"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Three Short Book Reviews


 
A Thousand Steps Into Night by Traci Chee
Clarion Books, 2022.

Summary: A Japanese-influenced fantasy brimming with demons, adventure, and plans gone awry. In the realm of Awara, where gods, monsters, and humans exist side by side, Miuko is an ordinary girl resigned to a safe, if uneventful, existence as an innkeeper’s daughter. But when Miuko is cursed and begins to transform into a demon with a deadly touch, she embarks on a quest to reverse the curse and return to her normal life. Aided by a thieving magpie spirit and continuously thwarted by a demon prince, Miuko must outfox tricksters, escape demon hunters, and negotiate with feral gods if she wants to make it home again. But with her transformation comes power and freedom she never even dreamed of, and she’ll have to decide if saving her soul is worth trying to cram herself back into an ordinary life that no longer fits her… and perhaps never did. (Publisher)

Review: This YA novel is full of Japanese mythology, which I really appreciated. It is also long, 400 pages, and very involved. I don't often read fantasy in any form so I struggled with some of the magical aspects and had trouble picturing many of scenes, as they were quite elaborate.

Likes/dislikes: I liked that this book dwelt exclusively on Asian mythology. YA readers who enjoy fantasy or high fantasy novels will have a new type of fantasy to explore. It also has a surprisingly feminist message. That is refreshing. I have enjoyed Chee's other books: We Are Not Free, about Japanese Incarceration in America during WWII, and The Reader, another fantasy book, the first of a trilogy. She is a good writer. What I didn't like was the length. I want storytelling to be crisp and concise these days. Ha!

Quote: I think you believe you ought to be small,” he said softly, almost meditatively. “I think you have been taught that greatness does not belong to you, and that to want it is perverse. I think you have folded yourself into the shape that others expect of you; but that shape does not suit you, has never suited you, and all your young life, you have been dying to be free of it.

Rating: 3.5 stars



Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Ballantine Books, 2021

Summary: Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever.  Set in Malibu, August, 1983. It’s the day of Nina Riva’s annual end-of-summer party, and anticipation is at a fever pitch. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, the talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their adored baby sister, Kit. Together, the siblings are a source of fascination in Malibu and the world over—especially as the offspring of the legendary singer, Mick Riva. Malibu Rising is a story about one unforgettable night in the life of a family: the night they each have to choose what they will keep from the people who made them... and what they will leave behind. (Publisher)

Review: Loosely part of what could be called a crossover series, Malibu Rising would be the third book in the series. Each looks at strong but flawed female characters during a certain time period: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (1950-60s); Daisy Jones and the Six (1960-70s); Malibu Rising (1980s, with look back to 1950s) and Carrie Soto is Back (1990s). I adored Daisy Jones and the Six, the only other books I've read of the four, and looked forward to Malibu Rising with much anticipation. Throughout my listening experience I kept thinking, "Fame is not as great as it is cracked up to be." Fame sure seemed to cause a pile of problems for everyone.

Likes/dislikes: As it turns out I came away from my reading as a woman divided. I liked the writing, the setting, and the family dynamics. I disliked the sex and drugs, and the out-of-control party scene. I also disliked how stuck the characters all were. Stuck where they started. Stuck until maybe the last five pages of the book. That said, I listened to the audiobook compulsively.   

Quote: How were you supposed to change- in ways both big and small- when your family was always there to remind you of exactly the person you apparently signed an ironclad contract to be?”

Rating: 4 stars



The Hero of This Book by Elizabeth McCracken

Summary: A taut, groundbreaking novel is about a writer's relationship with her larger-than-life mother--and about the very nature of writing, memory, and art. Ten months after her mother's death, the narrator of The Hero of This Book takes a trip to London. The city was a favorite of her mother's, and as the narrator wanders the streets, she finds herself reflecting on her mother's life and their relationship.
The woman, a writer, recalls all that made her complicated mother extraordinary--her brilliant wit, her generosity, her unbelievable obstinacy, her sheer will in seizing life despite physical difficulties--and finds herself wondering how her mother had endured. Even though she wants to respect her mother's nearly pathological sense of privacy, the woman must come to terms with whether making a chronicle of this remarkable life constitutes an act of love or betrayal. (Publisher)

Review: Billed as a fictionalized memoir, The Hero of This Book is clearly about Elizabeth McCracken's mother. I wrestled with the word "fictionalized" as I read this otherwise compelling memoir. Then I settled on an understanding about fiction and nonfiction. Fiction allows for omissions and additions to a story. Perhaps even playing around with time. Nonfiction stays true to the facts, whatever they are, and doesn't mess around with time. This story about Elizabeth and her mother is considered fiction because a) her mother hated memoirs so Elizabeth could not write one about her own mother and b) she left out parts of the story, like for example that she has a brother who was not included at all in the story line. I used to tell students that Schindler's List was fiction because the author made up dialogues to make the true story more interesting, but of course, there is no proof those conversations every happened. McCracken did the same thing here. By fictionalizing the story she had room to deal with whatever truths she wanted to put in the story and leave out those she didn't.

Likes/dislikes: I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed this experience very much. It is set in London as McCracken retraces the steps she and her mother made together on a previous trip. I have recently been in London and could picture her as she walked around the city. I was pretty bugged by the "fictionalized memoir" aspect of the story throughout. Why not tell her story straight up? But in the end I saw her point about omitted details she didn't want to include. Either way, novel or memoir, I enjoyed it.

Quote: “Don’t trust a writer who gives out advice. Writers are suckers for pretty turns of phrase with only the ring of truth.”

Rating: 5 stars

-Anne

No comments:

Post a Comment

I look forward to your comments and interactions! Join in the conversation.