Louise Erdrich won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for this book. In my opinion, very well-deserved. It is based on her grandfather's fight against Native disLouise Erdrich won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for this book. In my opinion, very well-deserved. It is based on her grandfather's fight against Native dispossession that he took from North Dakota to Washington D.C. in the early 1950s.
Thomas Wazhashk (based on Erdrich's grandfather) is the night watchman at a plant located near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota where jewels are used to make drill bits and watch movements. He is also a Chippewa Council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new “emancipation” bill on its way to the floor of the United States Congress. It is 1953 and he and the other council members know the bill isn’t about freedom--it is a “termination” that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity.
The book is also about life on the reservation including joy and struggles to survive the poverty there. Several stories are included. A main character is Pixie Paranteau who insists on being called Patrice. She also works at the jewel-bearing plant along with some other Native women who are hired for their good eyesight and dexterity in setting the jewels. The pay is very minimal but she is able to support her mother and brother. Her sister, Vera, has gone to the "Cities" (Minneapolis) and disappeared. Pixie decides to try and find her which leads to a very harsh world of violence and exploitation. She does locate Vera's baby but Vera's fate is in doubt.
The novel paints a vivid picture of life on the reservation with some very interesting characters. Pixie may be looking for love but she is not sure when or if she will find it. The story of Thomas and his fight in Washington is based on fact and leaves a bad taste regarding the politicians who want to exploit the Indians and take what little land they have. This is especially true regarding Senator Arthur V. Watkins from Utah who sponsored the termination bill and was a racist who followed the teachings of the Mormon church and felt that whites were entitled to seize the land of Native Americans and that Indians should be assimilated into white society. Overall, I would highly recommend this and I will be reading more of Erdrich....more
CHILD OF GOD is a disturbing novel about a young man living in Sevier County, Tennessee in the 1950s who has become an outcast after his home is sold CHILD OF GOD is a disturbing novel about a young man living in Sevier County, Tennessee in the 1950s who has become an outcast after his home is sold out from under him for non-payment of taxes. Lester Ballard is described as "a child of God much like yourself perhaps." He is violent and becomes more and more depraved as he attempts to live and exist outside the social order. "Ballard descends literally and figuratively to the level of a cave dweller, as he falls deeper into madness, crime and degradation. He commits a series of sexually-motivated murders in the area, quickly drawing the suspicion of the townspeople, from whom Ballard hides in his cave. One of the novel's main themes is sexual deviancy, specifically necrophilia. Ballard, who the novel makes clear is unable to have conventional romantic relationships, eventually descends into necrophilia after finding a dead couple in a car."
This novel was very shocking as Ballard descends into isolation and madness. The character reminded me a lot of Norman Bates from Psycho but even more so. McCarthy's writing style for this novel was quite unconventional, lacking quotation marks, and switching perspectives which made it sometimes hard to follow. But overall, a very dark look at an outcast from society. This was also made into a movie in 2013 directed by James Franco. I'll be keeping an eye out for it.
I watched the movie version of this book which starred Tom Hanks a few months ago and really enjoyed it. Since then, I have wanted to read the book anI watched the movie version of this book which starred Tom Hanks a few months ago and really enjoyed it. Since then, I have wanted to read the book and finally got to it after finding a copy at a thrift store. [image]
Well, I enjoyed the book even more than the movie. It tells the story of Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a veteran of three wars including the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, and the Civil War, who travels the far reaches of Northern Texas in 1870 to read the news to people on the frontier. He obtains copies of newspapers from as far away as London and scours them for stories of interest. He charges a dime to attend his readings that are well-received by people who don't have access to the news or are illiterate. Then a young 10-year-old girl comes into the Captain's life named Johanna who has been a captive of the Kiowa Indians for four years. Her parents and younger sister were killed by them but she has made the tribe her home and remembers none of he former life and speaks no English. Tired of being harassed by the cavalry, the Kiowa decides to sell her back to an Indian agent who then needs some one to deliver her to her Aunt and Uncle near San Antonio, 400 miles to the south. Kidd agrees to do this for a $50 gold piece that was offered by her family. It's a treacherous journey with possible attack by both Indians and white marauders. Along the way, Kidd comes to love Johanna who considers him her grandpa. So what will happen if they make it to Johanna's family?
