Wishful Wednesday, 30 March

The meme is hosted by Brooke from Brooke Bluestocking Guide.

 Welcome to Wishful Wednesday! 

This week I wish for a historical novel:

House of Dreams by Pauline Gedge

Book info (from Amazon.com): House of Dreams is the story of an indomitable, ambitious young woman and her rise from village midwife to royal concubine, the beloved of mighty Pharaoh.

As she moves from initiate to insider, she stirs the passions and the jealousies of those around her. And as her power grows, so does her ambition. But whose ambition is she serving? For always behind the comforts and power of privilege, there is the inescapable, ambiguous influence of Hui, the mysterious benefactor who first noticed her.

Review: Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

Hardcover: 464 pages

Publisher: Crown (February 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307588653
ISBN-13: 978-0307588654
genre: historical fiction
target group: adults


Synopsis:


The end of 18th century, France. Marie Grosholtz, a young woman of Swiss origin, lives with her mother, an uncle and three adult brothers in Paris. Her uncle is a showman by trade - he owns le Salon de Cire (the salon of wax) and Marie and her mother work for him - Marie is responsible for making clay and waxwork heads of different celebrities, her mum runs the house and sells tickets . In an age when the majority of commoners are uneducated or poorly educated at best, Marie and her family are able to provide people with the latest information on political figures and moods. Marie is a very gifted sculptor and a clever businesswoman – she even manages to secure a visit of the French royal family to their salon. The queen Marie Antoinette is impressed by her own wax figure's likeness so much that Marie is invited by the sister of the king Louis XVI, Madame Elisabeth, to Versailles to be her wax modelling tutor.

On the other hand Marie’s uncle, Philippe Curtius, befriends people from quite different walks of life – Robespierre, Marat, Desmoulins, Lafayette– who soon will become the main figures of the approaching French Revolution. While Marie discovers the charms and dangers of the royal palace, her uncle is more and more involved in revolutionary plottings. He does it on purpose - Marie's family are "survivalists" who try to straddle both worlds until it's clear which side will be the victor. However, they never come across as opportunists – you quickly understand they simply had no choice living in such difficult times. Balancing two opposites becomes more and more precarious though, especially that Marie truly befriends and sympathizes with her royal pupil and falls in love with a young promising scientist called Henri Charles who is her uncle’s neighbour and not a big fan of the Revolution either. Soon enough Henri asks for her hand but she hesitates. Although she loves him she can't imagine having a family and managing the business in an efficient way at the same time. She is clearly that workaholic type. ;)

Madame Tussaud's museum in London via Wikipedia

When the Revolution breaks out Marie is ordered to show her patriotism by making wax models of important people decapitated by the guillotine. Post mortem. It is a very grim task but she must do what she is told or she might soon become one of the victims herself. Henri decides to flee to London and he proposes to Marie again but she doesn’t want to marry and follow him if it would mean leaving the rest of her family behind. As the Reign of  Terror approaches Marie finds herself more and more disillusioned with the Revolution which brought her only fears, sorrows, deaths and pain. Finally Robespierre asks her to do something truly horrible, she refuses and is arrested, along with her mother. While awaiting the execution  she meets a young engineer, Francois Tussaud, who helps her and her sick mum to cope with the ugly reality in one of the most horrid Paris prisons. The book ends when Robespierre is decapitated and the days of terror are over. What will the future bring to Marie and her friends? Will her salon prosper once again?

What I liked:

I have no doubts that this book is better than Nefertiti. Marie Grosholtz/Madame Tussaud was a very good choice of a main character– she was as fascinating as the times she lived in. Miraculously she got to know not only the royal family but also the major figures of the Revolution – and lived to tell the tale. She was an independent woman who knew and liked her trade and could earn a decent living – a rare thing in 18th century! Moran portrayed her character in a way that was genuine and realistic.

The times of French Revolution were described in a way that is historically correct (but, as I am hardly a French Revolution scholar so treat this statement as only my very subjective opinion), with plenty of interesting details. The book was a real page-turner – I read it in two days! As there are a lot of characters in this novel, you can find a very useful list of them in the front of the book along with the time line, historical notes and also a glossary for those who are unfamiliar with French words as the book is peppered with them.

Madame Tussaud's self-portrait in wax

The softback cover is really very nice!

What I didn’t like:

Believe me, I wanted to like this book very much but it left me puzzled and somewhat cold. In my view it lacked the grittiness of the average person’s experience. The French Revolution remains one of the most interesting periods in the European history and here I couldn't feel it. Neither the horror of the guillotine nor the grandeur of the royal court are presented in all the glorious/gory details. Writing historical fiction means that you want to reconstruct the events and the atmosphere of a given era. The events are right in place in this book, no problem, but I didn’t feel the atmosphere; it was as if I visited an old-fashioned museum, where you can admire interesting exhibits in glass cabinets, read about them and their history but somehow you don’t feel involved because you can’t touch anything.

