Guys and Dolls is a favorite show of mine. I see it whenever I get a chance. Therefore, I was ready to be very critical of Bellefonte High School's production this week. Instead, I was delighted.
Turning a bunch of high school students into a bunch of gamblers, tough (though loveable) semi-gangsters and sexy Hot Box dancers has to be a challenge. Thanks to Jonathan Hetler and Eric Brinser, it happened.
The costumes were a big part of why it worked. Sarah Irvin and Sarah Toyos kept to the time period and the characters exceptionally well. "Take Back Your Mink" is tough to costume; it has to include a bit of a strip tease. The girls were pretty, sexy, and still within the limits of a high school play. All in all I loved the costumes throughout the show.Sets were also in keeping with the spirit of the play. The set itself was attractive and the changes never became so complicated that they interfered with the flow of the action. The same could be said for the orchestra. I have had problems hearing in that auditorium. It was never a problem last night.
The secret to good amateur theatre is in the casting. Each actor, lead, feature or extra, was perfect for his or her part.
The two female leads are difficult for different reasons. Miss Adelaide is such a well known part in the theatre that any actress has to follow some big names. Dori Puzycki nailed it. She had the voice, the Brookly accent, and, yes, the sneezes down perfectly. Dori is the complete package. She sings, dances and acts. Over the last four or five years we have seen her do it all. This is a senior who will be missed.
Miss Sarah Brown is difficult for another reason. Not as showy of a part, the actress has to be able to do a wider range of music as well as try to save our souls. There are the sweet love songs, the tipsy song in Havana, and the duet with Adelaide--all different. Kaitlyn Whitesell was able to convince us of each side of Miss Sarah. Kaitlyn is another senior who will be missed.
Jordon Emely as Nathan Detroit, who is more involved with the established crap game than with his wedding to Miss Adelaide, was a pro. Jordon makes it all look so effortless, yet be very convincing.
It is good to know that Jordon will be back next year.
Sky Masterson was played by Steven Giacobe. Steven's stage experience shows in how well he takes charge when he is on stage. He makes a true leading man, but sadly, another senior who will be moving on.
The true heart of Guys and Dolls is the male ensemble. From the terrific harmonies to the ballet in the sewer, these guys were wonderful. It was easy to forget that they were high school students and not older, gamblers. Johnny Purnell, Eddie Fitzgerald and Nathan Smith were stand outs... loved "Fugue for Tinhorns". Their voices blended perfectly.
Guys get more stage time than dolls in this show, but the Hot Box Dancers deserve a lot of credit. I am not sure which girl was which, but that is a good thing. They all had the energy, spirit, and smiles to make a convincing chorus line. Oh, they could really dance, too.
This was an almost flawless production. There is not enough room to tell how much I enjoyed Zachary Spaw's "More I Cannot Wish You", another well cast part. Or, how about Johnny Purnell telling us to sit down, we were rockin' the boat? That is always a show stopper.
I wish I could have told each of you in the show how much I was impressed. This blog will have to do. Thank you.
Monday, April 25, 2016
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Bald Eagle Area High School/ Thoroughly Modern Millie.
If you missed Bald Eagle Area High School's spring production of Thoroughly Modern Millie, you missed an excellent high school musical. The show was full of energy, loads of unexpected talent, and fast paced action. The amount of rehearsal time must have been exhausting.
For openers, the orchestra was not only very good, but at no time did it drown out the singers...one of my personal pet peeves. Secondly, the ensemble cast of singers and dancers stayed in character, not only when they were singing and dancing their hearts out, but also when they were part of the background. This was some of the neatest group tap numbers that I have seen in a high school production. It must have required hours of work.
Thoroughly Modern Millie requires a large cast and allows the featured actors their moments to shine. And shine they did.
Michael Bailey and Tim Durachko had to learn Chinese to play Bun Foo and Ching Ho.They played the characters in a very believable way, until they sang "Muquin". If the audience did not hear Al Jolson's "Mammie" from the music, the sub-titles gave it away. Very well done and very funny.
The show also gave a nod to composer Victor Herbert in the love scene between Miss Dorothy and Mr. Graydon, Salvannah Elder and Matthew Blaylock. Their parody of "Ah Sweet Mystery of Life" would have made old Victor proud. Salvannah has a voice meant for operetta, sweet, clear and trilling. It was good to see that she could handle the comedy in her role as well.
It is a shame that Matthew Blaylock is a senior. He can sing, but his talent is his ability to do broad comedy. His duet with Salvannah was delightful, but "Speed Test" with Millie was brilliant, bringing Gilbert and Sullivan's fast patter style to mind. Oh, and did I mention his ability to jump to the top of a desk in a single bound?
Two other character actors really were standouts. Alice Statham as the evil Mrs. Meers had a chance to pull off some really off the wall comedy. Her "Chinese" landlady and wicked white slave seller was beyond outrageous.
Madison Maney may have been the surprise of the evening. As Muzzy Van Hossmere, retired actrss, her first appearance was in a black, a-la-torch singer's dress and she won me at once. During her baton number, I held my breath waiting for a mistake. It never happened. I can not wait to see what these two talents will do next year.
Another outstanding actor is Colton Lucas. We have seen in past plays that Colton can sing, act, and take command of the stage. As the romantic lead, Jimmy Smith, we saw all of the above plus a romantic side that was very believable. Luckily, we will have Colton for next year. Can. Not. Wait.
All of these, and more, were good, but the star of the show was Millie herself and Karina Bloom was perfect. Karina has unbounded energy and as the young inocent who is determined to be modern and marry for money was the ideal role for her. She had the opportunity to do quite a bit of singing ( the "SpeedTest" number had to be a challenge for any actor), but this was not the role to show off the brilliance and range of her voice. Luckily, we have heard that in Sound Of Music. This is a talent that will be missed at Bald Eagle.
Thoroughly Modern Millie was a new show for me, so I was not sure what to expect. It was fun to see the 1920's captured so well in costumes and sets. Speaking of sets, the stage crew was very fast and efficient in scene changes, an important part of any show. High school plays keep getting better and better. Thanks go to director Kristen Betts for a great evening.
Remember to check out the photographs at meadowlanephoto@aol.com.
For openers, the orchestra was not only very good, but at no time did it drown out the singers...one of my personal pet peeves. Secondly, the ensemble cast of singers and dancers stayed in character, not only when they were singing and dancing their hearts out, but also when they were part of the background. This was some of the neatest group tap numbers that I have seen in a high school production. It must have required hours of work.
Thoroughly Modern Millie requires a large cast and allows the featured actors their moments to shine. And shine they did.
Michael Bailey and Tim Durachko had to learn Chinese to play Bun Foo and Ching Ho.They played the characters in a very believable way, until they sang "Muquin". If the audience did not hear Al Jolson's "Mammie" from the music, the sub-titles gave it away. Very well done and very funny.
The show also gave a nod to composer Victor Herbert in the love scene between Miss Dorothy and Mr. Graydon, Salvannah Elder and Matthew Blaylock. Their parody of "Ah Sweet Mystery of Life" would have made old Victor proud. Salvannah has a voice meant for operetta, sweet, clear and trilling. It was good to see that she could handle the comedy in her role as well.
It is a shame that Matthew Blaylock is a senior. He can sing, but his talent is his ability to do broad comedy. His duet with Salvannah was delightful, but "Speed Test" with Millie was brilliant, bringing Gilbert and Sullivan's fast patter style to mind. Oh, and did I mention his ability to jump to the top of a desk in a single bound?
Two other character actors really were standouts. Alice Statham as the evil Mrs. Meers had a chance to pull off some really off the wall comedy. Her "Chinese" landlady and wicked white slave seller was beyond outrageous.
Madison Maney may have been the surprise of the evening. As Muzzy Van Hossmere, retired actrss, her first appearance was in a black, a-la-torch singer's dress and she won me at once. During her baton number, I held my breath waiting for a mistake. It never happened. I can not wait to see what these two talents will do next year.
Another outstanding actor is Colton Lucas. We have seen in past plays that Colton can sing, act, and take command of the stage. As the romantic lead, Jimmy Smith, we saw all of the above plus a romantic side that was very believable. Luckily, we will have Colton for next year. Can. Not. Wait.
All of these, and more, were good, but the star of the show was Millie herself and Karina Bloom was perfect. Karina has unbounded energy and as the young inocent who is determined to be modern and marry for money was the ideal role for her. She had the opportunity to do quite a bit of singing ( the "SpeedTest" number had to be a challenge for any actor), but this was not the role to show off the brilliance and range of her voice. Luckily, we have heard that in Sound Of Music. This is a talent that will be missed at Bald Eagle.
Thoroughly Modern Millie was a new show for me, so I was not sure what to expect. It was fun to see the 1920's captured so well in costumes and sets. Speaking of sets, the stage crew was very fast and efficient in scene changes, an important part of any show. High school plays keep getting better and better. Thanks go to director Kristen Betts for a great evening.
Remember to check out the photographs at meadowlanephoto@aol.com.
Monday, April 4, 2016
book review: LIAR TEMPTRESS SOLDER SPY
March has been a busy month. It is my Birthday Month ( I take the whole month in case someone wants to take me out to lunch) and it is the busy season of Easter. Therefore, it took me a little longer than usual to read LIAR TEMPTRESS SOLDER SPY by Karen Abbott. It was worth the time.
Karen Abbott has taken her readers into the Civil War in a very personal way, with the true stories of four women, Belle Boyd, Rose O'Neal Greenhow, Emma Edmond and Elizabeth Van Lew. Each woman played a part in the events that took place between 1861 and 1865, but they also represent the many other unsung women who never made the history books.
Belle Boyd was only seventeen when she shot one of the Union soldiers who had entered her home. Belle was known as the " fasted girl in Virginia (or anywhere)" by her friends. The chance to work undercover for the Confederate Army suited her need to be noticed as well as her sense of adventure.
Rose O'Neal Greenhow was a beautiful widow who used her relationships with powerful Union men to get information for Southern generals. Using her young daughter, she devised a system to get that information to the Confederate army, even while in jail.
Serving as a private in the Union army, Emma Edmonds, as Frank Thompson, saw the bloodiest part of the war. Helping in the field hospitals and caring messages for her commanders, she was able to infiltrate enemy lines. Naturally, one of her biggest problems was keeping her gender a secret.
