Rebecca

Rebecca
-by Daphne du Maurier

416 pages (2001) Harper Paperbacks
originally published in 1938
ISBN 978-0452284142

MY RATING: 4.5/5

modern-day Jane Eyre

The house at the centre of Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca, opens with the famous lines: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me”. A fitting introduction to the spellbinding tale of intrigue, mystery and love.

At the outset of the novel Rebecca reflects on a dream she has had about Manderley estate, and as the story unfolds, she becomes the narrator of her story.

Simple, naive and young, Rebecca staying at a hotel with her employer, Mrs. Danvers, happens to meet the brooding handsome Maxim de Winter, a wealthy widower who is rumoured to have lost his first wife under mysterious circumstances. She ultimately becomes his second wife, and they moved to his estate at Manderley. As she settles into high society, she realizes how diffucult the adjustment is for her. Her relationship with Maxim becomes the object of rumours.

Mrs. Danvers, the mysterious and cruel housekeper.

The Shipping News

- by E. Annie Proulx

Awash with atmosphere and emotion

One can compare Proulx's rhythm of writing with that of the sea – mesmerizing! The Shipping News tells the story of a mediocre newspaper reporter in Mockingbird, NY, by the name of Quoyle (we don’t learn his first name). Lumbering, incurably withdrawn, and painfully self-conscious, he is described as having "a great damp loaf of a body" with "a giant's chin" that he constantly tries to hide with his hand.

Good-hearted but generally unsuccessful, Quoyle has always considered himself a failure. He is father to two young daughters, Bunny and Sunshine, and is completely devoted to his unfaithful and abusive wife, Petal Bear. Shortly after kidnapping and selling Bunny and Sunshine to sex traffickers, Petal and her lover are killed in a car accident. The two girls are located by police and returned safely to Quoyle. He feels his world collapsing around him.

When his paternal aunt (headstrong upholstering-entrepreneur, Agnis Hamm) convinces him that a fresh prospective would do both he and his two young daughters good, Quoyle decides to reclaim his life and goes back to his roots - Newfoundland; where his aunt, in search of a new life for herself, is headed. After moving into his family's ancestral home in Killick-Claw, he is hired on at a local newspaper, "The Gammy Bird", to report on the shipping news, the comings and goings at the local port.

Inevitably Quoyle settles into a small fishing village existence, where life is ruled (and sometimes, taken) by the sea. Where boats are a necessity and not recreation. As the tide ebbs and flows, troubling family secrets are uncovered. Despite his disturbing past, Quoyle gradually forms close bonds with those in the community and begins to gain the self-assurance and emotional strength he’s always lacked - allowing himself to love, and be loved, again.

Adding richness and atmosphere are the varying pieces - unusual characters - that make up the patch-work of small-town, Killick-Claw. Quoyle's newspaper coworkers... Jack Buggit, owner and editor of the newspaper, for whom fishing is both a calling and a curse. Old sea dog, 70-something, Billy Pretty – handles the home and local gossip column. Beaufield Nutbeem – animated English castaway on the Newfoundland shore who covers foreign correspondence and tracks down sexual abuse stories, is obsessed with his boat and plans of sailing across the Atlantic in it. Ever-enraged, Tert Card – "face like cottage cheese clawed with a fork" who describes himself as "the bloody so-called managing editor, copy editor, rewrite man, mechanicals, ad makeup department, mail and distribution chief, snow shoveler", harbours dreams of relocating to Florida. Then of course there’s the mad old hermit cousin who attempts to cast spells by tying a wide array of nautical knots. The former-truck driver who knits over his desk. The boat builder who hums the same folk tune under his breath. The tall quiet widow, Wavey Prowse, who ultimately changes Quoyle’s life.

Poignant, heart-rending, quirky, graceful, and often gut-splittingly funny, The Shipping News is a beautifully touching portrait of human emotion – a story of loss, pain, recovery and hope. Like most small village potboilers, it's a slow-moving yet vivid yarn that takes patience to immerse yourself in. But unlike the frigid and unforgiving Atlantic waters off the Grand Banks, it won't fail to warm your heart.
~
Penned prior to my review...
This book is on my 2011 reading list, and has sat on my shelf long enough. Glad I finally picked it up and read it. It's definitely one for my "favourites list". Started listening to this while in hospital, on audiobook. Narrated by Paul Hect who did an amazing job! This was so well-written (aside from a few expletives, which I felt were not necessary). Atmospheric and thoughtful. Really enjoyed this. Being from Nova Scotia, working in the newspaper industry, and knowing many Newfoundlanders helps too! ;) Hope to write a proper review of this soon.

