Luna Park by Kevin Baker
Luna Park by Kevin Baker. Art by Danijel Zezelj (Canada) - (US)
Pages: 157
First Published: Nov. 30, 2010
Publisher: Vertigo
Genre: magical realism, crime, historical fiction
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
Every day, he tries to escape the nightmare.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Random House Canada.
Reason for Reading: The Russian historical aspects and the publisher’s summary had me intrigued.
This is a very difficult book to give a summary as nothing is as it seems but let me tell you what appears to be happening as the book starts. Alik Strelnikov is a Russian immigrant who made a deal back in Russia which got him his freedom in America. This ‘freedom’ lead him to working for a second fiddle Russian mob group in Coney Island as an enforcer. Here he lives an existence with his girlfriend in an apartment drinking, listening to old Russian records and shooting heroin to forget what he has become. But he is plagued with dreams, nightmares actually, the same ones over and over, which show him in various situations in different uniforms and he is always afraid. These nightmares will take us back in history to pre-revolutionary Russia, to WWI, to the Chechen Wars and back to 1910s New York.
This is an awesome, gripping story. The reader has no idea of what is really going on for some time. My mind contemplated these dreams as possible flashbacks to past lives, psychic visions of the past, a tortured man turning his real problems into symbolic messages and finally a simpler consideration, the raving dreams of a madman. Why he keeps having the dreams is not so important but the recurring themes that they carry are. With the ultimate one of betrayal being the most affecting on him. Then the book takes an extreme magical or psychedelic turn and one can possibly start to put things together until near the very end when the author hits us with a very subtle reveal we hardly notice it until the final page with it’s shocking end. I actually stared at the last page for some seconds before the reveal sank in. A fabulous end!
The writing and the art combine to make a surreal, strange, semi-conscious type of plot. This is not going to be a book for everyone. Not for the type who like their plots to begin at A and end at Z. The plot is incongruous and where it is going the reader cannot grasp until a certain point 2/3s of the way through. This is not a bad thing though. I found the book utterly captivating to read. It’s one of those few books that stand out alone as an “I’ve never read anything quite like it before!” book. The art is fascinatingly done mostly in a palette of terracottas, greys and purplish blues that turn into lavenders at more lighthearted scenes (not that there are many of those). If you’ve ever seen old Communist posters or postage stamps from the era, the art reminds me of that style at times. Otherwise it matches the mood of the story perfectly.
Free Country by Jeremy Duns
Free Country by Jeremy DunsPages: 324
First Published: Oct. 19 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
“Sir Colin Templeton was the most courageous, patriotic and decent public servant I have had the privilege of knowing.”
Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.
Reason for Reading: Next in the series.
Jeremy Duns follow up to Free Agent is just as brilliant! Double Agent Dark is on a mission to find out who is trying to assassinate him and to keep his cover at the same time. Set in the late 1960s, things turn very nasty when he discovers an international plot involving several countries and finds himself on the run again with no one he can trust.
The book did take me a bit to get into; the year wait between books did affect my memory but brief references and flashbacks to further events surrounding those already having taken place in book one quickly bring details and characters back to mind. Fast-paced with lots of action as one expects from a spy novel. Paul Dark is one determined man with one slight problem, those who get close to him usually end up dead. Paul’s ambiguous, unlikeable character from book one is further developed and we see what makes him tick. And while he is still brutal on the job, it is much easier to like this character now that we have his full background and have been inside his head long enough to feel like we understand him. The book mainly takes place in Italy (Rome, the Vatican and across the countryside) with a short side trip to the island of Sardinia. With amazing twists and reveals coming at you when least expected Free Country will keep you on the edge of your seat. Duns has the gift to find his way around an intense shocker and there is an increased polish to his writing making Free Country an even better read than Free Agent. I can not wait for the last book in the trilogy!
Thunder from the Sea: Adventures on Board the HMS Defender by Jeff Weigel
Thunder from the Sea: Adventure on board the HMS Defender by Jeff Weigl
Pages: 47
Ages: 8+
First Published: May 13, 2010
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Rating: 3/5
First sentence:
Gentlemen, this is Jack Hoynton - the new crewman assigned to us.
Acquired: Borrowed a copy through Inter Library Loan.
Reason for Reading: This is a Cybils ‘10 nominee and required reading for me as a graphic novels panelist.
This book is a bit unique in it’s presentation. First, it is oversized like a picture book. Then it tells a fictional tale about life aboard a mid size ship during the Napoleonic Wars. Jack is a 12 yo orphan (mostly) who is sent to work in the navy and this ship’s job is to patrol the waters protecting England from French invasion. They meet up with more than they expected when they come across a hidden French boatyard and are attacked by a French Man-o-War and betrayed by a spy amongst them. While the story is fictional each page has a sidebar with non-fiction information relating to information found on that page. These tidbits of trivia range from definitions of items such as a “frigate” or “bosun” to describing in further detail concepts such as “impressment” or “Beat to Quarters” to more detailed histories of “relations between the Irish and English” or “how the French Army conscription workers”.
The story itself is entertaining and makes wide use of various differing frames from full page to tall thin rectangles to the occasional circle. I found the non-fiction information more entertaining than the story though. But my main problem was that the sidebars consistently interrupted the flow of the story. I recommend reading the story straight through the first time ignoring the sidebars just to be able to enjoy the action-packed story of a boy third class’s life aboard ship and a battle at sea during the Napoleonic Wars. Then go back a second time reading the sidebars either alone or as you re-read the story for the non-fiction historical aspect.
