Review: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Lonesome Dove, Book 1

Tags: American lit, Western, Wild West, cowboys, Pulitzer Prize

Summary

In the relatively calm years after the Civil War, two former Texas Rangers, Augustus McCrae and Captain Woodrow Call, grow restless with their uneventful life in Lonesome Dove, Texas, where the most exciting things that happen are their occasional runs into Mexico to re-steal the cattle and horses that the Mexicans had stolen from Texas. When their former mate, Jake Spoon, returns with tales of how open and rich the Montana plains are, Call decides to round up a gang of cowboys and cattle and set up a cattle ranch there. But the trail north is long and hard, and there will be lots of heartaches and surprises for everyone before they even make it halfway there.

Review

I’m not sure I can pull my thoughts and emotions together to write a full-fledged review for this book. LONESOME DOVE came onto my radar because it is one of my colleagues’ favorite books ever. He recommends it to every one of our students, he donated two copies to my company’s library, he borrows those very two copies that he donated every few months to pass around to friends. Finally I happened upon an ex-library copy at a book sale and decided that it’d probably be worth at least two dollars to check it out. I wasn’t expecting the invaluable find of one of the best books I’ve ever read, a stunning achievement of characterization set in the Old Wild West.

LONESOME DOVE’s strength lies in how effortlessly Larry McMurtry conjures up a varied cast of characters. Easily a dozen characters take turns narrating over 900+ pages, and some of these characters really pissed me off with how slow/idiotic/selfish they acted. And I loved all the emotions that McMurtry was able to stir up in me. Spending time with childish Jake Spoon, depressed and selfish Elmira, damaged Lorena, and others made me realize how little I read from the points of view of characters I don’t like, and how valuable it can be.

Oh, don’t worry: there aren’t only despicable characters in this book. But no one is perfect, and there’s not necessarily one protagonist to cheer on the whole way through. McMurtry breaks your heart by letting bad things befall good characters, or not letting bad characters receive their comeuppance. In the end, however, you understand why people are willing to follow Gus and Call in their endeavors: the two of them, so different in personality, are impressive leaders in action.

Most of us have seen a scene or two of the Wild Wild West, but Larry McMurtry really makes readers live it. McMurtry’s Old Wild West’s main feature is the variety of rough characters one comes across on the road or in saloons, whores and gamblers and trigger-happy cowboys. A writer can write as much as he or she wants on the setting, but it is the people in LONESOME DOVE that really make you feel the dust between your teeth, snowblindness in your eyes, wet boots and socks through powerful Midwestern storms.

The characterization in LONESOME DOVE is so strong that I’m almost reluctant to say anything critical about the book, because I can forgive just about everything in light of such splendid characterization. But if I had to make criticisms about the book, two things come to mind. The more minor one is how incomplete the ending felt. It seemed almost like McMurtry was writing along, and then, around the 900-page mark, got bored with his story, while at the same time also realizing how successful it could be, and thus raced through the end, slapped on a few satisfying conclusions but also left a lot of things frustratingly open for a sequel.

A more major concern I had was its treatment of POC characters. All the American Indians that appear in this book are heartless, cold-blooded murderers; Deets, the sole black man of the Lonesome Dove outfit, is wise, knowledgeable, and dutiful, one-with-the-earth in a prophetic way. I get it that the nineteenth-century American West was not the most non-racist period in American history, and while I felt that the characters behaved synchronously with their time, I was disappointed that a twentieth-century author couldn’t do better than rely on stereotypes for creating his POC characters.

Despite those quibbles, however, I still wholeheartedly recommend this book. LONESOME DOVE is an epic read that will easily be, if not the greatest book you’ve ever read in your life, then at least the best Western you’ll ever read in your life.

Cover discussion: Does it matter? It could have the worst cover ever and I'd still buy a copy for every bookworm I like.

Simon & Schuster / June 15, 2010 (reprint) / Paperback / 864pp. / $18.00

Personal copy, heyyooo.

Review: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

Tags: fiction, philosophy

Summary

THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING is not quite a novel, not quite a philosophical treatise, not quite political commentary. It has fictional characters and a “plot,” if you want to call it that…but the plot is hardly the most important part of the book. It is chock full of interesting philosophical ideas.

Perhaps the thing to say about THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING is that it is an incredible experience that cannot be fully understood and appreciated in just one go. Perhaps what astounded me most about this book was how nuanced the characters are. Like real human beings, no one is perfect: in fact, Tereza, Tomas, and the others are often aggravatingly flawed, to the point where you kind of want to throw down the book in frustration, or else reach into the story and single-handedly plunk them in psychotherapy.

