This is what teens should be reading. Harry Potter is cute and fun, but ultimately too childish. Take Twilight and burn it, or use it as a doorstop. It's worthless. Let's get young people to read His Dark Materials, and let them find out what really great fantasy literature is all about.
His Dark Materials is a trilogy of books that take place in a number of worlds parallel to our own. In one of these worlds (the main setting for The Golden Compass, each human is accompanied by a daemon, basically a representation of their souls in the form of an animal. Children's daemons are constantly changing to fit their moods. Once they reach adulthood, however, the daemons settle into a permanent shape that reflects what the people are inside. It's a completely alien concept at first, but Pullman does a fantastic job of explaining the link between humans and daemons, and some of the book's most moving moments come when that relationship comes into danger.
This world is ruled by an all powerful organization called The Magisterium, a stand-in for the Catholic Church. Pullman doesn't shy away from the comparisons and his criticism of the Church. In fact, the entire plot is driven by the Magisterium's desire to suppress what they call heretical plots that would essentially strip it of its power. The Oblation Board, part of the Magisterium, is conducting some sort of secret experiment in the Northern areas of the world, and the bulk of the book is spent with the characters trying to find out what it is.
Into this complicated and dark plot comes Lyra Belacqua, the main character of the book. She's a young girl who, largely by accident, is thrown into a mystery that involves the kidnapping of children, some of them her friends. Lyra is an interesting and complex character, not your usual children's book heroine. She's stubborn and arrogant, a natural leader and an expert liar, which saves her from a lot of trouble. Sometimes she's even a little unlikable, but I think it helps to see that this isn't a perfect little girl. She's abrasive, but that helps her survive situations that others wouldn't.
So Lyra, curious and determined, is taken along on some pretty scary adventures as she works to solve the mystery of the disappearing children. Pullman creates a dark, dangerous world full of monsters and magical creatures; the armored bears in particular have to be some of the most amazing things I've ever read about..
The book ends in a cliffhanger after a series of nonstop battles and confrontations--it was pretty damn hard to put down the book at any moment. It's fast-paced and exciting, sometimes downright creepy and disturbing. It's not a book for really young children, but I think anyone over the age of 16 would enjoy it. The Church criticism would perhaps be lost to a young audience, but it's another way for adults to enjoy the book. Pullman is obviously going for controversy here, and some people might be turned off by his constant cries of 'the church is evil! the church is evil!'. However, I think it would be unfair to dismiss such a talented and imaginative writer just because he's critical and controversial; it's too good and too rich a story. It's a great book, really, and I'm starting on the next one (The Subtle Knife) just as soon as I post this.
***
Done with another 5K Challenge! The best of the five? I'd have to say this one and "Teacher Man". Two very, very different books, but both from two wonderful writers. Everyone should read them
Showing posts with label 5K. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 5K. Show all posts
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Book #27 (5K #4): "Tiburcio Carias Andino: Anatomy of an Era" by Mario R. Argueta
Disclaimer:I'm not feeling very coherent today, so this review will be pretty short. And it probably won't make a lot of sense, because my brain is only running on turtle speed today. Apologies for the incoherence. But here goes.
This could have been a very interesting book. It deals with a decisive period in Honduran history, starting from about 1923 and ending in the 1964, following the political life of dictator Tiburcio Carias Andino. It's a detailed and thorough account of every aspect of Honduran history during this time period--an era of civil wars and political strife that set Honduras back 50 years. We still haven't recovered from all the mistakes our country's leaders caused at the start of the century. It was a time when despotic politicians practically sold the entire country to powerful American companies, who in turn controled our politics to best suit their needs. It's the same sad story of most Latin American countries: weak, power-hungry men enriched by corruption while progress of every kind was halted for almost 50 years.
It's a terrible legacy, and the author makes sure to point out how even today our politicians are repeating the strategies of the past; trying everything they can to hold on to power, and screw the consequences. It's the same families that have been ruling our country for decades. No wonder we're stuck in the third world.
The book itself, however, left me feeling cold. It reads like a recitation of facts, with names being thrown around with no follow up or context. It has a lot of facts, yes, but sometimes I just lost interest, or just completely lost the thread of what the author was saying. It was more like a government report, and it wasn't involving. For example, he tells us he'll talk about Carias' political life, but he mostly just throws out names and numbers and important dates. There's no real connection to the history we're reading; perhaps if he had talked more about how the politics affected Honduran society in general, it would have helped. As it is, it feels like reading a boring, bland textbook with a lot of tables and lists. Only very rarely does the author analyze what the facts mean. I had the hardest time not falling asleep as I read it. I confess I even skipped a lot of pages filled with nothing but detailed accounts of how many bananas the United Fruit Company exported. Without any sort of context as to what it means, who the hell is going to care?
It's a shame, really. I read it to learn more about the history of my own country, and specially about a time period that my own parents and grandparents lived through. But their stories are far more interesting and involving than just reading a lot of dates and numbers. I wish this book was far more than it was.
This could have been a very interesting book. It deals with a decisive period in Honduran history, starting from about 1923 and ending in the 1964, following the political life of dictator Tiburcio Carias Andino. It's a detailed and thorough account of every aspect of Honduran history during this time period--an era of civil wars and political strife that set Honduras back 50 years. We still haven't recovered from all the mistakes our country's leaders caused at the start of the century. It was a time when despotic politicians practically sold the entire country to powerful American companies, who in turn controled our politics to best suit their needs. It's the same sad story of most Latin American countries: weak, power-hungry men enriched by corruption while progress of every kind was halted for almost 50 years.
It's a terrible legacy, and the author makes sure to point out how even today our politicians are repeating the strategies of the past; trying everything they can to hold on to power, and screw the consequences. It's the same families that have been ruling our country for decades. No wonder we're stuck in the third world.
The book itself, however, left me feeling cold. It reads like a recitation of facts, with names being thrown around with no follow up or context. It has a lot of facts, yes, but sometimes I just lost interest, or just completely lost the thread of what the author was saying. It was more like a government report, and it wasn't involving. For example, he tells us he'll talk about Carias' political life, but he mostly just throws out names and numbers and important dates. There's no real connection to the history we're reading; perhaps if he had talked more about how the politics affected Honduran society in general, it would have helped. As it is, it feels like reading a boring, bland textbook with a lot of tables and lists. Only very rarely does the author analyze what the facts mean. I had the hardest time not falling asleep as I read it. I confess I even skipped a lot of pages filled with nothing but detailed accounts of how many bananas the United Fruit Company exported. Without any sort of context as to what it means, who the hell is going to care?
It's a shame, really. I read it to learn more about the history of my own country, and specially about a time period that my own parents and grandparents lived through. But their stories are far more interesting and involving than just reading a lot of dates and numbers. I wish this book was far more than it was.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Book #26 (5K #3): 'Teacher Man' by Frank McCourt
"I was more than a teacher. And less. In the high school classroom you are a drill sergeant, a rabbi, a shoulder to cry on, a disciplinarian, a singer, a low-level scholar, a clerk, a referee, a clown, a counselor, a dress-code enforcer, a conductor, an apologist, a philosopher, a collaborator, a tap dancer, a politician, a therapist, a fool, a traffic cop, a priest, a mother-father-brother-sister-uncle-aunt, a bookkeeper, a psychologist-the last straw."
