tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75180642024-02-07T15:29:37.706-05:00Between the LettersThe English Major UnboundUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-42601711269707207792014-07-02T17:25:00.000-04:002016-03-17T15:03:57.039-04:00Why Should We Solve a Problem Like Divergent?Roth, Veronica.<i> Divergent</i>. <br />
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<div style="float: left; margin-top: 5 px; width: 200 px; height: 260px; margin: 10 px"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062387243/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0062387243&linkCode=as2&tag=betwthelett-20&linkId=CKK5XIW7Y4E2I6XD"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0062387243&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=betwthelett-20" ></a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=betwthelett-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0062387243" align="left" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></div>
It's genuinely hard for me to pick up a book that a teenager has billed as "better than <i>Othello</i>" with any degree of neutrality, but I tried. I first read <i>Divergent</i> over Spring Break, but am reviewing it now for two reasons: I wanted time to sort through what bothered me about it, and I also have just read the sequel (which, in my head, would be hard to review without having first explained my issues with the first in the trilogy).<br />
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In brief, for anyone who both reads this blog <i>and</i> has been living under a rock for the last year, <i>Divergent</i> is the hot new <i>Hunger Games</i>, or first-person present-tense mock-dystopian teen romance about a nubile female who can do amazing physical feats with minimal training and, of course, will ultimately start a revolution and save the world. <i>Hunger Games</i> made some pretty tremendous logical leaps in its time, but <i>Divergent</i> takes suspension of disbelief to a whole new level.<br />
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However, my issues with the novel aren't really about its overly simple writing style (it is college student fanfic, after all) or its supremely shaky premises and plot (it is a teen novel, after all), but about the lessons it subtly imposes upon modern teenagers.<br />
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At its heart, I genuinely believe <i>Divergent</i> is trying to teach somebody something useful about vice, excess, and uniqueness. In practice, however, many of these important lessons are lost in the puddle of societal structures that sound cool and seem to have been included in the novel to impress today's teenagers. The question <i>Divergent</i> asks, time and time again, is "What do you want to be?" but the answer, by necessity, defines every area of an individual's life. In the <i>Divergent</i> world, one cannot simply be a soldier: to be a soldier requires that an individual live a "dauntless" life. Like real soldiers, the "dauntless" live together (initially in barracks). They eat certain types of food (the cake is apparently exceptionally good) and are trained to be battle-ready at any moment. They do not have books, nor are they expected to be honest or kind. (More terrifyingly with respect to soldiers, they are also not expected to be selfless). On the other hand, the scholars live together in a separate community, where they are never expected to be brave (or honest, selfless, or kind). Those who are honest or kind seem singularly single-faceted (let's be honest: because protagonist Tris doesn't have special skills in the honesty or kindness camps, Roth never bothers to describe anything that these types of people do). If one chooses to be selfless, one cannot be brave or scholarly.<br />
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Of course, the title of the book is <i>Divergent</i>, so protagonist Tris (like, hopefully any real, live human being who manages to read the book) herself diverges from the norm and does not fit comfortably into one tidy little category of character flatness. As it turns out, Tris is equally suited to be brave, intelligent, and selfless ("dauntless," "erudite," or "abnegation" [<i>sic</i>], respectively). The main source of conflict in the first book arises from the fact that individuals in Tris' society who have the ability to possess more than one major character trait at a time are considered dangerous. Although this should be an incredible concept for anyone who has ever spent more than a day as an adult in the English-speaking world, it somehow seems to make sense to everyone in Tris' society, who go around leading single-trait lives as a matter of course. Possessing multiple character traits also imbues Tris with the ability to withstand drugs (and, of course, to become an awesome trained warrior in a matter of weeks, though this could be because she is also "erudite," or intelligent, which some would consider useful in a battle situation).<br />
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<i>Divergent</i> has a little romance, which is nothing new in teen fiction, and the usual need to portray everyone besides the protagonist as normal-boring. However, the novel never allows abnormal and wonderful Tris to break away from the norms it has established either for her or for her society. Unique, multitalented Tris is established, in essence, as the most special of all the special people (i.e. the most divergent of all the divergent) but she is not: at every step, she either applies a false bravado in order to earn more respect among her peers, or looks to a friend or loved one for reassurance or guidance. From the moment at which she is frustrated because she has to be responsible for her own life choices at the beginning of the book, she repeatedly tries to follow the rules rather than to pursue her life with any degree of independence. She is obedient and mainstream to a fault.<br />
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<i>Divergent</i> teaches the undiscerning reader that it is acceptable to label other people for their skills or failures (hence the marginalized "factionless") and that it is normal not to have any aspirations or desires of one's own (hence why it is so hard for Tris to choose a faction once she has been presented with options). It seems to want its readers to identify with Tris, but she of all the characters has the least focus, drive, or overall ambition, so the novel ultimately suggests that its readers should try to blend in, or to become one of a puddle of other like-minded people. The complete absence of communication between members of differing factions (in the <i>Divergent</i> world, individuals cannot marry between factions) encourages the isolation and exclusion of individuals who differ from the norm, perpetuating the standard social divides between athletes (the "dauntless"), geeks (the "erudite"), the ever-popular crowd of best friends (those who ascribe to "amity"), and so forth.* <i>Divergent</i> tries to make the divergent members of its society special, but it fails: gifted Tris is so determined to fit into her newfound society that she eschews any traits that could link her to her parents or childhood. <br />
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In fairness, there is a voice of reason in the novel, and this comes from Tris' mentor-crush Four. The best line in the novel comes when Four tells Tris that he wants to possess the positive traits pursued by all five of the factions (not just his own, and, importantly, not even solely those for which he already has a certain aptitude). Where Tris only ever considers the three groups for which she has already been found suitable, Four's goal is to improve in all five areas. As the only character in the entire book who ever expresses such a thought, Four is by far the character who should be a role model for Roth's readers.<br />
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As light teen fiction goes, <i>Divergent</i> is not the worst book on our library shelves. However, the ideals and isolations it promotes are dangerous, and inherently promote the types of stereotyping and exclusion that are already prevalent in modern teen culture. It's not that this book shouldn't be read, but that it should only be read by those willing to critique the negative ideas so heavily condoned throughout the first two books of the trilogy. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*In fact, Roth's five groups match nicely with the five tropes Joss Whedon establishes as dominant character types in <i>Cabin in The Woods</i>: athlete, scholar, virgin ("abnegation"), whore ("amity"), and fool ("candor").</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-5327053897562888482014-07-02T13:27:00.000-04:002016-03-17T13:25:34.624-04:00Finding Context for the Mockingbird: Books to Pair with Harper Lee'sLee, Harper. <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i>.<br />
<br /><div style="float: left; margin-top: 5 px; width: 200 px; height: 240px; margin: 10 px"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446310786/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0446310786&linkCode=as2&tag=betwthelett-20&linkId=LFPD5UR674L7D7CJ"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0446310786&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=betwthelett-20" ></a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=betwthelett-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0446310786" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></div>
For the casual book blog, there's not much to say about<i> To Kill a Mockingbird</i>. It is, in fact, a well-conceived story about racism in the South, designed to provoke and also to challenge. It is an engaging book (if a bit tedious in spots), the values are good, and Scout, the precocious child narrator, adds a great deal to the story. On a deeper level, Scout herself is used to present both a child's increasing awareness of racism (and other sins) as well as an outsider's view of the repulsion with which her brother Jem learns about--and reacts to--this racism. The parallel between Scout's growin logic and understanding and Jem's flaring anger works well, and the perspective used to represent the story, for me, works exceptionally well.<br />
