Challenge

Review – Bag of Bones

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Bag of BonesThere are so many good reviews of this that of course I had to read it. It’s one of King’s many books that I never got around to, and with the number of books this man writes and publishes, I’m not surprised it took me this long to read it.

Mike Noonan is an author, a good mid-list author at that. He leads a comfortable life with his wife Jo in New England. When Jo unexpectedly dies of a brain aneurysm, Mike is left alone and almost incapacitated by her sudden death. His wife also left him with a bit of mystery and he wants answers. Since Jo’s death, Mike has developed writer’s block, something he’s never even briefly experienced in his career as a writer. Thinking a change in scenery will help with his writer’s block and hopefully quell the obsession he’s developing with his dead wife’s coming and goings, Mike heads to his vacation house on a lake in the woods of Maine. Shortly after arriving, he finds himself caught up in a nasty custody battle over a three year-old girl he accidentally made friends with when he saw her walking down the middle of a busy road. Unwilling to let Mattie, the young mother, get destroyed by the system, Mike steps in and learns what it means to be a stranger in this part of Maine.

I jumped into this book anticipating a full out ghost story and found myself in the middle of a custody battle. Strange how books emerge sometimes. The ghost element was more than strong and I liked the small town history and how it all tied back to Mike and the property he owns but the custody battle felt like it really never fit for me even when every last tie was explained. I think my expectations were set up to be very different from what I actually got in reading the book. This sounds negative but it’s not. It just wasn’t what I had in mind when I started this book.

That said, I did enjoy this book very much. It reminded me of 11/22/63 in the slight love story that starts to develop, and then when the ghosts start in, there’s nowhere to hide for the reader or the characters. This book spooked me early on but as the story got going, I was more interested in the ghosts themselves than some of the living characters. Anything that scared me in the beginning was out the door by this time because I wanted to know every last detail of this town’s ghosts and have them out every bitter secret.

Even with all the ghosts and their brutal pasts emerging, the main story was sad. Mike Noonan is a man lost without his wife and drifting without a career now that he can no longer write without getting violently ill. When he decides to visit the lake home, he hopes he’ll be able to write again, and when he does, it’s not what he thinks it will be. He ends up have to mourn not only his wife but a part of his life he never thought he’d lose. The custody battle is heartbreaking, as all are, but there’s a cruel aspect to it all that ties back very well to the area’s unfortunately well-known and well-hidden past.

There are a few references to Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca in Bag of Bones. I adored Rebecca and referencing it here only made my love of it stronger. Why not invoke a book with a ghostly aspect to enhance another ghost story?

I know many people might stay away from an author like King and may not like horror/ghosts stories either. Well, in some ways this book is many of those things but I still want to encourage you to try it. It’s a good story with some extra supernatural parts to make it interesting. It’s more than its ghosts. In other words, it’s a keeper.

Bag of Bones
By Stephen King
Scribner
ISBN: 9781439106211
4 stars

Stephen King Button BlueThis book was read for The Stephen King Project Challenge. You can find more information here.

Thoughts – The Mists of Avalon

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This isn’t going to be regular review. Over the course of the seven weeks I spent reading The Mists of Avalon, I started writing down what I liked/didn’t like about this book and a few thoughts that I didn’t want to slip away. It may be a little disjointed but I’ll try to pull it back together at the end when I finish up this little experiment.

First, for those unfamiliar with this book, The Mists of Avalon is a re-telling of Arthurian legend from the perspective of the women. It closely follows with the generally known legend and all the characters are there. If you want a more detailed description, I give you this. Yes, it’s the lazy way but this is already a very long post.

Character-wise — I love the strong women. Igraine, the eventual wife of Uther Pendragon and the mother of King Arthur, is miserable and it’s hard to blame her. Especially when she finds out she’s really just a pawn for Viviane, her sister and priestess of Avalon, who has already once married her off to an older man and plans to marry her to the man who will be high king so she can bear him a son. Viviane is strong, not likeable, but admirable. She has strong convictions and even a few regrets especially for her family and the strains put on them by their fates. Morgaine, Igraine’s daughter by her first husband, the Duke of Cornwall, and to a certain extent, Viviane’s adopted daughter, becomes a priestess of Avalon. When she falls victim to Viviane’s fate machine, she runs when her life is essentially brought to ruins. Morgause, Igraine’s sister and Morgaine’s aunt, may be a harsh woman with designs on power his above her abilities, but give her credit, she knows what she wants and how to get it. Even if how she gets it is through sex but she’s not ashamed so why should we be.