The real and frightful thing about such a reaction, however, is that, in certain ways, Tereza and Tomas are eerily canny reflections of ourselves, and what our pithy and ultimately futile internal struggles would look like at the hands of a literary genius. Tomas’ perpetual womanizing and his guilt over his inability to make Tereza happy, Tereza’s hopelessness over her own feelings of jealousy—it reflects some of the ugliest parts of ourselves, the parts that we’re afraid to see in literature, for fear that we may recognize them as being part of ourselves.

It is because of this discomfort that Kundera creates in the relationship between reader and creation that I both admire and fear this book and Kundera’s writings. I admire it because I see the possibilities for what I can do with my own thoughts and writings; I fear it because Kundera’s thorough, everyone-yet-no-one portrayal of his characters could so easily be me or any one of us, despite evidence to the contrary (i.e. we are not perpetual womanizers or guilty jealous snakes). But Kundera’s omniscient narration helps us understand the mentality of flawed characters, and if you apply that to real life, it’s hard to not not think of things in black and white afterwards.

There are things that I didn’t like about this book: the political stuff (it’s just not my thing), and the fact that Kundera often rejects typical literary conventions such as introductions and climaxes and denouements. I think, however, that the experience of reading THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING, the ideas about living and existing and worth that it contains, and the things it makes me think about the potential of writing, make everything worth it. I am already looking forward to the next time I can reread this, pencil in hand to mark the things I missed before.

Harper Perennial / Oct. 27, 2009 / Paperback (reprint) / 320pp. / $16.99

Borrowed from library.

Review: Too Good to Be True by Kristan Higgins

Tags: contemporary romance, humor

Summary

Grace has a bad habit of making up boyfriends to get out of awkward situations, divert a pity party, and more. Her latest fake boyfriend—a golden-hearted pediatric surgeon—comes in the weeks leading up to her youngest sister’s wedding…to Grace’s ex-fiance. Of course, it doesn’t take a surgeon to see through her stories, as evidenced by the fact that her neighbor, Callahan O’Shea, an ex-con-turned-handyman with whom she got off on a rather clumsy foot, seems to have figured out her most embarrassing habit. With her sister’s wedding looming but her having not yet fully moved on, Grace needs to find an eligible (read: real) man to transfer her affections to…

Review

More chick-flicky romantic comedy than the more scandalous affairs I’ve become used to when it comes to romance, Kristan Higgins’ writing will have you smiling, bouncing, and sighing over this straight-up romance with the best of intentions.

Grace is a smart and funny woman with a really awkward weaknesses when it comes to talking to and about guys that will make you both pity and empathize with her. Sometimes her stupidity when it comes to guys drove me crazy: you kind of just want to shake her and yell in her face, SNAP OUT OF IT, ALREADY!

But when Grace is not making a fool of herself regarding guys, she’s the best, with an endearingly geeky love of Civil War reenactments (have you ever met a character who was into Civil War reenactments? I didn’t think so) and appreciation for teaching history. This makes it totally possible for us to cheer for her happy ending, when she finally gets it…and Callahan is no slacker in the “ideal guy” department, if yanno what I mean.

Complete with zany family members and laugh-out-loud dialogue, Kristan Higgins’ books will now be on my radar forevermore when I’m looking for a sweet and funny romance. Highly recommended!

Cover discussion: From here on out I exempt myself from discussing covers of mass market paperback romances. The end.

HQN Books / Mar. 1, 2009 / Mass Market Paperback / 384pp. / $7.99

Personal copy.

Blog Tour Review: 32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter

Tags: romantic comedy, POC, Mississippi, Los Angeles

Summary

Growing up in small-town Mississippi with an abusive mother and classmates who make fun of her, midnight-skinned and wild-haired Davidia Jones makes her escape into Molly Ringwald films. Davidia dreams of her own Molly Ringwald Ending one day, in the form of the most popular boy in school and her crush, James Farrell of the Farrells of Farrell Fine Hair, sweeping her off her feet in front of the whole school. But after a particularly bad school joke, Davidia decides to head west, to LA, where she renames herself Davie and transforms into a sultry lounge singer.

However, Davie’s past catches up with her in LA when, 16 years after high school, she crosses paths with James Farrell again. A lot has happened in the meantime. Will Davie’s history prevent her from ever getting her happy ending?