I’m not sure how well this book would do as one kids would choose for themselves, but it would be perfect used in the classroom or homeschool and is certainly a library recommended have.
Wishin’ and Hopin’ by Wally Lamb
Wishin’ and Hopin’: A Christmas Story by Wally LambFirst sentence:
The year I was a fifth-grade student at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Parochial School, our teacher, Sister Dymphna, had a nervous breakdown in front of the class.
Acquired: Borrowed a copy from my local library.
Reason for Reading: Every December I drop whatever reading I’m supposed to be doing and read a Christmas book. The paperback of this came out just recently and the advertising made me choose to read it.
I quite enjoyed this nostalgic look back at a year in the 1960’s life of a 10 year-old Catholic school boy. The narrator takes us back to that fifth grade year and reminisces about his family and especially his friends and days at the parochial school. Obviously, I’m always attracted to a book with a Catholic theme (I’m Catholic) and I enjoyed the portrayal which allows Catholics to laugh at themselves and also to see the differences in communication between the religious and the lay from then to now. Felix Funicello, the narrator, is a third cousin to the famous Annette and he regales us with the shenanigans that he and his friend got up to at school and out of school, the various personalities in the classroom especially the stuck-up smartest girl in the class, the new Russian girl who arrives after classes have started (is she a Communist spy?) and the stories of his family including his mother’s TV appearance on the Pillsbury Dough Bake-Off Competition. I found the stories nostalgic, amusing and fun, though not funny. I didn’t laugh out loud.
I was quite shocked by the vulgarity of the language that starts very soon into the book. It is not ever present but is quite frequent and not what I had expected to find. Once the shock of 10 year olds being so vulgar was over, it actually didn’t bother me that much. But if swearing, dirty jokes and crude references to s*xual acts offends thee, this is not the book for you. The other thing I did not like at all was the Epilogue! It kind of ruined the whole good feelings I had about the book after I read it. It’s one of those summaries that tells you where each character is now, or what happened to them. It was quite depressing to read the future lives of these characters, especially the children. I didn’t see the point of it. But on a positive note the book ended with Annette Funicello’s current situation and how you can make donations to MS Society.
Overall, an enjoyable book. I’m glad I read it but not quite what I thought it would be. I certainly enjoyed the writing style and never having read Lamb before am interested in reading another of his works.
Trail of Blood (Nicola)
Trail of Blood by Lisa BlackTheresa MacLean Mysteries, 3
Pages: 393
First Published: Sep. 7, 2010
Publisher: William Morrow
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
Fall had come early this year, and Theresa could see why people considered it the season of death.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Harper Collins Canada.
Reason for Reading: The publisher’s summary grabbed me on this one and I just had to read it.
This is a fantastic serial killer thriller! What makes it even more thrilling is that is combines a true unsolved case from the 1930’s, The Torso Killer, with a modern case of someone who is exactly duplicating that psycho’s 12 (proven) murders consecutively over the next 12 days. This was a fabulous read! The narrative switches between the present case on which Theresa and her cousin Frank are working with the past telling the Torso Killer tale through the eyes of the detective who worked the original case. The whole thing starts when a building is being demolished and the construction workers find a sealed off room containing a mummified and decapitated body on a table, apparently a never found victim of the 1930’s Torso Killer.
Great story with plenty of action taking place. We have two serial killers to keep us busy turning the pages and guessing who the unsubs will be. The past storyline is fascinating because it is all based on the true story, while Ms. Black has fictionalized it she did keep the details of each killing accurate. This storyline is given less page time than the main present day plot but the characterization of the main detective and the historical fiction aspects make a great story. The present day story arc is adrenaline-fueled as the connection to the past is made and the police are aware of exactly where each new victim will turn up and yet the killer still manages to outwit them every time. I like Theresa as a main character, as a forensic scientist she is called in to work the case from her professional side but with a family history of cops can’t keep herself away from getting into the detective work as well. This isn’t so hard since her cousin Frank is a cop and the detective who called her onto this case in the first place. Theresa and Frank make a delightful and unique team. Being cousins, there is no sexual tension as with most detective pairings, and this makes their chemistry together familial and refreshing as they joke, bicker and tease each other while also knowing each other better than they know themselves at times.
Apparently I read the first book in this series when it came out in 2008, Takeover, and I also own the 2nd book, Evidence of Murder, but have not read it yet and did not make the whole series connection until I started to read this one. I’ll have to make sure I get book 2 read before book 4 comes out!
The Dreamer (Nicola)
The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan. Illustrated by Peter Sis
Pages: 372
Ages: 9+
First Published: Apr. 1, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
On a continent of many songs, in a country shaped like the arm of a tall guitarrista, the rain drummed down on the town of Temuco.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Scholastic Canada.
Reason for Reading: I wouldn’t have read this if I hadn’t received a review copy but Ryan is the author of one of my son’s favourite books that he has had read to him multiple times, Riding Freedom, and I love Peter Sis’ artwork. Besides, I always enjoy a good biography, even children’s fictional biographies. The poetry angle did worry me though as I am not a fan of poetry in general (except for the silly, rhyming kind ala Shel Silverstien and specific epic poems).
