If you're a Maeve Binchy fan, here's your last chance for a new book. This is Binchy's final novel, published posthumously following her death last year. And it's typical Binchy all the way.
What do I love about Binchy novels? The warm characters, the beautiful scenery, and the very "Irishness" of them. This one does not disappoint. Chicky is a small town girl from Western Ireland who falls in love with an American boy and goes with him to New York City. When she returns to her small town of Stoneybridge without him some 30-years later she decides to open in inn in the big house on the hill. With the help of her friends and family she creates the perfect environment for a relaxing week in winter.
Aside from Chicky, her niece Orla, and her friends Miss Queenie and Rigger, we meet by turns each of the group of guests for the opening week of business. They're all unique, and all are looking for a unique experience from their week's stay at Stone House - and they all get what they are looking for.
This is just a lovely Irish story, and a must-read for all Maeve Binchy fans.
A Week in Winter
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Life After Life
I don't want to go overboard here, but I think this may be one of the best novels I have ever read. Seriously. I just finished it last night and I am ready to read it again.
Kate Atkinson is the author, and she offers up an interesting premise: suppose someone keeps being reborn as themselves, over and over again, learning something new from each life? Such is the case with Ursula Todd, born on a snowy night in England in 1910. Through each successive life she learns how to live a little longer, a little better, a little differently, but without really realizing exactly what she's doing (although she has maybe more of those deja vu moments than the rest of us have). Some of her lives are mundane, some are tragic, some are even heroic, but they all build upon each other, culminating in a satisfying ending.
Aside from the nifty premise, Atkinson writes some really great characters, full of what I consider typically dry British humor. Ursula is witty and self-deprecating, and her family - particularly Aunt Izzie - are a varied and amusing group. I'm definitely going to check out some of Atkinson's other works.
Life After Life
Kate Atkinson is the author, and she offers up an interesting premise: suppose someone keeps being reborn as themselves, over and over again, learning something new from each life? Such is the case with Ursula Todd, born on a snowy night in England in 1910. Through each successive life she learns how to live a little longer, a little better, a little differently, but without really realizing exactly what she's doing (although she has maybe more of those deja vu moments than the rest of us have). Some of her lives are mundane, some are tragic, some are even heroic, but they all build upon each other, culminating in a satisfying ending.
Aside from the nifty premise, Atkinson writes some really great characters, full of what I consider typically dry British humor. Ursula is witty and self-deprecating, and her family - particularly Aunt Izzie - are a varied and amusing group. I'm definitely going to check out some of Atkinson's other works.
Life After Life
Thursday, May 9, 2013
The Queen's Vow
So I've read A LOT of British history, but not much Spanish history, so I decided to check out this novel about Queen Isabella of Spain (as in Ferdinand and Isabella). I really enjoyed it, and I learned a lot too (although it is a fictionalized account, all of the characters except one lady's maid are real people).
Isabella was a strong, intelligent woman, at a time when women were subservient to men and were mostly uneducated. She inherited a kingdom - Castile - that was in ruins, thanks to the ineffective previous kings, but she made it into one of the most respected European dynasties ever - with the help of her husband, Fernando (Ferdinand) of Aragon. They are the first rulers to unite the whole of Spain.
Isabella is an intriguing character. She's headstrong, but also extremely religious. That dichotomy leads to the two most disturbing aspects of their reign, the Inquisition and the expelling of the Jews. The author does a nice job of giving us some reasons behind why she allowed these atrocities, but of course no one can say what was in her heart.
The novel is a who's who of Spanish history, including Torquemada, Columbus, and little Catherine of Aragon. And it's a really great read.
The Queen's Vow
Isabella was a strong, intelligent woman, at a time when women were subservient to men and were mostly uneducated. She inherited a kingdom - Castile - that was in ruins, thanks to the ineffective previous kings, but she made it into one of the most respected European dynasties ever - with the help of her husband, Fernando (Ferdinand) of Aragon. They are the first rulers to unite the whole of Spain.
Isabella is an intriguing character. She's headstrong, but also extremely religious. That dichotomy leads to the two most disturbing aspects of their reign, the Inquisition and the expelling of the Jews. The author does a nice job of giving us some reasons behind why she allowed these atrocities, but of course no one can say what was in her heart.
The novel is a who's who of Spanish history, including Torquemada, Columbus, and little Catherine of Aragon. And it's a really great read.
The Queen's Vow
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