cpauley929

• Rated 4 stars

“Alexandra Fuller, or "Bobo" as she is called throughout the book, tells her story of growing up in Africa during the Zimbabwean war for independence. The war sets the backdrop for a life in an unforgiving land, and a family too stubborn to give up. Born in England, Bobo spend nearly her entire life until her university years moving from god forsaken land to god forsaken land through out Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi. Always the "muzungu" outsider, her white face and upbringing set her entirely apart from her African peers. Her father is a rugged and determined man. Her mother is slowly loosing her mind, and sadly some of her children to the harsh life afforded in the African desert.

Almost unbelievably, her family continues to find ways to thrive in Africa despite having lost Rhodesia to the new Zimbabwe and the dangers that seem to lurk everywhere. From "terrorists" (their name for the Zimbabwean independence army) to land mines at any turn in the road. Her parents slept with guns in their hands, and drank to dull the pain of their sometimes terrifying existence.

Fuller writes in such a way that she evokes the sights, sounds and smells of Africa so completely that you feel like you are there. She describes the heat by the sound it makes, the colors by the smells she associates with them, the smells by the emotions and tactile senses they evoke. The story is captivating, her parents are almost unbelievable. Her mother's not-so-slow descent into insanity, her sister's quiet strength, and the constant and unyielding Africa make for such an engrossing story that I could hardly put it down. It made me miss Zambia with a longing I didn't know I felt for the country. It was wonderful to be taken back there through her eyes.

The one thing I found difficult about the book was her constant jumping in timeline and how she spoke of everything in present tense. Most of the time I could flow with that, but occasionally it would take me completely out of the story while I tried to put things into order in my head. Otherwise, it's an amazing memoir.”

cpauley929 wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Gwyneve is a druid living as a nun among the sisters of Brigit in Kildare. Because of her druidic education and background, she is given the post of scribe among the nuns for her ability to read and write in several languages. As she transcribes the teachings of St. Patrick, she begins writing her own memoir of sorts, telling of her life, its struggles and triumphs, and the slow and brutal conversion of the country to a Christian doctrine. As she learns the teachings of Christ, she remembers her ancestral religion and its roots in the earth. As she writes her memoirs, the convent starts to fall apart around her. Suspicion, anger, betrayal, and lies build up around sister Gwyn, and her pagan roots begin to haunt her. Astonishingly, it is her kindness and intelligence that are most to blame for the inevitable end to her story.

Her capacity for love and understanding is inspiring. Her struggles are heartbreaking. I think the shortness of the novel makes it all the better. There are no mundane details of daily life at the time, just a simple explanation of the important events in her life, and a subtle, but dark undertone as the Christians begin to take over.

The atrocities done in the name of the peace-loving son of god always astound me. And yet, we don't learn from history, and we keep repeating our mistakes. I found it very interesting how Gwyn struggled with her secular writings. Always asking forgiveness for her pagan ignorance, but slowly growing more firm in her beliefs as a Druid, and her fear of the Abbot that is creating the terror among the nuns. The quote below, I feel shows very much her contradiction and fear. And the book shows how easily violence and fear from the minority can bring change to a country's majority.

"I would live in a world full of Christ-like humans, but not one full of Christians, may God forgive me." pg. 164.”

cpauley929 wrote this review 9 days ago. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“Palimpsest - a manuscript on which two or more successive texts have been written, each one being erased to make room for the next. -dictionary.com

Strange tattoos, a dream city, seedy clubs, and a house that practices its smile. All of these things make up Valente's Palimpsest. To enter into the city means to fall in love with it, means to bear its mark on your skin forever, means to enter into a world few would choose. Entering the city is a dangerous business of intimacy, sex and desperation. Ludovico, November, Amaya Sei and Oleg are inextricably linked by a bond they formed upon their first day in Palimpsest. They have been welcomed into a city alive and searching for more people, because it wants what all cities want: to thrive. A war has been fought over the immigration of outsiders. And all roads but one have been closed to those who wish to live within this living city. Impossible things exist there. Impossible to forget in the waking hours, in the "real" world.

