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Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières: Book Review

Pelagia is a beautiful 17-year-old girl living on the Greek island of Cephallonia when World War II breaks out. The Italians eventually occupy the island and that's when she meets Captain Antonio Corelli, a man who joined the Army because he thought it would give him plenty of time to practice his mandolin. There were about 100 pages when I was enchanted by this book, from about page 250-350. Everything else was just okay. The author is a beautiful writer. He's very poetic and his images just leapt to life for me. He's also a very intelligent, multi-lingual writer and my vocabulary, which I think is probably better than average, was not up to the task. Aside from obscure English words, there were bits of Greek, Italian, French, and a smattering of German thrown in for good luck. Wow. I could generally figure out what was going on, but reading this was a little too much like work in some parts. The book is told from many, many, points of view and each voice is very distinct. That's very hard to pull off, so he did get huge points for that. He also has a little bit of the whole Catch-22 thing going on. He shows you the absurdity of this whole war--well, this part of it, anyway--very plainly. But where Joseph Heller chose to show the horrible side of war in a very graphic injury that you've read about for a while before you find out what it is, de Bernières horrifies you and then breaks your heart in a couple of scenes that are ultimately tearfully, achingly beautiful. I'm not a crier, but even I welled up a little. He shows that while war can be absurd, it's also ugly, but our more-human moments shine all the more…

Dreadfully Ever After by Steve Hockensmith: Guest Book Review

I must admit that I have not read any literary mash-ups. I own Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Dawn of the Dreadfuls, thanks to Misty at Book Rat, but I haven't gotten to them yet. Not for lack of interest, it's just a matter of too many books and not enough time. My younger sister, however, has read both books. She was visiting when I got a pitch for the last in the trilogy, Dreadfully Ever After, and she was dying for me to accept. So I did--with a catch. I told her I would ask for a review copy if she would read the book and write the review. Our taste in books is remarkably similar, so it would practically be like reading my own opinion of the book. She agreed, Eric at Quirk Books agreed (Thanks, Eric!), and here, without further ado, is Rachel's review of Dreadfully Ever After. In 2009, Seth Grahame-Smith became a co-author of the beloved Jane Austen when he created Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, a unique blend that has worked so well that many others have broadened this strange genre. Whether you’re a fan or think literary mash-ups are a travesty of the English language, the saga continues. Steve Hockensmith wrote PP&Z: Dawn of the Dreadfuls, his own imagining of the prequel to PP&Z, in 2010. Now he has finished the trilogy with PP&Z: Dreadfully Ever After. You didn’t expect it to be happily ever after now, did you? I must admit, I am a fan. Like the rest of the world, I thought the idea was quirky, unique, and--let’s face it--I loved the idea of an armed Lizzy. In this latest installment, we find out what happens after “Til death, or undeath, do us part.” I do love Jane Austen (she…

The Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji: Book Review

Pasha Shahed and his best friend Ahmed are 17 years old. Life might not be perfect, but they're happy. Ahmed is in love with Faheemeh, a beautiful girl from another neighborhood. Pasha is secretly in love with Zari, who has been engaged to Pasha's mentor/friend, Doctor, since birth. It's 1973 and Iran is ripe for a revolution. The Shah is brutal about silencing any dissidents and he has the backing of the US. Doctor is a radical at heart. He disappears over the summer, supposedly to help improve the lives of remote villagers. He comes running back into the neighborhood late one night, chased by the Shah's secret police. A chain of events is set off that night that leads to heartbreak and agonizing choices. First of all, I love this cover. Not only is it beautiful, but it fits the story perfectly. I loved this glimpse into life in Iran. As an American, I have to say that we really never hear anything good about Iran. In our media, they're the bad guys who only want nuclear weapons to rain on our heads. Maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but there's a grain of truth there. This is a reminder that people are people, no matter where we happen to live. I can't relate to Pasha's strict school teachers, or fear of speaking out, but I can relate to long, perfect summers, first love, and laughter with friends. I can relate to the importance that his family and friends play in his life. I understand the highs and lows of being 17 and learning that life isn't fair. I loved the characters in this book. They were all high-spirited and loved each other. Ahmed with his irrepressible sense of humor may have been my favorite, but Pasha with his secret…

