I have recently written a novel about life in England during the Second World War. I felt some concern before I tackled this theme — the War...
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Michelle Moran is, pure and simple, an excellent author. Cleopatra's Daughter is historical fiction that brings the history to life. Wonderful writing and characterizations based on real history, I found this book both entertaining and educational. The book begins with the final days of C(K)leopatra's reign in Egypt, the taking of three of her children to Rome, the youngest dying en route.
From this point, the story centers mainly around the twins, Kleopatra and Alexander, growing up in the home of Octavia, sister to ruling Octavian in Rome, and what the future may or may not hold for them when they turn 15, the age of adulthood.
The characters are well-rounded and historical, they are fleshed out with research and interact entirely believably. Many terms are in Latin and Greek, mostly easy to guess but there is also a glossary for all these words in the back. This is the first novel by Michelle Moran I have read and I will certainly recommend her as an author deserving of being read!
There is so much history woven into this book, and the characters feel so real that I wish history were taught in this manner. I was surprised first of all by how much I did recall, but even more how much I did not know. I found the Historical Notes in the back of the book very illuminating. Though beautifully written, the book does not gloss over the very real dangers of the times, but at the same time the personalities of the main characters deal with growing, loving, everyday lives of the upper classes and slaves. I loved this book and recommend both author and "Cleopatra's Daughter". Thank you Michelle!
I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a dollop of humour with their dish of police interaction.
I love this book. It takes place mostly in the 1950s and 60s, an interesting era. It feels so real, so personal, is funny and serious all at the same time. It reads like the memories of a Police/FBI veteran telling vignettes to perhaps a grandchild about his adventures and misadventures in his career. J.P. Morgan has almost forty years’ involvement in law enforcement at many levels so it is not unexpected that this book would present that kind of hominess that makes it feel personal. This however is a book of fiction, and you will be surprised to find out who is apparently telling the stories. Our main character, Jim Utze is an absolute delight as he spends his childhood onward following his hero “The Lone Ranger’s” code of ethics. Being part Pima he also is following Tonto from his (Tonto’s) earliest days before the Lone Ranger but growing up in the “paleface” world, the Lone Ranger is his main hero. His mother was from Ireland and Jim is raised mostly as a single child of a Catholic family. She would like to see him become a priest, but Jim has other plans.
College appears to him to be the answer to a compromise with his mother, but it is not long before he realizes he can’t afford to get through four years of college without more money. His father who had been in the war suggested that he go into the service (as long as he was at college he would not be drafted, but that would be redundant if he couldn’t continue anyway). He mentioned the GI Bill and suggested the Marines. For a young man who lived by the rules of the Lone Ranger, this was a first introduction into a world where he might have to actually kill someone. At the same time, his goal in life was to be a detective for the NYPD. He spends most of his time in the NYPD on the narcotics squad and must learn that you can’t always talk your way around problems. The plus is that he is paired up with equally likeable partners. Throughout his years of working, he continues with his college plans with the FBI as a part of the future.
He meets an Israeli airline security girl and although he is very interested and infatuated with her, he remains unsure of how trustworthy she is, and of just exactly who she is and what role she plays; something just does not seem to sit right. I will not give away the plot of why he feels this way, nor the many ways he avoids violence in his work but it is well-worth reading. The book ends with a few loose ends, or rather ends looking for another book. The Epilogue is fascinating and seems to bring promise of another installment of all these characters. I’m sure I will be first in line when it comes out! I was that immersed in the book and absolutely enjoyed it.
Dana Stabenow is one of my favorite authors and Breakup is my favorite book of her Kate Shugak series. This book is so funny right from the start I've had tears in my eyes. Just imagine beginning your day with a jetplane dropping its engine right behind your house! Breakup in Alaska, everyone goes crazy... bears, people -- a good day in Alaska at spring breakup apparently is one where nobody gets shot! There is ample opportunity for this to happen. Stabenow has a wonderful way of telling a story, well worth reading all her books but for a laugh out loud, try breakup! This is a murder mystery, but hilarious.
I have not read this book but I am extremely interested in it. The reviews are wonderful, the thought of a trip of that nature not once but twice is mind-boggling at the very least. There would obviously be tremendous changes along the route. Thank you for featuring it on Review A Day, it is now a #1 must on my to read list! I rated it on my impressions.
