Spoiler alert not really needed for this one either, unless you don't want to know anything about Agatha Christie.... If not,.... what is wrong with you!!
Agatha Christie, A Biography - Janet Morgan
What an interesting life this woman has had!
What a great story this makes and what great books she left behind when she passed away. I am not even sure how to begin or what is important enough to highlight. I am not sure I can choose as it is really all good and interesting.
The book tells you about her unconventional childhood where s did not really have a formal education and go carte off to France as it was the only way to get her to learn the language properly. How she developed into this child that had great and varied interests but who hated to perform for the sake of it and only said what needed to be said. There is her ill fated first marriage, her infamous disappearance and her happy second marriage.
Agatha travelled a lot and spent a lot of her time with her second husband on his excavation sites for his archeological work. She tried to be of use to him and write he stories at the same time. It seems that she loved to collect trinkets and was kind to a fault to those closest to her. She could also be pedantic and difficult but who isn't. One thing that definitely comes across about her in this book is that she was a great observer of people, behaviour and that she was always thinking on murder plots, making notes where ever she could. She learnt the skill of plotting a story and what clues to leave where. The book also covers most of her work both books, stories, theatre and movie ventures. you get to know a it about where her inspiration comes from and how she worked.
An interesting point is made about her characters being stereotypes. They tend to act as you would expect them to. I guess this is true. When you meet a Christie character you tend to know what they will and will not do straight away. They tend to behave in a way that is expected of their type but that does not detract from them or their involvement in the story. What I am trying to say here is: sure Christie has created set characters in her books, they are people that are defined by their type to act in a certain way but.... and this is the BUT, she uses that against you as reader as well when she makes them behave out of character by turning out to be the killer. And that my friends is why I love her.
What I found interesting as well is how much she was plagued by money worries. Not in the least because of the complicated tax arrangements she had to contend with as an author but also because she seemed to have this continual fear of running out of money to live on. Surely someone who I know as one of the greatest crime writers ever would have had nothing to worry about on that front... but she had. The Taxman loves all money equally.
The book is a great read and although it does meander on a bit here and there is gives you a great insight into the woman behind the books. I am convinced it is only going to enhance my enjoyment of reading her work.
Title: Agatha Christie, A Biography
Author: Janet Morgan
378 pages
Harper Collins
ISBN nr 0-00-636961-8
Books to be read: 116
And this concludes my marathon review session for today.
My right hip now aches as does my rh calf muscle and I can hardly see the keyboard of my laptop but at least it is done and I can start reading a new book with a clear conscience.
Sunday 24 March 2013
If I have to write catching up one more time....
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
The Redbreast- Jo Nesbo
This one was good, very clever and very good.
It starts really slow and you end up wondering where it is all leading to and who will turn out to be the target and who the killer. Once it all comes together is is beautiful well paced, well thought out and well plotted. Nesbo writes very calmly and like he has all the time in the world to tell you about all these characters you meet. He knows they are all going to play their part in the final outcome and he spends some time setting them all up.
So, what is it all about? Our main character Harry Hole almost kills an America special services guy and has to be promoted out of harms way. He ends up an inspector in a section of the police that he does not particularly want to be in but tries and make the best of it. He is a recovering alcoholic (okay this is slightly cliche, I have not met too many fictional detectives that spend their evenings playing scrabble) and generally a bit of a misery guts. Yet he seems clever enough and observant, he notices the importance if the unlikely.
It all seems to start with an old rifle smuggled into the country and spirals out of control into a murder plot and a manhunt... for the wrong guy... well... actually he is the right guy but he is not who they think he is. Our killer remains obscured to the end. We know he is ill and does not have long to live. He feels a very strong urge to clean up the past to get his revenge on those who left their nation in its hour of need. He seems to do random things and kill random people but in the end it all makes sense.