My other huge reason to complain is the ending – in my opinion the book ends right in the middle! The blurb clearly promises that we are going to be shown how "a young girl comes to be known as the woman behind one of the most famous museums in the world" but the novel doesn't deliver! We find out about the rest of Marie’s story, I might add the crucial rest, from a short paragraph in the last “After the Revolution” chapter. Perhaps the authoress decided that the whole focus should be given to the years of the French Revolution but I found it really strange and unjust. When you write about such an interesting character as Madame Tussaud and you omit one half of her adult life (maybe even more) you either fish for a sequel contract or you simply don’t do your work properly. I felt cheated, especially as the book is told from Marie’s point of view. Ok, she survives, she marries Francois and what, end of the story, nothing to write home about? I doubt it, especially that we are very succinctly informed that Marie's marriage to Monsieur Tussaud was a big fat disaster - so big that she finally decided to leave France with one of her sons and settle in London, reuniting with the love of her life. Isn't it  fantastic material for some additional chapters? Wouldn't it be lovely to read how she rearanged her private life and restarted her business in the Great Britain?  If not, perhaps the title of this book should be changed into something like "Marie Grosholtz witnessing the Revolution" or even better - "The French Revolution observed from le Salon de Cire". "Madame Tussaud" without madame Tussaud is really a senseless idea.

Final verdict:

I am left conflicted. The book is undeniably well-written and interesting but somehow it didn’t manage to move me. The history of French Revolution is treated with respect but the main character and her personal story – not. Reading it wasn’t a waste of time but it wasn’t the time of my life either. One thing is certain – now I would love to find out more about Madame Tussaud! I might even visit Madame Tussaud’s museum in London just to admire her autoportrait in wax! I am not sure, though, whether I am going to read another of Ms Moran's books. The jury is still out.

Marie Antoinette by Marie Louise Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun

50th review - The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next 01) by Jasper Fforde

I've never ever imagined I would be able to write 5, let alone 50 reviews, but here you go! Thank you, my dear visitors, followers and friends for every encouraging word !

The readers of this blog have chosen The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde to be reviewed as the 50th book. I couldn't agree more - I wished to read it ever since my dear friend Tracy had mentioned this series on her excellent blog Addicted to Books. Without further ado let me start this special review of mine.

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (February 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780142001806
• ISBN-13: 978-0142001806

Genre:  sci fi, horror, detective, litpunk (with elements of steampunk), urban fantasy -  no kidding!

Synopsis:

This book is about what can happen when your favorite book comes to life... literally. It is set in a surreal (even bordering steampunk) version of Great Britain, somewhere around 1985. The UK is a place where time travel is old news (done that, been there, got a t-shirt), you can clone a long-extinct animal pet of your choice (like a dodo) and corner Will-Speak machines will quote Shakespeare at you. What's more, you are in literature fans' paradise - reading is as natural as breathing, literary pilgrimages seemingly commonplace and proselytizing groups try to convert others to their belief that, say, Francis Bacon or Christopher Marlowe actually wrote Shakespeare's plays. It is only the beginning of fun. Russia never had a Soviet revolution, and is still run by the Tsarist royal family; England and Russia have been fighting the Crimean War for 131 years now, the entire thing turning into a Vietnam-like  mess that neither side can politically walk away from anymore. Oh, and the Republic of Wales is an independent country and has turned into a soviet state for a change.

Our main character, a woman called Thursday Next , is one of Crimea war veterans (her dad is into time travel thus the name). Currently she works for SpecOps (Special Operations) 27- the Literatec division in London. Officers from that division are like literature detectives, trying to catch those miscreants who dare to steal manuscripts, publish fake originals and generaly cheat faithful readers making money all the way.  When the original manuscript of Dickens's  Martin Chuzzlewit vanishes, Thursday leads the investigation. The theft proves to be far more complicated than anybody could have predicted - it brings Thursday into another case involving her old Uni professor, Acheron Hades, now a master-mind criminal  and Goliath, a big evil corporation which in fact rules the whole country.

Hades's plan is fairly simple: using the brilliant invention of Thursday's uncle, Mycroft, called a Prose Portal, he can kidnap characters from manuscripts and hold them to ransom or even kill, changing the classic stories' plotlines forever. Literature being as important as it is in this world, you can bet he can demand millions and they will be paid. When his Chuzzlewit  scenario doesn't go quite as planned Hades steals the manuscript of Jane Eyre instead. It is serious - Jane Eyre happens to be one of Thursday's favourite books; when she was a child she visited the plot once, meeting Rochester and Jane; then Rochester saved her life. Now the whole novel is being endangered by Hades who, you can be sure of it, will stop at nothing. In The Eyre Affair the plot of Jane Eyre is a bit different - at the end Jane goes with her cousin, St John Rivers, to India.  Everyone agrees it's a disappointing ending, not least of all Rochester himself. Will Thursday be able to save her beloved characters from virtually indestructible Hades and greedy Goliath thugs? Will she be tempted to change the ending of her beloved book? Will her involvement influence her private and professional life?

