Rebecca Moll's Blog, page 9
February 18, 2020
Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver, a Book Review by Rebecca Moll
Flight BehaviorFrom pillar to post. Whichever way the wind blows.
Life can be like that.
Erratic. Unpredictable. Unfair. Even, cruel.
There are forces unbeknownst to us, greater than us.
Barbara Kingsolver blends a tale of old, mixing man and nature, perseverance, adaptation, and evolution. Dellarobia and the Monarchs.
When the foundation of a troubled marriage crumbles to the point of collapse, Dellrobia decides to take heart from a strange natural phenomenon, take flight, change her pattern, and look to healthier horizons. Change comes at a cost. Just like the monarch butterflies, there are lives lost and forsaken, humble beginnings, unpredictable futures, and most of all, risk.
Just like the monarchs, Dellarobia knows her actions will ripple into the future, changing the lives of her own children, their children, their children's children.
Changing her flight pattern, she deviates from family obligations, social expectations, and ventures out on a new life, a chrysalis, one step away from her new destiny.
Solid characters, humorous dialogue, and a plot that lends to reflection, Kingsolver leaves the reader with much to consider.
Harness the wind and post your own pillars. The world depends upon it.
December 6, 2019
The Dress Lodger by Sheri Holman, A Book Review by Rebecca Moll
A good story becomes great in the hands of a master storyteller. It was on page one of The Dress Lodger that I knew I was in such hands. And that possession, capture of the reader, is just the difference that is Sheri Holman.
You don't read The Dress Lodger, you live it, you become part of the great narration.
Sheri Holman pins you amongst her characters with unusual and creative word use, unique and revealing metaphors, and a writing style that at once lulls and shocks. The lure and beauty of fantasy, the ideal of dream and desire. The harsh and cruel exposure of reality, the cold and frigid seep of hate, the desperation of depravity.
Trail behind Fos, her luminescence alluring. Sit before the fire with The Eye, your fingers working the needle, plunging into a sea of blue silk. Dive into the blue dress and work the cruel streets with Gustine. Stand alongside Dr. Henry Chiver and greed for knowledge, plunge the scalpel, and mourn for the sacrilege of souls, dissected and isolated, preserved upon shelves, his heart, her liver, floating alone in a horrific world of whiskey, row after row after row. Join the chorus of theatergoers that spark the frenzy, a riotous upsurge, the poor no more. Grab your shovel and race to the graveyard, not your mother, your daughter, your son.
And on the tide of the great narration you will ride. Through the annals of the 1830s, under the stars of an East End Sunderland sky, over the brown muddy banks that skirt the river Wear, and amongst and because of the very vehicle of death, vibrio cholerae - Cholera
, the blue wave of death.
Epidemic, proliferate, the blue wave overcomes, washing away divisions, poor vs rich, good vs evil, science vs superstitions, stealing loved ones and enemies alike. The very ties that bind in slavery and communion, love and hate, proliferate and propagate the blue wave of death. The unwanted guest overstays its welcome.
Gustine and The Eye. Henry and Audrey. Mag Scur, Wilky, Pink, the student of life, and yes, you, will crash upon the shores of one of the world's worst pandemics. And should you live to watch the waters recede, the divisions once again separate, rich and poor, haves and have nots, you will find yourself not at the end of a novel, your eyes savoring the very last words printed to page, but upon the very cusp of your own future. Like Moses before the Red Sea, you will stand, your arms raised to the heavens, the way laid out before you. Survival seeds strength and fortitude. And you will know, just like Gustine, just like The Eye, that in life, there is "Nothing without labour."
You don't read The Dress Lodger, you live it, you become part of the great narration.
Sheri Holman pins you amongst her characters with unusual and creative word use, unique and revealing metaphors, and a writing style that at once lulls and shocks. The lure and beauty of fantasy, the ideal of dream and desire. The harsh and cruel exposure of reality, the cold and frigid seep of hate, the desperation of depravity.