Valente's imagination knows no bounds. I cannot even begin to comprehend the mind that could create such a place where trains are wild creatures privy to their own whims and mating seasons, where vermin and insects are manufactured, where a house practices its smile. Surreal, beautiful and not a little disturbing, the author builds this city around you. The characters are important, but they seem more a vehicle to tell the story of Palimpsest, than subjects of the story in and of themselves. This is one of the more bizarre pieces of fantasy that I've ever read, but also one of the more brilliant. Dark and lonely at times, but an education in imagination. I really enjoyed it, though it's not my favorite by this author.”

cpauley929 wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Prue McKeel is your average girl in Portland, OR. She loves her parents and her brother, her city and her friends. She doesn't even mind taking her younger brother, Mac, out for the occasional park visit, until one day Mac is kidnapped by a murder of crows and carried off into the Impassable Wilderness. Legends about about the IW, but no one has ever gone in. At least no one who's come out to tell about it. As Prue sets off to rescue her brother with her friend Curtis in tow, she braves the IW and finds herself in the magical world of Wildwood where factions are set, and a war seems to be brewing. Can she save her brother and put an end to the Evil Queen's plots on revenge?

Given that I think Colin Meloy is a genius, and the Decemberists are one of my all time favorites, I had high expectations for this book. While it may have failed to strike at my emotions the way his music often does, the book had all the signatures of Meloys brilliance: wordplay, imagery, imagination, and intellect. The characters were rich, the plot was engrossing, and the overtones of environmentalism and conservation as well as the classic good vs. evil were spot on for good YA fantasy. It hits its mark perfectly. I liked his divergence from a perfectly happy ending and the actual lack of a romantic subplot. It was straight YA awesomeness.

I did feel like it dragged a bit until the end, but I think that's mostly because the ending was so action packed. It leaves an opening for future stories featuring Prue, Mac, and Curtis (her sidekick and partner in crime), but ends well enough that it's not necessary. I really enjoyed it, and hope that Meloy writes more soon.”

cpauley929 wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“The latest in the volume compilations of the Fables graphic novel series, Superteam brings in a new American archetype, the Superhero from comic books. As the Fables try to build the magic that they need to defeat the dark man they take on alternate personas like werewolf man. There are some unexpected twists and turns, though it's a lot of building of relationships and politics that seem to be setting up for some drastic changes. I can't say much without ruining the story for everyone, but there are some very unexpected happenings at the end.

Loved it, even if the ending was unexpected, and a little sad. Great set up for the next volume.”

cpauley929 wrote this review Monday, January 2, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“As the series goes on, it becomes more and more difficult to review these without writing spoilers, so read at your own risk:

Rose Red is still hiding in her room mourning and ignoring her duties at the farm as well as the talking pig's head that shows up in her dreams/hallucinations. However, her delusions find a way to her, and in the meantime we as readers learn about her long-standing feud and hatred for Snow White, its origins, and possibly (?) its end. As Rose shakes off her depression, the farm is falling apart around her, and the city Fables are at a loss as to how to deal with their new nemesis.

As usual, this story is everything I've come to expect from this amazing, award-winning (dozens of times over) graphic novel series. I love it. so much. It's an amazingly approachable intro into graphic novels for those interested in the after of "happily ever after" and the re-told fairy tale. A brilliantly created world that has yet to fail to capture my attention (except for the cross-over, vol. 13, but we'll blame it on Jack and forget that one).”

cpauley929 wrote this review Monday, January 2, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“The Dark Man is growing stronger, and the Fables are losing ground. The witches of the 13th floor are trying to do what they do best, and build a web of protection and barriers to keep them safe. However, within the ranks there is dissension, and Frau Totenkinder finds herself defending her position as leader, as well as trying to find an answer to the Fables' community's newest foe.

