The City and the City - China Mieville (Audio)

I am a huge fan of the mystery thriller genre, but I would be the first person to admit that a vast majority of the plots out there are predictable and forgettable. I'm tired of the religious zealot/mother obsessed serial murderer that dismember/eat their victims/take souvenirs, I'm tired of the damaged protagonist's loved one getting kidnapped but living when everyone else dies, I'm even tired of the male and female protagonists that can't seem to cast aside their hangups and get together while chasing bad guys. Please, people, something original!!!!!

Ask and ye shall receive, says China Mieville.

Synopsis: On its surface, it is business as usual. Dogged investigator Tyador Borlu has been assigned to the murder of a young woman found in an empty lot in his home town of Beszel (vaguely Eastern European). Through the first person narrative, Borlu begins to suspect that this is not a straight-forward crime, but one that may have breached borders with Beszel's neighboring city Ul Qoma.

Borlu reveals a unique relationship between these two cities that exist amongst and betwixt each other. Beszel exists in the same physical location as Ul Qoma, but the inhabitants, their language, their dress, their architecture, their officials, their laws, EVERYTHING is separate. A passport must be used to travel from one city to the other. Political struggles abound. Citizens of either city are taught from an early age to "unsee" anything from the other side, and if they dare breach, a sinister KGB-ish group emerges from the mist to rain down all kinds of hell on them. So begins one of the most complicated cases of Borlu's career.

My thoughts: A little confused? Yeah, so was I for at least a disc or two of the book. The story lulls you into what seems like a typical police procedural, then it takes a 90 degree turn and you find yourself in very strange, unfamiliar territory. How did I get here? What on earth IS this? HELP!!!!! I've gotten lost before though, and my general response is to just relax and go along for the ride. In this case, it works itself out quite nicely. In fact, this was the equivalent of a 10K for the brain - it got those lazy cells humming. I marveled at the uniqueness, the cleverness of Mr. Mieville and figure he must be some kind of a genius. I know I am not alone in this sentiment. This book has been highly regarded in the book blogging community, justly.

So. Anyone out there want to see if some equally genius director make this into a movie? A show of hands?

A word about the audio production: Narrated by John Lee, he of the smooth and enticing British accent, and narrator of "Drood", "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society", "World Without End" as well as other Mieville audios, is flawless. He can utter his words through my headphones anytime. He makes an audiobook experience what it is all about.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger (Kindle)

As usual, I am one of the last people I know that has yet to read The Time Traveler's Wife (which is on the top 10 list of half the book blogging population). Therefore, I had no expectations when I ordered Niffenegger's new novel, Her Fearful Symmetry. People were all over the place with the reviews. Some loved it, some said it was just plain weird, some didn't like it much at all. EW gave it a C+!!! Still, I am nothing if not a lover of weird literature, so I went for it.

I hesitate to summarize, as it has been done ad nauseum. But for those who haven't heard, I will try to lay it out briefly. Twenty-year-old twins, Julia and Valentina, living in Chicago, are informed that they have inherited the London flat of their mother's (Edie) recently deceased twin Elspeth. Apparently, things have been dicey between Edie and Elspeth for years, so this all come as quite a shock to the girls. Against the better judgement of their parents, Julia and Valentina fly off to London on a new adventure, to take possession of their newly acquired real estate. They become acquainted with Robert, Elspeth's lover, and their upstairs neighbor, Martin, who is severely OCD and can't leave his flat. They also meet the ghost of Elspeth, who just happens to be hanging around the flat, watching the girls. The famous Highgate Cemetery is outside their back door, adding a bit more atmosphere to the tale as well.

Things start to get a little interesting when Elspeth begins to develop a close friendship with Valentina at the same time Robert starts to date her. In Elspeth's experimentation as a ghost, she comes across a revelation of sorts. One that is terrifyingly creepy and possibly deadly.

I'll just lay this out on the table up front. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I enjoyed its uniqueness, its weirdness and its unpredictability.

Let's start with Julia and Valentina's relationship. They are inseparable, but almost to the point of it being inappropriate. They dress alike, they sleep together, and always hold hands. At the age of twenty, this is a tad bit strange. (Does anyone know twins like this? Most twins I know are pretty normal!) However, this does not bother me a bit. One of my first horror novels was a book called Whispers by Dean Koontz, where one twin keeps his dead twin brother with him, and makes out with his disintegrating body. Now THAT is weird.

I was filled with fascination at the character development of Martin, the upstairs neighbor with OCD. I guess I knew what OCD was, but have never really understood its implications. Now I do. I was also fascinated at Niffenegger's portrayal of Elspeth's ghost, how she developed into a spirit that can influence her surroundings, her thoughts, frustrations, and regrets. The events that unfold as a result of Elspeth's ghost completely freaked me out. My heart pounded for the last quarter of the book. The night after I finished the book, I had dreams about dead kittens. I kid you not.

