The Forgotten Garden: Kate Morton, 2009
This novel begins with a little girl on a boat bound for Australia in 1913. She has been left there by "The Authoress" and told not to move until she is back. Then we move on to Brisbane in 1930 at the same girl's 21st birthday where she learns that she was found as a small child. Then we jump again to 2005 and the young girl is lying in hospital bed about to take her last breath as an old woman. Upon her death her granddaughter Cassandra discovers her grandmother's secret and decides to unearth her family's past history. Throughout this novel we follow Nell's life but it is primarily through Cassandra searching in the present to find the truth about her grandmother's parentage, and through the family that she left behind in England in the early 1900s.
This story is rife with drama and history and it is interwoven with fairy tales that allude to what has gone on in young Ivory/Nell's life. I found this novel to be trite and too well bundled together to be a great novel. The ending is ridiculous and unbelievable. While it did entertain for the most part, it is not a novel that I would recommend with high hopes for the next reader. It was not terrible but I believe that it is only a best seller because the premise of this story sounds so interesting and full of mystery and intrigue. Too bad the actual story could not fulfill the expectations of the back cover.
***
xoxo
Saturday, September 4, 2010
True Loving
Loving Frank: Nancy Horan, 2008
Horan's debut novel details the life of Mamah Borthwick Cheney, particularly through the years 1907-1914, which she primarily spent with Frank Lloyd Wright the famous American architect. Little is actually known about Mamah's life and Horan used the known information to weave a haunting depiction about this illicit and tragic love affair which began while both parties were married with children. Mamah and Frank met while designing a home for Mamah and her family. Their affair stretched throughout continents before its abrupt and dramatic end in 1914.
This novel, while based in fact, is dramatic and entertaining enough to sustain any reader. It is filled with love and true emotion. As a woman I did initially have an issue with the origin of the relationship between Mamah and Frank. Yet as the story unfolded and the affair progressed from lust into love, it was difficult to maintain the moral stance that I began reading with. I believe that if a book can make you feel something then the author has done their job and this book, by the end, made me feel a mixture of emotions.
*****
xoxo
Horan's debut novel details the life of Mamah Borthwick Cheney, particularly through the years 1907-1914, which she primarily spent with Frank Lloyd Wright the famous American architect. Little is actually known about Mamah's life and Horan used the known information to weave a haunting depiction about this illicit and tragic love affair which began while both parties were married with children. Mamah and Frank met while designing a home for Mamah and her family. Their affair stretched throughout continents before its abrupt and dramatic end in 1914.
This novel, while based in fact, is dramatic and entertaining enough to sustain any reader. It is filled with love and true emotion. As a woman I did initially have an issue with the origin of the relationship between Mamah and Frank. Yet as the story unfolded and the affair progressed from lust into love, it was difficult to maintain the moral stance that I began reading with. I believe that if a book can make you feel something then the author has done their job and this book, by the end, made me feel a mixture of emotions.
*****
xoxo
Sliding Doors Revisited
The Post-Birthday World: Lionel Shriver, 2007
In this, Shriver's ninth book, we meet Irina McGovern, a children's story illustrator who is content in her life with her common law husband Lawrence Trainer. While Lawrence is away at conference in Sarajevo Irina meets up with their mutual friend, Ramsey Acton a star snooker player, for their annual dinner for his birthday. By meeting up with Ramsey, Irina is faced with a decision can ultimately change her life. If she proceeds to follow her instincts and kiss Ramsey the life that she and Lawrence have created will be destroyed and if she doesn't she will continue on the path that they have created for themselves. With this decision the book fractures and we as the reader get to experience both of the consequences of the choice.
