This is the true-life story of Wallace Jeffs, growing up in a FLDS [Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints] environment in Utah. His father became tSummary:
This is the true-life story of Wallace Jeffs, growing up in a FLDS [Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints] environment in Utah. His father became the Prophet of this sect and then, upon his death, his half-brother Warren, later convicted of paedophilia.
Read More Book Reviews on my blog
Main Characters: Wallace Jeffs: The narrator of the book. A self-confessed loner, he is the 30th child of polygamist Rulon Jeffs, who would go on to become the prophet or leader of the FLDS.
Rulon Jeffs: Initially portrayed as a man of immense power (he was 6�4� and 280 pounds at one stage), a man whose word was law amongst his 60+ wives and numerous children, and more widely in the sect that he ruled.
Warren Jeffs: The “golden child�, the author writes that it was expected he would achieve great things in the Church, and was groomed for leadership, and combined with his mother Marilyn’s Machiavellian plotting obtained the leadership role after Rulon’s death.
Minor Characters: Sarah (author’s biological mother): She had two children by Rulon, one of whom was to die a drug-raddled “coke whore�. “Mother� tried her best, but was subsumed and overwhelmed by the other powerful personalities, the politics and petty jealousies arising from the Law of Sarah, where wives share the husband, and all are forced to live under the same roof.
Valerie: The author’s full sister, who suffered both physically and mentally as a child and young teen, which consequences played out in her later life.
Plot: The aim of the author is a tell-all of the polygamist FLDS society, from his brainwashed youth to his fear as a grown man of being cast out of his church.
The author tells of his growing up in a crowded house with his mother and clearly-deranged aunt Marilyn, and absent father, of always being  teased as “plyg kid� when at school, and the fights and scrapes he had to defend himself. For example, he was completely humiliated in a class show-and-tell, when he couldn’t tell his classmates anything about his father.
He and his sister were always outsiders. They were poor (buying hand-me-downs from their community thrift store), and where split-pea soup was a luxury meal.
In 1969, Rulon moved all his wives and their families (8 women and 50 children) into a massive house, and then the real battles began.
As the novel progresses, we as outsiders see the brainwashing of the congregation, and ridiculous pronouncements that were taken by them as articles of faith. We also track the author as he grows from a scrawny child to a man, getting married, and becoming extremely wealthy through shrewd business investments and sheer hard work.
Doubts & Conflicts: We also see him having internal doubts and conflicts about the FLDS and its teachings, especially when they seem to be tailored to suit the older males, and those already in positions of power and influence.
The congregation at large just seemed to accept and comply with these “revelations�, whereas as an outsider looking in (if they allowed one � they didn’t!) it is a farcical series of events, almost risible if the consequences weren’t so horrific.
It must be remembered that many of these men were seriously successful business people, presumably hard-nosed and pragmatic, but lost all rational thought and perspective and acted like sheep in matters of faith. Even after 2004 passed, and the Earth did not explode as was prophesised, they believed.
Crucially, the author does nothing about this for years, and even betrays some he would have considered friends (e.g. the bishop Winston Blackmore). This shows the level of fear the man was operating under. Indeed, he had been obliged to take a second wife against his wishes, who was the daughter of his half-sister.
While he claims to have noticed Warren’s predilection for young girls at an early stage, he again did nothing about it. Horrendous working conditions cause serious injuries and death on the YFZ (Yearning For Zion) ranch in Texas, but people believe it is their own fault.
He has multiple stories about wives and children being “gathered up� and “re-assigned� to another man (e.g. to become his eleventh wife), but again stands idly by and lets it happen. Such an event also happens to the author.
Warren Takes Power: When Rulon dies, Warren moves and eventually gains control of the Church. There are defections and castings-out etc., and the Church goes into siege mentality mode. Guards are posted on the doors and around the various properties, and legal shenanigans occur to make what was public community property, private.
The author then details the sexual extremes that Warren took his wives to, which eventually led to his arrest and imprisonment for paedophilia. He asserts he is not writing this book to “get back� at Warren for kicking him out of the FLDS, but in response to and in anger about the scandals and his bizarre behaviour.
The book goes on then to detail more acceptances and rejections into and out of the Church. From 2006 to 2012, in spite of all the stories and Warren being imprisoned, etc., he still believed in the FLDS and in Warren himself, only realising the truth when he saw the taped confession. He details months and years of surveillance and counter-surveillance, and court cases to get his children back.
Accident: The novel ends nearly where it started, by discussing the authors lucky escape from a 2011 car crash, one he believes was orchestrated by his half-brother Warren, who wants him silenced. He was months getting back to full health. Over the succeeding years some of his children left FLDS, and he now enjoys some semblance of a life with them. He also re-married in 2018.
What I Liked: - The author was honest in his writing - I learnt about a sect I had had no previous knowledge of (It is a fundamentalist branch of the Mormons) - It gave the male version of what it’s like to leave a controlling sect � normally it is just the female stories we hear
What I Didn’t Like: - Some things didn’t quite make sense to me � e.g. how they were always hungry, but were willing to throw away overripe food which they collected weekly. The Irish ate grass in the 1845 famine, Ukrainians ate tree bark in their famine of 1933. - Parts of the story were too detailed to really allow a flowing narrative. I would suggest that the author tighten up on some of the anecdotes. He clearly shows how minds were manipulated, through control of access to media, strict rules etc., but sometimes it reaches overkill.
Overall: This is an interesting book. I think it is a little self-serving, because no matter how much he berates the FLDS he is willing to go back to it, support it financially, long after he must realise any hope of getting his children back is gone.
He does portray himself as the victim, as indeed he was and is, however he is somewhat complicit in his own victimhood.
From being a loner early on, he later enjoyed the fruits of his early labours, a particular highlight is being called “uncle�, a title of respect in the FLDS. However, this soured when the tide and Warren turned against him.
While I do feel sympathy for him and what he went through (and is still living with), by saying nothing he allowed others to suffer the same or similar fates. “For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing�. Also, karma is a bitch.
That said, I think it is an important read, and an important book to have in the efforts to expose these shameful practices. The FLDS and sects like it are still flourishing, and very popular, so it is important to have a strong spotlight put on them and their practices. In this era of fake news, eye-witness accounts become ever more valuable.
