Book Review -- Devil's Cub



Devil's Cub by Georgette Heyer

My enjoyment rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Book source:  Library copy

Book Challenge:  What's in a Name (EVIL in title)

The Marquis of Vidal is a brute, spoiled, selfish, boorish, and has anger management issues. Not the kind of guy any decent young lady would want to associate with. However, because he is a “marquis” all of the available society girls are lined up to win him over. All but one, that is. Mary Challoner doesn’t want anything to do with him, and is trying to save her younger sister from any association with Marquis to keep her honor intact. Mary goes to such extremes that she dons a disguise to keep the Marquis far, far away. Thus begins a comic traipse across England and France that includes the Marquis’s parents, cousins, and a cast of servants that concludes with the Marquis’ marriage – but to whom?

This was my first Georgette Heyer (pronounced HAY-er) regency romance. Needless to say, I was expecting more.

The first third of the book was a jumble of counts, dukes, and relatives that I had a difficult time keeping them all sorted out. Granted, this was the sequel to “These Old Shades,” so I suppose if I’d read the first one, I would have had an easier time with the characters. But I was confused from the beginning.

The Marquis (sometimes Dominic, sometimes Dominique?) was a jerk and had no redeeming value. He wasn’t’ even handsome! (Because, at the very least, if you are a looser, you might as well be cute.)

Mary was ridiculous! I suppose the reader should consider her admirable for trying to save her sister, and in reality, once the wheels of her future were in motion, she could do very little to help herself. But in the end, I could not for the life of me figure out WHY she would have anything to do with him!

The author had a huge issue with the word “devil.” She used it on nearly every page to describe the Marquis. Seriously, after the first dozen uses, I got it already. Another overused word – plaguey. And I’m not even sure what that means. But Heyer liked it a lot.

The final third of the book redeemed itself. Once the Duke of Avon (the Marquis’ father) arrives and meets Mary, it was quite witty. Otherwise, I didn’t get the romance or the repartee.

One thing I did appreciate was Heyer’s immense detail in the clothing and dress of the time period. It was amazingly luxurious!

I have a stack of Heyer books on my book shelf, so I’m still willing to give her another try. But this was a bit silly.

 

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Book Review -- An Old Fashioned Girl

An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott

My enjoyment rating: 4 of 5 stars

Source: Personal Copy

Book Challenge:  What's in a Name: Life Stage (Old & Girl)

Polly Milton first visits her “city” cousins when she is an adolescent. Often teased for her “country” and old fashioned ways, Polly must maintain her sense of self even in the midst of relatives and their unfamiliar, sophisticated ways.

Many years later, Polly returns to her urban setting, this time as a music teacher. Her relatives still consider her old fashioned, but her standards, maturity and independence prepare her for the trials she will face, and endear her to a certain beau – but not the one the reader expects!

Louisa May Alcott, in spite of writing during the 19th century – explores very modern and timeless topics: unemployment, economic discrepancy, physical separation from loved ones, family, and romance. She also writes fluidly, without the denseness of writes of her time.

Polly was such kind, selfless, and genuinely real character. A young woman determined to maintain her ideals, her morals, and use them to attain her dreams.

The only disappointing part of this book was the ending. After a marvelously crafted family saga and romance, the author short changed us on Polly’s romantic future.

Overall, though, this was a delightful book.

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Book Review -- The Three Weissmanns of Westport



The Three Weissmanns of Westport: A Novel by Cathleen Schine

My enjoyment rating: 2 of 5 stars (maybe 1.5)

Book Source:  Unfortunately, it was a personal copy

Challenge:  It does however fulfill a challenge requirement -- book with a NUMBER in the title.

You should never pay attention to a blurb that reads, "...homage to Jane Austen." It will invariably set you up for a big letdown. Because the truth is, nothing is as good as Jane Austen.

In short: Modern day Upper West Side AARP husband, dumps dutiful wife for younger, VP from his company. Dumped wife moves with two aging daughters to a cottage in Connecticut while divorce is finalized. Wife, daughters meet a hodgepodge of characters; advanced aged daughters constantly whine about the state of their professional and personal lives; and it all unravels at the end into a random, confusing, weird mess.

