So many books . . .

Gods are only as powerful as the number of mortals who believe in them. As expected then, in the beginning of the 21st century, Artemis, Apollo, Aphrodite and the rest of the Greek pantheon are weak as kittens. However, they continue to exist, sharing a flat in London, leading dissatisfying mundane lives and trying to devise a way to regain their lost power and influence. Enter two unwitting mortals, a cleaner and her would-be boyfriend, and the result is a hilarious and crazy adventure, complete with heroic deeds.

I was a little bit bothered that the mortals seemed never to have heard of Greek gods. A lot of time has passed, but we still recognize the names. That was the one disconnect for me. Otherwise, I was impressed with this entertaining debut novel.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Phillips' homepage

 

As in Pillars of the Earth, to which WWE is the sequel, the city of Kingsbridge is brought to life with colorful, boisterous, endearing and occasionally excruciating detail. The story begins approximately 200 years after PotE. At 1,000 pages, it’s a hefty tome to lug around, but it’s a relatively quick and absorbing read.

In several ways WWE was almost like reading the first book over again. The protagonists’ and antagonists’ names have changed, but at times I felt, mildly disappointedly, that I’d read it all before. This was the only reason I gave it 4 rather than 5 stars. Still highly recommended as Follett’s prose is breathtaking as usual, but make sure you read PotE first.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Follett's homepage Ken Follett (wiki)

 

John Tradescant (the elder) was one of the most skilled and famous gardeners in English history. He originally makes his mark creating gardens for Sir Robert Cecil before moving to Essex to work for the infamous George Villiers, favorite of kings James I and Charles I. Eventually, John’s talents are requested once again – this time by King Charles himself. Philippa Gregory brings John’s love for gardening and botany, as well as his yearning to discover and procure new species of flowers and trees, to life in such a way that the reader can easily share in John’s pride and fulfillment in his humble occupation.

My one complaint about the story is that John seems to step wholly out of character when it comes to Villiers, becoming decidedly wishy-washy and taking leave of his senses in a way that seems otherwise incompatible with his personality, even taking into consideration their lord/servant relationship. Despite this, I’m eager to read the sequel, which focuses on John Tradescant (the younger).

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Gregory's homepage Philippa Gregory (wiki)

 

On Chesil Beach is a short story about one young couple’s disastrous wedding night. It is the 1960s in England, and Edward and Florence have just tied the knot. In their honeymoon hotel room they’re both nervous, but for very different reasons.

I didn’t find the story entirely believable, especially for the time period. I couldn’t imagine a young couple not talking about any of these things, or even recognizing that there might be a problem! They also didn’t seem to really know each other as intimately as a couple in such a situation should. I had a hard time sympathizing as I was kind of irritated with the absurd level of non-communication.

Rating: 3/5 Further reading: McEwan's homepage Ian McEwan (wiki)

Lord John Grey, a minor character from Gabaldon’s Outlander novels, stars in this collection of short stories and novellas and is provided with various mysteries to solve. As usual, the stories are enjoyable, although at some point the thought occurred that an oddly disproportionate number of the people LJ encounters, both women and men, seem to want him. In the third story, I was worried that Ms. Gabaldon intended to kill him off. I’ve grown fond of Lord John, but I can’t help but wonder if he’ll ever find true happiness in love.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Gabaldon's homepage Diana Gabaldon (wiki)

The Hound and the Falcon takes place in an alternate reality in which the kingdom of Rhiyana, somewhere in Europe alongside traditional countries, is inhabited by the faerie folk. The first part of this tome, The Isle of Glass, I read as a separate work (review here). The latter two books bring Alf, our protagonist, first to Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade, and then back to Rhiyana and Italy as his heritage is threatened.

This book was my nemesis for some time as it took me ages to finish. I was interested in the world Ms. Tarr created, but the story was quite dry and could not hold my attention for long.

