lory_enterenchanted's reviews
274 reviews
Haven, by Emma Donoghue
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
The varieties of religious experience and expression are explored in this tale of three monks looking for refuge from a sinful world on a tiny island off the coast of Ireland, Great Skellig (later known as Skellig Michael). The instigating monk turns out to be a religious maniac, whose cruel and punitive behavior is hard to witness. Would it take a crazy person to come up with the idea of creating a religious community on a bare rock in the sea? Perhaps, and Donoghue has given a picture of how that might have played out (with later inhabitants of the island creating more sensible and sustainable practices).
The other two monks provide balance, as they experience God through nature, craftsmanship, and relationships, in a far more Christian way than the leader they defer to for too long.
The writing brings life on the island vividly before us, in what is also a survival tale that arises from the question of how people could have carved out a place so far from human civilization. Plants, animals, weather, as well as shelter, warmth, food gathering and cultivation, all the processes of life and growth are subjects both for practical observation and philosophical meditation. Even though the author never set food on Skellig Michael, she makes us feel that we live through a season there, one I'll never forget. This is a book with little outward activity but much to inwardly contemplate and ponder.
The varieties of religious experience and expression are explored in this tale of three monks looking for refuge from a sinful world on a tiny island off the coast of Ireland, Great Skellig (later known as Skellig Michael). The instigating monk turns out to be a religious maniac, whose cruel and punitive behavior is hard to witness. Would it take a crazy person to come up with the idea of creating a religious community on a bare rock in the sea? Perhaps, and Donoghue has given a picture of how that might have played out (with later inhabitants of the island creating more sensible and sustainable practices).
The other two monks provide balance, as they experience God through nature, craftsmanship, and relationships, in a far more Christian way than the leader they defer to for too long.
The writing brings life on the island vividly before us, in what is also a survival tale that arises from the question of how people could have carved out a place so far from human civilization. Plants, animals, weather, as well as shelter, warmth, food gathering and cultivation, all the processes of life and growth are subjects both for practical observation and philosophical meditation. Even though the author never set food on Skellig Michael, she makes us feel that we live through a season there, one I'll never forget. This is a book with little outward activity but much to inwardly contemplate and ponder.
Death in the Stocks, by Georgette Heyer
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
This was the second Georgette Heyer mystery I read on the current binge, and I had mixed feelings. The witty banter was somewhat spoiled by being often so gruesome and involving so many unlikeable characters. The romantic hero was flawless while the heroine was childish and silly. I grew fond of them nevertheless and did root for them to get together, but one could tell what the outcome of that would be. I also suspected the murderer -- as someone else has said, it was the absolutely most unlikeable character of all, which made it rather obvious. I find these mysteries acceptable light reading but I don't think I'd ever reread them as I do the romances.
This was the second Georgette Heyer mystery I read on the current binge, and I had mixed feelings. The witty banter was somewhat spoiled by being often so gruesome and involving so many unlikeable characters. The romantic hero was flawless while the heroine was childish and silly. I grew fond of them nevertheless and did root for them to get together, but one could tell what the outcome of that would be. I also suspected the murderer -- as someone else has said, it was the absolutely most unlikeable character of all, which made it rather obvious. I find these mysteries acceptable light reading but I don't think I'd ever reread them as I do the romances.
Footsteps in the Dark, by Georgette Heyer
adventurous
funny
mysterious
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
Completely agree with reviews that compare this to an episode of Scooby-Doo, minus the dog. I think Heyer's other mysteries are reputed to be better, so I'll try those.
Completely agree with reviews that compare this to an episode of Scooby-Doo, minus the dog. I think Heyer's other mysteries are reputed to be better, so I'll try those.
City of Illusions, by Ursula K. Le Guin
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
A curious variety of villain in this book, whose mark of evil is that they refuse to kill, prating "reverence for life." But there are worse things than causing physical death.