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Although I enjoyed revisiting this novel, at this stage in my life I'm struck not by the profundity with which it represents the problems of racism, nor even by its applicability, but by the prevalence and predominance of white novels about racism published in the last fifty years. This isn't a critique to apply solely to Lee; I appreciate both the aim and the effect of the novel. Rather, I wonder why <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> and <i>A Time to Kill </i>and the much more recent<i> <a href="http://legereinterlitteras.blogspot.com/2011/05/stocketts-help-is-pretty-self.html">The Help</a></i> (all novels I have enjoyed in varying degrees) have had so much more commercial and educational success than <i>Native Son</i> or even <i>Invisible Man</i>. Many of these novels present similar perspectives and ideals, but the voice of the white narrator still, repeatedly, gains prominence.<br />
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I don't want to imply in any way that <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> isn't an important work, and it does raise essential questions about the American treatment not only of people of differing races (from the African-Americans on whom the original novel is focused to the Mexicans whose border crossings are currently a major subject of American interest and concern) but also of people of differing abilities or interests. The parallel between reclusive Boo Radley and dark-skinned Tom Robinson is important: the novel is about coming to grips with the unique qualities--or differences--that distinguish each human from the next. Sometimes these distinctions appear in skin color, or a foreign (or regional) accent; at other times, they are made between people similar in shape and color who hold radically differing religious or political views. For me, the isolation of Boo Radley draws to mind the modern American marginalization of children with autism, down syndrome, or sensory impairments.<br />
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At the end of the novel, young Scout recognizes both that taking the time to befriend the unfamiliar is worthwhile, and that prejudice is prevalent in her (our) society. She is blessed (and not for the first time) by the presence of Boo Radley. However, I wish the novel extended past this moment (or that Lee had written a sequel); while Scout's discoveries and increased understanding are important, the novel shows the turning point rather than its long-term effects. <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> is a strong and important book, but it does not tell the whole story.<br />
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Read this book, and then read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679732764/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0679732764&linkCode=as2&tag=betwthelett-20&linkId=CNENUS6WY2OJYO7Z">Invisible Man</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=betwthelett-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0679732764" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009O2XR0A/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B009O2XR0A&linkCode=as2&tag=betwthelett-20&linkId=RDAYQKCST6JXKQ5N">Native Son</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=betwthelett-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B009O2XR0A" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />. All of these are important works of literature, and they tell differing sides of the same story. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-33439374450038004702014-06-30T13:40:00.000-04:002016-03-17T14:30:18.630-04:00West's Imperfect Narrative Flow Still Has Intriguing CharactersWest, Rebecca. <i>The Fountain Overflows</i>. <br />
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<div style="float: left; margin-top: 5 px; width: 200 px; height: 240px; margin: 10 px"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1590170342/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1590170342&linkCode=as2&tag=betwthelett-20&linkId=DHW77ULFU6FXUIFI"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1590170342&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=betwthelett-20" ></a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=betwthelett-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1590170342" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></div>
Mary, Rose, and Cordelia are young British ladies with a precocious younger brother, gifted but irresponsible father, and musically adept mother. This account of their adventures--and those of their friends, teachers, and guests--presents a series of rather unexpected vignettes. Among other things, the family lose their furniture, combat a malicious ghost, and entertain a variety of unusual guests. <br />
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Depending on how one reads it, <i>The Fountain Overflows</i> either has many themes or no real theme; after a first reading, it comes a cross as a collection of disconnected encounters rather than as a story of growth or maturity. There are themes of loss (from the simple disappearance of furniture to the larger disappearance of family members and friends), isolation (particularly with respect to Cordelia), and resourcefulness (most evident at the end of the book but also present during early encounters with malicious ghosts and awkward home situations). The family remain poor--this is always seen as the father's fault--and the children and their mother are largely obsessed with music, to the exclusion of all else except occasional guests (particularly the girls' cousin Rosamund). Their father's political capabilities are also prominent in a few scenes in the middle of the book, in which the entire family befriend the sister of a murder suspect, and their beloved father takes steps to endure that the accused is given a fair trial.<br />
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I found the conclusion of this story both inconclusive and unexpected--I won't give it away, but it describes a circumstance that is unwarranted and unprecedented, and contradicts many of the values that I would have loved to have seen promoted in a novel featuring such an old-fashioned setting. While the majority of the book was enjoyable and the descriptions of various characters and old-fashioned London were particularly pleasurable, all of this was ruined for me by a twist that still seems, upon reflection, to have been wholly unnecessary. This event does force many of the children to mature a little more quickly, but at great cost, and the final pages describe not a rich coming-of-age adventure, but a flurried bustle of preparations that are largely separate from the events recounted in the rest of the novel.<br />
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This isn't an unpleasant book by any means, but it isn't one I would go out of my way to recommend. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-89904144651179975112014-06-26T21:21:00.000-04:002016-03-17T14:31:05.752-04:00Charming Home Fiction: Lippi's HomesteadLippi, Rosina. <i>Homestead</i>. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1999 (1998).<br /><br />
<div style="float: left; margin-top: 5 px; width: 200 px; height: 240px; margin: 10 px"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0395977711/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0395977711&linkCode=as2&tag=betwthelett-20&linkId=TUEIVBVQH7WHVG3I"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0395977711&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=betwthelett-20" ></a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=betwthelett-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0395977711" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></div>
<i>Homestead</i> is a collection of interconnected vignettes about a group of men and women who live in a tiny mountain village in Austria. Each chapter describes a fleeting moment in the life of one woman (and her neighbors and family), beginning in the early 1900s and ending about sixty years later. The women thus described, then, are mothers and daughters, sisters, and aunts and cousins; once the author has introduced one woman, that woman will often reappear in later stories. There are ghosts, lovers, far-off husbands, and German soldiers. The men and women of the village are close-knit, often gossips, and deeply realistic: each has not just a story, but a particular frailty or weakness, making their relationships both complex and believable.<br />
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I enjoyed <i>Homestead</i> very much. It is a book to savor rather than one to read quickly; the vignettes, or chapters, span a vast period of time and leaving a day or two between some sections made the collection as a whole feel rich and expansive (although it is a really short book!). At the same time, I wouldn't recommend this for many younger readers; the style is pleasantly slow in a way that I did not appreciate in my early years, and the book presents premarital sex--in many instances--in a very sympathetic light. All of these women are presented sympathetically, as are their failures and weaknesses and desires, but many of these failures and weaknesses and desires seem to revolve around men, and the consequences are rarely severe. (Even the young woman who is punished for her actions receives an unexpected resolution). Intimacy is not explicit, but it is elegant.<br />
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A prevalent theme in <i>Homestead</i> is the idea of community, and, especially, the question of "who is my neighbour?" For the men and women in Lippi's isolated mountain community, neighbours are usually family, and privacy is surprisingly rare. Nowhere is this more evident than in the first chapter, when a postcard addressed to "Anna" is read to a wide collection of possible recipients, purportedly to determine the correct addressee. Like the postcard, family, words, stories, and intimacies are likewise shared among the members of the community; secrets are told and sometimes kept, but Lippi cleverly manages to reveal many of these to her readers over the course of the novel. Overall, this works well, and the stories are carefully plotted and interwoven. <i>Homestead</i> is a masterful collection, and one well worth a slow and languorous read. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-20583062255343410812014-06-24T12:05:00.000-04:002016-03-17T14:32:10.234-04:00Taliesin Delights Again.Lawhead, Stephen.<i> Taliesin</i>.<br />