Review

I have been hearing unequivocal love for this book for, oh, about two years or so before I finally had the opportunity to participate in a blog tour for 32 CANDLES. First stop: dive into the book that a small but important contingent of the blogging population has been raving about ever since its publication. And I wasn’t disappointed. I so wasn’t disappointed, in fact, that 32 CANDLES is easily one of my favorite books of 2011 so far, and one of the most adorable books I have ever read.

The star of the show is Davie Jones. Neurotic without going overboard, self-reflective without it getting in the way of pure entertainment, and unapologetically weird, Davie stands out from the slew of debilitatingly neurotic female protagonists that usually feature in romantic comedies. Davie is like a black Bridget Jones without the weight obsession, which, let’s admit it, got frustrating real quickly. Davie’s weight obsession equivalent is her endless fascination with James, which in her high school stage was admittedly a bit scary. But somehow Ernessa Carter, through the voice of Davie Jones, makes everything okay. We don’t judge Davie for her neuroses; we love her all the more for them.

No romantic comedy is complete without a swoon-worthy romantic interest, and James has got the role down pat. He is a perfect black man, and yet somehow his perfection seems like a perfectly natural part of his character, instead of a fictional construct forced upon readers that screams “I am perfect! I am perfect!” without ever actually showing us why. So, another point in 32 CANDLES’ favor. Yay!

I’m sure there are many other reasons I can go on and on about—how the secondary characters take on lives of their own; or how the plot, while twisty and turny, wraps itself up in the most delightful and unexpected of ways—but I hope it suffices to say that 32 CANDLES will retain a permanent position on my shelf, as something I will reread whenever I want a dose of a good ole romantic comedy that won’t ever fail me. Brava, Ernessa Carter, and I want more!

Similar Authors
Emily Giffin
Helen Fielding

Cover discussion: I like it! I like that there's clearly a black woman on the cover, and the woman's wild hair is definitely reminiscent of Davie's. At the same time, there's this sort of retro-esque funkiness in the colors that hints at the 80s, Molly Ringwald motif, as well as Davie's zaniness. Nicely done!

Amistad / June 28, 2011 / Paperback (reprint) / 352pp. / $13.99

Copy sent for review by publisher as part of TLC Book Tours.

About Ernessa Carter

Ernessa T. Carter has worked as an ESL teacher in Japan, a music journalist in Pittsburgh, a payroll administrator in Burbank, and a radio writer for American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest in Hollywood. Carter’s also a retired L.A. Derby Doll (roller derby). A graduate of Smith College and Carnegie Mellon University’s MFA program, she now lives in Los Angeles. 32 Candles is her first novel. She blogs at www.fierceandnerdy.com.

This review is part of TLC Book Tours' blog tour for 32 Candles. The next stop is tomorrow at Freda's Voice. Click here for the entire tour schedule!

Blog Tour Review + GIVEAWAY: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Tags: South, love, healing, mental illness, psychosis, racism

Summary

When 12-year-old Cecelia Rose Honeycutt arrives at her great-aunt’s house, she is a hurt, lost, and secretly grieving girl due to her mother’s psychosis and her father’s neglect. But in the magical world of Savannah, Georgia, CeeCee encounters an endless array of interesting and beloved people, including Aunt Tootie, her driven, independent, yet big-hearted great-aunt, to Oletta, Aunt Tootie’s longtime cook and companion. Savannah just might be the place where CeeCee can learn how to heal through love and be her age again.

Review

All too often for me, adult fiction can be stagnant, apathetic, and distant. Even a young protagonist can actually be his/her future self, recalling a time long ago. However, SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT is adorable and uplifting as CeeCee’s narration transcends generations.

The best part about this book is CeeCee’s voice. It’s strong, age-appropriate but not too young for most readers to connect with. CeeCee does not constantly try to judge her own actions or interpret events in her past: instead, the novel unfolds as if we’re living in the moment with CeeCee herself. At times childishly cute and funny, at others sweet in her experienced-beyond-her-years-ness, CeeCee was a delight to get to know from the very first page.

The other characters are also wonderful and thoroughly developed. They’re not as easily distinguishable from one another as the characters from Kathryn Stockett’s THE HELP, to which this book is often compared, but I definitely found myself wishing I had my very own Aunt Tootie and Oletta growing up.

