If you’re a Jane Austen fan, you may already know about “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries,” a retelling of Pride and Prejudice as a 21st century vlog. The chIf you’re a Jane Austen fan, you may already know about “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries,” a retelling of Pride and Prejudice as a 21st century vlog. The characters even have Facebook and Twitter accounts, so you can “friend” and “follow” them. The cast and crew are really young, and so was their target audience, but fans of all ages are into it, and I’m living proof.
“The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” is finished now; Darcy and Lizzie are a couple. The big question amongst the fans was, “Which novel comes next?” Well, the writers did something really unexpected. Instead of adapting one of JA’s finished novels, they tackled the unfinished Sanditon, which is only eleven chapters long. That is what led me to read Sanditon, even though I have yet to finish Jane Austen’s oeuvre with Mansfield Park.
As you’ll note by the author info, the Sanditon I read has several authors. Jane Austen started the novel, but someone else took on the challenge of finishing it. The part that Jane Austen wrote reads like an unfinished draft, and by that, I mean much more than it has no ending. The main character, Charlotte Heywood, is rather passive and undeveloped. I know that not every heroine can be as charming and lively as Elizabeth Bennet, but even quiet Anne Elliot seemed like the center of her own novel.
That’s not to say that I’m finding fault with Jane Austen’s writing. Charlotte Heywood, and for that matter, the potential love interest, Sidney Parker, were undeveloped because Sanditon was in the development stage. The most well-drawn characters, interestingly enough, are the comical ones. The best of these is Miss Diana Parker, who is as hypochondriacal as Mr. Woodhouse and as bossy as Lady Catherine, though at least she’s not a snob. There’s also a delicious paragraph about two fashion-conscious sisters in town for the summer, and the last words JA wrote were one of her tongue-in-cheek observations. It just goes to show that in JA’s writing process, satire came before the love story. The rest of the book is rather like reading fanfic. Some of it is excellent: little morsels of character and romance that any JA fan will love. But most of it reads like imitation.
The #1 criticism I have ever heard of Jane Austen is that “nothing happens.” I understand why people say it. They like more action in a plot, and the most that Jane Austen’s characters ever do is attend a ball or go on an outing to pick strawberries. The thing is, because of her masterful dialogue and character insights, Jane Austen pulls it off so that stuff does “happen.” But that’s much less true of her imitators, and as a fanfic writer, I include myself. This book has a whole lot of nothing going on – just a big to-do about seating arrangements in the tea rooms and carriages, which first of all, seemed contrived, and second, made the main love interest seem manipulative and unlikable. I also didn’t like the message that sensible Charlotte Heywood, who is of the same cast as Elinor Dashwood, is best when she loses some of her propriety and lets herself fall in love.
But despite all that, I’m still giving this book 3 stars. It was fun, especially the final chapters. No, it’s not as good as Jane Austen, and Charlotte and Sidney might have turned out to be very different characters under JA's hand, but as fanfic goes, it’s probably better than I could do. ...more
Henry James greatly admired and was influenced by Jane Austen, but this Gothic ghost story is much more reminiscent of Charlotte Brontë. Bronte's ghosHenry James greatly admired and was influenced by Jane Austen, but this Gothic ghost story is much more reminiscent of Charlotte Brontë. Bronte's ghosts are never actually supernatural like the ones in this story, but the protagonist, a seemingly demure governess with a hidden will of iron, might as well have been Jane Eyre herself, though responding to a very different set of challenges. Watching the character rise to those challenges is a beautiful portrayal of courage and the greatest pleasure of the book, but the mystery of the whole situation is what keeps the pages turning. It doesn't have quite the bang of a Stephen King story, but if you like psychological horror and/or literary fiction, this little novella is definitely worth a quite afternoon. ...more
I started this retelling of “Sleeping Beauty” immediately after finishing City of Thieves, and I was fully expecting to be transported to a radicaI started this retelling of “Sleeping Beauty” immediately after finishing City of Thieves, and I was fully expecting to be transported to a radically different world. Imagine my surprise when this book picked up more or less where the last had left off – in the Soviet Union (albeit the 1970’s, not post-war). I got to the enchanted forest eventually, but it took a couple of chapters.
The book is a fusion of the fairy tales of Sleeping Beauty and Baba Yaga, the baby-eating witch of Russian folklore. Our handsome prince is Ivan, a Jewish boy born in the Soviet Union who defects to America with his family at age ten and returns to the Ukraine as a grad student after the fall of communism. The sleeping beauty he awakens from her millennium-long dream is Princess Katerina, but before they can live happily ever after, they have to go back to the 9th century and defeat Baba Yaga. The book is action-packed, romantic, and thoroughly addictive, but from the point of view of a religious Jew, it’s absolutely worth skipping.
The main problem with the book – surprise, surprise – are it’s inaccuracies in its portrayal of Jews. Princess Katerina lives in the period when Christianity was first gaining a foothold in Europe, and I have no trouble believing that she and her subjects pray and confess like Christians yet still dabble in witchcraft and occasionally invoke the names of pagan gods. Old habits die hard. But Jews were never pagans. Tanach is full of warnings to the Jews to stop their idol worship, but that was in the ancient period. When Prince Casmir invited the Jews to Poland, he allowed them religious freedom, and thus grew the very insular communities of Eastern European Jewry. The pagan beliefs of their neighbors were no temptation for Jews, so all plot twists with Ivan and his family simply did not ring true. Orson Scott Card, himself a Mormon, probably doesn’t know the difference, but any religious Jew would, and most would find the Jewish characters offensive.
I think I’m going to create a new shelf called “Regrettable Reads.” The addictively good writing of this book deserves at least a 4, but for the portrayal of the Jews, it loses one, and even that may be too little. Frum friends who love fantasy, don’t read this. You won’t be missing anything you can’t get elsewhere, sans the anti-Semitism. ...more
Like most people, I read this in a high school class. I remember enjoying the discussions it generated, though it's too gruesome a story to tempt me eLike most people, I read this in a high school class. I remember enjoying the discussions it generated, though it's too gruesome a story to tempt me ever to read it again. ...more
The concept behind this book is as absurd as anything I've ever come across, so most of it was a really fun escape, though it turned suspenseful and aThe concept behind this book is as absurd as anything I've ever come across, so most of it was a really fun escape, though it turned suspenseful and a bit dark at the end. Apparently, it's sort of a humorous nod to The Lord of the Rings, except that the magical item here is a couch, not a ring. I've never read The Lord of the Rings, so to me it was closer to Three Men in a Boat with its three bumbling heroes on a journey. Tree, the youngest, grew up on a commune and is the visionary and true believer in the mission of the couch. Erik, the most street wise, is cynical for most of the book, but even he comes around. And the main character, Thom, is a computer geek who's somewhere between the two: evaluating things with logic, but not ruling out mystical possibilities. Thom also has a wheat allergy, which allowed the author to engage in some bathroom humor that I really could have done without, but other jokes made me laugh out loud, and as I said at the start, the whole couch concept is pretty darned funny.
