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Sassenach Musings: The Book Review Board

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Various! -- Syl, 16:31:16 05/18/07 Fri
Here�s a bumper review from the boss-lady herself! Thanks a lot, Judie!

These are my KEEPERS - books I have read OVER and OVER and OVER ad nauseum - it's a yearly ritual for me! It is like hanging out with good friends, and so I have to do it!

William G. Tapply - The Brady Coyne books

Brady is a lawyer who works, if you can call it that *G*, for wealthy, usually elderly clients, who like to pay a lot of money for his services, which basically amounts to a lot of hand-holding and pampering with the odd will and legal advice thrown in for good measure. Thus, he doesn't have to work that hard, and can spend a lot of time thinking about going fishing. He ends up getting involved in mysteries along the way, usually getting beat up at least once per book *G*, but he's lots of fun, and a wonderful guy! Love him! The stories take place in Boston and sometimes further into Massachusetts, and Bill creates a New England/east coast flavour for me, which is one reason I love them.

For more about Bill and his books you can check our online interview with him from a few years ago:

LOL Library

Sorry, that page is wildly out of date but the interview link is there. He's written quite a few more books since then. Here's Bill's web site:

Bill Tappley

Philip R. Craig - The J.W. Jackson Martha's Vineyard books

Phil is actually about 10 years older than Bill, and they are pals in real life. In fact, they've written two books together and are working on a third (one chapter written by Bill, about Brady, and the next by Phil, about JW - and back and forth through the entire book, and their stories are interwoven).

The J.W. Jackson books take place on Martha's Vineyard, which is one reason I LOVE reading them. Like Bill's books, Phil gives me that feel of being there, even though I've never been there.

J.W. is an ex-cop and he's just enjoying living in the house he inherited from his father on Martha's Vineyard. He does odd jobs to support himself, loves to go fishing, and as the stories progress he gets married and has kids. Like Brady, he keeps getting mixed up in murders, although he doesn't go looking for trouble. He's rougher than Brady, but I really enjoy him. Check out Phil:

Phil Craig

Sue Grafton - Kinsey Milhone mysteries

A is for Alibi, B is for Burglar, C is for Corpse, and so on. She's working on T as we speak, I think. *G* Kinsey Milhone is an ex-cop turned private investigator. Even Kinsey managed to get herself nearly killed in each story but she's a neat gal. I just love hanging out with her. The stories take place in Santa Teresa, California and are still stuck in the 80s. But still fun.

Since Sue's web site seems to be not working, check out Kinsey at Wikepedia. :D

Kinsey

(You can probably check all these people out, writers AND characters, at Wikepedia if you're interested.)

Donna Leon - Guido Brunetti mysteries

Hey - time to go to Venice! *G* Yes, Italy - THAT Venice *G*.

Donna Leon is an American who has been working for years teaching English in Venice. Her books are about Commissario Guido Brunetti, who is basically a local cop. He's always thwarted by his boss, the Vice-questore Patta, yet HELPED by the Vice-questore's secretary, Signorina Elettra. There IS a mystery in each book, but they aren't your typical mysteries - they are more subtle, and more about how Guido thinks and what's going on in his head and in his life. I wuv him. :-)

Donna Leon

There are a couple more keepers I have.

The J.D. Robb Books - Roarke and Eve - HELLO! I'm sure these have been promoted to death around the Reading Recommendation board. LOVE ROARKE! If you don't know what I'm talking about, run, don't walk, to get your hands on these books. They can be read as stand alone books, but probably best read in order. The time setting is the 2050s, so it's a bit different, but trust me, it's still a mystery and it involves a MAJOR BABE! :D

J D Robb

Lawrence Block has got several series - Matthew Scudder, Bernie Rodenbarr, Evan Tanner, Keller, and more. Each of his heroes is different, so perhaps I'll get up enough energy and talk about them another time. But don't let that stop you from trying one. :-)

PS ��. Unfortunately, while looking for wallpaper for the board just now, I went to Bill Tapply's web site and found out that Phil Craig passed away just last week - on May 8th! What a sad day it is. I'm just thankful that I have collected his books and will always have them to read and still hang out with him and JW Jackson and the gang. Bill has written a nice tribute to his friend here:

Tribute

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The Pendragon Series -- Syl, 09:41:42 03/23/07 Fri
Three for the price of one this week, this excellent review was sent in by Kirsten. Thanks, Kirsten!