There is one story told in the present time (where our murderer is killing) and then there is another woven in that deals with the past, which is where our murderer is really created. The interesting part of this second story is that it plays out during the Second World War in Norway and addresses the slightly ambiguous position of the county in the war. It deals with the fate of a group of soldiers who spend a lot of time trying to duck bullets and staying alive or thinking of defecting. This story is important to the whole atmosphere of the book and it explains to a large extent why our murderer became who he became. All is not revealed, however, until get to almost the last chapters of the book and this is the way it should be. Little clues and hints have been dropped throughout the book on who our killer is and when it all comes together you cannot wait for it to all be revealed.
Through out the book there is a lot of misdirection. There are plenty of red herrings and plenty of people set up that could be the killer for a variety of reasons and Harry navigates these waters very calmly and carefully. Most of the time it seems he is not sure if he is actually making progress. But he does get there in the end. It is all there in black and white... written up and printed out for him so if he didn't get that he would be a really bad detective. As a reader you know and find out things that no-one else in the book knows and sees. This makes you kind of superior but trust me it does not mean you see what is coming.
Of all the people that get killed I think it is the death of Harry previous partner that shocked me the most. She is such a pillar of strength for Harry and when she goes he flounders and fails. The reasons for her killing are very clearly set up but in the end nobody makes the links, Harry is too busy catching his lone gun man and it is all put down to a crime of opportunity. As he reader you know the what and how. I am sure Harry will figure it out in the end. I have a few more Nesbo ones on my shelves so I will be there with him when he does.
I have to admit that a few obvious loose ends remain in the end and that these are obviously set up so they can be dealt with in future books but Nesbo is forgiven for that. The story that he tells is good and engaging. Harry seems like a flawed but nice character and I cannot wait to see where he goes next. He even gets the girl in the end though I think he may not get to enjoy his happily ever after for too long.
Title: The Redbreast
Author: Jo Nesbo
618 pages
Vintage
ISBN nr 978-0-099-54677-1
Books to be read: 117
The Redbreast- Jo Nesbo
This one was good, very clever and very good.
It starts really slow and you end up wondering where it is all leading to and who will turn out to be the target and who the killer. Once it all comes together is is beautiful well paced, well thought out and well plotted. Nesbo writes very calmly and like he has all the time in the world to tell you about all these characters you meet. He knows they are all going to play their part in the final outcome and he spends some time setting them all up.
So, what is it all about? Our main character Harry Hole almost kills an America special services guy and has to be promoted out of harms way. He ends up an inspector in a section of the police that he does not particularly want to be in but tries and make the best of it. He is a recovering alcoholic (okay this is slightly cliche, I have not met too many fictional detectives that spend their evenings playing scrabble) and generally a bit of a misery guts. Yet he seems clever enough and observant, he notices the importance if the unlikely.
It all seems to start with an old rifle smuggled into the country and spirals out of control into a murder plot and a manhunt... for the wrong guy... well... actually he is the right guy but he is not who they think he is. Our killer remains obscured to the end. We know he is ill and does not have long to live. He feels a very strong urge to clean up the past to get his revenge on those who left their nation in its hour of need. He seems to do random things and kill random people but in the end it all makes sense.
There is one story told in the present time (where our murderer is killing) and then there is another woven in that deals with the past, which is where our murderer is really created. The interesting part of this second story is that it plays out during the Second World War in Norway and addresses the slightly ambiguous position of the county in the war. It deals with the fate of a group of soldiers who spend a lot of time trying to duck bullets and staying alive or thinking of defecting. This story is important to the whole atmosphere of the book and it explains to a large extent why our murderer became who he became. All is not revealed, however, until get to almost the last chapters of the book and this is the way it should be. Little clues and hints have been dropped throughout the book on who our killer is and when it all comes together you cannot wait for it to all be revealed.
Through out the book there is a lot of misdirection. There are plenty of red herrings and plenty of people set up that could be the killer for a variety of reasons and Harry navigates these waters very calmly and carefully. Most of the time it seems he is not sure if he is actually making progress. But he does get there in the end. It is all there in black and white... written up and printed out for him so if he didn't get that he would be a really bad detective. As a reader you know and find out things that no-one else in the book knows and sees. This makes you kind of superior but trust me it does not mean you see what is coming.
