|
|
 Over a span of ten years in Hong Kong, Will Truesdale falls in love with one woman before World War II and has an affair with another one after. When he arrives in society, he meets Trudi Canavan, an enigmatic, enchanting woman who somehow chooses him to take under her wing and they begin a passionate love affair. At the other end of the scale we have Claire Pendleton, a married piano teacher who generally reminded me of a mouse, and who can’t get enough of Will. It seems that Claire is merely a foil to get us to what happened with Will and Trudi during the war, which is where this story really lies.
I’ll be honest, I didn’t really enjoy this book much. It’s written in a spare style which I like very much and I thought the story was intriguing. I even grew to like Trudi over the period of the novel, though I didn’t at the beginning. I think the problem, however, was that Claire bothered me. Despite the fact that she steals from her employers and carries on an affair behind her husband’s back, she seemed spineless to me. To be honest, I didn’t like post-war Will either. They seemed empty, going through the motions to get the author’s plot where it was going by that point. The best parts were certainly those featured after the start of the war and the occupation of Hong Kong, at which point the novel develops into a very moving, human story about the unfortunate power of war.
Is it worth reading? Yes, but I really wish that the author had not chosen the dual narratives. They allow us to see the effects of the war, but it could have been done with someone more interesting than Claire, characters who had personality, or at least someone I could relate to in some way. Personal preference, and I’m sorry that such a thing marred my enjoyment of what could otherwise have been a stunning book.
Buy The Piano Teacher: A Novel on Amazon.
 Colin has invited Eloise to his country estate for a week away together, and for a chance to look at the Selwick papers. She finds the letters of Lady Charlotte Lansdowne, an extremely romantic girl who has spent most of her life at her country estate, Girdings, reading books. Charlotte has been infatuated with the duke of Dovedale, Robert, ever since her father grew ill and his father arrived to take up the dukedom. She is thrilled at his return. Robert, on the other hand, views himself as a “rotten apple” and is only in England to catch the man who killed his commanding officer and father figure under the guise of war. His mission is too important for him to fall in love with his distant cousin, but Charlotte has no such resolutions.
At first, I couldn’t figure out how on earth this book was connected to the other Pink Carnation books, except for that Charlotte is Henrietta’s best friend. It appears, however, that the man Robert is after is yet another in the series of flower spies, although we learn very little about the actual Pink Carnation in this book. After The Seduction of the Crimson Rose, this story begins as almost unbearably sweet and I was actually pleased when reality hit and the romantic delusions ended. It feels inevitable anyway, and the book got much better afterwards. Both Charlotte and Robert had to figure out who the other person was outside of their own romantic misconceptions. They both fell off the pedestal, so to speak, and I think that’s a problem rarely dealt with in romance; too often both characters are flawless. Also, I really enjoyed the way both characters had their own “bad guy” to deal with and the way the stories neatly combined. And once again, I can tell this will be a frustration for those who treat this as an ordinary romance, but there is no love scene here either! I find it refreshing and I think trying to fit one in would have ruined the plot, so good judgment on Willig’s part. Furthermore, some interesting revelations about Colin in this one, and it’s nice to see Eloise without her obsession about being boyfriendless.
I’m looking forward to the next one! As I said in my last review of this series, it’s not ending any time soon and I’m still enjoying it. I just hope we learn more about the Pink Carnation soon. I’m anxiously awaiting Jane’s story!
Buy The Temptation of the Night Jasmine on Amazon.
 Eloise has finally scored a date with Colin, but more importantly, she’s found the Vaughn archives and is digging into Lord Sebastian Vaughn’s life. Miss Mary Alsworthy, essentially jilted by Lord Geoffrey Pinchingdale and her sister Letty, is at a loss. She’s older now and has no reliable husband prospects on the horizon. In a bid to gain more independence, she agrees to help Lord Vaughn by becoming one of the petals of the Black Tulip. After all, she has just the right coloring and she definitely needs more excitement in her life. Needless to say, she gets much more excitement than she bargained for.
