Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
Just finished reading Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks which tells us the story of Caleb and Bethia. Caleb is a native American from the Island of Martha’s Vineyard and Bethia the daugher of a Minister to a flock of early Puritan settlers.
Although this novel is described as telling the story of Caleb, one of the first Native American’s to attend and graduate from Harvard College in 1666 it centres mainly on Bethia who tells her tale, a part of which is the forbidden friendship that grows between herself and Caleb after a chance when she is out looking for clams.
I enjoy the writing of Geraldine Brooks, she manages to take a subject and with a few brief facts from a certain historical period, weave a story rich with detail. Clearly she must undertake extensive research as her novels always seem to vividly recreate the time and the people from whatever era she is writing about and more to the point she makes you care about her characters. She also seems to take a story that more often than not I begin by thinking I won’t enjoy but then manages to convince me that I will.
Once again this is a wonderful historical novel. It manages to portray the struggles of both characters very well. It depicts the struggles that women of that era faced and it depicts the prejudices faced by the native Americans. We see Bethia change from a young and relatively carefree young girl who has the opportunity to explore the island (whilst under the guise of gathering food for the family) to become an intelligent young woman who has to hide her wit. We also see Caleb develop into a young man of strong will and commitment. Torn between his own tribe and family and his desire to prove himself. The early friendship the two developed as youngsters continues throughout the novel with the two lending each other support in times of need. And support is surely needed for the trials the two of them will go through.
I enjoyed this book although will admit not as much as the two novels I’ve read previously. Don’t misunderstand me, I think the writing is wonderful and the voice of Bethia is compelling but for me personally it lacked something to make it totally absorbing and I can’t quite put my finger on what the missing ingredient is. I enjoyed the first half of the book where we meet Bethia and Caleb and watch them carry out their strange and secret relationship – however, I thought the story really started to come into it’s own as Bethia’s struggles increased. She suffered hardship and loss followed by indenture and prejudice to the extent that I was quite exasperated! But it was intriguing to read about. Caleb at this point however seemed to fade into the background and we lost quite a bit of his story – he became more of a peripheral character just occasionally popping into the story to help carry a particular element of the plot. I thought that was a bit of a shame but as the story is told by Bethia I guess it was inevitable. So, I didn’t love this, but, I thought it was a well written and interesting read. Would I recommend it – yes. As an historical novel it really is a great book but I think personally Year or Wonders and People of the Book stand out more in my mind.
In terms of criticism – it felt like the book came to a very abrupt ending. One moment I was reading Bethia’s reflections. The next moment I started the following chapter and Bethia was dying, of old age! For one moment I thought I’d skipped some pages and had to backtrack to see what was going on. Having said that I must give credit where it’s due. I suppose it would have been a very long story to hear of Bethias complete life story and I guess what we were being given was a snapshot in time to demonstrate the effect that the two had on each other’s lives. We were then left to reflect on whether their frienship had helped or hindered them.
On the whole a very enjoyable historical novel which I’m glad to have read and would certainly recommend.
Caleb's Crossing
Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch, Readalong notification
14 April 2012
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Red Seas Under Red Skies, Scott Lynch readalong
For the next few weeks I’ll be taking part in Red Seas Under Red Skies readalong. If you didn’t join in for the Lies of Locke Lamora but want to take part in this next event then check out the Little Red Reviewers web site for details (http://littleredreviewer.wordpress.com/2012/04/12/red-seas-under-red-skies-by-scott-lynch-read-along/).
The schedule for this readalong is as follows:
Week 1 – beginning thru End of Chapter 3, discussion questions go out Thurs April 26, posts go up Sat April 28
Week 2 – Reminiscence “The Lady of the Glass Pylon” through end of Chapter 6, discussion questions go out thurs May 3, posts go up Sat May 5
Week 3 – Chapter 7 thru end of Chapter 10, discussion questions go out May 10, posts go up May 12
Week 4 – Chapter 11 thru end of chapter 13, discussion questions go out May 17, posts go up May 19
Week 5 – Chapter 14 to the end, discussion question go out May 24, posts go up May 26
I hope you take part – the last readalong was brilliant with loads of discussion and I’m sure RSURS will be the same so go and pick up your copy. Reading probably needs to start around the 20th.
