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A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh
1.0
http://gerberadaisydiaries.blogspot.com/2010/05/book-review-matter-of-class.html
Smmary:
Library Journal
Her scandalous near elopement with a coachman and his habitually drunken and spendthrift ways have brought Lady Annabelle Ashton and Mr. Reginald Mason to a pretty pass. Their families have had nothing to do with each other for 30 years, ever since the coal merchant Masons moved next door to the Earl of Havercroft's estate. But the highly successful Mr. Mason would like nothing better than to bring his aristocratic neighbor low by rescuing his daughter's reputation along with the earl's suffering finances while teaching his own son how to behave like a gentleman. Marriage between the two seems the only solution. VERDICT Fans of the popular Balogh (Seducing an Angel) are accustomed to her longer, more complex historical romances. Yet this slip of a novel manages to reveal a great deal about its misguided protagonists and how the past catches up with them. The happily-ever-after is never in doubt, but the unexpected denouement will have readers gasping and smiling with delight. A can't-miss choice for romance fans.
This was the biggest waste of time. I was sucked in by the pretty cover and the forlorn looking woman on the front AND that it was a brief 200 pages, perfect for a book "interlude" opposite my Wolf Hall odyssey. I don't read romance fiction often, but I do love a little romantic pas de deux every now and then. This one was pure nonsense. The characters were insipid and cardboard. The dialogue between the two characters (that spans the course of their lifetime) was for much older people, not the child/adolescent/teenagers/yearly young adults they were suppose to be. The author's use of the term ton, meaning society or town, was so overused I wanted to take a sharpie and black it out every time I read it.
This was really, really, bad.
At least I only squandered one afternoon.
After this disaster, I will be glad to welcome back Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
Smmary:
Library Journal
Her scandalous near elopement with a coachman and his habitually drunken and spendthrift ways have brought Lady Annabelle Ashton and Mr. Reginald Mason to a pretty pass. Their families have had nothing to do with each other for 30 years, ever since the coal merchant Masons moved next door to the Earl of Havercroft's estate. But the highly successful Mr. Mason would like nothing better than to bring his aristocratic neighbor low by rescuing his daughter's reputation along with the earl's suffering finances while teaching his own son how to behave like a gentleman. Marriage between the two seems the only solution. VERDICT Fans of the popular Balogh (Seducing an Angel) are accustomed to her longer, more complex historical romances. Yet this slip of a novel manages to reveal a great deal about its misguided protagonists and how the past catches up with them. The happily-ever-after is never in doubt, but the unexpected denouement will have readers gasping and smiling with delight. A can't-miss choice for romance fans.
This was the biggest waste of time. I was sucked in by the pretty cover and the forlorn looking woman on the front AND that it was a brief 200 pages, perfect for a book "interlude" opposite my Wolf Hall odyssey. I don't read romance fiction often, but I do love a little romantic pas de deux every now and then. This one was pure nonsense. The characters were insipid and cardboard. The dialogue between the two characters (that spans the course of their lifetime) was for much older people, not the child/adolescent/teenagers/yearly young adults they were suppose to be. The author's use of the term ton, meaning society or town, was so overused I wanted to take a sharpie and black it out every time I read it.
This was really, really, bad.
At least I only squandered one afternoon.