My one major beef with this book was its apparent lack of tension and conflict. Compared to THE HELP, this book had very little going on. The driving conflict seemed to be CeeCee’s struggle to come to terms with her mother’s mental illness, but the storyline bounced back and forth between this and other potentially fiery issues so erratically that none of the conflicts in this book ended up feeling entirely convincing for me. SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT presented us with incidents and characters that never entirely lived up to their potential: a racist encounter that was prettily resolved, a crazy neighbor with a penchant for vengeance. I kept on waiting for something to happen, and being thwarted in my waiting.

Overall, however, I’m still very glad I had the chance to read SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT. Its subject matter, time and location setting, and genre all made it something I wouldn’t normally have read, but I would have missed out on CeeCee’s wonderful voice otherwise. SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT is, in a sense, a love letter for the South: join the endearing CeeCee on her journey of healing and self-discovery in a heartwarming world!

Similar Authors
Kathryn Stockett (The Help)
Jill S. Alexander (The Sweetheart of Prosper County)
Jacqueline Kelly (The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate)

Writing: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 3/5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5


Cover discussion: 3 out of 5 - S'not bad. Not something that I would pick up in a store, but not bad. It has slight relevance to a certain part of the story.

Pamela Dorman Books / Jan. 12, 2010 / Hardcover / 320pp. / $25.95

Review copy received from publisher for blog tour.


If you're interested, please check out the other blog tour stops below for more reviews!

5/17 & 5/18 – Devourer of Books

5/19 & 5/20 – Diary of an Eccentric

5/21 – Savvy Verse & Wit

5/22 – Medieval Bookworm

5/23 – lit*chick

5/24 – A Novel Menagerie

5/25 – The Tome Traveller’s Weblog

5/26 – Peeking Between the Pages

5/27 – Steph Su Reads

5/28 – Galleysmith

5/29 – The Literate Housewife Review

Giveaway Info:

Thanks to Inkwell Management and Penguin, I have THREE (3) copies of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt to give away! To enter, please fill out the form below, making sure to answer the question. This giveaway is open to US & Canada only and ends on Thursday, June 17, 2010. Good luck!

Review: The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley

Tags: apocalyptic, flu, pandemic, family

Rating: 4.5 out of 5


Summary

In the not-so-distant future, a frightening avian flu pandemic sweeps across the world and kills almost 50% of the population. Ann and Peter have been separated for about a year, but the threat of the pandemic them back under the same roof with their two daughters, 13-year-old Kate and 8-year-old Maddie, and Peter’s beautiful lab assistant, Shazia. The virus shuts down the economy and makes longtime friends and neighbors suspicious of one another. Then, a huge snowstorm hits and shuts down the electricity. With the virus raging all around them and supplies running low, will Ann, Peter, and their household make it through?

Review

THE THINGS THAT KEEP US HERE answers the apocalyptic “what if?” with terrifying realism. Carla Buckley’s debut novel draws us into Ann and Peter’s minds and will keep you awake long into the night.

If Jodi Picoult wrote apocalyptic fiction, the result would probably be something like THE THINGS THAT KEEP US HERE. Carla Buckley draws her characters with remarkable attention and care: Kate and Maddie in particular sound like kids their ages do. It’s hard to imagine what people would do in such a scenario, but they would probably act something like Ann and Peter do: uncertainly straddling the border between the person they always were and the person they are forced to be, bad parts and all.

The story revolves pretty much solely around Ann and Peter’s Midwestern home, and yet we catch a glimpse of a large number of secondary characters and smaller episodes that are the result of the pandemic. These episodes have Kate acting out against her family, unable (or unwilling) to understand the seriousness of the situation; Ann prioritizing the lives she can save and the limited risks she’s willing to take for the sake of her family. The wide variety of characters in this novel make so that anyone can relate to or empathize with at least one person, thus making this book enthralling for everyone.

THE THINGS THAT KEEP US HERE is a remarkable story about the complexities of human nature in the face of an international disaster. If you’re a fan of apocalyptic fiction, or if you appreciate well-written and interesting character-driven books, considering reading this one. It’s worth your time and attention!

Similar Authors
Susan Beth Pfeffer (Life As We Knew It)
Liz Jensen (The Rapture)
Jodi Picoult

Writing: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5


Cover discussion: 3 out of 5 - It's rather unfortunate that, for me at least, this cover is only truly creepy and disturbing after reading the book. It's not really something that would've caught my attention even though after reading the book I find it very appropriate. Which is too bad, since the story is definitely one of the kinds I enjoyed!

Random House / Feb. 9, 2010 / Hardcover / 416pp. / $25.00

Borrowed from library.

