Chapter 41: A Book With Bad Reviews

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley

This is just a silly category. Every book has someone out there saying they hated it. I mean, just scroll through some of my previous posts and you can see that. But I'm crossing it off the list today.

It's already well documented that I love a precocious, intelligent girl protagonist. To say that I'm charmed by Miss Flavia deLuce would be an understatement. A ten year old who says, "I might be considered a very dangerous person," and means it is simultaneously frightening and delightful.

Flave is the youngest of three sisters living at Buckshaw, a once-regal country estate that has passed its prime. She's fascinated by chemistry, especially poisons, and never wastes an opportunity to stick her nose into trouble. When she stumbles upon a dying man in the cucumber patch, her imagination and wit take her on an adventure of intrigue, danger, and stamps.

One of the frequent complaints of this book on Goodreads is that Flavia is unbelievable. Clearly these people do not remember what it's like to be a smart, 10-year old girl. These readers underestimate the abilities of the girl, much the same way the older sisters and constables do in the book.

The story itself is a typical whodunit. The reader makes connections quicker than the hero. The bad guy gets caught. The unlikely detective gets a token of gratitude or praise. Somehow, told through Flavia's eye, even a mystery about stamps (stamps! sorry, philatelists, but you've got to expect them to seem boring outside collector circles) is engaging, funny, and interesting.

Sweetness earns 4 Marias. I plan to read more of the series just too find out what Flavia is up to next.

Chapter 36: A Book Set in a Different Country

The Moonlit Garden, Corina Bomann

Boooooooorrrrrrrrrring! I didn't expect a book about a violin to be spine-tingling, but this was just awful. I put my head down and powered through 400+ pages of crap so you don't have to. I wish it could be blamed on poor translation, but the whole thing was just the perfect solution for my insomnia, which is why it took so long to review it.

Love story- no depth. Why are these people interested in each other?

Historic mystery- lame. Besides the fact that it has no significance to anyone, even the sleuth, the whole thing is contrived and unimaginative.

I did learn the word Sundanese, which is not clarified in the novel, so I thought it was the word for "people from Sumatra." According to wikipedia, though, it's not. Click on that link. What you'll find there is a million times more interesting than this snooze-fest.

I'll grugingly give Garden a Maria because it is, in fact, a whole book.

Chapter 35: A Book Set Somewhere You've Always Wanted to Visit

Trail of Broken Wings, Sejal Badani

I'm not sure if it's northern California that I want to visit, or India, but those are the two places this book takes place and I'd be happy to travel to either. Not why I picked this title, but, hey, I'll use whatever I can make work.

The title led me to believe that this would be a rich text full of evocative language. It's not. I'm beginning to think that I need to lower my literary standards. Again we have a book with so much potential that never is fulfilled. I hate that I am, once again, writing about an unimpressive book, but here goes.

Broken Wings is the tale of three women and their mother, as they reunite around the deathbed of their father, who has fallen into an inexplicable coma. The family immigrated to the States from India when the girls were still young, only one having memories of their life there. Instead of finding the American Dream, daddy flips a switch and becomes an abusive tyrant to his family, except the middle sister who remains adored.

So now daddy is unresponsive and the women are facing a very complicated situation. Do they want him to live? Do they want him to die? Should he suffer? Does he still have control over them? What role does each play in the family and can that ever change? All some really great questions. All of them pretty much ignored, too. I was so disappointed in the shallow treatment of so many complicated things.

First, there is much time taken repeating pseudo-poetic metaphors that bore me, but there is very little exploration of how being an Indian family in the United States gives this story any flavor. Make me feel the pain of being an outsider in your own home. Make me long for a life that is idealized by time and distance. Give me more insight into Indian culture and how it makes this story happen. Don't just keep serving chai and roti. There is so much more to your voice than an old sari and some naan. I'm getting frustrated all over again just thinking about it.

Next, give the characters some personality. There's the successful, driven executive who is a control freak. There's the pretty and loved one who does her duty to family. There's the rebel artist who pushes people away. It's so cliche. Give me some flawed humanity. Give me hidden anguish. Or, explain to me why these women are so one-dimensional and rigid. And don't tell me it's because their dad was an abuser. I kept wanting more, hoping for a breakthrough, and it never happened. This is probably why I couldn't pursue a career in phsychology- I would lose my temper on people who held back.

