’re off. It’s a crazy, sexy, often bloody ride, filled with scotch and second hand smoke, but worth every page. A lot of the scenery is what you’d expect - the London fog, furtive figures in the dark, vampires, eccentric old men, blood and The Curse - but done in such a way that it was as if you were traveling through a country new to you. The vampires for example came, played their part more or less as you expected, but Duncan didn’t get bogged down in their details. He added a twist, gave them their place in the plot then he drove on, leaving them behind as part of that scenery. The question of God comes up, is answered in the only way it seems a werewolf, and maybe any of us can, and still he drives on. The bad guys (and girl) have guns, money, and expensive villas. They plan and manipulate yet are always subject to the whims of supernatural creatures. Duncan even managed to combine an old world love story with a modern decadent one.
He throws the question of morality into the readers face again and again. Which has always been the thing I loved about monster tales. Morality. Frankenstein, it was never his fault who he was, you could never truly blame him for his anger and his rage. Stoker’s Dracula, so alone in the world. Even zombies (shout out here to AMC’s “The Walking Dead”). They certainly didn’t want to be brain eating monsters. They had been people, loved ones. The Fly, Invisible Man, Hulk - none of them chose to be monsters. But once they were, they had to decide how and if they would go on. In Jake Marlow’s case, You live.
“The Last Werewolf” is well written. Arching, literary sentences that swirl around the characters and the action, conjuring up the feelings of debauchery, murder, Hunger, lust, love and fear. Jake Marlow is a character you won’t soon forget. Nor are Harley or Cloquet. Not all are perfect. Tullulah probably rings the most false to me. Her part was so fast and furious it was hard to believe in her. Though her words at the end do redeem the author somewhat. Ellis and Grainer, almost too typical bad guys for me. And the ending? Well, as the road flew by I imagined several destinations, none of which I was sure I wanted to go to. The ride had to end, however. I could wish for someplace else but can’t fault Duncan for where he chose to exit.
published 2011 by Canongate Books
What a great ride. I’ve heard other reviewers use this phrase when talking about a book but until “The Last Werewolf” by Glen Duncan I’ve never had reason to myself. Now I will say it - what a ride. You open the book, read the opening sentence, climb aboard and you’re off. It’s a crazy, sexy, often bloody ride, filled with scotch and second hand smoke, but worth every page. A lot of the scenery is what you’d expect - the London fog, furtive figures in the dark, vampires, eccentric old men, blood and The Curse - but done in such a way that it was as if you were traveling through a country new to you. The vampires for example came, played their part more or less as you expected, but Duncan didn’t get bogged down in their details. He added a twist, gave them their place in the plot then he drove on, leaving them behind as part of that scenery. The question of God comes up, is answered in the only way it seems a werewolf, and maybe any of us can, and still he drives on. The bad guys (and girl) have guns, money, and expensive villas. They plan and manipulate yet are always subject to the whims of supernatural creatures. Duncan even managed to combine an old world love story with a modern decadent one.
He throws the question of morality into the readers face again and again. Which has always been the thing I loved about monster tales. Morality. Frankenstein, it was never his fault who he was, you could never truly blame him for his anger and his rage. Stoker’s Dracula, so alone in the world. Even zombies (shout out here to AMC’s “The Walking Dead”). They certainly didn’t want to be brain eating monsters. They had been people, loved ones. The Fly, Invisible Man, Hulk - none of them chose to be monsters. But once they were, they had to decide how and if they would go on. In Jake Marlow’s case, You live.
