52 is my lucky number, so I had to find something good for my fifty-second book! I think I was pretty successful. Here are the stats:
Title: The Concubine's Daughter
Author: Pai Kit Fai
My start date: 9/19/10
My finish date: 9/25/10
Book count 52!/100
This work was fascinating. At times it reminded me of various other books I have read, notably Jung Chang's Wild Swans, or Kate Furnivall's The Russian Concubine series. Chang's book details the lives of three generations of Chinese women during the 20th century, which is similar to this work's chronicle of three generations of mother-daughter bonds. Chang's work, however, is based on reality while this is mostly fiction. Interestingly though, if you read the good stuff in the reader's guide at the back (always do this by the way, tons of good stuff there!) it does mention that the author draws much of his inspiration from real stories in the lives of his in-laws.
That brings me to the author. Interesting guy! Looking at the name, you would assume this work to be written by a person of Chinese or Asian decent. The author is British! He married into a powerful Hong Kong family and has spent many years immersed in Chinese culture. He even asked his family to choose a Chinese name for him, a process which is taken very seriously. So we once again have a situation in which an adult male caucasian is writing from the perspective of young female asians. Granted, this text is third person and not first, but once again, I find it mostly believable. The author's sense of culture and history is wonderful and the pages really come to life with exotic traditions and words. I found it very educational.
One small complaint I had, and it was very small indeed, was that the flow was just a little off. A little extra research (you know how I love extra research with my books) cleared the issue right up. The book can be divided into two sections, that of the mother's story and that of the daughters. It appears that the author first wrote the daughters story and published it as a stand alone novel in the UK. He then went back and wrote the mother's story, added it to the beginning of the novel and rereleased the work as a single unit. This answers the flow question. They feel like two different works, which makes sense if they were written at different times. Again, authors grow in their skill and the first half, which was written later, is decidedly smoother and more coherent. The second half suffers a bit from abrupt transitions and chapter endings and a general je ne sais quoi that isn't quite as great as the first story. However, these flaws shouldn't keep you away. The novel was still very entertaining.
Well, that is all I have for this one!
Keep reading!
Sarah
Thursday, September 30, 2010
More from Brennert
Continuing along the lines of fun Hawaiian reads...
Title: Molokai
Author: Alan Brennert
My start date: 9/16/10
My finish date: 9/19/10
Book count: 51/100
Much of what I have to say about this work has already been said in the previous post. They are very similar works. However, there were a few differences in this novel that I will touch on briefly.
As with the previous novel, I would again strongly recommend this one. I will say, however, that I liked Honolulu much better. This isn't entirely surprising, as this was his first work and the other came later. Generally, authors get better at what they are doing the more experience they have, just like anyone else.
One difference between the two works that I want to point out is that this one is written in the third person perpective and not directly in the voice of the main character. It surprises me that I prefer the feel of the text written in first person more than this text in third. That is surprising, because as I discussed in my previous post, you would not anticipate Brennert to be able to write convincingly in such a different voice, much less to write so convincingly that it is preferable to other styles. But that is the case. I liked the more intimate perspective better.
Another factor might have been the subject material. While I found it fascinating, and ultimately loved the story, the storyline of the other work seemed lighter in contrast to that of this work, in which the lead character is diagnosed with Hanson's Disease (at the time called leprosy) at the tender age of seven. The story is undeniably beautiful and at times quite powerful, but just not as light as his later work.
However, all of that being said, these differences are only minute and certainly in no way stop me from adding this work to my list of recommendations! The imagery of a bygone Hawaii is too good to resist! Brennert's Hawaii is that of the vintage posters and oldtime luaus that we think of when we dream of Hawaii. Classic.
Alas, all vacations must come to an end, and so we move on to the next book in our list!
Keep reading!
Sarah
Title: Molokai
Author: Alan Brennert
My start date: 9/16/10
My finish date: 9/19/10
Book count: 51/100
Much of what I have to say about this work has already been said in the previous post. They are very similar works. However, there were a few differences in this novel that I will touch on briefly.