I found this book to be slow to get into in the beginning as well as being mildly repetitive as we read both sides of the same instance consecutively. For example, when Irina is with Ramsey and they go to New York for an awards dinner for which she has been nominated. Ramsey picks a fight with her despite her win and she misses her name being called, much to her embarrassment and chagrin. While on the other side, when Irina is with Lawrence she is again nominated at the same awards dinner, she does not win and the woman who does, Jude, is married to Ramsey and they get involved in an argument and Jude then misses her name being called juts like Irina would have. It is moments like this that seem far fetched and unbelievable. Understandably there would be some overlap and some similarities but the more there are the less I buy the story itself. Undeniably there are also similarities to the 90s chick flick Sliding Doors with Gweneth Paltrow. This is not a bad comparison because I personally loved that movie and the idea that one little action or choice can completely alter your life.
Shriver is a skilled author, and her novel We Need to Talk About Kevin, which was published just previous to this one is a testament to that as it won Orange Ptrize, a UK based women's award for outstanding writing in English. While this novel is not quite as spectacular and moving as that one, it is a wonderful and enticing read.This book is long, about 500 pages, but well worth it once you get into it and past the life changing decision Irina makes. Anyone looking for a book to get lost in and who isn't daunted by the number of pages will find this interesting and entertaining.
****
In this, Shriver's ninth book, we meet Irina McGovern, a children's story illustrator who is content in her life with her common law husband Lawrence Trainer. While Lawrence is away at conference in Sarajevo Irina meets up with their mutual friend, Ramsey Acton a star snooker player, for their annual dinner for his birthday. By meeting up with Ramsey, Irina is faced with a decision can ultimately change her life. If she proceeds to follow her instincts and kiss Ramsey the life that she and Lawrence have created will be destroyed and if she doesn't she will continue on the path that they have created for themselves. With this decision the book fractures and we as the reader get to experience both of the consequences of the choice.
I found this book to be slow to get into in the beginning as well as being mildly repetitive as we read both sides of the same instance consecutively. For example, when Irina is with Ramsey and they go to New York for an awards dinner for which she has been nominated. Ramsey picks a fight with her despite her win and she misses her name being called, much to her embarrassment and chagrin. While on the other side, when Irina is with Lawrence she is again nominated at the same awards dinner, she does not win and the woman who does, Jude, is married to Ramsey and they get involved in an argument and Jude then misses her name being called juts like Irina would have. It is moments like this that seem far fetched and unbelievable. Understandably there would be some overlap and some similarities but the more there are the less I buy the story itself. Undeniably there are also similarities to the 90s chick flick Sliding Doors with Gweneth Paltrow. This is not a bad comparison because I personally loved that movie and the idea that one little action or choice can completely alter your life.
Shriver is a skilled author, and her novel We Need to Talk About Kevin, which was published just previous to this one is a testament to that as it won Orange Ptrize, a UK based women's award for outstanding writing in English. While this novel is not quite as spectacular and moving as that one, it is a wonderful and enticing read.This book is long, about 500 pages, but well worth it once you get into it and past the life changing decision Irina makes. Anyone looking for a book to get lost in and who isn't daunted by the number of pages will find this interesting and entertaining.
****
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Shantaram... a trip to India in 933 pages
Shantaram: Gregory David Roberts, 2003.
This novel was written as an almost autobiography. Roberts himself was a heroin addict and felon who escaped from prison and lived in Bombay. Upon his eventual recapture in Germany, Roberts wrote Shantaram.
In this story opener we meet a man known as Lindsay, or Lin, who has escaped from an Australian prison and travelled to India in order to live a life of freedom. During his time in Bombay and beyond Lin falls in love, is in close ties with the mafia, makes some important and faithful friends, works as a gunrunner, smuggler and a counterfeiter. His incredible journey in India is framed by the rich and detailed descriptions of that country and its culture. It is where the true enjoyment of this novel is found.
While this is an exceptional, intelligent and beautiful read, it does have one downfall. The length of the book is more than a little difficult to get through. At 933 it takes an almost Herculean effort to get through more than a dozen pages at one time. It reminds me of very delicious and rich chocolate fudge: You want to continue eating it, but it's just too sweet for only one sitting. Better to break it down and truly enjoy and savour every small bite.
This book is best suited for someone with an interest in India, although I do believe that anyone who would not be scared away by its weight., would enjoy this book. This could not be described as a summer read, more like a rainy Sunday or long, quiet night in.
