Dragons, Revolution, and Virgins
Title: Black Powder War
Author: Naomi Novik
Publisher: Del Rey
# of Pages: 400
Rating: 9/10
Isn't it such a feeling of accomplishment when you catch up to a series? Or finish it? That's how I felt at the end of Naomi Novik's Black Powder War. It helped that it was a good book, too, of course :-)
Black Powder War is the third book in the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik (I reviewed the first two books in earlier posts). Luckily, it is not the last in the series- the fourth should be published in Spring, 2007. This installment has Lawrence, Temeraire (the dragon) and the rest of the crew making for home from China, and getting pulled into the war against Bonaparte in Austria instead.
I think this book is better than the second installment, though I still don't think it's as good as the first one. However, it does seem to set up an intriguing premise for the fourth book, and to also prepare the readership for what I am sure will be an enemy who strikes again and again throughout the series.
Unfortunately, other than that, I don't have *too* much to say about this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would heartily recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy or the Napoleonic era (or who just loves dragons). It's a fun, light series that one can settle into at any time, really- there's no rush to get to the next book in the series, and the plot of one book ends cleanly enough that you can start the next book several months later and not feel completely lost, plot-wise.
********************************************************************
Title: North & South
Author: Elizabeth Gaskell
Publisher: Penguin Classics
# of Pages: 526
Rating: 7.5/10
This book will hold a special place in my heart for several reasons. First, I must admit to being obsessed with the BBC movie adaptation of this book. It's amazing, and well worth the purchase for Richard Armitage's portrayal of Mr. Thornton alone. It's SO well-made. Really- watch it. Or better yet, buy it.
So, basically ... I wanted to read this book because I loved the movie. So I was super-excited when the British Classics Yahoo! group I formed recently picked North & South as our first group read. Not only would I finally be getting around to reading a classic piece of literature, but I'd be reading one that I really wanted to sink my teeth into!
Sadly for me, I much prefer the movie version to the book version.
That is not to say that the book is not really good, or that it does not deserve to be a classic. However, in my opinion, most books that become classics become so designated due to themes that resonate through the ages. Not usually due to any amazing plotlines by the authors.
So, Gaskell DOES introduce and hone in on some great themes. The class structure in Britain, technology vs. tradition, unionization, free trade, religion, and gender roles ... she can pack a punch. Add in a romantic twist to the story and you've basically got the Victorian era's Jane Austen.
What, you might ask, is the book about? It's about Margaret Hale, who moves with her parents from beautiful, bucolic Helstone in sourthern England to the Northern city of Milton, home of manufacturing mills and tradesmen. There, she meets the Higgins family, the head of which works in the cotton mills and is one of the leaders of Milton's factory union. And she also meets the Thornton family, which is the owner of one of those cotton mills. And Mr. Thornton, who is Master of the Marlborough Mills. Through her experience in Milton, Margaret learns much about the working- and middle-class lifestyles of the north, and as she becomes more and more interested in Mr. Thornton, learns just how wrong her previous prejudices were.
It is a very good book- I think I'd like it much more if Margaret weren't always described (OVER AND OVER) as being a wonderful, almost angelic girl. In fact, that really is my main quibble with the book. Unfortunate that it annoyed me enough to dock over 2 points from the story. As a group mate pointed out to me- the book was first published in serialized form and therefore, not everyone reading at point of publication would really find it nearly so repetitive as I did. But I did find it repetitive, and there it is.
For a book that really gets right to the heart of the class conflict in Britain during the Victorian era, this is a great book to read. It's absolutely fascinating how many comments can arise from this discussion alone. I think it was a great book to read with a group, and I am glad for having read it. But I think that, for once, I prefer the movie to the book itself.
***********************************************************************************************
Title: A Place of Greater Safety
Author: Hilary Mantel
Publisher: Owl Books
# of Pages: 748
Rating: 10/10
Amazon Review available here.
Wow. This book is huge in every particular- length, breadth, subject matter, cast, research, the works. Mantel chose to write this novel about the French Revolution by focusing on three brilliant personalities that came to power during the Terror: Danton, Desmoulins and Robespierre. Of the three, Robespierre is surprisingly the one that gets the least air time. Danton gets quite a bit, and the absolutely fascinating Desmoulins gets a fair share as well. We follow these three, very briefly through their childhood, and then as they all come to Paris, determined to form a republic to end the corruption of the monarchy. And we watch as they form their republic on the blood of other "non-patriotic" people, and we are witness to this republic slowly slipping out of their control, becoming a monster that can only be called The Terror. And we see as these three finally eaten up by their own ideals and their own inabilities to create this utopic state. And we are there as, inevitably, they are all devoured by the monster of the Terror they themselves created.
