That Author

Well, I was told I needed to find a substitute for food to help me diet.  Only thing that could possibly be is books, right? So, though I had no more time than in previous weeks, I felt I had to fit in a trip to the library (to aid me in my diet, of course :)) So on Friday afternoon, I took my little girlies and went. It was a short trip, it being Friday afternoon, and it being kids at the library. I quickly went to a few known authors and grabbed some books.  First one, of course, Lauren Willig.  I was excited to read her next stand-alone, given how much I enjoyed the Ashford Affair.  Well-written, historical romance with a modern-day accompaniment. The next one after Ashford was That Summer, so I took that one (not that there's really any reason to go in order).

That Summer, like all the other LWs, is a story about a modern woman examining history, and we get the usual two love stories.  And like The Ashford Affair, I think it was well-crafted and well-written.  So let's get to the stories themselves - first, Victorian England.  Unlike the Ashford Affair, where the ending was clear from the beginning of the story, and the story itself was extremely familiar, I was not at all clear where this story would end up.  Very appealing in a way, a little bit of mystery :)  As the book progressed, I could see this would not be one of the angst romances I so love - it was one of the ones where the couple are kept apart by external obstacles, and not their feelings. Bor-ing! And the ending... well there was a good reason I couldn't figure out how this one would end up.  Was not exactly a happy ending.  With all that... well written, interesting, engaging story, and nothing too painful.  Can't *really* complain.

As for the modern romance - really, it felt a little perfunctory.  I'm not sure why, it was a typical chic lit romance of ups and down, misunderstandings and sweet moments before the reconciliation.  But it just felt like..  I don't know, I wasn't convinced.  Also, in this one, the modern story is much less about unraveling the history from the 1800s, and more about unraveling the heroine's own history.  Not quite as much fun (you know it's not going to be fun when there's history to unravel from someone's own life).   Really, nothing to complain about in this story either, I just wasn't feeling it.

So - basically, this story was well-written, in a genre I am eminently comfortable in, and nothing in the plot (even the ending) was unspeakably offensive to me. At the same time, the main oomph of the romance was just not there, and for whatever reason, I missed it (more than in the Ashford Affair, which also didn't really have a fantastic romance - maybe it was before the modern romance was better in that one. Or maybe it was just my mood, expectations, whatever). Anyway...

Verdict: 3.5/5

Romance, Heavily Marbled

As promised, the new and interesting reading :) This is the first time in while I'm reviewing something that's relatively fresh in my mind.  What is it? As you probably do not recall, Lauren Willig talks about her weekly reading on her website.  A few weeks ago, she mentioned have just discovered and absolutely loved Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, which I have (fortunately or unfortunately) already read and thoroughly enjoyed (at least I'm pretty sure I did, I watched the movie but I'm fairly positive I also read the book).  Anyway, she mentioned that she also read The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett the same week, but hadn't enjoyed it as much, perhaps in contrast to Miss Pettigrew.  So I knew right away it wasn't going to be extraordinary but the Amazon summary sounded right up my alley, so I also knew I was going to read it.

(side note - of course, I never got around to finishing this and it is no longer fresh in my mind, oh well)

So the premise of this book is an indigent but genteel woman (of the Victorian age of course) makes her living by performing odd jobs for various patrons.  One of them invites her to spend some time at her country estate, where she is entertaining her very eligible nephew (a Marquis of course), along with some potential brides.  From the title, we know that our own heroine, Emily, is to be the chosen one.  And what could be more fun than seeing the choosing play itself out? And, indeed, the summer estate party scene of courtship provides satisfying romantic developments.  The romance is, I think, fairly well done, though I found the characterization somewhat strange. Chiefly, Emily's good nature makes her quite loveable, and she is also very capable - but the author puts great emphasis on the simple-mindedness that accompanies that good nature, and seems to relish it.  This is quite a change from, really, most books I read, where even when a protaganist is not the brightest, they make up for it in street smarts or emotional intelligence or whatnot.  But it didn't particularly bother me, it was just a bit jarring.