This was a great book to relax with after the earnest self-help fare I've been reading lately. Who needs to take life so seriously? After all, I'm not as bad off as these three slackers. But as much as I enjoyed the jokes and was hooked on discovering the mystery of the couch, the ending was a bit of a disappointment. Not bad, but not that great after all that terrific build-up. ...more
This is Carl Hiaasen's usual fare: a teen novel set in the Florida Everglades featuring a cast of zany characters. My husband and son are bigger fans This is Carl Hiaasen's usual fare: a teen novel set in the Florida Everglades featuring a cast of zany characters. My husband and son are bigger fans than I am, and they both said this wasn't his best, but I liked it just as much as Scat (the only other Hiaasen book I've read), if not more. I was drawn into the story of the protagonist and his eccentric father from the start. The father is an animal expert who works behind the scenes on nature TV shows. The son is his right hand man. And because the father was injured, work has been thin and money has been tight. When they get a gig on a hit reality show, it's too good to pass up, even if the star is a phony jerk. I've become very interested in what goes on behind the scenes in film and TV productions lately, so that made it an especially fun read for me. True, it's not great literature, but amidst all the heavy books I read, it's nice to take a break with something light. ...more
Even though I knew the Big Plot Twist going into this book, having seen the movie some 30 years ago, it was such a page-turner, it didn't matter. For Even though I knew the Big Plot Twist going into this book, having seen the movie some 30 years ago, it was such a page-turner, it didn't matter. For the first half, I couldn't wait for the protagonist to discover just how wrong she'd been, and for the second, I couldn't wait to find out how the characters were going to get themselves out of that mess. It's a great mystery story, but most of all, it's a masterful character study. Several GR reviewers didn't like the passive protagonist, but I related to her completely. Ultimately, it's a transformation story about a shy woman coming out of her shell, set against a glamorous, if gloomy, setting. ...more
I read this kids' novel to my youngest son, and as it took place in a classroom in a school on a military base, it was at once very familiar and somewI read this kids' novel to my youngest son, and as it took place in a classroom in a school on a military base, it was at once very familiar and somewhat foreign. The main characters are Bo, the son of the commander, Gari, his cousin who has come to live with him while her mother is stationed as a nurse in Iraq, and Ms. Loupe, their teacher whose classroom includes improvisational theatre. Ms. Loupe's theatrics make her a bit of a non-conformist teacher and a big favorite with the kids, but she's regular military like everyone else with a brother serving in Afghanistan. To make it a realistic classroom, the book includes the names of at least a dozen classmates as minor characters, but I had a hard time keeping track of them all. The ending, however, is a triumph. It's not the stuff of classics, but it's good for kids between fifth and seventh grade, especially if they have a curiosity about theatre. ...more
My husband is a big Tolkien fan, and he turned my oldest son into a Tolkien fan, but even though he's the one who turned me onto Harry Potter, it tookMy husband is a big Tolkien fan, and he turned my oldest son into a Tolkien fan, but even though he's the one who turned me onto Harry Potter, it took eighteen years of marriage before I finally got around to reading this fantasy classic. Of course, it's charming and well-written and all that, but I would have preferred more dialogue and less description. Harry Potter has more dialogue, which is one of the reasons I love it more.
It seems many people's favorite scene in this is with Gollum. What I liked is how riddling with Gollum paralleled riddling with Smaug. But my favorite part of all is the political dealing after the defeat of Smaug. Bard and Bilbo came up with a just plan about sharing wealth and power, and Thorin's greedy reaction was unfortunately all too realistic. The book was published two years before World War II, so Tolkien knew of what he was writing.
I'm definitely interested in moving forward in the series, but I'm not as enthralled as I was with Harry Potter. I guess that's a reflection of my age and stage of life. My favorite part of this magical fantasy was the part that most closely resembles reality. ...more
Dystopian youth novels aren’t a particular favorite of mine, but this one was really well done. It’s sort of like Brave New World for the younger Dystopian youth novels aren’t a particular favorite of mine, but this one was really well done. It’s sort of like Brave New World for the younger set. It’s about an orderly society that offers its inhabitants peace and security, but at terrible costs. Those costs are only revealed very gradually through the novel, and though we understand them because of their contrast to our own reality, the inhabitants of this world are so naïve, they don’t understand what they are missing. Though not as page-turning as the present day dystopian blockbuster The Hunger Games, it really is masterful storytelling. It’s easy to see why this book was an award-winner.