This tells the story of Neftali Reyes’ childhood, better known by his pen name Pablo Neruda, a great 20th century poet and winner of the Nobel Prize, though I’ve never heard of him before. And quickly sums up his adulthood in the closing chapters. The last pages include a sampling of his poetry. He had a rough, some would call abusive childhood. A mother who died 2 months after his birth, he and his two siblings were raised by a domineering father who had no patience for daydreaming or idleness. He had worked himself up from poverty and expected his sons to have careers that he never had the opportunity for himself. The eldest son wanted to be a singer, and this was driven out of him brutally by the father who set him up as a businessman after sending him to college. His plans for Neftali were even loftier, expecting him to be a doctor. But Neftali fell short of his expectations in every aspect, being a thin, gangly, weak, sickly child who daydreamed, collected bits and pieces of detritus and loved to write. His father tried everything in his power to drive this creativity out of him, but with the encouragement of a newspaperman Uncle he was able to hold on to his ambition, deep down, until he escaped his father’s influence. He did change his name though to save his father from the embarrassment of publicly having a poet and government dissident for a son.
The story of Neftali’s life is very interesting and the book reads with a gentle poetic flow, in keeping with its subject matter. The book has been printed in green ink as that is how Pablo Neruda himself liked to write. The author Pam Ryan has inserted her own short poetry here and there and the illustrations are accompanied by poetic questions in the form of Neruda’s own “The Book of Questions”. This will all be a bonus to poetry lovers especially those familiar with Neruda himself. Not liking artsy poetry myself, it didn’t appeal to me but didn’t bother me much either.
Also the author has used magical realism to delve inside Neftali’s imaginative, daydreaming personality writing his fantasies as if they were indeed happening. For instance, there is a scene where he finds a rhinoceros beetle in the forest for the first time and is fascinated with it, as he watches it, it grows larger and larger until it kneels down its front legs and offers itself to Neftali who then climbs aboard and sets off for a ride through the forest. I am a big fan of magical realism but this didn’t work for me in this book as it just came across as a device the author was using to make the book even more artsy and poetic. There are several such episodes but they are not overwhelming. Overall, I really did enjoy the story of Neftali Reyes’ childhood and would read his memoirs or a non-fiction biography if I happened to cross paths with them but I was not overly impressed with the artsy-f*rtsy ingredients added to this book and would have much preferred a straight historical fiction. Critics, I’m sure will love the book for its artfulness though.
Maps and Shadows (Nicola)
Maps and Shadows by Krysia Jopek
Pages: 151
First Published: Dec. 16, 2010
Publisher: Aquila Polonica
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
Everyone has a story.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Aquila Polonica.
Reason for Reading: I enjoy memoirs of the war (even fictionalized) and I particularly like WWII books which introduce me to new information that is not so widely known.
This is a novel but is based on the true story of the author’s father’s family (his siblings and their parents). I also think there is a fuzzy line between where the truth ends and the fiction begins. It truly seems that the author used the novel format simply so she could write her family’s story from all sides, giving voice to all four members old enough to tell their own story.
This story tells one Polish family’s experience as Russia invades and sends all Poles to labour camps in two places in the frozen Arctic. The Jopeks are sent to Siberia and it is from this point their story is told as they are separated and survive the war being sent from country to country, with even a few years stop in Tanganyika, until they eventually end up as people stripped of their Polish citizenship and start a new life in America. Told in the first person, the narrative switches back and forth between the father, who at first chance leaves Siberia to join the Polish army for the good of his family, the eldest son (the author’s father) who much later on joins the Young Polish Battalion (at first to help supply extra rations to his mother & siblings), the sister, the eldest child in the family and the mother, who tries to give her remaining children hope. The youngest boy is but 4 when they are deported and knows no other kind of life by the time the war is over.
I had a hard time with the Prologue but once the chapters started I became interested and the further on the story went the more involved I became in the lives of these people. I came to care for them and root for their survival. The Table of Contents tells us right off that the last chapter is called “The Burial” and with the wonder of whose burial it would be hanging over my head throughout the book I really came to love each and every one of them. Having read many books about the forced labour camps much of the information wasn’t new to me, yet of course it is always shocking that people were treated this way, and each person’s story is unique in its own way.
What I found absolutely fascinating was the whole role Poland had in WWII and how it’s people were treated by the “Allies”. First they are invaded by Communist Russia (their long time enemy) and then suddenly Russia becomes their “ally” in the war. The Polish people lost their country to Communist Russia; Poland had fought under its own flag in the war and yet no one came to help them get their country back. They were forbidden to march in the victory parade at the end of the war by the British and US so as not to offend Lenin. Stripped of their citizenship if they did not immediately return to the new Communist ruled Poland thousands of exiled Poles became “displaced persons” who had fought a war to save their country’s freedom, only in the end to be scattered to the ends of the earth: Britain, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Mexico, United States and the few who did go back home knowing it would never be the same with their enemy now in control.
A very vivid personal tale of one family’s experience of the war from their own unique experience, which would have been echoed by many other Polish families in similar yet unique to them ways. Also, an extremely eye-opening look at a not so familiar aspect of World War II’s history, the Polish experience, a people who fought hard and ended up with no country or citizenship.
The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay (Nicola)
The Sisters from Hardscrabble Bay by Beverly Jensen
Pages: 307 pages
First Published: June 24, 2010
Publisher: Viking
Rating: 4.5/5
First sentence:
They had strung their shoes by the laces from a solitary elm before entering the woods edging the back field.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Penguin Group (Canada).
Reason for Reading: The early 1900s time frame and the New Brunswick setting appealed to me right away.
This book was brought to publication by Beverly Jensen’s family after her death in 2003. The book consists of interconnected short stories which tell the tale of two sisters who grew up in New Brunswick, poor, on a farm where their alcoholic father raised them on his own. A couple of the stories had been previously published.
