Two sides to every story.....

The Wars of the Roses seems to be the new mine for historical fiction, since people have been writing about Henry VIII and his various wives for long enough that it is difficult to come up with new material... so they've gone a little further back...

Philippa Gregory has written a powerful novel from the point of view of Elizabeth Woodville, The White Queen. She does a great job of making an unliked queen human and likeable. It was very pleasurable reading, even if it felt like it was somewhat surface-level treatment, and some of the inclusion of the historical information seemed a little odd. Because Woodville wasn't a direct observer of some of the important events, Gregory adds them in, but you never really figure out how Woodville found out. It just jars a little. It did not quite feel like a seamless story. It felt as if Gregory was looking for a new subject, and picked this woman, who essentially founded the Tudor dynasty. The other thing I would have liked was a family tree at the back of the book with the various marriages/children/etc. The family tree at the front is set when the book starts. Those nit-picks aside, it was a pretty decent book. Gregory portrays another strong English queen who is trying to navigate through political minefields... and gives an alternate view of what might have happened to the Princes in the Tower, one that feels realistic. I do prefer Gregory's earlier books, when she wrote from the viewpoint of someone who was more on the fringes of the court, and not a direct 'mover and shaker'.

The second novel, Figures in Silk, by Vanora Bennett, is one I cannot praise more highly. Set in approximately the same time period (and read second, so did not come on it as freshly as I did with Gregory) it is really well-written. Its the story of a young woman in the English silk industry. It is such a true-to-life book, each note really played well, my only issue with the book was that it felt like it finished much too abruptly. Bennett pulls in the historical facts subtly and intelligently, and you feel as if the revelations that happen were true-to-life. The character would have learned things that way, there was no ominous foreshadowing, which Gregory is slightly prone to. Its natural, and the reactions of the characters are very natural. You get a good impression of what life was actually like for a Freewoman of London. (Granted, yes, with an overlay of modernity, but that is always going to be the case for historical fiction). It just is a wonderful novel.

Fitting in: Four books.

ok, so, here we go, four books that deal with some facet of maturity, belonging, and growing up. One is completely fictional, one is historical fiction, and the other two are very different, but set in the modern world.

Lets start with Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld. This is a Teen book, but would give you a lot to talk about with your teen (or any teen). The premise of the book is that, at 16, you get an operation that makes you a 'pretty'. The book is a little simplistic, in many ways, but gives some commentary on what we value. And its about a journey a teen makes, both literally and metaphorically, and how she grows up. Its also about societal demands. I think the one thing that would have made this book really ideal for teens is a series of discussion questions or interview with the author in the back. I know sometimes I find the discussion questions get me thinking a little more about the themes of the book, and there are some themes that kids wouldn't immediately think about. The role of parents and protection in this book (you see two sets of parents, as well as the societal 'authority figures'), you see friendship and promises. You see responsibility and accountability.

The historical fiction, the Wet Nurse's Tale, is a somewhat sanitized historical fiction piece, but it is fascinating to read. Reading it made me wonder why we don't have wet nurses in society so much anymore. It too was a love story, a story about growing up, finding a place in society. I enjoyed it, but just found it a little too simplistic for my taste... I didn't feel that there was a broad enough amount of research, somehow, and the character was a little too complacent about some things that should have provoked a different response. I suppose I did not find it passionate enough. That being said, for historical fiction, its not a bad read. I have read significantly worse, and in the end, it turned out to be just a light, fun read.

Turning to the modern world, and a finishing school upbringing, we have The Finishing Touches, by Hester Browne. This, again was a lighter read, but very very enjoyable. It was also full of lessons that I wish my 'finishing school' education had covered. How to evaluate a man, how to walk in heels, how to balance a checkbook... It really felt as if the author had attended my boarding school. There were many, many things in there that rang very true.

Lastly, a magical modern novel, 'Blue Boy' by Rakesh Satyal. This resonated with me in a different way than the previous book, because its about fitting in, and being part of different groups. And growing up, and finding your own way, and navigating between different cultures... in the hero's case, navigating between his Indian heritage and the Indian circles, and the American society by which he is surrounded, and his attempts to reconcile the two...

A theory of all things

I got an ARC of this book, which I also reviewed on LibraryThing (where I received the ARC). This is due out in March, and is a fabulous book. It is told, in turn, by all five of the Bennett children (now adults), as well as a few other people who figure in the story, eventually. It is a story of a family that had fragmented following two traumatic events, and is now gradually healing. Its the story of reconnecting, refinding, rediscovering and reforging family.

There are few authors who can tell a story from multiple points of view, but Leon manages it, with skill. She shows us the personalities of the various family members, and how their lives have been framed and formed by these two events, and how they all interact with other members, and start healing and coming to terms with their family.

The Dragon Reborn...

