Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth - the epic story of several generations building a cathedral in the 12th century - is one of my all-time favorite books. Recommended by my high school guidance counselor as a great example of someone who combined two lifelong interests, it was captivating from the first page.
When World Without End, the long-awaited sequel, came out a few years ago (and 20 years after Pillars) my dad sent me a copy the day it was released. I was excited to read it but somehow couldn't get started - Web read it instead and then it sat on my bookshelf.
Well once I finally opened the book I couldn't put it down. It was great!! It seemed to be written in a less sophisticated style than the original, compounded by the beginning of the book following several young children who are playing in the woods. Another difference from Pillars was that in this book, two of the main characters were women, a point of view I enjoyed reading. The story was about the town the cathedral had been built in, and how it had evolved 150 years later. The relationships between the royalty, the Church, and the guild were really intriguing, and I also enjoyed the inclusion of real historical events like the Plague. All of that coupled with a cast of good characters (as well as some great "bad guys") the book read quickly.
If you loved Pillars, (how could you not/?) this is a good sequel. I think the book would stand alone also, but you may as well read Pillars first.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morten
I read Distant Hours last summer and enjoyed it, so I decided to read another of Morton's novels.
This story starts with Nell, a woman who, as a child, was sent from London to Australia on a ship under mysterious circumstances. She isn't told this until she is an adult, then she spends much of the rest of her life trying to learn what happened. Meanwhile, many years later, her granddaughter Cassandra is trying to unravel the same mystery after inheriting a cottage in England upon Nell's death.
It was fun trying to follow the story in three different time periods: Nell's childhood, Nell's adulthood, and Cassandra's adulthood. The story unfolds seemingly in order to the reader, but the characters in the story are figuring out what happened at different times. One of the other characters is an author of fairy tales, so those are woven in to the story, along with real life fairy-tale elements: wicked stepmothers, poor children sentenced to a life of arduous work, illegitimate children, etc.
Juicy, indeed.
This story starts with Nell, a woman who, as a child, was sent from London to Australia on a ship under mysterious circumstances. She isn't told this until she is an adult, then she spends much of the rest of her life trying to learn what happened. Meanwhile, many years later, her granddaughter Cassandra is trying to unravel the same mystery after inheriting a cottage in England upon Nell's death.
It was fun trying to follow the story in three different time periods: Nell's childhood, Nell's adulthood, and Cassandra's adulthood. The story unfolds seemingly in order to the reader, but the characters in the story are figuring out what happened at different times. One of the other characters is an author of fairy tales, so those are woven in to the story, along with real life fairy-tale elements: wicked stepmothers, poor children sentenced to a life of arduous work, illegitimate children, etc.
Juicy, indeed.
Voyager by Diana Galbadon
The third book in Galbadon's Outlander series, this book continues the story of Claire (of 20th century England, then the U.S.) and Jamie (of 18th century Scotland), and their love affair. Like Dragonfly in Amber, this book lacked the initial delight factor of the first book, although there was enough other compelling plot elements to hold my attention.
In this book, Claire travels back to find Jamie again. He's living under an assumed name, and somewhat of a criminal. However, they instantly click again, he finds out that she safely gave birth to and raised their child, and the soon and return to his family's homestead. Shortly thereafter, however, they embark on a voyage to the Caribbean for a number of reasons, including jewels and a kidnapped nephew. The story of their trip was really fun to follow, as is their continuing love story.
A few new characters are introduced and developed, and I can guess that I'll see them again in the next book.
In this book, Claire travels back to find Jamie again. He's living under an assumed name, and somewhat of a criminal. However, they instantly click again, he finds out that she safely gave birth to and raised their child, and the soon and return to his family's homestead. Shortly thereafter, however, they embark on a voyage to the Caribbean for a number of reasons, including jewels and a kidnapped nephew. The story of their trip was really fun to follow, as is their continuing love story.
A few new characters are introduced and developed, and I can guess that I'll see them again in the next book.
Saturday, June 02, 2012
My Life on a Plate by India Knight
I really had a good time reading this book. Poor India Knight - I probably won't be the only reader who thinks of this book as "as if Bridget Jones grew up, got married, and had kids" but maybe that's just because they're both British and I'm not. I think of that as a compliment.
