Early Review from A.R. Torre

73.
Title: [The Girl in 6E]
Author: Alessandra Torre
Genre: Thriller
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Early Review Text
Date Completed: August 1, 2014
Rating:

The Girl in 6E by A. R. Torre is a thriller about a woman who locks herself in her apartment for three years for fear of going on a murderous rampage, until an extreme situation elicits her sympathy and sends her on a twelve-hour drive.  The premise of the story is interesting, as it explores the "opportunities" for an enclosed existence thanks to the internet, and the new life choices now available to enterprising individuals.  Along the same lines of I Am Not a Serial Killer, Deanna struggles with an overwhelming desire to kill others, just to watch them die.  And, like the former, she copes by arranging a life that will keep her from doing so, including avoiding all human contact for three years, and paying a junkie neighbor to deadbolt her door from the outside at night. 

The similarities between the two continue, although Torre's characterization seems more forced and less confident than Wells' potential sociopath; Deanna is less capable and more empathetic, and therefore less believable.  However, for those who are less-than-pleased with Wells' conclusions, Torre may be more satisfying, as her conclusion stays more grounded.

I've wavered between 3.5-4 stars for this novel, based on my personal response.  I found the plot to be greatly disturbing, and not in the mildly-enjoyable way of many thrillers, due exclusively to the victims.  While the overall narrative does have some redeeming qualities, I did have to put it down in the middle in order to regroup. 

Overall, I think The Girl in 6E will appeal to fans of thrillers, specifically those who enjoy books like Dan Wells' Serial Killer trilogy.

47.
Title: [Out]
Author: Natsuo Kirino
Genre: Fiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Pages Read: 150
Reason Abandoned:  Lifeless characters, and a general sense of drudgery. 

48.
Title: [Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth]
Author: Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou
Genre: Graphic Nonfiction
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Pages Read: 151
Reason Abandoned: Greater responsibilities.  Logicomix, a graphic account of the life of Bertrand Russell and the "search for absolute truth," has great promise.  The art is well-suited to the subject, and the authors carefully balance reader expectations to provide significant information and necessary explanations, while respecting a general sense of intelligence.  This is of the sort of graphic text to which I gravitate, and I hope to return to it once my summer classes have completed.  But for now it must go back to the library. 

49.
Title: [Call the Midwife: Farewell to the East End]
Author: Jennifer Worth
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 17, 2014
Rating: ***

This text marks the end of memoir and the beginning of fiction, as far as the PBS show is concerned.  What I appreciate most about this volume is the finality it provides - here, Worth not only tells of her patients, but of the future lives of the nuns, Trixie, Chummy, and the rest.  This kind of resolution is often unavailable for memoirs, and is all the more satisfactory for it.  If for nothing else, I'd recommend this book for just those ends. 

50.
Title: [Zine]
Author: Pagan Kennedy
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Early Review
Date Completed: June 20, 2014
Rating: **

You had to be there, I think.  To a reader greatly removed from the culture which first inspires Pagan Kennedy's 'zine, and suffering from the blog over-saturation which can be attributed to this kind of self-publishing, the text seems shallow.  The reprint includes the original introduction, in which Kennedy cites a few years of "growing up" and growing away from her 'zine, which of course leads her to publish a response and a collection.  As an artifact, it is interesting - I've known of the phenomenon, but only ever witnessed the tail-end, so I did appreciate the opportunity to see the reproductions of one such self-publication.  The content, however, held no interest, and it became a great chore to wade through the original publications to get to her later responses and self evaluations.  Kennedy's memoir is interesting, but I'd far prefer her current reflections than her past work.

All of that being said, I think this would be a wonderful text for someone more invested in this particular cultural movement, the history of social texts, or the recent history of self-publishing.  

51.
Title: [The Dark is Rising]
Author: Susan Cooper
Genre: YA Fantasy
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Pages Read: 100


52.
Title: [The Private Letters of Countess Erzsébet Báthory]
Author: Kimberly L. Craft
Genre: Nonfiction/History
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Purchased
Date Completed: June 15, 2014
Rating: **

Craft herself, in her introduction, states that this collection of letters is intended to serve as a supplement to her text Infamous Lady.  For those, like myself, who have not read her book, Craft provides a brief synopsis, and then jumps into the translated letters of Countess Báthory. I purchased the book in the interest of gaining insight into a feared historical figure, but with no preconceived notions - I was not looking for a gory confession, but had an inkling that a sympathetic scholar may try to salvage her reputation in some way.  The body of material Craft has to work with is distressingly small, which is no fault to her - most of Countess Báthory's letters have been lost or destroyed, so the body of evidence is slim. 

