What a terrific tale this is! Kingfisher gives us her take on Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher". She provided wonderful characters and a marvelouWhat a terrific tale this is! Kingfisher gives us her take on Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher". She provided wonderful characters and a marvelous Gothic atmosphere. Beware the hares!
Merged review:
What a terrific tale this is! Kingfisher gives us her take on Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher". She provided wonderful characters and a marvelous Gothic atmosphere. Beware the hares!...more
I must admit that the thought of reading a novel about life in Germany during WWII did not immediately appeal. But my friends loved it and, more to thI must admit that the thought of reading a novel about life in Germany during WWII did not immediately appeal. But my friends loved it and, more to the point, it was about daily life in extreme circumstances. As a sociologist, I can get into everyday life and what happens when "everyday life" no longer exists. The focus of the story is on Liesel Meminger, a girl whose brother died on a train (after which Liesel stole her first book, even though she couldn't read) on the way to a better (?) life and whose mother gave her up to a foster family when the two of them got to their destination. That's just the backstory, of course, the set-up, so to speak. The rest of the backstory, surely you know. Hitler's Germany.
The first "character" we readers meet in Death, who also is the story's narrator. This is not Terry Pratchett's Death, but does serve pretty much the same function, sans horse, sickle, & humor. Neither is Death macabre, however. Death is very overworked and tries not to get distracted by humans and their lives, but sometimes just cannot help it. Liesel is a distraction Death cannot avoid.
You cannot read this book without loving Liesel and those she comes to love, her foster parents, Mama and Papa; the boy up the street, Rudy; the Mayor's wife and the cranky woman down the street who needs Liesel to read to her; yes, Liesel does learn to read.
You read about mandatory Nazi youth groups from the point of view of some of those young people, Nazi book burnings, air raids, whippings used to punish those who offer a scrap of bread to Jews being marched through town on their way to Dachau, and life for a family who hides a Jewish man in their basement and life for that man. This book is not an easy read, emotionally speaking. There is so much loss and pain. We all "know" the horrors, but Zusak makes them personal, visceral. He also makes clear how words can have such an impact on a population, the viciousness that can be perpetrated by ordinary people, a warning so pertinent today. (I live in Florida, and can see the impact and consequences of a certain governor's words and anticipate the horror if he becomes POTUS. it scare me very much.)
This book is so very well written! You will not want to put it down.
Zusak also has given me much to think about. You see, I also had some qualms while reading this. In some ways, this book is about a handful of "good Germans" doing what they must and living in fear in the midst of a horrible situation/time, surrounded by people who are caught up in Hitler's country and worldview, people they should be able to trust, but . . . It brings to mind the books & films that were very popular not too long ago about the "good Whites" in the US south during slavery and after our own Civil War. While those were not a total whitewash of that horrible institution, they were distraction enough to draw attention away from the horrors and the continuing problem of racism and the need for such movements as Black Lives Matter. Right now, in our own country, the dangers of fascism are pretty clear, from my perspective. So are the increase of those who fall prey to the siren song of book bans, tossing out elected officials who publicly disagree with rising authoritarians, and depriving some categories of citizens (and non-citizens) of their civil and human rights. It's easy to empathize with Liesel and those closest to her. But what of her neighbors, who enthusiastically join the book burnings, who come to watch the march of Jews, and who would turn in a family harboring a Jewish man? What of those today who want a film about Ruby Ridges banned, who support throwing out elected representatives who disrupt a legislature's meeting with a protest after their microphones are turned off, who attend the rallies of authoritarians? How do I understand these people, my neighbors? The core Buddhist practice of finding our shared humanity obviously helps, but I am so very afraid of our future. ...more
"Inspired by her own Iranian-American heritage, the acclaimed author weaves a beautifully crafted story of mothers and daughters, secrets From Amazon:
"Inspired by her own Iranian-American heritage, the acclaimed author weaves a beautifully crafted story of mothers and daughters, secrets and lies, and defying expectations—even when those choices come with an irrevocable cost.
Twelve months after her younger sister Anahita’s death, Mitra Jahani reluctantly returns to her parents’ home in suburban New Jersey to observe the Iranian custom of “The One Year.” Ana is always in Mitra’s heart, though they chose very different paths. While Ana, sweet and dutiful, bowed to their domineering father’s demands and married, Mitra rebelled, and was banished."