Review: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Tags: adult, historical fiction, civil rights movement, South, Mississippi, prejudice, writing

Rating: 4.5 out of 5


Summary

America may be undergoing the civil rights movement, but Jackson, Mississippi in 1962 feels like the last bastion of the Deep South. White ladies with their black maids socialize in the heat and talk of sending provisions to starving children in Africa, unaware of their own absurdity. For two black maids, experienced Aibileen and loudmouth Minny, and one young white “spinster,” Miss Skeeter, though, their worlds are about to turn upside down.

An aspiring writer, Miss Skeeter, still reeling from the mysterious disappearance of her beloved childhood maid, is driven to write a book that interviews the ups and downs of the lives of maids in Jackson. Easier said than done: the maids have heard of the blacks who were tortured or even killed when they spoke out. Eventually, Aibileen and Minny agree to help Miss Skeeter, but the going is tough as they fearfully keep their secret hidden from the rest of the town.

Review

It’s hard to put into words the scope of this book. THE HELP deals with a piece of Mississippian history that’s little known and even less spoken of. What could have easily fallen into the clichéd ruts of Southern or black American history instead stands on its own due to its smooth writing and unforgettable characters.

Each of the main characters who narrate THE HELP have their own distinct voice, history, and conflicts, which helped make this book richly layered and so much more than what its synopsis implies. Aibileen, Minny, and even Miss Skeeter will be your best friends, while the side characters also hold their own in this world. Even the “evil” characters like Miss Hilly are fully realized, with all their hypocrisy, deeply rooted prejudices, and borderline horrifying penchant for vengeance. The tension builds throughout as the stakes mount, and you’ll barely want to put this down, desperate to find out if everything will be alright.

Not everyone will love this book. Beyond the great writing, story, and characters is an uncomfortable tension with the real history, and that’s the trouble with this book having been written by a white Southern woman. There are those who will probably be offended by the book’s content, and there will also be those who have no problem with its nervous treatment of this sensitive part of American history. But there is no denying Kathryn Stockett’s talent. THE HELP is an incredible achievement of voice and characterization. You can be assured that Stockett will stay on everyone’s radars for a long time to come.

Writing: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 4/5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5


Cover discussion: Well, I am far from being qualified to comment on covers of adult books. They're just so different. I'll say that I do very much love the gold foil-ness of it, though.

Penguin / Feb. 2009 / Hardcover / 464pp. / $24.95

The copy I read for review was bought by meeeee.

Review: Bound to Shadows by Keri Arthur

Riley Jensen Guardian, Book 8

Tags: paranormal, romance, vampires, werewolves, murder, mystery, love triangle

Rating: 2.5 out of 5


Summary

Half-werewolf, half-vampire Riley Jensen’s job as guardian in keeping the peace between humans and supernaturals is never easy. Her latest job involves the mysterious beheadings of vampires near a sleazy bar run by a sex-appeal-oozing vampire. Riley feels that the case is tied to the seemingly inexplicable deaths of several women throughout Melbourne. As she struggles to find the connection and the killers, however, Riley’s love life is shaken by the reappearance of her werewolf soul mate, the hit man Kye. Riley’s wolf side can’t help but be attracted to this heartless man, but her heart really belongs to Quinn, an old vampire.

Review

BOUND TO SHADOWS will satisfy fans of this series, be enjoyable for fans of paranormal lit published in mass market paperback format, and most likely be frustrating for those with a wider range of literary interests. This ambitious novel had a lot of flaws that bothered me but would probably go unnoticed by steady readers of this genre.

Riley’s world is complex, with supernatural creatures of all kind running together, getting in one another’s way, adding multiple dimensions to the story. Personally I am a vampire girl, but I thought the werewolf aspect of Riley’s nature was well done: it has its own share of unavoidable instincts and desires (most of which involve lust and sex, I’ll tell you up front). You can’t go a chapter without running into something new and exciting, and I appreciated the way that Arthur was able to introduce all these complexities to us without getting us hopelessly tangled.

The characters in this book were well drawn, appealing and believable. I particularly liked Kye—but then again, I’ve always had a soft spot for the seemingly hopeless bad ones. If you prefer your lovers to be gentlemanly, you’ll root for Quinn. Riley is, unfortunately, not as likable as her love interests, for I often found her narration, dialogue, and thought process to be a bit stilted.

In fact, the writing was what held back my opinion of this book and series. Much of the story seemed a little too staged to be believable: the author was clearly following a set route around the story’s world, with a completely different scene and subplot abruptly following the development of another. In addition, the romance scenes were blunt, and thus unromantic. There is a lot of buildup to the act, and then the actual sex was treated very brusquely, leaving readers detached from Riley at those moments.

