At this point I'm going to assume Grafton has changed up her writing style and we're going to get different points of view from different characters and different time frames in future books. This isn't a complaint, it actually works well but I think this is the fourth book now that has had some shifting timelines and perspectives so it's safe to say that this is the new format to expect.In this book, Kinzie is hired by Michael Sutton who has been inspired by a newspaper report about an old kidnapping, to come forward with some very old information. The police can't do anything with Michael's vague tip, so he turns to Kinzie. Michael remembers seeing two men digging a hole twenty years earlier, but he didn't know who they were and he wasn't entirely sure what they were burying. When the eventual spot is found and exhumed, the only thing buried is an old dead dog. But, Kinsey being Kinsey, she can't quite let go of the thread. So even though her day's work for Sutton is over, she continues to work the problem on her own. In the mix is a neighbor dealing with her son's poor choices, a neighbor coming to terms with his poor choices, and a sudden appearance of Kinsey's relatives. This book finally finally finally gave us some movement on Kinsey's estranged relationship with her cousins. I don't know why I'm surprised, but it's great to see that after so many novels, Kinsey can still continue to grow as a character.
3.5/5 Stars.
I recently had to travel to Seattle for work. The most concrete way I can explain the length of time it takes to get out there (with a layover at O'Hare) is to say that I finished two books during my trip. I received The Girl Who Fought Napoleon from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I'm a little torn on what I ultimately think of the book. It was entertaining and informative. The author used fantastic source material. Turns out, that during the end of Catherine the Great's reign as Tsar in Russia, there did live a girl, Nadezhda Durova who left home and joined the calvary, disguised as a young man, and went on to fight in the Napoleonic wars for Russia. She did, indeed have a close relationship with Catherine's grandson, the eventual Tsar Alexander I. Later in life, Durov wrote her own biography, which Lafferty used as source material.So the basis and the general story were great, but in parts it felt like the book was trying to do too much. Aside from Durov and Alexander, we also get snippets from Napoleon's POV which seemed unnecessary as well as fleeting insights from rather minor characters due to a 3d person omniscient point of view during chapters that were not about Durov. At some points, these details seemed completely unnecessary, at at others, there were moments where I wondered why the reader was left in the dark. Amid all of this, the timeline jumped around a lot too. One chapter would be 1799 and then the next would be 1795 and then back to 1799 until finally Durov and Alexander's timelines matched up toward the second half of the novel. It seemed a bit overdone for me - as if the editor wasn't giving the reader enough credit for being able to be away from one particular story for a long time.
And at times, the research got a little lazy. Towards the end of the novel, when Alexander is marching into Paris (1814), the novel notes a young French boy watching the events unfold - Jules Verne. Verne is best known for his adventure novels, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea. But, Verne wasn't born until 1828, so he couldn't have been present at Alexander's march into Paris. It was this kind of detail, totally gratuitous and then historically inaccurate, which undercut some of the authentic feel of the book. And while I realize that this ultimately is a work of historical fiction - I like the events to at least be possible. The writing itself was well done for this type of story. The prose wasn't overly difficult impacting the speed of the narrative. Durov herself seemed to be given a lot of accolades for her fighting in the war, but considering most of the details of her actions involve her getting yelled at for making stupid mistakes in battle, I'm not really sure how this came about. The end chapter was also a bit grating, as we see an elder Durov coming to terms with her life story - both the outward one she wanted to project, and the actual slightly seedier details she sought to hide. The author's choice to keep these details to the end, when it landed with more confusion than shock, fell flat for me. 3/5 Stars.