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(1 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
Andrew Davidson, a new Canadian author, has debuted with a powerful and absorbing book. A story of love that transcends time and boundaries over 700 years, the book is filled with history, none of it dry. Medical practices from medieval to current times, beliefs of the centuries, everyday life experiences, and brought it all into an almost magical present. The characters are unique but built gradually so the reader can gather the fullness of them. It is written with the voice of one of the two main characters, a rather unsavory film maker and actor at the outset with only his own ambition and looks in his mind. A man detached from normal life, love, and destiny. One thing he does do though, is read deeply and thoroughly.
On drugs and drunk, he has a horrendous car accident which is about to change his life completely. He awakens in a hospital where he finds he is so badly burned that it is a wonder he could wake up at all. His “friends” come and go as quickly as possible. As time passes, a young woman comes in to visit him and one of the first things he notices is that she shows no look of horror at what she sees of his injuries. Instead, she makes the comment (in this version) “You’ve been burned. Again.” Rather than the sadness and disgust one might expect to feel during the burn treatments, they are relatively easy to read, well researched, and necessary to the plot. Marianne is a patient in the hospital and it is believed she has psychological disorders... or does she? Attempts to bar her from visiting him in the burn unit are to no avail. He shortly afterward requests every psychology book he can get, particularly relating to schizophrenia, from the psychiatrist who befriends him.
Throughout “The Gargoyle”, Marianne visits him, later arranging for him to share her home and accept her for his care and recovery. She relates several stories of her life over the previous seven centuries and about how she came to meet him again and again. There is so much to be learned on many levels from this book and I found it engrossing. Oh yes, there are gargoyles, or more correctly grotesques, but not in the way you might expect. I do not want to put any spoilers in this review, so let it be said that whether fanciful or real, the ending will leave you with questions both answered and unanswered. I have never read a book quite like this but the one thing that is consistent is pure selfless love. Suspend your belief for a while and enjoy this surprising and fascinating debut! My congratulations to Andrew Davidson, this is one extraordinary book.
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(4 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)
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Elizabeth Gelean has commented on (5) products.
Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran
Elizabeth Gelean, November 17, 2009
Michelle Moran is, pure and simple, an excellent author. Cleopatra's Daughter is historical fiction that brings the history to life. Wonderful writing and characterizations based on real history, I found this book both entertaining and educational. The book begins with the final days of C(K)leopatra's reign in Egypt, the taking of three of her children to Rome, the youngest dying en route.
From this point, the story centers mainly around the twins, Kleopatra and Alexander, growing up in the home of Octavia, sister to ruling Octavian in Rome, and what the future may or may not hold for them when they turn 15, the age of adulthood.
The characters are well-rounded and historical, they are fleshed out with research and interact entirely believably. Many terms are in Latin and Greek, mostly easy to guess but there is also a glossary for all these words in the back. This is the first novel by Michelle Moran I have read and I will certainly recommend her as an author deserving of being read!
There is so much history woven into this book, and the characters feel so real that I wish history were taught in this manner. I was surprised first of all by how much I did recall, but even more how much I did not know. I found the Historical Notes in the back of the book very illuminating. Though beautifully written, the book does not gloss over the very real dangers of the times, but at the same time the personalities of the main characters deal with growing, loving, everyday lives of the upper classes and slaves. I loved this book and recommend both author and "Cleopatra's Daughter". Thank you Michelle!
The Copper Indian by J. P. Morgan
Elizabeth Gelean, November 16, 2009
I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a dollop of humour with their dish of police interaction.I love this book. It takes place mostly in the 1950s and 60s, an interesting era. It feels so real, so personal, is funny and serious all at the same time. It reads like the memories of a Police/FBI veteran telling vignettes to perhaps a grandchild about his adventures and misadventures in his career. J.P. Morgan has almost forty years’ involvement in law enforcement at many levels so it is not unexpected that this book would present that kind of hominess that makes it feel personal. This however is a book of fiction, and you will be surprised to find out who is apparently telling the stories. Our main character, Jim Utze is an absolute delight as he spends his childhood onward following his hero “The Lone Ranger’s” code of ethics. Being part Pima he also is following Tonto from his (Tonto’s) earliest days before the Lone Ranger but growing up in the “paleface” world, the Lone Ranger is his main hero. His mother was from Ireland and Jim is raised mostly as a single child of a Catholic family. She would like to see him become a priest, but Jim has other plans.