Rating: 2/5 Further reading: Tarr's homepage Judith Tarr (wiki)

Accepting that she doesn’t have any better prospects at the age of 34, Frances Scott enters into a marriage of convenience with a Bristol trader. She is soon after presented with a shipload of African slaves and instructed to school them in English and domestic duties so that they may be sold as servants to wealthy English households. With time, Frances begins to doubt the common assertion of the time that the slaves are animals and cannot be educated. One in particular, Mehuru, challenges everything she has been taught about the slave trade.

Gregory’s prose is once again breathtaking and meticulous. Unfortunately, the story itself was lacking in some areas. Frances is not much of a heroine; she isn’t particularly likable and never seems to have an opinion of her own. I wasn’t convinced of Frances’ and Mehuru’s love, having observed them seemingly going from distaste to affection with nothing in between.

Mehuru was by far the most interesting character, and I regret that we are not allowed to get to know him better. The most entertaining parts of the story involved his acclimatization to English society. Amusing are the scenes in which he is demonstrated comparing inferior aspects of English culture to those of his homeland (and the reader is forced to agree), and his descriptions of how ghastly the pale English people look. My favorite quote: “She is a white woman,” he said, trying to reassure himself, discounting his insight. “They all look sick to me.”

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Gregory's homepage Philippa Gregory (wiki)

I eagerly look forward to any of Diana Gabaldon’s new works as her prose is so vivid and meticulously detailed. Lord John, a soldier who began as a peripheral character in her Outlander series, is now getting a full-fledged story of his own as he endeavors to solve the mystery of his father’s death. Complicating matters somewhat are the imminent marriage of his mother and the arrival of his new step-brother, in whom Lord John finds a kindred spirit, in more ways than one.

I wished to enjoy this book more than I did, but in the end I had to admit that even Gabaldon’s way with words couldn’t make up for the lack of energy and excitement surrounding Lord John’s detective work. His soldiering and personal affairs, on the other hand, were the more intriguing aspects of the book.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Gabaldon's homepage Diana Gabeldon (wiki)

Throughout her entire life Meridon has sensed that she doesn’t belong in the life she’s leading, that ‘Meridon’ isn’t even her real name, and that she has a real home somewhere, waiting for her. She’s grown up in a gypsy lifestyle with her beloved sister Dandy and their step-father, a horsetrader. Leaving their step-father, Meridon and Dandy join a traveling circus and are finally able to start saving some money of their own, but just when things are going well an unthinkable tragedy strikes, leading Meridon to seek her true heritage.

This is a somewhat satisfying conclusion to the Wideacre trilogy. It certainly is more uplifting than the previous books. There are times that the heroine is rendered unlikable to the reader, and some of her actions seem contrived as merely plot devices. Overall, it was an interesting, if occasionally disturbing, series -- not bad for an author’s first works.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Gregory's homepage Philippa Gregory (wiki)

Tipperary tells the life of Charles O'Brien, an Irishman, traveling healer, proponent of Irish independence and man of some passion. His story is told by the 21st-century narrator who finds some of Charles’ personal effects in an old trunk donated to a library and, curious, begins to research his life.

From with his childhood on an Irish farm and apprenticeship to a local herbalist, we follow Charles to France where he attends Oscar Wilde at his sickbed and also falls in love, and back to Ireland where his life’s crowning achievement is overseeing the restoration of an ancient Irish castle fallen into disrepair and ruin. Meanwhile, the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War are transpiring in the background and, on occasion, in the foreground as well.

I found this an enjoyable read, with just a one small quibble. Having the narrator, who punctuates episodes from Charles’ life with additional historical information of interest to the reader as well as an account of how his research is progressing, is a bit confusing and somewhat jarring initially. Just as the reader is becoming engaged with one storyline, the perspective changes and one must guess who’s speaking. Otherwise, this period in the history of Ireland is fascinating and was almost entirely new to me, having very little idea of Irish history prior to independence. The parallels to slavery in America – Irish Catholics were forbidden to write and could be deported for owning books – were a complete surprise. I would definitely read more of Delaney’s works.

This book is due to be published in November 2007, but I got my hands on an advance reading copy via LibraryThing.

Rating: 4/5 Further reading: Delaney's homepage