Wealthy, socialite Elizabeth Van Lew developed a spy network that went as far as putting one of her former slaves inside the home of Jefferson Davis. Her social position gave her opportunities to hide escaped Union soldiers in her home under the eyes of the Confederate general
Author Karen Abbott has well documented LIAR TEMPTRESS SOLDER SPY. In fact her resource list takes up a large part of the book. It always is a problem for me to sift through what is pure history and what is poetic license on the part of the author. There were times that her details of what the women wore bordered on the "chick lit" line. I did wonder how the ladies were able to pack the many articles of clothing that were needed to be fashionable in the mid-sixteen hundreds. After getting to know these women, I would guess that their diaries would have included their wardrobe. Rose and Belle were very aware of their appearance and their attraction to men.
So much has been written about the Civil War, but this book brought it to a level that I could understand. Both sides were treated equally by the author and the waste of war came more evident, especially where Emma was featured. The amount of lives lost has been well documented, but here it seemed overwhelming.
Some readers have questioned the authenticity of some of the details. For example, how Emma could have passed as a male soldier for four years. Ms Abbott did mention that she had doubts about some of the details in the women's diaries. Knowing that people will add facts to their diaries to make themselves "look good" did not hurt the stories in LIAR TEMPTRESS SOLDER SPY. It was a fascinating book and if a fraction of the details were tweeked, it was still a good read.
Oh, do not try to figure which was the liar, the temptress, the solder or the spy. There was a bit of each in each woman.
Karen Abbott has taken her readers into the Civil War in a very personal way, with the true stories of four women, Belle Boyd, Rose O'Neal Greenhow, Emma Edmond and Elizabeth Van Lew. Each woman played a part in the events that took place between 1861 and 1865, but they also represent the many other unsung women who never made the history books.
Belle Boyd was only seventeen when she shot one of the Union soldiers who had entered her home. Belle was known as the " fasted girl in Virginia (or anywhere)" by her friends. The chance to work undercover for the Confederate Army suited her need to be noticed as well as her sense of adventure.
Rose O'Neal Greenhow was a beautiful widow who used her relationships with powerful Union men to get information for Southern generals. Using her young daughter, she devised a system to get that information to the Confederate army, even while in jail.
Serving as a private in the Union army, Emma Edmonds, as Frank Thompson, saw the bloodiest part of the war. Helping in the field hospitals and caring messages for her commanders, she was able to infiltrate enemy lines. Naturally, one of her biggest problems was keeping her gender a secret.
Wealthy, socialite Elizabeth Van Lew developed a spy network that went as far as putting one of her former slaves inside the home of Jefferson Davis. Her social position gave her opportunities to hide escaped Union soldiers in her home under the eyes of the Confederate general
Author Karen Abbott has well documented LIAR TEMPTRESS SOLDER SPY. In fact her resource list takes up a large part of the book. It always is a problem for me to sift through what is pure history and what is poetic license on the part of the author. There were times that her details of what the women wore bordered on the "chick lit" line. I did wonder how the ladies were able to pack the many articles of clothing that were needed to be fashionable in the mid-sixteen hundreds. After getting to know these women, I would guess that their diaries would have included their wardrobe. Rose and Belle were very aware of their appearance and their attraction to men.
So much has been written about the Civil War, but this book brought it to a level that I could understand. Both sides were treated equally by the author and the waste of war came more evident, especially where Emma was featured. The amount of lives lost has been well documented, but here it seemed overwhelming.
Some readers have questioned the authenticity of some of the details. For example, how Emma could have passed as a male soldier for four years. Ms Abbott did mention that she had doubts about some of the details in the women's diaries. Knowing that people will add facts to their diaries to make themselves "look good" did not hurt the stories in LIAR TEMPTRESS SOLDER SPY. It was a fascinating book and if a fraction of the details were tweeked, it was still a good read.
Oh, do not try to figure which was the liar, the temptress, the solder or the spy. There was a bit of each in each woman.
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Book Review: AMONG SCHOOLCHILDREN
Reading a Tracy Kidder book always makes me feel richer. He has the talent to take on global issues and personalize them. Mountains Beyond Mountains introduced us to real life hero Doctor Paul Farmer and world health concerns. What Strength Remains brings to light the genocide in Burundi and Rwanda through the eyes of a young survivor. Recently, I read an earlier book by Kidder titled Among Schoolchildren and again was impressed by the detail and caring that he puts into his work.
Tracy Kidder spent nine months with Christine Padden Zajac and her class of fifth graders. The school was located in the depressed "flats" of Holyoke, Massachusetts and the twenty students were a mixture of ethnic families, academic abilities and behavioral challenges. As the school year progresses, we get to understand the work and energy that a compassionate, but indomitable, teacher gives to her students.
As any teacher will tell you, there are humorous as well as heartbreaking moments in a class room. Some moments require a hidden grin and others make for full -out- laughter. The painful moments come with the student that is beyond a teacher's help and must be removed to a more "structured" situation or, the talented student who falls through the cracks, never to be seen again. There were days that Mrs. Zajac felt that discipline was taking up most of her time and that some students were being cheated out of the education that they so badly needed.
Author Kidder has the talent to sit back, allow the reader to observe and end up as involved as Mrs. Zajac was with her class. Each student became an individual. Sometimes, we meet the parents and have a better understanding of why the child's behavior is self destructive or defensive. Sometimes, we know the "why"by the parent's never showing for a parent teacher conference.
A scene that I found particularly touching was the school's science fair. The students who had parents who were involved did well, won the prizes; it was easy to spot the students with non-involved families who felt like failures. For this reason, Mrs. Zajac made it a point to try to have such competitions eliminated from the school's schedule.
Among Schoolchildren was published in 1989 and I would like to think that it is a bit dated by now. On a class trip to a village set in 1830, it is noted that, except for the inkwells, the classroom was very familiar. It seems that public education has not changed much.
Also very touching were some of the facts that the author threw in now and then. The quotes from over the centuries of what education should be were very idealistic, but still a long way from reality. We may have become more aware of sexual abuse, the numbers are still very high, and althought teachers have recieved better training on how to regognize abuse, their hands are tied if there is not some kind of evidence.
Among Schoolchildren is a beautiful tribute to our teachers. Good teachers should have public monuments built in their honor and the undying respect of the community. Tracy Kidder once again shows us the human side of something we tend to take for granted.
Tracy Kidder spent nine months with Christine Padden Zajac and her class of fifth graders. The school was located in the depressed "flats" of Holyoke, Massachusetts and the twenty students were a mixture of ethnic families, academic abilities and behavioral challenges. As the school year progresses, we get to understand the work and energy that a compassionate, but indomitable, teacher gives to her students.
As any teacher will tell you, there are humorous as well as heartbreaking moments in a class room. Some moments require a hidden grin and others make for full -out- laughter. The painful moments come with the student that is beyond a teacher's help and must be removed to a more "structured" situation or, the talented student who falls through the cracks, never to be seen again. There were days that Mrs. Zajac felt that discipline was taking up most of her time and that some students were being cheated out of the education that they so badly needed.
Author Kidder has the talent to sit back, allow the reader to observe and end up as involved as Mrs. Zajac was with her class. Each student became an individual. Sometimes, we meet the parents and have a better understanding of why the child's behavior is self destructive or defensive. Sometimes, we know the "why"by the parent's never showing for a parent teacher conference.
A scene that I found particularly touching was the school's science fair. The students who had parents who were involved did well, won the prizes; it was easy to spot the students with non-involved families who felt like failures. For this reason, Mrs. Zajac made it a point to try to have such competitions eliminated from the school's schedule.
Among Schoolchildren was published in 1989 and I would like to think that it is a bit dated by now. On a class trip to a village set in 1830, it is noted that, except for the inkwells, the classroom was very familiar. It seems that public education has not changed much.
Also very touching were some of the facts that the author threw in now and then. The quotes from over the centuries of what education should be were very idealistic, but still a long way from reality. We may have become more aware of sexual abuse, the numbers are still very high, and althought teachers have recieved better training on how to regognize abuse, their hands are tied if there is not some kind of evidence.
Among Schoolchildren is a beautiful tribute to our teachers. Good teachers should have public monuments built in their honor and the undying respect of the community. Tracy Kidder once again shows us the human side of something we tend to take for granted.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Book Review: THEY DISAPPEARED
It is always fun to find a "new" author and I just read my first book by Rick Mofina. The title, They Disappeared, gave me a hint of what the story line might be, so I was ready for a fast action afternoon.
Jeff Griffin and his wife, Sarah have come to New York City to give Cole, their nine-year-old son, a trip that he has been dreaming about. Jeff also hopes to repair his marriage. Jeff and Sarah's relationship had been badly torn apart by the death of their infant daughter and he feels that returning to the place where they had first gotten to know each other might help them.The family arrives in Manhattan as the city prepares for a meeting at the United Nations that involves the top leaders of the world.
At the airport, Cole's backpack is accidentally switched with an identical backpack. The correction is made, but one toy is forgotten. Later, as the family is taking pictures on Times Square, Jeff steps into a shop to get batteries for the camera and when he returns to the street he finds that his wife and son have disappeared. The usual life and death search takes us all over New York City and introduces us to many colorful characters...good and bad.
For me, They Disappeared was a bit of a disappointment. The story had a lot going for it. Jeff's frantic search for his family is richly colored by his feelings about the death of his baby girl and his need to talk to his wife before she is killed. Cole and Sarah are both real and sympathetic characters. Actually, author Mofina also did a very good job of making us understand and feel for the kidnappers.
The problem was too much description of how the police and the federal agents interacted. Getting to know the agencies working on a case can be a good thing and it can be informative to learn how these agencies cooperate. But, I felt over whelmed by the mass of details and the names of all the people involved. Some times too many characters weaken a book, even if the characters are well drawn. At times, these details ruined the flow of the action for me.
This is not to say that I will not try another book by Rick Mofina. His list of titles is long and this may have been a case of his needing to get a book published because the mortgage was due. Sometimes an author's earlier work is his best. We will check that out.