So much for the first half or so of the book.  Then... they get married.  Which I would have assumed happened at the end of the book, as is typical of a historical romance.  But actually, this was more of a marriage of convenience, which is certainly fair game, so I guess not in and of itself too strange. What was rather strange was the turn the book took... involving the Marquis's current heir, who returns from India determined to thwart his cousin's plans for cutting him out of the succession.  And so begins a rather sinister plot twist, involving heathen Indian maid servants, strange foreign ways, and even... murder (well attempted murder).  As Emily struggles to acclimate to her new role (hence the title), she is threatened not by the dainty barbs of society, but by the more solid danger of people actually out to get her.  And where is her husband during all this? Off on a business trip (or maybe it was diplomatic, can't really remember).  How is that supposed to be a convenient marriage plot?

And then... just abruptly as first twist happened, Emily escapes from her would-be persecutors and holes herself up in London to await her husband's return.  She is no longer physically threatened, so we can go back to enjoying the romantic developments (limited though they may due to her husband's absence).  This is really the end of the book, it doesn't take all that long for her husband to return for a satsifying finale (quite dramatic in its own way).

So what to say about this book? It certainly had very uneven tone, and the characterization was strange. A large part of the book had more of Gothic/mystery tone than the light romance I was looking for.  But in the end of the day (and the beginning too :)) it had the classic historical romance I was looking for. So can't say I regret reading it (for free :))

Verdict: 3/5

Take That, Brontes

For some reason I thought I had done this review a while ago, and it's too bad I didn't because man, I had what to say on this :) Still do of course, but some of the rigor gets lost after a while, you know? Anyway, here's what I do have to say.  After all my children's ebooks,  I was ready to go on to something a little weightier - not too weighty of course.  Jane Austen was out, as I wouldn't want to sully my Austen experience with ebook reading (it's good enough for most anything else of course, don't get me wrong), but what about Jane Eyre? The Brontes certainly don't hold the same place in my heart... and their disdain of Austen hasn't endeared them to me of late either.   I've read Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre (I don't think any of the other ones) - the former I really didn't enjoy, though I thought it was very well written.  The latter I liked better, and I've even read it more than once I think, though not for a while.  It's certainly closer to a popular romance (haha Charlotte Bronte, don't you love that compliment? (smirk :)), which its myriad adaptions speak to, but it doesn't have any of the light, bright, sparkly-ness I so love and those Brontes so disdain (I get some of my ideas of the Brontes' opinion of JA from Austen paraliterature, it may be a little exaggerated, but I'm pretty sure they didn't think too highly of her). ANYWAY, I've always thought Jane Eyre was a good enough book in its way, certainly worthy of being re-read.

After re-reading... well I was definitely surprised. I mean it's well-written of course, a classic, no doubt about that.  But not only does the romance fail to enchant (which I always kind of felt, it's more creepy than delightful), the characters themselves are just not likeable - just not. Even Jane!  Mr Rochester, of course, we know to be an overbearing and peremptuous character, only redeemed by his love of our heroine. But our heroine... one would have thought her goodness and quiet charm an attraction.  In my mind (and I'm sure in the minds of many others), she's close to Fanny Price, the moral loner amongst a rich and spoiled crowd.  But that's not Jane Eyre at all - yes, she's a loner among the rich and spoiled (at least for parts of the book).  But moral? Well she's not a bad person - but she's not especially generous or loving, and admits to being spiteful and ill-natured.  I guess we are supposed to see her as human, like us, and not unnaturally angelic.  And of course, unnaturally angelic holds little charm for me either. But as we know, there are other authors perfectly capable of creating flawed characters who are eminently likeable (yes, you know who I mean :)) Whereas Jane Eyre, if she is meant to be liked at all, is to be liked because of her faults and not in spite of them.   And sorry, but I don't admire spitefulness, selfishness, coldness, or even self-abnegation.