What I liked:

This book provided me with the literary escape I needed - it really can be an awful lot of fun, not only for English lit geeks who cherish their classics.The central idea of 'The Eyre Affair', that the world and characters of fiction can cross over into the real world, and vice versa, has great potential. The plot is fun, adventurous and as fast-paced as I like. The world building is truly intelligent and creative and the main character - very likeable (sometimes reminding me of Bridget Jones). Not only her. With lines like "My name is Schitt. Jack Schitt." you will love the baddies as well. By the way Jack Schitt appears quite a lot and I couldn't help giggle every time I read his name. 

To tell you the truth the wry, intelligent sense of humour kept me smiling most of the time. There's more than a hint of satire but I found it done with gentility most of the time . Even if I didn't understand some of the references  I could still appreciate them.The People's Republic of Wales? Richard III being staged like Rocky Horror, with the participation of audience? Surrealists rioting on the anniversary of their legalization? Visiting a vet with your own dodo, cloned using a do-it-yourself kit? A a vampire called Stoker (yes, there are vampires and werewolves in it)?  Hilarious and very refreshing! Some of the epigraphs, starting every chapter, weren't bad either!

Part of the allure of "The Eyre Affair"  is that Fforde asks the hard questions about literature and answers them in a funny but not entirely flippant way. Believe me or not but I waited for his explanation of the Shakespeare autorship problem (here I got a bit disappointed but still ) as impatiently as for the way Thursday would defeat Acheron and save her beloved Jane Eyre. 

What I didn't like:

This book is absolutely packed with literary and historical references - it's a warning, not a fault. I admit I felt a bit lost from time to time but I found out that The Eyre Affair works best if you just go with the flow and don't try to figure out every tidbit presented in the background. Don't worry too much - even us poor illiterate savages can enjoy it :-)

The other thing is that time travel and book travel, as presented here, were a bit patchy business. I mean the book doesn't really explore these complicated ideas deep enough, leaving some big logical gaps (in my opinion - too big ) to be filled by your imagination. Not to mention such a difficult problem as a black hole which was solved in a simply childish, highly unprobable way. 

Finally not all people will like this kind of humour. I suppose if you can tollerate Monty Python and Douglas Adams, the book will work fine for you.

Final verdict:

Book for book people who want some clever entertainment. Despite some faults I am very eager to read other parts of the series!

Quotes:

"So often Mr Right turned out to be either Mr Liar, Mr. Drunk, or Mr. Already Married."

"I'm not mad, I'm just... well, differently moraled, that's all. (Acheron Hades)" 

"They had two chances- fat and slim."

Monday Morning Flash Fiction Challenge

M.M.F.F. Challenge: Week #33

Amy C over at Romance Book Wyrm and Dottie over at Tink's Place have come up with the idea for a Monday Morning Flash Fiction challenge. Each Monday a new picture prompt will be posted and if you choose to participate - you post your story on Friday - 350 words, give or take.  


And here is picture prompt #33:

You are invited to join, the more the merrier. I like this picture - I will be able to continue my story. Till Friday then!

Silent Saturday (but you are very likely to gasp)

Friday Flash Fiction

Amy C at Romance Book Wyrm and Dottie atTink's Place have come up with the idea for a Monday Morning Flash Fiction challenge. Each Monday a new picture prompt will be posted and if you choose to participate - you post your story on Friday - 350 words, give or take. Here is the picture posted on last Monday : 

and my (not so) short story to accompany it (sorry I exceeded the limit). 

Neelya stood with her head hung low, her arms tense and sore, her hands

clenched tightly. She had shot and missed. Again. What was she doing here, on a grassy hill, amid swirling fog, dressed in strange, white clothes? Her hair fluttered in the wind and she noticed its colour was different too – ginger instead of usual raven black. Was she going mad? 

Yesterday night was full moon, the time of pleasure, parties and joy. She was having fun in a tavern with friends like everyone else. She had shown off in front of them a bit, demonstrating her superior archery skills. After all she was challenged and, of course, she won. Then she drank some wine, and danced with a handsome stranger whose  brilliant blue eyes never left her the whole evening. She had such a good time.Then something happened. She didn’t remember exactly what - the memory ended abruptly as if somebody cut out the last part of it.

She woke up because of cold. Her first thought wandered to her chambermaid, Yio - stupid cow, she had forgotten to close a window again. Neelya opened her eyes and found herself lying on a hill covered with frosted grass. She was chilled to the bone as apparently she had slept here all night, with only a bow, a jug of milk and a quiver full of arrows keeping her company. Her own warm woolly clothes disappeared (how? when? why?) - she was dressed in a white, tightly fitting outfit she had never worn or seen before. When she tried to stand up her head exploded and tears came to her eyes. A very bad hangover. She drank some milk to feel better. Her eyes focused on the bow - finally something familiar. In some distance she could notice a shooting target hung on a tree, exactly the same she’d been using for years. The rest came as a natural impulse, a calming-down, well-known routine. She took the bow and one arrow, drew the bowstring back. She stopped breathing and took careful aim. She shot.