Jeff Griffin and his wife, Sarah have come to New York City to give Cole, their nine-year-old son, a trip that he has been dreaming about. Jeff also hopes to repair his marriage. Jeff and Sarah's relationship had been badly torn apart by the death of their infant daughter and he feels that returning to the place where they had first gotten to know each other might help them.The family arrives in Manhattan as the city prepares for a meeting at the United Nations that involves the top leaders of the world.
At the airport, Cole's backpack is accidentally switched with an identical backpack. The correction is made, but one toy is forgotten. Later, as the family is taking pictures on Times Square, Jeff steps into a shop to get batteries for the camera and when he returns to the street he finds that his wife and son have disappeared. The usual life and death search takes us all over New York City and introduces us to many colorful characters...good and bad.
For me, They Disappeared was a bit of a disappointment. The story had a lot going for it. Jeff's frantic search for his family is richly colored by his feelings about the death of his baby girl and his need to talk to his wife before she is killed. Cole and Sarah are both real and sympathetic characters. Actually, author Mofina also did a very good job of making us understand and feel for the kidnappers.
The problem was too much description of how the police and the federal agents interacted. Getting to know the agencies working on a case can be a good thing and it can be informative to learn how these agencies cooperate. But, I felt over whelmed by the mass of details and the names of all the people involved. Some times too many characters weaken a book, even if the characters are well drawn. At times, these details ruined the flow of the action for me.
This is not to say that I will not try another book by Rick Mofina. His list of titles is long and this may have been a case of his needing to get a book published because the mortgage was due. Sometimes an author's earlier work is his best. We will check that out.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Book Review:THE AVIATOR'S WIFE
The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin is another novelized "autobiography". This time we are in Anne Morrow Lindbergh's head as she tells of her meeting the great American hero Charles Lindbergh and of her life as his wife.
Anne, the shy daughter of the United States ambassador to Mexico, is a college student who is very much in the shadow of the rest of her family. When the celebrated Charles Lindbergh visits the embassy in Mexico City, it is assumed that his interest would be captured by Anne's vibrant sister Elizabeth. Instead Charles and Anne are married and spend their lives flying around the world always surrounded by the crush of publicity seekers.
This is a genre of literature that seems to have become very popular recently. And, it is one that I personally do not enjoy. In the case of The Aviator's Wife, instead of getting caught up in the characters and the story line, I kept wondering how accurate the scene was. Did he or she really act that way or say that!
This would have been an intriquing plot for a novel. The bright,charming young woman who lives under the influence of a demanding, selfish man and has to fight to grow into being herself is a good story line. We love seeing strong women take charge of their own lives.
Something did not ring true in this book. I understand that Charles Lindbergh was not a particularly kind man, but the author portrrayed him as being so self centered that he was cruel ...maybe more naive than uncaring when it came to other people's feelings. The author did explain this on his childhood and the constant scrutinity of the media.
I should have felt more sympathy for Anne. Instead, I wanted to shake her. Here was a woman who in real life had achieved some great honors on her own, but the book had her as always seing herself as reflected through the eyes of those around her...the Ambassador's daughter, Elizabeth's quiet sister, the mother of the murdered baby and, of course, the aviator's wife. It was a relief when she finally published Gift from the Sea and started to have a better understanding of her own worth.
Two good things came out of The Aviator's Wife for me. I want to check on what I think I know about Charles and Anne Lindbergh and I want to read Gift From the Sea. In the meantime, I will try to stay away from "Fictionalized Books About Famous People and How They Really Are Just Like the Rest of Us, Only Richer".
Anne, the shy daughter of the United States ambassador to Mexico, is a college student who is very much in the shadow of the rest of her family. When the celebrated Charles Lindbergh visits the embassy in Mexico City, it is assumed that his interest would be captured by Anne's vibrant sister Elizabeth. Instead Charles and Anne are married and spend their lives flying around the world always surrounded by the crush of publicity seekers.
This is a genre of literature that seems to have become very popular recently. And, it is one that I personally do not enjoy. In the case of The Aviator's Wife, instead of getting caught up in the characters and the story line, I kept wondering how accurate the scene was. Did he or she really act that way or say that!
This would have been an intriquing plot for a novel. The bright,charming young woman who lives under the influence of a demanding, selfish man and has to fight to grow into being herself is a good story line. We love seeing strong women take charge of their own lives.
Something did not ring true in this book. I understand that Charles Lindbergh was not a particularly kind man, but the author portrrayed him as being so self centered that he was cruel ...maybe more naive than uncaring when it came to other people's feelings. The author did explain this on his childhood and the constant scrutinity of the media.
I should have felt more sympathy for Anne. Instead, I wanted to shake her. Here was a woman who in real life had achieved some great honors on her own, but the book had her as always seing herself as reflected through the eyes of those around her...the Ambassador's daughter, Elizabeth's quiet sister, the mother of the murdered baby and, of course, the aviator's wife. It was a relief when she finally published Gift from the Sea and started to have a better understanding of her own worth.
Two good things came out of The Aviator's Wife for me. I want to check on what I think I know about Charles and Anne Lindbergh and I want to read Gift From the Sea. In the meantime, I will try to stay away from "Fictionalized Books About Famous People and How They Really Are Just Like the Rest of Us, Only Richer".
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Book Review: THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS
THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS by M. L, Stedman was highly recommended to me as a book that had everything that I loved to find in my reading. They were right.
In December of 1918, Tom Sherbourne takes the job as light keeper on Janus Island, a small island off the coast of western Australia. It is the perfect job for Tom. Fresh back from the trenches in Europe, he wants, and needs, time alone. The lighthouse keeper spends six months alone; his only contact is a a supply boat that visits four times a year.
According to his contract, Tom will get a month's leave after each three-year stay. On one of his visits to Point Partageuse on the mainland he meets Isabel and they quickly marry. Despite their isolated life, Tom and Isabel are happy. Tragedy enters when a boat containing a dead man and a crying infant washes up on their shore. Isabel has had three miscarriages and knows that God has sent her this baby.
THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS is a character driven story. While we share in Isabel's joy, we watch Tom's guilt build. He knows that somewhere somebody is mourning the loss of a husband and child. Back in Port Partageuse, we meet a young woman slowly going out of her mind over not knowing what became of her family.
This is a beautiful book. The terrors of war and how those horrors never leave anyone who has fought is a big part of the story. The unease of a community around a man who is seen as the "enemy" also adds to the plot. The part that tore me up was the simple decision between right and wrong. Tom's honor tears him between what he knows is right and his love for his wife and the child that has been theirs for four years.
The characters in this book are so well drawn that I felt so much sympathy for the main characters that I did not know how I wanted the story to be resolved. It becomes a question of which is right, the law or love, especially when it comes to the welfare of a young child.
M. L. Stedman is also an author who knows how to use the English language. Ms Stedman was born in Australia, but has spent most of her life in London, but she has not lost her feel for the ocean or the small towns along the coast. I loved her descriptions of the sound of the waves and the beauty of living on a peaceful island. The contrast that Tom feels between the horrors of war and the serenity of Janus Island is beautiful.
So far, it seems that THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS is Stedman's only book. It is the best novel that I have read for awhile and I will be watching for more.
Thanks ladies. THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS lived up to your recommendation.
In December of 1918, Tom Sherbourne takes the job as light keeper on Janus Island, a small island off the coast of western Australia. It is the perfect job for Tom. Fresh back from the trenches in Europe, he wants, and needs, time alone. The lighthouse keeper spends six months alone; his only contact is a a supply boat that visits four times a year.
According to his contract, Tom will get a month's leave after each three-year stay. On one of his visits to Point Partageuse on the mainland he meets Isabel and they quickly marry. Despite their isolated life, Tom and Isabel are happy. Tragedy enters when a boat containing a dead man and a crying infant washes up on their shore. Isabel has had three miscarriages and knows that God has sent her this baby.
THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS is a character driven story. While we share in Isabel's joy, we watch Tom's guilt build. He knows that somewhere somebody is mourning the loss of a husband and child. Back in Port Partageuse, we meet a young woman slowly going out of her mind over not knowing what became of her family.
This is a beautiful book. The terrors of war and how those horrors never leave anyone who has fought is a big part of the story. The unease of a community around a man who is seen as the "enemy" also adds to the plot. The part that tore me up was the simple decision between right and wrong. Tom's honor tears him between what he knows is right and his love for his wife and the child that has been theirs for four years.
The characters in this book are so well drawn that I felt so much sympathy for the main characters that I did not know how I wanted the story to be resolved. It becomes a question of which is right, the law or love, especially when it comes to the welfare of a young child.
M. L. Stedman is also an author who knows how to use the English language. Ms Stedman was born in Australia, but has spent most of her life in London, but she has not lost her feel for the ocean or the small towns along the coast. I loved her descriptions of the sound of the waves and the beauty of living on a peaceful island. The contrast that Tom feels between the horrors of war and the serenity of Janus Island is beautiful.
So far, it seems that THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS is Stedman's only book. It is the best novel that I have read for awhile and I will be watching for more.
Thanks ladies. THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS lived up to your recommendation.
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Book Review: AFTER YOU
If you have not read Jojo Moyes' Me Before You, you should not read her After You. In fact, you might not want to read this review. I would never want to include any spoilers, but it could happen accidentally.
After You continues the story of Louisa Clark after her six months with Will Traynor. She no longer lives an ordinary life with her parents in her small town. She is living in London, but her life has not taken the leap of faith that Will had made her promise to do. She is working a dead end job and her social life seems to be the people that she meets in a grief counselling group.
When a nearly fatal accident sends her back to her parent's home, she knows that she can not go back to how she was before Will and so she decides that it is time to make some changes. The changes do not come about so much through her choices, but more through the people who show up in her life... some from the past and some that might be in her future
This is a book that you must read if you have read Me Before You, and I strongly suggest that you read the first one. Moyes can throw some neat plot surprises your way, but her strength is in the strength of her characters. Louisa is well developed. She does make changes in her life but never at the cost of who she is.
It was fun to meet old friends from the first book and to see how they have coped with life. The people that she meets along the way are also stand outs. Again author Moyes gives us some lessons about life through them. Not only do the members of the grief group become three dimensional, but we learn how grief can be devastating, but a way of growing.
Probably the reason that I will look for other books by Jojo Moyes is that I like to read of strong people facing life with bravery and a slightly twisted viewpoint. Louisa Clark is such a character and the ending of After You could lead to a third book involving her.