This was a very compelling story and a quick read that I enjoyed a lot. The interactions between Kidd and Johanna are heart warming, the stories told by Kidd from his newspapers are interesting, and the experience of Johanna being taken from both her original family and then her Kiowa family is very emotional. The book also tells of some of the history of Texas after the Civil War and the fighting between the political factions at the time which reminded me a lot of our country today and the infighting between parties. Guess things don't change! Overall, I would highly recommend this one....more
I read a review of this book when it first came out a few years ago and immediately put it on my wishlist. I finally got a copy of it from an online bI read a review of this book when it first came out a few years ago and immediately put it on my wishlist. I finally got a copy of it from an online book trading site and have now read this really powerful and superb novel. The novel reads like a Shakespearean tragedy with a very heart-wrenching conclusion.
The novel has two main characters: Horace Hopper, a 21-year-old half-Paiute, half-Irish who works for 72-year-old Eldon Reese on a sheep ranch near Tonopah, Nevada. Horace was abandoned by his mother when he was 12, and was then raised by Reese and his wife, Louise. Horace has grown up in a loving family with a good life on the sheep ranch but he strives to better himself and become more. He admires Mexican boxers and his dream is to become a champion "Mexican" boxer even though he is not Mexican. To achieve his goal, he moves to Tucson, Arizona where he gets trained by a less than reputable former boxer. He's good enough to participate in a Golden Gloves competition and decides to go pro after winning some fights in Salt Lake City, El Paso, and Tijuana. However, these fights took a lot out of him. Meanwhile, Reese wants him to return to the ranch and hopes to have Horace run it as Reese's health is on the decline. The narrative switches between Reese and Horace in what becomes a very tragic story.
This was overall a very engaging story. It wasn't happy and it was full of melancholy but the characters were very well-written as it shows their hardships and struggles. I would give this one a very high recommendation. As a side note, the author of this book, Willy Vlautin, is also a singer and songwriter for the band Richmond Fontaine and they actually made an album for the book of seventeen instrumental songs called Don't Skip Out on Me. I found it on Spotify and enjoyed listening....more
Another very funny humorous satire from Hiaasen. In this one, he goes way over the top and includes the former President, his wife, and followers resiAnother very funny humorous satire from Hiaasen. In this one, he goes way over the top and includes the former President, his wife, and followers residing at the "Winter White House" in Palm Beach, Florida, as fresh bait to lampoon. There is also an appearance from "Skink", the former governor of Florida who lives in the wilds of the Everglades and is fighting to try to preserve Florida's natural habitat.
The novel starts out with the disappearance of Kiki Pew Fitzsimmons, a member of a group of older women in Palm Beach who faithfully support the President and call themselves the Potussies (short for POTUS Pussies). So what happened to Kiki? Well, a wildlife wrangler named Angie Armstrong is called in to deal with a huge Burmese python that is lolling in a tree after a satisfying meal as Angie notes from the large bulge in the snake's midsection. So the President gets focused on Kiki's disappearance and declares that she is a victim of an influx of illegal Latins which is very far from what really happened.
Hiaasen is one of my favorites. I have read most of his novels and get a kick out of his myriad wacky characters that reside in south Florida as well as his often laugh out loud humor as he takes shots at the craziness of the State. This book was no exception and his poke at Trump and his followers is an added bonus in the book. Another high recommendation and of course I will be looking forward to reading his next novel as well as any that I have missed....more
Okay, I read this one only because I saw it included on a list of most disturbing novels on YouTube. So of course, I had to read it.
