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The White Tiger

3m — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:26:28 +0000

The White Tiger
by Aravind Adiga

2008 Booker Prize winner
2008, 276 pp.

Hmmm, well, I happened to get this book from the library on the Saturday before the Booker Prize was announced “just in case.” When The White Tiger was revealed as the winner, I was really surprised. Not only did it have the longest odds to win, but I had recently read The Secret Scripture and not-so-secretly hoped it would win. In fact, the committee admitted these two were the main contenders and that the decision was not unanimous.

To be honest, I kind of groaned when I heard Adiga’s book was the winner. I don’t have a love affair at all with the Booker prize winners that I’ve read, so I was a little skeptical that I would enjoy this one. But, being the trooper that I am, I thought I’d give it at least 40 or so pages to see if it could capture my interest.

Surprise, surprise; it did. Not only is it a scathing indictment against India’s treatment of its poorest citizens, it also manages to be a clever black comedy. This is exactly what the prize committee chairman revealed as the reason behind its decision. So which book did I like better, The White Tiger or The Secret Scripture? It’s really comparing apples to oranges. They’re just not the same type of book at all. They both are worthy social commentaries on the authors’ home countries, but just written in a totally different style. While Sebastian Barry’s prose is lyrical, Adiga’s is biting (and comical). They both work spectacularly, just in different ways. I can definitely see why the committee had a difficult decision on its hands, and either one would have been a winner in my book.

How does it fare against the other Booker Prize winners? Well, I definitely enjoyed it more than some of the other winners I’ve read, including:

2007 – The Gathering by Anne Enright
2006 – The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
2005 – The Sea by John Banville
2000 – The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
1997 – The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
1985 – The Bone People by Keri Hulme
1983 – Life & Times of Michael K by J. M. Coetzee

And believe me, no one was more surprised than I was.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

3m — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:23:02 +0000

Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants tells a great story. I loved the story, and I loved the characters. I loved Rosie the elephant. I did not love the explicit scenes, particularly when I had to hear it on an audio CD. I was relieved to find that Natasha from Maw Books felt the exact same way. I think there is a strong minority of readers who are getting fed up with this type of content in books. I know I am. But, as I said, I wanted to continue hearing the story because other than those parts, it was very compelling.

Jacob Jankowski is the vet (with an asterix) for a second-rate circus. His services and presence aren’t always wanted by the circus regulars. The book is told in flashbacks to great effect. I really enjoyed that format for this particular story. The readers for the audio CD were David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones. They both were good, but whoever did Jacob Jankowski as an old man was brilliant. I thoroughly loved those sections.

Water for Elephants is not only a love story; it’s also about finding ‘family’ with those around you. I just wish I could have ‘redlighted’ a few parts.

2006, 350 pp.
Rating:

Winter Haven

3m — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:09:47 +0000

Winter Haven, by Christian author Athol Dickson, is a mystery-suspense novel set on an island off the coast of Maine. Vera Gamble comes to the community of Winter Haven after receiving news that her missing brother’s body has finally been found after 13 years. After learning of some strange circumstances about the condition of the body, the local authorities refuse to let Vera go back to Dallas to bury her brother until they can look into the matter further. As a result, Vera is determined to poke around the island herself to see if she can uncover any details that might help resolve the case.

What she finds are community members that seem hostile, or at least aloof, to strangers and that they are generally unwilling to help with even simple directions for scouting the island. She does meet one man, Evan Frost, who is at least friendly to her and seems to enjoy her company. However, some of the citizens of the island warn her not to trust him, while he, in turn, says the same about them. As she searches for more details concerning the finding of her brother’s body, some very strange events start happening, but Vera is unsure whether they are actually happening, or whether they may all just be in her own mind. Is she going insane, or just being tormented by an evil presence? She’s afraid of either option.

I was surprised at how suspenseful this book really was. It has a gothic feel to it, and I found myself very drawn into the story. One thing I was worried about was how Vera would be portrayed, but Mr. Dickson writes from the female perspective very convincingly. This book has mystery, suspense, and even some history and romance. I will be reading more of Athol Dickson’s work.

2008, 336 pp.
Rating: 4/5

Kristin Lavransdatter I: The Wreath

3m — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 13:36:31 +0000

The Wreath is Book 1 in Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset, a Norwegian Nobel laureate. I had this book down as one I wanted to read in 2007 since last January! The size of it (all 3 books together are 1100+ pages) intimidated me so much that I’m just now getting to Book 1.

