Review - The Technologists by Matthew Pearl

Title: The Technologists
Author: Matthew Pearl
ISBN: 9781400066575
No. of Pages: 496
Genre: Historical Fiction, Speculative Fiction
Synopsis:

"Boston, 1868. The Civil War may be over but a new war has begun, one between the past and the present, tradition and technology. On a former marshy wasteland, the daring Massachusetts Institute of Technology is rising, its mission to harness science for the benefit of all and to open the doors of opportunity to everyone of merit. But in Boston Harbor a fiery cataclysm throws commerce into chaos, as ships' instruments spin inexplicably out of control. Soon after, another mysterious catastrophe devastates the heart of the city. Is it sabotage by scientific means or Nature revolting against man's attempt to control it?

The shocking disasters cast a pall over M.I.T. and provoke assaults from all sides — rival Harvard, labor unions, and a sensationalistic press. With their first graduation and the very survival of their groundbreaking college now in doubt, a band of the Institute's best and brightest students secretly come together to save innocent lives and track down the truth, armed with ingenuity and their unique scientific training.

Led by "charity scholar" Marcus Mansfield, a quiet Civil War veteran and one-time machinist struggling to find his footing in rarefied Boston society, the group is rounded out by irrepressible Robert Richards, the bluest of Beacon Hill bluebloods; Edwin Hoyt, class genius; and brilliant freshman Ellen Swallow, the Institute's lone, ostracized female student. Working against their small secret society, from within and without, are the arrayed forces of a stratified culture determined to resist change at all costs and a dark mastermind bent on the utter destruction of the city."

Thoughts: Reading The Technologists by Matthew Pearl is a great reminder why cross-genre novels are popular these days. The appeal of a novel that is more than a mystery, more than a thriller, and more than a work of historical fiction creates a fairly broad reader base. Not only that, but it creates a much more satisfyingly intricate and robust story. The Technologists is definitely that. With its commentary of class and gender distinctions, presentation of historical fact merged with intriguing fiction, and a killer mystery, the complexity of the scientific sections is offset by its sympathetic characters and thought-provoking descriptions of Bostonian societal norms, creating a novel that will attract a wide swath of readers and more importantly, keep their interest.

With a novel written about the first students at MIT and titled The Technologists, one knows immediately upon picking it up that it is going to be heavily laden with scientific discussions and events. Science and technology in any novel can be tricky to write, as a reader needs to be able to understand the science mentioned and, in the case of science fiction, needs to be able to believe the possibilities of such technology. Thankfully, Mr. Pearl is up to the challenge. Most of the scientific descriptions involve issues that are considered common knowledge today, or at least are mentioned in most high school chemistry, geography, and physics classes. For those discussions that may be a little more complicated, Mr. Pearl uses the characters to explain the science in a fashion that is informative without being condescending. In addition, for a reader who may be struggling with some of the science behind the action, the nods to scientific discoveries that are common knowledge today but were in their infancy at the time in the novel, e.g. food science, bacteriology, robotics, create light-hearted moments of superiority. The Technologists allows the reader to remember just how far the world of science has come in a relatively short time span.

What does come as a surprise when reading The Technologists is the antagonism between Harvard and MIT. This is one area in which Mr. Pearl tried not to stray from fact as much as possible, and it is fascinating to discover how patronizing and smug the Harvard students and faculty were towards the fledgling college. For a city, nay a country, that prides itself on being equal opportunity for all, even though it struggles in the execution, the divide between the haves – those able to afford college – and the have-nots – those forced to work for a living – was almost insurmountable. Although modern readers may expect such a divide due to money and the overall cost of receiving any sort of post-secondary education, the astonishment in The Technologists comes at the attitudes. Those not considered part of “society” were considered inferior and therefore not acceptable material for any college or university, and heaven help the poor soul who attempted to rise above their position. It is a shocking and disturbing display of the fundamental attitudinal differences between the “one percenters” and the rest of society. It also creates an unprecedented amount of empathy for the poor students at MIT who faced ridicule, lack of actual diplomas, and uncertain futures to pave the way for a new type of education.

The overall story of The Technologists is full of the most subtle twists and turns. Just when a reader thinks the story is going in one direction, the plot twists into a new one. This allows the resolution of the mystery to remain shrouded, providing a surprising and satisfying ending to the story. Mr. Pearl ladens his plot twists with well-described details and thoughtful insight into his characters. The fact that a majority of the students involved were either real or are based on actual students allows Mr. Pearl to create fairly three-dimensional characters that do much to enhance the overall story. Through the requisite descriptions and scientific discussions, Mr. Pearl is able to maintain decent pacing, as there are only a few moments where the story bogs down in the details. Thankfully, he writes himself out of such danger traps to create a story that is fairly fast-paced with a fine balance between attention to detail and action.

