Book Review: The Constant Princess

The Constant Princess
Philippa Gregory

Katherine of Aragon is born Catalina, the Spanish Infanta, to parents who are both kings and crusaders. At the age of three, she is betrothed to Prince Arthur, son and heir of Henry VII of England, and is raised to be Princess of Wales. She knows that it is her destiny to rule that far-off, wet, cold land. Her faith is tested when her prospective father-in-law greets her arrival in her new country with a great insult; Arthur seems little better than a boy; the food is strange and the customs coarse. Slowly she adapts to the first Tudor court, and life as Arthur's wife grows ever more bearable. Unexpectedly in this arranged marriage, a tender and passionate love develops. But when the studious young man dies, she is left to make her own future: how can she now be queen, and found a dynasty? Only by marrying Arthur's young brother, the sunny but spoilt Henry. His father and grandmother are against it; her powerful parents prove little use. Yet Katherine is her mother's daughter and her fighting spirit is indomitable. She will do anything to achieve her aim; even if it means telling the greatest lie, and holding to it.



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Review:
I absolutely loved this book.

I was introduced to Philippa Gregory's work a couple years ago when chatting with one of my co-workers about the movie The Other Boleyn Girl being completely oblivious that it was a book-turned-film. It was only recently that I actually started reading her books, and it was certainly worth the wait. The way Gregory paints the historical character brings new life to her. It is amazing the way the stories fit so perfectly together, and the coldness of Queen Katharine that is seen in The Other Bolelyn Girl is entirely justified - the poor woman has suffered enough! What makes it more interesting, though, is the knowledge that this woman was real. Not real to the letter, perhaps, but real in some way, and many of the events presented are ones that really happened. In historical fiction, one of two things can happen to the reader's perception of the truth: either the reader will come to despise the character for the author's failure to present them are entirely human, or they will come to love (or at least pity) the character because they will gain a better understanding of their suffering. Gregory, I believe, succeeds in the latter.

One thing that I greatly appreciated was the lack of smut - in historical fiction, especially in Tudor England, there is the opportunity to write in several graphic sex scenes, and Gregory resisted that, keeping the novel a story rather than light pornography, which she certainly could have done. I don't know if this is the case with all of her work, but I appreciated it in this particular novel.

It took me a little while to get a hang of her writing style - she shifts between first person present and third person past. Fortunately, she does mark the difference in italics - the Infanta's thoughts are always italic. It requires a careful read, to be sure you grasp the point-of-view she is using in the non-italicized portions, however.

My greatest complaint about the book, which was not enough to ruin it for me, was the ending. Gregory spends a great deal of time certralised around Katherine's marriage to Arthur, and her suffering afterwards while she grows strong through a widowhood, the wooing of a king, being in disfavor, having a miscarriage, being made a fool, and leading an army to Scotland. After the Scottish king dies, however, the paces speeds up dramatically in the last chapter or so. It feels rushed, unfinished compared to the rest of the book. I think it would have sufficed to end the book at the fall of the Scottish king, but perhaps that is because I already know how Catalina's story ends, and others do not.

This book is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in Tudor England, and lovers of history in general. Historical fiction must, as always, be taken with a grain of salt, but Gregory offers a passable (if not fairly accurate) representation of the times and culture. It would be best offered for young adults and up, at the fear that high schoolers (unless advanced readers) would find it boring. I would suggest it as in-school reading at the college level, perhaps for extra credit! While the accuracy is shoddy, it does provide a perspective of Tudor England, and sometimes the perspective provided by a piece of fiction greatly helps contextualise the mounds of facts derived from non-fiction.

Book Review: Feed

Feed
M.T. Anderson

Identity crises, consumerism, and star-crossed teenage love in a futuristic society where people connect to the Internet via feeds implanted in their brains.
For Titus and his friends, it started out like any ordinary trip to the moon - a chance to party during spring break and play with some stupid low-grav at the Ricochet Lounge. But that was before the crazy hacker caused all their feeds to malfunction, sending them to the hospital to lie around with nothing inside their heads for days. And it was before Titus met Violet, a beautiful, brainy teenage girl who has decided to fight the feed and its omnipresent ability to categorize human thoughts and desires. Following in the footsteps of George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr., M. T. Anderson has created a not-so-brave new world — and a smart, savage satire that has captivated readers with its view of an imagined future that veers unnervingly close to the here and now.