I will admit, there were some faults with the book. You don't become all that invested in the characters. The twins are immature and slightly indulgent. Robert is strung out. I never quite trust Elspeth. And there is tremendous amount of detail about The Highgate Cemetery...all you ever wanted to know and more. Those quibbles aside, the book is the furthest thing from predictable. I pride myself in figuring out plots in advance, but Niffenegger had me with this one. My advice? Give it a shot...you might be surprised!

4.5 out of 5 stars

The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafon (audio)

I don't think anyone would argue that "The Shadow of the Wind" is one of the good ones. There's a whole lotta love going around for this book, and I contributed a little bit of my heart to the mix. The story was mysterious, romantic, atmospheric and beautiful. Listening to the audio was a seduction. After finishing, the obvious thing to do was move on to The Angel's Game, which I understood to be a sort of prequel to SOTW.

I was hesitant. Some loved the book, some didn't. Some couldn't even finish it. Some recommended not to read the two books close together. Most said it did not match up to Shadow of the Wind. Yet I plunged ahead.

Enter David Martin, a young talented writer who has a deep passion for literature, but spends his days in a crumbling, moldy tower, pounding out trashy crime novels. Parentless, he is mentored by a wealthy playboy who eventually claims Martin's true love, Christina, for his own. He is a work-a-holic, his greedy publishers are sucking him dry, his only friend is a bull-headed 17-year-old female assistant, and soon discovers he has terminal brain cancer.

The dark, mysterious Andreas Corelli, a Parisian publisher, approaches Martin, offering a solution to all his problems. For a huge sum of money, Martin will write a novel that will be his magnum opus - he will create a "new religion". Martin's brain cancer, his previous contract with the blood-sucking publishers, and any distractions will be "handled" by Corelli. Never mind that Corelli reeks of evil, and that we, the readers, suspect this is the old "selling your soul to the devil" kinda thing. (It is what is oft referred to in the Nawrot house as a "sh*t-filled Twinkie".) Martin, a desperate man however, takes the deal happily. He soon begins to suspect, to his horror, that it appears others have taken the same deal before him, and have not fared well. After a little cloak and dagger investigating, Martin becomes increasingly disenchanted with Senor Corelli. He wonders if there is any way to extricate himself from Corelli, without sacrificing his life.

There are many things about this story that have a similar feel to "Shadow of the Wind". The Cemetery of Forgotten Books makes its appearance, as well as the previous generation the Sempere and Sons bookstore (for most of the book I thought it was the same father and son as Shadow of the Wind...I'm a little dense sometimes). It was heart-warming to see my old friends appear in this tale. We also have a little unrequited love, secrets revealed and a crumbling, spooky old house. This is where the similarities end, however.

This book is a much darker, sinister and violent book. The body count is significant...people drop like flies right and left. The book is also filled with confusing twists and turns that will give your mind a good screwing. (Have you ever seen the movie The Game with Michael Douglas? If you have, this book is in the same category...). I had to pay attention, and still I found myself saying "Wha???" every disc or two. I didn't find our main man and main gal (Martin and Christina) to be likable. Martin was cold, detached and depressed, and Christina seemed whiny. The only character I really liked was Martin's plucky assistant, Isabella.

Even after rattling off all of those negatives, however, this is not a book I will soon forget. It took me a couple of days just to verbalize my thoughts. It is an over-the-top, gluttonous feast of mind candy. It was enough of a sugar-high to leave your head spinning in the end, weak in the knees. I immediately started listening to a feel-good audio after I finished this one, and had to shut it down after about fifteen minutes. My mind was too shell-shocked for feel-good. I cranked up a murder mystery...that was better.

I raved about the narrator in the Shadow of the Wind. He was so smooth and so sultry, I was putty in his hands. As a result, I was so very disappointed to hear a different narrator, Dan Stevens, at the helm. He is an accomplished narrator, though, and I will admit he performed excellently. But because he is a British actor, most of his voices had British accents, even though they were Spanish characters. Small quibble.

4 out of 5 stars

RIP Challenge Wrap-Up

Why don't we all pause for a moment to applaud Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings for hosting this most excellent challenge! This was my first experience with the RIP reading extravaganza, and I lost my head a bit. First of all, I got all excited and jumpy and immediately signed up for the four book deal, thinking it was a year-long challenge (I know, I know, it makes no sense). But as I like to say, in for a dime, in for a dollar. What the hell.

