Review

Her Fearful Symmetry

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Her Fearful Symmetry

Her Fearful Symmetry

Her Fearful Symmetry

By Audrey Niffenegger

Scribner

ISBN: 978-1439165393

5 stars

In addition to this blog, I also do reviews for The Book Reporter website. Below is a short summary of my review of Her Fearful Symmetry which can be found on their website in full here.

Her Fearful Symmetry begins with a death. Elspeth Noblin dies of cancer, leaving her London apartment to her estranged sister’s twin daughters, Julia and Valentina. Excited by the prospect of a new life life, the twins leave for London unaware of the dark secret which has kept their mother and aunt apart for decades.

This book is full of interesting characters who all seem to be waiting around for something in their lives — a wife to return, a secret to be revealed, a love to return, or a love to be found. Hovering over everyone is death and disappearance. In the end, you feel sad for all the characters, even the ones that manage to find themselves again but you may not get over the final last act that brings everything full circle.

Her Fearful Symmetry was eagerly awaited by fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife. I didn’t fall in love with these characters that way I did with Henry and Clair but, it was worth the wait and is one great read.

Dracula

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Dracula

Dracula

Dracula

By Bram Stoker

Bantam Books

ISBN: 0-553-21271-0

5 stars

I recently re-read Dracula and I have to say, it can still make my heart race even though I know what’s going to happen on the next page.

The novel is composed of journal entries from several characters: Jonathan Harker, Lucy Westerna, Mina Murray, Dr. John Seward, Quincey Morris, Arthur Holwood, and Professor Van Helsing.  Each entry brings a new voice and perspective to the story making it incredibly rich and, in many ways, even scarier because you know these individuals are expressing their true fears since the writing is done in private journals.

The story begins with Jonathan Harker, an English lawyer, on a trip to the Carpathian Mountains to conduct business for a Count Dracula.  He describes his odd journey and the strange responses of the people when they learn where he is going.  He also includes his description of the Count which gives the reader a clear look at Dracula.

Mina, Jonathan’s fiancée, is visiting her friend Lucy and writing happily to her Jonathan.  The entries are full of happiness and hope until Lucy falls gravely ill and the mood becomes tragically sad and somewhat disturbing as Lucy’s behavior and cause is explained.

Dr. Seward, a former suitor of Lucy’s, is at a loss to help her and calls on an old friend.  Professor Van Helsing arrives and sensing the problem begins a fruitless effort to save her.  When Lucy succumbs, Van Helsing knows what must be done but to protect the decency of the lady and emotions of family and friends, he mentions the next step, stake through the heart and beheading, only to Seward.  Seward, nursing his loss of Lucy in several ways, lashes out.  Finally, when neighbors begin to report children missing, Seward agrees to help Van Helsing along with Quincey, an American in love with Lucy as well, and her forlorn fiancé Arthur who feels it is his duty to help Lucy finally rest in peace.  The small band sets out to kill Lucy — again.

Mina at this time is nursing Jonathan back to health after he fell ill during his trip to Transylvania.  She finds and reads his diary against his wishes, in the hope of understanding what is ailing him.  She’s astounded by what she finds but is still determined to help not only Jonathan, but the now assembled group of vampire hunters, remove the scourge from the earth.

As the final battle becomes evident, the journal entries become more morose, creepy, and scary which is what makes this book so fascinating.  You feel as if you’re getting a peek into the characters’ minds.  You feel their terror and frustrations, and are entranced by the minutiae of their planning for the fight with what they consider to be the ultimate evil.

If you’re looking for something to read this October, the original still delivers.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

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The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

By Katherine Howe

Hyperion

ISBN: 978-1-4013-4090-2

3.5 stars

Connie Goodwin, a Harvard doctoral candidate in American history, plans to spend her summer researching her thesis. Unfortunately, a call from her mother, Grace, changes that. Grace asks her to clean out her grandmother’s old house near Salem, Massachusetts and make it ready for sale. She’s annoyed but relents. She packs up the car and moves out of town for the summer away from her books and libraries.

