General Fiction Book Reviews

TheFull Cupboard of Life (A #1Ladies Detective Agency)

2006-08-16T22:51:00.000-07:00

by Alexander McCall Smith (read July 2006)
This is book 5 in the #1 Ladies Detective Agency series. There are more after it, but this is the last one I'll read. I've enjoyed the first 4 with their simple outlook on life, but book 5 left me lacking. It was boring, slow, and just plain stupid - not even the simplest mystery to solve. I rate this book a 1 out of 5, and that only out of kindness for the others in this series which were quite delightful.

The Screwtape Letters

2006-08-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

by C.S. Lewis (read July 2006)
After reading Cassie's wonderful review of The Screwtape Letters, I was encouraged to reread this classic. Glad I did, although I realized that I am more in the devil's clutches now than when I first read it as a 20-something year old. My desire for comfort above anything else is just what my little 'Wormwood' would be most pleased with, as in this quote: "No sort of action plases Hell so much as the easy road, the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings."

The Screwtape Letters are a series of letters written by Screwtape to his young, tempter-apprentice nephew concerning the tactics of securing a human soul for the Lord of Darkness. One tactic was to change a word such as charity for unselfishess. The subtle difference in the meanings of words can make a sizeable impact. In the case of unselfishness, the human focuses on his own acts and he takes pride in those things he does for other, keeping a running score of just how good he really is. The idea of charity is that the human focuses on the needs of others and that he is an instrument only in the work of God. There were several other examples given, watch for them as you read.

I always did a double take whenever Screwtape referred to the Enemy, who refers to God. Not a word typically used to describe Him. One favorite quote includes such a reference: "To us a human is primarily food; our aim is the absorption of its will into ours, the increase of our own area of selfhood at its expense. But the obedience, which the Enemy demands of men is quite a different thing. One must face the fact that all the talk about His love for men, and His service being perfect freedom, is not (as one would gladly believe) mere porpagada, but an appalling truth. He really does want to fill the universe with a lot of loathsome little replicas of Himself--creatures whose life, on its minature scale, will be qualitatively like His own, not because He has absorbed them but because their wills freely conform to His. We want cattle who can finally become food; He wants servants who can finally become sons. We want to suck in, He wants to give out. We are empty and would be filled; He is full and flows over. Our war aim is a world in which Our Father Below has drawn all other beings into himself; the Enemy wants a world full of beings united to Him but still distinct."

I liked this statement given in the preface.. The great secret is that one gives oneself up, the thing devils will never do. "There are only two kinds of people in the end," says Lewis, "those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.' "

A short, enlightning, and enjoyable read. I rate it 5 out of 5.

The Little Balloonist

2006-08-16T22:48:00.000-07:00

by Linda Donn (read July 2006)
Sophie is a 'woman with courage' who marries the older Jean Pierre Blanchard, a balloonist, but is still in love with her childhood playmate, Andre. She attracts the interests of Napolean Bonaparte and becomes his 'official little ballonist'. The story reads like a young adult novel - quite simply simple. I enjoyed it, but didn't feel like there was a lot of depth. Several of the characters are from history: Napolean, Duguerre, Goethe and Blanchard but Sophie is ficticious. Which is weird because Blanchard did have a wife who took over flying his balloons and bringing in the paycheck just as Sophie did in the book. I enjoyed The Little Balloonist because it was entertaining, but mostly because I learned a tiny bit about these people and time period of French history. I'm only going to give this book a 3.5 rating out of a possible 5. Not a book to get too excited about, but not a waste of time either.

Sophie's marriage to Blanchard was arranged before she was even born. The night Sophie's parents received the letter saying he was coming to marry their daughter, her parents fought. There voices were soft, "but then her mother's voice grew sharp, until an unusual, harsh response from her father ended the conversation. To Sophie the sound was like fabric tearing, like something that maight be mended but would never be the same."

Something that made me chuckle: "At midnight she was asleep beneath a comforter when he walked into the bedroom and sat down on her. As Sophie stuggled out from under him, he stared. 'How am I to know you are lying in a bed if it is as flat as a crepe?' He teased. For days, on entering the room, he asked the bed quite formally if anyone was in it."