Title : The Pendragon Series:

�The Kingmaking�
�Pendragon�s Banner�
�Shadow of the King�

Author : Helen Hollick

Genre : Historical Fiction

This trilogy is the story of The Pendragon; warrior, warlord, Supreme King � Arthur. This is not the Arthur of the Mallory tales with their courtly love and chivalry. Forget that, this Arthur can be cruel, ruthless, a killer with a violent temper, he is also pagan, promiscuous and a habitual liar. Despite these failings, he can be very appealing and likeable; he has a large degree of vulnerability and insecurity, stemming from a childhood in which he was unwanted, ill treated and unloved, as it was not known that he was the only son of Uther Pendragon, the king. His identity had been hidden for his own safety.

Arthur�s great redeeming feature throughout these books is his deep love for, and dependency on the beautiful Gwenhwyfar, his wife and the love of his life. In keeping with the times, she is no courtly lady, she was brought up to fight and to use weapons and she takes her place by Arthur�s side in some of the many battles against the invading Saxons, she too can be a ruthless killer when necessary. Arthur and Gwenhwyfar inspire great respect, devotion and love from his people and his elite fighting force, the Artoriani, although he does also have enemies who do not share his vision of how he thinks Britain ought to be.

The story begins in 450 AD, when Arthur is only 15, the Romans have left Britain and the country is in turmoil, these books are peopled by memorable characters, some truly vile and there is a lot of violence in the telling of Arthur�s story. There is also heroism, pathos, passion and heartbreak. I was totally swept along with the telling of the story and found it difficult to put the books down.

Helen Hollick freely admits in her Author�s notes that as so little is known for certain about the so called Dark Ages, she has been able to use her imagination more than is usual in fact based historical novels. She goes to great lengths to explain the reasons why she decided certain events happen as they do in her stories and why she developed characters in a particular way.

Historical characters are mingled with those from legend i.e. Uther Pendragon, Cerdic, Vortigern, Ambrosius Aurelius, Bedwyr, Cei, Medraut, and Morgaine but there is no Lancelot or Merlin. There is no magic in the books, unless you count the effect on the reader, and as Lancelot was a later addition to the Arthurian legends, he has no place in the telling of Arthur�s life as it may have been.

I have read many books about King Arthur, both fiction and non fiction, and in my opinion, this is the most realistic of them all. We will probably never know for sure a great deal about him but in my opinion Helen Hollick has shown us how the life and times of King Arthur could have been and has created a truly memorable character.

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Proof -- Syl, 16:13:48 07/06/07 Fri
This first DVD review was sent in by AmyGirl. Thanks, lass!

TITLE: Proof

STARRING: Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaall, and Sir Anthony Hopkins

I loved this movie! I just love to watch Anthony Hopkins act, it is a beautiful thing. He is such a master and can act volumes with only his eyes.

This film is based on the play by the same name.

Catherine (Paltrow) is coping with the recent death of her genius and mentally ill mathematician father Robert (Hopkins). Hal (Gyllenhall) Dobbs is one of her father's previous students who come to her house to sift through the hundreds of notebooks Robert wrote in during his illness. He was convinced he was doing great math works (proofs) but in reality he was writing gobbledy gook.

Hal comes across a notebook that is different in many subtle ways. I won't say anything more on the notebook but this movie has many layers and is a wonderful moving look at mental illness, genius, family dynamics and trust. Catherine has spent the last 4 years taking care of her father, all the while slowly losing her own grip on reality.

Her sister comes in to rescue her from the house she lived in with their father. Hal, Catherine and her sister eventually all clash in a sea of unanswered questions, assumptions, and well meaning interference. Below is from Amazon's description:

Elegantly adapted from David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Proof works on so many levels that it shines like a perfected equation. Gwyneth Paltrow previously played her role onstage, and returns here as Catherine, the troubled 27-year-old daughter of Robert, a once-brilliant mathematician (Anthony Hopkins, appearing in flashbacks and imagined visions) who has recently died. What Robert has left behind is an emotionally challenging legacy of genius, mental illness, and unfinished business in the Chicago home where Catherine had cared for him during his erratic final years. Catherine fears she may have inherited her father's unstable condition, and her sister Claire (Hope Davis) arrives from New York with smothering concern and a selfish but well-meaning agenda, while Robert's student and assistant Hal (Jake Gyllenhaal) hopes to find lasting proof of Robert's enduring genius in the piles of notebooks he left behind. Steeped in the authentic atmosphere of advanced academia, revelations of love, fear, regret, and potential recovery unfold with such graceful complexity that Proof plays like a thriller, with all the action taking place in the admirable hearts and minds of its characters. The film also has a lot to say about the potential tragedy of assuming mental illness where none exists, while leaving just enough doubt to keep you wondering -- a tribute to the exceptional performances of a first-rate cast, and particularly to Paltrow, whose reunion with Shakespeare in Love director John Madden proves equally rewarding for entirely different reasons. --Jeff Shannon

If you enjoy great acting you'll love this movie!

