The Seven Markets by David Hoffman

The Seven Markets by David Hoffman
series: The Seven Markets (1)

THE MARKET
MIDSUMMER'S DAY, OBERTON VILLAGE
MYSTERIES, WONDERS, AND DREAMS

So reads the sign that seventeen-year-old Ellie MacReady encounters on her way into the village one day in the summer of 1726. A thing of legend, the Market appears only once every century.   Ellie grew up hearing her father's stories about the Market, but nothing he told her prepared Ellie for what she was to encounter there.

Reading The Seven Markets was a bit of a rollercoaster ride for me. I went from thinking "oooh, this is good" to regretfully telling Russell that I was going to hate the book (more on why below). I then moved on to cautious optimism, which later morphed into delight. There followed some bewilderment (ditto), but I ended the novel on a good note.

The Seven Markets is described as a science fiction fairy tale. I've always disliked the fact that science fiction and fantasy are nearly always lumped together in non-specialty bookstores.¹ The creation of this single category further degrades two genres that are already marginalized as "genre fiction" (as opposed to "real" fiction) by reducing them to subgenres. While I am by no means an expert on either genre, I grew up with a man who did the majority of his book-shopping in that department.² While there is cross-over between the two genres, I think that's the exception rather than the rule and that their real commonality is their reader.
In any case, The Seven Markets is the rare book that belongs in the science fiction and fantasy department because it is a cross-over that has significant elements from both genres.

From this blog's tag cloud, it is obvious that I read (and post about) more fantasy than scifi. While the gap is actually significantly wider than the tags would have you believe, I do appreciate both genres. I am, however, a particularly picky reader of the two genres, mostly because I become overwhelmed by the heaviest versions of either. The bewilderment mentioned above is a result of that tendency of mine, while the possible hatred relates to a particular fantasy trope³ for which I usually have no patience.

The Seven Markets is like nothing I've read before. The novel, like the Market itself, is full of endless wonders, but it is also tightly constructed. As a reader you never know what will happen next. I'm loathe to go into too much detail on the plot because much of the novel's magic--and what makes it such a compelling read--is in how and how much it reveals itself. I'd just caution readers not to be put off by the (intentionally) jarring transitions between the first few chapters. While those types of transitions continue to move the narrative along, you do become accustomed to them.

If you are interested in The Seven Markets, but not sold yet, check out the sample available on the author's website.

For what it's worth, Russell and I have already purchased two copies of The Seven Markets to give as gifts⁴ (it's a particularly good choice for lovers of fantasy, science fiction, and strong, female protagonists) and intend to purchase at least one more in the very near future for the same reason.

I have to admit, though, that I'm looking forward to Hoffman's next book, Beautiful Handcrafted Animals (forthcoming Spring 2013),⁵ much more than I am Ellie's next adventure. Of course that doesn't mean that I won't whip though The King's Glamour (forthcoming Summer 2013) as soon as I can get my hands on it.

n.b. Links within this post either go to Amazon (no referral) or Hoffman's website, rather than my usual.

1. Case in point: Amazon.
2. My father is the first person I disappointed by my inability to slog through The Lord of the Rings.
3. In the footnotes because specifying this could be considered a SPOILER. I don't think it's too much of a spoiler, but continue at your own risk.
   I generally dislike (and sometimes despise) stories that involve humans crossing over into the faerie realm and getting stuck there outside of time.
4. Even though The Seven Markets is only available via Amazon, a company that I'm trying not to patronize when I can help it.
5. David (oh, jeeze, see the disclosure statement) describes this one as "suburban fantasy" (as opposed to urban fantasy; forgive the lazy Wikipedia link), which sounds just like my cup of tea.

disclosure: I received a review copy of The Seven Markets from the author, with whom I am friendly.

a fire in the library

Or rather a fireplace in the library...

I crafted this fireplace yesterday (on my day off) as a special surprise for my coworker. Since we moved into the new office, she's thought that this wall was in need of a fireplace.

The obscenely (and unnecessarily) large box in which Target sent my recent order (sliced in half and stacked upon itself) was the basis of the fireplace itself. Other materials used were to-be-recycled office paper (to cover box and for the grill), an old file folder (for the non-red flames), wrapping paper (for the red flames), and a used Priority Mail mailer (for the logs and structure for the fire), as well as tape (packing, scotch, and double-sided), markers, a pencil, scissors, and a box cutter.

The stockings are my family's stash of guest stockings. They were crocheted by my paternal grandmother.

My desktop Dalek has joined a few knit items holding court on the mantle until we receive enough holiday cards to crowd them out.

Peaches for Father Francis by Joanne Harris

Peaches for Father Francis by Joanne Harris
original title: Peaches for Monsieur le Curé¹
series: Chocolat trilogy (3)

I am no longer the Vianne Rocher who blew into town eight years ago. [...] I am in charge of my destiny. I call the wind. It answers to me.(23)

While I've read quite a bit of Harris' oeuvre, I've never gotten around to her most famous novel, Chocolat.² Peaches for Father Francis is the third book to feature characters from Chocolat. I haven't read Chocolat's first sequel, The Girl with No Shadow,³ either. To my mind, Peaches for Father Francis functions perfectly well as a stand along novel, though a a familiarity with Chocolat's storyline and characters is useful to the reader.

The primary action of Peaches for Father Francis takes place in Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, the fictional French village that was the setting of Chocolat (The Girl with No Shadow takes place in Paris, which is where Peaches for Father Francis begins). A letter from her now-deceased friend Armande Voizin summons protagonist Vianne back to Lansquenet, which Armande suspects will be in need of Vivianne's help by the time the letter is delivered to her. When Vianne arrives in Lansquenet much has changed in the village. The storefront where she sold chocolate once upon a time is now being used as a small Muslim girls school or was until a recent arson attack. The primary suspect in the attack is Vianne's old nemesis (and the novel's second protagonist), village curate Reynaud Francis.

Reynaud finds an unlikely ally in Vianne, who is quick to surmise that all is not as it seems in Lansquenet.  Peaches for Father Francis is classic Harris. Her prose is gorgeous, evocative, and tinged with magic. The story, which revolves around the problems caused by prejudice within a community affected by conservatism within and self-segregation of its (Moroccan Muslim) immigrant population, is timely. The novel's themes--which include tolerance and forgiveness, was is vs. what seems to be, the inevitability of change--are timeless.