Thumbing through the bookshelves in the old dilapidated house one night when she can’t sleep, Connie finds a key in a bible. Inside the shaft of the key is a small piece of paper with the name Deliverance Dane scrolled on it. She tells her mother about it but Grace doesn’t recognize the name. She decides to do a bit of research and finds she may have her original source for her thesis. This happy twist of fate also brings her to Sam, a steeplejack refurbishing an old church in town. The meeting is fortuitous and Connie, who never thinks of anything but books, finds herself with a new topic to obsess over. Suddenly, things begin to fall apart around her — Sam gets hurt, her adviser takes on an unnatural interest in her work, and she seems to be developing strange powers.

Interspersed throughout the book are short interludes about Deliverance and her family. These snippets are interesting and I wish there were more of them. It’s the reason I like to read historical fiction and I like the dynamic of old and new in the story.

I have to admit that the first 100 pages seemed a tad slow to me waiting for Connie to find what she was looking for. Once things picked up, it became much more interesting and fast paced. It was an intriguing take on the Salem witch trials and a glance at New England sensibilities at the time. A good read overall.

An Echo in the Bone

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An Echo in the Bone

An Echo in the Bone

An Echo in the Bone

By Diana Gabaldon

Delacorte Press

ISBN: 978-0-385-34245-2

4 stars

An Echo in the Bone is the seventh book in the Outlander series. I will say this right up front — not as discouragement but as a matter of fact — if you have not read the six preceding novels, don’t bother with this one. You’ll be confused and annoyed by page eight and want to hurl the book across the room, and at 814 pages (hardcover), you’re likely to break something.

The reason for the above warning — Gabaldon jumps right in where the last book, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, left off. If you don’t know who these characters are or how and why some of them end up moving from 1776 to 1980, it would be hard to catch up quick enough to enjoy the story.

If you’re familiar with Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his time traveling doctor wife, Claire, then be prepared for a long and meandering story. Having read all of the previous books, I’m fully vested at this point and couldn’t wait for this one. Gabaldon answers a lot of questions and leaves you with many more and an obvious eighth book. At least there better be because now I’m left wondering and I hate that!

Jamie and Claire Fraser are still on Fraser’s Ridge in North Carolina waiting for their chance to depart for Scotland with their nephew Ian Murray. It’s 1776 and the American Revolution is looming. Claire being the time traveler that she is knows what’s going to happen and, Jamie, having lost too much in wars past, is trying to get them out before things start erupting.

Unfortunately, before they set foot in Scotland, Jamie ends up in the Continental Army. Luckily, both get through the few battles they see relatively unharmed but a bit battered. In trying to make their way back home, they end up encountering pirates, see two battles of the American Revolution, death, new life, a return from the dead, and new love.

Let’s sum it up by saying it’s a long trip for both of them. Keeping in mind this is essentially a love story, in order to make the story interesting and move it along, there’s a kidnapping, spy charges, lots of fighting, and, oh yeah, sex. Lots and lots of sex.

One of the things I enjoy about this series, aside from the characters which I just find irresistible and charming, is the medical knowledge imparted by Claire. She’s a 20th century surgeon transplanted into the 18th century and doing the best she can to heal people without the technology she’s used to. She gathers plants, makes her own penicillin, and somehow manages to operate on people with a fairly high success rate. She’s endearing for this quality and Jamie, well, I guess I find something entrancing about a big, redheaded, Scottish man.

So while I have to say I didn’t love this book as much as the first (I always find that to be the case with a series like this one.), I did enjoy it immensely. It’s extremely potent and highly addictive brain candy. I find Jamie and Claire to be incredibly entertaining characters and I always want to know more about their life together and the people in it. So, I guess that means at least three more years of waiting to find out what happens with these two.