I had a long list of books just sitting around, waiting to fulfill my RIP duties. As it turns out, I did not read four books for the challenge, I read NINE. Granted, not all the reviews were posted by the end of October (the last one is scheduled to be published November 13th) but I read them in the proper time frame, so I figure it counts. Do you think Carl would do another RIP in April? And make it last for four months? Better yet, maybe he COULD do one for a full 12 months! Here were the books I read for the challenge:

Meggie's Remains - Joanne Sundell

Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier (Discussions here and here)
The Seance - John Harwood

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

The Uninvited - Steven LaChance

The Angel's Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafon (coming 11/10)

Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger (coming 11/12)

The BoneMan's Daughters - Ted Dekker (coming 11/13)

I thoroughly enjoyed this challenge, and am preparing already for next year. Thanks a million Carl!

The Uninvited - Steven LaChance

Yes, I will admit I am a book snob. I was actually embarrassed to carry this one around with me. But it was the next selection for our book club, so I had no choice. I was even embarrassed when I went into Barnes & Noble to buy the book, as it was buried deep within the "New Age" section. But see, this is the beauty of book clubs...we read books that I would never in a million years pick up on my own.

Here was the appeal: it was our October selection, and it was a true story about a haunted house in a small town near St. Louis MO. Time to open our minds!

Steven LaChance was a single dad with three children trying to make ends meet, skipping around from apartment to apartment. He found an ad for a house (with a backyard!) for a very reasonable price. The ad said it was perfect for kids. Sold!

Well, our mothers teach us that if it seems too good to be true...which was the case here. As early as move-in day, weird things started happening. Pictures fell off the wall. Rooms got suddenly cold. Electric energy would pass through their bodies. They saw shadowy figures aggressively approaching them, they heard screaming, they saw bodies hanging from the trees. It didn't take long before they got the hell out, and the house was rented to another family.

The next family wasn't so smart. They could not afford to move once the bullshittery started, so they decided to seek help and try to ride it out. Steven felt compelled to help out these poor souls, and befriended Helen, the grandmotherly woman of the house. The longer she stayed, the more serious the hauntings became. She was "raped" by a dark figure in the house. She had bites and bruises on her body. She started acting possessed just shy of pea soup, and had impulses of suicide and homicide.

They learned that the house was built over land that was once a burial ground for slaves. They sought help from psychics, priests and medical personnel. Eventually, both Steven and Helen recovered from their experience, and Steven has dedicated himself to helping others with similar issues.

Do I believe it? That is hard to say. I am a very open-minded gal, and this guy seems pretty earnest. I couldn't find any skeptical evidence against him online. He even has (questionable) pictures taken within the house. I guess I can go with it...why not, just for grins?

I was, however, a bit put-off by Mr. LaChance's flair for the dramatic. He kept pulling out these corny lines like "That was the beginning of Helen's last week in the house, but the start of many new nightmares for us both" and "In the years to come I would try to figure out why it all went so wrong so fast". I was frustrated by Helen's refusal to leave the house. She called Steven alot in the middle of the night, she cried alot, she asked for help alot. Here's the deal. If a spirit were raping me, I think I'd live in a homeless shelter before I spent one more night in that house, so I found all of this a bit hard to swallow. I was beleaguered with questions like...if Mr. LaChance was so disturbed by his experiences in the haunted house, why did he keep going back, even after he'd moved? Why did he blame everything bad that happened to him (even after he'd left the house) to some demon that apparently wanted him dead? Personally, I think at this point, La Chance was milking it. Coincidentally, he had become unemployed right about this time and perhaps needed an income stream?

On the positive side of things, La Chance did find God as a result of his tribulations. And he has dedicated himself to helping others suffering from evil beasties find God as well.

The book club's takeaway:

Most of the book club found the book to be frightening. Like "I can't read this at night" frightening. As a whole, we all agreed we could believe in the idea of spirits...almost everyone had a story about other-worldly things that had happened to them or a friend, particularly around the time they had lost a loved one. There was some discussion about the sensitivity of children and pets to these types of things (kids who had "seen" and talked to dead grandparents), and the fear of anything weird that happens between 3am and 5am. One member of the book club even once worked for a group of ghost hunters that went around the country investigating occurances, attempting to prove their falsehood. We all agreed that the prose in the story was pretty lame and pedestrian. Overall, however, I think most of the club members liked the story a bit more than I.


2.5 out of 5 stars

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson (audio)

This was another book on my list in which I felt I was the last to read. Fueled by insanely great reviews and Larsson's tragic death at the age of 50, after he had written a trilogy beginning with this book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo has taken the literary world by storm. As Larsson was Swedish, I knew the book was a translation, and included a huge cast of characters (to the point where the book comes with its own genealogical map), all with Swedish names. Was this too ambitious for an enjoyable audio experience? At the end of the day, my vote would be a resounding NO. In fact, it was pure unadulterated joy listening to this story.