After this disaster, I will be glad to welcome back Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
3.0
Guest Blog: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Book 2 – The Sea of Monsters
I can’t help it. No matter how much I want to like the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series, I am continually nagged by the thought that this is a not so clever, fairly blatant rip off of Harry Potter – but I know it is not. Was Harry Potter a not-so-clever, blatant-rip-off of something that preceded it? C. S. Lewis’ The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe Chronicles? J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy? Maybe a series that I am not as familiar with? Unfortunately, after the second book, The Sea of Monsters, the parallels are unmistakable:
Percy Jackson = Harry Potter
Annabeth = Hermione
Grover = Ron Weasley (maybe a stretch)
Chiron = Dumbledore
Kronos = Lord Voldemort
Luke = Draco Malfoy
Half-Blood Hill = Hogwarts
I could go on…
But on its own merits, I still found The Sea of Monsters very entertaining. A fast paced voyage novel well suited for any young reader with adventure in their hearts. Updating the story of Jason and the Argonauts and the quest for the Golden Fleece, Rick Riordan again makes the world of the gods seem commonplace in the real world of today. Though the beginning of this book is maybe too similar to the way The Lightning Thief began, the introduction of a new character – Tyson – the half brother of Percy who is also a Cyclops – is a tender example of how cruel our world can be to those who are different – and how important it is to rise above first impressions and find the goodness in everyone. It may just surprise you!
Other than my HP comparison issues, the only other criticism I have, and it is really more a hope that the upcoming books don’t fall deeper into this trap, is that the writing verges on the cinematic – as if Mr. Riordan is writing with a screenplay and Hollywood in mind rather than writing a great story, with the depth and care it takes to rise above the lure of the quick and easy success a film franchise can bring. (Tsk, Tsk, Dan Brown and The Lost Symbol!) I guess that will be his “Golden Fleece,” the lure of “Circe”, or the hard to ignore “Siren” song. May Mr. Riordan avoid these human frailties and find his true, original voice in The Titan’s Curse.
I can’t help it. No matter how much I want to like the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series, I am continually nagged by the thought that this is a not so clever, fairly blatant rip off of Harry Potter – but I know it is not. Was Harry Potter a not-so-clever, blatant-rip-off of something that preceded it? C. S. Lewis’ The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe Chronicles? J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy? Maybe a series that I am not as familiar with? Unfortunately, after the second book, The Sea of Monsters, the parallels are unmistakable:
Percy Jackson = Harry Potter
Annabeth = Hermione
Grover = Ron Weasley (maybe a stretch)
Chiron = Dumbledore
Kronos = Lord Voldemort
Luke = Draco Malfoy
Half-Blood Hill = Hogwarts
I could go on…
But on its own merits, I still found The Sea of Monsters very entertaining. A fast paced voyage novel well suited for any young reader with adventure in their hearts. Updating the story of Jason and the Argonauts and the quest for the Golden Fleece, Rick Riordan again makes the world of the gods seem commonplace in the real world of today. Though the beginning of this book is maybe too similar to the way The Lightning Thief began, the introduction of a new character – Tyson – the half brother of Percy who is also a Cyclops – is a tender example of how cruel our world can be to those who are different – and how important it is to rise above first impressions and find the goodness in everyone. It may just surprise you!
Other than my HP comparison issues, the only other criticism I have, and it is really more a hope that the upcoming books don’t fall deeper into this trap, is that the writing verges on the cinematic – as if Mr. Riordan is writing with a screenplay and Hollywood in mind rather than writing a great story, with the depth and care it takes to rise above the lure of the quick and easy success a film franchise can bring. (Tsk, Tsk, Dan Brown and The Lost Symbol!) I guess that will be his “Golden Fleece,” the lure of “Circe”, or the hard to ignore “Siren” song. May Mr. Riordan avoid these human frailties and find his true, original voice in The Titan’s Curse.
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
4.0
Henry VIII needs an heir – he needs Katherine of Aragon out and wants Anne Boleyn in. It’s up to Thomas Cromwell to figure out how to make it happen.
Thus begins the tumult of the English reformation.
Reams of paper have been devoted to this historical time period. I have not read much of it other than what was required in high school and college. But Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, makes this chaotic and violent event, modern and fresh.
She has brought to life characters lost to history books. Thomas Cromwell could walk off the page and become a modern day lobbyist or presidential advisor. Henry and Anne could be the precursor to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (or any other dysfunctional reality TV couple). He could also be a distant caricature of Elvis – a man of immense talent and judgment, but loses himself in gluttony and the influence of his advisors.
