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

Staple Rereading

As I mentioned in the previous post, short note on a re-read.  This goes back to Succos, but I think it is actually the most recent book I have read, insane as that is (I started another one at my in-laws a while ago, but haven't finished it, and, as mentioned in the previous post, am now in middle of something interesting which you will hear about eventually :)) (other than that, it's been Commentary magazine, as I struggle to keep up with the monthly (following Pesach, I am actually in middle of the current month's issue, woohoo.  New reading material coming up whenever I get out to the library!)  Anyway, the reread was my three-book volume of Clare Darcy novels. I don't remember why I decided to reread it, probably it had a somewhat prominent place on my bookshelf.  Last time I read it, I somewhat enjoyed it, more than the stand-alone Clare Darcys I found at Howard County library.  (I haven't reread my review of course, so maybe my memory is faulty :)) Anyway, I certainly enjoyed the books well enough this time around, though the bar is set rather low since I don't do all that much reading these days. She definitely does a good job imitating GH's tone but the books fall far short in both plot and characterization (and humor, too).  They don't move along quickly enough, I definitely found myself getting somewhat bored at times.  And the characters are just a little too silly at times.  Furthermore, my snobbery was offended by the relatively low birth of the girl in the first book and the guy in the second one. So I enjoyed the third one the most :) Plus that was the one that took place in London.  But can't complain, all easy enough reading in my very favorite genre.

Verdict: 3/5

Interesting and Informative, or, I Finally Read Some Non-Fiction

As usual, it's been forever.  My reading material in the past months has been exclusively Commentary magazine, so I have little incentive to finish my review backlog.  I have recently started on something new and interesting so that gives me a little push :) And this review is the last on my backlog (except for a short note on a reread that will be coming whenever this one is done).  Anyway, now up is Nate Silver's The Signal and the Noise.  I don't remember exactly when I read this book, but it either right before or at the beginning of my maternity leave.  So a while ago.   But I still have something to say, don't worry :) Anyway, some background on this  - The Signal and the Noise is a non-fiction bestseller by Nate Silver, statistics guru formerly of the NY Times.  His employer notwithstanding, I think I had some vague interest in the title for a while.  Some time last year I started reading Nate's new website, fivethirtyeight.com, regularly, which definitely made me want to read his book more.  The premise of the website is to offer a hard-data perspective of the news, certainly a refreshing and and informative product.  I did enjoy the articles and, when I was next in need of something to read at the in-laws, I picked up the book.  It took me a few visits to get through it, but I enjoyed it all the way through.

Other than the intro/conclusion chapters, each chapter looks at a specific topic often subjected to statistical analysis, or more specifically, to "forecasting" (predicting the future based on present / past data).  So each chapter is an informative read on how forecasting works in a certain field, ranging from weather, to sports, to climate change.  I don't think there was one topic I had in-depth knowledge of, so each chapter was an education in itself.  Some hold more interest to me than others (climate change more than baseball :)) and some more day-to-day relevance (weather) but all interesting and good reading.  It really gave me a new way to think about each of these fields.  On climate change specifically, I really appreciate Silver's temperate approach toward the science and have more-or-less adopted it as my own (for the record, the models are by no means perfect and certainly have something to answer for, but they do all suggest rises in carbon dioxide are going to be problematic if the models are accurate).

And besides for educating me in a few specific topics, the book also introduced me to the notion of Bayesian forecasting.  I know about Bayes  but certainly hadn't thought to apply it as widely as Silver does. It really is a clarifying way to approach predictions of both the future and general unknowns.  It's very helpful to think in terms of current assumptions and how they affect the assumptions about new propositions (not that I mean I use this in any real sense, just in my rich intellectual life :p).

As someone with no statistical background, no background in any of the topics Silver discusses and not really a critical thinker, it's not like I'm a in a place to really evaluate Silver's book on its academic merits.  Suffice it to say, it was not only an interesting read, but has contributed to the way I think about the climate change debate, weather forecasts, mortgage securities, earthquake predictions, and Bayesian reasoning.  Not bad :)

Verdict: 4/5 (based purely on how much I enjoyed this book, not on its technical merits or lasting impact)

The Past Can Be Refreshing

Story of this next one: We walked to Goldie and Aharon's baby's bris and Esther Twersky offered to let me nurse in her house since she lives right near the shul.  I took her up on it, and she very nicely offered me a choice of reading materials.  She had lots of exciting used book, childhood favorites type.  Plenty of Gordon Korman, and she also had this author Keith Robertson.  He's the author of the Henry Reed books, which I used to read back in the day (and more or less enjoyed), but apparently he's the author of several other books as well.  I selected one of them, The Money Machine, started it while I was nursing, and took it home with me to finish.

The book is a children's mystery, with that old-timey feel of Henry Reed, Beverly Cleary etc - when children got around on bicycles, did their chores and lived wholesome and energetic lives.  The protagonists of The Money Machine (it's actually the last in a series with these boys) run a detective agency.  The mystery involves a counterfeit ring.  Not *too* high stakes, but of course, seriously dramatic for high school.  I'm not a huge fan of mysteries for their own sake, though I read many of them for various reasons of course.  So the actual clue-tracking and culprit-exposing wasn't overly important to me.  What impressed me more (I mean that in the sense of made an impression on me) was the old-timey feel of it all.  The mild manners, the slow pace, the secure atmosphere - all make for a relaxing read, despite any tension that arose from all the tight spots that happened along the way.  Not that I'm particularly nostalgic, and definitely not nostalgic for a time and place I never knew, but the wholesomeness of all did get to me.