As with the previous novel, I would again strongly recommend this one. I will say, however, that I liked Honolulu much better. This isn't entirely surprising, as this was his first work and the other came later. Generally, authors get better at what they are doing the more experience they have, just like anyone else.
One difference between the two works that I want to point out is that this one is written in the third person perpective and not directly in the voice of the main character. It surprises me that I prefer the feel of the text written in first person more than this text in third. That is surprising, because as I discussed in my previous post, you would not anticipate Brennert to be able to write convincingly in such a different voice, much less to write so convincingly that it is preferable to other styles. But that is the case. I liked the more intimate perspective better.
Another factor might have been the subject material. While I found it fascinating, and ultimately loved the story, the storyline of the other work seemed lighter in contrast to that of this work, in which the lead character is diagnosed with Hanson's Disease (at the time called leprosy) at the tender age of seven. The story is undeniably beautiful and at times quite powerful, but just not as light as his later work.
However, all of that being said, these differences are only minute and certainly in no way stop me from adding this work to my list of recommendations! The imagery of a bygone Hawaii is too good to resist! Brennert's Hawaii is that of the vintage posters and oldtime luaus that we think of when we dream of Hawaii. Classic.
Alas, all vacations must come to an end, and so we move on to the next book in our list!
Keep reading!
Sarah
Aloha vacation reading!
Ahh, there is nothing better than reading something entirely pleasurable beside a beach or a pool. In celebration of an anniversary milestone, my husband and I took off for a week to sunny Hawaii. The plan was to do nothing except surf, snorkle and read. Total bliss. This is where I started:
Title: Honolulu
Author: Alan Brennert
My start date: 9/13/10
My finish date: 9/15/10
Book count: 50/100
I am the kind of person who likes to read books about a place while in that place. So, although I had seen Brennert's books much earlier, I had saved them until I could enjoy them in the appropriate place. This was wonderful! Brennert, although a mainland resident, considers himself to be an honorary Hawaiian. He has a true passion and a wealth of knowledge, both current and historical, about his adopted paradise. This is very evident in his writing. I actually read both of his novels and will discuss the other next, but some things apply equally to both.
As I have previously discussed, it is very difficult for writers to write in the voice of characters who are not like themselves. For example, it is not always convincing when a man writes a woman or vice versa. Similarly, it can often border on unbelievable when someone tries to write from a very different cultural perspective. Not always, but often. Brennert manages to shatter both of these restrictions. His main character, written here in the first person, is a Korean female from the turn of the century who journeys to Hawaii as a picture bride. Is there anything in that which would indicate that an adult male caucasian from mainland USA should theoretically be able to write from experience? I would think not so much. However, I didn't doubt his character's voice for a single second. She was beautifully written. In fact, each of his characters came to vivid life in his pages. Truly well done.
Speaking of vivid, Brennert creates a picture of Honolulu that comes straight to life. You feel as if you could climb right into the story. Now, granted, I actually really could. It was seriously fun to read about streets and sights when I could look out my hotel window directly at them. That may have helped my reading, in fact, it likely did. However, I would deny that it detracts any from Brennert's ability to create a scene. Try it. Read these books and tell me you don't feel the sunshine and smell the pineapples. Go ahead.
Overall, I would say this book is a definite must read, whichever beach you are on, but if you are lucky enough to get a little aloha time, don't board the plane without it.
Stay tuned for thoughts on his other novel next!
Keep Reading!
Sarah
Title: Honolulu
Author: Alan Brennert
My start date: 9/13/10
My finish date: 9/15/10
Book count: 50/100
I am the kind of person who likes to read books about a place while in that place. So, although I had seen Brennert's books much earlier, I had saved them until I could enjoy them in the appropriate place. This was wonderful! Brennert, although a mainland resident, considers himself to be an honorary Hawaiian. He has a true passion and a wealth of knowledge, both current and historical, about his adopted paradise. This is very evident in his writing. I actually read both of his novels and will discuss the other next, but some things apply equally to both.