Here's a quote from Reynaud that struck me:

Of course, I know God has a plan. But in recent years I've found it increasingly hard to believe that the plan is running as smoothly as He intended. The more I think about it now, the more I see God as a harried bureaucrat, wanting to help, but crippled by paperwork and committees. If He sees us at all, [...] it is from behind a desk piled high with accounts and works-in-progress. That's why He has priests to do His work, and bishops to oversee them.  [...] But try to juggle too many balls, and this is what happens.  Some go astray. (244)

A couple other truisms from the novel:

Love is random, centreless; striking out like pestilence. (268)

Vianne: But we have the uncanny knack of focusing on difference; as if excluding others could make our identity stronger. But in all my travels, I have found that people are mostly the same everywhere. Under the veil, the beard, the soutane, it's always the same machinery. (221)

Peaches for Father Francis is a must-read for lovers of Harris and/or Chocolat. Despite its timeliness I'm not sure that I'd recommend Peaches for Father Francis as an introduction to Harris' work since it builds upon groundwork laid in Chocolat (and probably also in The Girl with No Shadow). Rather I'd recommend Peaches for Father Francis in conjunction with Chocolat.

Because we all know that I like footnotes -

1. Because apparently Americans can't handle a little bit of French.
   Why, oh why, do publishers think the American audience needs a different title? I really do think that the confusion this causes outweighs any possible benefit. I'd much rather have an explanatory note in the front matter than an alternate title.
2. Though, for what it's worth, I did see the film adaptation.
3. The Lollipop Shoes was the original title. Does lollipop have some alternate meaning across the pond? (rhetorical question; see footnote 1)

disclosure: I received a review copy of Peaches for Father Francis from Viking Press via NetGalley.

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire (1)

Despite hearing people rave both about the A Song of Ice and Fire books and the television show based on them,¹ I really had no interest in reading A Game of Thrones until recently. First, I was introduced to A Game of Thrones: The Board Game² at our Monday-night gaming group. Everyone in attendance that night had read A Game of Thrones except Russell and I, which make me feel irresponsible for some reason. Then, for a secret santa swap, I was assigned someone who adores both the books and the series. So I simply had to read A Game of Thrones so I didn't completely botch the A Song of Ice and Fire-themed package I decided that this person needed.

I finished A Game of Thrones tonight after a fit of monogamous reading. Actually I listened to the (e)audiobook narrated by Roy Dotrice, who with the exception of an occasional slip-up on the names³ did a nice job. I read A Game of Thrones quickly not because I found it particularly suspenseful (and researching for my swap package yielded at least two spoilers). My dedicated reading was primarily due to the fact that I hated having two giant fantasy novels in progress at the same time.⁴

I'm not dying to read the next book, but neither am I resistant to continuing along with the series. The thing I liked most about the novel was that it was told from a number of different points of view. I found the story as a whole fairly compelling, but much of that had to do with wanting to get back to one character or other to find out how they were faring.

Apparently the series is inspired by the Wars of the Roses. The reference seems apt, but honestly I don't know enough about those 15th century battles of succession to say how closely the novel(s) follow actual events. A Game of Thrones (and I assume the series as a whole) is heavy on violence and bloodshed, which is understandable even if not welcome. I do admire the fact that Martin has no qualms about killing off significant characters.

1. Not everyone raved, but the ravers outnumbered those less enthusiastic.
2. For what it's worth I really did not like the game (and I have no desire to play it again). This strategic free-for-all type of game is not my cup of tea and I found the iconography on the action tokens extremely confusing. As House Baratheon I started out in position of power. I still had the Iron Throne at the end of the game, but I didn't play well by any stretch.
3. Calling "Joffrey" "Jeffrey" and pronouncing Lady Stark's name as "Caitlin."
4. Russell has me reading Lord of the Rings and it is going to take me forever to finish. And, yes, I'm counting it as three separate books in my tally for the year.

a bookish gift idea

The Personal Library Kit is a perfect gift for the habitual book-loaner or wannabe-librarian in your life.

Knock Knock describes the kit as follows -

For a bibliophile, there’s no greater pleasure than sharing beloved books, but no crueler pain than losing them for good—until the Personal Library Kit! Revive old-fashioned library circulation techniques for fun and book retention with our classic bestseller!

• The perfect gift for the generous reader
• Even better looking
• 6 x 7.5 x 1.25 inches; 20 self-adhesive pockets and checkout cards; date stamp and inkpad; pencil

The Personal Library Kit is currently on sale for $12.99 at ThinkGeek.

quotable Dr. Who

"You want weapons? We're in a library. Books! Best weapons in the world! This room's the greatest arsenal we could have. Arm yourself."
                                        - 10th Doctor, Doctor Who, "Tooth and Claw"

Safekeeping by Karen Hesse

Safekeeping by Karen Hesse

Teenage Radley Parker-Hughes is volunteering at an orphanage in Haiti when the President of the United States is assassinated. Despite the reports that have managed to filter to her remote location, Radley decides that she must return home to be with her parents during this time of unrest. When she arrives in Manchester, New Hampshire, she finds the country under martial law. Her parents' phone has been disconnected. She can't take a bus to Battleboro because she lacks the appropriate travel documents for crossing state lines. Radley's only choice is to walk home along country roads, trying to avoid being caught out after the newly imposed curfews.

With no money (her emergency credit card is now a useless piece of plastic) or food, Radley is reduced to foraging in dumpsters along the way. That she manages to arrive home safe and sound seems like a victory. Her parents, though, are not at home. It seems that they have disappeared, leaving all of their belongings behind. Radley locks herself inside the house, hiding whenever the police make their increasingly frequent visits, and eating all of the food in the pantry. Eventually she resigns herself to the pointlessness of remaining in Battleboro and decides to go to Canada...

I discovered Safekeeping among the featured recently-acquired titles in the teen room of the public library. I was sold on the cover art and flap text, especially this bit:

Illustrated by 90 of her own haunting and beautiful photographs, this is a vision of a future America that only Karen Hesse could write: real, gripping, and deeply personal.

But I have to admit disappointment with the novel. While I do appreciate that Safekeeping is a stand-alone novel,¹ I am dissatisfied with how easily Hesse ties everything up. That, combined with the fact that readers are never given a full backstory for the political and societal unrest, leaves the dystopian premise feeling insubstantial.

The story is very much character-driven and Radley's coming-of-age is the true center of the novel. Hesse does a wonderful job bringing Radley up and using the privations of the situation to facilitate that up-bringing. My disappointment is in how easy everything seems to be for Radley (all the truly awful things happen to other people) and how distant the threat seems to be. In short, Safekeeping seems like Dystopia light.

L: A Novel History² (which I read earlier this year) is constructed around a similar blip-in-the-history-of-the-nation kind of Dystopia. However, L's Dystopia was as horrifying (or more so) as any other I've encountered in fiction (to the point where I could only read the novel in small doses). What I wanted for Safekeeping was for more of the feeling that hell had broken loose (that phrase is used on the flap as well as within the novel) even if only for a time. Then again, limiting the reach of the threat may have been a goal. It does make the novel more palatable for younger readers.