The Technologists is a fun romp through Boston after the Civil War at a time where science was advancing in unprecedented leaps and bounds. Not only is it a thrilling mystery, it also provides readers with a fascinating look at the issues facing the creation of one of the most respected colleges today. While much of the action is fictional, Mr. Pearl’s notes provide an excellent breakdown of the fictional liberties he took versus the historical details he kept pure and unadulterated. Even though the blend of fact and fiction is not necessarily seamless due to the nature of the fictional pieces, the accurate factual events create a more robust and believable story. The end result is a creative, engaging, and informative historical technological mystery.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to LibraryThing's Early Reader Program for my review copy!

It's Monday, July 30th! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by Sheila from Book Journey, this is a weekly event to share what we've read in the past week and what we hope to read, plus whatever else comes to mind.

Finished Last Week:



Currently Reading:



Currently Listening:



Up Next:



What are you reading this week?

The Sunday Salon - July 29th Edition

Hello, mine Liebchen! I'm coming to you from my new iPad using my Zagg keyboard and even better, from my family room. This is the first weekend in a very, very long time where the entire family is together with no travel plans and no commuting. To say it has been wonderful may just be the understatement of the decade.

My second trip to Mexico was SO much better than my last trip. It turns out travelling with people who have been there before really is a good thing. The city I was visited this time was better too. San Luis Potosi caters to a lot of American companies, so my lack of Spanish was not quite the hindrance this time either. Granted, there were two very long travel days, as there is no easy way down there, but they have the cutest airport and direct flights from Dallas and from Houston. No two+ hours by car this time, thank goodness! I have to go back at the end of November, and this time I will have to drive around the city. Considering the fact that there is no discernible rules of the road, that should make for an interesting trip.

I have to say I have been having so much fun watching the Olympics. Seeing all those athletes at the peak of conditioning, moving their bodies in ways I will never be able is inspiring and thrilling. I thought Danny Boyle did a fantastic job with the opening ceremonies, even if NBC did a horrible job with their commentary and editing. I cannot wait to see the gymnastics, more swimming, soccer, volleyball, and everything else under the sun. Go Team USA!

Reviewed this week:

• The Wishing Trees by John Shors
• Playing with Matches by Carolyn D. Wall
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King (audio)

I hope everyone is enjoying a relaxing and low-key Sunday. Happy reading!

Posted with Blogsy

Fabulous Friday - July 27th

The Olympics start today!!

Even better, the official song of the Olympics is sung by the one and only MUSE!! (Honestly, did you think I would let that one slip past without mentioning it?)

Have fun watching the Olympics, listening to Muse and cheering on your favorite athletes from around the world!

What makes this a fabulous Friday for you?

Audiobook Review - 11/22/63 by Stephen King

Title: 11/22/63
Author: Stephen King
Narrator: Craig Wasson
ISBN: 9781442344280
Audiobook Length: 30 hours, 43 minutes
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Synopsis:

"Jake Epping is a thirty-five-year-old high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching adults in the GED program. He receives an essay from one of the students — a gruesome, harrowing first person story about the night fifty years ago when Harry Dunning's father came home and killed his mother, his sister, and his brother with a hammer. Harry escaped with a smashed leg, as evidenced by his crooked walk.

Not much later, Jake's friend Al, who runs the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to 1958. He enlists Jake on an insane — and insanely possible — mission to try to prevent the Kennedy assassination. So begins Jake's new life as George Amberson and his new world of Elvis and JFK, of big American cars and sock hops, of a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and a beautiful high school librarian named Sadie Dunhill, who becomes the love of Jake’s life — a life that transgresses all the normal rules of time."

Thoughts: If you were given the opportunity to go back in time, would you do it? Such is the choice facing Jake Epping in Stephen King's 11/22/63. Having become privy to a secret “wormhole” that always leads back to 1958, Jake has been tasked to change history’s biggest watershed moment, the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Yet, spending five years in the past is not without its consequences, as Jake soon learns. After all, the past is obdurate. As Jake gets more comfortable with his new lifestyle and begins executing his master plan, certain events force him to rethink his entire mission. What follows is a thrilling journey through time, as Jake races to make tough decisions that will impact not only his own happiness but the entire world.

Jake is the type of hero for whom it is easy to cheer. There is an affability about him that makes it so easy for a reader to become engaged in his story. He is the cool teacher who knows when to joke with and when to push students, the kind one remembers fondly as one of his or her larger influences in high school. He is the next-door neighbor who lives a quiet, unassuming life but is always there when you need a helping hand. He is unobtrusive but still manages to make an impression as a genuinely nice guy. Because of this, a reader is immediately drawn to his story as he wanders through time and is faced with unfathomable choices. There is no ambiguity to his character. The reader unequivocally knows that Jake will always have the best intentions at heart. Because of Jake, 11/22/63 is as fun and absorbing as it is. Told by anyone else, and occurring to anyone with any semblance of agenda would ruin the effect.