The History of Love

2006-08-16T22:45:00.000-07:00

by Nicole Krauss (read June 2006)
This book is amazing, unusual, confusing, provactive, creative, tender, sad, humorous and multidimensional. It's moved onto my favorite-of-all-time books' list. There's no way to describe it or even explain the stroyline. I thought at times that I was going to loose my mind trying to figure things out. I was compelled to keep reading, even more so than in many mysteries, because I HAD to know how everything was going to come together. I still keep thinking about little things from the book even though I've finished it. I suspect I will read this one again. If you think you might want to read it don't let anyone tell you too much about it. I went in knowing nothing about the plot or characters and so it was all pure wonder. Krauss is a gifted writer. I can't comprehend how she knew when to change from one character to another, from one story to another, from one situation to another; and then weave them so artfully together into such a complex and intriguing tapestry. WOW! I hope someone (anyone of my links) reads this one soon so I can discuss it with somebody. This book rates a 5.

Outlander

2006-06-25T12:26:00.000-07:00

by Diana Gabaldon (read June 2006)
This was my Romance selection for the Summer Reading Program. I usually skip this genre even when challenged, but this one was intriguing because of the time travel element and the reviews on amazon.com were glowing.

Claire, the main character, served as a nurse during WWII while her husband served in the English army. After the war Claire and Frank are getting reaquainted and settling down to life, when Claire quite accidently slips 200 years back in time. The majority of the book takes place in the 1700's. I was a little disappointed that she never gets back to her life in the 1900's, at least not in this book. But not to worry - this is book one of a trilogy. Gasp! That about put me off because, not only is the book is 850 pages long, I certainly did not want to get hooked on another series. I read the first 500 pages and, even though I enjoyed it, I felt like I wouldn't be compelled to read the rest of the series. By page 600 hundred I knew I'd be reading the whole series, but not right away. After finishing, I'm anxious to read the next book.*

Claire is forced to marry the fiery, virile Scot, Jamey Fraser, in order to save her life, even though she's alread married to Frank. There is definitely romance (really good romance!) but there's also lots of adventure. I loved and hated the main characters. The bad guy was detestable. I'm finding it hard to summarize a book this long. Suffice it to say, I loved it and give it a rating of 5.

*BTW, I checked on the trilogy. Turns out it was supposed to be a trilogy, but turned in to 6 books instead and each of the other books is longer than Outlander. Whoa! It may take me the rest of my life, but I think I'll try to read them all. I won't read them consequetively, because my attention span needs breaks - I need to go from one thing to another and then back again. So even though I'm dying to read book 2, I will read something else first.

The Birth of Venus

2006-06-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

by Sarah Dunant (read May 2006)
Interesting historical fiction. After reading the first chapter I was full of questions I wanted answered. I enjoyed Dunant's writing well enough that I would like to try another one of her books. According to the jacket she has written a few mysteries.

The story takes place during the late 1400's in Florence, Italy when the Medici family is basically in control of the city. When Leonardo da Medici dies, a Catholic Dominican friar, Savonarola, becomes the powerful force in Florence. The protagonist, Alessandra, is caught between the Medici state with its love of luxury, learning, and dazzling art and the hellfire preaching and increasing violence of Savonarola's suppression.

I made note of this passage that demonstrates the conundrum going on in Alessanda's thinking.

When I was a child it had all seemed so simple. There had been one God, who, though He had a voice like thunder when angry, also had enough love to keep me warm at night when I spoke to Him directly. And the more I learned and the more complex and extraordinary the world became, the deeper His capacity to accept my knowledge and rejoice with me. Because whatever man's acheivement it came first and foremost from Him. This no longer seemed true. Now man's greatest achievements seemed to be in direct opposition to God, or this God. This God was so obsessed with the Devil the He seemed to have no time for beauty or wonder, and all of our knowledge and art was condemmed as just another place for evil to hide. So now I no longer knew which God was the true one, only which was louder.

Played against this backdrop, the story centers on Alessandra who is starting to fall in love with a young artist but who is suddenly given in marriage to a man 30-years her senior.

A worthwhile read: entertaining, nicely written, intriguing and informative. I must have missed something though, because I never figured out why it was titled The Birth of Venus.