Acknowledgements:
I received a free copy of this book from the author, in return for an honest review.
Merged review:
Summary:
This is the true-life story of Wallace Jeffs, growing up in a FLDS [Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints] environment in Utah. His father became the Prophet of this sect and then, upon his death, his half-brother Warren, later convicted of paedophilia.
Read More Book Reviews on my blog
Main Characters: Wallace Jeffs: The narrator of the book. A self-confessed loner, he is the 30th child of polygamist Rulon Jeffs, who would go on to become the prophet or leader of the FLDS.
Rulon Jeffs: Initially portrayed as a man of immense power (he was 6�4� and 280 pounds at one stage), a man whose word was law amongst his 60+ wives and numerous children, and more widely in the sect that he ruled.
Warren Jeffs: The “golden child�, the author writes that it was expected he would achieve great things in the Church, and was groomed for leadership, and combined with his mother Marilyn’s Machiavellian plotting obtained the leadership role after Rulon’s death.
Minor Characters: Sarah (author’s biological mother): She had two children by Rulon, one of whom was to die a drug-raddled “coke whore�. “Mother� tried her best, but was subsumed and overwhelmed by the other powerful personalities, the politics and petty jealousies arising from the Law of Sarah, where wives share the husband, and all are forced to live under the same roof.
Valerie: The author’s full sister, who suffered both physically and mentally as a child and young teen, which consequences played out in her later life.
Plot: The aim of the author is a tell-all of the polygamist FLDS society, from his brainwashed youth to his fear as a grown man of being cast out of his church.
The author tells of his growing up in a crowded house with his mother and clearly-deranged aunt Marilyn, and absent father, of always being  teased as “plyg kid� when at school, and the fights and scrapes he had to defend himself. For example, he was completely humiliated in a class show-and-tell, when he couldn’t tell his classmates anything about his father.
He and his sister were always outsiders. They were poor (buying hand-me-downs from their community thrift store), and where split-pea soup was a luxury meal.
In 1969, Rulon moved all his wives and their families (8 women and 50 children) into a massive house, and then the real battles began.
As the novel progresses, we as outsiders see the brainwashing of the congregation, and ridiculous pronouncements that were taken by them as articles of faith. We also track the author as he grows from a scrawny child to a man, getting married, and becoming extremely wealthy through shrewd business investments and sheer hard work.
Doubts & Conflicts: We also see him having internal doubts and conflicts about the FLDS and its teachings, especially when they seem to be tailored to suit the older males, and those already in positions of power and influence.
The congregation at large just seemed to accept and comply with these “revelations�, whereas as an outsider looking in (if they allowed one � they didn’t!) it is a farcical series of events, almost risible if the consequences weren’t so horrific.
It must be remembered that many of these men were seriously successful business people, presumably hard-nosed and pragmatic, but lost all rational thought and perspective and acted like sheep in matters of faith. Even after 2004 passed, and the Earth did not explode as was prophesised, they believed.
Crucially, the author does nothing about this for years, and even betrays some he would have considered friends (e.g. the bishop Winston Blackmore). This shows the level of fear the man was operating under. Indeed, he had been obliged to take a second wife against his wishes, who was the daughter of his half-sister.
While he claims to have noticed Warren’s predilection for young girls at an early stage, he again did nothing about it. Horrendous working conditions cause serious injuries and death on the YFZ (Yearning For Zion) ranch in Texas, but people believe it is their own fault.
He has multiple stories about wives and children being “gathered up� and “re-assigned� to another man (e.g. to become his eleventh wife), but again stands idly by and lets it happen. Such an event also happens to the author.
Warren Takes Power: When Rulon dies, Warren moves and eventually gains control of the Church. There are defections and castings-out etc., and the Church goes into siege mentality mode. Guards are posted on the doors and around the various properties, and legal shenanigans occur to make what was public community property, private.
The author then details the sexual extremes that Warren took his wives to, which eventually led to his arrest and imprisonment for paedophilia. He asserts he is not writing this book to “get back� at Warren for kicking him out of the FLDS, but in response to and in anger about the scandals and his bizarre behaviour.
The book goes on then to detail more acceptances and rejections into and out of the Church. From 2006 to 2012, in spite of all the stories and Warren being imprisoned, etc., he still believed in the FLDS and in Warren himself, only realising the truth when he saw the taped confession. He details months and years of surveillance and counter-surveillance, and court cases to get his children back.
Accident: The novel ends nearly where it started, by discussing the authors lucky escape from a 2011 car crash, one he believes was orchestrated by his half-brother Warren, who wants him silenced. He was months getting back to full health. Over the succeeding years some of his children left FLDS, and he now enjoys some semblance of a life with them. He also re-married in 2018.
What I Liked: - The author was honest in his writing - I learnt about a sect I had had no previous knowledge of (It is a fundamentalist branch of the Mormons) - It gave the male version of what it’s like to leave a controlling sect � normally it is just the female stories we hear
What I Didn’t Like: - Some things didn’t quite make sense to me � e.g. how they were always hungry, but were willing to throw away overripe food which they collected weekly. The Irish ate grass in the 1845 famine, Ukrainians ate tree bark in their famine of 1933. - Parts of the story were too detailed to really allow a flowing narrative. I would suggest that the author tighten up on some of the anecdotes. He clearly shows how minds were manipulated, through control of access to media, strict rules etc., but sometimes it reaches overkill.
Overall: This is an interesting book. I think it is a little self-serving, because no matter how much he berates the FLDS he is willing to go back to it, support it financially, long after he must realise any hope of getting his children back is gone.
He does portray himself as the victim, as indeed he was and is, however he is somewhat complicit in his own victimhood.
From being a loner early on, he later enjoyed the fruits of his early labours, a particular highlight is being called “uncle�, a title of respect in the FLDS. However, this soured when the tide and Warren turned against him.
While I do feel sympathy for him and what he went through (and is still living with), by saying nothing he allowed others to suffer the same or similar fates. “For evil to flourish, it only requires good men to do nothing�. Also, karma is a bitch.
That said, I think it is an important read, and an important book to have in the efforts to expose these shameful practices. The FLDS and sects like it are still flourishing, and very popular, so it is important to have a strong spotlight put on them and their practices. In this era of fake news, eye-witness accounts become ever more valuable.