After You continues the story of Louisa Clark after her six months with Will Traynor. She no longer lives an ordinary life with her parents in her small town. She is living in London, but her life has not taken the leap of faith that Will had made her promise to do. She is working a dead end job and her social life seems to be the people that she meets in a grief counselling group.
When a nearly fatal accident sends her back to her parent's home, she knows that she can not go back to how she was before Will and so she decides that it is time to make some changes. The changes do not come about so much through her choices, but more through the people who show up in her life... some from the past and some that might be in her future
This is a book that you must read if you have read Me Before You, and I strongly suggest that you read the first one. Moyes can throw some neat plot surprises your way, but her strength is in the strength of her characters. Louisa is well developed. She does make changes in her life but never at the cost of who she is.
It was fun to meet old friends from the first book and to see how they have coped with life. The people that she meets along the way are also stand outs. Again author Moyes gives us some lessons about life through them. Not only do the members of the grief group become three dimensional, but we learn how grief can be devastating, but a way of growing.
Probably the reason that I will look for other books by Jojo Moyes is that I like to read of strong people facing life with bravery and a slightly twisted viewpoint. Louisa Clark is such a character and the ending of After You could lead to a third book involving her.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Book Review:THE REASON I JUMP
The Reason I Jump was written by thirteen-year-old Naoki Higashida, a young boy with autism, and was translated by David Mitchell and KA Yoshida, a couple with a an autistic son. It is the personal account of how it is to live day after day with autism, told by people who live with this misunderstood condition.
Naoki has painstaking used a vocabulary grid to construct words and sentences that he is unable to put into spoken language. Using a question and answer method of writing, Naoki answers the questions that we all would like to ask, but that seem too personal. He explains why people with autism talk too loudly and with weird word order and why they can not make eye contact when they speak to someone. The questions are answered with honesty and warmth.
To me, the best part of the book was the introduction by David Mitchell. David said that translating this book was a labor of love and helped him to understand his own son better. Probably this is why I felt that the introduction gave me a better understanding of autism.
The rest of the book was slightly repetitious with similar questions being answered with similar statements. It must have taken Naoki a very long time to put his thoughts in words so I can appreciate the effort that went into his writings.
I am not sure if the problems with the book are in his original piece or in the translation. It is not easy to translate any work and keep the emotions, the personal feel that the original author had in mind. I never felt as connected to Naoki as I thought that I would. As a result, this was not a book that I would recommend. It might be interesting to read David Mitchell's account of his personal involvement with his son and what interaction he had with Naoki Higashida.
If the book served any purpose for me it was to make me aware and more patient with autism and its many forms ... and maybe that is what was really important.
Naoki has painstaking used a vocabulary grid to construct words and sentences that he is unable to put into spoken language. Using a question and answer method of writing, Naoki answers the questions that we all would like to ask, but that seem too personal. He explains why people with autism talk too loudly and with weird word order and why they can not make eye contact when they speak to someone. The questions are answered with honesty and warmth.
To me, the best part of the book was the introduction by David Mitchell. David said that translating this book was a labor of love and helped him to understand his own son better. Probably this is why I felt that the introduction gave me a better understanding of autism.
The rest of the book was slightly repetitious with similar questions being answered with similar statements. It must have taken Naoki a very long time to put his thoughts in words so I can appreciate the effort that went into his writings.
I am not sure if the problems with the book are in his original piece or in the translation. It is not easy to translate any work and keep the emotions, the personal feel that the original author had in mind. I never felt as connected to Naoki as I thought that I would. As a result, this was not a book that I would recommend. It might be interesting to read David Mitchell's account of his personal involvement with his son and what interaction he had with Naoki Higashida.
If the book served any purpose for me it was to make me aware and more patient with autism and its many forms ... and maybe that is what was really important.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Book Review: THE FIRST PHONE CALL FROM HEAVEN
If I could, all of you would find a copy of THE FIRST PHONE CALL FROM HEAVEN under your Christmas tree this year. You're welcome.
Mitch Albom is an author that I read regularly. Starting with Tuesdays wit Morrie, his books are always inspirational and entertaining. Some have been better than others, I agree, but each has given me something to think about.
THE FIRST PHONE CALL FROM HEAVEN takes place in a small town where eight residents have received phone calls from people who have died. One is from a beloved sister, one from a mother, one from a son who was killed in the military and so on. As word of these calls becomes known, the town is thrown from being a quiet, peaceful place to one over run by tourists and the news media...all seeking to be part of the miracle.
Everyone wants to be assured that Heaven is all that we have been led to believe. The town is showing growth. The churches are full, Store fronts are re-opening. Tourists and townspeople alike are caught up in the fever. But, several people are not so sure of the authenticity of these calls. What if they are a cruel hoax?
Sully Harding is not a believer in this miracle fever. Recently out of prison, Sully has returned to his hometown and his son. While he was in prison his wife had died and his young son has taken to caring a toy phone with the hope that his mommy will call him. Sully has to prove that the calls are a hoax for his son's sake as well as to help heal his own broken heart.
What follows is a mystery as well as a study of mob mentality and our need for human connection.
Interestingly, the author has thrown some historical facts on the invention of the telephone into the story. Some facts were new to me and made Alexander Bell more real and not just another name from our history books. I am not sure if the book needed these interruptions; they seemed to stop the flow of the plot at times.
Albom really is in top form in this book. His characters are well defined and heartbreaking human. His feel for the hope and devastation of the eight people who have heard from the dead is touching. But, through it all the mystery of who is behind the phone calls and why, if it is a hoax, keeps the story moving.
In the end, the reader can decide for himself if such a miracle is possible. Things may wrap up a little neatly and sometimes I have problems with new information being sprung on me to make the ending a "neat" one, but in this case, it works. THE FIRST PHONE CALL FROM HEAVEN will give you several things to ponder. One that stays with me is, if a miracle is a "hoax" can it still be a miracle?
If you are already a fan of Mitch Albom's books don't miss this one. If he is a new author to you, this is a good place to start.
Mitch Albom is an author that I read regularly. Starting with Tuesdays wit Morrie, his books are always inspirational and entertaining. Some have been better than others, I agree, but each has given me something to think about.
THE FIRST PHONE CALL FROM HEAVEN takes place in a small town where eight residents have received phone calls from people who have died. One is from a beloved sister, one from a mother, one from a son who was killed in the military and so on. As word of these calls becomes known, the town is thrown from being a quiet, peaceful place to one over run by tourists and the news media...all seeking to be part of the miracle.
Everyone wants to be assured that Heaven is all that we have been led to believe. The town is showing growth. The churches are full, Store fronts are re-opening. Tourists and townspeople alike are caught up in the fever. But, several people are not so sure of the authenticity of these calls. What if they are a cruel hoax?
Sully Harding is not a believer in this miracle fever. Recently out of prison, Sully has returned to his hometown and his son. While he was in prison his wife had died and his young son has taken to caring a toy phone with the hope that his mommy will call him. Sully has to prove that the calls are a hoax for his son's sake as well as to help heal his own broken heart.
What follows is a mystery as well as a study of mob mentality and our need for human connection.
Interestingly, the author has thrown some historical facts on the invention of the telephone into the story. Some facts were new to me and made Alexander Bell more real and not just another name from our history books. I am not sure if the book needed these interruptions; they seemed to stop the flow of the plot at times.
Albom really is in top form in this book. His characters are well defined and heartbreaking human. His feel for the hope and devastation of the eight people who have heard from the dead is touching. But, through it all the mystery of who is behind the phone calls and why, if it is a hoax, keeps the story moving.
In the end, the reader can decide for himself if such a miracle is possible. Things may wrap up a little neatly and sometimes I have problems with new information being sprung on me to make the ending a "neat" one, but in this case, it works. THE FIRST PHONE CALL FROM HEAVEN will give you several things to ponder. One that stays with me is, if a miracle is a "hoax" can it still be a miracle?
If you are already a fan of Mitch Albom's books don't miss this one. If he is a new author to you, this is a good place to start.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Book Review: Me Before You
Thanks to my afternoon book group at the library, I have found a new author. Jojo Moyes has won me as a fan with ME BEFORE YOU. I can not wait to see how the other members of the group reacted to this biter sweet story.
The prologue of the story introduces us to hot shot Will Trayner, a young man who has it all, a power job, big money, a beautiful girlfriend and a life full of excitement and, some times dangerous adventures. The prologue ends with Will being involved in a traffic accident.
Louisa Clark is a small town girl who has just lost her job as a waitress in a coffee shop. Her family is ordinary and not overly encouraging. Her boyfriend of seven years has become more interested in physical fitness then in their relationship. With no real job experience or training, Lou finds that the best job available is to become a companion to a quadriplegic. Wiping the bum of an elderly person is not her idea of a great job, but it beats working in the chicken processing plant.
Of course the patient turns out to be Will, now confined to a wheel chair and unable of basic self care. Will has become resentful of his condition and impossibly rude to everyone around him. Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves. In time a relationship forms that changes both of them.
This sounds like such a routine plot that I was ready to skim through it just so I could follow the group discussion Friday afternoon. Instead I became so wrapped up in the characters that I had trouble getting away from them, whether I was reading or going about my daily chores.
At first I was very put off by Lou's family. The small house contained a mother who never sat down, a grandfather who was normally napping, a "perfect" sister who was living back home with a toddler, a father who only seemed to speak when he wanted to belittle Lou. The only likable character was the toddler, Thomas. As the story progressed, each family member became more dimensional.
Will's family also became more real. His mother seemed so cold and so impressed with her money and position and his father just distant. As we learn more about them, they did not change so much, but we at least learn why they are the way they are.
All of the characters in the book are well done. Will's male nurse Nathan becomes a large part in Lou's plan to save Will. Patrick, Lou's boyfriend, plays an important part also, although not willingly.
It was not hard to get involved with these people.
The research that Lou does on working with quadriplegics was informative as was her information on assisted suicide. These two areas gave the book another dimension as well as some surprises. Yes, the ending may have been foreshadowed enough not to be a surprise, but reactions to final events may have been.
