Eek- behind already!
Wow, I can't believe I'm more than a month behind on updating this book journal. This is tough to keep track of. Ok, so here goes:
Since Last Act in Palmyra I have read:
Gallant Waif, by Anne Gracie (5/10. typical Regency romance novel- didn't really make an impact, hence will not review it here)
Time to Depart, by Lindsey Davis (probably my favorite Falco novel to date. However, I have just reviewed Last Act in Palmyra and don't have much to add on my musings about Ancient Rome from there, so no review here, either. But a 9/10 rating)
Crocodile on the Sandbank, by Elizabeth Peters (9/10- a hilarious mystery novel set during the Victorian era in Egypt. The first in a series of books about Amelia Peabody. I seem to be becoming a mystery fan. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it to historical mystery fans. It's great fun!)
The Madonnas of Leningrad, by Debra Dean (review below)
The Hidden Stars, Book 1 of the Rune of Unmaking, by Madeline Howard (link to Amazon.com review by Chapati: http://tinyurl.com/kh4bu)
The Crystal Cave: Book one of the Arthurian Saga, by Mary Stewart (link to Amazon.com review by Chapati:
http://tinyurl.com/zzcw2)
Snobs, by Julian Fellowes (link to Amazon.com review: http://tinyurl.com/eeayb)
The Hollow Hills: Book two of the Arthurian Saga, by Mary Stewart (I LOVE this book- review below)
The Hedge Knight, by George R. R. Martin- graphic novel (No review, but beautifully done in comic book style. And I love George R. R. Martin!)
Whose Body?, a Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery, by Dorothy Sayers (review below)
Beneath a Marble Sky (link to Amazon.com review: http://tinyurl.com/f93pu and review below)
*************************
Whew, what a lot of reviews I have to write! So, starting from the top:
The Madonnas of Leningrad, by Debra Dean
I signed up to receive an advance reader's copy of this book, but there was a mix-up and I got a beautiful hardcover edition instead. Thank you, HarperCollins! The book tells the story of a Russian woman, Marina, who lived through WWII in Leningrad, and then came to the US. It is told mostly in flashback when Marina is very old and has Alzheimer's.
It truly is a wonderfully-written book. The way Dean switches from present to past tense, absolutely seamlessly, really gets you inside Marina's head. And then she'll switch POVs on you, taking you into her husband's head or her daughter's. But mostly inside Marina's. The only problem I had with this book was that Marina was the only character who was really fleshed out. Everyone else we saw in brief, tantalizing glimpses, but we never got to know them nearly as well. Maybe because, at that stage in Alzheimer's, everyone else was a stranger to Marina as well? I don't know, but I would have liked to know the other characters better as well.
The ending of the book is SO beautiful- it really made me want to cry, and I think anyone reading the book would agree. Therefore, I recommend the book to anyone- I don't think you need to necessarily like historical fiction to read it because much of it isn't historical. But the writing style is very good, and I look forward to more by Debra Dean.
******************************
The Hollow Hills, by Mary Stewart (10/10)
Strange for me to review book 2 in this trilogy instead of book 1. But I liked book 2 more, probably because King Arthur played a bigger role. This book has gotten me REALLY into Arthurian legend. I love when a book can make you do that- it's really a great feeling! And now there is a whole WORLD of Arthurian literature waiting there for me. I don't know why, but I haven't been able to bring myself to read book 3 in this trilogy, The Last Enchantment. I think it's because I don't like Guinevere and she would obviously show up in book 3. She's such an annoying character in Arthurian literature, in my view. As is Lancelot. I guess I've never really thought the two of them were really in love- just that they had ridiculous junior-high school crushes on each other, and that led to the downfall of the greatest kingdom ever.
Talk about selfishness- sheesh!
Mary Stewart's Arthurian trilogy, though, is told from Merlin's point of view. She makes him younger- only about 20 years older than Arthur, rather than very, very old right from the start. And while she does give him many mystical elements, a lot of his actions seem rooted in logic. I really love this portrayal of Merlin. He is so sympathetic and so completely likeable that I think it will be difficult for me to read a book now in which he is portrayed negatively. I think he's awesome.
For those of you who like history, or fantasy, or just like reading about mythology, I really recommend Stewart's books. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two, and look forward to reading the third one, once I get up the courage to be done with such a wonderful trilogy. I think, after you read it, you'll become obsessive about Arthurian literature, too!