The Madonnas of Leningrad

2006-06-14T09:52:00.000-07:00

by Debra Dean (read June 2006)
A beautifully told story of a Soviet immigrant, Marina, who is slipping fast into the clutches of Alzheimer's. She drifts back and forth between her present life in Washington state and the past when she was a tour guide in the Hermitage Museum in Leningrad at the beginning of WWII. As the Germans approach the city, Marina and other museum workers remove pieces of art to be shipped from the city. They were told to leave the frames hanging on the walls. Marina creates a 'memory place' in her mind based on the rooms and the artwork. These memories provide a retreat from the devastions of war - the hunger, cold and terror. It's interesting to me that the memories of the museum and of the war provide Marina with a 'memory place' to escape from her present day confusion.

In an early scene in the book Marina is standing at the kitchen sink holding a pan of water. "But she has no idea why. Is she rinsing the pan: Or has she just finished filling it up? It is a puzzle. Sometimes it requires all her wits to piece together the world with the fragments she is given: an open can of Folgers, a carton of eggs on the counter, the faint scent of toast. Breakfast. Has she eaten? She cannot recall." She questions if she is hungry or not, but can't tell. She decides she's hungry. When her husband walks in the room carrying the dirty breakfast dishes, he finds Marina poaching eggs.

Dean makes a comparison to the ravages of war and the ravages of Alzheimer's without spelling out what she is doing. The effect is subtle but powerful. An incredible book that I will be thinking about for years to come.

Utah Blaine

2006-06-14T09:51:00.000-07:00

by Louis L'Amour (read June 2006)
I have done several 'first' this year. Earlier I read my first Stephen King novel-it was somewhat enjoyable. Now I've read my first Louis L'Amour novel and I liked it, too. Utah Blaine is the main characher, just the kind you need in a western - good looking, broad shoulders, excellent and fast shot, and he falls in love with the right girl. L'Amour is not the best writer in the world, but he does tell a fairly interesting story. If ever you need to read a western for some kind of assignment, this would be a good one. It is short, which is another reason I chose it.

Ship Fever

2006-06-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

by Andrea Barrett (read June 2006)
I love Barrett's writing, she takes one strand after another and weaves them together so that at the end of a story she's created a very pleasing and satisfying piece of work. This collection contains eight stories - six are marvelous, the other two are so-so.

"In the graphic title novella, a self-doubting, idealistic Canadian doctor's faith in science is sorely tested in 1847 when he takes a hospital post at a quarantine station flooded with diseased, dying Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine. The story, which deftly exposes English and Canadian prejudice against the Irish, turns on the doctor's emotions, oscillating between a quarantined Irish woman and a wealthy Canadian lady, his onetime childhood playmate." - from Publishers Weekly. This is a most remarkable story. Even if you don't read the other stories in this book, you should read this one.

The English Pupil dealt with the end of Linneaus' life when he suffered from Alzheimers - sensitive and sad. The Behavior of Hawkweeds is a modern story with links to Mendel. Rare Birds is about 2 women in 1762 who behaved most unladylike and conducted experiments to disprove Linnaeus' theory that sparrows wintered over by 'hibernating' in frozen lakes.

I rate this book 4.5 - deducting a little for the 2 lame stories.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice

2006-05-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

by Laurie R. King (read Nov. 2003)
I usually have a list when I go to the library of books recommended either by family and friends or amazon.com. This one caught my eye from the shelf, probably because it had beekeeper in the title and I had recently finished two other books about beekeepers. I can't imagine that I actually set down and read it because the write-up didn't sound that intriguing: A 15-yr-old girl's tutelage and adventures with the retired sleuth, Sherlock Holmes. I mean, really!, who would read that?
I loved it and have since read all 8 books in that series (Mary Russell) and a few other novels by King. I haven't read any of the books in King's Kate Martinelli sereis, however.

Keeper of the Bees

2006-05-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

by Gene Stratton-Porter (read Oct 2003)
This was one of our county library book club selections. Although a little far-fetched at times, I really enjoyed this book.

"... the damaging things of this world are going to go past a mind that is fully occupied with something legitimate and constructive." I liked this quote because it reminded me of a basic concept my mother taught me and that I have since used with my students when they talk about gross and/or stuff. They tell me it's apart of life and I say, "So are sewers, but I don't need to spend my time thinking about them when I can focus on rainbows, flowers, music, etc."

