Combine lots of historical fact, enough fantasy to sweeten the plot and a modern crime story and you have the ingredients for a page turning book. The only problem is that the average reader (me) doesn't exactly know where the historical fact and fantasy start and stop. The process of sorting it out is made more difficult with the never ending switches in time.
I loved the book, but I would have liked the delineation between fact and fiction to have been a bit more clearly drawn.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Pillars of the Earth and World Without End by Ken Follett
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pillars_of_the_Earth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Without_End
If you have any interest in 12th century Europe or architecture or personal relationships or the Catholic Church, you should seriously consider reading these two massive volumes. Mr. Follett makes dreary, dusty history come alive through his characters. Reading two books of this size is quite an undertaking, but if you persevere, you will have a much better understanding of the world as it is today - shaped by yesterday's actions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Without_End
If you have any interest in 12th century Europe or architecture or personal relationships or the Catholic Church, you should seriously consider reading these two massive volumes. Mr. Follett makes dreary, dusty history come alive through his characters. Reading two books of this size is quite an undertaking, but if you persevere, you will have a much better understanding of the world as it is today - shaped by yesterday's actions.
Room by Emma Donoghue
Wow! What a page turner!
A young woman is kidnapped and locked away in a totally secure shed where she gives birth to two children. After seven years, she is determined to escape. What if her attempts fail? How much worse might her conditions become? What if her attempts succeed? Is she really ready for the outside world? You'll never know if you don't read the book!
I have a favorite quote from the book I would like to share:
. . . when I woke up in that shed, I thought nobody'd ever had it as bad as me. But the thing is, slavery's not a new invention. And solitary confinement - did you know, in America we've got more than 25,000 prisoners in isolation cells? Some of them for more than twenty years." . . . "As for kids - there's places where babies lie in orphanages five to a cot with pacifiers taped into their mouths, kids getting raped by Daddy every night, kids in prisons, whatever, making carpets till they go blind -" . . . "Not just children. People are locked up in all sorts of ways."
Makes you think, huh?
A young woman is kidnapped and locked away in a totally secure shed where she gives birth to two children. After seven years, she is determined to escape. What if her attempts fail? How much worse might her conditions become? What if her attempts succeed? Is she really ready for the outside world? You'll never know if you don't read the book!
I have a favorite quote from the book I would like to share:
. . . when I woke up in that shed, I thought nobody'd ever had it as bad as me. But the thing is, slavery's not a new invention. And solitary confinement - did you know, in America we've got more than 25,000 prisoners in isolation cells? Some of them for more than twenty years." . . . "As for kids - there's places where babies lie in orphanages five to a cot with pacifiers taped into their mouths, kids getting raped by Daddy every night, kids in prisons, whatever, making carpets till they go blind -" . . . "Not just children. People are locked up in all sorts of ways."
Makes you think, huh?
Black Like Me
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Like_Me
I was able to attend a book club discussion of The Help during which the group leader talked about this stirring book which was first published in 1961.
Black Like Me is the account of a white journalist who dared dye his skin black and travel through the south as a black man. I had read the book long ago, but thought it deserved a reread and it was worth the effort.
Going through this material not only helps the reader focus on how far we have come with civil rights, but how far we have left to travel.
Science at the Edge Edited by John Brockman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brockman_%28literary_agent%29
I don't pretend to comprehend even a small fraction of this material, but occasionally, I like to step out and read something that really stretches my imagination and my view of the world. Every one of these essays will do that and more. Besides, I can sometimes impress my husband with one of the gems I gleaned from its pages. Great for conversation starters in front of the fire on a winter evening.
I don't pretend to comprehend even a small fraction of this material, but occasionally, I like to step out and read something that really stretches my imagination and my view of the world. Every one of these essays will do that and more. Besides, I can sometimes impress my husband with one of the gems I gleaned from its pages. Great for conversation starters in front of the fire on a winter evening.
The Grapes of Wrath
Sometimes a person needs to reread a classic, remember the plot as the pages are turned, reconnect with the characters, and be grateful all over again for the sweet grapes so readily available in today's world.
Monday, January 3, 2011
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/The-Guernsey-Literary-and-Potato-Peel-Pie-Society-Readers-Guide/379001235/
This was an enjoyable book from start to finish. It features no impossible-to- fathom endings, no lapses in character, no rewriting of history. It is the tale of unforgettable characters drawn from divergent aspects of Guernsey Island society. They have little in common except their love of books and one another. The book is about hope they give one another and the its power to sustain them through the ravages of war.
I love the way the authors told the story through letters. It allows so many to have their say without the interference of others.
This was an enjoyable book from start to finish. It features no impossible-to- fathom endings, no lapses in character, no rewriting of history. It is the tale of unforgettable characters drawn from divergent aspects of Guernsey Island society. They have little in common except their love of books and one another. The book is about hope they give one another and the its power to sustain them through the ravages of war.
I love the way the authors told the story through letters. It allows so many to have their say without the interference of others.
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