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<div style="float: left; margin-top: 5 px; width: 200 px; height: 240px; margin: 10 px"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038070613X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=038070613X&linkCode=as2&tag=betwthelett-20&linkId=4BKEXN5XJBFD64DT"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=038070613X&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=betwthelett-20" ></a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=betwthelett-20&l=as2&o=1&a=038070613X" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></div> I've already praised Lawhead's <i>Taliesin</i> pretty highly on this blog (and only a few weeks ago), but after re-reading <i>Arthur</i> I thought it would be worth re-reading my favourite of the series again as well. I was not disappointed.<br />
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My childhood memories of the novel focus heavily on Charis, a princess (almost a goddess) from the now-lost world of Atlantis. For a character written by a man, Charis is pretty full of womanly strength and female empowerment, but she is not without her weaknesses. Some of my favourite parts include her feats of strength and cleverness in combat, which I won't describe here because I don't want to spoil the delightful surprises Lawhead has in store. Suffice to say that Charis gets some serious action sequences.<br />
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And--oh!--the bull ring! Lawhead's gift for description shines in every action sequence throughout the book, but none are quite as dazzling as the scenes in the bull ring, in which athletes leap over bulls' horns, perform feats of acrobatic prowess, and face both the animals and the constant threat of injury or death. My childhood mind was captivated by these scenes, and the actuality did not disappoint.<br />
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The eponymous Taliesin isn't so bad himself; he is the foundling son of a once-unlucky king (the discovery of the infant transforms his father's luck) and is quickly destined to become a great bard. For most of the book, Lawhead alternates the stories of Taliesin's family with those of Charis' declining country; this sometimes keeps both stories moving along well, but can also, occasionally, make both threads seem a little more sluggish.<br />
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Finally, where Lawhead's language is concerned, it is at once both wildly inaccurate (most likely and of course) but also fresh, modern, and witty. His women are not doormats, and his men woo with both perseverance and humor. Of particular note are Elphin's defense of his betrothal to Rhonwyn (at the beginning of the book) and Charis' persistent negotiations with her brothers about halfway through the story. There are many slow points (probably a side effect of Lawhead's extensive research) but numerous chapters crammed full with action and fast-paced dialogue.<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-74136275715554651022014-06-20T14:44:00.000-04:002016-03-17T14:33:57.947-04:00Trevor's Dual Narratives and Felicia's ever-Darker JourneyTrevor, William. <i>Felicia's Journey</i>. New York: Penguin, 1996 (1994).<br />
<br /><div style="float: left; margin-top: 5 px; width: 200 px; height: 240px; margin: 10 px"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140253602/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0140253602&linkCode=as2&tag=betwthelett-20&linkId=BKHP3MBYX4TK6MLL"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0140253602&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=betwthelett-20" ></a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=betwthelett-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0140253602" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></div> William Trevor's novel <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140253602/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0140253602&linkCode=as2&tag=betweent-20&linkId=R4N4GER57PFX4D45">Felicia's Journey</a> </i>describes the physical journey of a young woman named Felicia (of course!) who sneaks out of her family's home in Ireland in hopes of finding the young Irish boy who is the father of her unborn baby. When she sets out, she has not found his address and knows only that he is working at a lawn-mower factory, but this factory proved difficult to find.<br />
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As Felicia makes her way into a strange English town--in which her young man proves singularly difficult to find, she crosses paths with the older Mr. Hilditch, a lonely middle-aged man who painstakingly weaves a web of lies in which Felicia becomes ensnared. Under the pretenses of caring for his wife "Ada," he drives Felicia to distant towns (far enough away that his attentions to a young woman will not be observed by any of his employees) and arranges to help her on her journey. Felicia comes across as naive and conscientious--she is troubled by Mr. Hilditch's suggestion that she abort the baby, because it "wasn't right to think about it without Johnny knew" (131) and "There's people who would call it murder."--but she is also heedless, allowing Mr. Hilditch some intimacies and casual glimpses of her nubile form. <br />
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Trevor alternates a narrative inside Felicia's head with one told by Mr. Hilditch, leaving out just enough to leave Mr. Hilditch's intentions in question. The end of the book is filled with panic, despair, and the most severe of consequences. In retrospect, it's also possible to read Felicia herself as more cunning than her glib intentions of finding a friend in a large city might suggest, but both heedlessness and manipulation are shown as unfruitful.<br />
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While <i>Felicia's Journey</i> deals with a number of mature themes, its limited perspectives also enable it to gloss over most of the details. It is a short and engaging read, and the kind of book that lends itself to reading closely and attentively. All in all, it was time well spent. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-49808655904027501772014-06-13T15:24:00.000-04:002016-03-17T14:34:50.259-04:00Racing after Wells: Stephen Baxter's UniversesBaxter, Stephen. <i>The Time Ships</i>. New York: HarperCollins, 1995.<br />
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<div style="float: left; margin-top: 5 px; width: 200 px; height: 240px; margin: 10 px"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061056480/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0061056480&linkCode=as2&tag=betwthelett-20&linkId=QM536ZOKV2N6JAMY"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0061056480&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=betwthelett-20" ></a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=betwthelett-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0061056480" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></div> Like almost every other book ever written, <i>The Time Ships</i> has a beginning. It starts slowly, ponderously, almost imperceptibly, establishing a main character contemporaneous to H. G. Wells (who, it is hinted, has already written a book about this main character and his first trip into the future). Baxter's protagonist embarks upon his second trip into space, in which he plans to rescue a poor and beloved Eloi who suffered greatly on his account during his first trip into the future.<br />
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Instead of changing the fate of Eloi Weena, Baxter's character is surprised to see a new future transpire outside the walls of his machine. When he emerges--before Weena's time--he befriends an unusual character of Morlock descent, named Nebogipfel, and learns that the account of his travels written by his good friend (the unnamed Wells) has so influenced humanity that it has abruptly changed the future of mankind. From this point, Baxter wanders into some physics-based discussions of parallel universes and complex worlds. These work because Nebogipfel is constantly instructing the main character--therefore the scientific explanations come through dialogue rather than the narrator's interruptions--and some of them are genuinely intriguing concepts. However, the book leans a little heavily on the science fiction, and, as a result, very few of the characters enjoy the benefits of any development whatsoever. Nebogipfel is an exception (except that, as a Morlock, he has about as many emotions as a <i>Star Trek </i>Vulcan), but even the main character is left doing a lot without showing much intention, motive, or character development. <br />
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I didn't dislike <i>Time Ships</i>; on the contrary, I enjoyed Baxter's world, his haphazard flights from the beginning of time to a future so drastically unexpected, and his subtle references to Wells. I particularly enjoyed the diverse array of "ships" deployed over the novel as a whole, and some of the futuristic gadgets described during the protagonist's time with the Morlocks. <br />
<br />
As a literary experiment, then, this novel works well; as a novel, it had its share of missing elements, particularly surprising given its 520 pages. Hilary Bond was one of the most intriguing characters in the entire book, yet she is left largely flat and unexpressive (a token female soldier?) although she appears in several scenes. Similarly, Nebogipfel is a bit of a stock character; without more interaction between him and his fellow Morlocks, it becomes easy to see him as a "token Morlock" rather than an individual (he also does not benefit from his role as the narrator's foil). <br />
<br />
Overall, I'm a bit neutral about this book. Fans of Wells or Science Fiction in general might well enjoy its concepts and frequent references to history and literature (and, probably, to real science and scientists), but there is little to dazzle the reader. I'd like to read Baxter again, but preferably in a more moderately paced work. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-47564757950902475592014-06-11T14:50:00.002-04:002016-03-17T14:35:41.302-04:00Dark Irony: The Mayor of CasterbridgeHardy, Thomas. <i>The Mayor of Casterbridge</i>. OUP, 2003 (1987).<br />
<br />