Acknowledgements:
I received a free copy of this book from the author, in return for an honest review....more
First part of a supernatural series, dated in 2037, where seven Idle Country childrRead More Book Reviews on my blog Summary:
First part of a supernatural series, dated in 2037, where seven Idle Country children disappeared in mysterious circumstances almost thirty years ago (2010). A teenager, now incarcerated in a mental rehabilitation home for the past ten years or so, relates first-hand memories of these children, though it is impossible to know how he came by them.
Main Characters: Jonathan Flite: The protagonist, he is an unwanted child, the result of a decision by a selfish rich woman to defy society norms. He possesses inside information on the disappearances that he has no way of knowing, and is declared insane, and incarcerated.
Winifred Flite: Jonathan’s wealthy mother, spoilt, selfish, and psychologically abusive, she believes money can buy her whatever and whomever she wants.
Molly Butler: One of the children around whose memories the novel revolves, and whose half-sister Kara tries to find the truth about what happened to her.
Dr Thomas Lumen: The psychiatrist who takes up Jonathan’s case, but he is none-too-honest about his own connections with the history of the children.
Minor Characters:
Mason Witzel: He becomes Jonathan’s best friend in the Crescent Rehabilitation centre.
Mrs Grime: Ancient librarian who is still as sharp as a tack � she holds secrets as well as books within the library walls.
Victor Zobel: Founder of the New Naturalism religion, fabulously wealthy, yet a shadowy figure for all his public persona.
Plot: Jonathan Flite was born into a privileged, wealthy US world, with nannies and every conceivable advantage. However, he was essentially a trophy baby, whose mother preferred that the nanny raised him.
He did not speak for years, nor played as such with other children, but then conversed in fluent French when he did speak at about the age of seven. He also began drawing images that made no sense, talking of times and people that bore no relation to his life. Over time, he was assessed as unstable, and put into a home.
Winifred googles her son’s statements, and discovers uncanny similarities to the disappearance of seven children in Idle county just over ten years previously. Confronting him, and through psychiatrists, Winifred believes her son has become insane, and incarcerates him, and effectively washes her hands of any responsibility. After then killing a nurse, he was incarcerated into a Rehab Centre (for life, effectively).
We now meet Dr Thomas Lumen, a divorced psychiatrist who becomes interested in Jonathan’s story, for more than just academic reasons.
We now move to the timeline of young, 13-year old Molly Butler, one of the seven who is to disappear. She has had her own share of troubles, with her mother dying and her father’s reactions, and this sparks her interest in the supernatural. Using a school project as a cover, she begins to investigate ghost sightings around her townland, with her friend (and burgeoning but innocent love interest Jacob Jenkins). Through her research, she meets quite a cast of characters, from the twinkly-eyed librarian Mrs Grime to a more intriguing Max Pope. She also comes across several town legends, which point to the townland having an unsuspected high level of unexplained phenomena.
These three storylines merge and intertwine over the course of the novel, with other characters such as Kara Butler and Dr Freede, charismatic religious leaders like Simon Villiard and their acolytes, and events such as a nuclear explosion in Geneva adding to the mystery and suspense, and the sense that there is more at stake here than is immediately obvious.
The tension builds, as the author expertly switches between the timelines, allowing just enough information through to give the reader a few more pieces of the puzzle to click together.
The final chapters build to an intense climax, as we get our first glimpse into the shadowy players that seem to be manipulating events behind the scenes, and setting the stage for the next in the series.
What I Liked: - The writing is excellent. Fast-paced, yet descriptive, the author builds different worlds which are believable and coherent (the future has a few new gadgets). - The narrative is told from different points of view in the timelines, and the author manages to keep a distinct voice for his characters. - There are a lot of unexplained items, which I’m sure will be developed over the series, but this builds the interest and suspense (e.g. why did the cult experience a resurgence?). - Character development was excellent. We see them as they grow, or deeply understand why they feel the frustration they do.
What I Didn’t Like: - Some of the “unexplained� items seemed like inventions to move things along. I hope the author has a strong contextual background narrative planned for them over the series.
Overall: A thoroughly recommended read, good for adults as well as a YA audience. The story has strong elements of suspense, mystery, sleuthing, and even life-after-death themes.
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for giving me a free copy of this book, in return for an honest and objective review.
Merged review:
Read More Book Reviews on my blog Summary:
First part of a supernatural series, dated in 2037, where seven Idle Country children disappeared in mysterious circumstances almost thirty years ago (2010). A teenager, now incarcerated in a mental rehabilitation home for the past ten years or so, relates first-hand memories of these children, though it is impossible to know how he came by them.
Main Characters: Jonathan Flite: The protagonist, he is an unwanted child, the result of a decision by a selfish rich woman to defy society norms. He possesses inside information on the disappearances that he has no way of knowing, and is declared insane, and incarcerated.
Winifred Flite: Jonathan’s wealthy mother, spoilt, selfish, and psychologically abusive, she believes money can buy her whatever and whomever she wants.
Molly Butler: One of the children around whose memories the novel revolves, and whose half-sister Kara tries to find the truth about what happened to her.
Dr Thomas Lumen: The psychiatrist who takes up Jonathan’s case, but he is none-too-honest about his own connections with the history of the children.
Minor Characters:
Mason Witzel: He becomes Jonathan’s best friend in the Crescent Rehabilitation centre.
Mrs Grime: Ancient librarian who is still as sharp as a tack � she holds secrets as well as books within the library walls.
Victor Zobel: Founder of the New Naturalism religion, fabulously wealthy, yet a shadowy figure for all his public persona.
Plot: Jonathan Flite was born into a privileged, wealthy US world, with nannies and every conceivable advantage. However, he was essentially a trophy baby, whose mother preferred that the nanny raised him.
He did not speak for years, nor played as such with other children, but then conversed in fluent French when he did speak at about the age of seven. He also began drawing images that made no sense, talking of times and people that bore no relation to his life. Over time, he was assessed as unstable, and put into a home.
Winifred googles her son’s statements, and discovers uncanny similarities to the disappearance of seven children in Idle county just over ten years previously. Confronting him, and through psychiatrists, Winifred believes her son has become insane, and incarcerates him, and effectively washes her hands of any responsibility. After then killing a nurse, he was incarcerated into a Rehab Centre (for life, effectively).
