This was an impulse buy while at Walmart waiting for my husband to choose some items in the automotive department. I had seen it here at Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, buThis was an impulse buy while at Walmart waiting for my husband to choose some items in the automotive department. I had seen it here at Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ, but didn't even have it on my wish list. Do we ever know what prompts us to pick up a book that had barely crossed our radar?
I read a couple of reviews when I was barely into it. I know better. I read a few sentences that were definitely not spoilers, but they created an alertness in me that I didn't really want. It was OK, it's a page turner anyway.
The book opens when Alicia Berensen is found sitting next to her husband who was dead, having been shot five times. Alicia hasn't spoken since. She was found guilty of murder but not mentally competent and confined to a mental hospital. The novel is told in the first person by Theo Faber, a psychotherapist who gets a job at Alicia's hospital.
There was a section about halfway when I thought the story dragged a bit. It did pick up and I was very anxious to read to the end. The plot is good and the writing adequate. I can't say much for the characterizations, but perhaps the characterization of Theo is a bit more than 2-dimensional. This probably sits on the border between 3- and 4-stars and I'll bump it up. ...more
The Wrong Man At a large party, Rebecca saw an old flame across the crowded room. She was now happily married and she didn’t want the flame to recognize her.
Freedom An unnamed narrator is away from home for a few months, and when it is time to return, he dreads facing his wife who he has come to dislike.
Sanctuary "Miz Poole, I's need to hide. I done shot somebody."...more
The book opens with a narrative of a man going to work. His bicycle has a flat tire on the way and he clocks in 10 minutes late. Later in the day thisThe book opens with a narrative of a man going to work. His bicycle has a flat tire on the way and he clocks in 10 minutes late. Later in the day this man finds a dead body in the one of the unused lockers in the employee locker room. The opening chapter ends with "and this is what he told the police". I could assume this man was not the murderer. Or was he ...
Of course, Maigret is immediately on the scene. The most enjoyable thing about this series is seeing Maigret's intuition at work. Although he may seemingly ignore some facts, as soon as he hears others, he dispatches investigators to collect additional evidence. In a hurry! Speed when possible, but thoroughness above all.
Each installment of this series feels fresh. Yes, I know Maigret, of course, and also some of his investigators. I never feel as if I've read a similar murder or motive or situation. I think this is one of the better installments and I'll happily color in a 4th star, maybe suggest these stars might glow a little too....more
The warning message arrived on Monday, the bomb itself on Wednesday. It became a busy week.
With such an opening, it's easy to find oneself immediatelyThe warning message arrived on Monday, the bomb itself on Wednesday. It became a busy week.
With such an opening, it's easy to find oneself immediately drawn in. This is told in the first person by Robert Halliday. Halliday is an author who works as a ghost writer for famous people wanting to publish memoirs. The content of the message comes right after the introduction, which purports to be friendly, despite the threat. The bomb did indeed arrive. When the "friendly" contact is made, Halliday is offered a contract to write, not a memoir, but an update of a Russian who himself wrote a memoir prior to the 1917 Revolution. The payment for his work is much higher than is normal for the day: $25k up front plus expenses, and another $25k upon completion. The question soon becomes Is that memoir authentic or a fake? And then it appears to be a ruse to get him involved in protecting the man who has contacted him.
This was Ambler's last novel, but I felt in no way that his writing was on the decline. I did think there was a lot of groundwork done which tested my patience. I was rewarded. The plot thickens and, as can be expected with thrillers, there is the possibility of various assassinations. Good stuff.
I am indebted to the 1001 Books Before You Die list for introducing me to Eric Ambler. This title is not on that list, but I read (somewhere) that the compilers of the 1001 List tried to pick the best titles of good authors so that readers would find books worthy of precious reading time. It has worked for me! I have others by Ambler on my wish list. I fervently hope to get to some others. Because this novel kept building until the last 5 pages, I'd like to give it 5-stars. Somehow I feel it falls just short of that heady rating.
As I post, the GR community has given this an average rating of 4.2. I was not so enamored.
This installment of the trilogy focuses on the third generaAs I post, the GR community has given this an average rating of 4.2. I was not so enamored.
This installment of the trilogy focuses on the third generation. In the early pages of the book - maybe 250 pages - they are all with their parents. But soon they begin to leave the nest and develop their own lives. This is as it should be and I looked forward to where their lives would lead. The families have inter-married and so we are actually left with only three families rather than five: US, German, Russian.