The photographs are indeed both haunting and beautiful. I also love the idea that Hesse took them while tracing the same route she has Radley walk (as described in "about the author," 293-294) and that the "feet-on-the-ground research contributed to the authenticity of Radley's narrative." However, the placement of the photographs within the novel is inconsistent. Sometimes a photo matches the prose almost too perfectly, while at others the image seems at odds with the text.

One final comment -
The library copy of the novel was marked with a science-fiction spine sticker. That categorization is so off that I can only imagine that dystopian fiction is now considered (at least by some) a subgenre of SciFi. In any case, there is nothing in Safekeeping that I associate with science fiction. The novel is set in the future, but that imagined future is so near that it could happen tomorrow.

1. I do like series, but is seems like so much that is being published nowadays (especially in YA fiction) is a trilogy or quartet or longer series.
2. I received a review copy via NetGalley.

word: mondegreen (redux)

Mondegreen (the mishearing or misinterpretation of a oft-heard phrase) is one of my favorite words.  It was the subject of a featured-word post back in March of 2010 (see post), but I've been wanting to post about it again.

'Tis the season for carols and my most recently discovered mondegreen comes from "Deck the Halls" -
Hail the new year's Latin lessons (actual lyric:  Hail the new, ye lads and lasses).  But, my desire to post about mondegreen has nothing to do with the holiday season, but rather with knitting and yarn craft. 

In September, indie yarn dyer Verdant Gryphon debuted a new yarn (a worsted weight blend of 60% Blue Faced Leicester wool, 20% baby camel, and 20% silk) called Mondegreen and they are using misheard song lyrics for all the colorway names.  This pleased me on so many different levels, even more so when I received one of the preview skeins (my review).  I made a pair of mitts for myself and they have have been getting quite a bit of use now that the weather has gotten colder.

Project:  Mondegreen flip-tops
Yarn:  Verdant Gryphon Mondegreen
Colorway / mondegreen: Two chickens in fried rice
Actual lyric:  Two tickets to paradise (Eddie Money, "Two Tickets to Paradise")

I loved knitting with the yarn so much that I requested a sweater quantity for my birthday (thank you, Mom!).

Colorway / mondegreen:  I wanna freak out and stab you
Actual lyric:  I wanna reach out and grab ya (Steve Miller Band, "Abracadabra")

I've also been keeping an eye on the new colorway releases not because I need more yarn (though knitting with this yarn is a joy), but because I'm getting such a kick out of the colorway names.

the dragon is stirring

December seems like a good time to get back on the wagon so expect regular posts to start appearing soon.

I'm sure that I missed a few books in my sidebar-updating, but "Books Read in 2012" is current and as accurate as my memory allows.

shades of grey (and an explanation of sorts for recent silence)

So, I loaned my mom Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde (see post). She started reading it recently and brought the book along to the hospital with her to read in the downtime before her shoulder surgery.¹ Today she told me that both the nurse there and my father were completely scandalized that she was reading the book and that she was reading it in public.  Even worse for my father is that she'd gotten the book from me.

Shades of Grey ≠ Fifty Shades of Grey

Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron is zany dystopian fiction.
Fifty Shades of Grey is poorly written dominant/submissive erotica (or so I've been told).

My poor mother was apparently unaware of the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon so I had to fill her in. While I acknowledge a similarity in the two novels' titles, this particular case of mistaken identity seems odd to me considering that they were horrified by seeing her read the book, rather than by her making passing reference to the fact that she was reading the book. The Fifty Shades books have very distinctive (and widely publicized) monochromatic blue-gray cover art. None of the various covers for Shades of Grey look remotely similar. And while the cover art on my copy isn't as colorful as some of the other editions', I can't imagine confusing the following -

And, just to be clear, while I personally have no plans to read Fifty Shades of Grey and its sequels, I pass no judgment on those who do. I follow a "read what you like, like what you read" philosophy.  And it seems like the Fifty Shades books have inspiring many adults to read, which is a very a good thing.

n.b. The staff at your public library are not judging you based on your reading habits (unless, of course, you're the one "reading" The Joy of Sex in the men's washroom)² so go ahead and check out Succubus Blues, or whatever else floats your boat, without shame.

In any case, on to the parenthetical. It's been something like 2.5 weeks since my last post. I apologize for my silence.

Erratic posting is really a result of two things.  First, when you have to do something that you like (in this case: writing about books), it begins to feel more like work than like fun. Second, ever since we moved Russell and I have been sharing one computer at home. And by the time I've finished all the stuff I need to do on the computer, I don't always have the time or energy for writing blog posts. I have been reading even if I haven't been keeping my side-bar list updated³ and I do have a bunch of titles that I'm planning to review. My posting schedule will no doubt continue to be erratic at least for the foreseeable future. Please forgive me.

1. Surgery went well and she seems to be doing just fine.
2. No, I'm not joking. At a library where a colleague of mine worked part of the close-up procedure involved a trip to the men's room to collect The Joy of Sex for reshelving.  The joys of working in a public library.
3. I'll update it before I log out of blogger today.

Coming to My Senses by Alyssa Harad

Coming to My Senses: A Story of Perfume, Pleasure, and an Unlikely Bride
by Alyssa Harad

Author Alyssa Harad is a perfumista and a contributor to Perfume-Smellin' Things, one of the perfume blogs I regularly read. In Coming to My Senses, Harad recounts her first year of perfume obsession, which just so happens to be the year leading up to her wedding.

I like perfume. I'm not fluent in the language, nor am I confident in my taste, but I'm interested in moving beyond blog-reading and effortless sampling. So I really am an ideal reader for this book.

Coming to My Senses begins with Harad's awakening to first the language of perfume lovers and then to the perfumes themselves. I enjoyed following Harad on her voyage of olfactory discovery. I loved the details, her openness, her descriptions. Harad begins to write about being a bride about a third of the way through the book. It's at that point that I worry that I'll lose interest in the narrative. As much as I like Harad by this point, I'm not sure that I want to know about her wedding-planning. I worry that it will take away from what I think is the real focus of the memoir. Luckily, Harad manages to remain true to the theme of discovery and perfume both reflecting and enhancing life despite discussing wedding preparation (and a friend's sex change). Strangely enough, though, one of my favorite parts of Coming to My Senses revolves around Harad's bridal shower.

When Harad writes about a particular perfume she doesn't always mention it by name. I understand why (she explains why in her author's note¹), but I can't help feeling a bit disappointed. Because I'm still learning about perfume and its myriad nuances, I'd find it so helpful to know exactly which perfume Harad was referencing at any given time. In any case, I enjoyed Harad's writing (especially the more contemplative passages) and her honesty. Coming to My Senses also inspired me to overcome my fear of snooty salespeople and visit a perfume boutique last time I went into New York City. I've also ordered a bunch of samples to try out at home.

