Archive for January, 2006
January 8, 2006 at 7:02 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Non-fiction
The Return of Martin Guerre by Natalie Zemon Davis
The Return of Martin Guerre isn’t at all what I expected. Since I knew about the movie of the same title, I assumed that this was the book on which the movie was based. I was wrong.
Natalie Zemon Davis, who was the historical advisor for the film, decided to write a historical book about the events the film was based on after the filming was over. She did a lot of research in order to accurately present the true facts of the case. It’s quite an interesting story: Martin Guerre leaves his village, and returns many years later, to be recognized and welcomed by his friends and family, including his wife. Later, accusations are made to the effect that the returning man is not Martin Guerre, but another man, from another village in the same region of France. His friends and family are split on the question: is this man Martin Guerre, or not?
For a historical work, The Return of Martin Guerre flows well enough. It was written for the general public, so it’s fairly easy reading. Quite a bizarre and fascinating story, really.
January 8, 2006 at 7:01 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Mystery and Suspense
A Vote for Murder by Donald Bain
#22 in the Murder, She Wrote book series.
Until my aunt showed me the book, I didn’t know that there was such a series. Of course, like most North Americans, I know the television series and have watched many episodes, and even enjoyed them in a mild way. Unfortunately the tv series, which was never brilliant, doesn’t translate well to novel format, and I think it was a mistake to try. The series is a charming, fun, deeply formulaic hour of entertainment; most of its appeal comes from Angela Lansbury’s performance as Jessica Fletcher.
Donald Bain’s writing is mediocre at best. The plot was tedious, the characters unappealing and dull. Still, the series, which has now reached its 25th book, seems to be doing well enough, unfathomable as that seems to me. I’m a quick reader, but A Vote for Murder wasn’t worth the time I spent on it. I’m just glad I didn’t spend money on it. Unless you loved the television series to bits, avoid this book.
January 8, 2006 at 5:05 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Children's Literature, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
While all of Terry Pratchett’s books are fun to read, I found myself distinctly underwhelmed by this Discworld novel, especially in comparison with books like Night Watch, Going Postal or Small Gods.
The Wee Free Men tells the story of Tiffany Aching, a girl whose family have always been shepherds on the chalk downs. Fairy tale monsters and returning to the world, and it’s up to Tiffany, with the help of the wee free men, to stop them and rescue her baby brother.
The wee free men, or Nac Mac Feegle, are very small, immensely strong Scotsmen with blue tattoos. The Nac Mac Feegle are amusing, and Tiffany is quite convincing as a resourceful and intelligent child, but the book lacks some of the charm and humour that first attracted me to the Discworld series.
Although it isn’t my favourite of his works, like all of Terry Pratchett’s writing The Wee Free Men is far better than most fantasy novels out there.
Tags: Discworld, Terry Pratchett, Tiffany Aching
January 8, 2006 at 4:51 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold
This book is the second in a series, which I didn’t realize when I read it for the first time last Fall. I still haven’t read The Curse of Chalion or The Hallowed Hunt, but Paladin of Souls stands perfectly well on its own.
On the whole, I prefer Bujold’s Vorkosigan series. I find that universe far more convincing, its issues more relevant. This may be because I do tend to prefer space science fiction over magical fantasy; for some reason, no matter how enjoyable the book or how intriguing the author, the presence of magical powers almost never fails to annoy me. Two of the very few exceptions are Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, and Diana Wynne-Jones’s Chrestomanci quartet.
However, despite magic running rife through the novel, Paladin of Souls succeeds very well. Bujold is one of a few writers with the talent to produce convincing, lifelike female characters. Women, particularly strong women, are often written to be too strong, as though a woman cannot be truly strong unless she is free of all the weaknesses of ordinary women and able to outperform all men.
I didn’t find the plot as absorbing as those of Bujold’s other books, but as usual, her characters do a lot to make up for anything less than brilliant in the storyline. Paladin of Souls is definitely an entertaining read, although not as layered or thought-provoking as, say, Shards of Honor.
Tags: Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold
January 6, 2006 at 11:57 pm · Filed under Book Reviews, Travel Diary
Wrong About Japan by Peter Carey
I heard about this book on CBC radio, in an interview with the author, Peter Carey, and I’ve wanted to read it ever since. I found a copy of it at Zoinks, a used bookstore I just discovered (on Bloor Street, between Christie and Ossington, for other Toronto residents.)
It’s non-fiction, for a change: a travel diary about Carey’s trip to Japan with his twelve-year-old son Charley. It’s short, but engagingly written. Carey promises his son that they won’t go looking for the “Real Japan” - things like temples, museums, and tea ceremonies - but he spends a lot of the trip trying to find hidden cultural and historical meaning Japanese pop culture. But as everyone he interviews keeps telling him, he’s wrong about Japan.
There’s a pretty good review of the book in the Christian Science Monitor:
As father and son return to New York, they seem to have achieved one of Peter’s goals, a better rapport with his son. But Peter’s own conclusion that, for all its modernity, Japan remains inaccessible to outsiders, sounds like a tired cliché.
The saving grace of his story is that it is not shared by Charley.
Cross-cultural connections by Takashi Oka, Christian Science Monitor.
I agree with the reviewer for the most part, but I don’t think that Carey is saying what he thinks he is. It seemed to me that Carey’s conclusions about the impenetrability of Japanese culture had more to do with his own fixation on finding the “real meaning” behind anime and manga, rather than any general inaccessibility to Westerners.
I gave the book a B+. It would have been more, but it felt a bit short to me, even though I enjoyed it a lot. I think the book might have been better if Carey had given a more complete account of their whole trip, rather than focusing on just a very few experiences. The things he had to say about anime and manga were really interesting, though. Definitely a worthwhile read.
Tags: Peter Carey