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Human Traces -- Syl, 16:21:33 05/04/07 Fri
Here�s a good intriguing review sent in by a UK hoser � Joan N. Thanks, Joan!

TITLE: Human Traces

AUTHOR: Sebastian Faulks.

GENRE: Fiction

This wonderful book covers the period from the 1870's to the 1920's and is the story of two men, Thomas Midwinter and Jacques Rebiere(?- I had to take the book back to the library), who share a common ambition - to find out what it is that makes us human - and drives us mad.

Jacques is driven by a desire to help his older brother Olivier, who suffers from what we now know as schizophrenia; Thomas via his love of literature and myths plus a chance meeting with Jacques at Deauville when they are both young men.

They go their separate ways to complete their studies and become Alienists or mad-doctors, but keep in touch and share an ambition to have a clinic of their own. Thomas's older sister marries Jacques, which further connects the men.

The backdrop to all this is of course the theories and famous people contributing to our understanding of human psychology, and moving from a concept of all mental illness being organic, to other possibilities.

What made it so brilliant to me, apart from my interest in psychology; was the wonderful way in which Sebastian Faulks can put you inside his characters� minds. The best bits were when Thomas is expounding his general theory about madness being the price that a percentage of the population pay for the unique characteristics of the human brain, symmetrical in structure, asymmetrical in function. His trip to Africa is another highlight.

On reading this review, I'm aware that it does not sound desperately exciting, but please read this book and decide for yourselves. I shall go out and buy it, as it's a 'keeper. It's an intellectually exciting book that, for me at least, articulated vague concepts I held, and I kept wanting to read bits out loud to DH(who always declined the offer!).

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- This sounds like a good one. As part of the percentage of the population that is paying the price, I am interested in all things psychological. Thank goodness there are drugs out there now that were not dreamed of in the 1870's - 1920's! Thank you for the review! (NT) -- becca beccabee, 17:56:01 05/05/07 Sat
- Sounds interesting - I have read Birdsong by the same author and found his imagery to be wonderful, moving and very alive (NT) -- Em, 07:38:10 05/06/07 Sun
The Blade of Fortriu -- Syl, 16:27:21 01/26/07 Fri
Another great sounding review sent in by Linda B. Thanks, Linda!

TITLE: The Blade of Fortriu

AUTHOR: Juliet Marillier

GENRE: Fantasy

Juliet Marillier's Sevenwaters Trilogy are great favorites of mine, on my "keeper" shelf and reread mulitiple times. Her newest trilogy of fantasy novels, The Bridei Chronicles, set in Pictish Scotland during the time of St. Columba and based on an actual Pictish King, Bridei, have joined them on that shelf.

The second book in the Bridei Chronicles, The Blade of Fortriu, measures up to and surpasses its predecessor, The Dark Mirror.

Bridei has been king for six peaceful years and is at last married to his childhood friend, the foundling Tuala. They have a small son, Derelei in whom the magic of the Good Folk runs very strong. The time has come for Bridei to put into motion his great plan to drive out the Gaels, reunite Fortriu and stop the incursion of the Christian faith. To that end he sends the royal hostage, Ana of the Light Isles, to be wed to a powerful northern chieftain, Alpin of Briar Wood. Little is known of Alpin, but Bridei hopes to secure a treaty promising that Alpin will remain neutral in the conflict. As the succession to kingship is by election from a pool of candidates born to women of royal blood, the advantage to Alpin of marriage to Ana is an attractive one.

Ana is very dear to Bridei and Tuala despite her status as royal hostage guaranteeing the good behavior of the vassal King of the Light Isles. Bridei wants to ensure that Alpin will be a suitable match for Ana and to that end he assigns her safety and welfare to Faolan, his chief spy/assassin/reluctant friend, a man thoroughly despised by Ana. They arrive at Briar Wood after a disastrous journey to find a place of secrets and a prisoner held in the bleakest of confinements.

This is very much Ana's and Faolan's book. Ana must choose between the demands of duty and those of the heart. Faolan, to me the most intriguing character in The Dark Mirror, undergoes a transformation and we learn why he has fled his homeland and presents himself as the seemingly emotionless assassin for hire.

While the military campaign to win back the lost territories figures in strongly and is well developed-I found it to be secondary in interest. As always, Marillier creates characters one cares strongly about and builds an entirely believable world.

Much is revealed in The Blade of Fortriu, especially the secret of Tuala's parentage, but many questions are left to be answered in the final book of the trilogy.

Linda B

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