One last not-directly-book-related comment -
Harad's author website, promoted in her author's note as where she'll give readers "the latest, updated scoop" (vii), is underwhelming. It has a blog with one post dated June 26, 2012 surrounded by an architecture with lots of intriguing, but empty rooms. Even the Upcoming Events page is out of date. The more I explored the site, the more disappointed I became. I wonder why the publisher's PR people would put together the site and not maintain it (the book only came out last month) and I wonder why Harad agreed to it. One nice, long blog post is worse than none.

1. I have provided the names of the perfumes featured when I felt it was crucial to the telling of the story. However, in some cases I preferred to leave the names out and keep the emphasis on the description of their scents and the emotions they evoked at the moment. Doing so allowed me to avoid recommending perfumes that may be discontinued or reformulated by the time this book is published" (vii).

disclosure: I received a review copy of Coming to My Senses from Viking via NetGalley.

sync this week: Whale Rider & Call of the Wild

Sync's offerings this week (Thursday, August 16 through Wednesday, August 22, 2012) are:

The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
and
The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Eight-year-old Kahu, a member of the Maori tribe of Whangara, New Zealand, fights to prove her love, her leadership, and her destiny. Her people claim descent from Kahutia Te Rangi, the legendary "whale rider." In every generation since Kahutia, a male heir has inherited the title of chief. But now there is no male heir, and the aging chief is desperate to find a successor. Kahu is his only great-grandchild--and Maori tradition has no use for a girl. But when hundreds of whales beach themselves and threaten the future of the Maori tribe, it is Kahu who saves the tribe when she reveals that she has the whale rider's ancient gift of communicating with whales.

A classic novel of adventure, drawn from London's own experiences as a Klondike adventurer, relating the story of a heroic dog, who, caught in the brutal life of the Alaska Gold Rush, ultimately faces a choice between living in man's world and returning to nature

Go here to get this week's downloads.
n.b. at the time I'm publishing this post (as when I checked the site earlier in the day), Sync has the following note posted (so you may not be able to download this week's titles right away):

Our apologies! Our host is having issues with the current downloads. The service will be up and running as soon as possible!

Remember, these books don't expire like the e-audiobooks you get from the library. So, be sure to download the books even if you don't think you'll get around to listening to them right away.

More information about Sync is available in this post.

serenity

This week I had one of those exceedingly frustrating days that make you want to pull all your hair out.  On days like those, I'm in desperate need of some serenity.¹ Last year I bought myself this ring² from Etsy seller donnaOdesigns. For me it is a perfect reminder to breathe and to focus on what I actually can control.

My hand, my photo.
There are much better images available if you follow the links above.

It features the Serenity Prayer:

God, grant me the serenity to
Accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can, and
Wisdom to know the difference.

While the prayer is often misattributed to St. Francis of Assisi, I understand that is was actually written by an early 20th century theologian named Reinhold Niebuhr though the current, popular formula deviates from the original.³

1. Serenity: the state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil; not agitated.
2. The price has gone up about $15 since then, but I love it so much that I'd still buy it at the current price.
   If you want one for yourself, I'd recommend ordering a full size larger than the size you'd normally wear on your preferred finger. I had to send mine back to get resized because it didn't occur to me that I needed to size the finger near the first joint rather than at its base.  In any case, the donnaOdesigns was very accommodating.
3. "Father, give us courage to change what must be altered, serenity to accept what cannot be helped, and the insight to know the one from the other."

PSA: audiobook giveaway

My friend Jessica alerted me to this great giveaway going on at Publishers Weekly's audiobook blog, Listen Up -

The Great Audiobook Giveaway: Summer 2012

The 30+ book prize pack includes:

• Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel (see post)
• Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann (see post)

All you need to do to enter is post a comment on the relevant blog post, preferably about your favorite audio book or narrator. That's it. They say that the winner will be announced on 31 August, so I assume it closes on the 10th. Good luck.

Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James

Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James

I mentioned last week that I'd started reading Death Comes to Pemberley. I borrowed the book from a Jane Austen purist who'd unwilling received a copy as a gift. While I do love Austen and Pride and Prejudice in particular, I'm open to adaptations and spin-offs¹ and I started Death Comes to Pemberley with an open mind. Actually I was quite optimistic considering that that this particular spin-off was written by an author of some note. While I don't recall having read James' work before, I know her by reputation.

Death Comes to Pemberley takes place in 1803 and 1804 (Elizabeth and Darcy have been married for six years). The day before Lady Anne's ball, now an annual event at Pemberley, Mrs. Wickham arrives unexpectedly and in a state of great distress. In the course of that night it becomes clear that Captain Martin Denny has been murdered in the woods surrounding Pemberley and Wickham is the chief suspect.

James is quite obviously an Austen fan. In addition to her apologetic author's note, there's one passage that makes her feelings abundantly clear. When Elizabeth is recounting the time of her life put down in Pride and Prejudice, she speculates: "If this were fiction, could even the most brilliant novelist contrive to make credible so short a period in which pride had been subdued and prejudice overcome?" (47, emphasis mine).

I do feel that James tried to be true to Austen. She tries, successfully I think, to mimic Austen's style and language including the deliberate use of words that are now obsolete.² Death Comes to Pemberley is clearly written by an Austen lover for other Austen lovers. And I'd recommend a quick reread of Pride and Prejudice before starting Death Comes to Pemberley because some of Pride and Prejudice's less memorable secondary characters play significant roles in Death Comes to Pemberley.

Death Comes to Pemberley was a surprisingly slow read for me (especially considering that it is only 291 and a mystery). I appreciated a different take on a Pride and Prejudice sequel, but I really wasn't crazy about the story. I didn't have the entire mystery figured out before the reveal, but I was definitely looking in the right direction. My strongest feeling about the book has to do with Darcy. I think one of the reasons Darcy is such a beloved romantic hero is because he is so horribly enigmatic. In Death Comes to Pemberley much of the narrative is being told from Darcy's perspective. We learn much about his thoughts and actions during the course of the novel and, worse, more of the wheres, whys, and hows of everything that happened during Pride and Prejudice. Precious little left to the imagination.

1. I even read that atrocious, zombies-added one.
2. I should have kept track of them to feature them on the blog, but I didn't have writing materials close to hand as I was reading and it would have been unforgivably rude to dogear someone else's book.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
series: Divergent Trilogy, 2

Considering how much I liked Divergent (see post), it's no surprise that I enjoyed its sequel, Insurgent.

Insurgent continues the overarching storyline begun in Divergent. During the course of the novel readers learn more about the other factions (and the factionless) and how the groups relate to each other. We also get a better idea of how five-faction society functions as a whole and how and why it came into being.

Beatrice and her love interest from Divergent maintain their relationship¹ and it continues to be complex and somewhat complicated.

On a side note, I love Insurgent's cover art. It's beautiful and compelling with great movement. It also echoes Divergent's cover in a nice way while still standing on its own legs.