The brilliance of Mantel’s book is her dialogue. Never have I read a book where the dialogue was so rich, authentic, shrewd and, ultimately, witty. She has created living, breathing, individuals who seem as modern as the news in today’s paper. I would reach the end of a sentence or paragraph and often gasp, “Wow.”
The downfall to this book is the immense character list. Never have I read about so many THOMASES. I guess every mother in the 16th century was fond of that name. It proved complicated to keep them all straight. The majority of the time, she used the personal pronoun, HE, to refer exclusively to Thomas Cromwell. But even that was hard to follow. Additionally, the Suffolks , Norfolks, Richmonds – any number of suffixes added to a name was difficult to place.
Ultimately, this was a historically rich and engaging book, for Anglophile and novice alike.
Thus begins the tumult of the English reformation.
Reams of paper have been devoted to this historical time period. I have not read much of it other than what was required in high school and college. But Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, makes this chaotic and violent event, modern and fresh.
She has brought to life characters lost to history books. Thomas Cromwell could walk off the page and become a modern day lobbyist or presidential advisor. Henry and Anne could be the precursor to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (or any other dysfunctional reality TV couple). He could also be a distant caricature of Elvis – a man of immense talent and judgment, but loses himself in gluttony and the influence of his advisors.
The brilliance of Mantel’s book is her dialogue. Never have I read a book where the dialogue was so rich, authentic, shrewd and, ultimately, witty. She has created living, breathing, individuals who seem as modern as the news in today’s paper. I would reach the end of a sentence or paragraph and often gasp, “Wow.”
The downfall to this book is the immense character list. Never have I read about so many THOMASES. I guess every mother in the 16th century was fond of that name. It proved complicated to keep them all straight. The majority of the time, she used the personal pronoun, HE, to refer exclusively to Thomas Cromwell. But even that was hard to follow. Additionally, the Suffolks , Norfolks, Richmonds – any number of suffixes added to a name was difficult to place.
Ultimately, this was a historically rich and engaging book, for Anglophile and novice alike.
My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira
4.0
http://www.gerberadaisydiaries.com/2010/06/book-review-my-name-is-mary-sutter.html
How many things did you want to be when you grew up? It’s a common refrain from my daughter – “When I grow up, I want to be a waitress at IHOP!” Her love of pancakes currently outweighs her long term life goals. But at least, heaven forbid, it’s an option.
For Mary Sutter, her dream of becoming a surgeon is not an option. Prepared as a midwife by her mother, Mary has midwifery in her veins. But she dreams of something more. Her solicitations to train at the hands of other doctors are turned down. That doesn’t stop Mary. On the eve of the Civil War, Mary travels from her home of Albany, NY, to Washington DC, where she begs and pleads with every medical professional she encounters to give her a chance, they all tell her to go home. Even Dorothea Dix, a woman who is in charge of organizing nursing for the anticipated onslaught of war casualties, tells she isn’t wanted. Thus, Mary’s courage and stubbornness take over, and she witnesses and participates in the horrible suffering that the Union is about to encounter.
I was very skeptical of this book at first. The first 60 pages were slow to develop. We meet Mary in Albany where she lives a privileged life with her mother, sister and brother. The author also introduces Thomas Fall, a potential suitor for Mary, but who ends up falling in love with her sister Jenny. It was all very awkward and one dimensional for me, and I nearly gave up on this book.
However, my patience paid off, and once Mary decides to make the break from the safety of home to pursue her dreams, the book really takes off and the author finds her groove.
I loved Mary’s narrative once she arrives in Washington DC. The author does a fabulous job of intertwining historical figures (Pres. Lincoln, John Hay, Dorothea Dix, among others) with fictional characters. I must admit a bias here, having lived in DC for many years, I love most books dealing with or talking about our Nation’s Capital. This is no exception. The author’s description of 19th century, Civil War-era Washington DC was perfectly swampy and sticky. Even modern day DC hasn’t changed much (except cows grazing on the Mall are gone).