Lynn 😀
The Wolf Gift
Just finished reading The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice. This is the first Anne Rice novel that I have picked up. I was quite keen to pick up her Interview with a Vampire novels but as this was newly released I thought I’d give it a go first. Obviously, therefore, I have no way of comparing this to previous novels and can’t say whether it is better or not or whether it maintains the same style. What I will say though, and it’s a surprise given the amount of paranormal books currently on the market, is that Ms Rice manages to give the werewolf mythology a new twist which I thought was quite an achievement.
I’m not going to go overboard on the plot because I don’t want to give away spoilers so I’ll just give a bit of an introduction. The story opens with Reuben (the main protagonist). Reuben comes from a fairly affluent family. His mother is a successful surgeon, his father a writer/poet and his brother is a priest. Reuben is the youngest (and most handsome) and has such as been ‘babied’ a little. He takes after his father in his more romantic and poetic nature and loves to write and philosophise. He has fallen into a journalistic role working on a fairly small-town newspaper where his distinctive voice has earned him already a steady audience and he is determined to prove himself as more than a pretty face. Reuben has been asked to interview Margent and the start of the story brings the two of them together touring a magnificent country home which Margent has recently inherited. Margent, in spite of her deep emotional attachments, is keen to sell the place as basically it is very remote and situated atop cliffs overlooking the sea with a private redwood forest to the rear. I thought the first few chapters of this were great. The writing is quite simply lovely to read, descriptions of the grounds, the house, the forest and even the former inhabitant, Margent’s long lost uncle who was something of an explorer who went missing over 20 years previously. The house is really quite amazing and the poetic and philosophical side of Reuben instantly falls for the place, for Margent and even for her long lost uncle. I couldn’t help being transported back to Manderley reading this element of the story. The writing put me very much in mind of Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca – although maybe not quite as brooding. I will mention though that there is no dramatic action up to this point. It’s a beautiful read but not pacey or action packed so if you’re looking for a bit more of a slasher story then you need to bear this in mind and practice some patience (or don’t pick up if you don’t have patience to practice!)
That being said the story does then change. Reuben is attacked and I’m not going to go into too much more about the plot other than to say following this attack Reuben starts to change (and clearly he becomes a wolf man – there, I’ve said it! But as it’s called The Wolf Gift I don’t think I’m giving too much away about this story).
Following this there is a lot more action involved as Reuben comes to terms with the changes he’s experiencing. There are a number of scenes where Reuben’s inner beast takes over which involve fairly bloodthirsty attacks. There’s also something of a love story going on and on top of that there is a little bit of mystery thrown in. I wouldn’t call this a YA book, maybe it would cross over for the older market but there are a few scenes of violence and a bit of sexual content also (although this couldn’t be called either a bloodbath or a bodice ripper, just saying).
What I liked about this book was the different take. I suppose for me this book does for werewolves what Kostova’s Historian did for Vampires – makes them a bit more grown up and sophisticated. There are lots of references to famous names and places and you can’t chuck a stick without someone philosophising about something. I also liked the different take on the beast itself. Reuben learns to control his inner beast and isn’t at it’s mercy – it blows the ‘full moon’ theory out of the water as well and even though it has it’s share of dramatic scenes this is more of an intelligent read along.
In terms of criticisms – I think I did wane a little in the middle of the story. I found the love story element a bit rushed. I thought that the characters seemed a bit old fashioned and could do with dragging into this century – or at least a century that’s a bit closer than whatever century they’re in – for example, what the hell is Reuben doing wearing a turtle neck sweater – he’s, like 25 – so, that would be no. And, finally, there’s quite a lot of info dumping towards the end which is being passed off as dialogue – I never end up thinking that that works out very well. It makes the conversation really clunky and basically nobody talks like that! Oh, and I think it lost a bit of an opportunity to be REALLY spooky – remote house, forest setting, dark nights, branches tapping on the glass, feeling eyes watching you – I think it should have been more creepy and brooding.
So having had a little rant I can now go back to admitting that I did enjoy this. I appreciated the writing style, I liked the almost fairytale element at one point in the tale (basically the introduction of the love interest – and, again, no spoilers, but I’m thinking ‘Little Red Riding Hood’), I also really enjoyed that you could stop reading at this point. There are a couple of outstanding issues but I think this novel is fairly complete and could work as a stand alone. I don’t know for sure but I imagine this will be a series – it certainly seems to be set up perfectly now for future adventures.
I didn’t adore it but I definitely enjoyed it and I will continue if another book is published. And, it didn’t change my mind about reading the Vampire Chronicles.
I’m submitting this story for my Once Upon a Time challenge (this is a challenge that isn’t a challenge) that is currently being hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings. Stop on by using this link – it is packed with goodies about fairytales, folklore, myth and fantasy.