College appears to him to be the answer to a compromise with his mother, but it is not long before he realizes he can’t afford to get through four years of college without more money. His father who had been in the war suggested that he go into the service (as long as he was at college he would not be drafted, but that would be redundant if he couldn’t continue anyway). He mentioned the GI Bill and suggested the Marines. For a young man who lived by the rules of the Lone Ranger, this was a first introduction into a world where he might have to actually kill someone. At the same time, his goal in life was to be a detective for the NYPD. He spends most of his time in the NYPD on the narcotics squad and must learn that you can’t always talk your way around problems. The plus is that he is paired up with equally likeable partners. Throughout his years of working, he continues with his college plans with the FBI as a part of the future.
He meets an Israeli airline security girl and although he is very interested and infatuated with her, he remains unsure of how trustworthy she is, and of just exactly who she is and what role she plays; something just does not seem to sit right. I will not give away the plot of why he feels this way, nor the many ways he avoids violence in his work but it is well-worth reading. The book ends with a few loose ends, or rather ends looking for another book. The Epilogue is fascinating and seems to bring promise of another installment of all these characters. I’m sure I will be first in line when it comes out! I was that immersed in the book and absolutely enjoyed it.
Breakup
Elizabeth Gelean, January 18, 2009
Dana Stabenow is one of my favorite authors and Breakup is my favorite book of her Kate Shugak series. This book is so funny right from the start I've had tears in my eyes. Just imagine beginning your day with a jetplane dropping its engine right behind your house! Breakup in Alaska, everyone goes crazy... bears, people -- a good day in Alaska at spring breakup apparently is one where nobody gets shot! There is ample opportunity for this to happen. Stabenow has a wonderful way of telling a story, well worth reading all her books but for a laugh out loud, try breakup! This is a murder mystery, but hilarious.Ghost Train to the Eastern Star: On the Tracks of the Great Railway Bazaar by Paul Theroux
Elizabeth Gelean, January 12, 2009
I have not read this book but I am extremely interested in it. The reviews are wonderful, the thought of a trip of that nature not once but twice is mind-boggling at the very least. There would obviously be tremendous changes along the route. Thank you for featuring it on Review A Day, it is now a #1 must on my to read list! I rated it on my impressions.(1 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
Elizabeth Gelean, October 28, 2008
Andrew Davidson, a new Canadian author, has debuted with a powerful and absorbing book. A story of love that transcends time and boundaries over 700 years, the book is filled with history, none of it dry. Medical practices from medieval to current times, beliefs of the centuries, everyday life experiences, and brought it all into an almost magical present. The characters are unique but built gradually so the reader can gather the fullness of them. It is written with the voice of one of the two main characters, a rather unsavory film maker and actor at the outset with only his own ambition and looks in his mind. A man detached from normal life, love, and destiny. One thing he does do though, is read deeply and thoroughly.On drugs and drunk, he has a horrendous car accident which is about to change his life completely. He awakens in a hospital where he finds he is so badly burned that it is a wonder he could wake up at all. His “friends” come and go as quickly as possible. As time passes, a young woman comes in to visit him and one of the first things he notices is that she shows no look of horror at what she sees of his injuries. Instead, she makes the comment (in this version) “You’ve been burned. Again.” Rather than the sadness and disgust one might expect to feel during the burn treatments, they are relatively easy to read, well researched, and necessary to the plot. Marianne is a patient in the hospital and it is believed she has psychological disorders... or does she? Attempts to bar her from visiting him in the burn unit are to no avail. He shortly afterward requests every psychology book he can get, particularly relating to schizophrenia, from the psychiatrist who befriends him.
Throughout “The Gargoyle”, Marianne visits him, later arranging for him to share her home and accept her for his care and recovery. She relates several stories of her life over the previous seven centuries and about how she came to meet him again and again. There is so much to be learned on many levels from this book and I found it engrossing. Oh yes, there are gargoyles, or more correctly grotesques, but not in the way you might expect. I do not want to put any spoilers in this review, so let it be said that whether fanciful or real, the ending will leave you with questions both answered and unanswered. I have never read a book quite like this but the one thing that is consistent is pure selfless love. Suspend your belief for a while and enjoy this surprising and fascinating debut! My congratulations to Andrew Davidson, this is one extraordinary book.
(4 of 6 readers found this comment helpful)