From Land & Sea: Nova Scotia Contemporary Landscape Artists

 -by Dee Appleby

As diverse and beautiful as the province itself!
 
From Land and Sea, a fascinating introduction to the rich and varied texture of Nova Scotia’s landscape art, masterfully exhibits 65 contemporary artists and their work.

This beautifully displayed overview offers a unique visual story told by its artists, with styles as varying and exquisite as the diverse province itself… a marriage of land and sea.

Combining a remarkable play of shadows and light, deep hues and subtle tones, the stunning paintings and photography endow the book with drama and visual excitement, as the images virtually leap from the page.

The art itself is the jumping-off point for concise and fascinating descriptions of the artists, their work and important themes involving the creation of their art. Anecdotal stories regarding personal interests and inspiration of the artists and how they work, vividly personalize the pages.

Truly a book to cherish in your collection!

Historic Queens County

- by Tom Sheppard


A beautiful portrait of a way of life

Sheppard's Historic Queens County is a well-written book brimming with history and photos about a charming coastal county in the beautiful province of Nova Scotia, Canada.

While various communities are touched upon in the book, at the heart of Queens County is Liverpool, the hub of the Maritimes in the 19th century, offering a rich ship-building and shipping industry. Reading about my hometown's history was intriguing. The chapter dealing with daily life in Queens County is especially enjoyable.

As a life-long Queens County resident, this book is a charming reminder of my roots. Readers are treated to stories of days gone by and the history behind people and places that make Queens County what it is today.

This is highly recommended reading for history buffs, especially those interested in Canada's rich past.

No Name

- by Wilkie Collins

A virtually unknown masterpiece, and a new favourite from a picky reader

After the untimely death of their parents, the Vanstone sisters, Norah and Magdalen, face the stark reality of social stigma in Victorian England. Orphaned and penniless, they learn the devastating truth - they are illegitimate (children with "no name", hence the title of the book). And due to an anomaly in their father's will, the entirety of his wealth and estate is legally entailed away to their heartless uncle, who has no regard for their futures.

Vastly different in temperament, the elder sister, Norah calmly accepts her change in circumstance, resigned to accept work as a governess, while independent and scheming Magdalen refuses to accept the fate that their uncle has bestowed upon them and sets out on her own, vowing revenge.

To carry out her complex strategy of retribution, Magdalen enlists the assistance of the wily Captain Wragge, a distant relation and a self-confessed defrauder, who proves to be a comic relief with a tender humane heart at the core. Readers will be delighted to discover Wragge is just as memorable as many of Dickens' likable miscreants (not unlike Little Dorrit's Mr. Pancks).

Wragge and Magdalen face an uphill battle of wits, trying to outsmart the ruthlessly sharp Mrs. Lecount, the controlling and manipulative housekeeper of the will's beneficiary, Noel Vanstone. While Norah dutifully carries on with her life without incident, the intrepid Magdalen continues on with her quest for justice - at any expense - culminating in a surprise ending.

Perfectly plotted, though admittedly a tad bit slow at the outset, No Name is a treat for any classics lover and is well worth the time invested in its 700+ pages. Highly recommended!

Little Dorrit

-by Charles Dickens

1820's rags-to-riches tale, Dickens style

Where most books develop one puzzle piece at a time, Dickens' novels are comprised of large pieces that are gradually deconstructed into tiny individual parts, scattered with wild abandon, and then slowly reconstructed methodically until the final puzzle is complete. Little Dorrit is no exception to this Dickensian template.

A sardonic social lampoon and a searing satire at bureaucracy’s expense, Little Dorrit serves as Dickens’ analysis of society at the time and yet still retains a quiet dignity and undercurrent of a more psychological application.

This Dickensian classic explores imprisonment of both the literal and symbolic genre. Broken into two separate books – “Poverty” and “Riches” – the novel explores life from two different sides of London’s dreaded Marshalsea debtor prison’s walls.