Of all the people that get killed I think it is the death of Harry previous partner that shocked me the most. She is such a pillar of strength for Harry and when she goes he flounders and fails. The reasons for her killing are very clearly set up but in the end nobody makes the links, Harry is too busy catching his lone gun man and it is all put down to a crime of opportunity. As he reader you know the what and how. I am sure Harry will figure it out in the end. I have a few more Nesbo ones on my shelves so I will be there with him when he does.
I have to admit that a few obvious loose ends remain in the end and that these are obviously set up so they can be dealt with in future books but Nesbo is forgiven for that. The story that he tells is good and engaging. Harry seems like a flawed but nice character and I cannot wait to see where he goes next. He even gets the girl in the end though I think he may not get to enjoy his happily ever after for too long.
Title: The Redbreast
Author: Jo Nesbo
618 pages
Vintage
ISBN nr 978-0-099-54677-1
Books to be read: 117
And as if there was not enough catching up going on
This one does not really need a spoiler alert as there is no plot to divulge.
It was just a fun read for in between all the gruesome stuff I normally read.
Fun to read but basically all this is is a catalogue of examples of how rude other people are and why they feel they can get away with it and how that annoys the author.
Well.... it may be a bit more than that. The book addresses a number of areas and reasons why people seem to think that it is okay to be rude to one another. It brings up a number of things I think we can all agree on are annoying. People not saying please and thank you people. Feeling like you are the one doing all the work when you are the one paying for the service (call centre phone menus!!). I decide what rules apply to my personal space, being ignored by store staff, people talking loudly on their mobile phones and acting like they are the only ones hearing the conversation. People not opening doors for others, people swearing more than is strictly necessary for conversation to carry on smoothly and people feeling they cannot criticise other people's behaviour for fear of being not politically correct or hurting other people's feelings etc. etc.
I chuckled a lot reading her everyday examples of her annoyances with other people's behaviour but in the end was a bit disappointed that that was all it was.
Title: Talk to the Hand
Author: Lynne Truss
210 pages
Profile Books
ISBN nr 1-86197-933-9
Books to be read: 118
Once more doing the catching up thing
##### SPOILER ALERT ####
The Woman in Black - Susan Hill
A great little ghost story. Enjoyed reading this one.... a lot.
It has just the right amount of spine tingle and chilling unexpected appearances.
The story takes the shape of an older man telling the ghost story that he experienced himself when he was young and full of life. It all starts when the firm Arthur works for decides to send him off to the house of a recently deceased woman to sort through some papers left behind that will help in settling her estate. The house is on an island and can only be reached at certain times of the days. The setting is lonely, dark, chilling and the place is deserted. It is just him and the dog...... and the ghost, and the noises, both inside and out. The atmosphere is great. Arthur is a thoroughly fine chap. He is young innocent and positive and looking forward to his future. He wishes he had a bit more money so he could marry the woman he loves but that should not be too far off, promotion is surely just on the horizon.
The first indication of things not being well is when Arthur sees a woman in black appear at the cemetery. He then also hears noises like a pony drowning and a child crying. This is just the stuff that happens outside. Inside the house there are noises from rooms that are meant to be closed off and his borrowed dog seems very unsettled at certain times. Yet Arthur tries to be rational about it all and even when he succumbs to the horrors of the house he seems to want to go back to finish the job and find out what it is all about. Something draws him back in. Wild horses could not drag me back if I had seen and heard half of what Arthur goes through but he persists and it nearly kills him.
Fortunately he survives and with the help of some kind locals he finds his sanity again. He gets married and all is well..... until the Woman in Black turns up again. I will not reveal what happens when she does but suffice it to say it is a horrible, tragic event that unfolds in Arthur's life.
