The House at Riverton May 31, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Kate Morton, The House at Riverton
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—3.5—
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton chronicles Grace Bradley’s life as a servant from young teen to adulthood. Before the first World War, Grace begins as a housemaid in a local estate, Riverton, and soon becomes the maid to two girls of the household, Emmiline and Hannah. Grace is fascinated by Hannah, and feels drawn and linked to her, beyond the point of loyalty. She follows her through her life, becoming a confidante and a friend. Years laterRiverton becomes the site of the suicide of a young poet. The act is witnessed by Emmiline, Hannah, and Grace, and each have contributed in their own, unexpected ways.
Grace recounts her story to us at the age of 98, as her life is coming to an end and a movie version of the now infamous suicide is being filmed. Grace is the only one left to reveal the secret of what truly happened that evening, but her conviction to protect her precious Hannah remains strong.
The passages of Grace as a maid in this luxurious home are beautifully and elegantly written. The descriptions make the reader realize how different a time the early 20th century was. Etiquette, tradition, propriety, and duty were valued above all else, for good or for bad. The House at Riverton spans a length of time where one can see the changing culture, from balls to dance clubs, the waltz to jazz, and from women as wives and hostesses to women in the work force. This novel was fascinating because of these details, as well as the passion and secrets of its characters. From the first sentence I was reminded of Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier. I was often frustrated by Grace’s naive obedience, but I am biased looking at it from a different time. She often disregarded her own passions and desires to care for Hannah, but there were forces at work that even she did not understand at the time. Overall, a very good read.
3.5/5
The Meaning of Night May 26, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction.Tags: Michael Cox, The Meaning of Night
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—4—
It took me a long time to finish Michael Cox’s The Meaning of Night; it was almost 700 pages. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it, I really did. This book was beautifully intricate, detailed, and intelligent. Edward Glyver is our narrator, and begins his story by confessing to the murder of an anonymous man. He then proceeds to take us through his life leading up to this moment. His life’s objective is revenge, and his enemy is Phoebus Daunt, a young man Glyver feels in inextricably linked to, and blames for most all of his problems. When Glyver finds that he is in fact the secret heir to Daunt’s soon-to-be inheritance, Glyver will stop at nothing to reveal the truth and defeat his greatest enemy.
The Meaning of Night impressively describes Victorian life, and is full of many (many) references to ancient and precious literature. It is the only fiction book I’ve read that has footnotes, which I first found annoying, but soon grew to appreciate because of the tone it lent to the book. These footnotes as well as many other details allowed Cox to present his novel as if it were a true account found on the bookshelves of an old estate, after remaining hidden for 100 years.
Glyver is an excellent narrator, and after 700 pages I found I had grown attached to him and his story. He is a maddening combination of righteous and sinister, vengeful and loving. While Glyver has one mission, he was never one-dimensional. The Meaning of Night is an impressive novel, featuring a tormented narrator in Victorian world.
4/5
Happy Anniversary Harry! May 22, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book News, Randomness.Tags: Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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The 10th anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is upon us (I know, we’re really that old). Apparently a new anniversary edition is being released, with new cover art and some addition insights from J.K. Rowling. Looking forward to giving it a peak!
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: Volume 1 The Pox Party May 20, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, General Fiction, Young-Adult Fiction.Tags: M.T. Anderson, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, The Pox Party
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—3.5—
Like the title, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: Volume 1 The Pox Party is long and odd. It is categorized as Young Adult Fiction, which may be a deterrent for some readers, but I believe that adults and teens alike would enjoy this book. The narrator is young Octavian Nothing, a boy who lives in a strange house where only he and his mother go by their names; everyone else answers to numbers. The members of this household are philosophers and scientists, experimenting on everything and everyone–including Octavian. Set at the beginning of the revolution in Boston, Octavian discovers his role in a disturbing experiment, and the meaning of his dark skin and enslavement while the country fights for it’s freedom.
