Review: A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford

This book was on a list of the 100 Top Books You Must Read or Else You Can't Die, which I acquired...somewhere.  I probably Mooched it, and I am glad I finally read it.  I loved it.  I'd heard of the book, but never knew what it was about.  When I read the description on the back, I wasn't sure I would enjoy it.  It seemed very...eighties (although it was written in 1979, many of the ideals of wealth and privilege made me think of the ME decade).

The book is about Emma Harte, a young Yorkshire girl who lives in poverty, but dreams about becoming a woman of substance some day.  It tells the story of how Emma rises from the poverty of her youth to become a department store mogul and wreaks her own kind of vengeance on those who have wronged her.

I don't know what it was about the book that I loved so much.  It reminded me in some ways of the L.M. Montgomery books I adored as a girl, although it seemingly didn't have much in common with them.  Maybe it was the young girl protagonist, with big dreams, and the strength of will to make them come true.  It also made me nostalgic for my own youth, when department stores reigned (not many of those left anymore, with the advent of internet shopping).  There was a little too much purple prose for me - are anyone's eyes REALLY emerald green?  Or purple!?  And how much description of fine furniture and clothing does one really need?  Emma's wealthy - we. get. it.  My biggest issue with the book was that I felt some distance from Emma and didn't fully engage with her emotionally.  I wanted to sob when Emma's life turned upside down, but I never did.  And despite the hardships she encountered in her life, things seemed to come very easily for Emma - she almost couldn't fail.  Life just isn't like that.  But I was able to put aside those minor quibbles as I got swept up in Emma's charge to the top.  I couldn't put the book down.  Finishing a 900-page book in two weeks is almost unheard of for me, but I did it.

I honestly would give this book five out of five Whatevers.  It is going on my permanent shelves, as I can imagine myself going back to it for a re-read periodically.  It's also good to know that there are several sequels to dive into, and I've already Mooched those!  Recommended for those who like a good rags-to-riches story, for those who miss the days of monstrous department stores, and who like a good, strong heroine.

2014-5

Review: The Least Likely Bride

This book was included in a sackful of books donated to our household by my mother-in-law.  It is the last in Jane Feather's Bride Trilogy, and, not being someone who can bear to start a series in the middle, I sought out the other two books first.  They were great - not great literature, but a light, fun romp that I basically raced through.  And the third book was no exception.  I read this one in two days.  It was definitely my favorite of the three.

In this book, Olivia, the last of three friends who swore never to marry, meets her match in the person of Anthony Caxton - pirate, smuggler, and Royalist - the political opposite of her father and the very opposite of the man whom she is supposed to marry.  Despite the nightmare of her past which Anthony brings to the surface, Olivia continues to seek out his presence.  As she falls more deeply in love with him, she will have to decide between honor and love, and whether to obey her father and her staid upbringing or to deny her birthright and follow Anthony to the sea. 

I really liked the book.  It had its flaws, but overall it held my attention.  I love books that are packed with action and romance, and this historical romance novel had all of that in spades.  I'd give the book four out of five Whatevers.  The editing could have been better, but I would definitely recommend it to lovers of historical romance, strong female protagonists, and adventure on the high seas.

2014-4

Review: Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King

I finally finished another book!  This one was pretty quick for me, since I read most of it while being on vacation.  Garment of Shadows is the last published volume in Laurie R. King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series.  I purchased it in Kindle format.

This novel begins in medias res - Mary wakes to find herself a prisoner and, worst of all, she doesn't know who she is or how she got there.  She still has her instincts, however, and makes her escape.  Then begins her quest to restore her memory and complete whatever task she had at hand when captured.

What follows is typical of the series - international intrigue, a mystery that needs solving, danger and disaster around every corner.  It was a good book, but not my favorite of the series.  I think I tend to prefer the episodes that happen in England than the ones that occur in foreign locales.

I would give this book three out of five Whatevers.  The writing and characterization are, as always, superb.  Maybe it was the piecemeal way I read the book, maybe I was distracted by other things while trying to digest the storyline, but I just didn't enjoy it as much as I've enjoyed others in the series.  I am, however, terribly sad to say goodbye to Holmes and Russell for the meantime.  I'm not sure when the next book will be out, but I've reached the end of the published volumes.  So now I just have to wait and hope that their next adventure isn't too far away.

2014-3

Review: The San Joaquin Siren by Bill Behrns

I finished The San Joaquin Siren by Bill Behrns on Tuesday night.  I'd started reading it on...Sunday?  It was a quick read, is what I'm trying to say.  It is a memoir by William Behrns, who was a pilot in WWII, flying in the China, Burma, India (CBI) theater.  I don't think I ever really paid much attention to the fact that troops were stationed in that area of the world during World War II.

Behrns takes the reader briefly through his early childhood to his decision to become a pilot.  He describes how he got there, and then how he started flying in the Army Air Corps.  He takes us through his training and finally his time in the CBI theater during WWII.

I don't read much non-fiction, but I do try to work some in every now and again.  This book was a Kindle e-book I won from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program, and I was glad of the chance to read some more non-fiction.  While the subject matter was interesting, however, I found the book only okay.  Mr. Behrns co-wrote the book with Kenneth Moore, but even the assistance of a more skilled writer couldn't disguise the often diary-entry, rote recitation of facts that made the book less than engaging at times.  Behrns basically took us day to day through his time in the CBI theater, by listing a date, then telling us what happened on that date, including names of those involved and facts regarding the mission.  I was lost sometimes by the extensive use of military and aeronautical jargon.  I know next to nothing about planes or the Army, so sometimes a little explanation of terms or abbreviations would have been nice.