"I honor life, I honor it because it's a much more difficult and uncertain matter than death, and the most difficult and uncertain quality of all is intelligence. The Shing kept their Law and let me live, but they killed my intelligence. Is that not murder? They killed the man I was, the child I had been. To play with a man's mind so, is that reverence? Their law is a lie, and their reverence is mockery."
"In a good season one trusts life; in a bad season one only hopes. But they are of the same essence; they are the mind's indispensable relationship with other minds, with the world, and with time. Without trust, a man lives, but not a human life; without hope, he dies. Where there is no relationship, where hands do not touch, emotion atrophies in void and intelligence grows sterile and obsessed. Between men the only link left is that of owner to slave, or murderer to victim."
A curious variety of villain in this book, whose mark of evil is that they refuse to kill, prating "reverence for life." But there are worse things than causing physical death.
"I honor life, I honor it because it's a much more difficult and uncertain matter than death, and the most difficult and uncertain quality of all is intelligence. The Shing kept their Law and let me live, but they killed my intelligence. Is that not murder? They killed the man I was, the child I had been. To play with a man's mind so, is that reverence? Their law is a lie, and their reverence is mockery."
"In a good season one trusts life; in a bad season one only hopes. But they are of the same essence; they are the mind's indispensable relationship with other minds, with the world, and with time. Without trust, a man lives, but not a human life; without hope, he dies. Where there is no relationship, where hands do not touch, emotion atrophies in void and intelligence grows sterile and obsessed. Between men the only link left is that of owner to slave, or murderer to victim."
A Pilgrimage to Eternity: From Canterbury to Rome in Search of a Faith, by Timothy Egan
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
A mix of personal spiritual memoir, travelogue, and religious history that brought many insights and epiphanies, although I was not always enamored of the author's journalistic style. I confess I had not realized how much Christianity is in decline in Europe, which may seem sad in some ways, but I think the old shell of that religion has to die, so that a truer, more authentic experience can be born.
It was notable that Egan seemed to recover his faith simply by walking -- a reminder that SLOW DOWN is the most central tenet of any valid religious practice.
A mix of personal spiritual memoir, travelogue, and religious history that brought many insights and epiphanies, although I was not always enamored of the author's journalistic style. I confess I had not realized how much Christianity is in decline in Europe, which may seem sad in some ways, but I think the old shell of that religion has to die, so that a truer, more authentic experience can be born.
It was notable that Egan seemed to recover his faith simply by walking -- a reminder that SLOW DOWN is the most central tenet of any valid religious practice.
Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
The Snow Leopard, by Peter Matthiessen
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
I made it to Crystal Mountain but now I have to take a break. This is a long, slow journey. I feel sorry for the porters, to whom Matthiessen is so condescending. Some gems along the way though.
"'All the way to Heaven is Heaven,' Saint Catherine said, and that is the very breath of Zen, which does not elevate divinity above the common miracles of every day. ... In the United States, before spiritualist foolishness at the end of the last century confused mysticism with 'the occult' and tarnished both, William James wrote a master work of metaphysics, Emerson spoke of 'the wise silence, the universal beauty, to which every part and particle is equally related, the eternal One ...' ; Melville referred to 'that profound silence, that only voice of God'; Walt Whitman celebrated the most ancient secret, that no God could be found 'more divine than yourself.' And then, almost everywhere, a clear and subtle illumination that lent magnificence to life and peace to death was overwhelmed in the hard glare of technology. Yet that light is always present, like the stars of noon. Man must perceive it if he is to transcend his fear of meaningless(ness), for no amount of 'progress' can take its place. We have outsmarted ourselves, like greedy monkeys, and now we are full of dread." (Oct.9)
"Such unusual gifts [as levitation], whether cultivated or not, may deflect the aspirant from his path to true mystical experience of God, and have never been highly regarded by great teachers; one of the four cardinal sins in the monastic order of the Buddha--after unchastity, theft, and killing, was laying claim to miraculous powers." (Oct25)
