Louise Charles

Website Launch

2010-09-10T07:10:00.000-07:00

Just to let you know that I have relaunched my website and a new blog to track the progress of my current writing projects... so future book reviews will be posted on this site....Please come and visit me at:
Louise Charles - Writer in Progress (Website)
Writer in Progress (Blog)

And tell me what you think! But be gentle...

Book Review The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2010-08-03T03:16:00.000-07:00

Book Review

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Publisher: Penguin

ISBN: 978-0141039282

The Help is set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960’s. We are taken into a world which is hopefully dead and buried. Where black maids were seen fit and able to raise the children of white families (and a whole lot more) but were treated with suspicion and often became the fall guy for their employers. The story focuses on a short period of time and the determination of one young white woman who refuses to play along with the inequalities of her peers. She is not only fighting the prejudices of her friends but also has to cope with her mother who despite being seriously ill, is determined to make a lady and a wife out of her daughter. ‘The Help’ is a tale of stories, recounted by the maids in Jackson - some of which ‘colour’ the morals of those who believe they are better.

There are a number of maids who play pivotal parts in the story but two of them stand out in helping the cause of the lone white woman, Miss Skeeter. Aibileen is caring for her seventeenth child, Mae Mobley and daily provides her little ward with the comfort and confidence she should receive from her mother. Aibileen, still grieving for her only son who was killed in tragic circumstances, is the key driver to not only encouraging her fellow maids to tell their tales but also in helping to shape the words.

And then there is Minny, Aibileen's best friend, mother of a family rising in numbers and beaten by her drunken husband. Minny often speaks before she’s thought about what it is she wants to say and this has got her into a whole load of trouble.

Miss Skeeter (so called because her father thought she looked like a mosquito when she was born, all legs and tiny body) yearns to be a writer and regularly resists her mother’s attempts to make her into a ‘lady’ eligible for marriage. She finds she has very little in common with her white counterparts and longs for the return of her maid who left under mysterious circumstances. Together these three women develop an unlikely friendship but one which is bound by a common purpose. To tell their story.

The Help is written in the patois of the setting and the main characters and at first is difficult to latch on to. However, once you do you’ll be turning the pages, eager to find out who has done what to whom. And the race to get the book completed in time for the publisher is supplanted by the real fears all the contributors experience when the book hits town.

About the Author

Kathryn Stockett was born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. After graduating from the University of Alabama with a degree in English and Creative Writing, she moved to New York City where she worked in magazine publishing and marketing for nine years. The Help is her first novel.

Readability Rating: 10

Recommendation: 10

Book Review - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest

2010-07-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Stieg Larsson

Maclehouse Press (2009)

Translated by Reg Keeland

ISBN 978-1906694166

Well that’s it. I’ve read the final of the trilogy and I’m…well I’m not sure how I feel. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest is the longest of the three at well over 650 pages. It follows directly on from second one of the trilogy where we are left with Lisbeth Salander mortally wounded (one would be led to believe) from a bullet wound after a number of alarming, if not hard-to-believe events. I started this finale of the series thinking that the action would continue to happen from page 1. But it doesn’t. In fact, overall, I was quite disappointed by the lack of action from the main character. Well, I know she had been shot and all that brings to a human but she’s different isn’t she?

The pace did pick up in some areas, as the story line continued with Blomvkist trying to probe and find the truth behind the various plots to get Sanders committed for the rest of her life. He teams up with a detective (female, so you can guess what happens next) who is also investigating the secrecy behind Salanders father and the can of worms that his death uncovered. Berger, Blomkvists on/off lover from Millennium, has moved to the number one Swedish paper but is also having a hard time and we learn a lot about the politics of the time and that predating the current activities. Much of it wasn’t necessary and would be what I consider to be ‘back-story’. A lot of information overload which is essential for the writer, but careful selection is required for what and what not to include. Maybe it’s a special circumstance, maybe some of, a large part of this third book would have been edited to under the desk. I don’t know. But after a slow start, it did weave its magic in enthralling me though I longed for some more of my anti-heroine Salander. And I thought we might have met her twin sister… maybe that was for book number four. Who knows?

And I never found a reference to 'the hornets nest' but I guess that's something for the reader to decide. Let me know what you think it is...

Readability Rating: 8

Recommendation To Buy: Well, you can’t leave Salander hanging on the brink of death can you?

Book Review - The Girl Who Played With Fire

2010-06-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

The Girl Who Played with Fire By Stieg Larsson
Maclehose Press
ISBN 978-1906694180

It's great to get back into a book which has a familiar feel yet new and exciting at the same time. I'm always wary of sequels as they never seem to live up to the promises of the first. But I was first impressed by the Harry Potter series (well and if it comes to it The Famous Five weren't that bad.)However, Larsson pulled this second book in a trilogy very well.

We get to know Lisbeth Salander even more in this book and what lengths she is prepared to go to. I really like her feisty, edgy and at times completely wacky character. It's so fulfilling to have a female MC who is prepared to mock traditional stereotypes. Salander certainly does this and takes a few down with her in the process. She is extremely intelligent yet at the same time a little rough around the edges, not afraid of anyone or anything it seems. We find out more about what made her like that, what drives her and the reasons for some of her actions.