This is my favorite Pink Carnation book so far. I found both characters to be stiff at first, but watching them soften – if only to each other – was possibly the best moment of the series. Mary went, believably, from self-serving to really caring about this man, and I could see how it happened. Best of all, this book is very much a meeting of the minds. Mary and Vaughn have the best snarky conversations of any characters and it seems as though their personalities just fit together perfectly. They are the cynics among a flock of impressionable romantics and it’s hard not to love them for it. As for the plot, I figured out who the Black Tulip was maybe halfway through the book, so the big reveal wasn’t all that much of a surprise, but that was okay with me; there were other exciting events going on. I also, contrary to popular opinion it seems, enjoyed that Willig left out the customary love scene in this one. It isn’t necessary and never really has been. There’s a spark between these two, but no need to follow it through when we all know how that goes. I think it works much better this way because it’s more about who they are as people.
Again, I think this is the best in the series. I have begun to accept that the series isn’t actually going to end any time soon, though, so if that bothers you, it may be worth staying away. Personally, I love these books, they’re perfect candy fare and I very much enjoy the history worked in and even the frame story of Colin and Eloise. Buy The Seduction of the Crimson Rose on Amazon.
 Today’s question from Wendi: Prior to today, were you aware of Open Shelves Classification? Have you helped to classify any books yet? Is this something you are interested in? Did you know that if you classify any books, it will also show you who else has classified the book?
I am indeed aware of it! I saw the blog post on it when it was first added to the bottom of pages. (I love the blog). I’ve since classified a few books. I usually try to whenever I visit a book’s work page, which doesn’t happen all that often. I did see that other people can classify the book too, but usually very few have done so. Overall, I think it’s pretty cool. I’m cycling through my list of possible jobs that do not involve PhDs (for my forthcoming time off) and I think I’d quite like to work in a library, so this is fun for me. It just annoys me that there is only one category for fiction. I think it would be more useful if it was more specific. Although some books cross genre boundaries, I think most of them are firmly in one spot or another, and I know the library in my parents’ town puts little stickers on the book lamination to show which genre the book is. It’s very helpful.
 While walking one day, Henry Lee spies a crowd of people around a closed down hotel, marveling at the artifacts discovered within – remnants of those who were rounded up and sequestered in concentration camps during World War II. Henry, sore from losing his wife, Ethel, can hardly contain his hope as these belongings may just provide a link with his past, when he loved a beautiful Japanese girl and was convinced that everything would work out.
I loved this book. It’s always fun to start a review with that sentence, isn’t it? I can’t say I was hooked from the first page, but somewhere around when Henry meets Keiko, I fell in love and couldn’t wait to read more. I really didn’t, I finished it in only two days. Ford’s writing is lovely and he gives us a lot of history to think about. The Japanese internment during World War II is one of those murky areas of American history that, to be honest, was skipped over throughout my education. I only knew about it because a friend’s grandmother was imprisoned at first and have since come across it in other novels. It’s always appalled me; rounding up American citizens just because of their ancestry is disgusting. I was very interested in the exploration of it here, particularly the concerned Chinese citizens trying not to get arrested themselves.
Anyway, enough with the history! I really loved this book because it had a wonderful mix of sadness and hope, perfectly capturing bittersweet. It made me feel nostalgic for a past so distant from my own life that it’s like they lived in another country, even though I’m sure I wouldn’t want to have lived it. The title is so appropriate. Watching the story unfold is like listening to beautiful music, but with that edge of tension in it. I wanted to know what happened and I raced through it. I can’t wait to read this one again and savor it.
Highly recommended. Beautiful, bittersweet story and fascinating, important history.
Buy Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet on Amazon today.
 Beautiful, smart, but a little too determined, Fatima Shihabi flees Iraq when she learns that she is a target for Saddam Hussein’s secret police. Once she finally gets out, she realizes that no one will grant her asylum, and that she is trapped. Her brother, a college professor working in the United States, is desperate to save her and calls up a law firm in New York City. That’s how Fatima’s case ends up in the hands of Charles Sherman, and together they fight to free her and find a way out from underneath the power of tyrants – and veils – of all kinds.
