Book Review -- Persuasion

Persuasion by Jane Austen


My rating: 4 of 5 stars








Anne Elliott, she’s been kicked out of her house (ok, her estate) because her Dad is bankrupt; she’s broken up with a boyfriend because of her friend’s “persuasion” (would someone explain to me who Lady Russell is, please?); she is burdened with two of the whiniest, most self absorbed, sisters EVER; she witnesses the head trauma of a dear friend (who takes, like, months to recover); she is courted by a cousin (isn’t that illegal?) who isn’t as he appears; and finally, she must do an 18th century, dialogue tango with her ex, who has now reappeared after 8 years. Whew! What’s a girl to do?!

Ah! The beauty of Jane Austen – somehow she can create all of the above dilemmas and make them all work.

Persuasion was the final book I picked for my Everything Austen Challenge. I loved Anne’s resolve, her level head and patience. At 28, she is for all practical purposes DEAD to society, but she still manages to get the guy in the end. Thank goodness! Take that Lady Russell!

Admittedly, I’m not an Austenphile – yes, I love her work (or at least the three books that I’ve read), but I’m not going to my grave with mummified copies. But what I liked most about this novel, compared to the others I’ve read, was the maturity of the characters. Anne is not on the verge of post adolescence, and not being sought after by a man 10 years (or more) her senior. She and Captain Wentworth are contemporaries – and that was very appealing.

I still think Pride and Prejudice is my favorite of her works, but I will take Anne Elliott over Elizabeth Bennett, any day.

Thus concludes my Everything Austen Challenge.

I read:
Austenland, by Shannon Hale
Jane and Her Lordship’s Legacy, by Stephanie Barron
Persuasion, by Jane Austen

I watched (but did not review):
Emma with Gwyneth Paltrow
Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet
Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightly (originally I was going to watch the entire BBC version with Colin Firth, but time was my enemy).

Thanks again to Stephanie’s Written Word for hosting the challenge.

Book source: private purchase


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Book Review -- La's Orchestra Saves the World

La's Orchestra Saves the World: A Novel by Alexander McCall Smith


My rating: 4 of 5 stars







The cover of La’s Orchestra Saves the World absolutely enchanted me – the blue/green patina background, antique bicycle, and chicken cage – I was ready to jump on the bicycle seat and peddle off into the world of Alexander McCall Smith.

When I did, I ended up in the English countryside, with La Stone, her cottage and garden. La was probably similar to most countryside residents during WWII -- trying her best to help the war effort however best she could, whether it was planting a victory garden, helping her neighbors, or in her case, organizing an orchestra, a social activity that helped distract folks from the ongoing carnage of war and gave them some semblance of normalcy.

La’s (short for Lavender) “road” to country peasant started with the death of her philandering husband, and the sympathy of her now former in-laws, as they bequeathed their country home to her. She meets neighbors and local military men that sustain her during the war effort. One of these is Feliks, a polish refugee who has been assigned to work a neighboring farm. La develops a deep interest in Feliks as he helps a disabled farmer and volunteers to help her with her own garden.

This was a calm, bucolic, novel, in spite of the WWII setting. It was beautifully written, although, at times I thought it was an overly plain book –plain characters that on their own seemed insignificant and ordinary, but when “planted” together they were much like the potatoes they were cultivating – plain in appearance, but nutritionally necessary to the inhabitants and ultimately, to the reader.

As much as this was a novel of survival – it was also a morality tale. Many neighbors were suspicious of Feliks and his polish ancestry – was he indeed a Pole? Or was he a German spy? La finds herself in the middle of unfounded accusations, and the fallout from those actions, suspicions and assumptions prove complicated.

I thought her organizing an orchestra was the stabilizing force for so many during the war– and La was reminded of this when she wanted to “quit and go home.” People needed the memories the music evoked – those of peaceful times when you could enjoy a concert without threat of destruction.

The ending, however, took a rather awkward “turn” with nuclear disarmament, and La becoming an anti-war protester. I thought that was odd, but it did set up the final meeting of Feliks and La and a satisfying conclusion.

In the end, this was a beautiful story of survival, friendship, and hope. A perfect reminder of what we can do when we depend on and help each other.

From the author himself, an interesting quote on why he wrote the novel:

I wrote La’s Orchestra Saves the World because I wanted to pay tribute to rather brave people. I wanted to say something about how ordinary people managed to get by during the Second World War. Most of them would not have regarded themselves as heroes and heroines, but they were. La (short for Lavender) was one of these. She worked on the land, helping a farmer with his chickens, and also started a little orchestra for British and American airmen. Music, she felt, helps. And it does--it inspires and heals.

The other group I wanted to pay tribute to was the Poles. Polish servicemen played a major role in the war. Their airmen, for example, participated in the Battle of Britain, that crucial battle that decided the fate of Europe. At the end of the war the Poles were betrayed and the contribution of their forces largely ignored. In the victory parade in London, the Poles were not allowed to march with everybody else (Stalin insisted on this). So those brave men stood at the side of the road and wept. This book is about them too.--Alexander McCall Smith

Book source: Public library


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Book Review -- Rainwater

Rainwater by Sandra Brown


My rating: 4 of 5 stars








I’ve read absolutely nothing by Sandra Brown. Absolutely. Nothing.

I know she’s a prolific writer with dozens of titles to her name, but those are the writers I usually avoid – serial authors (Patterson, Baldacci, et.al) who spew forth a book every 6 months or so. I’m more of a “one book every three years or so-author” reader – I guess I’m kind of a book snob. Not that their literary talent it less than the others, but I like following my own trends.

Under normal circumstances, I probably would not have picked up Rainwater, by Sandra Brown except, my friends over at Reading for Sanity spoke highly of it and are offering a giveaway; I have checked it out for several patrons over the past few weeks; and it was SHORT, so that was appealing because of my continued reading funk (but I’ve finished TWO books in one week – I’m making progress!).

The great “swooshing” sound you now hear is me getting sucked into this book from page one.

Ella Barron is a working single Mom, who runs a boarding house in Gilead, Texas during the Great Depression. She is also caring for her autistic son without the knowledge that he is, in fact, autistic. Enter handsome David Rainwater, a new boarder who has come to Gilead to seek treatment for terminal cancer from a family doctor. And thus begins the romantic beginnings of this quiet, but socially responsible, novel.

Brown gives life to a period in history that forced many to endure hardships and injustices with dignity and strength. The struggle for survival during drought and economic Depression, as well as the turbulent racial tensions of the time are portrayed with historical accuracy. Her main characters ring true and have a depth and humanity that are endearing. Ella and Mr Rainwater will utterly charm and captivate you. Their qualities of honesty, morality, endurance, compassion and courage are refreshing and motivating at a time when many Americans face similar economic uncertainty. The relationship between Mr Rainwater and Solly, Ella's challenged son, is so believably tender and loving as is the relationship that develops with Solly's mother. Good versus evil is very well defined in this novel as we meet up with the despicable Conrad Ellis and his honchos. She also provides wonderful bookends to the novel that will surprise you.

For the cautious reader, there are a few scenes of violence that may cause concern. And the romantic interlude between Ella and Mr. Rainwater is more illusion than explicit. Both are done with a soft and temperate hand. I've seen worse on a TV commerical.

This gentle, tenderhearted novel brings us back to a simpler time when love could be so powerfully displayed by the simple act of drying dishes for a partner or going out for an ice cream cone together. Thank you, Sandra, for giving us this lovely holiday gift.

Book source: Public library

http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m20YMKVYRY3XLM

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Book Review -- The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance

The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker


My rating: 4 of 5 stars







For anyone who has experienced an LDS (Latter-day Saint) church dance, they are on the spectrum of the cheesiest thing you have ever participated in to the most magical experience of your life (however, I’ve only experienced the former and I really don’t think the latter exists). Elna Baker uses the reality of church dances as the framework for her memoir, The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance. This infamous dance is now probably the single most popular activity in all the church!