Another quote I liked: "To be able to tell himself that he would do something constructive with the knowledge in his heart that he would have the strength to do it and the uplift in his spirit that would give him joy in the doing..." If I change the wording on this just a little, it would be the essence of my prayers.

The Secret Life of Bees

2006-05-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

by Sue Monk Kidd (read Feb 2003)

I loved this book - wonderful characters, well written, compelling, forceful and just a tinge of mystery about each character's earlier life. I look forward to reading more from this author.

The Secret Life of Bees is the touching story of a young white girl, fourteen year old Lily Owens, whose mother died in a tragic accident when Lily was about four. Lily lives with her father, a harsh man with whom no love is lost, on a peach farm outside Sylvan, South Carolina. Her mother's death stands between them.

Neglected by her father, Lily is brought up by Rosaleen, a big-hearted black woman, who loves Lily and whom Lily loves. Yet, hers is a lonely existence, compounded by her unquenched thirst for information about her mother, Deborah. All she has left of her mother are some cloudy memories and a box containing a few mementos, among them a picture of a Black Madonna, inscribed with the words, "Tiburon, S.C."

When Rosaleen goes into town to register to vote, she feels empowered by the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and has a run-in with the town's three biggest racists, resulting in Rosaleen being taken into custody. Lily arranges for her to break free. Together, they seek sanctuary in Tiburon, South Carolina, where Lily discovers the mystery of the Black Madonna.

Taken in by a trio of middle-aged black women who are sisters, as well as beekeepers, Lily is introduced to the secret life of bees and begins to learn some important life lessons. She also learns something about her mother and finds love where she least expected.

A few quotes: "Oh, Lily," she said, and there was a gentleness in her words, like they'd been rocked in a little hmmock of tenderness down in her throat. "Why would I go and hurt you with something like that?"

"Knowing can be a curse on a person's life. I'd traded in a pack of lies for a pack of truth and I didn't know which one was heavier. Which one took the most strength to carry around? It was a ridiculous question, though, because once you know the truth, you can't ever go back and pick up your suitcase of lies, heavier or not, the truth is yours now."

"And when you get down to it, Lily, that's the only purpose grand enough for a human life. Not just to love but to persist in love."

The Rug Merchant

2006-05-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

by Meg Mullins (read May 2006)
Sometimes while reading a book, I have mixed feelings about it--wishing I was reading something else, maybe. Then when I finish and think back on it I begin to enjoy it more and am glad I read it. The Rug Merchant was that type of book for me. I don't think I would encourage anyone to read it, however, because there are books with better storylines, more compelling characters and more masterful use of language that will provide better entertainment and/or increase in understanding/knowledge.

Ushman Khan left his wife Farak and his mother in Iran after a devastating earthquake revealed the danger of living there. For three years he has been selling rugs from Tabriz to wealthy clients. But his dream of bringing Farak to America is shattered when he learns that she is pregnant (after five previous miscarriages with him) by another man and wants to move with him to Istanbul. All of this happens just when Ushman is ready to make a sale of a $30,000 rug to Mrs. Roberts, his beset client. However, after learning that Farak wants to divorce him, he impulsively gives the rug away on the street and watches it being thrown in a garbage truck.
Totally distraught, Ushman goes to the airport and is transfixed by a girl sitting in a waiting area. Although he has never been attracted to American women, there is something about this blond that is appealing — perhaps it's the length and curve of her neck. Or that she seems to gazing at him. This also is something out of the ordinary since in America Ushman feels that he is viewed not as a man but as "a curiosity, an oddity, a foreigner."

Stella is a 19-year-old college student who was raised in the South and attends Barnard. It is her birthday, and they go out to talk. No one has ever paid so much attention to Ushman and he is buoyed by her energy and vitality. It is a while before they connect again, but one day Stella shows up at this shop in deep pain. She has just learned that her mother tried to commit suicide while on vacation with her husband in Italy. Ushman provides a shoulder for her to cry upon and they draw closer together. But his own special brew of anger, grief, and shame about Farak works its way into mind and will not let him totally enjoy this new romance.

The Red Hat Club

2006-05-11T16:41:00.000-07:00

by Haywood Smith (read Jan 2006)
I like a wide range of genres and usually enjoy most books I read, but this one was a real looser! This was a selection for our Library Book Club. I don't know who picked it and I'd just as soon not know because I don't want it to reflect badly on that person's character. Obviously, there are millions of women who like this book and belong to a national Red Hat Club. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood when I read it, but it just seemed like a lot of fluffy and inane stuff. I was very bored at the first and just grabbed a big chunk of book, flipped to the back and finished reading.

I say - don't waste your time.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

2006-05-11T14:03:00.001-07:00

by Lisa See (read Feb 2006)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a powerful story about relationships, regrets, and life-long friendships. While set in a traditional Chinese world, almost anyone can relate to the themes and emotions in this book.

This story begins with Lily, a elderly Chinese woman in the mid to late 18th century, as she reflects upon her life as a woman. As most traditional women of her time, her passage to womanhood begins with her foot-binding. The success or failure of that sets in motion the luck of her future. With beautifully bound feet and good protocol, she is guaranteed a good husband and many sons.

Because of her good feet, she is given the opportunity to have a laotong, “old same”, named Snow Flower. This relationship is with another girl and is as sacred as a marriage as they are keep each other company through life. They converse using the secret women’s writing known as nu shu. Nu shu was a means of communication used by women in the Hunan province. This style of writing was more curved and fanciful than traditional Chinese calligraphy (men’s writing). Written on objects, sown into handkerchiefs, this writing looked more like art than literature. There were fewer characters that men’s writing, relying on the phonetics and context to convey the meaning. Many of these were also sung, having a rhythmic beat to the words. Not many examples of this art remains today. Many pieces were burned upon a person’s death, as was the tradition of the time. The art was further devastated during the Cultural Revolution where it was banned and all but died out until it was discovered again in 1983. Today it is viewed as a national historical treasure, with even a museum dedicated to the few remaining examples.

Lily and Snow Flower's laotong begins with a fan which they continue throughout their life to write messages to each other back and forth. While this relationship starts cheery and bright, the story progresses through the events that lead to Lily’s regrets in life as an old woman and how she betrayed her laotong. Ms. See does a wonderful job of describing the events of Lily’s life with so much color you feel as if you’re sitting along side her. For instance, as her feet are bound, you can feel her agony and wonder how they endured. All the while, Ms. See drops reminders into the story that manage to keep reminding the reader we are viewing this world through a window.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. One of my favorites.

Pride and Prejudice

2006-05-04T15:30:00.000-07:00

by Jane Austen (read Apr 2006)

Now I know why my twenty-something daughter and 2 nieces love this book and most especially why they all want to meet their very own Mr. Darcy. The only thing I knew before reading P&P was that Darcy possessed real swoon factor. So,I have to say as I started reading about Bingley's friend, Darcy, who was conceited, rude, and an all around bore, I was having trouble reconciing the two very different Darcys. I was totally impressed with Mr. Bingley, and he was so perfect for Jane.

What a sad state of affairs it used to be that a father of five duaghters had to get them all nicely married off, becuase he would have nothing to leave them or his wife, either, when he died. The mother, Mrs. Bennett is unbearable, but given the time period and she with five daughters, she may deserve here nervous spells every now and again. But a little goes a long way with that woman. I really like Mr. Bennet (more in the book than in the movie).

The storyline was immensely interesting. There were subtle twists and turns. The characters where interesting. The time period and its custom were very interesting to me. I usually feel such a sense of relief about living when I do, but I do wish we courted in a genteel way - and slower.

I join with Alyson, Julie, and Cassie - that Mr. Darcy is a very fine man and I hope they each find their's because I've already found mine.

Pride and Prejudice is a well told story; sometimes humorous, other times sad. Most of the time there's the suspense of how will things possibly turn out.

A definite must read, if you missed the chance in high school or college, consider reading it now. I've watched the A&E version and thought it was quite true to the book. Would love to watch all the versions. This book goes on my favorites list.