Octavian Nothing is beautifully written. It’s passages are poetic at times, and Octavian’s narrative is incredibly intelligent. Through the novel we witness Octavian’s awakening and heartbreak. I loved all of this novel, except for a portion in the last section. This part was told in a series of letters from a revolutionary soldier, and I found them cumbersome and unexciting. I loved Octavian’s voice so much that I wished he would resume narrating his story. In addition, I sometimes felt that things were unfolding a bit too slow, and Octavian should be realizing some obvious things earlier than he did. However, besides these flaws I did enjoy the book very much. It offers some interesting perspectives on the biases that can be mistakenly justified by crooked science, and the novel can make you question the foundations this nation was built upon.
3.5/5
Here is one of my favorite quotes from the book. I think it is a good representative of the poetic writing-style, as well as the intelligent questions the book poses:
“They told me of substance and form; they told me of matter, of its consistency as a fluxion of minute, swarming atomies, as Democritus had writ; they told me of shape and essence; they told me of the motion of light, that it was the constant expenditure of particles flying off the surfaces of things; they told me of color, that it was an illusion of the eye, an event in the perceiver’s mind, not in the object; they told me that color had no reality; indeed, they told me that color did not inhere in a physical body any more than pain was in a needle.
And then they imprisoned me in darkness; and though there was no color there, I still was black, and they still were white; and for that, they bound and gagged me.”
Pg. 316, Candlewick Press paperback edition, 2008
New York Times Bestsellers 5.20.08 May 20, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Randomness.add a comment
Top 5
1. THE HOST, by Stephenie Meyer
2. SUNDAYS AT TIFFANY’S, by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
3. PHANTOM PREY, by John Sandford
4. THE WHOLE TRUTH, by David Baldacci
5. CARELESS IN RED, by Elizabeth George
Top 5
1. AUDITION, by Barbara Walters
2. HOME, by Julie Andrews
3. ARE YOU THERE, VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA, by Chelsea Handler
4. A REMARKABLE MOTHER, by Jimmy Carter
5. THE POST-AMERICAN WORLD, by Fareed Zakaria
A Librarian’s Last Day May 14, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Randomness.1 comment so far
I just finished my run as a Library Clerk at the Town and Country Library in my home town. This summer would have been my sixth there, but I am off to full-time school beginning June 2nd. I have had a more emotional time leaving than I thought, but it’s because of all the wonderful people I worked with who helped raise me and were my close friends.
I began at the library after my senior year of high school, where I was hired as a part-time page, working practically full time. I spent my summers shelving the massive amounts of books that were returned during the summer reading program, and I remember going home after my first few days and seeing the Dewey Decimal numbers when I closed my eyes. And I dreamt of alphabetizing. Along the way, all the library clerks became surragate mothers to me, asking about my grades and my social life, making sure I was on track and helping me get scholarships and into school. The library was always second home where someone was always glad to see me, even if it was just because the books were overflowing in the back.
I was fortunate to find such a wonderful place to return to each summer and holiday break in between college terms. While there were sometimes new faces, and sometimes familiar ones were gone, I always felt welcomed home. I doubt it’s often that a person finds a job where their boss squeals your name with joy everytime you walk in to work another shift, but that’s exactly the welcome I received each and every day.
My senior year of college I was promoted to Library Clerk, and I finally got a respite from shelving all those maddening books. Think about the person who has to put them away next time you check out a handful you know you’ll never get around to reading. And after today, I will be a regular patron just like everyone else. I am sincerely thankful to my friends at the library for all the love and support over the years, and for those who don’t realize, Librarians do many special, often ridiculous jobs for their community members everyday, whether it be research or ordering, strange phone calls, or errands. A library is a remarkable place, with remarkable people, and I am glad I got to be a part of it for 5 wonderful years. I will miss it, and my coworkers and friends, very much.
So here’s a cheer to librarians!
