Summary:
Set in fourteenth century England, Lord Bannor is a fierce warrior, one of the King's best fighters against France in the war, with a brood of children that could fill a modern-day American football team, with room to spare, who needs a wife to help him tame his wild children but who won't make him want to have any more. Willow is a young woman thrust into a very Cinderella-type situation when her father marries a wicked wretch of a woman who expects Willow to do the child-rearing at the tender age of six, who wants nothing more to get away from her vicious step-siblings and children altogether. Lord Bannor's second-in-command in war, who has become his steward during peace, is enlisted to find Bannor a wife. Hollis, the steward, sees a kind, fish-wife looking girl across a field and thinks he's found the perfect woman in Willow, until she drops the apples out of her skirts and shakes out her beautiful hair. But by then it's too late, and they've already struck a deal. Neither Bannor nor Willow is happy with the new situation, and they feud for weeks. Will Bannor ever get Willow to agree to stay his wife in happiness?
Thoughts:
The beginning few chapters stink. It's not engaging, or all that interesting. No one can say what they mean or discover what their purposes are with each other. But then the feud between Bannor (and his men) and Willow (and Bannor's children) begins, and it gets more interesting. Willow starts as a character that is so stuck in her meekness and civility that she can't tell her stepmother how wicked she is or her father what a disappointment he is, and winds up being able to speak her mind and fight for herself. Bannor starts as your classic warrior type, and grows to show his soft side, and learns how to love as he should. Not a horrible book by the end. At the least, it becomes more engaging. The first third of the novel is spent developing everyone, with very little action going on except blustering on Bannor's part, and wallowing on Willow's. The end winds up being worth some of the beginning, though definitely could have used a less cliched ending.
Book 51 of 70
Pages: 352
Genre: romance, historical fiction (of sorts?)
Grade: B-
Would I Recommend?: Eh, if you like period pieces and want something easy to read, this is an okay one for you.
Showing posts with label historical fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historical fiction. Show all posts
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Around the World in Eighty Days (Jules Verne)
Summary:
The classic novel by Jules Verne follows Mr. Phileas Fogg of London, a man who is known by all as the most punctual and mechanical man anyone could meet, as he breaks his comfortable mold to satisfy a bet. Fogg is the type of man who rises every day at the exact same time, follows the exact same schedule, and lays his head down in the same fashion day in and day out, only to do it all again tomorrow. His only job is to be so punctual, one could set a watch by him. But on October 2nd, just before seven in the evening, Mr. Fogg lays down a plan of how a traveler could manage a trip around the world in just eighty days. His friends mock the idea, and Fogg takes it on himself to make a wager with each one of them. He will be the man to travel the world in those eighty days, and he will find them again on December 21st at 8:45pm. The novel follows Fogg's adventures and misadventures as he circumvents the world with his trusty servant, Passepartout.
Thoughts:
Wholly enjoyable, even today. Yes, it's been one hundred and thirty-eight years since the publishing of this novel, which celebrated its anniversary just three weeks ago. But while transportation has taken great leaps forward, the idea still stands. In 1872, when Phileas Fogg takes on this laborious journey, he has steamers and trains at his disposal, and little else. The airplane hasn't been invented yet, let alone commercial air flight like we see today. (The first successful powered flight at all, which happened in a glider, came along two years after Fogg's journey, and a year after the book was released. The Wrights didn't show up until the turn of the century.) The closest to that was a hot air balloon, which is hardly a way to sail around the world. And even if all of the transportation issues can be disposed of now, it's still a fun way to see the world, through the eyes of a man from the nineteenth century, with 19th century problems, like having to ride an elephant part of the way, having to save a young woman from certain death, and recovering his servant who got himself kidnapped by Sioux natives in Nebraska. We can tell that Mr. Verne was interested in the delicate intricacies of time and travel and the ways of the world at that time. This novel is a wonderful way to expand one's mind, and take a trip back in time to the days when we didn't even know the word "airplane," let alone how useful they would turn out to be. If you're interested in expanding your literary knowledge, and getting a little culture in you, read a little Jules Verne. It's not a classic for nothing, after all!
Book 6 of 50
Pages: 245
Genre: General fiction, classics, historical fiction
Grade: A
Would I Recommend?: Absolutely. Jules Verne spins a yarn like no one in this century.