Further, the majority of the book is set in the turbulent 60s and Follett, for the most part, turns his lens on the US. I didn't actully do the math, but I think at least 150 pages dealt with the Cuban Missile Crisis, an event which in reality took place in about 5 days. Soon, there were the Civil Rights marches - we just passed the 60th anniversary of Selma which was bloody and awful. I think this was depicted in the book as Anniston. Then there were the Vietnam protests. One family member behaves like Hanoi Jane Fonda. Come the 70s, there was Tricky Dick Nixon, but Follett skips over Ford and Carter and goes straight for Reagan. Somehow Follett fails to mention Reagan's "Mr Gorbachev, take down this wall." I think that must have not aligned with Follett's what was becoming obvious political bias.
All of that is not truly why I downgraded this, although it must be a contributory. No, Follett thinks his readers can't remember what the characters were doing 200 pages back and so he briefly repeats himself, repeatedly. Further, it was at least 500 pages before I started rolling my eyes when we are told what kind of car the characters drive. These quotes are from about 800 pages to maybe 900 pages, and I'm pretty sure I didn't highlight all of them.
She had an old but reliable Mercedes-Benz 280S with vertically aligned twin headlamps. Tanya turned to see a lime-green Polski Fiat pulling up. He now had a silver Lincoln Town Car. Outside her building was a shiny black Mercedes S500,
I'll try to be fair. The characterizations were good. There were some very poignant scenes which had me reaching for a Kleenex. There were sections which were page-turners.
I'm glad this was a trilogy - I loved the first 2 installments - but also glad that there aren't more installments. I know I'll read more Follett, though probably not his very popular Kingsbridge trilogy. I've read others of his shorter standalone books and I think they are just right. Sorry, folks, if you were hoping for more, I can find only 3 stars for this title....more
I have remarked in other reviews when a book has happened at just the right time. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of them. I struggled with the first 3I have remarked in other reviews when a book has happened at just the right time. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of them. I struggled with the first 30 pages or so, taking what seemed like forever to plow through them. So why didn't I set it aside? Because I've read this author before and expected something greater than this very pedestrian opening.
I won't pretend this is a book for everyone. The book opens with a lonely young woman in a Tokyo bar being drawn to a man who sings beautifully. They sing a duet. Too much alcohol follows and the expected happens. Six months later the woman, now six months pregnant, throws herself out of a 7th story window. The newspaper accounts leave out that she was pregnant, but the police tell her older sister.
What follows is a trail of murder of women who have been seduced by the same man. Everything seems obvious, does it not? As in the case with other mysteries that seem obvious, it would do well to be skeptical. I was not. I should have reminded myself that a writer at the top of her form would try to pull the wool over my eyes.
I would happily read this author again. Despite the slow start and my remarks about about it, Togawa pulls off a very good psychological novel. I'll find the 4th star, but perhaps a tad reluctantly....more
Except for the Prologue of April 1951, the novel is set entirely in the K Apartments for Ladies. In that prologue a woman in a red scarf crossed the sExcept for the Prologue of April 1951, the novel is set entirely in the K Apartments for Ladies. In that prologue a woman in a red scarf crossed the street against the light. She was hit by a truck. The ambulance arrived quickly, but the woman died. Except that the woman in the red scarf was a man. There was a woman at the K Apartments for Ladies who waited for his return. She waited for 7 years.
Most of the story does not focus on this woman who waited for 7 years. We learn about other women in the Apartments. And the master key of the title has its part in revealing about a few of the lives of these other women. These are lonely lives. There are small crimes and big crimes.
The ending is superb. Some authors have devious minds. I'm so glad I have another by this author. Will I get to it this challenge season? I hope so. I almost never, yes only almost never, give 5 stars for this genre. And it is mostly because of the ending that I have yielded for this one....more
In a small town in Holland, a man was shot outside his own home. The man was a professor at the Naval Institute. The shooting was in the late evening In a small town in Holland, a man was shot outside his own home. The man was a professor at the Naval Institute. The shooting was in the late evening after a guest lecturer from France had given a presentation on the responsibility of criminals. Ok, that sounded really preposterous to me, but I noted this was written in 1931 and there were certainly people then (and now) propounding theories on all sorts of subjects that seem more than a bit outlandish. Anyway, the guest lecturer was found to have a gun in his hand immediately after the murder. While Duclos wasn't charged, he was politely and firmly asked not to leave the area. He prevailed on the police in his home country to send someone to help. Enter Maigret.