The historical details are where 11/22/63 absolutely sparkles. Mr. King's highly-detailed prose leaves no room for error in allowing readers to imagine life in 1958-1963. Everything from the scents in the air to the taste of the food to the lack of sound at night to the various personalities, Mr. King deftly describes it all, creating am almost third or fourth dimension to the novel. Even better is the fact that Mr. King does not romanticize the past. He portrays both the positives and the negatives of the era, providing as real an image as one could possibly imagine without actually being there. More importantly, Mr. King's research into the era pays off with detailed descriptions and explanations of Lee Harvey Oswald's actions leading up to November 22nd and helps to dispel some of the conspiracy theories that continue to abound. While he falls short of humanizing this most infamous of all assassins, readers have a better understanding of why Oswald acted as he did. Because this is as much a work of history as it is a work of science fiction, the details matter. Thankfully, Mr. King delivers on all counts.

Craig Wasson is an excellent choice as narrator. His performance is practically seamless, making it all too easy to forget that he is not actually Jake Epping. Mr. Wasson has just the right amount of gravel in his intonations that makes his voice age-appropriate. His New England, Texas, and Georgia drawls are spot-on without being overdone. His performance of Jake’s reactions to his initial foray into 1958 are absolutely priceless as well as infectious; a reader is left longing for the opportunity to experience that amazing root beer, just as Jake does. Mr. Wasson’s performance, combined with Mr. King’s words, makes 11/22/63 an excellent example of an audiobook.

11/22/63 is an ambitious and fascinating cross-genre novel that highlights Mr. King’s ability to tell a story. Those readers who were too young to experience the 1950s and 1960s can easily evoke the era through Mr. King’s thorough descriptions. Those who remember exactly where they were when President Kennedy was shot will be immediately drawn back to those years, able to clearly recollect the good and the bad about the early 1960s. Jake is a natural everyman hero, someone readers can easily picture as their favorite teacher or even a beloved relative. This familiarity adds a strength to his character that would not have existed had he been anything other than his down-home, grass-roots self. The story itself, as it weaves in and around Dallas, drawing closer to the deadline, is absolutely entrancing, with its comprehensive historical details, intriguing science fiction appeal, and poignant love story. With 11/22/63, Mr. King proves that he has not lost his ability to compose an engaging and addictive story.

Acknowledgments: Mine. All mine.

Review - Playing With Matches by Carolyn Wall

Title: Playing with Matches
Author: Carolyn Wall
ISBN: 9780345525697
No. of Pages: 320
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis:

"Growing up in False River, Mississippi, Clea Shine learned early that a small town is no place for big secrets. Having fled years ago in the wake of a tragedy and now settled with a family of her own, she faces a turning point in her marriage and seeks refuge in the one place she vowed never to return.

Clea’s homecoming is bittersweet. Reunited with Jerusha Lovemore, the kindly neighbor who raised her, Clea gains a sense of love and comfort, but still cannot escape the ghosts of her past: the abandonment by her disreputable mother, her constant search for belonging, the truth behind that fateful night from long ago. Once outspoken and impulsive, Clea now seeks only redemption and peace of mind. And as a hurricane threatens to hit False River, everything she has tried to forget may finally be exposed once and for all."

Thoughts: In Carolyn Wall’s Playing with Matches, a reader comes face-to-face with what can only be termed as an eclectic cast of characters brought together by familial bonds as established by blood and by love. At the center of this group is Clea, a young girl abandoned by her mother at birth but forced to watch this same mother live her life as Clea’s next-door neighbor. The “mommy issues” that abound culminate in a tragedy that impacts all of their lives and directly correlate to Clea’s trust issues as an adult. When seeking refuge among those who loved her as a child, Clea is forced to reconcile her past in order to be able to come to grips with her present and be able to move on with her future.

Clea Shine is a character about whom readers can sympathize but with whom they cannot empathize. This is a key difference that directly relates to one’s understanding of Clea’s motivations and overall enjoyment of Playing with Matches. While it easy for a reader to feel sorry for Clea because of her abandonment issues, her warring desires to seek her mother’s approval and to put as much distance between her and her mother’s chosen profession and town infamy remain more difficult to fathom. Much of this is the fault of the first-person narrative, as a reader must weed through the emotions and mental capacity of Clea as a child during the key scenes in the novel. Even though Clea is an intelligent child, she is extremely naïve and conceited, which makes discerning the truth a somewhat trying task. Along a similar vein, while adult Clea is very relatable, child Clea is not very likable. Her naiveté seems misplaced for the time of the story, and her unwillingness to learn more about her fellow neighbors let alone learn from past mistakes makes her fairly unpalatable. One’s understanding of Clea improves once the story jumps ahead in time to when Clea is an adult but by that time the damage is done.

