If you’re anything like me, one of your favorite reasons to read is for the story. Not for the character development and interaction. Not because of the descriptive, emotive powers of the writer. Not because of deep, literary meaning hidden beneath layers of metaphor. (Even though those are all good things.) No … it’s because you want to know what happens next?
Or, um, is it just me?
Well, I now have concrete proof that preparing for our trip to Colorado has completely taken over my mind… I forgot about BTT!! Just a few minutes ago I sat down to quickly scan my Reader, and realized that today was Thursday and I had missed out on the weekly BTT party! Sigh…
So, in between laundry and packing and the U.S. Open, here is my quick attempt to join in the conversation!
Plot-schmot…! I’m all about character! I do not mind a great yarn — loved DaVinci Code like the rest of the world — but my preference is always for complex, ambiguous characterization. I love to discover what makes characters tick and wonder how I would react in the same situation. I love books that — when someone asks, “What’s it about?” — I don’t have a ready answer…
So, there’s my take! By the way, I have already written my posts and scheduled them to publish over the next week while we are out West… Thanks to my new howdidilivewithoutit Blackberry, I’m hoping to keep up with comments and my Reader, but if it seems a little strange or quiet around here, it’s only because we are on the road…
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First lines: “The red apple of the ohi’a tree tasted sweet in my mouth as I watched the drifting plumes of Pele, Goddess of the Volcano, cast shadows upon the shimmering sea.”
Synopsis (from back cover): “From the cauldron of controversy that is Hawaiian history emerges Wai-nani, a reflection of the personage of the great chiefess Ka’ahumanu. Like all Islanders, she is a water baby finding pleasure, sustenance, solace, wisdom and courage in the grand and vibrant sea. She is born fifteen years prior to the landing of Captain Cook in Kealakekua in 1779 and is the favorite wife of Makaha, a fierce warrior modeled after Kamehameha the Great.”
Review: After I read and reviewed Molo’kai, I was contacted by Linda Ballou to read and review Wai-nai and quickly agreed.
I have been fortunate to visit Hawaii a number of times in my life, on family Christmas trips , and have a deep appreciation for this beautiful land. My very first impressions of jasmine and soft, warm sea air have stayed with me in a very visceral way. It truly is a place that seems blessed and sacred.
So, I was very surprised when I learned about the leprosy colonies in Molo’kai and even more surprised to learn of Hawaii’s violent mythological and historical past. Wai-nani tells the story of an exceptional woman, based on the historical figure of Ka’ahumanu, who in fleeing an unwanted arranged marriage at the age of thirteen, unwittingly falls in love with and marries the future ruler of the islands, Makaha, based on the historical Kamehameha the Great. Although Wai-nani is unable to have children, she remains the wife and trusted advisor to Makaha as he becomes ruler of the islands.
I enjoyed this historical novel on a number of levels. First, the imagery is beautiful and lush and well-represents the majesty of the Hawaiian islands. Ballou is an engaging story-teller and recreates the exceptional beauty of this peerless place. I also like how the heroes in historical fiction are, well, human! Both Wai-nani and her royal husband are deeply flawed and therefore sympathetic and interesting…
Second, the narrative is fast-paced and compelling. Wai-nani is strong-willed and stubborn and leads her husband and the reader on an exciting and, at times, perilous journey. Makaha, not surprisingly, is also strong-willed as well as stubborn and fierce, yet somehow does not completely sacrifice his humanity in his pursuit for power. Since this is historical fiction, and follows the lives of actual people, Ballou must organize their story into a propelling narrative and does this very well.
I must admit that this is my favorite way to learn history – through a rollicking good story replete with engaging characters (in both senses of the word) and perilous adventures. Modern Hawaii is such a gentle, peaceful sanctuary that the bloody and ruthless past is hard to imagine, but unfortunately seems to be par for the course of history.
So, I thoroughly recommend Wai-nani and would love to give-away a free copy! Simply leave me a comment below and I will randomly choose a winner… We’re leaving for Colorado in a few days, so I may choose very quickly or wait a few weeks…
Hello and Happy Tuesday… Believe it or not, August is drawing to a close… which means another installment of Tiny Tales will soon be upon us! In addition, I have two other exciting events occuring in early September, both of which involve free give-aways: the paperback release of Matrimony and a TLC Book Tour stop.
First, I read and reviewed (and thoroughly enjoyed) Matrimony by Joshua Henkin a few months ago, and he offered to give-away a free copy to celebrate the paperback release of his novel. This will occur on September 2nd, so stay tuned and check back!
Second, I have been asked to be a stop on TLC’s Book Tour on September 9th. The first novel is Did I Expect Angels? by Kathryn Maughan, and I will be offering a free copy so be sure to visit!
Last but not least, last month I tried to improve the Tiny Tale discussion by creating a wikispace, but didn’t realize that I would need to personally approve comments — which wouldn’t normally be an issue if I had been in town — sorry! I have rectified this and hope that September’s discussion will flow seamlessly.
I am also mixing things up a bit by choosing the first chapter of a new novel, Sweet Smoke, due out on August 27th. So, instead of reading a beginning, middle and end, we will only be reading the beginning, and then guessing what we think will happen next!