This was a fairly fast read, mainly because I really wanted to see what was going to happen. While I was checking the author for other books, I found that a movie version will be out in 2016 and that there is a sequel, After You. I may pass on the movie, but the sequel sounds intriguing. My favorite authors are those who can build interesting characters and it seems as if Jojo Moyes can do that.
The prologue of the story introduces us to hot shot Will Trayner, a young man who has it all, a power job, big money, a beautiful girlfriend and a life full of excitement and, some times dangerous adventures. The prologue ends with Will being involved in a traffic accident.
Louisa Clark is a small town girl who has just lost her job as a waitress in a coffee shop. Her family is ordinary and not overly encouraging. Her boyfriend of seven years has become more interested in physical fitness then in their relationship. With no real job experience or training, Lou finds that the best job available is to become a companion to a quadriplegic. Wiping the bum of an elderly person is not her idea of a great job, but it beats working in the chicken processing plant.
Of course the patient turns out to be Will, now confined to a wheel chair and unable of basic self care. Will has become resentful of his condition and impossibly rude to everyone around him. Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves. In time a relationship forms that changes both of them.
This sounds like such a routine plot that I was ready to skim through it just so I could follow the group discussion Friday afternoon. Instead I became so wrapped up in the characters that I had trouble getting away from them, whether I was reading or going about my daily chores.
At first I was very put off by Lou's family. The small house contained a mother who never sat down, a grandfather who was normally napping, a "perfect" sister who was living back home with a toddler, a father who only seemed to speak when he wanted to belittle Lou. The only likable character was the toddler, Thomas. As the story progressed, each family member became more dimensional.
Will's family also became more real. His mother seemed so cold and so impressed with her money and position and his father just distant. As we learn more about them, they did not change so much, but we at least learn why they are the way they are.
All of the characters in the book are well done. Will's male nurse Nathan becomes a large part in Lou's plan to save Will. Patrick, Lou's boyfriend, plays an important part also, although not willingly.
It was not hard to get involved with these people.
The research that Lou does on working with quadriplegics was informative as was her information on assisted suicide. These two areas gave the book another dimension as well as some surprises. Yes, the ending may have been foreshadowed enough not to be a surprise, but reactions to final events may have been.
This was a fairly fast read, mainly because I really wanted to see what was going to happen. While I was checking the author for other books, I found that a movie version will be out in 2016 and that there is a sequel, After You. I may pass on the movie, but the sequel sounds intriguing. My favorite authors are those who can build interesting characters and it seems as if Jojo Moyes can do that.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Book Review: Brothers
The second book in the Juniata Iron Trilogy is out. Author Judith Redline Coopey has picked up the next generation of her family saga with BROTHERS. Ellie and Adam MacPhail's family has grown up in the shadow of the Etna Furnace and are now ready to play out their own parts in the ongoing history of the early iron industry in Pennsylvania.
Talking about the middle book in a trilogy is very difficult. It would be cruel to spoil the first book, The Furnace, for anyone who has not read it. There are some major events in the first book that carry over to the second story. (and I personally hate spoilers.)
Ellie and Adam's children do grow up and have children of their own. The brothers, Laird, John, Robert, and grandson Will become the center of the story and each becomes very real to the reader. Laird is set on becoming part of the world of books and on teaching, instead he knows that he is the only brother who has a head for business and so he puts away his dreams and steps up to run the iron plantation. John is an idealistic person who prefers his solitude until he picks up the cause of the underground railroad. Robert takes after his natural father. He is handsome, charming and not able to make personal commitments. Illegitimate Will is not sure of who he is, part MacPhail and part Trethaway, Ellie's archenemies.
The story is told through different voices, giving the reader a chance to see the same incident from, sometimes, contrasting views. As a result we learn more about each character. Ms Coopey is an author who moves her stories through character, so it is important that the reader connect with each one. I did!
It was like meeting an old friend to see Miss Ellie as she aged. I was happy that though she did mellow a bit, she kept her feisty nature. One of the stand out scenes in the book is her holding her own with the Rebel soldiers during the war. By the time tragedy hits Laird and John, as life has a tendency to do, we are so engrossed with these two men that it feels as if we are watching friends grieve. We even find sorrow at Robert's fate.
Young Will completely captured my heart. His father Robert ignores his existence and his mother is so full of hatred that I was so pleased each time kindness and affection was shown to him. His relationship with John made John that much more human.
There is so much to BROTHERS. A whole generation grows up; loved ones are lost; babies are born
and a way of life disappears. We see how war changes people and how love may be the most important thing in our life. A Judy Coopey book does not gloss over the uglies of life, but she does give us people that we can root for and make us feel that we are all part of the human condition, no matter the time or place.
Now I personally am not too patiently waiting for the third and final book in The Juniata Iron Trilogy. I really want to see the rest of Will's story.
Talking about the middle book in a trilogy is very difficult. It would be cruel to spoil the first book, The Furnace, for anyone who has not read it. There are some major events in the first book that carry over to the second story. (and I personally hate spoilers.)
Ellie and Adam's children do grow up and have children of their own. The brothers, Laird, John, Robert, and grandson Will become the center of the story and each becomes very real to the reader. Laird is set on becoming part of the world of books and on teaching, instead he knows that he is the only brother who has a head for business and so he puts away his dreams and steps up to run the iron plantation. John is an idealistic person who prefers his solitude until he picks up the cause of the underground railroad. Robert takes after his natural father. He is handsome, charming and not able to make personal commitments. Illegitimate Will is not sure of who he is, part MacPhail and part Trethaway, Ellie's archenemies.
The story is told through different voices, giving the reader a chance to see the same incident from, sometimes, contrasting views. As a result we learn more about each character. Ms Coopey is an author who moves her stories through character, so it is important that the reader connect with each one. I did!
It was like meeting an old friend to see Miss Ellie as she aged. I was happy that though she did mellow a bit, she kept her feisty nature. One of the stand out scenes in the book is her holding her own with the Rebel soldiers during the war. By the time tragedy hits Laird and John, as life has a tendency to do, we are so engrossed with these two men that it feels as if we are watching friends grieve. We even find sorrow at Robert's fate.
Young Will completely captured my heart. His father Robert ignores his existence and his mother is so full of hatred that I was so pleased each time kindness and affection was shown to him. His relationship with John made John that much more human.
There is so much to BROTHERS. A whole generation grows up; loved ones are lost; babies are born
and a way of life disappears. We see how war changes people and how love may be the most important thing in our life. A Judy Coopey book does not gloss over the uglies of life, but she does give us people that we can root for and make us feel that we are all part of the human condition, no matter the time or place.
Now I personally am not too patiently waiting for the third and final book in The Juniata Iron Trilogy. I really want to see the rest of Will's story.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Book Review: CALEB'S CROSSING
There is a good reason why Geraldine Brooks has won a Pulitzer Prize for Literature. Her books never fail to impress me with all of the things that I need in a book, good character development, interesting plot and a new slant on little known parts of history. Her CALEB'S CROSSING meets all of these requirements and more.
In 1665 Bethia Mayfield is growing up in a tiny island settlement called Great Harbor. Her neighbors are English Puritans who had moved from the main land to be allowed to maintain a more strict way of life. Bethia has lost her mother and is being raised, along with an older brother and infant sister, by their minister father.
Bethia is in constant conflict with the rigid constrictions of the community. She has a burning need to learn and listens to her brother's lessons as she cleans, cooks and takes care of her little sister. Her curious mind and restless spirit take her on exploration trips around her island. At age twelve on one of these explorations she meets Caleb, the young son of a Wampanoag chieftain. The two form a secret relationship that pulls them into each other's world. This strong friendship is to last for their whole life.
Bethia's father is determined to convert the Wampanoags to his own strict religion. In doing so he creates an enemy of Caleb's uncle, the tribe's medicine man. Things become personal when it is discovered that Caleb has an extraordinary ability to learn. This feud causes not only a war of wills, but also a high stakes battle that may cost the reverend his life as well as his soul.
As I said, CALEB'S CROSSING has all of the things that make me love a book. Author Brooks based the novel on the true story of one of the first Native Americans to be graduated from Harvard. The author covers in this period of time the contrast in relious beliefs, the treatment of "outsiders" by the Puritains, a woman's place in what was suposed to be a community of equality,etc., all with a feeling for her characters as well as a commitment to historical facts. Great Harbor later became Martha's Vineyard and we all know how Harvard grew. Brooks comments in her afterword how pleased Bethia would be to know that one day Harvard would have a woman president.
CALEB'S CROSSING is told in Bethia's voice and we get an inside view as she grows and struggles with the life she lives. Gerldine Brooks is an author that never talks down to her readers even when using a young voice. She is an intelligent author who takes it for granted that her readers have the ability to stay with her.
Side note: Her Pulitzer was awarded for March, the story of the March sisters' father and his experiences in the Civil War. If Little Women was a favorite book of yours, March will be like meeting old friends. If not, it is still an excellent book about the loss of innocence in war.
In 1665 Bethia Mayfield is growing up in a tiny island settlement called Great Harbor. Her neighbors are English Puritans who had moved from the main land to be allowed to maintain a more strict way of life. Bethia has lost her mother and is being raised, along with an older brother and infant sister, by their minister father.
Bethia is in constant conflict with the rigid constrictions of the community. She has a burning need to learn and listens to her brother's lessons as she cleans, cooks and takes care of her little sister. Her curious mind and restless spirit take her on exploration trips around her island. At age twelve on one of these explorations she meets Caleb, the young son of a Wampanoag chieftain. The two form a secret relationship that pulls them into each other's world. This strong friendship is to last for their whole life.
Bethia's father is determined to convert the Wampanoags to his own strict religion. In doing so he creates an enemy of Caleb's uncle, the tribe's medicine man. Things become personal when it is discovered that Caleb has an extraordinary ability to learn. This feud causes not only a war of wills, but also a high stakes battle that may cost the reverend his life as well as his soul.
As I said, CALEB'S CROSSING has all of the things that make me love a book. Author Brooks based the novel on the true story of one of the first Native Americans to be graduated from Harvard. The author covers in this period of time the contrast in relious beliefs, the treatment of "outsiders" by the Puritains, a woman's place in what was suposed to be a community of equality,etc., all with a feeling for her characters as well as a commitment to historical facts. Great Harbor later became Martha's Vineyard and we all know how Harvard grew. Brooks comments in her afterword how pleased Bethia would be to know that one day Harvard would have a woman president.