This is the first screenplay I have ever read and there was a definite learning curve over the first few scenes in the book. But once I caught the rhythm, this was a fast and fun read. I love the world of Harry Potter, I've read all those books through several time (not this year, I had too ambitious a reading goal for the year) and I recently read the libretto for London play Cursed Child (this is the Harry Potter "sequel" - oh what am I telling you for, you are reading a review of Fantastic Beasts, you're probably aware of what Cursed Child is, you can read that review here). In any case, Fantastic Beasts is a much more grown up Harry Potter world, with larger consequences, and no teen angst. However, Rowling's humor and wit are ever present even in the scant dialogue or details surrounding some events. I am not sure when I'll have time to actually go see this movie, so getting to read the screenplay was wonderful. And the amazing thing about reading a screenplay is that it's only part of the picture. So many people work with the words on the paper to bring the vision to life, and so reading a screenplay is only part of the overall picture. I don't feel like it's "ruined" the movie for me at all. In this story, Newt Scamander arrives in New York to repatriate a rare creature. He has a serious soft spot for magical creatures and is working to advance awareness of their needs and protection. Upon arrival he runs into Jacob, a no-maj (muggle is a way better word - 0 points to America for coming up with a cool term) baker who is looking for a loan at a bank. Tina, a former Auror who can't quite let go of the duties, and Queenie, Tina's gorgeous sister. Oh also, New Scamander is a Hufflepuff (Pottermore says I am too) so of course I'm wishing him loads of success. Newt ends up losing a few of his creatures and in his quest to recover them, Tina, Jacob and Queenie get pulled in for the ride. In the background of all this action, Grindewald is looking to cause an international showdown between the magical and non-magical (you may recall this was the cause of his ultimate falling out with Dumbledore who wasn't really down with that kind of elitism), and a Second Salem movement bent on discovery and eradication of witches has some pretty horrible repression going on with some sad and scared children. If anything, I was a little disappointed in the climactic scene/showdown portion of the story, but I'll withhold judgment on that until I see it on screen, as I'm sure some nuance is missing from the screenplay that might make this a little more palatable. See the movie or read the screenplay if you are a HP fan. It holds up.
4.5/5 Stars
Holla! Ploughshares is the best. Solos is the once yearly volume that I get the most excited about. Longer stories, that I could have read online if I wasn't too lazy - instead I wait until Ploughshares beautifully prints them and binds them into a portable volume.
Omnibus 4 contains 9 stories, all playing on varying themes, all of varying but longer lengths then you'll see in the regular Ploughshares editions. Below are my comments on the various stories in the edition:
Biting the Moon - this first story was probably my least favorite. The prose was experimental - a bit narrative, a bit free form, a bit stream of consciousness. The writing was interesting, but it interrupted to flow a reader can get into while reading a story. This first story took me about a week to read, and for Ploughshares, that's saying something. It's 53 pages long so it should have been much quicker. The story is of a woman who once had an affair with a famous composer who has now died. The story is her reflections on their relationship and how his death has affected her. There were some truly interesting parts, and the process of grief relayed over the course of the story was well done. However, the overall piece lacked in clarity and flow.
The Children's Kingdom - This one turned the edition around for me. This is the story of two parents, left in the aftermath of a heinous act by their only son. They struggle with feelings of guilt, forgiveness, love, and anger. It's brilliant.
Adopting Sarajevo - The story of an adopted girl, now a teenager, an ice skater, who returns to her birthplace of Sarajevo to reconnect with herself. Both she and her adopted mother find something of themselves there that they had maybe thought lost. It's really well done and paints a vivid picture of post-war Sarajevo.
Confession - A first-date between a minster and a farmer. Crackles with sexuality but also funny.
The Detroit Frankfurt School Discussion Group - I loved this one. Recent divorced, adjunct professor Colin Spanler, PhD is down on himself, and looking for love while living in Ann Arbor. What he finds instead is a group of Detroit citizens looking to use Frankfurt School critical theory to improve their city. It's a great look at the intersection of academic theory and actual community organizing. And watching Colin being forced out of his comfort zone to think of academics as more than just words on paper was refreshing.
Men Be Either Or, But Never Enough - This is a heartbreaking story of a young girl being raised by her OCD/Schizophrenic step-mother. The failures of the parents for this child are... well heartbreaking. I know I said that already, but these people are awful.
Cordoba Skies - This was a really beautiful story about a young teen dealing with his mother's chronic illness. His parents live in and run a museum dedicated to aliens and UFOs. He's left on his own a lot to fend for himself and try to figure out who he is. I just loved the narrative and plot choices made by Federico Falco in this one.
The Soul in Paraphrase - This was a slightly odd story about a priest, a widower, an orphan, and a ghost. The story kind of meanders around as the orphan makes a play for the widower and the priest contemplates the presence of the ghost, who is busy watching the orphan.
Beach Plum Jam - A "townie" in a Maine beach town is acquainted with an old school friend, who has made a lot of money in her new life. There is some clashing between old and new money, and old and new friends. It's a theme popping up in other stories and popular fiction, sort of like a Sue Miller or Lianne Moriarty.
Overall, I really enjoyed this edition of the Omnibus!
4/5 Stars.
I really needed this book this week. It was funny, and light and interesting. Where'd You Go, Bernadette is a collection of letters and e-mails pieced together to tell the story of Bernadette Fox, a wife and mother in Seattle Washington who has disappeared. But before Bernadette Fox was those things in Seattle, she was a famous architect, recipient of a McArthur Genius Award, and a free wheeling spirit whose creative side was channeled toward a vision only she could imagine. But, 15 years later, she's living in Seattle, wife to Elgin Branch, a VP at MicroSoft working on artificial intelligence technology, and mother to Bee, a super-smart 8th grader who decides as her gift for straight A's - she's going to ask her parents for a trip to Antarctica. Bernadette, who has become increasingly reclusive over the years, responds to the request by outsourcing a position as a personal assistance to an e-mail address in India.Meanwhile, down the slope from their home (actually an old school for girls), lives Audrey Griffin, a Seattle socialite who has never met a problem that wasn't caused by someone else. Audrey's best friend, Sue Lynn works at MicroSoft and reports back to Audrey all the things that Elgin is up to while his wife spends her day ruining Audrey's life. As smart as they are, Elgin and Bernadette don't communicate very well, so much so that when Sue Lynn informs Elgin about some of his wife's more odd behavior, he becomes concerned enough to stage and intervention - an intervention that goes horribly wrong and ends up with Bernadette running away, and an angry Bee left to pick up the pieces and try to discover what happened to her mother. I know reading the above synopsis may not actually seem like this book is as funny as it was, but it was actually very funny and delightful. It's a shame I had to rush through it, but I've recently discovered that my library will let you borrow Audiobooks for FREE! (can you imagine) so I may have overcommitted to my borrowing shelf!
4/5 Stars.
I'll start by saying that I probably should have allowed more time to pass between reading the prior book (Deadline - you can read that review here) and this one. I was a little burnt out by the repetitive nature of some of the statements made by the narrators and I understood the conspiracy laid out so I didn't need it needlessly detailed in some parts.Book 2 ended on such a cliffhanger that I wanted to get right into this one, but that ended up feeling more like reading an exceedingly long book, rather than reading two separate stories and my experience as a reader suffered for it. Things that hadn't bothered me in the first book started to bother me in this one. First, both Shaun and Georgia needlessly repeat themes and statements that are no necessary. There is also large parts of unnecessary dialogue between the news team characters at given points. If this were a first book, this would make sense to establish the report between the characters, but at this point it just feels like overkill and unnecessarily lengthened the book. In this installment, Shaun and Georgia Mason (the clone version) are reunited and work together to uncover the final chapter in the wide-ranging government conspiracy that is causing people to be killed in the continuing battle against the Kellis-Amberly virus. The story ropes back in President Peter Ryman and Vice President Richard Cousins, both notably absent from the second book in the series. Their involvement shows just how high the conspiracy goes. In the end, Georgia and Shaun must decide how much truth they can reveal and whether the world is ready for it. The conspiracy angle is a bit diminished when you consider this is a world-wide issue and even though the United States Centers for Disease Control may be committing crimes and covering up truths, it's hard to swallow that the rest of the world may be playing by the USA's rules and not uncovering these truths on their own.In any case, the book does manage to wrap up the entire thing nicely, without being overly saccharine or too convenient. The final book just missed some of the freshness and pop that existed in the first book, even if it was a solid ending to the trilogy.
3/5 Stars.
I'd give this book a solid 3.75 stars. I liked Eilis (pronounced Eye-lish). I liked watching her "come of age" through the process of the book. I like how she makes decisions and isn't overly dramatic or needlessly whiny. She accepts her choices like an adult and makes the next step.
In this story, Eilis is the younger daughter to a widowed mother in Ireland. Smart, but slightly less beautiful than her older sister Rose, Eilis works hard at her studies trying to advance herself and her family's fortunes. When it becomes apparent that there is no work for Eilis in Ireland, her sister and mother make arrangements for Eilis to go to Brooklyn to work in a shop and hopefully take classes to become a book keeper.
Eilis suffers through a rough crossing, but once in America, gets on well at her job and eventually makes friends. She begins a relationship with an Italian plumber named Tony and corresponds with her sister Rose in secret because she's not quite ready to tell her mother that she's moved on from Ireland. Part of the time Eilis seems like she's inhabiting someone else's life in America, as if she's going through the motions of her day without thinking of who she is becoming. But eventually she starts to make decisions of her own and use her intellect to excel at school.
Following Rose's death, Eilis must decide if she will go back to Ireland to stay, or if she'll claim the new life she's made for herself in Brooklyn. In a very real question of whether you can go home again, Eilis is presented with what her alternative life would have been had she stayed in Ireland. And she has regrets on both sides of the decision.
Understated, yet understandable, the story of Eilis is the story of us all, growing up, making decisions, living with the consequences and deciding our own futures. The only complaints were some fairly plodding points in the story that got a little boring, and the fact that nothing ever seems to really happen to Eilis. The lack of drama makes it realistic, but sometimes a bit tedious.
3.75/5 Stars.