I love first lines, first paragraphs and first chapters because, as the old saw goes, “you only get one chance to make a first impression”! So, my questions for discussion this month will be little different than the past two months… and I will be particularly interested in whether you are hooked enough to read the entire novel.
So, check out Sweet Smoke and on September 1st I’ll ask a few questions to get the discussion rolling…
During my weekly browse through my Reader, I found this find: Bookseller Debra Linn’s list of great summer reads:
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows(Dial Press, $22, on sale date: July 29)
A wonderful read told through letters from several people. This should/could/will be the beloved new book of summer that will have a long shelf life (shelf life — oh, beware a bookshop pun). Each character is clearly drawn with a distinct voice — including several male characters — and untold stories of history are slipped in throughout: Who knew Britain had Channel Islands and that they were occupied by the Nazis for five years? You’ll fall in love with a minimum of four characters.
Requiem, Mass. by John Dufresne (W.W. Norton, $24.95)
This is not just home cooking on my part, even though John Dufresne is one of South Florida’s literary lights. He earns that status with the brilliant way he once again combines the tragic and the absurd into the hilariously insightful. In this one, Johnny and his little sister Audrey are dealing with a mom who thinks her kids have been replaced by aliens and a dad living a secret life (or lives) somewhere down south.
Matters of Faith by Kristy Kiernan (Berkley Publishing Group, $14, on sale date: August 5)
Kristy Kiernan’s first book, Catching Genius, was one of those word-of-mouth little debut novels that took on a life of its own. And you’ll understand instantly why book clubbers gravitate to Kristy when you read her Reading Group Guides blog entry, Kristy Kiernan: From Guest to Book Club Member. Now, Kristy brings us the story of Marshall and his family. After growing up with no religion and then adopting Judaism as a pre-teen, Marshall finds a profound devotion to a new religion in college when he meets his first girlfriend, who trusts in prayer over medicine. And this leads to a troubling situation with Marshall’s younger sister and her extreme food allergies.
America America by Ethan Canin (Random House, $27)
Ethan Canin applies his fluid, beautiful and beautifully accessible writing to this story of Corey Sitter in 1970s. From a working class family, Corey works his way up the social and political ladder through the generosity of a local, connected family. This is the America of loyalty, politics and greatness. And this is the America of sex, vanity and redemption. All the big stuff. And so prescient right on the eve of such a crucial election. You’ll see parallels — mostly unintentional by Ethan Canin — throughout, giving the book those “ah-ha” moments along with the “ahh” moments.
The God of War by Marisa Silver (Simon & Schuster)
Twelve-year-old Ares Ramirez lives with his mom and his mentally handicapped younger brother. His mom chooses to do nothing about his brother’s illness, unintentionally leaving Ares to struggle with the responsibility. The writing will draw you in immediately.
What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn (Holt Rinehart and Winston, $14)
In the 1980s, young Kate Meaney fashions herself a junior detective with her toy monkey at a shopping mall. (Yes, a toy monkey is a character.) Kate disappears, but then 20 years later a little girl appears at the mall who could have a connection to the mall’s unsettling history.
Legally Dead by Edna Buchanan (Simon & Schuster, $25, on sale date: August 12)
Miami’s grand dame of crime writing — and there are more than a few crime writers in Miami — launches a news series, this one featuring former U.S. Marshal Michael Venturi, who quits the Witness Protection Program to become a one-man freelance identity wizard. It’s page-turning suspense with plenty to talk about. Sounds like summer.
How to be Single by Liz Tuccillo (Atria Books, $24.95)
Written by the executive story editor for Sex and the City, this novel is what Carrie Bradshaw would write if she were writing Eat, Pray, Love. It’s chick lit, but good chick lit.
The Heartbreak Pill by Anjanette Delgado (Atria Books, $14)
A smart and sassy summer read from a smart and sassy debut author — with a little science thrown in. For those who say there’s a pill to cure everything, we bring you Erika Luna, a thirty-something scientist whose husband has left her but her formulas have not. She decides to cure heartbreak by whipping up a pill and testing it on herself. Consider this your summer science fair project.
First line: Every smiley moon, without fail, Claire dreamed of her childhood.”
Synopsis(from back cover): “In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a small house in the smallest of towns, is an apple tree rumored to bear a very special sort of fruit. In this luminous debut novel, Sarah Addison Allen tells the story of that enchanted tree, and the extraordinary people who tend it..”
Review: Please do not be deterred by the above synopsis! I would have been, but my mother loved it and passed it on to my aunt who then mailed it to me. So, I packed it for a weekend at the cabin and boy did I love it!
I do not like fantasy, so a mystical tree had me raising my eyebrows and reluctantly reading the first page. But Allen’s character development and sense of place is truly luminous, as the synopsis promises. When I finished Garden Spells (in one sitting), I immediately wanted to recommend it to every woman I know — because this novel truly appeals to a wide, wide variety of women.
The plot focuses on two sisters who are very different and are not close due to a childhood of misunderstandings and the pressures of living under the microscope of a small town. To state that they slowly come to understand each other would not give anything away. Nor would the fact that each sister finds a romantic partner by the end of the novel. Each of these facts are expected.
But what is not expected is the alchemy of place and nature that transports and revisions the reader. One of the many reasons we love reading is the magic of escapism. Garden Spells is like a magic carpet that is a lovely way to spend a few hours — I strongly recommend it!