Saramago’s Blindness Now a Film May 14, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book News, Randomness.Tags: Blindness, Jose Saramago
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I saw today that the novel Blindness by Jose Saramago, which I previously read and reviewed, has been turned into a movie. Starring Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo, it was selected to be the opening movie at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008. Julianne Moore plays “the doctor’s wife”, who is the only one to retain her sight as an epidemic of blindess engulfs a town. While disorder, chaos, and violence overtakes the community, she fakes blindness so she can stay with, and care for, her husband.
I rated the novel Blindness a 3.5 last may. Read my review here. There is also a sequal, which I have not read, called Sight.
Check out the IMDB page for the movie here.
Six Random Things about Yours Truly May 12, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Randomness.3 comments
Heather at Book Addiction tagged me last week for this, and I finally have a minute to play along.
So here are 6 random things about me:
1) I LOVE dinosaurs, just like a 7 year old boy.
2) My favorite TV shows are The Office, House, and Bones. Shows I loved when they were on TV include The X-Files and Gilmore Girls.
3) I clean my room almost every day. But I don’t think it’s neurotic, although SOME may disagree.
4) I am loving being home from U of I and getting to see more of two of my bestest friends, one who is getting married next May, and the other who is the best kindergarten teacher in the whole world! But I also miss my roomates from school, who I never get to see anymore. And I wish I got to see my boyfriend more too, but he’s a busy superstar med-student in Chicago.
5) I have a sister, but no pets. Sometimes I wish I had a pet instead 
But sisters can be ok too, as long as they stay out of your room!
6) I worship warm things.
I’ll tag a few people here, in case anyone else is interested in playing.
I’m tagging… Julie from Bookworm Burrow, Charley from Bending Bookshelf, Katherine from A Girl Walks into a Bookstore, Desi from Browse with Bookish Desi, Lisa from Books on the Brain, and Stephanie from The Written World.
Here are the rules:
- Link to the person that tagged you
- Post the rules somewhere in your meme
- Write the six random things
- Tag six people in your post
- Let the tagees know they’ve been chosen by leaving a comment on their blog
- Let the tagger know your entry is posted
A Guest Review of “Free Culture” May 12, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book News, Randomness.Tags: Free Culture, Lawrence Lessig
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Check out Jonathan’s review of the book Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig on his website. Here’s a little excerpt of his review:
“The great thing about this book is Lessig’s approach to presenting the problems and his arguments. He doesn’t resort to extreme ideas to counteract current copyright policy. He never argues to abolish copyright and make creativity a free-for-all. He believes that creators deserve and need the right to protect their work. He simply wants, as many want: a more prudent copyright system.”
It’s an excellent review, and sounds like a good book for those interested!
The Body in the Library May 8, 2008
Posted by sadiejean in Book Reviews, Mystery.Tags: agatha christie, and then there were none, Cozy Mystery, Miss Marple, Sparkling Cyanide, The Body in the Library, The Man in the Brown Suit
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—3—
The Body in the Library is my least favorite Agatha Christie to date. Not to say it was bad, but her other books had a little more excitement, intrigue, and spunk to them. This book is one of the many Miss Marple mysteries, of which Miss Marple (obviously) is the sly, old-lady detective that uses her observational skills, and her awareness of human behavior, to solve a mystery that has the police stumped.
When a dead blonde is found in the library of a Mrs. Bantry, she calls on Miss Marple to find the murderer, and take the heat off her husband. Soon the investigation has led the pair to an fancy hotel, where the woman was a dancer and hostess. Everyone they find connected to the girl is somewhat suspicious, but only Miss Marple can figure out who the true murderer is.
I didn’t mind the old-fashioned feel of this mystery; it’s one of the aspects I like best about Agatha Christie’s mysteries. I suppose I just never felt any passion for the characters or the murder. I didn’t feel desperate to solve it myself, or care either way who the criminal was. Overall, there was too much gab and not enough intrigue, but all considering it was still a good mystery and I certainly did not guess the solution. I’ll have to try another Miss Marple mystery and see if I enjoy it more.
3/5
Try The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie if you enjoyed her other mysteries The Man in the Brown Suit, And Then There Were None, and Sparkling Cyanide.