This was definitelOkay, I read this one only because I saw it included on a list of most disturbing novels on YouTube. So of course, I had to read it.
This was definitely disturbing! It is told from the point of view of a middle school teacher named Celeste Price in Tampa, Florida who is sexually attracted to teenage boys. On the surface, Celeste seems to be a harmless, although very attractive, young woman who is married to a police officer. Her husband has money from his family so Celeste is able to live the high life and drives a Corvette. But Celeste is damaged and can only feel attracted to young boys. So she decides to work as a middle school teacher to be near to her desires. She thinks constantly of sex with 14-year-old males and targets a specific boy named Jack who is willing to give in to her. Celeste performs every sex act imaginable with Jack and even sleeps with Jack's father to make sure she isn't caught. But can she avoid the inevitable?
Well, this was probably one of the most graphic novels I have ever read. It's full of sexual descriptions including the imaginings of Celeste's mind. Although, it did lean towards the humorous at some times, I felt it was way over the top. And yes it was disturbing! By the end, I was very glad to be out of Celeste's mind....more
Cormac McCarthy died last week (June 13, 2023), age 89, at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was a masterful prose stylist and Pulitzer Prize-winniCormac McCarthy died last week (June 13, 2023), age 89, at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He was a masterful prose stylist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author who plumbed the depths of violence and vengeance in his novels such as "Blood Meridian," "No Country for Old Men" and "The Road."
Blood Meridian is an historical novel based loosely on the exploits of the Glanton gang, a group of scalp hunters who massacred Indigenous Americans and others in the United States–Mexico borderlands from 1849 to 1850. The gang was hired by Mexican authorities to hunt the Apaches and were rewarded $100 per scalp. But the gang didn't stop there. They also killed peaceful Indians and murdered Mexicans to claim the bounty on scalps. The narrative of the novel follows a fictional teenager from Tennessee referred to as "the kid" as he is drawn into the Glanton gang after being rescued from prison. But the center antagonist of the novel is a vile personage know as "the judge" described as a physically massive, highly educated, skilled member of the gang who is extremely pale and completely bald from head to toe.
This novel is full of violent descriptions of the bloody encounters between the Apaches and the scalphunters. There is violence on both sides and McCarthy's prose does not hold back in showing this. This is considered by many to be McCarthy's masterpiece and he has been compared to writers such as Faulkner, Twain, and Melville. To me his writing is somewhat like Faulkner's with a lot of long sentences and thoughts strewn together. McCarthy doesn't use a lot of punctuation such as quotation marks and sometimes I did find it difficult to determine who was saying what. But I would definitely say that he is masterful in his narrative descriptions. I definitely need to read more of his work....more
I've read a few other novels by Waters including FINGERSMITH, TIPPING THE VELVET, and THE LITTLE STRANGER. All were quite enjoyable reads although theI've read a few other novels by Waters including FINGERSMITH, TIPPING THE VELVET, and THE LITTLE STRANGER. All were quite enjoyable reads although they were for the most part outside of my normal reading preferences. THE PAYING GUESTS was another very well-written novel that I found quite compelling although I thought it could have been edited and shortened. At over 600 pages, the opening part of the novel went on for over 200 pages without really a lot happening but I did think the wait was worth it. The novel really picks up after that.
It takes place in London in 1922 where Frances Wray lives with her mother in a big house that is in need of repair. Her two brothers were killed in the war and her father died soon after, leaving behind a shocking mess of debt. To alleviate the debt they decide to rent out part of their house to some "paying guests", Leonard and Lilian Barber. The Barbers are from a lower class who the Wrays would probably not normally associate with but they desperately need the added income. The first half of the book did kind of drag and if you have ever read anything else by Waters, you can probably guess that Frances falls for the beautiful Lillian. The tension builds as they come to express their love for each other. But then the rest of the book explores what happens after a shocking act of violence. Will Frances and Lillian be able to survive this and will their love remain intact?