From the beginning chapter (ie. story) I was taken into this book and immersed into the lives of the Hillock family, not to come back to the reality of my own family until I had finished. Even when I was not reading, I was thinking about the characters. These stories are completely character driven and the readers becomes intimately familiar with the major players. The book is divided into Parts and starts off in 1916 with the mother dying in the childbirth of the 3rd daughter, 4th child. This utterly destroys the dynamics of the family as it was the mother who connected her family together with maternal and womanly love. The father is devastated at the loss of the only one he has ever loved who has ever made him gentle, and being a hard man to begin with, eking out a living from an unforgiving land and the dangerous sea he has always taken his down time with a bottle. This leaves him incapable of raising three children, nor of being able to show them love or compassion, though it is there. This part of the book grabs your heart and makes for compelling reading. Each story is set a few years ahead of the previous one as the children grow to mid/late teens.
For the rest of the book the story concentrates on Della the oldest sister, the more responsible of the two, and continues to tell her life story up till 1987. The book mostly is told in the third person but occasionally is told from the first person point of view of individual characters. Avis, the younger sister, who has her father’s love of drink and is a beauty who lives vicariously with many men, is not explored as much but she does turn up and we continue to learn of her life. The stories now are spaced further apart often going ten year jumps as we follow this family drama. The bond between the sisters is always strong even when they are not getting along with each other and the deep feeling they have for each other shows up in many ways.
I loved this book! The stories mesh together well creating an episodic story telling format and I enjoyed the occasional first hand account from a character’s point of view. This is not a happy story. The girls lead hard lives. There is emotional abuse, infedelity, prison, alcoholism, drunkeness, eking out a living, yearning to *be* somebody, the decline into infirmity and death. Yet through it all there are moments of true love from places you would least expect it and there are times that these moments are bittersweet. The only thing I was bothered by was that the brother, Dalton, hardly made any appearances once they had grown and I think his character would have been interesting to watch as well. Though I suppose that can be forgiven since the title does say “Sisters”.
An interesting note, as I was reading the chapter near the end entitled “Wake” I got that deja vu feeling that I had read something entirely similar to this before, in fact that I had read it before which was baffling. So I turned to the copyright page and sure enough “Wake” had been previously published in The Best American Short Stories 2007 edition which I had read that year!
I recommend the book to those who enjoy family sagas and don’t mind a story told in an episodic manner.
Mrs. Kaputnik’s Pool Hall and Matzo Ball Emporium (Nicola)
Mrs. Kaputnik’s Pool Hall and Matzo Ball Emporium by Rona Arato
Pages: 188 pages
Ages: 8+
First Published: Apr. 13, 2010
Publisher: Tundra Books
Rating: 3/5
First sentence:
Shoshi Kapustin clapped her hands over her ears to shut out the pitying voices.
Reason for Reading: The combination of the time period (1898) and a dragon intrigued me. I read this aloud to my 9yo.
The Kapustins have immigrated to the USA because Papa has been gone for five years and has not answered any of their letters. Escaping the Cossacks and worried they arrive on Ellis Island, find the family restaurant and are told Papa left one day and didn’t come back. The aunt and uncle running the place have turned it into a shambles. On their first night there, aunt and uncle steal their money leaving a note that they have taken it as payment for the restaurant, Mama can have it, they are going south. Mama must figure out a way to make a living off the restaurant but her matzo balls won’t cook properly; they are more like stones. The children are trying to find Papa. The gangster Nick the Stick is making them pay protection money and they are never quite sure if their new friend Mr. Thornswaddle, circus barker extraordinaire, can be trusted. Oh, yes, and by the way they also accidentally brought a baby dragon over with them who doesn’t make the situation any easier.
A fun, story with lots of silly situations going on that are unrealistic. The Russian Jew immigrants bring with them a folk tale sense of the tall tale and much that happens in the story is over the top, creating some laugh out loud moments and just plain silliness. But also, the author manages to set the characters in the real world of a turn of the century Jewish neighbourhood in New York and the reader sees the immigrant experience as well as life for a child in this era of New York. The names of the characters are a lot of fun too, such as Aloysius P. Thornswaddle and Dingle Hinglehoffer and the book works well as a read aloud allowing the teller to put on both Jewish and Irish accents during some of the most fun bits.
The one thing that disappointed me was the dragon; he had no charisma. While not being a main character, he was a constant throughout the plot and he did not have a personality of his own. He was very lightly sketched out but there was nothing to endear him to the reading audience. I think if he’d been given a personality his place would have felt more as one of the main characters and it would have given the story that extra bit of oomph that feels to be lacking.
An Elephant in the Garden (Nicola)
An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo. illustrated by Michael Foreman
Pages: 233 pages
Ages: 8+
First Published: May 27, 2010, UK (Jun 28, 2010 CAN)
Publisher: Harper Collins UK
Rating: 3.5/5
First sentence:
To tell the truth, I don’t think Lizzie would ever have told us her elephant story at all, if Karl had not been called Karl.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Harper Collins Canada.
Reason for Reading: I like the author and would simply read anything he wrote.