The story follows Clara, who is married, mother of two, has consistently been putting on weight as she gets older, and whose mother won't let her forget it. As she deals with her marriage, her children, and her complex extended family, she survives by eating, drinking, and becoming reasonably impervious to humiliation.
At some points I laughed out loud, some others I cringed, but each night I couldn't wait to get into bed to see what would happen next. There is, in particular, an interview Clara conducts with a dancer that I don't think I'll ever forget.
Thanks to Web's Aunt Christie for stuffing it into my purse last summer.
The story follows Clara, who is married, mother of two, has consistently been putting on weight as she gets older, and whose mother won't let her forget it. As she deals with her marriage, her children, and her complex extended family, she survives by eating, drinking, and becoming reasonably impervious to humiliation.
At some points I laughed out loud, some others I cringed, but each night I couldn't wait to get into bed to see what would happen next. There is, in particular, an interview Clara conducts with a dancer that I don't think I'll ever forget.
Thanks to Web's Aunt Christie for stuffing it into my purse last summer.
Friday, June 01, 2012
Fermat's Last Theorem by Amir D. Aczel
After reading Longitude, I decided on another book in the same genre: thin history of science books. This book, subtitled "Unlocking the Secret of an Ancient Mathematical Problem" begins with Andrew Wiles' alleged proof of of Fermat's Last Theorem. FLT is simple to understand but was, for nearly three centuries, impossible to prove.
The theorem states that equations like a^2 + b^2 = c^2 can't be solved for exponents larger than 2. Fermat, mathematician in the 1600's, stated this theorem with an innocent note indicating he had proven it but didn't have space in the margin of his notebook to write out the entire proof. Since then, mathematicians had struggled to find a proof, and in 1993 Wiles was so sure that he had that he presented it at a large conference.
Wiles' original proof of FLT was erroneous, so the book picks up the story there, ultimately unraveling the politics and characters involved in the lead-up to the proof as well as the correction that Wiles ultimately presented to successfully prove the theorem. However, to appreciate the entire story, the author uses most of the book to provide a history of the math behind the story, starting long before Fermat, with the Greek mathematicians up through modern times.
I liked the book but I didn't love it. I guess as a math person I craved better explanations of some of the mathematical concepts. I wanted to understand the basic layout of the proof, and instead I got a narrative of the people involved as well as this history, but not enough math. Some sections (like on non-Euclidean geometry) were at a level of detail I was looking for, but once he got into the elliptical math at the basis of the proof, Aczel's descriptions were not complete enough for my taste.
The theorem states that equations like a^2 + b^2 = c^2 can't be solved for exponents larger than 2. Fermat, mathematician in the 1600's, stated this theorem with an innocent note indicating he had proven it but didn't have space in the margin of his notebook to write out the entire proof. Since then, mathematicians had struggled to find a proof, and in 1993 Wiles was so sure that he had that he presented it at a large conference.
Wiles' original proof of FLT was erroneous, so the book picks up the story there, ultimately unraveling the politics and characters involved in the lead-up to the proof as well as the correction that Wiles ultimately presented to successfully prove the theorem. However, to appreciate the entire story, the author uses most of the book to provide a history of the math behind the story, starting long before Fermat, with the Greek mathematicians up through modern times.
I liked the book but I didn't love it. I guess as a math person I craved better explanations of some of the mathematical concepts. I wanted to understand the basic layout of the proof, and instead I got a narrative of the people involved as well as this history, but not enough math. Some sections (like on non-Euclidean geometry) were at a level of detail I was looking for, but once he got into the elliptical math at the basis of the proof, Aczel's descriptions were not complete enough for my taste.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Longitude by Dava Sobel
This tidy little book sat on my bookshelf for years. It's short - under 200 pages, and reads quickly. Its subtitle, "The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of
His Time" is accurate.
In the early 18th century, the problem of determining longitude at sea came to a head. Latitude was easier to calculate based on the sun/stars, but the lack of being able to calculate longitude had resulted in many shipwrecks, costing sailors their lives and crowns their riches. So the English Parliament put out a contest - whoever could figure out a way to calculate longitude accurately would win a cash prize large enough to sustain them for most of their life.