We now meet Dr Thomas Lumen, a divorced psychiatrist who becomes interested in Jonathan’s story, for more than just academic reasons.
We now move to the timeline of young, 13-year old Molly Butler, one of the seven who is to disappear. She has had her own share of troubles, with her mother dying and her father’s reactions, and this sparks her interest in the supernatural. Using a school project as a cover, she begins to investigate ghost sightings around her townland, with her friend (and burgeoning but innocent love interest Jacob Jenkins). Through her research, she meets quite a cast of characters, from the twinkly-eyed librarian Mrs Grime to a more intriguing Max Pope. She also comes across several town legends, which point to the townland having an unsuspected high level of unexplained phenomena.
These three storylines merge and intertwine over the course of the novel, with other characters such as Kara Butler and Dr Freede, charismatic religious leaders like Simon Villiard and their acolytes, and events such as a nuclear explosion in Geneva adding to the mystery and suspense, and the sense that there is more at stake here than is immediately obvious.
The tension builds, as the author expertly switches between the timelines, allowing just enough information through to give the reader a few more pieces of the puzzle to click together.
The final chapters build to an intense climax, as we get our first glimpse into the shadowy players that seem to be manipulating events behind the scenes, and setting the stage for the next in the series.
What I Liked: - The writing is excellent. Fast-paced, yet descriptive, the author builds different worlds which are believable and coherent (the future has a few new gadgets). - The narrative is told from different points of view in the timelines, and the author manages to keep a distinct voice for his characters. - There are a lot of unexplained items, which I’m sure will be developed over the series, but this builds the interest and suspense (e.g. why did the cult experience a resurgence?). - Character development was excellent. We see them as they grow, or deeply understand why they feel the frustration they do.
What I Didn’t Like: - Some of the “unexplained� items seemed like inventions to move things along. I hope the author has a strong contextual background narrative planned for them over the series.
Overall: A thoroughly recommended read, good for adults as well as a YA audience. The story has strong elements of suspense, mystery, sleuthing, and even life-after-death themes.
Acknowledgements:
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for giving me a free copy of this book, in return for an honest and objective review....more
“Here comes the new Brown, same as the old Brown�.
Origin is the fifth novel featuring the most famous Semiotician in the world, professor Robert Langd“Here comes the new Brown, same as the old Brown�.
Origin is the fifth novel featuring the most famous Semiotician in the world, professor Robert Langdon.
The novel is set in Spain, and ranges from the Guggenheim in Bilbao, through Barcelona to the Royal Palace in Madrid.
A former student of Langdon, Edmond Kirsch is now a billionaire Futurist, and is hosting an event at the Guggenheim that will unveil a discovery that will destroy the foundations of the Abrahamic religions. Naturally he invites his old mentor
Cue lots of hidden historical facts, and religious extremists, all related at the layman level, and the template that has brought Brown such success is complete. Clue after clue falls to the intrepid duo, puzzling as they do over Nietzsche, Blake, the artist Miro, and various famous sites in Spain. They get helpful dig-outs from Winston, a super-AI computer with attitude.
The story is typical Brown, building up the tension through potentially plausible historical proofs, enigmatic cryptograms, cliff-hanger moments, and magniloquent prose, while hoping to court controversy on the way. The reader knows what they are going to get, and by and large they get it.
For the fans, they will love Origin. It is an entertaining read, great for an airport terminal, but the potential of the story is, for me, not fully realised. The reveal(s) fell flat, and not as controversy-inducing as his previous outings. Airplane fodder.
Merged review:
“Here comes the new Brown, same as the old Brown�.
Origin is the fifth novel featuring the most famous Semiotician in the world, professor Robert Langdon.
The novel is set in Spain, and ranges from the Guggenheim in Bilbao, through Barcelona to the Royal Palace in Madrid.
A former student of Langdon, Edmond Kirsch is now a billionaire Futurist, and is hosting an event at the Guggenheim that will unveil a discovery that will destroy the foundations of the Abrahamic religions. Naturally he invites his old mentor
Cue lots of hidden historical facts, and religious extremists, all related at the layman level, and the template that has brought Brown such success is complete. Clue after clue falls to the intrepid duo, puzzling as they do over Nietzsche, Blake, the artist Miro, and various famous sites in Spain. They get helpful dig-outs from Winston, a super-AI computer with attitude.
The story is typical Brown, building up the tension through potentially plausible historical proofs, enigmatic cryptograms, cliff-hanger moments, and magniloquent prose, while hoping to court controversy on the way. The reader knows what they are going to get, and by and large they get it.
For the fans, they will love Origin. It is an entertaining read, great for an airport terminal, but the potential of the story is, for me, not fully realised. The reveal(s) fell flat, and not as controversy-inducing as his previous outings. Airplane fodder....more
Ghost Stories from the 12th Century, as transcribed by medieval monks who has a little extra space at the end of a transcript. I got this from NetGalleGhost Stories from the 12th Century, as transcribed by medieval monks who has a little extra space at the end of a transcript. I got this from NetGalley, and while not especially scary to modern tastes, I can imagine in a more superstitious time this was the Stephen King equivalent.
I enjoyed reading about the provenance of these stories, how the current author rejigs and retells the original modern publication of the 1920's. It is thought-provoking to think my ancestors may have been enthralled by these stories.
Overall, a nice insight into the entertainment of the time, and adds some colour and flavour to what we routinely think of as the Dark Ages....more
Ghost Stories from the 12th Century, as transcribed by medieval monks who has a little extra space at the end of a transcript. I got this from NetGalleGhost Stories from the 12th Century, as transcribed by medieval monks who has a little extra space at the end of a transcript. I got this from NetGalley, and while not especially scary to modern tastes, I can imagine in a more superstitious time this was the Stephen King equivalent.
I enjoyed reading about the provenance of these stories, how the current author rejigs and retells the original modern publication of the 1920's. It is thought-provoking to think my ancestors may have been enthralled by these stories.
