Mini-review Saturday: Mockingbird and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Title: Mockingbird
Author: Katherine Erskine
ISBN: 9780399252648
No. of Pages: 235
Genre: Young Adult
Synopsis:

"In Caitlin's world, everything is black or white.

Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing.

That's the stuff Caitlin's older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon's dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger's, she doesn't know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes that is what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white the world is full of colors messy and beautiful."

Thoughts: Even though Mockingbird is geared towards younger readers, Kathryn Erskine makes it easy for readers of all ages to empathize with every aspect of Caitlin’s behavior, no matter how quirky or disruptive. The reader easily slips into Caitlin’s mindset, and all those within her circle who fail to remain patient with Caitlin’s quirks quickly become evil. Yet, this is not a story about Asperger’s. While it provides remarkable insight into the thought patterns of someone with Asperger’s, Mockingbird is ultimately a poignant story on the ravages of grief. Caitlin and her father, along with the entire town, struggle to make sense of the tragedy that changed their lives forever. Ultimately, it is Caitlin’s faith in her beloved brother that unites the community in their grief in a way that is so simple it is brilliant. Readers of different ages will walk away from Mockingbird with different insights, but the emotional tug that comes from Caitlin’s struggles for normalcy cross generations and provide the story its heart. An emotionally engaging and quick read, Mockingbird is one novel that everyone should read in order to understand how being different truly feels.
Acknowledgements: Mine. All mine.


Title: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Author: John Boyne
ISBN: 9780385751070
No. of Pages: 224
Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction
Synopsis:

"Berlin 1942

When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance.

But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences."

Thoughts: John Boyne’s fable about a young German boy’s experiences in Nazi Germany, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, is a bit predictable, but its power lies in that predictability. It is akin to watching a train wreck or automobile crash – one can see it coming but yet cannot look away in simultaneous fascination and horror. While Bruno is almost too naïve to be credible and his mispronunciations appear almost deliberate, Bruno symbolizes the naivety of the entire world in thinking that humanity could never stoop so low. Because of the fact that nothing in the story, except for perhaps Bruno’s childish voice and innocence, is surprising, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a tremendous cautionary tale of the inadvertent damage our behaviors can cause for our loved ones and a blatant reminder on how one’s perception can impact an entire population. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas capitalizes on the horror of the Holocaust but makes it palatable for readers of all ages.
Acknowledgements: Mine. All mine.

Fabulous Friday - January 27th

This is one of the best things about coming home every day. Granted, they are usually a lot more active than this.

Momma, why is Gretchen in my bed?

What makes it a Fabulous Friday for you?

Review - Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

Title: Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution
Author: Michelle Moran
ISBN: 9780307588654
No. of Pages: 448
Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis:

"Smart and ambitious, Marie Tussaud has learned the secrets of wax sculpting by working alongside her uncle in their celebrated wax museum, the Salon de Cire. From her popular model of the American ambassador, Thomas Jefferson, to her tableau of the royal family at dinner, Marie’s museum provides Parisians with the very latest news on fashion, gossip, and even politics. Her customers hail from every walk of life, yet her greatest dream is to attract the attention of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI; their stamp of approval on her work could catapult her and her museum to the fame and riches she desires. After months of anticipation, Marie learns that the royal family is willing to come and see their likenesses. When they finally arrive, the king’s sister is so impressed that she requests Marie’s presence at Versailles as a royal tutor in wax sculpting. It is a request Marie knows she cannot refuse—even if it means time away from her beloved Salon and her increasingly dear friend, Henri Charles.

As Marie gets to know her pupil, Princesse Élisabeth, she also becomes acquainted with the king and queen, who introduce her to the glamorous life at court. From lavish parties with more delicacies than she’s ever seen to rooms filled with candles lit only once before being discarded, Marie steps into a world entirely different from her home on the Boulevard du Temple, where people are selling their teeth in order to put food on the table.

Meanwhile, many resent the vast separation between rich and poor. In salons and cafés across Paris, people like Camille Desmoulins, Jean-Paul Marat, and Maximilien Robespierre are lashing out against the monarchy. Soon, there’s whispered talk of revolution. . . . Will Marie be able to hold on to both the love of her life and her friendship with the royal family as France approaches civil war? And more important, will she be able to fulfill the demands of powerful revolutionaries who ask that she make the death masks of beheaded aristocrats, some of whom she knows?"

