Megan Chance's Blog, page 35

Book Review: The Reef

The Reef by Edith Wharton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The Reef is a fascinating character study where the tension comes from the development of an impossible situation. George Darrow comes to France to be with the woman he has loved for years and intends to marry, Anna Leith. When he arrives, he is discovers that an old lover of his, Sophy Viner, is the governess to Anna’s daughter, as well as the betrothed of Anna’s stepson—and therein lies the impossibility. The past affair between Sophy and George begins to be an unbearably heavy and unwieldy weight—how can the past co-exist with the future?

It can’t, of course, and Wharton is an expert at exposing the intricacies of human emotion and expectation. The Reef starts brilliantly—the beauty of it is in how real it feels, and by midway through, I had become convinced that it was going to be my favorite of all Wharton’s works. The juxtaposition of Anna, who believes herself strong and decisive, and Sophy, who actually is, and whose emotional honesty and conviction is a stark contrast to Anna’s inexpressiveness and judgmental nature, is fascinating and very well drawn. As the story goes on, it becomes clear that Sophy, who is considered to be not quite upper class enough, and a bit vulgar, reveals herself to be more admirable than Anna, whose indecisiveness torments everyone around her and leads inexorably to her own unhappiness.

But the book drags in its last third, and Anna’s indecisiveness becomes wearying. When one adds to that a sharply abrupt ending which leaves one pondering the futures of all the characters, the story just isn’t satisfying enough. I LOVED the first two thirds of it, and I’d give this a very strong 3.5 if there were partial stars. Read it for the beginning—Wharton truly is a genius when it comes to exploring the many nuances of emotion




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Book Review: The Day the Falls Stood Still

The Day the Falls Stood Still by Cathy Marie Buchanan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Again, I'm frustrated by the stars system here at Goodreads. This book rates somewhere between a four and a five for me--probably a 4.5. The book, set on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls when the power plants were being erected to harness Niagara's power, spans the years from WWI to the early 1920s. The story is poignant, moving and character-driven. There is no real plot here--the drama is in the river, (a character in itself, and one that brings a great deal of tension and dread to the proceedings), a riverman's preternatural understanding of and love for it, and the narrator's love for him. It's a beautifully written, understated love story that brought me to tears more than once. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it, and anxious to return to it. The power here is in the quiet drama that lives in bonds of love and tests of faith, whether that faith is a belief in God, nature, or something bigger than cannot quite be defined. It reminds one of the ways the dead remain with us, and how, perhaps even more so in their absence, they make us who we are. Excellent, intimate historical fiction.



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Another Shout Out for Bone River

Booklist has weighed in with its review of Bone River, calling it "... provocative and haunting.... Chance's quietly powerful tale will appeal to fans of well-detailed, mysterious and romantic historical fiction."

Pretty nice! Only a month and a half to go until the book hits the shelves, but in the meantime, it's available for pre-order here.

Book Review: The Diviners

The Diviners by Libba Bray

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I'm going to go ahead and give this book a four, though I would rather rate it a 3.5 or a 3.75. But Bray is one of my favorite YA authors--I think "The Sweet Far Thing," "Going Bovine," and "Beauty Queens," are classics of the genre. This book didn't quite add up for me, however. It may have been the 1920s slang, which makes everyone sound shallow and facile. I didn't much like most of the main characters (with the exception of Memphis and Sam, who I think have some really interesting stuff ahead of them), and there are a lot of them. I also didn't feel much in the way of sexual tension throughout the book. But there are a lot of period details here, some very interesting stuff, and a genuinely creepy horror element that actually gave me nightmares for two nights (though admittedly, I have a very low tolerance for demonic human sacrifice--my own personal heebie jeebie). The plot spins along; it's a very fast read, though there are not a lot of questions answered at the end, and I felt a bit frustrated at that. Still, I'm a big fan, and I've been here with Bray before--I felt the beginning of the Gemma Doyle trilogy was a bit slow too, and she absolutely slayed me by the last book. So I'm hanging in there for this trilogy too.



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Appearance this weekend!

Seattle Ghost Tour Guide, Ross Allison, will be opening his new venture Spooked in Seattle, this weekend, and I'll be there on Saturday with Seattle Mystery Bookshop, at 102 Cherry St. from  2:00 - 2:45 p.m. to sign City of Ash. Stop on by if you're around!.

Book Review: The Scorpio Races

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I wish there were half and 3/4 stars on Goodreads, because I would give this book a solid 4.5--possibly even 4.75. The only reason I'm not giving it a five is because I reserve that for my favorite books, which this isn't ... quite. BUT I really really liked this book. Stiefvater is often hopelessly bleak (her Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy left me sad for days--she is one of the few authors who always manages to drag me emotionally into her work)and there are plenty of those touches here. The bonds between a boy and his horse, a girl and her family, and their love for a beautiful, unforgiving and sometimes fatal land, are exquisitely rendered here. The legendary seahorses are genuinely, gruesomely frightening and perilous, and yet at the same time Stiefvater makes the reader absolutely understand and feel the love and respect the island people feel for them. There is a palpable sense of peril here, but one of intense hope as well. Stiefvater creates a bittersweet gem of a story; her tale of two people who find themselves through one another is relentlessly moving and inspiring.



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Bone River Review

Publisher's Weekly has called Bone River "a complex, intriguing read" in its review this week. And yes, I'm pretty pleased--it's a nice finish to a really tough couple of weeks and some mental slogging through the latest manuscript that felt as if it would never end. It has ended, however, and I'm back in form at last! With a good review to top things off...

Here's the link to the review.

Book Review: Angelfall

Angelfall by Susan Ee

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A non-stop story that is a very quick read and hard to put down. Ee raises story questions all along the way that have you racing on just to get the answers--some of which she gives you (this is the first in a series,after all) and all of which up the ante for the characters--a teenage girl and an angel in a dystopian world, where angels have, apparently, declared war on humans. It's a fascinating premise, full of really lovely creepy moments that I didn't expect, and some complex characterizations. In spite of the plethora of YA dystopia--and angel books--out there, this one felt different to me, with some interesting twists. I'll be looking forward to the next one in the series.



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Appearance

This Sunday, September 23rd, I'll be at NW Bookfest, in Kirkland, WA, speaking with C.C. Humphreys and Robin Oliviera on Historical Fiction. The panel is from 11:30-1:00, with a signing after.

Details are here--hope to see some of you there!

Appearance/Signing

Today I'm speaking at East/West Bookshop in Seattle, from 3-5, with Bill Kenower, Deb Caletti, Robert Dugoni and Jennie Shortridge. Here are the details:
http://www.eastwestbookshop.com/events/4279

Tonight also starts Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which my family celebrates because my husband is Jewish. So I'm busy cooking as well: gefilte fish, matzo ball soup, mandelbrot, honey cake, etc.

September always feels like the New Year to me anyway, so Rosh Hashanah only reaffirms how I already feel. And I love the tradition of apples and honey to usher in a sweet new year.

Happy New Year!