The story is complicated, particularly once you sit down and try to briefly summarize it. Our protagonist is one Mikael Blomkvist, a middle-aged journalist who is managing editor of a small magazine that specializes in the financial sector, often exposing corporations and their white-collar crimes. One story involving a international hoodlum backfires, however, and Blomkvist is nailed for libel and sentenced to a short prison term. Blomkvist takes a leave of absence from the magazine to lick his wounds.

He is approached by an aging Swedish CEO and patriarch of a wealthy and extensive family, Henrich Vanger. Henrich offers Blomkvist a huge amount of money to write the story of his family history as cover for his real mission...to investigate the true nature of his grand-niece Harriet's disappearance (and presumed death) 40 years prior. There is a finite number of people who could have committed this unspeakable act, and most of them are the detested and dysfunctional members of Vangers' family. The police have long since exhausted all leads, but Vanger wants to try one more time before he dies. The cherry on top? If Blomkvist delivers, Vanger will serve up the international hoodlum to him on a platter.

Enter Lisbeth Salander. She is young, bi-sexual, anorexic-looking, pierced, tattooed (hence the title of the book), and socially backward, maybe even damaged. She wears leather and rides a motorcycle. But she is one of the world's best computer hackers and private investigators, and has come to help Blumkvist with his little project. Lisbeth is the real heart and soul of the story. She is an enigma...brilliant, vulnerable, introverted, and a total bad-ass. Any man that dares to mess with her is in for the shock of his life.

We have multiple plots. Corporate corruption. Familial blight and feuds. Brutal crimes against women. Sadism. If you like mysteries and thrillers, this is as good as it gets people. Blumkvist's unraveling of the Vanger family rat's nest is nothing short of brilliant, yet slow and methodical, revealing just enough to keep you on edge. And then there is Salander, who is probably one of the most bewitching characters ever developed on paper. I wanted to protect her, to befriend her, and maybe even accompany her when she is unleashing her whup-ass on her victims.

The narrator of the story, Simon Vance, is impeccable. He has won countless awards for his narrations, one of them for this performance. AUDIOFILE's review of his work on this book stated "“His voices are so natural and fit so well with their characters that the listener is completely transported into the story.” Well there you go. Couldn't agree more, couldn't have said it better. Swedish names be damned, you will not have any issues following this plot. You have my word.

5 out of 5 stars

The Seance - John Harwood

I've been seriously NEEDING to read this book ever since I heard about it from Jackie and Simon. I loved The Ghost Writer, also written by Harwood, and I needed some spooky reads for my RIP reading challenge as well.

The book opens in 1889 with an introduction to Constance Langton, a teenage girl who, probably because of her distant relationship with her parents, has always imagined herself to be adopted. After her parents die, she inherits a crumbling old Gothic mansion from a relative she never knew she had. She is warned by the family's lawyer to stay away from the hall, as it has been associated with deadly accidents, mysterious disappearances, and rumors of ghost sightings. She would be better off to sell it and move on. But Constance is a headstrong girl, and persists in exploring the history of her long-lost ancestors, and eventually receives from the lawyer several diaries with clues to the hall's sordid past. Has she found the key to determining her suspected parentage? Have there really been disappearances associated with lightning and a suit of armor? Are all the ancestors really dead? Are there malevolent spirits at work, and can they be summoned through a seance? In order to solve the riddle of her own ancestry, she must also find the answers to these questions.

I had a tough time getting traction with this book until about halfway through. (I am prepared to accept full responsibility, and blame it on real life distractions.) This isn't a long book, only a little over 300 pages, but it took me about a week to read. With that said, I did enjoy it. Atmospheric down to the last word, this is a book that could have been written in the Victorian era by Wilkie Collins himself. Every nuance screams "sensationalist". So if this is your genre, you must add this one to your list. I can't say that it was all that scary, but it certainly was creepy and spun an intriguing mystery. The mystery, however, was dispelled fairly abruptly, over the last 50 pages or so, which I think took away some of the aura of the book. On the other hand, with these mysteries solved, Constance finally gets the answers for which she has always yearned.