Blomkvist is also still there as her wannabe protector (though she does her best to try and shake him off) and the underlying love story which is very subtle is quite beautiful. He is back at Millenium and working on exposing more bad people when things go very wrong for Salander. But she has been absent from his life for over a year and despite his efforts to contact her she is very reluctant to let him back into her life.

Some of the action towards the end of the book may come across as a little unbelievable but you must remember that this is fiction and it's thriller fiction. It is fast and pacey and has lots of nasty cliffhangers which just beg you to turn the page. It's a great read and the third is proving to be the same. It's a shame Larsson never lived long enough to see the fervour that his writing has stirred up. And now I hear that the trilogy is going to be filmed - I have some thoughts about who might be up for these two characters, what do you think?

Readability: 10 (didn't notice any translation hiccups)
Recommendation: 100%

Book Review - Discovering the Writer Within

2010-06-02T02:17:00.000-07:00

Discovering the Writer Within – 40 Days to more Imaginative Writing

By Bruce Ballenger and Barry Lane

Publisher: Writer's Digest Books; New edition (Mar 1996)

ISBN: 978-0898797398

I’ve not read ‘Discovering the Writer Within’ from beginning to end, so you may well ask why am I writing a review? Well, it’s not a book to be read in a sitting, it’s a book of writing exercises – which could take 40 days if you wish – or something to be dipped into when you feel the need. It’s kind of like having a lesson planner and the exercises on your desk for those time when you think ‘I can’t do this’. This book will not show you how to do it (you should have learnt by now, there isn’t one book on earth which will teach you to ‘write’) but it does provide some inspiration.

‘Discovering the Writer Within’ helps to get something down on paper, whatever that may be. It encourages you to release your dreams, live out your writing fantasies and get started. The book is based on the very simple and well-known premise, that the only way to become a writer is to ‘write’. Why do we never believe it is that simple? Well because writing is never just about writing, it’s about a truckload of other stuff too, but without the words, there isn’t any writing, so this is the first step.

‘Discovering the Writer Within’ promotes a kind of keep fit regime, providing exercises that will encourage you to explore your creativity and produce interesting ideas. It also takes you past the first ‘drafting’ phase and into revision so that the writing can become a polished piece if you want it to. It’s something to dip into when you are feeling hot, flustered and long to feel a sense of calm and understanding.

I’m now off to read Day 20, which is about retelling classic fairy tales, as there is a competition that I want to enter where the theme is ‘Modern Twists on Fables’. I’m hoping that it will allow me to shake off the glass slipper and find a hip and new way to tell the love story of a poor girl and her horrid sisters.

About the Authors: Both Ballenger and Lane are successful American authors with a considerable publishing history between them. Lane is also a singer/songwriter.

Readability Rating: It’s hard to set a rating as it’s not that kind of read. It provides examples of the authors experience and then asks you to undertake an exercise.

Recommendation: Sure, if you need help in getting started, this is a good place to go.

Book Review - The English Patient

2010-05-18T02:56:00.000-07:00

Book Review

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

Bloomsbury Publishing PLC; New edition edition (2 Aug 2004)

978-0747572596

I loved the film of The English Patient. In fact, I have watched it several times and I now have the DVD. I find it absorbing, exhilarating, emotional and beautifully told. I was recently encouraged to get the book to read but I’m afraid I didn’t quite make it to the end. It may be that watching the film clouded my judgement but I tried not to. For me it just wasn’t the same story at all.

There was Hana the nurse suffering emotional pain and becoming perhaps a little too close to her ward; her patient the English man with his book and his memories, Caravaggio a thief, addict and generally sinister interloper and Kip the bomb expert and the beautiful setting of the Italian countryside and large war damaged house. However, I got to halfway through the book and there hadn’t been any development of the love story, which brought the English Patient to that point in time.

With each page I turned, I kept expecting to find some familiar thread, but they got lost in the language, which at times seemed a little too clever and intellectual. I almost got the sense that the author was trying too hard. Following my last review, maybe I’m not a reader of ‘great literature’ though I would argue that is quite a subjective topic. Maybe I expected it to mirror the film too much and again, I don’t think that’s unreasonable.

I read somewhere that this book had to be ‘read slowly and out loud’ to experience the subtlety of the writing. Well to me that’s not reading – I would rather watch the film and that’s what I’ll do.

About the Author

Michael Ondaatje is a Sri Lankan born Canadian novelist. The English Patient was awarded the Booker Prize and the film won Academy awards. He also writes autobiographies, poetry and films.

Readability Rating: 5

Recommendation: I’m not sure as I believe that my experience would not necessarily reflect another’s. I’m all for trying things out for myself and I loved the story so why not?

Book Review - Remains of The Day

2010-05-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

Publisher: Faber and Faber; New edition (3 Mar 2005)

ISBN: 978-0571225385

I’m finding it hard to summarise The Remains of the Day. The trouble is as a reader and a writer; it didn’t fulfil either of those needs for me. The story centres on Stevens a butler of the ‘old’ sort. The last of his kind I suppose. The book is told through him and him alone as he takes a trip around the English countryside on the way to visit an ex-housekeeper whom I guess he wishes would return.

