Book Review: The Ask and The Answer

Title: The Ask and The Answer
Author: Patrick Ness
ISBN: 0763644900
Pages: 519
Release Date: September 8, 2009
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Genre: Fiction
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 3 out of 5 Bookworms



From Goodreads.com:

Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order.

But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer?

And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode...

The Ask and the Answer is a tense, shocking and deeply moving novel of resistance under the most extreme pressure.

Review:

The Ask and The Answer is the second book in the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness. I really enjoyed the first book (you can read my review here), and was expecting to enjoy this second installment as much, if not more. But...

I didn't. The story itself was fine. There were some very good parts, some great action and the plot thickens toward the end, but it was getting to the end that was a problem.

The book was LOOOOOOOONG! Way too long, in my opinion. It just dragged on and on. I remember thinking to myself several times, "Okay, get on with it!" I think if the editors had cut about 150 pages, it probably wouldn't have detracted from the story; in fact, I think it would have made it better.

That being said, I enjoyed seeing the characters grow in their own ways and the end of the book was very good at leaving me wondering what will happen next. Was it enough to make me pick up the third, and final, book in the series? Hmmm...dunno yet. Very possibly, but for now I want to take a break from this story.

Book Review: The Help

Title: The Help
Author: Kathryn Stockett
ISBN: 0399155341
Pages: 451
Release Date: February 10, 2009
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam
Genre: Fiction
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 4 out of 5 Bookworms



From Goodreads.com:

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women - mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends - view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

Review:

The Help is a book I will not soon forget. Written from the point of view of three very different women, it is a story that gives the reader insight into a period of American history that is often ignored or covered up. It is also a story that celebrates the strength and courage of women, black and white, in a time that women were expected to be seen and not heard.

The Help centers around the wealthy white women of Jackson, Mississippi and the black women who serve them just prior to the start of the civil rights movement. In telling the stories of these three women, Kathryn Stockett does an extraordinary job of shedding light on the type of life a black woman endured working in the South. The reader is drawn into the lives of these women and feels their pain, joy, worry and fears. The reader is also taught many things she may or may not have known about the treatment of the help back in the early '60s.

Kathryn Stockett also does an amazing job creating relatable, well-rounded characters with great depth and believability. I have known a few Hilly Holbrook's in my time and despised them as much as I despised the character. The characters of Minny and Aibileen had me laughing, crying and cheering all at the same time. And Skeeter--dear Skeeter--a woman after my own heart! A quiet, smart, but immensely strong and courageous woman who took a risk and did what she knew was right despite the danger she knew she could face. I think every woman should strive to be more like Skeeter.

This was a wonderful book and I can't wait to see the movie adaptation. I thoroughly enjoyed The Help and I recommend it to everyone!

Book Review: Impatient With Desire

Title: Impatient With Desire
Author: Gabrielle Burton
ISBN: 1401341012
Pages: 256
Release Date: March 9, 2010
Publisher: Voice
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: Publicist
Rating: 3 out of 5 Bookworms



From Goodreads.com:

In the spring of 1846, Tamsen Donner, her husband, George, their five daughters, and eighty other pioneers headed to California in eager anticipation of new lives out West. Everything that could go wrong did, and an American legend was born.

The Donner Party. We think we know their story - starving pioneers trapped in the mountains performing an unspeakable act to survive - but we know only that one harrowing part of it. Impatient with Desire brings us answers to the unanswerable question: What really happened in the four months the Donners were trapped in the Sierra Nevadas? And it brings to life the woman behind the myth.

Tamsen Eustis Donner, born in 1801, taught school, wrote poetry, painted, botanized, and spoke French. At twenty-three, she sailed alone from Massachusetts to North Carolina when respectable women didn't travel alone. At forty-five, she set off with her family for California on the California-Oregon Trail. Later, trapped in the mountains by early snows, she had plenty of time to contemplate the cost of her wanderlust. Historians have long known that Tamsen kept a journal, though it was never found.

In Impatient with Desire, Burton draws on years of historical research to imagine this lost journal - and paints a picture of a remarkable heroine in an extraordinary situation. Tamsen's unforgettable journey takes us from the cornfields of Illinois to the dusty Oregon Trail to the freezing Sierra Nevada Mountains, where she was forced to confront an impossible choice.

Review:

While I had general knowledge about The Donner Party and what happened to them in the mountains in 1847, I really hadn't looked into the circumstances or read anything about them until this book. Although this book is a work of fiction, author Gabrielle Burton did an enormous amount of research into what little is known about what really happened to the Donner Party and she does an excellent job of weaving facts, rumors and fiction into a very believable and heart wrenching tale.