Upon Arthur Clennam’s return to England after several years abroad in China, he meets and develops a benevolent interest in Amy Dorrit, the quiet diminutive seamstress of his embittered mother. Born within the Marshalsea prison walls, “Little Dorrit” as she is affectionately dubbed, patiently cares for her aging father, William Dorrit - a gentleman of past grandeur, long incarcerated for a debt he cannot repay. As Clennam becomes further acquainted with the Dorrits, he realizes his own mother holds a long-held secret regarding the Clennam's connection with the Dorrit family. Arthur also recalls mysterious fragmentary utterances by his dying father, desperately begging him to ‘make things right’ with the Dorrit family, for reasons unspoken. In light of this, Clennam takes it upon himself to investigate further into the imprisoned family’s history. It’s not long before he discovers that the dark secrets of the past stretch far beyond the prison walls to affect the lives of many, including his own.

As with any Dickens’ novel, it wouldn’t seem complete without its typical array of capricious stereotypical characters, from the likes of the excitable snorting rent-collector Mr. Pancks; the cranky crooked manservant Mr. Flintwinch; to the taciturn Flora Finching; the bureaucratic Barnacles in the unscrupulous Circumlocution Office; and the blatantly villainous but charismatic Monsieur Rigaud (with no less than three French aliases), whose hooked nose ventures over his mustache every time he utters a sinister laugh – a frequent occurrence.

Still, Little Dorrit defies categorization. Simultaneously a tragedy, comedy, social commentary, satire and mystery, it is a puzzle that, when solved, resolves itself to be an allegory of love itself, and the emphasis of personal responsibility. The novel is also a testimony to that rarest strength of character which ultimately remains untainted by status and situation in life, whether it be riches or poverty. It is observable to anyone familiar with Dickens' biography that the book draws intimately on the author's own troubled childhood, when his own father was imprisoned for three months in the Marshalsea debtor’s prison.

Granted, without rapt concentration, readers will easily be lost in the exuberant sprawl of its 800+ pages, but will find that it is well worth the effort.

The Decorated Page

The Decorated Page: Journals, Scrapbooks & Albums Made Simply Beautiful
-by Gwen Diehn

Paperback, 128 pages
Publisher: Lark Books; 1st Pbk edition (August 28, 2003)
ISBN-10: 1579905129 / ISBN-13: 978-1579905125

MY RATING: 4.5/5

In The Decorated Page — an inspiring and amply illustrated forerunner to her most recent work, The Decorated Journal — author and artist Gwen Diehn effortlessly motivates the flowing of creative juices with regards visual journaling (complementing descriptive text with visual art), beautifying and personalizing journals, scrapbooks, and albums as a form of artistic expression.

Diehn’s The Decorated Page, attests that she is not only adroit at binding and embellishing beautiful books, also finds her niche in writing them. From the first page onward, it is evident that the author, who teaches journal-creation itself as an art form, takes great pride in sharing the details of her creative knowledge and experience, as much as she enjoys putting them to use.

Each cleverly laid-out colourful pages include easy-to-grasp instructions and suggestions, which build gradually on the preceding pages, allowing the reader to progressively observe how the core pieces of the project fit together and visualize the finished product. It is literally brimming with beautiful samples of uniquely decorated journals and albums utilizing different materials, equipment, mediums and techniques, that will be sure to inspire even the most hesitant of artists and journal keepers.

The Decorated Page incorporates the use of various contemporary materials such as watercolour, pastels, coloured pencils, crayons, liquid acrylics, ink, and more, along with a vast array of techniques to get the most out of your materials. Also helpful are Diehn’s detailed and practical comparisons of various types/weight of paper, varieties of adhesives, and brushes. Other design suggestions include the use of cut-outs, copier transfers, gouache, collage, colour washes, stamping, etc., to enhance the beauty and interest of your journal. The author touches upon dry/wet processes, use of transparencies and drop shadows to add an interesting dimension to the journal’s pages.

As was the case in The Decorated Journal, Diehn generously offers her readers an additional comprehensive workshop-in-a-book with The Decorated Page — a great companion to its predecessor, which will be sure to delight journal enthusiasts. Whether you are a novice or “journal veteran”, an occasional journal reader/writer or an avid daily archivist, this book will prove to be a treasure trove of inspiration and imaginative ideas.

