5 posts tagged “historical novels”
I finished A Catch of Consequence over the weekend, moved on to Taking Liberties (which I just finished at lunch today), and am now on The Sparks Fly Upward. I think all in all, this book series only cost me about $12. It's worth that and more!
I am so glad I happened upon The Serpent Garden at a local library months ago.
Since reading that, I've been trying to get my hands on every other novel by Judith Merkle Riley. Just today I finished A Vision of Light, and now I've been sucked into the world of Margaret of Ashbury, a woman (unfortunately for her) before her times. The character is a bright midwife in the Middle Ages who receives a gift of healing. A lot of other stuff happens, as well, and she decides to have a book written about her life. My only complaint is that A Vision of Light seems too long at times -- I admit that I skimmed some of Brother Gregory's passages. Still, I greatly enjoyed it, and can't wait to read the next book of the trilogy.
Admission: I stayed up late last night to finish this book. It's funny because it took me a while to get into the modern-day part of the story, but the historical sections drew me in. Eventually I was deep into the modern-day sections also.
I was excited when Red Pen posted this book, because I hadn't realized that Brooks had a new novel out. I read her novel March when that came out a few years ago and loved it; I went on to read her Year of Wonders and loved that also.
Brooks is just able to capture the feeling of different eras so well. The chapter of the story about a young Jew in Sarajevo during WWII seemed as vivid and real to me as the chapter from the viewpoint of an African slave in Spain in the late 1400's.
It did take me some time to cotton to the character of Hanna, the modern-day book conservator, but I was able to. Her character does go through a transformation of sorts during the book, and she was much stronger at the end.
And I love that this book is all about the life of a book: a Spanish Haggadah with an amazing history. I knew it was fictional, but Brooks makes it feel authentic.
Posted on all about E:
Honestly, I’ve read this book multiple times and I still don’t get it. I had to read it in 11th grade (those whose parents wouldn’t let them read Beloved got to read All the Pretty Horses instead - what kind of trade-off is that?) and then again my freshman year of college. My freshman English class was tiny - made up of transfer students and freshmen who got 4s or higher on the AP test. And if any of the people in that class fully understood Morrison’s award-winning novel, no one ever said.
One of the girls and I spent a really long time in preparation for our final going over the italicized stream-of-consciousness sections. We were so into it, we thought we were almost at the point of attaining sense from it. But then we remembered the professor said that none of those sections of the novel would be on the final.
Beloved is an amazing work about a woman and her daughter who have escaped slavery. While a slave, the mother, Sethe, killed her first daughter rather than have her suffer slavery. This daughter, or rather a form of this daughter, comes back to haunt Sethe and begins to consume her life. The book is a unique look at motherhood and revenge.
I’m guessing that despite the fact that this novel won the Pulitzer, libraries have banned/challenged it because of the rape, violence, language and more. Even though I may never fully grasp this work, it is extremely relevant to American culture and history.
I thought the novel would be more about William Blake than it really was. He does make a few appearances, but is not a main character. I think the circus has more of a part in the novel than he does! If you didn't figure it out already, "Burning Bright" comes from his poem The Tyger.
Chevalier, as always, does a wonderful job of portraying artists in history as real people, even if they are only secondary characters. Now I want to learn more about Blake, his wife, and their part in history.
When I was in high school, my father gave me a coffeetable book of Blake's art, and while I enjoy his art, I think his poetry is also quite strong. I should read more of his writings, but from what I know already, my favorite of his poems is The Chimney Sweeper from his "Songs of Innocence".
When my mother died I was very young,
And my father sold me while yet my tongue
Could scarcely cry " 'weep! 'weep! 'weep! 'weep!"
So your chimneys I sweep & in soot I sleep.There's little Tom Dacre, who cried when his head,
That curl'd llke a lamb's back. was shav'd: so I said
"Hush. Tom! never mind it, for when your head's bare
You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair."And so he was quiet & that very night,
As Tom was a-sleeping, he had such a sight!
That thousands of sweepers, Dick, Joe, Ned or Jack.
Were all of them lock'd up in coffins of black.And by came an Angel who had a bright key,
And he open'd the coffins & set them all free;
Then down a green plain leaping, laughing, they run,
And wash in a river. and shine in the Sun.Then naked & white, all their bags left behind,
They rise upon clouds and sport in the wind;
And the Angel told Tom, if he'd be a good boy,
He'd have God for his father & never want joy.And so Tom awoke; and we rose in the dark.
And got with our bags & our brushes to work.
Tho' the morning was cold, Tom was happy & warm;
So if all do their duty they need not fear harm.
Yeah, it's a happy little poem (/sarcasm).