So I didn't like the main characters. The story? I guess it's romantic in it's way, but not my type - obstacles of an external nature rather than good relationship angst (for the most part, I guess there is some angst but it's mostly on Jane's side and not Mr. Rochester's, and who wants that?).  What about what the Brontes apparently pride themselves on, on creating drama that moves the human spirit? (I guess that's what they try to do, since they ridicule JA's tales of ordinary life and mundane and meaningless).   The drama sure is there, no doubt about it.  But moving? Why is it moving? We have a unfortunate man and the stupid woman who loves him for nothing I can see, they unite after events that have a touch of the supernatural to them... I guess some people find this moving, but give me ordinary people, their ordinary trials, and the ordinary endings that feel extraordinary because we care so much about them.  In short... give me Jane Austen.

The Brontes have their fans of course (those adaptions again) and maybe some literary critics find their works to be of more significance, I don't know.  My new sil Shoshana said she loved Jane Eyre for some reason, and I think Dov's grandmother loves Wuthering Heights (and doesn't adore P&P, hmmph).  But I think (of course I do :)) that Jane's fame and renown have spread far beyond the B. sisters.  Literarily of course - Pretty sure P&P tops more lists of the greatest English novel than Wuthering Heights - and popularly even more so.  The Brontes might be inclined to dismiss this latter one - who cares what the masses think? - but that the masses 200 years after the fact are still in love with Austen speaks a lot to her universal appeal and continual relevance.  So there :)

Verdict: 3.5/5 (I mean, it's still a good book and all I guess)

(this seems to have lost little of its rigor despite the time that has passed :))

Classically Good

Lagging behind as usual... I think I promised you I'd have something more accomplished than GH to review soon, and indeed, soon after I wrote my last review I did complete my grand endeavor (ok, ok, not so grand) but then of course life interfered, in the form of an interrupted move.  And today I sit here in Teaneck, waiting for my house to be ready and starting my delayed review of... North and South.  I know, I know, not crazy impressive.  But it it a *little* more intellectual/challenging than GH :) Where do I start? Should it be with my personal history of N&S? Why not? :)

I read Wives and Daughters in high school some time, I liked it.  That was when I used to read lots of classics, some of them on the bleaker side (Bleak House :)), so W&D was almost a treat in its treatment of middle class society and young couples in love.  I didn't read any more of Elizabeth Gaskell's books at the time, I thought W&D was by far her most prominent (I guess it is that).  So much for that. Fast forward a few years, to the beginning of youtube fandom, when I watched a video entitled... well entitled something.  It was fun :) (I can't find it anymore, it was a montage of period heroes).  There were a few I didn't recognize, including one that was identified as Richard Armitage in North and South.  Richard Armitage? Waaaah?? Isn't he like an ambassador or something? Why yes he is... because there are two Richard Armitages :) The ambassador (we don't like him) and the actor - we HEART him.  He was one of my major celebrity crushes, I watched everything I could find with him online.  Anyways... jumping ahead of ourselves.  I looked him up and I looked North and South up.  I was intrigued, no doubt about it.  I made a deal with myself I wouldn't watch the movie till I read the book... so of course I lost no time in reading the book :) (I think I ordered it online).  I enjoyed the movie in its own time, but it's the book I'm here to talk about.

And I enjoyed that too.  The first time I read it, the second time, and now, the third time (I think it's the third time). It's a serious book, even the romance is intense, and the romance is only a small part of a story that's more about class tensions in the early Victorian era.  Sounds appealing, right? But the romance is *excellent*, excellent I say.  Good amount of pathos, nice amount of suspense, denouement not terribly anti-climatic.  (Well the romance aspect of it isn't, the rest is actually quite anti-climatic, I think her editor told her to end it already or something - jumping ahead of myself again).

But what's interesting is that, despite the comparative dearth of romance, I very much enjoyed the entire book.  Thornton and Margaret are both strong, and mostly very likeable (the very is more him and than her) and their story is interesting because it's about them.  I can't say I'm very interesting in the struggles of the industrial revolution but this book makes me care.  It even makes me think a little bit.  But mostly, it entertains :) That's quite a compliment for a book with a painting of something other than people on the cover :)

Bottom line, I liked this book.  It's obviously well-written, it's entertaining, it's romantic, and it's a good story.  Yay for books like this :)

Verdict: 5/5