At least I think that's what it was.  The bottom line is I found it to be an easy read.  As a children's book, I wouldn't have expected much else.  Even so, I think the old-fashioned neat-and-cleanness contributed plenty.

Verdict: 3.5/5

In Which the Likeability of the Author Matters

A while ago, Dov went to Barnes and Noble randomly and picked up a few titles (not at all my thing of course, I would never waste money on that :)), one of which was a somewhat interesting intro to popular physics book that I think is currently in CL, of which I have read only a small part. The other is Mindy Kaling's memoir (such a serious word, but I think it is the correct one), whose title is (having just looked it up) "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?".  I wouldn't say celebrity comedic memoirs are exactly my usual thing, but I have been known to read the occasional humor book.  And Dov went through this one quite quickly so I assumed I'd be interested :) I finally got around to reading it right after Naomi was born (brought it with me to the hospital, I think I started it there), which means we're talking about six months ago at this point - I think I still remember what I want to say though :)

And that's that I did indeed enjoy the book, and got through it relatively quickly - lots of stops and starts with nursing, but my interest never flagged.  The book was fun and well-written (for the genre).  But was more interesting was how much I actually liked Mindy.  She really seems... "normal".  Now I know that sounds incredibly celebrity-fake-modesty-y, but it's not just her early nerdiness and youthful struggles that humanizes her. She actually seems to have decent values - parents who push their kids (Indians of course :)), good friends she hangs with, a healthy appetite :)... She just seems like a person I would actually like! Which I just don't think I'd say about Tina Fey or Amy Poehler or Ellen Degeneres, even though I find them all very funny.  Not only did Mindy make me enjoy the book, the book actually made me enjoy her show all the more.  Mindy from The Mindy Project seems very much like Mindy from the memoir (which was written before the show, so it's not like she deliberately set out to make herself seem like her character).  Her antics on the show seem much more funny now that I see how they are rooted in the real, and quite likeable, Mindy.

So, anyway, a good, quick, fun read that actually surprised me in how much I enjoyed it :)

Verdict: 4/5

Better Than Fiction

This one might be out of order, but doesn't matter much given that all my reviews are months behind anyway :) When I go to my in-laws' house, I often pick up something to read there rather than continuing with whatever I am in middle of elsewhere.  One such book was To Sir With Love.  The premise, an educated black man teaching inner-city kids, reminded me of Up a Down Staircase, of which I read a Reader's Digest condensed novel version and enjoyed, back in the day (the black teacher was the added twist as far as I could see).  Only after I started reading it did I realize that it takes place in 1950's London, quite a different scene from the American inner-city, and with different racial overtones as well.  The kids are white trash, the teacher is black upper class, an engineer from South America.  So that's the scene.

The basic story is civilized black man civilizes uncivilized white students, mostly by treating them with respect and shocking them into good behavior.  It's a nice idea, but subject to skepticism - are inner-city kids really just fine adults waiting to shine through? When I started reading, this was my immediate reaction... until I realized something important.  The book is based on a true story.  Now that is a tale worth telling.  E.R. Braithwaite really was a black engineer who took a job teaching poor white Londoners in the years following WWII, and managed to instill both intelligence and breeding (ok, in limited quantities) despite the racial prejudice standing in his way.  Once I realized that, I could enjoy the book free of the niggling "yeah, right" feeling.

And it was a good read.  I, at least, felt a constant tension that some big explosion was just around the corner, but that never happened (no complaints from me about that :)) Small crises arise, but Mr. Braithwaite ably deals with each one deftly and successfully.  And the way the students warm to him is of course quite endearing.  The writing style is spare and a little blunt at times (and of course, with a viewpoint that is occasionally a little dated), and is quite easy to read.  The characterization is excellent (don't know how much liberty was taken with reality here), with each person a mix of virtues and vices in some combination.  There's also a bit of a romance, in an open-ended but hopeful state at the end of the book (this was apparently an embroidery of the truth since E.R. Braithwaite never married).  And it was certainly fascinating to read about racism and society outside of America.

So I certainly enjoyed this book.  And it was short, too, so not too much of an investment.  Pretty light, despite some heavy-ish subject matter.  Recommended :)

4/5

Subtleties Upon Repeat Reading

Well I've been neglecting my blog again... I think the last post I wrote, I mentioned I was on to something slightly more sophisticated than GH.. or maybe that was when I read North and South? Anyway, at some point, I decided I had had enough GH for a while and I started on Emma. I think the impetus may have come from Emma Approved, the web series modernized version of Emma (by the makers of the Lizzy Bennet Diaries, which I think might have inspired me to pick up P&P, IIRC. Parenthetically (as you can see :)), I liked Emma Approved much better than LBD).

Obviously I've read Emma before, but I don't know it nearly as well as P&P.  Almost all of my detailed memories come from the Gwyneth Paltrow movie (though of course, I've watched the Kate Beckinsdale and Romola Garai versions, not to mention Clueless - and Aisha, the Bollywood version of Clueless :)) So I did find a lot noteworthy in rereading the actual bit.  It was also interesting following along the story in two mediums simultaneously (you can see I didn't read it very fast, as the videos only came out twice a week :)) Seeing the videos, which of course only contain the familiar outline of the story, emphasized how much I love that familiar outline :) But more than that, how much richer the book is.