I enjoyed this book. While the prose is occasionally awkward, for the most part the writing disappears into the page as the reader gets swept into this passionate, compelling story. It would be difficult not to feel for Charles and Fatima – here they are, fully fleshed out, determined, flawed human beings. I particularly liked Charles, who seemed very like a person I would know on the street. I also liked that since the characters were drawn together by crisis, it was easier to imagine them loving each other than otherwise. When you are that close to dying, things and priorities change, something I think Murphy expressed well. The plot was never predictable until just before the end, and I have to say that I didn’t see that ending coming, although perhaps I should have given that it fits the tone of the book very well.
I will admit that I skipped the poetry, but I almost always do that, and at least there wasn’t much for me to skip here. It didn’t seem to matter, either, as the story functioned well without such props. I also really liked how the veils were woven into the story and how we don’t face the truth of ourselves very often. Very cleverly done.
Overall, I recommend it. This book is a very compelling tale of what’s happening in Iraq and how hard it is for the citizens there, not to mention the characters and their struggle. I’m glad I read it. More, I sincerely hope that if Mr. Murphy chooses to write another book that he is picked up by a mainstream publisher. I think he deserves it – he has that talent.
Buy A Thousand Veils on Amazon today.
 It is the duty of Arcturus, physician to the governor Agricola, to discover who killed the mysterious Maecenas, a man with a message for Agricola. Maecenas is found draped unceremoniously over a sacred altar with his throat cut open, but the blood around him is not his own and the throat wound didn’t kill him. Who did kill him, and why? What is the future for Agricola – and for Arcturus?
This book is marketed as “Roman noir” and I think that suits it very well. Setting a mystery in Roman Britain is a great idea and surprisingly, the noir genre works very well in the context of Londinium. At times I felt like I was watching a classic film even though I was clearly reading a book set in a place distant from any of them. The problem is, though, that I didn’t really like the book much. It took me days to read and I just wasn’t interested in the resolution of the mystery. I was generally confused and I felt as though the main character was making connections without letting me know. This is very common for me and mysteries though, so it’s probably just me. I was hoping that since it was historical fiction, it might have a little more for me to grasp, but I didn’t find that to be the case.
Worse, Arcturus falls in love in the course of the book. He meets her, she warns him about Maecenas, and then he’s in love, without any conversation or idea of who she is, and then all of a sudden he wants to marry her. I really, really hate unbelievable love stories and I think that biased me against the book before it really got going. I think there may have been some backstory involved between the two, but it is not described here. Maybe in future books. I tried to be objective, but if the love is not even slightly plausible, I find it difficult to follow the rest of the book. It wrapped up nicely, but I didn’t think reading the ending was worth the rest of the book.
I feel somewhat guilty writing this review because I can see that the author put a great deal of effort into the book, particularly with research, and I honestly think that this is just me not liking mysteries. I thought it would feel more like historical fiction, but it’s definitely mystery. I should have known better, but I do owe a review and I can only give my own opinion.
So, in conclusion, I think if you like mysteries, you may like this one as well. I don’t, and I didn’t like this one, but among reviewers, I seem to be the odd one out. So, you can still check it out on Amazon . And I found this review, which summarizes how I felt but with a writer who enjoys mysteries, so you can see the difference! You can also check out this review at The Tome Traveller. If you’ve reviewed this book, please let me know so I can link to your blog as well.
 Unfortunately for Lily Raines, mob boss Castellano has chosen her as the juror who will end the murder case against one of his lackeys by voting “not guilty” even though the evidence is clear. Luckily, she has undercover cop Brand Gallagher on her side. He’ll do anything to get Castellano, but he can’t bring himself to kill Lily and instead kidnaps her, prompting a startling resolution and a new chance for both of them.
I haven’t read a Harlequin romance in years, and certainly never one of these “intrigue” series. It’s not my type, even though I read a bit of romantic suspense when I was trying to figure out what I liked. This book, however, is less than 300 pages long and was free, so why wouldn’t I read it?
I didn’t dislike it, I can give it that much. It definitely felt like a formulaic romantic suspense, though. Heroine is threatened, heroine feels safe with hero but he has that dangerous edge that makes him sexy, hero and heroine fall in love magically after spending two days together, etc. I guess you could say that about all romances, but this one isn’t far out from the mold, and I didn’t find the suspense part particularly suspenseful. I could tell what was going to happen because there just aren’t many ways this story can go. It was moderately entertaining and probably a good way to waste some time, but Mallory Kane isn’t doing anything new here, just providing a run-of-the-mill romance. I guess that’s why it’s a Harlequin.