The Wolf Gift
The Final Empire, Mistborn Book One by Brendan Sanderson, readalong
11 April 2012
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Brandon Sanderson, Mistborn Book One, Readalon, The Final Empire
I’m taking part in a group readalong of Brendan Sanderson’s Final Empire, Mistborn book one which is being hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings as part of his Once Upon a Time event. The following is my initial thoughts on the reading so far which have taken us through the prologue and up to the start of Chapter 7. If you haven’t read this book before then the following discussions will undoubtedly contain spoilers so please avoid reading any further. Also, you’re never to late to join so check out Carl’s event at the link above.
1. This first hundred or so pages was packed! What things are standing out for you in the story thus far?
This is the first Sanderson novel I’ve read and so far it’s proving to be really quite gripping in fact I read the allocated chapters in one sitting and could happily have continued on but didn’t want to get all spoilery. My first impressions are very favourable – I’m really enjoying the story, it’s been very easy to read with plenty going on to move it forward quite quickly. I like Sanderson’s writing style, he doesn’t spend a lot of time world building. It feels like we’re pretty much just thrown in and we’re picking it up as we go along. I don’t mind this it’s just probably a lot more obvious to me at the moment because I’ve just finished a Scott Lynch novel which is quite the opposite and is rich in detail so I can’t help noticing the difference between the two. There are a couple of things that did occur to me whilst reading which aren’t exactly criticisms more just observations as I go along. For example, I don’t feel at the moment any really strong feelings towards the Skaa – this whole element has a definite plantation/slavery feel and although you are told that the Skaa are treated badly and you can see they’re downtrodden I don’t feel at this point that Sanderson is making the most of this element of the story. So, obviously, I don’t like the way the Skaa are treated but I want to care a LOT more than I currently do. I’m probably not being very articulate here but it just feels as though this element is only briefly touched on and I don’t get a real sense of overwhelming despair. And this leads me to the next slight issue I have which also reminds me of another recently read book. We’ve just had Kell’s plot to overthrow the Dark Lord revealed during which we’re sort of told a few times that the Skaa won’t do anything willingly to assist and that in fact they’ll have to be, well I don’t know the proper phrase, but glamoured or ‘magicked’ into helping – which feels a bit like taking their own control away from them without their knowledge (puts me in mind a bit of the Mule from the Foundation series with his – ‘I’m keeping the peace and there will be no wars, etc, but all achieved by mind control again). It makes me feel a bit conflicted. I can see that the Skaa live miserable lives but I find it difficult to believe that there wouldn’t be more of an undertone of rebellion in their midst and even if this isn’t the case, because they’re so full of despair, then I’m not sure that taking their free will is the right thing either. It still feels a bit like manipulation or just swapping one form of control for another or being used by a different bunch of people for different reasons. Especially as the group planning this are basically just planning a major heist which in order to succeed will involve them using 10,000 Skaa (against their own free will) in a battle (and let’s be honest people usually die in battles) that will ultimately achieve riches beyond belief for this small band of thieves – and maybe a brief moment of giving the finger to the Dark Lord but not much more. So, that sounded like a bit of a rant which was quite unintentional. Like I said I’m finding this a very easy book to read so far and this sounds overly critical which isn’t intended because for the record I’ve really enjoyed reading it to this point :).
2. What are your thoughts on the magic system that Sanderson is unveiling in this novel?
I think the magic system is really unique. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like this before which frankly is a bit of an achievement given how much fantasy is out there! And, it makes for some very interesting scenes – the fight scene was really dramatic as was Kelsier’s way of travelling over the roof tops – and we haven’t seen all the different types of magic yet so it feels like there’s plenty more yet to explore and I’m really looking forward to it being expanded upon.
3. Kelsier and Vin have held most of the spotlight in these first 6 chapters. As you compare/contrast the two characters, how do you feel about them? Likes? Dislikes?
At this stage I quite like both of them. Vin has had a fairly rough existence so far and is naturally suspicious of everyone – I think what stood out to me about the difference between the two is that Vin really does seem to have lived amongst the lowest of the low. None of the people that she was involved with seemed to care one jot about each other and wouldn’t hesitate to sell each other out. At least Kelsier seems to have come from a slightly different background – okay, it seems as though he was also betrayed, but he seems to have a lot more people around him who are more trustworthy so whilst he has some reason to be suspicious of people he’s not as sceptical as Vin. I wouldn’t say I have any dislikes about either of them at the moment – I did feel a little bit, maybe, irritated, with Kelsier when he had his late night excursion to rob one of the nobles – he seems to be recklessly arrogant and frankly he nearly came unstuck – okay, he succeeded but I just wondered why he wouldn’t try and be a little bit more cautious, especially given what he is planning.
4. Finally, how would you assess Sanderson’s storytelling abilities to this point?
So far, I’m enjoying this. Yes, it’s a different writing style than say Scott Lynch, but I’m okay with that in fact I like that it’s different. I think Sanderson has come up with a fairly unique fantasy world and I’m looking forward to learning more about it, particularly what is all the ash about – did I miss something there?? Is this set in some sort of post apocalyptic world? I think his storytelling abilities are working out well – I didn’t know what to expect but at the moment I’m pleasantly surprised. This is fairly easy going, it seems to have quite a bit of action and it’s easy to get a grasp of and I’m looking forward to seeing how things develop with this crazy plan.
Thanks for the discussion starters and questions. I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone else felt.
Lynn 😀
Hammered by Kevin Hearne
8 April 2012
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Hammered, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne
Just finished reading Hammered by Kevin Hearne. Wow. This series is really growing up!! If you haven’t already read Hounded or Hexed then the following will undoubtedly contain spoilers so read no further!
Hammered continues where Hexed left off. Atticus has two debts to fulfill in this story. He must travel to Asgard to retrieve an apple of eternal youth as part of his deal with Laksha for helping him in Hexed. Also, he has promised to take Leif to Asgard to help him exact revenge on Thor. So there’s plenty going on and we delve straight in with Atticus riding bareback on a giant squirrel called Ratatosk to arrive in Asgard and steal an apple from Freyr’s hall but invoking the wrath of the Gods in so doing – particularly as he killed the Norns in the doing. So, Atticus is now firmly in the sights of the Gods and yet now he must return to Asgard as he has given his word to Leif to assist him (actually, having reread this para it does beg the question of why Atticus just didn’t take Leif with him when he went to retrieve the apple – killing two birds with one stone? Maybe he thought it would be too risky in terms of bring the apple back??).
This instalment is much darker than the other books. Without wanting to give away spoilers there is more death and upset this time around. Plus we don’t get to spend as much time with some of our favourite characters. Oberon does not travel into battle with Atticus and so we miss a lot of the banter from the previous novels, also the Druid apprentice stays behind. There is still a generous dose of humour sprinkled in between with plenty of fun references. We have a huge shout out to Neil Gaiman, and internal conflict with Spock and Kirk playing the good/bad conscience angels perched on Atticus’s shoulders and we have Atticus going for a beer with a hippie, tie dye t-shirt wearing Jesus. However, even with this liberal sprinkling of humour there is no denying that the stories have taken on a different feel. We now start to feel some of the repercussions of the actions that Atticus takes. Not everyone lives! And, what about that ending – creepy and intriguing (luckily I now don’t have long to wait for the next book to relieve my need for answers!)
What I particularly liked this time was the inclusion of 5 short stories from the characters who travel to Asgard with Atticus. Each gives their own personal reasons for wishing to kill Thor and I must admit that he’s been a rather nasty piece of work over the ages and deserves everything he gets!
There are also lots of different myths and religions included here – we have a Russian God of Thunder and one of the Eight Chinese Immortals. There is a Finnish God, we have the Norse gods and the Valkryies – if anything there is perhaps a little too much going on! But that is only a very minor criticism.
This is another very enjoyable instalment in the series and has set the bar for something totally different. Atticus will now be on the run – he’s no longer safe, his actions are going to bring huge repercussions. After all you can’t just go round killing gods with impunity and not expect any come back!
I know that I’ve already mentioned the creepy ending – but, it’s not only creepy, it’s also sad! Yes, this is definitely a much darker and bleaker story – I wonder whether he regrets keeping his word to Leif – I wonder if Leif regrets his desire for revenge. I wonder if there will be more Oberon and sausages in Tricked! So many questions. Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
I’m going to include this read in one of my current challenges – the Once Upon a Time challenge (or not a challenge) being hosted by Carl over at Stainless Steel Droppings. I think with the inclusion of so many Gods this can definitely be included in the myth category! Stop on over and check out this ‘none’ challenge – it’s all about having fun and along the way you get to meet some really great people and find out some excellent recommendations for other books – if your TBR pile can take it!
Hammered by Kevin Hearne