I've wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. Since I was in 2nd grade, I think. I started full-time teaching in 2006, fresh out of college and having no idea what the hell I was doing. I don't want to give a recitation of my life, so I'll just say this: teaching can be exhausting, frustrating, and unbelievably cool.
And Frank McCourt knows exactly how it is. That's why this book is so, so, so good. I think I didn't stop grinning once while I read it. It's fantastic.
'Teacher Man' is the third part of McCourt's memoirs, which began with the magnificent Angela's Ashes, where he tells of his miserable childhood in Ireland. In the second book, 'Tis, McCourt tells of his teenage years, when he returned to America (where he was born) and worked a variety of jobs before settling into teaching. In Teacher Man he covers his entire teaching career, from his beginnings as an english teacher in a low-class school in New York City, to the day he retires--it's after that that he began to write Angela's Ashes.
It's an amazing story, really, because up until he became famous for Angela's Ashes, McCourt was only a poor English teacher with a deep sense of inferiority and bad self-esteem. So his story isn't one of fantastic adventures and great battles: he's just a guy who had a terrible childhood and who then became a High School English teacher.
It doesn't sound like something that would really hold your interest, but McCourt is an amazing, gifted writer. He's sincere and self-deprecating, hardly believing that he managed to overcome his childhood. Even when he's sunk into the deepest of miseries, he holds to his uproarious sense of humor, loving every story, telling it as if he can't believe he's telling it at all. And he knows teaching is a constant battle: one that sometimes leaves you defeated, and that sometimes leaves you feeling like you're the king of the world. It's not Robin Williams in The Dead Poets Society. It's tough, but you love it, and maybe once in a while you can make a difference in somebody's life.
I loved this book. Absolutely loved it. McCourt has a unique, captivating style that's just plain touching and as funny as anything I've ever read. Even if you're not a teacher, you'll find something you recognize in it. You'll remember your own teachers and your own high school years. It'll crack you up, and hopefully it will make you go a little easier on teachers.
If you are a teacher, my sympathy and my admiration go out to you. And please, read this book.
"The classroom is a place of high drama. You'll never know what you've done to, or for,the hundreds coming and going. You see them leaving the classroom: dreamy, flat, sneering, admiring, smiling, puzzled...You are with the kids and, as long as you want to be a teacher, there's no escape. Don't expect help from the people who've escaped the classroom, the higher-ups. They're busy going to lunch and thinking higher thoughts. It's you and the kids. So, there's the bell. See you later. Find what you love and do it."
See? Genius. I was almost crying at that.
I've wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. Since I was in 2nd grade, I think. I started full-time teaching in 2006, fresh out of college and having no idea what the hell I was doing. I don't want to give a recitation of my life, so I'll just say this: teaching can be exhausting, frustrating, and unbelievably cool.
And Frank McCourt knows exactly how it is. That's why this book is so, so, so good. I think I didn't stop grinning once while I read it. It's fantastic.
'Teacher Man' is the third part of McCourt's memoirs, which began with the magnificent Angela's Ashes, where he tells of his miserable childhood in Ireland. In the second book, 'Tis, McCourt tells of his teenage years, when he returned to America (where he was born) and worked a variety of jobs before settling into teaching. In Teacher Man he covers his entire teaching career, from his beginnings as an english teacher in a low-class school in New York City, to the day he retires--it's after that that he began to write Angela's Ashes.
It's an amazing story, really, because up until he became famous for Angela's Ashes, McCourt was only a poor English teacher with a deep sense of inferiority and bad self-esteem. So his story isn't one of fantastic adventures and great battles: he's just a guy who had a terrible childhood and who then became a High School English teacher.
It doesn't sound like something that would really hold your interest, but McCourt is an amazing, gifted writer. He's sincere and self-deprecating, hardly believing that he managed to overcome his childhood. Even when he's sunk into the deepest of miseries, he holds to his uproarious sense of humor, loving every story, telling it as if he can't believe he's telling it at all. And he knows teaching is a constant battle: one that sometimes leaves you defeated, and that sometimes leaves you feeling like you're the king of the world. It's not Robin Williams in The Dead Poets Society. It's tough, but you love it, and maybe once in a while you can make a difference in somebody's life.
I loved this book. Absolutely loved it. McCourt has a unique, captivating style that's just plain touching and as funny as anything I've ever read. Even if you're not a teacher, you'll find something you recognize in it. You'll remember your own teachers and your own high school years. It'll crack you up, and hopefully it will make you go a little easier on teachers.
If you are a teacher, my sympathy and my admiration go out to you. And please, read this book.
"The classroom is a place of high drama. You'll never know what you've done to, or for,the hundreds coming and going. You see them leaving the classroom: dreamy, flat, sneering, admiring, smiling, puzzled...You are with the kids and, as long as you want to be a teacher, there's no escape. Don't expect help from the people who've escaped the classroom, the higher-ups. They're busy going to lunch and thinking higher thoughts. It's you and the kids. So, there's the bell. See you later. Find what you love and do it."
See? Genius. I was almost crying at that.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Book #25 (5K #2): "Cry Wolf" by Tami Hoag
How to write a Tami Hoag novel, in Ten Easy Steps!
1. Introduce your heroine. She is tough and independent. She works in a field usually dominated by men. She is unfeminine and thus, doesn't have a man. She is TOUGH (make sure to say this a LOT) and has a Dark Past.
2. Introduce your hero. He is a very masculine MANLY MAN. He is dangerously handsome. And dangerous and flawed. He has a DARK PAST.
3. Introduce the Second-Tier Female. She is beautiful and feminine. Give her a minor plot line. She will be useful in making the Heroine look like an Unfulfilled and Unfeminine Woman.
4. Introduce Second-Tier Male. He is Handsome, but not as Handsome as Handsome Flawed Hero. He is an Important Person. He is Mysterious.
5. Have your Tough Heroine meet your Flawed Hero. Introduce SEXUAL TENSION. Have your Flawed Hero talk in cliches and bad come-on lines that should make the Heroine cringe but Oh He Is So Handsome and Dark. SEXUAL TENSION.
6. Put them all in Small Idyllic All-American Town. Introduce Colorful Characters.
7. MURDER one of them. Small Idyllic All-American Town is shaken to the core. TO THE CORE. Have someone say "Things like that don't happen in this town!" repeatedly.
8. Have Flawed Hero and Tough Heroine run around Small Not-So Idyllic Anymore All-American Town trying to find clues to the murder. THERE IS SEXUAL TENSION.
9. Add a couple of SEX scenes. Make sure to use the words "Most Feminine Part of Her" and "His Throbbing Manhood" and "He/She Should Not Have Given In". It will be HOT.