There is a constancy to Playing with Matches that creates a dreamlike quality throughout the entire novel. The meandering lifestyle that exists in False River is as appropriate for the late 1800s as it is for the more current decades. While this does much to establish the timelessness of Clea’s simultaneous derision of and desire for her mother, it also can create some very jarring moments while reading when the true time period makes itself known. Snippets such as songs on the radio, descriptions of car makes and models, media references, and the mention of various electronic equipment on the surface, while establishing a time frame for reference, never fail to surprise a reader at the modernity of the tale. While this is not a bad thing, it can be decidedly unsettling.

Playing with Matches is one of those novels which requires an emotional connection between the reader and the main character for total enjoyment. Without it, the entire story fails to impress or live up to its potential. Readers may find it difficult to establish that essential emotional bond because Clea’s character remains such a conundrum throughout the story. The story jumps from random event to random event, failing to allowing the reader a full understanding of Clea’s thoughts and actions. The jumps through time create a jaggedness that only serves to accentuate just how little a reader truly knows her. That being said, the shining beacon in the entire novel is Auntie, who remains the steadfastly loyal and loving caretaker that she shows herself to be within the first few pages. While Clea remains unclear and relatively undefined, Auntie is the exact opposite. Had Clea been as well-defined as Auntie, or at least more vibrant, Playing with Matches would have been a powerful novel about the need to belong and the power of love. Instead, it is a rather insipid, predictable story that tries to eke out drama where none exists.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Dell for my e-galley!

Review - The Wishing Trees by John Shors

Title: The Wishing Trees
Author: John Shors
ISBN: 9780451231130
No. of Pages: 368
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis:

"Almost a year after the death of his wife, Kate, former high-tech executive Ian finds a letter that will change his life. It contains Kate's final wish-a plea for him to take their ten-year-old daughter, Mattie, on a trip across Asia, through the countries they had planned to visit to celebrate their fifteenth anniversary.

Eager to honor the woman they loved, Ian and Mattie embark on an epic journey that retraces the early days of Ian's relationship with Kate. Along the way, Ian and Mattie leave paper "wishes" in ancient trees as symbols of their connection to Kate and their dreams for the future. Through incredible landscapes and inspiring people, Ian and Mattie are greeted with miracles large and small. And as they celebrate what Kate meant to them, they begin to find their way back to each other, discovering that healing is possible and love endures-lessons that Kate hoped to show them all along..."

Thoughts: Unless one has experienced the loss of a loved one, novels about such topics are difficult to critique. Being too harsh makes a reviewer appear insensitive and somewhat cruel, but to falsely praise a story about loss and grief when it does not deserve it does a disservice to potential readers everywhere. Such is the conundrum with John Shors’ The Wishing Trees.

The Wishing Trees’ main premise, a journey between father and daughter, brought about by the dying wishes of the wife/mother, is poignant and compelling. Imagine rediscovering old haunts and places held dear in one’s memory while still suffering from the loss of one’s beloved. As a result, Ian and Mattie’s journey is as complicated, and as emotional, as one would expect. However, the issue with The Wishing Trees is the fact that it is all a bit too much. It is too emotional, too dramatic, too predictable. Ian’s Australian accent is too exaggerated. Mattie’s artistic skills are too perfect. The storyline is too tidy. All too soon into this relatively short story, it takes on a fairy tale-like quality, in which the reader must suspend disbelief in order to continue reading. Even though Mr. Shors does not shy away from highlighting the problems with each of the countries Ian and Mattie visit, he also romanticizes the locales too much, making it appear that the countries’ problems are easily solved by money. It is not necessarily the lesson Mr. Shors was intending to portray, but it unfortunately comes across to the reader that way just the same.

The end result is a novel that is a bit too saccharin for full enjoyment. Ian and Mattie quickly become caricatures, and a reader can predict the ending well before the halfway point of the novel. While Mr. Shors’ descriptions of the various countries is excellent and quite evocative, Ian’s explanations to Mattie as well as what occurs in each country is patronizing. It is as if the reader is Mattie, and Mr. Shors, through Ian, is talking down to the reader much as a school teacher would when lecturing difficult or exasperating students. While cute for the first fifty pages, it becomes difficult to swallow as the story progresses.

The Wishing Trees is not a bad story; however it is not very good one either. Grief is a tricky emotion to portray with sensitivity and authenticity, and unfortunately, Mr. Shors falls short in accomplishing this. Ian and Mattie’s grief is too overdone to be believable, and the entire novel reads like a sermon about moving on with one’s life and about the hardships others face around the globe. Less preaching and more overall realism would go a long way to improving one’s overall enjoyment of the story. As it stands, there are better novels written that explore this topic with more subtlety and finesse than The Wishing Trees.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to LibraryThing's Early Readers Program for my review copy!

It's Monday, July 23rd! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by Sheila from Book Journey, this is a weekly event to share what we've read in the past week and what we hope to read, plus whatever else comes to mind.

Finished Last Week:



Currently Reading:



Currently Listening:



Up Next:



What are you reading this week?