The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly: Book Review

Mickey Haller is a criminal defense attorney living in LA. His bail bondsman calls him up one day with a "franchise" case. A young man with money to burn has been charged with a whole list of crimes, ranging from something like attempted rape to assault with a deadly weapon. Don't quote me on that. Anyway, Mickey, seeing dollar signs, takes the case and starts his investigation. I'd heard a lot of good things about this and I bugged a co-worker until he finally let me borrow it. I wasn't disappointed. The book was a page-turner from the get-go, but about halfway through Connelly threw a huge twist in and I could not stop reading. As for Mickey himself...He first presents himself as a scumbag who will do anything for money. His first advertising campaign was "Reasonable doubt for a reasonable fee." Nice guy, right? I wasn't too sure about him at first. But one of his other mottoes is a saying his dad, another defense attorney, had: "There is no client as scary as an innocent man." He does his job and he does it well. Throughout the book, he explains his job as he sees it. We've all heard about the obviously guilty defendant getting off on a technicality. Had the case been worked correctly, that would not have happened. He keeps the system as honest as he can. But he's also lost his faith in the truth and the system somewhere along the way. His struggle to make peace with his job and his jaded view of the system are a pretty consistent theme throughout. It's not too preachy, but it does make you think. But all that makes the book sound too serious. It was a legal thriller that kept me turning pages. And I'm not…

Southern Plate by Christy Jordan: Book Review

I am not a cook. I mean, I can cook if I have to, but I'd much rather be reading. Some of you have to relate to that. Luckily for me, I married a man who loves to cook. So I'll sit around and read or talk to him (i.e., distract him) while he's whipping up something delicious for dinner. Then I took a job on days while he was still working nights. I knew I was in trouble. I was going to have to fend for myself in the kitchen. I was appalled. What had I been thinking? Once the shock wore off, I went looking for a cookbook. Christy Jordan was coming to Malaprops, my local indie, soon and it sounded like I might like her cookbook. It sounded like I might like her. I didn't make it to the event for some reason (I think I was tired from work), but I did pick up the cookbook. And I regret not going to that signing. I had never heard of Southern Plate, but I have now signed up on the email list. My mom isn't really a cook either (she'd rather be reading in the winter or working outside in the summer), but she did learn how to make a few of these dishes when she was growing up. My grandmother is the one most likely to turn out the Southern food, but neither of them can give me a recipe. "Well, just put a little dab in the bowl and then stir it up and pour just a little bit of milk in until it looks right." "Um, when does it look right?" "You'll know." Hmmm. Actually, I don't. Christy has a lot of my family's old favorites down in a form that I can actually…

The Known World by Edward P. Jones: Book Review

Henry Townsend is a former slave. His old owner took a liking to Henry and so has helped him out in his shoe-making business. Henry eventually makes enough money to build his own small plantation house and to start buying his own slaves. The book begins with Henry's death and skips around in time to explore questions about race, slavery, and freedom. This wasn't exactly my kind of book, but I did enjoy it. The writing was a little stark for me, but on reflection I realized that this style was probably the only appropriate style for the subject matter. There were kind of a lot of characters and I had a little bit of a hard time keeping them all straight. They also weren't really all that well-developed, but that wasn't really the point of the book. I don't really have a whole lot to say about the book. I will say this: I hate writing reviews of books that touch on race. I don't know if it's because I'm a Southerner or if all Americans have this problem, but I'm always afraid that I'm going to write something offensive without meaning to. I hate that. I hate that we all have to walk on eggshells on this issue. Not that we shouldn't--I am glad that we're becoming more aware of our behaviors and trying to correct them. We are making progress, I just wish that the issues that exist didn't exist and we didn't have to worry about it at all. That being said, the issues do exist and one of the only ways we can get any perspective is by reading these kinds of books that make us think about race issues and at least try to get an idea what it's like to be in someone…

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell: Book Review

Margaret Hale is the daughter of a slightly-impoverished parson. She's been living as a companion to her wealthy cousin, but when that cousin gets married, she goes back to live with her parents. Shortly after the transition, her father announces that his beliefs have changed and he can no longer be a parson. He moves the family to Milton, a manufacturing town in the north of England. There, he works as a tutor for the wealthy men (both young and not-so-young) of the city. Mr. Thornton, perhaps the wealthiest of the factory owners, becomes Mr. Hale's benefactor, favorite student, and friend. He spends quite a bit of time with the former parson and so gets to know Margaret. He falls for her beauty, intelligence, and grace almost from their first meeting. The same cannot be said of Margaret. She sees tradesmen as beneath her, perhaps because their work is more of a physical nature than an intellectual one. These are uneasy times in Milton. The workers want more money at a time when the "masters" see profits dropping and want to actually cut workers' wages. (Yes, cut wages. I can't say that I know much about unions, but they have an important place in our past and present.) Margaret gets to know a few workers' families and takes their side in any disagreements that arise. This of course leads to conflict between her and Mr. Thornton. I really liked this. I didn't particularly love any of the characters, but I liked their stories, and I liked the social message that was worked into a love story. Or was it the love story that was worked into a social message? The language and the romantic plot reminded me of Jane Austen. In fact, it reminded me a bit of Pride and…