The Little Country

2006-04-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

by Charles de Lint (read Nov 2003)
This is a story-within-a-story. The encompassing story is about a young adult woman, Janey Little, who discovers a hidden manuscript written by one of her favorite authors and hidden among her father's possessions. As she reads the manuscript mysterious and dangerous events start to take place in her real life and in the book.

. . .just as soon as something new came up, whatever Janey had been thinking of earlier would find itself put awayinto a little box and then stored off somewhere in the mddle that was her mind, haphazardly stacked up with all the other boxes of ragtag odds and ends by which Janey compartmentalized her memories.

I liked this quote because it reminded me of what I do, except that I put my boxes on shelves. I remember when all the kids finished grade school I was so excited to put the 'box' of Halloween parades on a shelf located in a really dark corner of my mind. Eleven years later when I found out I was expecting, I groaned because I had to get that darn Halloween box down.

"And what makes me feel worse," Janey said, "is all those times I've seen him up on the cliffs and either laughed at the way he looked, or ran off scared. I culd have known him all this time."

This was the real magic to which he was heir: the understanding that neither logic nor emotion on its own was enough to keep a man's soul pure, and thereby at the peak of it power. The mind narrowed and blocked the world into understandable packages with which it could deal, but the soul required a broader view, one that incompassed both the microcosm of the mind's perceptions as well as the macrocosm of the world as a whole with which it must interact. Less than a perfect harmony of the 2 left one crippled.

The years of study are what prepares a person to be responsible.

"our worlds need each other," Edern said. "They grow too far apart now and we suffer for it - both our worlds suffer. Their separation makes for a disharmony that reflects in each of them. Your world grows ever more regimented and orderly; soon it will lose all of its ability to imagine, to know enchantment, to be joyful for no other reason than that its people perceive the wonder of the world they are blessed to live in. Everything is put in boxes and compartmentalized and a grey pall hangs over the minds of its people. Your world will eventually become so drab and drear that its people will eventually destroy it through sheer blindness and ignorance."

"And your world?"
"Grows too fey. Magics run amuck. Anything that can be imagined, is, and if left unchecked, my world will simply dissolve into chaos."

de Lint also had quotes from other sources at the beginning of each chapter. One of my favorites was from Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher.

Sometimes I feel like I've got my nose pressed up against the window of a bakery, only I'm the bread.

No Graves As Yet (#1 in the Reavley's WWI series)

2006-04-23T14:30:00.000-07:00

by Anne Perry (read Jan 2004)
The 2 Reavley brothers discover that the accident that killed their parents was really murder. Shortly before he was murdered the father had said he had a document that would change life for England and bring her shame. Perry artfully weaves connections between pacifist students at Cambridge, one of whom is also murdered, and German agents who may be planning "a conspiracy to ruin England and everything we stand for." The intrigue is further complicated by jilted lovers and jealous spouses at the university, all with grudges against an alleged blackmailer in their midst who may also be privy to exam cribbing and other illicit goings-on. Perry's title, a quotation from G.K. Chesterton, is a portent of the carnage that soon awaits the youth of England, yet by the final resolution of this gripping case, many graves have regrettably already been filled in Cambridge's serene churchyards.

Shoulder the Sky (#2 in the Reavley's WWI series)

2006-04-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

by Anne Perry (read Nov 2004)
In the trenches of Flanders, the Reverend Joseph Reavley goes about the task of trying to keep up the morale of the British soldiers, extending his duties to assisting in bringing men back from the barbed-wired and mud-mired "no man's land." When he retrieves the body of an egotistical correspondent, Eldon Prentice, every person who knew him confesses to being glad he was killed. However, it wasn't the Germans who murdered him, but one of their own, and Reavley decides to investigate. Perry's eye for historical detail masterfully places the main characters in settings exactingly correct for the era, whether London, the trenches, or the English countryside. The characters' emotions and thoughts capture the confusion, frustration, and determination of those fighting the war. Without describing too graphically the horrors of the front, the author presents memorable tableaux of a soldier, an ambulance driver, a doctor, a field nurse, and those in positions of leadership and trust. The murder investigation and espionage greatly enhance the action and interest in the complex plot.