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Review:
I simply cannot express how much I love this book. These are the reasons why:

1.) It's a dystopian novel. I have a weak spot for dystopian novels.
2.) The characters feel real to me. Not an adult trying to write a teenager. I never doubt Titus as a character, never second-guess his motives. Perfectly crafted.
3.) The language. This is a pitfall for many people, but for me, it just ropes me in closer to the story.
4.) The questions it asks about technology and our dependence on it. And on instant gratification.

I can see where this novel would be immediately flagged "Evil! STAY AWAY!" for some people, mostly for the reasons I have listed that I love it. In that, it must be understood that not all books appeal to all people. This book has, in my experience, always sparked controversy among its teen readers (see my incredibly biased entry, The Book Bias, for more on exactly how this book has been flagged by real teens), and is therefore a perfect choice for reading in high school. If nothing else, the students will want to discuss how much they hated it... which is the starting point for a wonderful discussion.

But I didn't hate this book. As I said, I loved it. I have read it multiple times, and my opinion of it hasn't changed. I love being able to walk away from a book and ask questions about it. I love being so wrapped up in a fictional universe that I'm watching the clock at work not just because I'm excited to get out of there, but because I want to immerse myself in the literary world again. Feed did that for me, and does that every time I read it.

Feed explores not only the dangers of a reliance on technology and instant gratification (those happen to be my favorite topics) but also criticizes the way we are destroying the ecosystem, taking education for granted, the sheep-like nature of the populace to follow the lead of celebrities, the declining rate of general health, overspending, substance use, negligent parenting, and on and on I could go. If there's a controversial topic you want to touch on, Feed probably has something to say about it. That, I would say, is probably Anderson's greatest fault in the book - he tried to say a little bit about a lot of things. It makes the book a little overwhelming, if you are reading it closely.

Then again, maybe that's the point.

Book Review: A Game of Thrones

A Game of Thrones
George R.R. Martin

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective wall. To the south, the King's powers are failing, and his enemies are emerging from the shadows of the throne. At the center of the conflict lie the St...moreLong ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective wall. To the south, the King's powers are failing, and his enemies are emerging from the shadows of the throne. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the frozen land they were born to. Now Lord Eddard Stark is reluctantly summoned to serve as the King's new Hand, an appointment that threatens to sunder not only his family but also the kingdom itself. A heroic fantasy of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and evildoers who come together in a time of grim omens.



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Review:
I had a difficult time starting this book. I read the first ten pages probably a gazillion times, on different eReaders. Once I got through the first chapter, I was hooked. This is exactly the kind of book I enjoy reading.

Martin takes the reader through a variety of different characters, each with their own subplots, each indispensable to the over arching plot of the book, and the overarching plot of the series. Each character speaks with his or her own voice, and has his or her own motivations. With as many characters as there is, one would think it difficult to keep track of all the different details, but Martin's writing was so smooth, I found it easy to follow everything - and difficult to put the book down!

His writing style was reminiscent of Tamora Pierce's, and his crafting of characters and scenery felt even Tolkien-esque. I found myself completely emerged in the threat of winter, even though where I live, it is unmistakably summer! I cannot praise him enough.

One thing Martin does dare - and I found it successful though others have not - is write a fantasy novel without traces of common fantastical elements - all these things are lost. There is no more magic, and dragons have not been seen in a millennium. Yet in the typical medieval setting, Martin maintains the feel of fantasy without these elements, and that is no small feat. Martin also shows enough of a battle to allow the reader to experience it, but without becoming monotonous.

