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Alethea

Alethea

has 39 followers and is following 31 people

I am a devotee of Jane Austen, but I also love anything to do with Victorian literature, Shakespeare, and Tudor history. I also enjoy a good dose of "chick lit." I try to read a diversified selection of books, and I tend to stick to 18th and 19th century British historical fiction, but truly, anything goes - suspense, thrillers, historical... more »
  • member since September 30, 2008

Reviews

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Displaying 1-10 of 528 reviews
  • Lost in Shangri-La
    • Rated 5 stars

    “I came across this book on the recommendation of a friend. Nothing about it sounded like “my thing.” WWII, downed plane, etc. However, it turned out to be an entirely captivating narrative, filled with anthropological study, thrills, human interest, and American armed-forces pride. A sightseeing expedition over the “newly” discovered hidden valley, nicknamed Shangri-La, turned into a catastrophic plane crash, with only three survivors, all members of the United States armed forces, including one woman. The ensuing journey of their encounter with the natives, rumored to be cannibals, and the difficulty of getting them out of the valley that was too short for planes, too far to hike, etc., was riveting. Their ultimate rescue was so fulfilling; I felt as thought I’d been there in the valley with them, discovering that the savage cannibals were nothing of the sort, suffering through cultural misunderstandings, enduring the forced wait for rescue as a method was decided upon. Fantastic, even for someone such as myself, whose never much appreciated stories of wartime.”

    Alethea wrote this review 12 hours ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Lady of the Rivers
    • Rated 5 stars

    “This trilogy, written from the points of view of three women with deep ties to the Wars of the Roses, was EXPERTLY done by Gregory. Not being a scholar, I can't say how much is fiction and how much is factual, but my experience with Gregory is that she uses as much fact as she can and tries to keep her fictionalizing in line with what is likely to have occurred. Jacquetta was a real woman, mother of Elizabeth Woodville, and she was indeed rumored to use witchcraft and to have the Sight. She was, factually, tried for witchcraft in England, though she survived. So much of war is blood and occurrence; it was refreshing to see a tale that included romance and magic to mitigate the cold brutality of Englishmen killing one another. Hats off to Gregory, yet again.”

    Alethea wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink )
  • Love, Fiercely
    • Rated 4 stars

    “I was mainly interested in the title and description of this biography LOVE, FIERCELY, a description of the lives and marriage of Newton and Edith Minturn Stokes. I did not know, for instance, that both came from privileged Manhattan families and that John Singer Sargent’s portrait of Edith and Newton is widely considered his greatest work of art, embodying Edith as it does as the very ideal of the “new American woman.” Despite a less than successful initial wooing of her, Newton and Edith did eventually marry, and become desperately devoted to one another. Newton occupied himself with architectural efforts, at which he was quite talented; Edith devoted herself to civil service, with working for the education of poor children. But in their waning years, after Newton’s long battle to finish the history of Manhattan that so consumed almost two decades of his life, he and Edith, with their much diminished fortune, spent most of their time together, quietly, without the society that had so seen their faces in their bright youths. It was a lovely story, of two people who were equals in a time when marriages were not founded on equality. Edith seems to have been a fascinating person quite happy to be the figurehead of the “new American woman” movement.”

    Alethea wrote this review 6 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Luxe
    • Rated 5 stars

    “LUXE was a book I admittedly downloaded b/c the cover appealed to me. It looked like something from the time periods I liked. It was a gem. I believe it is a tween series, but it read with great historical detail and the characters, though at times severely typecast as good or bad, were lovely to follow. Elegant Elizabeth is in love with her family coachman but is being forced to make a societal marriage to a man known as a scandalous rake; her sister, upon meeting this “rake,” discovers him to be an entirely different man in her company than the one society sees, and consequently falls in love with him. The entire book goes on with her “best friend” scheming to end the engagement, and the maid in her house also in love with the coachman. Each woman finds and end that suits them, and that made the book extremely satisfying. I am looking forward to the other three in the series.”