Waters is a real wordsmith and is great at describing the mores of the times in which she writes. In this case it is shortly after WWI which greatly affected all those left behind when most men were killed or savaged by the war. Crime and poverty are prevalent. Overall, I did find this to be on a par with her previous novels although as I said, I felt it could have been shortened somewhat. But overall, I would still give it a high recommendation....more
I have been reading the Bernie Gunther novels slowly over the past few years after first reading BERLIN NOIR which contains the first three in the serI have been reading the Bernie Gunther novels slowly over the past few years after first reading BERLIN NOIR which contains the first three in the series. A QUIET FLAME is the fifth book and it finds Bernie in Argentina in 1950 after he is accused of being a Nazi war criminal. In Buenos Aires he tries to start a new life when he is approached by a local policeman, Colonel Montalban, who knew of Bernie's former life as a police detective in Berlin. He asks Bernie to investigate the murder of a teenage girl who was brutally eviscerated after being murdered. The girl was killed in a similar manner as some young women who Bernie investigated in Berlin in 1932. Montalban thinks the killer could be the same person as the killer back in Berlin. Argentina had allowed many Nazis to immigrate there after the war and the killer may be among them. When another teen goes missing, Gunther agrees to slyly question his fellow expatriates in exchange for medical treatment for thyroid cancer. Meanwhile, a young Jewish woman, Anna Yagubsky, begs Gunther to find out what happened to her missing aunt and uncle. All of this leads to some very dark findings by Gunther involving some of the most notorious Nazi war criminals including Mengele and Eichman.
The story is told from two different time periods, Argentina in 1950 and Berlin in 1932 just prior to Hitler being made Chancellor of Germany. This was really a superb post WWII thriller with Gunther being assumed by most to being an amoral racist because of his past in the SS. The novel gave a really unique and intriguing look at the Nazis and their life in Argentina under Peron's rule as well as life in Berlin at the end of the Weimar Republic in 1932. I'll be looking forward to continuing with the remaining books in this series....more
Ivanhoe is one of those classic novels that I have been meaning to read since high school. I gave it my best shot but after reading over a third of thIvanhoe is one of those classic novels that I have been meaning to read since high school. I gave it my best shot but after reading over a third of this lengthy tome, I decided to give it up. It was originally published in 1820 and is basically an adventure novel and an historical romance written to entertain and excite its readers with a tale of heroism set during the Middle Ages.
The language used in the novel was very archaic and stilted and I really had a hard time following what exactly was taking place. There were lengthy descriptions of the various settings of the novel which I felt also distracted from the story. For example:
"The other appointments of the mansion partook of the rude simplicity of the Saxon period, which Cedric piqued himself upon maintaining. The floor was composed of earth mixed with lime, trodden into a hard substance, such as is often employed in flooring our modern barns. For about one quarter of the length of the apartment, the floor was raised by a step, and this space, which was called the dais, was occupied only by the principal members of the family, and visitors of distinction. For this purpose, a table richly covered with scarlet cloth was placed transversely across the platform, from the middle of which ran the longer and lower board, at which the domestics and inferior persons fed, down towards the bottom of the hall. The whole resembled the form of the letter T, or some of those ancient dinner-tables..."
This went on and on for several paragraphs. Although I did give up on reading this, I did go to Sparknotes to continue with the story. The story takes place when Richard the Lion-Hearted returns to England after four years fighting in the Crusades. It focuses on the tension between the Saxons and Normans with various bad guys such as Prince John being a big part of the story. There are also appearances by Robin Hood (Locksley) and Little John. One of the themes of the novel is the mistreatment of the Jews during the time although this may have been more prevalent at the time the novel was written than when the story is supposed to have happened around 1194.