As the youngest of three daughters, I would have loved to relate to the women as their relationships grew over time. But they didn't. They are all stuck in their ways and only make superficial growth throughout the pages. Ranee, the mom, is easily my favorite character because she does allow for changes. Her revelation was not a surprise for me, but was foreshadowed elegantly enough that I only knew what would happen, not how. That was one part of the writing that I felt was well-developed. Otherwise, it was mostly immature and heavy-handed writing.

Part of me hoped that this would connect me to the part of my family that came to the States from India. Though I haven't seen them in over a decade, there are some bonds that exist forever. They did not suffer the kind of torment as the family in the novel, but there are definitely some complicated relationships there.

I mentioned complicated grief earlier. This is a term a friend introduced me to while she was coping with her mother's death. I find the idea so fascinating and also comforting. It's a phrase I wish to give to many people I know who feel conflicted about the end of relationships or lives near to them. Maybe that will be a theme in something I write one day. Until then, I hope it at least gives people something to think about.

Trail of Broken Wings gets a disappointing two Marias. Wish me luck that the next one is worth recommending.

Chapter 32: A Book Set at Christmas (Thanksgiving)

A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Madeline L'Engle

I'm fudging this one a little. The challenge says Christmas, but I read one that takes place Thanksgiving Day instead. Sue me.

Planet is the third in L'Engle's Time Trilogy, which became a Quartet then Quintet. But the central characters of the first three are the same, those of the following two are not.

It's been years since we last met Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace. Meg and Calvin are now married and Charles Wallace, a teenager, is constructing models of a tesseract. The whole Murray family has convened for a traditional holiday dinner together, when father gets a disturbing call from the president.

Thus begins Charles Wallace's journey through time to see if it is possible to change one moment to affect change in the future. Unlike butterfly effect theories, Charles Wallace, with the help of Meg via kything, seek to pinpoint and alter one tiny moment to save the future without changing everything else.

Through their mental and spiritual connection, Meg watches as Charles Wallace travels through the genealogy of Mad Dog Branzillo, looking for the right moment to rescue the future. For now I will ignore the moral and ethical criticisms of the novel and just focus on what I specifically liked and disliked.

Well, of course, there is Meg. She's not the same kickass teenager that I love. She's become pretty and content and lacks all the angsty fire I used to love. She's no longer blazing, just some glowing embers. Which, you know, is actually a fine way for a woman to grow. I just don't find much to cheer her for now that she's all mature.

I like that L'Engle blends science and religion without putting them at odds. In this episode, she adds some Paganism to the mix, which is like seasoning an already delicious dish. So many times, I think we get caught in a fallacy of mutual exclusivity, that we miss the duality in nature of the world around us. (There will be more discussion of this at a later date because it ties in to another theme of a different novel.)

I like the family histories. Even when the oft repeated names became confusing. The mystery of which branch the final antagonist will come from is an interesting exercise in word play.

As someone with vertigo, I love the title. It perfectly describes those moments.

It's not my favorite in the series, but I'm sure I'll read it again (and again). Meg's transformation and weak role don't help this one earn any extra Marias. Planet ties up this trilogy with just 3 Marias.

Chapter 29: A Book of Short Stories

Fictitious Dishes, Dinah Fried

Technically not a collection of short stories, this book still belongs somewhere on the list. I received a copy for my birthday last month. It is so me! It's paragraphs from famous novels, plus design and photography, plus a list of facts pertaining to the food, the novel, or otherwise related to the selection.

Charlie enjoyed going through the pages to see if I had read all the books mentioned in Dishes. Apparently I need to add some to my list. It was fun to see how many were captured well enough to know the title before seeing it.

You won't get in depth in any of the stories, but if you enjoy food writing, this one might just capture enough of your imagination to make it worth perusing. I'm keeping it out so visitors can drop in on Melville and Alcott and McCloskey. Ms. Fried has certainly crafted a conversation starter, earning her 4.5 Mariass (only losing half a Maria because so little text is original).

   

Chapter 26: A Book From Your Childhood

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle

First, sorry for the crappy image, but this is the cover of my copy and nothing else will do.

I seriously cannot believe this novel only gets 4.04 stars on Goodreads. It is one of my all-time favoritest books of forever. I'm not even exaggerating. Let me tell you why.