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: Book Review

Kvothe is an innkeeper in a little out-of-the-way village. Or is he? One day a story-gatherer finds him and guesses that there is more to the innkeeper than meets the eye. He asks Kvothe to share his story. Kvothe agrees, but tells Chronicler that it will take three days to tell the story. This book is the first in a--can you guess?--trilogy telling Kvothe's story. This one tells of Kvothe's childhood and how he eventually made his way to the University to learn magic. Kvothe was a likeable character and the story was pretty original and entertaining. It moved at a good pace and I really found myself almost devouring it. I really lost myself in it a couple of times. In one scene when Kvothe was auditioning, I found myself with a pit in my stomach and sweaty hands. I just had to laugh at myself when I caught it! For all that, there were a couple of things that bugged me. First of all, Kvothe's name. I don't mind authors inventing names, but make it something pronounceable, please! It doesn't help to explain "It sounds like quothe." I stumbled over those consonants every time I read the name and it broke the flow of the book. Luckily the book is told in first person, so I didn't really have to read it that often. Second, the pacing was great--until one part right at the end when the author got distracted by a giant lizard. This part dragged on and on and on. There was a point to the scene, but it wasn't such a huge payoff that it demanded over fifty pages of text. I read somewhere (I think here on Goodreads) that this is like Harry Potter for grownups. Not so much. On a very superficial level,…

Austenland by Shannon Hale: Book Review

Jane Hayes has a secret. Hidden behind one of her dying houseplants is her very own copy of Colin Firth's Pride and Prejudice. She drags it out and watches it as she eats her ice cream alone in her apartment. When she's in a relationship, she tends to compare the poor guy to Mr. Darcy. Yes, she's obsessed. But her wealthy great-aunt sniffs out her secret and sends her on a three-week vacation to Austenland, a total-immersion experience where everyone dresses in Regency costume, the servants are invisible, men and women are never alone together, and the electric bulbs flicker romantically. Jane packs up and goes, hoping to kick the Darcy habit for good. This was very, very cute. Coming to Austen a little later than most, I can't say that I relate to the Darcy obsession (although if I had come across Captain Wentworth before I got married, I would probably have developed an unhealthy Wentworth-habit). But I do understand where Jane was coming from. Heck, if I'd had all the "boyfriends" Jane's had through the years, I would've given up and held out for a fictional character myself! I did get a little tired of Jane's endless decisions that she was done with Darcy and she was going to kick the habit for good this time. It was a three-week stay and it felt like she analyzed herself to death and came to that resolution almost daily. I knock the book back to 3.5 stars largely because of this. The men at Austenland were very Austen-esque and I couldn't help but like them. I have to admit my ears perked up when Captain Wentworth's equivalent showed up! The ending was more than I hoped for. I was listening to this alone in the car on the way home…

A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle: Book Review

Peter Mayle and his wife finally decide to say goodbye to dreary British weather and move to sunny Provence in France. This book tells about their experiences living in Provence, from the colorful locals to the excellent food to the workmen who come and go like forces of nature. This book had me ready to go on vacation in Provence. Notice that I don't say "move to Provence." I would starve. All those lovingly written descriptions of French food left me cold. I could survive for a week or two though. Parts of this had me roaring with laughter. My favorite part was probably the goat race. Oh my gosh! I read this on one of my last nights at my old job, and let me tell you, I was doing my best to hold back my laughter while sitting around on my downtime in the emergency room, but little snickers and giggles were escaping, and I had tears rolling down my face. Not exactly the appropriate place for that, but luckily I was tucked away in my little corner, and I don't think anybody noticed. I hope. Another of my favorite parts was the translation of the French person's body language. I'm sure it's different, but I hope this gives me a place to start in translating my Cuban father-in-law's body language. He doesn't just tell a story, he enacts it, with hands flying everywhere. I think any homeowner can relate to the stories of the workmen. At least these guys did show up, but, wow, I don't know if that's good or bad. The Mayles did come up with an ingenious way to get them back to work though. I may have to give that a try sometime... So there's no big, earth-shattering plot here. This still felt…