Overall, Ivanhoe is probably one of the early adventure novels that was meant to please its vast audience. But I could not get past the archaic language that was used and its rather dense descriptions. At some point, I may attempt to finish this but doubt if it will be anytime soon....more
This was a very engaging story about the life of a cat. It is told from the perspective of an old alley cat to his young grandson. Very much like a caThis was a very engaging story about the life of a cat. It is told from the perspective of an old alley cat to his young grandson. Very much like a cat version of Black Beauty. The story takes place in England as reflected by some of the language in the book. The old cat telling the story is called Pufftail but he really doesn’t consider that his name. He tells of his memory of being sold along with his brother when they were kittens to a pet shop with a very nasty owner and then living with a kind woman, Granny Harris. But then his fortunes turn when he and his brother go to live with Granny’s daughter and son-in-law. After some neglect and wickedness, Pufftail winds up alone, gets rescued by some nuns, is sold to a test lab, falls in love, and suffers heartbreak and loss.
This narrative was filled with emotion including humor and sadness. I thought it was well written and really got you into the mind of a cat including his love for the hunt. This was probably meant for younger readers but some of it was quite shocking and sad. But overall a very good tale for any cat lover. ...more
Another great collection of short stories from T.C. Boyle. I really enjoy Boyle's writing and his short stories are marvelous. Boyle is one of my favoAnother great collection of short stories from T.C. Boyle. I really enjoy Boyle's writing and his short stories are marvelous. Boyle is one of my favorite authors and even though I prefer his novels, his short stories are some of the best that I have encountered. This collection includes some very interesting vignettes of life, some weird, some fantastical, joyful, and depressing. Some of my favorites:
"Big Game" tells what happens to a couple who have made money in real estate and want to experience what it's like to hunt big game in Africa. But instead of going on a safari in Kenya, they go to a mock African ranch outside of Bakersfield where the owner has an assortment of animals including zebra, lion, and an elephant. So what's the worst that could happen?
"Hopes Rise" poses the question: what could happen to the earth's environment if all the frogs and toads disappear? A couple hears of this possibility and try to find out more through lectures from scientists who can attest to this problem. But should they be worried?
"Filthy With Things" is about a couple who can't stop buying things and storing them everywhere in their house, garage, and yard. So what are the consequences when they decide to get help? Hoarding 101!
"Without a Hero" is a rather poignant story about a Russian woman who comes to America for the good life. But will the man she starts a relationship with give her what he wants? If not, what is her fate?
"Back in the Eocene" tells how schooling has changed. A father accompanies his son to his school where a policeman gives a lecture on the harms of drug use. The father contemplates about how when he went to the school they read the classics and learned about geology. But have the changes been for the worse?
"Carnal Knowledge" was one of my favorites about a man who gets involved with a woman who is a vegan and animal rights activist. He agrees to go with her on an excursion to liberate some turkeys two days before Thanksgiving with very unfortunate results.
The remaining stories were also quite gook and overall I would highly recommend this collection....more
I have been a fan of T.C. Boyle for many years and have read several of his novels and short story collections. For the most part, I have enjoyed themI have been a fan of T.C. Boyle for many years and have read several of his novels and short story collections. For the most part, I have enjoyed them all and really feel that Boyle is a masterful writer and storyteller. Many of his novels are based on actual persons and events including THE INNER CIRCLE about Kinsey and his sex research, THE WOMEN about Frank Lloyd Wright and his wives, and WATER MUSIC about the African explorer Mungo Park. In THE ROAD TO WELLVILLE, Boyle satirizes the inventor of the corn flake, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, and his celebrated spa in Battle Creek, Michigan, that was supposed to cure all ills. Kellogg used a variety of treatments (mostly quackery) at his spa including enforcing a strict vegetarian diet, a five-enema-a-day regimen, and treatments such as the sinusoidal electric bath. In the novel, Will and Eleanor Lightbody of Peterskill, New York, come into the sanatorium as patients. Eleanor is a zealot about the San's treatments but Will is made miserable with his diet including weeks of nothing but milk or grapes, the daily enemas, and the shocking bath treatments. In a parallel storyline, Charlie Ossining, comes to town to start his own breakfast-food company with his partner Bender. Then there is Kellogg's adopted wayward son George who has been out to get even with Kellogg for years. This all leads to a wacky storyline that is full of unexpected drama and over-the-top funny situations.
