Lucy’s Monster by R.L. Royle

This is Rebecca’s debut book, and is very different to E11even Terrible Months. It’s the story of a three celebrities, dealing with depression, undiagnosed schizophrenia, and drug abuse.

It’s dark and disturbing, and builds to quite a crescendo in the middle.. then leads you to the touching ending.

Rebecca has a rather unique style for this book, making both the author and reader part of the story. It grips hold of you from the first page, and doesn’t let go.

I’ve discovered another author to add to my list of favourites, and I will be looking forward to her third book.

Review by Michelle

Publisher’s Site | Interview

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

“They don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us” says Maudie Atkinson, one of the ladies of Maycombe referring to Mockingbirds. The symbol of the Mockingbird is repeated through out the book and is significant within the stories as a bench mark for people’s actions. Harper Lee explained in later years that the book is about the moral standards of the period (1930′s Depression), and that it carries the message of tolerance and respect across several themes.

Published in 1960, To Kill a Mockingbird soared to dizzy heights almost immediately and has become, it is said, the most popular book after the Bible. However, it has been challenged on occasions, some quite recently as people sometimes feel the language is out dated and often derogatory, for example the word “nigger”, which is used frequently throughout the book. However, in English speaking countries the book is often on the school curriculum and is as popular as ever, as it embraces several themes which never go out of date. It is interesting to note that the similarities between the people and events in the book and Lee’s own life are more than coincidence. It is partly auto-biographical.e

Set in Maycombe, a fictional town in Alabama, the story is told by Jean Louise Finch (known as Scout) who is the six year old daughter of the local attorney at law, Atticus Finch. She and her brother Jem, who is four years older, live with their widowed father. Later in the book, their aunt comes to live with them in an effort to train tomboy Scout to become more ladylike. The first part of the book sets the scene and concentrates on the childrens’ lives. Scout starts school and another boy, Dill, spends the summer in Maycomb and becomes firm friends with Scout and Jem. Scout tells us about all the residents of the town, giving wonderful descriptions of their personalities, a mixture of her family’s opinions and her own understanding, (or misunderstanding) of them. This combination of child innocence and adult experience leads to clashes at times, but it serves to show how Scout thinks about things, and resolves them in her own way. As a consequence we follow her, and Jem as they mature and embrace the ideologies of their father. They frequently misjudge people and then are forced to reaccess their opinions. During this time, all three develop a fascination for a neighbour who is known as a recluse. They try to coax him to come out of his house, and dare each other to knock on his door until Atticus puts a stop to it. Meanwhile, the man in question, Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley is suspected of leaving them little gifts in the trunk of a tree outside his home.
In the second half of the book, things begin to get more active. Atticus is asked to represent a local black man who is accused of raping a white girl. The repercussions of this affect Scout and Jem who are suddenly catapulted out of their comfortable existence and shown a side of the folk in the town that they had not realised existed before. They are uncomfortable with the events that take place and each becomes more and more stressed in their efforts to account for peoples’ behaviour.When the man accused of rape, Tom Robinson, is found guilty Jem is very upset and the children are incredulous. The father of the girl who alleged rape, Bob Ewell said he would get his own back on those who had supported Tom. Since he was drunk most of the time, few believed him, until he tried to get into the Judges house. He also intimidated the widow of the innocent man, who was now dead as he had tried to escape from the prison and been shot.He spat in Atticus’ face too, but none of these actions indicated his last deed, which was trying to kill Jem and Scout as they walked home from the school pageant one night. Rather neatly, they were rescued by the elusive Boo Radley and Mr Ewell was found stabbed to death.

I found the book easy to read, although I sometimes found Scout’s trail of thought somewhat erratic at times, but the first part of the book was so slow and didn’t seem to be leading anywhere. I became a little bored and only continued as I knew the book was so well regarded. Even though the second part moves more quickly with the trial, I still thought it a bit slow, the only real action happening near the end.However, the book has several themes which interweave, some more easily appreciated after reading has finished. There is the morality theme, the class theme, the race theme, and the bildungsroman…that is, following the young protagonist and her brother from childhood to a sort of maturity, (albeit over only three years), but they do grow in emotional and psychological ways and this occurs as a theme throughout. Each of the themes is well illustrated with examples during the story, but although I was aware of some of them as I read, it was when I had finished the book that I really appreciated how cleverly interlocked they were.