The classic novel by Jules Verne follows Mr. Phileas Fogg of London, a man who is known by all as the most punctual and mechanical man anyone could meet, as he breaks his comfortable mold to satisfy a bet. Fogg is the type of man who rises every day at the exact same time, follows the exact same schedule, and lays his head down in the same fashion day in and day out, only to do it all again tomorrow. His only job is to be so punctual, one could set a watch by him. But on October 2nd, just before seven in the evening, Mr. Fogg lays down a plan of how a traveler could manage a trip around the world in just eighty days. His friends mock the idea, and Fogg takes it on himself to make a wager with each one of them. He will be the man to travel the world in those eighty days, and he will find them again on December 21st at 8:45pm. The novel follows Fogg's adventures and misadventures as he circumvents the world with his trusty servant, Passepartout.
Thoughts:
Wholly enjoyable, even today. Yes, it's been one hundred and thirty-eight years since the publishing of this novel, which celebrated its anniversary just three weeks ago. But while transportation has taken great leaps forward, the idea still stands. In 1872, when Phileas Fogg takes on this laborious journey, he has steamers and trains at his disposal, and little else. The airplane hasn't been invented yet, let alone commercial air flight like we see today. (The first successful powered flight at all, which happened in a glider, came along two years after Fogg's journey, and a year after the book was released. The Wrights didn't show up until the turn of the century.) The closest to that was a hot air balloon, which is hardly a way to sail around the world. And even if all of the transportation issues can be disposed of now, it's still a fun way to see the world, through the eyes of a man from the nineteenth century, with 19th century problems, like having to ride an elephant part of the way, having to save a young woman from certain death, and recovering his servant who got himself kidnapped by Sioux natives in Nebraska. We can tell that Mr. Verne was interested in the delicate intricacies of time and travel and the ways of the world at that time. This novel is a wonderful way to expand one's mind, and take a trip back in time to the days when we didn't even know the word "airplane," let alone how useful they would turn out to be. If you're interested in expanding your literary knowledge, and getting a little culture in you, read a little Jules Verne. It's not a classic for nothing, after all!
Book 6 of 50
Pages: 245
Genre: General fiction, classics, historical fiction
Grade: A
Would I Recommend?: Absolutely. Jules Verne spins a yarn like no one in this century.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Silver (Edward Chupack)
Summary:
This is the back story of one Long John Silver, the dreaded pirate from Treasure Island. Chupack takes readers on a journey through Silver's past straight through to finding his Treasure Island.
Thoughts:
I have yet to read the original story, so take what I say with a grain of salt. However, this was probably one of the more boring books I've read in the last two or three years. It literally took me a month and a half to fight my way through this damn book. The story is told through Silver's own pen, written to the man who captured him. Holy Jesus, did I want out the whole way through this novel. I found it in the bargain bin at Barnes and Noble and after just a few pages, I saw exactly why it was there. Bleh. No thank you. Avoid this one, friends. Trust me.
Book 29 of 50
Pages: 272
Genre: Historical fiction, pirates
Grade: F
Would I Recommend? Nope. Leave this bad boy in the bargain bin, kiddies.
This is the back story of one Long John Silver, the dreaded pirate from Treasure Island. Chupack takes readers on a journey through Silver's past straight through to finding his Treasure Island.
Thoughts:
I have yet to read the original story, so take what I say with a grain of salt. However, this was probably one of the more boring books I've read in the last two or three years. It literally took me a month and a half to fight my way through this damn book. The story is told through Silver's own pen, written to the man who captured him. Holy Jesus, did I want out the whole way through this novel. I found it in the bargain bin at Barnes and Noble and after just a few pages, I saw exactly why it was there. Bleh. No thank you. Avoid this one, friends. Trust me.
Book 29 of 50
Pages: 272
Genre: Historical fiction, pirates
Grade: F
Would I Recommend? Nope. Leave this bad boy in the bargain bin, kiddies.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
Summary:
Yossarian is a bombardier in World War II, flying over Italy, France, and wherever else the US Air Force says he should fly. He's crazy. His friends in his unit are crazy. In the Air Force, you can go home if you're crazy, but you have to ask to go home. If you ask to go home, you obviously care about your safety, which means you're not crazy, so you can't go home. It's called Catch-22.