Most "contestants" aimed for a method that relied on celestial bodies, but one man (John Harrison) decided that clocks that kept accurate time at sea would be a more elegant way to solve the problem. His lifework (and that of his son) became creating such a clock - not a simple feat in the 1700s.
This story - as depicted in the book - is fascinating. There are the politics, the villains, and the science. What's most amazing, however, is the intrigue - far more than you'd imagine in what seems like such a dry topic. A good read.
In the early 18th century, the problem of determining longitude at sea came to a head. Latitude was easier to calculate based on the sun/stars, but the lack of being able to calculate longitude had resulted in many shipwrecks, costing sailors their lives and crowns their riches. So the English Parliament put out a contest - whoever could figure out a way to calculate longitude accurately would win a cash prize large enough to sustain them for most of their life.
Most "contestants" aimed for a method that relied on celestial bodies, but one man (John Harrison) decided that clocks that kept accurate time at sea would be a more elegant way to solve the problem. His lifework (and that of his son) became creating such a clock - not a simple feat in the 1700s.
This story - as depicted in the book - is fascinating. There are the politics, the villains, and the science. What's most amazing, however, is the intrigue - far more than you'd imagine in what seems like such a dry topic. A good read.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
Several years ago I read Otsuka's When the Emporer was Divine at my dad's recommendation. That was a novel about a Japanese-American family taken to an internment camp during WWII. It was short, economical, well-written, and kind of a special book.
Buddha in the Attic has all of those characteristics too. It's about a group of women who come over from Japan to be married to men they haven't met. Some of their lives go as expected, others are disappointed, but all of them need to find ways to adjust to life in America. What was most unique about this book was the voice - it was told in first-person plural, where the women (never completely enumerated and named) tell about different parts of their experiences in different chapters. It made me wonder if Otsuka had created a set of individuals and then grouped their stories, or if she conceived the narrative this way.
Otsuka's books are like perfect tiny diamond stud earrings. You can never have enough but they are quite beautiful.
Buddha in the Attic has all of those characteristics too. It's about a group of women who come over from Japan to be married to men they haven't met. Some of their lives go as expected, others are disappointed, but all of them need to find ways to adjust to life in America. What was most unique about this book was the voice - it was told in first-person plural, where the women (never completely enumerated and named) tell about different parts of their experiences in different chapters. It made me wonder if Otsuka had created a set of individuals and then grouped their stories, or if she conceived the narrative this way.
Otsuka's books are like perfect tiny diamond stud earrings. You can never have enough but they are quite beautiful.
Blame by Michele Huneven
This book came off the Chicago Tribune's booklist a few years back. It was good - a reasonably complex set of themes hiding in an easy-to-read novel reminiscient of Jodi Picoult.
Most of the story is about Patsy, an alcoholic who kills two people in an accident while driving drunk. The story follows her as she goes to prison, joins AA, and once released, rebuilds her life with an unlikely set of family and friends. Most notably, she becomes friends with the husband and father of her victims, and also marries the unlikeliest of partners. When additional details about the accident come out decades later, Patsy is confronted with the realities of what her life was like, and of what is has since become.
You could consider this a beach read or airport read - it is fast-paced and well-plotted. However, that would probably underestimate the quality of the book and the profundity of its message.
Recommended.
Most of the story is about Patsy, an alcoholic who kills two people in an accident while driving drunk. The story follows her as she goes to prison, joins AA, and once released, rebuilds her life with an unlikely set of family and friends. Most notably, she becomes friends with the husband and father of her victims, and also marries the unlikeliest of partners. When additional details about the accident come out decades later, Patsy is confronted with the realities of what her life was like, and of what is has since become.
You could consider this a beach read or airport read - it is fast-paced and well-plotted. However, that would probably underestimate the quality of the book and the profundity of its message.
Recommended.
The Disappeared by Kim Echlin
This book was on last year's Globe and Mail annual book list and it has languished on mine since then. Glad it finally bubbled up to the top.