CALEB'S CROSSING is told in Bethia's voice and we get an inside view as she grows and struggles with the life she lives. Gerldine Brooks is an author that never talks down to her readers even when using a young voice. She is an intelligent author who takes it for granted that her readers have the ability to stay with her.
Side note: Her Pulitzer was awarded for March, the story of the March sisters' father and his experiences in the Civil War. If Little Women was a favorite book of yours, March will be like meeting old friends. If not, it is still an excellent book about the loss of innocence in war.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Theatre Review : Bald Eagle High School / Cinderella
As usual, Bald Eagle Area Drama Club had an excellent attendance for their fall production. The community support for their plays is impressive, especially considering what a large geographic area is involved with the school district. From where I was sitting, it was also a very appreciative audience.
CINDERELLA was a good choice for their first play of the season. It is a familiar story, popular with young and old alike. It also has the advantage of having a very large cast, giving opportunities for more involvement. There is not enough space to mention each person involved, but I have to tell about several stand outs.
First, big time credit has to go to the tech crew. The sets were attractive and well planned; thanks to Tom Durachko and his crew. Colton Lucas along with Jessica Cain, Rosalie Showers and Taylor Zimmerman saw that the costumes were well suited for each actor. I always like to give credit to the light crew ( the trickiest part of any show). Luke Wilson and his helpers pulled it off smoothly.
Colton Lucas is a good actor to open any show. As the jester, Jacques, he set the story in motion. Colton has a great relationship with an audience and, surprisingly, talent as a juggler. Savannah Elder was a sweet Cinderella. Her niceness came through in the scenes with the mice as well as with her step family.
Stepsisters, Maya Eppley and Maggie Cowan, were by no means "ugly" stepsisters. They are both attractive young ladies who had the acting talent to come across mean and vain. Good job ladies. The three mice, Kiara McClusik, Harley Parks Camie Haines, were adorable. Developing a personality while covered in a furry costume is not an easy job, yet we could see them as individual.
Karina Bloom as Queen Isabella and Michael Geyer as King Henri were as royal as a person could want. Their son, Philippe was played with great charm, dignity and with a sense of humor. Oh, he also could juggle.
Watch for Xander White in upcoming shows. Xander is in seventh grade and already knows how to work an audience. Also, sophomore Alice Statham is a young lady to watch. As the Fairy Godmother she proved that there are no small parts.
Directors Kirsten Betts and Ryan Wade showed us some nice touches to an old classic. The magic of a horse and carriage, a new ball gown and a wedding that included three mice made it an entertaining evening. Thank you.
To see some fun pictures of this show check www.meadowlanephotography.com and be sure to save the date to see the Bald Eagle Area Drama Club's production of Thoroughly Modern Millie on April 21, 22, and 23. It is going to be interesting to see how that show is casted.
CINDERELLA was a good choice for their first play of the season. It is a familiar story, popular with young and old alike. It also has the advantage of having a very large cast, giving opportunities for more involvement. There is not enough space to mention each person involved, but I have to tell about several stand outs.
First, big time credit has to go to the tech crew. The sets were attractive and well planned; thanks to Tom Durachko and his crew. Colton Lucas along with Jessica Cain, Rosalie Showers and Taylor Zimmerman saw that the costumes were well suited for each actor. I always like to give credit to the light crew ( the trickiest part of any show). Luke Wilson and his helpers pulled it off smoothly.
Colton Lucas is a good actor to open any show. As the jester, Jacques, he set the story in motion. Colton has a great relationship with an audience and, surprisingly, talent as a juggler. Savannah Elder was a sweet Cinderella. Her niceness came through in the scenes with the mice as well as with her step family.
Stepsisters, Maya Eppley and Maggie Cowan, were by no means "ugly" stepsisters. They are both attractive young ladies who had the acting talent to come across mean and vain. Good job ladies. The three mice, Kiara McClusik, Harley Parks Camie Haines, were adorable. Developing a personality while covered in a furry costume is not an easy job, yet we could see them as individual.
Karina Bloom as Queen Isabella and Michael Geyer as King Henri were as royal as a person could want. Their son, Philippe was played with great charm, dignity and with a sense of humor. Oh, he also could juggle.
Watch for Xander White in upcoming shows. Xander is in seventh grade and already knows how to work an audience. Also, sophomore Alice Statham is a young lady to watch. As the Fairy Godmother she proved that there are no small parts.
Directors Kirsten Betts and Ryan Wade showed us some nice touches to an old classic. The magic of a horse and carriage, a new ball gown and a wedding that included three mice made it an entertaining evening. Thank you.
To see some fun pictures of this show check www.meadowlanephotography.com and be sure to save the date to see the Bald Eagle Area Drama Club's production of Thoroughly Modern Millie on April 21, 22, and 23. It is going to be interesting to see how that show is casted.
Monday, November 16, 2015
Theatre Review: BAHS The 39 Steps
Bellefonte Area High School Theatre department started the school theatre season with ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S THE 39 STEPS. It was a good choice, full of action and laughs. The play follows (more or less) the story from the original movie, but adds so many creative touches that you end up laughing, not being scared.
Credit goes to Patrick Barlow for adapting the script and director Eric M. Brinser for adding some of the slapstick comedy. It did cross my mind how many young people picked up on the references to other Hitchcock films. Some, like Rear Window,were mentioned in passing, but we were treated to a fast action scene from North by Northwest that was exciting. Oh, and don't forget the Benny Hill theme every time the cops gave chase.
There were so many clever touches, but I have to mention some standouts from the rather large cast. Senior Stephen Giacobe carried the show by playing the lead, Richard Hannay. He was on stage for the entire evening and never lost his energy, which alone is remarkable. This is a large part that demands quite a bit from the actor. Stephen was up to the part.
Emma Holderman is a junior but has proven in past plays that she can act. Unfortunately, as Anabella Schmidt she meets an early demise and though the character sets the action moving, we do not see her again. The show takes a less serious turn with the"stage show" of Mr. Memory and his assistant,Compere. Mason Keeler and Dori Puzycki were having so much fun with these two parts that the laughter from the audience got in the way, but Mason and Dori were professional with their timing and kept things moving.
Ryan Carroll and Carson Bechdel as the "salesmen" on the train had a chance to do some old vaudeville type quick change routines. By changing hats they each became a series of characters, on and off the train. Speaking of the train, the chase and fight scene was quite thrilling---if you used your imagination..
Kaitlyn Whitesell is also a senior who has proven her abilities on stage. She was a good choice as the romantic lead, Pamela. She was definitely not the little, wimpy, helpless heroine.
Among the underclassmen who were stand outs were Jack Badger and Hailey Seibel. They had so much fun as Mr. and Mrs. McGarrigle, the Scotish innkeepers, that they almost stole the show.
It can be difficult for high school students to do dialects or accents and from what I could hear Sarah Travis and Mark Badger worked dilligently with the students. My problem remains with the sound system at Bellefonte High School. It was the only part of the evening that I heard any negative comments about. Other then that, it was a fun play, performed by talented actors and crew and directed with great creativity.
Now, we will have to wait to see what April 21-23, 2016 ( the date of the Spring Musical) brings.
Credit goes to Patrick Barlow for adapting the script and director Eric M. Brinser for adding some of the slapstick comedy. It did cross my mind how many young people picked up on the references to other Hitchcock films. Some, like Rear Window,were mentioned in passing, but we were treated to a fast action scene from North by Northwest that was exciting. Oh, and don't forget the Benny Hill theme every time the cops gave chase.
There were so many clever touches, but I have to mention some standouts from the rather large cast. Senior Stephen Giacobe carried the show by playing the lead, Richard Hannay. He was on stage for the entire evening and never lost his energy, which alone is remarkable. This is a large part that demands quite a bit from the actor. Stephen was up to the part.
Emma Holderman is a junior but has proven in past plays that she can act. Unfortunately, as Anabella Schmidt she meets an early demise and though the character sets the action moving, we do not see her again. The show takes a less serious turn with the"stage show" of Mr. Memory and his assistant,Compere. Mason Keeler and Dori Puzycki were having so much fun with these two parts that the laughter from the audience got in the way, but Mason and Dori were professional with their timing and kept things moving.
Ryan Carroll and Carson Bechdel as the "salesmen" on the train had a chance to do some old vaudeville type quick change routines. By changing hats they each became a series of characters, on and off the train. Speaking of the train, the chase and fight scene was quite thrilling---if you used your imagination..
Kaitlyn Whitesell is also a senior who has proven her abilities on stage. She was a good choice as the romantic lead, Pamela. She was definitely not the little, wimpy, helpless heroine.
Among the underclassmen who were stand outs were Jack Badger and Hailey Seibel. They had so much fun as Mr. and Mrs. McGarrigle, the Scotish innkeepers, that they almost stole the show.
It can be difficult for high school students to do dialects or accents and from what I could hear Sarah Travis and Mark Badger worked dilligently with the students. My problem remains with the sound system at Bellefonte High School. It was the only part of the evening that I heard any negative comments about. Other then that, it was a fun play, performed by talented actors and crew and directed with great creativity.
Now, we will have to wait to see what April 21-23, 2016 ( the date of the Spring Musical) brings.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Book review: ONE GOOD TURN
A Kate Atkinson book can be depended upon to not follow too many rules. Each story is different, even if it is more or less a sequel. ONE GOOD TURN is a good example. Two years after Case Histories, we once again meet Jackson Brodie, now a retired millionaire, visiting in Edinburgh during its famous arts festival.
Out side of a theatre that is featuring a slightly has-been comic, a minor automobile accident causes a nearly fatal road rage incident. As the reader gets to know the participants and witnesses, it is hard to see what any of them have in common. We meet a befuddled, mild mannered author of successful young adult mysteries, an unscrupulous real estate tycoon and his wife, a comic who has seen better days, a dedicated policewoman with a troubled son, some colorful theatre personell and various shady characters.
Jackson Brodie is in Edinburgh to support his actress girlfriend in what he sees as a terrible play. Unwillingly, he gets pulled into the action when he finds a murdered girl floating in the surf. The ex-policeman, ex private investigator now finds himself the main suspect in what appears to be a completely isolated case.
