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Saturday, October 29, 2005

The Changeling. Alison MacLeod.

The Changeling
by Alison MacLeod.
St. Martin's Press: 1996.

MacLeod really wants to teach us about old wives' tales. This historical novel of the pirate Anne Bonny can't go a single chapter without reciting some such thing; at first it was good local/temporal color, later it became annoying.

Strangely written novel, possibly borrows from magical realism tradition. Anne comes across as a 1990's strong woman -- a cross-dressing experimentally lesbian womyn who "gives birth to herself" and can do whatever men do as well as they do -- yet, in the ultimate (unintentional?) irony, all of her actions are either directed by or reactions to men: her father, husband, or male lover.

As is often the case, the artsy-fartsy writing style, while interesting in its own sake, and done consistently well, ultimately leaves me distanced from both plot & character. And setting. Perhaps MacLeod's intention was a disconnected feeling, yet something so physical as piracy ought to be more tangible.

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A Skeleton in God's Closet. Paul Meier.

A Skeleton in God's Closet
by Paul Meier.
Thomas Nelson & Sons: 1996

A fast-paced archaeological thriller about the discovery of Jesus' bones. Since it was published by a Christian publisher, the ending (the bones are a hoax) is a forgone conclusion, yet the book would really have been more interesting if it had not been a hoax.

The author is very concerned with teaching the reader about modern archaeological methods - a bit ironic, since some segments of Christianity reject any archaeological finding beyond 6,000 BCE.

At any rate, the bones' discovery necessarily rocks the Christian world. It is in describing the emotional and spiritual effects of the discovery that the author falls short of good writing -- the reactions are unbelievable, uninteresting, too simplified, or just plain dumb. Meier should perhaps stick to writing non-fiction, as that might be more his forte.

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Thursday, October 06, 2005

The European Discovery of America. Samuel Eliot Morison

The European Discovery of America: The Northern Voyages
by Samuel Eliot Morison.

S.E. Morison is renowned as a naval historian, and I fear it may be going to his head. Throughout this lengthy book, he peppers his rather dry history with scathing attacks on those unfortunate historians who have held a different opinion than himself. Very amusing.

If one were a sailor, one would get much more out of this book, which overflows with maritime terminology, exhaustive descriptions of ships and methods, and detailed analysis of the eastern North American coast.

Despite the above criticisms, this book is quite rewarding due to the obvious knowledge and research behind almost every sentence. The sailor's point of view that Morison uses often provides refreshing insight into people & events. And despite his frequent commentary, the book is loaded with facts about discoverers who aren't even mentioned in most standard American school textbooks. I probably won't re-read this one, but will keep it as a reference and brace myself (at some point) to read the second volume on the Southern Voyages.

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Tuesday, October 04, 2005

The Moonstone. by Wilkie Collins.

The Moonstone
by Wilkie Collins.

One of my favorite boks of all time. Collins was a friend of Dickens, who acted in two lays written by Collins. Moonstone is described by T.S. Eliot as the first, longest, and best of English detective fiction. And rightly so.

Switching narratives as the story progresses, the book follows the Moonstone diamond's capture from India, delivery to young English woman, theft, and recovery.

Two things really stand out: first is the quality of writing - excellent characters, all believable, most a bit absurd - excellent shift in voices with changing narratives, concise plot (Collins was criticized for placing too much emphasis on plot, though I'd rather read a good story than a good description); second is a plot that gradually narrows your suspicions, yet never actually solves it for you until the end. Very unlike Agatha Christie, for example, who tends to make a puzzle rather than a book.

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The Passion. by Donna Boyd.

The Passion
By Donna Boyd.

I do like werewolf stories, and this is a good one. The setting is turn-of-the-century (1900), and the plot is one of "pack" politics. The werewolf pack has become scattered over the centuries, and now two parties (each represented by one of two brothers) are vying for control: one wants to take advantage of the Industrial Revolution and work with humans (yet be in charge of them), and the other brother wants to exterminate humans. Caught in the middle is a human woman captivated by the "good" brother. He winds up marring the female pack leader, and sends the human off to Alaska with his brother for what he thought was her & the brother's conspiracy against him. These two find a lost werewolf castle and mate (which was not thought possible). The good brother realizes the woman was trying to protect his wife, so they set off to Alaska in search of her, only to wind up killing the bad brother. Whew, what a plot!

Most characters are done wwell, though we connect with none. Well written, thought a bit repetitive in general descriptions of werewolf attitudes.

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