The story is about a young woman who falls in love with a man who left Cambodia before the genocide in the late 1970's. When the country is stable again, he is haunted by having left and returns. She loses touch with him - for many years - then goes to Cambodia to find him. It's a love story but also a tribute to the sad history of Cambodia.
Perhaps the best thing about this book was the style in which this was written. It was like reading a novel-length poem - not one superfluous word, but nothing under-described either. Both the passion of the love between the two main characters and the terrors endured by the Cambodian people were depicted crisply. Some specifics of place and time were minimized in favor of creating a mood throughout the book.
Perhaps it was the war-torn Asian setting that reminded me a bit of The Lotus Eaters. The writing in that book was much more straightforward, but the question of whether to love in the face of terror is futile was similar.
Recommended.
The story is about a young woman who falls in love with a man who left Cambodia before the genocide in the late 1970's. When the country is stable again, he is haunted by having left and returns. She loses touch with him - for many years - then goes to Cambodia to find him. It's a love story but also a tribute to the sad history of Cambodia.
Perhaps the best thing about this book was the style in which this was written. It was like reading a novel-length poem - not one superfluous word, but nothing under-described either. Both the passion of the love between the two main characters and the terrors endured by the Cambodian people were depicted crisply. Some specifics of place and time were minimized in favor of creating a mood throughout the book.
Perhaps it was the war-torn Asian setting that reminded me a bit of The Lotus Eaters. The writing in that book was much more straightforward, but the question of whether to love in the face of terror is futile was similar.
Recommended.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
A Year and Six Seconds by Isabel Gillies
Two summers ago, I couldn't put down Gillies first memoir, Happens Every Day, which chronicled the abrupt demise of her first marriage. When I heard she had written a sequel about finding love a second time I looked forward to reading it.
This book picks up where the last one left off - Gillies is arriving in Manhattan, two toddlers in tow, to move in with her parents. The first half of the book was similar to her first book; Gillies remains charming, modest, and honest. I cheered for her when she accomplished victories like getting her son into a preschool mid-year, and I felt for her when she stumbled, like when she misunderstood her husband and thought he wanted to get back together.
However I didn't really enjoy the end of the book. About two-thirds of the way through, after a series of unsuccessful dates she meets a friend-of-a-friend named Peter and immediately falls in love. In what seems like just months (I think that's true, actually), she is married to Peter and joining their families together. I don't know if it was because I thought it was too fast, or Gillies thought it was too fast, but I fould the writing about this part of her life hurried, and defensive. She breezes through the decision-making, the therapy, and the new life in a way that seemed unsustainable.
Hopefully her new marriage will be successful and long. I'd enjoy reading another book by her about her adventures in blending her family with Peter's.
This book picks up where the last one left off - Gillies is arriving in Manhattan, two toddlers in tow, to move in with her parents. The first half of the book was similar to her first book; Gillies remains charming, modest, and honest. I cheered for her when she accomplished victories like getting her son into a preschool mid-year, and I felt for her when she stumbled, like when she misunderstood her husband and thought he wanted to get back together.
However I didn't really enjoy the end of the book. About two-thirds of the way through, after a series of unsuccessful dates she meets a friend-of-a-friend named Peter and immediately falls in love. In what seems like just months (I think that's true, actually), she is married to Peter and joining their families together. I don't know if it was because I thought it was too fast, or Gillies thought it was too fast, but I fould the writing about this part of her life hurried, and defensive. She breezes through the decision-making, the therapy, and the new life in a way that seemed unsustainable.
Hopefully her new marriage will be successful and long. I'd enjoy reading another book by her about her adventures in blending her family with Peter's.
The Network by Jason Elliot
I had put this on my "to-read" list sometime last year and somehow remembered it as being a computer crime book - it's not. But it is a really unusual book that I'm glad I read.
The novel follows Anthony Taverner, who reports in first person his experience being recruited into MI6 (the British Intelligence agency, like the US CIA), being trained by senior agents, and then being sent into Afghanistan on a secret mission. While there is an action-packed climax, this isn't a book to read for adventure purposes - it's slow-going at times, and leverages the author's first-hand experiences in Afghanistan to paint a very clear, detailed picture of what that country was like before 9/11.