Recommended only if you like the formula of romantic suspense. Buy Juror No. 7 on Amazon.
 Since “Inspiration” is (or should be) the theme this week … what is your reading inspired by?
Well, this is hard to say. I’ve always been inspired to read, really. I have loved it since I could understand it and even before that I loved being read to. These days, my reading is inspired by what I’m looking for at the time. Sometimes, I’ll want to be absorbed in an epic, huge story with fantastic characters and an intricate plot. This is often why I read fantasy, because sometimes I need that escape. I think, however, that my reading is inspired by the fantastic, top-of-the-line books that exist, but you never know which one is going to be it for you.
Let me trot out my favorite example here. A year and a half ago, I was taking a literature class that, in all honesty, I sincerely disliked. Modernism and I do not get along, particularly modernism of the Irish variety. Perhaps it is brilliant, but I simply do not like it. I slogged through the reading for the class, perplexed why everyone was enjoying the books that I was not. I arrived at the next book on my list, The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. I didn’t expect anything from it, in fact thinking it would be a chore like the rest, if a short chore. Imagine my surprise and delight that I completely adored it. It immediately shot to my favorite book of the year. I can truly say it was inspirational because ever since then, I’ve been searching for that effect, that broken heart, hopeful, simply blown away feeling. I’m not sure why that book did it for me – I’m not sure I want to read it again in case it’s ruined. But I loved it and I’m inspired to search, to see what else is out there, to keep on reading in search of these diamonds amidst a sea of lesser precious jewels. There are many good books, but there are only a few that truly inspire me to keep on reading. I always enjoy the search because I love to read, but I do think it’s those stunning books that make all the difference.
 Stuart Jameson, a face-painter, is forced to flee his debts in Scotland for the small provincial city of Boston in the American colonies. He makes every effort to appear an honorable man in order to solicit customers, including hiring an apprentice. That apprentice just so happens to be one Fanny Easton, disguised as Francis Weston, a disgraced daughter of Boston’s tiny imitation of aristocracy determined to seize her one opportunity at becoming a painter. Together, they’re confronted by a murder mystery, an unexpected passion, and deep family secrets.
I was looking forward to reading this because one of the authors, Jane Kamensky, teaches at Brandeis University, which is where I did my undergrad degree. I didn’t take a class with her (American history isn’t my thing when it comes to academics) but I did meet with her and hear her speak. Also, the idea of proper historians writing historical fiction is exciting. I know they’re not going to get the history wrong and if they can write, it has the potential to be an amazing combination, at least for me. The question would be whether it lived up to my expectations, and I think it did in some ways but not in others.
First, I enjoyed this bawdy look at early Boston history. It’s a nice change from the pure and proper picture that I think early American history often gets. The volume of sex is a bit discomforting and unnecessary at times, and doesn’t always work with the plot, but a lot of this book seems to be about culture rather than plot. I’ve seen the writing referred to as purple and overblown in several places, but I’ve always been a fan of overwritten books. I like the way such authors can play with the English language, and here it isn’t done enough to mock but to give off an atmosphere.
As far as plot goes, however, it wasn’t particularly exciting. Looking back on the book, it’s very linear and predictable. I didn’t guess who actually committed the murder, but I did with almost everything else, especially the ending. And the romance didn’t sweep me away. Passion was there, yes, but love? It didn’t convince me. Lastly, as much as I like a great atmosphere, the book was too long for its plot. It took 150 pages to get to the mystery and it felt very slow, even though I don’t think it was meant to be suspenseful. Mostly, the book at times felt like the authors were playing with each other, the period, and words, and it wasn’t necessarily conducive to a fantastic plot and characters even if it provided an interesting atmosphere and feeling for the period.
After nearly 500 pages, I’m not sure I can recommend this unless you’re interested in that sort of playful atmosphere. The story is interesting enough, but it does take a while to read and needs some thought and engagement.
Check out Blindspot on Amazon.
|
|
Recent Comments