I wanted to share the following video with you, which features Harwood talking about The Seance, his inspirations for the characters in the book, and his love of Victorian mysteries. (Rest assured - no spoilers.) It is a little over 5 minutes long, but it is worth it. Take a look:





4 out of 5 stars

Rebecca Read Along - Week 2 Discussion

Welcome back again to Week 2 of the Rebecca Read-Along! Our goal was to have finished the book by this week. If you are running behind, no worries. We have no deadlines here at my house...we are a happy, laid-back group! (For my brief summary of the book, and discussion on the first half of the novel, click here.) Just as a reminder, here are my friends that are joining in the read-along. You can answer the questions in comment, or link to your own post:

Michele @ Reader's Respite
Carrie @ Books and Movies
Jackie @ Farm Lane Books
Frances @ Nonsuch Book
Molly @ The Bumbles
Donna @ From Little Acorns
Another Cookie Crumbles
Alice Teh @ Hello My Name is Alice
Heidenkind's Hideaway
Susan @ Bear Swamp Reflections
April @ Good Books & Good Wine

ds @ Third-Storey Window

Kaye @ Pudgy Penguin Perusals

Kathleen @ Boarding in My Forties

Amy @ The House of Seven Tails

Paperback Reader

So how are you all feeling now, after finishing this roller-coaster ride? Personally, I was completely enamoured with this book. It reminded me of a recent meme question (Booking Through Thursdays I think!) about the most fun you've ever had reading a book. This was FUN, people. All out, heart-pounding, reading-until-the-wee-hours, top-10-books-of-all-time kind of fun. So to explore the last half of the book, where the action really gets rolling, here are some questions (spoilers occur - beware!):

1. There is a drastic change in the second Mrs. de Winter (whom I will call DW2 from hereon) mid-way through the book. Talk about what caused the transformation. How did you feel about DW2 after this happened?

DW2 grew up quickly after being played a fool by Mrs. Danvers at the ball. (OK let's all admit it...we knew what was going to happen, didn't we? You could see it coming a mile away, so shame on her.) That, combined with the discovery of Rebecca's boat on the ocean floor, gave DW2 an edge of maturity almost overnight. She was no longer intimidated by Mrs. Danvers! She began running the house with a firm hand! SHE EDITED A MENU! I thought it was quite refreshing! Nice to see the girl grow a pair! I fear, however, that down the road, this change in personality may be the marriage's undoing.

2. Although it was not explicitly discussed, what do you think was the true nature of the relationship between Rebecca and Mrs. Danvers?

I recall a scene when Mrs. Danvers was putting ALL the men in their place by telling them how Rebecca sneered at each and every one of them behind their backs, informing them that they had all been used. That is when it came into focus for me. I believe Mrs. Danvers was not only loyal to Rebecca, but was in love with her. Rebecca knew this, of course, and being the user that she was, manipulated Mrs. Danvers' emotions accordingly. The servant's emotions were way too intense for it to be any other way.


3. In the discussion questions last week, I asked how you felt about Maxim de Winter. Has your opinion changed? Why?

Once Maxim confessed his wrong-doings to DW2, he certainly did an about face in the personality department, didn't he? All of the sudden, he was loving towards DW2, physically and emotionally affectionate...all those things DW2 just knew would happen at some point. See, thing is, I'm not buying what he's selling. The bastard was just scared, and needed someone to cling to. So while I disliked the moody bi-polar Maxim in the first half of the book, this one really got my dander up. Not only that, but I started to question his ability to control his homicidal tendencies. I'm not sure I'd have turned MY back to him after that.


4. Were you satisfied with the ending? Did you have closure? Did you have to go back and re-read the beginning?

My mom (who just listened to this book on audio) and I discussed the ending recently, and she was not satisfied. She likes her endings wrapped up nicely, with a red bow on top, as many do. On the other hand, I was pleasantly surprised. No, there is no finality, no summary telling us what happened to all the characters, with a happily-ever-after flourish. But there is cosmic karma, just deserts, payback hell...whatever you want to call it. I like that. And the loose ends were long enough that I could grasp them and have some fun weaving my own ending.

I did have to go back and re-read the first chapter again. It helped me solidify the answer to the next question...

5. If you could write the sequel to this book, how would you envision the lives of Maxim and DW2 after the story's end? Do you think they'll be happy together?

I don't think their life after Manderley was a happy one. Maxim hinted at his discontent at the "new" DW2, the jaded one. I believe his initial attraction to DW2 was her innocence and childlike qualities, which were the antithesis to Rebecca. Once she lost that, the appeal would be gone. When you re-read the beginning, it seems he has completely shut down, and she still lives half of her life through her fantasies and imagination, fawning over what once was.

6. How would you classify this novel? Love story? Ghost story? Tragedy? Murder mystery? Some have called "Rebecca" one of the greatest gothic romances of all time. Do you agree?

I would classify this story as a gothic murder mystery. It isn't a ghost story per se, although Manderley is shrouded with the memory of Rebecca. I'm not sure if I'd call it a romance, because in my mind, there isn't much of that going on except in DW2's mind.