Ultimately, though, this volume is less a text of Báthory's, and more a text of Craft's; the points of interpretations and analysis suffocate the letters, and casts shadows of doubt on the translations themselves.  The text does not well represent Báthory's voice, but rather uses the voice Craft has constructed for the historical figure.  Craft's presence in the text detracts from the interest, and ultimately the book fails to be truly a collection of private letters, and is instead another analysis of Countess Erzsébet Báthory. 

74.
Author: Anonymous
Title: The Mistress Contract
publication: Paperback
Pages
Genre: "Nonfiction" - Memoir?
Acquisition: Early review book
Date: September 14, 2011
Rating: *

The Mistress Contract, published anonymously, is purported to be the true, recorded conversations between a wealthy businessman and his contractual mistress. The document that begins their arrangement is published with the text, and remains, sadly, the most interesting aspect of the book. What follows is a collection of pretentious philosophical blatherings, recollections, and conversations spoken by characters who sound more like automatons than actual people. While the publicity package attempts to categorize this little book as edgy - and too scandalous for the attribution of names - the actual material falls far short. Not recommended.

50.
Author(s): Ransom Riggs
Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Publication: Hardback
Pages:351
Genre: Fiction, fantasy
Acquisition: Early Review copy
Date Completed: June 17, 2011
Rating: ****1/2

Abe Portman is a man filled with secrets and stories, and he carries with him all the love and admiration that his young grandson Jacob could possibly lavish. Even when Grandpa Portman seems to suffer from dementia in his later years Jacob remains his faithful companion, and the teenage Jacob does what he can to keep his old hero as happy as possible.

When a violent tragedy shakes Jacob's world he finds himself seeking out the world that could have produced such a man - and such stories. Armed with another's memories and the lingering faces of a few photographs, Jacob searches for his grandfather's past, and discovers a reality far more fantastic than even Grandpa Portman's stories could have let on.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a fascinating first novel by Ransom Riggs. Inspired by the scavenged photographs of oddities shared by a group of photography enthusiasts (included for the reader's full pleasure), Riggs spins a tale that is part fantasy, part historical fiction, and all adventure. Though I at times found myself more drawn to the haunting photographs than the narrative itself, the combination of the two creates a captivating narrative.

23.
Author(s): Rohan O'Grady
Title: Let's Kill Uncle
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 279
Genre: Fiction
Acquisition: Early Review Copy
Date Completed: March 5, 2011
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

A small island off the coast of Canada has a reputation for being cursed. Mountie Sergeant Coulter is the only son of the island to make it back alive from WWII, and now he serves as the sole judiciary force on the childless, and critically aging, piece of land.

And then, one summer, two children arrive.

Christie is a young girl whose mother has sent her away from a crowded and claustrophobic city for a summer with "the goat lady," and Barnaby is a sprite of an heir whose guardian-uncle has selected the island for its detachment from the outside world. Because, as Barnaby tries unsuccessfully to inform Sergeant Coulter, Uncle is trying to kill him in order to get his hands on Barnaby's 10-million-dollar inheritance. When the adults once again prove useless, Christie, displaying balanced childhood innocence and maliciousness, provides the perfect solution: they must simply kill Uncle first.

In retrospect, I am dissatisfied by the devices O'Grady uses to facilitate her plot; the means through which she places the children on the island, under such specific care, and with such companions as One-Ear, defy any kind of reason. However, I think it says something about the novel itself that I did not truly consider the children's guardianship throughout the narrative until after I had closed the book. Yes, the narrative has its fair share of clumsiness, ranging from the suggestion of the supernatural in an otherwise "realistic" novel to the clumsy and unsuccessful personification of One-Ear, but the development of Barnaby and Christie carries the narrative through to what I found to be an undeniable success. O'Grady has captured the multi-faceted personality traits of each young child perfectly, skillfully displaying how such children can be simultaneously sweet and repugnant, justifying malicious acts with juvenile confidence. I found the children to be both realistic and frightening.

I read the first half of the book in a single sitting, and it was with great reluctance that I had to close the book for the first time. Despite my complaints, Let's Kill Uncle is a thoroughly engaging novel, and is one I would certainly recommend.