As I have previously discussed, it is very difficult for writers to write in the voice of characters who are not like themselves. For example, it is not always convincing when a man writes a woman or vice versa. Similarly, it can often border on unbelievable when someone tries to write from a very different cultural perspective. Not always, but often. Brennert manages to shatter both of these restrictions. His main character, written here in the first person, is a Korean female from the turn of the century who journeys to Hawaii as a picture bride. Is there anything in that which would indicate that an adult male caucasian from mainland USA should theoretically be able to write from experience? I would think not so much. However, I didn't doubt his character's voice for a single second. She was beautifully written. In fact, each of his characters came to vivid life in his pages. Truly well done.
Speaking of vivid, Brennert creates a picture of Honolulu that comes straight to life. You feel as if you could climb right into the story. Now, granted, I actually really could. It was seriously fun to read about streets and sights when I could look out my hotel window directly at them. That may have helped my reading, in fact, it likely did. However, I would deny that it detracts any from Brennert's ability to create a scene. Try it. Read these books and tell me you don't feel the sunshine and smell the pineapples. Go ahead.
Overall, I would say this book is a definite must read, whichever beach you are on, but if you are lucky enough to get a little aloha time, don't board the plane without it.
Stay tuned for thoughts on his other novel next!
Keep Reading!
Sarah
Persuaded to like more Austen
Here is another fairly brief post!
Title: Persuasion
Author: Jane Austen
My start date: 9/10/10
My finish date: 9/12/10
Book count: 49/100
What can I really say about this one. I don't need to tell you that Jane Austen is good. If she weren't, she wouldn't be so universally included in "traditional" canon lists. Her works have inspired dozens of movies. She is just plain good.
I know I am starting to sound like a broken record, but I hope the message is being clear about the benefits of reading classics for pleasure rather than homework. I had read Austen only as homework in the past and been rather bored. I plowed diligently through Emma in the 8th grade and fell asleep a dozen times in the attempt. I had even gone into the assignment excited, knowing as I did that Emma was the basis for the then popular film, Clueless. And yes, I am aware that that admission will date me, but you get the point. Anything read with a deadline just won't be the same.
Now, having acknowledged that I did indeed greatly enjoy reading this work of Austen's, I do find it somewhat interesting that I can't really find much to say about the work itself other than that I really liked it. What does that mean? I will leave that to you to consider and, if you feel so inclined, to comment upon. But it is unfortunately true. I just don't have much to analyze here. Sorry!
Anyway, I finished this book on the eve of my vacation and thus switched back to modern fiction, so check back to see what I read on the beach!
Keep reading!
Sarah
Title: Persuasion
Author: Jane Austen
My start date: 9/10/10
My finish date: 9/12/10
Book count: 49/100
What can I really say about this one. I don't need to tell you that Jane Austen is good. If she weren't, she wouldn't be so universally included in "traditional" canon lists. Her works have inspired dozens of movies. She is just plain good.
I know I am starting to sound like a broken record, but I hope the message is being clear about the benefits of reading classics for pleasure rather than homework. I had read Austen only as homework in the past and been rather bored. I plowed diligently through Emma in the 8th grade and fell asleep a dozen times in the attempt. I had even gone into the assignment excited, knowing as I did that Emma was the basis for the then popular film, Clueless. And yes, I am aware that that admission will date me, but you get the point. Anything read with a deadline just won't be the same.
Now, having acknowledged that I did indeed greatly enjoy reading this work of Austen's, I do find it somewhat interesting that I can't really find much to say about the work itself other than that I really liked it. What does that mean? I will leave that to you to consider and, if you feel so inclined, to comment upon. But it is unfortunately true. I just don't have much to analyze here. Sorry!
Anyway, I finished this book on the eve of my vacation and thus switched back to modern fiction, so check back to see what I read on the beach!
Keep reading!