First two misses could be understood, especially after a night spent under the stars, with a horrible headache and no breakfast. The third miss brought a disbelieving grimace on her face. The fourth made her angry. The fifth and sixth left her panicky and sweaty. She’d never missed so many shots in a row before. Never. It was lost - her special gift, her pride and pleasure, almost a part of her personality. How could it have happened? What exactly happened? Her head hurt like mad. She wanted to punch somebody and cry like a child at the same time.

All of a sudden she heard some noise coming from the foggy distance. Hooves. Standing on a bare hill she felt exposed, almost naked, especially as she was dressed in white. She decided to run to the nearest tree and hide high up, among leaves. Almost touching the first trunk with her sweaty fingers she never noticed the first arrow flying by. The second hit the target – her back.

Image via Wikipedia

Reviewing a classic - The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Penguin Classics; 11th edition (August 1, 1989)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 014044503X
ISBN-13: 978-0140445039
genre: romance

About the author:

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (born 28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German writer and polymath. Along with Schiller he is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature, especially when it comes to a movement called Weimar Classicism (late 18th and early 19th centuries). Goethe's works span the fields of poetry, drama, literature, philosophy, and science (well, he was a polymath for a reason). His Faust has been called the greatest long poem of modern European literature. Goethe's other well-known literary works include his numerous poems, the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther. Goethe was also the author of scientific texts such as Theory of Colours and his ideas concerning plant and animal morphology were a base on which other naturalists, including Charles Darwin, built their theories and careers. He also served as the Privy Councillor of the duchy of Saxe-Weimar.

Synopsis (with some personal history of the author):

The Sorrows of Young Werther is comprised, for the most part, of letters written by a hopelessly romantic young man named Werther to a friend named Wilhelm with the addition of editorial notes (those notes try to balance the inveitable drawbacks of first-person narrative). Werther, a sensitive young man of some means, flees the complexities of life by taking refuge in the countryside. There he indulges his imagination by immersing himself in the idyllic delights of untained nature. His happiness reaches new heights when he meets Lotte, a charming sweet-natured young girl, a daughter of a local town dignitary . Soon he finds out that Lotte is engaged to a likable but unimaginative local official, Albert, currently absent. Werther’s ecstatic love soon tortures both himself and Lotte as it begins to conflict with the norms of polite society. Is Lotte too naive to understand that in Werther she has acquired an ardent admirer, not a friend? Is she aware of his easily-inflamed fascination, or the violent depths of his stifled emotions? Is she oblivious or heartless to his passionate despair once her fiance has returned? Just how long can she juggle two lovers, or even control her own dainty heart--which Goethe chastely and tantalizingly hides from us?

Werther’s pain eventually becomes so great that he is forced to leave and go to Weimar. While he is away, he makes the acquaintance of Fräulein von B. He suffers a great embarrassment when he forgetfully visits a friend on the day when the entire aristocratic set normally meets there. He returns to Wahlheim after this, where he suffers more than he did before, partially because Lotte and Albert are now married. Every day serves as a torturous reminder that Lotte will never be able to requite his love. Out of pity for her friend and respect for her husband, Lotte comes to the decision that Werther must not visit her so frequently. He visits her one final time, and they are both overcome with emotion after Werther's recitationof a portion of "Ossian’. Werther had realized even before this incident that one of them — Lotte, Albert or himself — had to die. Unable to hurt anyone else Werther decides to take his own life. After composing a farewell letter, he writes to Albert asking for his two pistols, under a pretext of going "on a journey". Lotte receives the request with great emotion but sends the pistols. Werther shoots himself in the head, but dies only 12 hours after he has shot himself. He is buried under a linden tree, a tree he talks about frequently in his letters, and the funeral is not attended by clergymen, Albert or his beloved Lotte.

The whole story was based on true events. Goethe himself met a very lovely girl called Charlotte Buff, at a ball in Wetzlar, where he arrived looking for a job after finishing his studies. During the summer of 1772 a close friendship developed between Charlotte, Goethe and Christian Kestner (her fiancé). Charlotte was eventually obliged to tell Goethe plainly that he must not expect her to return his feelings. At seven o'clock on the morning of September 11th Goethe quit the town without warning. Away with friends in Koblencz, Goethe heard of the suicide of his former acquaintance at Wetzlar, Karl Wilhelm Jerusalem. In September 1771 Jerusalem had taken a job in Wetzlar as secretary to von Hoefler, an ambassador. He was of an artistic disposition, and had been cold-shouldered by Wetzlar's high society. Goethe returned to the town to find out the details of Jerusalem's death. He asked Kestner for a written account, on which he was to base the final pages of his novel. Goethe later described the writing of the work as the business of four weeks, during which time he proceeded with the unconscious certainty of a sleepwalker, and specifically spoke of it as a "confesion".

