Menelanna

• Rated 5 stars

“A sweepingly beautiful account of 20th century Chinese history, as guided by three generations of women.

Chang adeptly introduces Western readers to the details and idiosyncrasies of Chinese culture, assuming no prior knowledge but enabling readers to gain a fuller depth of understanding. Her prose enables readers to see clearly through the eyes of all of the "characters"--from minor figures in her family's personal life to political figures that rocked the whole nation. As one who only knew the basics of Chinese history before, this book has served as an incredible introduction, and I want to keep learning more! Others have compared this to the Joy Luck Club, but truly, Wild Swans reaches far beyond and deserves a class of its own. This is not merely a memoir, but a sweeping story of Chinese history, from the last days and traditions of Old China, through the Kuomintang and Chiang Kai-Shek, the occupation by the Japanese, the rise of the communists, the purges of Mao, and finally the opening of China after his death. Beautiful!”

Menelanna wrote this review Sunday, July 26 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 3 stars

“I'm hedging between 3 and 4 stars on this one. Davidson has crafted a beautiful work, and he has researched very thoroughly to be as accurate as possible, intertwining the harsh present of a burn patient's (detail-laden) recovery with a fantastical story of past lives and love. Linguaphiles will love this book; Davidson accurately includes countless languages and cultural notes, including Japanese, Italian, German, Icelandic, and more. Students of Dante will appreciate Davidson's rendering of the Inferno and constant references to this extended metaphor, including an abridged walk through Dante's hell and structuring the book into 33 chapters (to parallel Dante's 33 cantos).

However, this is clearly Davidson's first novel. His prose is often sweeping and including many details from literature and his research, yet he has not yet learned the art of subtlety. Davidson has fallen into the age-old trap of telling rather than showing. He instantly translates every detail rather than trust the reader's intelligence, and thus sometimes there is the effect that he is smacking the reader on the head with what he wants to say.

All in all, what I found most lacking what a clear sense of voice. The unnamed persona narrates the whole work (except for the chapters when Marrianne tells her stories... the shift of "I"s and "you"s was initially very disorienting) yet his voice is not consistent nor does it grow, but it alternates page by page. Sometimes overtly sexual and profane, Davidson then backs off to a softer tone reminiscent of a romance novel or fanfiction. He needs to more clearly find his voice if he wants to speak in the voice of the persona. Furthermore, Marrianne was too much. Naturally it is a stunning beauty (work on those descriptions of her please) who throws herself (nakedly) at the charred narrator. Eccentric characters are fascinating, but there is nothing about Marrianne that a reader can connect with, and thus she remains unreal and flat. His minor characters are great--I loved Nan and Gregor and Sayuri (and her backstory!).

I rated three stars (average) to counter the ridiculous advances that were offered for this work ($1.25 million?! Really?), but it has a lot of potential. Though at times painfully full of cliches and underdeveloped main characters, Davidson's prose is sweeping and he masterfully weaves many details together across cultures and times. This novel will draw you in, and you will rush to the finish. I think we can expect great things from Andrew Davidson in the future.”

Menelanna wrote this review Thursday, May 21 2009. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“This is a moving allegorical work of a simple yet timeless tale. It is uplifting and full of transparent symbolism that encourages everyone to simply follow their heart. However, sometimes this book is hyped out and overrated by its mass market appeal; it is a good book, but it is not perfect and there are better that are not nearly as widely read. However, if you a looking to breeze through a quick read that is accessible to everyone, I recommend curling up in a comfortable chair with a cup of tea to embark upon Coelho's wonderful journey with this unnamed Everyman shepherd boy.

Listen to your heart and follow your dreams.”

Menelanna wrote this review Sunday, December 28 2008. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 5 stars

“It is hard to classify Ulysses, and even harder to actually make it through. The book makes you work--it's not about the plot, but about the *experience* of reading.

In this book (I hesitate to call it a novel), the Plot decides that it's tired of being obvious and in the forefront, packs up its bags, and goes on vacation to let the words and Language itself take the centerstage. And Language has a ball--it's as if the words start dancing, laughing, and making fun of the reader as they play games. Just flip through and you'll see what I mean. An entire episode ("chapter") that's written as newsletter headlines? As a Q&A? as 50 pages of ONE SENTENCE?! Let alone the sentence-by-sentence text itself.

Language not only plays a game, but pushes its limits. In the experience of reading this text, you become very aware of where language breaks down. It's hard work to be a reader of Ulysses and have to piece together the puzzle of what's going on. Indeed, many times there's no way of knowing, but that's part of its beauty. This is not a pre-packaged cut-and-dry novel; this is a reflection of the realities and conflict in life. You need to become comfortable with confusion, conflicting voices, and not knowing what's going on. Test the waters with T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land" or similar modernist works.

That being said, I still strongly recommend it. I read this text with a class, which was most helpful--our learned professor was a guiding light through the confusion and twists and turns and discussions helped lead us through. But there is an infinite sense of peace and accomplishment as you reach the last pages. Like the characters, you were lost, but found you way. The chaos of the world threatened to close in around you, but you found connection.

These words may mean nothing until you have survived the experience, but in the end you will find them to be some of the most beautiful words ever written: yes I said yes I will Yes.”

Menelanna wrote this review Saturday, July 19 2008. ( reply | permalink )