The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

by Stieg Larsson

600 pages

translated from Swedish

*** About the Book ***

Financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist is in trouble.  His magazine, Millennium, published an expose he wrote about a dirty industrialist named Wennerstrom.  Wennerstrom in turned sued Mikael ... and won.  Now Mikael has been convicted of libel and sentenced to 90 days in prison.  He's also taking a leave of absence from the magazine to allow it to recover. At this very low point in his life he's offered a freelancing job by a wealthy, retired industrialist named Vanger.  Vanger's beloved niece disappeared over 40 years ago, possibly at the hands of another family member.  Vanger is an old man and wants Mikael to find out the truth about the disappearance before he (Vanger) dies.

Then we have Lisbeth Salandar, a secretive 20-something who freelances as a background investigator.  Her work bring her into contact with Mikael and the other main players in the Millennium, Wennerstom, and Vanger dramas.


*** Why I Read It ***

I'd never have picked this up if not for my book club; it was chosen as our November book.  It was impossible to get it from the library considering that there were 224 people who'd reserved it prior!  So I purchased it via the Kindle App on my phone and read it that way.


*** My Thoughts ***

It is clear that this book was meant to be the start of a series.  Like many other firsts-in-a-series it spends a great deal of time setting up character background.  It was slow going for a while but when I looked at it as part of a series rather than an individual book I  was able to enjoy the journey.

That said, the story didn't really pick up until more than half of the book had elapsed, though at that point things began to happen very quickly.  I guessed the solution to one of the big mysteries long before the truth was revealed, which could be a good thing or a bad thing; it means that the climax didn't come out of nowhere but it also means that part of the story was a bit predictable.

The author's wording choices often seemed awkward to me, but this could be the fault of the translator rather than the author.  Still, some portions were consistently difficult to read. Lisbeth's dialogue is a good example.  One line reads as follows: "If you even try to hurt me I'll have to do you an injury. You'll be sorry."  See what I mean?  Can you actually imagine someone speaking those words? Also, the word "anon" was used quite often.  I wonder if the translation of that word is common in Sweden or if the translator could have picked a better word in English. 

I don't read a lot in the mystery/thriller genre so this is definitely not a book I'd have picked up on my own.  That said, it was pretty good (though slow to start) and I enjoyed it.  What I don't get is why this book is so wildly popular.  Is it really that different from others in the genre?  It didn't seem so to me, but again I don't read a lot in this genre. It wasn't a bad book but it wasn't a great book either.  I just don't get the reason for all the hype ...

WARNING: There is a fair bit of sexual violence in this book.  Sexual harassment of women is one of the main themes, and Larsson reiterates this fact by quoting crime statistics at the beginning of each book division in addition to includes it in the various plots.


*** The Movie Version ***

I haven't seen the movie yet but I do plan to.  Like I said in my warning above though, there IS a lot of sexual violence in this book.  I'm not sure how that will be played on in the movie and I'm very leery of it.  Here's the official trailer if you want to check it out:




*** Your Thoughts ***

• What, exactly, is it about this book that made it such a huge hit?  It is really that different from other mystery/thriller novels? 
• Did anyone have the same thoughts regarding the translation?  
• For those who have read the rest of the series, is it worth continuing? 
• For those saw the movie, what did you think of it?

The Invention of Morel

The Invention of Morel

by Adolfo Bioy Casares

90 pages

originally published in 1940

translated from Spanish by Ruth L. C. Simms

*** About the Book ***

In this short story, the main character is a fugitive from Venezuela who has somehow escaped to a tropical island. The island has several buildings on it but no people. After a long time alone on the island, the fugitive suddenly sees people in the buildings! He is terrified that he’ll be captured so he runs off to the forest and hides. From there he observes these new people and he falls in love with a beautiful woman named Faustine. When he finally gets up the nerve to approach her, she doesn’t even acknowledge his existence. Things become steadily more mysterious and the fugitive becomes more and more confused. Finally he decides to sneak in to the building to see if he can figure out what is going on. What he finds out is strange, unexpected, and life-changing …

(This is technically PART of a book, since I read it from a book of collected short stories, all by the same author. )


*** Why I Read It ***

This book counts for the LOST Books Challenge (since it was mentioned in the show) and for the Mind Voyages Challenge (since it won the 1941 First Municipal Prize for Literature of the City of Buenos Aires). Lately I’ve been on a roll with books that count for more than one challenge!