This story set during WWII is from a perspective which I don’t read much of, that of the everyday German family. I have read books from the German perspective but usually they are hiding Jews and that would be the focus of the story. An Elephant in the Garden does not really explore the War itself very much, outside of what this middle class pacifist family would know from the propaganda they were fed. Before the war actually starts they have had a heated argument with their closest relatives who have said they never want to see them again as they believe Hitler will be good for the country and our family, living in Dresden think he is a madman. War starts and Papi is called to active duty, sent to fight in France and later in Russia. Mutti has gotten herself a job working at the local zoo which is a walkable distance from their home. With this background, we enter the main theme of the book as the Allies are winning, drawing nearer to the cities, and then Dresden is bombed to a pile of ash. Mutti, Karl and Elizabeth leave the city as many refugees do as they have the Americans coming from one side and the Russians from the other and no one wants to suffer at the hands of the Russians. So they all head towards the Americans, but Mutti feels she must bring Marlene with her, a very sad, grieving baby elephant whose mother died several months ago. Mutti has known her since she was born. Marlene has been living in their garden overnights and has become a part of the family. It is a hard journey for any refugee as they trudge for weeks through the snow, rationing a dwindling supply of food, with the Russians ever present at their back but with an elephant along this brings added elements both bad and good.
This is a delightful story but wasn’t as good as I was expecting it to be. It was a very quiet story, with interesting things happening but without any buildup to a big climax; it simply told a fascinating story with a calm approach. From the point of the German family it was a bit strange as the war as a whole was not a topic, only how it affected them: loosing Papi to the army and then the penultimate loss of house and home from the bombings. Hitler is mentioned twice by German characters who vehemently despised everything he stood for. Otherwise this could have been any war and I think there are two ways of understanding this story.
One, from the everyday German civilian’s point of view who suffered as much as any Allied civilian who had his town bombed to smithereens. This reminds us that wars are started by governments not the civilians. Second, the story focuses on the refugee status of the family, the long journey to safety, and upon safety being labeled “displaced persons” and put into a fenced-in camp. This compares to the modern day war refugees we see on TV today who have been driven from their homes and shows that refugeeism is a fall-out from war itself and has happened in every war to both sides, throughout history.
A good read. Marlene the elephant adds humour and quirkiness to the story, she also brings people together who would not otherwise have spoken to each other. But yet, with all that goes on, it is still a quiet book that goes at a steady pace and lingers.
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell
A Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell
Random House, 2010
Historical Fiction, 479 Pages
Set on the Island of f Dejima in Japan in the early 19th century, Jacob De Zoet was trying to make a name for himself. Jacob has come all the way from Holland as a young clerk in the hopes of making his fortune. The plan was to go back to Holland to his fiancée and marry her with the approval of her wealthy father.
While on Dejima, Jacob has a chance encounter with Ortio Aibagawa, a midwife who was granted permission to learn medicine under the tutelage of Dr. Marinus. It is very rare to see a Japanese woman unless she is a prostitute. Jacob becomes infatuated with her.
The first chapter of the book grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go. It was of a childbirth that Ortio was midwife for. The child appeared to be dead but Ortio breathed life into him. It’s too bad that the next 130 pages didn’t hold my interest much. They were about the day to day business of Jacob as a clerk. To me they were boring and at times, hard to understand. I felt like I needed to have an interest in Jacob’s job as a clerk, to understand what was going on. Historically, it seemed quite accurate but painfully boring to me.
When Ortio was brought back onto the pages, the story picked up again for me. She ended up in a horrific place that I had to see resolved. That is what kept me reading this book. It was these parts of the book that made me fall in love with David Mitchell’s writing.
I have had David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas and Black Swan Green on my “to be read” list for a very long time. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet is the first book I have read by him but certainly won’t be the last.
3.5/5
Source: Copy of book provided by publicist/publisher through GoodReads.
For the King’s Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick
For the King’s Favor by Elizabeth Chadwick
Sourcebooks Landmark, 2010
Historical Fiction, 544 Pages
Ida de Tosney was a ward of King HenryII through childhood. As a teenager she was presented to the King who would determine her future. Hopefully he would find a suitable marriage for her and she would have a happy life. However, once set eyes on Ida, he decided to keep her for himself and kept her as his mistress. She had no say in the matter.
Ida prayed that she wouldn’t become pregnant and have King Henry’s bastard child. She took every preventative measure she could find however, she conceived a son. Though she was worried about the religious ramifications, she fell in love with her son. In the mean time, she became infatuated with Roger Bigod.
Roger had a story of his own. He rebelled against his father and took the side of King HenryII. He spent the majority of the time trying to win the Kings favor and getting his family land holdings after his father died. His rightful title was Earl and he wanted it.
Eventually, King Henry married Ida de Tosney off to Roger Bigod and they had many children of their own. However, the son she had with King HenryII, was kept from her.
Many of my friends, including those at Historical Tapestry have been encouraging me to read a Elizabeth Chadwick book for a very long time. I have had her on my TBR and finely had the chance to read one of her books when I received an invitation to review this advance readers’ copy.
Chadwick did not disappoint! She had a good cast of characters from real life to draw from. She made them come back to life with richly textured scenes of England and Royalty. I felt like I was one of the maids, getting to witness everything that happened. I will definitely be reading more Chadwick in the future!
Note: For the King’s Favor was released previously as The Time of Singing.
4.5/5
Source: Copy of book provided by publicist/publisher.
The Body at the Tower (Nicola)
The Body at the Tower by Y.S. LeeThe Agency, Book 2
Pages: 337 pages
Ages: 13+
First Published: Aug. 10, 2010
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
A sobbing man huddles on a narrow ledge, clawing at his eyes to shield them for the horror far below.
Acquired: Received a review copy from the publisher.
Reason for Reading: Next in the series.
I want to say The Body at the Tower is even better than book 1 but I think that’s because I’ve just finished reading it. The follow up to A Spy in the House is just as amazingly brilliant as its predecessor. A fast-paced, read-into-the-night Victorian mystery.