Then there’s Gwenhwyfar, King Arthur’s wife. What a twit. Really. I couldn’t stand her and I have a very high tolerance for liking this character in most Arthurian re-tellings. Here, she’s a conniving woman who only wants a son and will go to any length to guilt and goad her husband into being a better Christian because she believes that a stronger more fanatical faith will bring that wish to fruition. She’s whiney, annoying, and honestly, not that smart. She doesn’t see the big picture and is so worried about supposed pagans and their evil that she can’t even see what she’s doing is tearing the country apart as her husband is trying to salvage it. As a side note: if you want to read a strong Gwenhwyfar, read Helen Hollick’s Arthurian re-telling — The Kingmaking, Pendragon’s Banner, and Shadow of the King. The Gwenhwyfar in that story is strong and unafraid of her fate and faces everything head on.

The men. Arthur is Arthur but he’s not so much the strong Arthur that I like so much. He’s more of a non-factor since this story is about the women but he’s the high king and has to be there. Lancelet. My god, just bang the girl and get it over with. I say this now because I couldn’t take it anymore. Unrequited love doesn’t sit well for me and there’s entirely too much of it here. Yet, it’s a big part of this story and it wouldn’t be this story without this little triangle. And when I say triangle I mean that in the threesome sort of way. Imagine at will.

Mordred, Morgaine and Arthur’s son, is a fascinating character. He was raised by Morgause and is full of the need for power but the difference is that he knows how to find it and yield it. Raised in Avalon, he can raise the power of the goddess and knows his way around courtly diversions and behavior. He is able to manipulate Arthur and gain his way into Gwenhwyfar’s heart all the while planning a way to gain the throne for himself. A character that at some moments is a playful child, a homesick man, a man in love, and a man loyal to his brothers, Mordred is a slight chameleon. You want to like him but in ways you just can’t. Morgaine seems to feel the same way about him and she’s his mother. What does that tell you?

Merlin is Merlin and very grandfatherly but doesn’t play the part I want him to in this book but, again, it’s not about him. Kevin the Bard, oh how I love his interactions with the twit. Kevin was disfigured in a childhood accident and Gwenhwyfar believes he’s the devil himself and actually blames him for a miscarriage at one point. He gets what he deserves in the end for his betrayals though but I did find him an interesting character in his thought process on the changing role of religion among the people and how old ways needed to change. Morgaine doesn’t agree with him and this becomes the cause of tension for these two and seeing them battle it out is interesting.

Morgaine. I need to talk more about her. Honestly, I adore her in this book and she’s not always a character I like. In some stories, she’s a horrific person willing to murder and seize power at every opportunity, in The Mists of Avalon, she mostly runs from her fate. She doesn’t actively seek power and even when she can use it to get what she wants, she doesn’t. Yes, some of her actions are harsh but she does have a degree of humanity about her that I like.

I still love the setting, the storytelling, and the tension. It’s a long book and nothing is rushed which also at times makes you wish something would happen. You have to be patient and wait for the fates to work it out though. Although, as I got down to the end, parts did feel slightly rushed but I think that was because I had become used to this world moving slowly and when events happen all in succession, it felt out of place but it also felt that it needed to come to an end so I was fine with it.

This isn’t my first time with this book and it won’t be my last. I discovered much about this book on this re-read and I’m sure I’ll discover more in successive reads. While there are many Arthurian legend books I adore, this is certainly high on the list. It’s a wonderful story full of amazing women. Even if you don’t care for Arthurian legend, read it for the women. They stand above.

Thoughts – The Mists of Avalon

By Marion Zimmer Bradley

DelRey

ISBN: 0345350499

4.5 stars

Review – The Left Hand of Darkness

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Genly Ai is an envoy, a traveler and explorer if you will. He is from the planet Hain and is now a guest, of sorts, on the planet of Winter or Gethen as it’s known by its inhabitants. He is on Winter solely on a mission of discovery, there is no malice in his mission but he finds resistance. The Gethenians are reluctant to believe that he is from another planet even with the physical differences readily visible between him and the Gethenians.

The Gethenians are a genderless race. When, and as needed, they can become either male or female. Genly has trouble with the concept and the individuals on Winter think of him as a freak constantly stuck in the state of kemmer — the time when Gethenians transform to mate. This difference is almost impossible to overcome as Genly, a male of his race, can’t comprehend the idea of kemmer and the switching of genders for mating purposes but yet he is fascinated by a people he can’t understand. When he makes a journey with one Gethenian who becomes a close friend, Estraven, he comes to an understanding of the people even if he finds some of their customs strange.

