Book Review: Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot
Author: Ambrosia
Book Review: The Queens Fool by Phillipa Gregory
It is winter, 1553. Pursued by the Inquisition, Hannah Green, a fourteen-year-old Jewish girl, is forced to flee Spain with her father. But Hannah is no ordinary refugee. Her gift of “Sight,” the ability to foresee the future, is priceless in the troubled times of the Tudor court. Hannah is adopted by the glamorous Robert Dudley, the charismatic son of King Edward’s protector, who brings her to court as a “holy fool” for Queen Mary and, ultimately, Queen Elizabeth. Hired as a fool but working as a spy; promised in wedlock but in love with her master; endangered by the laws against heresy, treason, and witchcraft, Hannah must choose between the safe life of a commoner and the dangerous intrigues of the royal family that are inextricably bound up in her own yearnings and desires.
Teeming with vibrant period detail and peopled by characters seamlessly woven into the sweeping tapestry of history, The Queen’s Fool is another rich and emotionally resonant gem from this wonderful storyteller
Gregory, the reigning Queen of historical fiction, weaves a tale that is as much an insight into the Tudor court as it is into religious history. The protagonist Hannah, is a secret Jew serving a Catholic Queen and befriending a Protestant Princess. What a catalyst for an electrifying plot!
Being that this story is based in history and immersed in fact, there are twists and turns that you will anticipate. However the addition of a completely fictional heroine adds a layer of intrigue and provides you with plot points you will not see coming. It is such a satisfying narrative arc that you won’t want it to finish and you certainly won’t want to leave Hannah behind.
Hannah is a character full of contradictions. Like many women of the time, Hannah’s age and her sexual innocence leave her at the mercy of men who would use her for social elevation. However her education and life experience make her cunning a formidable player in these war games. She gives her heart freely to Robert Dudley, Queen Mary and Princess Elizabeth all at once and in doing so endears them all to the reader. Yet she finds it hardest of all to give herself over to a love far greater than any of these, one grounded in safety and protection. She is a tangible character and one I am sorry to say goodbye to.
This was one of the most enjoyable history lessons I’ve ever had and a formidable novel next to ‘The Other Boleyn Girl’. I am so grateful for the sympathy and understanding I now have for England’s first female ruler and one of history’s most notorious tyrants. I saw ‘Bloody Mary’ through Hannah’s eyes and now history is not just black and white, it is all shades of red.
2013 Book Challenges
Book Review: Angel in a red dress by Judith Ivory
REISSUE of STARLIT SURRENDER by Judy Cuevas
AT FIRST THEY KISSED
From the instant she set her thick-lashed gaze on handsome Adrien Hunt, Christina Bower knew he was like no other male. He was as graceful as a panther, as confident as a lion-and as lusty as a tomcat. But no matter how much the golden-haired innocent told herself he was a rich, abhorrent womanizer, she couldn’t resist his sensual, practiced advances. And even as her sweet lips protested each caress, her womanly curves eagerly welcomed his arousing embrace!
AT LAST THEY LOVED
With danger his constant companion, hot-blooded Adrien Hunt lived life to the hilt. His days were fraught with plots, pistols and swords, and his nights were filled with warm and willing wenches. But when he first saw the spirited nymph Christina Bower, even the experienced knave had to admit she was more enticing than any of his previous conquests. Ignoring her modest, prim “no,” Adrien began his gentle assault on her senses, liberating her passions, setting free her inhibitions… and guaranteeing that in a moment more they’d share the magic of her Starlit Surrender!
For those of us who view Judith Ivory as one of the finest writers working in the romance genre, the release of “Angel in a Red Dress” is a very welcome return of one of our favorites. The book is a re-release of the hard-to-find “Starlit Surrender”, Judith Ivory/Judy Cuevas’s first book which was published originally in 1988. Although Ivory’s style has gotten more polished over the years, SS/AIARD is one of my favorites of her books with its rich, uncompromising characterizations and adventure-filled plot full of Scarlet Pimpernel-sequel overtones.