Thoughts:
Honestly, it's hysterical. It's heavy subject matter, to be sure. It was so heavy sometimes, I needed to take a break and read something else for a while. Because of that, it took me quite a long time to power through. But it's funny. Every single character has some kind of crazy going on. The men go to Rome so regularly, one of the men has a prostitute he's in love with. Her only name in the book, in fact, is "Nately's whore." The men drive each other to insanity on a regular basis. I laughed on a regular basis through the whole book. There were also those moments when I got reminded that it was a book about a war.
It's certainly not linear, especially in the beginning few chapters. It is a brilliant novel, though, and I understand exactly why it's always on all those Top 100 book lists. It makes complete sense. I'm sure that if I read this when I was in high school, I wouldn't have appreciated it nearly as much as I did now. I'm glad I picked it up. If you managed to get out of it like I did when I was in school, I recommend picking it up now. It's a great read.
Book 20 of 30. Might have to raise this number...
Pages: 453, if you don't count the 50 pages of criticism, history and commentary included at the end of my edition.
Genre: General fiction, historical fiction, Top 100 book list
Grade: A
Would I Recommend?: Absolutely. Long read, yes. But worth it, for sure.
Yossarian is a bombardier in World War II, flying over Italy, France, and wherever else the US Air Force says he should fly. He's crazy. His friends in his unit are crazy. In the Air Force, you can go home if you're crazy, but you have to ask to go home. If you ask to go home, you obviously care about your safety, which means you're not crazy, so you can't go home. It's called Catch-22.
Thoughts:
Honestly, it's hysterical. It's heavy subject matter, to be sure. It was so heavy sometimes, I needed to take a break and read something else for a while. Because of that, it took me quite a long time to power through. But it's funny. Every single character has some kind of crazy going on. The men go to Rome so regularly, one of the men has a prostitute he's in love with. Her only name in the book, in fact, is "Nately's whore." The men drive each other to insanity on a regular basis. I laughed on a regular basis through the whole book. There were also those moments when I got reminded that it was a book about a war.
It's certainly not linear, especially in the beginning few chapters. It is a brilliant novel, though, and I understand exactly why it's always on all those Top 100 book lists. It makes complete sense. I'm sure that if I read this when I was in high school, I wouldn't have appreciated it nearly as much as I did now. I'm glad I picked it up. If you managed to get out of it like I did when I was in school, I recommend picking it up now. It's a great read.
Book 20 of 30. Might have to raise this number...
Pages: 453, if you don't count the 50 pages of criticism, history and commentary included at the end of my edition.
Genre: General fiction, historical fiction, Top 100 book list
Grade: A
Would I Recommend?: Absolutely. Long read, yes. But worth it, for sure.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Juliet (Anne Fortier)
Summary:
Julie, with her twin sister, Janice, is raised in the States by her aunt. Aunt Rose passes away and leaves everything to Janice, and nothing but a letter to Julie. Julie has to fly to Siena, Italy, and try to figure out what her parents were working on before they died. She falls into a search for information on one of her ancestors. See, the fun thing is, Julie is really Giulietta Tolomei, and her ancestor of the same name was the real Juliet. The storyline flips between the current day Giulietta and the original.
Thoughts:
Incredible story. I had no idea there was a real Romeo and Juliet, let alone the fact that Willy Shakes actually stole the story from a few other authors, who wrote about the real people. It's such an engaging story, and I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters, except the sister. She drove me crazy, even when we were supposed to really like her. Past that, everyone else was awesome, and I truly enjoyed both sides of the story. I highly recommend this one. It's a great novel, and I'm glad I picked it up from the Book of the Month club.
Book 7 of 30 for the year
Pages: 447
Genre: Romance, historical fiction
Grade: A+
Would I Recommend?: Yes. Absolutely.
Julie, with her twin sister, Janice, is raised in the States by her aunt. Aunt Rose passes away and leaves everything to Janice, and nothing but a letter to Julie. Julie has to fly to Siena, Italy, and try to figure out what her parents were working on before they died. She falls into a search for information on one of her ancestors. See, the fun thing is, Julie is really Giulietta Tolomei, and her ancestor of the same name was the real Juliet. The storyline flips between the current day Giulietta and the original.