Mary really blossoms as a character under the worst possible circumstances. She assists a Dr. Stipp in a deplorable hospital, treating patients with very few supplies. She witnesses the butchery the doctors are reduced to perform on the wounded in an attempt to save their lives. But she preservers. This is what she wants to do, and she goes to the White House herself in order to obtain the necessary supplies to help the wounded.
The Civil War back drop was also well done. The author’s research was evident as she describes military maneuvers, battle formations, leadership conflicts and the devastation of war. I also appreciated the author’s ability to bring to light how the Civil War really changed the medical field. So much of what we know now about infection and sanitation was learned as a result of this awful war.
Finally, there was an interesting love triangle the author deftly wove throughout this book. It was always in the shadows, never taking away from the seriousness of Mary’s goal of taking care of the injured. And it left you guessing until the end. It was a pleasant surprise.
I ended up adoring Mary and her bravery. I truly enjoyed the author’s writing and appreciated her comprehensive research.
For the sensitive reader: There are many detailed battle scenes and descriptions of the savageness of surgery and amputations. And one "F bomb."
Book source: Public library
How many things did you want to be when you grew up? It’s a common refrain from my daughter – “When I grow up, I want to be a waitress at IHOP!” Her love of pancakes currently outweighs her long term life goals. But at least, heaven forbid, it’s an option.
For Mary Sutter, her dream of becoming a surgeon is not an option. Prepared as a midwife by her mother, Mary has midwifery in her veins. But she dreams of something more. Her solicitations to train at the hands of other doctors are turned down. That doesn’t stop Mary. On the eve of the Civil War, Mary travels from her home of Albany, NY, to Washington DC, where she begs and pleads with every medical professional she encounters to give her a chance, they all tell her to go home. Even Dorothea Dix, a woman who is in charge of organizing nursing for the anticipated onslaught of war casualties, tells she isn’t wanted. Thus, Mary’s courage and stubbornness take over, and she witnesses and participates in the horrible suffering that the Union is about to encounter.
I was very skeptical of this book at first. The first 60 pages were slow to develop. We meet Mary in Albany where she lives a privileged life with her mother, sister and brother. The author also introduces Thomas Fall, a potential suitor for Mary, but who ends up falling in love with her sister Jenny. It was all very awkward and one dimensional for me, and I nearly gave up on this book.
However, my patience paid off, and once Mary decides to make the break from the safety of home to pursue her dreams, the book really takes off and the author finds her groove.
I loved Mary’s narrative once she arrives in Washington DC. The author does a fabulous job of intertwining historical figures (Pres. Lincoln, John Hay, Dorothea Dix, among others) with fictional characters. I must admit a bias here, having lived in DC for many years, I love most books dealing with or talking about our Nation’s Capital. This is no exception. The author’s description of 19th century, Civil War-era Washington DC was perfectly swampy and sticky. Even modern day DC hasn’t changed much (except cows grazing on the Mall are gone).
Mary really blossoms as a character under the worst possible circumstances. She assists a Dr. Stipp in a deplorable hospital, treating patients with very few supplies. She witnesses the butchery the doctors are reduced to perform on the wounded in an attempt to save their lives. But she preservers. This is what she wants to do, and she goes to the White House herself in order to obtain the necessary supplies to help the wounded.
The Civil War back drop was also well done. The author’s research was evident as she describes military maneuvers, battle formations, leadership conflicts and the devastation of war. I also appreciated the author’s ability to bring to light how the Civil War really changed the medical field. So much of what we know now about infection and sanitation was learned as a result of this awful war.
Finally, there was an interesting love triangle the author deftly wove throughout this book. It was always in the shadows, never taking away from the seriousness of Mary’s goal of taking care of the injured. And it left you guessing until the end. It was a pleasant surprise.
