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December 30
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Laura
is currently reading:
A Venetian Affair: A True Tale of Forbidden Love in the 18th Century (Paperback)
by Andrea Di Robilant
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Laura
gave
to:
Bodily Harm (Paperback)
by Margaret Atwood
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in December, 2007
Laura said:
"Anther stinker, I’m afraid. This book is about a Canadian freelance writer who goes to the Caribbean to do a ‘fluff’ travel piece after dealing with a partial mastectomy and a break up with her boyfriend. She gets mixed up with local politics...more
Anther stinker, I’m afraid. This book is about a Canadian freelance writer who goes to the Caribbean to do a ‘fluff’ travel piece after dealing with a partial mastectomy and a break up with her boyfriend. She gets mixed up with local politics and things go from bad to worse as the country slips into chaos after a coup. Although the premise sounds interesting, the book is dreadful – not a good read! ...less
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Laura
gave
to:
The Emperor's Children (Vintage)
by Claire Messud
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in November, 2007
Laura said:
"The premise of this book was of interest to me, but the author’s writing style was annoying and distracting. Pick up the book and randomly open it to any page and you are likely to see a sentence that rambles on for the length of a paragraph – a...more
The premise of this book was of interest to me, but the author’s writing style was annoying and distracting. Pick up the book and randomly open it to any page and you are likely to see a sentence that rambles on for the length of a paragraph – annoying! The setting of the book is Manhattan and reading it reminded me of those articles in the New Yorker that cause otherwise intelligent people to and say, “huh? I don’t get it.” ...less
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Laura
gave
to:
Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam (Paperback)
by Andrew X. Pham
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Laura
gave
to:
Broken for You (Paperback)
by Stephanie Kallos
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in January, 2007
Laura said:
"An elderly woman who is confronting the reality of a terminal medical diagnosis lives alone in a stately mansion in Seattle. She decides to make some changes in her life and opens her previously museum-like home up by taking in a boarder. The perso...more
An elderly woman who is confronting the reality of a terminal medical diagnosis lives alone in a stately mansion in Seattle. She decides to make some changes in her life and opens her previously museum-like home up by taking in a boarder. The person who moves in is a young, but serious and a bit depressed, woman who works in the arts and is dealing with her own issues. As the description says, “This launches a series of unanticipated events” which leads to a redemption of sorts for both characters. When I started this book, I had high hopes as it felt like those really good works of fiction that you can dive into and discuss with friends, etc. It didn’t prove to be such novel, but was still enjoyable. The author’s writing style fells forced at times. It’s hard to imagine using the word ‘diaphanous’ twice in the same book yet this author manages to use it twice within the first 100 pages. Don’t let that turn you off, however, if you are looking for a fun read, I think you will like it. ...less
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October 14
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Laura
gave
to:
Zorro (Paperback)
by Isabel Allende
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in January, 2005, has a copy to sell/swap
Laura said:
"My favorite review of this books starts out, “In this book Allende’s lively retelling of the Zorro legend reads as effortlessly as the hero himself might slice his trademark "Z" on the wall with a flash of his sword.” Allende’s Zo...more
My favorite review of this books starts out, “In this book Allende’s lively retelling of the Zorro legend reads as effortlessly as the hero himself might slice his trademark "Z" on the wall with a flash of his sword.” Allende’s Zorro was born Diego de la Vega in 1795, the son of a well respected and wealthy hidalgo and a woman who is the daughter of a Spanish deserter and an Indian shaman. Diego spends his boyhood with Bernardo, the son of his Indian wet nurse. The two boys are like brothers despite the class differences which was a very serious matter in those days. Though born into privilege, Diego has deep ties to California's exploited natives which leads to his abiding sense of justice and identification with the underdog. As a teenager, Diego is sent to Spain for an education where he meets up with a fascinating gentleman who is a member of a secret society, La Justicia. Diego is recruited into the society which is dedicated to fighting all forms of oppression, and thus begins the life of his secret alter ego, Zorro. Diego/Zorro returns to California to reclaim his family's estate in a breathtaking duel. Throughout their adventures, he and Bernardo encounter numerous historical figures who bring some context to the Zorro legend. Allende’s Zorro is a very human character. Despite his amazing talents and heroic feats, we learn that he has traits such as hubris, vanity and selfishness. Although the legend of Zorro isn’t something I was particularly interested in, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s a well told story and very entertaining. ...less
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Laura
gave
to:
Daughter of Fortune (School & Library Binding)
by Isabel Allende
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Laura said:
"At the request of Candice (a/k/a sister-in-law extraordinaire) I am reviewing Daughter of Fortune. I read it quite some time ago, but remember it as a favorite, in contrast to the last Allende book I just reviewed. In Daughter of Fortune, a young Ch...more
At the request of Candice (a/k/a sister-in-law extraordinaire) I am reviewing Daughter of Fortune. I read it quite some time ago, but remember it as a favorite, in contrast to the last Allende book I just reviewed. In Daughter of Fortune, a young Chilean woman, Eliza, stows away on a ship bound for San Francisco. It is 1849 and adventurers from all over the world are arriving in California in search of gold. During the long sea voyage, she befriends a Chinese man, Tao Chi'en, who serves as the ship’s cook after being kidnapped and forced into labor at sea. He has a very interesting background of his own which Allende spends some time going into. He is a master acupuncturist and we follow his journey in San Francisco as well. After arriving, Eliza finds that she needs to dress as a man so that she can safely get by alone in the rough and tumble society of Gold Rush San Francisco. She decides to maintain this façade for the next four years because the only options a woman has for survival during that time are becoming a prostitute or becoming a wife. Eliza matures and discovers herself and her own values along the way. It is a beautiful story and although it is at times depressing, it is overall life-affirming. I recall that I felt very drawn into the lives of these characters and wanted to constantly pick up the book and keep reading. Enjoy! ...less
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October 13
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Laura
gave
to:
Ines of My Soul: A Novel (P.S.)
by Isabel Allende
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in October, 2007, has a copy to sell/swap
Laura said:
"This is the story of Inés Suárez, an actual historic figure who lived in the early-mid 1500's. She was apparently one of the founders of Chile. In this novel, Inés is a very old woman about to die and is recounting the story of her adventure-fil...more
This is the story of Inés Suárez, an actual historic figure who lived in the early-mid 1500's. She was apparently one of the founders of Chile. In this novel, Inés is a very old woman about to die and is recounting the story of her adventure-filled life to her daughter. She was born and spent her childhood in Spain, made her way alone to the New World. She lived in Peru for a short period of time and fell in love with a soldier/adventurer and together they lead an expedition to Chile and founded the colony and the city of Santiago. Based on this premise you would think this would be an exciting, can't-put-it-down kind of book, right? It isn't. It seems like much of the book is repetitive - the colony starts to thrive, they are attacked by the indigenous people, they suffer, they rebuild the colony - rinse, lather, repeat. This may be historically accurate, but it doesn't make for such an exciting book. Also, she gets really into the military aspect of things which isn't so exciting for me. I do HIGHLY recommend two of her other books, Daughter of Fortune and Zorro. In particular, Daughter of Fortune is one of my favorites....less
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October 05
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Laura
gave
to:
Digging to America: A Novel (Paperback)
by Anne Tyler
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in September, 2007, has a copy to sell/swap
Laura said:
"Enjoyed this book. As with all Anne Tyler books (in my opinion) this was so well written! The book takes place in the late 1990’s and centers around two families who meet one night at the airport in Baltimore each waiting for a baby girl that they ...more
Enjoyed this book. As with all Anne Tyler books (in my opinion) this was so well written! The book takes place in the late 1990’s and centers around two families who meet one night at the airport in Baltimore each waiting for a baby girl that they are adopting from Korea. The book is not really about international adoption. Rather, it is about the two families: the Donaldsons – your average white bread American family, and the Yazdens – Iranian immigrants. The members of each family have their own struggles with identity issues and with ‘fitting in.’ Although the families have very little in common, they seem drawn to each other. Tyler exposes each character’s weaknesses and humanity in a lovely way that makes you feel frustrated and sympathetic at the same time. This is a quick and good read. ...less
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