Meg is, like, the best girl hero every imagined. (Yes, I went Valley Girl on that.) She is the quintessential awkward tween girl without the pack of friends to make those years bearable. And let's face it, those years suck, even when they don't. She doesn't go through some physical transformation that turns her ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. What she does is realize, on her own, that her character alone is what is going to get her family back together after an intergalactic error. And when I say that, I don't mean that Meg alone is what is going to do it, I mean a vital and unchangeable portion of the very essence of Meg is what does. (This would be a lot easier to talk about if I was ok giving spoilers, but I really want you to read this book. And if you already have, I want you to read it again.)

That's pretty much it. Meg rules. There are other good things about the story, including the moment when Meg declares, "Like and equal are not the same thing at all." But her grrrl power just overshadows everything else I could say. Every time I read this one, I pick up on something new or something I have forgotten. And I'm sad to say that I have not read the whole series. I promise myself I will rectify that error as soon as this challenge is over. I'm really looking forward to A Swiftly Tilting Planet because it is beloved by a friend whose judgement in these things I really value.

One interesting thing that I did not pick up on in the past, perhaps because I didn't think about the subject often, is that it's possible that L'Engle was writing about a family with Autism in the early 1960's. Let that sink in a minute. Now consider- both parents are brilliant, as is Charles Wallace. But they aren't just smart. They think in such unusual ways that they are able to understand the inexplicable. I could be way off on this one. Maybe she was elevating them to more enlightened creatures and I misinterpreted. It could happen. But maybe these two things are not mutually exclusive and she tapped into something that didn't enter common conversation for four more decades. I can't wait to see what else she has in store for me.

Wrinkle joins Mockingbird on my forever bookshelf to which I will return again and again. Meg alone earns 4.75 of its 5 Marias. Seriously, I love this girl.

Chapter 21: A Book With Nonhuman Characters

The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Neil Gaiman

You might have picked up that I don't read reviews or even dust jackets when selecting books. This was one of those. I had a few hours to spend at a bookstore, so I selected a large stack of interesting looking titles and began on page one. If, by page three I was still interested, I bought it. I spent a lot of money that day. Ocean, written by the same man who gave us Coraline, the creepiest kid movie ever, was definitely a good choice. Had I realized it was the same guy, I might not have picked it up. Teri Hatcher's voice still gives me the heebie-jeebies, and every time I see a LaLaLoopsy doll with button eyes I shiver. So I'm glad I didn't read the flap.

It's hard to describe this short novel without either giving away too much or relegating the fantasy to normal, boring, earthbound language. It reminded me of A Wrinkle In Time, one of my all-time favorite stories but is still very different. Gaiman crafted a fast-paced, character driven novel with immense creativity and enough magic to believe it might all be true. It's gross and engrossing, terribly tragic, and somehow still a children's story on some level. I would not let my seven year old read it just yet, but I will probably introduce him to it after her reads Wrinkle.

There is nothing here for me to critique. When you pull off an entire novel in 178 pages, without leaving a bunch of unresolved threads, you've managed a bit of magic for real. It's neither a short story with fluff padding it, nor a novel with chunks missing. It is, instead, a perfectly satisfactory piece of writing that I am pleased to give four Marias.

Chapter 9: A Book Based Entirely On Its Cover

The Book Of Bright Ideas, Sandra Kring

"Your dad looks like Elvis," Winnalee said when Daddy and me got back to the yard (not even bothering to whisper), but that wasn't so. He had black hair like Elvis, and eyes the color of a navy crayon, but not the same nose and mouth, just regular ones.

Before I can even get into discussing the writing, I have to talk about this cover. It's popped up on my online library page a few times and has always been a Maybe Read. It's obviously Chick Lit and looks like it's probably pretty funny. This sassy little girl appears to be up to something. I finally decided to find out what and I was not disappointed.

Bright Ideas is narrated by 9 year old Button. She tells story of one crazy summer as only a timid child can. Winnalee (the cover girl) and her sister Freeda blow in to small-town Wisconsin and set Button's world on end. By the time Labor Day rolls around, no one is the same. The characters are lovable, if somewhat one dimensional, and the story, while predictable, is entertaining in large part due to the narration.

Early in the book, I assumed it took place in the South. People say things like "Bless her heart." I don't remember people talking like this in the Midwest of my childhood, but the turn of phrase is very charming. As I neared the final pages, I began to tire of the expressions, but for most of the book, I enjoyed how Button describes emotions as physical attributes: twirling me until my belly got the giggles and Some sad was sitting in her eyes. These were more powerful than the incongruent dialect, so I could look past that.