1. Good. I dislike nothing more than series that follow the new-installment-new-love-interest modus operandi.

sync this week: Skulduggery Pleasant & Dead Men Kill

Sync's offerings this week (Thursday, August 9 through Wednesday August 15, 2012) are:

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
and
Dead Men Kill by L. Ron Hubbard

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant: ace detective, snappy dresser, razor-tongued wit, crackerjack sorcerer, and walking, talking, fire-throwing Skeleton — as well as ally, protector, and mentor of Stephanie Edgley, a very unusual and darkly talented 12-year-old. These two alone must defeat an all-consuming ancient evil. The end of the world? Over Skulduggery Pleasant's dead body.

When several of the city's most respected citizens are inexplicably killed by what appear to be zombies, all Detective Terry Lane has to go on is a blue grey glove, a Haitian pharmacy bill for some very unusual drugs and a death threat from a mysterious stranger. Matters are soon complicated when a beautiful nightclub singer shows up who claims to have information that could solve the case, but whose motives are plainly suspect. Against his better judgment, Terry investigates her lead only to find himself sealed in a coffin en route to the next zombie murder—his own.

Go here to get this week's downloads.

Note: these books don't expire like the e-audiobooks you get from the library. So, be sure to download the books even if you don't think you'll get around to listening to them right away.

More information about Sync is available in this post.

word: sardonic

Elizabeth had never been popular, indeed the more perceptive of the Meryton ladies occasionally suspected that Miss Lizzy was privately laughing at them. They also accused her of being sardonic, and although there was uncertainty about the meaning of the word, they knew that it was not a desirable quality in a woman, being one which gentlemen particularly disliked. (Death Comes to Pemberley, 9; emphasis mine)

I began (with cautious optimism) P.D. James' nod to Austen this evening. When I came across the passage above, I knew that I must share it in a featured-word post. 

From the OED (vol. 8, part 2, 1914) -

Sardonic, adj.
Of laughter, a smile: Bitter, scornful, mocking. Hence of a person, personal attribute, etc.: Characterized by or exhibiting bitterness, scorn or mockery. (111)

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
series: Lunar Chronicles, 1

work colleague: So, what are you reading now?
Karen: Oh, it's a retelling of Cinderella set in a dystopian future. She's a cyborg.

In Cinder we have a classic fairytale set in the (far distant) future. The moon, now a nation known as Luna, is populated by a race of mutant humans with mind-control powers (which most humans consider magic, but is described by the scientifically minded as the ability to manipulate bio-electric energy).¹ After the devastation of World War IV, Earth's remaining nations signed a peace treaty. But, while there is peace on Earth, humans are threatened both by a worldwide pandemic, a plague called letumosis, and by the possibility of war with Luna.

Linh-mei (aka Cinder) is a teenage mechanic living in New Beijing, capitol of the Eastern Commonwealth. While Cinder survived the airship accident that killed both her parents, the surgeries that saved her left her less than 70% human. She is a cyborg, a second-class citizen. Her adoptive father contracted letumosis shortly after her assuming guardianship of Cinder, her care was left to his wife. Adri resents being burdened with Cinder, of whom she is ashamed and whom she only tolerates because of Cinder's ability to support the family.

When Prince Kaito, first in line to the throne, seeks Cinder out to repair his personal android, he is unaware that she is a cyborg...

I have to admit that I was a bit reticent to read Cinder. Given its premise,² I figured that the novel would either be absolutely fantastic or perfectly horrendous depending on its execution. But I overcame my reluctance when I happened across Cinder among my library's e-audiobook offerings.

While it would have been easy for debut novelist Meyer to the overdo it with Cinder. There are a lot of different elements that she has to balance while still remaining true to the original story. But Meyer manages brilliantly. Cinder is true to the original while being something completely new. I still feel like the inclusion of the paranormal elements³ was a bit much and likely unnecessary, but they didn't bother me nearly as much as I would have expected them to. Cinder is a strong, sympathetic character. While she's still an unloved step-child with the ability to (unintentionally) beguile a prince, Cinder is so much more than that.  She is independent, brave, and a problem-solver who doesn't need a fairy godmother to get her to the ball.⁴ Prince Kai is much more nuanced than the traditional Prince Charming character and his decision about Cinder is more complicated than simply overcoming prejudice. Some of the secondary characters are a bit one-dimensional, which is almost to be expected in a fairytale considering that fairytales are full of stock characters, but others are perfectly crafted.

I will definitely be continuing on with this series. Per Meyer's website, the second installment Scarlet will be released in Feburary 2013 and will focus on a Little Red Riding Hood character.

1. Shades of vampirism, not blood-sucking, but being able to glamour humans and an aversion to mirrors.
2. Let's review how much is packed into this one story. We have a retelling, set in a dystopian future with a heavy emphasis on science fiction and a dash of the paranormal. I'm overwhelmed just setting that out.
3. There's more than what is mentioned in footnote 1, but explication would involve spoilers.
4. There is a fairy godmother character, but Cinder comes to her rescue rather than the other way around.

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
series: Delirium Trilogy, book 2

Pandemonium is the sequel to Lauren Oliver's Delirium and the second in an expected trilogy. I was disappointed by Delirium when I read it last year (see post), but that didn't keep me from feeling like I needed to reread it before I sent my copy (along with a bunch of other books) off to live with Russell's voracious-reader sister. I hadn't been planning on continuing with the series, but given the fact that I was rereading Delirium, I decided to put myself on the library waiting list Pandemonium.

And, I'm glad that I did because I liked Pandemonium better than Delirium. Again in Pandemonium I was unhappy with how the romance played out.¹ But, Oliver gives us a lot more information about the society in this second installment.  There's more menace and suffering and because of that Pandemonium works much better as a dystopian novel.

1. This is vague and unspecific, but it's still a bit of a spoiler so continue with the footnotes at your own risk.
   
   
   SPOILER - And we have a love triangle to look forward to in book three, ugh.

sync this week: Daughter of Smoke and Bone & A Tale of Two Cities

Sync's offerings this week (Thursday, August 2 through Wednesday, August 8, 2012) are:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
(highly recommended)

and
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious errands; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?
* I listened to the audio version of Daughter of Smoke and Bone last month and loved it (see post).

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."
After eighteen years as a political prisoner in the Bastille, the ageing Doctor Manette is finally released and reunited with his daughter in England. There the lives of the two very different men, Charles Darnay, an exiled French aristocrat, and Sydney Carton, a disreputable but brilliant English lawyer, become enmeshed through their love for Lucie Manette. From the tranquil roads of London, they are drawn against their will to the vengeful, bloodstained streets of Paris at the height of the Reign of Terror, and they soon fall under the lethal shadow of the guillotine.

Go here to get this week's downloads.