The book has little plot in itself, and the conflict (experienced by Stevens) is one which interferes with his duty, his prime and only – it appears- drive in life. Even when his father is dying, he continues with his duties and he continues to miss the emotional signals from Miss Kenton (the housekeeper) who eventually leaves to get married to someone else.

I know, I know this is a ‘literary’ book with very honourable awards, but that doesn’t always mean that it is a good read. One with a beginning, middle and end with living, colourful characters. Sometimes as a writer, I don’t read as a reader, and I fear that this is the case with this book. It’s not a long tale and not unpleasant, it just didn’t engage me totally. I know I shall be told that I missed the message but frankly, that’s not my problem. I shall try another book by Ishiguro, just to see what else he has been inspired to write so it hasn’t put me off. Well you can’t win them all the time and it shows the ‘fickle’ nature of writing. It’s hard to write for everyone and this book wasn’t written for me.

About the Author:

Kazuo Ishiguro is a Japanese-British author and has been nominated several times for the Booker Prize. He is listed by The Times as one of the best 50 Writers since 1945

Readability Rating: It’s hard to score, it wasn’t a 10 in terms of impact but it wasn’t hard to read.

Recommendation: Sure, check it out; it doesn’t take long to read

Book Review - The Rain Before it Falls

2010-05-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

The Rain Before it Falls by Jonathon Coe

Publisher: Penguin; Reprint edition (5 Jun 2008)

ISBN: 978-0141033211

I picked up The Rain Before it Falls with a little trepidation having tried another title by the author – What a Carve up. I couldn’t get on with it and had put it in my ‘life is too short’ pile. However, I’m glad I did find a gap in my reading regime to enjoy this beautiful, sorrowful tale. It is a story about families, generations of families and the results their actions can have for years to come. It was one of the most touching reads I’ve encountered in quite a time, and I lost myself in it.

The main thrust of the story is about Imogen, a blind girl who we actually never get to meet. The tale is narrated in the main by an old woman Rosamund, a cousin of Imogen’s grandmother who feels she owes something to a girl who she has barely met. Rosamund upon her death left instructions for Imogen to be found and given a tape recording and a set of photographs. The characters span three generations of women in the same family and provide an insight into their lives and their impact on the future generations.

The book is set in Shropshire and begins with the death of Rosamund and instructions left for her niece Gill. Gill is unable to find Imogen despite intensive research and the help of her two daughters, so they decide to listen to the tape, which Rosamund recorded as she lay dying. Rosamund had decided that Imogen should know about her ‘roots’ and about the circumstances which led to the present day and the disconnection from her real family. Rosamund sets her account through twenty photographs, which she describes to the unsighted Imogen but also tells of the tale behind the images, the things that cannot be seen.

It has some sub plots; Rosamund’s sexuality for one and the concerns Gill has about her daughters and their increasing independence from her. The main plot however, is about secrets, about motherhood, about the domino effect of family actions that reverberate for years.

It is cleverly done, and for a male writer to achieve the emotional tone and placement of a female character was for me quite astounding. It was beautifully written, a book I could read without analysis of the structure and I simply loved it.

About the Author

Jonathon Coe is a British novelist and writer. His work is often concerned with issues of a political nature, produced in satire, so this piece was a defection from his usual genre.

Readability Rating: 10

Recommendation: Definitely not one to miss.

Book Review - The Freelance Writer's Handbook

2010-04-28T03:49:00.000-07:00

The Freelance Writer's Handbook by Andrew Croft

Publisher: Piatakus 3^rd Revised Edition 2007

ISBN: 978-0749927639

Andrew Croft is a very successful author and freelance writer, who is also very good at marketing his wares. So much so that The Freelance Writer’s Handbook is in it’s third stage of life, having been updated to reflect the technological changes in our world like blogs and e-books.I have the 2002 edition, which I do use as occasional reference and for those ‘down’ times when I want to be told ‘yes, you can do it’.

Croft believes passionately in writing as a way of living, so this book is for professionals wanting to sell their craft. But it’s not just about non-fiction, Croft has been very successful in the fiction world as well, particularly in ghost writing. The book starts from the premise that there is not better way to feed yourself and have fun at the same time as in the world of freelance writing. He warns against unrealistic day dreaming however, laying down the good and the bad in the first two chapters, so there is no room for misunderstanding. The Freelance Writer’s Handbook aims to help develop an ‘approach’ to writing which will ensure an income and provide the requisite enjoyment.

It’s all down to self-marketing, a skill most writers shrug their shoulders at or even turn their back.

If you have the ability to market yourself, then Croft believes you can sell your writing. This book is not about how to write well, it’s about how to market your writing and get paid for it.

The Freelance Writer’s Handbook asks the reader first to undergo a bit of self-analysis, a familiar activity. Then a short section is dedicated to the kind of equipment and materials you need to make a start - the practical bit. For me this is a little like telling grandma how to suck eggs, but I guess there are some people still out there who believe they can get by without a PC.