Judith Ivory is one of the few romance writers who is able to create truly flawed characters and make them both engaging and wonderfully real. The hero and heroine of AIARD are far from perfect individuals, but they are some of the most memorable in the genre, IMO. The hero of the story is Adrien Hunt, the Earl of Kewischester, an arrogant half-French British peer with a well-deserved reputation as a libertine. Adrien is rich, intelligent, handsome and lethally charming. The heroine, Christina Pinn, is the lovely, somewhat spoiled daughter of a wealthy London barrister who comes to shelter at the earl’s estate while she is in the process of getting a divorce from her stodgy baronet husband. The attraction between Adrien and Christina is immediate and palpable, with some of the most sensual scenes in the genre as Adrien attempts to charm the reluctant Christina into an affair. (The seduction scene in greenhouse is one of my all-time favorites!) Adrien is certainly no “fake rake”–he has actual illegitimate children from some of his previous affairs and Christina finds this fact as disturbing as one might expect. Adrien is a consummate aristocrat–a man who is used to getting his own way in all things and he cannot understand why the proud Christina refuses to become his mistress. But unlike the usual romance heroine, common-born Christina is really tempted by the earl’s title, social position, wealth and power as well as by his physical beauty. Christina’s dilemma is that Adrien is everything that her bourgeois father has raised her to desire, but it is clear that the earl has no intention of marrying her.
Adrien is a complex, fascinating, very imperfect hero–selfish, high-handed, stunningly autocratic, but he is also intelligent, resourceful, non-judgmental, brave and protective of his friends. Christina is also refreshingly imperfect and three-dimensional as she struggles to maintain her dignity while carrying on an affair with a man that she is sure will eventually break her heart.
The story is set in England and France at the time of the French Revolution and the second half is jam-packed with action and adventure as Adrien (in Scarlet Pimpernel mode) tries to rescue imprisoned French aristocrats from the guillotine. But the main focus of the story is on Adrien and Christina and their complicated, passionate relationship as Adrien slowly comes to realize how much Christina means to him.
Judith Ivory’s prose is (as always) exceptional and her characters wonderfully memorable. This is not a “Disney-style” historical romance with a storybook perfect hero and heroine, but readers who prefer a more angst and an emotional story are in for a treat.
Book Review: Dewey the small town library cat who touched the world by Vikcki Myron
How much of an impact can an animal have? How many lives can one cat touch? How is it possible for an abandoned kitten to transform a small library, save a classic American town, and eventually become famous around the world? You can’t even begin to answer those questions until you hear the charming story of Dewey Readmore Books, the beloved library cat of Spencer, Iowa.
Dewey’s story starts in the worst possible way. Only a few weeks old, on the coldest night of the year, he was stuffed into the returned book slot at the Spencer Public Library. He was found the next morning by library director, Vicki Myron, a single mother who had survived the loss of her family farm, a breast cancer scare, and an alcoholic husband. Dewey won her heart, and the hearts of the staff, by pulling himself up and hobbling on frostbitten feet to nudge each of them in a gesture of thanks and love. For the next nineteen years, he never stopped charming the people of Spencer with his enthusiasm, warmth, humility, (for a cat) and, above all, his sixth sense about who needed him most.
As his fame grew from town to town, then state to state, and finally, amazingly, worldwide, Dewey became more than just a friend; he became a source of pride for an extraordinary Heartland farming town pulling its way slowly back from the greatest crisis in its long history.
The very first thing that will draw you into Dewey is the adorable cat that is on the front of the cover. This is Dewey himself of course and looking at those eyes you can see the soul within him. I have seen a lot of cat eyes but his are so expressive! How I wish I had known this lovely gentleman for surely he must be a noble soul just look at how he holds himself. We first meet Dewey on the harrowing cold morning when he is found in the book drop box of the library a shivering nearly dead little kitten. Thanks to the good handling of his new Moms however Dewey comes out of his cold daze and recovers to become a very gregarious fellow. Who wins the heart of everyone he meets in the library.
The story of Dewey the library cat is well written and emotional. It will pull at every single one of your heart strings with every turn of the page. I also love another underlying message within the book how even strangers can be part of a community. Dewey’s fame brought people from all over to meet him and he treated everyone the same. The library became a place for people to come again to relax within its walls and spend some time with the sweet soul who managed to find the best in everyone he met. How can you not be touched by that kind of story?
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story and of course those who love animals. If you do not know animals have personality and soul you will by the end of this book. Make sure you have time to read when you start Dewey’s book however because you will not want to put it down.
Book Review: Jack & Rochelle by Jack Sutin
Jack and Rochelle Sutin crossed paths in the winter of 1942-43, when, after separate escapes from Nazi ghetto labor camps, they discovered each other in the wooded lands of Poland. The forest where they remained in hiding was a place where many Jews and Russians, the so-called partisans, had fled to in an effort to escape Nazi persecution.