*** My Thoughts ***

This is an odd little story. I could probably have read it in one sitting had I had that much time; instead I read about 15 minutes before bed each night, making the book last about a week. It gave me more time to consider what exactly was going on.

The pace is quick, the writing/translation flows nicely, and the story is intriguing. I really enjoyed reading it, although the entire plot is somewhat disturbing. I can’t say why or I’d be ruining it for you, but suffice it to say that there is definitely some “funny business” going on with Morel!

I do have to point out that the idea of falling in love with someone you’ve only seen from a distance and expecting her to love you back is not only far-fetched but demeaning to the other person in my opinion. That part of the story really bothered me. [I read later that this situation is based on the author’s own appreciation of silent film star Louise Brooks (details can be found here); it does actually make a bit more sense now. Oh, and that's her on the cover of the book.]

On the whole, I did enjoy reading this; it is a story that will stick with me for a long time.


*** Connection to LOST ***

For the fugitive, life on this island is not what it appears to be. The same could be said of the LOST island, that’s for sure. In the story Morel has created his own version of the world just the way he wants it to be (or, at least, mostly the way he wants it to be). Again, the same could be said of LOST; Ben ran Othertown the way he wanted it to go, at least for a while. And neither Morel nor Ben – nor many other characters on LOST – are averse to manipulating people to get what they want with little regard for the feelings of those people.

That’s MY opinion … let’s see what Lostpedia has to say:

[In the episode Eggtown] Sawyer is seen reading this book at the barracks.

Seriously?! That’s all you’ve got?! Even I did better than that …


*** Your Thoughts ***

I can’t imagine that many of you have read this one, but maybe I’m wrong … if you have, what did you think of it? If not, are you intrigued? Also, if a book disturbs you in some way is that a good thing or a bad thing for your enjoyment of the book?

Candide

Candide

by Voltaire

audiobook: 4.25 hours

narrated by Donal Donelly

originally published in 1759 in French

*** About the Book ***

This is a satire of the morals, opinions, class structure, etc. of Voltaire’s time. It follows the experiences of young Candide as he is kicked out of the castle where he worked as a servant and thrust out into the cruel world. Candide had been taught to believe that “everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds” but that belief is sorely strained as he arrested, beaten, robbed, and much more during his travels. Will he survive his ordeals? Will he be reunited with his love? Will he continue to be optimistic about the world?


*** Why I Read It ***

I was somewhat certain that I’d read this in college (now I’m thinking that I only read an excerpt of it) but I couldn’t recall anything about it. I figured it was one of those books that everyone seems to know about but few have actually read. And it is part of the 1,001 Books To Read Before You Die list and therefore counts for the 1% Well Read Challenge.


*** My Thoughts ***

Listening to this book has merely cemented my opinion that satires and me just don’t get along. I had that same thought before but I gave satire another shot anyway. Alas, to no avail; we are just not meant to be.

Not to say that I didn’t enjoy this book. There were parts where I laughed out loud at the sheer ridiculousness of it, and I definitely wasn’t bored or upset by the story. I just fail to appreciate satire for what it is.


*** About the Narrator ***

I've never heard Donal Donnelly narrate before, but I like him!  He did a wide variety of voices for this audiobook and gave it that "over-the-top" feeling that the book required.


*** Your Thoughts ***

If you’ve read this – either on your own or in school – what did you think of it? Do you like satirical works? Why or why not?

I Read It!: Volsungasaga

Today is I Read It! day at 5 Minutes for Books. The idea is to share about a book that you read because of someone else's recommendation. I do that all the time here on my blog but I thought it would be fun to share about this particular book.

Volsungasaga

author unknown
65 typed pages/approx. 120 book pages
translated from ancient Danish (I think)

What is it? The Volsungasaga is an ancient Norse epic that tells the tale of the warrior Volsung, who was the grandson of the god Odin, and of Volsung's descendants. Learn more about it at Wikipedia.

Where did I hear about it? At the Bookworms Carnival on Mythology hosted by Things Mean A Lot of course! 5-Squared posted a fabulous review of this epic that really caught my attention. In fact, it is much better than my review so I suggest you go check it out.