Overall, a nice insight into the entertainment of the time, and adds some colour and flavour to what we routinely think of as the Dark Ages. ...more
This is a very interesting read. Statues can be highly divisive (as evidenced in recent years all across the world), with their raising up and tearing This is a very interesting read. Statues can be highly divisive (as evidenced in recent years all across the world), with their raising up and tearing down both causing outrage to the "other" side. Where one sees a hero, the other sees a tyrant. Habit, as Beckett says, is a great deadener. People can get used to things like these, and they become landmarks etc. Statues aim for immortality, and also that of the viewpoint they represent. For some people, they are thus hugely controversial, and this book shows this feeling has been around for millenia,
The author chooses 21 well-known statues in the book, but there are umpteen more that could have equally merited inclusion here (e.g. Nelson's Pillar in my home city of Dublin).
The point of this book, for me, is to illustrate there is not just one point of view, and there needs to be serious, respectful and substantial discussion around what to do with these historical items. Simply smashing them does not eradicate the debate - for me, it just reinforces the Them & Us mentality that perpetuates hatred. The full history of who they were and what they represent should be known. There should be debate around what to do with these statues, with empathy and respect on all sides, and a willingness for peaceable action. However, one could argue that what end does the destruction of the Bamiyan statues serve, and how can you have empathy and respect for that action? This is the visceral effect of the destructive action.
I think this books serves well as an overview, but the subject matter needs deeper thinking and greater input from a sociological perspective. I wasn't overly keen on a perceived lack of objectivity by the author, and possible a book containing a collection of viewpoints may serve better.
Thanks to Netgalley for giving me this ARC to read....more
This is a superb story. I really liked the main character, and how she approaches life and survival. The landscape where she ultimately finds herself isThis is a superb story. I really liked the main character, and how she approaches life and survival. The landscape where she ultimately finds herself is fairly bleak, yet when she explores there is brightness and hope. This is parallel with her life. Some parts of it are a little implausible, but not so much so that it disrupts the enjoyment of the story. Really recommend this!...more
This is a captivating novel. It is a retrospective on a life by a 100-year old dying woman, narrating the events of her life to her grandson.
Born intoThis is a captivating novel. It is a retrospective on a life by a 100-year old dying woman, narrating the events of her life to her grandson.
Born into a well-to-do family in 1920 South America, Violeta (the protagonist) careers through her life, her family, friends, loves and lovers. The pace is not breath-taking, but well-measured, with beautiful details, well-observed nuances, and characters you can empathise with, if not identify with.
Historical fiction it may be, but it reads like a memoir, with Violeta growing and deepening throughout the book. Her life is one of Riches to Rags and back to Riches, interspersed with the main events of the 20th Century (globally, cold-war South America, Great depression, etc). Her supporting cast are well-drawn, with each role they played in her life clear and plausible.
Violeta struggles with class, machismo and "women's place in society", but also finds her inner strength and eventual purpose. Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/ Ballantine Books for gifting me this ARC. Thoroughly recommended...more
I thought this an interesting read. The author throws up a lot of ideas, and has obviously done serious in-depth research.
He challenges the concepts "I thought this an interesting read. The author throws up a lot of ideas, and has obviously done serious in-depth research.
He challenges the concepts "westerners" have of the North, without being massively revelatory. Here, the North is seen primarily (and initially) from the view point of Europe. The Greeks and Romans, then as the borders were pushed back and the world expanded, from the viewpoint of those living in what is now modern Germany, the UK, Denmark and Poland.
I found the 17th Century figure of Ole Worms very interesting, and there is quite a few references back to him throughout the book. His name was new to me, but seemingly very important in his time for "northern knowledge".
As the book develops, we move away from the image of the all-conquering, bemuscled Viking behemoth, to the burgeoning tourist and travel industry to Scandanavia and beyond, how the North became somewhat like the Grand Tour of Italy, and how increasing contact led to the forging of fables (Ossian), and cultural appropriation and corruption of various Nordic myths, most notably by pre-twentieth century individuals like Wagner, and Houston Chamberlain, and the pan-German Volkisch movements.
Later, we read of the Arctic North, how explorers "discovered" the North Pole and indigenous peoples, leading to yet another view of the North. We also get to read of the lives of the women (unfortunately never prioritised in history), the hospitality experienced by travellers, and the exaggerated tales of bucolic harmony they returned with.
Overall, a very good primer on the North, and a useful read to understand some of the political currents of today. Some parts are a little heavy-going, but the author does extremely well in keeping all the various stories, competing movements and trends in balance. I would definitely recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC to me....more
Phenomenal book - well worth a read. Gives a great insight into the turbulent times, and shows up the pointlessness of religious Deeper Review to come!
Phenomenal book - well worth a read. Gives a great insight into the turbulent times, and shows up the pointlessness of religious rivalries.
Superb backdrop if reading fiction novels of this time & place. ...more
A historical romance novel, set at the time of the Albigensian crusade. For those who may not know, this was a crusade in the Languedoc region Summary
A historical romance novel, set at the time of the Albigensian crusade. For those who may not know, this was a crusade in the Languedoc region of France, by northern Catholics against the perceived heresies of the Cathars, lasting from 1209 to 1229, with another series of repressions in the late 1240’s.
The plot is essentially the love story between Braida, a young Catholic girl of Carcassone, and Jourdan, a soldier-of-fortune, who is also Catholic, but is fighting against what they perceive as an invasion of the lands by the North. The narrator of the story wants to set out her own view of the times she has lived through.
Set in feudal times, the local counts, lords etc. have almost absolute power over their subjects, and in turn owe fealty to their overlords. The French king suspects the loyalty of the Languedoc, over which the King of Aragon has some sway, and under cover of the crusade seeks to gain control of the land. As ever, the poor & voiceless are the meat in the sandwich.
Main Characters:
Braida: Young Catholic girl, very self-conscious due to a leg deformity, growing up in a peaceful, idyllic Carcassone. Friends with the Cathar Beatrice, her father is a distant, cold man, who ignores or belittles her as needed.
Jourdan: Soldier of fortune, he is torn between his duty to his employer, and to Braida. Duty usually wins, and Braida is left behind.
Minor Characters:
Beatrice: A devoted Cathar, studying to become a Perfect (a Cathar religious leader), she is Braida’s best (and probably only) real friend. Pious, she becomes more ethereal as the novel progresses.
Foulques: Braida’s physician father, he looms large over her life. Cold and unloving to her, as he grows older his life slowly falls to pieces, as personal tragedy takes its toll.