That being said, Keri Arthur’s ambitious ideas make sure that she doesn’t shy away from the tragedy. BOUND TO SHADOWS ends sadly: I was practically screaming in tears at the book at the end. But I can’t help but being impressed at Arthur’s decisions. Like I said earlier, BOUND TO SHADOWS will definitely make Riley Jensen fans happy. I don’t think I will read this series, but those who love their paranormal worlds complex and sexy will get a kick out of these books.

Writing: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 3/5

Overall: 2.5 out of 5


Cover discussion: 1.5 out of 5 - Bleh. I know it's a serial MMPB, but couldn't they do better with the covers on these series? They're all so... bland and similar.

Random House / Oct. 2009 / Paperback / $7.99

Thank you, Tricia, for offering me a copy for review.

Review: The Rapture by Liz Jensen

Publication date: Aug. 11, 2009 (Doubleday)

Tags: adult, apocalyptic, science fiction, psychological thriller, paralysis

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary

30-something-year-old Gabrielle Fox, wheelchair-bound after an emotionally and physically scarring car accident, works as an art therapist for some of Great Britain’s most mentally disturbed juveniles. One of her patients is Bethany Krall, charged with murdering her mother with a screwdriver. Bethany likes to talk about forthcoming geological disasters with scientific accuracy.

At first Gabrielle professionally ignores Bethany’s babble. But when Bethany’s predictions match up with real-life events and seem to point to a disaster of apocalyptic proportions, Gabrielle can no longer ignore her paranoia. Together with a few believing scientists, Gabrielle struggles to convince the rest of the world that a psychotic girl with murderous tendencies actually holds the key to preventing the annihilation of the human race.

Review

THE RAPTURE is an unusual though frighteningly scientifically plausible take on the apocalypse. It is not an easy read: Gabrielle’s colloquial narrative takes you right into her head, which may or may not be effective, depending on the reader. The first half of the book builds slowly, as it focuses more on developing Gabrielle and her relationship with the physicist. Bethany is supremely dislikable all throughout, but more so at the beginning.

Even with these minor complaints, however, Liz Jensen writes a story that’s full of scientific accuracy in a way that sucks you in. Apocalyptic tales only work when they’re done intelligently, and both THE RAPTURE and its author are well aware of and accomplish that. While I found the pacing of this novel a little odd—too slow in the beginning, too quickly building to its climax towards the end—it is still a masterfully suspenseful read in the end.

THE RAPTURE is not for the faint of heart, and it focuses more on Gabrielle’s emotional damage and the apocalyptic possibility of Bethany’s predictions than the actual psychological aspects of their relationship. However, for those who love speculative fiction and similar geological horror/thriller movies, this will be a good read.

Writing: 3/5

Characters: 4/5

Plot: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Cover discussion: 3 out of 5 - It's quite interesting. I love the science-y-ness of it: the vectors making the shape of a tornado. Very cool! This would definitely grab my attention at the bookstore.

Review: The Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale

Publication date: June 9, 2009 (Bloomsbury USA)

Tags: adult, humor, tragedy, friendship

Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary

Mormon housewife of four Becky Jack cannot believe her luck when she manages to strike up an actual conversation with her celebrity crush, Felix Callahan, on a trip to L.A. It’s just the one time, and Becky marks it down as a great story to tell her friends and family later. Her normally comfortable life of running the household and loving her husband, Mike, however, seems to slide into the land of fairy tales when, a few weeks later, Felix shows up in her small Utah town.

Becky is unable to understand why this handsome man, so happily married to his beautiful French model wife, keeps on insisting on being in her life. But they strike a friendship so deep, so all-encompassing, that everyone who knows them has no idea what to make of it. Being Felix’s best friend has its ups and downs, and the biggest down for Becky is wondering about how much of an effect Felix has on her when she is completely, utterly, 100 percent devoted to her family.

Can a housewife whose life is her family have a famous actor as a best friend? Or is everything too good to be true?

Review

I have long been an admirer of Shannon Hale’s work; THE GOOSE GIRL is still one of my favorite books of all time, and Shannon’s previous adult novel, AUSTENLAND, is a charming read. But THE ACTOR AND THE HOUSEWIFE is absolutely perfect. I was blown away completely. Not many books have left me both laughing so hysterically that I woke up my roommate and sobbing nonstop for a good hundred pages.