Despite their bleak surroundings–inhuman living conditions and ever-present danger–Jack and Rochelle began a careful courtship that flourished into a deepening love. With a new determination and a thirst for revenge, Jack led partisan raids on nearby Polish farms that were occupied by Nazi sympathizers. Thus was their resistance waged, often in ignorance of what atrocities were being committed in the rest of Europe. Cut off from the outside world, the partisans’ survival depended on desperate, makeshift warfare strategies. Maintained by a blind faith and their deep love for one another, Jack and Rochelle survived circumstances that had never before been imposed on a people.
Today, Jack and Rochelle are part of a small group of resistance fighters whose testimony offers all readers and students a unique perspective on this terrible episode of human history. Lawrence Sutin herein presents his parents’ story in their own words, stories that he has heard throughout his life. In a thoughtful afterword, he reflects on his experiences as a child of Holocaust survivors.
Ably edited by their son Lawrence, the instructive and inspiring Holocaust narrative of Jack and Rochelle Sutin provides ample proof of both the degradation implicit in the Shoah and the astounding strength and courage Jewish partisans demonstrated in their battle against the attempted Nazi genocide. “Jack and Rochelle” is a deceptively easy book to read; the chapters consist of blended chronological testimonies; Lawrence Sutin honorably avoids imposing his own voice on his parents, instead allowing his mother and father to describe, in their own words, their own cadences, the horrors they faced and the gritty resolve they mustered to fight back. Rarely does a subtitle so accurately depict the contents of a memoir as does their own: “A Holocaust Story of Love and Resistance.”
Both Jack and Rochelle came from educated and enlightened eastern European Jewish families. As the two of them chronicle the onset of anti-Jewish depradations, they remind us of the rich texture of their pre-war lives. This dimension of humanity, of lives complicated by strained love relations, competitive urges and the deeply felt need for independence, makes the Nazi onslaught all the more unsettling and horrific.
Several themes predominate in the Sutins’ braided lives. First is the omnipresence of Jew hatred, whether it be in pre or post war Poland, in the brutally repressive Soviet bureaucracy or the finely honed hatred of Nazi Germany. Indifferent neighbors, vicious anti-Jewish Russian partisans (who commit ghastly sexual offenses against women who want nothing more than to join them in battling a common enemy), and the active participants in human eradication, the Nazis, make the Sutins’ world one of constant peril. Survival is never taken for granted, and Jack and Rochelle’s descriptions of their physical torment, often undertated, is wrenching to read. Personal sacrifice exists on every level: physical, social and spiritual. Rochelle’s first child dies within a day due to exposure when its survival imperils others; Jack is literally covered with pus-filled boils as a result of living outside the boundaries of human habitation.
Yet, neither Jack or Rochelle never complain, never give themselves away to self-pity. Instead, they are infused with the Judaic command to remember and Rochelle’s mother’s insistence on revenge, to take action to avenge the murder of their people. In this charged atmosphere of sanguine justice and physical erosion, amidst the rank and fetid habitat of primitive partisan surroundings, hope and love survive. Jack dreams that Rochelle will appear. She does. Despite sexual abuse and spiritual depletion, Rochelle gradually accepts and receives Jack’s love. He has never stopped loving her.
“Jack and Rochelle” is above all a cry of victory. It is a cry that murder and eradication cannot conquer a people. It is a cry that memory and consecration to life will prevail over death. It is a cry that love can endure, even if it is formed in the absolute crucible of death.
Book Review: A countess below the stairs by Eva Ibbotson
After the Russian revolution turns her world topsy-turvy, Anna, a young Russian Countess, has no choice but to flee to England. Penniless, Anna hides her aristocratic background and takes a job as servant in the household of the esteemed Westerholme family, armed only with an outdated housekeeping manual and sheer determination. Desperate to keep her past a secret, Anna is nearly overwhelmed by her new duties—not to mention her instant attraction to Rupert, the handsome Earl of Westerholme. To make matters worse, Rupert appears to be falling for her as well. As their attraction grows stronger, Anna finds it more and more difficult to keep her most dearly held secrets from unraveling. And then there’s the small matter of Rupert’s beautiful and nasty fiancée..