06/01/2007
— Reviewed for Sterling Publishing Co. NY

The 6th Lamentation

The 6th Lamentation
-by William Brodrick

ISBN 978-0142004623
400 Pages (2004)

My Rating: 4.5 / 5

brilliant debut demonstrates storytelling at its best

The 6th Lamentation — Brodrick’s dazzling debut on the events leading up to, and following, the Nazi’s occupation of France during World War II, and the impact on those who lived through it — is a novel of immense ethical intricacy, startling enlightenments and turnarounds. An effectual combination of fact and fiction, the story melds the past and present, spanning three generations…concluding in place where modern day retribution and past atrocities converge.

When Father Anselm, a barrister turned monk, is called on by a suspected war criminal, Eduard Schwermann, to provide asylum, Larkwood Priory (at Papal request), risks public scandal and harbours the former Nazi throughout his ensuing trial. When Anselm discovers that the Church earlier granted Schwermann and a French associate sanctuary after the war, providing them safe passage from France to England and new assumed identities, he launches a private investigation to find out why. Meanwhile, French expatriate Agnes Aubret, struggling with a debilitating terminal illness, discloses to her granddaughter Lucy her past involvement in a secret assemblage in the French Resistance, called The Round Table – a group that intended to conceal Jewish children from the murderous Nazi regime. The group was ultimately exposed by an infamous SS officer: Edward Schwermann. As Anselm peers into Schwermann iniquitous dealings and Lucy explores her grandmother's painful past, they discover the two seemingly unconnected histories are entwined, and are both connected to a French collaborator by the name of Victor Brionne.

Through his meticulous plot formation and ethically multifarious depiction of primary and secondary characters, Brodrick proves a leader in contemporaneous historical regeneration, in this acutely suspenseful drama/thriller. While avoiding being overly detailed on the horrendous atrocities of the Holocaust, he maintains a balanced pace throughout the novel, and often takes a step back from the bigger picture, focusing on poignant details that are often missed in novels of this genre.

Not unlike Shakespeare's tragic protagonists, whom are capable of both good and evil, Brodrick’s complex characters are anything but static, as they explore the possibilities of complex human nature — and how, ultimately, a single good work can often be used to justify countless crimes against humanity.

While disparaged by some for being too loquacious, The 6th Lamentation is not a book to be hurriedly perused. Brodrick, unlike many of today’s contemporary authors, makes a substantial ‘meal’ of the English language, which deserves to be savored and relished. Its eloquent literary verbosity and prose is effectively counterbalance by the story’s harrowing plot and white-knuckle twists and turns of plot, which will assuredly keep the reader on tenterhooks until it’s final pages.

The author’s own intriguing life experience as a practicing lawyer, and former monk, in addition to excerpts of his family history, add a rich density that elevates this story to more than just another good novel on the bookshelf. The 6th Lamentation is highly recommended for those who yearn for a historical drama and mystery, with a well-written literary aptitude.

Buy The 6th Lamentation at Amazon.com.

04/18/2007
- reviewed for Curled Up With A Good Book

Eating Up Italy

Eating Up Italy: Voyages on a Vespa
-by Matthew Fort

296 pages (autumn 2006)

MY RATING: 4.5/5

Bella! Bella!

Matthew Fort’s infatuation for all things edible and Italian are wonderfully palpable in this gastronomic treasure. Heady and sumptuous as a fine red wine, Eating Up Italy: Voyages on a Vespa — part travel memoir, part specialty recipe book — recounts Fort’s journeys all over the stunning Italian countryside, while lavishly showcasing each region’s own unique culinary “nuances”.

Italy’s romance and mystique lay in its beautiful language, hearty people, culture, fascinating history...and, of course, its wide array of mouth-watering edible delights. One would be hard-pressed to find a better qualified author for the task. Fort, one of Britain’s most renowned food critic and writer, formed an enthusiasm for Italy at the tender age of 11. The love affair with the country and its cuisine has only deepened with time, as Fort, at age 50, takes a “gastronomic tour” of the beautiful country from its southernmost tip at Melito Di Porto Salvo to the northern region of Turin.

Fort brings the tastes, aromas, and regional culture of Italy directly to the reader, in stunning clarity, coupled with a signature wit. Eating Up Italy is a bonafide travelogue on its own merits — nonetheless, Fort doesn’t rest on his laurels, expecting us to take his word for it. The tried-and-true age old recipes, generously peppered throughout, involve the reader and add an inimitable richness to Fort’s personal experiences, on his travels.