Imagine your favorite smart romantic comedy, novelized and plumped with three times as much goodness, and that’s what you get in Shannon Hale’s second adult book. Every single character in this novel is well-developed, interesting, and unique, though the witty and laugh-out-loud funny dialogue between Becky and Felix steals the show, of course. I swear Shannon must’ve been channeling some serious screenwriter vibes, because the dialogue belongs in a crowd-pleasing, box-office-record-breaking movie of the likes of “When Harry Met Sally.”

The emotions I experienced when reading THE ACTOR AND THE HOUSEWIFE were astounding. Shannon Hale certainly had me collapsing in laughter at all the right moments (i.e. a lot of them). However, her brilliant writing developed the characters in a way that left me in tears for the sad bits of the book. It’s not too hard for a book to make me laugh; for a book to move me to tears, though, that is a remarkable piece of work.

This book will appeal to a wide range of audiences. Romance lovers will love the dialogue, the heartbreaks, and the hope. Becky is a Mormon and Felix is an atheist, but the novel only gently touches upon issues of religion, which allows for a greater range of appreciative readers. Smart women tiring of regular chick lit should read this, as well as teenagers who want a perfectly respectable fictional relationship to dream about—there’s no smut or anything rated higher than PG in this book, which is another smart move.

There will be mixed reactions towards the ending, for sure, but I appreciated it precisely because it broke the mold of the standard fairy-tale-like happily-ever-afters, and instead offered an alternative, though no less exciting, future for the characters.

THE ACTOR AND THE HOUSEWIFE comes out at a great time—this summer, you’ll want laughter, love, and a bit of the unexplainable. This is a book that you’ll want to keep on your shelf forever, rereading it every summer to fall in love with Becky, Felix, Mike, and all the characters all over again.

Similar Authors/Movies:

Meg Cabot

When Harry Met Sally

10 Things I Hate About You

Writing: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Cover discussion: Ignore the cover! Take the dust jacket off when reading, for fear that it will cause you to ignore this book! (Ack!)

Review: The Innocent by Posie Graeme-Evans

Book One of the Anne Trilogy

Tags: adult, historical romance, Edwardian England

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary

In politically uncertain 15th-century England, a baby girl is born, against all the forces that have tried to destroy her and her mother. The younger mother dies, but the girl, Anne, survives, and is taken in by a foster mother, Deborah, and taught ways with healing herbs and concoctions.

When Anne is fifteen, she arrives in London to work as a servant at the merchant Mathew Cuttifer’s house. London is full of not-so-nice characters, and Anne is made to feel ever more aware of her femininity and precarious position in society. Anne’s life quickly spirals into danger when, as the queen’s body servant, she catches the eye—and heart—of King Edward, a handsome, passionate, but dangerous young man. She also learns the terrifying truth about her lineage, a truth that could spell disaster for her and her friends. In the political upheavals of the time, how can Anne stay true to herself, she wants to be with her love the king even though she knows that’s impossible?

Review

First and foremost, don’t read this book expecting historical accuracy, for if you do, you’ll be sorely disappointed. That being said, THE INNOCENT is a twisting, bosom-heaving, emotional, gasping historical fiction read! The author gorgeously places us into the heads of all the characters, however minor, so that we are able to get a sense of their thoughts and feelings, their conflicts and uncertainties. I don’t know much at all about Medieval England, but I am far from disappointed here: our closeness to the characters makes for an extremely believable court intrigue, a space full of secrets, hidden desires, backstabbing, and political unrest…delicious!

However, I was most bothered by some of the characters and their relationships with one another. The protagonist, Anne, was just too perfect, the perfectly helpless damsel in distress whose occasional bursts of confidence and assuredness seemed fake in light of her more consistent ability to not have a spine. I couldn’t believe that her breathtaking beauty could really sustain everyone’s interest in her for prolonged periods of time.

Similarly, I found the romance between Anne and King Edward unrealistic. Their eyes meet, they take in each other’s beauties…and then they’re forever obsessed with each other? I got no inkling of the chemistry between them, just an unfathomable draw of—what, hormones? Pheromones?—driving them together in spite of everything.

Despite those issues I have with the book, I’d still recommend THE INNOCENT to a variety of readers. Even if you don’t know or often read books about Medieval England, Posie Graeme-Evans’ writing ability is still something to take note of. You will be sucked into the characters’ stories, and only unwillingly will you put the book down.