I ended up adoring Mary and her bravery. I truly enjoyed the author’s writing and appreciated her comprehensive research.
For the sensitive reader: There are many detailed battle scenes and descriptions of the savageness of surgery and amputations. And one "F bomb."
Book source: Public library
Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt
4.0
Turner is bullied, beaten, struck out, and left out on a raft.
Not a pleasant welcome for the preacher’s kid to Phippsburg, Maine.
I adored author Gary Schmidt’s juvenile novel, The Wednesday Wars, and wanted to follow it up with another of his offerings. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, did not disappoint.
From the moment Turner moves to Phippsburg, it seems that everything that can go wrong does: he irritates an elderly resident to the point where he must serve his “time” reading to her and playing the organ on a regular basis; he can’t seem to hit the baseball or jump into the local swimming hole, thus becoming the kid that everyone picks on; and then, after being taunted by local bully, Willis Hurd, he lands a punch on his face, only to get a Willis’s much harder right hook that lands squarely on his nose.
The one thing that does go right for Turner is his friendship with Lizzie Bright Griffin, an outsider (because she is a Negro) who lives on Malaga Island across the bay from Phippsburg. Lizzie’s family and ancestors have inhabited Malaga Island for years, but that is about to change when the local establishment in Phippsburg wants them removed, so they can create tourism in the area.
Based on actual historical events from Malaga and Phippsburg – Mr. Schmidt has created a novel worthy of adult readers as well as adolescents.
Turner is a young man every parent would be proud of – but somehow that is lost on Mr. Buckminster, who seems more concerned with pleasing his congregation than trusting his own son.
The relationship between Turner and Lizzie is honest and fresh and mature beyond their years. Their devotion to one another is Shakespearian, and somehow, that plays out in the end.
Ultimately this is a book about love, trust, integrity, friendship, loss and forgiveness.
And when my boys grow up, I want them to be just like Turner Buckminster.
Not a pleasant welcome for the preacher’s kid to Phippsburg, Maine.
I adored author Gary Schmidt’s juvenile novel, The Wednesday Wars, and wanted to follow it up with another of his offerings. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, did not disappoint.
From the moment Turner moves to Phippsburg, it seems that everything that can go wrong does: he irritates an elderly resident to the point where he must serve his “time” reading to her and playing the organ on a regular basis; he can’t seem to hit the baseball or jump into the local swimming hole, thus becoming the kid that everyone picks on; and then, after being taunted by local bully, Willis Hurd, he lands a punch on his face, only to get a Willis’s much harder right hook that lands squarely on his nose.
The one thing that does go right for Turner is his friendship with Lizzie Bright Griffin, an outsider (because she is a Negro) who lives on Malaga Island across the bay from Phippsburg. Lizzie’s family and ancestors have inhabited Malaga Island for years, but that is about to change when the local establishment in Phippsburg wants them removed, so they can create tourism in the area.
Based on actual historical events from Malaga and Phippsburg – Mr. Schmidt has created a novel worthy of adult readers as well as adolescents.
Turner is a young man every parent would be proud of – but somehow that is lost on Mr. Buckminster, who seems more concerned with pleasing his congregation than trusting his own son.
The relationship between Turner and Lizzie is honest and fresh and mature beyond their years. Their devotion to one another is Shakespearian, and somehow, that plays out in the end.
Ultimately this is a book about love, trust, integrity, friendship, loss and forgiveness.
And when my boys grow up, I want them to be just like Turner Buckminster.
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
2.0
I had serious issues with this book. I know this is supposed to be a “classic” work of juvenile literature, but at the end I was left scratching my head and asking, “why?”
Ten year old Winnie Foster is an overprotected child ready to explore the nearby forest. On the day she makes her escape, she discovers Jesse Tuck relaxing by a nearby spring, only to wonder why he is being so secretive about it. Thus begins a tale of an eternal spring, a kidnapping by the Tuck family, a blackmail by a stranger in a yellow suit, a murder and a jail break, all wrapped up in a cloud of immortality.