From regional delicacies to every-day local cuisine, Fort’s selected recipes and instructions, layered amidst engaging anecdotes teaming with insight into the lives and food of the locals, are easy to follow and tempting to try. Fortunately, many of the recipes are ‘formalized’, using easily recognizable standard measurements, as many Italian cooking techniques are known to use vague measurements such as “a little bit of this, a little bit of that.“ Some recipes may be easier than others, as some call for ingredients that would be challenging for a typical North American ‘foodie’ to find at their local market.

The book, itself, is bound beautifully with a ‘foodified’ rendition of Venus di Milo. Its lovely thick buttery paper and dark brown ink, lends itself an “old world” feel. At the back of the book is a comprehensive index, in case a particular recipe or notation requires reference on a whim.

Truly a voyager’s enchantment and a food lover’s bible, Eating Up Italy captures the incredible country that has it all, and will have any food lover or travel enthusiast shouting “Bella! Bella!”

One can only wait with bated breath - and grumbling stomach - for Fort’s upcoming labour of love, Eating Up Sicily.

Buy Eating Up Italy: Voyages on a Vespa at Amazon.com.

04/10/2007

- reviewed for Book Pleasures

The Annotated Pride and Prejudice

The Annotated Pride and Prejudice
-by Jane Austen (annotated & edited by David M. Shapard)

740 pages (2004)

MY RATING: 4.5/5

a more focused glimpse into Austen’s world

The Annotated Pride and Prejudice, indefatigably researched by David Shapard, contains intriguing particulars ranging from regency-period events, economy, society and customs of the time, to facts about Jane Austen’s family life and personal history, as they apply – verse by verse, paragraph by paragraph – to her most beloved of novels, Pride and Prejudice.

Not only a lovely bound volume of Austen’s masterpiece, Shapard’s meticulous work is also a uniquely comprehensive reference tool, or glossary, for the analytical prowess of the Regency-period zealot. Even more enjoyable are the literary commentaries, and “enlightenments” of certain ambiguous passages and behaviour of Austen’s enduring characters.

Within its tirelessly investigated annotations, in simple easy-to-read terms, Shapard effectively explores the development of Austen’s novel, drawing from the historical context “behind the scenes”, that the Regency-period author drew from -- the society from which Austen lived, and the world that shaped her creative mind to produce such a well-loved story.

The striking detail and explanations, encompassed by ample definitions, maps, illustrations and how it all fits into the novel’s context, will add a full, rich dimension to one’s reading.

The Annotated Pride and Prejudice is a book every avid “Austenite” and Pride and Prejudice aficionado would not want to do without – it is a more focused glimpse into Austen’s world, which will offer immense delight to the book’s enthusiasts.

Buy The Annotated Pride and Prejudice at Amazon.com

04/02/2007
- reviewed for Curled Up With A Good Book

Sophie & the Rising Sun

Sophie & the Rising Sun
-by Augusta Trobaugh

224 pages (2002)

MY RATING: 4.5/5

delicate as a paper crane

Simply, yet beautifully, written and poignant, Sophie and the Rising Sun — a narrative, in the plaintive voice of various characters — takes place in a sleepy southern town in Georgia.

Sophie, a refined southern lady and middle-aged spinster, finds she has depleted her “young and beautiful years” caring for her elderly mother and aunts, after her beau, Henry, never returned from WWI. Finds herself quite resigned to the idea of never finding love at her age, Sophie, finds solace in painting by the town’s beautiful river, and meeting with her dear friend Miss Anne — that is, until Grover Oto moves into town, under mysterious circumstances.

Gentlemanly and kind, Mr. Oto, an American-born man of Japanese decent, is soon commissioned as Miss Anne’s gardener. Despite being limited to mere greetings in passing, Oto and Sophie form a suppressed friendship. Discovering they both share a passion for creating art, they meet weekly at the river, painting in comfortable silence as their connection to each other flourishes. However, between the antics of Ruth - the prejudiced town meddler - and the rigid racial and social structure of the time, it is almost guaranteed that the unconventional duo of Sophie and Mr. Oto will be expected to keep a formal distance. Forced into hiding from the enraged townsfolk, after the Pearl Harbour bombing, Oto experiences the full consequences of the attack, as Sophie and Miss Anne courageously support him. Will he and Sophie ever be able to realize their true feelings for each other, in a society that is so obstinate regarding their cultural differences?