10. CLIMAX. Tough Heroine finds the Murderer, he kidnaps and tortures her for a bit, and she is rescued by Flawed Hero because it is True Love After Two Weeks.
THE END.
OK, in all fairness, Hoag isn't a terrible writer. Just mediocre. And it's not as horrible as most romances. The SEXUAL TENSION is hilarious, but I guess it works if that's your thing. The book is kind of comforting in a way, the sort of thing you read when you're really sick or really bored and don't want to think too much. It's painful, but in a fun way, and it's good for a laugh. So if you need something to read while waiting at the doctor's office or whatever, go ahead. But don't say I didn't warn you.
1. Introduce your heroine. She is tough and independent. She works in a field usually dominated by men. She is unfeminine and thus, doesn't have a man. She is TOUGH (make sure to say this a LOT) and has a Dark Past.
2. Introduce your hero. He is a very masculine MANLY MAN. He is dangerously handsome. And dangerous and flawed. He has a DARK PAST.
3. Introduce the Second-Tier Female. She is beautiful and feminine. Give her a minor plot line. She will be useful in making the Heroine look like an Unfulfilled and Unfeminine Woman.
4. Introduce Second-Tier Male. He is Handsome, but not as Handsome as Handsome Flawed Hero. He is an Important Person. He is Mysterious.
5. Have your Tough Heroine meet your Flawed Hero. Introduce SEXUAL TENSION. Have your Flawed Hero talk in cliches and bad come-on lines that should make the Heroine cringe but Oh He Is So Handsome and Dark. SEXUAL TENSION.
6. Put them all in Small Idyllic All-American Town. Introduce Colorful Characters.
7. MURDER one of them. Small Idyllic All-American Town is shaken to the core. TO THE CORE. Have someone say "Things like that don't happen in this town!" repeatedly.
8. Have Flawed Hero and Tough Heroine run around Small Not-So Idyllic Anymore All-American Town trying to find clues to the murder. THERE IS SEXUAL TENSION.
9. Add a couple of SEX scenes. Make sure to use the words "Most Feminine Part of Her" and "His Throbbing Manhood" and "He/She Should Not Have Given In". It will be HOT.
10. CLIMAX. Tough Heroine finds the Murderer, he kidnaps and tortures her for a bit, and she is rescued by Flawed Hero because it is True Love After Two Weeks.
THE END.
OK, in all fairness, Hoag isn't a terrible writer. Just mediocre. And it's not as horrible as most romances. The SEXUAL TENSION is hilarious, but I guess it works if that's your thing. The book is kind of comforting in a way, the sort of thing you read when you're really sick or really bored and don't want to think too much. It's painful, but in a fun way, and it's good for a laugh. So if you need something to read while waiting at the doctor's office or whatever, go ahead. But don't say I didn't warn you.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Book #24 (5K #1): "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire
I like Gregory Maguire. While I didn't find this one quite as enjoyable as Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (which I reviewed here), Maguire has a style I can't help but love. He's got a crazy imagination and with it he creates worlds that are dark, bizarre, hilarious and intriguing. He's found a niche in taking minor characters from popular fairy tales and telling their 'true' stories, in a deliciously gothic, dark fashion.
Wicked tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. He sets the story in an Oz that is dangerous and corrupt, sunk in political intrigue, racism and religious conflict. This isn't the land of the happy little Munchkins and the harmless creatures. In Maguire's Oz, just about everything is ready to kill you.
Elphaba, who will become the Witch, is born green and immediately labeled a freak of nature in Munchkinland. She grows up to be fiercely independent and reserved; deeply suspicious and mistrusting of the world around her. And with good reason. She goes to Shiz University, where she meets vapid Galinda (later to be Glinda the Good) and gets into all sorts of trouble and intrigue. The plot is fairly complicated in the first half, but the book is kept afloat thanks to some great supporting characters and Maguire's sense of humor.
Unfortunately, though, the second half doesn't hold up very well. Once Elphaba leaves Shiz and becomes a revolutionary fighting against the tyranical Wizard of Oz, the book badly loses momentum. On her own, without any other characters to play against, Elphaba is too paranoid, too mysterious. Maguire tangles the plot so much that it's almost impossible to know what's going on sometimes, and without the sense of humor provided by the supporting characters, the book becomes far too dark and depressing. I can see why many people get completely turned off at this point; it's hard to keep going to the ending we all know. The book definitely loses its way in the second half, and though the writing is still pretty impressive, the plot falls apart. A lot is left unanswered, which is yet another problem. Things might be resolved in the sequels Maguire has written, but if you didn't like Wicked, what will induce you to read the next books?
On the whole, though, I was glad I re-read this. Some of it made a lot more sense than it did on my first read, when I just couldn't get what Maguire was trying to do. It's clearer on a second read, though still confusing. But I like the Oz Maguire has created, his characters are well done and he works in many different themes, mostly quite well. I like what he does and want to read more of his books. Wicked might not be the best he's done, but it's still a remarkable read.
Wicked tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz. He sets the story in an Oz that is dangerous and corrupt, sunk in political intrigue, racism and religious conflict. This isn't the land of the happy little Munchkins and the harmless creatures. In Maguire's Oz, just about everything is ready to kill you.
Elphaba, who will become the Witch, is born green and immediately labeled a freak of nature in Munchkinland. She grows up to be fiercely independent and reserved; deeply suspicious and mistrusting of the world around her. And with good reason. She goes to Shiz University, where she meets vapid Galinda (later to be Glinda the Good) and gets into all sorts of trouble and intrigue. The plot is fairly complicated in the first half, but the book is kept afloat thanks to some great supporting characters and Maguire's sense of humor.
Unfortunately, though, the second half doesn't hold up very well. Once Elphaba leaves Shiz and becomes a revolutionary fighting against the tyranical Wizard of Oz, the book badly loses momentum. On her own, without any other characters to play against, Elphaba is too paranoid, too mysterious. Maguire tangles the plot so much that it's almost impossible to know what's going on sometimes, and without the sense of humor provided by the supporting characters, the book becomes far too dark and depressing. I can see why many people get completely turned off at this point; it's hard to keep going to the ending we all know. The book definitely loses its way in the second half, and though the writing is still pretty impressive, the plot falls apart. A lot is left unanswered, which is yet another problem. Things might be resolved in the sequels Maguire has written, but if you didn't like Wicked, what will induce you to read the next books?
On the whole, though, I was glad I re-read this. Some of it made a lot more sense than it did on my first read, when I just couldn't get what Maguire was trying to do. It's clearer on a second read, though still confusing. But I like the Oz Maguire has created, his characters are well done and he works in many different themes, mostly quite well. I like what he does and want to read more of his books. Wicked might not be the best he's done, but it's still a remarkable read.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Second 5K Challenge is ON! Allez lire!