**********
There is an interesting thing that happens to me in these read-alongs. Opinions and ideas bubble to the surface as I answer my own questions. I don't always know the answer when I sit down to write. For example, I had not realized how much I didn't like Maxim until I started really thinking about it.

When I read back through my answers last week and this week, it seems that I didn't fall in love with any of the characters, so you would conclude that I didn't like the book, right? But no! I LOVED this book. Despite the characters' flaws, they seemed very real to me. The mystery and intrigue was unspooled expertly, and kept me on the edge of my chair. Du Maurier was brilliant. When I read Wuthering Heights, for example, I loathed every character, and thought the story was a trainwreck. I did not have fun reading that one. Big difference between the two, in my opinion. Now I can't wait to dive into My Cousin Rachel...


Rating?

5 out of 5 stars

Rebecca Read Along - Week 1 Discussion

Welcome to Week 1 of the Rebecca Read-along! Our goal was to read through Chapter 16 today, and then participate in a few discussion questions. Here are our friends sharing in the fun:

Michele @ Reader's Respite
Carrie @ Books and Movies
Jackie @ Farm Lane Books
Frances @ Nonsuch Book
Molly @ The Bumbles
Donna @ From Little Acorns
Another Cookie Crumbles
Alice Teh @ Hello My Name is Alice
Heidenkind's Hideaway
Susan @ Bear Swamp Reflections
April @ Good Books & Good Wine

ds @ Third-Storey Window

Kaye @ Pudgy Penguin Perusals
Kathleen @ Boarding in my Forties

Amy @ The House of Seven Tails

Paperback Reader

For those who are not reading along with us, and haven't read the book, here is the jist:

Atmospheric, gothic, eerie. A classic. A snobby social-climber's young assistant meets the dashing widower Maxim de Winter in Monte Carlo, and finds herself married and whisked off to his estate on the Cornish coast. Despite her fanciful expectations, life is not easy for her at Manderley. She finds herself forever in the shadow of her husband's elegant, beautiful, dead wife Rebecca. From Rebecca's loyal and sinister servant Mrs. Danvers, to the senile grandmother that screams Rebecca's name, there seems to exist an evil presence at Manderley. Secrets are slowly revealed, and we wonder...will Manderley ever be the same? Will Rebecca get the best of them, even from the grave?

While I have tried to make my question fairly general, spoilers may follow, so please be warned!

1. "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again." This is quite possibly one of the most famous opening lines of a book. How do these words set the tone for the rest of the story?

The beginning of the book is intriguing, with the narrator reflecting, almost wistfully, back over her years at Manderley. Since I've never read the book before, I really had no clue what had taken place. What happened to the great estate? Why are they living in a hotel? What I did know was the mood felt subdued, poignant and regretful. The atmospheric quality of the writing kicked in early, which made the description of Manderley seem almost haunted. I could easily deduce that things had not gone well.



2. Du Maurier obviously chose not to name the second Mrs. de Winter (referred to as DW2 from hereon). How did this affect your perception of her?

I was probably well into Chapters 8 or 9 when I realized I didn't know DW2's name. I had to stop for awhile and wonder why Du Maurier had taken this tactic. It seemed obvious that the author wanted us to feel the same emotion as the narrator, and that was the notion that she was nameless in the overwhelming shadow of Rebecca. The narrator felt she could do nothing right, and did not fit in. She was self-described as having plain hair, plain clothes, she had no skills in social settings, she did not share the love of hunting, riding horses, golfing, and she commanded no respect from her servants. Somewhere along the line, I wondered...is she really all that bad, or does she just have really low self-esteem? Either way, perception is reality, and I began to think of her as a mousy little pushover.


3. Do you think the character of DW2 was believable?

I believe that the character was totally believable of a 21 year old girl. That doesn't mean I liked it! She was very eager to please, eager to get away from her employer, eager to be "in love", and eager to live in the estate that she has always admired from afar as a child. Never mind that Maxim talked down to her, was moody and distant. Someday he would come around and realize how much he loved her! If we have seen it once, we have seen it a thousand times.

I was also quite entertained by DW2's mental flights of fancy. True to form in an emotional immature girl, she would imagine all of the conversations the townspeople and servants were having behind her back, imagine the life that her and Maxim would have someday, imagine the gloating letters she would write to her former employer.

I was literally screaming out loud, however, when she took fashion advice from Mrs. Danvers for the ball. The woman loved Rebecca, obviously hates DW2, looks like a walking corpse...would you trust her? I hate to say it, but little Miss Innocent had that life lesson coming to her!

