I've had similar blog post titles before and mean never to need to batch up reviews again, but sometimes life gets in the way of my recording of short review comments on books I've recently read.
This little list goes back to books I read in October, November and December of 2018, with the most recently completed today! Posting short comments with no spoilers is my aim and, in truth, all I've got time for these days. I try to write about what my gut feelings are regarding the most lingering aspects of the reads and what they've made me concentrate on during the reading.
Dunstan by Conn Iggulden
I really enjoyed the narrative element of this novel about a historical figure I know only a very little about. The story flowed naturally, the protagonist giving the back story bit by bit. Life was harsh; achievement measured by lasting legacies enabled by patronage and I liked that Dunstan was revealed as a determined yet, at times, almost self-effacing character, his ruthless edges somehow smoothed off by the choice of language used by the author and the imagery suggested.
Writing a spin-off novel about a character that appears in a classic novel isn’t a simple thing to do. I find that reading this kind of novel isn’t simple either, because I feel that my perceptions of that character will always be tinged by what the original author wrote. I was pleasantly surprised, and delighted, to find that I managed to compartmentalise the Heathcliff that Sue Barnard had created. What did he get up to during his absence in Wuthering Heights
This period in history, many of its locations new to me, was well worth reading about, viewed from the perspective of the heroine Eadgyth. She’s a likeable character, if at times a tad naïve to me even after years and years in the courts of European royalty. I found Mathilda a lot less likeable and I’m not sure I would have enjoyed being in her company - even if Eadgyth seemed to cope with Mathilda’s machinations. There was a lot of forgiving in the story which, I believe, would have been very difficult during the troubled situations explored in the plot. If you’re looking for an entertaining glimpse of society of more than a thousand years ago, without much of the seriously bloody conflict that was probably realistic of the times, and the fact that it is part of a series to highlight strong women of the eras, you’ll enjoy this novel.
This was an enjoyable, quick read set on the island of Mull
Caligula by Simon Turney
This period in history as seen
through the eyes of Livilla in Caligula was a bit of a revelation to me. Initially,
I found it quite hard to separate this Livilla character from those in earlier
novels set in the era. Trying to create an image of S. Turney’s Livilla as I
read the novel was difficult, in the beginning, since I had to force myself not
to recall earlier dramatisations. However, once I had my new version of her in
my head, created through S. Turney’s excellent narrative, I began to really
appreciate the depictions of the characters and the events. What happened isn’t
definite since we have little written prime sources, and this depiction of
events prior to and during the Emperorship of Caligula is as plausible as many others
might be.
I've also posted similar comments on each book on Amazon and Goodreads.
Now I've a huge kindle pile waiting fro me to choose from, and a number of paperbacks on my shelves which I've also still to begin. Happy Reading!
This was a most definitely entertaining novel, if sometimes a
little confusing. Working out who was what was an interesting tangle in a
setting that was believable and yet also a bit far-fetched. But that is what well
written novels are all about and this one lifted me out of the normal and into
something a bit different. Most of the characters are well rounded and easy to
imagine at face value, though they hide a multitude of secrets!
I admit that after reading this amusing romp my waiting-time at the playground when fetching home my grandkids was a lot more fanciful as I imagined many familiar faces in highly specialised roles!
I admit that after reading this amusing romp my waiting-time at the playground when fetching home my grandkids was a lot more fanciful as I imagined many familiar faces in highly specialised roles!
Slainthe!