I know that after Robert Jordan passed away in 2007, I was saddened. I had been reading the Wheel Of Time series for years, since my mid-twenties. I was also starting to feel that perhaps Jordan was a little burned out.... as I don't recall reading Knife of Dreams. I am feeling inspired again after reading The Gathering Storm. (I actually read both Knife of Dreams and Gathering Storm, one after the other) Sanderson does a wonderful job of filling Jordan's shoes and presenting the story. There is a very good flow, and in some ways Sanderson sets up the events more clearly, so there is a better feel of what is happening with each character. The writing style is slightly different, nothing I can point to directly, and say 'This, this, and this is different', but he does a wonderful job. There was only one false note that just felt wrong to me, which I won't describe in detail because it is a spoiler. But it just felt unfinished and abrupt, somehow.

I do wish I had a cheat sheet to figure out which of the Forsaken are dead, which are alive, and who is where, but that is something I've wished for a long time. That's my one problem with this series, is that the same characters crop up ten books later, when you've forgotten who they were and what they did. I think that is one thing that Sanderson actually handles better than Jordan did. Because he reminds you 'ok this person was from this time, and did this', whereas Jordan would just plunk them in and it wasn't until you were rereading that you'd say 'Oh! He did that too!'.

I'll be interested to see what Sanderson does with the next two books, to finish off the series. But so far, apart from that one false note, he has done wonderfully. And it cannot be an easy thing, to take up the reins on such a popular series.

Culture Clashes...

So, the books I'm reviewing today have almost nothing in common, except that they describe different cultures, two are novels and one is non-fiction...

The first, Neil MacFarquhar's The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes you a Happy Birthday, is an amazing book. This should be required reading for any American diplomat or newsperson working in or with the Middle East. He lays out, clearly, why the US has such a huge problem in this region of the world. He even lays out some ways we could improve our image. He also, in part because he grew up in Libya, and speaks Arabic fluently, 'gets' a lot of the cultures, the humor, the mindset. So often, the Middle East is portrayed as this dangerous place, full of terrorists, where women are muffled under scarves and draperies... and he really shows some of the true facets of the Middle East. The mentality, the humor, the coping mechanisms.... and he ends, literally, on a note of hope.

The second, a novel, by Sarah Dunant, called Sacred Hearts, is a fabulous book. I felt hesitant when starting it, just because I could not imagine how powerful it would be, how ultimately uplifting. Set in 1570 in the convent of Santa Catarina, in Ferrarra, Italy, it is an incredibly moving book, in part about the power of faith, but also the power of friendship, love, and hope... I would never have dreamed that a book about nuns could be so finely crafted, and so evocative of the lives and times depicted...

The third, The Marriage Bureau for Rich People, is just a sweet book. A love story, in some ways, but also very telling and clarifying of the culture... It just offers a wonderful glimpse into a way of life that doesn't really exist for white-Anglo-Saxon women. You get to see how different arranged marriages are, and just the different ways people are coupled... and how people can grow into a perfect match as well as falling in love. It gives a picture of life for the middle (and upper middle) classes in India. As well as how modern life is impacting. Just a thoroughtly charming book, full of love and hope.

So really, all three of these books have a common theme, as well as that of different cultures, its hope.... they are all uplifting books in the end...

Not Robert Jordan after all....

Of course, I am talking about S.M Stirling's latest novel of The Change, The Sword of the Lady. This series actually began with a trilogy of books about the Island of Nantucket, which got sent back in time to the Bronze Age. He then wrote a couple of other things, and then started the Change series, adding up to three trilogies. This one I really enjoyed because you got to see more re-imagining of how other traditions/cultures survived the Change, which, frankly, I enjoy more than the battle series. Stirling could end the series here, and I would be content. There was enough 'foreshadowing' in the book to satisfy the 'what happens next?', even though the ending came quickly and seemed rather abrupt. It did start feeling, while reading the third trilogy, the length of time it would have taken them to cross the US... I did feel that it was dragging a little at times, although this one had a better pace to it than the previous book.

If I had one criticism of Stirling, it would be that he didn't bring enough sense of other cultures onto the books... but he does do a great job with what he does.

The Sisters Who Would Be Queen

This book could be alternatively titled, "How History Gets Rewritten". A fascinating biography of the Grey sisters. We all have heard of Lady Jane Grey, but not so much about her sisters. It actually even turns out that what we thought we knew is so much less than the bigger picture....

and the status and marriages of the Grey sisters were, in part, what influenced Elizabeth not to marry.

I found it a fascinating look into some of the political points and counterpoints of the end of the Tudor reign, and also an interesting look into the education and upbringing of a new generation, of the first real generation of Protestant women, and how that factored into their lives...

It is also very readable. A lot of histories can get cluttered up with the same people who have different names, or other issues.... and this one avoids a lot of that. She also has family trees in the book, making it possible to look back and follow who a certain person is and what their relationships are to one another.

Its a very well-written, concise, thoughtful book about the impact one family had....