Why did I read it? After 5-Squared's review, I knew I had to check this out at some point. And since I still needed to read a few more books for the Really Old Classics Challenge I decided to search out a copy of the Volsungasaga and dive right in.

So, what did I think about it? That is a tricky question. Part of me enjoyed reading this epic but the rest of me alternated between irritated, confused, and horrified.

• ENJOYED - I love the "Saxon Chronicles" series by Bernard Cornwell. One of the main features of that series is the Danish characters, mostly warriors, who invade Britain. This epic reminded me of many of my favorite characters from that series and filled in some of their mythological history, further fleshing out their stories.
  
• IRRITATED - When I was in the middle of the story Kiddo asked me about the book and I told him it was basically a story about a bunch of people who are constantly out to get revenge on each other for some murder or another. I told him that I was surprised there were any people left at all, what with all the slaying that was going on. Apparently I spoke to soon; the story ends when all of Volsung's descendants have finally been killed off.
• CONFUSED - I read the translation provided online by the Online Medieval and Classical Library. I don't know if there is another version out there but this was the only one I could find and it really didn't work for me. Imagine reading something like the King James version of the Bible but with tons of outdated words and others with unique spelling or definitions that don't match up to modern language. I did eventually get used to it but I'm sure there are parts of the story I missed out on because I didn't understand all the language.
  
• HORRIFIED - I know that times were different back then and that the mortality rate among children was very high, but did these women seriously have NO maternal instincts?! I can't recall how many times in the story a mother had her own children killed for some ridiculous reason. In a way it reminded me of the play MEDEA which I read last month. In other ways it reminded me of the books I've read about Sparta, about how mothers expected their sons to be extremely tough and were ashamed of them if they were not. But seriously, NO maternal protectiveness or anything?! I am so glad I didn't live back then ...

I expected this story to be like THE ILIAD and THE ODYSSEY, a story that lends itself to the art of storytelling. With those two epics, I feel like I can hear the storyteller spinning his tales to an attentive crowd gathered around a fire. The VOLSUNGASAGA was very different. The parts of the story are very disjointed, nothing flows together. And I can't imagine listening to this around a fire ... it was more like a history lesson to be learned while sitting at a desk.

In the end ... Looking back over this review you'd think I hated this book. Actually, I didn't. I didn't love it, but I do think it was worth reading. Plus I made some interesting (sometimes amusing) connections while reading it. For example:

• The references to Norse gods Odin and Loki kept reminding me of Stargate SG1. They explained the Norse theology by saying a race of aliens actually started it. Here's an image of Loki from SG1 - I LOVED those little grey guys, especially Thor! And here's a video of Thor if you want to check him out.
  
• Brynhild was a warrior woman who slept for a very long time before being awoken by the warrior Sigurd. This reminded me of the story of Sleeping Beauty. The two stories end quite differently though ...
• Ragnarok is the name for the end of time in Norse mythology. It was also a theme in the most recent Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes book, THE LANGUAGE OF BEES, by Laurie R. King (reviewed here).
• The descriptions of the dragon Fafnir and his treasure hoard reminded me of Tolkien's dragon Smaug from THE HOBBIT. And don't you just love Justin Gerard's Smaug? I kept imagining this image as I read about Fafnir.
  

So I can cross off another book for the ROC Challenge - yay!

I'm curious though ... have any of you actually read this or studied in back in your college days? I'd never even heard of it until 5-Squared's review - what about you?

Medea

Medea
by Euripides
20 typed pages, via gutenberg.org
first produced in 431 BC
translated from Greek

*** About the Play ***

This is one of those classic Greek tragedies that many of us learned about in school. Before the play begins, Medea had fled her homeland with her new husband, Jason (of Jason and the Argonauts fame, the guy who stole the Golden Fleece), killing her brother in order to save Jason. The couple has settled in a new land where Jason has befriended the king. Now Jason announces that he is divorcing Medea so he can marry the king's daughter. The play itself tells the story of Medea's reaction to this announcement and what she does in retaliation.