The majority of the book is dedicated to individual market sectors with insider advice about how to, and what not to do when approaching them. So readers would access these chapters depending on their self-analysis or not if they felt like a bigger challenge. Sections include; newspapers, magazines, non-fiction, business, travel, fiction, children, film, television, radio, and I believe the new edition includes blog and eBook writing.

The final section is dedicated to the ‘business’ of writing and constitutes the basic rules and regulations of any business. Advice is given on how to sell your work, agent representation, publication rights and record keeping. This part is the bit that will increase your chance of success in placing a piece of writing, but no part of the book will tell you how to write it.

Andrew Croft believes in the continued future of freelance writing, in whatever medium that might be. The Freelance Writer’s Handbook does not provide all the answers or covers all the advice but it is a good start, a framework to build upon. There is one golden rule – NEVER, EVER GIVE UP – brick walls are meant to be climbed over and the secret of writing success lies in the preparation you make to see what is on the other side.

Visit the website where Andrew Croft shares more about his life as an author and ghost writer.

Readability Rating: 10 -very clearly written for the intended market

Recommendation: Definitely - for serious writers

Book Review - Suite Francaise

2010-04-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemiroskvy
Published by Vintage 2007
ISBN: 978 0099 488781

Suite Francaise is a work in progress penned by Irene Nemiroskvy during World War II. It went missing in a suitcase for many years following her death in Auschwitz in 1942 and was finally discovered by one of her daughters Denise Epstein. One of the most amazing thing about this novel is its coherent portrayal of the effecting of the war on French citizens as it happened.

Suite Francaise is essentially two novellas, although Nemiroskvy had planned for five. We know this because the book also includes an appendix of her notes on the book as she wrote and re-read her work. It is this part for a writer, which is the most interesting, an insight into the workings and methods of a successful author.

The first novella ‘Storm in June’ opens one hot morning in Paris just as the German artillery sounds all around. Nemiroskvy through the eyes of a selection of Parisians from all kinds of backgrounds shows the reader the growing realisation that they are on their own as they flee the city. A mother with her four children leaves her husband – a museum official behind; an arrogant writer but successful writer demonstrates the real and not so pleasant side of his nature and a middle-aged couple follow the orders of their employer at the bank to follow if they want to keep their jobs. The building chaos, which quickly replaces the serene, sunny morning, shocks these inhabitants of Paris as they flee leaving their homes and treasures behind them, not knowing if they will return.

The second part of the book, ‘Dolce’ is in essence the opposite of the first. It has none of the chaos or disorder but is still about a battle. The French have lost the war and the village of Bussy is occupied by the Germans. They are now fighting with their consciences and their emotions. The German figures who in ‘Storm in June’ were nothing more than faceless armies are now individuals, real people, young men, who have mothers, lovers and wives waiting back home. A home like the village of Bussy with the men gone fighting and the women and children waiting and praying for their return. This novella shows the difficulties some of the villagers have in reacting to the German invaders who are now living in their houses and eating their food. And of course then there is the bigger problem of lonely men and women, looking for comfort not always of a physical nature but realising that this is a war for everyone.

Suite Francaise is a historical novel but one that Nemiroskvy was writing before any of the outcomes were known. It is also a novel that is in a ‘raw’ state with many plans, questions, further research and editing required. It is rich in prose and short on dialogue in places and the author recognises that in her notes. In that sense it is quite a difficult book to read and one which deserves to be read a second and if not third time.
It is a living work in progress, not one that has been polished, shined, tweaked, and proofed. Which makes it a valuable tool for a writer, to understand the inner workings of another as they develop their project and one whmo it appears from the first draft can portray such depth of emotions, and such traumatic experiences of their time.

Readability Rating = 5 but a second or third reading is essential
Recommendation = A definite for a writers toolkit

2010-04-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruis Zafon

Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson; First Edition edition (1 Jun 2009)

ISBN: 978-0297855545

There are some key words which sum up The Angel's Game for me and include; sinful; mysterious; engaging; erotic; magical; lyrical and just plain pure pleasure. It is a gothic, supernatural novel, which reflects the style of Shelley and is a tale about secrets and lies and a book about books.

David Martin is the main character, an author who at the beginning of the story we find writing sensational and successful tales under a pseudonym. He lived in a huge crumbling mansion which he later discovers holds many secrets and there are two things he desires. To write for ‘real’ and to declare his love for Christina, daughter of the chauffer to Vidal a long-term friend and affluent man who is also desperate to write. Then the mysterious publisher Andreas Corelli, who promises to pay him a sackful of money if he can produce a manuscript, which will define a new religion, offers Martin a solution. Not a man of faith, Martin struggles with this concept but his interactions with the ‘Angel’ take him deep into a dark world, which results in death for many around him. Young Isabella is a girl with an attitude and becomes his assistant, but takes her duties a little too far in terms of protecting him. Martin begins to explore the life of the man who lived in the mansion before him and stumbles on things that may have been best left alone, particularly for those people he seeks out for information. But does he realise his two desires? Well, you have to read the book and discover that for yourself, for the answers are not clear, nor are they murky. It is a matter for the reader to decide.