The story of Emma is really fantastic, right up there with Persuasion and P&P (it's the prototypical boy-next-door romance, corresponding to P&P's hate-at-first-sight). But it's a very different book than both of them.  Persuasion is of course a more serious work, written late in Austen's life.  But Emma is quite a bit less light and bright and sparking than P&P.  I know it's considered by many to be Austen's greatest  (most sophisticated?) work, and this is probably why.  There's more character development and maybe just a little bit less happily ever after.  The same wit and keen observation are of course ever present, but I think a little more biting.

I think what most struck me on this round of reading was the characterization.  I have to admit, I didn't like any of the characters as much as their movie selves (except for Mr K of course, he's da bomb :)) Emma, rather than being charmingly selfish in the beginning, is rather too self-deceitful for comfort (especially for a repeat reader, who knows just how many mistakes she's making).  As for Frank and Jane, it seems like the former has few redeeming qualities, leading one to wonder what the latter sees in him.  And all these less than perfect souls make the book... a bit uncomfortable at times, I have to admit.  I felt that discomfort in the ending as well, where, despite the happily-ever-after, Mr. Knightley's and Emma's union seemed just a little bit... I don't know, country gentleman as opposed to aristocrat (rough around the edges?).

It seems from this review that maybe I didn't enjoy the book all that much... but of course that's not true :) The romance remains utterly blissful and the writing delectable.   But I think Emma's comparative grittiness (compared to P&P that is) took me a bit by surprise.  I may have been suffering from a surfeit of Heyer aristocracy and/or excessive familiarity with the "good parts" (see previous review for more on that).  But I don't mean to distract from the perfection of the book, don't get me wrong. I loved getting to know Emma a little better and JA is, as always, the master.

Verdict: 5/5

Maybe a Little Worn, But So, So Comfy

As I mentioned previously, most of my reading over the past few months (really going back quite a while) has been Heyer, so no real pressure to review.   I finally picked up something else so it's a good time for me to do my Heyer shorties. As always, impressions aren't fresh in my mind at this point and of course it's not my first go round for any of these.  So you'll get what you get :)

Bath Tangle - I think I liked this one a little more than usual on this reread. Why? Gosh these hard questions :) The romance was good.  I think I felt like there were more moments than I had realized at previous times.  Really too bad I can't remember more at this point :)

Regency Buck - now I have a complicated relationship with this one. It was one of my first loves, and it does feature a very dashing hero and heroine. But as a more experienced Heyer reader, its status as GH's first Regency is quite clear.  There is a lot more focus on the culture and less on the couple.  And there's a mystery element that I can take or leave.  But I realized that a while ago, so that was already factored in to my enjoyment of the book. That being the case, I wouldn't say I liked it more than usual, but you, it certainly has its moments.

Sylvester - now this one I actually have something a little interesting to say :) Possibly because I remarked upon it when I actually read the book (to Dov) so I remember it now.  I've gone back and forth with Sylvester - when I first read it, I was in ecstasies about how it featured a rich duke as the hero.  But subsequent readings left me less enthusiastic, as the heroine is rather uninspiring (not to say a little annoying at times) dab of a girl and, furthermore, we sympathize first with Sylvester so that it is difficult to see Phoebe's point of view.  I think on the reading before this, I remember thinking it was a little more romantic than I had at times given it credit for - I didn't remember the details of their time in London and how it made their romance grow more naturally.  This time though, it was the end of the book that struck me.  So many Heyers have something of a wild goose chase or complicated plot at the end that (in my opinion) distracts from the main event.  This book, too, features a wild ride through France and back to England - *but* the interaction between Phoebe and Sylvester throughout is priceless.  Far from being a distraction, I found the last part of the book elevated it to a solid, satisfying romance.  (That's not to say I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much as I enjoy any Heyer even without the ending, I'm just saying this may now be back on my favorite GH list).

Arabella - an old favorite, and still a good one.  Is somewhat open to the criticism I mentioned above about the end of the book being distracting - it's less romantic than amusing almost.  But Mr Beaumaris (GH's answer to Brummell) is, of course, perfection.  And though others have found Arabella silly and naive, I find her sweet and poised (though admittedly lapsing into idiocy at times).  I think I did find this one *a little* less romantic than I have at other times, but maybe that's because I know the romantic moments so well? They felt like they had just a tad of "do, don't say" to them.  But still, not complaining about this, it's a thorough treat.

Frederica - also one of my faves.  Again, I know the romantic moments here almost too well to thoroughly enjoy them, but they are still unquestionably satisfying.  There is rather too much about Frederica's family in this book for my taste (always has been) but it really is a great story.  Romantic and great read, as always.

Venetia - I always like this one, but I think at some point I elevated it almost above every other GH.  This would be on the virtue of there being little else in this book beyond the love story (I mean there is Venetia's family background, but that doesn't seem like an altogether separate concern) and the supreme romance - there are A LOT of good moments in this book.  On this particular read, I found myself rather more bothered by Damerel's lack of morality than previous occasions though.  Not that he's such a bad person, but the book does rather celebrate his rakishness, and I see no reason for that.  Still, still, still, it's spoiled to complain.  These books are really the best of the best :)

And one last thing I'm tacking on to the end here.  Not a Heyer, but after I went through all these old faves, I was in the mood of another - Eva Ibbotson's The Morning Gift (which I have reviewed here previously).  An incredibly well-done romance, though there's no question that stylistically it can be irritating (many find it so irritating they never get past it, I have the ability to do so :))  Certainly enjoyed it on this reread, but again, I may know the romantic moments a *little* too well to thoroughly enjoy them.  I know exactly what's coming and so maybe have difficulty appreciating their proper significance.