One of the most intriguing statements in the book is the Giver’s observation that he has plenty of honor, but hardly any power. When the protagonist, Jonas, experiences his own powerlessness, you see what a shabby substitute honor is, which is funny because many more people crave honor than they do power. In contrast, the book depicts motherhood as a “job” that’s important, but has no prestige, so I suppose that’s neither power nor honor. This leads me to conclude that the Elders, the powerful elite, control the people with how honor is bestowed because that way, they control their aspirations. But I’ve said that in the context of our own reality. In schools, where they cannot award money, they give praise to reinforce behaviors they like and shame to punish what they don’t. That’s part of why most of us crave honor so much, though I think schools tend more to ignore people and fail to reward them than they actually shame people outright.
Power, on the other hand, is all about control. Controlling others is an unjust use of power, but control of oneself is legitimate. The Giver wants the power to restore power to others, so that’s legitimate. He sees his opportunity with Jonas. Unfortunately, the book doesn’t really tell you how Jonas succeeded. The last line would have been great as the ending of a chapter, but it was unsatisfying as the ending of a book. Of course, it was meant to make the reader want to read the sequel, and it worked on me. I’m not burning with curiosity like I was with The Hunger Games, but I definitely expect to be reading the next book some time in the future. ...more
John Grisham's books are basically all the same. There's the Mafia on one side, a team of corrupt and/or inept FBI men on the other, and in the middleJohn Grisham's books are basically all the same. There's the Mafia on one side, a team of corrupt and/or inept FBI men on the other, and in the middle, our lone little protagonist fighting for justice. In this case, the protagonist really is little; he's an eleven-year-old kid from a single-parent home who knows a secret that the FBI desperately want to know and that the Mafia desperately want to keep hidden. On his side is his attorney, a woman who specializes in representing children. Together, they make the most sympathetic protags I've yet met in a Grisham book.
This is the first Grisham book I've read since starting paralegal school. As I've been enrolled for three years, that ought to show that I'm not that much of a fan, though I enjoy his books well enough. Having more of a legal background had a mixed effect on my appreciation of the book. On one hand, I got a kick out of the lawyer telling her paralegal to change all the party names on a motion so she could serve it on someone immediately. Now that's a bit of verisimilitude! I actually did more or less that as a paralegal. But I was annoyed that the judge claimed to have written the state code. Judges write court opinions, which become case law. Legislators write code. I know that the rest of the plot was completely unrealistic, but I thought John Grisham would at least be accurate in his portrayal of law.
But like all the Grisham novels I've read, it was a real page-turner. It may not be deep or ground-breaking, but it sure was good suspenseful fun. ...more
I found this book just as addictive as the first two, and perhaps if I'd read all three in quick succession, I might have given this one a 5. UnfortunI found this book just as addictive as the first two, and perhaps if I'd read all three in quick succession, I might have given this one a 5. Unfortunately, I read it on the tail of The Book Thief, and it just didn't measure up. Like I said, the story is riveting, but the part that ought to have made me cry in this book, the counterpoint to Katniss' getting involved in the games in the first place, wasn't clear when it happened and just made me a little teary at the end. The ending of The Book Thief had me crying actual tears.