The Angel’s Game is set just after World War I in the struggling streets of Barcelona. It takes us back to the childhood of the main protagonist and takes to forward to his future and in-between there is a maze of subplots and hidden secrets, a little like Pandora’s Box. It also takes us back to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books first visited in The Shadow of the Wind. But this book is not a sequel to that equally satisfying read. Zafon has a great skill with story telling which doesn’t appear to be diluted in translation. He hooks you like a fish, slowly winding in the line, providing regular morsels to nibble on and whet the appetite until you are caught up in the very essence of the story. Unwilling to put the book down yet at the same time wanting to savour every word, every evocation.

About the Author

Carlos Ruis Zafon was born in Barcelona and has penned six novels. His The Shadow of the Wind was the most succesful publication in Spanish history since Don Quixote. He has won numerous international awards.

Readability Rating: 10

Recommendation: Without Doubt

All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve

2010-04-08T02:47:00.000-07:00

All He Ever Wanted by Anita Shreve

Published by Abacus/Little Brown 2003

ISBN: 0 349 115583

All He Ever Wanted is an evocative story of love and passion, which is fed to the reader in small, delicious bites. There are two significant features to this novel.

It is written in the first person, a difficult point of view to maintain, but never the less Shreve does this well. First person is told through only one set of eyes so demands a certain expertise in providing the right element of showing and telling.

Secondly, it is written as a kind of account, a stream of thought from the main character (who is a man) and who is recalling the events on a long train journey. Again, this style requires a significant skill to ensure that the reader does not become bored or distracted. Again, something, which the author manages well.

The main character and narrator is Nicholas Van Tassel, Professor of English and Rhetoric (no less) at Thrupp College in New Hampshire. The secondary but equally central character is the love interest of said Professor, Etna Bliss the niece of one of his colleagues.

The two meet very soon in the account, following a fire at a hotel where they are both dining, separately. Van Tassel accompanies Etna and her aunt to the safety of their home following the distressing incident. He is at once mesmerised by Etna’s beauty and is unperturbed by her cool, almost mannequin-like demeanour. He courts her slowly and we learn of his growing lust and indeed love for her. She is all he ever wanted. However, Etna does not have the same feelings and when Van Tassel plucks up the courage to ask for her hand in marriage, she begs for some time to think. But she leaves, returning to her family home without informing him and he is devastated. He is not taking her absence for granted though, follows her, and persuades her to accept him.

However, whilst his relationship with Etna will go on for some years, Van Tassel is beleaguered by a notion that starts on his wedding night and the consummation of their marriage. He says nothing but it is this niggle which will eat away at him and their relationship. They have two children – a girl and a boy and on the outer surface appear to have a normal life. Until some fourteen years later when the promotion sought by Van Tassel is put at risk by a newcomer. A man of the Jewish faith and whom has some knowledge of Etna. But it is not this that seals the fate of Van Tassel; he also finds out that Etna has been keeping something secret from him. It is when he confronts her about it that her true feelings for him are revealed more openly. She leaves with the children but is persuaded to return by a sequence of events which Van Tassel constructs but does not understand their true consequence.

All He Ever Wanted is a story of love, jealous passion, unrequited dedication but also a story of deceit, lies that take many guises. It is also a reflection of the societies demands of the times (late 1900’s) and its prejudices regarding faith and its portrayal of the role of women. Shreve portrays so beautifully the love felt by one man for one woman and how that love can be all consuming with unwanted outcomes.

Readability Rating = 7 (the style takes a bit of getting used to)

Recommendation = Yes, if you like a slow, simple but evocative tale

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

2010-03-30T03:10:00.000-07:00

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Maclehouse Press (2005)
Translated by Reg Keeland

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first of three, a trilogy of crime thrillers completed just before the premature death of the author. It was awarded the Galaxy British Book Award for Crime Thriller of the Year in 2009 and has been released as a film.

The book is a 'must read' and the film perhaps a 'miss' but I would suggest you make your own mind up on that one. I loved it and cannot wait to read the second one. We bought the trilogy as a birthday present for one of our sons who promised that he would pass them on. However, he was beaten to it by our very dear friends and it arrived by post only a week or so ago.

Two central characters and two stories drive the story. A whole host of other characters make appearances from the significant to walk on parts. Mikael Blomkvist is a journalist who at the beginning of the story is convicted for libel under strange circumstances.That is the first story element although for me, it was the less interesting one. Blomkvist has to spend a short time in jail but also decides to step down from the helm of The Millennium a journal he runs with Erika Berger - his sometime lover. The second character is Lisbeth Salander and she is the one who adds some of the mystery to the tale. Obviously, the victim of the Swedish care system, Salander is a girl who shouldn't be messed with. But people obviously have. She has certain gifts with technology and for remembering things, which helps in her role as a security specialist. She does not play by the rules nor expects anyone else too.

She and Blomkvist are brought together by the second story strand, an age-old mystery of the Vanger clan, a wealthy and successful corporation. This is loosely connected to Blomkvists conviction but only by a thread. Henrik Vanger is running out of time, his clock has begun to slow down and he wants answers before it stops. The Vanger family is full of secrets, intrigue and skeletons in the cupboard and the mystery involves the disappearance of Vangers niece some twenty-five years ago. It is the Vanger family which provides much of the secondary but very significant characters of dysfunctional families and there effects on the society around them.