The only little gripe I have with the book is that it seems to be missing a sentence of two to transition it from chapter 1 to chapter 2. At the start of the book the family are gathering for Christmas and they are telling ghost stories to pass the time. Arthur declines to tell his but then realises that it still seems to haunt him so decides to write it all down. This he decides to do after Christmas. As he says at the end of the chapter: "When it was over. I would have work to do". Then the new chapter starts with "It was a Monday afternoon in November...." and I am thinking, hang on.... it was Christmas one sentence ago, is Christmas over then? It took me a few more sentences to realise that actual Arthur had actually begun his story. I could have done with a little linking sentence to just pick up on that.
Apart from that, this is a great ghost story. Suitably eerie, good characters that are fleshed out a bit. Suitably tragic background of the coming into existence of the ghost. All in all, very much in the tradition of MR James and his contemporaries.
Title: The Woman in Black
Author: Susan Hill
Vintage
160 pages
ISBN nr 978-0-099-28847-3
Books to be read: 119
The Woman in Black - Susan Hill
A great little ghost story. Enjoyed reading this one.... a lot.
It has just the right amount of spine tingle and chilling unexpected appearances.
The story takes the shape of an older man telling the ghost story that he experienced himself when he was young and full of life. It all starts when the firm Arthur works for decides to send him off to the house of a recently deceased woman to sort through some papers left behind that will help in settling her estate. The house is on an island and can only be reached at certain times of the days. The setting is lonely, dark, chilling and the place is deserted. It is just him and the dog...... and the ghost, and the noises, both inside and out. The atmosphere is great. Arthur is a thoroughly fine chap. He is young innocent and positive and looking forward to his future. He wishes he had a bit more money so he could marry the woman he loves but that should not be too far off, promotion is surely just on the horizon.
The first indication of things not being well is when Arthur sees a woman in black appear at the cemetery. He then also hears noises like a pony drowning and a child crying. This is just the stuff that happens outside. Inside the house there are noises from rooms that are meant to be closed off and his borrowed dog seems very unsettled at certain times. Yet Arthur tries to be rational about it all and even when he succumbs to the horrors of the house he seems to want to go back to finish the job and find out what it is all about. Something draws him back in. Wild horses could not drag me back if I had seen and heard half of what Arthur goes through but he persists and it nearly kills him.
Fortunately he survives and with the help of some kind locals he finds his sanity again. He gets married and all is well..... until the Woman in Black turns up again. I will not reveal what happens when she does but suffice it to say it is a horrible, tragic event that unfolds in Arthur's life.
The only little gripe I have with the book is that it seems to be missing a sentence of two to transition it from chapter 1 to chapter 2. At the start of the book the family are gathering for Christmas and they are telling ghost stories to pass the time. Arthur declines to tell his but then realises that it still seems to haunt him so decides to write it all down. This he decides to do after Christmas. As he says at the end of the chapter: "When it was over. I would have work to do". Then the new chapter starts with "It was a Monday afternoon in November...." and I am thinking, hang on.... it was Christmas one sentence ago, is Christmas over then? It took me a few more sentences to realise that actual Arthur had actually begun his story. I could have done with a little linking sentence to just pick up on that.
Apart from that, this is a great ghost story. Suitably eerie, good characters that are fleshed out a bit. Suitably tragic background of the coming into existence of the ghost. All in all, very much in the tradition of MR James and his contemporaries.
Title: The Woman in Black
Author: Susan Hill
Vintage
160 pages
ISBN nr 978-0-099-28847-3
Books to be read: 119
Some more catching up
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
Cat and Mouse - James Patterson
I can be very brief about this one: I did not like it and I don't care.
None of the characters appeal to me. I don't care about Soneji. I don't care who evil he is. Show me don't just tell me. Alex Cross feels like a stereotypical American cop character. He seems at times "consumed" by his job, dedicated and not to forget very brave. His kids are all American. His house and garden are well kept and he is on the road back to love. His sidekick partner has probably been with him forever but I don't care as he is just the stereotypical sidekick. Apart from the stereotypical that Soneji is comitting Alex is also drawn into a second investigation where apparently random people are murdered and parcelled up gruesomely. And guess what.... I don't care.
