Saturday, March 31, 2012

Review of Death Comes to Pemberley, by PD James

Death Comes to PemberleyDeath Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

What were the professional reviewers thinking when they all praised this book? Had they actually slogged through it or only read the promos? Were their employers so in debt to Knoph that they couldn't breathe a word of criticism? I was relieved to find the sane comments of real readers on GoodReads (link above). My thoughts echo many of theirs.

I had such hopes for this book, a combo of two delicious elements like chocolate and peanut butter. What could be better? What could go wrong? Sorry, dear Dame, but you should stick to Inspector Dalgliesh.

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Friday, March 23, 2012

April title: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

One reviewer said of Rebecca Skloot's book: "Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences. Another said, “HeLa cells been the source of profound advancements in medical, biological and genetic research, but up until now the story of Henrietta Lacks and her legacy has never been heard. Her story served as the spur for reform movements in medical ethics and patient privacy, and Skloot shares the details with both candor and sensitivity.” I'm intrigued.

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Review of The Blue Star


The sequel to Jim the Boy is considerably more grown up, and we found it to lend perhaps more insight than we wanted into a teen boy's mind. Nevertheless, Tony Earley is capable of transporting us into that mind and another time.

We like to think youth is a simpler time than adulthood, small town life than the big city, or the 1940s than the 2010s, but The Blue Star blows those fallacies/fantasies out of the water. What could be more fraught with hazard than love in any age? Or war, conscientious objection, and race relations?

Similarly, who could be under more pressure (peer or otherwise) than a high school senior or a pregnant teen? Who's life is more at risk than an impoverished, beautiful woman? Who is more dangerous than a powerful, jealous man?

There is little of the boy Jim's charm in the teenager he became, except at his most awkward moment late in the book the the kitchen with his girlfriend's mother. Parts are very strange (Jim's dream/vision during the truck ride up the mountain with Bucky's coffin, conversations with Dennis Deane).

A discussion question asked whether Jim was our favorite character in the novel, and why or why not. I'd have to say not, because, as in the earlier novel, the uncles stand out. Here are men who've passed through all that teenage angst, know themselves, are assured of their place in society, and accepting of their responsibilities. They have honor -- a virtue that we barely recognize.

Jim is just learning what love costs the beloved. In this sense, The Blue Star is anti-romance, and maybe that's the male perspective shining through. A worthy perspective.