Twelve exquititely-written chapters, each focused on a specific carpet.
My only problem is not a problem for someone who buys the book: NetGalley did Twelve exquititely-written chapters, each focused on a specific carpet.
My only problem is not a problem for someone who buys the book: NetGalley did not include illos.
That said, the writing is an arabesque swooping from ancient history to the present, covering a broad range of geographical distance and historical figures, including a precis of the state of the world when each particular carpet was created. The human side is there: the conflicts involved inweaving it, owning it, claiming it, then tracing its history.
Pippa Latour lived to a ripe old age, dying while this book was in the publishing pipeline. She had kept silent for well over half a century, stating Pippa Latour lived to a ripe old age, dying while this book was in the publishing pipeline. She had kept silent for well over half a century, stating that she'd signed a NDA, but also I suspect from the lingering effects of the PTSD she suffered after the fact.
It wasn't until she saw some incorrect facts float about that prompted her to come forward; she hadn't even told her kids about her experiences.
The writing was clear and brought out her voice with vividness and clarity, glimmering now and then with wry humor. But that didn't mask the grimness of her experiences. Those were rough, and the fallout was rough--the cruelty to the helpless, such as animals, perpetrated by the oppressed as well as the oppressors, and the sometimes revolting extremes people went to to get food, never enough.
Her early years were so amazing that I was enthralled far before the war happened. The story illustrates with frank clarity the courage it took for this woman (and the women she knew, most of whom didn't make it out) to live covertly, sending messages while continuously hunted by the Gestapo....more
The title is misleading, I'll say up front; if you're looking for a rousing tale of an early campaigner for the rights of women a la Mary WollstonecroThe title is misleading, I'll say up front; if you're looking for a rousing tale of an early campaigner for the rights of women a la Mary Wollstonecroft or Olympe de Gouges or even Queen Christina, you're going to be disappointed. Julie is a very minor figure on the Eastern European/Russian scene before, during, and after the Napoleonic ructions, about whom almost nothing has been written, her scant letters mostly lost, even her grave lost.
On the other hand, if you want an engaging look at the weird tangle of dynastic marriages as borders got drawn and redrawn before Napoleon blustered through, then retreated again, leaving the map of Europe to be redrawn yet again, you might find this book as worthwhile as I did. There just isn't much written in English about that end of Europe during the late eighteenth century and early-mid nineteenth; Napoloeon seems to take up al the real estate history-wise. Though glimpses into Julie's inner life pretty much all are supposition, there is enough quoted from period letters and memoirs to furnish us vivid glimpses of the other major players, plus what it was like to travel at that time.
This book is a great glimpse of the end of Catherine the Great's life, the tangle of her descendants' lives, and how yet another hapless daughter of nobility/royaltie got cut adrift, her life pretty much shipwrecked by politics and the rotten behavior of men. And julie's husband Konstantin, to whom she was married at age fourteen, is a prime example of a thoroughly nasty piece of work....more
This was an absorbing YA romance about a teenager who found herself rocketed to stardom, and how that chewed up her life. Especially as she is neurodiThis was an absorbing YA romance about a teenager who found herself rocketed to stardom, and how that chewed up her life. Especially as she is neurodiverse, something she only admits late in the story, though the hints are all there. In escaping the fame fishbowl (and its not-so-nice dangers) for a summer with her dad, she meets a neurodivergent boy at Dad's bookstore--and sparks fly. At first, sparks of anger and hurt.
How the two untangle the crossed signals, and make friends and plans for their futures along the way, leads the reader through the rest of the book at a fast clip. A terrific read for teens on the spectrum--and teens who want to understand what that means....more
This is my third book by this author, which makes three in a row that I loved.
Her focus seems to be families in the south, and their dynamics across gThis is my third book by this author, which makes three in a row that I loved.
Her focus seems to be families in the south, and their dynamics across generations, while evoking in graceful, sometimes elegiac language the smells, the tastes, and the feels of that part of the world.
This one begins with a widow, whose beloved spouse has been dead for almost a year, sustaining what she can only call a ghostly vision of the Aunt who brought her up. She resists the ghost idea at first, but the vision is gently insistent, and eventually leads to sharing with her three nearly middle aged kids, who don't communicate very well with her.
