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literacyluminary's reviews
971 reviews
Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
3.0
My review is posted here: http://gerberadaisydiaries.blogspot.com/2009/09/book-review-pope-joan.html
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
2.0
http://gerberadaisydiaries.blogspot.com/2009/10/book-reivew-help.html
This book has been raved about by every book blogger on the bloggersphere or bloggernacle. So, if you want a glowing review, there are many to choose from. But you won't find it here.
I will be brief, because it’s taken me so long to read The Help (6 weeks – that’s insane) I don’t think I can spend any more time to write a review, because I want to be done. I am a lone dissenter in the high praise for this book. I hated it, I loved it; I was offended, I was bored; I was angry, I felt guilty; I cried: My emotions and feelings about this book were all over the place. My final reaction was that it was racist. Maybe because I live in the South and I can’t separate myself from my surroundings and my state’s history. But, that’s how I felt. Sorry, I’ve got no other great metaphorical explanation.
But since it’s the “book du jour” in the publishing world and The New York Times, I think you should read it regardless of how I felt about it.
My copy is available!
Postscript: One more thing I would like to add...that I didn't in my rant (because, like I said, I was DONE), but every book review I've read was by a white woman -- every quote on the back dust jacket is by a white woman -- I really would like to know what the African American community thinks of this book?? One of the many things that bothered me.
This book has been raved about by every book blogger on the bloggersphere or bloggernacle. So, if you want a glowing review, there are many to choose from. But you won't find it here.
I will be brief, because it’s taken me so long to read The Help (6 weeks – that’s insane) I don’t think I can spend any more time to write a review, because I want to be done. I am a lone dissenter in the high praise for this book. I hated it, I loved it; I was offended, I was bored; I was angry, I felt guilty; I cried: My emotions and feelings about this book were all over the place. My final reaction was that it was racist. Maybe because I live in the South and I can’t separate myself from my surroundings and my state’s history. But, that’s how I felt. Sorry, I’ve got no other great metaphorical explanation.
But since it’s the “book du jour” in the publishing world and The New York Times, I think you should read it regardless of how I felt about it.
My copy is available!
Postscript: One more thing I would like to add...that I didn't in my rant (because, like I said, I was DONE), but every book review I've read was by a white woman -- every quote on the back dust jacket is by a white woman -- I really would like to know what the African American community thinks of this book?? One of the many things that bothered me.
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
3.0
http://gerberadaisydiaries.blogspot.com/2009/10/book-review-thirteenth-tale.html
The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield, was the perfect choice for our October/Halloween book group: a story filled with ghost tales, crumbling estates, mysterious accidents and madness.
Margaret Lea has been asked by prolific but reclusive writer, Vita Winter, to act as scribe and storyteller for her biography. Margaret must spend the next few months living and learning of the horrors of Miss Winter’s life, while coming to terms with her own demons.
Miss Winter has some serious familial issues: an ancestry overflowing with incestuous relationships, mental illness, abuse and neglect. Much like Brontë – she has a “crazy Uncle in the nursery” instead of the “crazy wife in the attic.” She has been raised by the estates caretakers and has a dysfunctional relationship with her twin sister. Life was not good at her family’s estate, Angelfield, and Miss Lea is left to put the pieces together.
For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I thought Ms. Satterfield’s prose was glorious. Her descriptions of Angelfield and the moors were exact. I often caught myself looking out the window to see if the fog was rolling in. And when you get to the scene in the nursery – seriously – you will be cleaning your house for weeks! It was perfectly spooky and creepy. However, as Miss Lea solves the mystery around Miss Winter’s life, I wanted to stop and say, “Huh? Really?” I just didn’t get it. And the ending, was too perfectly tied up with a bow for my taste.
This novel is Ms. Setterfield’s homage to all things gothic, DuMaurier and Brontë.
But DuMaurier and Brontë would have done it better.
The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield, was the perfect choice for our October/Halloween book group: a story filled with ghost tales, crumbling estates, mysterious accidents and madness.
Margaret Lea has been asked by prolific but reclusive writer, Vita Winter, to act as scribe and storyteller for her biography. Margaret must spend the next few months living and learning of the horrors of Miss Winter’s life, while coming to terms with her own demons.
Miss Winter has some serious familial issues: an ancestry overflowing with incestuous relationships, mental illness, abuse and neglect. Much like Brontë – she has a “crazy Uncle in the nursery” instead of the “crazy wife in the attic.” She has been raised by the estates caretakers and has a dysfunctional relationship with her twin sister. Life was not good at her family’s estate, Angelfield, and Miss Lea is left to put the pieces together.
For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I thought Ms. Satterfield’s prose was glorious. Her descriptions of Angelfield and the moors were exact. I often caught myself looking out the window to see if the fog was rolling in. And when you get to the scene in the nursery – seriously – you will be cleaning your house for weeks! It was perfectly spooky and creepy. However, as Miss Lea solves the mystery around Miss Winter’s life, I wanted to stop and say, “Huh? Really?” I just didn’t get it. And the ending, was too perfectly tied up with a bow for my taste.
This novel is Ms. Setterfield’s homage to all things gothic, DuMaurier and Brontë.
But DuMaurier and Brontë would have done it better.
The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë by Syrie James
4.0
http://gerberadaisydiaries.blogspot.com/2009/11/book-review-secret-diaries-of-charlotte.html
Charlotte Bronte wrote prolifically – poetry, juvenilia, fantasy stories, letters, novels – some published, some not, some not finished – but we don’t have her diaries. Whether she kept a diary or not we will never know. But thanks to author, Syrie James, we can imagine what it might be like to read Charlotte’s private thoughts.
Through her “diaries” we learn that Charlotte’s suffered greatly – she lost her mother at 5 to cancer; her older sisters both died when she was 9; her brother was an alcoholic; and her remaining sisters, best friends and confidants -- Anne and Emily -- both died within 6 months of each other, before they turned 30. Charlotte and her father were the only surviving members of her family. She was educated at harsh, bleak boarding schools, she studied abroad in Belgium, was determined to start a school with Anne and Emily, only to have it closed because of no applicants and she had an “affair” with her tutor, who would later become her inspiration for her posthumously published novel, The Professor. Finally, Charlotte reveals to us her great romance with curate, A. B. Nicholls, which was nearly ruined because of her father’s disapproval.
This was a delightful novel. I felt Charlotte’s agony at the loss of her family and I shivered with her when she sought solace in the moor landscape of her English home. Ultimately, I cheered her for preserving against the establishment and succeeding in getting her works published (even if she had to publish them under a male pseudonym).
Additionally, I loved the “extras” at the end of the book – where I could read samples of Charlotte’s actual letters and poems. I’ve been inspired to read (and re-read) all of the Bronte sisters’ books!
The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte was recently selected as a “great group read” by the Women’s National Book Association. A well deserved honor for Charlotte’s “diary.”
Charlotte Bronte wrote prolifically – poetry, juvenilia, fantasy stories, letters, novels – some published, some not, some not finished – but we don’t have her diaries. Whether she kept a diary or not we will never know. But thanks to author, Syrie James, we can imagine what it might be like to read Charlotte’s private thoughts.
Through her “diaries” we learn that Charlotte’s suffered greatly – she lost her mother at 5 to cancer; her older sisters both died when she was 9; her brother was an alcoholic; and her remaining sisters, best friends and confidants -- Anne and Emily -- both died within 6 months of each other, before they turned 30. Charlotte and her father were the only surviving members of her family. She was educated at harsh, bleak boarding schools, she studied abroad in Belgium, was determined to start a school with Anne and Emily, only to have it closed because of no applicants and she had an “affair” with her tutor, who would later become her inspiration for her posthumously published novel, The Professor. Finally, Charlotte reveals to us her great romance with curate, A. B. Nicholls, which was nearly ruined because of her father’s disapproval.
This was a delightful novel. I felt Charlotte’s agony at the loss of her family and I shivered with her when she sought solace in the moor landscape of her English home. Ultimately, I cheered her for preserving against the establishment and succeeding in getting her works published (even if she had to publish them under a male pseudonym).
Additionally, I loved the “extras” at the end of the book – where I could read samples of Charlotte’s actual letters and poems. I’ve been inspired to read (and re-read) all of the Bronte sisters’ books!
The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte was recently selected as a “great group read” by the Women’s National Book Association. A well deserved honor for Charlotte’s “diary.”
Am I Not A Man? The Dred Scott Story by Mark L. Shurtleff, Mark L. Shurtleff
3.0
http://gerberadaisydiaries.blogspot.com/2009/11/book-review-am-i-not-man-dred-scott.html
Dred Scott: for me he was a forgotten footnote from an intro to Constitutional Law or American history class, taken so many years ago. Who was he? Why was he important? Why can’t I remember?
Mark Shurtleff, in his debut novel, Am I Not a Man? The Dred Scott Story attempts to answer those questions as he rediscovers the man, born a slave, who changed the course of history by suing, unsuccessfully, for the right to be free. In 1846 he sued for his freedom on the grounds that residing in free territory had made him free. Eleven years later his case reached the Supreme Court, where it was decided on March 6, 1857. Chief Justice Roger Taney read the majority opinion declaring that Dred Scott was not a person but a piece of property.
This novel is meticulously researched and enormous in scope: from his birth in Virginia, his ownership by the Blow Family, his travels with the Blows and his sale to Dr. Emerson, to his final judgment in a Missouri courtroom and ultimately, the Supreme Court, there is no detail spared in this narrative. The author seems to include every historical figure from Thomas Jefferson to James Madison to Andrew Jackson, Robert E. Lee and US Grant; even the Prophet Joseph Smith makes an unexpected and unlikely appearance. It was a soup-pot of characters including family genealogical histories and a myriad wives, husbands, friends, and in-laws. So many, I had a difficult time keeping them all straight.
As a parallel to Dred’s story, the author details the lives of President Abraham Lincoln and Roger Taney, the Chief Justice who would write the majority opinion in Dred Scott v. Sanford, denying Dred his freedom. As he explores the ancestors of these two individuals, somehow, in a work of historical fiction, our current president is mentioned. It was an awkward reference, that didn’t seem appropriate in a work of “fiction.” Similarly, the events of September 11, 2001 are alluded too after the British attack Virginia and Maryland – completely shocking me out of the novel.
However, one of the more successful sections of the book was the account of Peter Blow’s Virginia Militia service and Dred’s support as they and the militia defend Virginia against the attacking British forces during the War of 1812. The imagery of “Red Coats” marching through the mud as they advanced on Craney Island was extremely well done. The author also creates a vivid account of Dred’s relationship with his wife Harriet and their children, Eliza and Lizzie (although, I often wondered, “who names their children both essentially the same name – Elizabeth?”). Their love and devotion to each other and their daughters was tangible on the page. Additionally, and most importantly, the final chapters that detail the legal battle fought by Dred and his lawyers were paramount.
Although the range of this novel needed streamlining and editing, the author did a decent job in creating a life for Dred Scott, a man whose struggle has been forgotten by many in my generation.
Book source: publisher
Dred Scott: for me he was a forgotten footnote from an intro to Constitutional Law or American history class, taken so many years ago. Who was he? Why was he important? Why can’t I remember?
Mark Shurtleff, in his debut novel, Am I Not a Man? The Dred Scott Story attempts to answer those questions as he rediscovers the man, born a slave, who changed the course of history by suing, unsuccessfully, for the right to be free. In 1846 he sued for his freedom on the grounds that residing in free territory had made him free. Eleven years later his case reached the Supreme Court, where it was decided on March 6, 1857. Chief Justice Roger Taney read the majority opinion declaring that Dred Scott was not a person but a piece of property.
This novel is meticulously researched and enormous in scope: from his birth in Virginia, his ownership by the Blow Family, his travels with the Blows and his sale to Dr. Emerson, to his final judgment in a Missouri courtroom and ultimately, the Supreme Court, there is no detail spared in this narrative. The author seems to include every historical figure from Thomas Jefferson to James Madison to Andrew Jackson, Robert E. Lee and US Grant; even the Prophet Joseph Smith makes an unexpected and unlikely appearance. It was a soup-pot of characters including family genealogical histories and a myriad wives, husbands, friends, and in-laws. So many, I had a difficult time keeping them all straight.
As a parallel to Dred’s story, the author details the lives of President Abraham Lincoln and Roger Taney, the Chief Justice who would write the majority opinion in Dred Scott v. Sanford, denying Dred his freedom. As he explores the ancestors of these two individuals, somehow, in a work of historical fiction, our current president is mentioned. It was an awkward reference, that didn’t seem appropriate in a work of “fiction.” Similarly, the events of September 11, 2001 are alluded too after the British attack Virginia and Maryland – completely shocking me out of the novel.
However, one of the more successful sections of the book was the account of Peter Blow’s Virginia Militia service and Dred’s support as they and the militia defend Virginia against the attacking British forces during the War of 1812. The imagery of “Red Coats” marching through the mud as they advanced on Craney Island was extremely well done. The author also creates a vivid account of Dred’s relationship with his wife Harriet and their children, Eliza and Lizzie (although, I often wondered, “who names their children both essentially the same name – Elizabeth?”). Their love and devotion to each other and their daughters was tangible on the page. Additionally, and most importantly, the final chapters that detail the legal battle fought by Dred and his lawyers were paramount.
Although the range of this novel needed streamlining and editing, the author did a decent job in creating a life for Dred Scott, a man whose struggle has been forgotten by many in my generation.
Book source: publisher
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
4.0
In third grade, I was Peggy, the character in Eleanor Estes’ book, The Hundred Dresses. I don’t remember why, but I was mean to a little girl named Kristen. So much so, that my parents, her parents and the teacher all became involved in trying to resolve the conflict. Still, 30+ years later, I’m troubled by my actions, and why I acted so cruelly. Which is why The Hundred Dresses is such a timeless book – and shows us how the power of words can be used for such good and such harm.
Our third grade mother/daughter book group took the month OFF for the holidays – so my daughter and I read this book together, in lieu of Betsy –Tacy. I hope my daughter uses kind words to her friends in school and doesn’t follow in her mother’s footsteps.
I highly recommend reading this book with your school aged children.
Our third grade mother/daughter book group took the month OFF for the holidays – so my daughter and I read this book together, in lieu of Betsy –Tacy. I hope my daughter uses kind words to her friends in school and doesn’t follow in her mother’s footsteps.
I highly recommend reading this book with your school aged children.
Jane and His Lordship's Legacy by Stephanie Barron
3.0
http://gerberadaisydiaries.blogspot.com/2009/12/book-review-jane-and-his-lordships.html
Oh, poor Jane Austen, if she had only been born during the time of current copyright laws, her wealth would rival that of JK Rowling, and she would have been able to quash, or at least control, the secondary industry of knock-off Jane Austen lit proliferating book store shelves.
Part of the subset of Jane Austen lit is Stephanie Barron’s Being a Jane Austen Mystery Series, a sequence of 8 books, beginning with Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, and recreates the writer Jane as a part time detective solving unexplained local murders. I am not a reader of J. A. knock off lit – but my Everything Austen Challenge coaxed me to expand my reading preferences to accomplish my year end goal. I discovered these books while shelving mysteries at the library.
In Jane and His Lordship’s Legacy, Jane, her mother and sister have recently moved to Chawton, her final home and where she would pen most of her novels. Upon taking up residence at Chawton Cottage, Jane is shocked to find a rat-eaten corpse in the cellar of her home. From that point on, the mystery involves a recently deceased love interest, the theft of an ornate “Bengal Chest” belonging to her late paramour, a combination of Lords and Ladies, and a crumbling estate, Stonings.
My first mistake in choosing this book was starting with the 8th book in the series. Can you imagine starting Harry Potter with Deathly Hallows??!! I purchased this book at a used book store and was under the impression that they were stand alone mysteries. I would have been better served to start with an earlier book, so I would have some back ground into Jane Austen’s mystery life. In Lordship, Jane is obviously distraught over the recent death of a love interest – “The Rogue.” Through the first several chapters, I kept thinking “who the heck is this Rogue guy?” It finally occurred to me that their relationship and his subsequent death were detailed in a previous book. That knowledge would have been helpful.
However, even without the historical background earlier books would have provided, I thought the author did a commendable job in recreating Jane’s unique prose and her rural village life. I loved how she incorporated Jane’s real family – brothers, mother and sister – and their documented past (the property they owned and the places they lived). She has done meticulous research and her use of footnotes was particularly enjoyable. Conversely, I wished the Ms. Barron would have referred more to Jane Austen the “author” throughout the book – what novels she would have been working on while trying to sleuth.
All in all, a thoroughly pleasant read, but next time, I would start with book one.
Oh, poor Jane Austen, if she had only been born during the time of current copyright laws, her wealth would rival that of JK Rowling, and she would have been able to quash, or at least control, the secondary industry of knock-off Jane Austen lit proliferating book store shelves.
Part of the subset of Jane Austen lit is Stephanie Barron’s Being a Jane Austen Mystery Series, a sequence of 8 books, beginning with Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, and recreates the writer Jane as a part time detective solving unexplained local murders. I am not a reader of J. A. knock off lit – but my Everything Austen Challenge coaxed me to expand my reading preferences to accomplish my year end goal. I discovered these books while shelving mysteries at the library.
In Jane and His Lordship’s Legacy, Jane, her mother and sister have recently moved to Chawton, her final home and where she would pen most of her novels. Upon taking up residence at Chawton Cottage, Jane is shocked to find a rat-eaten corpse in the cellar of her home. From that point on, the mystery involves a recently deceased love interest, the theft of an ornate “Bengal Chest” belonging to her late paramour, a combination of Lords and Ladies, and a crumbling estate, Stonings.
My first mistake in choosing this book was starting with the 8th book in the series. Can you imagine starting Harry Potter with Deathly Hallows??!! I purchased this book at a used book store and was under the impression that they were stand alone mysteries. I would have been better served to start with an earlier book, so I would have some back ground into Jane Austen’s mystery life. In Lordship, Jane is obviously distraught over the recent death of a love interest – “The Rogue.” Through the first several chapters, I kept thinking “who the heck is this Rogue guy?” It finally occurred to me that their relationship and his subsequent death were detailed in a previous book. That knowledge would have been helpful.