Plot:
The Albigensian Crusade has just been launched by Pope Innocent III, and the Northern army is marching to Languedoc. Braida and her contemporaries do not fear it yet, thinking it is just another local war that will go away. She meets and falls for Jourdan, and their early days are idyllic. However, as time moves on and the army closer, they get swept up in events.
The Viscount of Carcassone rallies the troops, and takes up arms against the Northern invaders.
A series of battles, skirmishes and sieges now occur, over the next 20/30 years, with duplicity, betrayal and widespread bloodshed becoming the norm. The bonds of loyalty are strained, and sometimes break under the pressure. The tide of war ebbs and flows, and throughout Braida and Jourdan have their own travails, Jourdan heads off to war, leaving Braida behind to look after her father, dying mother, and her father’s mistress, while never knowing where or when the hammer of war falls next.
Along with the Crusade comes the Inquisition, less famous but just as brutal as its Spanish counterpart. Braida and Jourdan are nominally exempt from this, being Catholics, but such is the fear and terror, that neighbour is denouncing neighbour, simply to avoid the clutches of the Inquisitors.
What I Liked:
Easy to read Well researched, and a great effort at keeping the various true-life characters from being confused The flashback recounting style of the story What I Didn’t like:
Other than Braida, I found the characters a little one-dimensional. The love angle was hard to accept as the novel progresses, and less believable. There was none of the heat and passion you would expect. We don’t really get a sense of the Cathars, who in reality were so mentally strong in how they resisted persecution. Overall:
For those who like historical romance novels, this fits the bill nicely. A good overview of the turbulent times, and how two ordinary people struggle through it. The reader gets a good flavour of how precarious life was. It is enjoyable, and may lead the more curious to investigate and read more into the genocide of the Cathars....more
This is a non-fiction journalistic investigation into the life of Henrietta Lacks.
Henrietta Read more reviews on my blog
Summary:
This is a non-fiction journalistic investigation into the life of Henrietta Lacks.
Henrietta was an average African-American woman, struggling to make ends meet in 1950’s America, raising a large family (five children) while living on the edge of poverty. What made her life exceptional was her death, or rather the reason for her death.
Henrietta suffered a particularly aggressive form of cervical cancer, and a few months before she died some cells were cut from her cervix. She was being seen at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore. This was in racially-segregated America, and the author either states or implies that African-Americans were consistently treated worse than the white patients (citing things like the Tuskagee studies, for example).
HeLa cells, as they came to be known, were unlike any seen before or since, as they seemed to be “immortal� i.e. would reproduce and grow in the lab, stronger and longer than any other human cells. Geneticist George Gey was primarily responsible for the isolation of her cells, and then freely gave samples to any lab that wanted them (free as in accepted no payment, took out no patents, etc).
The problem was, the Lacks family say there was never informed consent, and this has led to years of bitterness and anger. Hela cells were (and are) the go-to cells for all kinds of testing. Through them, the world has benefited from a polio vaccine, IVF treatments, amongst myriad other breakthroughs. The cells have been in space, to see how they react to the environment. Her cells have travelled the world, and were used by countless labs. The Lacks have never received any payment/compensation, and until recently believed Gey had made a fortune from their mother.
The author details her investigative journey, the difficulty in getting the Lacks family to open up to her (they had been exploited many times in the past, particularly by a predatory “lawyer�), her perilous financing of the project through credit cards & loans, and her relationship with the oldest daughter Deborah.
What I Liked:
- Unvarnished approach to this terrible story of ignorance, abuse, and exploitation. - The sub-text that this is still going on � illicit organ-harvesting for example is big business � and again the poor and ill-informed are the victims. [We have had our own scandals here in Ireland coming to light recently). - Well structured and a compelling read.
What I Didn’t Like:
- I don’t think it is as even-handed as the author states. Naturally there is huge sympathy for how the lives of the children worked out, but that was due to the loss of a strong mother figure, rather than being exploited per se by the hospital and, later, pharma companies. To conflate the two seems wrong. I also didn’t need the lurid and tragic personal details, and failed to see how they related to the cells theme. - The author was just as aggressive and invasive as any other, coming across as very pushy and almost harrying the family into becoming sources for the book. - The author agreed to tell the story verbatim as the Lacks gave it, in order for it to be published. - There would be concerns about objectivity and perspective here as well.
Overall:
I really got into the science end of things, and am thankful for Henrietta � even though she knew nothing about it, she has saved millions of lives. It is a story that needs to be told. Overall, a good read, but could have done without the (irrelevant to the main story) human interest angles....more
This is a dystopian near-future. Britain is essentially a wasteland, ruled by the Authority Read more reviews on my blog
Summary:
This is a dystopian near-future. Britain is essentially a wasteland, ruled by the Authority (a totalitarian type government), and everything is grey and bleak. Everything in people’s lives is controlled, right down to women being forced to fit contraceptive devices. The hometown of our narrator, Penrith, is over-crowded, filled with despairing people doing meaningless work, in return for an ordered life and steady food rations.
Our narrator, Sister, finds a way to break out of her oppressed town, and makes her way into the mountains, to find the semi-legendary community of Carhulla. The stories speak of a self-reliant, self-sustaining community of women. What she finds both reinforces and subverts her expectations. While she does meet kindness and acceptance, there is a steel edge to many of the women that speaks to a darker purpose, and an unsettling group-think. This stand-off between societies cannot last, with fears that the long arm of the Authority will reach for and destroy the isolated commune.
Main Characters:
- Sister: The narrator of the story, she remains nameless. We see everything through her eyes.
- Shruti: She becomes Sister’s best friend at the commune.
- Jackie Nixon: The fierce, independent leader of the commune, tough as old boots.
What I Liked::
- Interesting view on leadership styles, and what does the greater good mean. - The sub-text of the climate change issue, how living with nature brings better results than fighting her.
What I Didn’t Like:
- The world-building was sparse. The reader just has to accept the place is a dystopia, with no real backdrop/context. - The narrative was broken � it was written where a third party had discovered recordings of Sister’s narrative, but several sections had been destroyed/lost along the way, resulting in huge gaps. For me, this lessened the story, as you were catapulted from one time section to another, losing threads on the way.