As usual, I enjoyed this Boyle look at a part of history that I wasn't at all familiar with. I'm sure he took a lot of liberties in telling this one but this made it all the more engaging to read. The copy of the book that I read was a tie-in to the movie version made in 1994 that starred Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Kellogg. I will be looking out for it. And I will be looking forward to reading more by Boyle....more
This novel takes place mostly in and around Rockville, Maryland, a suburb in the DC area. The protagonist of the novel, Jane Kramer, works with her huThis novel takes place mostly in and around Rockville, Maryland, a suburb in the DC area. The protagonist of the novel, Jane Kramer, works with her husband in a furniture store on Rockville Pike, a main thoroughfare there. Jane is really down on life with worries about her and her husband's financial condition as well as their floundering marriage. She works in the store alongside her husband and his Uncle Seymour. She also has a teenage son, Josh, who has lately turned to Goth with all of its trappings including several face piercings and who has been suspended by the private school he attends. On top of that, she is concerned that her husband may be having an affair with Delia, a furniture saleswoman. She has no real friends and to find solace, she walks across the street at lunchtime to sit at the graves of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald who are buried there in a church graveyard. To try to earn more money, she becomes a "memory consultant" for Memories, Inc. which is run out of people's homes. In other words, she gets involved in scrapbooking which may be a pyramid scheme. When Justin flees to New York with a Goth friend without informing her and Leon leaves on a business trip with Delia, Jane follows and ends up having some escapades of her own.
I read this novel solely because it takes place in Rockville where I lived with my family for 13 years while I was working for the government in DC. The Fitzgeralds are indeed buried in the family plot at St. Mary's Church there. We attended mass at St. Mary's and often visited the gravesite which enhanced my interest in the Fitzgeralds. [image]
Not sure what I was expecting when I started reading this and at first the novel tended to drag a bit for me. But as it continued, I really enjoyed the characters and the humor included in the story. By the end, I was glad I decided to read this one! ...more
This was a very compelling fictional account of the events leading up to and the aftermath of the assassination of President McKinley in 1901. McKinleThis was a very compelling fictional account of the events leading up to and the aftermath of the assassination of President McKinley in 1901. McKinley was shot and killed by the anarchist Leon Czolgosz during the President's visit to the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. The novel is told providing details of Czolgosz's life and motivations as well as details of McKinley's trip to Buffalo and how he was assassinated. Czolgosz was a working man whose ideology was motivated by speeches and deeds of anarchists of the time including Emma Goldman and Gaetano Bresci, an American anarchist who assassinated King Umberto I of Italy. Smolens says in his afterward that "anarchists weren't motivated by any deep religious or nationalistic impulse; they saw the working class as being greatly oppressed and they determined that the only solution was to destroy the political and economic system that caused such blatant inequities. In their view, public officials, corporate officers, and civic leaders naturally represented and benefited from that oppression, so it was merely logical to eliminate them."
So how was Czolgosz able to get close enough to McKinley to shoot him with a hand gun? He hid the gun under a handkerchief and his boyish looks helped in the effort. Was he helped in his effort by other anarchists? He maintained that he acted alone.
The story also tells of the police and the Pinkertons who were assigned to protect McKinley during his visit. The assassination actually takes place about one-third into the novel. The rest of the story talks about the aftermath including lynch mobs out to get Czolgosz, plots by other anarchists to make Czolgosz a martyr, arrests of other dissidents, Czolgosz's trial and execution, and Teddy Roosevelt's ascent to the Presidency.