The truth is that there is no way to do a short (or even long) summary of this novel. It is, indeed, a story of mothers and daughters, but also fathers and daughters, sisters, extended family. It is a story of Iranian immigrants and their extended family. Forward Reviews referred to it, in part, as a "story of loss and healing". There is much loss in this novel and there is promise of healing. But there is so much more. There is the pain of having left one's country and the impossibility of return. There are multiple stories of making impossible decisions and the consequences that follow. There is much here about living under patriarchy (heavy-duty patriarchy), the pain for women whose abilities/talents are suffocated, who live with sexual abuse (while being blamed for that abuse) and more. But Pari also opens windows into women's strategies for managing this system, how they support, protect and even save each other and themselves. Of course not all is as it seems and not everyone as they appear. This brings some pain and, eventually, some understanding and happiness. There is the story of the family obligations of the successful immigrants and, eventually, the realization of the motives behind picking up those obligations and the loss of learning how some of those family members actually view the patriarch.
Perhaps even more than being a novel about loss, immigration, family, etc. this is a novel about love.
While most of the story is told through the eyes of Mitra, other key characters also have their say. This is historical in the sense of relatively recent history, supplemented by some reflections on the history of Iran. The writing is beautiful and quickly captured me. Pari's work is immersing and amazing. ...more
Every time I read a book by Vargas, I enjoy it even more than the last one I read. Her mysteries are real puzzles and her characters complex. Her workEvery time I read a book by Vargas, I enjoy it even more than the last one I read. Her mysteries are real puzzles and her characters complex. Her work is just wonderful!...more
This isn't my usual type of story. Amelie is a young woman (19 years old) with a tragic history, thrown onto her own devices. She finds work and some This isn't my usual type of story. Amelie is a young woman (19 years old) with a tragic history, thrown onto her own devices. She finds work and some wonderful friends. Through one of them, she meets an ultra-rich man. Despite the reports of how awful he is from that friend, when she meets him, she likes him and accepts a job at his company. She should have listened to her friend. It turns out he is the antithesis of nice, but by then, they are married. Yada Yada Yada.
The two of them are kidnapped while the marriage is still new. She spends weeks alone in a dark room, sleeping on a bare mattress, subsisting on porridge and, as I recall, sandwiches, despite strong efforts to escape. She is smart, but she just couldn't do it. His father will not pay the ransom. But who are the kidnappers? What on earth was going on? Obviously I can't tell you because that would spoil the story.
Fortunately, although this isn't my usual sort of story, neither is it a drippy romance. It's a decent quick read....more
When I am about midway through a Dresden book, I find myself wondering why I read them. I tend to get quite annoyed with Butcher's lovingly excessive When I am about midway through a Dresden book, I find myself wondering why I read them. I tend to get quite annoyed with Butcher's lovingly excessive details of violence and sexual attraction, and his suddenly introduced new ways Harry can access power or whatever else it is he needs when in a really tight spot. So why did I stay of until 1:30 last night finishing this one? Well, that's the other side of why I read Dresden books, even while annoyed. I like many of the characters; how could one not like Bob, you know? And I really do have to see what will happen and how Harry will pull it off, once again....more
Who on earth would kill a priest in his church?! And what was the "gang banger", also killed, doing there? When the case is assigned to a totally careWho on earth would kill a priest in his church?! And what was the "gang banger", also killed, doing there? When the case is assigned to a totally career-driven, sloppy, lazy detective who defines the murdered young, Black man as a gang banger, determines it was an attempted robbery (at a poor church), that the priest killed the young man and then took his own life, all neatly tied up as a shooting & suicide and ready to close, Cass knows this investigation is going sideways quickly. [I'm using the term "Black" rather than African-American because the author did & I respect that. Except I can't use it without capitalizing it; old lefty and teaching days will win.}
A bit of backstory--that detective is the reason she left the force. He escalated a tense situation, which Cass had been calming enough that she was about to cuff the willing suspect, into a shooting situation; he wanted to glory of the collar. Cass shot the suspect, killing him. She was cleared, but could not bring herself to go back on the job. Also, she is having a lot of trouble dealing with having killed a young Black man. Instead, she became a PI. She knew what happened. Her partner at the time knew what happened, but the white cop who escalated it, causing the shooting, was politically connected. He got promoted.