Note: these books don't expire like the e-audiobooks you get from the library. So, be sure to download the books even if you don't think you'll get around to listening to them right away.

More information about Sync is available in this post.

Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann

Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann

Like Wish You Were Here by Stewart O'Nan, which I posted about earlier this month (see post), Tigers in Red Weather concerns itself with an extended family and their interpersonal relationships using time spent together at a summer cottage (this time on Martha's Vineyard) as a catalyst.  The novel is also told variously from the perspectives of the individual family members, but Tigers in Red Weather has a series of first-person narrators rather than one third person omniscient.

While Wish You Were Here takes place over a single week, Tigers in Red Weather unfolds over twenty-plus years. From the end of World War through the late 1960s (with a bit of a flashback to the war years), Tigers in Red Weather follows first (female) cousins Nick and Helena (and Nick's husband Hugh) as they adjust to post-war and married life. Their children Ed and Daisy join the narrative as they reach the age of reason, spending their summers at Tiger House.

Throughout the novel there's an air of mystery and deep-seated secrets. One summer there's a murder on the Vineyard, and while that adds to the intrigue, it's never really a question of whodunnit. Rather the focus of Tigers in Red Weather is on interfamilial deceptions, the lies individual characters tell themselves and each other.

Unfortunately, it was difficult to connect with any of the central characters. Two of them were repugnant the majority of the time. The others ranged from generally likeable to vaguely incomprehensible, but all suffered from some level of inconsistency within their characters that made them at best unsympathetic, but at worst unbelievable.

I will say that the novel's ending is unexpected and quite well done.

The poem that no doubt inspired the novel's title, and which appears in part at the very end of the narrative: "Disillusionment of Ten O'Clock" by Wallace Stevens (1915)

The houses are haunted
By white night-gowns.
None are green,
Or purple with green rings,
Or green with yellow rings,
Or yellow with blue rings.
None of them are strange,
With socks of lace
And beaded ceintures.
People are not going
To dream of baboons and periwinkles.
Only, here and there, an old sailor,
Drunk and asleep in his boots,
Catches tigers
In red weather.

"Disillusionment of Ten O'Clock" was first published in the collection, Harmonium.

disclosure: I received a review copy of Tigers in Red Weather from Little Brown & Co. via NetGalley.

Richard Guy Wilson and Edith Wharton

Yesterday I had the opportunity to here noted architectural historian Richard Guy Wilson (he of America's Castles fame) speak at the incomparable Montgomery Place estate in Annandale-on-Hudson (near Red Hook, NY).

The introduction mentioned Richard Guy Wilson's new book, which I think will be of interest not only to those who appreciate architecture. Its focus is on The Mount (now a historic house museum) and Edith Wharton's life there. Because the publication of Edith Wharton at Home is timed to coincide with Wharton's 150th birthday, I first suspected that the book might be a commissioned anniversary publication, but now that I've learned that Monacelli Press is associated with Random House that doesn't seem likely. But, even if it Edith Wharton at Home was a commissioned anniversary publication, the caliber of its author and subject practically ensures a quality product.

Edith Wharton at Home: Life at the Mount by Richard Guy Wilson
(forthcoming September 2012)

Completed in 1902, The Mount sits in the rolling landscape of the Berkshire Hills, with views overlooking Laurel Lake and all the way out to the mountains. At the turn of the century, Lenox and Stockbridge were thriving summer resort communities, home to Vanderbilts, Sloanes, and other leading families of the Gilded Age. Edith Wharton at Home connects The Mount to that milieu and details Wharton's design of the house and landscape. Embodying principles set forth in Wharton's famous book The Decorating of Houses and her deep knowledge of Italian gardens, The Mount is truly an autobiographical house. There Wharton wrote some of her best-known and successful novels including Ethan Frome and House of Mirth.
Published to coincide with the celebrations surrounding the 150th anniversary of Wharton's birth, Edith Wharton at Home presents Wharton as a writer, as a designer, and as a hostess. Authoritative text by Richard Guy Wilson, Commonwealth Professor of Architectural History at the University of Virginia and host of the popular series America's Castles is illustrated with archival images as well as new color photography of the restoration of The Mount and its spectacular gardens.

The Sportsman by Dhani Jones

I do so love watching the Olympic Games. While I prefer the winter games and Canadian coverage,¹ I'm making the best of things with NBC-group coverage this year. In any case, the XXX (modern) Olympiad seemed like the perfect excuse to post about a sports memoir that I should have reviewed last year.

The Sportsman: Unexpected Lessons from an Around-the-World Sports Odyssey
by Dhani Jones with Jonathan Grotenstein

I need to open my comments on The Sportsman with the admission that I did not finish the book. Regular readers will be aware that I prefer fiction to nonfiction and that I don't often post about memoirs or sports-related books. Lest any of you think that my preferences yielded to bias against The Sportsman, I submit this confession: I am a huge Dhani Jones fan.² When Time Warner dropped the Travel Channel from our Buffalo cable package, Dhani Tackles the Globe is the show I mourned the most. If anything, my love of Dhani likely predisposed me toward his memoir.

I was excited to get my hands on a review copy of The Sportsman and couldn't wait to get an extra dose of that endearing Dhani personality. The memoir's subtitle, "Unexpected Lessons from an Around-the-World Sports Odyssey," left me expecting a narrative built upon Dhani's experiences making Dhani Tackles the Globe and presented in a style like referenced the television show.

The memoir starts from the beginning ("my parents took two years to name me," 3), explaining how Dhani developed a love of sport and how he came to play football despite his mother's objections. Dhani's first person narrative is a bit too informal (in describing his teenage attitude problems he uses "mofo" and "suck my left nut"), but I was willing to give him (and his coauthor) the benefit of the doubt. But, on page 5, the narrative is interrupted by "A note from Commander Samuel L. Jones a.k.a. Dad". This I did not like at all. Yes, it did give an alternative perspective on Dhani at that period of this life, but it was jarring and odd (shades of helicopter parenting). And, couldn't Dad's viewpoint be shared in Dhani's own words? When a note from "Dr. Nanacy Jones a.k a. Mom" cropped up on page 14, I knew that I wasn't going to make it through The Sportsman. I gave up shortly thereafter.  

I was originally reticent to post about The Sportsman since I hadn't actually read very much of it.  I wondered whether I'd given the memoir a fair chance.  And, I held out the hope that I could get Russell to read it and offer his perspective (that didn't happen, I wasn't a very good salesperson). But, going through the early pages again, I realize that I still have no desire to keep reading The Sportsman. Maybe it gets better, but there were just far too many turn-offs in the early pages for me.

But, just because I didn't like The Sportsman, doesn't mean that you won't. The Sportsman has a 4.7 star rating on Amazon (16 reviews) and a 3.55 on Goodreads (70 ratings).