Overall, I thought this was a very interesting telling of the McKinley assassination. Before reading this, I really didn't know too much about McKinley or his assassination nor about the anarchists who wanted to change the world by destroying its structure and starting over. I also enjoyed the fictional part of the story about the police and Pinkerton detectives, their use of spies to infiltrate the anarchists, and the seedy background of Buffalo--its prostitutes, the canals that crisscrossed the city, and the working men that managed them. I would recommend this to anyone interested in American history at the turn of the century...I'll probably seek out more nonfiction about these events....more
This is probably one of the strangest books I have read in a long time. The book's protagonist, Celeste, was born two days after her mother died. But This is probably one of the strangest books I have read in a long time. The book's protagonist, Celeste, was born two days after her mother died. But then she is placed next to her mother and lo and behold, her mother comes back to life. It turns out that Celeste is a healer and she is able to heal common woes such as the cold and flu simply by touching the afflicted. But then when she reaches puberty, she finds that she has the power to not only heal ailments but to revive the soul of people through sexual healing. So how did she come by this magical power? The novel also tells of her grandmother who has an encounter with a magical being while on a cruise. But that is not all of the story. Celeste is also destined to fight evil and a cabal known as the Matrix and its ungodly leader called the Gacy Guru. So who is this evil person and who is Celeste's father and grandfather?
This all comes to a head in the climax of the story but I must say I really wasn't too enthralled by the whole thing. It was kind of like a fractured fairy tale. I didn't find it erotic nor did I find the storyline compelling. The language used in the novel was also somewhat tedious. Overall, I would just say it was all rather silly. ...more
This is the third in Smith's trilogy about the early exploits of the Courtney family after Birds of Prey and Monsoon, both of which I thoroughly enjoyThis is the third in Smith's trilogy about the early exploits of the Courtney family after Birds of Prey and Monsoon, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. Blue Horizon continues with the next generation of the Courtneys and takes place in the 1730s. Jim Courtney is the son of Tom and Mansur is the son of Dorian. At the beginning of the novel, Jim rescues a beautiful young woman from a prison ship who had been falsely accused. They escape into the African wilderness with the Dutch military hot on their heels. Along the way they have many adventures including hunting elephant for the ivory (sigh!), and fighting back the brutal Nguni natives who are intent to kill everyone in their path. Then later in the story Dorian and Mansur are out for revenge against Dorian's adoptive brother Zayn al-Din who has usurped the throne of Oman which rightfully belongs to Dorian. Tom's evil twin brother, Guy, also shows up in allegiance with Zayn... All of this leads to a very exciting conclusion that nicely concludes this part of the Courtney saga.
Wilbur Smith died late last year (November 2021) but he evidently left some unfinished manuscripts some of which have already been published using a co-author. Although some of these do continue the early Courtney saga, I have seen some very negative reviews of them so I will probably let them pass. I do want to read his earlier books however, which portray the family from the 1860s onward.
I enjoyed Blue Horizon as a really great adventure novel but it did seem to be unending at over 800 pages. It contained a lot of history and information about Africa some of which was a little hard to read about. This included hunting for ivory by killing magnificent elephants. Smith also had a tendency towards subtle racism with his portrayal of the African tribes in the story. But it was still an absorbing adventure and I will be looking forward to reading more from him....more
Another excellent novel from Lansdale. I'm a big fan of Lansdale and have read most of his Hap and Leonard novels as well as several of his stand alonAnother excellent novel from Lansdale. I'm a big fan of Lansdale and have read most of his Hap and Leonard novels as well as several of his stand alones and I'm never disappointed in them. This is one of his stand alone novels taking place in the summer of 1958. The narrator and protagonist of the novel is 13-year old Stanley Mitchel Jr. who at the start of the story moves with his family to Dewmont, Texas to run a drive-in movie theater on the outskirts of town. They hire Buster Lighthouse Smith, a half black-half Indian, to operate the projector and a black woman named Rosy to help Mrs. Mitchell with the cooking and the cleaning. Stanley Jr. becomes very close to both Buster and Rosy who are easy to talk to and who listen to his dreams and concerns.