I had some trouble with this read. Maybe trouble is the wrong word. I felt like I was a bystander. It was like reading a report and in many ways it is. There are reports by Genly and stories of the Gethenians history as well. It’s very unemotional, even the emotional parts of the story felt that way to me.

While I was reading I came across a column by author Joe Walton — Some Thoughts on Anthropological Science Fiction as a Sub-Genre.  She talks about a single traveler meeting up with a new culture and the results. It’s a fascinating article. You should read it. It changed the way I was thinking of this book and maybe gave me a better idea of what I was reading. It didn’t change my mind about it but just made me look at it with a new eye toward what the author was trying to accomplish. It’s very effective looking at it in a new light and that helped me appreciate the story more.

In many ways, it’s a look at how we as humans view gender and what it means to be a man or a woman and the expectations — societal and personal — that go with those thoughts. This is a topic I’ve read absolutely nothing about and am speaking only from my own personal point of view. I could understand Genly’s inability to comprehend the idea of becoming another gender during sex. Gender is who we are and how we define ourselves in society. It’s more than a difficult idea to grasp but unlike Genly, I think I would be interested in being able to switch genders to see what other life experiences would be like. I was sort of letdown by an explorer who didn’t seem interested in seeking new experiences. He does try but never gets there and, yes, part of the story is about his shortcomings but he’s certainly more a traveler than an explorer to me.

Science fiction is a means of exploring topics uncomfortable or incomprehensible to us. Looking at this novel from that perspective makes it fascinating, but it doesn’t make me like the book more because of it. It’s almost as if I have a neutral feeling about it. It’s weird because part of this story was wonderfully fascinating in the ideas it was exploring and at other times it felt flat. Considering this is a book about a space traveler I found this funny in a weird sort of way. Shouldn’t everything be fascinating to an explorer? Shouldn’t he want to see and experience everything possible?

Even though I’m feeling neutral in terms of whether or not I like this book, I do think it was worth the read. It’s not my first Le Guin; I read the Earth Sea books many years ago. The Left Hand of Darkness was completely different than I remember those books. It won’t change my opinion of the Earth Sea books but it has made me think differently about Le Guin and that’s refreshing.

The Left Hand of Darkness

By Ursula Le Guin

Ace Books

ISBN:9780441478125

3 stars

Red Seas Under Red Skies Read Along – Week 4

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I wasn’t able to participate last week because of work but this week I’m back. Next week may be a gamble depending on whether I can find a wifi signal in San Diego, CA so I wanted to make sure I got in as much as possible this time around. Kinda sad I might miss the last go around because this has been a great read along. Anyway, on with it!

Thanks to Ashley at SF Signal for last week’s questions and nrlymrtl from Dark Cargo for this week’s questions.

Week 3

1. Locke and Jean’s ability to find themselves at the center of a serious mess seems unparalleled. At this point, do you think that Stragos will get the return he expects on his investment in them?

He might but Locke and Jean will be extracting a price of their own as well, that’s my guess at least. Then again, they might end up at the bottom of the sea. These two seem to find attract every single bit of trouble any place has to offer. But if they didn’t, it wouldn’t be so much fun to read would it?
2. Merrain’s activities after our boys leave Windward Rock are interesting. What do you think her plans are?

I’m beginning to wonder who she’s really working for.
3. Does anyone know why having cats aboard the ship is so important?

Eat mice, scare rats?
4. The word “mutiny” creates a lot of mental pictures. Were you surprised? Why or why not?

No. I didn’t see this little boat ride going well for Locke, Jean maybe, but not Locke. He’s a good actor but he’s an actor. Someone was going to notice the man didn’t know what end of the boat he was on at some point. I’m surprised it took as long as it did.
5. Ah, the Poison Orchid. So many surprises there, not the least of which were the captain’s children. Did you find the young children a natural part of the story?

I was really surprised by the kids, mostly because there haven’t been any in the story except in flashbacks to mini Locke and Jean. It definitely humanizes Zamira and why she’s so cautious.

In a way, it is a natural part of the story though. Why wouldn’t someone have kids even a pirate?
6. Jean is developing more and more as a character as we get further in to the book. Ezri makes the comment to him that “Out here, the past is a currency, Jerome. Sometimes it’s the only one we have.” I think several interesting possibilities are coming into play regarding Jean and Ezri. What about you?

