Showing posts with label 2004. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2004. Show all posts

Katherine

8:33 AM Nikki

Katherine. Anya Seton. 1954/2004. Chicago Review Press. 512 pages.

In the tender green time of April, Katherine set forth at last upon her journey with the two nuns and the royal messenger.

Katherine is the third Anya Seton novel I've read, and it is probably my favorite so far. It is the 'love story' of Katherine de Roet and John of Gaunt (Duke of Lancaster). It's definitely a 'love story' with complications!

The book opens with Katherine traveling with several nuns to visit her sister, Philippa, who is in the service of the Queen. Her arrival catches the attention of at least two guys. The most persistent being Hugh Swynford. Her sister just hopes that her sister has enough sense to know that these men are after one thing and only one thing. And Katherine does know that. But she can't protect herself from unseen dangers.

One day, Katherine takes a walk in the garden thinking that she is alone, that she is safe, only to discover that Hugh Swynford is there and he means to get his way. They struggle. And only fate in the form of John Gaunt, the Duke, saves her. He demands to know what is going on and Hugh stammers something about how he really truly means to marry the penniless girl. The Duke takes the poor woman home to his wife, Blanche, who takes pity on the girl and offers her friendship and kindness.

But within days Katherine learns her fate. She will be the wife of Hugh Swynford. For better or worse, she'll be stuck with him. But it's not like she has much of a say in her future. And a good match is a good match.

Katherine is a novel of medieval England. Readers get more than a quick and easy 'love story.' It's a novel about war and politics and social class. The novel follows the lives of Katherine and John through four decades. The 1360s through the 1390s.

There are plenty of characters to love and hate in this one. And it's a pleasant read. Not too dry, not too boring. But not completely romance either. There is history and politics and talk of war and riots, etc. If you're just looking for romance, this may not be the one for you. But if you want substance to your romance, then you should give it a try.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in , , , , ,

Sarahs' Ground (MG)

7:13 PM Nikki

Sarah's Ground. Ann Rinaldi. 2004. Simon & Schuster. 192 pages.

My older sister, Fanny, put me in a closet once when we were children. She, being the elder, had her reasons, I suppose. 

Sarah's Ground opens in the spring of 1861. Our heroine, Sarah Tracy, is a young woman with a unique opportunity. Having lied on her application, she's been hired by a preservation association (or society?) to oversee Mount Vernon, George Washington's home. The estate isn't in the best condition, and, it needs some attention, some care, to restore and preserve the legacy of this historic home. Sarah Tracy is the woman for the job. And this novel focuses on the first year of the War Between the States as she fights for Mount Vernon to remain neutral--to remain safe from both armies.

I thought the story was interesting. While I didn't love this one, I was never bored by it. I may not think it the best book ever written about the Civil War, but I did think it worth the read. I learned a few things I didn't know, for example. And so I would recommend it to fans of historical fiction, of the civil war era in particular. As historical fiction, I think it works, as a romance, not so much. So it depends what you're looking for in a book.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in , , ,

Sharp North (YA)

7:33 PM Nikki

Sharp North. Patrick Cave. 2004/2006. Simon & Schuster. 528 pages.

The girl nearly didn't find out who she was. What she was.

Sharp North is a perplexing YA novel. Part mystery. Part thriller. Part dystopian. It's set in a future world forever altered by global warming. A future world with a corrupt government. (How many fictional future worlds don't have a corrupt government?) A future world threatened by an underground movement, a revolution in the making. Our heroine, Mira, has a role to play in this world--for better or worse. And it's a role that mystifies Mira. For Mira's future is just as uncertain as her past.

Sharp North begins with a murder. Mira witnesses this murder, this hushed up murder, and it forever changes the way she sees the world, the way she sees her community. In part because she finds out that she is connected to the victim. She finds a piece of paper, a mere scrap, with a list of names. Her name is on the list. And so is the name of one of her friends, Gil Moore. He's listed as "her watcher." But why is he watching her? Is he her friend or her enemy? Is he out to see that she survives? Or is he in place to eliminate her? That's what Mira can't forget, can't erase. Are the people who murdered this mysterious woman, this mysterious stranger, out to get her? What led to this crime? For even if the whole world chooses to ignore it, Mira can't. Was it the woman's curiosity? Well, Mira can't help being curious now!

