The Island of the Mighty by Evangeline Walton

Goodreads Synopsis:
Tricked into giving birth to him, the sorceress Arianhod swore that the child should be nameless until she named him...that he should not bear arms until she herself bestowed them...and that he should never love a woman of the human race.

But her brother and lover Gwydion tricked her into bestowing a name, Liew...and Gwydion's wiles brought her to arm him...and then Gwydion called upon his craft to produce a woman who was supremely lovely and ardent in her passion for Liew..yet not human. (less)


My Review:
If you are a fan of mythology in general then read this book. If you are a fan of, more specifically, English and Welsh mythology/literature then you definitely need to read this. Evangeline Walton takes from the Welsh cycle of legends, called the Mabinogion, and creates an amazingly vivid narrative. And for the super nerd, she sprinkles footnotes and various references throughout the book that refer to these ancient stories.  You can definitely get a sense of Walton's love and knowledge of the legends. She uses all of it to bring each character to life with language that is flowery but intelligent. I absolutely loved this book and look forward to reading the rest in the series.

If you'd like to read more about the Mabinogion: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/celt/mab/index.htm

The Author

Author Tidbit: Walton said of her knack for writing fantasy: “My own method has always been to try to put flesh and blood on the bones of the original myth; I almost never contradict sources, I only add and interpret.”

The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones

Goodreads Synopsis:
One late spring evening in 1912, in the kitchens at Sterne, preparations begin for an elegant supper party in honor of Emerald Torrington's twentieth birthday. But only a few miles away, a dreadful accident propels a crowd of mysterious and not altogether savory survivors to seek shelter at the ramshackle manor—and the household is thrown into confusion and mischief.

Evening turns to stormy night, and a most unpleasant parlor game threatens to blow respectability to smithereens: Smudge Torrington, the wayward youngest daughter of the house, decides that this is the perfect moment for her Great Undertaking.

The Uninvited Guests is the bewitching new novel from the critically acclaimed Sadie Jones. The prizewinning author triumphs in this frightening yet delicious drama of dark surprises—where social codes are uprooted and desire daringly trumps propriety—and all is alight with Edwardian wit and opulence.



My Review:
I looooooooved this book. This entire novel spans one evening of merriment and madness that is almost dream-like. The characters enter the story already well-developed, the dynamics of each relationship understood and entertaining. The problem these characters face seems simple at first. But there is a dark twist towards the end that throws everything into new light.

My absolute favorite character is the youngest daughter, nicknamed Smudge. Her Great Undertaking is a hilarious balance for what the rest of the characters are going through in their grown-up dinner party. The author creates a wonderful romantic tension between the younger characters as they see each other with new eyes, but the underlying menace of their mystery guest creates a darkness that stretches for the novel's duration. 

Another added treat is the author's use of language and imagery. When describing the dinner scene, she actually makes ox tongue sound sexy. Her style made me think of Elizabeth Cunningham's "The Wild Mother." Both have that delicious combination of English propriety set against the Wild Primitive. Sadie Jones can write a story.

The Author

Author Tidbit: Sadie Jones's first novel, "The Outcast," was adapted for television by the BBC.

Homestead by Rosina Lippi

Book Synopsis from Goodreads:
Each life has its place, and every variation ripples the surface of the tiny alpine village called Rosenau. Be it a mysteriously misaddressed love letter or a girl's careless delivery of two helpless relatives into Nazi hands, the town's balance is ever tested, and ever tender. Here is a novel spanning eighty years -- years that bring factories and wars, store-bought cheese and city-trained teachers -- weaving the fates of the wives, mothers, and daughters in this remote corner of Austria. To quote Rosellen Brown, "the women in this haunting book are deeply and uniquely of their place, yet they speak (often wordlessly) of women's longings and satisfactions everywhere."

My Thoughts:
Rosina Lippi weaves a story the way Bob Ross throws a landscape onto canvas; masterfully and without hesitation. This is a collection of moments, of memories both sweet and painful for several women who live in the same alpine village. Some of them are family, but all are connected in one way or another. The imagery is haunting and delicate fueled by words that have a razor sharpness beneath them. Her descriptions will stick with you. This is what I want in a book when I'm looking for something of substance. Since the narrations change from woman to woman it can become difficult to keep track of the different perspectives, but the author does provide family trees that you can refer to. Any woman who reads this will find a piece of herself in it and that's what makes this book magic.