<div style="float: left; margin-top: 5 px; width: 200 px; height: 240px; margin: 10 px"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0141439785/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0141439785&linkCode=as2&tag=betwthelett-20&linkId=BTC2PDVHJ3XRZP7E"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0141439785&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=betwthelett-20" ></a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=betwthelett-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0141439785" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></div>
Given my penchant for dark things, it probably shouldn't surprise me that Hardy is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. That said, <i>The Mayor of Casterbridge</i> is significantly less dark than, say, <i>Jude</i> or even (I think) <i>Tess</i>. Fortunately, like the other Hardy novels I've read, <i>Mayor</i> is still rich in death, despair, secrecy, and thwarted ambitions. <br />
<br />
Briefly, <i>The Mayor of Casterbridge</i> is the tale of a man who sells his wife when drunk, has a chance to make amends, and lives the rest of his life trying to keep various truths secret from his family and his community. Like most Hardy, marriage (both the pursuit and the experience thereof) fosters lies, pain, andunhappiness. Heroines fall in love only to be thwarted, while gentlemen perform various indiscretions and are unhappily surprised, later, to realise that actions have consequences.<br />
<br />
The plot of this novel is a bit complicated, abundantly described elsewhere on the internet, and filled with spoilers for readers who want to experience the book for themselves, so I'll skip over that. Instead, I want to think about marriage as I've seen it in Hardy novels, where it has almost always been plagued by secrets and unhappiness.<br />
<br />
Harding, in the mind of an old man named Mr. Henchard, describes him looking in on a wedding-feast with terrific cynicism:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The gaiety jarred upon Henchard's spirits; and he could not quite understand why Farfrae, a much-sobered man and a widower, who had had his trials, should have cared for it all, notwithstanding the fact that he was quite a young man still, and quickly kindled to enthusiasm by dance and song. That the quiet Elizabeth, who had long ago appraised life at a moderate value, and who knew, in spite of her maidenhood, that marriage was as a rule no dancing matter, should have had zest for his revelry surprised him still more" (325). </blockquote>
Of the three named characters here, Henchard is the eldest, and has been married (twice) to a woman whose presence he found very restrictive. He has also had a level of intimacy (specifics undisclosed) with another woman, of whom he was purportedly rather fond (he spends many pages pining after her). Farfrae, the widower, is sober but also the only character in the book to have had anything even remotely resembling a happy marriage. Elizabeth has had some disappointments but has managed to save her "maidenhood" for someone she appears to genuinely enjoy (and her beau/husband buys her lots of books, which is his most lovable quality in my opinion!).<br />
<br />
Taking their relative character traits and life experiences into account, it isn't really that surprising that the wedded couple are dancing happily. More to the point, though, this cynicism--believable as Henchard's disillusionment makes it--seems less Henchard's and much more Hardy's. In Hardy, even the happiest of marriages (or consummated pledged unions that reject the confines of religious ceremony) must be tainted by a threat of darkness, and this wedding fits the bill. Throughout the novel, pure happiness is almost exclusively described from the perspective of outsiders, and particularly by bitter, unhappy, or disillusioned outsiders. Henchard's past experiences, which lead to bitterness, remove any sense of happiness from a moment that most readers would otherwise associate with fulfillment and contentment. This is dark and clever writing. <br />
<br />
One other intriguing feature not just of <i>The Mayor of Casterbridge</i> but also of Hardy more generally is that the plots of his stories, thus far, intend to show the failures of marriage but usually end up revealing the consequences of premarital sex or later infidelity. I don't think Hardy means to do this, but in <i>The Mayor of Casterbridge</i>, all the characters who break their marriage vows (in this instance through sale rather than sex) later suffer because of of their actions and, usually, because they concealed those actions. Although nobody in this novel blackmails anyone else, many of the characters expect to be blackmailed. Suffering comes both when concealed activites are brought to light, but also when concealed activities are known by any other character, even those who bear no malice towards the character in question.<br />
<br />
Overall, I quite liked this novel. Hardy's darker style of writing is appealing to me, as is his repeated use of moments when the reader and a character share a glimpse of dramatic irony together. His characters frequently confess indiscretions of the past to one another, always without names, which leads to a series of misunderstandings in which the reader knows exactly how the complications have arisen while the characters are secretive, oblivious, or both. On the other hand, there is not a great deal of repentance or redemption; characters who sin seem to see life and fortune as great conspirators against them, rather than accepting responsibility for their own actions and decisions. While dark and intriguing, Hardy's book is an unrelentant study in mankind's constant proclivity to sin and blame others. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-40716172515560597902014-06-06T08:15:00.000-04:002016-03-17T14:43:00.122-04:00'The Fifth Horseman' Leaves the Starting Gate SlowlyAdams, Nathan M. <i>The Fifth Horseman</i>. New York: Random House. [Book Club Edition].<br />
<br />
<div style="float: left; margin-top: 5 px; width: 200 px; height: 240px; margin: 10 px"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006BQEJ4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0006BQEJ4&linkCode=as2&tag=betwthelett-20&linkId=6PVDT5T2TMO5TXJF"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0006BQEJ4&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=betwthelett-20" ></a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=betwthelett-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0006BQEJ4" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></div><i>The Fifth Horseman</i> reminds me a great deal of the bizarre film genre the Brits call "thriller." In particular, <i>The Fifth Horseman</i> independently contains a huge number of components that are often considered exciting (a travel agent in disguise, crafty and double-crossing spy agencies, SS officers who have gone into hiding, amateur sleuth work, and showdowns in Europe and South Africa). The grammar is acceptable, the fight scenes are easy to imagine, and the book referenced some really fascinating features of 1960s Europe, which I enjoyed from a historical perspective.<br />
<br />
In reality, however, although the plot moves quickly, the book feels slow. Flipping back through the pages, it is apparent that the book isn't actually slow, so I attribute this ponderous pace to the structure. Adams hits upon one of my greatest pet peeves--that of telling the reader how the main character feels--and spends a lot of time describing dialogue and the actions of characters engaged in that dialogue. There are dozens of described feelings, a plethora of adverbs, and numerous descriptions of characters sitting and standing. I could be missing the point entirely. These descriptions could be the structure of a genius existential balance between the banality of everyday bowel movements (described in detail on page 146) and the main character's bloody past and conflicted response to committing murder in the present. However, much as these events and details have great potential, in my own encounter with the novel they simply slowed the pace so that each event of an otherwise quite fast-paced plot was drawn out almost interminably. <br />
<br />
Overall, <i>The Fifth Horseman</i> had some really clever elements. The premise and choice of protagoinust were fresh and inspired. The tenuous thread of clues that the protagonist must follow to reach his quarry also worked well, although this was marred by repeated allusions to the patently obvious and recurring themes of duplicity and double-crossing. The showdown at the end was a little less overt than were some of the earlier confrontations, and the very last two pages were wildly clever. In general, this novel would work well for readers who are already interested in spy fiction and wanted a slower novel to break up a string of modern thrillers. As a first foray into the genre, however, many readers might find this novel a bit disappointing. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-13579035768986950942014-06-04T13:55:00.000-04:002016-03-17T14:44:14.712-04:00Revisiting the Mountain: Elizabeth George in 2014George, Elizabeth. <i>My Side of the Mountain</i>.<br />
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<div style="float: left; margin-top: 5 px; width: 200 px; height: 240px; margin: 10 px"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008AUKY4O/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B008AUKY4O&linkCode=as2&tag=betwthelett-20&linkId=PFJQCOWQ55NJR5NS"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B008AUKY4O&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=betwthelett-20" ></a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=betwthelett-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B008AUKY4O" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></div>I first read <i>My Side of the Mountain</i> as a child, when I was perhaps Sam Gribley's age. I didn't really identify with his dislike of the city, but if I hadn't had ballet classes to attend every week, I would have been very tempted to run away and try to imitate his adventures. <br />
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In our modern technological age, I love this book even more than I did as a child, though I fear--very slightly--for its existence. In terms of relatability, this book is now an antique. On the other hand, the book's very unrelatability makes it all the more important for the modern youth audience.<br />