So Mira sets out on a journey to discover the truth, the truth about who she is, what she is. In a way she's running away from danger just as much as she's running straight into it. For Mira hasn't a real clue who her enemies are and who her friends may be. Is there a safe place for Mira? Or is she destined to upset the balance of those around her?

We meet a few interesting characters in Patrick Cave's Sharp North. Including several members of the Saint family, one of the "Great Families" that govern in this new world.

Maybe other readers can piece together this mystery. Maybe other readers can read it without being confused by the ending--as for me, well, I'm puzzled by how it ended. I still don't know what really happened.

So did I like it? Yes and no. I liked the idea of it. But. It felt like two or three stories pieced together. And it didn't always work for me.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in , , , , , , , , , , ,

Inside Grandad (MG)

1:19 PM Nikki

Inside Grandad. Peter Dickinson. 2004. Random House. 128 pages.

Gavin and Grandad were fishing for mackerel from the harbor wall when the seal popped its head out of the water. 

Gavin loved his Grandad very much. Grandad is the one who takes care of him; Gran works; his mom works; his dad is gone most of the time. The two are very close. They enjoy doing many things together. They like to fish. They like to build model boats. One day the two are busy at work on a model boat, a boat that Gavin has just decided to name Selkie, when his Grandad has a stroke. The doctors say that Grandad has had a stroke. No one knows how much of a recovery he'll make. It's too soon to say. He's still in a coma.

The novel focuses on how this effects Gavin. He's scared. He's worried. He's anxious. He wants to be at the hospital by his Grandad's side, holding his hand; and yet, he doesn't. He wants to be the one to reach him. He wants to be the one to talk to him, to read to him, to hold his hand, to be there for him. Yet, it seems too much to handle.
At some point, Gavin becomes convinced that selkies may hold the answer. His grandad always said they could help you when you were in need. And that's where this novel becomes a little weird, a little magical.

I didn't care for the selkie twist in this one. Not really. I mean I think some readers will enjoy that aspect of it. But I could have done without it.

So do I like this one? Yes, for the most part. I didn't love it. But I don't need to love everything I read.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in , , , ,

The Teacher's Funeral (MG)

6:14 AM Nikki

The Teacher's Funeral. Richard Peck. 2004. Penguin. 208 pages.


If your teacher has to die, August isn't a bad time of year for it. You know August. The corn is earring. The tomatoes are ripening on the vine. The clover's in full bloom. There's a little less evening now, and that's a warning. You want to live every day twice over because you'll be back in the jailhouse of school before the end of the month. Then our teacher, Miss Myrt Arbuckle, hauled off and died. It was like a miracle, though she must have been forty. You should have seen my kid brother's face. It looked like Lloyd was hearing the music of the spheres. Being ten that summer, he was even more willing to believe in miracles than I was. 

I love this book. I am CRAZY in love with this book. It is in my opinion one of those practically-perfect-in-every-ways books. It's a funny historical novel--set in 1904 in Indiana--and it has heart! (Though not *too* much sentiment! It is narrated by a fifteen year old boy after all!) So Russell Culver, our narrator, is thrilled when his teacher dies just days before school was to start. (Who could they ever find to replace her?!) But his joy is short lived, for the answer to that question is his very own sister. Now, he doesn't hate his sister. He's quite fond of her cooking--it being SO MUCH better than his aunt's cooking which they try to live on doing the school year when the sister is away from home. But as his teacher?! It's too unbelievable. It's just SO unfair!!!

The Teacher's Funeral is a funny novel set in rural Indiana at the turn of the century. It draws quite the picture of country life--both at home and school. We get to know each of the eight students in this one-room school house. (Russell, Lloyd, Charlie, Pearl, Glenn, Floyd, Lester, Little Britches). And, of course, we get to know their teacher, Tansy, too! It's just a charming book, a funny book. One of those rare books that I love completely. I wouldn't change a thing!