In The Wreath, we learn of Kristin’s childhood and her relationship to her family and her community. She grows up in a home where her father adores her, and while her mother loves her very much, she is also sad much of the time due to multiple miscarriages. The descriptions of the farm life and scenes of 14th century Norway are simply fantastic. The book really has a sense of place and time.

The next two books are The Wife (which I’m halfway through) and The Cross. I really wish now that I had started earlier so that I could have completed the entire book in 2007. I’m anxious to see what will happen in Kristin’s life.

1920, 291 pp.
Rating: 4.5

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

3m — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 21:16:31 +0000

I read this a few ~~weeks~~ months?! ago, and I’m not sure why I haven’t written the review yet. I want to talk about it intelligently because I really loved it. Unfortunately, intelligent writing has eluded me lately. Had to write the review today, though, as it was one of my Dystopian Challenge books.

This book preceded and heavily influenced both 1984 and Brave New World. People have no names, just letters and numbers. They plan on going on to other planets to compel others to adopt their mathematically-minded happiness. Emotions aren’t allowed. They live in glass apartments. Everything ‘human’ is discouraged. But. . . a rebel faction is present in and outside ‘the wall.’ Will those inside the wall learn to be truly human?

Side note: A few weeks ago I saw the movie Equilibrium starring Christian Bale, and it surely had to be influenced by this novel. If you’re interested in the dystopian genre, it’s a must-see. See my review here.

1924, 232 pp.
Rating: 4.5

Wednesday Letters

3m — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:19:00 +0000

Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright tells the story of a family whose grown children learn more about their parents’ marriage after discovering letters their father wrote to their mother every Wednesday. It’s a good story with morals that I absolutely agree with. However, I just didn’t find it to be particularly well-written. I felt myself conscious that I was reading a story rather being immersed in it. I thought some of the dialogue was weak and somewhat choppy at times. I’m still willing to give the author another chance, though, by reading his Christmas Jars at some point.

2007, 280 pp.

Rating: 3.5 3

The White Stag by Kate Seredy

3m — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 04:34:00 +0000

The White Stag
by Kate Seredy

1937, 94 pp.
Newbery Medal

Rating: 4

This Newbery winner tells the legend of how the Huns and Magyars migrated westward into Hungary. Descended from Nimrod (yes, the one from the Bible), Attila and his ancestors follow a white stag that shows them the way. If you like myths and legends as I do, you will appreciate this book.

My only caution is that Christian parents should read this first to see if it appropriate for their family. Although I love folklore, legends, and mythology, I was a little uncomfortable with the setting up of Nimrod as a hero. Usually I treat mythology solely as fiction with entertainment value. In this case, however, because this book does use passages and references in the Bible, I am a little more cautious.

Wild Swans by Jung Chang

3m — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 04:10:00 +0000

Wild Swans:
Three Daughters of China
by Jung Chang

1992, 508 pp.

Rating: 4.5

1994 British Book of the Year

This is a long, fascinating book that I’m really glad I finished. I got this after reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which I absolutely loved. I didn’t know it was non-fiction until it came in the mail. I saw that it was a banned book, so I used it for the Banned Book Challenge as well as the Chunkster Challenge.

The book tells the life stories of Jung and her mother and grandmother. Along the way I learned quite a bit about China under Mao as well. I love history when it is presented this way. I’ve always felt that history was more about how people’s lives were affected by their rulers than just names, dates, and events that occurred.

The book is told chronologically. The first story is about how Jung’s grandmother had no choice in being a concubine to a Chinese general. The “marriage” was arranged so that her grandmother’s father would have more privileges of his own. Jung’s mother was born from this union.

Next, we learn of her mother’s life growing up under Japanese occupation in Manchuria, and then after the Japanese surrender, the fight between the Kuomintang and the Communists for power in China. Jung’s parents become Communist officials who very much believe in the Communist ideals. Their “faith” is eventually shattered by Mao’s thirst for power and his “Cultural Revolution.”

Although her parents were still receiving their salaries from the government, they were also being detained or being made to go to denunciation meetings where they were yelled at and/or beaten. The Red Guard and the Rebels were encouraged to rise up against the old Communist officials and take control. Even young children were encouraged to beat up their teachers. School days consisted of reading Mao’s works, punishing anyone who was a “class enemy”, and tearing up the grass and flowers in the courtyards as they were too “decadent.”

As Jung grows up, she is at first enamored with Mao, but is eventually disillusioned with what has happened to her family and to herself. She is a bright young woman who is required several times to be “reeducated” by the peasants or factory workers. After Mao dies, eventually China changes for the better. She is able to go to the West and study, but she never permanently returns to China.