Trail behind Fos, her luminescence alluring. Sit before the fire with The Eye, your fingers working the needle, plunging into a sea of blue silk. Dive into the blue dress and work the cruel streets with Gustine. Stand alongside Dr. Henry Chiver and greed for knowledge, plunge the scalpel, and mourn for the sacrilege of souls, dissected and isolated, preserved upon shelves, his heart, her liver, floating alone in a horrific world of whiskey, row after row after row. Join the chorus of theatergoers that spark the frenzy, a riotous upsurge, the poor no more. Grab your shovel and race to the graveyard, not your mother, your daughter, your son.
And on the tide of the great narration you will ride. Through the annals of the 1830s, under the stars of an East End Sunderland sky, over the brown muddy banks that skirt the river Wear, and amongst and because of the very vehicle of death, vibrio cholerae - Cholera
, the blue wave of death.Epidemic, proliferate, the blue wave overcomes, washing away divisions, poor vs rich, good vs evil, science vs superstitions, stealing loved ones and enemies alike. The very ties that bind in slavery and communion, love and hate, proliferate and propagate the blue wave of death. The unwanted guest overstays its welcome.
Gustine and The Eye. Henry and Audrey. Mag Scur, Wilky, Pink, the student of life, and yes, you, will crash upon the shores of one of the world's worst pandemics. And should you live to watch the waters recede, the divisions once again separate, rich and poor, haves and have nots, you will find yourself not at the end of a novel, your eyes savoring the very last words printed to page, but upon the very cusp of your own future. Like Moses before the Red Sea, you will stand, your arms raised to the heavens, the way laid out before you. Survival seeds strength and fortitude. And you will know, just like Gustine, just like The Eye, that in life, there is "Nothing without labour."
November 21, 2019
In Thanksgiving, Free e-books Offer
In Thanksgiving for all the good things in life, I am offering all five (5) of my e-books FREE for five (5) days. Feel free to share.Rebecca Moll
Begins: Wednesday 11/27/19
Ends: Sunday 12/1/2019
Visit:
https://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Moll/e...
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Begins: Wednesday 11/27/19
Ends: Sunday 12/1/2019
Visit:
https://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Moll/e...
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
November 14, 2019
Excerpt from In the Absence of Absolution by Rebecca Moll
“On his desk sat an empty bottle, the cap removed. Not the first time to sit before him, the bottle had been emptied long ago. Yet, the feeble fumes were enough to cross the blood-brain barrier, fire synapses, awaken sleeping senses.”https://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Moll/e...
Blood Brothers by Ernst Haffner, A Book Review by Rebecca Moll
"When someone dies, a library burns down," an old African proverb, never more on-point than Ernst Haffner's only known novel, Blood Brothers. Nearly all traces of Haffner, a German social worker and journalist, were lost during the course of WWII.
Yet, perhaps, there is a more fitting example, more fitting examples, literally, tens of thousands: the very characters and those they represent, the lost boys of Berlin, of Haffner's poignant and inspiring novel.
It is revealing to investigate the pre-cursing moments before any historical tragedy. In a retrospective manner, we can learn from the past. On the eve of Hitler's rise, many young German men were wallowing in the depths of oppression, poverty following WWI. Mere children, the scars cut deep upon a psyche with little depth and fortitude, little legitimacy. Survival requires self-worth, something only accumulated with positive life-experiences, good role models, love and compassion. In Haffner's portrayal of the pre-Hitler German male youth, only those who find brotherhood, who hold close to another, survive enough to see the possibility of a better life. "It is only by helping others that we see our best selves," something my Julia once said. A true statement indeed.
Given the ramifications of Hitler's reign, it is hard to find sympathy for the very seeds of his rise. Yet, without followers, his name would be meaningless. Poverty and oppression yield unrest, unrest yields followers and susceptibility to evil.
Although a historically reflective novel, Blood Brothers is anything but a dry run. High points hit by surprise, characters harrow you from one peril to the next, land blows upon the reader like a thief in the night. Even at the end, the pages fly, your mind leaping at possible conclusions.
But, of course, that is much like life, isn't it? Three steps forward, four back, turn once, turn twice, Oops! you fall and get back up, only do it all over again, this time with a leap worthy of pen and paper.
The Haffner library has burned down. One book remains. One worth reading, one worth learning.
Thanks to Michael Hoffman for the translation. Thanks to Johnny for a great read.