This was the night me and Lloyd always went to the crick and camped out. It was a sacred part of our year. After the Case Special came through, we always spent that night at the crick, and hung on till morning, no matter what. It was how we kissed the summer goodbye before the darkness of learning fell about us. (13)

"Who died?" I inquired.
"Take a guess," Charlie said. "Go ahead."
"Somebody we know?"
"You can believe that."
"Somebody old or young?"
"Old," Charlie said, "as the hills."
Lloyd was looking back and forth between us, clutching J.W. He was on the hook again, and I was getting there.
"Old as Old Man Lichtenberger?"
"Nobody's that old," Charlie said.
"Man or woman?"
"That'd be tellin' too much."
"Somebody we like?"
"Not hardly," Charlie said.
"Somebody who's been feeling poorly late?" I was wracking my brains.
Charlie shrugged his big shoulders. "She must of felt pretty poorly tonight. She died."
"So it's a woman!"
"More or less," Charlie said.
The truth burst over me. "You don't mean Miss Myrt Arbuckle!" (24)

Nobody would miss Miss Myrt, so Preacher Parr got them to miss the good old days when the winters were worse and the kids were better. At a funeral you want to miss something. (39)

When Pearl came back, she had a grip on the little kid who didn't want to be anywhere near here. Her bonnet hung by its strings. Her dinner pail scraped the floor. She kept setting her bare heels. "Turn me loose," she squawked. "I don't wanna, and I'm not gonna!"
Pearl pushed her toward Tansy and resumed her seat.
Tansy pulled the small girl's skirttails free of her drawers and settled her skirts for her. But it was too late. Forever more, she was known as "Little Britches." Even unto the distant day of her wedding. Besides, come to find out her real name was Beulah.
"Who are you?" Tansy asked with an arm around her.
"I ain't sayin'," said Little Britches. "I ain't stayin'."
"Then whisper who you are in my ear before you go."
Little Britches whispered. It would turn out that she was a Bradley. They were a family who hadn't had anybody in school for some years. Little Britches was an afterthought. "I'm goin' on home now." She wiggled free of Tansy. "Pleased to meetcha."
"Well, you can go home at noon, Tansy told her. "Till then just wait up there at my desk. You can...help me be teacher." (80-1)

"Tansy, how come the female sex think they know more than the male sex?"
"Because we do. What's the capital of Delaware?"
"I don't know."
"Know by tomorrow," Tansy warned. "I'm the teacher, and I won't have dumb brothers." (107)

I thought we'd need a block and tackle to lift her. But getting Aunt Fanny Hamline out of the ditch became one of Tansy's most famous days of teaching. It was a lesson in engineering too. It should have been studied at Purdue University. (127)

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in , , , , ,

Pride and Prescience

4:47 PM Nikki

Pride and Prescience: Or A Truth Universally Acknowledged. A Mr. and Mrs. Darcy Mystery. 2004. Tor. 288 pages.

On the day Miss Elizabeth Bennet wed Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, she did not mind dividing with her elder sister, Jane, the notice due a bride. Indeed, she had been delighted when Jane chose to marry Mr. Charles Bingley in a double ceremony. It seemed only right that two sisters and two men who were themselves particular friends should all embark on their new lives together, and she hoped the event presaged many happy hours spent in each other's company in the years ahead.
Elizabeth did mind, however, sharing the stage with Mr. Bingley's sister Caroline.

I wouldn't exactly say I loved this one. As in love, love, love. But I did enjoy this one. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one. Because whether it is a truth universally acknowledged or not, most Austen sequels have a difficult time in successfully capturing the characters and narrative style of Austen's original novels. (A good many exist purely as an excuse to write in great detail of intimacies between the couples.) Carrie Bebris's Elizabeth and Darcy were well done. Their conversations felt right. The chemistry between them felt right. (Not over done, not explicit. Yet you knew they were deeply in love.) It was just delightful to spend time with these two.