One reviewer said, “Babbitt asks profound questions about the meaning of life and death, and leaves the reader with a greater appreciation for the perfect cycle of nature. Intense and powerful, exciting and poignant, Tuck Everlasting will last forever--in the reader's imagination.” None of that was obvious to me. What this reader’s imagination was left wondering was why a writer would craft a kidnapping where the 10 year old LIKED being kidnapped and was HAPPY with her new found kidnappers. This message really disturbed me. There is nothing to like or be happy about being kidnapped. Period. It is evil and criminal. I suppose there is the whole argument out there for children who are being abused by parents being rescued – but that isn’t the case here. Winnie is in a perfectly loving family and is kidnapped because she has knowledge of the “fountain of youth.”
Another issue that disturbed me was the strange man in the yellow suit that followed the Tuck’s on their escape with Winnie, blackmailed Winnie’s family for his knowledge of her whereabouts. In my opinion, evil just compounds itself with this individual’s actions. And the hole just keeps getting deeper: the blackmailer is then unintentionally killed over his actions, and ultimately, Winnie willingly lets herself become an accomplice to the crime, when she substitutes herself for the accused.
I had so many issues with the message of this book it is crazy.
Ten year old Winnie Foster is an overprotected child ready to explore the nearby forest. On the day she makes her escape, she discovers Jesse Tuck relaxing by a nearby spring, only to wonder why he is being so secretive about it. Thus begins a tale of an eternal spring, a kidnapping by the Tuck family, a blackmail by a stranger in a yellow suit, a murder and a jail break, all wrapped up in a cloud of immortality.
One reviewer said, “Babbitt asks profound questions about the meaning of life and death, and leaves the reader with a greater appreciation for the perfect cycle of nature. Intense and powerful, exciting and poignant, Tuck Everlasting will last forever--in the reader's imagination.” None of that was obvious to me. What this reader’s imagination was left wondering was why a writer would craft a kidnapping where the 10 year old LIKED being kidnapped and was HAPPY with her new found kidnappers. This message really disturbed me. There is nothing to like or be happy about being kidnapped. Period. It is evil and criminal. I suppose there is the whole argument out there for children who are being abused by parents being rescued – but that isn’t the case here. Winnie is in a perfectly loving family and is kidnapped because she has knowledge of the “fountain of youth.”
Another issue that disturbed me was the strange man in the yellow suit that followed the Tuck’s on their escape with Winnie, blackmailed Winnie’s family for his knowledge of her whereabouts. In my opinion, evil just compounds itself with this individual’s actions. And the hole just keeps getting deeper: the blackmailer is then unintentionally killed over his actions, and ultimately, Winnie willingly lets herself become an accomplice to the crime, when she substitutes herself for the accused.
I had so many issues with the message of this book it is crazy.
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
2.0
http://www.gerberadaisydiaries.com/2010/06/book-group-nightbook-review-shanghai.html
The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross
2.0
No one likes to be dumped.
Especially by your fiancée.
But Ansley Waller finds herself dumped, discarded and almost immediately replaced by her fiancée with her sorority sister. What is a girl to do other than pack up for New York City to reconnect with a grandmother she’s never met, start a “cupcakery” on the Upper East Side and try to mend her broken heart.
I’m not a prolific “chick lit” reader – but Jennifer Ross’s The Icing on the Cupcake was a reasonable representation of the genre.
Ansley shows great determination when she arrives in New York by honing her baking skills and putting them to use as the proprietor of her own shop. While living with her grandmother, Ansley helps her navigate the red tape of a potential audit with the IRS, all the while trying to determine if her grandmother’s financial advisor, Thad, is at all interested in her or not.
