New Zealand in the 1860's is the setting for this very enjoyable historical fiction by Rose Tremain. For reasons gradually revealed, Joseph and Harriet Blackstone, and Joseph's 65-year old mother, move from England to take up farming. Shortly after their arrival, a gold rush begins. In addition to the Blackstones' story, there is also the neighboring homestead, a successful sheep ranch, where a strong connection forms between the child Erwin, and his Maori nursemaid. Tremain's characters are well developed, the plot is compelling, the historical detail and landscape well portrayed. This is a book that is difficult to put down.
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(1 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
To me, the mark of a good book is that the reader continues to think about it for days, or longer, after reading it. This was a good book. Jonathan Raban is a master of character portayal. In this book, Raban allows us listen to diverse perspectives on the post 9/11 world from such voices as a Holocaust survivor, an identity thief, a journalist with a great ability to see all sides of an argument, a gay man, and a 12-year old girl. In spite of a minimal emphasis on plot, "Surveillance" is an absorbing book, demonstrating the author's knowledge and intellegence, and, in the unusual ending, giving the reader much to think about.
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(3 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
Very disappointing. This is exactly the type of history book I do NOT enjoy. The first third of the book was promising, with lots of interesting details on the Puritans while in England, their first relocation to Holland, their arrival at Cape Cod, and their first year struggling to survive in their new settlement at Plymouth. Too much of the remainder of the book, however, consisted of descriptions of battles some 50 years later, between the English settlers and the Indians led by "King Phillip" . . . page after page of the battle sites, how many of each side were involved, how many muskets or flintlocks they had, how many died. I was hoping for more a "social history", in which the author elicited empathy or any kind of feeling in the reader, but instead found the narrative tedious. I'll give Philbrick credit for at least one thing, however. He showed clearly how the white man changed the way the Indians waged war. Before European settlement, Indian wars took few casualties; the Europeans taught them how to massacre and aim for genocide.
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(4 of 11 readers found this comment helpful)
As perfect a book as can be found . . . full of historical detail, vivid descriptions, complex and all-too-human characters, with a compelling plot, all told in a style reminiscent of the writing of the times. Geraldine Brooks takes the minor character of the father from Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women", and tells his story -- his life up to and including serving as a Chaplain in the Union Army during the Civil War. Truly deserving of the Pulitzer Prize it won.
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(12 of 22 readers found this comment helpful)
Puerile! I've read lots of young adult fiction that is excellent. This is not among that group. I picked the book up after hearing that it was so good . . . and found myself repeatedly groaning at the formulaic, hackneyed story, and at characters that lacked depth and insight. About half way through, I found out that the author started the book at age 15. This is no wunderkind. Maybe in the years ahead, his work might be worth reading, but I can't believe that "Eragon" was so highly touted! Is it a case of political correctness, or of not wanting to give our young people any constructive criticism? If you want to read young adult fantasy that's worth your time, try Michael Chabon's "Summerland", or stick with Harry Potter!
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(14 of 46 readers found this comment helpful)
reading4years has commented on (5) products.
The Colour by Rose Tremain
reading4years, November 7, 2007
New Zealand in the 1860's is the setting for this very enjoyable historical fiction by Rose Tremain. For reasons gradually revealed, Joseph and Harriet Blackstone, and Joseph's 65-year old mother, move from England to take up farming. Shortly after their arrival, a gold rush begins. In addition to the Blackstones' story, there is also the neighboring homestead, a successful sheep ranch, where a strong connection forms between the child Erwin, and his Maori nursemaid. Tremain's characters are well developed, the plot is compelling, the historical detail and landscape well portrayed. This is a book that is difficult to put down.(1 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
Surveillance: A Novel by Jonathan Raban
reading4years, March 14, 2007
To me, the mark of a good book is that the reader continues to think about it for days, or longer, after reading it. This was a good book. Jonathan Raban is a master of character portayal. In this book, Raban allows us listen to diverse perspectives on the post 9/11 world from such voices as a Holocaust survivor, an identity thief, a journalist with a great ability to see all sides of an argument, a gay man, and a 12-year old girl. In spite of a minimal emphasis on plot, "Surveillance" is an absorbing book, demonstrating the author's knowledge and intellegence, and, in the unusual ending, giving the reader much to think about.(3 of 5 readers found this comment helpful)
Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick
reading4years, January 31, 2007
Very disappointing. This is exactly the type of history book I do NOT enjoy. The first third of the book was promising, with lots of interesting details on the Puritans while in England, their first relocation to Holland, their arrival at Cape Cod, and their first year struggling to survive in their new settlement at Plymouth. Too much of the remainder of the book, however, consisted of descriptions of battles some 50 years later, between the English settlers and the Indians led by "King Phillip" . . . page after page of the battle sites, how many of each side were involved, how many muskets or flintlocks they had, how many died. I was hoping for more a "social history", in which the author elicited empathy or any kind of feeling in the reader, but instead found the narrative tedious. I'll give Philbrick credit for at least one thing, however. He showed clearly how the white man changed the way the Indians waged war. Before European settlement, Indian wars took few casualties; the Europeans taught them how to massacre and aim for genocide.(4 of 11 readers found this comment helpful)
March by Geraldine Brooks
reading4years, July 25, 2006
As perfect a book as can be found . . . full of historical detail, vivid descriptions, complex and all-too-human characters, with a compelling plot, all told in a style reminiscent of the writing of the times. Geraldine Brooks takes the minor character of the father from Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women", and tells his story -- his life up to and including serving as a Chaplain in the Union Army during the Civil War. Truly deserving of the Pulitzer Prize it won.(12 of 22 readers found this comment helpful)
Eragon (Inheritance Cycle #01) by Christopher Paolini
reading4years, June 24, 2006
Puerile! I've read lots of young adult fiction that is excellent. This is not among that group. I picked the book up after hearing that it was so good . . . and found myself repeatedly groaning at the formulaic, hackneyed story, and at characters that lacked depth and insight. About half way through, I found out that the author started the book at age 15. This is no wunderkind. Maybe in the years ahead, his work might be worth reading, but I can't believe that "Eragon" was so highly touted! Is it a case of political correctness, or of not wanting to give our young people any constructive criticism? If you want to read young adult fantasy that's worth your time, try Michael Chabon's "Summerland", or stick with Harry Potter!(14 of 46 readers found this comment helpful)