The Heretic Queen

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The Heretic Queen

The Heretic Queen

The Heretic Queen

By Michelle Moran

Three Rivers Press

ISBN: 978-0-307-38176-7

4 stars

I’ve never read any of Michelle Moran’s books but a number of bloggers were touting The Heretic Queen in advance of her new book, Cleopatra’s Daughter, which was released in September.  I saw this in the bookstore and decided to pick it up.  I have to say it was one of the most detailed and interesting books I’ve come across in a while.  I read a lot of historical fiction and this one ranked near the top.  She has a great talent for creating interesting characters and a story the pulls you along until the last page.

Princess Nefertari’s life changes when her friend Ramesses becomes Pharaoh.  They grew up together at court and she was always treated as another daughter by the Pharaoh Seti, Ramesses’s father.  She always had a friend, and more, in Ramesses but his elevation from Prince to Pharaoh throws her into the middle of court politics.

Her family’s history, Nefertiti is her aunt and had been deemed a heretic for changing the way the gods were worshiped, has followed her throughout her life. She is used to the backlash but it becomes more intense because of her relationship with Ramesses. She brushes off the politics and only feels sorry that she can’t be with Ramesses any longer. Princess Woserit, High Priestess of Hathor and sister to Pharaoh Seti, takes her away to the Temple of Hathor to teach her how to be a proper Egyptian princess and work to instill her as Ramesses wife.

Moran has a way of bringing you into the story through the details.  Her writing is incredibly rich and you associate very strongly with the characters and what is happening to them.  One small criticism — toward the end, events move very quickly hardly giving the reader time to catch his/her breath.  Up to that point, things had been calculated and nicely paced.  I did not find this to be a major problem with the story just something which happened that felt out of place to me but it also may well have been my reluctance to see it end.

I’ve already reserved a copy of Cleopatra’s Daughter at the library.  Unfortunately, they do not have Nefertiti but I enjoyed this one so much I may just make another trip to the bookstore.

Century: Book 1 The Ring of Fire

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Century: Book 1 The Ring of Fire

Century: Book 1 The Ring of Fire

Century: Book 1 The Ring of Fire

By P.D. Baccalario

Random House Children’s Books

ISBN: 978-0-375-85895-6

2.5 stars

According to legend, every 100 years mankind is tested and, in order to be saved, four children must take on the task of saving the world…

On December 29, thanks to a hotel reservation mix up, four children find themselves thrown together in one room in Rome. Elettra, the hotel owner’s daughter, Harvey from New York, Sheng from Shanghai, and Mistral from Paris. In getting to know each other, they find out they are all Leap Year babies. Suddenly, a freak blackout drowns the city in darkness and the kids decide to take the opportunity to explore.

On the streets of Rome, the kids run into a man who gives them a briefcase. Wearily, they take it back to the hotel and open it. Inside they find a series of clues that make no sense to them at first, but soon they find themselves traversing the city in search of an elusive answer, running from a dangerous hit-man, and being drawn deeper into a centuries old mystery.

This book sounded very interesting to me and I was looking forward to it. I tend to like stories where characters are searching for the unknown with a bit of the paranormal/mysterious element thrown in but this one came up short for me. I am usually very good at suspending disbelief when needed, but here I couldn’t buy that these four kids would automatically bond, roam the street of Rome, and get in that much trouble without anyone noticing. For instance, one of the kids gets kidnapped and no one notices and the other kids say nothing. I had trouble with that. Also, I found Harvey to be very unlikable and wondered why these kids would still want him around. He said no to everything, was moody, and generally mean and annoying. Yes, there is always room for the contrarian but he was the epitome and then some.

I will say this — I have been to Rome and I think the author did a good job of describing the city and it’s little quirks. There are many fantastic things in Rome that can make the imagination run wild. I wish more of that was incorporated here but the story was about these four kids and not the city. Also, it did pick up toward the end and had it’s moments. For 12 year-olds (the ages of the children in this book), I can see the draw here — to be in a big city, without parents butting in, and involved in a centuries old mystery, it could be very thrilling.