Oh yes.
7. As we close down this week’s reading, the Thorn of Camorr is back! I love it, even with all the conflict.  Several things from their Camorri background have come back up. Do you think we will see more Camorri characters?

Again, oh yes.

 

 

Week 4

1. I was much relieved when Jean and Locke made up, which started with Locke’s gesture of a cup full of honesty with Cpt. Drakasha. Do you think that was hard for Locke? Or was he using this bit of honesty like any other weapon in his arsenal to get what he wants in the end?

Double edged question. I think he needed to be honest for Jean because he respects and loves him. And I think there may have been a slight (oh so slight) amount of guilt mixed in with that respect and love that made Locke understand that he needed to lay the cards of the table. But, yes, he always thinks of himself first and what he can get out of it so even by telling the truth he was still using the situation to his advantage.

That makes Locke sound awful but I don’t see him that way, it’s just who he is and what he does, even when he isn’t lying.
2. The Parlor Passage: We still don’t know Locke’s true name, but whatever was in that mist does. What do you think it is?

It’s driving me nuts that I don’t know his name! Not that there’s anything wrong with Locke which I think is a fabulous name but I want the real one.

I’m not too sure I want to think of what’s in that mist but whatever it is, is what creepy is made of. Then again, maybe it’s nothing and the fog is really just a chemical or a drug that causes hallucinations.
3. There was an interesting section of the book that started about where Locke assisted Drakasha in selling the Red Messenger; he put on the persona of Leocanto Kosta and used the alias Tavras Callas and then Drakasha was still thinking of him as Ravelle….. Did using all those various aliases in such a short amount of time have your mind spinning a little? Do you think Lynch did this on purpose to give the reader a sense of Locke’s mind?

I was surprised to see Tavras Callas back. First, because I sort of think of him as a scheme from the first book, and two, it seems risky to bring someone like that back even in a part of the world he isn’t know. I keep thinking that’s going to come back and bite him. It does make you wonder about Locke’s head though and how full it is of disguises and personalities that I questioned if Locke even knows who he was. I don’t think of Locke in anyway negative but the fact that he can switch his personality on and off made me wonder about his mental health.
4. That was a sweet little kiss between Cpt. Zamira and Cpt. Jaffrim at the end of the Captains’ Council. Do you think they have some history, or is it just innocent flirting that’s been going on for some time?

Can you say baby daddy?
5. Jean and Ezri. Cue dove-cooing and little winged hearts with sparkles. Do you think Jean will stay with the Poison Orchid or that Ezri will leave her ship to pal around with Jean and Locke?

She’s the newest member of the Gentleman Bastards! She is. I know it.

And if she doesn’t leave to stay with Jean I’m going to be so upset. Finally, something nice for Jean. Don’t ruin it!
6. What is Utgar up to? What are his motivations?

It took me a second to realize what was going on here and I don’t like it. I have no idea what he’s up to but it’s all bad. That I know.
7. So last week we hashed over that Merrain killed some of Stragos’s guards on Windward Rock. But when Jean and Locke visit him, he doesn’t mention it. What is up with that?

I don’t get what’s up with her although I’m sorta digging her style. She’s like freelance killer, freelance spy, freelance I will tell you all nothing and play you all against each other.

Or, Lady Gentleman Bastard number two.
8. This week’s section left us where the book began – Jean pointing a crossbow at Locke’s throat. Do you think Jean knows who sent these crossbowers? Is he on their side? Is it a clever ploy to get him and Locke out of this predicament? Did you find it excruciatingly hard to stop here?

It’s a way to get them out of the mess because I can’t believe that Jean would turn on Locke, even though he is a huge pain in the ass.

And this was the worst place ever to stop this week’s reading! Worst. Place. Ever!

Now that my answers are posted, I’m going to start reading again.

Red Seas Under Red Skies Read Along Part 2

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Back this week with an interruption in the #Reviewathon to play in the Red Seas Under Red Skies Read Along. Part 1 is here if you’re curious. This week’s questions are from Andrea at the Little Red Reviewer and she also has more info here.

I decided I had some fun last week writing pretty much stream of conscience and decided to go with it again so ignore dangling participles, fragments, and if I used the wrong conscience (conscientious), ignore that too. I, seriously, never use that word correctly. It’s my nemesis.

1 – Now that we know a little more about Selendri and Requin, what do you think of them? I worry Locke is suddenly realizing this con might be a bit tougher than he expected.