Am I reading these books too often? Maybe in some cases... but nah.  Not like I didn't absolutely love each and every one of them, even if I didn't get quite, quite, quite as much as on previous reads.

Verdict: 5/5

Romance and Adventure in a Familiar Setting, If Not Quite Luxury

If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been (probably not, I have been mostly AWOL these days), mostly occupied with Heyer, which has the decided advantage that I can review all my reading at once :) And I will, hopefully sooner rather than later, but meanwhile, I do have one non-Heyer on my list.  Around January or February, we went to Saki and Danny for Shabbos and I was discussing books with Gital (who is of course, also a Heyer fan and, as such, can be trusted :)) She said she had been reading this fantasy series she was enjoying and gave me one of the books. I wasn’t expected and TON out of it b/c she didn’t give it rave reviews, but I figured it would be a solid romance.  (Name of the book is Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier btw).

And it was that.  It was Sharon Shinn-style fantasy, mostly old-fashioned society where the romance takes a central part of the story.  This particular fantasy land was based on Celtic myth, so apparently quite close to medieval Irish society (not that I know much about it).  Being medieval (and medieval fantasy) it was more earthy than chronicles of my beloved hyper-refined Regency era, but I think that’s typical of this kind of fantasy.  I’m trying to think of other examples of it, because I feel like there are others - maybe Sherwood Smith? Court Duel is actually quite refined though… I guess maybe Outlander, though that obviously takes place in much less refined circumstances… anyway, not that important.  Point is, old-fashioned nobility, less elegant than perhaps my preference, but still framed in a society where romance means something.  Plenty of magical elements too.

Fine, so that’s the setting.  What about the plot? It was a romance.  Definitely a bit of an earthy one :) But solid, well-plotted, with some angst.  I guess the romantic plot culminated well before the actual ending, but it was far enough along that it was fine.  But, as that suggests, this book is not a solid romance, there’s plenty else going on, mostly of fantastical nature.  I found this part of the book well-crafted, with lots of loose ends that are tied up neatly, and puzzles that work out.  (I tend to like this kind of thing, I should really call it out more explicitly in reviews).  I guess the beginning was a little slow, but it always is, in comparison with the end.  And our hero and heroine really do impress with their performances, outwitting the evil king of the fairies (or whatever they call themselves :))

As I said (or maybe I didn’t say it yet), it’s been a very long time since I read this, so it’s a little hard to remember exactly how I felt about it.  I do know that I thought it was too earthy for my ideal taste, but that I got through it extremely quickly (at least for the usual pace I’m setting these days) because I found it interesting and fun.  And looking back, and I definitely am thinking I want to read the rest of the series.

Verdict: 3.75/5

Boringly Unrealistic

Once back in Edison and in my new house (technically not back in Edison I guess since I was in Highland Park before) I resumed the book of which I had been in the middle when I took my unplanned month long stay in Teaneck - the latest 44 Scotland St.  I had picked this up from Sarah Sp. at some point, not nearly as promptly as I had the previous books (all of a piece with my library habits these days) and then never really gotten into it as there was no rush (no one on line behind me).  I finally picked it up sometime after Succos, only to be interrupted for over a month.  This is actually similar to the way I read the last book, which was interrupted by events.  And I think my reaction to the two was similar (though I didn't reread my previous review of course before writing this one :))  The story just kind of goes on, never really grabbing you and never really getting anyway.   There are some funny moments and lots of unexpected ones... but it just failed to hold my interest.  Was this due to the unscheduled hiatus? Probably partially.  But more, this is like the seventh book in the series (eighth? I don't know).  And these books are written as serialized newspaper columns.  So what can really be expected? If everything was resolved, the books would be over.  But how else to keep things interesting than rather random twists and turns? I guess the books continue to amuse, at least in places, but I think I care about the characters less and less rather than more and more... and if I don't care, why do I keep reading? (Of course I will keep reading b/c it's not exactly tedious but I'm not eagerly awaiting the next book or anything).

Verdict: 2.75/5

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 :))

A Little Gem Tucked Away In Ebook Land

The next title on the list is the only original read of my kindle fare, and, I'd say, the most interesting.  Looking at the top free books, I noticed one of the top was the title "Wired Love".  This was not a book I had ever heard of, and I assumed it wouldn't interest me, but for whatever reason (probably something I read in the reviews, but I don't remember what) I decided to give it a try. I assumed it would be a tale of love over the internet,  contemporary but by some new author giving it away for free for publicity.  It wasn't.  As was evident from the very beginning, this is a historical novel - about love over the telegraph! I think it was rediscovered as an interesting title recently, since of course, it foreshadows our current age of technological courtship, which is why I had never heard of it (excuses, excuses :)) It certainly isn't a great classic, and doesn't read by one.  But it certainly *is* right up my alley - light historical romance! (not the harlequin kind :))

I wasn't sure where the book would go, since the premise didn't seem like it would stretch to entire book.   Two telegraph operators flirt, eventually they meet... by that point, no more suspense, right? But surprisingly enough, though the book was not exactly a weighty tome, it managed to keep the story fresh and interesting all along.  The obstacles placed in the way of our heroes feel realistic enough, and their light romance is sweet and fun to follow along.  Not the deepest or most intellectual story, but undoubtedly a fun little tale.