The Cannonball Brigade has spoken. We have a new 5K Challenge. I'll let the awesome Prisco explain the rules:
"In honor of the winner of the last 5K, Miss Genny (also Rusty), we are declaring a new 5K for the month of April. Starting April 15th (Tax Day for those fortunate US Citizens) through April 29th, we're to read five books of our own choosing. The catch, cooked up by our fiendish redhead, is it's a genre relay. You must choose one title from each of the following categories:
1. Fiction
2. Non-Fiction
3. Fantasy/Sci-Fi
4. Biography
5. Romance
To the victor goes the spoils, which means you get the dictate the terms of the next 5K, which will most likely be in June. It starts soon, so get to plotting, plotz!"
Compared to the last 5K (5 400-page-books-in-two-weeks-Prisco-is-insane), it should be relatively simple.
My list (open to change):
1. Fiction: 'Wicked' by Gregory Maguire. This is a re-read, but I got a lot of good feedback for my review of 'Confessions of An Ugly Stepsister', a lot of which included criticism for Wicked. So I think I'll give it another chance and review it properly.
2. Non-Fiction: 'Tiburcio Carias; Portrait of an Era' by Mario R. Argueta. A book about a hugely important era in Honduran history, that I know woefully little about.
3. Fantasy: 'The Golden Compass' by Philip Pullman. I'm really looking forward to this one. Another recommendation from the Pajiba list.
4. Biography: 'Teacher Man' by Frank McCourt. The third part of the author's memoirs, where he deals with his teaching career.
5. Romance: Either 'Outlander' by Diana Gabaldon or 'Cry Wolf' by Tami Hoag. It'll probably be the Hoag one (I reviewed one of her books before. Hilarious. And bad.), because the Gabaldon is HUGE. I think I'll review the Outlander books after the 5K.
I'm about halfway trough 'Wicked'. It's really great so far, but I recall it getting stranger as it goes on. We shall see. Stay tuned for the reviews!
And if you're not into the reviews, there will be a video featuring cute dogs AND another Sunday Hot Post to look forward to this week. There's something for everyone here at figgyland. Figgytopia.
Goodnight!
"In honor of the winner of the last 5K, Miss Genny (also Rusty), we are declaring a new 5K for the month of April. Starting April 15th (Tax Day for those fortunate US Citizens) through April 29th, we're to read five books of our own choosing. The catch, cooked up by our fiendish redhead, is it's a genre relay. You must choose one title from each of the following categories:
1. Fiction
2. Non-Fiction
3. Fantasy/Sci-Fi
4. Biography
5. Romance
To the victor goes the spoils, which means you get the dictate the terms of the next 5K, which will most likely be in June. It starts soon, so get to plotting, plotz!"
Compared to the last 5K (5 400-page-books-in-two-weeks-Prisco-is-insane), it should be relatively simple.
My list (open to change):
1. Fiction: 'Wicked' by Gregory Maguire. This is a re-read, but I got a lot of good feedback for my review of 'Confessions of An Ugly Stepsister', a lot of which included criticism for Wicked. So I think I'll give it another chance and review it properly.
2. Non-Fiction: 'Tiburcio Carias; Portrait of an Era' by Mario R. Argueta. A book about a hugely important era in Honduran history, that I know woefully little about.
3. Fantasy: 'The Golden Compass' by Philip Pullman. I'm really looking forward to this one. Another recommendation from the Pajiba list.
4. Biography: 'Teacher Man' by Frank McCourt. The third part of the author's memoirs, where he deals with his teaching career.
5. Romance: Either 'Outlander' by Diana Gabaldon or 'Cry Wolf' by Tami Hoag. It'll probably be the Hoag one (I reviewed one of her books before. Hilarious. And bad.), because the Gabaldon is HUGE. I think I'll review the Outlander books after the 5K.
I'm about halfway trough 'Wicked'. It's really great so far, but I recall it getting stranger as it goes on. We shall see. Stay tuned for the reviews!
And if you're not into the reviews, there will be a video featuring cute dogs AND another Sunday Hot Post to look forward to this week. There's something for everyone here at figgyland. Figgytopia.
Goodnight!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Book #17 (5K Book #5): "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" by Gregory Maguire
Bwaha. I did it! 5 books in two weeks. 2000 pages of sometimes horrible, sometimes awesome literature. I don't think I'll be trying it again (my eyes, they are weak) but it was a fun exercise and it gave me something to do. On to the review.
What a strange, wonderful and disturbing book this was. I finished it this morning, and the first thing I can think of to tell you is to not start your day with this book. It will mess you up.
Gregory Maguire is well known for taking traditional, over-sweetened fairy tales and rewriting them in a style reminiscent of those "E! True Hollywood Story" shows--real, dark and gritty. I read "Wicked" (the "true" story of the Wicked Witch of the East from the Wizard of Oz) a few years ago, and loved it, despite it being very dark, depressing, and a bit confusing. Maguire took the entire mythology of Oz (the movie, at least) and turned it upside down, putting the characters in a truly frightening, depraved world that was violent and sunk into political intrigue. It was a fantastic book, though it lost a little steam towards the end, and it was certainly memorable enough to make me want to read more of his books.
In "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister", Maguire takes this same idea of telling the "true" stories behind fairytales, and produces another amazing piece of work. In this case, he uses the story of Cinderella, the story of the perfect girl with the evil stepmother and the ugly stepsisters, who charms her prince thanks to a fairy godmother and the help of a glass slipper. Maguire's version is nowhere near this happy.
The "real" story takes place in Holland. The Fisher family, Margarethe (the mother) and her two daughters, Iris and Ruth, land in Haarlem after escaping persecution in England. They are penniless and are forced to beg for shelter in the streets. They are taken in by a tortured painter who lets them stay in his house in exchange for housekeeping and for letting Iris sit for him for paintings and studies. Iris is plain and ungainly, but smart, and her sister Ruth is a huge, mentally challenged girl who is considered nothing but a burden by her mother. Margarethe is conniving and largely unsympathetic, always trying to find a way to get ahead by whatever means necessary. Eventually, the girls and their mother are admitted into the service of the wealthy Van de Meer family, who hope that Iris will befriend their sheltered, beautiful daughter Clara. A while later, Clara's mother dies, Margarethe marries the widower and thus becomes the evil stepmother in the story, with Clara being the tortured Cinderella. Clara becomes a servant by her own will, however, tired of being admired and used for her looks alone, and Margarethe is more than happy to beat down the girl who once held such a high place. The climax of the book takes place at a ball, of course, but other than in the basic points, this story has nothing to do with the Cinderella we all know.
The world that Maguire creates is superficially bland and common, but underneath it's full of demons and imps, a place where everyone has bad intentions and no one is ever truly happy. It's a dirty, cynical world that Iris (the main character of the book) carefully observes, disgusted but helpless at her mother's (and other people's) actions. Iris's plainness, which she considers so crippling, is contrasted to Clara's beauty, crippling in its own way. Clara is largely unhappy, even more after her mother dies, and she is largely useless in the world except as a beautiful thing coveted by everyone who sees her. Iris is smart and witty, and she comes to understand that being as beautiful as Clara is isn't something to be envied but pitied, something that makes her angry and sad at the same time. These are two wonderfully written characters, neither completely likable or sympathetic (though Iris is by far a more approachable character) played against each other as they try to survive Margarethe's plots, dealing with an ugly world that is particularly harsh towards women.