I have read a fair amount of this series. I like the man Maigret. In the series and in this installment, we know everything Maigret knows as far as facts. When in France, Maigret has his staff out gathering information, but in Holland, he was alone. Anyway, throughout, what we don't know is what Maigret thinks about these facts. We can depend on his coming to a logical conclusion and I happily turn the pages, watching him put things together. I sometimes know the answer a paragraph or two - never more - before he announces that conclusion. I didn't here.
And now that I've said all the platitudes about the series, I must admit I missed Paris. I missed Maigret directing those who were his eyes and ears following people and doing undercover work. I don't think I can be a completist of the series - there are 75 installments! I might have skipped this one and not missed much, but I would always have wondered. Anyway, this is still worth 3-stars, although it probably comes in in the bottom half of that group....more
I was surprised to find myself drawn to this as I'm not usually a reader of science. And, because I'm not a reader of science, there was much that wasI was surprised to find myself drawn to this as I'm not usually a reader of science. And, because I'm not a reader of science, there was much that was new to me. I definitely was not trodding the same old ground. I have no way of knowing if that would be true for others more familiar with the subject.
Godfrey-Smith gives us some evolutionary history. There are a couple of evolutionary charts that show how the cephalopods branch off early in evolution. The same chart shows how mammals and birds branched in a different direction and probably a couple of million years later. In this discussion he says:
If we can make contact with cephalopods as sentient beings, it is not because of a shared history, not because of kinship, but because evolution built minds twice over. This is probably the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien.
He tells us of his observing octopuses in Australia in a place researchers have dubbed Octopolis. He refers to other researchers and gives a brief - *very* brief - description of some of their observations and findings. One story related how one kind of octopus moved and then used two halves of a coconut shell to form a dwelling.
The coconut-house behavior illustrates what I see as the distinctive feature of octopus intelligence; it makes clear the way they have become smart animals. They are smart in the sense of being curious and flexible; they are adventurous, opportunistic. With this idea on the table I can add more to my picture of how octopuses fit into the range of animals and the history of life.
The style falls somewhere between academic and narrative non-fiction. I thought in many places it was closer to academic and I had to take my reading a bit more slowly than I was wont. I was rewarded because, while I'm sure I won't remember even half of what I read, I will remember enough that this enhanced my knowledge of a subject about which I knew little. In fact, I remarked to myself early "I'm learning about stuff I didn't even know I wanted to know."
I will admit that I thought sometimes he wandered off the subject. One whole chapter addressed how human minds work. It was good background for me because the following chapter helped me to understand how little the cephalopod mind is similar to ours. And then (!) he related an experiment with cuttlefish that indicated that animal seems to have an internal clock. The cuttlefish were able to determine that food would be behind one door in 1 hour rather than other door for which they'd have to wait 3 hours. Amazing! In another place I learned that the blood of an octopus is green because it uses a copper molecule to carry oxygen rather than an iron molecule as humans do.
These are little things, but I was delighted to read them. My enthusiasm spills over. What I got from this is surely worth a 5th star....more
This is probably more of a coming of age story than anything else. 1916, and it opens when William "Studs" Lonigan and his younger sister, Frances, arThis is probably more of a coming of age story than anything else. 1916, and it opens when William "Studs" Lonigan and his younger sister, Frances, are graduating from 8th grade at St. Patrick's Catholic grade school in Chicago. Summer arrives and Studs is left pretty much to his own devices. Nearing 15, he thinks mostly about girls. And he manages to hang out with some other boys who are well on their way to a life of crime.
I came to wish that was all there was to it. The writing fits the story extremely well. While I might not have liked Studs, his characterization is excellent. There is virtually no plot, but I have been known to embrace character driven novels and I was certainly due for one. But maybe 25 or so pages from the end was this:
They laughed. Kenny said they were in little Jewrusalem now, and they could probably catch a couple of Jew babies.
Two hooknoses, about Studs� size, did come along. Andy and Johnny O’Brien, the two youngest in the gang, stopped the shonickers.
There had been some racism earlier including other offensive and disgusting words, but no confrontation. This turned into a shellacking and for no good reason other than to show the Irish the superior ethnicity and who ran the neighborhood.
I'm not sure whether I'll read the rest of the trilogy. I have so many books to read. Without the anti-semitism and racism, I might have rated this a high 3-stars or maybe even 4-stars. But the above just sickened me. 2-stars is the best I can find and even that might be too high.
Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ has more than one description of this title. The one for this edition tells too little, while another I've seen borders on spoilers. I have Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ has more than one description of this title. The one for this edition tells too little, while another I've seen borders on spoilers. I have liked others in this series enough that I probably don't need to read any of them. However, I have marked in my private notes that this series is probably better read in order. I might be wrong about that, but I thought I needed reminding, just in case.
The opening pages tell of an older white woman driving up to the public housing project and getting out of her car. A young black woman is there who tells her "Lady, you in the wrong place." And she definitely was in the wrong place. A few seconds later a young man on a bicycle with a gun rides by and shoots the older white woman in the head.
The story unravels, mostly in the courtroom. June Eddgar, ex-wife of a State Senator, was the victim. Nile Eddgar was a probation officer whose clients numbered several in the project, including Hardcore, an ex-con, now drug dealer, who spins a tale about how and why this killing took place.
The chapters are dated. The courtroom chapters are dated 1995. And then, disconcertingly, we are taken back to 1969/1970 in what can only be Berkeley, California and the time of the anti-war marches and attendant violence of the Black Panthers and the allusion to the kidnapping of Patti Hearst. Berkeley is called Damon and Patti Hearst is called by another name, but there is no real disguising any of it. I was stumped. Why oh why do we have to go back there? The 1995 and 1970 chapters alternated, and I wasn't thrilled. I didn't care about this 1970 and wanted to know more about the trial and 1995. I should have trusted Turow.
After I'd finished I thought this was less a legal thriller than a commentary on society. I've read elsewhere that Kindle County of this series is really Chicago. And so I know the housing projects have been razed. If what is portrayed in this book was anything like the reality of the projects - and I have no reason to doubt that it is - then tearing them down was definitely the right thing to do. This is definitely an R-rated book. The language of the gang members, especially Hardcore, is about as blue as you can get. There is also some sex - both in the 70s and the 90s.
Because I was of a mindset for a legal thriller, I'm going to downgrade this to 3-stars. But that might just be because I was ready for something else. It won't deter me from reading more. I have 3 on the Kindle and have checked that my library has some of the later ones. I hope it isn't forever before I find myself in front of another. ...more
Arkady has arrived in Havana, having gotten a message that his friend Pribluda was in trouble. In trouble was an understatement. As Arkady arrived, a Arkady has arrived in Havana, having gotten a message that his friend Pribluda was in trouble. In trouble was an understatement. As Arkady arrived, a body is being recovered from the bay, and it has apparently been there for some time. If you are faint of heart, this might not be for you as there are descriptions of what can happen to a body when it has been in the water for several days. In fact, Arkady is here to identify Pribluda and the body doesn't yield enough for him to confidently do so. Dr. Blas, the pathologist, requests Arkady get a photo of Pribluda so that a comparison of the skull shape can be done.
As is typical of this series, Arkady is pursued. As is typical of this series, Arkady escapes being a murder victim. Of course, we know he will not be murdered - there are six more books in the series! Still, these are close encounters - very close. I like reading how Arkady manages to live another hour, another day, another novel.
In a review here, one of my friends said this was slow until well into the novel. I agree. Well, slow is not 100% accurate, but it definitely had gaps where my attention wandered. But sure enough, this picks up. It also goes to a completely unexpected climax. And for that last 150 pages especially, I'm tempted to bump this to 4-stars. I'm sorry, but that would be an exaggeration I will not make.
The premise of this is that the President of the United States is coming to Mexico to meet with its President. A conspiracy is rumored to exist to assThe premise of this is that the President of the United States is coming to Mexico to meet with its President. A conspiracy is rumored to exist to assasinate the US President on this visit. Filiberto Garcia, ostensibly of the police but himself really a hired assasin, is charged with verifying this rumor and finding the people who are to carry out the plot.
The vehicle for telling the story is interesting. Much of it is the internal dialogue of Garcia. Contrasting this first person POV is also that of third person limited. The change between the two is fluid but not confusing to the reader. One should be cautioned, however, to know that the internal dialogue is *very* vulgar. Garcia cannot construct a thought without the use of the f-word, though I remarked to my husband Garcia used it only as an adjective and never as a verb.
I'm glad I read this, even with the vulgarity. I find myself more attracted to pulp. I think pulp gets too little respect. Still and all I don't think this quite climbs into the 4-star group....more
Our unnamed narrator has been gambling, trying to win enough for his wife and him to get a ticket on a boat to America. Having lost nearly all of his Our unnamed narrator has been gambling, trying to win enough for his wife and him to get a ticket on a boat to America. Having lost nearly all of his money, he was walking dejectedly along the waterfront when a man offered him two tickets aboard the waiting ship. The only price was that our narrator would stay with Schwartz the entire night while Schwartz told his story. Thus, the Night in Lisbon of the title.