Mary Quinn has been sent on assignment this time to go undercover as a young boy. Chopping her hair off and binding her chest tightly her petite half Chinese frame allows her to pull this off without a hitch. She is sent to the construction site of St. Stephen’s Clock Tower which holds the bell, Big Ben. A construction worker has just been found dead at the bottom of the tower, having supposedly either fallen or jumped. Mary’s assignment is to infiltrate the construction crew and pick up any insider information on the man’s death and also to look into the state of affairs concerning the construction management itself.
Lee’s depiction of Victorian times is authentic and never loses its credibility. As I’ve said previously, Ms. Lee has managed to pick the perfect profession for her heroine to move about within the confines of this rigid society. As a spy, her disguises allow her to cross class lines and present as a bold, outspoken woman in private. This time around disguised as a boy, there are no boundaries to “Mark’s” world. As Mark, Mary has access to a construction site, pubs, the streets at night, and plenty of places a woman of any respectability, no matter how small, would never deem to go.
The mystery is an intricate plot with several different tracks being followed. People of bad character are easy to find but it doesn’t necessarily make them the villains in these particular circumstances. Lee keeps the reader guessing by adding more to the plot with each reveal. Mary also has the added burden of running into James again and their relationship takes many turns.
The recommended age of these books are 12+ but I would suggest a little older as even though they are perfectly clean they speak of adult topics. This one mentions rape, prostitution, men who like little boys and other unsavory topics. Also since the protagonist is 18 years old I find no reason that this would not be enjoyed by adult readers of cozy historical mysteries. The publishers may even want to consider marketing “adult version” covers of the series. I’m anxiously awaiting book 3 but I am a tad worried that this is supposed to be a trilogy. I really hope Ms. Lee reconsiders and continues on with the adventures of Mary Quinn.
A Family Affair (Nicola)
A Family Affair by Caro PeacockLiberty Lane Mysteries, #3
Pages: 440 pages
First Published: 2009 UK (Jun, 22, 2010 US)
Publisher: Avon A
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
London, June 1839
At one end of the lists the Knight of the Green Tree was fighting to control his horse, a raw-boned chestnut hunter of sixteen hands or so, over bitted- and nervous of the flags fluttering in the breeze.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Harper Collins Canada.
Reason for Reading: Next in the series.
I like to think of the Liberty Lane series as one of my guilty pleasures. I know I’m in for a quick dip immersion into the Victorian era with a light mystery and an easy read. I also know Liberty is not going to get into a romance with anyone, though someone will probably be trying to play matchmaker for her but Liberty has more important things to do as a “private intelligencer”, a name coined for her line of work by her friend and politician Benjamin Disraeli. Disraeli also is in the habit of bringing work her way and that is how Liberty gets her case in this book.
A classic tale of the class system, the Lord is in a private asylum and close to death at which point the Lady announces that the eldest son is not the Lord’s legal heir throwing doubt on his legitimacy and placing the younger son in line to inherit the estate. Thus, the Lady then retires from talking about it. Liberty is hired by the lawyer to find out if the Lady is lying or simply mad. He has no interest if she is telling the truth; it is simply not an option. But Liberty finds out much more than legitimate birthrights are being kept secret when she arrives on the scene and a servant is found dead packed away in a barrel and the eldest son has simply vanished. She takes it on her own initiative to solve the answers to the many questions, secrets and mysteries she encounters at Brinkburn Hall.
I have to say this has been my absolute favourite of the Liberty Lane mysteries by far! Liberty Lane is still written too far on the modern side to be entirely believable but having got to know the character through the three books, I don’t really care anymore. She is a fun heroine, not afraid to go where the danger leads her and full of simple derring-do. I loved the mystery this time as well. I had all sorts of ideas wandering around in my mind; I did figure out one of the elements but so much was going on by the end it was a complete surprise when the shocking reveal came out. I read the first half of the book at a leisurely pace enjoying the new characters and setting which revolves around the Victorian love for all things medieval and includes the ill-fated joust, the Eglinton Tournament. Then the second half was quick paced as all the secrets started unraveling and danger threatened. I thoroughly enjoyed this book in the series and eagerly await the next. Historical mystery fans and lovers of cozy mysteries alike will enjoy this romp with Liberty Lane.
Death on the River (Nicola)
Death on the River by John Wilson
Pages: 193
Ages: 15+
First Published: Oct.1, 2009
Publisher: Orca Books
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
I pull back the thin blanket and swing my legs over the edge of the bed.
Acquired: Received a review copy through LibraryThing’s Early Review Program.
Reason for Reading: John Wilson is a Canadian author whom I have read a few books of and enjoyed. I also enjoy reading Civil War historical fiction.
This is a dark, merciless book which shows one side of war, its heinous toll on life, the bloody injured victims and those people whose characters will let them take advantage of the less fortunate in any situation. The story is that of a just turned 18 year-old, Jake Clay, who joins the Union Army because his brother whom he looked up to was killed in the war. Fresh in uniform he is involved in a battle in which he is taken POW and sent to the Confederate prison camp at Andersonville, one of the worst in history. Thus the story goes on to tell the tale of the prison inmates and daily life, through the eyes of young Jake, as he is taken under wing of an immoral Billy Sharp who knows how to survive at any cost.
A page-turning story and almost too horrible to believe it is based on truth. The author pulls no punches and there are many brutal, disturbing scenes. Though the author does write them in a stark matter-of-fact way without becoming needlessly gruesome in the details. They are true to life and there is one scene in particular that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. Jake is a realistic character and one who not only suffers physically but also suffers with his morals and that he cannot always remain humane in an inhumane world.