Another confusing aspect was the weather. Daffodils are blooming, but school is out of session, but people still need sweaters. Now, I am well aware that the climate of the Midwest can be unpredictable, but these little details just don't make sense. Perhaps school let out much earlier in 1961, or this town is somehow above the Arctic Circle. Even still, Wisconsin has four seasons and the shift described is too abrupt. And I'm the girl who had several feet of snow fall down the back of my parka while on spring break in Chicago. I think it's the flower detail that sticks in my craw because daffodils will even come up through snow in the Midwest. Regardless, these details rubbed me the wrong way.

Looking beyond details, the story is formulaic and shallow. It's not groundbreaking or revealing of some under-analyzed part of the human experience. It doesn't need to be any of those things, though. It is tender entertainment told in the light of childhood magic. Kring does an excellent job of creating and maintaining a voice for each character. The way they speak reveals as much about their personalities as their actions do. At times the author gets carried away with exposition, like when Freeda goes off on Button's mom, but I probably prefer the efficiency of it to a clumsy attempt to show these truths over time.

Overall, this is a cute book for some light reading. I doubt I'll read the sequel, but I did enjoy this one. If you like chick lit, a little absurdity, and family drama, this book is for you.

Chapter 7: A Funny Book

Where'd You Go, Bernadette, Maria Semple

I love satire. I love comedies of error. I love Arrested Development. I love the first 2/3 of this book.

One of the things I never get tired of reading on the internet is comments on satire pieces. It will never stop being funny that people read outrageous articles about how one ER has started just handing out narcotics to anyone who asks and not only believe it, but react vehemently to it. "I know it's satire, but there are people who actually think that way!" always makes me giggle.

The main story is that an East Coast transplant finds inspiration for her ground-breaking (no pun intended) architecture in sunny, Los Angeles County. Her foolish pride is demolished and she flees to Seattle, the least sunny place on Earth. Here she spirals out. Unlike some other reviewers, I do not have trouble deciding how I feel about Bernadette. She's charming, unusual, and most likely suffering from mental illness. In short, she's a genius with a MacArthur Grant to prove it. I actually prefer my main characters to be at least a little disturbed, and Bernie certainly fits that bill.

So, the first 4 sections of Where'd You Go are like a scrapbook of emails, handwritten notes, magazine articles, et cetera, pieced together with short paragraphs of narration. It works well to keep the story moving without getting bogged down in repetitive or banalities. This is Semple's forte. She switches from one voice to another without confusion. I literally read different missives in different voices in my head. The bumbling Head of School, anxious to not offend anyone, reads so differently than the snooty Christian neighbor or the self-empowered divorcee.

Sections five and six, however, get smacked with an iceberg. The pace shifts to neutral with no warning and the format switches to chick-lit narrative......................... Sorry, I fell asleep just thinking about it. Not only does the format change, the story becomes unbelievable. Up to this point everything that has happened is outrageous and unlikely, but not beyond the realm of possibility. Now it's losing passengers from cruise ships and people stowing away to the South Pole. And yet, if Semple had kept with the epistolary, it would have worked. I would have fallen for it.

A few things I loved about this book- the humor isn't laugh-out-loud, but is quite amusing. The more obvious ironies are just as funny as the more subtle ones. The caricatures are well constructed. I particularly loved Soo-Lin, who attends Victims Against Victimhood meetings and is quick to TORCH her friends with what she has learned in her self-help group. Ollie O, the PR guy for Galer Street School is also a riot. Reading his emails took me back to the days of working for a man who insisted that every publication be full of ALL CAPS and bolds, italics, and underlines and sometimes ALL OF THE ABOVE!!! I also loved the relationship between Bernadette and her daughter. Bee is totally normal and lovable, which makes her strange. The two "share a fascination with what (they) call happy-angry people." And if I couldn't find enough reason to love Bee, her favorite movie is Xanadu, the 1980 Olivia Newton-John-and-Gene-Kelly-on-roller-skates masterpiece.

Besides the abrupt shift in format and pace there were a few places where the writing is clumsy. I had to read a few phrases more than once to find the right emphasis and flow. I only marked it twice, so it wasn't excessive, but it was enough to note. A book this simple should not require multiple passes to make sense. It's a minor complaint, but I'm here to tell you what I really think.

Overall, I liked Bernadette. The hilarity balances the tragedy enough that it is beachworthy. I would not go so far as to declare it uproarious or laugh-out-loud. I never even chuckled. But I can always pop in the Bluth family for that.