Salander is the girl with the tattoo although this doesn't have much relevance to the story, she does. She is a traumatised soul with whom Blomkvist puts his trust, his faith and possibly his heart. He helps to melt the cool and unfeeling Salander and release emotions within her she had not known existed.

It is well paced, extremely readable despite its translation, although I have to admit I found the names tripped clumsily on my tongue. The conclusion is on the one hand a happy one but not without a price and for Blomkvist almost the end. But you will want to read on, you will not want to put it down and when you've read it you will want to read the next one.

Readability Rating: 8
Recommendation To Buy: Without Doubt - get the trilogy

Novel Writing - 16 Steps to Success by Evan Marshall

2010-03-24T03:45:00.000-07:00

Novel Writing – 16 Steps to Success

By Evan Marshall

Publisher: A & C Black Publishers Ltd ( Feb 2000)

ISBN: 978-0713652925

Creating a novel – is it a process, clearly defined with logical steps or is it a more organic creation, taking you along different paths until you find the place you want to be?

Evan Marshall very much thinks it is a process, with steps, order and templates to help you ‘manage’ your novel. Great, I thought – perhaps that is just what I need to get my story written. I have recently submitted an article on a similar theme – how to organise your novel – the editor liked the idea at first, made some suggestions about how it looked which I took on board and then rejected it for being too ‘vague’. Mmmm.Anyway, he might well have had a point but it was his suggestions that caused the wooliness, my system was very clear.

So what is the point I’m making I hear you cry? Well, just that novel writing, like many other parts of the craft of writing, is very personal. It’s what suits the individual. There isn’t a right or a wrong way. Novel writing is the right way for Evan Marshall and indeed, it cannot be accused of being ‘vague’ in any sense of the word. And as for the 16 Steps to Success, they will only lead to success I imagine if you follow them AND you can write a good tale.

Marshall takes the reader (and the writer) through the mechanical process of writing, including ‘Finding the Right Novel for You’, shaping your ideas and characterisation, which he calls, ‘planning for success’ – a sentiment very much close to my heart and indeed is the key to my own system.

Part 2 incorporates a ‘Complete Guide to Plotting’ full of handy templates but where, I’m afraid I lost interest. It’s just not the side of the brain I use to its best ability - the logical side - and I would never be able to keep it up. But it is a way of organising things. I prefer to let things grow more naturally, less linear, in fact I prefer the meandering path to a straight walk to the centre any day.

Part 3 is about Fiction Writing per se – Marshall refers to ‘Mastering the Modes’ (did you know there were modes in writing – oh yes,). He defines these ‘modes’ in two camps – Action, Summary, Dialogue and Feelings, Thoughts, Background. This too had a lot of interesting stuff for the non-logical writer underneath all the ‘technical’ talk.

It was not until towards the end that my interest really perked up. Up until then I had been skim reading. Here under ‘Polishing Your Manuscript’ was most helpful section on being your own editor. I had a similar experience with ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King, where the most useful advice was about editing. Marshall provides a very useful checklist, which I have and shall use for editing my manuscripts, and is a good reason for purchasing the book. Some of it is common sense, but others are thing that I hadn’t thought about – there is always something to learn about the editing process.

Overall, I found this book a little too technical for me, but could pull out some useful tools and tricks of the trade which helps with the final product. The first part of the novel writing process for me has to be more unrestrained, more of a free spirit.

Readability Rating: 5

Recommend to buy: Certainly, for the last few sections on editing and seeking publication if you are like me. And most definitely if you want some templates which help you to plot and plan.

Assegai by Wilbur Smith

2010-03-16T04:04:00.000-07:00

Assegai by Wilbur Smith

Publisher: Macmillan (2009)

Those of you who are not fans of Wilbur Smith may still be aware of the fact that he has written over 30 novels to date. An alarming output. I have read most of them but must admit that a couple of years ago, I tired of them. The one I'd just finished (and I can't remember which one it was, an indicator on its own) had seemed too formulaic, too predictable and I just didn't enjoy it.

Therefore, it was with much trepidation that I picked up the Assegai his latest novel, which has just recently been released in paperback. It is set just before the outbreak of World War I in Africa and forms part of ‘The Courtney’s' series. These novels usually involve one of the Courtney males, a dashing handsome fella, with a passion, not only for women but also for action. Not a bad combination for a good novel.

The story therefore begins on the nineteenth birthday of Leon Courtney and references a dalliance with a pretty young widow. However, the story soon moves on to Courtney's experience in the army when he is despatched to secure an outpost and protect the family there. However, when he and his band of soldiers (which includes his best friend, a Massai warrior known as Manyrono) the inhabitants have already been savagely killed by the Nandi tribe. It is not long before Courtney and his men are attacked and he finds himself carrying his injured friend Manyrono to safety leaving behind his men who have fallen to the Nandi’s. Having returned his warrior to his tribal camp, Courtney is made an honorary son of the leader of the tribe - Manyrono's mother. This relationship will prove to be very useful in predicting what actions Courtney must take in the future. However, when Courtney reports back to his superiors he is accused of abandoning his fellow soldiers and of failing to secure the safety of the outpost.