I highly recommend this book if you are interested in history in general or Chinese culture. It is also a “wake-up” call to us softies in the West. Books like these really make me appreciate American freedom!

1. Wendy – July 3, 2007: I have this one on my wish list, Michelle. Thanks for another great review!!!
2. raidergirl3 – July 3, 2007: I have this on my list for the nonfiction challenge, but it looks so huge! It sounds good though; thanks for the review.
3. Nyssaneala – July 3, 2007: Wild Swans is a great book! You might also like The Sacred Willow by Duong van mai elliott. It’s about 4 generations of her vietnamese family, starting in the late nineteenth century, and continues up until the 1990’s. It is also non-fiction, but told in a narrative style, with a lot of it reading like a novel.

The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

3m — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 20:12:00 +0000

Wide Sargasso Sea
by Jean Rhys

1966, 192 pp.

Rating: 4 3.5

The Wide Sargasso Sea is listed in the top 100 novels by the Modern Library. I wouldn’t go that far, but I did enjoy it. A warning though–some fans of Jane Eyre may hate it. Most members of my face to face book group felt like it ruined their idea of Mr. Rochester’s character. I felt the same way when I read March by Geraldine Brooks earlier this year. Little Women is a favorite book of mine, and I didn’t like how Mr. and Mrs. March were portrayed in Brooks’ story at all.

However, in this book, we learn how Mr. Rochester became the dark, brooding figure in Jane Eyre. We not only feel sorry for him, though, we also feel sorry for Bertha as well. At least I did. We learn how and why she had a mental breakdown. We learn that both she and Mr. Rochester are victims. While I won’t go so far as to integrate this story into my feelings about and fondness for Jane Eyre, I am able to take this as a separate story altogether and appreciate it.

1. Nyssaneala – June 20, 2007: I’m glad you enjoyed it. I quite liked the story, as well.
2. Bookfool – June 21, 2007: I’m glad you enjoyed this one; it’s been on my TBRs for a while, but I don’t want to read it without rereading Jane Eyre, first.March was on my wish list till I read a few reviews and then I removed it. I didn’t like the idea of how Mr. March was portrayed; I thought it would have completely spoiled my image of him from Little Women.
3. Rhinoa – June 23, 2007: I keep meaning to get a copy of this as it looks really interesting. Like Bookfool I think I will re-read Jane Eyre before getting into it though.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

3m — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 16:51:00 +0000

A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L’Engle

1962, 224 pp.

Rating: 4

Newbery Medal

I listened to this book on CD with my sons on a short road trip. All three of us enjoyed it very much. Meg Murry is a girl whose parents are both scientists. Consequently her family is a little different than others. She and Charles Wallace, her littlest brother, get made fun of at school because everyone thinks they’re either stupid or not living up to their potential. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. Her twin brothers are more normal so they fit in.

Their father works for the government and has been missing for a few years. The search for Mr. Murry, with a little help from Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, takes them on a journey too incredible to imagine. Three sequels follow that each of us plan on reading this year or next.

Lisa – June 18, 2007

This is on one of my lists- Newbery? Decades? I thought I owned a copy but it looks like I’ll be PBS’ing it. I remember it fondly from my childhood.

I just saw your review of Number the Stars. I read it this weekend and don’t want to influence my review by reading yours, but find it cool that someone else read it at the same time.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

3m — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 02:46:00 +0000

This book took me a loooong time to read, but I’m really glad I read it. It is so well-written and a really good mystery. I did guess some of the plot elements, but I still was very engrossed and wanted to keep reading to make sure my guesses were correct.

The “woman in white” is Anne Catherick, who has escaped from an asylum and knows, or think she knows, a Secret about a nobleman. This nobleman wants to marry Laura Fairlie, but she is in love with her art instructor, Walter Hartwright. Marian Holcomb is Laura’s half-sister and is always looking out for Laura’s interests. The two are inseparable. Will Laura marry the nobleman–Percival Glyde–the man her father wanted her to marry? Or will she marry Walter Hartwright, the love of her life? Who is really after her money? Is Count Fosco just a charming foreigner or a “foreign spy”? Whose interests is he looking after? These questions and more will be answered when you embark on this wonderfully written gothic tale–a classic mystery that should be read by all.

1860, 569pp.

Rating: 4.5

Walking Across Egypt

3m — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 16:25:34 +0000

by Clyde Edgerton

1987, 227 pp.

Rating: 4