Don't get me wrong. I rooted for Katniss, and I was completely sympathetic to her conflict over Peeta and Gale. I disagree with the critics who say she was an emotionally flat character. But there are some emotions and motivations that should have been better fleshed out. Vengeance and romance are easier to get dramatic about, I guess....more
I'm giving this a reluctant 5 - reluctant because I don't want to give the impression that it'll ever become one of my lifetitme favorites the way HarI'm giving this a reluctant 5 - reluctant because I don't want to give the impression that it'll ever become one of my lifetitme favorites the way Harry Potter has. But one of my criteria for 5 stars is addictiveness, and since I read both this and The Hunger Games in the span of a week, that qualifies as addictive. Another criterion is whether I want to re-read the book, and I found myself doing that, too, especially with this book where there are so many character surprises. I still don't think it's on the level of Harry Potter, but the author has done a wonderful job of appealing to teenagers and their love of adventure, romance, and rebellion while addressing Important Themes. ...more
When my husband the science fiction fan brought this home, I figured I might as well find out what all the hype was about. I also figured I wouldn't lWhen my husband the science fiction fan brought this home, I figured I might as well find out what all the hype was about. I also figured I wouldn't like the book that much as it's meant for the younger crowd. Boy was I wrong! I was totally hooked! The book is sort of a cross between Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" and the TV show "Survivor." I'm also convinced that the symbol of the mockingjay is a nod to Nelle Harper Lee's, "'Tis a sin to kill a mockingbird." In any case, it's a riveting young adult novel set in a dystopian universe, and you can't help but cheer the characters along as they attempt to resist it. I'm glad I read it, and I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel! ...more
For the first two thirds of this book, I was intrigued intellectually but not hooked emotionally, so I was leaning strongly toward a 4-star rating. ThFor the first two thirds of this book, I was intrigued intellectually but not hooked emotionally, so I was leaning strongly toward a 4-star rating. The back cover describes the book as a series of “nesting dolls,” that is, stories within stories. There are six in all, each one with a unique setting and style, ranging from a ship journal in the 1840’s to 20th century crime fiction to futuristic dystopia, all of which attest to the author’s versatility. But what kept me reading was not so much the characters and plot as curiosity about how the author was going to pull all these diverse threads together. Since the review quote on the cover said, “Holy h-ll, how did he do it?,” my expectations were high. I was hoping for a plot twist on par with the Harry Potter books – something intricately foreshadowed throughout the plot yet so imaginative that the average reader couldn’t possibly predict it.
The middle story – not the central one, mind you, but the one in the middle of the book – made for the most difficult reading because it was written in an invented Pidgin English. The author employs some very clever word play in constructing the dialect, but again, that’s one of the intellectual pleasures of the book, not emotional involvement in the story. In fact, if there was any point when I considered abandoning the book, it was here. The dialect made the narrative confusing, and I often had to go back and re-read to catch the details.
By the final third of the book, I was also going back to earlier parts, but by that time, I didn’t mind anymore because as the stories came to resolution, I was getting invested in the characters. I laughed for Timothy Cavendish, was on the edge of my seat for Luisa Rey, and even triumphed with Adam Ewing, who was deceptively dull at the beginning but who delivers the book’s final redemptive message. I wouldn’t put the plot twists on the level of Harry Potter – the connections between the stories were broadcasted too obviously yet had less impact on the overall plot – but it’s masterful storytelling with a beautiful moral. I can see why it’s a blockbuster hit. ...more
I’m not from the big science fiction fans, but I am married to one, so I’m quite used to seeing SF books cycle through our house by the dozen. Rarely I’m not from the big science fiction fans, but I am married to one, so I’m quite used to seeing SF books cycle through our house by the dozen. Rarely does my husband ever recommend one to me. Fantasy, yes. Hey, he’s the one who turned me onto Harry Potter, and I became a bigger fan than he. But science fiction? Maybe, if it’s time travel with a strong historical element. But a book set in the Star Trek universe? Never. I mean, I’ve seen the show (who hasn’t?), but it’s not really my cup of tea, and we both know it.
That’s why it was a bit surprising when he recommended Redshirts. For all you non-Trekkies, here’s the significance of the title: whenever the Captain, Mr. Spock, and some third character you’ve never seen before get beamed down to an alien planet, it’s that third character who’s not going to make it back to the ship. And as your Trekkie friends (or husband) will tell you, those guys are always wearing red shirts.
This novel is told from the point of view of the redshirts, or, as they’re properly called, ensigns. They recognize that there’s some kind of conspiracy going on that’s getting them all killed, and they’re out to stop it. I figured it had to be something pretty inventive and funny for my husband to actually recommend me the book.