The Author

Author Tidbit: Rosina Lippi won the 1999 Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for "Homestead." She also has a degree in linguistics and is a fiber artist.

Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

Synopsis from Goodreads: 
Antonio Marez is six years old when Ultima enters his life. She is a curandera, one who heals with herbs and magic. 'We cannot let her live her last days in loneliness,' says Antonio's mother. 'It is not the way of our people,' agrees his father. And so Ultima comes to live with Antonio's family in New Mexico. Soon Tony will journey to the threshold of manhood. Always, Ultima watches over him. She graces him with the courage to face childhood bigotry, diabolical possession, the moral collapse of his brother, and too many violent deaths. Under her wise guidance, Tony will probe the family ties that bind him, and he will find in himself the magical secrets of the pagan past—a mythic legacy equally as palpable as the Catholicism of Latin America in which he has been schooled. At each turn in his life there is Ultima who will nurture the birth of his soul.

My Thoughts: 
Bless me, Rudolfo. I tried. I really tried. But after forcing myself to finish the 5th chapter, I just couldn't justify making myself read a book I couldn't get into. Life's too short! Now that being said, I appreciated Anaya's language and imagery. He writes with a fierce connection to nature which is why I'm so bummed I couldn't get into the story. What made me put this book down was the slow-moving story and the lack of connection I felt with the characters. Ultima was the most colorful and interesting of the bunch, but it still wasn't enough to make me keep reading. 

         Who knows, maybe this book gets REALLY good in chapter 6. If so, then I missed out on it. Give the book a try and maybe it will be different for you. Just because it didn't grab me doesn't mean it's not worth reading. Rudolfo Anaya is praised in the Chicano literature canon so it can't be for nothing. 

The Author

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Book Synopsis from Goodreads:
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...
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...
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...

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.

My Thoughts:
So I'm a little late on the take with this one. This book was all the rage at my bookstore awhile back. Working in a bookstore, I try to also read the titles that are crazy popular with customers so that I can stay in the loop. But there have been a few duds that have made it to the bestseller list. I read "Twilight", "50 Shades of Grey", "Water for Elephants" and others....and by the end of each book I couldn't figure out what all the hype was about. Don't get me wrong, "Water for Elephants" was a good book but the hype it received swelled my expectations of it and I was left a bit disappointed. Finally, I found one that deserved every ounce of hype it got! 

I finished this book in 3 days which, for me, is an endorsement right there. I like to take time with each book I read but sometimes the book leaves me no option but to DEVOUR it. I give this book the highest rating I can because of 3 reasons:

1. the characters grab you and don't let go
2. the language is not flowery but it is full of emotion
3. the subject matter is RELEVANT & IMPORTANT

So the characters. Can I just give a shout out to Aibileen?! Minny was hilarious and Skeeter played an important role but Aibileen was hands down my favorite. If she doesn't grip your soul then you better check to see if you have one. Her determination to build the self-esteem of the little girl she takes care of is something that sticks with you even when the book is over. Despite all of the crap she has to go through every day she still worries about that little girl not being loved. Add to that the bravery of recounting her experiences as a maid to white people at a time when that would have easily been met with violence. Although Aibileen was my favorite, when the book switched to Skeeter's narrative or Minny's, I became just as absorbed in their stories as I did Aibileen's. And that's a sign of good writing. 

The language, like I said, is not flowery but there is something about the way Kathryn Stockett writes this that makes it special. It's almost as if she bypasses the lyrical side of writing and gets straight to the heart of what she wants you to feel. It's the type of writing style that could appeal to both readers and non-readers. And she does a remarkable job shifting her tone from one narrator to another without it sounding like it's just the same person.

And, of course, the subject matter is why this book should be read. It gives you a unique perspective of a critical time in American history. One that probably won't show up in high school textbooks. I think this sort of perspective gets lost because the women telling the story weren't marching or rioting. What these characters were doing was behind the scenes, but it was just as important. And the issues they faced (silently) and the relationships they had with the families they worked for ought to be known. I think this book will always be relevant....plus how can you top Minny's famous chocolate pie???