I have read reviews that criticize Martin's use of sexual imagery, and the abuse of one character in particular. I acknowledge these remarks, but I do not find them to be enough to be a turn-off from the book. Any mention of a sexual encounter is brief and tasteful (unlike too many other fantasy books I have read) and it is relevant to the plot. Actually, I found it a bit refreshing to not be plunged into unnecessary erotica in the middle of a fantastic plotline! But that is my opinion, and I do not wish to belittle other people who were offended by it - their opinions are equally valid.

This is no book for children, and teens and young adult who are not advanced readers or bear a special love for works such as Tolkien will find the book tedious, I believe. For those of us with a love for fantasy and expert writing, A Game of Thrones is an absolute treat.

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
J.K. Rowling

We now present the seventh and final installment of the epic tale of Harry Potter....



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What is there to say about a book which speaks for itself?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a very different adventure than the rest of the books in the series - as it should be. Times have changed, and so has Harry. It is important for the reader to know that going into the book. This is not just an adventure through a mysterious hidden chamber beneath the halls of Hogwarts - this book bears several heavy themes. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is not exclusively a children's book - it is more.

Rowling doesn't disappoint. I don't think she could if she tried. She is right on mark with her details, as always, and her characters continue to grow and change. Perhaps the greatest and most remarkably change we see is in the character of Neville Longbottom, who has finally found his voice. We always knew he was in Gryffindor for a reason... and Rowling finally reveals that it is for reasons greater than standing up to his friends.

I have read discussions about the relationship between characters, and how Dumbledore's childhood friendship was not about a quest, but more personal in note. While I see where these presumptions may have been drawn. I do not think that was Rowling's intent at all, and it saddens me to think that people have chosen to look for scandal in the book, rather than experience the magic that is already there.

In short, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows presents everything avid readers of the book could have wanted, and then some. Yes, the ending may be "disappointingly happy and cliche," as I have also read in various places, but in that, I believe Rowling has left us another piece fo advice - our futures are what we make of them. We can choose to see the world in its corrupted state and pity our existence in it, or else we can see the beauty between the lines, and revel in it.

book review past due: time cat.

Time Cat
Lloyd Alexander

Gareth’s definitely not an ordinary cat. For one thing, he can talk. For another, he’s got the power to travel through time—

“Anywhere, any time, any country, any century,” Gareth tells Jason. And in the wink of a very special cat’s eye, they’re off. From ancient Egypt to Japan, the land of young Leonardo da Vinci to the town of a woman accused of witchcraft, Jason and Gareth are whisked from place to place and friend to foe.

Full of fun, excitement, and a good dose of history, here’s a fantastic tale that grabs the imagination and takes it far and wide, on the adventure of not one but nine amazing lifetimes.



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Review:
This is the book that time and time again makes me want to be a writer. There's something about the story that Alexander crafts... it certainly isn't the main characters, for they are simple (as, in a children's book, they should be). I think part of it is the history, and part of it is the magic. Alexander is known for his Black Cauldron series, but like any good writer, he continues to shine in other areas as well. Time Cat is no exception. Alexander plays with the idea that a cat does have nine lives, but these aren't lifetimes... they are nine different worlds wherein a cat can live. From Egypt, to Ireland, to Imperial China and back around again, each world that Gareth and Jason visit has a magic of its own

I find it difficult to describe why I love this book so much.  As you can probably see, I trip over my words trying to emphasize the magic I see in it.  I had a writing professor in college who once said that most of the fiction novels he forces himself to read these days, he finds deplorable, but there is one book he read once, about a fisher cat and a boy, and it's absurd and silly and useless, but whenever he finds it in a library, he picks it up, reads it again, and it makes him want to become a novelist.  Not because he thinks he could do better, but because it pulls all the right heartstrings.  That's the way I feel about Time Cat.

Admittedly, as I said, the main characters are flat.  I don't hold this against Alexander, or any author who writes children's books, because the simple fact is that children can only grasp so complex a character.  I believe this book is intended for 9-12 year-olds, not 21-year-olds like myself.  The author doesn't have to impress me with his debonair writing - his goal is to enchant children, and I think that Time Cat does that very successfully.