4. What was your first impression of Maxim de Winter? Did you like him? Did you trust him?

Like I said earlier, Maxim seemed a little bi-polar to me. Moody one minute, the next minute chatty, but never expressing too much thoughtfulness towards his new bride. I just shook my head at the willingness of DW2 to accept the lack of a formal wedding (just because HE had already gone down that road). He often treated her as a child (granted, she was, being half his age). Perhaps this was the appeal. But because we saw Maxim through the narrator's eyes, and he treated her almost dismissively, we never really got a good glimpse of his personality. I wasn't sure I liked him, but I didn't really think he was dangerous or untrustworthy. I just thought he was self-centered with a few screws loose.


How do you weigh in on these questions? Feel free to answer in the comments, or link to your own post. See you next week with Round 2!

Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon (audio)

Listening to this book has been long in coming. As usual, I felt I was the last to read it, and had heard dozens of bloggers raving about its sultry, atmospheric content. I ordered it on audio from the library, quickly uploaded it, then realized it was short one disc. The library accused me of losing it, I had to accuse them of being Communists, and it got ugly before my honor was restored. Then of course, once the dust settled, I had to order it again, in order to upload the missing disc. Three months later, here I am.

It was not a short audio...17 discs. But what a tale. I find myself almost dreading the task of summarizing my thoughts. I hope I can do it justice, as it has the makings of a true classic. It is a story about book lovers for book lovers, which I believe is why it has touched the hearts of so many of you.

Tween-aged Daniel and his father live in pre-WWII Barcelona where they own and run a bookstore. Daniel's mother has recently died, and to ease Daniel's pain, his father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library of old, forgotten but preserved texts. Promising never to tell another soul, Daniel is allowed to choose one book, provided he vows to adopt and protect the book for life. Daniel chooses the book "Shadow of the Wind" by Julian Carax. The book captures his imagination, and soon Daniel attempts to find out more about the mysterious author. No one seems to know the fate of Carax, except that all of his books (except Daniel's) have been absconded and burned by a shadowy, disfigured man named Lain Coubert. The name Coubert just happens to be a character from one of Carax's stories; a character that represents the Devil.

Daniel befriends a homeless war veteran, Fermin Romero de Torres, who begins to work in the bookstore. Fermin and Daniel begin to investigate the life of Carax in earnest, and find themselves dragged down a dark path of no return. They come face-to-face with the author's life of sadness, fear, passion, friendships, unrequited love, bitterness and revenge. The lines between Carax's life and Daniel's life seem amazingly parallel and begin to blur, to the point where I even began to get confused whose life we were reading about. Daniel and Fermin's efforts become less a fact-finding mission and more a life-threatening situation when they butt heads with Carax's childhood friend turned mortal enemy, the murderous Francisco Javier Fumero.

There were many visuals that this story conjured in my mind's eye, the very best of them the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. Doesn't your literary heart just long to see something like this? You can almost imagine the unearthly stillness, the smell of old paper, and the thousands of lovingly protected stories kept there. The characters in this tale are larger than life, caricatures almost. I received the most pleasure and entertainment from Fermin Romero de Torres, a slightly off-center, passionate man, haunted by the past but determined to live life to its absolute fullest, with vigor. He reminded me so much of my father-in-law. The tale would also win an award for the most detestable, the most evil antagonist with Fumero. My skin crawled every time he spoke.

I must spend a little time talking about the audio production. The narrator, Jonathan Davis, was perfection. His voice is professionally neutral at one moment, the next moment the Spanish names and places and streets of Barcelona are rolling off his tongue as if it is his native language. He embodies a youthful voice for Daniel, an animated, expressive, Spanish-accented one for Fermin, and a maniacal, spine-chilling one for Fumero. And intermittently throughout the production, we are treated with beautiful, haunting piano music written by the author himself. Have a listen:

So if you haven't read this book yet, have I convinced you? If you have read it, have I done it justice? This is one of those rare books that transport you to a different country, a different time, to the point where you will forget where you are. It is a tale of mystery and passion and misfortune - it could rival a Shakespearean tragedy. Yet, it never loses its charm and beauty.

5 out of 5 stars

Meggie's Remains - Joanne Sundell

Over the past months, you may have caught me saying that I don't necessarily like romance novels. I can be a little bitter and jaded when it comes to the happily ever after thing. But with my never-ending audio experiences with the Outlander series, and now this book, Meggie's Remains, it seems I may have to eat my words.

