Inferno by Dan Brown

We had a lovely time camping, thanks for asking.  Good weather, good company, good campfires.  But I’m sore and tired today…

Published by Doubleday, May 2013 ***

I was especially excited about this book because of the Dante theme, since I’ve read The Divine Comedy and studied Dante’s Inferno in college.  Unfortunately, I didn’t learn anything new or exciting about the epic poem, and Dan Brown really reaches to incorporate it into his overall plot. Of course Robert Landon’s special symbology skills are needed in deciphering some enigmatic clues in Florence.  And an obligatory lady character becomes involved and they get chased all over Florence, Venice, and Istanbul.  There are lots of descriptions of all the beautiful ancient buildings and cathedrals and locales and it’s a good thing Langdon knows so much about symbols and art and architecture…

Then it seems the Dante thread is abandoned for the big issue of overpopulation. To complicate things, Landon realizes he’s been misled by an elaborate scheme reminiscent of the movie The Game.  Next, the threat of a cataclysmic event reaches science fiction proportions, and while it addresses some interesting concepts, I thought Langdon’s involvement was a bit of a stretch.

While Dan Brown’s latest effort was mildly entertaining, I found that I really didn’t care that much about the overall story.  It was just too formulaic and contrived and Langdon seemed more one-dimensional than in prior books.

Communing with Nature

Hi kids!  Just a heads up, I will be offline in the great wilderness this weekend…  OK, so it’s a nice campground with electric and facilities, but hey, campfire and coolers and picnic tables and outdoorsiness!  When I get back, I will have a review of Dan Brown’s new book, Inferno, so stay tuned and have a great weekend!

My Promise Land by Ari Shavit

Published by Spiegel & Grau, November 2013 ****

This book is a dense but thoroughly comprehensive history of a country unlike any other, a nation that has defied all odds just to exist.  It is more than just a history lesson about Israel; it is an attempt to articulate its identity.  Shavit uses individual experiences to narrate Israel’s existence, highlighting different families during different eras to illustrate how a multitude of people have established themselves in the Promise Land. From his English great-grandfather settling in Palestine at the dawn of the 20th century, to an orange grower during WWII, or a Palestinian Israeli in the twenty-first century, Shavit effectively demonstrates the diversity of this turbulent country.

Everything aspect of Israel is presented here: economy, demographics, industry, politics, social commentary.  Shavit also explores how shifts in these factors will affect the future of the nation. He has his own conflicted feelings towards his homeland, often contradicting his own ideals to better understand the history of a westernized country in the Middle East.  Israel is comprised of so many dualities: left vs. right, secular vs. religious, Ashkenazi vs. Shepardic, etc.

One thing I thought was missing were details the Six-Day and Yom Kippur Wars, the two largest and most defining conflicts in Israel’s history.  Shavit does not address the causes or the fighting itself, but focuses on the results.  I would have wanted a little more background on these critical disputes.

I can say that from reading this book, I have a better understanding about the economic and population boom of the 1950′s, how it became a world power in the 60′s when it obtained nuclear capabilities, and the controversial settlements and border disputes that are still an issue.  More importantly, and sadly, I understand Israel’s original purpose: to be a refuge for persecuted European Jewry in the first half of the 20th century.  Just as Israel was establishing a solid foundation in Palestine to welcome its brethren to a pogrom-free haven, one in three were slaughtered in the Holocaust.  But that’s what makes Israel’s heartbreaking triumph so inspirational.  It’s not an easy read, but I feel so much more enlightened about Israel’s place in the world.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via the Amazon Vine program.

The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy

Published by Harper, June 2013 ****

The concept of this book is so unique and the stories they tell are so beautifully assembled.  Van Booy takes seemingly unconnected individuals and connects their fates like a written collage.  No, this is not a collection of short stories, but a variety of memories and vignettes that show how we are all in some way connected. Characters are revisited during different periods in their lives and we are given a glimpse of their personal reflections.  Van Booy has such skill with language and his prose has elements of poetry.  While he deftly weaves the lives of his characters together, I was left wanting more.  Just as I was feeling emotionally vested in the characters, everything is wrapped up neatly.  It was an eloquently constructed, yet compact book, but I felt it could have been developed with more of the exquisiteness that Van Booy is obviously capable of.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher.