There is only slightly interesting twist in the entire tale and that is that one of the investigators trying to solve the Mr Smith murders turns out to be the actual Mr Smith murderer. However, even the Mr Smith murders are not that interesting. Gruesome yes, random... probably, until Alex finds the pattern (of course he does, he is the hero of the story after all).
The whole book feels as if Patterson does not care that much about the story or his characters either. He gives me nothing to really draw me in. As a reader I got only limited background on any characters. I get some hints of things that happened in the past and some vague references on previous cases but it is almost as if Patterson expects me to have read all of the other books and that I know what makes these people tick. Well.... I have not read any of the others and this kind of lazy writing is not making look forward to reading another Patterson one either. Especially not if at the end there is such a clear set up for a next book. Nobody tells me what to read next and as throughout the book he has made zero effort to draw me into the characters or the story I am putting mr Patterson down to the bottom of my Books to be read list.
Title: Cat and Mouse
Author: James Patterson
502 pages
Headline Book Publishing
ISBN nr 0-7472-5788-4
Books to be read: 120
Cat and Mouse - James Patterson
I can be very brief about this one: I did not like it and I don't care.
None of the characters appeal to me. I don't care about Soneji. I don't care who evil he is. Show me don't just tell me. Alex Cross feels like a stereotypical American cop character. He seems at times "consumed" by his job, dedicated and not to forget very brave. His kids are all American. His house and garden are well kept and he is on the road back to love. His sidekick partner has probably been with him forever but I don't care as he is just the stereotypical sidekick. Apart from the stereotypical that Soneji is comitting Alex is also drawn into a second investigation where apparently random people are murdered and parcelled up gruesomely. And guess what.... I don't care.
There is only slightly interesting twist in the entire tale and that is that one of the investigators trying to solve the Mr Smith murders turns out to be the actual Mr Smith murderer. However, even the Mr Smith murders are not that interesting. Gruesome yes, random... probably, until Alex finds the pattern (of course he does, he is the hero of the story after all).
The whole book feels as if Patterson does not care that much about the story or his characters either. He gives me nothing to really draw me in. As a reader I got only limited background on any characters. I get some hints of things that happened in the past and some vague references on previous cases but it is almost as if Patterson expects me to have read all of the other books and that I know what makes these people tick. Well.... I have not read any of the others and this kind of lazy writing is not making look forward to reading another Patterson one either. Especially not if at the end there is such a clear set up for a next book. Nobody tells me what to read next and as throughout the book he has made zero effort to draw me into the characters or the story I am putting mr Patterson down to the bottom of my Books to be read list.
Title: Cat and Mouse
Author: James Patterson
502 pages
Headline Book Publishing
ISBN nr 0-7472-5788-4
Books to be read: 120
More catching up
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
The Confidential Agent - Graham Greene
Loved, loved, loved this one!!
I love the way that Graham Green writes. He chooses his words carefully but freely (not as purposely as Golding), chooses his description of his characters carefully, gives them depth and body within 3 minutes of you meeting them and he progresses through the story at a lovely pace. Never once do you get bored or wonder when the chapter is going to end. You feel for the characters and want to follow them on their journey, even if you know it will not end well. When reading the blurb on the back of this one I was not sure I would be laughing or crying when reading it. I could not see the funny in it but as Greene always does he delivers! You feel both the happiness and sadness of the characters. The most amazing thing of the whole book is that Green achieves this whilst he never even gives you the main character's name. He is always just known as D.