A couple of quotes:
"I couldn't bear the thought that life is all random and senseless, or that morality is only whatever our society makes it. And yet if I look at it closely, organized religion has so many contradictions in logic, absurdities that are met with, 'Oh, but that's a holy myster,' as if that explained anythin, except our own dishonesty to address what contradicts itself."

"Nobody by a lunatic wants war. It's just that some alternatives are worse. Whatever the cost, there are some things that are worth fighting for, because life without them is a different kind of death, without hope for the future."

March: A Novel

2006-04-21T11:24:00.001-07:00

by Geraldine Brooks (read Apr 2006)
I absolutely loved this book. Grateful thanks to my sister-in-law, Susan, for recommending it. This is the story of the idealistic father of the fictitious March family of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. I have seen the movie but never read the book, a fact which I thought would hinder my appreciation of March. Not so.

Peter March is portrayed as a chaplain in the union army. As he tries to pen appropriate words home to his 'little women' his thoughts and the story flashback to the past and weave together with what is presently taking place. It provides a compelling look at the atrocities of slavery and the horrors of the Civil War. Within that big backdrop lies the more personal story of one man trying to make a difference and trying to remain a hero in the eyes of those he loves.

Brooks writing beautifully depicts the time period. It's hard to imagine this is not the diary of an 19th century abolutionist. I cared deeply for Peter March and his wife, Marmee. And for the slaves who worked a way into his heart. This is a masterfully written, poignant story that I highly recommend.

Only one quote, though, there were several at the end that I like. "It is a hard thing when a man is ruined by the very idea that most animates him."

Angels in the Gloom (#3 in the Reavley Family WWI Series)

2006-04-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

by Anne Perry (read Mar 2006)
This is the third in Perry's World War I series. It continues the Reavley family's search for the"Peacemaker," the person responsible for their parents' murders two years earlier and author of a satanic plan of world peace. Perry writes an intriguing story that gives a real feel for the horrors of the war and the courage of the people who lived through it. Joseph Reavley is seriously injured and is sent home to recover under the care of his sister Hannah, who is married to a naval officer.

At one point in the novel Hannah and Joseph received word that the ship captained by Hannah's husband had been sunk. In addition to Hannah's husband it was feared that their brother Matthew was killed as well.
"Have faith in God," Joseph answered. "But don't blame Him for anything that goes wrong, or imagine that He ever said it wouldn't. If He promised you that Archie and Matthew would come back, then they will. But I don't think He did. I think He said we would have all that we need, not all that we want."
"All we need for what?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"To realize the best in ourselves," he answered. "To practice pity and honor until they become part of us, and the courage to care to the last strength we have, to give everything."
She frowned, "Do I want all that? Wouldn't 'pretty good' do? Does it have to be 'perfect'?"
He smiled, widely, a warm, genuine laughter inside him. "Well, decide what you don't want, and tell God you'll do without it. Maybe He'll listen. I have no idea."
"You still think He's there? she said perfectly seriously. "Will you think that if they're gone?" She wanted an answer the gravity was there in her eyes.
"It's still the best option I know," he answered her. "Can you think of anywhere else, any other star to follow?"
"No. I suppose the alternative is just to stop trying. Sit down. There are times when that seems a lot less trouble."
"You have to be pretty certain you like it where you are to do that!"

Even though this book is technically a mystery, the mystery is not as pronounced as the real life drama. It's interesting to look at the war from the English perspective. At this point in the series, the US is dealing with problems of their own with the Mexicans. I highly recommend all 3 books in the series.

A few more favorite quotes from the book:
"Everybody admired those who did not complain, but the denials of truth cut them off from each other, making help impossible, to receive or to give."

"Doubt was not a sin; intelligence demanded it now and again."

"We all need a little space. A little room to cover our mistakes and let them go. It's a lot easier to do better next time if last time isn't printed in your neighbor's eyes."

"These are our sons and brothers! They're doing this because they love us. They believe in home, the laughter and the tolerance we stand for, the things of labor and decency. If we don't keep it a good home, if we soil it with bigotry and intolerance, if we learn how to hate and destroy, if we forget who we are, what are they dying to save? What is there left for those who survive to come home to?"