Wow. The French Revolution is, I think, one era of history that would be fascinating to EVERYONE (though admittedly, I'm biased). It is absolutely astounding what happened there. When you compare it to the fairly textbook American Revolution that took place less than twenty years earlier, and featured some of the same prominent players, and then see how the French took a completely different turn ... it's nothing short of fascinating. Robespierre estimated that he had sanctioned the deaths of over 100,000 "traitors to the Republic"- and that that was not enough. And he was supposedly the least blood-thirsty of this triumvirate.
Mantel's massive novel is absolutely fascinating. She manages to have her readers sympathize with her characters- probably because most of the beheadings take place off-stage; we are never really told exactly how many people have been ordered killed. And perhaps that's how she means it to be- what are the chances that Danton, Desmoulins or Robespierre spent a great deal of time thinking about how many deaths they had directly effected?
A true note of Mantel's skill is that you truly DO sympathize with her characters. It is almost impossible not to. They are human and passionate and corrupt and strong-willed and absolutely riveting to read about. For anyone who would like to read more about the Revolution, I highly recommend this book. And for anyone who just enjoys a well-written novel, this should be on your TBR list as well. Definitely one of the contenders for Top 10 books of 2006.
*************************************************************************************
Title: One Virgin Too Many
Author: Lindsey Davis
Publisher: Mysterious Press
# of Pages: 356
Rating: 9/10
Davis' Falco series is one that I am *not* yet caught up with; nor do I mind that. I am thoroughly enjoying my time spent with Marcus, Helena and the Roman rabble. This series is so much fun, and spending a day with Falco was just what I needed after the emotionally draining experience of A Place of Greater Safety.
In this installment, Falco is the Procurator of the Sacred Geese, which lands him, finally, in the middle-class. He is investigating the death of a priest and the disappearance of a little girl who was supposed to become the next Vestal Virgin. He has a one-year-old daughter. And the readers, in this book, really get to know Helena's *other* brother, Aelinius.
And overall, have a thoroughly enjoyable time as we go through this book. I love Falco. I love Helena. And I really just eat up this series- historical mystery set in Ancient Rome? What's not to like? :-)
Author: Naomi Novik
Publisher: Del Rey
# of Pages: 400
Rating: 9/10
Isn't it such a feeling of accomplishment when you catch up to a series? Or finish it? That's how I felt at the end of Naomi Novik's Black Powder War. It helped that it was a good book, too, of course :-)
Black Powder War is the third book in the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik (I reviewed the first two books in earlier posts). Luckily, it is not the last in the series- the fourth should be published in Spring, 2007. This installment has Lawrence, Temeraire (the dragon) and the rest of the crew making for home from China, and getting pulled into the war against Bonaparte in Austria instead.
I think this book is better than the second installment, though I still don't think it's as good as the first one. However, it does seem to set up an intriguing premise for the fourth book, and to also prepare the readership for what I am sure will be an enemy who strikes again and again throughout the series.
Unfortunately, other than that, I don't have *too* much to say about this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would heartily recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy or the Napoleonic era (or who just loves dragons). It's a fun, light series that one can settle into at any time, really- there's no rush to get to the next book in the series, and the plot of one book ends cleanly enough that you can start the next book several months later and not feel completely lost, plot-wise.
********************************************************************
Title: North & South
Author: Elizabeth Gaskell
Publisher: Penguin Classics
# of Pages: 526
Rating: 7.5/10
This book will hold a special place in my heart for several reasons. First, I must admit to being obsessed with the BBC movie adaptation of this book. It's amazing, and well worth the purchase for Richard Armitage's portrayal of Mr. Thornton alone. It's SO well-made. Really- watch it. Or better yet, buy it.
So, basically ... I wanted to read this book because I loved the movie. So I was super-excited when the British Classics Yahoo! group I formed recently picked North & South as our first group read. Not only would I finally be getting around to reading a classic piece of literature, but I'd be reading one that I really wanted to sink my teeth into!
Sadly for me, I much prefer the movie version to the book version.
That is not to say that the book is not really good, or that it does not deserve to be a classic. However, in my opinion, most books that become classics become so designated due to themes that resonate through the ages. Not usually due to any amazing plotlines by the authors.
So, Gaskell DOES introduce and hone in on some great themes. The class structure in Britain, technology vs. tradition, unionization, free trade, religion, and gender roles ... she can pack a punch. Add in a romantic twist to the story and you've basically got the Victorian era's Jane Austen.