I really enjoyed the descriptions of Anthony's training, as well as his mission in Afghanistan. Both were like reading a really detailed letter from a friend who had been through these experiences. I was amazed at how ingenious some of his escapades were, as well as how basic and not high-tech other ones were. The author also did a good job developing Anthony's character and his relationships with his mentors and colleagues.
This was different from what I usually read, but I enjoyed it.
The novel follows Anthony Taverner, who reports in first person his experience being recruited into MI6 (the British Intelligence agency, like the US CIA), being trained by senior agents, and then being sent into Afghanistan on a secret mission. While there is an action-packed climax, this isn't a book to read for adventure purposes - it's slow-going at times, and leverages the author's first-hand experiences in Afghanistan to paint a very clear, detailed picture of what that country was like before 9/11.
I really enjoyed the descriptions of Anthony's training, as well as his mission in Afghanistan. Both were like reading a really detailed letter from a friend who had been through these experiences. I was amazed at how ingenious some of his escapades were, as well as how basic and not high-tech other ones were. The author also did a good job developing Anthony's character and his relationships with his mentors and colleagues.
This was different from what I usually read, but I enjoyed it.
Saturday, March 03, 2012
The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
I like the idea of this book - an investment banker with an "American dream" resume finds that someone has the same name as him, but is in prison for armed robbery. He finds him and tells both of their stories.
Both Wes Moore and Wes Moore grow up in inner cities - one in Baltimore, the other begins his life in Baltimore but is raised in the Bronx. Both are raised by single mothers, and as the book progresses, Moore does a fine job of reporting on what each of them was doing during different phases of childhood and adolesence. One ends up mixed up in drugs, jail, and fathering several children as a teenager, while the other becomes a Rhodes Scholar after graduating from college.
The book is not judgemental - if anything it is a little ascetic for such a personal story. Moore makes the point in the foreword that he doesn't want to lessen the other Moore's crimes, but wants to dissect how they could start out with such similar odds and yet end up in such different places. He punctuates that at the end with a multi-page resource guide for organziations that help children growing up in all sorts of situations.
I found this sentiment lofty, and admirable, but a strange end to the book. I guess it's his way of not drawing any conclusions other than "we need to engage kids to get them on the right path," but I think there are some more conclusive distinctions to be drawn between the two Wes' upbringings and outcomes. My other beef with this book is that it may have been too long. It was not long from a page-count perspective, but I did feel like it may have been similarly effective as a piece of long-form journalism.
Both Wes Moore and Wes Moore grow up in inner cities - one in Baltimore, the other begins his life in Baltimore but is raised in the Bronx. Both are raised by single mothers, and as the book progresses, Moore does a fine job of reporting on what each of them was doing during different phases of childhood and adolesence. One ends up mixed up in drugs, jail, and fathering several children as a teenager, while the other becomes a Rhodes Scholar after graduating from college.
The book is not judgemental - if anything it is a little ascetic for such a personal story. Moore makes the point in the foreword that he doesn't want to lessen the other Moore's crimes, but wants to dissect how they could start out with such similar odds and yet end up in such different places. He punctuates that at the end with a multi-page resource guide for organziations that help children growing up in all sorts of situations.
I found this sentiment lofty, and admirable, but a strange end to the book. I guess it's his way of not drawing any conclusions other than "we need to engage kids to get them on the right path," but I think there are some more conclusive distinctions to be drawn between the two Wes' upbringings and outcomes. My other beef with this book is that it may have been too long. It was not long from a page-count perspective, but I did feel like it may have been similarly effective as a piece of long-form journalism.
Reamde by Neal Stephenson
This book caught my attention from the first review of it I read, likely on some tech blog. I had read Stephenson's Cryptonomicon last year and while I liked and respected it, I didn't love it. Too embarrassed to admit I didn't love it, I'll borrow my friend Gregg's critique of Stephenson's writing style: "Isn't it another paid-by-the-word?" But Stephenson's an icon and I'm a geek and this one sounded awesome so my inlaws got it for me for Christmas.
I loved it but it's not for everyone.