Enjoy!
****
This novel was written as an almost autobiography. Roberts himself was a heroin addict and felon who escaped from prison and lived in Bombay. Upon his eventual recapture in Germany, Roberts wrote Shantaram.
In this story opener we meet a man known as Lindsay, or Lin, who has escaped from an Australian prison and travelled to India in order to live a life of freedom. During his time in Bombay and beyond Lin falls in love, is in close ties with the mafia, makes some important and faithful friends, works as a gunrunner, smuggler and a counterfeiter. His incredible journey in India is framed by the rich and detailed descriptions of that country and its culture. It is where the true enjoyment of this novel is found.
While this is an exceptional, intelligent and beautiful read, it does have one downfall. The length of the book is more than a little difficult to get through. At 933 it takes an almost Herculean effort to get through more than a dozen pages at one time. It reminds me of very delicious and rich chocolate fudge: You want to continue eating it, but it's just too sweet for only one sitting. Better to break it down and truly enjoy and savour every small bite.
This book is best suited for someone with an interest in India, although I do believe that anyone who would not be scared away by its weight., would enjoy this book. This could not be described as a summer read, more like a rainy Sunday or long, quiet night in.
Enjoy!
****
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Secretly an interesting read...
Secret Daughter, by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. 2010
In Gowda's novel we follow to separate families that are joined by one secret connection. We start with Kavita, a young woman living in a small Indian village about to give birth to her second child. She has a daughter and because of this, she knows that she cannot keep her, that she will not be allowed to keep her. To save her life Kavita gives up her daughter. Meanwhile, across the globe, we meet Somer. She is a young woman recently entering the Medical field and is married to a handsome Indian doctor, Krishnan, she met while in Medical school. They have had little success in having a family of their own and eventually decide to ventture to Krishnan's home country to find a child of their own. Here they find Asha, the child left in an orphanage by Kavita nearly one year prior. As we follow both families we see Asha grow up and question her birth parents as well as what it means to be "Indian". We see how difficult it is for Somer to want to relate and protect her child, a child with problems she can't solve. Interlaced with this, we also learn of Kavita and her family. How they cope with the loss of their daughter and how the family grows and changes due the impact of this loss.
Throughout this richly detailed and informative book we learn about the trials of poor families in both rural and urban India, as well as the difficulties faced by a family with two distinct cultural groups and their struggles in raising their adoptive child. Gowda manages to intertwine these two families, connected through the love of their child, as well as educating us, the reader, in the problems women face that the average North America woman could hardly imagine.
This was though provoking and moving in some parts, although I did find some aspects of this book to be a little far reaching. I would recommend this particular book to someone who is interested in women's struggles, and cultural issues, yet isn't looking for anything heavy. Enjoyable for the most part but a little weak in substance despite the content.
***
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Know-it-all
The Know-it-all: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World, A.J. Jacobs. 2004
This novel by A.J. Jacobs is a tribute to a feat he managed to accomplish in 2004: he read the entire 2002 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. In this yearlong project, Jacobs reads all thirty-two volumes, 65,000 entries and 44 million words all the while managing to maintain his humour... and his job as an editor at Esquire Magazine.
This novel could have been incredibly dry and as boring as reading a shortened version of an encyclopaedia, but Jacobs keeps the reader entertained with his antics and his attempts at becoming "the smartest person alive". He tries to get on Jeopardy! and Who Wants to be a Millionaire. He takes classes on speed reading and memory retention. He finds a loop-hole to join Mensa and takes part in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Through all of these seemingly intellectual pursuits, does A.J. Jacobs become the smartest person alive? Well he certainly does become a man full of trivial, mindless and yet still impertinent information... I certainly wouldn't want to play against him in Trivial Pursuit now!
My recommendation for this book is that it is for anyone looking for something lighthearted, but be careful you might just end up learning something. Definitely something anyone would enjoy thanks to Jacobs' style of writing. It's witty and interesting and the background story has enough substance so that the reader doesn't feel like they are actually reading the encyclopaedia along with him.