There are all sorts of twists and turns to the story, with Maguire mixing in bits of myths and superstitions, sometimes so well that it's easy to confuse reality with things that the characters are making up. He is a hugely talented, imaginative and original writer, and I can easily say I've never read anything like this book before. It's a better work than "Wicked", more realistic and coherent, a quick read if you want it to be, though you're likely to miss little hints and details if you don't read it slowly. And as I said before, it's not a happy or light-hearted book at all, but it's a unique take on an old story, and a truly great, memorable read. It's a good reminder that all fairy-tales came from somewhere, and that it's likely that not all of them ended with a happily-ever-after.
What a strange, wonderful and disturbing book this was. I finished it this morning, and the first thing I can think of to tell you is to not start your day with this book. It will mess you up.
Gregory Maguire is well known for taking traditional, over-sweetened fairy tales and rewriting them in a style reminiscent of those "E! True Hollywood Story" shows--real, dark and gritty. I read "Wicked" (the "true" story of the Wicked Witch of the East from the Wizard of Oz) a few years ago, and loved it, despite it being very dark, depressing, and a bit confusing. Maguire took the entire mythology of Oz (the movie, at least) and turned it upside down, putting the characters in a truly frightening, depraved world that was violent and sunk into political intrigue. It was a fantastic book, though it lost a little steam towards the end, and it was certainly memorable enough to make me want to read more of his books.
In "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister", Maguire takes this same idea of telling the "true" stories behind fairytales, and produces another amazing piece of work. In this case, he uses the story of Cinderella, the story of the perfect girl with the evil stepmother and the ugly stepsisters, who charms her prince thanks to a fairy godmother and the help of a glass slipper. Maguire's version is nowhere near this happy.
The "real" story takes place in Holland. The Fisher family, Margarethe (the mother) and her two daughters, Iris and Ruth, land in Haarlem after escaping persecution in England. They are penniless and are forced to beg for shelter in the streets. They are taken in by a tortured painter who lets them stay in his house in exchange for housekeeping and for letting Iris sit for him for paintings and studies. Iris is plain and ungainly, but smart, and her sister Ruth is a huge, mentally challenged girl who is considered nothing but a burden by her mother. Margarethe is conniving and largely unsympathetic, always trying to find a way to get ahead by whatever means necessary. Eventually, the girls and their mother are admitted into the service of the wealthy Van de Meer family, who hope that Iris will befriend their sheltered, beautiful daughter Clara. A while later, Clara's mother dies, Margarethe marries the widower and thus becomes the evil stepmother in the story, with Clara being the tortured Cinderella. Clara becomes a servant by her own will, however, tired of being admired and used for her looks alone, and Margarethe is more than happy to beat down the girl who once held such a high place. The climax of the book takes place at a ball, of course, but other than in the basic points, this story has nothing to do with the Cinderella we all know.
The world that Maguire creates is superficially bland and common, but underneath it's full of demons and imps, a place where everyone has bad intentions and no one is ever truly happy. It's a dirty, cynical world that Iris (the main character of the book) carefully observes, disgusted but helpless at her mother's (and other people's) actions. Iris's plainness, which she considers so crippling, is contrasted to Clara's beauty, crippling in its own way. Clara is largely unhappy, even more after her mother dies, and she is largely useless in the world except as a beautiful thing coveted by everyone who sees her. Iris is smart and witty, and she comes to understand that being as beautiful as Clara is isn't something to be envied but pitied, something that makes her angry and sad at the same time. These are two wonderfully written characters, neither completely likable or sympathetic (though Iris is by far a more approachable character) played against each other as they try to survive Margarethe's plots, dealing with an ugly world that is particularly harsh towards women.
There are all sorts of twists and turns to the story, with Maguire mixing in bits of myths and superstitions, sometimes so well that it's easy to confuse reality with things that the characters are making up. He is a hugely talented, imaginative and original writer, and I can easily say I've never read anything like this book before. It's a better work than "Wicked", more realistic and coherent, a quick read if you want it to be, though you're likely to miss little hints and details if you don't read it slowly. And as I said before, it's not a happy or light-hearted book at all, but it's a unique take on an old story, and a truly great, memorable read. It's a good reminder that all fairy-tales came from somewhere, and that it's likely that not all of them ended with a happily-ever-after.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Book #16 (5K #4): "When the Wind Blows" by James Patterson
I've been staring at the screen for five minutes, trying to think of a way to start this review. It should be easy. The amount of disgust, rage, and half-amused, half-horrified disbelief this book built up in me should easily produce a long stream of insults against such a hideous piece of work. And I'm sure it'll be easy. But how to begin? How to begin reviewing the worst piece of writing I have ever read from a man who dares to call himself a professional author? A best-selling professional author?
I'll start with the "plot". Then I'll move on to the really good stuff. Because, by jeebus, I have so much ridicule to spew forth against this book that I can hardly contain myself.
It's Colorado. A quiet, pretty little town surrounded by quiet, pretty forests. There's Frannie, a quiet, pretty veterinarian, whose husband was mysteriously killed. She is all good and sweet, nary a interesting, original word ever leaving her mouth ("I bent down, and grabbed the "mourning" paper, as I call the Post, since it's always so full of bad news.") There's Kit, a sexy, handsome ("...the sexiest, the best man I had ever known. I was so sure of it. Oh, I was sure.") loose-cannon of a man. He's an FBI agent who has decided to investigate the nasty, mysterious dealings going on in the quiet Colorado town. And there's Max, a beautiful 11 year old girl who has wings.*
Wait...what?
Yeah. Apparently some evil scientists have decided to take the next step in evolution and make bird/human hybrids in their secret lab in this quiet Colorado town. Max ("...which wasn't short for Maxine, or Maximilian, but for Maximum. Maybe because she always gave her all. She always went for it. Just as she was doing right now.") escapes the lab with her little brother. Mean guards are sent after them. Everyone must be killed!
After a long series of short, stupid, pointless chapters setting up the characters, Frannie meets up with Kit and they decide to find the girl with wings and help her escape from the bad meanie guys. Horrible, funny stuff happens!
As you see, not only is the plot ludicrous and unoriginal, but it's also peopled by some truly ridiculous characters, all buffeted along by Patterson's truly deplorable brand of writing, which is far below the level of an 18 year freshman in his first college-writing course. Hell, I wrote better stuff than this when I was 13 and didn't speak English too well. Every character, every situation, is written by Patterson in short, choppy sentences (which you'd think would make for a fast read, but are strong together so poorly that they feel like speed bumps), in the most hilariously simple language, commas and exclamation points running rampant. Patterson doesn't believe in carefully explaining and drawing out a situation. Oh, no. That would actually require effort. Instead of building tension and letting the reader form his or her mental image of a situation through subtle and careful use of language, Patterson decides to bludgeon home every single point he tries to make. A perfect example:
"...So Max rolled real fast off the sofa...A metal chair came crashing through the window! Reflexively, she threw her arms over her face."