What I liked:

This book not only details Werther's doomed love for the beautiful Charlotte, it also contains the most beautiful meditations on just about everything important in life: love, beauty, nature, philosophy, art, religion. The opening scenes of the story with their description of landscapes exude the highest philosophical ideals of the time and offers an excellent insight into the workings of the Romantic mind.

Goethe seems to have put a lot of himself into this novel. To love and to have lost someone to death is one thing. To love and to have the beloved betray your love is quite something else. But to love and to know that you can never consummate it, to distance yourself from the very thing you draw life from is unbearable for Werther. The story itself is simple enough, but the varying degrees of Werther’s pain explore the depths of human depression. Goethe's insights into human emotion are right on the mark, and he expresses them in haunting and moving language. He shows us the problems inherent in loving and idealizing something a bit too much.

The novel is also a sensitive exploration of the psychopathology of a gifted but ill-adjusted young man (no, emos haven’t been invented yesterday). The letter form expresses well one-sided and lonely communication, also interposing an ironic distance between the reader and Werther, which makes this book a work of exhilarating style and insight.

What I didn’t like:

The primary problems I had with the work were the repetitiveness of Werther's self-pitying missives and a certain incredulity connected to his state of mind. In the final analysis, a persistent feeling that Werther was silly and unjustified in his fixation and self-indulgent in wallowing, dulled significantly the impact of his fate. I couldn’t sympathize with Werther falling for a woman who clearly states that she is already involved with another man. I kept waiting for him to finally shoot himself, and when he did my feeling was, "thank god, no more self-pitying”.

I think I also struggled against Goethe’s ideal of female perfection - a woman whose biggest asset is the fact that she can act like a mother to her siblings after the death of their mother, sounding all the time really average and dull. To tell you the truth this paragon of feminie virtue appears more sensual and maternal than truly sexual but those were the times and paragons (sigh).

Finally the language was a bit too flowery for modern standards.


Final verdict:

Highly recommendable. A cornerstone of Romantic literature that inspired many poets, it should be a key text for anyone studying the genre. Short and sweet - perfect for a summer read, but not to those who have recently gone through a rather painful break-up.

Goethe in Italy

Quotes:

There would be far less suffering amongst mankind, if men -- and God knows why they are so fashioned -- did not employ their imaginations so assiduously in recalling the memory of past sorrow, instead of bearing their present lot with equanimity.

All extraordinary men, who have accomplished great and astonishing actions, have ever been decried by the world as drunken or insane.

Misunderstandings and neglect occasion more mischief in the world than even malice and wickedness.

GOETHE, The Sorrows of Young Werther

Fiftieth review celebration - my review, your choice!

It is truly incredible but I am approaching fast my fiftieth book review! I never predicted my blog would last so long. To celebrate  the fact that some awesome people come here and actually read them I am going to let my fantastic followers and other visitors to decide which novel should be read and review by me as the 50th. On the right there is a poll with all four options included - just vote and I will do as I am told, remaining your humble servant etc. etc. ;)


Ok, now let me present the options for the 50th review  (I include short descriptions of all books from Amazon.com to save you the bother) :

1. Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.

From Library Journal:

Student of philology in 1970s Milan, Casaubon is completing a thesis on the Templars, a monastic knighthood disbanded in the 1300s for questionable practices. At Pilades Bar, he meets up with Jacopo Belbo, an editor of obscure texts at Garamond Press. Together with Belbo's colleague Diotallevi, they scrutinize the fantastic theories of a prospective author, Colonel Ardenti, who claims that for seven centuries the Templars have been carrying out a complex scheme of revenge. When Ardenti disappears mysteriously, the three begin using their detailed knowledge of the occult sciences to construct a Plan for the Templars[...] In his compulsively readable new novel, Eco plays with "the notion that everything might be mysteriously related to everything else," suggesting that we ourselves create the connections that make up reality. As in his best-selling The Name of the Rose, he relies on abstruse reasoning without losing the reader, for he knows how to use "the polyphony of ideas" as much for effect as for content. Indeed, with its investigation of the ever-popular occult, this highly entertaining novel should be every bit as successful as its predecessor. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/89. -- Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

2. Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next 01 The Eyre Affair

From Publishers Weekly

Surreal and hilariously funny, this alternate history, the debut novel of British author Fforde, will appeal to lovers of zany genre work (think Douglas Adams) and lovers of classic literature alike. The scene: Great Britain circa 1985, but a Great Britain where literature has a prominent place in everyday life. For pennies, corner Will-Speak machines will quote Shakespeare; Richard III is performed with audience participation … la Rocky Horror and children swap Henry Fielding bubble-gum cards. In this world where high lit matters, Special Operative Thursday Next (literary detective) seeks to retrieve the stolen manuscript of Dickens's Martin Chuzzlewit. The evil Acheron Hades has plans for it: after kidnapping Next's mad-scientist uncle, Mycroft, and commandeering Mycroft's invention, the Prose Portal, which enables people to cross into a literary text, he sends a minion into Chuzzlewit to seize and kill a minor character, thus forever changing the novel. Worse is to come. When the manuscript of Jane Eyre, Next's favorite novel, disappears, and Jane herself is spirited out of the book, Next must pursue Hades inside Charlotte Bronte's masterpiece. The plethora of oddly named characters can be confusing, and the story's episodic nature means that the action moves forward in fits and starts. The cartoonish characters are either all good or all bad, but the villain's comeuppance is still satisfying. Witty and clever, this literate romp heralds a fun new series set in a wonderfully original world. 