    Alethea wrote this review 8 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Leftovers
    • Rated 3 stars

    “The topic of this book seemed to be fresh and original; millions vanish in what may or may not be the Rapture, and those left behind have to figure out how to start again. But the tale unfolded in what I thought were typical ways. Some organized into a religious group called the Guilty Remnant, trying to be more God-like in order to be chosen the next time around. Others lived life as usual, just without their loved ones and with memories that haunted them at every turn. However, at some point, I stopped caring what happened to each of them. I felt that there was no true end possible. The author had taken on a huge subject, something encompassing every person in the world after this “event” and couldn’t possibly wrap it all up tidily. This ended up feeling like a vague journey into a few months in a few people’s lives, but nothing deeper. ”

    Alethea wrote this review 12 days ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Suspense And Sensibility
    • Rated 3 stars

    “I expected, due to the type of series this is, that Lizzie and Darcy would be involved in an investigation of some sort; however, the plot for this book was ENTIRELY lifted from The Picture of Dorian Gray. Harry Dashwood, whom we know only as the son of the insufferable Fanny Dashwood in S&S, has now grown up, and when he meets Kitty Bennet, he falls in love and the two become engaged. Then, tragedy strikes, in the form of a magical mirror in which Harry’s debauched ancestor lives. This Sir Francis takes over Harry’s body and entraps Harry inside the mirror. His young self remains imprisoned while Sir Francis drinks and gambles and feeds his physical body into a state of disgrace. I am not much on the “magical” investigations. I would prefer something a little more believable. Perhaps the others in this series will be so. I just wasn’t impressed with this one, mostly because of the plot rip-off. Bebris could have come up with something just as good on her own.”

    Alethea wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • The Red Queen
    • Rated 4 stars

    “I adore Philippa Gregory’s novels. THE WHITE QUEEN was a fabulous rendition of the life of Elizabeth Woodville, mother of the Princes in the Tower; this novel is from the viewpoint of her Lancaster rival, Margaret Beaufort, mother of Henry Tudor, later Henry VII of England. I have to say, Gregory has the ability to entrance the reader, even when the subject is someone as easy to dislike as Margaret. She is someone who sees herself as a Joan of Arc for England, beloved by God, spoken to by the Lady Mary, whose desire for advancement and power are seen by her as the will of the Lord. She is a holier-than-thou nightmare, but one has to admire her persistence in believing her son was the rightful heir to England’s throne, and her will in seeing that belief through to reality. Very interesting book. I am looking forward to the third in the trilogy.”

    Alethea wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Emily Post
    • Rated 5 stars

    “This is apparently the first full-length biography of Emily Post, which I find interesting, as she was the standard-creator for early 20th century etiquette. Despite aging, people throughout the country sought her advice on everything from proper behavior to seating arrangements to introductions to those of higher rank. Her ETIQUETTE volume was revised numerous times over the years to capture her changing attitudes and the changing mores of the century. She was a woman who straddled two centuries, growing up amidst the splendor of Tuxedo Park, playing as a young girl in the base of the Statue of Liberty with her renowned architect father, who then married and became a lady of the Gilded Age. Then, amidst scandal, she divorced her philandering husband and decided never to marry again, instead devoting herself to her writing – fiction at first, then what she was the best at, advice. The author exhaustively explored every facet of Emily’s life, and she obviously cared greatly for her subject. A wonderful biography.”

    Alethea wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )
  • Darke
    • Rated 4 stars

    “I adore the HEAP series. They may be intended for children, but they provide a lovely escape. Castles, magic, dragons, ancient manuscripts, I just love the whole package. In this installment, Septimus and Marcia Overstrand, the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, must battle a Darke Domaine that has engulfed the castle and is threatening to do the same to the Wizard Tower and the entire town. It is a fun ride, following Septimus around as he flies on his dragon and goes into the Darke Halls to attempt a rescue. Sage is adept at maturing her young characters without losing the young feel of the novels. Septimus is a much more confident apprentice wizard than he has been previously. Great book.”

    Alethea wrote this review Saturday, April 28, 2012. ( reply | permalink )
  • Flash & Bones
    • Rated 3 stars

    “Kathy Reichs's TEMPERANCE BRENNAN series is not quite as predictable as some series are, in the sense that she can craft a homerun novel, and then follow it up with one that is fairly mediocre. This thriller focused on NASCAR and murders occurring near its grounds in Charlotte, SC. I have to admit, the story didn't keep me that interested, not as much as her others have done. There was less skillful transition in this novel between fiction and anatomy lessons. I feel that Reichs sometimes loses her train of thought as a writer and switches wholeheartedly to "forensic anthropologist" mode for a few paragraphs, with little effort to make this feel like something other than a school lesson. Not one of Reichs's better novels.”

    Alethea wrote this review Saturday, April 28, 2012. ( reply | permalink )
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Displaying 1-10 of 528 reviews

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