Stanley discovers an old burnt up house in the trees behind the drive-in and among the ruins he finds a half-buried chest containing some old letters and journal entries written in 1942. There are no signatures on the letters only initials and Stanley along with his sister becomes obsessed with finding out who wrote them and what happened to them. He discusses the letters with Buster who was a former Seminole police officer and with his help figures out who wrote the letters. But as he and Buster investigate, they are drawn into danger and his family is put at risk.
This was really a great coming of age tale reminiscent of Twain's Tom Sawyer and my own childhood growing up in the 1950s. Lansdale mentions that Stanley likes to read the Hardy Boys, Tarzan novels, and comic books--some of my favorites growing up. The novel is set in a place and time when money can atone for murder. That summer is also a very dynamic time for Stanley as he learns more about life than he expected including racial prejudice, sex, incest, homosexuality, child abuse, and wife beating. Another high recommendation for Lansdale!...more
This novel was a real eye-opener for me. It tells the story of a man, Dana, who is a professor at a New England university and who is also transgenderThis novel was a real eye-opener for me. It tells the story of a man, Dana, who is a professor at a New England university and who is also transgender. He is dating a divorced woman named Allison who is a school teacher at a local elementary school. Allison has a daughter named Carly who is getting ready for college and who is happy that her mother seems to have found love again with Dana. But before long Dana is set for his transitioning surgery and Allison is there to help him through the process including helping him to dress and act in his new role as a woman. Dana ends up moving in with Allison which results in outrage in the community who feel Allison is setting a bad example for the children she teaches. This is all told from the perspective of Dana, Allison, Carly, and Allison's ex-husband, Will.
As I said, this was really an eye-opener. At some points, it was very explicit in telling specifically how the transitioning surgery is performed and how a man is surgically and hormonally changed into a woman. It also is very clear on why both men and women take this drastic step...being trapped in the wrong gender since birth. Overall, I found this novel to be very enlightening and it left me with a lot to ponder and think about. This is the third novel I've read by Bohjalian and all of them have been very thought-provoking. I'll be reading more of him....more
I found this copy of Kindred on a book trading site after reading several good reviews of it online. This is a fantasy/sci-fi time travel novel first I found this copy of Kindred on a book trading site after reading several good reviews of it online. This is a fantasy/sci-fi time travel novel first published in 1979. The narrator is a young black woman, Dana, who is transported from 1976 back to the antebellum South of the early 1800s. She is apparently summoned there by her ancestor, Rufus, the son of a plantation owner who is in danger of drowning. Dana is able to save Rufus and is flung back to 1976 when she is threatened with a gun by Rufus's father. But that's not the end of her time travels. Every time Rufus is in peril, Dana is sent to his rescue and when Dana is in peril she is able to return to her present. During one of her time trips, her husband Kevin, who is white, is taken with her and winds up stranded in the past for five years. While Dana is in the past, she becomes somewhat of a fixture on the plantation and lives alongside the slaves (some of which are her ancestors) and the whites who own them. Butler describes the brutalities of life on the plantation including the selling of family members by the plantation owners, beatings and whippings, harsh conditions in the fields, and maimings of runaways. Every time Dana returns, she is taken back to 1976, but it is sometimes years that pass in the past in between her time trips. The people in the past age while Dana remains ageless.
Butler does a great job of showing the harshness and brutality of slavery from the point of view of the people of the time as well as from the perspective of Dana and her husband. The means of the time travel is never really explained and I have read that Butler considered this more of a fantasy novel. One reviewer points out that this was published two years after the Roots TV miniseries which could have been an influence on the story. I haven't read any of Butler's other science fiction but I will be on the lookout for them....more
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