Thoughts:
Incredible story. I had no idea there was a real Romeo and Juliet, let alone the fact that Willy Shakes actually stole the story from a few other authors, who wrote about the real people. It's such an engaging story, and I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters, except the sister. She drove me crazy, even when we were supposed to really like her. Past that, everyone else was awesome, and I truly enjoyed both sides of the story. I highly recommend this one. It's a great novel, and I'm glad I picked it up from the Book of the Month club.
Book 7 of 30 for the year
Pages: 447
Genre: Romance, historical fiction
Grade: A+
Would I Recommend?: Yes. Absolutely.
Pirate Latitudes (Michael Crichton)
Summary:
In Crichton's last published novel, he explores the pirate world in Port Royal in the 1660's. The Governor of Jamaica gets word that there's a treasure ship in a semi-nearby Spanish port, and sends the local "privateer" to capture it and bring it back to Port Royal. Pirating ensues.
Thoughts:
Awesome. Pretty much anything by Crichton is incredible, and this was actually found in his notes after he passed. It's a pretty cool look at the history of the area and how things came together for that area in those times. A fun romp through the Caribbean in the 1660's. Go and enjoy!
Book 6 of 30 for the year
Pages: 312
Genre: Historical fiction, Pirates!
Grade: A+
Would I Recommend?: Absolutely. Crichton is a genius.
In Crichton's last published novel, he explores the pirate world in Port Royal in the 1660's. The Governor of Jamaica gets word that there's a treasure ship in a semi-nearby Spanish port, and sends the local "privateer" to capture it and bring it back to Port Royal. Pirating ensues.
Thoughts:
Awesome. Pretty much anything by Crichton is incredible, and this was actually found in his notes after he passed. It's a pretty cool look at the history of the area and how things came together for that area in those times. A fun romp through the Caribbean in the 1660's. Go and enjoy!
Book 6 of 30 for the year
Pages: 312
Genre: Historical fiction, Pirates!
Grade: A+
Would I Recommend?: Absolutely. Crichton is a genius.
Friday, April 8, 2011
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)
Summary:
A gripping story of a young girl's childhood in Nazi Germany as told through the eyes of Death, who gets busier the deeper we get. She travels with her mother and brother to Germany, to a woman in the German version of Child Protection Services. On the train ride there, her brother dies, Death gets his first look at the girl, and the girl gets her hands on the first book. The story follows the girl to her permanent home in a small town outside Munich, where she develops her love of reading and books, and where all hell is about to break loose in a couple short years.
Thoughts:
What an incredible story. Liesel, the girl, is faced with two major losses right as we meet her. Her brother dies on the train, and her mother leaves her with CPS who put her into a foster home. The hits will keep coming, too, as one might expect from a book about the Holocaust. As the book trudges along to its and the war's demise, we meet her foster parents, Hans and Rosa, her friend Rudy, the town mayor and his wife, and a host of other characters, many of whom do not survive beyond 1945. There is so much to this story, and seeing it through the eyes of Death himself makes it all the more poignant, we watch Death get busier with each passing day. Still, Death finds as much good as he can while he must carry away the souls of the lost, and he seems to rejoice over the souls that manage to escape him.
It is a very large book, and it certainly takes a toll on the spirit. But it is beautifully written. Don't avoid it because of its size or subject matter. It's damn good.
Pages: 576
Genre: Historical fiction
Grade: A+
Would I Recommend?: Absolutely. Just be prepared with cheesy crap afterward to get yourself out of the doldrums of Holocaust sadness.
Book 3 of 30 for the year
A gripping story of a young girl's childhood in Nazi Germany as told through the eyes of Death, who gets busier the deeper we get. She travels with her mother and brother to Germany, to a woman in the German version of Child Protection Services. On the train ride there, her brother dies, Death gets his first look at the girl, and the girl gets her hands on the first book. The story follows the girl to her permanent home in a small town outside Munich, where she develops her love of reading and books, and where all hell is about to break loose in a couple short years.