Cass knows the priest, who was like a father to her. He had asked her to look into some problems at the church--small thefts--and told her he was being followed. He would not tell her by whom, though clearly he knew, because of the confidentiality of the confessional. She knows there is no way he would have killed himself, period, full stop. So she uses her skills to investigate what she knows was a double homicide. Things get wildly complicated, with multiple potential suspects, of course. You'll have to read the book to get all of that.
This book is distinctive in the sub-genre of female detective stories in that Cass is Black. Clark brings us the wealth of life and relationships in a working-class, Black community, through Black eyes. Even with this, the culture of "white female detective stories" interfered once and I had to remind myself that Cass, herself, is Black. Even though I was embarrassed by this (like anyone knew, other than me), I love that Clark pushed me to check myself and my assumptions. Struggling to be anti-racist in a racist society is an on-going learning experience and I thank Clark for being part of this for me.
Clark presents a great mystery and a fantastic character. And now, to upload the next book in this series!
This novel is a wow, with so much packed in that I'm not sure where to begin. Most of the blurbs on & in the front of the book refer to it as a thrillThis novel is a wow, with so much packed in that I'm not sure where to begin. Most of the blurbs on & in the front of the book refer to it as a thriller. I don't see that, beyond a bit of the thriller sub-genre of murder mysteries near the end. So I'll start with a quote from the front cover of the book; if it's on the front cover, it really can't be a spoiler, can it? "Blake's dead. His wife killed him. The question is . . . which one?"
This is a tale of three sister-wives, living with their husband, Blake, on an isolated, struggling, run-down ranch (really, more a farm) out in the middle-of-nowhere-Utah. Blake was raised in what seems to have been a fairly/more-or-less mainstream Later Day Saints (LDS) religion & culture. He is a dreamer and, to be honest, a failure. Here is the scenerio:
Rachel, the first (and only legal) wife was raised in a group that some would call a cult, but I won't use that term as it is generally used to stereotype & stigmatize new/unfamiliar/and/or small religions. This group was led by The Prophet, who used some teachings from the fundamentalist side of LDS to control the group. It is unclear whether he was father to all the children born, or if some of the boys born to the group grew up to become husbands themselves; the book does speak of the second-generation at the Homestead. Either way, most of the members were women and children and the gene-pool is quite limited and concentrated. Rachel escaped after the Homestead was raided by police and the Prophet imprisoned for life (child marriage, child rape, and more). She repressed most of her childhood experiences, met Blake at Brigham Young Univ., fell in love and they married. But Blake came to want a plural marriage.
Blake and Tina met at an inpatient rehab facility in Vegas where he worked as a volunteer. She was a recovering drug addict and former prostitute. She was smart, street savvy, courageous, and not at all the sort of woman one would expect to enter into a LDS marriage. But she loved Blake and joined a non-mainstream church and had a religious marriage with him. She did manage to tone down her style of dress, but never came over to the prairie-dress style Rachel wore.
Finally, Emily had been raised Catholic, estranged from her family, and was a bit of a whisper of a girl when she married Blake. She is so timid, it's hard to imagine how she got to the point of entering a plural marriage, but she did.
To say that Blake's parents disapproved of his lifestyle would be an understatement. With their more mainstream approach to religion, they (especially his mother) saw him as living adulatory and destined for hell. As for the wives, they more or less accepted the whole sister-wife arrangement, partly because Blake was in charge and he wanted it, but they certainly did not have sisterly relationships. No, no, no. They did not get along at all.
One day Blake is found dead near the river where he liked to fish. At first, the police thought suicide, but quickly came to view the death as murder. The wives constituted an obvious pool of suspects, but which wife actually did it?
Each chapter/section of the book is told from the point of view of one of the wives, clearly labeled as such, so we get all three voices, it flows and doesn't confuse. This organization is a large part of what led me to see this as a character novel and about women's relationships, in addition to being a murder mystery. In fact, the women and their relationships outweigh the murder, in a sense. We see them and their relationships first, in terms of the day-to-day running of the house, later as they react to Blake's murder and the police investigation.