D is coming to England to try and secure some kind of deal involving coal. he comes from some war torn country where he has chosen the side of the rebels (you have to make a choice at one point right?!). Unfortunately for D thee are those that do not want him to succeed and they try and make things difficult for him... not that D needs any help in that department. D seems to stumble haplessly from one disaster into another. He is betrayed by those eager for money, he meets a woman who gets him into all sorts of trouble he ends up first hinted then the hunter.. well.. he is not much of hunter. He does not have the stomach for it. He loses the papers that would secure him the deal, then he loses his passport and nobody believes his story that he was not involved in the murder of the girl cleaning his room at the hotel he is staying.... there is more murder, mayhem, he has to go on the run and his situation becomes quite desperate. There seems to be a brief glimmer of hope, a light at the end of the tunnel but in the case of D it is the light in the train of utter despair and destruction coming down the track rather that the promise of escape.
There is a small promise of happiness at the end as against all odds D manages to get away and find his escape route back home.... but you just know it will not last. The boat is bound to sink, or turn out to go to the wrong port.... bound to.
Yet for all its' tragedy there are some really funny bits in it too. The language institute and the people in it are hilarious. The idea of a specially created language Entrenationo that would bond people all over the world is brilliant. I went to a lecture a few years go at the Graham Greene Festival in Berkhemstead that was delivered by David Crystal. It was all about the use of language in Graham Greene. Accents and speech impediments are never a good sign in a GG character. Now, every time I read one of his books I watch put for people with accents or speech problems or something. Greene had a thing about languages and he uses it in his work very slyly though effectively.
Then there is the scene in the embassy where D has to prove he is who he says he is is hilarious. D getting bamboozled by some kids in the coal miner's village to give up his gun and his one final bullet.... tragic but funny.
There is so much more I could say about this book but I would be here forever extolling it's virtues. It is just simply brilliant.
Title: The Confidential Agent
Author: Graham Greene
247 pages
ISBN nr 0-099-28619-X
Books to be read: 121
The Confidential Agent - Graham Greene
Loved, loved, loved this one!!
I love the way that Graham Green writes. He chooses his words carefully but freely (not as purposely as Golding), chooses his description of his characters carefully, gives them depth and body within 3 minutes of you meeting them and he progresses through the story at a lovely pace. Never once do you get bored or wonder when the chapter is going to end. You feel for the characters and want to follow them on their journey, even if you know it will not end well. When reading the blurb on the back of this one I was not sure I would be laughing or crying when reading it. I could not see the funny in it but as Greene always does he delivers! You feel both the happiness and sadness of the characters. The most amazing thing of the whole book is that Green achieves this whilst he never even gives you the main character's name. He is always just known as D.
D is coming to England to try and secure some kind of deal involving coal. he comes from some war torn country where he has chosen the side of the rebels (you have to make a choice at one point right?!). Unfortunately for D thee are those that do not want him to succeed and they try and make things difficult for him... not that D needs any help in that department. D seems to stumble haplessly from one disaster into another. He is betrayed by those eager for money, he meets a woman who gets him into all sorts of trouble he ends up first hinted then the hunter.. well.. he is not much of hunter. He does not have the stomach for it. He loses the papers that would secure him the deal, then he loses his passport and nobody believes his story that he was not involved in the murder of the girl cleaning his room at the hotel he is staying.... there is more murder, mayhem, he has to go on the run and his situation becomes quite desperate. There seems to be a brief glimmer of hope, a light at the end of the tunnel but in the case of D it is the light in the train of utter despair and destruction coming down the track rather that the promise of escape.
There is a small promise of happiness at the end as against all odds D manages to get away and find his escape route back home.... but you just know it will not last. The boat is bound to sink, or turn out to go to the wrong port.... bound to.
Yet for all its' tragedy there are some really funny bits in it too. The language institute and the people in it are hilarious. The idea of a specially created language Entrenationo that would bond people all over the world is brilliant. I went to a lecture a few years go at the Graham Greene Festival in Berkhemstead that was delivered by David Crystal. It was all about the use of language in Graham Greene. Accents and speech impediments are never a good sign in a GG character. Now, every time I read one of his books I watch put for people with accents or speech problems or something. Greene had a thing about languages and he uses it in his work very slyly though effectively.