Thoughts: Michelle Moran is known for her ability to bring to back to life famous women who were each afforded a surprising level of power and/or fame among their contemporaries. Ms. Moran’s impeccable research allows the reader to step back in time to gain a detailed perspective of the challenges faced by her chosen heroine. In her latest novel Ms. Moran successfully branches away from Egypt and to the French Revolution and the woman who would become famous as Madame Tussaud.

The story takes place well after Marie Grosholz and her “uncle”/guardian Philippe Curtius gained fame throughout Paris as the purveyors of skilled wax models but before the civil unrest behind the Revolution broke out into bloodshed. Marie is not a typical historical fiction heroine; she is not coming of age or waiting for her family to find her a husband. Well into her late twenties, Marie retains the greatest voice when it comes to the family business. She makes a large majority of the business decisions, and it is her wishes that are brought to life when it comes to the displays themselves. She is also surprisingly cutthroat and dispassionate; she will do anything to ensure that the business remains open and popular with the greater population, no matter where her true allegiances lie. Against the backdrop of an increasingly bloodthirsty crown, Marie must balance her love of the King’s sister and the royal family with that of her business with that of her personal happiness. It is a balancing act with which most modern women are familiar, but the stakes are not quite as high these days as they were in France during the late 1780s/1790s.

Madame Tussaud shines with its historical depictions of royal life framed against the backdrop of the real-life struggles of the non-nobility. Ms. Moran showcases the court of Louis XIV in all its naivety, inaction, glory and grotesqueness. Among the breathtaking descriptions of Versailles, Ms. Moran adds the squalid descriptions of overcrowded rooms, a lack of personal hygiene, and general lack of understanding behind the commoner’s true demands. The royals’ inability to understand the true state of desperation and the Third Estate’s increasing bitterness towards the royal family is as shocking as it is depressing. Even worse are the absolutely brutal depictions of the Revolution itself. The fear of being named as a royal sympathizer, the repugnant glee from the mobs, the disgusting nature of the guillotine all combine to create a level of terror that few other eras can match. Ms. Moran captures this terror in a way that is breathtaking, while leaving the reader feeling guilty about being thankful s/he was not alive during the Reign of Terror.

The one weakness of Madame Tussaud is Marie herself. Her balancing act between the two sides of the Revolution, as well as her “business first” mindset, make her fairly unlikable. For someone who is not so young, she makes some ill-informed decisions which, even though they add drama to an already exciting story, do not align with the character Ms. Moran carefully crafts for readers. These poor decisions seem forced and specifically designed to draw out the story, when the underlying historical drama provides enough excitement and tension.

Madame Tussaud, much like the title, is a tale of two stories. There is Madame Tussaud, the devoted businesswoman who lives for her wax models and displays. Then there is Marie Grosholz, a woman trying to maintain some level of normalcy in a world that has gone mad. Ms. Moran’s depiction of the mismanagement leading up to the Revolution and the Reign of Terror remains one of the more brutal versions ever experienced while providing the story with its heart and soul. Marie may not be the most sympathetic of heroines, but no reader can share her experiences without developing a profound sense of gratitude at distance between the historical events described and today. Ms. Moran’s ability to remove that perception of distance is a testament to her abilities as a writer and to her research capabilities. If all of her books are as thoroughly and as realistic as Madame Tussaud, I cannot wait to read more of her work.

Acknowledgements: Mine. All mine.

That's What She Read - Year 3

Three years ago, I had this crazy idea to start a blog. I blame my book club friends (Christina and Stephanie, I'm looking at you); they were raving about this new methodology and the connections they were making. Of course, when I look back on it, I still do not know why I did it. I mean, I was still in the process of working towards my MBA. It wasn't as if I had time to do this. Heck, I didn't even know what blogging really was when I first started. How is that for naive?

What I received from this exercise in naivety and grandiosity is more than I can put into words, which is ironic in that I have become quite skilled at putting the impossible into words over the past three years. I can think of no better lesson in learning how to take chances, to step outside one's comfort zone, and to do what one loves to do. Putting one's innermost thoughts down in such a public forum takes courage, something I never thought I had. Similarly, talking with publishers and requesting books from anyone in the publishing business requires a level of confidence I know I never had. My younger self would never recognize the woman I have become today. I owe a lot of that to reviewing.