The book contains a lot of information re LDS practices and culture, but while reading you want to keep in mind that much of this is not mainstream LDS. It is informed by Quinn's research; although she now is a lifestyle journalist and author, her background is historical research. The Homestead, the extreme group in which Rachel lived her youth, is inspired by the Yearning for Zion Ranch, raided and splashed across the media in the 1980's, but toned down for the book (which is amazing, given her description of the Homestead, but she found some aspects of that group to be unbelievable and too horrible for her story, even if factually true). Quinn makes available an electronic brief "secret history" for those who are interested, and emphasizes there that Rachel's story represents "a darker, fundamentalist side of the very broad arc" of LDS.
All in all, this is a powerful story of women living in very unconventional circumstances, how each gets through a horrible event, and how their relationships develop over the course of dealing with the situation. It also is a peek into an extreme version of a faith many really do not understand. Unlike the popular media fascination with plural marriage, this sister-wife arrangement is grounded in religion, albeit a marginal version. And, yeah, there is a murder mystery, with many twists, turns and complications, as well. After a certain point, I couldn't put it down. I definitely have been sleep-deprived the last few days.
When the sample pages, part of the introduction, have you laughing out loud, how can you not buy the book? I have read enough of this novel (25%) to bWhen the sample pages, part of the introduction, have you laughing out loud, how can you not buy the book? I have read enough of this novel (25%) to be able to tell you that it is funny, off-beat, etc. I just don't have the patience for it. This could be because as a 70+ year-old woman with a cup of coffee at my side I am not in the intended audience. I suspect that audience consists of adolescent males smoking MaryJane (at least). So if you want want some wacky humor, get this and have some fun.
P.S. I'm glad I tried this book, even though I don't have the fortitude or desire to finish it....more
A twisty-turny tale. I would have enjoyed it more had I not continually been asking: "Why in the hell is she doing that?" It disturbs me when murder sA twisty-turny tale. I would have enjoyed it more had I not continually been asking: "Why in the hell is she doing that?" It disturbs me when murder story authors write women characters who do amazingly stupid things. Otherwise, a good story....more
If you have ever found yourself annoyed at one (or just the idea of one) of those privileged neighborhoods, where everyone has a perfect family, perfeIf you have ever found yourself annoyed at one (or just the idea of one) of those privileged neighborhoods, where everyone has a perfect family, perfect life, all as their manicured perfect lawns, read this murder mystery. White really lifts the façade big time.
I'll admit that initially I got confused as White jumped around in time and between various characters' viewpoints. But I got the hang of that and simply could not put it down. Even now, my animals are ranging in the kitchen, badly wanting dinner, but I have to do this first. The book is a wow! The ending is quite satisfactory, though in another way, sad.
The characters are complex and, frankly, not necessarily all that likeable. Frankly, the young people are the most likeable. Matthew takes the cake, weird as he is.
I must admit that I was disappointed in this one. There was a wildly complex mystery here with the heart of the contemporary action in Three Pines, thI must admit that I was disappointed in this one. There was a wildly complex mystery here with the heart of the contemporary action in Three Pines, though things started elsewhere and, in truth, a number of years before. How many years sort of depends on what you see at the beginning.
For me, the problem was that this book followed more of a thriller path than the usual Gamache books. The hovering sense of threat/tension was there almost from the beginning. Even though most of the story takes place in Three Pines, we don't get our usual visit to that village. We do get to see an unexpected side of Ruth, which was pretty cool. And all the family love and village friendship is here.
I can't say more without introducing spoilers, so, this is a short one. ...more
Generally, for me to give a book 5 stars it has to strike me as a "wow" of course, and also contain something of social issue relevance. Well, I thinkGenerally, for me to give a book 5 stars it has to strike me as a "wow" of course, and also contain something of social issue relevance. Well, I think the Reign of Terror qualifies for that last criterion. Not that the book is about the Reign of Terror, of course, but it is quite relevant to the plot. As for the "wow" factor, well, this is Fred Vargas; need I say more?