We find ourselves in the year 1874, in the wild Colorado territory. Meggie has fled the East Coast to Denver to start a new life. Our first glimpse of our heroine, Meggie, is this:


It was coming - molded gray, dank, rotting. The thing was coming. This time she'd get away. This time she'd outrun the devil! Meggie took off down the narrow passage. The instant she came up hard against a door, she tried the knob. It wasn't locked! It led outside, onto a stairwell, then to an alleyway below. Ignoring the bitter cold, she scrambled down the flight of stairs and then quickly cleared the dark corner of the unknown building. She kept running, not stopping until she'd made it to the center of the deserted snowy street, until she'd made it into the light where she was safe. Spreading her arms wide, she tilted her face up into the welcoming snowfall and began to spin around as a child might - a child afraid of the monster after her - a child desperate to defend against such evil.

So my first thought is...this girl has issues. Serious issues. She is running away from something in her past, with one foot in reality and another in a fantasy world, and turning to God for protection. She panics when a man comes near her, she constantly chants a saying to ward off the evil that pursues her, and she dresses and acts like a seriously repressed schoolmarm. She lies about her name and her background, and imagines herself living in the world of Jane Eyre, having sexual fantasies about Edward Rochester. She faints and falls down and hurts herself. ALOT. I can't say I was initially too fond of this girl. She seems to be just a few cards shy of a deck, and in need of a good shaking.

Hours after her arrival in Denver, Meggie meets the well-muscled, wealthy, rugged, handsome Ethan - a Marlboro Man with some baggage of his own. But while hardship pushed Meggie towards God, Ethan's troubles have made him doubt his faith. Either way, there is chemistry abound. There is an undeniable connection here, but much confusion about prior relationships, psychological hangups, and all of those darned courtship issues. You want to scream "Get it together people! Just TALK IT OUT!". But we all know it is not that easy.

OK, so she's not THAT repressed. But my mom did teach me not to judge a book by its cover, which is a good lesson with respect to Meggie.

Without a man to protect her, she takes a job as a school teacher for a small isolated town. She lives by herself, learns to cook over a fire, battles the brutal winter, makes friends, manages a successful school, and learns to shoot a gun. She even pops a bullet into a drunkard's leg to protect a young woman from his unwanted advances. About halfway through the book, I will begrudgingly admit that I started to like her moxie.

In attempt to exorcise demons of the past, she begins to write a confessional letter to Ethan explaining her erratic and polarizing behavior. The letter is purely for therapeutic purposes - she never intends to mail it - but of course we all know that secret letters are meant to be found, right? Through this letter, though, we the readers finally see what's got Meggie so traumatized, and we begin to understand. As a result, our blood is all the more chilled when the devil himself tracks Meggie down to take care of her once and for all. We are struck with the realization that she may not be so crazy after all.

It was really quite easy to lose myself in this story - the romance, the personal struggle to overcome the worst mental and physical obstacles, a really nasty bad guy, a touch of religion, and just a hint of the paranormal. I found myself intrigued by the day-to-day life of those pioneers carving their way through the undeveloped West. I was also pleasantly surprised at the total 180 degree turn my attitude took towards Meggie. She won me over in the end.

I would like to thank Dorothy at Pump Up Your Book Promotion for inviting me to participate in this tour! And don't forget, if you are interested in winning one of two copies of this book, please leave your comments by October 3!

3.5 out of 5 stars

Correction!

I wanted to post a correction to something I'd published yesterday about the R.I.P. Reading Challenge. I got excited, you see, and got a little careless. You understand, I hope?

I understood this challenge to run for a full year, like most challenges do, starting now and running through October of next year. Uh uh! In fact, it runs September 1 through October 31st of this year. Two months! I would still be sitting here believing myself to have plenty of time to read my four books if it hadn't been for J. Kaye. Thanks for setting me back on the right path!

I apologize if I mislead anyone!

Now I'd better get busy reading...

I have no self-control

I think I saw this reading challenge first on Melody's blog and I very proudly straightened my stance and firmly said "That challenge is right up my alley, but no, I must not join. I am behind on my reading!". Over the last few days, however, I keep seeing post after post of those who have joined. I realized that I have all the books I need on my iPod on on my TBR stack to qualify for the challenge. Aren't I good at justifying things to myself?

So what is the challenge? It is called the RIP Challenge hosted by the eloquent Carl V. at Stainless Steel Droppings. In this case, RIP stands for Readers Imbibing Peril, and includes anything that would fall under the category of spooky, gothic, horror, supernatural...you know, all those things that I love to read! There are levels of commitment for the challenge, but I've decided to step in cautiously, at the Peril the First (four books). The challenge runs from September 1, 2009 to October 31, 2010. I can do this.

Here are some of the books I have on hand to choose to read for the challenge:

Let the Right One In - John Lindqvist

The Seance - John Harwood

The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Luis Zafon

The Angel's Game - Carlos Luis Zafon

The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane - Katherine Howe

My Cousin Rachel - Daphne Du Maurier
The Widow's Season - Laura Brodie

Any thoughts on which I should read first?