The only reason I gave this two stars was the first 40-50 pages were quite witty – to the point I actually guffawed out loud a few times. But the farther I read, the more I was reminded on living on Long Island – which happened to be the WORST two years of my life (except for the WORST two years I spent in Provo). It was a collection of a bunch of whiny New York elitists who have nothing better to do, while the author was trying to make it resemble a modern, East Coast version of Sense and Sensibility.

This book was rated as a New York Times Notable Book – notably unpleasant maybe.

Probably not the worst book I’ve ever read, but do yourself a favor – watch Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet instead.

 

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March Book Group and Book Review -- The Shadow of the Wind

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

My enjoyment rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book group rating: A

Challenge requirement:  What's in a Name 4 (book with movement)
Book Source:  Library copy

Sensitive reader:  profanity (including F bomb), sexual innuendo, violent situations


Daniel Sempere is the son of a bookseller. His life is books. With one trip to the “Cemetery of Forgotten Books” in the heart of Barcelona, Daniel’s life if changed forever with the discovery of “The Shadow of the Wind,” a novel by reclusive author, Julián Carax. He becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to the author and his other rare books. His curiosity turns deadly as Daniel uncovers a multi-layered story of love, friendship, violence, destruction and the power of literature.

It was unanimous – book club LOVED the book! One of the best books we’ve read as a group in a very long time.

There was so much to discuss -- every topic we delved into led to other story lines and other characters, and other scenes that were SO memorable – as if we were uncoupling a set of matryoshka dolls.

We thought the author, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, did an amazing job creating two parallel stories within one – Daniel’s search for the reclusive Julián Carax and the underlying story of Julian’s childhood and his eternal love for Penelope, sister of his best friend Jorge.

There were twists and turns at every chapter. The imagery was extraordinarily beautiful. The entire story was centered in the heart of Barcelona, and we all felt as if we had been on the streets watching this saga unfold. There wasn’t a single scene that didn’t involve rain or damp or snow or mist – I shivered and felt the gloom envelope me throughout my reading.

We spent much of our discussion reading aloud some of our favorite passages (there were so many it’s impossible to reprint them here). We heaped high praise on the translator, Lucia Graves, for her ability to bridge the eloquence between the original Spanish and the English translation. It was truly a work of art.

That’s not to say there wasn’t some criticism…some of us thought that the author didn’t portray the age of the characters accurately enough or the timing of significant events. Also, because of the complexity of the characters and story line, it was difficult at times to keep it straight. I would explain in more detail, but those events are so crucial to the story line, I don’t want to spoil it!!

This was a treasure to read and a treasure to discuss. A perfect book club selection.

For a brief discussion from the author about The Shadow of the Wind AND his second novel, The Angel's Game, please check out the related video:

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2011 Challenge!

Thanks to Helen at Helen's Book Blog -- I've found my 2011 Book Challenge:

What's in a Name Challenge

sponsored by Beth Fish Reads

Here's How It Works

Between January 1 and December 31, 2011, read one book in each of the following categories:

 

A book with a number in the title: First to Die, Seven Up, Thirteen Reasons Why

A book with jewelry or a gem in the title: Diamond Ruby, Girl with a Pearl Earring, The Opal Deception

A book with a size in the title: Wide Sargasso Sea, Small Wars, Little Bee

A book with travel or movement in the title: Dead Witch Walking, Crawling with Zombies, Time Traveler's Wife

A book with evil in the title: Bad Marie, Fallen, Wicked Lovely

A book with a life stage in the title: No Country for Old Men, Brideshead Revisited, Bog Child

The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.

This appealed to me for multiple reasons:

1. There are only 6 books.  As I've stated before, Challenges are a blessing and a curse -- I like the opportunity to read books I may not have picked otherwise and the "accomplishment" of completing a challenge -- BUT -- I hate having too many where I don't finish.
2. I liked the categories.  With the exception of GEM or JEWELRY, I was able to find titles on my shelf that fit the requirements.

My own criteria for this challenge was the books either had to be on my shelves (an ode to Clear Your Shelves Challenge) or on my Goodreads list.  With the exception of the GEM or JEWELRY category, I was able to satisfy my personal requirements.

Here is my list:

Book with a number:  Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (also a book club choice)

Book with a gem/jewelry:  Diamond Ruby by Joseph Wallace

Book with size:  The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

Book with travel/movement:  Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (also a book club choice)

Book with evil: The Devil's Company by David Liss

Book with life stage:  An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott 

I am looking forward to this challenge!