What, you might ask, is the book about? It's about Margaret Hale, who moves with her parents from beautiful, bucolic Helstone in sourthern England to the Northern city of Milton, home of manufacturing mills and tradesmen. There, she meets the Higgins family, the head of which works in the cotton mills and is one of the leaders of Milton's factory union. And she also meets the Thornton family, which is the owner of one of those cotton mills. And Mr. Thornton, who is Master of the Marlborough Mills. Through her experience in Milton, Margaret learns much about the working- and middle-class lifestyles of the north, and as she becomes more and more interested in Mr. Thornton, learns just how wrong her previous prejudices were.
It is a very good book- I think I'd like it much more if Margaret weren't always described (OVER AND OVER) as being a wonderful, almost angelic girl. In fact, that really is my main quibble with the book. Unfortunate that it annoyed me enough to dock over 2 points from the story. As a group mate pointed out to me- the book was first published in serialized form and therefore, not everyone reading at point of publication would really find it nearly so repetitive as I did. But I did find it repetitive, and there it is.
For a book that really gets right to the heart of the class conflict in Britain during the Victorian era, this is a great book to read. It's absolutely fascinating how many comments can arise from this discussion alone. I think it was a great book to read with a group, and I am glad for having read it. But I think that, for once, I prefer the movie to the book itself.
***********************************************************************************************
Title: A Place of Greater Safety
Author: Hilary Mantel
Publisher: Owl Books
# of Pages: 748
Rating: 10/10
Amazon Review available here.
Wow. This book is huge in every particular- length, breadth, subject matter, cast, research, the works. Mantel chose to write this novel about the French Revolution by focusing on three brilliant personalities that came to power during the Terror: Danton, Desmoulins and Robespierre. Of the three, Robespierre is surprisingly the one that gets the least air time. Danton gets quite a bit, and the absolutely fascinating Desmoulins gets a fair share as well. We follow these three, very briefly through their childhood, and then as they all come to Paris, determined to form a republic to end the corruption of the monarchy. And we watch as they form their republic on the blood of other "non-patriotic" people, and we are witness to this republic slowly slipping out of their control, becoming a monster that can only be called The Terror. And we see as these three finally eaten up by their own ideals and their own inabilities to create this utopic state. And we are there as, inevitably, they are all devoured by the monster of the Terror they themselves created.
Wow. The French Revolution is, I think, one era of history that would be fascinating to EVERYONE (though admittedly, I'm biased). It is absolutely astounding what happened there. When you compare it to the fairly textbook American Revolution that took place less than twenty years earlier, and featured some of the same prominent players, and then see how the French took a completely different turn ... it's nothing short of fascinating. Robespierre estimated that he had sanctioned the deaths of over 100,000 "traitors to the Republic"- and that that was not enough. And he was supposedly the least blood-thirsty of this triumvirate.
Mantel's massive novel is absolutely fascinating. She manages to have her readers sympathize with her characters- probably because most of the beheadings take place off-stage; we are never really told exactly how many people have been ordered killed. And perhaps that's how she means it to be- what are the chances that Danton, Desmoulins or Robespierre spent a great deal of time thinking about how many deaths they had directly effected?
A true note of Mantel's skill is that you truly DO sympathize with her characters. It is almost impossible not to. They are human and passionate and corrupt and strong-willed and absolutely riveting to read about. For anyone who would like to read more about the Revolution, I highly recommend this book. And for anyone who just enjoys a well-written novel, this should be on your TBR list as well. Definitely one of the contenders for Top 10 books of 2006.
*************************************************************************************
Title: One Virgin Too Many
Author: Lindsey Davis
Publisher: Mysterious Press
# of Pages: 356
Rating: 9/10
Davis' Falco series is one that I am *not* yet caught up with; nor do I mind that. I am thoroughly enjoying my time spent with Marcus, Helena and the Roman rabble. This series is so much fun, and spending a day with Falco was just what I needed after the emotionally draining experience of A Place of Greater Safety.
In this installment, Falco is the Procurator of the Sacred Geese, which lands him, finally, in the middle-class. He is investigating the death of a priest and the disappearance of a little girl who was supposed to become the next Vestal Virgin. He has a one-year-old daughter. And the readers, in this book, really get to know Helena's *other* brother, Aelinius.
And overall, have a thoroughly enjoyable time as we go through this book. I love Falco. I love Helena. And I really just eat up this series- historical mystery set in Ancient Rome? What's not to like? :-)