An Atkinson plot takes twists and turns that keep a reader on her mental toes. I always picture her working space covered with little notes posted all over her walls so that she can make it easier for her reader. ONE GOOD TURN has a large cast of characters but, unless the author wants you to be confused, each one is a clear individual. This makes trying to decide who is a good guy and who isn't a real challenge.
As with any good suspense novel, it is hard to talk about this book without giving too much away. I will say that the clues are there and yet the end of the book came as a surprise to me. It has been fun to go back through the story to see how the author led me along, completely engrossed by the action and characters and still have a surprise ... after I thought that everything was solved.
If good character suspense written by an author who knows how to use the English language is your cup of tea, Kate Atkinson is waiting for you to discover her books.
Out side of a theatre that is featuring a slightly has-been comic, a minor automobile accident causes a nearly fatal road rage incident. As the reader gets to know the participants and witnesses, it is hard to see what any of them have in common. We meet a befuddled, mild mannered author of successful young adult mysteries, an unscrupulous real estate tycoon and his wife, a comic who has seen better days, a dedicated policewoman with a troubled son, some colorful theatre personell and various shady characters.
Jackson Brodie is in Edinburgh to support his actress girlfriend in what he sees as a terrible play. Unwillingly, he gets pulled into the action when he finds a murdered girl floating in the surf. The ex-policeman, ex private investigator now finds himself the main suspect in what appears to be a completely isolated case.
An Atkinson plot takes twists and turns that keep a reader on her mental toes. I always picture her working space covered with little notes posted all over her walls so that she can make it easier for her reader. ONE GOOD TURN has a large cast of characters but, unless the author wants you to be confused, each one is a clear individual. This makes trying to decide who is a good guy and who isn't a real challenge.
As with any good suspense novel, it is hard to talk about this book without giving too much away. I will say that the clues are there and yet the end of the book came as a surprise to me. It has been fun to go back through the story to see how the author led me along, completely engrossed by the action and characters and still have a surprise ... after I thought that everything was solved.
If good character suspense written by an author who knows how to use the English language is your cup of tea, Kate Atkinson is waiting for you to discover her books.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Book Review: SING IN THE MORNING,CRY AT NIGHT
Barbara J. Taylor may be a new author to keep your eye on. Her debut novel, Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night, shows great promise. The theme of a young child being left alone to cope with life is not a new one, but Taylor pulls you into her characters and locale with enchanting ease.
In northeastern Pennsylvania a mother lies in bed, listening to her eight year old daughter trying to find something in the kitchen for breakfast. It is September,4, 1913, just months after the burial of the older daughter and life has changed drastically for the family.
Daisy's death had been caused by a Fourth of July sparkler. The neighbors say that Violet, the younger sister had deliberately thrown the fiery sparkler out of jealousy and the town seems to believe that Violet was responsible for killing her sister. Each member of the family handles the tragedy in his or her own way: Grace, the mother, falls into a deep depression and withdraws from life, Owen, the father, leaves the home to live over the local pub, drowning his sorrow, and Violet lives with the fear that she may have murdered her sister.
In addition to the family members, there are so many characters in Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night who stand out. Trying to make it on her own, Violet develops a friendship with Stanley, a motherless boy with an abusive father. The two of them come to the notice of the widow Lankowski, who goes from being a figure to fear to being their savior.
The hateful neighbor, Myrtle Evans and the obnoxious missionary Adelaide, as well as some others in town will not allow the belief that Violet killed her sister Daisy to die down. Adding to the colorful cast of characters are the seductive specter Grief and the real life evangelist Billy Sunday.
I liked this book. At first I was afraid that it would be too much of a downer to enjoy, but the author spreads hope and love through out the sadness. The relationship between Grace and Grief could be felt and made Grace a much more sympathetic person. The scenes that showed the pettiness and often downright meanness of Myrtle or Adelaide were balanced by the kind Widow Lankowski or the spirited Stanley.
The author based this novel on a tragedy from her own family and set it in her own home area. The coal mining scenes, the townspeople and the Billy Sunday Revival all have an authentic feel because they are taken from real life. Ms. Taylor has added her own creative talent to write a story that will keep the reader enthralled. These are people who will not be easily forgotten.
In northeastern Pennsylvania a mother lies in bed, listening to her eight year old daughter trying to find something in the kitchen for breakfast. It is September,4, 1913, just months after the burial of the older daughter and life has changed drastically for the family.
Daisy's death had been caused by a Fourth of July sparkler. The neighbors say that Violet, the younger sister had deliberately thrown the fiery sparkler out of jealousy and the town seems to believe that Violet was responsible for killing her sister. Each member of the family handles the tragedy in his or her own way: Grace, the mother, falls into a deep depression and withdraws from life, Owen, the father, leaves the home to live over the local pub, drowning his sorrow, and Violet lives with the fear that she may have murdered her sister.
In addition to the family members, there are so many characters in Sing in the Morning, Cry at Night who stand out. Trying to make it on her own, Violet develops a friendship with Stanley, a motherless boy with an abusive father. The two of them come to the notice of the widow Lankowski, who goes from being a figure to fear to being their savior.
The hateful neighbor, Myrtle Evans and the obnoxious missionary Adelaide, as well as some others in town will not allow the belief that Violet killed her sister Daisy to die down. Adding to the colorful cast of characters are the seductive specter Grief and the real life evangelist Billy Sunday.
I liked this book. At first I was afraid that it would be too much of a downer to enjoy, but the author spreads hope and love through out the sadness. The relationship between Grace and Grief could be felt and made Grace a much more sympathetic person. The scenes that showed the pettiness and often downright meanness of Myrtle or Adelaide were balanced by the kind Widow Lankowski or the spirited Stanley.
The author based this novel on a tragedy from her own family and set it in her own home area. The coal mining scenes, the townspeople and the Billy Sunday Revival all have an authentic feel because they are taken from real life. Ms. Taylor has added her own creative talent to write a story that will keep the reader enthralled. These are people who will not be easily forgotten.
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Book Review: More Vacation Reading
Our two weeks on the Outer Banks ends in the morning. Here are a few examples of how I spend a vacation.
Christian author Deeanne Gist took me to a tobacco plantation in Virginia in the 1640's. A BRIDE MOST BEGRUDGING finds Lady Constance Morrow stolen from living a life of privilege in England to being a " tobacco bride" in the Colonies. Through the eyes of this pampered young lady, Gist gives a very accurate glimpse of the hardships of life that our early settlers lived. The author's notes give us a fuller idea of the Indian situation and the life style that Constance would have experienced.
The book is very simply written. There is some sexual tension between Constance and her new husband, but the scenes never take the reader into their bed. The description of violence is also restrained, but I still had an emotional reaction to the death of several characters that I had grown fond of.
SHADOW FALL by Erin Kellison takes place in modern New York City where the world of fantasy and the real world are at war. Two years ago Custo Santovari had been killed by an agent of the Wraiths. Now he is back as an angel, of all things, to protect ballerina Annabella from a wolf who has escaped from the dark side of a fantasy world.
Annabella has worked hard all of her life to be a principle dancer and is about to make her debut as Giselle. While she is lost in her dancing something truly magical happens and the portal between the two words opens. (I liked the idea that a "magical performance" can be indeed magical) If you like your romance stories to include shape shifters, angels, wraiths, mermaids, etc., you might want to try author Erin Kellison. This is a surprisingly good twist on the "good vs. evil" plot.
It is always a big thing to me when I find an author who goes immediately to my found-a-new-author list. Nancy Pickard may be an old name to you, but DEAD CRAZY made me a fan. Her series heroine is Jenny Cain, head of the Port Frederick, Massachusetts, Civic Foundation. Her job is to see that the foundations monies go to worthwhile community programs. In DEAD CRAZY she is answering a request for an old church to be turned into a refuge for the town's street people. After the objections of several neighbors of the church and several murders, Jenny is able to bring everything to a satisfactory ending.
This book moved well; the characters were well developed; the plight of the mentally unbalanced members of a community realistically portrayed. This was all written with a touch of humor that never was cruel to our most vulnerable neighbors. I will be checking Pickard's other writings.
ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE MURDERS is an anthology that I will be keeping around for awhile. The book contains the best loved authors from this genre, ie. Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy L. Sayers, G. K. Chesterton. Well, you get the idea. The stories are in chronological order, making it fun to watch the evolution of the English mystery.
The introduction to ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE MURDERS should be required reading for anyone who is a fan of this type of literature. The rules that must be followed are carefully set out for the would be author. Two important conditions; no author should attempt such an undertaking if that author is not English and no character within the story is ever named Lefty.
OK, one more Bodice Ripper. TENDER IS THE KNIGHT by Jackie Ivie is a typical story with predictable plot and characters, the ice goddess trapped into marriage with the rough, very sexy, fierce, Scottish warrior. Set in Victorian times, the story does make good use of the fact that the war between Scotland and England was not over. This was an enjoyable read, but there are better examples of the genre being published.
Now it is time to pack to go home. These books ( with the exception of English Country House Murders) will stay at the condo for the next person and I will return to attack the books that are waiting under my bed.
Christian author Deeanne Gist took me to a tobacco plantation in Virginia in the 1640's. A BRIDE MOST BEGRUDGING finds Lady Constance Morrow stolen from living a life of privilege in England to being a " tobacco bride" in the Colonies. Through the eyes of this pampered young lady, Gist gives a very accurate glimpse of the hardships of life that our early settlers lived. The author's notes give us a fuller idea of the Indian situation and the life style that Constance would have experienced.
The book is very simply written. There is some sexual tension between Constance and her new husband, but the scenes never take the reader into their bed. The description of violence is also restrained, but I still had an emotional reaction to the death of several characters that I had grown fond of.
SHADOW FALL by Erin Kellison takes place in modern New York City where the world of fantasy and the real world are at war. Two years ago Custo Santovari had been killed by an agent of the Wraiths. Now he is back as an angel, of all things, to protect ballerina Annabella from a wolf who has escaped from the dark side of a fantasy world.
Annabella has worked hard all of her life to be a principle dancer and is about to make her debut as Giselle. While she is lost in her dancing something truly magical happens and the portal between the two words opens. (I liked the idea that a "magical performance" can be indeed magical) If you like your romance stories to include shape shifters, angels, wraiths, mermaids, etc., you might want to try author Erin Kellison. This is a surprisingly good twist on the "good vs. evil" plot.