The Sunday Salon - July 22nd Edition

Good morning! I'm coming to you from the comfort of my sunny family room, typing between breaks of gazing out at my backyard. I ended up finishing the house within three days, which was my goal, but I was so sore and exhausted after finishing unpacking and cleaning that I just could not stomach the idea of jumping on the computer and writing. But I'm back! I may not have caught up on email and comments, but I have at least been posting again.

The house is gorgeous, and we are SO happy to be settled in it. There are still some little odd jobs that we need to finish, like putting up pictures and tackling the yardwork, which is not such a little job with all of the landscaping. Unfortunately, Jim is still commuting back and forth between Ohio and Wisconsin until the end of August, so most of his "honey do" list has to fit into his travel schedule. Yikes.

Speaking of travel schedules, I'm heading out for my first business trip with the new company. I'm heading back to Mexico, but this time I am not going alone - thank goodness. I am also flying directly into the final destination rather than having to endure a two-hour drive after the plane trip. I will also be two hours north of where I was the last time. I'll be in San Luis Potosi until Wednesday morning. This is going to wreak even more havoc on being able to get caught up on email, but sometimes when the CFO and controller tell you that you have to go to Mexico every quarter, you go.

So, reviewed over the past two weeks:

• Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (audio)
• The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman
• Talulla Rising by Glen Duncan
• Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher (audio)

That's about it for me! I have to go finish packing and head out to the airport. Nothing like giving up my Sunday just to travel for business. I hope this trip is better than my last one, and I hope it goes by quickly. I really do not want to spend any more time in yet another hotel! I hope you all have a better Sunday than I will be having. Happy reading!

Fabulous Friday - July 20th

How's this for fabulous furniture? It may occupy a niche and really serve no purpose other than to fill that spot, but I can't help but adore this little chest. It makes me happy knowing it is in my house!

What makes this a fabulous Friday for you?

Audiobook Review - Proven Guilty by Jim Butcher

Title: Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files #08)
Author: Jim Butcher
Narrator: James Marsters
ISBN: B0027IQ5O8
Audiobook Length: 16 hours, 16 minutes, 46 seconds
Synopsis:

"Harry, the only wizard in the Chicago phone book, is drafted to look into rumors of black magic in the Windy City. And if that wasn't enough, he must help the daughter of an old friend, whose boyfriend was the only one in a room where an old man was attacked. He insists he didn't do it. And what looks like a supernatural assault straight out of a horror film turns out to be — well, something quite close to that, as Harry discovers that malevolent entities that feed on fear are loose in Chicago."

Thoughts: Proven Guilty, the eighth book in The Dresden Files, opens with the reader’s first glimpse of Harry in his new role as a Warden of the White Council. As a position he has always despised, he must reconcile his abhorrence at the blind following of the law that the Council tends to adopt with his own sensibilities and ethics. It is a complication that lends sobriety to a series that tends to veer towards the jocular as often as possible and a major clue that Harry will have to master his tendency to crack jokes first and think through his words carefully if he hopes to prove capable of attending to the Big Bad storyline that is brewing a little stronger with each novel. In fact, everything about Proven Guilty establishes Harry’s growing involvement in White Council business, political and magical, and paves the way for future character maturation before Mr. Butcher reveals the final master plot.

What makes Dresden’s world so interesting is the interconnectedness of his circle of friends and acquaintances. Every novel adds another level of depth and understanding to these side characters. In Proven Guilty, the readers get the chance to know more than just Michael but the entire Carpenter family. Charity’s disapproval and distrust of Harry, as well as Molly’s teenage confusion, establishes a better knowledge of the Carpenter family dynamic and Michael’s special role in the battle between good and evil than Michael’s direct involvement in Harry’s cases ever did. While Harry’s story is essential to the overarching plot of the entire series, it is the spotlighted side characters that bring heart and added tension to the individual storylines.

What can be said about James Marsters as narrator that has not already been said? His ability to move beyond the words on the page and bring to life Harry and the entire cast of characters is practically unparalleled. Dresden’s Chicago comes to life through his narration better than any reader’s imagination could create. Let’s face it – Mr. Marsters actually makes an old Volkswagen Beetle a sympathetic secondary character. If he can do that with inanimate objects, imagine what he does with sentient beings and then go experience it for yourself. You will not be disappointed!

With Proven Guilty, Mr. Butcher continues to build upon a strong series. This is no series built haphazardly but rather a full and carefully plotted story reminiscent of J.J. Abrams and Joss Whedon, whereby each successive story is better, more engaging, and more informative than the last. Harry’s future is building towards something big – that is something careful readers unequivocally know thanks to subtle hints and clues. However, what it is remains tantalizingly unknown. As the stakes get higher, and the reader gets closer to uncovering the Big Bad Plot, the series gets more and more interesting, if that is even possible. Proven Guilty uncovers a few new clues for readers to contemplate while allowing the characters to sufficiently develop to continue to make them realistic and at the same time providing an intriguing standalone story. This means that Proven Guilty is not exactly what fans of The Dresden Files series have come to expect; it is even better than expected.