I don’t trust these two at all. Requin doesn’t give hints about anything, although once Locke did seem to surprise him with what he had to say, but I think he already knows what Locke is up to before he does so there’s the possibility of all this going so very wrong. Then again, why should I underestimate a character that seems to be able to get out of almost everything, with the exception of being poisoned? Ugh, he should have know better.

As for Selendri, I now think of her as the new Nazca. This will persist until Sabetha shows up because I appreciate a strong female character. Which, by the way, I do think Lynch does very well. The problem is that he kills them off, gives them horrible back stories, and has them only show up when someone else mentions her as in the case of Sabetha. What’s up with that?
2 – Isn’t the Artificers’ Crescent just amazing?  If you could purchase anything there, what would it be?

I would buy a mini elephant, around the 20 pound mark. Like a decent size dog, not too big but not too small either. Just think how much fun it would be to play fetch with that! Was that a weird answer? I sorta think it is but I’m leaving it because it said anything in the question.

3 – What did you think of Salon Corbeau and the goings on that occur there? A bit crueler than a Camorri crime boss, no?

Esh. I couldn’t wait for Locke to leave. The games are horrid and while it sounds like a ‘nice’ ‘safe’ place, I’d run as far away from it as I could.

One of the reasons I like Locke so much is that he isn’t cruel. He might scheme money away from the rich, play tricks on them, but he’s never outright cruel. And really, where does a child learn that entertainment comes in the form of beating an elderly person with clubs come from! Crap that place was a rat hole.
4 – The Archon might be a megalomaniacal military dictator, but he thinks he’s doing right by Tal Verrar: his ultimate goal seems to be to protect them.  What do you think he’s so afraid of?

This has me confused, not the question, this character. I can’t figure out what he’s up to and why he feels he needs to protect the place. Also, why does he feel so safe that his spies aren’t known by Requin! He should know that if he’s willing to pay, someone else is willing to pay more for the information he wants. Spying 101 — cuz I know so much about that. I should stop talking now but hole already dug, going in for me.

I don’t think he’s afraid of Requin, he understands him as a nemesis (I’m trying to work this word into everyday conversation. Used it twice in this post even!) and maybe a slight threat to his plans, but I don’t think there’s fear there. However, maybe there should be. Is it all a misplaced fear and he doesn’t get it at all? I don’t know.

5 – And who the heck is trying to kill Locke and Jean every few days?  They just almost got poisoned (again!)!

Head, e-reader. I’m pretty sure there’s an N on my forehead from my nook. Can these two just stop drinking everything put in front of them!? I was glad to see they passed on the ale because, really, you had to see that one coming.
6 – Do you really think it’s possibly for a city rat like Locke to fake his way onto a Pirate ship?

I want him to play the part, and I think it will be amusing to see him do it, but no, I don’t think he can be a pirate. In my head, now and forever, that’s Johnny Depp.

Red Seas Under Red Skies Read Along – Part 1

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I had so much fun with The Lies of Locke Lamora Read Along I joined up for the Red Seas Under Red Skies Read Along.  What can I say; I’m a sucker for a series and for read alongs this year. It seems I can’t help myself when it comes to either. Yep, sucker.

Book two – Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch. I love a good series and so far, a mere 100 pages in, this one is living up to the first for me. Honestly, I think it’s the fact that two of my favorite characters are back and up to their good old schemey ways. No spoilers this week so you’re all safe.

Thanks to My Awful Reviews for this week’s questions. You can find more information at the Little Red Reviewer if you want it.

1. The Sinspire. It looks like our heroes (can they really be called that?) find themselves in search of a way into an unbeatable vault. Do you think they have what it takes to make it happen?

I will call them heroes. Bad examples, but heroes none the same! OK, I have to admit that as soon as I read the scene where Locke starts talking about ripping off the vault, all I could think about was Ocean’s Eleven. Locke and Jean because Clooney and Pitt in my head. I have no issue with this, but that’s all I can think about now. When does the rest of gang arrive?

Do they have what it takes to pull it off? I want them to do it, I do, but right now their prospects are pretty dim. I have faith though, I have faith.

2.  Anyone want to guess how they’re going to make it happen?

Ah, no. I’m notoriously bad a guessing games and don’t feel the need to embarrass myself needlessly. Moving onto question 3…

3. It’s a little different this time around, with us just being focused on Locke and Jean. Is anyone else missing the rest of the Bastards as much as I am?