This is the first book in the Century series. Four others are planned.

This book was sent to me by Random House at my request.

Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters

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Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters

Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters

Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters

By Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters

Quirk Books

ISBN: 978-1-59474-442-6

4.5 stars

I was so very excited when this book went on sale on Tuesday. I ran to the store, got my copy, and started reading as soon as I got home. Sense & Sensibility is one of my favorite books and I wondered if the addition of sea monsters would alter my view.

I’m happy to report it didn’t. I’m not rating this book as high as the original but that’s just because I don’t really think of this as the same book and I will admit to being extremely partial to the original. It’s fresh and fun but the original it’s not, which is a good thing in this case.

The story is much the same. Mr. Dashwood dies; Mrs. Dashwood, Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret move to the Devonshire coast; Marianne falls for Willoughby; Willoughby leaves Marianne; Elinor and Marianne go to London; a meeting with Willoughby goes bad; Marianne is heartbroken; Elinor suffers heartbreak silently; Marianne get sick and recovers; Elinor reunites with her love; Marianne finds love and a life she never imagined for herself. Oh, yes, don’t forget the letter writing — there’s a lot of it.

Sea monsters, yep, there’s a lot of them too in the new version. Mr. Dashwood is eaten by a shark; Mrs. Dashwood kills a sea monster on the way to the Devonshire coast; Willoughby, the treasure hunter, saves Marianne from a huge octopus; Elinor escapes the fang beast; Elinor and Marianne visit Sub-Marine Station Beta (AKA London); Sub-Marine Station Beta is attacked by sea monsters; Colonel Brandon is part sea monster thanks to a curse by a sea witch (descriptions are amusing and somewhat disgusting); a lot of talk about underwater gear and, of course, fish stories. Also, there is an interesting explanation for the sea monsters — the Alteration which no one knows the cause of.

After reading it, I have to say that I truly enjoyed it. I also think this can be a love it or hate it book. If you’re not willing for liberties to be taken with the original text then you might want to skip it. Me, I like parodies and found the characters and situations with the addition of sea monsters to be entertaining. Enjoy it for what it is.

And for those interested in the other Austen re-imaging this year, my review of Pride & Prejudice & Zombies can be found here.

The Graveyard Book

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The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book

By Neil Gaiman

HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN: 978-0-06-053092-1

4 stars

Nobody Owens lives in the cemetery. He plays with his neighbors, attends classes, and lives just as any other boy — except that he is being raised by ghosts.

Nobody, known affectionately as Bod, came to the cemetery the night his parents and sister were murdered. The only member of his family to escape death that evening, he was saved because of his precocious behavior and penchant for climbing out of his crib. He made his way to the cemetery and, fortunately, the residents were willing to take him in. Mr. and Mrs. Owens offer to raise him as their own and his guardian, Silas, takes on the task of maintaining his safety. Over the years, Bod does his best to test boundaries, as any child will do, with the exception that all his experiences take place in the world of the dead so small scrapes end up being life and death decisions.

As Bod grows, he learns about life outside of the cemetery gates and wishes to become part of the living world once again. Silas agrees and lets him attend school but it doesn’t work out as well as Bod would have liked. He blends in, almost to the point of becoming invisible, which suits Silas, but not Bod. After an incident lands him in trouble, Bod agrees to come back to the safety of the graveyard but he is becoming even more curious about the people who are trying to harm him. Unknown to Bod, Silas is doing his best to make sure he will be able to live a safe, happy life once he leaves the cemetery.

Gaiman creates a fantastic world inside the gates of the cemetery. Bod’s experiences are extraordinary and make you want to explore your local cemetery. Bod’s lessons and the little excursions he takes, in and out of the graves, are wonderful and full of curiosity.

I’ve read a few Gaiman books and always marvel at the way he creates worlds within worlds that you want to explore. You’ll appreciate the depths with which he creates his world in this book.