Also reviewed by Simon Van Booy: Everything Beautiful Began After

The House of Special Purpose by John Boyne

I read this book for my Goodreads Romanov May group read.

Published by Other Press, April 2013 ****1/2

This was such a beautifully written book and I especially adored the main character, Georgy.  His narrative alternates between his youth in Russia and his life in exile.  What is especially effective is how his post-Russian life is revealed backward, from 1981, then back through the decades revealing different periods of his life with his wife Zoya.  This device allows the traumatic events of their past to be revealed gradually, and I found this kept me engaged throughout.

As a young man, Georgy is recruited to watch after Tsar Nicholas II’s hemophiliac heir, Alexei.  During his service to the imperial family, Georgy falls in love with the youngest Romanov daughter, Anastasia. I appreciated how Nicholas was portrayed as a sympathetic character.  I enjoyed getting to know Georgy and admired him for his loyalty to both his Tsar and his wife.  I was so sad for Zoya and her notion that death has followed her throughout her life.  There is so much emotion conveyed in all of the experiences they shared, from their escape from Russia, to their stint in Paris, finally settling in England and becoming parents.  Despite the happiness they seem to find, the past always haunts them and Georgy can only comfort his troubled wife when her demons surface.

As excellent as the novel was, I felt there were some unanswered questions*.  I don’t mind alternate history per se, but the conclusion felt mildly contrived, especially considering what is known about the demise of the Romanov family.  The last few pages were so great despite the somewhat arbitrary revelations in the final chapters.  Perhaps it’s because I’m such a Romanov purist that I can’t quite buy into the notion presented in the conclusion.  Regardless, it’s a beautiful book and I really enjoyed it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via the Amazon Vine program.

*I address some of these unanswered question in our Romanov group discussion, so please drop by and see what other readers have to say.

Occupy Thursday

I’m working from home today, waiting for the new oven to be delivered, so I’m wandering the interweb looking for interesting memes to fill my quiet Thursday…

The first one comes from Booking Through Thursday:  ”…please pick up your nearest book or whatever book you’re currently reading, and turn to page 50 and then share the first 50 words with the rest of us.  (Do feel free to round this off, to stop and start with complete sentences, though.)”

This comes from my current fiction read, The House of Special Purpose by John Boyne:

I forced myself to sit up even further and as I did so, I could see through the door on to the street beyond, where a yew tree stood, in full flower, strong and thick and hearty.  But something was not quite the same.  A great weight appeared to be swinging from its branches.

I think the language is gorgeous, considering the narrator is realizing his best friend has been hung from said yew tree.

Next is from The Daily Meme.  Today’s topic is Think Back Thursday:

The purpose of Think Back Thursday is to link up a photo post about something from the past. You can reach back all the way to your childhood and bravely post pictures of you in your wild clothes and hair styles or post something from last year and tell us about it.

That’s my dad reading to me and Rainbow Brite and Barbie circa 1983 or 4.  Isn’t that just the cutest thing EVER?!

Always Watching by Chevy Stevens

Published by St. Martin’s Press, June 2013 *****

I loved the device that Chevy used in her previous books:  troubled patients speaking to their psychiatrist about the devastating circumstances that changed their lives.  Now the shrink, Dr. Nadine Lavoie, is the subject of Chevy’s latest book and it proves that everyone has their demons.  A chance encounter with a suicidal patient unleashes Nadine’s repressed memories, and she explores the origin of these mental images hoping to find the cause of her own debilitating claustrophobia.  As memories come flooding back, she reaches out to people from her past, specifically during a summer of her childhood spent on a commune with a charismatic leader, Aaron.  Despite Nadine’s best efforts to have him charged for the abuses he subjected her to, Aaron uses his influence to scare her into submission.  But Nadine is not easily deterred by threats, especially when her addict daughter Lisa becomes Aaron’s newest target.  As she struggles to come to terms with the horrific things that occurred on the commune, the danger escalates and the dramatic conclusion forces everyone to come to terms with the atrocities Aaron committed.  There was some crazy and disturbing stuff going on here, but the fast-paced story was too intense to put down.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via the Amazon Vine program.

Also reviewed, Still Missing and Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens.