Paula Vince's Blog: The Vince Review, page 67

'The Fruitcake Challenge' by Carrie Fancett Pagels

 

2015 Reading Challenge, Week 49 - A Book you started but didn't finish
I started it in December last year, but then after Christmas, I set it aside and forgot about it. To get into the spirit of the season, I read it over from the start, and finished it this time around. 

When new lumberjack, Tom Jeffries, tells the camp cook, Jo Christy, that he’ll marry her if she can make a fruitcake, “as good as the one my mother makes,” she rises to the occasion. After all, he’s the handsomest, smartest, and strongest axman her camp-boss father has ever had in his camp—and the cockiest. And she intends to bring this lumberjack down a notch or three by refusing his proposal. The fruitcake wars are on!

MY THOUGHTS:
This story is set in a lumberjack camp at which the heroine, Jo's father is the boss. Tom seems to be one of the more educated and refined of the bunch, which gives her the idea that he has tickets on himself. As it nears Christmas, he issues a challenge. He'll propose marriage to any lady on the camp who can make a fruitcake as good as his mother's. Annoyed by the way the others jump to it, Jo determines to make the best fruitcake if it kills her, just so she can have the pleasure of turning him down. That's a cute premise to get anyone in the spirit of the season.

This is a cruisy little holiday read which gets you hungry at times, as tastes and smells are described. There's a bit of humour too, as the guys at the camp banter with each other, including the boss' big, tough sons who tend to be over-protective of their sister.

The book has a countdown quality to it, as time ticks away to the finale which occurs at Christmas. Stories in which everything ends up neatly to the benefit of everyone are probably easiest pulled off at this time of year. It has its share of coincidences and cute, tricky maneuvres.

Now I feel like going to try and bake a fruitcake.

3 stars

'At Love's Bidding' by Regina Jennings

 
After helping her grandfather at their Boston auction house, Miranda Wimplegate discovers she's accidentally sold a powerful family's prized portrait to an anonymous bidder. Desperate to appease the furious family, her grandfather tracks it to the Missouri Ozarks and makes an outlandish offer to buy the local auction house if they promise not to sell anything until he arrives.

Upon their arrival, however, they discover their new business doesn't deal in fine antiques, but in livestock. And its manager, ruggedly handsome Wyatt Ballentine, is frustrated to discover his fussy new bosses don't know a thing about the business he's single-handedly kept afloat. Faced with more cattle than they can count--but no mysterious painting--Miranda and Wyatt form an unlikely but charged partnership to try and salvage a bad situation getting worse.

MY THOUGHTS:
It's a comedy of errors. There's one mix-up on the heels of another, and so on. The Wimplegates are a respectable, working class family of auctioneers facing big trouble. They accidentally sold the wrong item, and need to find the missing painting quick smart for the owners. Miranda accompanies her grandfather to follow the slight lead they have, but they don't expect to end up in hillbilly territory, where there are dangerous bandits as well as sweeping beauty.

The romance is thoroughly enjoyable. I'm sure many girls would be willing to travel to remote country towns to find some manly backwoods boy like Wyatt, but unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the way it works, in real life or novels either. Guys like him only seem to drop into the lives of girls who aren't looking for them. Miranda has a long held family understanding with Cousin Cornelius, the phrenologist who loves examining the bumps and contours on people's skulls.

I appreciate this type of novel, because sometimes it takes a good comedy to highlight the ridiculous aspects of life that we buy into with all seriousness. First, people rely on social standing, job status or other titles to feel good about themselves. Even though it may be more subtle in our era, the pressure still exists. Wyatt's fluctuations in fortune during the course of this novel pack a punch. He's in the perfect position to learn first hand how silly it is to wait for cues from others before you give yourself permission to consider yourself OK. 

Grandfather Wimplegate's condition is touching. Nobody calls it by any of its modern terms in this historical novel, but it's clear what ails him. Miranda grapples with the reasonable seeming question of why. If God is supposed to add wisdom with increasing years, what's the deal here? In spite of the poignant aspect, Grandfather's condition adds many of the comic moments to the story.

I'm looking forward to reading more novels in this whimsical, funny series.

Thanks to Bethany House and Net Galley for my review copy.

4.5 stars

I wasn't bored, but thought I was

My favourite thing to do as a kid was something with no name that I knew of, so I made one up. It was 'acting out books', a sort of cross between reading and role playing. I'd choose a character to identify with, then become that person, walking around with a book in front of my nose, using things around my house and neighbourhood as props. As we were suburbanites, my bike stood in for a horse more times than I can count. Somehow I managed to look out for obstacles as I read.

Among my favourite books to act out were magical adventures written by Enid Blyton. I'd be Bessie climbing the Faraway Tree (aka Dad's big wooden trellis) or Mollie flying over fantastic landscapes in the Wishing Chair. One of Blyton's most common themes seemed to be, 'As you carry on with your ordinary, everyday life, you never know what might happen.' These children were simply exploring their local woods or buying a present for their mother, when voila! They were accidentally sprung into the most surreal other-worlds that seemed to hover just behind a curtain. Same with Lucy, hiding in a wardrobe in the old country house and accidentally discovering Narnia. It was great fun pretending to be these characters, but then I'd be called back to real life.

It made my little Primary School heart a bit grouchy and cynical. I'd grumble, 'I wish something good like that would happen to me, but it never will. My life is just full of boring school and being asked to tidy my room, day after day.' Standing on the end of the supermarket trolley while my parents bought groceries seemed to be the most exciting thing that ever happened to me. I was setting myself up for an attitude of discontentment it was hard to shake off later.

One of the books I read recently, The Solitaire Mystery, brings out my attitude in a unique way. The young hero's father often remarks that ours is a brilliant and amazing planet on which to live, and those who get jaded and look for interest elsewhere are short-sighted. He shakes his head over the people he sees dashing around seeking excitement on some different plane. In his opinion, the angel whisperers, ghost hunters and Martian seekers just don't get it. They miss the point that they are already included in the pinnacle of God's creation, for if anybody ever discovered another place like our earth, we'd all be bowled off our feet to put it mildly.

Imagine the excitement in the media, if scientists discovered a distant world populated by beings like us, who build cities, write books and create art. Even if it just had our vibrant colour and ecology, diverse flora and fauna, we'd be staggered. What if it had our ideal climates for human life, and thousands of different taste and smell experiences to offer? People would soon be talking about ways to get there. It begs a question from him, which he's surprised so many others don't seem to ask. 'If you'd be amazed by that, then why aren't you more impressed by your own surroundings, and what our world has to offer every day?'

Only in retrospect as an adult did I realise that those hours spent on my own were as magical as I could get. I was totally immersed and happy acting out books. In fact, it was probably better pretending to have those adventures than really having them. Far safer with no real risk of danger. I hadn't come across Helen Keller's quote, 'Life is either a daring adventure or nothing,' but my experience proved it quite true, only when I looked back. As I said, I wasn't bored, but thought I was.

Maybe Robert Louis Stevenson summed up the subject in his Happy Thought, 'The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.'

'The Painter's Daughter' by Julie Klassen

2015 Reading Challenge, Week 48  - A book by an author you love, but haven't read yet.  
Well, I fixed that now :) There is even a Colouring Competition for this book, if you'd like to give it a try.

Sophie Dupont, daughter of a portrait painter, assists her father in his studio, keeping her own artwork out of sight. She often walks the cliffside path along the north Devon coast, popular with artists and poets. It's where she met the handsome Wesley Overtree, the first man to tell her she's beautiful.

Captain Stephen Overtree is accustomed to taking on his brother's neglected duties. Home on leave, he's sent to find Wesley. Knowing his brother rented a cottage from a fellow painter, he travels to Devonshire and meets Miss Dupont, the painter's daughter. He's startled to recognize her from a miniature portrait he carries with him--one of Wesley's discarded works. But his happiness plummets when he realizes Wesley has left her with child and sailed away to Italy in search of a new muse.

Wanting to do something worthwhile with his life, Stephen proposes to Sophie. He does not offer love, or even a future together, but he can save her from scandal. If he dies in battle, as he believes he will, she'll be a respectable widow with the protection of his family.

Desperate for a way to escape her predicament, Sophie agrees to marry a stranger and travel to his family's estate. But at Overtree Hall, her problems are just beginning. Will she regret marrying Captain Overtree when a repentant Wesley returns? Or will she find herself torn between the father of her child and her growing affection for the husband she barely knows?

MY THOUGHTS:
I enjoyed this novel, but wasn't sure I wanted to read it based on the blurb. The plot sounded fairly predictable, and I'm not crazy about love triangles which involve a girl and two brothers. But since Julie Klassen has written some of my favourite novels, I went for it anyway, and I'm glad I did. She brings the Regency Era to life, and I kept thinking about the Overtree family long after I finished.

For other fans of hers, at first the two main men seem like a repeat performance of the brothers in an earlier novel, 'The Maid of Fairbourne Hall', yet I quickly developed stronger feelings for these two.

Stephen is noble and trustworthy, like Nathaniel, but with the added distinction of being a war hero. There's an edge-of-your-seat combat scene or two, something I've never seen from Julie Klassen before (or Jane Austen, for that matter). It really brings home what these British soldiers who fought Napoleon's troops were up against. Stephen comes across as gruff at times, but it's a lovable, awkward sort of gruffness. He's thoughtful and courteous along with it, and there's always a sense that his softer, romantic side might be just about to bloom.

As for Wesley, he was more than just another shallow and despicable Lewis. He is an 'if it feels good, do it' sort of guy, but is shown to have some scruples. A fair chunk of the story is told from his point of view, making it easier to understand how things appeared from his angle.

Wesley's role left me pondering about a father's rights, then and now. Sophie was the one we were meant to have most sympathy for, but I felt regret for him too. If a similar situation occurred in the twenty-first century, would she get away with dictating what was going to happen to their baby without leaving him any options? There are plenty of stories about men who desert girls after getting them pregnant, so it's interesting to come across this one, where a young dad eventually seems willing to step up and accept the responsibility, but his hands are tied by social convention, making it too late.

In a way, he might be getting his just desserts. Men like Wesley are often typecast as getting girls in positions where they are powerless to speak up and defend their parental rights, so in this book, the tables are turned. Anyway, if this story had a villain it would have to be him, so the fact that I found him quite likeable made it all the richer for me.

I love the secondary characters and sub-plots too. The little mysteries kept my pages turning. How did Stephen get his facial scar? Who was Jenny? What grudge does the mysterious Miss Angela Blake from next door carry? And how about the old, retired nurse, Winnie, who lives on the top floor. Does she really possess second sight? What lies in store for the boys' younger sister, Kate, who is a real sweetie? 

I guess if it happened in our time, the train of events might have been completely different. Sophie's reputation and place in society wouldn't be on the line as acutely, so Stephen wouldn't necessarily feel such an urgent need to act on her behalf immediately. He might not even bother at all. Wesley would go around quoting YOLO (you only live once), but Sophie would probably be able to easily contact him by mobile phone or social media for something so important. As it is, the time period helps the course of events feel more inevitable, making it a great choice for anyone who enjoys stories about a heroine gradually warming up to a hero who proves to be the more suitable man than her first choice.

Thanks to Bethany House and Net Galley for my review copy.

5 stars

'Anne of Green Gables, My Daughter, and Me' by Lorilee Craker

 

A charming and heartwarming true story for anyone who has ever longed for a place to belong. “Anne of Green Gables,” My Daughter, and Me is a witty romp through the classic novel; a visit to the magical shores of Prince Edward Island; and a poignant personal tale of love, faith, and loss.

And it all started with a simple question: “What’s an orphan?” The words from her adopted daughter, Phoebe, during a bedtime reading of Anne of Green Gables stopped Lorilee Craker in her tracks. How could Lorilee, who grew up not knowing her own birth parents, answer Phoebe’s question when she had wrestled all her life with feeling orphaned—and learned too well that not every story has a happy ending?

So Lorilee set off on a quest to find answers in the pages of the very book that started it all, determined to discover—and teach her daughter—what home, family, and belonging really mean. If you loved the poignancy of Orphan Train and the humor of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, you will be captivated by “Anne of Green Gables,” My Daughter, and Me. It’s a beautiful memoir that deftly braids three lost girls’ stories together, speaks straight to the heart of the orphan in us all, and shows us the way home at last.

MY THOUGHTS:

I enjoy memoirs which are based around the author's love of a particular book. Especially when it happens to be one I've also loved for decades. Our favourite books do help shape our lives, and that's worth celebrating, as Lorilee Craker has done here.

The adoption aspect is particularly meaningful to the author. She herself was adopted as a baby, and later, she and her husband adopted a baby girl from Korea to join their family of two boys. I started off expecting that many of the points wouldn't apply to me, but I was in for a surprise. It's well worth reading just to discover how many of us may carry aspects of the orphan heart without knowing it, whether that comes from being rejected, snubbed, shunned, left behind or failing to make a grade. That probably covers pretty much everyone at some time.

She sums up episodes from Anne's life with funny, twenty-first century insights and parallels, and as the reader, I couldn't help remembering some of my own too. It's essentially a book for female readers, and we can probably all identify our own kindred spirit Diana Barrys, mean girl Josie Pyes, and if we're lucky, love-of-our-life Gilbert Blythes, through the years.

We love Gilbert for the way he stayed devoted to Anne for so long, and how she realised that this 'boy next door' was more of a Prince Charming than the dark, handsome, mythical men she conjured up in her own head, or their look-alikes. It helps us to appreciate the men in our own lives with fresh eyes. And as for Josie Pye, Craker points out that these girls are everywhere, and don't rise to positions of influence without our permission.She gives tips on how to deal with them with grace and dignity.

The true meaning of the word 'real' is delved into. When it comes to families, although many may assume this means your biological folk, this is not necessarily the case. The love felt for adoptive family members becomes biological anyway, as depth of feeling releases hormones and bonding chemicals. I love how although Lorilee met her birth mother and extended family, and got along well with them, she still honoured her first family in her heart, because of their shared love and lifetime of experiences.

We've all seen how many adopted people decide to seek their biological parents as if it's a search for the holy grail. I took it as a nudge for those of us who have always had a birth mothers and fathers around, to not forget to honour and appreciate them in the same way.

Thanks to Tyndale House and NetGalley for my review copy.

5 stars.

'Green Eggs and Ham' by Dr Seuss

2015 Reading Challenge, Week 47 - A Banned Book
Having read many thick volumes for this year's challenge, I was happy to choose a short book this week. It interests me to discover why kids' books get placed on banned books lists. This one may seem completely innocuous, but apparently it was banned in Maoist China in 1965 for what they perceived as its portrayal of early Marxism. I can't really figure that one out. 

“Do you like green eggs and ham?” asks Sam-I-am in this Beginner Book by Dr. Seuss. In a house or with a mouse? In a boat or with a goat? On a train or in a tree? Sam keeps asking persistently. With unmistakable characters and signature rhymes, Dr. Seuss’s beloved favorite has cemented its place as a children’s classic. In this most famous of cumulative tales, the list of places to enjoy green eggs and ham, and friends to enjoy them with, gets longer and longer. Follow Sam-I-am as he insists that this unusual treat is indeed a delectable snack to be savored everywhere and in every way.

Originally created by Dr. Seuss, Beginner Books encourage children to read all by themselves, with simple words and illustrations that give clues to their meaning.

MY THOUGHTS:
Dr Seuss, aka Theodor Geisel, was challenged by a friend to write a book with only 50 words, and this classic was the result. Limiting himself to such a small vocabulary, yet still ending up with a decent theme, was a really clever feat.

As a kid, I was pretty sure I latched onto the moral Dr. Seuss intended us to. Turning up our noses and declaring we don't like something without even trying it is foolish behaviour with the potential to seriously limit our pleasurable experiences. Even at the age of four, I was already aware that lots of people behave like Sam's friend.

I assumed that Sam-I-Am obviously knew the big, furry guy well enough to have formed a pretty accurate impression of his tastes, so he was doing him a favour by pressing the issue. This is made clear at the end when the big chap profusely thanks him for introducing a new taste sensation.

The moral isn't that we're supposed to pester and nag until the other person breaks down with frustration just to get us off their back. I accepted Sam to be more like the persistent widow in the Bible, (who Jesus commended for pestering the unjust judge), than a colossal pain in the rear end. Sam was the hero for risking unpopularity by going out of his way to prove his point, when it would have been far easier for him to shrug his shoulders and say, 'Your loss.'

Would I try green eggs and ham myself? Possibly, since I've tried purple carrots, yellow watermelon and blood oranges. It is a strange experience, to reconcile a familiar flavour with an unexpected colour. But I would draw the line at black pudding, just because I don't fancy the thought of the ingredients that go into it, so we all have our limits.

I guess many parents have used this little book to encourage their kids to eat up over the years, and will probably keep doing it for decades to come.

'Without Proof' by Janet Sketchley

 

 "Asking questions could cost your life."

Two years after the plane crash that killed her fiancé, Amy Silver has fallen for his best friend, artist Michael Stratton. When a local reporter claims the small aircraft may have been sabotaged, it reopens Amy's grief.

Anonymous warnings and threats are Amy's only proof that the tragedy was deliberate, and she has nowhere to turn. The authorities don't believe her, God is not an option, and Michael's protection is starting to feel like a cage.

How will Amy find the truth?

Michael's feisty great-aunt and the dead man's university-student sister are the other key players in this Christian romantic suspense set in Nova Scotia, Canada.

MY THOUGHTS:
This is the final novel in a trilogy of riveting suspense stories which can each also be read alone. Amy Silver is the cousin of Carol in Secrets and Lies and the formidable Harry in Heaven's Prey. She was involved in a horrific light plane crash in which she was seriously injured, and her pilot fiance killed. Amy comes across with a very likeable combination of strength and frailty, especially since she needs to walk with the aid of a cane after a couple of years of intense physiotherapy.

Only now is she beginning to heal, but rumours are creeping in that sabotage may have been a factor in the plane crash. Initially tending to dismiss them, Amy is chilled by warnings from some anonymous contact to do just that. Now she's caught between the fear of what she may stir up if she asks further questions, and the strong desire to get to the bottom of her beloved Gilles' death, if there was foul play.

At the same time, the biological father who previously wanted nothing to do with her has made contact, asking to meet. Having grown up with the stigma of knowing that she was the result of a casual fling, Amy grapples with dread, curiosity and resentment. There are some really strong threads about dealing with her personal sense of lack of worth, resulting from her birth history, and forgiveness. This involves not just her father but Gilles' family, who are treating her coldly and making her wonder if there's some aspect about his death she's unaware of.

The twists and turns of the plot, and what lies hidden, really caught me by surprise, and there were several moments when my skin was prickling along with Amy's. You can't help wondering whether the loving family who have supported her back on her feet are quite as straightforward as they seem. There's Gilles' best friend Michael, the protective artist who Amy is secretly in love with, and his energetic Aunt Bay. There is also Gilles' sister, Uni student Emilie, who also has an obvious crush on Michael and wants Amy away.

Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy.

4.5 stars

5 novels which feature amazing, supernaturual books

We may sometimes hear the question, 'Which books made the biggest impact in your life?' It's common knowledge that books have the potential to change lives, and we can probably each rattle off a list. But these novels take it a step further. They each feature a book that radically changes the life of the protagonist. However, they are more than a mere story within another story. The contents of these books turn out to have a magical or surreal quality which has a direct bearing on the life of the hero.

Here are five I've come across within the last few years. If you wanted to get hold of the whole pile, it would make a fascinating, mystical read-athon.