The characters were written with great insight. Scout is a wonderful little girl, asking all the questions of a bright and curious child, and very capable of standing up for herself. Jem’s behaviour is just as thoughtful, but more measured and he is a wonderful protector of his sister. Their father is the moral role model of the story, quietly intelligent, very tolerant, reasoning with his children and teaching them that life is not just black and white. Aunt Alexandra, Atticus’ sister, is very class orientated, and Scout feels that her aunt dislikes her, but is again made to realise that you should not make assumptions. All the characters come across as very real and fresh, even the ladies of the town who are portrayed as biggoted and shallow, yet warm and human too. Lee never gives the impression that she is judging or criticising.

My final impression was that it is a really good book and deserves the accolades. It is one of those books that I think may require reading at least twice, so that you can appreciate all the bits of the jigsaw and make connections. I did enjoy my read but still have a faint feeling of disappointment. I think I am still concerned that the first part of the book was so slow. Perhaps it will take a few days to take full account of everything.

Meanwhile, Harper Lee met President Bush on November the 5th 2007 when he awarded her with the presidential medal of freedom for ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’.

Susie

21/11/07

©DF2007

Photgraphs: Top: ‘Mocking me’ by Scott Robinson

Bottom: ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Nenad Stevanovic

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The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan

Date of Publication: 2003, Putnam

Number of Pages: 398

Synopsis: Born into a family who believed in fate, Amy Tan has always looked for alternative ways to make sense of the world. And now, in The Opposite of Fate, her first book of nonfiction, she shares her thoughts on how she escaped the expectations and curses of her past, and created her own destiny.

Amy Tan tells of her family, of the ghosts that inhabit her computer, of specters of illness, ski trips, the pliability of memory, rock and roll, and the twinned mysteries of faith and fate. Whether she is remembering arguments with her mother in suburban California, recounting her trips to an outdoor market in Shanghai, or describing her love-hate relationship with the CliffsNotes edition of her first book, The Joy Luck Club, her recollections offer an intimate glimpse of a best-selling writer whose own life story is as magical and hopeful as her fiction.

With the same spirit and humor that characterize her beloved novels, Amy Tan presents a refreshing antidote to the world-weariness and uncertainties we face today, contemplating how things happen – in her life and beyond – but always returning to the question of fate and its opposites: the choices, charms, influences, attitudes, and lucky accidents that shape us all. ~From inside cover of book

Review: I am reviewing this book after reading it for the second time, so it should already be obvious that I enjoyed it. Amy Tan, one of my favorite American writers, finally gives her fans an inside look at what inspires and drives her story-telling. All writers are influenced by their own experiences, but none have a wealth of tragedies and settings in their lives to pull from. Tan has lived through the deaths of her older brother and her father, within a year of each other, and many years later, of her mother. She has lost friends to tragic accidents, illness, and even murder. She has lived in San Francisco, New York (which is where she was on September 11, 2001), and Montreux, Switzerland. She performs in a rock and roll band with Stephen King, Dave Berry, and Barbara Kingslover. She suffers from Lyme disease, which has caused her to experience hallucinations, overwhelming fatigue, and body vibrations. In short, she has not lived a normal life. It has been filled with mysticism and unexplainable coincidences.

Perhaps most valuable to her fans who are also writers, are her thoughts on writing. She describes her experience making the movie of The Joy Luck Club, she talks about reviewers, the students who interpret her writing for term papers, and how she wrote the dreaded Second Book. For fans of Amy Tan, this book is a definite must-read. For those who are interested in reading about the writing process, about a woman’s real relationship with her mother, or just about an interesting life, this book should be perfect.

Rating: 9/10

Reviewed by Sarah

The Lost World by Michael Crichton

Date of Publication: 1995, Alfred A. Knopf

Number of Pages: 393

Synopsis: It is now six years since the secret disaster at Jurassic Park, six years since that extraordinary dream of science and imagination came to a crashing end – the dinosaurs destroyed, the park dismantled, the island indefinitely closed to the public. There are rumors that something has survived. ~Blurb from inside over

This book is the triumphant return of Ian Malcolm, who was rumored to be dead after his ill-fated trip to Jurassic Park. He hears stories about dead dinosaurs washing up on the Costa Rican beaches, and is determined to find the cause. He is joined by his nemesis and colleague, the brilliant paleontologist Richard Levine, Levine’s two eager students, his one-time girlfriend and animal behaviorist Sarah Harding, and two equipment experts, Doc Thorne and Eddie Carr. Their expedition to Isla Sorna, InGen’s secret factory island, is almost an accident in itself. The group must do battle with behaviorally-challenged dinosaurs and survive long enough to get off the island. In the meantime, Malcolm and Levine study the strange behavior of the dinosaurs and attempt to unlock one of the world’s greatest mysteries: what happened to the dinosaurs?

Review: I loved this book even more than its prequel, Jurassic Park. The movie disappointed me tremendously, as the plot and the characters are so completely different, it’s a stretch to give the movie the same name. Many things in particular bugged me, but most of all was the relationship between Malcolm and Sarah Harding as it was portrayed in the movie. In the book, they are no longer lovers, but friends. Malcolm respects Sarah’s knowledge about animal behavior, and her expertise saves their lives many times. When the adult T-Rexes attack the trailers (one of the only things in the book that also happens in the movie), Malcolm falls and re-injures his bad leg, which he originally injured in Jurassic Park. Sarah slings him onto her back, being injured herself, and climbs her way to the top of the trailer and gets them both out, before the trailer falls off the cliff. It’s an incredibly exciting moment in the book, and it’s obvious how much respect Crichton has for this character. Throughout the book, she remains the center of calm and is able to make quick decisions. In the movie, however, it is Malcolm who saves Sarah, his impulsive girlfriend who blindly runs off to the island on her own. It’s disappointing to see the traditional gender roles being forced upon these characters.

As for the book as a whole, it is probably the most interesting I have ever read. It’s not often that I come away from a work a fiction having learned something new about the world. This book, like Jurassic Park, contains many scientific details, but this time they are in the form of fascinating theories about evolution and animal behavior. The pace is frenetic, and the characters are both funny and intelligent. It also has a very satisfying ending, especially for those who have read Jurassic Park. No dinosaurs run amok in an American city in the book; instead the story is suave and smart. I recommend it to anyone who did not enjoy the movie…you will love this book!

Rating: 10/10

Reviewed by Sarah

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Date of Publication: 1990, Alfred A. Knopf

Number of Pages: 400

Synopsis: An island off Costa Rica will soon be the world’s most ambitious theme park–a dinosaur preserve. A visionary financier’s biotechnology company has succeeded in cloning these extinct reptiles. Fifteen different species, presumably incapable of breeding, are now placidly roaming around, but Jurassic Park’s resident mathematician, an expert in chaos theory, predicts that the animals’ behavior is inherently unstable. When a rival genetics firm attempts to steal frozen dinosaur embryos, things go haywire. Two cute American kids, eight-year-old Lex and 11-year-old Tim, a safari guide from Kenya and a Denver paleontologist set things aright–almost. Crichton (The Andromeda Strain) ingeniously interweaves details of genetic engineering, computer wizardry and current scientific controversy over dinosaurs to fashion a scary, creepy, mesmerizing techno-thriller with teeth. It can be read as a thought-provoking fable about technological hubris and the hazards of bioengineering. ~Amazon.com (includes some corrections)

Review: There is almost no one in America or beyond who has not read this book or seen the movie. Although I loved the movie, the book is far superior. The story contains a lot of scientific details which may intimidate some readers, but as someone with almost no scientific aptitude, I find the story immensely engrossing. The details add an element of credibility, which makes the story more scary. You have a sense that “this could actually happen” as you read, and everything is explained in such a way as to make even the average person understand it. I don’t mean to say that it is dumbed down, because it isn’t. It’s just so interesting that it makes you want to understand.

The dinosaurs are scarier in the book than in the movie. They are also incredibly more complex. Crichton delves into the behavioral patterns and family structures of velociraptors,  tyrannosaurus rexes, and other animals we can only see in our dreams. He makes them real, and that makes them terrifying. The book also tells a more intricate story. There are more subtle hints of danger and of dangers still to come.