Thoughts:
What an incredible story. Liesel, the girl, is faced with two major losses right as we meet her. Her brother dies on the train, and her mother leaves her with CPS who put her into a foster home. The hits will keep coming, too, as one might expect from a book about the Holocaust. As the book trudges along to its and the war's demise, we meet her foster parents, Hans and Rosa, her friend Rudy, the town mayor and his wife, and a host of other characters, many of whom do not survive beyond 1945. There is so much to this story, and seeing it through the eyes of Death himself makes it all the more poignant, we watch Death get busier with each passing day. Still, Death finds as much good as he can while he must carry away the souls of the lost, and he seems to rejoice over the souls that manage to escape him.
It is a very large book, and it certainly takes a toll on the spirit. But it is beautifully written. Don't avoid it because of its size or subject matter. It's damn good.
Pages: 576
Genre: Historical fiction
Grade: A+
Would I Recommend?: Absolutely. Just be prepared with cheesy crap afterward to get yourself out of the doldrums of Holocaust sadness.
Book 3 of 30 for the year
Friday, August 13, 2010
Tales of the Vampire Slayer, vol. 3 (Various)
Summary:
More tales from the non-Buffy slayers. Only four of them in this collection. The first is a Native American girl, the second is a Chinese girl, the third is an American in the South, and the last is an American in Tokyo.
Thoughts:
There was one that was more than 100 pages (the one about the Chinese girl), and honestly, it was the least engaging. I think I might stop here on these books. The quality has gone downward for sure.
Pages: 319
Genre: Mystery-ish
Grade: C-
Would I Recommend?: Probably not. The older ones are much better than this.
34 down, 16 to go!
More tales from the non-Buffy slayers. Only four of them in this collection. The first is a Native American girl, the second is a Chinese girl, the third is an American in the South, and the last is an American in Tokyo.
Thoughts:
There was one that was more than 100 pages (the one about the Chinese girl), and honestly, it was the least engaging. I think I might stop here on these books. The quality has gone downward for sure.
Pages: 319
Genre: Mystery-ish
Grade: C-
Would I Recommend?: Probably not. The older ones are much better than this.
34 down, 16 to go!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (John Boyne)
Summary:
Bruno is a nine year old boy in 1940's Germany whose father is a Commandant in the German army. After a visit from the Fury, Bruno and his family are moved to a house far away called Out-With. There is nothing anywhere near the house, except for a very big fence that goes on for as far as Bruno can see. Bruno and his sister have no one to play with or talk to except the other soldiers. One day, Bruno goes exploring, and finds a speck that becomes a spot that becomes a blob that becomes a boy. Suddenly Out-With is not as bad.
Thoughts:
It reads exactly like being in a little boy's brain. Boyne does a perfect job of getting the 9-year-old's voice right. It also showed an interesting point of view of Nazi Germany. It's not often that you see a story written about the World War 2 era from the view of the Germans. This was incredible. I see why this is so highly recommended. It was a great story, written beautifully. I think it's tied for favorite of the year so far. It's only tied because the whole thing in general is kind of depressing, but that's the only thing keeping it from really surpassing everything else for the year. Great book though.
Pages: 240
Genre: Historical fiction
Grade: A+
Would I Recommend?: Hell effing yes.
29 down, 21 to go!
Bruno is a nine year old boy in 1940's Germany whose father is a Commandant in the German army. After a visit from the Fury, Bruno and his family are moved to a house far away called Out-With. There is nothing anywhere near the house, except for a very big fence that goes on for as far as Bruno can see. Bruno and his sister have no one to play with or talk to except the other soldiers. One day, Bruno goes exploring, and finds a speck that becomes a spot that becomes a blob that becomes a boy. Suddenly Out-With is not as bad.
Thoughts:
It reads exactly like being in a little boy's brain. Boyne does a perfect job of getting the 9-year-old's voice right. It also showed an interesting point of view of Nazi Germany. It's not often that you see a story written about the World War 2 era from the view of the Germans. This was incredible. I see why this is so highly recommended. It was a great story, written beautifully. I think it's tied for favorite of the year so far. It's only tied because the whole thing in general is kind of depressing, but that's the only thing keeping it from really surpassing everything else for the year. Great book though.
Pages: 240
Genre: Historical fiction
Grade: A+
Would I Recommend?: Hell effing yes.
29 down, 21 to go!
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