*** Why I Read It ***

As a child I had a gorgeously illustrated book of the women of Greek mythology. The illustrations all showed these women in all their physical glory, well-toned muscles and curves clearly visible and accented by their scanty clothing. I wish I knew more about that book - I'd love to have it again now! Anyway, Medea gave me the creeps. The fact that she killed her brother and later her children was horrifying to me; I would skip over her story every time I looked through the book. As an adult, I wanted to revisit Medea and see what the fuss was all about. I chose to read this play now because it fits perfectly into the Really Old Classics Challenge that I'm co-hosting.


*** My Thoughts ***

I'm sure you've heard that old saying, "Beware the wrath of a woman scorned." That could have been written about Medea! This gal doesn't take anything lying down; she takes some gruesome vengeance on those who have wronged her. Not that I approved of what she does, but she definitely gets her point across. Oh, and Jason, who I loved in the old movie, is a real jerk!

If you are looking for an easy dip into the Really Old Classics, this play might be a good place to start. I expected it to be difficult to read but it was not at all. I read it over a few days during my lunch break at work, but it could easily be read in one sitting - and would probably be even easier to understand that way.

The version I read through Project Gutenberg included lots of footnotes to better explain both the story and the translation. If you are interested in comparing translations, the footnotes do some of that as well.

But ... this is a REALLY SHORT play! It was easy to read, despite the language and the format, but it is REALLY SHORT. It felt to me like it should be one Act or maybe even one Scene of a longer play. I wanted to learn more about Medea, about the reasons for her actions, and the results, and her backstory, but this play didn't give me what I wanted.

Which leads me to a question for all of you ...


*** Your Thoughts ***

Do you know of any books that relate Medea's complete story? Of course I realize I could find it in an anthology of myths, but I'd really rather read a novel about it. Do you have any suggestions?

The only other person I know who has reviewed this is Rebecca Reads - am I missing anyone else?!


*** In the Movies ***

Medea featured in the 1963 version of Jason and the Argonauts ...



Have you seen that movie? I love it!

I haven't seen the 2000 version ...



I wonder how Medea is portrayed in that one?

The Odyssey

With Kiddo's surgery last week, and the prep I did for my panel at the Baltimore Book Festival, plus a weekend getaway to the beach, I have let a few of my reviews get really, REALLY far behind. In order to catch up I'm going to do a few very brief reviews over the two days. They won't be nearly as detailed as usual but they will serve their main purpose, which is to help me remember what I read and what I thought about it.

The Odyssey
by Homer
audiobook: 12.5 hours
originally written in Greek, circa 800-600 BC

Translator: Samuel Butler, Narrator: Norman Deitz

This is the story of what happens to Odysseus when he tries to go home after the fall of Troy. We first meet Odysseus in The Iliad (reviewed here) so I knew a bit about him before the story began. About half of the story details the problems he ran into while trying to get home. The other half tells how he rids his home of the hundreds of suitors who were hoping to marry his wife when he didn't return from the war (he left 20 years ago).

I really enjoyed listening to this book. This is a story that was MEANT to be listened to, so it works well as an audio book. I loved the way certain phrases were repeated - it lent a rhythmic feel to the story.

Rebecca liked The Iliad better than The Odyssey but I have to disagree with her on that. I did enjoy both books, but there was more story in the 2nd book and I liked that.

So there you have it - short and sweet. If you'd like more info on The Odyssey be sure to check out this link: http://www.shmoop.com/odyssey/

(For how this relates to the tv show LOST check out my post here.)

Ines of My Soul

Ines of My Soul
by Isabel Allende
audio book: 12.5 hours
originally written in Spanish

*** About the Book ***

Ines Suarez was born in 1507 in Spain and became a conquistadora in the conquest of Chile in the 1530s-1540s. This book tells the story of her life from her childhood in Spain and her first marriage, through her journey to the Americas and her life as a mistress, to her part in the conquest of Chile and her final marriage. AND … it is all based on historical fact. I had no idea there were FEMALE conquistadors!


*** My Thoughts ***

It has been a few days since I finished listening to this audio book and my appreciation for it has grown over those days. There were parts of the story that dragged, where I didn’t give my complete attention to listening. There were parts that captured me, where I had to rewind to make sure I hadn’t missed anything. My first reaction when I finished it was “ok, this wasn’t a bad book but it wasn’t a great book either.” However, after thinking about it for a few days and doing a bit of research into Ines (see “The Real History” below) I must say that this is an amazing book.