53.
Author: Frank Wedekind
Title: Mine-Haha or On the Bodily Education of Young Girls
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 88 pages
Genre: Fiction
Acquisition: Early Review Copy
Date Completed: July 6, 2010
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Mine-Haha is a mildly disturbing and completely enthralling novella about a mysterious boarding institution. The girls who attend the school care for each other almost from infancy, and they know little of their future. They are instructed in dance and music by a handful of instructors, and spend their prepubescence completely isolated. In the end they are thrust out into society, with nary a question about their future.

The narration is superb; it's told from the point of view of a woman looking back at her youth, and the story itself focuses on all the superficial details that are sure to make an impression on a young girl (clothing, jewelry, an accidental death, friendships, fear). The style gives the reader a sense of natural perception is an alien institution, and confirms the unspoken realities of this peculiar life. Mine-Haha presents a quiet exploration of sexuality and bodily consciousness, while developing a progressive technique of education, performance, and gender roles.

4.
Author: Daniel Hahn
Title: Poetic Lives: Coleridge
Publication: London: Hesperus Press, 2009..
Pages: 168 pages
Genre: Biography, poetry
Acquisition: December Library Thing Early Review
Date Completed: January 13, 2010
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

In a sentence, Poetic Lives is exactly what it claims to be - a "short, authoritative biograph{y} of {one of} the world's best known poets, illustrated by extracts from {his} work".

My initial reaction to Hahn's biography was not positive; the writing is terse and distant, and the juxtaposition of Hahn's biography and Coleridge's often amazing poetry did not seem flattering to the project as a whole. If asked to write a review based on the first thirty pages or so I would have said that it reads like a wikipedia article with none of the charm.

However, I took a step back from the work, read the back cover (from which I took the above quotation), and settled back in to read the book as it is intended. The "Poetic Lives" series does not claim to present in-depth and thoughtful biographies; rather, the goal seems to be to place a poet's work within the context of their lives so that an audience may better understand the work itself. And this is exactly what Poetic Lives: Coleridge accomplishes. Coleridge was inspired by life, and so looking at some of his work as part of his biography helps focus a reading of his poetry in the proper light. In this way this short volume is very interesting.

Poetic Lives: Coleridge is not an overly-scholarly publication, but I would imagine that it would be very helpful and enlightening for students, particularly undergraduates who are studying the Romantics for the first time. The lack of "scholarship" also opens the book to a wider audience, making it suitable for popular reading for anyone with a passing interest in Coleridge and his work.

Challenges
75-Book Challenge: Book 4
1010 Challenge: Poetry/Plays Book 1
Off-the-shelf:

72. Slater, Maya. The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy. 324 pages. 6.15.09.

Finally, a Darcy story that true Austen-lovers can enjoy! Maya Slater's The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy artfully blends original ideas with the concepts of the well-known original to strike an interesting balance between a classic and a contemporary view. I greatly enjoyed Slater's work.

The conception of rewriting Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice from the point of view of Mr. Darcy is far from original; a quick search on Amazon.com produces a number of results including such contributions as Mr. Darcy's Diary: A Novel, The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mr Darcy Takes a Wife, and Darcy's Story (which does not include all the titles currently available). Having read Darcy's Story relatively recently I found myself hesitant to pursue another book of the same type; my previous reading revealed the work to be little more than ill-conceived fan fiction, and I cringed as the author butchered her way through the original brilliance of the work. However, when presented with the opportunity to read Maya Slater's take on LibraryThing's Early Reviewers I saw no harm in giving a different rendition of Darcy's story a go.

As I first began The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy I was disappointed to find that Slater's composition seemed to fall into this category. However, as I continued the novel I was pleasantly surprised by what I found, and believe my initial impression was colored by Darcy's Story. Unlike other Darcy stories, which attempt to sympathize and humanize Austen's severe and austere character, Slater manages to contribute to the story without severely altering the original character as established in Pride and Prejudice. While the epistolary-like qualities of the book allow the reader greater insight into the "honest" thoughts and motivations behind Mr. Darcy's actions and personality, Slater steers away from the trap of overly-romanticizing Fitzwilliam himself. Some events are expounded and Darcy's internal turmoil is put on full display, but his occasionally-ostentatious observations and responses are preserved as Slater demonstrates the result of being born and bred a gentleman of means and principles in the late-eighteenth century.

While I still have a few complaints about the novel itself - such as the persistent and unnecessary presence of Lord Byron - I feel that Slater's conception is honest and fairly faithful, and would put it before all other attempts I have come across so far.