Review: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Summary (Goodreads):

Tudor England. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is charged with securing his divorce. Into this atmosphere of distrust comes Thomas Cromwell – a man as ruthlessly ambitious in his wider politics as he is for himself. His reforming agenda is carried out in the grip of a self-interested parliament and a king who fluctuates between romantic passions and murderous rages.

 

Review:

When I first began reading this novel, I gave up after two pages because I just could not follow what was happening and who was speaking.

Luckily, my new book club had chosen this novel as their book for February, which meant that I had to read it. The second time around it was no different – I had no idea who the narrator was or what was happening – but this time I kept reading, and after page fifty or so, it all clicked and fell into place – narrator, characters, setting and plot (intrigue, politics, back-stabbings, beatings, murders!).

Mantel’s account of Henry VIII’s relationship with Anne Boleyn told through Thomas Cromwell’s perspective was engrossing and action-packed – no dull moments. My knowledge of Thomas Cromwell (the very little I knew about him as being ruthless and manipulative, and possibly murdering) was pleasantly changed. Mantel presented him as a sympathetic character – generous (to a fault), intelligent,  hard-working, loyal and, most of all, caring. Seeing this side of Cromwell (whether historically accurate or otherwise) made reading the 650 page tome enjoyable.

I enjoyed it and am in the middle of the sequel, Bring Up the Bodies. This novel is very much worth reading, even if the beginning is a bit of a struggle. Recommended.

 

Review: The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco

Summary (Goodreads):

Nineteenth-century Europe—from Turin to Palermo, to Prague, to Paris—abounds with the ghastly and the mysterious—The Jesuits who plot against the Freemasons, Freemasons, Carbonari and Mazzinians who strangle priests with their own intestines, a bow-legged arthritic Garibaldi, the Dreyfus affair, the makings of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, the notorious forgery, that was to inspire Hitler in his creation of concentration camps, machinations by secret services in Piedmont, France, Russia, and Prussia, massacres during the Commune in Paris, where people eat mice, stabbings, befouled haunts for criminals who, among the fumes of absinthe, plan bombings and rebellions in the streets, false beards, false lawyers, false wills, an abbé who dies twice, a hysterical female Satanist, celebrants of black masses—gore enough to satisfy the worst in readers.

Except for one detail. Apart from the protagonist, all of the characters in this novel existed and did what they did. The protagonist also does things that actually happened, except that many of these things were likely done by different people. But who knows—when you are dealing with secret services, double agents, traitorous officials and sinning priests, anything can happen. And does.

Review:

This one was tough going at the start. The first twenty pages were so confusing I almost gave up – I had no idea who the narrator was, the context, or the historical events referenced! But, if you can make it past these initial pages (which I recommend), the novel is much easier to read, even if the content is difficult to digest.

The conspiracies, double dealings, back stabbings, and murders that appear to be the norm of the times is both breathtakingly shocking, as well as fascinating. The most intriguing aspect of the novel is how one man’s hateful actions lead to turmoil in the world of the mid to late eighteen hundreds, but also continues to have lasting repercussions in the twenty first century.

I recommend this one, but be warned … it is not an easy (mental/emotional) read.

Review: We’ll Always Have Paris by Ray Bradbury

Summary (from Goodreads):

Over the course of a storied literary career that has spanned more than half a century, Ray Bradbury has taken us to wonderful places: across vast oceans to foreign lands, onto summer porches of small-town America, through dark and dangerous forests where predators wait, into the hypnotic mists of dream, back to a halcyon past to remember, forward into an exhilarating future, and rocketing through outer space.