It is always a big thing to me when I find an author who goes immediately to my found-a-new-author list. Nancy Pickard may be an old name to you, but DEAD CRAZY made me a fan. Her series heroine is Jenny Cain, head of the Port Frederick, Massachusetts, Civic Foundation. Her job is to see that the foundations monies go to worthwhile community programs. In DEAD CRAZY she is answering a request for an old church to be turned into a refuge for the town's street people. After the objections of several neighbors of the church and several murders, Jenny is able to bring everything to a satisfactory ending.
This book moved well; the characters were well developed; the plight of the mentally unbalanced members of a community realistically portrayed. This was all written with a touch of humor that never was cruel to our most vulnerable neighbors. I will be checking Pickard's other writings.
ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE MURDERS is an anthology that I will be keeping around for awhile. The book contains the best loved authors from this genre, ie. Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy L. Sayers, G. K. Chesterton. Well, you get the idea. The stories are in chronological order, making it fun to watch the evolution of the English mystery.
The introduction to ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE MURDERS should be required reading for anyone who is a fan of this type of literature. The rules that must be followed are carefully set out for the would be author. Two important conditions; no author should attempt such an undertaking if that author is not English and no character within the story is ever named Lefty.
OK, one more Bodice Ripper. TENDER IS THE KNIGHT by Jackie Ivie is a typical story with predictable plot and characters, the ice goddess trapped into marriage with the rough, very sexy, fierce, Scottish warrior. Set in Victorian times, the story does make good use of the fact that the war between Scotland and England was not over. This was an enjoyable read, but there are better examples of the genre being published.
Now it is time to pack to go home. These books ( with the exception of English Country House Murders) will stay at the condo for the next person and I will return to attack the books that are waiting under my bed.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Book review/or what I did on my vacation
Our two weeks at the shore consists of my husband fishing while I read. Some of the books are worthy of an individual review and some get short comments. Usually the short reviews are of the historical romance genre ( or, as I like to call them, "Bodice Rippers)
If you are a regular reader of POV, you know that I was told to downsize my library. I did the best that I could and what I could not get on the only bookshelf allowed to me, I stuck under the bed. Things were going well until my husband opened our front door to find a bag of books from a new neighbor. I was delighted; it included new Bodice Rippers by some of my favorite authors.
The first was THE TROUBLE WITH HONOR by Julia London. Honor is the eldest of four sisters. They are stepdaughters of the Earl of Beckington who is dying. His death will force the sisters out of their luxury lifestyle and their place in society. The Earl's son, the future earl, is engaged to a social climbing young lady who wants the stepsisters out of her life. The only way Honor can see to save her and her sisters is to convince the biggest rake in London to seduce the fiancee, giving Honor time to find a husband who will support her and her sisters in style. Well, you can see where this leads.
The thing that makes a Regency Romance such fun is the heroine is usually audacious and witty; Honor is both. Julia London is able to take the typical historic romance plot and keep it moving with a few surprises along the way. Usually when the story contains a group of sisters that means that each will have her own book. The next sister's name is Grace. It sounds as if I will have to hunt for her story.
DEVIL'S PRIZE is by Kat Martin. Damien, Lord Falon has cheated the exquisite Lady Alexa Garrick out of quite a large sum of money at the gaming table. She is too proud to ask her brother for the money and when she asks Damien for more time, he tells her that he will forgive the debt for one night in his bed. From this simple idea the reader is treated to a plot that not only includes some hot sex, but smuggling and French spies.
Kat Martin also does fun romances set in the "Old West" I always pick up her books when I find them. She meets all of my requirements for an entertaining read; witty dialogue, plot twists and relateable characters.
Eloise James is probably the steamiest of these authors so I was surprised to find that the hero of WHEN BEAUTY TAMED THE BEAST is badly crippled and unable to father an heir. Since all of Society believes that our heroine, Linnet Berry Thrynne, is expecting the Prince's child but that he will not marry her, she agrees to travel to Wales to marry the bad tempered Piers Yelverton, Earl of Marchant. Linnet is sure that once she simply flashes her famous smile at Piers, he will fall in love with her.
.Piers has turned his castle into a hospital and has gained the reputation as an excellent physician. His patients come from as far away as London. When scarlet fever breaks out, he has to fight the local doctors who believe that bleeding a patient is the only cure.
This was actually the best of the three for character, plot, a bit of medical history and a bit of a moral lesson. This is another author that I depend on.
After several days of reading steamy sex scenes, I am ready for an old-fashioned murder mystery, Then, of course, I might just go back to some more Bodice Rippers.
If you are a regular reader of POV, you know that I was told to downsize my library. I did the best that I could and what I could not get on the only bookshelf allowed to me, I stuck under the bed. Things were going well until my husband opened our front door to find a bag of books from a new neighbor. I was delighted; it included new Bodice Rippers by some of my favorite authors.
The first was THE TROUBLE WITH HONOR by Julia London. Honor is the eldest of four sisters. They are stepdaughters of the Earl of Beckington who is dying. His death will force the sisters out of their luxury lifestyle and their place in society. The Earl's son, the future earl, is engaged to a social climbing young lady who wants the stepsisters out of her life. The only way Honor can see to save her and her sisters is to convince the biggest rake in London to seduce the fiancee, giving Honor time to find a husband who will support her and her sisters in style. Well, you can see where this leads.
The thing that makes a Regency Romance such fun is the heroine is usually audacious and witty; Honor is both. Julia London is able to take the typical historic romance plot and keep it moving with a few surprises along the way. Usually when the story contains a group of sisters that means that each will have her own book. The next sister's name is Grace. It sounds as if I will have to hunt for her story.
DEVIL'S PRIZE is by Kat Martin. Damien, Lord Falon has cheated the exquisite Lady Alexa Garrick out of quite a large sum of money at the gaming table. She is too proud to ask her brother for the money and when she asks Damien for more time, he tells her that he will forgive the debt for one night in his bed. From this simple idea the reader is treated to a plot that not only includes some hot sex, but smuggling and French spies.
Kat Martin also does fun romances set in the "Old West" I always pick up her books when I find them. She meets all of my requirements for an entertaining read; witty dialogue, plot twists and relateable characters.
Eloise James is probably the steamiest of these authors so I was surprised to find that the hero of WHEN BEAUTY TAMED THE BEAST is badly crippled and unable to father an heir. Since all of Society believes that our heroine, Linnet Berry Thrynne, is expecting the Prince's child but that he will not marry her, she agrees to travel to Wales to marry the bad tempered Piers Yelverton, Earl of Marchant. Linnet is sure that once she simply flashes her famous smile at Piers, he will fall in love with her.
.Piers has turned his castle into a hospital and has gained the reputation as an excellent physician. His patients come from as far away as London. When scarlet fever breaks out, he has to fight the local doctors who believe that bleeding a patient is the only cure.
This was actually the best of the three for character, plot, a bit of medical history and a bit of a moral lesson. This is another author that I depend on.
After several days of reading steamy sex scenes, I am ready for an old-fashioned murder mystery, Then, of course, I might just go back to some more Bodice Rippers.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Book Review: THE FINISHER
Author David Baldacci has stepped away from his normal contemporary crime novels and into a fantasy world aimed at the Young Adult market. Since Baldacci is one of my regular authors and I firmly believe that some of the best books being published are in the Young Adult section of any library, I had to check out his THE FINISHER
Vega Jane is fourteen sessions old. She lives with her younger brother in the village of Wormwood, an isolated village surrounded by the densely forested Quag, an area full of blood thirsty beasts. It is a known fact that to enter the Quag is certain death. Vega works as a finisher at the local factory putting the fine touches on decorative and useful objects to be bought by the wealthy villagers. Although, there seem to be very few of them.
One night Vega watches an old family friend being chased by members of the Council and their dogs. His escape into the Quag changes Vega's life. She learns that Wormwood is not what she had been taught it to be and that she, particularly, is in danger.
Vega is a heroine worthy of any hero in literature today. She is honest, loyal, and able to think and move quickly. All of these traits serve her well as she fight the bullies and the supernatural forces lurking in her village.
I was often reminded of The Giver and The Hunger Games series as I got lost in Wormwood. The young protagonist fighting an evil system has been fairly standard plot material, especially in youth literature. What the author does with it makes for the stand out book.
Baldacci is an action author who can develop characters to go along with his fast moving plots. The Finisher is not an exception. His talent puts THE FINISHER up there with any fantasy/action being published. There are times when I get weary of the "Oh, the poor heroine is having problem after problem after problem" type of plot, but when an author can have that heroine save herself by using her wits, I am captured. Vega is a finisher, not only at her job but in her attitude toward life as well.
The Finisher is the first in a series. It has an "ending", but there are still so many unanswered questions that I will be getting The Keeper at my next library visit.
Vega Jane is fourteen sessions old. She lives with her younger brother in the village of Wormwood, an isolated village surrounded by the densely forested Quag, an area full of blood thirsty beasts. It is a known fact that to enter the Quag is certain death. Vega works as a finisher at the local factory putting the fine touches on decorative and useful objects to be bought by the wealthy villagers. Although, there seem to be very few of them.
One night Vega watches an old family friend being chased by members of the Council and their dogs. His escape into the Quag changes Vega's life. She learns that Wormwood is not what she had been taught it to be and that she, particularly, is in danger.
Vega is a heroine worthy of any hero in literature today. She is honest, loyal, and able to think and move quickly. All of these traits serve her well as she fight the bullies and the supernatural forces lurking in her village.
I was often reminded of The Giver and The Hunger Games series as I got lost in Wormwood. The young protagonist fighting an evil system has been fairly standard plot material, especially in youth literature. What the author does with it makes for the stand out book.
Baldacci is an action author who can develop characters to go along with his fast moving plots. The Finisher is not an exception. His talent puts THE FINISHER up there with any fantasy/action being published. There are times when I get weary of the "Oh, the poor heroine is having problem after problem after problem" type of plot, but when an author can have that heroine save herself by using her wits, I am captured. Vega is a finisher, not only at her job but in her attitude toward life as well.
The Finisher is the first in a series. It has an "ending", but there are still so many unanswered questions that I will be getting The Keeper at my next library visit.
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