Then there is the scene in the embassy where D has to prove he is who he says he is is hilarious. D getting bamboozled by some kids in the coal miner's village to give up his gun and his one final bullet.... tragic but funny.
There is so much more I could say about this book but I would be here forever extolling it's virtues. It is just simply brilliant.
Title: The Confidential Agent
Author: Graham Greene
247 pages
ISBN nr 0-099-28619-X
Books to be read: 121
Catching up is hard to do
A few weeks ago I only had 4 books to get caught up on. In the meantime we are several weeks down the road and the total to review is up to 7. I don't know what is worse? Having to still review all of them or the fact that since the last pot I have read 3 more books. At least I have not bought any more since then.... well... I do not think I have.... nope, pretty sure I haven't.
Just so we are clear. The tally stood at 123 not having taken off the ones I had already finished so this is where we will pick up the story.
Some of the ones I read were petty dire and some were good. I am going to try to be fair yet efficient in dispatching all of them right now.... off we go... hang on to your heads for a review frenzy like you have never seen before!
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
Isabel Allende - Kingdom of the Golden Dragon
This one was a bit of a disappointment.
I did not realise when I bought it (years ago) that it was actually a children's book. That in itself should not be a bad thing. I guess Harry Potter can be seen as a children's book but I enjoyed them. Anyway....
We meet American Kate (an adventurous journalist) and her grandson Alex who have just come back form a trip where they met some tribe in some deep dark, never before discovered part of the rain forest. Grandma seems like a feisty old girl so things were looking promising. We also meet Dil Bahadur and Tensing who are obviously training/preparing from something somewhere in the Himalayas. At first it is not too clear why the two would be connected or how their stories are going to intersect. Tensing and Dil Bahadur are off trying to cure some Yetis and Kate and Alex are off to the Himalayas to find some eco friendly kingdom and possibly pick up the trail of the infamous Golder Dragon that on-one has ever seen.
There is also a Collector who likes to have everything and has issues with people who are richer than him. Then there is the Specialist who is hired by the Collector to get something special for him. Oh... and then there is some dodgy looking American called Tex Armadillo and Judit who likes flowers.
The reason the story is a disappointment is that it has a lot of underdeveloped characters/stereotypes in it and you know how it going to end and who is gong to be with who and why just about 5 pages after they are introduced. It is too predictable. Perhaps that is a consequence of it being a children's story but I am not so sure.
Some things that did not tally for me: Kate, who has travelled far and wide and has seen a lot of the world turns out to be quite intolerant of the people and behaviour she encounters in the Himalayan kingdom. If she is so well travelled why is she so impatient and rude? Alex who almost died last adventure they had now becomes an invincible Rambo type and this unstoppable saviour of (wo)mankind. Nadia, who has hardly ever left the safety of the rain forest and her family seems to be very able to adapt to her new situation of travelling far and wide with people she has only recently met. Seems to be that as long as you are routed in nature and at peace you can achieve anything... Is that the message we are aiming for here?
The characters that come out best are Tensing and Dil Bahadur. Tensing is a Buddhist monk training Dil Bahadur to prepare him for the time en he takes his place as new leader of the kingdom. the relationship between master and student is more like that of a father and son. they are thrown back onto one another and they live in balance and peace with their surroundings. The fact that in between all this there is the whole thing of the collector wanting a golden statue, the intricate way of finally obtaining the statue, that Judit turns out to be the Specialist and Tex a double crossing hat wearing dude is kind of irrelevant. It detracts from the book that it feels that Allende wanted to write but couldn't because she had to make it into a kids story.
No character is really fleshed out, no environment in really fleshed out and it feels like the book is lacking a clear focus. It was nice to read the Buddhist bits and the me philosophic parts but it does not make up for the ramblings in other areas.
Title: Kingdom of the Golden Dragon
Author: Isabel Allende
437 pages
Harper Perennial
ISBN nr 0-00-717748-8
Books to be read: 122
Just so we are clear. The tally stood at 123 not having taken off the ones I had already finished so this is where we will pick up the story.