The omniscient narrator slides expertly in and out of their POVs as needed, first establishing everyone, then showing how everything changes. It's such a feel good book--something I really appreciated, in these nerve wracking days!...more
Vanja is back! And she's being hunted down by her beloved, no HATED, hear me, hate, hate, hate! ex (who is now engaged to be married, btw)...for a murVanja is back! And she's being hunted down by her beloved, no HATED, hear me, hate, hate, hate! ex (who is now engaged to be married, btw)...for a murder she did not commit.
We're off at the gallop, and this book never lets up. It's such a terrific blend of humor, snark, horror, and high-octane emotions! I don't want to say much else, except that once more I adored the inventiveness of this world drawing heavily on the tales of the Grimm Brothers. The characters so so vivid, the villains truly horrible, our protags lovely. The emotional twists and turns make a lot of sense, justaposed with the total crazy of the magical razzmatazz, a great blend. Almost perfect--the plot got mighty convoluted in the last third; the political scheming, complicated prodecures, and weird magic threatened to overshadow the character lines, but then it all drew together in a crash!
Very satisfying closure to a series I shall read again!...more
**spoiler alert** At the center of this YA novel about sisters, brothers, siblings, parents and grandparents as well as friend dynamics and a whole lo**spoiler alert** At the center of this YA novel about sisters, brothers, siblings, parents and grandparents as well as friend dynamics and a whole lot of other intense themes, is mythology that has grown up around the Trung sisters, a pair of military generals who nearly two thousand years ago mnaged for two years to resist the massive Han invasion of Vietnam.
We begin with Jolie Lam, who has lost her two best friends after a sports incident. These two have become mean girls, but to her defense comes Huang, a cool girl who offers her friendship and support. It's set in and around San Jose, working in earthquakes and drought and other area-specific phenom.
Meanwhile, Jolie is dealing with visions, and her grandfather's apparent dementia. But when inexplicable magic enters her life, everything the sixteen year old thought she knew goes seriously sideways.
At that point, the book becomes a brakeless roller-coaster, getting more and more intense and weird, the pacing faster and faster until the sudden end. I thought the end kinda cool, and yet there had been so much setup at the start that I couldn't help wishing for a coda: emotional resolution especially, but also I really wanted to see how the "new" Jolie would pick up her high school life.
That balance point between easily accessible for the modern reader not familiar novels before the 20th C and striving for a period feel is a difficultThat balance point between easily accessible for the modern reader not familiar novels before the 20th C and striving for a period feel is a difficult one, as it varies from reader to reader. This novel certainly entertained me! And I appreciated the work that went into giving us a Victorian London that wasn't all Hollywood backdrop.
I am a total sucker for the outsider penetrating upper society trope, but I want my protags to be likeable, with laudable goals at least some of the time, and the author gives us two of these in hero and heroine. But have admirable goals for their desperate masquerades, but unexpectedly find one another in each other's way because of how their goals misalign.
How the author disentangles these snares while developing the wary attraction between H and H, then bringing us to a satisfying ending, was fun to watch. The villains get what they deserve, the good guys win, and there is a setup for another follow-on romance in the same setting. Just the sort of escapism I'm looking for these days!...more
At first I was skepical that anyone could get an entire book from Revere's eighteen-mile ride on a single night during the complex mess that we now caAt first I was skepical that anyone could get an entire book from Revere's eighteen-mile ride on a single night during the complex mess that we now call the Revolutionary War.
But I LOVRD this book.
It's exactly the kind of history I like most: well researched evocations of all the people involved, not just military leaders. Kennedy takes the time to give vivid biographical sketches of key people on both sides (key being those around Revere, including some whose names are scarcely a footnote in broader histories), and then conveys a cinematic feel for the geography of the time. What it must have been like to live there. What everyone saw. What the survivors said later.
Then, after the Ride, we get a sketch of the poem that kept the legend alive, and then brief sketches of other famous riders.
All in all, I thought it was a terrific book for the sort of person who walks the Freedom Trail, or goes to various sites, and squints past telephone poles and stuccoed box buildings and automobiles and all the other detritus of modern life for what it must have been like in those tense days....more
The cover and the wording of the blurb, etc, points toward romance, which I think is important for those cruising for their next romantic read. The exThe cover and the wording of the blurb, etc, points toward romance, which I think is important for those cruising for their next romantic read. The expectations of romance are different from the expectations of a thriller, though this has thriller aspects. I don't know if "romantic-suspense" is still in use anymore; it has a long and stellar history, beginning with (in my own reading experience, when I was 13) Mary Stewat's Madam Will You Talk.