Certainly a unique Civil War story for teens, told through the eyes of a POW. The publisher’s recommended age is 12+, however I don’t agree with that. I think the book is more appropriate for older teens. Along with all the violence I’ve mentioned, the protagonist is 18 years old, and the language includes continuous use of the sh- word, along with every conceivable rendition of taking the Lord’s name in vain I ever thought possible. For older teens and grown-ups who like to read YA, I heartily recommend the book for an eye-opening look into a nasty piece of US history.
Houdini Pie by Paul Michel
Houdini Pie by Paul Michel
Bennett & Hastings Publishin, 2010
Historical Fiction; 212 pages
Halley, named after Halley’s Comet was born right after his father Charles got caught in one of his fraudulent schemes. Once Hal was considered old enough he was expected to work for Charles in his less than honest business ventures including running a lucrative alcohol business during prohibition.
In 1934, as a young man Hal is a pitcher for and upstart baseball team and strikes just about everyone out. His Uncle Warren shows up after a long absence and asks Hal to join in him in a business venture that his Charles is also tied up with. Hal thinks it sounds preposterous but his mother Vera talks him into doing it with the promise of riches, gold actually.
A Hopi Indian and his daughter lead the search, with the story of their ancestors, who were Lizard people. They hid treasure in Los Angeles California way beneath a downtown street. Somehow the crackpot sounding scheme get approval from the mayor and they are allowed to dig.
This is a story about love, hope and loyalty for Hal. Though the constant reference to Houdini Pie and it’s symbolism got a little tiresome to me, the book flowed well with simple old fashioned story telling. Some of it was quite predictable but the book was enjoyable.
3/5
Thanks to Mary Myers of Bennet & Hastings Publishing for this book.
The Secret Fiend (Nicola)
The Secret Fiend by Shane Peacock
The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His 4th Case
Pages: 244
Ages: 12+
First Published: May 11, 2010
Publisher: Tundra Books
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
There have been many late knocks on the old apothecary’s door.
Acquired: Received a review copy through LibraryThing’s Early Review Program.
Reason for Reading: Next in the Series.
Shane Peacock has made it to the 4th book in this series and in my opinion the best one so far. I’ve been consistently rating the books a 4/5, knowing that Mr. Peacock had something more to give that was waiting for my full five rating and “The Secret Fiend” fits the bill. Oh, the case is a bit out there but then some of Doyle’s cases were also so I won’t hold that against an author who can hold it all together.
Sherlock, who has decided to wait until he has become a man to resume detecting, has been spending his time on his studies: academic, mental and physical, when a very close friend from childhood, Beatrice, arrives at his door saying she and a friend have been attacked. She tells a wild tale and will he come and help find her friend. One thing leads to another and Sherlock decides that this time the case has chosen him and he takes it on. Apparently, all over the East Side of London a figure who may be (or is just dressed like) the legendary character Spring-Heeled Jack is on the loose frightening women, leaving notes about chaos and finally seems to be the culprit in a gruesome murder.
Sherlock is older now, at 14 years-old his studies are quite academic and he sees his future ahead of him, but unfortunately feelings keep getting in his way, interfering with logical deduction. So he continues to struggle with giving up personal feelings. Holmes’ character has grown very much over the four books where he is now poised on the edge of the Sherlock Holmes character we know from the source.
Peacock presents us with a fast-paced, action packed, atmospheric and at times dark mystery. The usual character’s from the past books return but there are changing dynamics between friends and foes that are very different from earlier books. We get a good inside look into the political and social arena of the times as Disraeli, the first ever Jew, becomes Prime Minister. Peacock also throws a nod out to Robert Louis Stevenson in this book by having a secondary character known only as Louise for most part until eventually her last name is revealed to be Stevenson and further on we are told her father’s name is Robert.
I really enjoyed the mystery and was so involved in all the activities going on between Sherlock and the various characters, that while I had the suspects listed in my head I never bothered to try to figure out whodunit as I was having too much fun being wrapped up in all the other story threads. Peacock gives a major clue (to the overall story arc of the series) in this book that Holmesian fans will have solved in a heartbeat, but will make no sense to those who haven’t read (or watched) Holmes before. I was excited with this reveal as I had been guessing at it for the last couple of books now and it makes book five an even more eagerly anticipated read. This book (along with the others) is well-written and I don’t hesitate to recommend them to adults as well as teens.
Whiter Than Snow (Nicola)
Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas
Pages: 292
First Published: Apr. 30, 2010
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
No one knew what triggered the Swandyke avalanche that began at exactly 4:10 P.M. on April 20, 1920.
Acquired: Received a review copy from the author’s internet publicist.
Reason for Reading: I’ve always wanted to read a Sandra Dallas book and the plot of this one was particularly intriguing.
This is a beautiful story. It’s what I call a light read. I picked the book up one evening and when it was time to turn out the light saw I had read three-quarters of the book. The story is simple and quite straight-forward but Dallas has written it in such a manner that the reader becomes emotionally involved in the characters by the time the already mentioned tragedy unfolds. She brings to her characters redemption, love, forgiveness and perhaps a look into God’s mysterious way.
The story opens with an avalanche on top of a mountain in a tiny mining village and nine children coming home from school are caught in the slide. We are told four survived. Then each of the following chapters focuses on a child’s or siblings’ parents or in some cases parent. These historical vignettes can go as far back as the grandparents but most concentrate on the parent(s) and the one great or many small sins they have hidden in their lives. Each ends with the birth of the children or sometime in their early life. So we never really get to know the children, only through how they are thought of by others. Then comes a point when the story picks up with the avalanche and we watch the town come together to deal with the rescue and tragedy that is their fate.