*Cringe*.
"Real fast"? what grown person dares to write a sentence like that? Does Mr Patterson honestly think we can't figure out that whatever happened was surprising, so he needs to insert an exclamation point there? Did he never take a class on proper use of grammar? Apparently not. He leaves off question marks at the end of questions, he uses adverbs like he's afraid he'll run out and his sentences are so poorly constructed they'd make anyone with half a brain want to cry. I know I'm no expert, but at least I know that questions should end with question marks. Among his other sins are repeating sentences over and over again, as if it's the only way to emphasize a point he can think of. He also peppers the book with pathetic allusions to pop-culture, which might've been relevant in the 90s (Power Rangers, for one) but only serve to age this sad little book. He clumsily keeps switching narrative perspectives, from Frannie's first-person narration to the massively dumbed-down point of view of an 11 year old girl, to a macho, oh-so-daring style for Kit. And they're all equally bad and uninteresting.
The book is a mess. One big, stinking, festering mess. I spent more time laughing and quoting particularly bad passages to my friends than I did caring about anything that was happening in the book. And that was a good thing, because if I had spent more time trying to comprehend the incredible stupidity of the plot and the characters on my own, I would've set this book on fire. As it happened, I only threw the book against the wall. Hard.
Don't read it. Don't let your friends read it. Don't read anything by Mr Patterson. Don't encourage him. For the love of everything holy, someone make this man stop writing things like this:
She was angry now. She wasn't going to die like this! No way was she going to cooperate with that lousy plan of theirs!
Max flapped her wings fast and real hard at the last possible second. The soldier or guard raised his head to look.
"Geronimo, asshole!" she yelled.
Fwap!
Fwap! Fwap! Fwap!
Fwapfwapfwapfwapfwap!
Max hit the man like a large, falling rock. His goggles flew off his face. The big, bad rifle spun away, too."
...
A best-selling author, ladies and gentlemen. Best-selling author. Isn't it depressing?
*Note: all the adjectives used in these two paragraphs were courtesy of the great James Patterson Repository of the Simplest of Simple Adjectives and How to Use them 1500 Times in One Book! Thanks, James!
PS: No, I am not making up any of these quotes.
I'll start with the "plot". Then I'll move on to the really good stuff. Because, by jeebus, I have so much ridicule to spew forth against this book that I can hardly contain myself.
It's Colorado. A quiet, pretty little town surrounded by quiet, pretty forests. There's Frannie, a quiet, pretty veterinarian, whose husband was mysteriously killed. She is all good and sweet, nary a interesting, original word ever leaving her mouth ("I bent down, and grabbed the "mourning" paper, as I call the Post, since it's always so full of bad news.") There's Kit, a sexy, handsome ("...the sexiest, the best man I had ever known. I was so sure of it. Oh, I was sure.") loose-cannon of a man. He's an FBI agent who has decided to investigate the nasty, mysterious dealings going on in the quiet Colorado town. And there's Max, a beautiful 11 year old girl who has wings.*
Wait...what?
Yeah. Apparently some evil scientists have decided to take the next step in evolution and make bird/human hybrids in their secret lab in this quiet Colorado town. Max ("...which wasn't short for Maxine, or Maximilian, but for Maximum. Maybe because she always gave her all. She always went for it. Just as she was doing right now.") escapes the lab with her little brother. Mean guards are sent after them. Everyone must be killed!
After a long series of short, stupid, pointless chapters setting up the characters, Frannie meets up with Kit and they decide to find the girl with wings and help her escape from the bad meanie guys. Horrible, funny stuff happens!
As you see, not only is the plot ludicrous and unoriginal, but it's also peopled by some truly ridiculous characters, all buffeted along by Patterson's truly deplorable brand of writing, which is far below the level of an 18 year freshman in his first college-writing course. Hell, I wrote better stuff than this when I was 13 and didn't speak English too well. Every character, every situation, is written by Patterson in short, choppy sentences (which you'd think would make for a fast read, but are strong together so poorly that they feel like speed bumps), in the most hilariously simple language, commas and exclamation points running rampant. Patterson doesn't believe in carefully explaining and drawing out a situation. Oh, no. That would actually require effort. Instead of building tension and letting the reader form his or her mental image of a situation through subtle and careful use of language, Patterson decides to bludgeon home every single point he tries to make. A perfect example:
"...So Max rolled real fast off the sofa...A metal chair came crashing through the window! Reflexively, she threw her arms over her face."
*Cringe*.
"Real fast"? what grown person dares to write a sentence like that? Does Mr Patterson honestly think we can't figure out that whatever happened was surprising, so he needs to insert an exclamation point there? Did he never take a class on proper use of grammar? Apparently not. He leaves off question marks at the end of questions, he uses adverbs like he's afraid he'll run out and his sentences are so poorly constructed they'd make anyone with half a brain want to cry. I know I'm no expert, but at least I know that questions should end with question marks. Among his other sins are repeating sentences over and over again, as if it's the only way to emphasize a point he can think of. He also peppers the book with pathetic allusions to pop-culture, which might've been relevant in the 90s (Power Rangers, for one) but only serve to age this sad little book. He clumsily keeps switching narrative perspectives, from Frannie's first-person narration to the massively dumbed-down point of view of an 11 year old girl, to a macho, oh-so-daring style for Kit. And they're all equally bad and uninteresting.
The book is a mess. One big, stinking, festering mess. I spent more time laughing and quoting particularly bad passages to my friends than I did caring about anything that was happening in the book. And that was a good thing, because if I had spent more time trying to comprehend the incredible stupidity of the plot and the characters on my own, I would've set this book on fire. As it happened, I only threw the book against the wall. Hard.
Don't read it. Don't let your friends read it. Don't read anything by Mr Patterson. Don't encourage him. For the love of everything holy, someone make this man stop writing things like this:
She was angry now. She wasn't going to die like this! No way was she going to cooperate with that lousy plan of theirs!
Max flapped her wings fast and real hard at the last possible second. The soldier or guard raised his head to look.
"Geronimo, asshole!" she yelled.
Fwap!
Fwap! Fwap! Fwap!
Fwapfwapfwapfwapfwap!
Max hit the man like a large, falling rock. His goggles flew off his face. The big, bad rifle spun away, too."
...
A best-selling author, ladies and gentlemen. Best-selling author. Isn't it depressing?
*Note: all the adjectives used in these two paragraphs were courtesy of the great James Patterson Repository of the Simplest of Simple Adjectives and How to Use them 1500 Times in One Book! Thanks, James!
PS: No, I am not making up any of these quotes.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Book #15 (5K book #3): 'The Rescue' by Nicholas Sparks
I'm sure there are a lot of people who loved this book. I'm sure there are people who cried, and laughed, and declared this to be a beautiful story about destiny and love. Enough people to make it a #1 New York Times Best Seller.
What is wrong with these people?