YES! Oh, I so wish they had their brothers back but I’m also thinking they may need to find some new ones which makes me a little unhappy because they can’t be replaced. I don’t know how they can pull off the heist without more of them though.

4. I love the section where Jean starts to build a new guild of thieves. It really shows just how well trained and tough he is. Do you think the Bastards will end up training others along the way again like Bug?

I loved that part. Or maybe I have a crush on Jean, not sure. Yes, I do think eventually a new gang will form with training all around but I think Locke’s going to resist and Jean will see it as necessary and go out and do it. I do hope the personalities are different in the new Bastards though, not because I didn’t like those characters, but new gang, new personalities just seems to be in order. Also, I don’t want to think of the new Bastards as stand-in zombie replacements because I’m not above thinking that in my head. See question one — I’m already playing the Ocean’s Eleven soundtrack in my head. I don’t need extra reason to mash things up.

5. For those of you looking for Sabetha, we still haven’t spotted her yet. Anyone else chomping at the bit to see the love of Locke’s life?

It’s funny, I see Locke as a softhearted guy, even with all the robbing and scheming to rip others off (he did save people in the end of the last book don’t forget) and I really want to meet the woman who ruined him. Let’s face it; she’s got to be some woman to do what she did to Locke. I want her to be a badass like Nazca. Steel-heeled boots and all. And now bondage is in my head. See, this is what happens when I write without editing. You think I kid but I don’t. Usually I’m much more reserved and professional, or I try to be, but for whatever reason, I’ve lost that battle with myself this morning. (Self, drink some coffee before attempting to write.)

I say he’s softhearted not only because of Sabetha but the way he misses the fallen Bastards. I think of Jean much the same. Yeah, I know they’re criminals but they happen to be fictional ones so I can like them all I want.

6. It’s early on, but the Bastards are already caught up in plots that they didn’t expect. How do you think their new “employer” is going to make use of them (The Archon, that is)?

Again, not good at the guessing game but I surmise it will be interesting and I hope Locke and Jean manage to turn to the game on The Archon in the end.

Read Along Public Service Announcement

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The Lies of Locke Lamora Read Along was so much fun that I’m in for book two – Red Seas Under Red Skies. Scott Lynch, somewhat new to me author and new book crush. Really, hand to god truth. Andrea at the Little Red Reviewer is co- hosting again with @ohthatashely, Dark Cargo, Lynn’s Book Blog, and My Awful Reviews (Thanks co-hosts!) and here’s the schedule. We start reading April 20th. Want more info, go here.

Week 1 – Beginning thru end of Chapter 3, discussion questions go out April 26, posts go up April 28.
Week 2 – Reminiscence “The Lady of the Glass Pylon” thru end of Chapter 6, discussion questions go out May 3, posts go up 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.

Now go. Get your book.

For the curious, I’ll have a review of The Lies of Locke Lamora up next week, or soon anyway. When I get my act together. Let’s go with that.

Thoughts – Emma

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I didn’t finished Emma this time around either. It seems it’s just not meant to be for me and this particular Austen tome. I’ve tried, more than once, and have never managed to get to the end. Although this time I did get several more chapters in to the book than during any of my other failed attempts at this one.

What keeps stopping me from enjoying this one? It’s Miss Emma Woodhouse herself. She’s the exact opposite of everything I expect a Jane Austen character to be — she’s rich, spoiled, full of self-esteem, is a know-it-all busybody that can’t keep her opinions to herself or stop herself from telling everyone else what to do. Really, I couldn’t take any more of her and gave up.

I know this is supposed to be a funny book about manners and matchmaking gone wrong but I can’t get over the behavior of Emma and the fact she needs to tell everyone else what to do. She’s annoying. She’s mean. She’s ill-mannered. I could go on but I won’t.

Oddly enough, she’s not even the only character I disliked immensely in this book. In fact, I didn’t like any of the characters in this book and found every single one annoying, boring, or some combination thereof. I don’t feel the need to go on because it’s not worth anyone’s time. And, let’s face, now I’m just complaining.

There are readers that love this book. My mom is one of those people — she thinks Emma is funny! Gah! I’ve given it my best and found it still wanting and I will not look back but instead will move on to the ever growing stack of books piling up.

If you want to know more, I find Wikipedia has a nice wrap up.  Yes, I read it to find out what happened in this book, and once I knew, I put it down. I didn’t need to be annoying by the intervening chapters.

Emma from The Complete Works of Jane Austen

By Jane Austen

Douglas Editions

BN ID: 2940000816981

Did Not Finish