This novel begins with the wedding of Jane and Charles and Elizabeth and Darcy. Elizabeth is unhappy that Caroline decided to use this gathering as a chance to make a big announcement: she's getting married to a wealthy American, Mr. Parrish. They're getting married in a week. And, of course, Elizabeth and Darcy feel obligated to attend. Despite the fact that they hoped to be on their way to Pemberley by then. A trip that keeps getting postponed time and time again. For better or worse, these two have a difficult time escaping the company of Caroline and her new husband! And that is where the mystery begins...


At the first, it seems that Caroline (Bingley) Parrish is the target. But. The Darcys soon realize that the threat includes the whole Bingley family. Can Elizabeth and Darcy solve this mystery in time?

I enjoyed many things about this one. I enjoyed spending time with these characters. I liked how Bebris developed Austen's original characters--Caroline Bingley, Charles, Jane, Elizabeth, Darcy, etc. I liked her new characters too. Even the "bad guys" felt properly developed. I will definitely be interested in reading more Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mystery novels.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in , , , ,

Nonfiction Monday: Ray Bradbury

8:27 AM Nikki

Ray Bradbury: Master of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Wendy Mass. 2004. Enslow Publishers. (Authors Teens Love Series). 104 pages.

I enjoyed this short biography of Ray Bradbury. I found it rich in quotes--which is just what I was hoping for! I loved learning more about his life, his inspirations, his journey as a writer. Readers learn about his childhood, what inspired him to become a writer. Readers learn about his experiences writing short stories and the publishing process. Several of his books are highlighted--examined critically--his content, his style, etc. These include, of course, Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles. Though Dandelion Wine, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and The Illustrated Man, also are mentioned to some extent. This biography follows Ray Bradbury's career through the decades. I found it informative and interesting.

Here is one of my favorite quotes--this is Ray Bradbury on writing:
People think you can plot a novel, but you can't. You have to let people live. If they lead big lives, you've got a novel. If they lead small ones, you've got a short story. (56)
Ray Bradbury on 'predicting' the future:
I don't try to predict the future, I try to prevent it. (63)
And did you know about this?!
In 1967, Bradbury's publisher released an edition of the book aimed at high school readers. They edited out any references to drinking and other behaviors and words not considered appropriate. Thus, a book about censorship had been censored. Fortunately, the original, unaltered version was still being published. But then in 1973, only the revised version was available for publication. This went on for six years until Bradbury was alerted to it by some students. He was horrified and made sure that the text was immediately restored to the original. In total, the editors had made ninety-eight changes. (61)
I liked this one. It may be small--but I found it informative. It would be a good starting place for those curious about Ray Bradbury's career as an author.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in , ,

A Hat Full of Sky (MG/YA)

7:12 AM Nikki

A Hat Full of Sky. Terry Pratchett. 2004. HarperCollins. 288 pages.

It came crackling over the hills, like an invisible fog. Movement without a body tired it, and it drifted very slowly. It wasn't thinking now. It had been months since it had last thought, because the brain that was doing the thinking for it had died. They always died. So now it was naked again, and frightened.

I just LOVED The Wee Free Men. So I was very excited to read the second Tiffany Aching adventure in the series, A Hat Full of Sky. While I still loved Tiffany, still loved Rob Anybody, it didn't wow me as much as the first.

In A Hat Full of Sky, Tiffany leaves home to train to be a witch. She'll be living with Miss Level--a witch with two bodies--and "studying" under her. Which means she'll be serving not only Miss Level but the community as well. Miss Level is a kind, compassionate person who is always thinking of others. She'll meet hags--of all ages and persuasions--like Annagramma, Petulia, Mistress Earwig, Mistress Weatherwax, etc. Not every 'hag' she meets agree on magic, on what witchcraft is.

During her time away, Tiffany faces a new danger. A danger that Rob Anybody and the other Nac Mac Feegles will try to alert her of...before it's too late.

I still enjoyed this one. I still enjoyed the writing--the humor. Still liked the adventure of it. But not quite as much as the first.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in , , , , , ,
Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Favorites More
RSS FeedSubscribe to our RSS feed!
Follow me on Twitter!Follow me on Twitter!