Acknowledgments: Mine. All mine.

Review - Talulla Rising by Glen Duncan

Title: Talulla Rising
Author: Glen Duncan
ISBN: 9780307595096
No. of Pages: 368
Genre: Horror
Synopsis:

"When I change I change fast. The moon drags the whatever-it-is up from the earth and it goes through me with crazy wriggling impatience . . . I'm twisted, torn, churned, throttled — then rushed through a blind chicane into ludicrous power . . . A heel settles. A last canine hurries through. A shoulder blade pops. The woman is a werewolf.

The woman is Talulla Demetriou.

She's grieving for her werewolf lover, Jake, whose violent death has left her alone with her own sublime monstrousness. On the run, pursued by the hunters of WOCOP (World Organisation for the Control of Occult Phenomena), she must find a place to give birth to Jake's child in secret.

The birth, under a full moon at a remote Alaska lodge, leaves Talulla ravaged, but with her infant son in her arms she believes the worst is over — until the windows crash in, and she discovers that the worst has only just begun . . .

What follows throws Talulla into a race against time to save both herself and her child as she faces down the new, psychotic leader of WOCOP, a cabal of blood-drinking religious fanatics, and (rumor has it) the oldest living vampire."

Thoughts: In The Last Werewolf, readers met Jake, a 400-year-old werewolf who believes that he is the last of his kind until he meets Talulla and his entire world suddenly takes on new meaning after hundreds of years of ennui and survival. Talulla Rising picks up roughly seven months after The Last Werewolf with Jake dead and Talulla alternating between fear at her inability to balance her monster with motherhood and grief over the loss of her true love. Upon the kidnapping of her son immediately after his birth, what follows is a breathtaking story that allows the reader to run the gamut of emotional responses at Talulla’s actions and inactions, her warring instincts, and own inner turmoil. Told in a similar journalistic fashion as The Last Werewolf, readers get true insight into Talulla’s internal conflicts, her self-disgust, and her opposing desires.

The idea of a monster becoming a mother is nothing new, but Mr. Duncan is able to bring a freshness to the story that is intriguing. More importantly, even though Talulla is female and turns into a literal monster once a month, he manages to create her story without delving too horribly into the cliché of women’s monthly cycle, something that would be all too easy to do. Talulla’s struggles drive home the issues that arise when any woman becomes a mother and must adjust her entire lifestyle to accommodate these changes. Yet, the story’s true heart is the idea that someone completely conflicted about her role as a mother is willing to move heaven and earth to recover her stolen child. When Talulla is at her most driven, the reader becomes utterly captivated, and the reader’s despair over her grief is nothing compared to the reader’s feelings of impotence when things look the bleakest for Talulla and her allies. It is an emotional investment that is totally absorbing.

Make no mistake, however, that Talulla Rising is more than a trite and tortuous rescue mission. There is just enough gravitas and psychological discussions to please even the most discerning of literary critics. While The Last Werewolf was an introduction into Mr. Duncan’s world of supernatural creatures, it is through Talulla’s eyes where his world takes on substance. Everything a reader thought s/he understood from Jake’s story is quickly found to have no meaning as her experiences show that the world of supernatural creatures and their hunters is more complicated and fraught with peril than Jake ever knew. Keeping track of the overly large cast of characters may be complicated, but there the reader implicitly knows that it is essential for understanding the depth and details of Talulla’s world and vital for future storylines.

In The Last Werewolf, Glen Duncan introduced readers to an entirely new version of werewolf that was at once fascinating and disgusting. In Talulla Rising, he continues his masterful storytelling and ups the ante by adding a nurturing element that drives home the monstrosity that is the werewolf curse. While Jake wrestled with his own issues after having been alive for over 400 years, Talulla’s story is sufficiently more complicated and human. Not only must she deal with her own monstrousness, she has to wrest away enough residual humanity to become a mother. Mr. Duncan’s vision of werewolves is still graphically violent and overtly sexual, but due to her youth, her inexperience as a werewolf, her pending motherhood, and her abrupt switch into rescue mode, there is a poignancy to Talulla’s story that outshines the gory explicitness. With its twists and turns and surprising ending, Talulla Rising is a worthy sequel to one of last year’s more exciting novels.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to Kim Thornton from Random House for my e-galley!

Fabulous Friday - July 13th

Boxes are unpacked. Furniture is in its place. The house is clean. I have my family back together under one roof. We are going to celebrate by heading to a Milwaukee Brewers' game tonight. I can't think of anything better, other than going back to our new home and sleeping on our respective beds after the game!

What makes this a fabulous Friday for you?

Review - The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman

Title: The Most Dangerous Thing
Author: Laura Lippman
ISBN: 9780061706516
No. of Pages: 352
Genre: Mystery
Synopsis:

"Some secrets can't be kept....