Through the words and reactions of her characters, the author offers a unique perspective of the events at Pearl Harbor. In its own way, the entire substance of the novel serves as a social commentary on the war’s psychological fall-out — including the malicious treatment (thinly veiled as patriotism) of Japanese immigrants, American citizens, living in United States.

And yet, the elegiac cadences of Trobaugh’s prose, coupled with her tender imagery and ambiance, adds an emotional richness to this touching account. Lovely for a light, but unforgettable, weekend read, Sophie and the Rising Sun is highly recommended.

Buy Sophie and the Rising Sun at Amazon.com

03/21/2007

Snow Flower & The Secret Fan

Snow Flower & The Secret Fan
-by Lisa See
272 pages (2005)

MY RATING: 4.5/5

A history lesson with heart

Lisa See's beautiful, yet heartbreaking, tale of women's intimate relationships, and the rigid customs of 19th century China, is set in a remote village in Hunan province.Often in poetic, tender prose, the dynamics of the lives of two girls are recounted -- Lily, the narrator of the story, a sensitive daughter of a poor farmer; and Snow Flower a well-bred daughter of privilege -- spanning childhood ("milk years" and "daughter days"), adolescence ("hair pinning days"), mature married days as wives and mothers ("rice and salt days"), to old age ("sitting quietly days").From childhood the two girls' lives are bound together, at the instigation of a match-maker, by the customary laotong tradition - linking them to become life-long bosom friends (or "old sames"). Even at a distance, both geographically and status-wise, Lily and Snow Flower's correspondence reaches out across the boundaries as they write to each other in nu shu, a clandestinely-kept writing form known only to women, and a temporary respite in their oppression.Along with life's everyday hard lessons for a woman living in 19th century China, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan unveils the traditions behind arranged marriages, the superstitions and the ceremonies, the unyielding codes of conduct for daughters, wives and mothers, and the disturbing traditions of foot-binding ("Only through pain will you have beauty; only through suffering will you have peace"), and the placing of little value on women's life, except for their facility to bear sons for their husband.With a stoic acceptance - and, often times, eventual resignation - of their fate as the unappreciated sex, Snow Flower and Lily go their separate ways in life, due to a grave misunderstanding in their correspondence.

As both an excruciatingly poignant story and an enthralling historical account, See's beautifully portrayed Snow Flower and the Secret Fan will be sure to touch your heart.

Buy Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel at Amazon.com

03/14/2007

Midnight at the Dragon Café

Midnight at the Dragon Café
-by Judy Fong Bates
320 pages (2004)

The people behind the faces of the local  Chinese-Canadian greasy spoon

With a quiet, unassuming elegance, Canadian-Chinese author Judy Fong-Bates sets the scene for her highly applauded debut novel, Midnight at the Dragon Café. Perhaps this story touched me more acutely than most of its readers, as it called to mind what my father and his parents must have experienced during and after their immigration from Hong Kong to a little town in Canada in the mid-1950s. Every word to me was genuine, haunting, compelling…

Little Su-Jen Chou (at the tender age of six), along with her beautiful yet bitter mother, immigrates to Canada from Communist China, to meet the father she has never known. A father who is the proprietor of the local Canadian-Chinese “greasy spoon”. With Su-Jen's mother constantly haunted with yearnings for her homeland, unpleasant family secrets uncovered, and the trials and challenges they face in a new and often-times unwelcoming land, Fong-Bates weaves a story full of heartbreak, tribulation and acceptance.

Poignant in its simplicity and yet weighty in its inner complexities, Midnight at the Dragon Café explores many social issues of the time, along with the disappointments, the pride, the sacrifices, and the triumphs of those who immigrated to Canada in search of something ‘better’. 

Stirring and well written, Fong-Bates’ stunning first novel deserves a heaping spoonful of praise.

Buy Midnight At The Dragon Café at Amazon.com

12/03/2005

The Moonstone

The Moonstone
-by Wilkie Collins
438 pages (1868)

magnum opus of suspense and intrigue

T.S. Eliot was not exaggerating when he dubbed Collins' masterpiece "the first, the longest, and the best of modern English detective novels". The Moonstone, first published in 1868, is the magnum opus of suspense and intrigue that will surely please the avid mystery and/or classics buff. 