Verdict: 4.75/5

Elementary, My Dear Readers (Yes, I know this isn't even really from the books)

It's been a while since I'm back on the train and 4G (back on the train now in fact), but (no surprise) I have emerged from the subway with the task of reviewing several more ebooks.  There were a few other choices outside of the children's classic genre - for one thing, I read all but the last collection of Sherlock Holmes short stories (the last wasn't free :)) The stories are all the same, but not the less addictive for that. I found myself "deducing" to Dov when not reading the stories :)

I remember one of the Sp's, (I think Shy.) pointing out that Sherlock's cleverness is implausible - many of his "inevitable" deductions are not inevitable at all, and he's only brilliant because he's right (in other words, his methods would not work in the real world).  This is definitely somewhat true, but who cares? 1) He's awful smart for a' that :) And who doesn't want to read about smart, successful people? 2) Even though I know the cases are just crafted by the author for a specific reveal, it's still enjoyable to see the way the ends are cleverly tied up.  I get a lot of pleasure out of well-tied up plot strings :) Even in the cases where I had a vague notion of the solution (and that was most of them, since this is not my first reading of Sherlock Holmes) I liked seeing how the details were resolved. And I'm not a critical reader, so even if the resolution wasn't perfect at times, I mostly missed those gaps.

After a while, of course, these stories are just all the same - that's expected.  But they can still be clever and amusing for all that.  Not enough to make me pay for the last set (though maybe I would have if I hadn't found other reading materials), but you know, quite enough to enthrall me while they lasted.

Verdict: 4/5

Old Favorites, New Format

So what have I been doing for the past whatever? Well living at my in-laws for one thing.  Which means 1) No access to my usual source of books these days, my own bookshelf and 2) away for Shabbos in all different places which means not much time to read.  But what I have been reading is ebooks. It started out as something to keep me occupied on the long A subway ride to the GWB bus terminal, but turned out to be entertaining enough to keep me occupied at lots of other times as well.  This time it wasn’t ebooks on my kindle (that’s packed away somewhere and in need of a charge), it was Google Play on my phone (which would seem even less appealing than the kindle but even so).  I was only interested in free books of course, and didn’t want to invest in anything too heavy… so it came down to children’s classics (and Sherlock Holmes).  About the latter, I will post separately, but here’s  rundown of some or all (if I can remember them) of these trips down memory lane.

A Little Princess - This was the first title I picked out.  I have  read this book *many* times and always enjoyed.  What’s not to enjoy about a rich and beloved little girl and her riches-to-rags-to-riches story? Everyone (except Miss Minchin of course, and who cares about her) loves Sara and even her darkest days don’t stay dark for very long.  And the book really is a fairy tale with the Indian gentleman taking secret care of his lost ward.  I don’t know if I enjoyed it more than I used to but it was definitely a fast and easy read. (And I was less annoyed than usual by little Sara’s mannerisms :))

The Wind in the Willows - I read this book once but didn’t remember it at all (and I’m not sure I followed it the first time around).  Of course I knew vaguely that there was a Toad in the story and some other animals, and something about a car, but that was it.  What I found when I read it was that there really isn’t all that much more.   I mean of course there’s  a lot more - Ratty and Badger and Mole and all their story - but as for plot, not really.  There’s no real fault in that, plenty of books get by on just telling one short story after the other, with some small plot line (like Toad’s adventures) running through.  And the animals do have nice adventures.  But I had quite a hard time with this book, because it wasn’t just meandering along - it seemed to go back and forth.  First of all, the personification of the animals was confusing, as I found it inconsistent - do the animals fight/eat each other? Are they all the same size? Are only some of them sentient? I’m not sure why this bothered me so much, as the author as the liberty to personify his animals as he feels is right, but if these questions intrude on my imagination, I just feel like it’s imperfectly done.  And then there was the inconsistency of tone, with a few chapters having almost religious solemnity, and then the wild ride of Toad’s crazy adventures.  I just didn’t know what to think.  I read the Wikipedia article and it pretty much said the same thing.  This isn’t a book known for consistency.  And I’m not quite sure what it is known for, because it just didn’t feel exceptional to me at all.

Around the World in Eighty Days - I always liked this one, I think because Phileas Fogg is just so unredoubtable (I think that’s the word).  He is indeed, but on rereading, I found this very aplomb to be somewhat out of place.  He insists that a trip round the world in 80 days is not merely a best case scenario, but eminently possible.  Though he does, in the end, succeed, in the face of many tribulations, his very narrow escapes at several points in his journey seem to indicate that no, indeed, plenty of luck is needed to make the deadline, it is by no means a foregone conclusion, even to one as fastidiously careful as PF.  So when Phileas Fogg’s infallibility fades somewhat, what’s left? It’s still a pretty good adventure :) Especially when so many of the places he visits were new to me as they were when I first read this book.  It was quite an education and an enjoyable journey, even this time around.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - I never liked this as much as the rest of the Oz books, and it is very different I think.  I haven’t read the rest so I can’t really compare, but what I can say of this one, is it’s written in that very deliberate fairy tale style.  The plot plods along, the characters state things, and it’s all just a little emotionless.  But when we’re talking about a story as iconic as this one, we bring our own emotion to the table, and this funny little fairy tale speaks to us (or me :))

Anne of Green Gables / Anne of Avonlea / etc.