1. CBC did it well, CTV does it even better. Access to Canadian Olympic coverage is one of the things I miss most about living in Buffalo.
2. And, Russell and I both went to University of Michigan where Dhani played college ball. Russell actually saw him play in The Big House, though Dhani was already playing for the Giants by the time I got to Ann Arbor for graduate school.

disclosure: I received a review copy of The Sportsman from Rodale via NetGalley.

Sync this week: Pinned and Locomotion

Sync's offerings this week (Thursday, July 26 through Wednesday August 1, 2012) are:

Pinned by Alfred C. Martino and
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson

In this gripping story, wrestling dominates the lives of two young men. Ivan Korske and Bobby Zane come from very different backgrounds--yet they both have the drive, determination, and commitment of a champion. And both are determined to have successful wrestling seasons despite having to grapple with their own demons.
But their personal problems won't matter when these two teens meet on the mat to compete for the title of New Jersey State Wrestling Champion. Both Ivan and Bobby have put in grueling hours of practice, endured intense hunger to cut weight, and sacrificed themselves for the sport they love--but only one of them is destined to win.

Each kindness makes the world a little better.
Chloe and her friends won't play with the new girl, Maya. Maya is different--she wears hand-me-downs and plays with old-fashioned toys. Every time Maya tries to join Chloe and her gang, they reject her. Eventually, Maya plays alone, and then stops coming to school altogether. When Chloe's teacher gives a lesson about how even small acts of kindness can change the world, Chloe is stung by the lost opportunity for friendship, and thinks about how much better it could have been if she'd shown a little kindness toward Maya.
This unforgettable book is written and illustrated by the award-winning team that created The Other Side and the Caldecott Honor winner Coming On Home Soon. With its powerful message and striking art, it will resonate with readers long after they've put it down.

Go here to get this week's downloads.

Note: these books don't expire like the e-audiobooks you get from the library. So, be sure to download the books even if you don't think you'll get around to listening to them right away.

More information about Sync is available in this post.

Dungeons & Desktops by Matt Barton

Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games
by Matt Barton

I haven't read Dungeons and Desktops, but it comes recommended by Russell, who has it checked out of our public library.  He's already foisted the book off on my gamer father.

As is painfully obvious from its subtitle, Dungeons and Desktops explores the history of the CPRG genre. Lest other gamers feel left out, the book does discuss console games and MMOs and how they are related to CPRGs.

Barton is an English professor by trade and Russell reports that Dungeons and Desktops is well-written, easy, engaging read. In addition to being informative, the book brought back lots of good memories of playing the games it discusses. He also appreciated that Barton fills out the story of the games, describing how the games were designed and who designed them.

Holy acronyms, Batman! (and lots more in the book)
CRPG: computer role-playing game.
MMO: massively multiplayer online [game].

quotable Ursula Le Guin

I've had this quote up on my sidebar for a little while now, but since I know many people (such as myself) click through from their blog readers only irregularly, I'm sharing it in its own post. It's too good not to share. From her February 2008 Harper's Magazine article, "Staying Awake: Notes on the alleged decline of reading" -

The book itself is a curious artifact, not showy in its technology but complex and extremely efficient: a really neat little device, compact, often very pleasant to look at and handle, that can last decades, even centuries. It doesn’t have to be plugged in, activated, or performed by a machine; all it needs is light, a human eye, and a human mind. It is not one of a kind, and it is not ephemeral. It lasts. It is reliable. If a book told you something when you were fifteen, it will tell it to you again when you’re fifty, though you may understand it so differently that it seems you’re reading a whole new book.
– Ursula Le Guin

Sync this week: Cleopatra's Moon and Antony & Cleopatra

Sync's offerings this week (Thursday, July 19 through Wednesday, July 25, 2012) are:

Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Shecter

and
Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra

The Luxe meets the ancient world in the extraordinary story of Cleopatra's daughter.
Selene has grown up in a palace on the Nile with her parents, Cleopatra and Mark Antony--the most brilliant, powerful rulers on earth. But the jealous Roman Emperor Octavianus wants Egypt for himself, and when war finally comes, Selene faces the loss of all she's ever loved. Forced to build a new life in Octavianus's household in Rome, she finds herself torn between two young men and two possible destinies--until she reaches out to claim her own.
This stunning novel brings to life the personalities and passions of one of the greatest dramas in history, and offers a wonderful new heroine in Selene.

The twin empires of Egypt and Rome mingle and clash in this towering tragedy. Impulsiveness, passion, mistaken identity and dark humor all color the fascinating dalliance between Antony and Cleopatra, the larger-than-life pair at the center of this play.
A BBC Radio 3 full cast production.

Go here to get this week's downloads.

Note: these books don't expire like the e-audiobooks you get from the library. So, be sure to download the books even if you don't think you'll get around to listening to them right away.

More information about Sync is available in this post.

steampunk style

Steampunk has gotten quite a bit of attention on the blog (see posts), but the focus has always been on the fiction. While steampunk is at heart a literary subgenre,¹ for many it is first and foremost a design aesthetic. And one of the things steampunk aficionados like to do most is dress up to attend steampunk-themed events.

Items characteristic of steampunk fashion are under-bust corsets and goggles adorned with decorative metal elements. Individuals beginning to craft costumes are often admonished to begin with a items that are historically accurate to the period and then add shiny and creative details. Steampunk costumes often require a trips to both the local thrift and hardware stores before they are complete.

When I think of steampunk style, the word that often comes to mind is a made-up one, reproaesthetical. In Megan McCafferty's Bumped, reproaesthetical is a slang term meaning "having good genes" or "worthy of breeding with".  Obviously, that's not what I mean, but if one imagines the combination relying on historical reproduction (or the use of replicas) rather than sexual, my use of reproaesthetical likely begins to make more sense.

Steampunk style is a riff on historical style.  Historical reproductions (and authentic period items) can serve as a foundation, becoming steampunk with the addition of anachronistic decorative elements.  They can also inspire something completely new as illustrated by the images below (click on them for a bigger version of the images).

A friend's reproduction Victorian sewing box and tools

First, we have a portable 19th century sewing kit. Vintage implements (a delicately hand stitched pin cushion, threads both in the skeins and on thread winders, a silver-covered steel thimble in porcelain case, a pair of sharp metal scissors, and a variety of fancy needle cases made of bone and wood) are contained within a varnished wood case that is padded to protect its more fragile contents and set with a mirror that was used to reflect light onto stitchwork--an important feature in the perpetually dark, candle- or gas-lit world of the nineteenth-century.

Steampunk bracer constructed by R.H Mardigan Enterprises

The above is a streamlined steampunk version of the same tools. A workaday wooden needle case, brass thimble, miniature pincushion,² fancy brass scissors, and wooden spools of thread are mounted on a leather wrist guard. This "Tailor’s Assistant" is a compact solution that utilizes the "latest" Victorian technology (wooden spools were first introduced in the 1840s) to make a forearm-mounted sewing kit both stylish and practical.