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Last fall, I had an opportunity to re-read <i>Walden</i> with a group of modern high schoolers. They were fascinated at the beginning of the book, suggested that we go off to the mountains for a day, and expressed shock at the duration of Thoreau's experiment. For a single day (or even a week) traipsing into the wilderness sounds awesome. The daunting aspect of Thoreau's adventure (impossible to forget when reading <i>My Side of the Mountain</i>, because Sam is quickly dubbed "Thoreau" by an outdoorsy English professor) is its chronology. At the beginning of <i>Walden</i>, Thoreau builds a house and sets up his study in the woods, but by the fourth or fifth character he is repeating his philosophies and describing minutiae in rather painstaking detail. There is a wonder in this--we have lost some of this attention to detail--but also a weariness that can arise after prolonged exposure to the delights of the grasses and the fish and the woodsmen.<br />
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Unlike <i>Walden</i>, <i>My Side of the Mountain</i> avoids this monotony. In the first place, it is a great deal shorter than Thoreau's masterpiece. Significantly, it is also plot-driven rather than intent on description, and it is largely free from the philosophizing towards which Thoreau is so inclined. Where Thoreau's descriptions always have an agenda--and his encounters with the wilderness well-planned and easily performed--Sam is rightly concerned about surviving the winter in the forest. Unlike Thoreau, Sam does not send hours reading the <i>Bible</i> and great philosophers in contented solitude; instead, he occasionally visits a nearby library in order to acquire technical knowledge. When his trousers wear out, he struggles to make replacements using natural products. As fall settles on the mountain, he must make hard decisions about what food to store, and in what quantities.<br />
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Overall, <i>My Side of the Mountain</i> does not condemn society. Certainly Sam does not have positive encounters when he ventures into town in ragged garb or must gently detach himself from unwanted guests, but his frustrations are largely inferred rather than expanded upon. At the same time, George does still offer a philosophical message about the beauty (and dangers) of nature and the importance of family and friends. Sam's world may be one with which many modern readers would not identify, but the value of the deep relationships he forges with a small handful of caring individuals, like the family ties referenced both in his return to ancestral grounds and in his parents' determined efforts to become better acquainted with their son, can teach readers lessons that are just as important as those explained in such detail in <i>Walden</i>.<br />
<br />
<i>My Side of the Mountain</i> should be read by people who love nature, but also by those who are blinded by social media and the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It is easily suitable for ages eight and up. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-80606251810412291082014-06-02T13:17:00.000-04:002014-06-19T14:22:03.703-04:00Lawhead & Lore: Re-reading ArthurLawhead, Stephen. <i>Arthur</i>. HarperCollins, 1996. <br />
<br />
<iframe src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=betweent-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=0380708906&asins=0380708906&linkId=6AVVZF34UASHYQNM&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>This was my third encounter with<i> </i>Lawhead's <i>Arthur</i>, and while I still think it pales in comparison to <i>Taliesin</i> (which is the first in the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BIL9I6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002BIL9I6&linkCode=as2&tag=betweent-20&linkId=MACUWRVOA65Y3MXB%22%3EThe%20Pendragon%20Cycle%205%20Book%20Set%20%22Taliesin%22,%20%22Merlin%22,%20%22Arthur%22,%20%22Pendragon%22%20and%20%22Grail%22%20(The%20Pendragon%20Cycle,%201,%202,%203,%204,%205)%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=betweent-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002BIL9I6%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E">series</a> and has some of the best female action scenes I've ever read), I was pleased to discover that<i> </i>a basic, if rusty, familiarity with the book did not impede my enjoyment of it in the slightest. <br />
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My first encounter with the series was solely for my own enjoyment; I revisited <i>Arthur</i> as a student eleven years ago and have now read it through the eyes of a teacher. Much of this book is perfect for students. The vocabulary is moderate, the story is very faithful to Malory's<i> Morte d'Arthur</i>, and the narrative is clear. Secular schools might struggle with Arthur's unrelenting faith and focus on God, but Lawhead is skilled: this comes only from Arthur's voice, and is occasionally greeted with caution and doubt by Arthur's friends and advisor. My hesitation within the context of a Christian school--and my only hesitation, really--is sparked by the language in the first two pages, which are an invective-laced frame narrative criticizing a ruler using language of illegitimacy. I am hopeful that the context surrounding these terms of disparagement will help the language itself pass muster. <br />
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As a novel, <i>Arthur</i> is lighthearted, light-handed, and light reading. I don't mean that the book itself is lacking in substance, but that the tremendous amount of research that has clearly gone into the novel appears effortless, to my great amazement. The presentation of God almost exclusively through Arthur's eyes gives the book's philosophy a balance that many modern novels lack. God is present, but he is internalized within a character and not used as a narratorial mallet with which to bludgeon the unfortunate reader.<br />
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Having recently begun re-reading <i>The Once and Future King</i> (my favourite Arthurian narrative when I was in college), I very much enjoy the soft touch applied to Merlin in <i>Arthur</i>. (I'll shortly be revisiting the rest of the series, as I can't currently recall how Merlin is treated in his own volume). Lawhead's Merlin is surprisingly human in his behaviour and psychology, and the idea that he has weaknesses does not come as a surprise. This is excellent not so much because of Merlin, but because it makes Arthur stronger by contrast; he is the figurative "golden child" (the novel is rife with golden and regal imagery). When Merlin is weak, Arthur is unrelentingly strong, and the failures of a great man make Arthur all but invincible in contrast. <br />
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In short, I think this book is entirely acceptable for readers twelve and up (I'd say ten but for the prologue, though I probably first read this at the age of ten and would have had no idea what much of it meant). However, anyone who wants to read <i>Arthur</i> should absolutely read <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038070613X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=038070613X&linkCode=as2&tag=betweent-20&linkId=6D2OFKYUDSYVOOVK%22%3ETaliesin%20%28The%20Pendragon%20Cycle,%20Book%201%29%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=betweent-20&l=as2&o=1&a=038070613X%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20%21important;%20margin:0px%20%21important;%22%20/%3E">Taliesin</a> first, because it is wonderful in its own right and has fleshes out some of the brevity of <i>Arthur</i>. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-62894604895482218252013-01-11T14:50:00.000-05:002014-06-26T15:43:53.248-04:00Stanley Fish's Sentence Style: Better than Strunk and WhiteFish, Stanley. <i>How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One</i>. New York: HarperCollins, 2012 (2011).<br />
<br />
<iframe style="width:130px;height:240px;float:left" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ac&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=betweent-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=B00CMX4V8U&asins=B00CMX4V8U&linkId=X2NZTHTQAANU5UGL&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true">
</iframe>Airplane travel, for me, has always afforded a unique and wonderful opportunity to catch up on pleasure reading. I have read thousands of pages of novels while suspended above the earth, and I purchased Fish's exquisite compilation with the specific goal of reading it on my most recent cross-country jaunt. <br />
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I failed. <br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CMX4V8U/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00CMX4V8U&linkCode=as2&tag=betweent-20&linkId=RYKDDHFX7YYD6DIG%22"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CMX4V8U/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00CMX4V8U&linkCode=as2&tag=betweent-20&linkId=RYKDDHFX7YYD6DIG%22"><i>How to Write a Sentence</i></a> is one of the most glorious books I have ever read. Fish's passion for words and writing--his own or the works of others--is evident in, appropriately, every sentence, whether written by this book's author or included as a model sentence upon which Fish's readers can base their own literary attempts. However, the very gloriousness of its language turns this book into something that cannot easily be dashed through on an airplane flight, or tossed off in a lazy hour at the beach. I found myself reading unexpectedly slowly, savouring the words and structure of each paragraph, tucking the book into the seat-back pocket between chapters to re-consider its contents before retrieving the volume, only to re-read the same pages over again. On a three-hour flight, I managed to read fewer than a hundred pages (this is probably only really shocking if you know me in person). Fish's ideas have lingered with me all week, and I find myself itching to practice his model sentences at odd times.<br />