*********************************************
Whose Body?, by Dorothy Sayers (9/10)
Oh, what's not to love about an Edwardian English aristocrat running around saving the country from despicable murderers? This book is really fascinating to read, to me, because it's at the cusp of a huge change in the world. Actually, it's right while the world is changing. Post WWII, but pre-WWI. The English aristocracy was almost completely wiped out due to WWI. Socialism in England had yet to take hold. The class system was not holding up the way it was supposed to. What a great period to pick for a series of books! Though I think this series jumps ahead in time a great deal, too.
Lord Peter Wimsey is a duke's second son, his mama's darling, a music lover, an antiques collector, a war veteran and an all-around good guy. He makes a wonderful mystery hero, and from the first book, one can see that there is a lot still to learn about him. He is smart, witty and funny and has conversations with his conscience over what consequences his actions will have. Even if you're not a huge Anglophile like me, I think you'd enjoy this mystery novel.
********************************************
Beneath a Marble Sky, by John Shors (10/10)
Ah, now we're at the hard-hitter! Just as Stewart's Arthurian legend made me want to read more about King Arthur, John Shors' book kicked me into high gear about my own Indian history, particularly the Mughals. This novel is told from the point of view of Jahanara, the daughter of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal (of Taj Mahal fame). In it, she tells the story of her childhood, of her mother's death and her father's subsequent grief, and then of the slow disintegration of the Mughal empire as Shah Jahan's sons Dara and Aurangzeb turn against each other.
Shah Jahan and his son, Aurangzeb, were the last GREAT rulers of the Mughal empire before the English came in and took over. So you can see an empire at its height, enjoying a cultural renaissance with art and beauty and poetry prized above all else, and then see how the warring and fighting can slowly ruin that. It is a moving portrait of a novel- at it's heart, it's a wonderfully told romance, but with so much more than that included.
Mughal India was such a great time to be alive, I think, because one can only imagine now how absolutely BEAUTIFUL Agra must have been at the time. The Red Fort alive with the harem and the doings of the empire, the poetry being sung, the dancing, the architecture ... and Shors really brings all of that to life. It really made me want to run out and read more about the Mughals, and so I am now reading Indu Sundaresan's The Twentieth Wife, which is about Nur Jahan and Emperor Jahangir (Shah Jahan's father).
I would highly, highly recommend this novel to anyone. It is coming out in paperback in June, and is even being made into a movie!
Since Last Act in Palmyra I have read:
Gallant Waif, by Anne Gracie (5/10. typical Regency romance novel- didn't really make an impact, hence will not review it here)
Time to Depart, by Lindsey Davis (probably my favorite Falco novel to date. However, I have just reviewed Last Act in Palmyra and don't have much to add on my musings about Ancient Rome from there, so no review here, either. But a 9/10 rating)
Crocodile on the Sandbank, by Elizabeth Peters (9/10- a hilarious mystery novel set during the Victorian era in Egypt. The first in a series of books about Amelia Peabody. I seem to be becoming a mystery fan. I really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it to historical mystery fans. It's great fun!)
The Madonnas of Leningrad, by Debra Dean (review below)
The Hidden Stars, Book 1 of the Rune of Unmaking, by Madeline Howard (link to Amazon.com review by Chapati: http://tinyurl.com/kh4bu)
The Crystal Cave: Book one of the Arthurian Saga, by Mary Stewart (link to Amazon.com review by Chapati:
http://tinyurl.com/zzcw2)
Snobs, by Julian Fellowes (link to Amazon.com review: http://tinyurl.com/eeayb)
The Hollow Hills: Book two of the Arthurian Saga, by Mary Stewart (I LOVE this book- review below)
The Hedge Knight, by George R. R. Martin- graphic novel (No review, but beautifully done in comic book style. And I love George R. R. Martin!)
Whose Body?, a Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery, by Dorothy Sayers (review below)
Beneath a Marble Sky (link to Amazon.com review: http://tinyurl.com/f93pu and review below)
*************************
Whew, what a lot of reviews I have to write! So, starting from the top:
The Madonnas of Leningrad, by Debra Dean
I signed up to receive an advance reader's copy of this book, but there was a mix-up and I got a beautiful hardcover edition instead. Thank you, HarperCollins! The book tells the story of a Russian woman, Marina, who lived through WWII in Leningrad, and then came to the US. It is told mostly in flashback when Marina is very old and has Alzheimer's.