The first few chapters set the scene. The new ensigns meet each other and talk, so you get to know everybody’s back story. Most of them were interesting, but it still seemed too obvious a plot device. Because of that and some rather crude jokes, I thought, “Eh. 2 stars,” and put the book aside for a week or two in favor of something else.
When I finished that something else, I noticed that the book was still in the house. “Why not?” I thought. After all, my husband had recommended it. Nothing wrong with a light romp through the Star Trek universe.
As I pressed on, I got into the characters and plot. And by the middle, when the big conspiracy is revealed, I actually laughed out loud. “3 stars,” I thought. It wasn’t great literature, but I was having a fun time.
Then I got to the end, specifically Coda 1, and not only did my rating go up to 4 stars for that part, I completely understood why my husband recommended the book to me. It got totally meta, or, to put it in less lofty terms, it was all about writing. For this aspiring writer, that coda was definitely the best part.
Now, I’m not saying that my initial impressions were entirely wrong. This book is most definitely not great literature, and many of the jokes were crude. But the overall conspiracy was hilarious, the solution very clever, and the three codas something that any aspiring writer with a passing knowledge of Star Trek can appreciate. ...more
I'm taking a course in copyright law at coursera.org right now, and I'd heard of this sci fi copyright parody on NPR months ago, so I thought it mightI'm taking a course in copyright law at coursera.org right now, and I'd heard of this sci fi copyright parody on NPR months ago, so I thought it might be relevant and fun. The gist is that most of the universe's aliens have illegally downloaded earth's music and now they owe a fortune in copyright fines. Two aliens hire our protagonist, Nick, an earthling lawyer, to negotiate a deal. But there are other aliens who'd just as soon cancel out the debt by destroying the earth, so there's a lot at stake here. Both sides are stacked with some pretty zany characters.
The book has been compared to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and while I think the overall social commentary is sharper in this book, it's just not as good. I laughed out loud at some of the jokes in the beginning, but by the middle, I was getting bored. So 2.5 stars for some good jokes and an original concept. Copyright law deserves a little satirizing. Perhaps that will usher in a bit of reform....more
I read this in one sitting shortly after graduating from college. Had I read it for a class, I probably would have spent more time thinking about whatI read this in one sitting shortly after graduating from college. Had I read it for a class, I probably would have spent more time thinking about what Kafka was actually saying about selfhood, but as it was, I came to no conclusion. Still, I remember the plot vividly after all these years, and I happened to have been reminded of it the other day because of this podcast, which is pretty darned funny if you've got the time....more
Ready for an apples and oranges review, folks? 'Coz Pagford sure aint Hogwarts! It's not just that there's no magic in it; there's no positive messageReady for an apples and oranges review, folks? 'Coz Pagford sure aint Hogwarts! It's not just that there's no magic in it; there's no positive message of love conquering all. If anything, this book is the flip side: what happens to a town where everyone acts out of hatred. Remember in The Order of the Phoenix when Harry made the wrong decision at every turn? Well, that's exactly what the characters in this book do. When the first guy acts, you cheer him on because he's taking revenge against one of the most despicable characters in the book, and his method is so creative. But of course, his plan blows up in his face, so when the copycats start cropping up, you dread what's coming next and keep turning the pages to find out.
There are no characters to love here - no flawed but good heroes like Harry and his friends. Even the most sympathetic characters in this book have a dark underside. And because it takes a while to introduce them all, the real action doesn't start till the middle of the book. Once it does, though, you may not want to put it down.
One of the things I loved best about the Harry Potter books is their masterful foreshadowing. A small, almost unnoticeable detail early in the book turns out to be the secret behind the entire resolution, and I used to love re-reading the books to find those details. I did a little re-reading of this book, and definitely found the hints, too, but I won't delve into it for long, and not just because it's due back at the library. J.K. Rowling is the most talented writer alive today. But powerful and relevant as her new book is, it's not a book to love. Give me Harry Potter every time. ...more
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