The adventure begins when the priceless yellow diamond from India, known as the 'Moonstone', is brought to English as spoils of war and is bestowed upon the spirited Rachel Verrinder on her 18th birthday. Chaos soon commences. The valuable jewel is stolen that very night and the entire household falls under suspicion – including a hunchbacked maid, an assemblage of enigmatic Indian jugglers, and Miss Verrinder’s cousin Mr. Franklin Blake. Suspicion of thievery does not even escape Miss Verrinder herself. The famed Sergeant Cuff is summoned to the house to try and make sense of the baffling mystery of the diamond’s disappearance and the strange events that ensue.

The Moonstone is comprised of three novelettes and a handful of sub-sections, each narrated by three individuals (and a handful of other characters writing shorter supporting memoirs), with their own whimsical writing styles and detailed anecdotes about their adventures surrounding the jewel's disappearance and the aftermath. Their varying perspectives on incidents throw interesting light on the events unraveling around the reader. Introducing the novel is the household’s elderly and garrulous manservant, Mr. Gabriel Betteredge, with his witty maxims and proverbial quotes from his personal bible, “Robinson Crusoe”. The pious and almost-fanatical Miss Clack’s cold recital of events, is followed soon after by Mr. Franklin Blake’s narrative of events, and the mystery’s final and most ingenious outcome. It will not disappoint.

I leave you with a bit of insight bestowed upon us by the lovable and amusing Mr. Betteredge:

"When my spirits are bad -- Robinson Crusoe. When I want advice -- Robinson Crusoe. In past times when my wife plagued me; in present times when I have had a drop too much -- Robinson Crusoe. I have worn out six stout Robinson Crusoes with hard work in my service. On my lady's last birthday she gave me a seventh. I took a drop too much on the strength of it; and Robinson Crusoe put me right again. Price four shillings and sixpence, bound in blue, with a picture into the bargain.Still, this don't look much like starting the story of the Diamond -- does it? I seem to be wandering off in search of Lord knows what, Lord knows where. We will take a new sheet of paper, if you please, and begin over again, with my best respects to you."

02/27/2004

Pope Joan

Pope Joan
-by Donna Woolfolk Cross
422 pages (1997)

Captivating!

Pope Joan is a page-turning epic about the controversial legend of a woman who threw caution and convention to the wind and disguised herself as a man, in order to attain the highest position in Christendom - the Pope. Only found out at the end of her life, she ruled the papacy with respect and honor from her subordinates. While the novel is written in a fictional sense, many little known facts are cleverly woven into the tale to bring the characters and their struggles, alive to the reader.

Extremely well researched and detailed, Woolfolk Cross leaves her readers rivetted to Pope Joan's experiences and life journey, as she strives to evade detection. The exposure of Pope Joan's charade would be punishable by death.

Granted, Pope Joan is not a tale for the faint-hearted. It is intense and deals (often in gruesome detail) with the attrocities which occurred in ignorance during the Dark Age. The victims of such ignorance, were usually women, who were treated little better than beasts. However, it is a book which most history-buffs and avid readers alike will be interested in, as it is intertwined with real life settings - and an unforgettable legend of a determined woman's triumph.  Highly recommended.

Visit the official website

Les Miserables

Les Miserables
-by Victor Hugo
1463 pages (1862)

A timeless classic! 

The drama of Les Miserables unfolds in France during the French Revolution. It is a story that exudes both tragedy and hope…love and hate…and the belief that everyone can start over with a ‘clean slate’ if they have the courage and willpower to do so. 

At the outset we are introduced to the main character, Jean Valjean, an atoned convict who reverses his wrong course in life and eventually develops into the benevolent and gentle Mayor of Montreuil (a prosperous small town in France).

Inspector Javert, who served as Valjean’s prison guard decades ago in Paris, moves to the town of Vigo. Much to Valjean’s dismay, Javert eventually recognizes the Mayor as an ex-convict. From then on, Inspector Javert swears revenge against Valjean - seeking to expose him as an ex-convict and have him taken into custody. This is in keeping with Javert’s personal maxim: “once bad, always bad.”

After Valjean realizes Javert has recognized him, he goes into hiding after being entrusted with the care of a young orphan girl. Valjean and the little girl, who he raises as a daughter, restart a life of anonymity away from the bitter Javert (who will stop at nothing to recapture Valjean). 

Almost a decade later, the obsessed Javert again catches up with Valjean and the reader is brought along on the adventure to a poignant culmination. (Beware: The book’s ending varies entirely from Hollywood’s!)