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Everyone should read this book. If I am ever allowed to teach Freshman Composition, I would assign this book to my students in a heartbeat; I wish I could send a copy to every one of my former secondary-school students. It is at once inspiring and elegantly readable, the perfect companion for lovers of literature and aspiring writers all at once. <i>How to Write a Sentence</i> is a companion and a textbook simultaneously: Fish introduces his reader to books and sentences he loves (as if having a conversation) and then offers instructions for replicating the style and form of each example. Read this; assign this; practice following its guidelines; read it again.<br />
<br />
I don't want to give away any of the delights of this book, but I think it is as revolutionary and fresh for its time as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/020530902X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=020530902X&linkCode=as2&tag=betweent-20&linkId=YCXEBIUAC3QQ4J2Z"><i>Elements of Style</i></a> was back in the early 1900s. Nearly a century later, <i>How to Write a Sentence</i> gives readers--and aspiring writers--fresh models and useful exercises that point out stylistic technique in concrete, practical ways. Read this book, but slowly. It is a delight among books. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-29154013040358185892012-01-15T04:34:00.036-05:002012-02-24T03:36:13.303-05:00Sweet Literary Treat: Harris' Lollipop ShoesHarris, Joanne. <i>The Lollipop Shoes</i>. Transworld, 2010. <br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=betweent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001OW5OP4&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>I think this link is right. Apparently the name of the book I'm about to review is different in the US and UK, ironic because I--an American--picked it our of a secondhand bin solely because of the title and stunning cover image of the British version. Amusing.<br />
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<i>The Lollipop Shoes</i> is a novel of nebulous genre: part romance, part dark magic, and part character study. Its British title derives from the bright red shoes worn by the protagonist, a woman of many borrowed identities, who goes by the name "Zozie" for the greatest part of the novel. <br />
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Zozie is an expert at using bank receipts and other paraphernalia to steal identities, usually of the deceased. With a few magic symbols and quietly uttered words of power, she is usually able to avoid detection and build lives for herself out of nothing. When she stumbles across young Yanne Charbonneau, a single mother who works in a Parisian chocolaterie, she pauses in her forgery and begins a new plan of attack: more than anything, she desires Yanne's life. <br />
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Yanne, of course, has secrets of her own to hide, including the identity of her younger child's father. Struggling to manage a chocolaterie with two young children, she is swept up in Zozie's unexpected enthusiasm, and soon finds herself somewhat at Zozie's mercy. The bulk of the book is an intertwining of stories of seduction, not (usually) in the sexual sense, but in the realms of trust and acceptance. The chocolaterie changes from a small struggling shop into a home of romance and community, and Zozie seduced Yanne's eldest, Anouk, with magic and pretty trinkets. The chocolaterie becomes beautiful, and welcoming, but Harris manages to retain an underlying sense of tension throughout, reminding us at every turn that the happiness she describes is forced, and that actions have consequences.<br />
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I didn't expect to find this book as interesting as I did, nor as serious, but I enjoyed it. The dark undercurrents of suspense occasionally wander a bit too heavily into the <i>deus ex machina</i> allowed by the presence of magic in the book, but the plot is heavily dependent on this conceit, and the novel would not, unfortunately, stand on its own without it. However, the story is interesting and the characters well-scripted, and lovers of chocolate, magic, and Paris should certainly give it a read.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-26844189986292332222012-01-01T11:09:00.039-05:002012-02-03T06:36:05.448-05:00The Nine Lives of Ender Wiggins: Card's Franchise ExpandsCard, Orson Scott. Ender in Exile. London: Orbit, 2009. <br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=betweent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0765344157&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>As if his two quartets were not enough (or perhaps he is trying to transform his saga into the Eliot-esque four quartets), Orson Scott Card has written a ninth story, this one a prequel to <i>Xenophobia</i> that depicts Andrew ("Ender") Wiggins' life immediately after the end of the war portrayed in <i>Ender's Game</i>. It's been several years since I read the Ender quartet (and then the Bean quartet), but this novel fleshes out the story excellently, offering a glimpse into Ender's post-war loneliness and his early adventures in space travel. <br />
<br />
As plots go, <i>Ender in Exile</i> is a little slower than <i>Ender's Game</i>, and perhaps rightly so, for what sequel could really live up to the novelty and excitement of Card's seminal work? The characters, too, are a bit less compelling in <i>Exile</i>, but many of the new characters are caricatures of manipulation and greed, and the characters from the rest of the canon lack a certain mystery: the already knows where Ender will find himself at the end of his travels and what will become of Peter (and also what Peter will become). Card himself notes that there are some inconsistencies between <i>Exile</i> and other books in his canon, but these bothered me very little. On the other hand, <i>Ender in Exile</i> manages to tie up some of the loose plot elements from its prequels, particularly those in the Bean series. As a volume that fleshes out the details and answers some of the questions left at the end of <i>Shadow of the Giant</i>, this volume is excellent, and watching it develop was a little like catching up with old friends. However, as a standalone book, <i>Ender in Exile</i> is weaker than many of Card's other volumes: it does, in a way, seem to rest on Card's laurels and on those comfortable associations its readers might have with beloved characters from the early volumes. Still, there is much to like about the Card's newest installment of several years in the life of Ender Wiggins, and if it is not the most compelling volume of the sequence, it is simply written and a provides a pleasant return to Card's imaginative future.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-44793885152743744022011-12-26T10:38:00.038-05:002012-01-25T01:34:02.655-05:00A Good Murder Mystery Can Be Hard to Find (but Martinez Wrote a Fun One).Martinez, Gulliermo. The Oxford Murders. Trans. Sonia Soto. Penguin, 2006.<br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=betweent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000NO1CQY&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Set, as the title indicates, in the town of Oxford, UK, Martinez' <i>The Oxford Murders</i> is the story of a young mathematician who takes up residence in that university town only to find himself entangled in a series of murders. This unnamed maths student, working with a renowned mathematician named Arthur Seldom, is encouraged by his mentor to use truths about logic and sequences (among other things) to unravel the mystery transpiring around him. Add in a few pretty girls who challenge and intrigue our scholarly protagonist, and, well, that's the recipe for a unique but comprehensible murder mystery. <br />
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I am no maths student myself, but <i>The Oxford Murders</i> provides a clear and interesting introduction to some fascinating mathematical concepts, occasionally encouraging the reader to solve the puzzles along with the protagonist; I particularly enjoyed these mental challenges. More importantly, however, the plot of <i>The Oxford Murders</i> is filled with twists and revelations that would do Agatha Christie proud; the reveal at the end is perfectly crafted and, of course, entirely logical. The pieces are all present, but the structure (and the sequence, of course!) show us, as with the sequence Seldom draws for his protege to solve early in the novel, only what we are meant to see. <br />
<br />
Martinez' novel, elegantly translated into English by Sonia Soto, offers a splendid story, clear and interesting, with a few brain teasers thrown into the mix. It is a fresh and engaging re-interpretation of the murder mystery genre, and I'm delightfully pleased to be able to recommend it so warmly. Even had I read more than one book in December, this one would still have been a strong contender for my favourite book of the month.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-59430755316928923742011-11-05T15:44:00.001-04:002012-01-24T15:47:17.091-05:00Well, there's Loneliness: Hall's Unsympathetic ProtagonistHall, Radclyffe. <i>The Well of Loneliness</i>. New York: Anchor, 1956 (1928).<br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=betweent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0014ILSK8&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" sstyle="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><i>The Well of Loneliness</i> is frequently noted--with varying reactions--for its early descriptions of lesbian affection. Early in the book, and as a young girl, main character Stephen develops an affection for one of her family's female servants, even praying desperately to God that her servant's pains might be given to young Stephen. Her parents--the same ones who named her Stephen--are eager to curtail her passionate affection, the servant is let go, and young Stephen continues her uncomfortable childhood, bored with the traditional young lady activities expected of her, and defiantly choosing to dress in boyish apparel. The complications continue as she ages, and, thwarted on every side by the expectations of society, she desperately strives to find and keep love both close to home and, when necessity demands it, very far away. <br />
<br />