Max is down and out when she is approached by a woman from the CIA. They need Max for an emergency body double for a (gorgeous) PM. Right there, of course, is the trope splitting point: readers wanting Le Carre-level verisimilitude will raise a couple of eyebrows, muttering, "The CIA would never hire someone off the street" but if you're a romance reader, the prospect of the heroine doubling for an internationally respected Prime Minister she happens to resemble uncannily, and her handler being a very hot ex, is just the ticket. The realistic deets of the weird, high-octane stress spy world aren't the focus but the backdrop.
So begins a wild ride through Italy as Max pretends to be Prime Minister Sofia. Bullets (and lobsters, and pigeons) fly, and the world is filled with sinister assassins, but Max learns on the run, while the embers of that romance fire up again hotter than ever. There is plenty of wild action, and grace notes of humor, and Max gets to rise beautifully to the occasion, which is exactly what I want in a romantic-suspense novel. What a fun read!...more
There was a lot to like in this "Romeo and Juliet" (ad language for the book) for young adults. Specifically the food descriptions, with dim sun and KThere was a lot to like in this "Romeo and Juliet" (ad language for the book) for young adults. Specifically the food descriptions, with dim sun and Korean street food lovingly and deliciously described. I loved the sense of filial piety from traditional custom up against LA's laid-back cultural chaos.
I also liked the idea of many of the characters, and some of the dialogue was fun. But it took me a long time to read the book. Partly that was due to the grammar errors, which I hope were ironed out in the final version, but mostly because the author seemed to be trying to reinvent the omniscient narrator, the result being oddly jerky segments split between POVs, which, interspersed with text messages, could get confusing. The pacing thus seemed off, and the narrative voice would frequently undercut the dialogue by telling crucial bits before we saw the action.
Finally there was a formulaic feel, largely because The Big Incident that caused the families to feud was referred to without being told up front. I found myself impatiently reading for the "why" of all the drama.
So it was a bit of a mixed bag, but with lots of potential. Especially the food! Looking forward to more by this author....more
There was a lot to enjoy in this fast-paced sort-of thriller and sort-if midlife crisis story centering around a couple in their mid-forties (who readThere was a lot to enjoy in this fast-paced sort-of thriller and sort-if midlife crisis story centering around a couple in their mid-forties (who read like they were in their fifties or older) going for their anniversary dinner to an exclusive place that charges an insane price for a "dining experience"--when it gets taken over by eco-terrorists.
The narration is mostly from Jane's POV, but goes omni at times. I found Jane's put-upon self-centeredness hard to like, though I did sympathize with her thwarted ambitions, but the rest of the characters were really enjoyable. Jane and Dan hash our their marital problems as all heck breaks out around them, sometimes the juxtaposition being hilarious and other times insane. Some fun surprises, and an ending that makes me think this was aimed at film. And it would make a great film....more
The title, the reader soon learns, is literal. The author explains why she decided to assemble a shelf of Jane Austen’s books—that is, the ones, writtThe title, the reader soon learns, is literal. The author explains why she decided to assemble a shelf of Jane Austen’s books—that is, the ones, written by women, that Austen read and mentioned in her letters.
The Jane Austen fan, or reader of Enlightenment Era books is aware that Austen undoubtedly read a lot more than we see named in the letters, which are a fraction of those she wrote. There is no mention of Aphra Behn, or Mary Davys, or even Eliza Heywood, whose great popularity a generation before Austen was born surely meant that her books were to be found in any library that included novels. But these are the names culled from the letters that Jane Austen’s sister Cassandra left for us.
In this book, Romney sets out to acquaint herself with not only the works of these female authors, but with the writers themselves. Most of these authors I’ve already encountered, but I find it fun to read others’ takes on their work. And I really enjoy a literary exploration that brings in the writer’s own experiences and perspective.
Romney is a rare book dealer, which shapes the structure of this book; though I did skim past descriptions of searches for specific copies, and the deets of auctions, as I have never had the discretionary income to spend on rare books, I comprehend cathexis, and agree that some of the satisfaction of reading a physical book is the feel of the book, the font, the illos—and the commentary inside from long-gone owners of the copy. Plus one’s memories of when one first encountered the book, and the emotions evoked by picking up that copy once again. I own a first edition of Chesterfield’s Letters. The pages were uncut, which meant it sat untouched on someone’s shelf for over two hundred years. It might be worth something, it might not. But I would have cherished it far more had this copy been worn from much reading, perhaps with notes and comments from Enlightenment-era or Victorian-era or even early twentieth century previous owners.