This was fantastic. It was a wonderful follow-up to the cross-over that failed to impress me overmuch. Lots of intrigue, but a lot of the personal lives of the fables as well. The power struggle was definitely an interesting twist in events lending an internal as well as external tension and struggle. I like the juxtaposition of the city fables and the farm fables, adding more to the picture. Another great story by Willingham.”

cpauley929 wrote this review Sunday, January 1, 2012. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“I enjoyed this book, but I found it to be too simplistic, even for a children's story. I did like the explanation of who Howl was and where he was from over the movie adaptation (which I saw and fell in love with before reading the book). I also liked that they talked more about Howl's life and his behaviors. Also the triangle with Sofie's sisters was interesting. I definitely enjoyed the story, and the reading experience, but it didn't have the wow factor that I was looking for. Either way, it was a nice read.”

cpauley929 wrote this review Friday, November 25, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

2 of 2 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“Doc hasn't been a real doctor in years, but on South Presa St. in the red-light district of San Antonio, he's the only doc available for a working girl who's gotten herself into trouble, or the kid with a bullet in his thigh from a bar fight. Doc has his own demons. Namely, his morphine addiction. He bangs heroin like it's going out of style. Can't even function without it. Then come Graciella, a young Mexican girl with no English and pregnant and unable and unwilling to bring a child into the world in which she lives. After bringing her in, her man leaves and never returns so she's forced to make a life for herself in the small boarding house with Doc and the rest of its denizens. But there's something special about this beautiful, sad young woman. Maybe even something divine, and her presence begins to change everything in Doc's world and those surrounding him.

This was a simple, but beautiful story of redemption and overcoming adversity, with the help of a little miracle. At times sad, funny, poignant, dramatic, and infuriating, this tale of the lowest of the low touches you in spite of the subject matter. Each character is written in a way to suggest their background, but with just enough mystery that the reader gets to fill in the blanks. They are lovable even at their worst, and create a family against the strongest odds, and find a transcending kind of love in the red-light district that offers every other possible kind of love one could be looking for.

Who knew heroin addicts, drug dealers and "working girls" could inspire so much sympathy? I wanted them to succeed. I wanted them to win their battles, and overcome the adversity in their path. I loved the small supernatural elements. They were not overwhelming or distracting from the story. They gave it a flow and a rosy-ness that would not have otherwise existed. I liked the juxtaposition of a young girl with almost miraculous powers with a seedy past and a sin that she carries that she cannot even imagine redemption for. It's a book I'll recommend wholeheartedly. Short, sweet, bitter-sweet, moving. It was a truly enjoyable way to spend a couple of afternoons.”

cpauley929 wrote this review Thursday, June 2, 2011. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“Standard Victorian lit (only 1920's style) with the exception that it is very sexually explicit. I can appreciate how "revolutionary" the topic of sex was, but the book has the same xenophobia and the same fear of the industrial revolution, the same revulsion of the upper class for the working class, the same fear of the future of the classes, etc, etc. Even the way the women are portrayed. I realize that Connie is supposed to be a very liberated woman who "transcends" the bounds of her society with love, but it's kind of a joke. She seemed far to flighty, to inconsistent for me to truly believe that she had found it. Irrational and vain, and ever the submissive. It amused me that when she found a "real man" she was suddenly that sappy, needy woman that she wasn't with her husband. As if that is how women should be. Insecure and always pleading for the love of their man. It was slow going, and I didn't even appreciate the language. I realize there's a big time difference, but the constant use of the "f" and "c" words came across as crass and vulgar to me, and not the least bit sensual or meaningful. It took some magic out of the whole thing. There are other Vic Lit books that I've enjoyed far more, but plenty that I've enjoyed much less. It was ok.”

cpauley929 wrote this review Sunday, May 29, 2011. ( reply | permalink )