“The Last Werewolf” is well written. Arching, literary sentences that swirl around the characters and the action, conjuring up the feelings of debauchery, murder, Hunger, lust, love and fear. Jake Marlow is a character you won’t soon forget. Nor are Harley or Cloquet. Not all are perfect. Tullulah probably rings the most false to me. Her part was so fast and furious it was hard to believe in her. Though her words at the end do redeem the author somewhat. Ellis and Grainer, almost too typical bad guys for me. And the ending? Well, as the road flew by I imagined several destinations, none of which I was sure I wanted to go to. The ride had to end, however. I could wish for someplace else but can’t fault Duncan for where he chose to exit.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
A Northern Light
"A Northern Light" by Jennifer Donnelly
published 2004 by Harcourt
Here's another book that surprised me. Surprised me because I had never heard of it, and it's a great book. I like to think I at least hear about the good ones even if I don't get to read them all. Looking at the reviews now however, I wonder if I missed it because it is labled as a Young Adult title. Not that that is where Clift Rodgers shelves it. Nor where a lot of other libraries shelve it. This is one of those rare books who's protaganist is young therefore technically it's considered a YA, but who's story is so developed and well written that it should be with the more acclaimed Adult literature (think "Book Theif" by Zusak).
It's probably better than most of the adult fiction out there.
This is a character driven plot and for anyone who likes that, you won't find much better. Every character has a story, a tick, a secret, something that makes them unique and memorable. Pair that with a story line literally straight from the headlines and you have a great novel. If you missed this one, now is the time to go back and find it.
published 2004 by Harcourt
Here's another book that surprised me. Surprised me because I had never heard of it, and it's a great book. I like to think I at least hear about the good ones even if I don't get to read them all. Looking at the reviews now however, I wonder if I missed it because it is labled as a Young Adult title. Not that that is where Clift Rodgers shelves it. Nor where a lot of other libraries shelve it. This is one of those rare books who's protaganist is young therefore technically it's considered a YA, but who's story is so developed and well written that it should be with the more acclaimed Adult literature (think "Book Theif" by Zusak).
It's probably better than most of the adult fiction out there.
This is a character driven plot and for anyone who likes that, you won't find much better. Every character has a story, a tick, a secret, something that makes them unique and memorable. Pair that with a story line literally straight from the headlines and you have a great novel. If you missed this one, now is the time to go back and find it.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Breakfast with Buddha
"Breakfast with Buddha" by Roland Merullo
published 2007 by Algonquin Books
Enlightening. I have to say it. Somehow Merullo managed to create a fictional character who embodies a plethera of true mystical and religious beliefs. And he wrote a novel that didn't shock me or frighten me or depress me at the end!
In this book, the protagonist is tricked by his sister into taking a holy man on a cross country trip. What makes this trip memorable isn't just the religious growth of the protagonist through conversation, meditation, and the occasional yoga pose, but the true-to-life side trips that the pair embark upon. A culinary oasis in the middle of Dutch Pennsylvia, an artchitectural tour of Chicago, a speedo-clad dip in a family-friendly lake, etc. All touched upon with a subtle and sincere dose of humor.
Merullo asks the reader to look at their own beliefs, to think about what is truly important in life, but he never gets preachy. This isn't a guide for the path to enlightenment. It isn't a handbook to Buddhism. It is simply the story of one's man's journey and how keeping an open mind made all the difference.
published 2007 by Algonquin Books
Enlightening. I have to say it. Somehow Merullo managed to create a fictional character who embodies a plethera of true mystical and religious beliefs. And he wrote a novel that didn't shock me or frighten me or depress me at the end!
In this book, the protagonist is tricked by his sister into taking a holy man on a cross country trip. What makes this trip memorable isn't just the religious growth of the protagonist through conversation, meditation, and the occasional yoga pose, but the true-to-life side trips that the pair embark upon. A culinary oasis in the middle of Dutch Pennsylvia, an artchitectural tour of Chicago, a speedo-clad dip in a family-friendly lake, etc. All touched upon with a subtle and sincere dose of humor.
Merullo asks the reader to look at their own beliefs, to think about what is truly important in life, but he never gets preachy. This isn't a guide for the path to enlightenment. It isn't a handbook to Buddhism. It is simply the story of one's man's journey and how keeping an open mind made all the difference.
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