So once I skimmed past the auction parts of Romney’s searches, I really enjoyed her description of the physical books. The feel of them in her hands. Her delight in discovering writing on flyleaves.
Another aspect of this book that I relished was Romney’s awareness of the human being behind the printed pages. She gives the reader a quick and sympathetic history of each woman, even of Hannah More, whose work Romney finally gave up on. (Um, yes, so did I. If only there had been even a glimmer of humor…) This book is filled with insights, and also questions. Even when I disagree with Romney’s conclusions, I can see where she’s coming from—and can imagine sitting around a comfortable tea room, exchanging ideas.
She begins with Ann Radcliffe, whose work I don’t like any more than I like Hannah More’s, though for different reasons. I don’t care for Gothick suspense, and the thread of anti-Catholicism running through Radcliffe’s books doesn’t make it worth reading for the elegiac landscape descriptions, much less the creepy horrors and grues. But I appreciated Romney’s digging into the reviews of Radcliff’s books written in her lifetime, and I followed with interest Romney’s detective work tracing the gradual disappearance of Radcliff from popularity, to her present near-obscurity. Romney goes into the “explained supernatural” (in other words, all the supposed supernatural encounters in the books turn out to have rational explanations—unlike Horry Walpole’s ridiculous and flagrantly male-gazey The Castle of Otranto). Romney points out that in keeping her books firmly within the explained supernatural, Radcliffe was bringing logic to an emotional argument. She then traces through reviews and news reports about Radcliffe the false claims that Radcliffe stopped writing because she had sunk into madness.
In exploring this idea, Romney brings forth the seldom-acknowledged point that Catherine Morland, the teenage heroine of Northanger Abbey, who is so delighted by her discovery of Gothic novels that she brings the “emotional logic” of Gothics to imagining Mrs. Tilney being locked up before her death, learns from her mistakes, which are made in the ignorance of youth. Unlike General Tilney and his own quite Gothic, and ridiculous, assumptions about Catherine. He, an experienced man of middle years, has no excuse!
In wrestling with Hannah More’s determination that human beings are morally obliged to stay in their place (that includes women being subordinate to men), Romney states: “I found myself sitting for ten minutes at a time with a Hannah More biography in my lap, staring at nothing. This, too, is a part of reading. What we feel when we read does not remain on the page. We take it with us. We absorb it. It doesn’t have to change us, exactly (though it can, but it does affect us. It becomes a part of all the little moments that make up our lives.”
It's insights like this one, strewn through the book, that made it such a delicious read, as she goes on to give similar attention to Charlotte Lennox, Elizabeth Inchbald, Maria Edgeworth, and Hester Thrale Piozzi. And then traces how and why these women, once so famous, fell out of favor.
Did I agree with everything Romney brings up? No. She calls the unctuous, freckled Mrs. Clay from Persuasion a fraud, which I think is disingenuous; it’s true that Jane Austen’s narrator despises Mrs. Clay, but her situation, and her behavior at crucial points, isn’t a whole lot different from that of Mrs. Smith, who is better born, and who the narrator favors.
And again, Romney, in mentioning Mansfield Park seems to regard Fanny Price as humorless (wrong), and professes not to understand why Fanny disapproves of Inchbald’s play being mounted by the young people. She doesn’t seem to distinguish that it’s not the play Fanny objects to, it’s the flagrant disrespect for the missing Bertram paterfamilias—a disrespect that all the others are quite aware of when Sir Thomas comes unexpectedly home. But I blather at length about that in my review here on 카지노싸이트.
And from specific instances to general points, Romney maintains that several of these authors’ books are great literature, and deserve rediscovery. This of course goes straight into subjective territory. My own feeling is that there are indeed terrific moments in all of these books, and one can see how they influenced Austen, but (to generalize drastically) they share one fault: unexamined tropes, or downright cliches, both in plot and in language. Whereas Austen was side-eyeing these tropes, and the threadbare figurative language common to all these writers (such as blazing eyes, and frequent faintings, etc etc), and either playing with the expectations or abjuring them altogether. Which is what elevates Austen from really entertaining writer to genius. But again, highly subjective.
My point is, even when Romney and I come to different conclusions, I enjoyed her description of how she got there, and why. I enjoyed this book to such an extent that I plan to buy a print copy once it comes out, and to recommend it to my face-to-face Jane Austen Discussion Group. We should have a blast exploring all its ideas....more
This is one of those books whose idea I think outstrips the execution.