It wasn't just the Jews who Hitler sent to concentration camps. The other 6 million exterminated were dissidents, Christians of "unacceptable" sects, and criminals of all types. Josef Schwartz was a dissident who was sent to one of the concentration camps, but was fortunate to end up as "just" a refugee. Schwartz was not his real name, but was the name on the passport he carried, one that had been given to him by a dying refugee. His story begins about three years earlier in 1939, before the war began and then brings it to the day before his telling the story.
Some anti-war novels show us the horror of battle. There are many of those, including Remarque's WWI All Quiet on the Western Front. Here, Remarque shows us the horror of being a civilian during WWII. Most of us probably know in general that living under the Nazis was a horror. Here, the author helps us see it up close with his well-drawn characters.
I won't forget this, but neither do I think it is worth the full 5-stars. Still, it must be somewhat close to that level....more
My statewide Overdrive wait time for this book is, as of today, 392 days! This should give anyone a clue as to its popularity, keeping in mind my statMy statewide Overdrive wait time for this book is, as of today, 392 days! This should give anyone a clue as to its popularity, keeping in mind my state has a total population of under 750k. My husband has read all things local and is a BIG reader of almost anything having to do with boats. So I bought him a copy. I had not intended it to be for me, but a member of my online group had recommended it for this season's challenge. (Thank you, Kathleen!)
This all takes place in the first half of the 1740s. England and Spain were at war. The HMS Wager and five other ships set out to cross the Atlantic, to round the tip of South America, and accost a Spanish galleon on the Pacific side of that continent. The Spanish galleon was expected to be filled with gold and vanquishing that ship would bring wealth both to the nation and to the men on the ships.
So much was not known about the world at that time. Certainly, Cape Horn at the tip of South America was not mapped. Little was known about the weather, that there are high winds nearly all the time. The cause of scurvy was not known, so the British did not yet know to carry limes on board (which eventually caused British seamen to become known as limeys). It was also not yet known what happens to human minds in the later stages of starvation, nor what happens to their bodies when starvation is reversed too quickly. None of us can know how we might behave when stranded, without food and without communication, in a part of world where it is unlikely we'd be noticed.
David Grann tells a good story and I found this quite readable. I must note that he is also filled with 21st Century opinions about European exploration and the conquest of the Americas in particular. He alludes occasionally that perhaps Europeans were too certain of their superiority. Empires preserve their power with the stories that they tell, but just as critical are the stories they don't - the dark silences they impose, the pages they tear out. Such things made me wince and I thought it unnecessary to include them in a book about people and conditions 275 plus years ago.
As I began, and until about 1/3 in, I thought this probably 4-stars worth. As I continued to read it got better, I came to better know the characters and their situation. I chose to ignore the 21st Century attitude. And so I have colored in that final star....more
After serving his country during WWII, Mowat worked for the Canadian government. The common belief of the time was that wolves were decimating the carAfter serving his country during WWII, Mowat worked for the Canadian government. The common belief of the time was that wolves were decimating the caribou population. The department wanted the evidence documented. This is the story of the author traveling to the far north to study arctic wolves.
Mowat's writing has a strong sense of humor. Sometimes he tells tall tales. I admit that for the first 50 or so pages I thought that whoever designated this as non-fiction must surely be the most gullible person in the world. And then Mowat sort of turned on a dime and got serious about what he was doing. Other scientists have taken the position that what Mowat writes here isn't true, that wolves don't exist on small rodents, particularly mice. Perhaps those scientists didn't read the entire book. Mowat reports that in the summer, while the caribou are in their summer grazing area, there is nothing for the wolves to eat other than mice, lemmings, and other small rodents. When the caribou return, they hunt and eat caribou.
Anyway, what is written here is almost everything I know about arctic wolves. I was pleased to learn what Mowat offers here. I'd like to believe, for example, that wolves communicate, that their howls and yips vary enough so that there is at least close to an actual language. For the first part of this, I would have given a low 3-stars, but too much came through that I will likely remember and so it rises to the low 4-star group....more
Maigret is in the village of Saint-Fiacre, where he was born and grew up. He went there because a note was received at the Police Judiciare saying thaMaigret is in the village of Saint-Fiacre, where he was born and grew up. He went there because a note was received at the Police Judiciare saying that a crime would be committed at the early Mass on All Soul's Day. He got himself to the Mass and watched everything and saw that nothing extraordinary happened. Then he saw that the Countess didn't leave the church after the service. How could she have been murdered there in the church when he was watching everything?