Knowing what I know now about the real Ines, I am amazed at the way Allende infused the facts of the story with personality and feeling. I always enjoy learning about history through novels, but the plethora of facts she included (without me realizing it!) is simply amazing. Allende has written 14 other books but this is the first of her works that I’ve tried; I'm curious to know whether her other books are written in the same was or not.

One thing I need to point out is that there are descriptions of torture in this book (the Spaniards, like other conquerors, were not exactly kind to the native people) that may be too much for some readers. There is also a great deal of violence – this was a conquest after all. I didn’t think that either aspect of the book was overdone or that it didn’t fit into the purpose of the novel, but parts did make my skin crawl all the same.


*** The Real History ***

There is a wonderful article on wikipedia.org that details the true history of Ines Suarez. I wish I had read that before listening to this audio book as I think it would have given me a greater appreciation for Ines. I didn’t realize that some of the more fantastical parts of the story are actually present in the historical record. I suggest that if you decide to read/listen to this book, you check out that post before reading, then read it again after finishing the book. It definitely added to my appreciation of the book.


*** Historical Fiction vs. Creative Non-Fiction ***

On the one hand, this book is clearly an example of Historical Fiction. The story is based in fact (more so than most historical fiction novels) but embellished to draw the reader into the tale.

On the other hand, Back when I read CANE RIVER I found that book described as “creative non-fiction”. According to Wikipedia, creative non-fiction “(also known as literary or narrative nonfiction) is a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives.” Basically, it is when you make a non-fiction story read like fiction. I’m not sure that it was an accurate description of CANE RIVER, but if it was, then it is an accurate description of INES OF MY SOUL as well.


*** About the Audio Book ***

The narrator was Blair Brown and she did a good job. Not great, but good. I don’t have much to say either way on her performance.


*** Your Thoughts ***

Is this time/place in history familiar to you? Do you know of other books set in a similar time/place? This was the first time I'd read anything other than history textbook accounts of the Spanish conquest of South America.

Anyone interested in reading this one? Let me know your thoughts!

Here are other reviews of this book you might want to check out:

• Diary of an Eccentric - really enjoyed it but warns about the graphic scenes
• The Armenian Odar Reads - also loved it but was expecting more story at the end (though I actually liked where it ended)
  
• Fizzy Thoughts - was bored with it and gave up after 100 pages

Did I miss yours? Let me know and I'll add it here.

The Iliad

The Iliad

by Homer, approx. circa 825 BC
translated by Robert Fitzgerald, published 1994
audio book: 16.75 hours

This post will be a bit lengthy because there is simply so much to say about this book. I do hope you enjoy it in spite of the length, and that you get something out of it. And just so you know, I'm going to keep referring to Rebecca's posts because she did an excellent series about this book last year.


*** About the Book/Epic Poem ***

This book is a classic in the truest sense of the world. It is attributed to the ancient Greek poet, Homer. [Rebecca wrote about the disputed existence of Homer.] The original poem was meant to be recited to an audience. The poem is likely based on actual events, embellished to include the intervention of the Greek gods.


*** The Story ***

I'm going to explain the entire story (spoilers and all) because I think it is almost common knowledge. Plus the major events in the story are foretold by the gods long before they actually happen, so there are really no surprises in the poem.

I assume that most people have at least HEARD of Helen of Troy and of the Trojan War. THE ILIAD tells the story of one part of that war. In brief, the Spartans have besieged the city of Ilian in Troy. Their attack is in retaliation for the kidnapping of Helen of Sparta, wife of the Spartan king's brother, by a prince of Ilian. By the time the story begins, the siege has been going on for 10 or more years (I can't recall the details exactly). The Spartan hero Achilles has a falling out with his king, Agamemnon, and in anger he decides to sit out the rest of the war. But when his best friend is killed in the fighting, Achilles goes on a rampage and kills Hector, the most beloved prince of Ilian.

Throughout all this, the gods and goddesses conspire against each other to support their chosen side in the war. Their actions are the focus of a large portion of the story.

(Rebecca gives a more in depth look at the story in this post.)


*** My Thoughts ***

I truly enjoyed listening to this one. It was huge and epic and amazing. At times, especially in the extended battle scenes, my mind wandered a bit but my attention was always drawn back when the characters I loved came on scene.


