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)

Working as a live-in personal assistant for an author, Laura is awakened one night by the sound of someone breaking into their hotel suite. When she yells for help, the masked burglar kisses her to keep her quiet, then leaves. Who is he and what was he looking for?

Laura is a pretty but empty-headed, naïve and self-deprecating – the most annoying kind of heroine(?). I picked this up because Madeleine Ker is the pseudonym of one of my favorite authors, Marius Gabriel. It was my first foray into graphic novels in which the book is read back to front, which made for an interesting experience but took some getting used to. Disappointingly, it confirmed my suspicion that pulp romance written by a talented author is still empty, unfulfilling, pulp romance, even when “printed in flirty pink ink!”

Rating: 2/5 Further reading: Marius Gabriel (wiki)

 

The Original Sin is an amazing family saga spanning three generations of women, beginning in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and climaxing in 1970s Arizona. It is a tale of family secrets, tragedy, war, passion, obsession, addiction, kidnapping, love, money, shame and redemption. This is the book that made me a Marius Gabriel fan. The first time I read it, in my late teens 10+ years ago, it utterly blew me away. This time around, too, I didn’t want it to end. It’s a shame that Mr. Gabriel is no longer writing novels.

Rating: 5/5 Further reading: Marius Gabriel (wiki)

 

In Maus, Art Spiegelman illustrates his father Vladek’s story -- of growing up as a Jew in Poland, persecuted and eventually captured and sent to Auschwitz during WWII. While portraying tragedy, Maus also manages to have a certain amount of beauty and humor, due partly to the various types of characters being rendered as different animals (e.g. Jews are drawn as mice, Germans as cats, Poles as pigs, etc.). Whenever Vladek and his wife attempt to pass as Poles, they are charmingly drawn wearing pig masks. The scenes portraying Art’s relationship with his father are touching and feel very authentic. I’m looking forward to reading Maus II.

Rating: 5/5 Further reading: Art Spiegelman (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)