"'All the way to Heaven is Heaven,' Saint Catherine said, and that is the very breath of Zen, which does not elevate divinity above the common miracles of every day. ... In the United States, before spiritualist foolishness at the end of the last century confused mysticism with 'the occult' and tarnished both, William James wrote a master work of metaphysics, Emerson spoke of 'the wise silence, the universal beauty, to which every part and particle is equally related, the eternal One ...' ; Melville referred to 'that profound silence, that only voice of God'; Walt Whitman celebrated the most ancient secret, that no God could be found 'more divine than yourself.' And then, almost everywhere, a clear and subtle illumination that lent magnificence to life and peace to death was overwhelmed in the hard glare of technology. Yet that light is always present, like the stars of noon. Man must perceive it if he is to transcend his fear of meaningless(ness), for no amount of 'progress' can take its place. We have outsmarted ourselves, like greedy monkeys, and now we are full of dread." (Oct.9)
"Such unusual gifts [as levitation], whether cultivated or not, may deflect the aspirant from his path to true mystical experience of God, and have never been highly regarded by great teachers; one of the four cardinal sins in the monastic order of the Buddha--after unchastity, theft, and killing, was laying claim to miraculous powers." (Oct25)
Dodger, by Terry Pratchett
Did not finish book.
Did not finish book.
I started reading this (I think rereading) for Kristen M.'s March Magics event, but I was not enjoying it. Terry Pratchett's style does not always work for me.
The Baker's Daughter, by D.E. Stevenson
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
This was a minor Stevenson romance, very class and race conscious in the way of an earlier day, thus mildly distasteful. The central romance between a distracted painter and a hero-worshiping baker's daughter was not the most inspiring, and some of the insinuations about "blood" were downright disturbing.
This was a minor Stevenson romance, very class and race conscious in the way of an earlier day, thus mildly distasteful. The central romance between a distracted painter and a hero-worshiping baker's daughter was not the most inspiring, and some of the insinuations about "blood" were downright disturbing.
The Woman They Could Not Silence: The Timeless Story of an Outspoken Woman and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear, by Kate Moore
informative
tense
medium-paced
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
I found this a very frustrating read. Elizabeth Packard's story is clearly important to know, and the issues she dealt with vital and still with us today, but I could not feel that the author was treating her in an unbiased or objective manner. She had a point to make, and she twisted her telling of the facts in accord with that, while an unwanted subtext managed to escape her control. It was a weird reading experience.
The author's goal was to entirely exonerate and vindicate Elizabeth, and so anything she did that was a bit odd, foolish, or in contradiction to her image as a brilliant but misunderstood woman was swept aside or minimized. She had a very strange relationship with her doctor, and even wrote him an effusive love letter, but that was explained away as being a stratagem to get her book published. Periods of such infatuation alternated with periods of hatred and loathing, in a way that actually did seem a bit imbalanced to me. Elizabeth might not have strictly been insane, but I could not see her as entirely well emotionally or psychologically either. However, this was left unexplored, because the book's premise depended on her being unequivocally and entirely sane.
She definitely did stupid things that were at odds with how intelligent Moore tries to paint her, like returning to the husband who had put her in an institution, and threatened to do so again, with the naive hope that they can just live together amicably. Earlier in her story, she seems not to have any clue how irritating and dangerous her going against his preaching is -- as a preacher's wife, she's certainly expected to toe the line. Of course that is not fair or right, but it was the way of the world at the time. If not crazy, Elizabeth is at least terribly naive and foolish to think she can go against it with impunity.
So I"m really not sure what to think of her, or how accurate this portrait truly is. Another thing that bothered me was the author's habit of sprinkling her text liberally with quotes and footnotes, to assert her historical accuracy, but in between sneaking in passages of complete speculation -- "she might have furrowed her brow" "She must have smiled" and so forth. Sometimes she leaves out the conditional -- "He shifted in his seat." If you want to write scenes like this, write a novel! Otherwise, stick to the facts.