*** Thoughts on the Human Characters ***

Many of the characters are people I’ve heard of before. (Since I’ve seen the movie Troy I kept picturing Brad Pitt as Achilles whenever I was listening to his portion of the story – he was quite sexy in that movie!) But even had they been unfamiliar to me I think I would have connected with them just the same. I loved hearing about Achilles and about Helen, about Ajax and Odysseus, Agamemnon and Menelaus, Hector and Paris (although I didn’t like either of them that much), Priam and Hecuba. My favorite of all the characters was King Priam of Ilian.

One thing though … What is it with characters who have alternate names?! For example, Paris is the Trojan prince who runs off with Helen. But sometimes he’s called Alexandros. Thankfully I’d experienced this before in other books otherwise I’d have been completely confused in parts.


*** Thoughts on the Gods and Goddesses ***

The Greek gods and goddesses play a huge role in this story. They take sides in the war, protect the humans they like, and bicker between themselves as to who will win in the end. This is clearly where some of the inspiration for the TV shows Hercules and Xena and the movie Clash of the Titans came from. (Every time Ares, god of war, came on scene I pictured his character from Xena and I had to smile.) I loved this “otherworldly” aspect of the book. I wrote about these shows in comparison to THE ILIAD recently, and I included videos clips in case you aren't familiar with them.


*** Thoughts on the Battles ***

I must admit, I was expecting more of a story and less battle descriptions. I really liked all the battle stuff but I would have loved more story. That said, the battles do make up the majority of the book and they are very interesting.

• The battle scenes are very extensive and quite detailed. You hear how each man is killed – with what weapon, where it hit him, what damage it did, how he fell, and then “darkness veiled his eyes.” I came to love the beauty of that simple phrase amid all the carnage. I wonder if the wording is the same in other translations?
  
• The battles were almost a litany of names. As each fighter came to the fore, you learned about his background and his family. If you believe as I do that this poem is historical then this is a record of real people. I loved learning about their lives, even briefly. There were so many names mentioned that I don’t think it is importance to keep track of them, just simply to know they existed.
• A huge theme in this book is the revering vs. the defilement of corpses. Each side in the war has rituals for dealing with dead heroes and each side also wants to capture the corpses of enemy heroes. Much of the conflict in the book stems from that simple issue.
  

*** The Audio Book ***

If you are a regular reader of my blog you know that I listen to lots of audio books. You also know that there are some books that just don't work for me in audio form. When I decided to tackle THE ILIAD I knew that I simply had to do the audio version based on the history of this poem. After all, it was originally meant to be listened to, not read, and I thought that I'd get more out of it by experiencing it as it was meant to be experienced. And I was right in that. I very much enjoyed HEARING this epic tale ... and I don't know that I would have enjoyed reading it in the same way.

The narrator, George Guidall, did an excellent job. I've listened to other books he's done and I always enjoy his style. Definitely look for books that he's worked on - you can't go wrong with him as your narrator.


*** The Translation ***

After reading Rebecca's post detailing several different translations, I really wanted to get the Robert Fagles version. It sounded like the most popular among readers and I like the language he used. However my library only had one version of the audio book, and that was the version translated by Robert Fitzgerald. Although I did truly enjoy it I felt like it was lacking the poetry that the poem was supposed to have. It didn't "feel" poetic to me. Epic, yes. Poetic, no. I'd like to eventually listen to the Fagles version and see if it has a different feel to it. If you've read/listened to it, did it feel poetic to you?


*** Miscellany ***

• Here's an excellent article about the history that we can learn from THE ILIAD and THE ODYSSEY.
  
• The story ends before the whole episode with the Trojan horse. I'm telling you this in case you decide to read/listen to THE ILIAD - I would have been disappointed had I not known that ahead of time.
  
• These people have too many children! Every time I turned on the tape, another of Priam's sons was being killed. At the end he says that he had 50 sons, 19 by the same woman. Whoa.
  
• I know that author Robert Jordan took many of the names and themes in his Wheel of Time series from standard mythology, but I still got a kick out of hearing the names Ilian (which he calls Illian) and Aginor and recalling their importance in the Wheel of Time.
• I enjoyed hearing about Odysseus and Aeneas because I know I can continue their stories in THE ODYSSEY and THE AENEID, both of which I hope to tackle this coming year.
  