The novel's lesbian message is emphatic and persistent, and the continuous drone of Stephen's frustrated longing grows old with time; it is preachy with an intent to change the reader, and the message would have been more powerful had Hall approached it with a little more subtlety. Some of the descriptions are elegant, and certain scenes are well-played, but as Stephen finds her desires thwarted at every turn, she takes on the characteristics of a madwoman, losing her head and bursting into a fury when the objects of her desire fail to reciprocate her love. At the same time, however, many of her friends and loved ones are portrayed more gently, and the tense uncertainty of Hall's companion Mary, given the choice between Stephen's bursts of passion and a sweeter and more acceptable coupling, is clearly torn, but her struggle is not simply between the desired and the acceptable: Stephen's crazed longing (and frequent abandonment) creates a friction that is in many ways unrelated to the novel's provocative sexual argument. <br />
<br />
<i>The Well of Loneliness</i> provides a fascinating insight into the world and growing sexual tensions of the 1920s, and the world Hall creates is one that now seems much further away than it actually is. I found this novel problematic not because of its message, but because of its overt persistence and the entirely unsympathetic force with which its protagonist insisted upon having circumstances conform to her desires and expectations. For me, Stephen was entirely unsympathetic, and I found myself wishing far worse fates upon her than those imposed by her creator. (The status of monthly favourite is conferred upon this novel by sheer necessity).Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-43856541997434776192011-10-29T16:09:00.016-04:002012-01-22T04:30:51.779-05:00Ballet Books from Britain: Estoril's EntryEstoril, Jean [Allan, Mabel]. <i>Ballet for Drina</i>. Macdonald, 1987. <br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=betweent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0750012609&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Alas, poor Drina: that which she desires most, she is forbidden to attempt . . . and this, plus her machinations into the general realm of working around her guardian's rules, make up nearly the entire story told in <i>Ballet for Drina</i>.<br />
<br />
Drina loves to dance, and longs to dance, but somehow her grandmother (and guardian) always seems to find reasons to keep her from having proper lessons. Some of this changes when Drina changes school and meets a friend named Jenny, who takes ballet lessons although she would rather be learning to farm. Persuasions occur, and lessons are allowed, and a heartwarming friendship begins; the story, though simple, is pleasing, and little girls who love ballet are sure to enjoy this book (and probably its sequels) as well. Of course, there are also the necessary pangs and heartbreaks, and permissions granted become restrictions along the way, but the plot at heart is simple (and, it is to be confessed, entirely predictable from the very first chapters of the novel). Still, there is much to enjoy here for the youthful balletomane, and it would make an excellent second series for young readers who have finished Streatfield and are looking for another collection of British ballet books with which to fuel their imaginations.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-71760601262565998282011-10-05T21:11:00.028-04:002012-01-22T04:31:52.534-05:00Kitchen: Cooking up a Character Study or TwoYoshimoto, Banana. <i>Kitchen</i>. Washington Sqaure, 1994. <br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=betweent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0671880187&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><i>Kitchen</i> is a simple book, and one with a plot so casually structured as to provide not so much a story as a character study, and one that is remarkably difficult to wrap into a summary. It begins with a description of the main character's love for kitchens and the stories they tell, and gradually meanders into a description of the several significant events of her young life. Early in the book, protagonist Mikage's grandmother dies, and she is shortly invited to move in with her acquaintance Yuichi and his "mother" (formerly his father) who works in the sex industry. Eventually this arrangement goes sour, but through all the many struggles that she faces as she strives to make a new life for herself in the wake of her grandmother's death, Mikage remains resilient. <br />
<br />
This wasn't my favourite novel, but I appreciated the effort that went into making the character likeable and engaging. Mikage isn't really my type of character, and this isn't my favourite type of novel, but nevertheless I found the book intellectually interesting. There are scenes of great charm, and a great deal of passion, and the novel is well written; I simply didn't find it compelling. Yet the character sketch is careful and the book has been written far more precisely than have many novels of our era; I must praise it, if only for its structure. In addition, this book has the remarkable merit of brevity: it provides an afternoon of stimulating intellectual exercise while still permitting an evening of reckless abandon in murder mysteries and other fictitious frivolities. It was my favourite book of the month, but, alas, only because the pickings were otherwise quite slim.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-35966193809409624532011-10-04T16:25:00.028-04:002012-01-08T12:12:45.756-05:00'Once upon a Day' took too many hours of my life to readTucker, Lisa. <i>Once Upon a Day</i>. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006.<br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=betweent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B00150GI78&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Once upon a Day is a modern-day coming-of-age story intertwined with a old-Hollywood romance, as author Lisa Tucker blends the story of sheltered Dorothea, out in the world for the first time in memory, with the failed romance of her parents, once famous stars now nearly forgotten. <br />
<br />
The early pages of the book move slowly; Dorothea leaves home for the first time in search of her brother, and her naivete as she figures out bus travel (daunting for anyone), hires a taxi, and buys her first modern clothes seems played for laughs. Dorothea's quick transition from innocent daughter to worldly-wise seductress is implausible, although her dreams and the vague memories she and her brother are able to recall serve as the link to a more compelling story, that of her parents' courtship and increasingly broken marriage. At the beginning of the novel, Tucker hints at a great tragedy, and the hints and intimations grow stronger as Dorothea, her brother Jimmy, and a helpful cabdriver (who becomes much more) attempt to solve the mystery. By the end of the book, Dorothea seems perfectly adapted to everyday life in modern America, and the story of her parents' romance is both heartbreaking and frustrating for its undertones of manipulation shrouded in the guise of love.<br />
<br />
While not the greatest book I've read, this novel does manage to balance the frivolous silliness of novelty with the slow ache of unfulfilled passion, and by the end of the story I was able to sympathise with a few of the characters. Overall, however, this is a book that encourages listless awareness rather than genuine involvement with the characters and their stories, and thus, while I look forward to seeing what other tricks Tucker has up her novelist's sleeve, I'm happy to wait a while for my next encounter with her work.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-51385056087726940262011-09-20T16:24:00.042-04:002012-01-07T16:10:03.234-05:00A Duke for All SeasonsTunis, John. <i>Iron Duke</i>. Harcourt, 1938.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058WZEM4/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=betweent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0058WZEM4">Iron Duke</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=betweent-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0058WZEM4" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> is possibly my favourite of all Tunis' novels, and the one that I would recommend, in particular, for first-time readers of this great sports novelist. Like, in particular, <i><a href="http://legereinterlitteras.blogspot.com/2011/09/champions-choice-always-delightful.html">Champion's Choice</a></i>, <i>Iron Duke</i> is a novel about much more than sports, and its protagonist is caught up in a balancing act of life and loyalties that make the novel, at its heart, a study of humanity and choice. <br />
<br />
Protagonist Jim Wellington is a small-town boy whose hard work in high school pays off with an acceptance to Harvard College, where he dreams of playing varsity football and following in his father's footsteps. Once in Boston, however, he finds that the university life he imagined is more difficult to obtain than he could have known, and he struggles to survive in athletics and, soon, to stay ahead in academics.<br />
<br />
Jim--soon nicknamed "The Duke"--eventually makes two friends, "McGuire" and the posh "Fog," whose exploits get him into trouble from time to time but also provide him with the encouragement he needs to persevere in the face of disappointments and frustrations. The adventures of the three men, eventually known as the "Dunster Funsters," provide the novel with some lighthearted humour, but the friendship that develops over the course of the novel is thoughtfully composed and presents a strong underlying support for the more lighthearted and athletic scenes that make this book so remarkable and readable. <br />
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As this is one of my favourite books of all time, it would be difficult to award the "monthly favourite" title to any of the other excellent volumes enjoyed this month. Although currently out of print, this excellent book is a must-read, and well worth a trip to the library or a used bookstore.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-18342874861480155332011-09-18T10:32:00.031-04:002012-01-07T16:09:37.555-05:00Apple (Bough) of a Reader's EyeStreatfield, Noel. <i>Apple Bough</i>. Lions, 1999 (1962).<br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=betweent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=000673765X&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>This is, perhaps, a splendid book to read for previous fans of Streatfield's work, although I would not recommend it for first-time readers of the author of such splendid texts as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140300414/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=betweent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0140300414">Ballet Shoes</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=betweent-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0140300414" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> or the less stage-struck novels of his I read earlier this summer. <i>Apple Bough</i> tells the story of a family of six: young Sebastian is a gifted violinist, and his siblings, while talented in other areas, have not attained the levels of skill that enable Sebastian to embark upon a world tour, instrument in hand and family in tow (for a time). <br />