The writing style was so flowery and overblown altogether. It was full of padding, so the book could been have reduced by at least a third. And on almost every page I had to roll my eyes at silly, unnecessary metaphors and purple prose: "She would also pull up womanhood with her: a podium full of perfervid princesses, all ready to claim their prize." "Her pen leaping from topic to topic with all the unfettered freedom of the wild rabbits in the grounds outside." "Her thoughts stumbled on a rock as she considered why, but she did not peer too closely at it." Oh please.
There were also a number of grammatical slips that should have been caught by an editor: "Both focused on alleviating the sufferings of others in favor of dwelling on their own" - should be in lieu of, or instead of. "He did not attribute his own behavior to thier animosity" -- should be "he did not attribute their animosity to his own behavior." It was sloppy and also undermined confidence in the mind behind this stuff.
This is NOT my preferred style of nonfiction. So although the story is interesting, I can't recommend this treatment of it. Maybe someday Elizabeth will find a biographer worthy of her -- although I wonder if she'll come off quite so well.
I found this a very frustrating read. Elizabeth Packard's story is clearly important to know, and the issues she dealt with vital and still with us today, but I could not feel that the author was treating her in an unbiased or objective manner. She had a point to make, and she twisted her telling of the facts in accord with that, while an unwanted subtext managed to escape her control. It was a weird reading experience.
The author's goal was to entirely exonerate and vindicate Elizabeth, and so anything she did that was a bit odd, foolish, or in contradiction to her image as a brilliant but misunderstood woman was swept aside or minimized. She had a very strange relationship with her doctor, and even wrote him an effusive love letter, but that was explained away as being a stratagem to get her book published. Periods of such infatuation alternated with periods of hatred and loathing, in a way that actually did seem a bit imbalanced to me. Elizabeth might not have strictly been insane, but I could not see her as entirely well emotionally or psychologically either. However, this was left unexplored, because the book's premise depended on her being unequivocally and entirely sane.
She definitely did stupid things that were at odds with how intelligent Moore tries to paint her, like returning to the husband who had put her in an institution, and threatened to do so again, with the naive hope that they can just live together amicably. Earlier in her story, she seems not to have any clue how irritating and dangerous her going against his preaching is -- as a preacher's wife, she's certainly expected to toe the line. Of course that is not fair or right, but it was the way of the world at the time. If not crazy, Elizabeth is at least terribly naive and foolish to think she can go against it with impunity.
So I"m really not sure what to think of her, or how accurate this portrait truly is. Another thing that bothered me was the author's habit of sprinkling her text liberally with quotes and footnotes, to assert her historical accuracy, but in between sneaking in passages of complete speculation -- "she might have furrowed her brow" "She must have smiled" and so forth. Sometimes she leaves out the conditional -- "He shifted in his seat." If you want to write scenes like this, write a novel! Otherwise, stick to the facts.
The writing style was so flowery and overblown altogether. It was full of padding, so the book could been have reduced by at least a third. And on almost every page I had to roll my eyes at silly, unnecessary metaphors and purple prose: "She would also pull up womanhood with her: a podium full of perfervid princesses, all ready to claim their prize." "Her pen leaping from topic to topic with all the unfettered freedom of the wild rabbits in the grounds outside." "Her thoughts stumbled on a rock as she considered why, but she did not peer too closely at it." Oh please.
There were also a number of grammatical slips that should have been caught by an editor: "Both focused on alleviating the sufferings of others in favor of dwelling on their own" - should be in lieu of, or instead of. "He did not attribute his own behavior to thier animosity" -- should be "he did not attribute their animosity to his own behavior." It was sloppy and also undermined confidence in the mind behind this stuff.
This is NOT my preferred style of nonfiction. So although the story is interesting, I can't recommend this treatment of it. Maybe someday Elizabeth will find a biographer worthy of her -- although I wonder if she'll come off quite so well.