The Author

Author Tidbit (and hope for all unpublished authors out there): "The Help" was rejected by 60 literary agents before agent Susan Ramer agreed to represent Kathryn Stockett. Oops.

The Wild Mother by Elizabeth Cunningham

Book Synopsis from Goodreads:
The delicate relationship growing between Adam Underwood and Eva Brooke is nearly destroyed with the reappearance of his former wife, Lilith.

*This synopsis doesn't even cover the half of it, but I can't judge because writing a synopsis was never my strong suit.*

My Thoughts:
Oh my goodness. I just finished this an hour ago and I'm still trying to untangle myself from it. Except I really don't want to. I feel lucky this book found its way to me and I plan on getting my hands on every other book this wonderful lady has written. Where to start?

This book reads like a dark fairytale. It doesn't lack in archetypes and symbolism. The imagery is bold and haunting with plenty of PRIMAL to go around. This is not a book about any particular religion, however, it does resurrect the biblical roles of Adam, Eve and Lilith while emphasizing the sacred feminine. Elizabeth Cunningham finds a beautiful balance between these two, often contradicting, themes.

So, now the characters. The dynamics developed between each character is subtle and real. The author doesn't impose action or drama on her plot, she lets her characters develop, change and react naturally and that moves the plot forward. And yet there is plenty happening in this story. What makes a book really special to me is when a relationship within it changes unexpectedly. Even more so when enemies become allies or when an author underplays a character's capacity to love and SHOW love. So that when they do open up it's a thousand times more special because it's so rare. This book overflows with these moments and by the end of it, yep, I was crying like a toddler. And that's not because this is a really sad book. It's not. It's a breath of fresh air in its reminder that we need to open our eyes to the world around us and the people in it. Especially the ones we take for granted. 

The strongest element in this book is the bond between a mother and her daughter. Blood or otherwise. And the book is appropriately named. The main characters in this element are Ionia and her wild mother, Lilith, who comes from the Empty Lands and must return there or die. Ionia's human father, Adam, holds Lilith captive in their home while the children and grandmother eventually plot Lilith's escape. And while the bond between Ionia and her mother strengthen, there are other maternal bonds that play out as the story progresses. Each one of the author's characters meets a pivotal moment that projects them through a very critical change. Each undergoes their own transformation and, by the end of it, it creates a beautiful patchwork of what FAMILY truly is.

I will not be lending this book out, so if you know me, don't even ask! This will go on the shelf with "The Books of Great Alta" and "The Mists of Avalon." It's a keeper. Thank you, Elizabeth Cunningham!

The Author

Author Tidbit: Elizabeth Cunningham is a tenth generation Episcopal priest and was ordained an interfaith minister and counselor in 1997. She is also a poet and musician.

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver

Synopsis from Goodreads:
"Animals dream about the things they do in the day time just like people do. If you want sweet dreams, you've got to live a sweet life." So says Loyd Peregrina, a handsome Apache trainman and latter-day philosopher. But when Codi Noline returns to her hometown, Loyd's advice is painfully out of her reach. Dreamless and at the end of her rope, Codi comes back to Grace, Arizona to confront her past and face her ailing, distant father. What the finds is a town threatened by a silent environmental catastrophe, some startling clues to her own identity, and a man whose view of the world could change the course of her life. Blending flashbacks, dreams, and Native American legends, Animal Dreams is a suspenseful love story and a moving exploration of life's largest commitments. With this work, the acclaimed author of The Bean Trees and Homeland and Other Stories sustains her familiar voice while giving readers her most remarkable book yet.

My Thoughts:
This is an amazing book with well-thought out characters and perspective. Barbara Kingsolver makes you feel like you are immersed in the culture and history of her characters in a way that is subtle and absorbing. Be prepared to laugh and cry especially if you are a woman who has a sister. This is my first Kingsolver book and I'm looking forward to reading the next one.

Personal favorite quotes:
"...the very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof."

"A miscarriage is a natural and common event. All told, probably more women have lost a child from this world than haven't. Most don't mention it, and they go on from day to day as if it hadn't happened, and so people imagine that a woman in this situation never really knew or loved what she had. But ask her sometime: how old would your child be now? And she'll know."

*Book Tidbit: This book won the Edward Abbey Award for ecofiction

The Author