If anyone out there saw the movie and enjoyed it, but still has not read the book, I highly recommend it. It’s very readable, and remains after 15 years at the top 5 of my favorite books. And believe me – it gets better each time you read it.

Rating: 9.5/10

Reviewed by Sarah

The Messenger by Andrew E. Shipley

Synopsis (from Amazon):
Is U.S. Senator Peters a prophet, a fraud, neither, or both? Senator Peters vaults to worldwide fame and politial prominence after his first speech from the Senate floor. According to SenatorPeters, he delivered his speech in English, but according to amazed listeners from around the world, he could be understood by all who heard it, no matter what their language.When the “tongues” phenomenon recurs, several parties, ranging from a political power broker to a Catholic Archbishop, seek to appropriate the apparent miracle for their own purposes. As Peters exploits his newfound fame to propel his career to heights beyond those he had ever dreamed possible, two men following different trains of thought reach an identical conclusion: the Senator must die. Meanwhile, a centuries old society known as The Order of Mani keeps watch. The Order believes that it alone holds the secret to The Messenger’s true purpose, and it is determined to stop it.

Review:
It’s not often that I come across a novel that grabs me from the very first page, especially when it’s a new author, but that’s exactly what happened when I picked up The Messenger by Andrew E. Shipley.

From the very beginning, Shipley’s style has the confidence of a seasoned author and just the right blend of characterisation and gripping plot to keep one turning the pages like lightning, desperate to find out what will happen next!

The story itself is highly original and shows a flair for taking ordinary events and turning them on their heads in a way that is utterly believable. What was additionally wonderful was that this wasn’t an excuse for ppushing a religious or political agenda – only an opportunity to immerse the reader in a roller-coaster ride that is simultaneously inviting, terrifying and inspirational.

I will certainly be eagerly awaiting further works by this very talented writer, who deserves every success if this novel is typical of his style, tone and talent.

Reviewed by Kell Smurthwaite

Arlington Park by Rachel Cusk

Synopsis: Set in a moderately posh suburb of London, acclaimed British novelist Rachel Cusk’s Arlington Park is a captivating exploration of how the simple act of living can become an excruciating exercise in self-deprivation, hypocrisy, and desperation. Set over the course of a single day, the novel follows a group of young mothers who feel both anger at the husbands who seemingly imprisoned them in a world of minivans and coffee klatches, and resignation about the fates they seem destined to fulfil. While Arlington Park may deal in toddlers and tater tots, it is certainly not another generic Mommy Lit clone. Cusk is a skilled writer, and in her hands, a dreary lunch at the mall food court is transformed into “lost property, but for people.” As the day progresses, we watch as Juliet chops her hair off in a small, if meaningless act of rebellion, Amanda stifles a burning desire to scream at a neighbour’s kid for ruining her white sofa, Maisie blames her parents for not loving her enough while throwing her daughter’s lunchbox at the kitchen wall, and Christine stuffs chicken breasts while silently cursing her husband for spending too much time getting ready for a dinner party. In each scene, the oppressiveness is almost unbearable, prompting readers to practically beg these women to flee as far and as fast as is humanely possible.Of course, in driving her readers to the edge of frustration and outrage, Cusk succeeds in creating a novel that penetrates deeper than most. Still, after turning the last page, you might find yourself reaching for a little Mommy Lit candy to take the edge off. –Gisele Toueg

(from Amazon website)

Review: The descriptive passages in this novel are so spot-on as are Rachel Cusk’s observations of human nature. Although this has a definite feel of Virginia Woolf it doesn’t feel contrived; it moves along naturally combining the familiar style with a modern slant. At times time seems to stop in this novel allowing the reader to take stock of the surroundings. It’s a wonderfully well written book.

LibraryThing Rating: *****

Other books read by this writer: New writer for me 

Review by JudyB

E11even Terrible Months by R.L. Royle

In January 1998, a family of five moved into a flat on a small estate in Beeston, West Yorkshire. By November of the same year they had fled, with their lives and nerves in tatters. What happened to the Walkingtons during their time there to cause such a turn-around in what was once such a humorous, close family?

In their own words, three of the five members of the Walkington family detail their lives at the time, their separate and shared unexplainable experiences and the emotions, opinions and consequences thrown up from their eleven terrible months back in 1998.

From Publisher’s Site

Presented as a true account, written by three members of the family, this is chilling book that will stay with you.