The story starts with a MMORPG (Massive multi-player online role playing game) called T'Rain. T'Rain is wildly popular and ingenious - after a previous foray into money-laundreing, its creator Richard got the idea to leverage Chinese teens who will work for very low wages to create value around the gold pieces in the game. When Peter, the boyfriend of the Richards's niece Zula gets involved in a bad credit card scam, they are kidnapped. And then it gets fun.
What ensues is a 1000+ page ride around the world as the "good guys" and "bad guys" fight it out. Zula and Peter are shortly joined by a few other captives, a couple hackers and a tour guide, and fight to stay alive. Along the way, they encounter the Russian mob, MI-6 agents, and other members of a crazy cast of characters that is surprising both in their variety and in the depth of their development in the novel. The bad guys are *really* bad and yet it becomes confusing sometimes to determine who the bad guys are. Meanwhile, Richard is unsure of what's happened to Zula but slowly gets some clues as to her whereabouts. On his side is a quirky family including some fringe survivalists and the staff for his online game.
And at the center of all of this is technology. Stephenson is, as usual, right on the cusp of what is possible. The gold pieces in the game reminded me of Bitcoin...and the computer virus that starts off this chain of events (did I mention there was a computer virus) is ingenious, possible, and freaking scary: it is a virus that exists within T'Rain but has consequences in the real world. Really this has enough material to be several books - there is meticulous detail applied to the background of all the characters and all the plots. There are even characters in the book whose job it is to write the cannon of history for T'Rain, which is - thankfully - excerpted and not included in its entirety.
I could not put this book down but you have to like this kind of thing.
Hello, HBO? Please option for a mini-series. Zoe Saldana should play Zula, Lucy Lui can play the MI-6 agent, William H Macy can be the survivalist brother, and if he tries really hard, Seth Rogen can play Richard and finally get the dramatic respect he deserves. Thanks.
I loved it but it's not for everyone.
The story starts with a MMORPG (Massive multi-player online role playing game) called T'Rain. T'Rain is wildly popular and ingenious - after a previous foray into money-laundreing, its creator Richard got the idea to leverage Chinese teens who will work for very low wages to create value around the gold pieces in the game. When Peter, the boyfriend of the Richards's niece Zula gets involved in a bad credit card scam, they are kidnapped. And then it gets fun.
What ensues is a 1000+ page ride around the world as the "good guys" and "bad guys" fight it out. Zula and Peter are shortly joined by a few other captives, a couple hackers and a tour guide, and fight to stay alive. Along the way, they encounter the Russian mob, MI-6 agents, and other members of a crazy cast of characters that is surprising both in their variety and in the depth of their development in the novel. The bad guys are *really* bad and yet it becomes confusing sometimes to determine who the bad guys are. Meanwhile, Richard is unsure of what's happened to Zula but slowly gets some clues as to her whereabouts. On his side is a quirky family including some fringe survivalists and the staff for his online game.
And at the center of all of this is technology. Stephenson is, as usual, right on the cusp of what is possible. The gold pieces in the game reminded me of Bitcoin...and the computer virus that starts off this chain of events (did I mention there was a computer virus) is ingenious, possible, and freaking scary: it is a virus that exists within T'Rain but has consequences in the real world. Really this has enough material to be several books - there is meticulous detail applied to the background of all the characters and all the plots. There are even characters in the book whose job it is to write the cannon of history for T'Rain, which is - thankfully - excerpted and not included in its entirety.
I could not put this book down but you have to like this kind of thing.
Hello, HBO? Please option for a mini-series. Zoe Saldana should play Zula, Lucy Lui can play the MI-6 agent, William H Macy can be the survivalist brother, and if he tries really hard, Seth Rogen can play Richard and finally get the dramatic respect he deserves. Thanks.
Lady Matador's Hotel by Cristina Garcia
This was a nice book - it was a collection of linked stories, that type of book that lives somewhere between a collection of short stories and a novel. It had been on my list for a while, after I read the NYT review of it.
The stories all take place around a hotel in what could be any Central American country. There's something I find oddly familiar about these "Anycountry" settings in Latin America (like Blindness, for example) although I'd be scared out of my wits if I were there. Staying at the hotel is a couple from the States adopting a baby, a waitress at the hotel, members of the unstable military government, a Korean businessman and his mistress, and the title character - a female matador determined to emerge victorious an upcoming bullfight.