Overall:
I was not blown away by this book. I found it hard to empathise with the narrator, as she didn’t appeal to me. I was unsure -  was she was supposed to be a strong character for running away? She idolised those who beat her to a pulp? Was the society she ran to, really that much better from whence she came? Very contradictory.
There were too many jumps in the story e.g. getting ready for a siege, then the next chapter we are in the middle of a burning city. The dialogue was sparse, and at the end I was left wondering what the author wanted to achieve with the book. Overall, for me, a disappointment....more
This is a early teen fantasy adventure, set in Drowning (a medieval village), ruled by the cRead more reviews on my blog
Summary:
This is a early teen fantasy adventure, set in Drowning (a medieval village), ruled by the cruel Earl Longchance.
The village lies right beside an ancient forest, and is surrounded by a stone wall.
In earlier times, the Luck Uglies protected the village from the Bog Noblins. These monsters live in the swamp which also borders the village, but the Earl banished the Luck Uglies, claiming they were murderers and thieves. He now exploits his townspeople, who fear rather than love him.
The Noblins have seemingly returned, and the villagers have forgotten how to fight them. The Earl is indifferent as to whether they live or die, so the desperate villagers secretly seek the help of the outlawed Luck Uglies. Rye becomes increasingly roped into the struggle between the Earl & the Luck Uglies, while through her adventures she discovers more about her own history. Magic and legend also plays a strong role, in her self-discovery and salvation. This is the first in a trilogy.
Main Characters:
Rye (Riley) O’Chanter: The heroine, she is 11 years old, strong courageous and resourceful.
Mrs Abby O’Chanter: Her mother, who has knowledge of old magic, and hints at a deeper history.
Harmless: A mysterious character, who seems well connected in the village.
The Earl: Cruel, greedy, ruthless � everything you would want in a villain!
- Great cast of characters - Real emphasis on family, its importance and values, and that it can mean more than just your blood relatives. - While it takes a little time to build the world, once the action starts it rips along. - The combination of real-world feel with magic and legend.
What I Didn’t Like:
- The Earl was a little one-dimensional � I would have liked more nuance there.
Overall:
In the current crisis, this is a book that will keep your tween entertained. It is a good read, the fast pacing of the writing, the various twists in the plot, building up to a super ending. The story takes a little while (the first two chapters) to get going, but then you get hooked into the story.
The main characters are well-drawn, and the mix of humour, imagination and seriousness gives the writing great depth.
Set in a near-future climate change affected world, we follow the grim lives of Kalen and Sett, and their struggle to survive. There is law anSummary:
Set in a near-future climate change affected world, we follow the grim lives of Kalen and Sett, and their struggle to survive. There is law and order of a sort, mainly enforced by robots, but the teeming millions live right on the starvation line, life is less than cheap, and dead bodies can be turned into legitimate currency�
What I Liked:
I liked the build-up of the dystopia, everything is screwed but people still have to get by. Loyalties are fickle, and it is a plausible scenario. The premise of the story was an excellent one. There was an unexpected twist, which is central to the story, which I was surprised by.
What I Didn’t like:
The author lapsed into “explanation mode� for certain items, which tended to knock my suspension of belief. It also gave a slight inclination of how things were to go. Some of the science/physics was just wrong, and for me took away from the story. The characters were a little one-dimensional, but in the case of one I could see what that would be.
Overall:
It is a quick read, and I believe is set up to have at least a sequel, if not a trilogy. I think it is aimed at a young teen audience, and would be a nice primer/taster for entry-level reading, to get someone interested in the genre. For me, there would need to be greater plot development, character definition, and a greater sense of tension/frustration/suppression buildup....more
Etymology � the study of words and how their meaning has changed throughout history, and of the origRead more reviews on my blog
Etymology � the study of words and how their meaning has changed throughout history, and of the origins of a word.
This is an interesting book. The author ranges across continents, languages, ancient and modern societies, and even different species, in what seems to be a free association of thoughts.
I learnt that “Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo� is the longest grammatically correct sentence in the English language, and the rest of the book is full of such weird and wonderful moments like that.
The author clearly knows his stuff, and tries to bring it across in a drily humorous style. Like all humour, sometimes it works, sometimes not. There is an awful lot of information here, and I only wish I had the kind of brain that can instantly recall these nuggets when the occasion demands, not the following morning when the memory finally surfaces!
The book will entertain, will of course have an “o really??� moment or two, and mostly will leave you with a smile on your face. I would recommend dipping in and out, as a straight-through read becomes a little tedious, and the stories beginning to blend.
The author does provide an overview (or “cream�) of his sources, rather than a detailed bibliography, so leaves it open to counter-argument and disagreements. That to me would be part of the fun, for like anything else people will always  find a reason to quibble (which derives from the now-obsolete “quib�, meaning petty objection, itself deriving from the Latin quibus. Or so I’m told!)...more
Most of our modern history relies on the written word. Mostly we read the words of the victors, the burnishWritten in History � Simon Sebag Montefiore
Most of our modern history relies on the written word. Mostly we read the words of the victors, the burnished version of events. This anthology approaches history from an intriguing angle. Under titles ranging form “Courage� and “Discovery�, to “Folly� “War� and “Disaster�, the author reveals to us, in the words of those who drove the seminal events of their time, the human behind the historical face. There is a wide range of people here, from virtually all walks of life, though necessarily there is a greater proportion of politicians and similar leaders (kings, empresses, etc). Some names are instantly recognisable (Churchill writing to Roosevelt, and vice versa), and others are faces behind brown photoframes, known only to their family, like the brave but doomed RAF fighter pilot Lt David Hughes. There is a huge span of time involved as well, dating from Ramses the Great, through Pliny the Younger, Machiavelli, Henry VIII to the modern era - Hitler, Stalin, Gandhi and Donald Trump. Letter-writing is a dying, if not a dead art. Who now could write letters of such depth and passion, that could make your correspondent fall in love with you before you ever met them? Or a harrowing farewell from a wife to a husband, in the shadow of the Auschwitz death camp? Lenin is exposed as having the potential to be as much a tyrant as his successor, Mozart’s somewhat infantile behaviour gives colour to the life of this genius, and Michelangelo is a grumpy man in the midst of creating perfection. What I Liked: � The context the author gives around the letter, or the writer � The gamut of human emotions that are run, giving life to the dead voices � The various categorisations gave some good structure What I Didn’t like: � Despite the title, not all these letters changed the world, so it is a little misleading � however, they may change your view of the writer. Overall: An enjoyable read, with great contextual references and some penetrating insights into important world leaders. It is probably more suited to a more serious history buff rather than a general history reader, though. I would recommend it....more
This is an interesting whodunnit story, which also has a number of other threads running through it.