Thus far I have only reread the first two of the series, and I’m not sure I will end up reviewing the rest if I go farther, so for now, let’s count this for all of them :) The Anne books were always a series I tolerated for the romance, which is of course excellent.  That’s why I’ve read Anne of the Island far more than the other ones.  The romance is of course present in the first two (I think the first even more than the second) but much more subtle/in the background of  course.  As for everything else, I always found Anne and her fancies to be annoying and the way everyone loves her to be extremely Mary-Sue-ish.  So it was much to my surprised that I found Anne Shirley when she first arrived at Green Gables, to be a delightful and sympathetic preteen.  Her high flown speeches and exaggerated emotions were quite as amusing to me as to Marilla and Matthew, and she seemed a sweet child deserving of love, much as she is to that pair.  Her various scrapes were of course a little trying but mostly less awful than I remembered.  I was, in short, pleasantly surprised, and attributed it to my being old enough to appreciate Anne for the child she was. This is probably true, Anne of Green Gables may be better read as as an adult for one to sympathize with its tone (at least in my case).  BUT I will say that as Anne aged - when she grew into a thoughtful and dreamy teenager, I felt my old skepticism return.  Teenage Anne’s quiet fantasies and deep engagement with nature and philosophy left me rather cold and I did not feel the same sense of love that her townspeople seem to feel for her.  Maybe that’s because I need to get yet more older to appreciate it :) Or maybe it’s because when she started to take herself seriously, I lost all interest.   Not that these books aren’t still very enjoyable in their romance and their light tales of PEI life (not to mention Anne’s various successes along the path of life) but I find my earlier impression to have been confirmed in the later parts of AoGG and AoA.  Oh well, can’t complain :)

Verdict: collective 4/5 can't be bothered to do each individually :)

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

Yeah, I Just Like Her

Well, it's been a while (surprise, surprise).  I didn't realize how long a while till I just checked the last post - almost two months! What happened? The usual of course, very busy so not reading so much and posting even less, but also, I did take on a slightly more demanding work following all this light fare... but that's not what I'm reviewing now :) (hopefully soon, as I am actually nearing completion).  What happened was... well on one of my many times away from home (yom tov!), hubs couldn't find this book so I told him to pack something else... more light favorites :) So that's what we're reviewing now (yes, well after yom tov when they were finished).  It's two more Georgettes, both from the less-frequently-read pile.

First Talisman Ring - I used to read this one a lot, as it was one of the few the library had in stock, and I always enjoyed it.  I don't know that I ever ranked it as a top-tier, and if I did, I demoted it a while ago :) But that's not to say I don't like it, I do.  It's one of the non-Regencies, taking places in the 1790's, and has that more adventuresome tone GH's non-Regencies do (this is called swashbuckler I have learned on Lauren Willig, IIRC she actually reviewed this very book recently and made the some comment).  Anyway, not quite as joking in tone, and with language a touch more stilted/old-fashioned, whatever.  And characters maybe a little more old-fashioned too.  I don't consider that a good thing, but it's not the worst certainly.  More of a point against TR is its status as mystery-lite, rather than straight romance.  I don't have quite as much time for those.  But you know, as always, Heyer does a great job.  The romance is ok, the plot is interesting (and surprisingly, I didn't even remember every plot turn, though I had pretty good vague ideas of most)... and once again, I find myself impressed with her writing, especially her humorous writing, which keeps me engaged even when I just might get annoyed with these old-fashioned characters and their dramatic mysteries :)

Then there was the Nonesuch.  I think I enjoyed this one very much the first time I read it but not as much in the time(s) following (I'm not sure how many there were) so I was even less familiar with this one.  This is a Regency romance (yay) but the main characters are a governess and philanthropist, not necessarily the *most* engaging set of circumstances (I think that's probably why this one fell out of favor). In addition, I have some vague notion that I didn't find the romance all that potent.  On that latter point, I was I think most happily proven wrong on this re-reading, it's a good, solid romance, with a decent amount of suspense, and all proper feelings (especially where it counts, on Sir Waldo's side :)) As for the governess aspect of the book, I didn't find it too irksome, and the philanthropist aspect doesn't take up too much time.  And on the plus side, this book is a sparkler! Light, bright and fun - maybe precisely because of the governess aspect, we get to look down on all the silly young people while going about in their company :) So what am I saying yet again? GH can write! Seamless prose, easy dialogue, and, oh, the humor! I'd say the Nonesuch went up a notch in my book and GH... well how much further can she go? :)

Verdict: 2 * 5/5

Some Shorts

And here I am, still sitting phoneless on the train :( With nothing else to do but review books, and I don't even have the list of books in front of me to review :( But I'm pretty sure, based on the last time I checked, that all I have left to review is miscellaneous non-review books :) So you're going to get some selected shorts - 

1) I reread Reb Aharon Feldman's book on marriage, The River, the Kettle and the Bird.  Nothing earth-shattering (there wasn't really anything the first time around either) but always very, very good to remind myself of the basics of communication and relationships, especially with one's spouse :)

2) I reread Sandition, which I have reviewed previously - still really like this book.  If I'm being picky, it's not Jane Austen, and it's pretty obvious when you're looking - I wouldn't say it's perfectly consistent plot-wise with the beginning of the book either.  But who cares, it's a *great* story, and quite well told.