1) The Book of Days by James L. Rubart.
Psalm 139: 16 tells us that our days were all recorded in God's Book of Days before any of them came to be. The hero, Cameron, hears rumors about the physical existence of such a book, with past, present and future histories of every man and woman written in it. He sets off on a quest to find it.
My review is here.

2) The Book of Strange New Things by Michel Farber
The missionary hero, Peter, sets off to share the contents of our Bible with strange beings on another planet. He has no idea how different it will be to them.
My review is here.

3) The Book of Tomorrow by Cecilia Ahern
The young heroine, Tamara, discovers a strange book which tells her events set to take place within the next few days, before they even happen.

4) The Book Keeper by Julieann Wallace
Handsome hero, Cohen Darcy, doesn't even like books, but circumstances make him custodian of an eerie book which is being written as he lives his life. The author, Julieann Wallace, is a fellow Australian author friend of mine. I had fun reading her book. My review is here.

5) The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder
A young boy receives a mysterious, tiny book to read on his road trip. The more he gets stuck into it, the more he finds that it has bearing on his own life, even though it appears to written about long ago people.  
My review is here.

If anybody can think of any more stories about such remarkable books, please share them with me.

'The Distant Hours' by Kate Morton

2015 Reading Challenge, Week 46 - A Book a friend recommended. 
I have quite a few friends who recommend more and more of Kate Morton, but I remember one occasion in which somebody highly praised this particular book.

*     *     * 

A long lost letter arrives in the post and Edie Burchill finds herself on a journey to Milderhurst Castle, a great but moldering old house, where the Blythe spinsters live and where her mother was billeted 50 years before as a 13 year old child during WWII. The elder Blythe sisters are twins and have spent most of their lives looking after the third and youngest sister, Juniper, who hasn’t been the same since her fiance jilted her in 1941.

Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in ‘the distant hours’ of the past has been waiting a long time for someone to find it.

Morton once again enthralls readers with an atmospheric story featuring unforgettable characters beset by love and circumstance and haunted by memory, that reminds us of the rich power of storytelling.


MY THOUGHTS:
 
Kate Morton reminds me of a younger, more up-to-date Daphne du Maurier, because she writes with that same sense of spooky nostalgia. In part of this story, she even used the line, 'Last night I dreamed I went to Milderhurst.' Doesn't that sound familiar? She's one of those authors I don't want to skim over the descriptions to cut to the chase, because her beautiful prose and imagery is such a pleasure to read. It doesn't matter when the story gets slow, because I'm still absorbing every word.

In this novel, Edie, a young editor, longs to discover the tragic history of three elderly sisters who live alone in their family castle. She suspects her mother, Meredith, may have played some part in it, as she's always been tight lipped about the time she spent there as a war evacuee between 1939 and 1941.

The backstory is told in several flashbacks to earlier times when the sisters' father, Raymond, an eccentric fiction author, was alive. There's something secretive about the way he composed his famous novel, not to mention the furtive way the sisters behave around each other. There are the twins, Persephone and Seraphina (Percy and Saffy). Percy is the decisive, controlling alpha twin with a strong protective love for her family and home. Saffy is the milder, gentler of the two, with her love of writing and beauty. They care for their younger half-sister Juniper, who supposedly went mad because her fiance deserted her for another woman.

While the story was being told from others' points of view, I didn't like Juniper at all. Her family seemed to have indulged her into a spoiled brat. It's annoying when people behave as if they're exempt from pulling their weight, and leave a wake of destruction behind them, because 'that's just them.' However, when I got into her own head space at last, I changed my opinion of her.

I liked young Meredith, a good representative for those who may come across as distant and remote, while the aloofness merely masks an extra sensitive heart. I didn't like Raymond, for reasons you'll see if you choose to read this book. I've noticed that in Kate Morton stories, readers often know even more than the characters by the end. The characters aren't in the position to look deeply into each others' most secret hearts, as we are.