The reader is in a position now to know how each family will react if it is their child(ren) that die and the reader is also vested in who could best handle the situation and perhaps who most needs redemption through the experience of death. Each person with a buried child has a reason to think they are being punished for their past sins and each also has reason to be forgiven. How it works out for the families in the end is very satisfying both for those who lost their children and those whose children lived. A beautiful story and a page-turner. I will certainly be adding Sandra Dallas to my list of authors to read.
The Water Seeker (Nicola)
The Water Seeker by Kimberly Willis Holt
Pages: 309
Ages: 13+
First Published: May 11, 2010
Publisher: Henry Holt
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
Jake was known as the dowser.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Macmillan.
Reason for Reading: I love frontier life western historical fiction and the dowsing aspect caught my eye.
It seems strange to call a book with just over 300 pages an epic story but that really is the best way to describe “The Water Seeker”. It is the story of a family starting with the meeting of the mother and father and ending with their child married, with his own youngster. The main character is a boy who we meet at birth and he grows to manhood, but for the most part of the book he is a young teen and in a way this is his coming of age story. But even though the boy may be considered the protagonist, his father shares that position equally, plus the story is just as much about the adults who surround the boy and their lives that I often forgot I was reading a YA book. Which makes me recommend the book as much to adults as to teens.
Amos Kincaid’s father, Jake, is a dowser but he hates the “gift” that was passed down to him from his father and only does it when times are hard. Otherwise he is a trapper and loves the life. Amos’ mother died at his birth and he was sent to be raised by his Uncle and Aunt, with his father coming to visit each year for a few months when the trapping season is over. Eventually, the boy grows and the father comes back, with a wife, and they set off with a group going along the Oregon Trail. The story deals with very real life and death. Death much more so and Amos experiences guilt, jealousy, anger, joy, happiness and ultimately love before the journey west is complete.
I loved this book, one of the best I’ve read this month. All the characters are so real. Some are filled with the pioneer spirit and others are bitter over the hardships dealt them in this life. We see how tragedy can break a man to nothing but a shell of his former self and we see how the same tragedy can make another pick herself up and continue on because of her love for life. The book is filled with tragedies, heartbreak, illness and despair. Pioneer life was tough no matter how much spirit you had. But we follow a family made up of unique individuals who rise above each hardship creating a magnificent epic novel. I’d love to see “The Water Seeker” up for some awards this year; it’s truly worthy. A great historical.
Countdown (Nicola)
Countdown by Deborah Wiles
The Sixties Trilogy, Book One
Pages: 388 pages
Ages: 11+
First Published: May 1, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
I am eleven years old, and I am invisible.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Scholastic Canada.
Reason for Reading: I enjoy historical fiction but the amount of photographs and media images in the book was what intrigued me the most.
If anybody had told me I was going to absolutely love a book that’s main historical setting was the Cuban Missile Crisis I would have said “Sorry, I don’t even read that kind of political book” then the next thing I’d say would be “BTW, what is the Cuban Missile Crisis?”
The book takes place over the last few weeks in October, 1962 and is somewhat autobiographical using the author’s personal life and memories to tell the story of growing up in the sixties. Taking the author’s place is Franny Chapman, an ordinary girl with a little brother who can do no wrong in her parents’ eyes. It’s the story of Franny’s life; her best friend is starting to avoid her and becoming friends with a girl whose mother is divorced who Franny is not allowed to have anything to do with. Her uncle, great uncle really, lives with them as he raised her father, but he is slipping into dementia, calls everyone soldier and is embarrassing the whole family to the neighbourhood. Franny’s father is in the Air Force and always going off on trips seeming never to be there when the worst family crises arise. Franny’s older sister, who is in college, is up to something mysterious, something she has disagreed with their mother about, and then one night she just doesn’t come back home.
The background is the height of the cold war. The children are inundated with the “duck and cover” routine should a nuclear bomb hit. They have practice drills and watch in class movies to make sure that instinctively they know what to do. The Bay of Pigs has ended and there is talk of the Russians attacking with a nuclear bomb. Then President Kennedy comes on the TV and explains the situation in Cuba involving the Russians and nuclear missiles aimed at the United States. The media quickly label this the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also spread throughout the book are the rumblings of the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. As the book ends, I believe the set up has been made that the background of the second book will be Civil Rights.
The story is just simply fantastic. I read the book in a day as I just couldn’t put it down. The relationships between all the children were very real and the attitudes and lifestyle of the sixties shone through making the story very authentic. A very unique aspect of this book, which has been called a “documentary novel” is that in the middle of the ongoing story it will suddenly turn to a non-fiction essay on a person who has been mentioned. These are very interesting and flow right along with the story feeling perfectly natural in their placement. We learn of both Jack and Jackie Kennedy this way, along with Harry S. Truman, Pete Seeger, Fannie Lou Townsend Hamer and others.
What makes this book truly amazing though is the combination of text with photographs and graphic media. Every so often, there is a graphic section which enhances the story telling through photographs, quotes, headlines, cartoons, posters, song lyrics and much more. These follow the storyline and political events are introduced through the graphic media before it becomes a part of the textual story which really enhances and makes clear the understanding of otherwise potentially difficult topics. But the photos also just immerse you in the culture and era with sports events, space accomplishments, popular singers and stark photos of reality.
I’ve never read anything quite like this before and think the combination of text and media has been put together brilliantly and with a compelling, well-written story this is a fantastic book. I am eagerly await the second book!