Overall, I'd give it two out of five Whatevers.  Maybe those with a military or aeronautical background might enjoy the book more.  I think it could have benefited from better editing or a more nuanced writer.  Recommended for airplane buffs and those who have a strong interest in WWII.

2014-2

Review: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

I don't know where to start. I've been reading the unabridged version of this book since Christmas. I bought it years ago, having loved the musical, and thinking that I needed to read the actual BOOK at some point. I was nervous about reading it, as I've adored the musical since college, and was afraid it wouldn't measure up. But I needn't have worried. Victor Hugo was a man after my own heart. And Jean Valjean is truly a hero for the ages.

For those who don't know the story, Jean Valjean is a convict, the lowest of the low in Parisian society. He was imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister's child, and then further imprisoned for his escape attempts. When he finally is released, he cannot find even a room in which to lay his head - no one wants a former convict in their abode. A kind bishop gives him lodging for the night, and Jean Valjean, disowned and dishonored by society, repays this man's kindness by attempting to steal the only thing of value in the bishop's home, his silverware and candlesticks. Instead of turning him in to the law, the bishop tells the police that he gave the items to Jean Valjean. And Valjean's redemption is begun.

He turns over a new leaf, invents a new identity for himself, and sets about trying to atone for his previous wrongs. He saves the abused child of a former prostitute, invents a new process for manufacturing jet accoutrements (very much in vogue at the time), and eventually becomes mayor of a small town, Montreuil-sur-Mer. But the law, in the person of a police inspector named Javert, is stalking Valjean, for a crime committed shortly after his release. And the punishment will be the rest of his life in prison.

The book follows Valjean from personality to personality, identity to identity, as the child Cosette grows, as the young man Marius falls in love with her, from Montreuil-sur-Mer to Paris, culminating in an assault on the barricades of Paris during the revolt of 1832. Les Mis explores good and evil, the injustice of the justice system, the politics of revolution, and the redemptive power of love. The novel's structure was interesting - the story of Jean Valjean interspersed with tangential rantings on various topics - the nature of war and revolution, language, the penal system, the history of the sewers of Paris...

I cannot express how much I truly enjoyed this book. I am a criminal defense attorney, and Victor Hugo shares many of my ideas regarding the criminal justice system. To find that these ideas have remained the same for almost 200 years is both frightening and galvanizing. I have known many Jean Valjeans in my time. I have worked within the broken system for years. I have done my best to save those Jean Valjeans, to maintain what balance there is within our ultimate system of right and wrong. Sometimes I did, sometimes I couldn't. Every defense attorney hopes for the type of redemption Valjean experiences within the pages of this book, but few are lucky enough to really see it come to fruition.

I'd give the book four out of five Whatevers. I probably should have read the abridged version, just for Jean Valjean's story. The interspersed essays were valuable on their own, but they detracted somewhat from the storyline. I would have probably preferred to read most of them in an essay collection, instead of the novel. I found myself sobbing through the final two chapters of the book, something that doesn't happen often. Recommended for classics lovers, francophiles, and anyone who believes in love.

2014-1

***I actually finished this book mid-April, but Blogger was being an asshole and wouldn't let me post my review.  I just remembered to post it today.

Happy New Year!!!

Well, 2013 is over, and 2014 has been rung in.  It was a rough reading year for me last year - only 11 books read in the whole year.  I attribute this to being extremely busy (moving homes and working a lot more than I have previously) and to reading more magazines.  I currently subscribe to three that I read regularly, and they take away from my novel reading time.  However, I am thankful that I had any reading time at all, and I did get to read some really great stuff during 2013.  At least, having read only 11 books last year, there is a good chance I'll beat my total in 2014.  Well...except that my first book of the year is Les Miserables, clocking in at over 1400 pages.  Oh well.  Quality, not quantity, shall be my motto this reading year!

Review: The Accidental Bride by Jane Feather

I bought this book from Amazon, for my Kindle, after discovering that my mother-in-law had given me the third in the trilogy...I can't read them out of order!

It took me awhile to get through this one, but that has nothing to do with the quality of the book, or how much I enjoyed it.  It was a busy October for me, involving a lot of activities that took me away from home.  That's not really conducive to me finishing books...I finally finished it today, once I had a little down time.

Phoebe, to whom we were introduced in The Hostage Bride, is an aspiring poetess and playwright.  She is only interested in her writing, until she falls for Cato, Marquis of Granville.  Cato's last wife, Phoebe's sister, has passed away, leaving no heir to the Granville estate.  Phoebe's father promises her to Cato, but Phoebe would rather craft her poetry...and then...she finds herself suddenly and thoroughly in love with Cato.  Who hardly notices she's alive.  Over the course of the book, Phoebe tries many ways to insinuate herself into Cato's good graces, from purchasing herself some, ahem, interesting apparel to scheming with Cato's putative heir, Brian Morse.  Will Cato notice Phoebe and learn to treat her as an equal?  Or will Phoebe drive Cato away with her feeble attempts to gain his approval?

I enjoyed this book.  It was a pretty solid little romance.  Not high literature, but well worth my time.  I am looking forward to the third in the trilogy.  Some editing errors made the read a bit difficult in places...there would be huge chunks of the book that looked to have been dropped into a paragraph where they didn't belong.  Despite that, however, I give it four out of five Whatevers.  A nice, easy read.

2013-11