I was happy to find myself with Maigret again. Perhaps this man who simply watches everything and whose mind never stops working isn't for everyone. Sure, Georges Simenon was writing at the same time as Christie and Sayers, but he's French and so he isn't quite like the others of the period. Simenon was so prolific that, having found him somewhat later in life, I can delight in probably never getting to them all, that there will always be another I haven't yet read.
These are mostly 4-stars for me. I admit this one might be borderline....more
The Bobby Owen Mysteries series has always been a police procedural. In the beginning, Bobby was a constable and happened to be on the scene when a muThe Bobby Owen Mysteries series has always been a police procedural. In the beginning, Bobby was a constable and happened to be on the scene when a murder was discovered. His superior took a liking to him and Bobby's career was launched. Bobby Owen was always patient and thought things through. The series has been a good police procedural which I have enjoyed.
I'm not sure what Punshon was thinking for this one. It appears he was trying to make a thriller out of it. Bobby was not only not patient, but he didn't have a murder investigation ongoing to be thinking about. This tried to be a thriller. I have been reading another series that is truly a thriller. In that one, the story is told from the POV of the investigator who is trying to solve the mystery before he himself is murdered. In Punshon's The Secret Search, Bobby is under no threat. The reader has never met the person who probably is under a threat. It just didn't work.
I fear for the remaining books in this series. I have been faithfully reading one every other month for several years and there are only 7 installments remaining. Can you hear the BUT coming? But, I'm not positive I'll keep to the same schedule. I do have all but one ready for the Kindle so I'll probably end up reading them. This, however, at 2-stars, puts me off. We'll see when February comes around if I'm up for the next one....more
The description for this edition is off by about 98%. This is *not* ... a collection of these well-crafted tales about life in provincial France. ThisThe description for this edition is off by about 98%. This is *not* ... a collection of these well-crafted tales about life in provincial France. This is a short novel that mostly takes place in privincial France. The time period for most of the novel is in 1822/23. In the first part Balzac tells us how the noblity lost their land under Napoleon, how much of the nobility actually emigrated to avoid the guillotine.
The family that is at the center of this novel is that of d'Esgrignon. In 1822, the family consists of the Marquis, his sister Mlle. Armande, and the Marquis son, Victorinen. Victorinen's mother died in childbirth. Victorinen has been raised by his aunt. The Marquis d'Esgrignon still believes in the superiority of the nobility and for some reason no one tells him differently. The Marquis and others of the town nobility are called by the townspeople "The Cabinet of Antiquities." Further, there is one family that was spurned in the past and has vowed revenge for more than 20 years. de Croisier plots his opportunity.
The d'Esgrignons are no longer a wealthy family, though no one would say they had fallen into poverty. Victorinen must marry and preferably someone who will have a substantial dowry. He sets off to Paris. But the young man has been given to believe in that same superiority as his father believes and, further, has no idea that he isn't a wealthy young man.
There are three main characters in this, all men. Elias Cole, a former academic is dying. He has asked for Adrian, a psychologist, to whom he tells ofThere are three main characters in this, all men. Elias Cole, a former academic is dying. He has asked for Adrian, a psychologist, to whom he tells of his life. Adrian is British and has come to Sierra Leone after the Civil War to help with those who have PTSD. He is befriended by Kai, a surgeon and native of the country. These are lives who, in normal circumstances, would not intersect.
I wasn't very far into this when I remarked to myself that Forna's great strength is in creating superb characterizations. This is what I've come to treasure in my reading. I came to know these men. Each of these men seem to have as their vocation that which defines their lives. And yet ...
And when he wakes from dreaming of her, is it not the same for him? The hollowness in his chest, the tense yearning, the loneliness he braces against every morning until he can immerse himself in work and forget. Not love. Something else, something with a power that endures. Not love, but a memory of love.
I have to admit there is very little plot, and the book is a bit too long without it. It comes together at the end so that I knew why I was compelled in my reading throughout.
This is a post war novel so one would think there would be no horrors of war. But with Adrian, there are times when we see how horrific this was. Forna does not pull any punches and there is no way to become desensitized. These sections are few and far between, but one should be forewarned.
When I read her Happiness, I immediately marked several titles that I wanted to read. I'm glad I did, and I'm glad this was the next one. Still, because of the lack of plot in particular, I can find only 4-stars for this title. ...more
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