It truly is a wonderfully-written book. The way Dean switches from present to past tense, absolutely seamlessly, really gets you inside Marina's head. And then she'll switch POVs on you, taking you into her husband's head or her daughter's. But mostly inside Marina's. The only problem I had with this book was that Marina was the only character who was really fleshed out. Everyone else we saw in brief, tantalizing glimpses, but we never got to know them nearly as well. Maybe because, at that stage in Alzheimer's, everyone else was a stranger to Marina as well? I don't know, but I would have liked to know the other characters better as well.
The ending of the book is SO beautiful- it really made me want to cry, and I think anyone reading the book would agree. Therefore, I recommend the book to anyone- I don't think you need to necessarily like historical fiction to read it because much of it isn't historical. But the writing style is very good, and I look forward to more by Debra Dean.
******************************
The Hollow Hills, by Mary Stewart (10/10)
Strange for me to review book 2 in this trilogy instead of book 1. But I liked book 2 more, probably because King Arthur played a bigger role. This book has gotten me REALLY into Arthurian legend. I love when a book can make you do that- it's really a great feeling! And now there is a whole WORLD of Arthurian literature waiting there for me. I don't know why, but I haven't been able to bring myself to read book 3 in this trilogy, The Last Enchantment. I think it's because I don't like Guinevere and she would obviously show up in book 3. She's such an annoying character in Arthurian literature, in my view. As is Lancelot. I guess I've never really thought the two of them were really in love- just that they had ridiculous junior-high school crushes on each other, and that led to the downfall of the greatest kingdom ever.
Talk about selfishness- sheesh!
Mary Stewart's Arthurian trilogy, though, is told from Merlin's point of view. She makes him younger- only about 20 years older than Arthur, rather than very, very old right from the start. And while she does give him many mystical elements, a lot of his actions seem rooted in logic. I really love this portrayal of Merlin. He is so sympathetic and so completely likeable that I think it will be difficult for me to read a book now in which he is portrayed negatively. I think he's awesome.
For those of you who like history, or fantasy, or just like reading about mythology, I really recommend Stewart's books. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two, and look forward to reading the third one, once I get up the courage to be done with such a wonderful trilogy. I think, after you read it, you'll become obsessive about Arthurian literature, too!
*********************************************
Whose Body?, by Dorothy Sayers (9/10)
Oh, what's not to love about an Edwardian English aristocrat running around saving the country from despicable murderers? This book is really fascinating to read, to me, because it's at the cusp of a huge change in the world. Actually, it's right while the world is changing. Post WWII, but pre-WWI. The English aristocracy was almost completely wiped out due to WWI. Socialism in England had yet to take hold. The class system was not holding up the way it was supposed to. What a great period to pick for a series of books! Though I think this series jumps ahead in time a great deal, too.
Lord Peter Wimsey is a duke's second son, his mama's darling, a music lover, an antiques collector, a war veteran and an all-around good guy. He makes a wonderful mystery hero, and from the first book, one can see that there is a lot still to learn about him. He is smart, witty and funny and has conversations with his conscience over what consequences his actions will have. Even if you're not a huge Anglophile like me, I think you'd enjoy this mystery novel.
********************************************
Beneath a Marble Sky, by John Shors (10/10)
Ah, now we're at the hard-hitter! Just as Stewart's Arthurian legend made me want to read more about King Arthur, John Shors' book kicked me into high gear about my own Indian history, particularly the Mughals. This novel is told from the point of view of Jahanara, the daughter of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal (of Taj Mahal fame). In it, she tells the story of her childhood, of her mother's death and her father's subsequent grief, and then of the slow disintegration of the Mughal empire as Shah Jahan's sons Dara and Aurangzeb turn against each other.
Shah Jahan and his son, Aurangzeb, were the last GREAT rulers of the Mughal empire before the English came in and took over. So you can see an empire at its height, enjoying a cultural renaissance with art and beauty and poetry prized above all else, and then see how the warring and fighting can slowly ruin that. It is a moving portrait of a novel- at it's heart, it's a wonderfully told romance, but with so much more than that included.
Mughal India was such a great time to be alive, I think, because one can only imagine now how absolutely BEAUTIFUL Agra must have been at the time. The Red Fort alive with the harem and the doings of the empire, the poetry being sung, the dancing, the architecture ... and Shors really brings all of that to life. It really made me want to run out and read more about the Mughals, and so I am now reading Indu Sundaresan's The Twentieth Wife, which is about Nur Jahan and Emperor Jahangir (Shah Jahan's father).
I would highly, highly recommend this novel to anyone. It is coming out in paperback in June, and is even being made into a movie!