Sarah
Liked, but not beloved
It don't really have a lot to say about my next read, so I will keep it brief. Here are the stats:
Title: Beloved
Author: Toni Morrison
My start date: 9/6/10
My finish date: 9/10/10
Book count: 48/100
Apparently I go a little against the grain in my tastes in classics. Having just come off a reading of Wuthering Heights, which I had absolutely loved contrary to my expectations, I was not immediately drawn to Morrison's famous novel, Beloved. The early pages were confusing and a little hard to get into. So I happened to post my positive feelings for Bronte's work and rather lackluster early appraisel of Morrison's work on facebook. I was immediately inundated with surprised responses from people who had exactly the opposite feelings. Clearly, Beloved was much beloved! I assured them I would suspend any further doubts until I had made more progress.
As the story continued I did indeed begin to like it and, in fact, even quite enjoy it. I won't say that it is my favorite read ever. Not by a very long shot. But Morrison is a powerful writer. Once the reader gets solid footing in the story, Morrison's imagery will take over. It has the admirable quality of simultaneously feeling so very real and yet also entirely fairy tale-esque. Granted, don't be fooled by my use of fairy tale. I am not speaking of the Disney-fied fairy tale most of us recognize today, but rather the more grisly versions found in the pages of days long gone. Morrison's subject matter, the psychological effects of slavery on those recently freed, is extremely heavy. But it would be hard to find one more important.
So, don't worry all of you out in facebook world! You were right and I did appreciate the text in the end. It might not be beloved by me, but at the very least I liked it.
Onward in my reading! As you can see, I am still way behind in my goal and beginning to question its feasability, but I am not done trying yet! Keep checking back to see how far I get!
Keep Reading!
Sarah
Title: Beloved
Author: Toni Morrison
My start date: 9/6/10
My finish date: 9/10/10
Book count: 48/100
Apparently I go a little against the grain in my tastes in classics. Having just come off a reading of Wuthering Heights, which I had absolutely loved contrary to my expectations, I was not immediately drawn to Morrison's famous novel, Beloved. The early pages were confusing and a little hard to get into. So I happened to post my positive feelings for Bronte's work and rather lackluster early appraisel of Morrison's work on facebook. I was immediately inundated with surprised responses from people who had exactly the opposite feelings. Clearly, Beloved was much beloved! I assured them I would suspend any further doubts until I had made more progress.
As the story continued I did indeed begin to like it and, in fact, even quite enjoy it. I won't say that it is my favorite read ever. Not by a very long shot. But Morrison is a powerful writer. Once the reader gets solid footing in the story, Morrison's imagery will take over. It has the admirable quality of simultaneously feeling so very real and yet also entirely fairy tale-esque. Granted, don't be fooled by my use of fairy tale. I am not speaking of the Disney-fied fairy tale most of us recognize today, but rather the more grisly versions found in the pages of days long gone. Morrison's subject matter, the psychological effects of slavery on those recently freed, is extremely heavy. But it would be hard to find one more important.
So, don't worry all of you out in facebook world! You were right and I did appreciate the text in the end. It might not be beloved by me, but at the very least I liked it.
Onward in my reading! As you can see, I am still way behind in my goal and beginning to question its feasability, but I am not done trying yet! Keep checking back to see how far I get!
Keep Reading!
Sarah
Chilling Passion
Still pushing through my obsession with covering the classics from a pleasure reading approach, I decided it was finally time to take on Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. All I had heard of it was that the main characters are horrid and the mood is chilly. Thus, I approached this work with some apprehension. I was not at all prepared to absolutely love it.
Title: Wuthering Heights
Author: Emily Bronte
My start date: 9/1/10
My finish date: 9/6/10
Book count: 47/100
I had previously read one of the works of another Bronte sister, that is, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. While I found that experience to be alright, I was not especially impressed with it. For some reason, I projected this feeling on the other works of the Bronte sisters. I have no idea why, but in the back of my mind, I assumed that reading any work by any of the sisters would be similar. This makes no sense. My sister and I are equally brilliant, however in utterly different ways and I can guarantee that if we were to write novels, they would have very little in common. So why on earth should I assume that the Bronte sisters would be any different? This proved to be the case and I was completely swept up into Emily’s work.
The rumors in regards to the main characters of this work are absolutely true. Catherine and Heathcliff are unabashedly detestable individuals. They are selfish, scheming, whining, and at times just plain evil. Yet, I adore this about them. They are so passionate in who they are. The fact that they are so wretched adds so much depth to the extent of their love for each other. You can absolutely fall into the depths of their passion. It sweeps you away.
I was not expecting Wuthering Heights to be presented in the forms that it was and I found the setup very pleasing. First, the book is an epistolary novel, which was still enjoying some popularity at the time, and which means that the work is presented either as a series of letters or diary entries. In this case it was the diary of a man who had come to live on the estate. I was initially confused as to why the first person diary approach of a completely unrelated character was being used. I kept wondering when we would shift to the perspective of either Catherine of Heathcliff, since they are who I recognized. However, I soon came to realize how important that incremental and distanced approach was to grasping the feeling of the novel. Further, I especially enjoyed the use of another technique, for which I am unfortunately only familiar with the German word, but essentially the idea is that a story is told within the story. A frame is created, and that is the story of Mr. Lockwood arriving on the estate and becoming curious about the estate owners. Thus, the housekeeper begins to tell him an inner story, that of the history of the owners of the estate. I could go into a long essay of what the purpose of this kind of structure would be, in the style of a long master’s exam response, but I won’t bore you with that. Suffice it to say that it works and adds delightful chill.
I can’t say a whole lot more, except that I encourage you to give this work a try. Many have been kept at bay by the stories of unlovable characters in depressing stories, but don’t fear this! It works, really! I have also heard many say that they had read it and found it boring. Give it one more try! Most probably read this as part of a course requirement and, let me tell you, pleasure reading makes a huge difference.
That's it for this one! Keep Reading!
Sarah
Title: Wuthering Heights
Author: Emily Bronte
My start date: 9/1/10
My finish date: 9/6/10
Book count: 47/100
I had previously read one of the works of another Bronte sister, that is, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. While I found that experience to be alright, I was not especially impressed with it. For some reason, I projected this feeling on the other works of the Bronte sisters. I have no idea why, but in the back of my mind, I assumed that reading any work by any of the sisters would be similar. This makes no sense. My sister and I are equally brilliant, however in utterly different ways and I can guarantee that if we were to write novels, they would have very little in common. So why on earth should I assume that the Bronte sisters would be any different? This proved to be the case and I was completely swept up into Emily’s work.
The rumors in regards to the main characters of this work are absolutely true. Catherine and Heathcliff are unabashedly detestable individuals. They are selfish, scheming, whining, and at times just plain evil. Yet, I adore this about them. They are so passionate in who they are. The fact that they are so wretched adds so much depth to the extent of their love for each other. You can absolutely fall into the depths of their passion. It sweeps you away.
I was not expecting Wuthering Heights to be presented in the forms that it was and I found the setup very pleasing. First, the book is an epistolary novel, which was still enjoying some popularity at the time, and which means that the work is presented either as a series of letters or diary entries. In this case it was the diary of a man who had come to live on the estate. I was initially confused as to why the first person diary approach of a completely unrelated character was being used. I kept wondering when we would shift to the perspective of either Catherine of Heathcliff, since they are who I recognized. However, I soon came to realize how important that incremental and distanced approach was to grasping the feeling of the novel. Further, I especially enjoyed the use of another technique, for which I am unfortunately only familiar with the German word, but essentially the idea is that a story is told within the story. A frame is created, and that is the story of Mr. Lockwood arriving on the estate and becoming curious about the estate owners. Thus, the housekeeper begins to tell him an inner story, that of the history of the owners of the estate. I could go into a long essay of what the purpose of this kind of structure would be, in the style of a long master’s exam response, but I won’t bore you with that. Suffice it to say that it works and adds delightful chill.
I can’t say a whole lot more, except that I encourage you to give this work a try. Many have been kept at bay by the stories of unlovable characters in depressing stories, but don’t fear this! It works, really! I have also heard many say that they had read it and found it boring. Give it one more try! Most probably read this as part of a course requirement and, let me tell you, pleasure reading makes a huge difference.
That's it for this one! Keep Reading!
Sarah
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