Author: Aldous Huxley
Published: 1932
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4
Summary
Far in the future, the World Controllers have finally created the ideal society. In laboratories worldwide, genetic science has brought the human race to perfection. From the Alpha-Plus mandarin class to the Epsilon-Minus Semi-Morons, designed to perform menial tasks, man is bred and educated to be blissfully content with his pre-destined role.
But, in the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre, Bernard Marx is unhappy. Harbouring an unnatural desire for solitude, feeling only distaste for the endless pleasures of compulsory promiscuity, Bernard has an ill-defined longing to break free. A visit to one of the few remaining Savage Reservations where the old, imperfect life still continues, may be the cure for his distress….
Review
A fascinating look at "the future" from 1932. Great social commentary on individualism, freedom, perfectionism, drug abuse, and many other social ills. The ending was abrupt but predictable.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
The Whistling Season
Author: Ivan Doig
Published: 2006
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5
Summary
Can't cook but doesn't bite." So begins the newspaper ad offering the services of an "A-1 housekeeper, sound morals, exceptional disposition" that draws the hungry attention of widower Oliver Milliron in the fall of 1909. And so begins the unforgettable season that deposits the noncooking, nonbiting, ever-whistling Rose Llewellyn and her font-of-knowledge brother, Morris Morgan, in Marias Coulee. When the schoolmarm runs off with an itinerant preacher, Morris is pressed into service, setting the stage for the "several kinds of education"--none of them of the textbook variety--Morris and Rose will bring to Oliver, his three sons, and the rambunctious students in the region's one-room schoolhouse.
Review
Told through the eye of the exceptionally intelligent oldest son of a Montana dry farmer. The action--while not fast-paced--is well-crafted and appropriately reflects the pace of life at the time. The unique setting is engaging; the characters well-developed and interesting. Nice prose. A great read.
Published: 2006
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5
Summary
Can't cook but doesn't bite." So begins the newspaper ad offering the services of an "A-1 housekeeper, sound morals, exceptional disposition" that draws the hungry attention of widower Oliver Milliron in the fall of 1909. And so begins the unforgettable season that deposits the noncooking, nonbiting, ever-whistling Rose Llewellyn and her font-of-knowledge brother, Morris Morgan, in Marias Coulee. When the schoolmarm runs off with an itinerant preacher, Morris is pressed into service, setting the stage for the "several kinds of education"--none of them of the textbook variety--Morris and Rose will bring to Oliver, his three sons, and the rambunctious students in the region's one-room schoolhouse.
Review
Told through the eye of the exceptionally intelligent oldest son of a Montana dry farmer. The action--while not fast-paced--is well-crafted and appropriately reflects the pace of life at the time. The unique setting is engaging; the characters well-developed and interesting. Nice prose. A great read.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
The Flight of Gemma Hardy
Author: Margot Livesey
Published: 2012
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4
Summary
Fate has not been kind to Gemma Hardy. Orphaned by the age of ten, neglected by a bitter and cruel aunt, sent to a boarding school where she is both servant and student, young Gemma seems destined for a life of hardship and loneliness. Yet her bright spirit burns strong. Fiercely intelligent, singularly determined, Gemma overcomes each challenge and setback, growing stronger and more certain of her path. Now an independent young woman with dreams of the future, she accepts a position as an au pair on the remote and beautiful Orkney Islands. But Gemma's biggest trial is about to begin . . . a journey of passion and betrayal, secrets and lies, redemption and discovery that will lead her to a life she's never dreamed.
A captivating tale, set in Scotland in the early 1960s, that is both an homage and a modern variation on the enduring classic, Jane Eyre.
Review
This work is well-written and nicely crafted. Although it mirrors Jane Eyre in many way, it is not so predictable as to be unengaging. The more recent setting and the variations that creates provide a sense of uniqueness. The main character is sympathetic, naive, strong-willed, and a survivor.
Notes
This book made me want to re-visit Jane Eyre. A re-read may be emminent.
Published: 2012
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4
Summary
Fate has not been kind to Gemma Hardy. Orphaned by the age of ten, neglected by a bitter and cruel aunt, sent to a boarding school where she is both servant and student, young Gemma seems destined for a life of hardship and loneliness. Yet her bright spirit burns strong. Fiercely intelligent, singularly determined, Gemma overcomes each challenge and setback, growing stronger and more certain of her path. Now an independent young woman with dreams of the future, she accepts a position as an au pair on the remote and beautiful Orkney Islands. But Gemma's biggest trial is about to begin . . . a journey of passion and betrayal, secrets and lies, redemption and discovery that will lead her to a life she's never dreamed.
A captivating tale, set in Scotland in the early 1960s, that is both an homage and a modern variation on the enduring classic, Jane Eyre.
Review
This work is well-written and nicely crafted. Although it mirrors Jane Eyre in many way, it is not so predictable as to be unengaging. The more recent setting and the variations that creates provide a sense of uniqueness. The main character is sympathetic, naive, strong-willed, and a survivor.
Notes
This book made me want to re-visit Jane Eyre. A re-read may be emminent.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
A Death at Pemberley
Author: P D James
Published:
Genres: Mystery, Fiction
Rating: 3.5
Summary
It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth’s sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy’s sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.
Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered. A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth’s disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley. She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. With shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery.
Review
An interesting read for Austen fans who also enjoy a good mystery. The author's protrayl of Austen characters was interesting, if not always believable. The mystery was simple and somewhat predictable. But still a fun foray into an intriguing concept: Mr. and Mrs. Darcy being involved in a murder investigation.
Published:
Genres: Mystery, Fiction
Rating: 3.5
Summary
It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth’s sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy’s sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.
Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered. A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth’s disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley. She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered. With shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery.
Review
An interesting read for Austen fans who also enjoy a good mystery. The author's protrayl of Austen characters was interesting, if not always believable. The mystery was simple and somewhat predictable. But still a fun foray into an intriguing concept: Mr. and Mrs. Darcy being involved in a murder investigation.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
The Peach Keeper
Author: Sarah Addison Allen
Published: 2012
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.5
Summary
It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water’s heyday, and once the town’s grandest home—has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow. No easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots.
But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood—of the very prominent Osgood family, has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes. But what rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it.
Review
An easy summer read. The characters were interesting but not terribly memorable. The ending was a bit predictable. The inclusion of the chapter at the end telling "what really happened" was awkward; I with the author had used another device to access that information. Or perhaps even left the reader without all the answers.
Notes
I recommend this book hesitantly. There were a few sensual scenes that were borderline uncomfortable--but then the author pulled back from being too graphic.
Published: 2012
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.5
Summary
It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water’s heyday, and once the town’s grandest home—has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow. No easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots.
But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood—of the very prominent Osgood family, has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes. But what rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it.
Review
An easy summer read. The characters were interesting but not terribly memorable. The ending was a bit predictable. The inclusion of the chapter at the end telling "what really happened" was awkward; I with the author had used another device to access that information. Or perhaps even left the reader without all the answers.
Notes
I recommend this book hesitantly. There were a few sensual scenes that were borderline uncomfortable--but then the author pulled back from being too graphic.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Chesapeake
Author: James A. Michener
Published: 1978
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.5
Summary
A 400-year saga of America's great bay and its Eastern Shore. Cheasapeake sweeps readers from the unspoiled world of the Native Americans to the voyages of Captain John Smith, the Revolutionary War, and right up to modern times. Michener follows multiple family lines as they interact, conflict, and intermarry over the generations.
Review
A great historical fiction work about the area around Chesapeake Bay. As is usually the case with Michener, at 1001 pages it is an investment. But this one is well worth it. I enjoyed the earlier characters more that the modern-day ones. My only complaint is that the language from the characters in the last few decades of the book becomes expletive-filled.
Published: 1978
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.5
Summary
A 400-year saga of America's great bay and its Eastern Shore. Cheasapeake sweeps readers from the unspoiled world of the Native Americans to the voyages of Captain John Smith, the Revolutionary War, and right up to modern times. Michener follows multiple family lines as they interact, conflict, and intermarry over the generations.
Review
A great historical fiction work about the area around Chesapeake Bay. As is usually the case with Michener, at 1001 pages it is an investment. But this one is well worth it. I enjoyed the earlier characters more that the modern-day ones. My only complaint is that the language from the characters in the last few decades of the book becomes expletive-filled.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Year of Wonders
Author: Geraldine Brooks
Published: 2001
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.5
Summary
This gripping historical novel is based on the true story of Eyam, the "Plague Village", in the rugged mountain spine of England. In 1666, a tainted bolt of cloth from London carries bubonic infection to this isolated settlement of shepherds and lead miners. A visionary young preacher convinces the villagers to seal themselves off in a deadly quarantine to prevent the spread of disease. The story is told through the eyes of eighteen-year-old Anna Frith, the vicar's maid, as she confronts the loss of her family, the disintegration of her community, and the lure of a dangerous and illicit love. As the death toll rises and people turn from prayers and herbal cures to sorcery and murderous witch-hunting, Anna emerges as an unlikely and courageous heroine in the village's desperate fight to save itself.
Review
A fascinating speculation on a real historical event. The characters are well-developed, the grief is palpable, the challenges are tragic, and the evolution of the heroine is masterful. A well-written work and engaging work.
Notes
Some of the character are crude and there are a number of vulgar situations. I recommend this work with that cautionary note.
Published: 2001
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.5
Summary
This gripping historical novel is based on the true story of Eyam, the "Plague Village", in the rugged mountain spine of England. In 1666, a tainted bolt of cloth from London carries bubonic infection to this isolated settlement of shepherds and lead miners. A visionary young preacher convinces the villagers to seal themselves off in a deadly quarantine to prevent the spread of disease. The story is told through the eyes of eighteen-year-old Anna Frith, the vicar's maid, as she confronts the loss of her family, the disintegration of her community, and the lure of a dangerous and illicit love. As the death toll rises and people turn from prayers and herbal cures to sorcery and murderous witch-hunting, Anna emerges as an unlikely and courageous heroine in the village's desperate fight to save itself.
Review
A fascinating speculation on a real historical event. The characters are well-developed, the grief is palpable, the challenges are tragic, and the evolution of the heroine is masterful. A well-written work and engaging work.
Notes
Some of the character are crude and there are a number of vulgar situations. I recommend this work with that cautionary note.
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