I'd have to give this book 5 stars for description and readability, but the ill-fated, gothic nature of this plot got me down a little, so I'd give it less for story line. I've now read two of Morton's novels, and the blurbs for several others. It's enough to make me think that if anyone binged on them one after another, the themes and plots might eventually blend into one. I know it's her brand, but I don't think I'll read any others for a while, at least until I'm in the mood for something that's bound to contain dark, heart-breaking family secrets, along with twenty-first century folk with a mind to get to the bottom of them. There's a brand new one, which will be on my list to read some time.

But finally, I've just to say that I appreciated Juniper's youthful approach to her writing. Getting it all down on paper and out of her system was the main thing for her, regardless of whether or not others ever read it. My first response was, 'What a great attitude. Good on her,' and then I realised that millions of bloggers all over the world now follow her example, so perhaps Juniper was just years ahead of her time, and perhaps we all deserve a pat on the back.

4 stars

'The Solitaire Mystery' by Jostein Gaarder

 

Hans Thomas and his father set out on a car trip through Europe, from Norway to Greece—the birthplace of philosophy—in search of Hans Thomas's mother, who left them many years earlier. On the way, Hans Thomas receives a mysterious miniature book—the fantastic memoir of a sailor shipwrecked in 1842 on a strange island where a deck of cards come to life.

Structured as a deck of cards—each chapter is one in the deck—"The Solitaire Mystery" weaves together fantasy and reality, fairy tales and family history. Full of questions about the meaning of life, it will spur its listeners to reexamine their own

MY THOUGHTS:
Hans Thomas is a young boy on a road trip across Europe with his Dad. Their ultimate aim is to track down his mother, who left them on a quest to 'find herself' when Hans Thomas was tiny. They've discovered she has a successful modelling career in Athens, so that's their destination. Dad has decided it's about time she came home, or at least talked things over.

On the way, Hans Thomas acquires a small magnifying glass, and a little further on, a tiny book with minuscule writing given especially to him. No way will I spoil the plot by revealing the circumstances. It becomes his travel reading, and is soon clear to him that this is not just any book, but has direct bearing on his own life. It's also a story with similarities to onion layers or Babushka dolls. The person who wrote it is merely repeating what he was told by someone else, who got it from another person, and so on, back to Frode, a man who was shipwrecked in the nineteenth century and began making up lonely games with his deck of cards. The story-within-a-story turns out to be about readers like us, too.

It's a colorful and sensual novel, full of descriptions of many wonderful things. I wish it was published as one of those large, hard-cover versions with vivid illustrations. I'd go straight out and buy one. Being unable to drive across Europe myself, it was magical sharing Hans Thomas and Dad's adventure. The 'real' section is just as much of a fairy tale as what the boy reads in the book. Especially since it involves snow capped German mountain peaks, gondola rides in Venice and a walk through the Acropolis in Greece.

Along their way, the story delves into topics such as synchronicity, destiny and collective consciousness in a highly original way. How many other books would you come across with sentences such as, 'The dwarf stole the sticky-bun book!' That's just a teaser for you.

Hans Thomas' Dad was one of my favorite characters, providing many of the quirks and pauses for reflection. For a start, he collects jokers, often throwing away the rest of the card deck like a banana peel. The joker theme became one which really stuck with me. Hans Thomas suspects that Dad has an affinity with the joker, considering himself a little fool who doesn't fit into any group, but is perhaps more far-sighted and clear-thinking than those who do.

Another great aspect of the book is opening our eyes to the incredible world in which we live. Several characters come to realize that it is folly to rush around feeling bored, and seeking experiences with elusive supernatural beings such as ghosts, angels or Martians, when all along, we ourselves are miraculous examples of God's sublime creation.

Perhaps my favorite two trains of thought are brought together when Hans Thomas' Dad says, 'If just one of these thousands of people experience life like a crazy adventure every single day, then he or she is a joker in a deck of cards.' I have a feeling that hanging out with Jostein Gaarder might be similar to spending time with Hans Thomas' Dad, and that he considers himself a joker too.

5 stars.