The ideas are absolutely crucial for understanding the stresses and anguish of cThis is one of those books whose idea I think outstrips the execution.
The ideas are absolutely crucial for understanding the stresses and anguish of colonialism and its fallout, as it impacts the evolution of history. At heart, it looks at India's independence, and the terrible cost, the focus being on the twentieth century--a blip in India's long, fascinating history.
A strong aspect of the book is the way the author works in regional mythology, which renders emotional texture to the layers of the historical record. However, the characters tended toward the standard, and the writing, though passionate, often read as a first draft, with a lot more summation than is effective.
Still, it's very much worth adding to other books by Indian writers who write about Indian history and experience for those who read in English
Archer is passionate about dance. He comes to dance camp, expecting a dream experience--just to find Matteo, sultry, too perfect, and a transphobe. (OArcher is passionate about dance. He comes to dance camp, expecting a dream experience--just to find Matteo, sultry, too perfect, and a transphobe. (Or so he assumes because of an awful remark Matteo made once.). Matteo is also very, very attractive as well as gay...and we see what's coming!
The dance setting was terrific. The author absolutely nailed the crazy, inspiring, tiring, drama-injected fizz of summer theater for teens, in this case a summer dance camp. In fact, the setting was so very well done that it kind of detracted from the character development that such a complicated plot needed (Archer is dating someone else while totally eyeing Matteo).
But that's a small creeb. It's fast-paced, with some great scenes when Archer and Matteo do start coming together. Add in the filmic wish-fulfillment ending, and you get a gay-friendly feel-good romance for teens, with an emphasis on dance! ...more
This young adult thriller follows 17-year-old Arizona, who, withmher dog Mojo, must solve a lot of puzzles in order to free her kidnapped mom when theThis young adult thriller follows 17-year-old Arizona, who, withmher dog Mojo, must solve a lot of puzzles in order to free her kidnapped mom when the two go on a road trip to spread her father’s ashes.
The author does a good job with Arizona, who is on the spectrum (and the kidnappers know it, and attempt to make a weakness of her strengths), and who has to solve a series of puzzles in order to spring her mom.
Basically, if you like puzzles, you're sure to like this book. Puzzles take up the majority of the pages. If you want more plot with friends and social engagement, and thriller action, you might check out a chapter or two before deciding....more
This is a fantasy only in that a Cat's POV is included among the five humans this cat visits. It's mildly a romance, though the story is really a gentThis is a fantasy only in that a Cat's POV is included among the five humans this cat visits. It's mildly a romance, though the story is really a gentle, feel-good story about five lonely people and the stray cat who becomes a catalyst (see what I did there?) in their lives.
I read this over several late nights, and it always made me smile. For my own taste--being a SF and fantasy lover from the very first--I would have liked the cat's POV to be more cat-like and less about human concepts, but that is a very small complaint, and a lot of readers won't notice it, or give a flying fig if they do.
If you're looking for some lovely, peaceful escapism from the horrible news, you can't go wrong with this charming story....more
I really enjoyed the glimpse into Pakistani culture and the well-designed characters. While I was warned that it used Jane Austen's PERSUASION as a teI really enjoyed the glimpse into Pakistani culture and the well-designed characters. While I was warned that it used Jane Austen's PERSUASION as a template, I guess I hoped more for interpretive variation, but it was so on-the-nose that the story felt a bit jerked along to follow the model. Still, I really liked this writer's style, and will look for more by her....more
It was very hard to get into this book because the narrator was so frenzied, the voice trying so hard to be clever it made me tired and anxious--not wIt was very hard to get into this book because the narrator was so frenzied, the voice trying so hard to be clever it made me tired and anxious--not what I was looking for in tired and anxious times. However once he started growing up a bit, and found a boyfriend, the book became a delight. I suspect I might have enjoyed it a lot more in a lighter humor when I was reading....more
I took a chance on this, hoping it would be more like Mr & Mrs Smith--the glam spy life juggled with domestic drama, but it was more heavy on the domeI took a chance on this, hoping it would be more like Mr & Mrs Smith--the glam spy life juggled with domestic drama, but it was more heavy on the domestric drama, only with a lot of put-upon whining instead of humor. Then suddenly over-the-top thrillerdom. I need more humor and less whine, but it was an intriguing idea....more
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