But, Leon Courtney has connections. His uncle, Penrod is Commander of the British Forces in East Africa. He persuades his nephew, who has the desire to leave the army and dedicate his life to hunting, to undertake a mission for him, which in part will satisfy this desire. He is recruited to work with a big game hunter who provides services for rich and powerful men from America and Europe. Part of his role is to gather information from one of these men. Count Otto Van Meerbach is a German industrialist. He is also a bully, a sadist, and a keen and dangerous hunter. But he is central to an attack that will but the British Army in peril.

Leon

takes on the assignment but falls under the spell of the Counts mistress, Eva, a mysterious beautiful but sad woman. He falls hopelessly in love with her and his love his reciprocated but Eva has a secret, which puts their relationship to the test. It is at this point that Smith inserts a slightly supernatural element to his story, often seen in other novels. It's very subtle and manifests itself through Leon's adoptive mother who can see the future but can only offer vague clues and the young Massai men who as part of their initiation into manhood have to demonstrate their courage and bravery against a lion.

As usual, Smith is adept at the descriptive prose; his ability to place the reader in the middle of the action in a country most of us have never visited is without doubt. I swear I could here the chanting of the young warriors and the cries of the wild animals. It is not a complicated tale but a comfortable one. Of love, power, secrets, faith, and I am happy to report that I didn’t find it stilted or formulaic. If you are going to read Wilbur Smith then I guess there will always be a slight sense of ‘déjà vu’ and I suppose part of my disappointment last time were my expectations. If you enjoy a writer’s style, the obvious feeling you might get is one of familiarity. And Assegai is an entertaining story and one with a more than satisfactory ending. Eventually.

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

2010-03-11T08:19:00.000-08:00

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
Publisher: Hodder and Hodder (2009)
ISBN: 978-0571215294

I loved this story. It wasn’t fast paced, nor full of steamy activities, nor murder or mayhem. It was intriguing. It did capture my imagination. It made me shed a tear. The Secret Scripture is a story of love, loss and ignorance. But it is also a story of power, misplaced power at that, power held by people who thought they were right. But their actions influenced not one but many lives for decades.

Roseanne is at the beginning of the story, an old woman of around 100 years old. She has spent most of her life incarcerated in a mental health hospital, but it appears no one knows why. The story centres around her doctor unravelling the mystery. Her medical records are lost or incomplete and the hospital is closing down. Decisions need to be made about her relocation.
Dr Grene is the psychiatrist in charge of her care and has never really paid much attention to his eldest patient until now. But finding out what lies behind her incarceration becomes almost his obsession. He is an Irishman, brought up by adoptive parents in England and lives a sterile, loveless life with his wife.
The story is told through flashbacks to Roseanne’s life and the observations of Dr Grene as both characters record their memories and thoughts in independent journals – the secret scriptures.

The Secret Scriptures is set in rural Sligo, Ireland with flashbacks between the present day and Roseanne’s childhood and her incarceration as a young woman in the 1930’s.
The use of the present tense for both main characters allows you to enter their minds and see things as they see them – an intimate experience – you hear, feel and see their pain and their struggles and their desires. Barry has a certain poetic feel to his description and he cleverly weaves together the old woman’s memories with the facts of the day. Roseanne’s recall of events is understandably shrouded in a mist, she herself is no longer certain if what she remembers is the truth.
Dr Grene is thorough with his research around the circumstances leading to Roseanne’s arriving at the institution; even the death of his wife does not deter him. He is determined to make the right decisions for her future, no matter how short that may be.
Eventually the missing pieces are put together, with an ending, which was beginning to take shape but not clear until the end.

The Secret Scripture is beautifully narrated and I almost could reach out and touch Roseanne, so real did she seem. Through the bland although rather endearing character of Dr Grene, we learn that bad things happen, that there is little that can be done about them now, but we hope that they never happen again. A truly delightful but serious tale.

About the Author
Sebastian Barry is an Irish playwright, novelist and poet. He has been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Fiction twice and won the Costa Book of the Year Award in 2008.

Readability Rating: 10 (A Serious Good Read)

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

2010-03-10T08:59:00.000-08:00

Book Review
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Hodder 2004)
ISBN 978-0-340-91861-6

I have read most of Jodi Picoult's books. She is fairly unique in her approach and her prolific output in taking extremely controversial issues, usually issues I have very strong feelings about, and manages to show me the other side. Usually it is the side I have chosen to dismiss, or ignore or sometimes just haven’t considered. Some of my reasoning is hard to determine, a kind of subconscious ‘that’s how it is’ reasoning. She has written about bullying and mass killing of school students, organ donation from a murderer of the receiver’s sister and the issues surrounding an Amish family and a girl in trouble. Her novels are about normal life, families and relationships which experience something which tests their strength and their unity and their beliefs.

My Sister’s Keeper was published in 2004 and has recently been made into a film. Picoult who is a very keen researcher of the issues she covers, writes this one from the position of some expertise. That of a mother of a child who suffered some considerable illness.