Years ago, they were all the best of friends. But as time passed and circumstances changed, they grew apart, became adults with families of their own, and began to forget about the past — and the terrible lie they all shared. But now Gordon, the youngest and wildest of the five, has died and the others are thrown together for the first time in years.

And then the revelations start.

Could their long-ago lie be the reason for their troubles today? Is it more dangerous to admit to what they've done or is it the strain of keeping the secret that is beginning to wear on them and everyone close to them? Each one of these old friends has to wonder if their secret has been discovered — and if someone within the circle is out to destroy them."

Thoughts: The streak of excellent novels had to end sometime. End it did with the reading of Laura Lippman’s The Most Dangerous Thing. Even though she has won numerous awards for her work, The Most Dangerous Thing is not her most impressive piece of fiction. In fact, it falls flat as it explores the consequences of secrets from a long-ago event that tore apart a group of friends.

There are several issues with The Most Dangerous Thing that precludes a reader’s thorough enjoyment of the novel. One of these is the narrator. Told in first-person omniscient, the narrator never identifies him- or herself. Clues as to the identity of the mysterious and all-knowing narrator are confusing. While knowing the identity of the narrator is not necessary to the overall plot, it can be bothersome reading as this unknown entity inserts him- or herself into the story. It is both annoying and puzzling because the first-person narrative implies direct knowledge of the proceedings and direct involvement with each of the characters. Yet, as the story progresses and each of the characters’ struggles comes under the spotlight, the narrator eliminates each of the five main characters as possibilities. This makes the narrator an unknown sixth member of the group, which flies in the face of the constant mentioning of the five spokes of a star – which is how the group refers to itself. Again, it is not necessary to decipher the mystery of the narrator to understand or enjoy the rest of the novel, but it is a niggling presence that can exasperate an attentive reader.

The characters are another major issue of the novel. The Most Dangerous Thing hinges on the premise that these five people meant the world to each other, and something horrible caused them to fall apart. Actually, this is what Ms. Lippman would like the reader to believe. What comes across is something far different. For one thing, Ms. Lippman does not present her case well that these five teenagers were lifelong friends abruptly torn apart by secrets. A reader quickly realizes they were anything but lifelong friends, as they were only friends together for a brief period of time. Even though they spent a few key summers together, summer friendships are not the same thing as BFFs. Similarly, the secret that supposedly tore them apart was not quite as shocking or life-altering as one might expect, tragic though it is. Instead, readers can see the group of friends fracturing well before the secret event deepened the fissure. All this results in a story that does not quite sit right with a reader, as the idea of four people who last hung out together thirty years ago coming to the aid of a fifth childhood friend is highly unlikely. Even worse, the idea that these same four people would still refer to a forty-year-old man as Go-Go is even more laughable and just as aggravating.

Lastly, the mystery itself is the last major issue of the novel. The sense of horror and trauma that one would expect to exist once the final secret is uncovered never occurs. The big event that supposedly changes the course of their friendship is equally clouded, as the all-knowing narrator does not know what truly happened and never really shares the truth. Rather, the reader discovers the truth in nondramatic pieces. The effect is a novel that is a mystery without any suspense, a drama without any emotion. In other words, the entire story is about as anticlimactic as they come.

While Ms. Lippman is known for her mysteries, and while it technically does fall into that same category, it is difficult to consider The Most Dangerous Thing as a true mystery. There is no whodunit, no real suspense, and no life-or-death situations. Rather than letting the unfolding mystery set the tone and pace, the characters drive the plot as each reevaluates their life’s choices in the aftermath of the death of one of their childhood friends. Unfortunately, none of the characters is very enjoyable, leaving a reader unimpressed and unmoved by the urgency and emotions the characters supposedly feel. Even though there are glimpses of the talent that has made Ms. Lippman so popular among mystery enthusiasts, without a real mystery and without the necessary emotional connections to build suspense, The Most Dangerous Thing fails to impress.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to Chelsey Emmelhainz and Shawn Nicholls from William Morrow for my review copy!

Audiobook Review - Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Title: Gone Girl
Author: Gillian Flynn
Narrators: Julia Whelan, Kirby Heyborne
ISBN: B0088UT8IO
Audiobook Length: 19 hours, 13 minutes
Genre: Mystery
Synopsis:

"On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media — as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents — the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter — but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?"

Thoughts: The trick to explaining one’s reactions to Gillian Flynn’s latest novel, Gone Girl, is to avoid giving away too much detail or providing too many hints as to the plot. Even the most innocuous of mentions would be enough to impact a reader’s overall enjoyment of the story, as its power lies in its ability to shock and awe a reader. To ruin that shock for a reader does the reader and the novel a disservice. Consider this a warning that this is going to be an attempt at an extremely vague review.