However, even without the historical background earlier books would have provided, I thought the author did a commendable job in recreating Jane’s unique prose and her rural village life. I loved how she incorporated Jane’s real family – brothers, mother and sister – and their documented past (the property they owned and the places they lived). She has done meticulous research and her use of footnotes was particularly enjoyable. Conversely, I wished the Ms. Barron would have referred more to Jane Austen the “author” throughout the book – what novels she would have been working on while trying to sleuth.
All in all, a thoroughly pleasant read, but next time, I would start with book one.
New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance: A Memoir, The by Elna Baker
4.0
http://gerberadaisydiaries.blogspot.com/2009/12/book-review-new-york-regional-mormon.html
For anyone who has experienced an LDS (Latter-day Saint) church dance, they are on the spectrum of the cheesiest thing you have ever participated in to the most magical experience of your life (however, I’ve only experienced the former and I really don’t think the latter exists). Elna Baker uses the legend of church dances as the framework for her memoir, The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance. This infamous dance is now probably the single most popular activity in all the church!
As a LDS member who has chosen NYU over BYU, Elna tries to balance two worlds: One of devout Latter-day Saint member, the other of artistic, educated, attractive young woman. Throughout the memoir we are given intimate access to Elna’s struggles: her struggles with weight, her struggles with faith, her struggles with morality and her struggles with employment. Along the ride we meet her atheist boyfriend and love of her life, “Matt,” her member boyfriend and almost fiancé, “Hayes,” and “Warren Beatty” with whom she almost has a one night stand.
Elna is an extremely talented writer. Her personal vignettes are tragic and hysterical all at the same time. She is an unexpected missionary – discussing sometimes difficult church doctrine with ease and straightforwardness and recognizes the “elephant in the room” when talking about doctrine that may seem weird to others. She is truly brave by allowing so many millions to read about her moral trespasses. I probably shouldn’t air my dirty laundry in a book review – but at times, this was a very painful book to read – I had similar experiences as a single adult (and sometimes inactive) member of the church. It was often a difficult process. I wish I could recreate my single years in such a humorous and redemptive fashion!
A warning for the reader: Elna is very descriptive when describing her “flings.” She doesn’t mince words and doesn’t sugar coat her internal battles. Nor does she shy away from language that many might find inappropriate – especially for a member of the church. I, however, appreciated her candor and felt she was being true to herself. Others may not feel the same way.
Thank you Elna sharing your life, knowledge, maturation, humor, and discoveries with us. And thank you for giving me back my reading mojo!
For anyone who has experienced an LDS (Latter-day Saint) church dance, they are on the spectrum of the cheesiest thing you have ever participated in to the most magical experience of your life (however, I’ve only experienced the former and I really don’t think the latter exists). Elna Baker uses the legend of church dances as the framework for her memoir, The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance. This infamous dance is now probably the single most popular activity in all the church!
As a LDS member who has chosen NYU over BYU, Elna tries to balance two worlds: One of devout Latter-day Saint member, the other of artistic, educated, attractive young woman. Throughout the memoir we are given intimate access to Elna’s struggles: her struggles with weight, her struggles with faith, her struggles with morality and her struggles with employment. Along the ride we meet her atheist boyfriend and love of her life, “Matt,” her member boyfriend and almost fiancé, “Hayes,” and “Warren Beatty” with whom she almost has a one night stand.
Elna is an extremely talented writer. Her personal vignettes are tragic and hysterical all at the same time. She is an unexpected missionary – discussing sometimes difficult church doctrine with ease and straightforwardness and recognizes the “elephant in the room” when talking about doctrine that may seem weird to others. She is truly brave by allowing so many millions to read about her moral trespasses. I probably shouldn’t air my dirty laundry in a book review – but at times, this was a very painful book to read – I had similar experiences as a single adult (and sometimes inactive) member of the church. It was often a difficult process. I wish I could recreate my single years in such a humorous and redemptive fashion!
A warning for the reader: Elna is very descriptive when describing her “flings.” She doesn’t mince words and doesn’t sugar coat her internal battles. Nor does she shy away from language that many might find inappropriate – especially for a member of the church. I, however, appreciated her candor and felt she was being true to herself. Others may not feel the same way.
Thank you Elna sharing your life, knowledge, maturation, humor, and discoveries with us. And thank you for giving me back my reading mojo!