In “We’ll Always Have Paris”–a new collection of never-before-published stories–the inimitable Bradbury once again does what few writers have ever done as well. He delights us with prose that soars and sings. He surprises and inspires, exposing truths and provoking deep thought. He imagines great things and poignantly observes human foibles and frailties. He enchants us with the magic he mastered decades ago and still performs flawlessly. In these pages, radio voices become indomitable flesh and the dead arise to recapture life. There is joy in an eccentric old man’s dance for the world and wonder over the workings of humankind’s best friend, O Holy Dog. Whether he’s exploring the myriad ways to be reborn, or the circumstances that can make any man a killer, or returning us to Mars, Bradbury opens the world to us and beckons us in.

Get ready to travel far and wide once again with America’s preeminent storyteller. His tales will live forever. We will always have Bradbury–and for that reason, we are eternally blessed.

Review:

I picked this collection up on my first walk through a public library after more than twenty years (I usually buy books or have a school library to keep my reading needs satisfied). There was no rhyme or reason as to why I chose this, only that I knew the author, knew the stories would be good, and liked the idea of having multiple stories in my hands than just one.

While the collection as a whole doesn’t mesh well thematically, I loved and enjoyed each and everyone of them. My favorite has to be the very first story (it’s the most vivid in my mind), “Massinello Pietro”. Mr. Pietro’s utter joy of living, living out loud (he literally carries a phonograph that plays his favorite opera with him) with music and a menagerie of animals, broke my heart (he’s on his last warning by the city) and inspired me. The story reminds one to live life fully, to not forget ones childish enthusiasm, and to be kind and generous to others just to be kind and generous without any expectations in return – lessons we know but might forget to live in this fast paced, stress filled world.

Each story is unique. Each story is surprising. Each story leaves one a little baffled. But, each story is utterly enjoyable. And most importantly … each story is re-readable (I’ve re-read the collection three times!). I very much enjoyed this and recommend it.

Review: The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Summary (from Goodreads): 

A re-imagining of the world-famous Indian epic, the Mahabharat—told from the point of view of an amazing woman.

Relevant to today’s war-torn world, The Palace of Illusions takes us back to a time that is half history, half myth, and wholly magical. Narrated by Panchaali, the wife of the legendary Pandavas brothers in the Mahabharat, the novel gives us a new interpretation of this ancient tale.

The Palace of Illusions traces the princess Panchaali’s life, beginning with her birth in fire and following her spirited balancing act as a woman with five husbands who have been cheated out of their father’s kingdom. Panchaali is swept into their quest to reclaim their birthright, remaining at their sides through years of exile and terrible civil war involving all the important kings of India. Meanwhile, we never lose sight of her strategic duels with her mother-in-law, her complicated friendship with the enigmatic Krishna, or her secret attraction to the mysterious man who is her husbands most dangerous enemy. Panchaali is a fiery female redefining for us a world of warriors, gods, and the ever-manipulating hands of fate.

Review:

When I first received the book, I wanted nothing more than to put it away and never pick it up! And, it had nothing to do with the story because (as I am blogging about it) I did finally finish the novel, and enjoyed it immensely. My past experience with Divakaruni’s work has not been positive – I could not like The Mistress of Spices, and assumed this novel would disappoint the same way.

Anyway, when a friend suggested I read this, I put aside my cynicism and skepticism, albeit after a long while, and took the plunge.

And the book surprised me, especially by the fact that I did not have a consistent like or dislike for the characters (except for Vishnu, whom I love!), but a range of emotions from apathy to strong dislike to disgust to hate to love. Very few stories have inspired such a varied range of emotions, but Panchaali’s story did all this with gusto. A reason for this may have been because I did not have prior knowledge of Panchaali’s story in the Mahabarat. Or it could be because the story is from the point of view of this very unusual woman – a woman with courage, strength, a mind of her own, and clear ideas of what she wants for herself and her family. Or it could be because of Divakaruni’s delicate yet unflinching touch in telling this story. Whatever the reason, even months after finishing the novel, sections of the story resurface unbidden and play across my mind at the most unexpected times. This is what good stories do, yes?

In the end, I found myself touched by Panchaali’s story, and think that I may need to give Divakaruni’s other work a chance.