Kate is the daughter of Sarah and Brian Fitzgerald. They have an older son Jesse and all seems well with their world. Until, at the age of two, Kate is diagnosed with a rare form of childhood leukaemia. None of the family are suitable as bone marrow donors and they are faced with the impossible – the death of their daughter. So they, as in Sarah, make the decision to have another child. Not as a replacement for Kate, but as a donor for Kate. Anna is Kate’s younger sister and a designer baby. Controversial issues but Sarah is clear that she loves Anna as much as Kate and that Anna would want this for her sister. From the second Anna is born, she undergoes medical intervention for the benefit of Kate.

Picoult weaves her way through the very difficult emotional and psychological issues which modern medical technology has created in its fast and creative development. Why wouldn’t a parent want to do all they could to help their dying child. Even if that meant using another? The reasoning behind Sarah’s beliefs is unshakeable and almost defendable. The focus of the story centres on the very real pressure of a family under duress, and a child with a terminal illness. Kate would like to be ‘normal’ and hates the attention and the demands her illness puts on her family. Jesse – a sultry teenager - turns to drastic attention seeking activities, including drugs, booze and fire raising. He craves the attention of someone, anyone. And Anna, at the age of thirteen, seeks legal help to obtain the rights to her own body. This decision seems to be generated by Kate’s last option to extend her life. A kidney transplant.

The story is told through the eyes of the key characters; Sarah and Brian, Kate, Jesse and Anna – with chapters dedicated to each where we learn of their conflicting and reasonable reactions to the enforced chaos the action by Anna brings. It also helps us to get to know the family, from the time before Kate’s illness and their mechanisms to cope with it. A separate small sub plot is provided through the relationship with Anna’s lawyer her Guardian Ad Litem, a woman appointed to represent and advocate on Anna’s behalf.

So, does Kate get her kidney in the end? Does the family survive and how does Anna cope with the overwhelming ball she has set rolling? The ending is a surprise, a cruel twist that brought more than a tear to my eye. It felt most unfair, but then, life is isn’t it?
However, the key to the stories, indeed to most of Picoult’s stories, is that there are always two (or more) sides to consider.

On Writing by Stephen King

2010-03-04T08:58:00.000-08:00

This is my first book review on the site and I have therefore chosen a book naturally, on writing. I have shelves of these kinds of books and have made a promise to myself this year to actually dust them off and read them. Keeping this blog will hopefully motivate me to achieve that.

Now I'll start with a confession. I have never, ever, read any of Stephen King's books. Not one. I have seen one of his films though, Misery, which was fantastic. So why would I buy a book of his now? He is a prolific writer in a genre I'm not particularly fond of. Well, as you can tell by the title, On Writing is not a fiction, thriller or fantasy. Its many things but not one of Kings usual preferences. I'd read several snippets about the book, comments made by other writers and book reviews and decided that I would add it to my Amazon wish list. It stayed there for a year until I recently gritted my teeth and bought it.

On Writing is a mixture of things. The first part is definitely an autobiography - King refers to it as his 'CV' and it details his first exploration as a child into the writing process, the influence of his wife, his dabble into the darker sides of life and his commitment to writing is without doubt. This gives a useful insight into Stephen King, the man, or the life that has made him a writer. King believes above all that writing is a serious thing, and that if writers take their craft seriously, they may, may, just get something out of it. Not bad advice.

The large part of the book is Kings take on the process of writing. He refers to a writers 'toolbox' and makes some suggestions about what he personally believes are the essential elements; vocabulary, grammar (but without all the scary stuff); style, and he admits, a little bit of magic.

King writes every day, every single day and not just the odd word - he aims to write at least 2000 words per day. That's a lot of words come the end of the year. He views writing as a joy, not a drudge, a sentiment that writers often lose sight when they are stressed by deadlines, rejections and the blank page. King also makes reference to the great plot or character debate. He is very character driven, from whom the plot takes shape and he’s very clear about why. He uses his work and the work of others (Grisham, Clancy for example) and shares the struggles he experienced and overcame.

The final element of Kings book is about his accident and how writing helped his recovery from such a dreadful and shocking trauma. The injuries he sustained were significant but it was his desire to write and the encouragement and support of his wife, which enabled him to return to his desk. He ends the book with a list of books which 'worked' for him, some of them well known, others more obscure, but demonstrates his very broad taste in literature.

For me, the part that I really gained most from was his very thorough look at the editing process. This King learnt from one of his first editors and he applies the theory to every piece of work. Essentially it's about cutting the slack (by at least 10%), paying attention to every word and its contribution to the whole. King provides an example with text explaining what and why.

On Writing doesn't give any answers to the big questions about the writing process. Nor does it claim to. What it does is give an insight into one writer’s experience. One very successful writer’s experience. King doesn't preach, but he certainly voices his opinion. It is up to the reader whether to apply any of his methods to see if they work for them.

My Bedside Table

2010-02-25T08:36:00.000-08:00

This blog is going to be mainly about books, after all, that's my business. Well I suppose when I say 'books' I mean writing. Here I will share my thoughts on what I have been reading, fiction and non-fiction. I won't claim to be right about many things, after all a book review is only an opinion. But reading is essential for my apprenticeship and maybe on day, I might be able to talk about my book. Totally unbiased of course!