I am emotionally winded by this book in the best possible way! Whether it’s the time of year and the bitter winter snow outside that made this book hit the spot the way it did I’m not certain.
But the poetic language, the sheer romanticism, the wit, the Shakespearean farce element, the astute social, historical, cultural, sexual, racial and class observations were all perfectly balanced to create one of the most richly feel-good romances I’ve read in years.
I’ve always admired Eva Ibbotson for hitting that intimate personal note in her stories, even the lighter childrens’ books like Which Witch?. But in this book which is for young adults she’s created a masterpiece of evocative storytelling combined with painfully accurate social dynamics which made me weep several times. I saw Ollie’s cruel heartbreak coming a mile off and was crying in sympathy in advance!
I shed tears for Rupert’s war-trauma and Uncle Sid’s elderly wandering eye. It’s very, very obvious from the get-go that the end is wreathed in a halo of golden roses, so the fun lies in finding out how the star-crossed lovers get each other. The strength here, as with most of Ibbotson’s work, lies in a beautifully worked out supporting cast of fantastic characters: Mr. Proom and his batty mother, the Herrings, The Honourable Olive, Baskerville the boarhound, Minna, James, the Scottish Gardener, Pinny…the list goes on. We get just enough background and depth from the author to really get a feel for who all these people are. For instance, Proom the butler isn’t just the sum of his one-liners, as is so often the case with side characters of that kind. In fact, he’s one of the real heroes of the tale.
The one slight hiccup is Anna herself, though even she isn’t entirely stereotypical as the huge-hearted heroine. But she is such a very radiantly good girl, so beatific, going so far as to describe someone thinking about her using the phrase ‘her votive hands’, that it’s almost impossible to live her struggles with her. Things will be all right almost by default around Anna, so that her anguish, her trouble, her heartache become less powerful than the colour palette of her joys, quirks and generosity.
Having said that, one of the more clever ideas in this book is that she isn’t really so very secret. Everyone around her recognizes her genteel birth in her manner, turn of phrase, bearing, appreciation of art and music and education. They decide to humour her for her own sake and play along in her presenting herself as a housemaid. Her curtsies had me in stitches, it was so vivid. And luckily she isn’t so unreal as to not feel sympathy for her. She has a personality of Sarah Bernhardt like proportions: Sensuous, generous and with great dramatic flair, but her heart’s in the right place. Just that tiny little bit too Holy, you know? But she is the mulch that the other characters thrive on and for that, she has to be the way she is.
The other aspect that makes this book more than just a throwaway romance are the racism and Ubermensch theories two of the characters so passionately flaunt, with the utter conviction of their being right. Set as the story is between two World Wars, it is an intelligently shuddersome foreshadowing of the drive behind the eugenics theories of the Nazi’s. Which, let’s face it, isn’t exactly standard fare for an otherwise beautifully frothy upstairs/downstairs love story. And the sexuality is a wonderfully matter of fact part of the narrative; again, to tackle, among other things, the sexual feelings of an elderly person so sensitively is clever and moving. Are we really so uptight that we need to ignore that elderly folk feel lustful, too?
I agree with Sid’s bottom-pinching being harmless, because nothing else is made available to someone like him: Elderly people are to become sexless when they reach a certain age and I find this objectionable. Ibbotson makes a point of mentioning that Sid never had anything but willing partners and if the maids are able to laugh off a bit of a grope, why can’t we? In fact, their understanding was very touching, I thought.
The writing itself is delightfully poetic and drips with atmospheric descriptions, be it of food, dress, gardens or rooms. An instant all time favourite which left me with the most perfect Christmas feeling!
Book Review: Royal Panoply by Carolly Erickson
From medieval conqueror to Renaissance autocrat to Victorian Empress to modern melodrama, Royal Panoply is the story of some of the most fascinating people in world history. With her trademark blend of probing scholarship, lively prose, and psychological insight, Carolly Erickson focuses on each monarch’s entire life—from the puny, socially awkward Charles I, to the choleric, violent William the Conqueror, to the well-meaning, deeply affectionate Queen Anne, who was so heavy she had to be carried to her coronation. Royal Panoply recaptures the event-filled, often dangerous, always engaging lives of England’s kings and queens, set against the backdrop of a thousand years of Britain’s past
Glimpses of the lives of each of the British monarchs from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II. A great book for getting a basic idea of the highlights of each reign and popularly held opinions regarding each monarch and his/her life plus a few less well-known tidbits (to me) (little facts like when George I came to rule England all the general public knew of him was that he was a German general who had locked his beautiful wife in a tower for twenty years and killed her lover after he discovered evidence of an adulterous affair).