Similar Authors

Philippa Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl)

Writing: 4/5

Characters: 3/5

Plot: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review: Sunshine by Robin McKinley

Tags: adult, vampires

Rae Seddon, nicknamed Sunshine for her love of daylight, is just your average young woman, with maybe a slightly greater-than-normal interest in the Others: paranormal creatures such as vampires, Weres, and demons. She's a master baker (her cinnamon rolls are to die for) at her stepdad Charlie's coffeehouse, and has a good relationship with her boyfriend Mel. Sunshine's life was going on fine, until the night she decides to drive out to the lake to be alone with her thoughts for a bit, and finds herself smack dab in the middle of an epic ongoing fight between two vampires, Con and Bo.

Once you're in the hands of vampires you're pretty much dead, which is why Sunshine is absolutely terrified of herself when she not only escapes, but manages to save Con from Bo's gang as well. Now she and Con are inexplicably and dangerously linked, and Sunshine is only beginning to realize her magic heritage and the extent of her powers--powers that are wanted by SOF, the "police force" that deals with the Others. Sunshine and Con must form the strangest alliance ever--between humans and vampires--in order to defeat Bo and save each other from sure destruction.

SUNSHINE is quite different from previous Robin McKinley's books I've read and loved. First of all, this IS an adult book, and so some of the themes and content may be uncomfortable for younger readers (although, knowing McKinley readers, most are pretty mature already). Sunshine is also an unusual narrator; I think of her as almost the Jessica Darling of the vampire genre, with her snarky, diary-like commentary, which I enjoyed most of the time except when it got dragged out a bit in the middle and you just wanted to get to what happens next, to the action!

I'm not sure how Twilight fans will respond to this one because vampires are not glorified in SUNSHINE, although Con is attractive in his looming, expressionless way. However, if you are looking for a paranormal book with an extremely strong female protagonist's voice, be sure to check this one out.

Similar Authors

Megan McCafferty (Sloppy Firsts, etc.)

Annette Curtis Klause (The Silver Kiss)

Rating: 4.5/5

Review: The Family Fortune by Laurie Horowitz

I apologize for the lack of interesting and inspiring things on my blog recently. It's just that Sunshine is getting more and more difficult to get through, and I'm determined to finish it before I allow myself to move on to other books, since I've been reading it for almost 2 weeks now, and that's an eternity in reading time. I should be done soon, I hope!

Meanwhile, stay tuned for Friday, when I announce the winners of my first ever contest giveaway (there is still time to enter!) and introduce our very first Friday Featured Blogger! You'll want to read all about her; she's totally cool, despite what she thinks about her answers to my questions. :)

The Family Fortune by Laurie Horowitz

Tags: adult, Austen retelling

Laurie Horowitz’s brilliant debut novel began as an exercise, as Horowitz, a Jane Austen enthusiast, thought she needed more practice writing the dialogue of mean people. The result is a witty social commentary on the old rich, interwoven with a love story that will make readers sigh.

Technically, THE FAMILY FORTUNE is a retelling of Jane Austen’s PERSUASION. However, it’s interesting to see how Horowitz places the story in modern times. Practical Jane Fortune is 38 years old and perpetually single. She lives in the Fortunes’ old family home with her father, Teddy, and older sister Miranda, neither of whom know the meaning of the word “budget.” Jane spends most of her time either reading books or working for her family’s philanthropic organization, which publishes the literary magazine the Euphemia Review and, every year, grants a promising new writer a place to stay to write his or her novel.

When their family is forced to move due to their financial crisis, Jane stays with her sister Winnie’s family for a while. Unfortunately—or luckily, whatever you call it—this means she crosses paths again with Max Wellman, the first recipient of the Fortune Foundation’s literary grant. Max was her first love, but their relationship was stopped by Jane’s disapproving family, who didn’t want her to be with a struggling artiste. Fifteen years later, Max is successful writer with a womanizing reputation, and Jane is still the same as ever. Go figure.

Circumstances seem to make it impossible for Max to fall in love with the still-besotted Jane again. Meanwhile, Jane struggles to make an identity for herself, separate from the one her ridiculous family gives her. Maybe it’s only after she learns to love herself that Jane can be open to making her own decisions about her life, and her love.

THE FAMILY FORTUNE is a wonderfully told story of the absurdities of high society and the growth of a sensible woman. The romance part of the story left me a bit disappointed (I wanted more--LOTS more--between Jane and Max), but I appreciated this remarkably successful Austenian-type novel.

Similar Authors
Jane Austen
Karen Joy Fowler (The Jane Austen Book Club)

Rating: 4/5