3) I reread the Ordinary Princess, mostly because I wanted something fast (and maybe that I wouldn't have to review, not sure :)) As good as always (reviewed last year if you're wondering).  Not much depth, but then, it's a fairy tale :) and charming, charming, charming.

4) QED - also a reread, though one I don't remember.  I used to read physics books a lot, I should start again, I really kind of like them :) This is a very interesting one, since it goes into a lot of detail without going over my head (much :)) By the classic physics for the masses writer of course (well maybe not quite that, but a very, very good teacher from what  I understand :)) Richard Feyman.

Well that's all I remember for now, but if I remember more or somehow obtain my list (which was stored on my dead phone but maybe just maybe was connected with the account instead of the phone) I will add others.

Don't Need Nothin' But Heyer

So I am once again phoneless, this time slightly more permanently as I await a replacement for my broken phone.  And since I have nothing else to do, it's time for more reviews.  I'm actually a fair way towards catching up on my backlog, partially because this next review is a compound… of all the Georgette Heyers I've read over the past few months (quite a number of months, I don't think I've reviewed the ones I read back in Baltimore and that was 8/9 months ago).  Not sure if I'll remember them all without my list (which is on my broken phone, and which I just realized I may never be able to retrieve :() But here goes…

I. The Grand Sophy

I read this one a while ago, so I'm not sure how much of a point there is in reviewing it - I don't really remember any specific impressions I had of it on this reading.  I know I liked it - this was the first GH I reread and I was eager to finish it, reading my own copy at home because I left Baltimore before finishing S.b.'s copy.  Which makes me realize that this was not a book I read when I was staying in Baltimore after BB was born, since I didn't go straight home then.  Must have been S.b.'s or Huvi's sheva brachos.  In any case, still a while ago.  And it was great.  It's funny, I think I care less about romance than I used to, maybe enjoy a little (a very little less).  But GH's books have only become more enjoyable since the romance is only a small part of what makes them good.  The characters, the dialogue, the humor - The Grand Sophy has those all in generous quantities, and that's what makes it one of the best.

II. Cotillion

This one was also read in starts and stops, partially in Baltimore, partially at home (I think at home, I know I took the book home to return it to Batya, its rightful owner).  Again, very enjoyable and again, I don't remember much about my specific impressions.  This one has a lot of story to it, and maybe not the most interesting story.. but GH makes it work, everything moving along swiftly enough to keep me from getting impatient.  And the characters (Freddy!) and romance all in good working order.  Another good one, though not quite as brilliant as the Grand Sophy I'd say.

III. The Unknown Ajax

Well here's something different - I don't own a copy of this one (though I've had Gital's since I borrowed it when we went to them for Shabbos in January and she has another one so I may buy this one off of her) and I've only read it once, if I recall correctly, and that back when I read all the GHs, in 9th grade.  So you can surmise that this was not one of my favorites then, and I wouldn't say it has become one of my favorites since.  But I've been in the mood to read it for a while, I think because it was cited a lot in Jennifer's Kloester's GH's Regency World (reviewed earlier on this blog), which made me think it was more Heyer-y than I had previously attributed.  Anyway, there's a reason this one wasn't one of my favorites - it's not a typical Heyer Regency skipping along merrily through the glittering Mayfair throng - it takes place on a rather impoverished (though noble, don't worry ;)) estate in Devon.  And the main character is a soldier - of low birth! (well low birth on one side, on the other he's heir to a Baroncy :)) And the story is less about the romantic relationship between our protagonists than about their family issues (they're cousins) and all that.  So yeah, not typical Heyer fun.  But still, the characters and the dialogue are there, and the romance too, though not so prominently.  And the story moves along well enough as usual.  I really think GH is a better writer than even I give her credit for :) Maybe I should even give her mysteries a try… well that might be taking it too far.  The Unknown Ajax, while maybe not quite in her typical bent, is still most definitely a Heyer Regency romance, and thus enjoyable by default :)

IV. The Corinthian

So after reading a few old favorites (I'm pretty sure there's one more I'm not remembering that hopefully I'll review below) and one lesser known work, I took the medium ground.  The Corinthian isn't one of my absolute favorite Heyers, but I've read it multiple times and liked it enough to purchase it (actually I'm a little surprised that I did, it was probably one of the last ones on my list of necessary ones :)) It's good, but against its favor, we have the setting - the road to Bristol (i.e. not London), the plot - jewel heist and cross-dressing drama (i.e. not dances and card parties :)), and the couple - suave older guy and silly young woman (i.e. not someone you want to see humbled by love and not someone you particularly see as fall-in-lovable).  But, but, but… we still have our awesome hero (that's probably why I have always rated this book highly) and a well-told romance.  And writing that makes it all very easy reading.  I think I'm seeing a theme here… GH is THE MAN (figuratively :))

V.  I thought there was another one, but I went through my books and I couldn't think of another one I had read recently (other than the two I reviewed back in December).  So I guess it's conclusion time - which I already stated above, GH can write! I love these books for the romance first and foremost of course, and for the setting that has become so closely associated with romance (of course because it's such a fun setting in the first place :)) But then there's the dialogue and the humor… part of it is acquired taste, but there's not doubt that Georgette Heyer is a talented author.  Glad her books are still living up to the test of time, and multiple re-readings :)