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

3. Carolyn McCullough's Once A Witch


From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—It's hard to be the only normal one in a family in which everyone has a Talent that allows them to do such things as disappear, control the weather, read the future, or turn people to stone. Tamsin is bitter that she does not have a magical gift and dreams of the day she can move far away. So when a mysterious Scottish stranger, Alistair, shows up at her family's bookstore and assumes that the 17-year-old is her very Talented sister, Rowena, Tamsin jumps at the chance to help him find the family heirloom for which he is searching. She enlists the help of her childhood friend, Gabriel, who has recently reappeared in her life. Tamsin and Gabriel travel through time to find what sinister Alistair wants, and in doing so they will set in motion a chain of events that could mean the destruction of her family. Although Tamsin is a well-rounded character, the other people in the book are fairly one-dimensional. What is lacking in character development, though, is made up for in plot. This is an exciting book, and readers will be captivated until the very end. With a fairly easy reading level, an exciting story, and an edgier heroine (Tamsin drinks and smokes), this book is a good choice to hand to older reluctant readers.—Heather M. Campbell, formerly at Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO END

And, surprise, surprise, here comes the last contestant....

4. Stephenie Meyer's The Host

From Publishers Weekly

In this tantalizing SF thriller, planet-hopping parasites are inserting their silvery centipede selves into human brains, curing cancer, eliminating war and turning Earth into paradise. But some people want Earth back, warts and all, especially Melanie Stryder, who refuses to surrender, even after being captured in Chicago and becoming a host for a soul called Wanderer. Melanie uses her surviving brain cells to persuade Wanderer to help search for her loved ones in the Arizona desert. When the pair find Melanie's brother and her boyfriend in a hidden rebel cell led by her uncle, Wanderer is at first hated. Once the rebels accept Wanderer, whom they dub Wanda, Wanda's whole perspective on humanity changes. While the straightforward narrative is short on detail about the invasion and its stunning aftermath, it shines with romantic intrigue, especially when a love triangle (or quadrangle?!) develops for Wanda/Melanie. 
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Now the choice is entirely in your hands - the book with the highest number of votes wins! I am so curious about the results! The poll will last one week from today. Other books, presented here, might be reviewed later or not at all...

Review: I Am Number Four (Lorien Legacies 01) by Pittacus Lore

· Reading level: Young Adult ( Middle-grade)
· Hardcover: 448 pages
· Publisher: Harper; 1 edition (August 3, 2010)
· Language: English
· ISBN-10: 9780061969553
· ISBN-13: 978-0061969553


I got this book in a digital form courtesy of my friend pchłaszachrajka - thanks a lot!


Synopsis:

It is a first person narrative about an alien boy sent to the Earth after his planet, beautiful and rich Lorien, was destroyed by hordes of ugly, greedy, cunning Mogadorians. There used to be Nine of them, children of the most powerful Loric families, with just a number instead a proper name and a guardian for company. They were hidden until they developed their powers, called Legacies, enabling them to defeat Mogadorian beasts and revive Lorien. A protective charm was placed to help them survive -they can only be killed in order. The Mogadorians are following them, though. They have found and killed three first kids (and their guardians). They are in a hurry to kill the rest too before they become strong enough to fight back.

All Nine are interconnected – if any of them is killed the rest get a kind of scar ring on their leg. After the third kill Number Four, bearing the name of "John Smith," hides in Paradise, OH. His name used to be Daniel Jones. It used to be something else before that, and then something else before that. He is tired of these changes but he has no choice – he is next on Mogadorians’ ‘to kill’ list so his guardian and mentor, Henri, takes no chances and makes him move once again.

It's a little different this time. Soon enough John Smith befriends a geeky kid who is a science-fiction enthusiast (his first real friend ever) and falls in love with Sarah, the prettiest girl in the whole school (his first real date ever). He also adopts, or rather is adopted by, a stray dog named Bernie Kosar (yeah, you guessed it right- the first pet ever). His Legacies start developing one by one. It can mean only one thing – the real war with Mogadorians might start any day now. Not to mention a scuffle or two with a band of local bullies as one of them fancies beautiful Sarah too. Who will survive and at what price?