This was of a completely different style from Reamde, which I just finished. This book was short, with each word chosen very carefully. There was a little magical realism thrown in - just enough to secure the book's place in Latin American writing. And there were many places where Garcia hinted at something or insinuated that something in particular had happened, or referred to a previous event, in a way that meant you had to pay close attention. Intricate but very, very subtle.
The stories all take place around a hotel in what could be any Central American country. There's something I find oddly familiar about these "Anycountry" settings in Latin America (like Blindness, for example) although I'd be scared out of my wits if I were there. Staying at the hotel is a couple from the States adopting a baby, a waitress at the hotel, members of the unstable military government, a Korean businessman and his mistress, and the title character - a female matador determined to emerge victorious an upcoming bullfight.
This was of a completely different style from Reamde, which I just finished. This book was short, with each word chosen very carefully. There was a little magical realism thrown in - just enough to secure the book's place in Latin American writing. And there were many places where Garcia hinted at something or insinuated that something in particular had happened, or referred to a previous event, in a way that meant you had to pay close attention. Intricate but very, very subtle.
No Biking in the House without a Helmet by Melissa Fay Greene
This was a sweet memoir - easy to read & well-written.
Melissa and her husband had four biological children. Just when they were beginning to go off to school, she and her husband decided to adopt a Roma boy from Eastern Europe. Over the next few years they added four other children to the family, all from Ethiopia. It reads like the plot for a feel-good movie but it is indeed a true story, which is what makes it so cool.
Greene is a journalist, and she does a good job of writing honestly about the decisions, the transitions, and all the aspects of the both difficult and joyful expansion of her family. She was fortunate to have a supportive husband and welcoming children, but still suffered from post-adoption depression (akin to post-pardon depression), that she writes sadly of. She writes of being overwhelmed the first few times she brings new children home - at the magnitude of the adjustment they will have to make, and the challenge of incorporating them into the family. But she also writes of the big joy she felt when each child settles in and the daily joys of being a mother that she appreciates.
There are two parts of the book that stand out to me the most. One is the repeated trips she makes to Ethiopia and how she meets each child, then has to wait (sometimes months or even a year) before she can bring them home during a follow-up trip. She brings them toys and bonds with them and then has to leave them until the paperwork is done. The other part of the book that stuck with me was when several of the older kids all leave for college, two of the younger children begin to fight - a lot. She realizes that the older boys were playing a strong role in bringing order and fun into the family and their departure had a big toll in the family dynamic.
Kudos to Melissa Fay Greene, both for being a great mom to so many kids as well as for writing about it with such honesty.
Melissa and her husband had four biological children. Just when they were beginning to go off to school, she and her husband decided to adopt a Roma boy from Eastern Europe. Over the next few years they added four other children to the family, all from Ethiopia. It reads like the plot for a feel-good movie but it is indeed a true story, which is what makes it so cool.
Greene is a journalist, and she does a good job of writing honestly about the decisions, the transitions, and all the aspects of the both difficult and joyful expansion of her family. She was fortunate to have a supportive husband and welcoming children, but still suffered from post-adoption depression (akin to post-pardon depression), that she writes sadly of. She writes of being overwhelmed the first few times she brings new children home - at the magnitude of the adjustment they will have to make, and the challenge of incorporating them into the family. But she also writes of the big joy she felt when each child settles in and the daily joys of being a mother that she appreciates.
There are two parts of the book that stand out to me the most. One is the repeated trips she makes to Ethiopia and how she meets each child, then has to wait (sometimes months or even a year) before she can bring them home during a follow-up trip. She brings them toys and bonds with them and then has to leave them until the paperwork is done. The other part of the book that stuck with me was when several of the older kids all leave for college, two of the younger children begin to fight - a lot. She realizes that the older boys were playing a strong role in bringing order and fun into the family and their departure had a big toll in the family dynamic.
Kudos to Melissa Fay Greene, both for being a great mom to so many kids as well as for writing about it with such honesty.
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