Some of the ones I read were petty dire and some were good. I am going to try to be fair yet efficient in dispatching all of them right now.... off we go... hang on to your heads for a review frenzy like you have never seen before!
#### SPOILER ALERT ####
Isabel Allende - Kingdom of the Golden Dragon
This one was a bit of a disappointment.
I did not realise when I bought it (years ago) that it was actually a children's book. That in itself should not be a bad thing. I guess Harry Potter can be seen as a children's book but I enjoyed them. Anyway....
We meet American Kate (an adventurous journalist) and her grandson Alex who have just come back form a trip where they met some tribe in some deep dark, never before discovered part of the rain forest. Grandma seems like a feisty old girl so things were looking promising. We also meet Dil Bahadur and Tensing who are obviously training/preparing from something somewhere in the Himalayas. At first it is not too clear why the two would be connected or how their stories are going to intersect. Tensing and Dil Bahadur are off trying to cure some Yetis and Kate and Alex are off to the Himalayas to find some eco friendly kingdom and possibly pick up the trail of the infamous Golder Dragon that on-one has ever seen.
There is also a Collector who likes to have everything and has issues with people who are richer than him. Then there is the Specialist who is hired by the Collector to get something special for him. Oh... and then there is some dodgy looking American called Tex Armadillo and Judit who likes flowers.
The reason the story is a disappointment is that it has a lot of underdeveloped characters/stereotypes in it and you know how it going to end and who is gong to be with who and why just about 5 pages after they are introduced. It is too predictable. Perhaps that is a consequence of it being a children's story but I am not so sure.
Some things that did not tally for me: Kate, who has travelled far and wide and has seen a lot of the world turns out to be quite intolerant of the people and behaviour she encounters in the Himalayan kingdom. If she is so well travelled why is she so impatient and rude? Alex who almost died last adventure they had now becomes an invincible Rambo type and this unstoppable saviour of (wo)mankind. Nadia, who has hardly ever left the safety of the rain forest and her family seems to be very able to adapt to her new situation of travelling far and wide with people she has only recently met. Seems to be that as long as you are routed in nature and at peace you can achieve anything... Is that the message we are aiming for here?
The characters that come out best are Tensing and Dil Bahadur. Tensing is a Buddhist monk training Dil Bahadur to prepare him for the time en he takes his place as new leader of the kingdom. the relationship between master and student is more like that of a father and son. they are thrown back onto one another and they live in balance and peace with their surroundings. The fact that in between all this there is the whole thing of the collector wanting a golden statue, the intricate way of finally obtaining the statue, that Judit turns out to be the Specialist and Tex a double crossing hat wearing dude is kind of irrelevant. It detracts from the book that it feels that Allende wanted to write but couldn't because she had to make it into a kids story.
No character is really fleshed out, no environment in really fleshed out and it feels like the book is lacking a clear focus. It was nice to read the Buddhist bits and the me philosophic parts but it does not make up for the ramblings in other areas.
Title: Kingdom of the Golden Dragon
Author: Isabel Allende
437 pages
Harper Perennial
ISBN nr 0-00-717748-8
Books to be read: 122
Sunday 3 March 2013
Things are stacking up
After another weekend of relaxing and reading another book has bitten the dust and I now have 4 left to review. I plan to get them done next weekend..... all things being equal. I am hoping that some of them will not take that long to review. But more of that next week.
In the meantime, I have been going to the gym every other day and things are looking up. I get less pain and it is easier to do the exercises. My physio has given me easy and hard days and strangely the hard days are the easier ones. I have less stress on my back and my muscles seem to be settling down so things are looking up.
Another thing I want to mention is my discovery of Foy Vance. Irish singer songwriter with a soul, a voice that cuts through you and a great lyricist. One of my favourite lines is "it doesn't take a whole day to recognise sunshine... true and simple. I got two of his albums and they are very different and this is a good thing!
Book wise at the moment I am reading something different from my normal fodder so it will be interesting to see how I get on with it.
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