Other books by Jacobs, soon to be reviewed:
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible
The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment
*****
xoxo
This novel by A.J. Jacobs is a tribute to a feat he managed to accomplish in 2004: he read the entire 2002 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. In this yearlong project, Jacobs reads all thirty-two volumes, 65,000 entries and 44 million words all the while managing to maintain his humour... and his job as an editor at Esquire Magazine.
This novel could have been incredibly dry and as boring as reading a shortened version of an encyclopaedia, but Jacobs keeps the reader entertained with his antics and his attempts at becoming "the smartest person alive". He tries to get on Jeopardy! and Who Wants to be a Millionaire. He takes classes on speed reading and memory retention. He finds a loop-hole to join Mensa and takes part in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Through all of these seemingly intellectual pursuits, does A.J. Jacobs become the smartest person alive? Well he certainly does become a man full of trivial, mindless and yet still impertinent information... I certainly wouldn't want to play against him in Trivial Pursuit now!
My recommendation for this book is that it is for anyone looking for something lighthearted, but be careful you might just end up learning something. Definitely something anyone would enjoy thanks to Jacobs' style of writing. It's witty and interesting and the background story has enough substance so that the reader doesn't feel like they are actually reading the encyclopaedia along with him.
Other books by Jacobs, soon to be reviewed:
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible
The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment
*****
xoxo
Friday, June 18, 2010
Not so miraculous
Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures: Vincent Lam, 2005
This novel, Lam's first, is a collection of stories revolving around young Canadian doctors as they make their way from University to residency and eventually to practicing medicine themselves. We begin with Ming and Fitzgerald trying to get into medical school and dealing with new developments in their relationship. They are the two main characters, and even separate they carry the story between them. With them we also learn about what they learn, from acyclovir to vertiginous (Thank you glossary!) Through their tumultuous relationship and the trials of becoming doctors, we end up identifying with both of these characters at different times, really depending on the which one is speaking in first person. When we understand their thoughts, we can understand their actions. Yet somehow, the characters still remain characters and not people (which is one thing I believe is necessary for a good book). I feel nothing for them.
While some may enjoy the factual and descriptive novels, I personally found it dull and a little pretentious. Lam even included a glossary so the average reader without a medical background would be able to understand, and maybe even finish this book. I may be alone in my low opinion of this work, as Lam did win the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
My recommendation would be that this novel is not for the faint of heart. If you enjoy medical dramas (although there is not much drama here!) maybe this book is for you, but I doubt it. There is nothing to grab you, nothing to entice you to read more... simply a book full of facts and a simple storyline that is used to move the reader from one fact to another. It lacks heart, which is ironic since it is a medical book that centres around organs.
Give this one a miss.
*
xoxo
This novel, Lam's first, is a collection of stories revolving around young Canadian doctors as they make their way from University to residency and eventually to practicing medicine themselves. We begin with Ming and Fitzgerald trying to get into medical school and dealing with new developments in their relationship. They are the two main characters, and even separate they carry the story between them. With them we also learn about what they learn, from acyclovir to vertiginous (Thank you glossary!) Through their tumultuous relationship and the trials of becoming doctors, we end up identifying with both of these characters at different times, really depending on the which one is speaking in first person. When we understand their thoughts, we can understand their actions. Yet somehow, the characters still remain characters and not people (which is one thing I believe is necessary for a good book). I feel nothing for them.
While some may enjoy the factual and descriptive novels, I personally found it dull and a little pretentious. Lam even included a glossary so the average reader without a medical background would be able to understand, and maybe even finish this book. I may be alone in my low opinion of this work, as Lam did win the Scotiabank Giller Prize.
My recommendation would be that this novel is not for the faint of heart. If you enjoy medical dramas (although there is not much drama here!) maybe this book is for you, but I doubt it. There is nothing to grab you, nothing to entice you to read more... simply a book full of facts and a simple storyline that is used to move the reader from one fact to another. It lacks heart, which is ironic since it is a medical book that centres around organs.
Give this one a miss.
*
xoxo
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