Part aside, part journal entry, Gone Girl explores the two sides when a beloved wife goes missing and the aftermath that befalls her husband. There is so much depth to the story, and to each of the characters, that a reader gets a very real understanding of the motivations and thought processes behind their actions. It is as complete a picture of a character as one would wish to have. In fact, a reader might wish for less insight into the characters, as the understanding only increases the emotional connection between reader and character. The result is one intense emotional roller coaster that never really ends even upon cessation of reading.

The events and the characters in Gone Girl provide even the most amateur of psychologists with enough fodder for thought to keep one busy for months, if not years. Both Nick’s and Amy’s actions and reactions are as much nurture as nature, and it takes complete knowledge of each character to be able to discern which attribute is inherent and which is learned. Ms. Flynn’s trick is to uncover each in small bits, enticing one to keep reading in order to be able to uncover yet another piece of the puzzle.

As Amy and Nick, Julia Whelan and Kirby Heyborne are masterful. Each narrator manages to convey the smugness, the fury, the righteousness, the innocence, the confusion, and the fear each character feels as the story progresses. In fact, their performance helps enhance the mind games that make Gone Girl such an amazing experience. Their individual adjustments to pitch, intonation, and accent not only help listeners understand that they are speaking on behalf of another character but also provide clues as to the mindset of the individual narrator. This is extremely important once a listener understands the true nature of the Dunnes. To say anymore would be to unveil essential plot points that, to learn in advance, would only serve as to ruin some of the surprises. Suffice it to say, the audio version of Gone Girl does much to enhance the strange twists and turns that occur throughout the novel thanks, in large part, to Ms. Whelan’s and Mr. Heyborne’s performances.

Look up the phrase “mind game” in the dictionary, and Gone Girl should now appear as one of the examples listed. In fact, it takes the phrase “mind game” to an entirely new level, as the plot winds around and back on itself in such a manner that a reader never really knows what is next going to happen. From almost the first sentence, the reader is completely drawn into the lives of these incredibly vivid characters, and the emotional involvement that results is agonizingly strong. The final scene is quite literally jaw-dropping, and the entire novel will leave a reader bereft of speech over its intensity and cleverness. Gone Girl is earning rave reviews for a very good reason. It will not be a surprise if it ranks among one of the best novels of the year. It is that good, and the audio version makes it even better.

Acknowledgments: Mine. All mine.

Review - Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

Title: Cranford
Author: Elizabeth Gaskell
ISBN: 9780486426815
No. of Pages: 330
Genre: Classics
Synopsis:

"A sensitive and moving portrait of life and manners in an English country village during the 1830s, Cranford recounts the events and activities in the lives of a group of spinsters and widows who struggle in genteel poverty to maintain their standards of propriety, decency, and kindness."

Thoughts: Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell is one of those novels that really has no plot. There is no mystery. There is no real tension that keeps a reader engaged and absorbed. Rather, it is a series of vignettes about life in this little English village, focusing on a small group of friends and their “adventures” as they meander through life. While it may not be the most exciting of novels, there is something about these glimpses into genteel life that is utterly charming. Therein lies its power.

Cranford harkens back to a simpler time. Life moved slowly, and the villagers were isolated. Visitors from other towns were exciting. Visitors from other countries were completely exotic and grist for the gossip mill for months. It is a life that is unfathomable to the fast-paced, rapidly-shrinking world of today, which makes Cranford all the more special for its portrayal of this historical era.

Not only does Cranford describe a simpler time, it also describes simpler people, ones who concern themselves with their knitting, their charitable acts, their invitations for tea and polite card games, and their new hats or caps. They also worry about money, albeit in a very polite, very understated manner. In fact, one of Cranford’s main themes is the limitations and lack of options women, especially unmarried women, had at the time. Regardless of a reader’s opinion on the matter, the fact is that single women over a certain age without family money and/or male relatives found themselves with very few socially acceptable options to provide an income upon which they could live.

More than anything, though, Cranford showcases the Golden Rule in action. Miss Matty is the written embodiment of acting towards others as she would like to be treated. Everything about Cranford is old-fashioned, including the seeming lack of a main plot. Yet, the Golden Rule and examples of what it looks like in action never go out of style.

Cranford is a simple story with very little action. It meanders throughout the lives of the women in Cranford with no seeming connections. Modern readers used to fast-paced novels will be uncomfortable at the slow pace and lack of action. Yet, the simplicity of the story is what creates the story’s charm. Miss Matty’s genuine niceness will soften even the most cynical of modern readers. The pacing of the story is perfect for reading it one chapter at a time, allowing for a wonderful break from the breakneck speed of modernity. So, grab your hot beverage of choice and snuggle in for a charming, old-fashioned story that is meant to be enjoyed slowly.

Acknowledgments: Mine. All mine.

It's Monday, July 9th! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by Sheila from Book Journey, this is a weekly event to share what we've read in the past week and what we hope to read, plus whatever else comes to mind.

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