Yet, perhaps, there is a more fitting example, more fitting examples, literally, tens of thousands: the very characters and those they represent, the lost boys of Berlin, of Haffner's poignant and inspiring novel.
It is revealing to investigate the pre-cursing moments before any historical tragedy. In a retrospective manner, we can learn from the past. On the eve of Hitler's rise, many young German men were wallowing in the depths of oppression, poverty following WWI. Mere children, the scars cut deep upon a psyche with little depth and fortitude, little legitimacy. Survival requires self-worth, something only accumulated with positive life-experiences, good role models, love and compassion. In Haffner's portrayal of the pre-Hitler German male youth, only those who find brotherhood, who hold close to another, survive enough to see the possibility of a better life. "It is only by helping others that we see our best selves," something my Julia once said. A true statement indeed.
Given the ramifications of Hitler's reign, it is hard to find sympathy for the very seeds of his rise. Yet, without followers, his name would be meaningless. Poverty and oppression yield unrest, unrest yields followers and susceptibility to evil.
Although a historically reflective novel, Blood Brothers is anything but a dry run. High points hit by surprise, characters harrow you from one peril to the next, land blows upon the reader like a thief in the night. Even at the end, the pages fly, your mind leaping at possible conclusions.
But, of course, that is much like life, isn't it? Three steps forward, four back, turn once, turn twice, Oops! you fall and get back up, only do it all over again, this time with a leap worthy of pen and paper.
The Haffner library has burned down. One book remains. One worth reading, one worth learning.
Thanks to Michael Hoffman for the translation. Thanks to Johnny for a great read.
November 7, 2019
Excerpt from In the Absence of Absolution by Rbecca Moll
“Looming behind the bar was an exceptionally tall Mexican-looking man, the insides of his right forearm inked with an anguished and exhausted Christ. Spinelli flipped through his mental spreadsheet and settled on a name, Pancho Tuesday. Owner of Western Watering Hole and Storm King Expeditions.”
November 1, 2019
Excerpt from In the Absence of Absolution by Rbecca Moll
“Destiny’s cruel. A mere vestibule of disillusioned fools. Evil lurks in the hearts of all.”
October 24, 2019
Excerpt from "In the Absence of Absolution" by Rebecca Moll
“Without warning, thirty years on the force crashed upon his place of peace. Without hesitation, he reached for his gun, praying there would be nothing to shoot.”
https://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Moll/e...
Words Worth Their Weight by Rebecca Moll
Words Worth their Weight:
"Portmanteau"
Long on words? Short on paper? Running out of toner?
Well, thanks to Lewis Carroll (1871), Wonderful Alice, & Hefty Humpty Dumpty, you can travel light when you write, be wise & economize, down-size & compromise: grab a bag or two, a portmanteau is the shortcut for you!
📚🖋💻
A portmanteau is a suitcase that opens into halves.
~ Britannica.com
A portmanteau word is a linguistic blend of words, in which parts of multiple words or their phones are combined into a new word. ~ Wikipedia
Here's a few to purview:
Chortle - chuckle & snort
Smog - smoke and fog
Brunch - breakfast & lunch
Spork - spoon & fork
Motel - motor & hotel
pc: blog.writeathome.com
Roland's Rag Bag - wordpress
"Portmanteau"
Long on words? Short on paper? Running out of toner?
Well, thanks to Lewis Carroll (1871), Wonderful Alice, & Hefty Humpty Dumpty, you can travel light when you write, be wise & economize, down-size & compromise: grab a bag or two, a portmanteau is the shortcut for you!
📚🖋💻
A portmanteau is a suitcase that opens into halves.
~ Britannica.com
A portmanteau word is a linguistic blend of words, in which parts of multiple words or their phones are combined into a new word. ~ Wikipedia
Here's a few to purview:
Chortle - chuckle & snort
Smog - smoke and fog
Brunch - breakfast & lunch
Spork - spoon & fork
Motel - motor & hotel
pc: blog.writeathome.com
Roland's Rag Bag - wordpress
October 18, 2019
Quotations & Excerpts In the Absence of Absolution by Rebecca Moll
“Why do I tell you this? So, you will know. The dead do speak. If only the living would listen.” ~Loretta