What I liked:

This book uses a great idea and has some action, especially at the end. With its interesting premises and a fast-pace telling, the story can grab and hold readers but only those who are willing to suspend quite a bit of disbelief. Bernie Kosar, the lovely beagle, is easily the book's breakout character by the way. Dogs are incredible creatures!


What I didn’t like:

Right now I should be dressed up as one of these ugly, red-eyed Mogadorian monsters with a muzzle full of big teeth, dripping drool and blood. I solemnly swear I am up to no good.

My first impression, was that the book was very reminiscent of ‘Superman’ from the early '80s and, more recently, ROSWELL. When I finished it the comparisons to the X-Men surfaced too. In other words there is not even one shred of originality. A planet called ‘Lorien’? Wait a minute – didn’t we hear this name before? Of course LOTR and Galadriel…

I AM NUMBER FOUR is penned by two men - Jobie Hughes and James Frey. It seems both of them got ahead of themselves in writing for a movie-type audience. The movie might or might not be a sensation when the Dreamworks adaptation of this book is released in 2011 starring Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant and Dianna Agron. The book, however, is truly horrible - cliché, predictable, dumb and simplistic.

The concept is very similar to the Twilight series - there is the same stereotype mix of school kids - one outsider (a handsome alien with superpowers), one cute girl who falls in love with outsider for no apparent reason (well, he is special and handsome) , one jock who similarly hates outsider for equally no apparent reason and a geek who likes outsider for.... well you've guessed it.

The writing style cannot be even compared to Twilight – it is devoid of any complexity or writing skills or interesting vocabulary. Nothing is vivid, or picturesque, it all just feels so artificial, just like those silly rubbery sci-fi costumes. It reads like a bad movie script.

The characters all fell very flat, including John Smith (Number 4), which is weird since the story was written from his point of view (you think you'd get a better idea of who he is and actually understand and connect to him). Someone (like a good editor) needs to explain to John the exact definition of keeping a low profile. After all, dude, if you are supposed to be in hiding and blending in you can’t pick fights and impress your mates showing off your extra abilities. The fate of the whole planet (or maybe even two planets) depends on it. Is such a motivation not enough?

Plenty of things don’t make sense. What kind of protective charm is it if it protects one kids (like Number Nine) better and other kids (like Number One) almost not at all? Why, despite the fact that John and his mentor are being hunted by a savage alien race (and their death is imminent) the boy becomes so involved in a crudely spun romance with Sarah - a girl we are told over and over again is beautiful, blonde and intelligent (but who has less personality than an elastic band)? Doesn’t he have anything better to do? Martial Arts? Hare and hounds? The dates of John and Sarah are TRULY boring; after a while I really yearned for an ugly alien starting killing people right, left and centre. Ok, I admit it, even a vampire would do. Once again let me remind here Bella from Twilight, admiring the beauty and sparkle of her Edward every second page or so until the reader feels pretty nauseous – urgh!

Finally, there is so little to hint at the behaviours, customs, culture and lifestyles of the race these two main characters embody. We're supposed to be reading this through the eyes of a perfect alien - so  wouldn't some human customs seem strange to him? Doesn’t he ponder on human frailties and vices from time to time? Guess not...thinking can bring bad headaches - the last ailment a superhero would like to have.

To sum up those who like their science fiction with a bit more science and internal logic, will have to search elsewhere.


Final verdict:

Most fanfiction authors could claim to have written a more complex, heartfelt story. At this point I'm convinced the book was written solely to earn a bit more money before the movie is out. I'm extremely put off – I’ve heard this would be as good as The Hunger Games. What an insulting comparison! Do yourself a favour: don't spend money on this book. If you are really interested either get it from the library or just wait a bit and watch the movie. In other words...

Silent Saturday

Review: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

· Hardcover: 304 pages
· Publisher: Knopf (April 5, 2005)
· Language: English
· ISBN-10: 1400043395
· ISBN-13: 978-1400043392
· Genre: sici-fi, dystopia
· Target group: adult

Synopsis (with some spoilers):


Never Let Me Go is the third book of Kazuo Ishiguro dealing with sci-fi subjects. The storyline is highly reminiscent of the thriller movie "The Island" – small wonder a new movie, based on it and starring Keira Knightley, has been shot recently.

The novel is narrated by Kathy H., a thirty-one year old carer, who reminds herself of her school years at Hailsham, spent with her best friends, Ruth and Tommy. She tells us that she recently came back into contact with Ruth, as she became Ruth’s carer after her first donation. We are bound to find the true meaning of this later.

At the beginning Hailsham seems a normal establishment. It is situated amid quiet countryside and its staff consist of caring, good guardians. Soon we find out that the students never go home and are not visited by anyone from the outside world. Then come other puzzles. Why does the Hailsham syllabus place so intense an emphasis on "creativity" of the students? Why does mysterious ‘Madame’ pick up and take away the best art? Where is situated her equally mysterious ‘gallery’? Aren’t weekly medical checks a bit too frequent ? Can it be true that the authorities are so worried about the dangers of smoking that works such as the Sherlock Holmes stories are banned from the library because of their high nicotine content? Why did one of the best teachers, the honest and open Miss Lucy, leave the school rather abruptly?