I loved the character of Tamsen Donner. She was a strong, opinionated woman in a time when women were supposed to be meek and silent. I loved her relationship with her husband, George. I loved how she fought tooth and nail, and did some unspeakable things, to keep her children alive. She is a woman I would have loved to know.

The story itself was easy to read and very engaging. It was fascinating to learn about the Donners' journey, the decisions that caused them to delay and choose the road less traveled and the way they fought to survive while trapped in the mountains. As soon as I finished the book, I did several online searches for more information. I was eager to learn more about this tragic event and the people involved.

I give this book 4 Bookworms. I liked it very much and would recommend it to anyone looking to read a quick but rich piece of historical fiction.

Book Review: The Tale of Halcyon Crane

Title: The Tale of Halcyon Crane
Author: Wendy Webb
ISBN: 0805091408
Pages: 326
Release Date: March 30, 2010
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Genre: Fiction
Source: Publicist
Rating: 3 out of 5 Bookworms



From Goodreads.com:

When a mysterious letter lands in Hallie James’s mailbox, her life is upended. Hallie was raised by her loving father, having been told her mother died in a fire decades earlier. But it turns out that her mother, Madlyn, was alive until very recently. Why would Hallie’s father have taken her away from Madlyn? What really happened to her family thirty years ago?

In search of answers, Hallie travels to the place where her mother lived, a remote island in the middle of the Great Lakes. The stiff islanders fix her first with icy stares and then unabashed amazement as they recognize why she looks so familiar, and Hallie quickly realizes her family’s dark secrets are enmeshed in the history of this strange place. But not everyone greets her with such a chilly reception—a coffee-shop owner and the family’s lawyer both warm to Hallie, and the possibility of romance blooms. And then there’s the grand Victorian house bequeathed to her—maybe it’s the eerie atmosphere or maybe it’s the prim, elderly maid who used to work for her mother, but Hallie just can’t shake the feeling that strange things are starting to happen . . .

In The Tale of Halcyon Crane, Wendy Webb has created a haunting story full of delicious thrills, vibrant characters, and family secrets.

Review:

I was excited to receive this book from a book publicist because it seemed like an interesting read. Sure enough, when I finally settled down to read it, the story took me in almost immediately.

Hallie, a recently divorced young woman caring for her ailing father, gets a mysterious letter in the mail one day from a woman claiming to be her mother. Soon thereafter, Hallie decides to travel to the remote island on which her mother lived to uncover the truth about her family's past and where she really came from. When she arrives on the strange island, curious things begin to happen and Hallie begins to wonder if she made a good decision by coming. But as she delves deeper and deeper into her family's past, she soon realizes she might not be able to leave...

I liked The Tale of Halcyon Crane for several reasons. It was an easy read and the story was relatively fast-paced so it kept my interest peaked. Also, who doesn't love a good ghost story every now and then? Although the plot line was a bit predictable and there were some parts of the story that were a little cheesy for me, overall, I enjoyed reading the book and think it was an entertaining read.

I would recommend this book and I give it three Bookworms!

Book Review: The Girl Who Chased The Moon

Title: The Girl Who Chased The Moon
Author: Sarah Addison Allen
ISBN: 0553807218
Pages: 269
Release Date: March 6, 2010
Publisher: Bantam
Genre: Fiction
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 4 out of 5 Bookworms



From Goodreads.com:

In her latest enchanting novel, New York Times bestselling author Sarah Addison Allen invites you to a quirky little Southern town with more magic than a full Carolina moon. Here two very different women discover how to find their place in the world…no matter how out of place they feel.

Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. For instance, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? Why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew—a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life.

Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.

Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson’s cakes. She offers them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth and in the hope of bringing back the love she fears she’s lost forever. In Julia, Emily may have found a link to her mother’s past. But why is everyone trying to discourage Emily’s growing relationship with the handsome and mysterious son of Mullaby’s most prominent family? Emily came to Mullaby to get answers, but all she’s found so far are more questions.

Is there really a ghost dancing in her backyard? Can a cake really bring back a lost love?
In this town of lovable misfits, maybe the right answer is the one that just feels…different.

Review:

Sarah Addison Allen certainly knows how to weave a magical tale! Since Ms. Allen came on to the scene, I have read every book she's had published and so far I am loving each of her stories.