1. Historical science fiction set often (though not exclusively) in Victorian London.
2. The tomato-shaped pincushion dates to the Victorian era when tomatoes were placed on the mantle of a new home to guarantee prosperity. Tomato stand-ins (red-fabric stuffed with wool or sawdust) were needed when the fruit was out of season. While tomatoes would be discarded when they started to spoil, the fabric substitutes were retained and put to use for pin storage. (Why are pincushions frequently made to resemble tomatoes?)

Wish You Were Here by Stewart O'Nan

Wish You Were Here by Stewart O'Nan

After her husband Henry dies, Emily Maxwell decides to sell their vacation home on Lake Chautauqua. Wish You Were Here recounts the last week that the family (Emily, her two children and their families, and Henry's sister Arlene) spends at the cottage.

While the action of the 500+ page novel takes place only over the course of eight days, it never feels unbearably long because the story is told (by the third person omniscient narrator) in turns from ten different perspectives (one chapter is given over to the dog, but the rest cycle through the three generations of vacationers). This allows the author to delve deep into an ordinary family (and the characters do feel both ordinary and real), exploring the strengths and weaknesses of each member and of the family as a whole. I most appreciated being able to see the differences between individual characters' self-perception and how they are viewed by those closest to them.

I do wish that I read Wish You Were Here when I still lived in Buffalo. I would love to drive around Chautauqua now, trying to pick out all the landmarks featured in the novel.

Some passages that struck me while I was reading -

Ken (Emily's son): "He feared, in the future, some crippling repercussions from these early indulgences, and thought that was due to his own childhood being for the most part idyllic, the hard facts of life reaching him only in his mid-twenties, as if until then he'd been swathed in a cocoon of his parents' making, composed of equal parts love and money" (27).

Meg (Emily's daughter): "Just waking up made her tired, her brain incredibly heavy, a cloud filled with rain" (58).

Lise (Emily's daughter-in-law):" She wondered what her life would look like in a book. Now there was a depressing idea" (477).

Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace by Kate Summerscale

Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace: The Private Diary of a Victorian Lady
by Kate Summerscale

Until the introduction of the Matrimonial Causes Act in 1857, divorce was a privilege granted only to England's elite requiring as it did a private act of Parliament. In 1958 the newly created Court of Divorce and Matrimonial Causes began to grant divorces to couples where adultery (in the case of the wife) or multiple "matrimonial offences" (in the case of the husband) could be verified.

In Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace Summerscale turns her lens to one of the most titillating of the court's early divorce proceedings, the suit of Henry Oliver Robinson against his wife Isabella (and one Dr. Edward Lane) on the grounds of adultery, which began on Monday, June 14, 1858. The chief piece of evidence in the case was Isabella's diary, long passages of which were read during the trial and excerpted in the press to the scandalized public's great delight.

Though the press no doubt loved the fodder provided by the spate of divorce proceedings, it was not necessarily in favor of the new court and the relative ease with which couples were receiving divorces. The Saturday Review insisted that,

in the interests of the greatest happiness of the many, [...] a judicial separation should be granted only in the "gravest emergency": "a married couple should endure a very considerable amount of discomfort, incompatibility, personal suffering, and distress, and yet should continue to live together as man and wife." (217)

Women were expected the bear the brunt of that personal suffering. A custody battle decided in 1858 by the Court of Chancery yielded this insightful comment from Vice-Chancellor Kindersley:

I believe it is the common case that very few wives do consider sufficiently their solemn obligation of obedience and submission to their husbands' wishes, even though they be capricious. However harsh, however cruel the husband may be, it does not justify the wife's want of that due submission to the husband, which is her duty both by the law of God and by the law of man. (196)

These quotes¹ really do show how much times have changed.

Fascinated as I am by Victorian social mores, I was intrigued by the premise of Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace and was thoroughly engrossed while reading it. I heartily recommend it to people interested in the Victorian period, gender studies, legal history, social change, and even archives. While I think that some lovers of historic fiction may enjoy Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace, I'm sure others will dislike it simply because it doesn't read like a novel.

Isabella Robinson was trapped in a loveless marriage to a man whose work often took him away from the home for long periods of time.  Profoundly unhappy, she channeled all her energy into remaining composed in front of company, expressing her true feelings and desires only to her diary.

Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace is not a simple presentation of Isabella's story as told in her diary (1850-1855). Summerscale uses the diary, the Robinson divorce suit, and the public reaction to each to give a fuller picture of Isabella's life and the world in which she lived. Of course, that's not to say that there is a dearth of juicy, adulturous thought and action, whether real or imagined.

1. And this one, which I couldn't bear to leave out, considering the fact that this blog is facilitating the "culpable neglect" of my "most important [wifely] duties":
   

   She who is faithfully employed in discharging the various duties of a wife and daughter, a mother and friend," according to Thomas Broadhurst's popular manual Advice to Young Ladies on the Improvement of the Mind and Conduct of Life (1810), "is far more usefully occupied than one who, to the culpable neglect of the most important obligations, is daily absorbed by philosophic and literary speculations, or soaring aloft amidst the enchanted regions of fiction and romance. (82-83)

disclosure: I received a review copy of Mrs. Robinson's Disgrace from Bloomsbury via NetGalley.

Sync this week: short stories

I'm not particularly excited about the Sync offerings this week, but I do want to get back into doing this these reminder posts.

Sync's offerings this week (Thursday, July 12 through Wednesday, July 18, 2012) are:

Guys Read: Funny Business, edited by Jon Scieszka

and
The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Stories
by Mark Twain

Here it is! Volume 1 [of the Guys Read Library of Great Reading]. A lot of something funny for everyone. 10 original short stories by Mac Barnett, Eoin Colfer, Christopher Paul Curtis, Kate DiCamillo & Jon Scieszka, Paul Feig, Jack Gantos, Jeff Kinney, David Lubar, Adam Rex, and David Yoo.
You should be able to find something you like in here. This volume is guaranteed to contain an intro joke, a sneaky friend, a super-villian, an origin story, an idiot friend, a cranky author, a homicidal turkey, brother torture, a crazy grandpa, parents who give their kid's bedroom to a biker, self surgery using rusty pliers, and lots of laughs.

"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" is a wild yarn involving a case of mistaken identity, a gambler who’d bet on anything, and a very unusual frog named Daniel Webster. First published in The Saturday Press in 1865, the tale was immensely popular, and in 1867 an expanded version was published with 26 additional short stories, told as only Mark Twain could tell them.

Note: these books don't expire like the e-audiobooks you get from the library. So, be sure to download the books even if you don't think you'll get around to listening to them right away.

More information about Sync is available in this post.