Verdict: 5! 5! 5 out of 5! (I'm imitating The Count from Sesame Street, which I picked up from Lauren Willig's website, if you're wondering)

Regency, Done Literarally

Who would have thought I would have a another opportunity so quickly? But, a succession of circumstances... Ok, you really want to know? I know you want to :) (or I want to make my review longer :)) Phone did not have a long time to charge today as I got in late because drove straight from cl and went to pump, and then ate lunch about an hour after I finished pumping, at which point I took my phone out to get lunch (like I always do) and forgot to plug it in.  As I went up to lunch, I noticed my throat hurting and decided to go get a strep test.  I went to the doctor’s office, which took quite a while, and of course my phone was not plugged in this whole time.  Turns out I have strep so I went home early... and my phone was dead.   It is now charging but does not have enough juice to do anything with (and by anything I mean read Slate because it *really* doesn’t have enough juice for tethering.  So I need something to do while I take the local train back home.  And what to do without internet? Writing a blog entry sounds perfect :)  So! Next up... After I finished Grandma’s two presents, I didn’t go back to ebooks... not sure why, but maybe it was because I was almost going back to work? or was already so behind in my reviews that I didn’t want to bog myself down further? Whatever the reason, I wasn’t reading much, and when I did read it was books I had on my shelf already (oh right, probably the reason was I was watching t.v. except on Shabbos so I just needed something to read on Shabbos).  Really don’t know the order, and besides, I want to review some in groups, so next up is the two Pink Carnation (Lauren Willig) books I own.  These aren’t my favorite two, they are just the ones I happened to buy (#4, Crimson Rose because the library was taking forever to get it and #8, The Orchid Affair because I went to the book signing (yes I did :)).  I actually reviewed #8 at the time I read it, but of course I can’t link to it right now because I’m writing offline, but you can go find it yourself :)

Anyway, you hear a lot about Lauren Willig if you read this blog, since she’s always offering up suggestions for authors (though I guess I don’t take her up on too many of them but I do feel like I mention her a lot).  Her books have a strong element of Regency romance, which is why I read them, but they are also very well written and well researched, entertaining historical mysteries.  Not found in the paperback section of the library or anything :) I always liked them, and still do, but I’ve noticed the “seams” showing a bit more in the past few years - by which I mean that her narration sounds like it’s often chuckling to itself.  This is less a product of the books changing than of me getting more discerning (if I do say so myself :) could it be related to this blog?? :)), which I know because I see the same writing style in #4, which came out before I noticed the trend.  So her writing, while good, is a bit too blithely irreverent for me, but not at all awkward and still vivid and entertaining.  The books are solid romances, each with a fresh plot and the spy element is never too distracting.  The modern element of the books has gotten less interesting as the story evolves (no surprise there as how long could the original romance be stretched out) but 1) it doesn’t take up too much time and 2) the new plot twists at least keep us from rehashing the same old conflicts.  Basically, these are good, solid books, rare well-written examples of (my favorite) Regency genre (ok not technically Regency but close enough).

About these two specifically - like I said, they were never my favorite ones.  Crimson Rose is about Mary Alsworthy, and while she is a sympathetic character in this one, she can’t entirely lose the taint of being a conniving and nasty sister in the previous book.  I do heart Lord Vaughn :) but the romance showcases that issue where the cool guy is so cool you don’t want to see him humbled by romance.  As for The Orchid Affair, it’s about a governess and a French bureaucrat... not exactly my ideal milieu.  But the romance are both excellent of course and the stories well told.  So I didn’t find it hard to read these, not at all.  If I had more Lauren Willigs at home, I’d reread them too :) And whenever I start going to the library again the two (!) new Lauren Willigs (one not a Pink Carnation) will be first on the list.

Verdict: 4.5/5

Rather An Ordinary Tale of An Extraordinary Journey

I visited my blog for reasons unrelated to content this past week (for work) and I noticed that the last post is from June 30th.   Oysh.  The backlog of reviews has definitely been weighing on me and my reading choices, so I thought I would take this perfect opportunity (down time in CL on Sunday) to finally update.  So where were we? Books Dov's grandmother got me for my birthday (oh what a coincidence it's my half birthday (that's SIX MONTHS later) tomorrow :) Anyway, after I finished The Dovekeepers (reviewed below) I moved on to the other one, The Alchemist.  It's a short little book that apparently got a lot of buzz amongst Dov's grandmother's set.  Translated from Brazilian, instant classic...

The book is a sort of folk tale (not an actual folktale I don't think), telling a kind of grand story of epic adventure fraught with meaning and destiny.  Also a fair number of religious overtones.  I'm not sure what I expected (not the least because I read this nearly six months ago :)) but given that it was (at least according to the blurb) a wildly popular, life-changing book, I guess it was a fairly revolutionary and moving story.  The scale was certainly impressive, like I said, fraught with destiny and significant decisions and life-or-death moments.  But did it resonate? Did I feel like the book had anything to say? I know the answer is no, I'm just trying to remember exactly why :) I guess there just wasn't much point.  The end of the story was the boy, after traveling from Spain to Egypt, finds out there's a treasure back home which has a nice, ironic feel to it.  But life lessons? Trust your heart, follow your dreams, be generous and faithful... Good stuff but nothing controversial, nothing innovative.  In short, a nice story, written well-enough (though of course it's just a translation) but I'm not exactly sure what made this book catch the public fancy.

Verdict: 3/5