This is a complex plot, with multiple murders. There was a tourist trip to an uninhabited island in Iceland, a trip on which two were murdered when the group was trapped in fog on the island. Well, it was uninhabited except for the monster, who draws Adamsberg to the island. There is also the Association for the Study of the Writings of Maximilien Robespierre, an Association whose members are falling to murder. What on earth, if anything, so these two "groups" of people, and their murders, have to do with each other? Commissaire Adamsberg once again is on and off in a fog--sometimes figuratively and once literally.
Don't give up because of the messiness of the plot, the tangle of seaweed. This is a great read!
Well, damn it all. I had my review written. And it was worthy. However, it was written only in my head, no where else. And I've since read 2 more bookWell, damn it all. I had my review written. And it was worthy. However, it was written only in my head, no where else. And I've since read 2 more books. So, no review. Just a bit of advice. This is powerful. Read it....more
I've been hooked on Martha Wells since I read my first Murderbot book. While it could be argued that that series leans toward the fantasy side of the I've been hooked on Martha Wells since I read my first Murderbot book. While it could be argued that that series leans toward the fantasy side of the SF/F genre, Witch King is unapologetically fantasy, but is certainly not the at the too-typical "recipe" end of the spectrum.
Witch King is a wild, fabulous ride! As always, Wells gives her readers fabulous characters. She plays with the concept of "good vs bad guys". I especially enjoyed the way she plays with gender norms.
This was a great book to read while waiting for power and internet to return and searching for ways to charge my phone following Milton. Believe it or not, this tale of demons, witches, horrible religious power-mongers, revolution, and more was quite calming.
I don't know how to review this really. I can't even say why I read it. I don't follow the Royals and don't really care all the much, other than to beI don't know how to review this really. I can't even say why I read it. I don't follow the Royals and don't really care all the much, other than to be glad we don't live under a monarchy in the U.S. And yet, I couldn't resist this book. In fairness to myself, I do like the occasional memoir. So what did I like and dislike? Let me acknowledge that I've been told he had a ghost-writer or at least some sort of help. Given how poorly he did in school, according to him, I wouldn't be surprised and don't "take off points" for getting needed help. The book is quite well written.
The book is filled with descriptions of what it is like to be hounded by the paps. Hell, his life, to date, has been filled with such hounding, so any remotely honest memoir would have to include this. More than including it, however, the book gives readers a visceral sense of what it is to live this reality. How the rest of his family can shrug it off is beyond me. Oh, wait, we learn that they have "people" who (officially or otherwise) deal with the press, to the point of planting stories. This family is VERY manipulative and will not tolerate being upstaged. All of this was heart-wrenching, especially the attacks on Meghan, to point of pushing her to the brink of suicide.
You should know that I'm a staunchly anti-war pacifist, so dreaded reading about Harry's war experiences. That said, this part of the book actually was enlightening, to be able to read about these experiences from the point of view of a veteran. Here in the US veterans often do not discuss this at all with those of us who are not veterans. From my experience, this is even true of vets in the peace movement (though some of these will talk about their PTSD to civilian activists). Of interest were: Harry's love of finally being good at something, of being able to be a leader; his love of flying his plane; his frustration with the military bureaucracy, which got in the way of being able to do the job he was there to do; his bonds with veterans; and, finally, of Harry's long-term inability to see, much less seek help for, his own PTSD, even while working with veterans' groups, working to help veterans. All of this, mind you, while being stalked and chased by paps.
The Royal Family members, except for his grandmother, were vicious toward Harry and Meghan, with a large dollop of racism in the mix. What horrible human beings!
This is a sad story, filled with the destruction of family relationships by both the paps and the unquestioned stance of putting the monarchy above all else.
One criticism is that Harry really doesn't see to fully grasp his privilege. Despite the hardships that he experienced, beginning with his mother's death, he had quite a cushion and a lot that very few will ever experience. Can't speak for you, but going to Botswana for a school break and frequently after that was never in my cards. Not that he has written a "poor little rich boy" sort of book. Far from it. He just seems to be very attuned to some issues, but not all.
To end on a happy note, let me tell you that Harry and Meghan's love story--and this truly is a love story--is beautiful, despite all they went through. Wow!
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