'The Rescue' isn't a horrible book. It's just predictable, boring and disgustingly cheesy. It's sentimental pap, a book where absolutely nothing happens, where each character is perfectly harmless and unremarkable. You know exactly what's going to happen in the story after reading the first five pages, and it's just a matter of getting through 400 pages (good lord...400 pages? why?) of overdone sentimentality and blandness to get to the happy ending.
Denise Holton is a single mother. Her 4 year old son, Kyle, has a serious speech disability, that requires her constant attention, leaving her little room for anything else in her life. One night while driving home, they get into a bad accident, and are promptly rescued by an non-threatening, very masculine volunteer firefighter named Taylor. We learn almost immediately that he's single, loves his mother and loves rescuing women. Of course, love ensues.
The rest of the book is pretty much everything you'd expect. Sparks sticks to the formula so faithfully that I found myself skipping pages of useless information, knowing that I was missing nothing but filler. Taylor (who has a secret he refuses to reveal to anyone but turns out to not be that big a deal) and Denise have their 'endearing' courtship, they fall in love. Taylor is of course great with the kid. Then something starts driving them apart, they fall out of love, heartbreak follows. But from the lack of extra characters to add potential conflict, and the dwindling amount of pages, you know that there's not much that can happen. Either they get back together or someone dies. And we can't leave the charming heroine all alone in the end, can we?
But I can't even be bothered to be very angry with this book. Everything is so harmless, so bland that you just end up not caring about anything that happens. Nothing about this book is worth getting excited about--something could've been done with the courtship, but both these characters are so perfectly good that Sparks just has them fall perfectly and harmlessly in love. He is obviously selling a wish-fulfillment fantasy to his choice audience; a fantasy where a rugged, sensitive man comes along to rescue the damsel in distress, where love is pure and fated. And aren't all of his books like that? Isn't that exactly why so many people love them?
Sparks knows his audience. He knows exactly how to write for them, and he'll keep making millions while every one of his novels gets turned into a movie shot in soft-focus with harmless actors. He's obviously not writing for me, so I'll just move along and completely forget I ever read this book. It's not worth the aggravation.
What is wrong with these people?
'The Rescue' isn't a horrible book. It's just predictable, boring and disgustingly cheesy. It's sentimental pap, a book where absolutely nothing happens, where each character is perfectly harmless and unremarkable. You know exactly what's going to happen in the story after reading the first five pages, and it's just a matter of getting through 400 pages (good lord...400 pages? why?) of overdone sentimentality and blandness to get to the happy ending.
Denise Holton is a single mother. Her 4 year old son, Kyle, has a serious speech disability, that requires her constant attention, leaving her little room for anything else in her life. One night while driving home, they get into a bad accident, and are promptly rescued by an non-threatening, very masculine volunteer firefighter named Taylor. We learn almost immediately that he's single, loves his mother and loves rescuing women. Of course, love ensues.
The rest of the book is pretty much everything you'd expect. Sparks sticks to the formula so faithfully that I found myself skipping pages of useless information, knowing that I was missing nothing but filler. Taylor (who has a secret he refuses to reveal to anyone but turns out to not be that big a deal) and Denise have their 'endearing' courtship, they fall in love. Taylor is of course great with the kid. Then something starts driving them apart, they fall out of love, heartbreak follows. But from the lack of extra characters to add potential conflict, and the dwindling amount of pages, you know that there's not much that can happen. Either they get back together or someone dies. And we can't leave the charming heroine all alone in the end, can we?
But I can't even be bothered to be very angry with this book. Everything is so harmless, so bland that you just end up not caring about anything that happens. Nothing about this book is worth getting excited about--something could've been done with the courtship, but both these characters are so perfectly good that Sparks just has them fall perfectly and harmlessly in love. He is obviously selling a wish-fulfillment fantasy to his choice audience; a fantasy where a rugged, sensitive man comes along to rescue the damsel in distress, where love is pure and fated. And aren't all of his books like that? Isn't that exactly why so many people love them?
Sparks knows his audience. He knows exactly how to write for them, and he'll keep making millions while every one of his novels gets turned into a movie shot in soft-focus with harmless actors. He's obviously not writing for me, so I'll just move along and completely forget I ever read this book. It's not worth the aggravation.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Book #14 (5K Book #2): 'The Testament' by John Grisham
Well, this was a pleasant surprise!
When I uncovered this book, lying forgotten in the depths of my parents' bookshelf as I scoured for new reads, I came very close to putting it back. Grisham? sigh. Another legal thriller with the predictable courtroom scenes, cliched lawyers, and painful bumps from the repeated slamming my head against a desk for being stupid enough to read another one of these.
So, you see, I was a bit predisposed to hate it. And then I remembered I had only read one Grisham book before, 'The Rainmaker', and it had been about 10 years and perhaps my memory was a little clouded from bad movie adaptations of Grisham's books. So I bucked up and gave it a try.
And boy, did I feel like an idiot for hating on it before I knew anything about it. Because while this wasn't a brilliant book, it was a hell of an entertaining read, well written and crafted, and I zoomed through it in only a couple of days, enjoying every bit of it.
The book hits the ground running. An incredibly rich, incredibly mean old man named Troy Phelan is about to die and reveal his new will to his heirs. He hates all six of his children and his three ex-wives, and they hate him in return. Each of his sons and daughters squandered the money they received when they turned 21, they're failures in every sense of the word, with massive amounts of debt they hope to be relieved of when their father dies. Of course, the evil old man decides to screw his children one more time and leaves them practically nothing, signing over his fortune to an illegitimate daughter no one knew existed.
Ha-HA! Evil old man for the win!
And that's just the first act. The rest of the book takes turns between telling of Phelans' lawyers' attempts to find the illegitimate daughter in the depths of the Brazilian jungle (where she is a catholic missionary to the native tribes there) and the Phelan heirs' battle to get their father's money. Surprisingly, both plots are equally engaging and entertaining. The scenes in the jungle, though they take place for the most part on a dingy river boat, are exciting and Grisham does a great job of setting the scenery and taking us into the Brazilian jungle. The scenes in the courtrooms and the lawyers' offices are just as interesting, as they try increasingly nasty means of getting at the money. Grisham makes some nice parallels between the natural, frightening dangers of the jungle and the even scarier brutality of the lawyers, cynical, greedy and completely despicable.
Grisham really sets a great rhythm for the story, and it never slows down or becomes bogged down in legalese or ridiculous courtroom scenes. It's fast-paced and keeps you guessing what's coming up next, making it a fast and overall entertaining read. I was honestly surprised and pleased to find out that Grisham wasn't a hack, as I feared he would be (I'm not even sure WHY I was afraid he was, I don't exactly recall anyone ever hating on his work) and that he's a good writer who clearly knows what he's doing. I'm not sure if I dare pick up another one of his books but I'm glad I tried this one. There's my crippling fear of disappointment and losing my respect for a writer I suddenly like showing up. I should know better than to be this pessimistic, shouldn't I?
On to the next adventure!