There is an additional layer to this novel that includes Ansley’s family cook book – a collection of multigenerational recipes from Ansley’s ancestral maternal grandmothers. It is a priceless heirloom, and recipes submitted to this tome are considered sacred. What the reader learns is that it is more than a cookbook – but a history book as well.
And the recipes included in the book look delicious! I was going to attempt to bake one of the more “simple” recipes but A) Even I couldn’t find potato starch and B) when it’s 101 degrees outside, the last thing I wanted to do was turn on the oven. No way!
However, what was a pleasant enough story ends in a very bizarre, “Fatal Attraction” scenario that comes completely out of left field. It was just plain silly and odd. And that soured the whole book.
Sum it up: If you like chick lit and cupcake recipes, but don’t care about a wacky ending, this is the book for you.
Book source: Thank you to Jennifer Ross for a copy of this book. I was not compensated in any way for my review.
Especially by your fiancée.
But Ansley Waller finds herself dumped, discarded and almost immediately replaced by her fiancée with her sorority sister. What is a girl to do other than pack up for New York City to reconnect with a grandmother she’s never met, start a “cupcakery” on the Upper East Side and try to mend her broken heart.
I’m not a prolific “chick lit” reader – but Jennifer Ross’s The Icing on the Cupcake was a reasonable representation of the genre.
Ansley shows great determination when she arrives in New York by honing her baking skills and putting them to use as the proprietor of her own shop. While living with her grandmother, Ansley helps her navigate the red tape of a potential audit with the IRS, all the while trying to determine if her grandmother’s financial advisor, Thad, is at all interested in her or not.
There is an additional layer to this novel that includes Ansley’s family cook book – a collection of multigenerational recipes from Ansley’s ancestral maternal grandmothers. It is a priceless heirloom, and recipes submitted to this tome are considered sacred. What the reader learns is that it is more than a cookbook – but a history book as well.
And the recipes included in the book look delicious! I was going to attempt to bake one of the more “simple” recipes but A) Even I couldn’t find potato starch and B) when it’s 101 degrees outside, the last thing I wanted to do was turn on the oven. No way!
However, what was a pleasant enough story ends in a very bizarre, “Fatal Attraction” scenario that comes completely out of left field. It was just plain silly and odd. And that soured the whole book.
Sum it up: If you like chick lit and cupcake recipes, but don’t care about a wacky ending, this is the book for you.
Book source: Thank you to Jennifer Ross for a copy of this book. I was not compensated in any way for my review.
Embers by Sándor Márai
2.0
In a castle at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, an old aristocrat waits to greet the friend he has not seen for forty-one years. In the course of this one night, from dinner until dawn, the two men will fight a duel of words and silences, of stories, of accusations and evasions, that will encompass their entire lives and that of a third person, missing from the candlelit dining hall—the now dead chatelaine of the castle. The last time the three of them sat together was in this room, after a stag hunt in the forest. The year was 1900. No game was shot that day, but the reverberations were cataclysmic. And the time of reckoning has finally arrived.
YAWN. This was a snoozer. I almost initiated the 50 page rule, but after abandoning my last literary work (which I should have swapped with this one), I decided I needed to persevere.
The last 100 pages are the main character’s dialogue. Seriously. 100 pages of one man talking. I found myself skipping vast passages -- I thought it would never end.
The only redeeming value in this book – it is exquisitely written – and there is an interesting love triangle that evolves over the last half of the book.
Ultimately, this was a highly intellectual and symbolic book, and I am neither.
YAWN. This was a snoozer. I almost initiated the 50 page rule, but after abandoning my last literary work (which I should have swapped with this one), I decided I needed to persevere.
The last 100 pages are the main character’s dialogue. Seriously. 100 pages of one man talking. I found myself skipping vast passages -- I thought it would never end.
The only redeeming value in this book – it is exquisitely written – and there is an interesting love triangle that evolves over the last half of the book.
Ultimately, this was a highly intellectual and symbolic book, and I am neither.