As an LDS member who has chosen NYU over BYU, Elna tries to balance two worlds: One of devout Latter-day Saint member, the other of artistic, educated, attractive young woman. Throughout the memoir we are given intimate access to Elna’s struggles: her struggles with weight, her struggles with faith, her struggles with morality and her struggles with employment. Along the ride we meet her atheist boyfriend and love of her life, “Matt,” her member boyfriend and almost fiancé, “Hayes,” and “Warren Beatty” with whom she almost has a one night stand.

Elna is an extremely talented writer. Her personal vignettes are tragic and hysterical all at the same time. She is an unexpected missionary – discussing sometimes difficult church doctrine with ease and straightforwardness and recognizes the “elephant in the room” when talking about doctrine that may seem weird to others. She is truly brave by allowing so many millions to read about her moral trespasses. I probably shouldn’t air my dirty laundry in a book review – but at times, this was a very painful book to read – I had similar experiences as a single adult (and sometimes inactive) member of the church. It was often a difficult journey. I wish I could recreate my single years in such a humorous and redemptive fashion!

A warning for the reader: Elna is very descriptive when relating her “flings.” She doesn’t mince words and doesn’t sugar coat her internal battles. Nor does she shy away from language that some might find inappropriate – especially for a member of the church. I, however, appreciated her candor and felt she was being true to herself. Others may not feel the same way.

Thank you Elna for sharing your life, knowledge, maturation, humor, and discoveries with us. And thank you for giving me back my reading mojo!

Book source: Private purchase

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Book Review -- Jane and His Lordship's Legacy

Jane and His Lordship's Legacy by Stephanie Barron


My rating: 3 of 5 stars








Oh, poor Jane Austen, if she had only been born during the time of current copyright laws, her wealth would rival that of JK Rowling, and she would have been able to quash, or at least control, the secondary industry of knock-off Jane Austen lit proliferating book store shelves.

Part of the subset of Jane Austen lit is Stephanie Barron’s Being a Jane Austen Mystery Series, a sequence of 8 books, beginning with Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor, and recreates the writer Jane as a part time detective solving unexplained local murders. I am not a reader of J. A. knock off lit – but my Everything Austen Challenge coaxed me to expand my reading preferences to accomplish my year end goal. I discovered these books while shelving mysteries at the library.

In Jane and His Lordship’s Legacy, Jane, her mother and sister have recently moved to Chawton, her final home and where she would pen most of her novels. Upon taking up residence at Chawton Cottage, Jane is shocked to find a rat-eaten corpse in the cellar of her home. From that point on, the mystery involves a recently deceased love interest, the theft of an ornate “Bengal Chest” belonging to her late paramour, a combination of Lords and Ladies, and a crumbling estate, Stonings.

My first mistake in choosing this book was starting with the 8th book in the series. Can you imagine starting Harry Potter with Deathly Hallows??!! I purchased this book at a used book store and was under the impression that they were stand alone mysteries. I would have been better served to start with an earlier book, so I would have some back ground into Jane Austen’s mystery life. In Lordship, Jane is obviously distraught over the recent death of a love interest – “The Rogue.” Through the first several chapters, I kept thinking “who the heck is this Rogue guy?” It finally occurred to me that their relationship and his subsequent death were detailed in a previous book. That knowledge would have been helpful.

However, even without the historical background earlier books would have provided, I thought the author did a commendable job in recreating Jane’s unique prose and her rural village life. I loved how she incorporated Jane’s real family – brothers, mother and sister – and their documented past (the property they owned and the places they lived). She has done meticulous research and her use of footnotes was particularly enjoyable. Conversely, I wished that Ms. Barron would have referred more to Jane Austen the “author” throughout the book – what novels she would have been working on while sleuthing.

All in all, a thoroughly pleasant read, but next time, I would start with book one.

Book source: private purchase/used book.

Everything Austen Challenge: 2 of 6 completed

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