When I uncovered this book, lying forgotten in the depths of my parents' bookshelf as I scoured for new reads, I came very close to putting it back. Grisham? sigh. Another legal thriller with the predictable courtroom scenes, cliched lawyers, and painful bumps from the repeated slamming my head against a desk for being stupid enough to read another one of these.
So, you see, I was a bit predisposed to hate it. And then I remembered I had only read one Grisham book before, 'The Rainmaker', and it had been about 10 years and perhaps my memory was a little clouded from bad movie adaptations of Grisham's books. So I bucked up and gave it a try.
And boy, did I feel like an idiot for hating on it before I knew anything about it. Because while this wasn't a brilliant book, it was a hell of an entertaining read, well written and crafted, and I zoomed through it in only a couple of days, enjoying every bit of it.
The book hits the ground running. An incredibly rich, incredibly mean old man named Troy Phelan is about to die and reveal his new will to his heirs. He hates all six of his children and his three ex-wives, and they hate him in return. Each of his sons and daughters squandered the money they received when they turned 21, they're failures in every sense of the word, with massive amounts of debt they hope to be relieved of when their father dies. Of course, the evil old man decides to screw his children one more time and leaves them practically nothing, signing over his fortune to an illegitimate daughter no one knew existed.
Ha-HA! Evil old man for the win!
And that's just the first act. The rest of the book takes turns between telling of Phelans' lawyers' attempts to find the illegitimate daughter in the depths of the Brazilian jungle (where she is a catholic missionary to the native tribes there) and the Phelan heirs' battle to get their father's money. Surprisingly, both plots are equally engaging and entertaining. The scenes in the jungle, though they take place for the most part on a dingy river boat, are exciting and Grisham does a great job of setting the scenery and taking us into the Brazilian jungle. The scenes in the courtrooms and the lawyers' offices are just as interesting, as they try increasingly nasty means of getting at the money. Grisham makes some nice parallels between the natural, frightening dangers of the jungle and the even scarier brutality of the lawyers, cynical, greedy and completely despicable.
Grisham really sets a great rhythm for the story, and it never slows down or becomes bogged down in legalese or ridiculous courtroom scenes. It's fast-paced and keeps you guessing what's coming up next, making it a fast and overall entertaining read. I was honestly surprised and pleased to find out that Grisham wasn't a hack, as I feared he would be (I'm not even sure WHY I was afraid he was, I don't exactly recall anyone ever hating on his work) and that he's a good writer who clearly knows what he's doing. I'm not sure if I dare pick up another one of his books but I'm glad I tried this one. There's my crippling fear of disappointment and losing my respect for a writer I suddenly like showing up. I should know better than to be this pessimistic, shouldn't I?
On to the next adventure!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Book #13 (5K Book #1): 'The First Wive's Club' by Olivia Goldsmith
Finally, a good book!
Most you have probably seen (or at least heard of) the movie 'The First Wive's Club'. Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler playing women who are suddenly abandoned and divorced by their husbands and who then decide to take revenge. The movie is funny and quirky, not brilliant but a lot of fun, the women's revenge light hearted and comedic. All ends well and everyone's happy.
The book is a little different. While the plot is basically the same, the mood is quite different, and while still funny, the world of the First Wives is a lot colder and more cynical than in the film.
The story follows three women; Annie, Brenda and Elise, all with very different personalities and backgrounds. Each is in turn abandoned or betrayed by their husbands, all three humiliated by the men they helped bring up from obscurity into the rich and exclusive world of New York society. The wives are all angry and despondent but don't know what to do about it, until one of their mutual friends commits suicide after a life of being horribly treated by her husband. Seeing the common threads in their stories, the three women decide to get together and form a club, whose ultimate goal is to destroy their friend's former husband, and pay back their own exes in ways that will hurt them the most. They manage to do this with a lot of cooperation between them, a lot of money from helpful family members, and some very vicious financial and legal moves that the husbands never suspected the women to be capable of. It's a vicious fight on both sides, but Goldsmith never lets us doubt for a moment that the men had it coming all along; the wives only want what's fair.
The book's mood is almost that of a dark comedy, with Goldsmith digging into the heart of New York high society and all its dirty vices-- there's drugs, alcohol, dark secrets and shady dealings going on in a struggle for power and social status. She takes the reader into a very cynical, cold-hearted world where people only seem to get ahead by backstabbing each other, and most of the supporting characters are unlikeable and truly vicious. The three main characters aren't painted as perfect angels, either, and though Annie's goodness is sometimes a little irritating it's a nice contrast to the other two women's stronger personalities. Goldsmith gives the book great balance between cynicism and amusement; while she paints the world of the wealthy as fun and insane, she lets us know that there's massive flaws and that most people in it are very unhappy.
This was a very entertaining read. It's dark, funny and sometimes a little disturbing. Most importantly though, it's a great book about three women tired of being used who decide to stand up and fight for themselves, helping each other and ultimately winning the battle.
Most you have probably seen (or at least heard of) the movie 'The First Wive's Club'. Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler playing women who are suddenly abandoned and divorced by their husbands and who then decide to take revenge. The movie is funny and quirky, not brilliant but a lot of fun, the women's revenge light hearted and comedic. All ends well and everyone's happy.
The book is a little different. While the plot is basically the same, the mood is quite different, and while still funny, the world of the First Wives is a lot colder and more cynical than in the film.
The story follows three women; Annie, Brenda and Elise, all with very different personalities and backgrounds. Each is in turn abandoned or betrayed by their husbands, all three humiliated by the men they helped bring up from obscurity into the rich and exclusive world of New York society. The wives are all angry and despondent but don't know what to do about it, until one of their mutual friends commits suicide after a life of being horribly treated by her husband. Seeing the common threads in their stories, the three women decide to get together and form a club, whose ultimate goal is to destroy their friend's former husband, and pay back their own exes in ways that will hurt them the most. They manage to do this with a lot of cooperation between them, a lot of money from helpful family members, and some very vicious financial and legal moves that the husbands never suspected the women to be capable of. It's a vicious fight on both sides, but Goldsmith never lets us doubt for a moment that the men had it coming all along; the wives only want what's fair.
The book's mood is almost that of a dark comedy, with Goldsmith digging into the heart of New York high society and all its dirty vices-- there's drugs, alcohol, dark secrets and shady dealings going on in a struggle for power and social status. She takes the reader into a very cynical, cold-hearted world where people only seem to get ahead by backstabbing each other, and most of the supporting characters are unlikeable and truly vicious. The three main characters aren't painted as perfect angels, either, and though Annie's goodness is sometimes a little irritating it's a nice contrast to the other two women's stronger personalities. Goldsmith gives the book great balance between cynicism and amusement; while she paints the world of the wealthy as fun and insane, she lets us know that there's massive flaws and that most people in it are very unhappy.
This was a very entertaining read. It's dark, funny and sometimes a little disturbing. Most importantly though, it's a great book about three women tired of being used who decide to stand up and fight for themselves, helping each other and ultimately winning the battle.
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