Main Characters:
Jed Gibbons: Sixty-somethiSummary:
This is an interesting whodunnit story, which also has a number of other threads running through it.
Main Characters:
Jed Gibbons: Sixty-something African-American, curator of a Columbarium (a building where funeral urns are stored).
Monica: His wife, positively diagnosed with HIV.
Minor Characters:
Dutch: Sixty-something grower of legal weed.
Juniper: Dutch’s live-in companion, and overseer of his farming operations.
Macolm: Long-time friend of Jed and Monica.
Tony: Another friend, roughly the same age as Jed, who covers for him at the Columbarium when he needs to travel to investigate.
Plot:
Jed arrives at work, and discovers the body of a Pakistani woman on the grounds, along with her still-breathing little baby girl. He immediately calls the police, and the novel is up and running.
Jed of course becomes a person of interest. He quickly gets sucked into the police investigation process and, initially to prove his innocence, then fired by his desire to foster the little girl that he and Monica name Aja, he begins to follow up leads of his own.
While the murder investigation gathers pace in the novel, normal life also goes on, and we get an insight into the relationships and world that Jed and Monica have. They are particularly close to Malcolm and his partner Savali, who is undergoing gender transition. They are struggling to cope with the impending closure of the old folks home they are running, and the need to place their residents. This has no direct impact on the investigation, but the threads are neatly pulled together by the end.
As a result of Jed’s amateur work, he is led to weed-farmers Dutch and Juniper, who become good friends, even though they run a personal risk. His work also unearths less savoury characters, and Jed relies on the police and FBI for support and protection. We see racist incidents, neo-Nazi activity and the backlash against it, and some shadowy visits by obvious underworld types.
Throughout all this, we see the tensions rise between Jed and Monica over Aja, their shared hopes and dreams, and the practicality of two sixty-somethings raising an infant.
What I Liked:
It is more than a simple whodunnit. We get a real sense of people at a point in time, their lives, and how they deal with change and stress. The multiplicity of topics raised � racism (both direct and indirect), importance of family, LGBTQ, different moral viewpoints on cultural issues, etc. The plotline was excellent, with some surprising twists, and there was some strong character development in Jed and Monica. What I Didn’t Like:
There was obviously at least one preceding book, as there are references to previous events, and characters who are mentioned but not “seen". This did throw the story for me a little, because I couldn’t see where those characters/events helped this novel. There were a couple of scenes that were too domestic, in that the conversation was desultory, and nothing happened to move the story along. Overall:
I found it a pleasant read, well-structured and reasonably paced. There are a lot of sub-issues addressed, but there is no high moral ground taken. The issues are raised as being normal everyday issues, and treated by the characters in that way, with pros and cons. It will please fans of the amateur detective genre, as it hits all the touchpoints. Definitely recommend.
Acknowledgements:
That’s to Rosie Amber's Book Review Team (her superb blog is HERE) and the author for giving me a .mobi of the novel, in return for an honest and objective review....more
This is a historical fiction novel, about the Spanish military campaign that destroyed the wRead More reviews on my blog
Summary:
This is a historical fiction novel, about the Spanish military campaign that destroyed the world of the Aztecs
The novel, first in a trilogy, features the historic personalities, as well as numerous fictional ones. Hernan Cortes is there, on his ship Santa Maria de la Conception, as well as Montezuma in his glittering palace. We meet lesser figures such as Father Aguilar, rescued from Indian slavery by Cortes and now serves him as translator, and Tezoc “The Cutter Of Men�, the military general who is ill-at-ease in the royal court.
The two stories thread around each other as the novel progresses, with Cortes leading a punishing raid on a local village, and Montezuma chief celebrant at a huge blood sacrifice, described in grisly detail.
From the start, we feel the tension in both camps. Cortes is fierce in his control of his ship, sparing no-one the whip if needed. All of the Aztec nobles are watchful and guarded in the presence of the King, who comes across as thoughtful, measured, and wanting to make the right decision around how to protect his people.
As Cortes realises there are untold riches awaiting him in the Aztec capital, he makes a push inland. In this, he is helped by the enigmatic Malinche, one of twenty slave girls offered to Cortes following a battle. She rises to become an invaluable interpreter for Cortes, displacing Aguilar. Cortes continues his bloody way to Tenochtitlan, battling and allying with tribes along the way.
Main Characters:
Hernan Cortes: Unquestionably the leader, he exudes violence and danger, and does not hesitate to crush any hint of dissent in the ranks, yet is also able to charm and manipulate if needs be. Single-minded, his poor upbringing is his main driver behind his ruthless pursuit of wealth and power.
Montezuma/Moctehzoma:The famous Aztec leader, he is a strong, pragmatic character, who probably spends too much time assessing a threat than dealing with it. Revered and feared in equal measure.
Malinche: A slave girl used to fighting for survival, she uses all her talents to gain her translator role, thus escaping the harsh slave world.
Minor Characters:
Vitale: A Jewish convert (or “New Christian�), and somewhat naïve, he joined the military expedition by mistake, as he has never fought a battle. That soon changes.
Solomon: A Muslim slave, whipped and beaten for minor infractions, who realises Vitale is hiding his Jewish heritage, but forges an unlikely friendship with him.
Aguilar: A priest enslaved by the Indians, rescued by Cortes. He is completely broken, but serves as a translator. His faith in God is shaken to the very core, and nothing he sees or experiences can help him restore it.
What I Liked:
- The multiple viewpoints, from well-developed characters. - Easy to read and well-paced, the prose just flows. - There is so much going on, from political machinations, to outright greed, to violence, abuse of power and death. - Extremely well-researched, dripping with realism.
What I Didn’t Like:
- Some of the dialogue was a little superfluous, but not so much as to get in the way of the story.
Overall:
An excellent read, and a highly promising start to the trilogy. This will certainly while away a couple of hours during the current situation, and will be time well spent. Thoroughly recommended....more
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