*** Other Reviews ***

If you've reviewed this I'd be happy to add you here as well.

• Rebecca Reads - she's the reason I decided to take the plunge on this one
  
• S. Krishna - she's read several translations and loves this book
• Books 'N Border Collies - says if you are not ready to tackle this, first try AN ILIAD, a modernized and shorter version which she enjoyed
  

*** Your Thoughts? ***

Here are my questions for you, dear reader:

• Have you read this or considered reading it?
• Did my post influence you one way or the other?
• Do you see any value in reading/listening to ancient stories like this? Why or why not?

Of course, you can comment about anything you like but those are the questions on my mind at the moment.

If you made it to the end of this extremely long post, CONGRATULATIONS!!! I hereby award you the Queen (or King) of AWE-Summm!!! award - you deserve it for your awesome reading skills and your amazing patience with my rambling thoughts. Feel free to post it on your blog and pass it along. :)

A (Cancelled) Journey to the Center of the Earth

You may recall that I recently fell in love with Jules Verne and that I loved the two books by him that I've read. I've been wanting to get back to my long Verne TBR list for quite some time, so I decided to try some of his books on audio.

My first pick was A JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. I recently watched the Brendan Frasier movie version with Kiddo and I was in the mood to find out the "real" story.

I started listening at work a few days ago and I couldn't seem to get into it. I wasn't sure what the problem was but I knew that part of it was the narrator. Something was off and I couldn't put my finger on it.

BUT THEN! I realized that this is the same narrator* I despised when he read Bernard Cornwell's STONEHENGE. In fact, it was due in large part to the narration that I couldn't stand that book.

I listened to another 10 minutes or so then I called it quits on this version of A JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH. I'm afraid if I listen any longer that I'll end up hating this book too.

A quick visit to my library's website showed another version of this audio book on cassette - you can bet your bippie that I put a hold on that sucker!


* In case you're wondering, his name is Frederick Davidson, and I will be avoiding him like the plague from here on out. (And I'm still in Disney so I'll respond to your comments when I get back.)

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
by Dai Sijie
184 pages
originally published in French*

This is one of those books that sort of defies review for me. It wasn't fantastic and it wasn't horrible. It was a simple read, easy to get into. But there is nothing that jumps out at me that HAS TO be said about it. I'll do my best though.

The setting is the 1970s in China during the Cultural Revolution. Our main characters are two teenage boys sent to the countryside for re-education, a common practice at the time. In most cases, young people spend two years living and working with the peasant before being allowed to return home. These boys are worse off though, because their parents have been declared enemies of the state; it is likely they will never be allowed to go home.

Most of their life is filled with manual labor. They have very few possessions and very little hope. One day they meet the teenage daughter of the tailor from the next town (aka the little Chinese seamstress), and the three become friends. Through a strange sequence of events the boys get their hands on several banned books. They spend their evenings hidden in their rooms devouring the stories by Balzac and other foreign authors, and reading tales such as The Count of Monte Cristo. One of the boys begins reading the books to the seamstress in an effort to seduce her.

That's all I'm going to tell you of the plot - this is really a short book and I don't want to give it ALL away.

What did I think of it? It was a nice little story. There's not a lot of depth. The characters don't change (much), there is not a great deal of action, the time period and culture are simply the background to the story. Like I said at the beginning, there just isn't much to say about it. But maybe you think differently?

One question for those who have read this book. Near the end there are a few chapters told from the perspective of two minor characters. Why?! In my opinion they interrupted the flow of the story and seemed very much out of place. Do you agree? Disagree? Any thoughts?

* I have read other books in translation before but I've never made a note of it in my reviews. I'm going to make a point to do that from now on.

The Mysterious Island

The Mysterious Island

by Jules Verne
first published in 1874

*** The Plot ***

In the midst of the American Civil War (in the early 1860s) several Northerners are trapped in a Southern-held city. During a ferocious storm they escape the city by flying out on a stolen hot air balloon belonging to the Confederate Army. The storm does not abate however, and they are swept far out to sea. They continue to travel for many, many miles, finally crash landing on a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean. Using only their ingenuity and resources they find on the island they create a very civilized home for themselves, complete with (almost) all the modern conveniences. The island seems to be a perfect - albeit lonely - home for the five men. But all is not exactly well. Due to some rather strange occurrences the men become convinced that they are not alone on the island ...

*** My Thoughts ***

After reading the translator's note (which I wrote about here) at the beginning of this book I just knew I was going to love it and I was right. This is truly a classic adventure story. Interestingly, it was based on the same true story that inspired Daniel Defoe to write Robinson Crusoe.

The book is definitely plot-driven. There is virtually no character development. In fact the characters are all very stereotypical. I won't describe them all but suffice it to say that if there was stereotype to be used, Verne used it. Normally this would be a turn-off for me and I will admit that at times it bothered me (like in his description of Neb, the loyal and superstitious ex-slave-turned-servant) but there was so much else to love in this book that I didn't let it get to me.

This book is very idealistic in it's way. It stresses the "heartiness" of men, their "boundless ability" and the idea of taming the wilderness to suit humanity. Again there is a lot to object to (for example their efforts to rid the island of specific animals) but here there is also lots to admire. The fact that their normal education gave them all they needed to not only survive but thrive on their island is fascinating to me!

The translator's note I mentioned above did have one drawback: it gave away the mystery behind the strange events on the island. It didn't ruin the book for me though. In fact, it made me even more excited to read it! AND there was a plot twist at the very end that I totally didn't see coming, so that was cool.

Oh, and if you love exclamation points you'll love reading this book! I felt like there was always something to be excited about! And Verne didn't want you to miss it! So he used exclamation points a lot! I really mean a LOT! (That's what it was like to read this book. Or should I say, !!!)

*** How This Relates to the TV Show "Lost" ***

I picked this book to read as part of the Lost Challenge, which is based on the TV show Lost. All the books on the list were referenced in some way on the show. In this case, the creators of the show credit The Mysterious Island as the chief inspiration for the show.

Here are the things that I found important/interesting in relation to the show:

• there is something going on with this island that the survivors have no control over and don't understand
• that something is very powerful
• when the survivors uncover the source of the mystery it is not at all what they expected

Sounds very familiar, no? If this book isn't on your list for the Lost Challenge then it definitely should be!

Here's a link other references to this book in Lost.

*** As an Aside ***

I'm one of those people who always reads every single page of a book, including glossaries and appendices. So it's no surprise that I read the page describing the typeface used in the book. What IS surprising is that I recognized the company mentioned there. It's a German company called Stempel and I learned about it in that font film I watched recently. Yeah! for learning something new!

Suite Francaise

While browsing Amazon.com back in June, I came across Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. The story of the author - a Russian Jew living in German-controlled France during WWII, sent to Auchwitz and gassed - got my attention right away. She was writing this novel at the time of her death, writing about the world and the people around her. She had no way of knowing what would happen at the end of the war, who would win, or even if she would still be alive. Most novels of WWII were written with the advantage of hindsight but Nemirovsky didn't have that luxury. Something about that completely fascinated me and I just had to get this book.

It took me several months to begin reading it, then I put it aside for several more months. I enjoyed the story, but found the writing to be rather choppy. It could be the translation, or it could be how it was written, I can't say either way. But it didn't keep my attention the way I hoped it would. I picked it up again earlier this week and this time I couldn't put it down. I think the story became more and more interesting as it progressed (although the writing style did not change).

One thing I noticed is the author's hatred of collaborationists. She must have seen that on a daily basis! Another main theme in the novel is the idea that those who treat their neighbors badly will get their just desserts in the end. She came up with some pretty cool ways to get rid of some nasty characters!

I have to say that my favorite part of the entire book was the Appendices at the end. The first part was excerpts from her journal where she wrote about her plans for the book. It was unfinished at the time of her death but the journal gives insight into what she planned for the main characters. It also conveys he feeling on the world around her. The second part contains letters written by her and to her, and also by and to her husband from friends after she was deported. That part send shivers down my spine. She was dead within a month yet her family and friends didn't know for years.

This book gets great recommendations from me. The novel itself isn't the best but with the author's story alongside, it's a must read for everyone.

Here are links to other reviews of this book ... it seems that opinions are widely varied!
Book Club Girl's review
The Inside Cover's review
John at The Book Mine Set
Book Nut