There are times however, when I felt that Erickson oversimplified some of the individuals or took a stand on an event or a personality without substantiating it (you know, statements like: Pomp and Circumstance IV loathed High and Mighty for his superior graces and popularity with the people). Just a little evidence or an allusion to evidence would have made it a much more authoritative work for me. That said, I still enjoyed the book. Hey, and now I can recite the British royal line all the way from William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II! (Won’t that be useful for winding up parties?!):0)
Book Review: Wedding Season by Darcy Cosper
Seventeen weddings. Six months. Only the strong survive. Joy Silverman and her boyfriend, Gabriel Winslow, seem perfect for each other. Living together in New York City, they have everything they want and everything in common–most important, that neither one wants to get married. Ever. But when Joy finds herself obligated to attend seventeen weddings in six months (including those of her father, mother, younger brother, and five of her closest girlfriends), the couple is forced to take a new look at why they’re so opposed to marriage when the rest of the world can’t wait to walk down the aisle. As the season heats up and the pressure mounts, Joy must confront what it means — and what it costs — to be true to one’s self. A witty, wicked comedy of manners in the satirical tradition of Jane Austen and Evelyn Waugh, Wedding Season is an intelligent, laugh-out-loud funny examination of friendship, faith, integrity, and the ideas and institutions that bind us together, shape our lives, and define who we are. “If Jane Austen and Candace Bushnell were to meet for a long drink in a downtown bar, the delightful result might be a contemporary comedy of manners with a decidedly old-fashioned feel. Darcy Cosper has given us just that: a sweet and sharply funny concoction that will have bridesmaids everywhere nodding their heads in recognition.” — Dani Shapiro, author of Family History “Wonderful….Wedding Season is social comedy on a grand scale. A hilarious and urbane primer on getting hitched-or not-in the twenty-first century.” — Gary Shteyngart, author of The Russian Debutante’s Handbook.
I’m sorry, but when a book is titled “Wedding Season” and the cover art is of a row of pastel colored bridesmaid dresses, it has one purpose in life – to be a bit of brainless fluff with a happy ending for me to read when I’m sick. I guess I should admire it for trying to be more than what it is, but it didn’t really succeed, and I was just annoyed that it didn’t know its place. It was nice to read some chick lit with a protagonist who wasn’t obsessed with getting married, and I was glad that it didn’t just end with her changing her mind and drinking the Kool-Aid (nothing against marriage, in fact I wouldn’t mind getting married myself someday, but it shouldn’t be a requirement in modern society), but the conclusion she drew about marriage in the end was just baffling and unsatisfying
Book Review: The Tudor Wife by Emily Purdy
Shy, plain Lady Jane Parker feels out of place in Henry VIII’s courtly world of glamour and intrigue–until she meets the handsome George Boleyn. Overjoyed when her father arranges their marriage, her joy is abruptly cut short when she meets Anne… George Boleyn is completely devoted to his sister; and as Anne’s circle of admirers grows, so does Jane’s resentment. Becoming Henry’s queen makes Anne the most powerful woman in England; but it also makes her vulnerable, as the King is desperate for an heir. When he begins to tire of his mercurial wife, the stage is set for the ultimate betrayal. Encompassing the reigns of four of Henry’s wives, from the doomed Anne to the reckless Katherine Howard, THE TUDOR WIFE is an unforgettable story of ambition and jealousy, combining the sumptuous historical detail of Philippa Gregory’s novels with the lust and authenticity of the hugely successful TV series THE TUDORS.
Now despite what the description says this is not the most historically accurate book. However I never go into a historical fiction thinking that I am reading a reference book so I can sit back and enjoy. The Tudor wife was a fantastic read for me. It looked into the Tudor court from another point of view. Most of the books I read about the topic center on King Henry (to be expected of course) but I like hearing about the events from other points of view. Jane is often shown and played as a viper and a bit of a vicious woman. This book is no exception she does many things badly and wrong. However look at the situations she was placed into. Can any of us really say we would have done different than she did? I am not sure I could. If you like reading about the Tudor’s and love a good historical fiction that has twists, turns and drama this is going to be a great read for you.