"To judge kindly is a virtue, sometimes the difference between love and self-righteousness, but to miss the truth altogether, to fail to see evil, allow it to grow until it poisons everything. It is a kind of moral cowardice that leaves the battle to others while calling itself charity. In the end it is not courage, honor or love, simply evasion of discomfort to oneself."

"But the things Christ taught are still true. . . Honor is still worth living or dying for, no matter how tired or hurt or frightened you are, face forward and seek the light, even if it's gone out and you can't remember where it was, keep going. It's always right to care. It's going to hurt like hell at times, you'll think it's beyond bearing, but if you let go of that they you have lost the purpose of existing at all."

". . . my alternative is to betray the good I believe, and I can't do that out of loyalty to anyone. If I were to, then I would have nothing left inside me to offer to the men in the trenches, to those I love, or to myself."

An Instance of the Fingerpost

2006-04-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

by Ian Pears. This is an amazing tale, told through the eyes of four fascinating characters, all with a different version of the crime. Each narrative is forceful and convincing--until the next one begins. Who is seeking justice? Who may be covering up an incriminating trail? Mr. Pears's historical whodunit--set in Oxford, England, in 1663--weaves together politics, science, philosophy and the rudimentary forensics of the time.

I searched the internet to find out what a fingerpost was without any luck, but determined from the book that it must be a signpost. My husband liked the idea of a fingerpost so much that he made one for our backyard. These pictures give you a glimpse. Our fingerpost provides directions and milage to where our loved ones are serving in the military or on missions, or where they're living. We decided not to pointers for those for the many who are in Utah. I love it--the book, too.

Girl in Hyacinth Blue

2006-04-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

by Susan Vreeland. A fascinating, innovative and beautifully written book. Again, a lot of symbolism--most of which was lost on me, I'm sure. Thus, the need to reread it. The story is told in reverse chronology, starting with the owner of a painting that he believes to be an unknown Vermeer. He is torn between revealing its existence to the world or keeping it secret which will protect his other secret. The novel works its way back through vignette's in the lifes of other owners and eventually to Vermeer's life.

I liked Hyacinth Blue so much better than Girl with a Pearl Earing that was also about a Vermeer painting and received much more acclaim.

Jane Eyre

2006-04-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

by Charlotte Bronte
I read Jane Eyre while in college. Absolutely loved it. My favorite scene was after Jane and Rochester's wedding is interrupted with horrible news and Rochester begs Jane to stay with him in spite of everything. In my heart I was urging Jane to abandon her principles and relinquish her heart, soul and body to this man who loved her so dearly and whom she loved in return. She says, "... my very conscience and reason turned traitors against me, and charged me with crime in resisting him. They spoke almost as loud as feeling, and that clamored wildly. 'Oh, comply!' it said..." The lead up to this moment was several pages long and the reader was very much in compliance with Jane's feelings. But with all the strength she could muster, Jane determined, "I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad--as I am now. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptations; they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigor. ... If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? ...Preconceived opinions, forgone determinations, are all I have at this hour to stand by; there I plant my foot."
Orson Scott Card said that "it is often easier to learn from fiction than from life". The lesson I learned from this work of fiction has served me well many times in my life.

Poisonwood Bible

2006-04-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

by Barbara Kingsolver
There are not very many books that I would care to read again, not because I didn't really enjoy reading them, I just want to go on to something new. Poisonwood Bible is a book I look forward to rereading. I thought the use of symbolism was intrigueing and interesting on multiple layers. I especially liked how the family members burden themselves with items they thought would be indispensable to them in Africa and instead they turned out to be useless. So easy to personally identify as I as well hoard to myself useful treasures that only get in my way of real meaning in my life.

I think one reason I want to reread this book is to rediscover and reinterpret the symbolism to my life at a different time. I really appreciated Kingsolver's perspectives of the symbolism. I realized after visiting several web sites, that my interpretations were pretty shallow. See http://www.kingsolver.com/bookshelf/poisonwood_bible.asp

I was amazed at how Kingsolver used the different voices of the main women characters. It's hard to believe that one author can so convince the reader that a different person is narrating that part of the story. I have read several books that present the storyline from different perspectives. I like that. It reminds me that each persons reality is only from their point of view and that it is different for each person involved. The individual voices are felt as truly individual in Poisonwood. Not so in others who have tried this technique.