<br />
The bulk of the novel is spent describing the increasing dissatisfaction with which siblings Myra, Wolfgang, and Ethel approach their life as travellers in their brother's wake, and the many plots they hatch in secret, hoping that their family can settle down again. The focus of the book is upon family ties and the importance of familial unity, and Streatfield drives his plot home, as it were, with focus and determination. While the characters are not as compelling as those in many of his other novels, and the plot grows stale to the reader as the incessant travelling grows dull to the children, the themes thus portrayed work elegantly within this context, and the book itself would provide an important starting point for a number of valuable discussions that parents might wish to have with their progeny. Otherwise, this is a book for Streatfield's diehard fans, and one that is unlikely to leave too lasting an impression in the wake of his finer works.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-69794241095623960192011-09-12T10:31:00.013-04:002012-01-07T10:55:15.560-05:00Daunted by Discourse: A Stab at TolkienTolkien, J. R. R. <i>The Fellowship of the Ring</i>. New York: Ballantine, 1994 (1954). <br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=betweent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0618574948&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>What, really, remains to be said about <i>The Fellowship of the Ring</i>? It is beloved by readers and geeks the world around, and to even hint that bits of it are slower than others is to arouse the wrath of many thousands of the author's fans. This reading of the book was my second (I have, since September, revisited it a third time) and it captivates me only slightly more each time. <br />
<br />
So: if you are not a lover of Tolkien, but you feel you ought to try the <i>Fellowship</i> again, three things:<br />
<br />
1) Read the poems aloud. Seriously. They seem long, and possibly irrelevant, butthey are better aloud, and they have much to say about Tolkien's world at large. And, on their own, they are actually very good works of poetry.<br />
<br />
2) Read the book in smaller chunks. I am a fan of dashing through a novel, but to do so with Tolkien, being less of a fan than many others, finds me getting bogged down in description I'd rather be skipping. If the book bores you, set it aside for a while, and come back to it later. <br />
<br />
3) Read the book as a history, rather than a novel. Tolkien's world, I am slowly learning, is larger than I ever dreamt, and the books, for all their excitement and plots, are filled with allusions to his greater histories (now, and slowly, being published). If Tolkien doesn't provide literary relaxation, approach him as a good historian, and savour the details he provides of this world that exists only in the imagination.<br />
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My understanding and appreciation of Tolkien is ever-so-slowly expanding, but it has taken reading him as a scholar to appreciate his fiction.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-78005375083430478902011-09-03T10:30:00.038-04:002012-01-24T15:45:55.347-05:00'Champion's Choice' Always a Delightful ChoiceTunis, John. <i>Champion's Choice</i>. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1990 (1940).<br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=betweent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0844665096&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Although John Tunis is best known for his numerous baseball novels, my two favourite books in his canon depart from this tradition and showcase, instead, athletes in tennis and track. <i>Champion's Choice</i> tells the story of Janet Johnson, a little girl whose surprising talent with a tennis racquet catapults her from a working-class home onto the courts of a local country club whose members and instructors soon give her a chance to go much further afield. <br />
<br />
Although Janet becomes a tennis player, and descriptions of her matches feature prominently in Tunis' novel, <i>Champion's Choice</i> is not really a book about tennis. Rather, this exceptional novel is a grown-up version of the coming of age novel: it explores the tensions and confusion that occasionally make it difficult for this budding protagonist to define herself. Is she Janet Johnson the tennis player, or Janet Johnson, woman, daughter, and friend? Janet is gently prodded through this process of self-awareness by her childhood friend Rodney, whose friendly advice on the court and off keep Janet alternately pleased, bewildered, and annoyed. Fans of tennis will enjoy the descriptions of matches, courts, and grueling practice sessions, but fans of character studies will find that Tunis' sports characters are far from stock athletes: Janet the character is fresh, exciting, and as fun to study on my fifth read of the book as she was on the day I first cracked the pages. Sadly out of print, this is a must-read for all.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-6018556902254049442011-09-02T10:31:00.038-04:002012-01-07T10:54:38.502-05:00Veteran Tunis Fans Will Find 'Rookie' Makes the CutTunis, John. <i>Rookie of the Year</i>. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1987 (1944).<br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=betweent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0152056483&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Fans of John Tunis' baseball novels should find <i>Rookie of the Year</i> quite as expected: this story revisits the Brooklyn Dodgers of past fame, picking up a little later in their fictional trajectory, and focusing not on Roy Tompkins, but on now-manager Spike Russell, secretary Bill Hanson, and the rookie players Bones Hathaway and Clyde Baldwin. <i>Rookie of the Year</i> is a story about baseball only as much as it is a story about trust and growth, and Tunis' skillful descriptions of characters and their motivations lie at the heart of this book's value.<br />
<br />
At the beginning of the book, the Dodgers are a few games behind the league leaders and determined to win. Manager Spike Russell puts them under strict orders to abstain from alcohol and late nights and to hustle on the field, and adherence to these rules quickly becomes a point of contention for Bill Hanson and many of the team's younger players. Hanson is swiftly revealed as the villain of Tunis' plot (although his motivation is never actually explored, let alone explained) and the key pawns in his attack are pitcher Hathaway and his roommate Baldwin. As the pennant grows closer and tensions run high, Spike must separate the deceitful from the misled, and guide his team with both firmness and grace. An enjoyable read, though not the most compelling of all Tunis' novels.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7518064.post-74800205718385615222011-08-28T08:20:00.048-04:002012-01-07T10:54:10.758-05:00Nix, Necromancy, and Novelty: Not too Bad is 'Sabriel'Nix, Garth. <i>Sabriel</i>. New York: Harper Collins, 2004 (1995). <br />
<br />
<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=betweent-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0061474355&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align:left;padding-top:5px;width:131px;height:245px;padding-right:10px;"align="left" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>I'm often frustrated by fantasy writing these days; it has so much to offer, but many of the more recent novels seem simply derivative of their literary predecessors. This is not so with <i>Sabriel</i> (or, if it is, I haven't read said literary predecessors), which manages both to be a novel in genre and to offer something quite fresh: a necromancer, called the 'Abhorsen,' who defies the conventions of the trade, offering closure and finality in place of ghosts and skeletons. <br />
<br />
At the beginning of the book, readers are introduced to the Abhorsen, who (of course) turns out to be Sabriel's father. After the passage of a few pages and many years of Sabriel's life, the story begins in earnest while Sabriel is a student at a preparatory-type school far from home; after her father's failure to appear for a visit as expected (he sends instead a spectral messenger), Sabriel must make the exhausting journey home alone, through a cold and desolate Northern land, pursued by a terrifying monster. Once home, of course, her adventures are only beginning, and Sabriel meets Mogget (one of the most unique and charming fantasy characters since the Ents), takes a ride in a magnificent flying contraption called a paperwing, and pursues her father across her homeland and far beyond. Although the story is dark at times, it is also compelling and charming (and worth reading for Mogget alone). Sabriel does have some irksome tendencies, but these are realistic: she is, after all, a teenaged girl, struggling with all sorts of youthful proclivities and maturing along the way; in this respect <i>Sabriel</i> is surprisingly realistic, which is pleasing except when it is frustrating. <br />
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I enjoyed this book, but I know several people who were far less impressed with it than I, and it is certainly heavily laden with the magical and the dark, so many readers may prefer to sidestep this text. However, fans of a certain ridiculously popular child wizard should find Nix's novel a good deal better written and more imaginative than books in that other series, and the story is well structured and elegantly written. For fans of fantasy, a perusal of <i>Sabriel</i> is essential.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0