In their last years at Hailsham, the students are given classes on what was to be expected out in the real world, with special emphasis on sex and social skills. Here the truth about them slowly become clearer. It seems that everyone somehow knew it already BUT they never realized what it really meant. Kathy, Ruth and Tommy leave Hailsham and go to the Cottages where they reside under the watchful eye of an elderly man called Keffers until they are ready to start their training as carers. After that they will become donors. The relationship between the three of them becomes somewhat like a love triangle. Ruth and Tommy are dating openly but deep down Ruth knows that Kathy and Tommy would be more compatible. The friendship between both girls, while superficially tight knit, is in fact rather strained and quite toxic. Ruth is a bossy ‘know-it-all’ type who likes manipulating the others. The trio disintegrate after one explosive afternoon and Kathy doesn’t see Ruth and Tommy again until she becomes Ruth’s carer.

OK, NOW COMES A MAJOR SPOILER SECTION – DO NOT PROCEED IF YOU MIND.

The Hailsham students don’t have any families because they are, in fact, clones of other people (called possibles). They can’t have children either. They were designed to be walking and living organ farms and that was the sole purpose of their rather short existence. Once they end their carers’ career and are called up to start donating, they don’t stop until they ‘complete’. In other words, they donate their organs until there is nothing left or their body can no longer sustain the operations. Those that survive to their fourth donation are treated like heroes. They've heard on the grapevine that love - or art, or both - will get you a deferral but nobody really knows any details of such a deal and whether it is true. The likes of Kathy, Ruth and Tommy frighten the rest of normal people. Many believe they have no souls and are simply empty beings. Is it really true?

What I liked:

The plot, while not exactly original, was captivating. Ishiguro's careful, understated narration focuses on the way young people can make a life out of whatever is on offer. The foreground of the novel is kept busily occupied with the interactions of Kathy with her best friend Ruth and Tommy, the boy both are attracted to. Here Ishiguro sets a cat's cradle of psychological and emotional tensions which were fascinating - he is the best at it.

 Another out-of-the-ordinary feature of this novel is the way the author deals with questions about humanity and humaneness – very difficult questions I must add. I was really fascinated and struck by the whole ethical concept of organ donation, what Kathy, Ruth and Tommy were and how they were treated by ‘normal’ human beings.

What I didn’t like:

Don’t get me wrong - Never Let Me Go is a very unique read and raises many relevant questions. Still, plenty of incredibly fascinating stuff the author left somehow untouched and I really don’t understand why. There is undoubtedly much to say about the ethics of cloning humans for the sole purpose of organ harvesting after all...

I wonder, for instance, why we were never told how all these cloning procedures were invented, organized and performed. Who was exactly chosen as a ‘possible’ (so the model for a clone) and for what reasons? There appears to be no relationship whatsoever between a clone and his/her "original" model - isn't it rather strange? We are also not told who was responsible for the whole cloning programme- I mean who financed and supervised it. By the way who can afford this kind of medicine in a society the author depicts as no richer, indeed perhaps less rich, than ours? Finally my main problem – why couldn’t the clones, at least some of them, those the smartest or the most adventurous ones (or both), just leave, go away or even go abroad, try to blend in among normal people and avoid their sad fate? What exactly stopped them from leaving? After all the instinct for self preservation, the thirst for knowledge and the curiosity define the human race.The author took a lot of effort to present clones as human beings. As a result, though, his attention remains fixed on intimate things - the small social groupings within a school, the nuances of personal relationships – but the larger world remains a distant, blurred backdrop, and is brought slightly more into focus only at the end. A very depressing end. It's about knowing that while you must keep calm, keeping calm won't change a thing.

Ishiguro's refusal to address questions such as these forces, in my opinion, his story into a pure literary limbo - the book is perhaps intelligent and well-written but still really neither here nor there.

I am also not particularly smitten with the cover...but it is easier to change than the content.

Final verdict

It is an interesting but rather depressing novel - showing the steady erosion of hope.  To tell you the truth I felt physically tired after finishing it. If you asked me whether or not I would like to read it again my answer would be a firm “no”. I would rather watch “The Island” for the second time. Call me a shallow being with no intelligence to speak of.

Teaser Tuesday, 15 March

Teaser Tuesday is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

Here are the rules: Grab your current read. Open to a random (or not so random) page. 
Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 This week my teaser comes from the novel "Never Let Me Go" by  Kazuo Ishiguro. My review is coming soon!


"Your lives are set out for you. You’ll become adults, then before you’re old, before you’re even middle-aged, you’ll start to donate your vital organs. That’s what each of you was created to do. You’re not like the actors you watch on your videos, you’re not even like me. You were brought into this world for a purpose, and your futures, all of them, have been decided."

Cover of Never Let Me Go