In The Girl Who Chased The Moon, Emily Benedict arrives in a strange town full of strange people after her mother dies suddenly. Although the town is the place in which her mother grew up, Emily has heard no tales about her mom's time there, nor did she even know she had a grandfather until her mom was gone. As Emily tries to solve the mystery of who her mother was and why she left the small town and cut all ties to everyone in it, her neighbor, Julia, struggles with her own past with the town and its residents. Both Julia and Emily's stories are intertwined into a charming little tale filled with Southern traditions, gentlemen and nosy neighbors, and sprinkled with a bit of mystery and magic.

The Girl Who Chased The Moon is a fast, enjoyable read. I recommend it and give it four Bookworms!

Book Review: Mockingjay

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
ISBN: 9780439023511
Pages: 390
Release Date: August 24, 2010
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Genre: Fiction
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5 out of 5 Bookworms



From Goodreads.com:

Young Katniss Everdeen has survived the dreaded Hunger Games not once, but twice, but even now she can find no relief. In fact, the dangers seem to be escalating: President Snow has declared an all-out war on Katniss, her family, her friends, and all the oppressed people of District 12. The thrill-packed final installment of Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy will keep young hearts pounding.

Review:

Oh. My. Goodness. I loved this book! Did I love it as much as I loved the first two? No. But did I love it all the same? Yes.

It seems like many other readers were rather disappointed in this last installment of The Hunger Games series. While I understand their aversion to the violence and the death of some characters and the changes that Katniss, Peeta and Gale go through, I have to disagree with them. Not all stories are meant to be tied up neatly with a little red bow. Not all stories are meant to have happy endings. In fact, if Suzanne Collins had tried to wrap up this story with a bow and make everyone happy and carefree in the end, I would have been truly disappointed. Mockingjay gets a little bit real; it describes the bloody end to a horrific Panem "tradition" and the messy aftermath of it all. And that's exactly how it should have been written. Was it a bit depressing? Yes, absolutely. But did it make me sympathize and ache for the characters? YES. That's what good writing is all about!

I think Ms. Collins did a superb job on this series. If I had six Bookworms to give, I'd give it to this series, hands down. I look forward to reading whatever Ms. Collins brilliantly creative mind comes up with next. But in the meantime, I encourage all of you to read The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay...NOW!

Unfinished: Good Omens

Title: Good Omens
Author: Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
ISBN: 0060853980
Pages: 412
Release Date: December 1, 2006
Publisher: HarperTorch
Genre: Fiction
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: Unfinished

From Goodreads.com:

Pratchett (of Discworld fame) and Gaiman (of Sandman fame) may seem an unlikely combination, but the topic (Armageddon) of this fast-paced novel is old hat to both. Pratchett's wackiness collaborates with Gaiman's morbid humor; the result is a humanist delight to be savored and reread again and again. You see, there was a bit of a mixup when the Antichrist was born, due in part to the machinations of Crowley, who did not so much fall as saunter downwards, and in part to the mysterious ways as manifested in the form of a part-time rare book dealer, an angel named Aziraphale. Like top agents everywhere, they've long had more in common with each other than the sides they represent, or the conflict they are nominally engaged in. The only person who knows how it will all end is Agnes Nutter, a witch whose prophecies all come true, if one can only manage to decipher them. The minor characters along the way (Famine makes an appearance as diet crazes, no-calorie food and anorexia epidemics) are as much fun as the story as a whole, which adds up to one of those rare books which is enormous fun to read the first time, and the second time, and the third time...

Review:

I try very hard to finish every book I decide to read, but sometimes I just have to say "enough" and move on. I was not expecting to have to do that with Good Omens, especially because Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors. Unfortunately, I did.

The pace of the book is slow...very, very slow. I made it a little over halfway into the book and I still hadn't gotten drawn into the story. While the dry, British humor was, at times, very funny, it could also be a little...strange. Sometimes I would read a tidbit that I was fairly certain was supposed to be funny, but I would just say, "Huh?" The characters were also slightly strange and I just couldn't come to love any of them enough to find out what happened to them at the end. So after trudging through for several weeks and only getting halfway through the book, I decided it was a lost cause and gave up.

I hate giving up. Especially on good ol' Neil. And because everyone else on Goodreads.com seemed to love the book. Maybe I'll give it another shot someday. Despite my dislike of Good Omens, I still love Neil Gaiman and recommend his other books, including Stardust and Neverwhere. But I do not recommend this book, I'm sad to say.