I know we all start these websites for ourselves, to get our thoughts out of our heads and out into the public, and that we would continue to do so even if no one read our words, but just know that my love for my readers keeps me going even when I may not feel motivated. After three years, I write for you guys as much as I write for myself and the growth opportunities. Thank you so much for allowing me the privilege of being part of such an amazing community of free spirits and free thinkers, of those who are not afraid to question the status quo, and who continually strive to improve literacy and promote reading throughout the globe.

Thank you to everyone who has followed me on this crazy journey of mine. You have seen me through highs and lows, both personally and professionally. You have remained patient through my love of all things Twilight and my ongoing fascination with anything vampiric. You have cheered on my family and become like family yourselves. I love you guys!

Review - The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau

Title: The Crown
Author: Nancy Bilyeau
ISBN: 9781451626858
No. of Pages: 418
Genre: Historical fiction
Synopsis:

"Joanna Stafford, a Dominican nun, learns that her favorite cousin has been condemned by Henry VIII to be burned at the stake. Defying the sacred rule of enclosure, Joanna leaves the priory to stand at her cousin's side. Arrested for interfering with the king's justice, Joanna, along with her father, is sent to the Tower of London.

The ruthless Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester, takes terrifying steps to force Joanna to agree to spy for him: to save her father's life she must find an ancient relic - a crown so powerful, it may hold the ability to end the Reformation. Accompanied by two monks, Joanna returns home to Dartford Priory and searches in secret for this long-lost piece of history worn by the Saxon King Athelstan in 937 during the historic battle that first united Britain.

But Dartford Priory has become a dangerous place, and when more than one dead body is uncovered, Joanna departs with a sensitive young monk, Brother Edmund, to search elsewhere for the legendary crown. From royal castles with tapestry-filled rooms to Stonehenge to Malmesbury Abbey, the final resting place of King Athelstan, Joanna and Brother Edmund must hurry to find the crown if they want to keep Joanna's father alive. At Malmesbury, secrets of the crown are revealed that bring to light the fates of the Black Prince, Richard the Lionhearted, and Katherine of Aragon's first husband, Arthur. The crown's intensity and strength are beyond the earthly realm and it must not fall into the wrong hands.

With Cromwell's troops threatening to shutter her priory, bright and bold Joanna must now decide who she can trust with the secret of the crown so that she may save herself, her family, and her sacred way of life. This provocative story melds heart-stopping suspense with historical detail and brings to life the poignant dramas of women and men at a fascinating and critical moment in England's past."

Thoughts: Much has been made of Henry's divorce from his first wife, paving the way for the Protestant faith to take hold in England, yet little in historical fiction has dared approach what the people must have felt to have their only known faith stripped from them and made treasonous. In The Crown, Nancy Bilyeau takes this little-trodden idea and takes it one step further by focusing on those most impacted by such changes - those who devoted their entire life to God. Through Bilyeau's careful research, the reader gets a clear picture of just how dangerous their pious lives became after Henry declared himself the one true leader of the Church.

Joanna is a most unusual heroine of the period in that she is humble, capable, and does not need a man, marriage, or children to find fulfillment. At one point in time, Bilyeau leads the reader to suspect that there may be a "happily ever after" ending for our heroine. There is that but not in the traditional sense. Even better, Joanna does not preach. Her faith is sincere but private. The religious imagery and history, while a huge focal point of the story, remains subdued enough for even the most atheistic reader.

The mysterious and mystical crown, from which the book receives its name, is almost unnecessary to further a reader's interest in the story. The story receives its heart and soul from Joanna's, and the priory's, struggle to survive in a world that is abjectly hostile to anything Roman Catholic. Athestan's crown, while an interesting piece of trivia, is second fiddle to the drama that is Tudor England at this time. That being said, its very existence does raise questions on the power of faith, something at the very heart of the conflict.

The Crown by Nancy Bilyeau is a fascinating departure from typical novels about the Tudor period, specifically Henry VIII's reign. Taking place as far from court life as possible, Bilyeau is able to capture the feeling of confusion and fear of all his subjects during the rise of Cromwell and the Protestants. Joanna, as an educated woman from a family of privilege is remarkable in her humility, courage and faith. Well-researched and well-written, and requiring only a small modicum of suspension of belief, The Crown is a welcome addition to the historical fiction drama.

Acknowledgements: Thank you to NetGalley and Justina Batchelor from Simon & Schuster for my review copy!