This isn’t what you’d expect from a ‘haunted house’ book.. it doesn’t set out to be shocking or gory, nor is it full of the usual clichés. It simply reads like a genuine, believable tale.

This were times when I wondered if the style was a little too ‘dry’ for a fiction book, reading like a report. However, I think it’s particular style that makes it get to you. There were a few times I put the book down, wandered out to the bathroom, and found myself looking over my shoulder! It’s creepy without you even realising it!

The characters are also great, you can certainly imagine this very normal family going through these experiences, and suffering for them.

The author says that alot of the book is based on her own experiences.. but it’s up to you to decide what is, what isn’t, and indeed what you believe.

As a bonus, the book is a limited edition hardback, and is gorgeous – it even has one of those little built in ribbon bookmarks, which I wish every book did!

If you’re interested in haunted houses, ghosts, and the such, but get put off by ‘over the top’ horror books, you may just love this one!

Review by Michelle

To Catch A Cheat by Kelley St John

Sent to me by the author, this is the type of book I probably wouldn’t have picked up for myself. Which is a shame, because I would have missed out on a funny, sexy read!

The main female character, Marissa, realises that she has been cheated on by all the men in her life, and decides to set up a database and website for women to share their experiences too. Thinking she was cheated on by Trent, she adds his name.. only for him to retaliate with a male version, listing women that lie.

The battle that follows is entertaining and funny.. the outcome is kinda predictable, as it usually is, but the journey is fun, so you don’t mind.

Marissa reflects the authors great sense of humour, and the friendship she has with Candi and Amy is both realistic and heart-warming. I’d love to read more about them. Trent starts off seeming a little too perfect, but ends up rather loveable!

If you like chick lit with a funny, sexy bite, you can’t go far wrong with this one.

Author’s Official Site

By Michelle

Hope Leslie by Catharine Maria Sedgwick

Date of Publication: 1827Number of Pages: 371

Synopsis: Set in seventeenth-century New England, Hope Leslie portrays early American life and celebrates the role of women in building the republic. A counterpoint to the novels of James Fenimore Cooper, this frontier romance challenges the conventional view of Indians, tackles interracial marriage and cross-cultural friendship, and claims for women their rightful places in history. At the center of the novel are two friends. Hope Leslie, a spirited thinker in a repressive Puritan society, fights for justice for the Indians and asserts the independence of women. Magawisca, the passionate daughter of a Pequot chief, braves her father’s wrath to save a white man and risks her freedom to reunite Hope with her long-lost sister, captured as a child by the Pequots. Amply plotted, with unforgettable characters, Hope Leslie is a rich, compelling, deeply satisfying novel. ~blurb from back cover

Review: This is an extraordinary historical romance about the complex relationship between the Puritan settlers of New England and the Native Americans they encountered. Hope Leslie is a spirited heroine who seems out of place in this repressive society; but at the same time, she is able to bring out the best of those around her. She has an amazing effect on her friends, and has almost a sorceress-like quality with which she bends them to her will. In no way, however, is she an anti-Christian heroine. She is as virtuous as any Puritan woman, but she also prefers to follow the desires of her own emotions. She is alike in many ways to Everell Fletcher, her childhood companion, who gets caught up in her adventures.

This story is very much a romance, in that the main characters, Hope, Everell, and Magawisca, a Pequot princess, possess qualities that ordinary people don’t. They commit acts of fierce loyalty and sacrifice, and have the willingness sacrificing their lives or freedom to help an innocent. The other characters in the book, however virtuous, are nonetheless content to trust in Providence. They do not go out of their way, risking everything, to do what they feel and know is right.

Hope Leslie is also an historical novel. It depicts not only real people, like Governor Winthrop and Cotton Mather, but also real events, like the tragic Pequot War. Magawisca relates the story of the massacre of her village like a real witness. In reality, many of the unfortunate Pequot survivors were sold into slavery, or forced to become servants, which is exactly what happens to Magawisca and her brother, Oneco. Although the story itself is fiction, one can readily see that the portrayal of real-life people and events gives it a credibility that other novels set in the period do not have. It is likely that events much like the ones depicted in Hope Leslie did take place, in some form.

Rating: 8.5/10

Reviewed by Sarah