Quick Series Review: Earth’s Children

4-5 Stars

Alright, so I have finished this series for the second time, and I have decided that this series is a keeper, and absolutely magical, even if it is really for adult only, due to the adult content.

It is the series that started in the 80′s, by Jean M. Auel, and continues through to now, with another book, possibly two, coming out soon.Thus far, the novels that have come out are

They are an epic series (yes,I used the word epic) of great magnitude full of beautiful landscapes, people and problems. It is a very unique series in the way that it is presented, even if the idea of cavemen and people in prehistoric time has been used before. However, the information is apparently very accurate, and these novels are considered to be very informative.

What I love about this series is that information. The way it is applied, and the way that when it is put together, it makes up for a great series that you can learn from.

But it is just not the information that makes it; it is the lovely descriptions that encapture you and you can almost see wherever they are around you, and you are in the story. It is beautiful, and I applaud any author that can accomplish this feat.

It is the characters that top this tall totem pole of compliments. They are the head of it, and they control the story with such command that it is hard to believe that they were not actually people, becuase they are so rounded out, so defined that they are a constant that makes the story flow with ease. They control the reader’s emotions without flaw.  Especially the two lead characters, that have the most control over a reader that I have trouble finding in other novels.

I also love how they can make emotions run so high, so quickly, and ultimately make you want to jump right in the story with them.

What I do not like about parts of this series is that it can lull a little in some parts, lagging and dragging, but this is not a huge issue, and other factors soon make up for this. I also do not like that sometimes I want to throw the book across the room when emotions run high and I hate what the characters are doing, but again, this is contradictory to what I have liked. The emotions are part of it, and it is a love/hate thing.

Overall, a very, very good series. However, this is not for anybody under sixteen I think, becuase it is a very mature series.

The Clan of the Cave Bear

Ayla is five when the devastating earthquake hits home and kills her family. Not that she remembers any of that. When the same earthquake hits the Clan, a different type of people, they have to find a new home, and they just happen to find Ayla.

She seems like a strange child, with noises coming out of her mouth, and she cannot ‘talk’ properly; that is, with her hands.

Ayla struggles to fit in with the Clan, but they have trouble accepting her and her powerful, male totem of the cave lion. But acceptation of her is almost all she asks.

Can Ayla survive the trials that are given to her, including the Clan accepting her tall frame and blonde hair? Or will she always be on the fringe?

Published: June 25th 2002 by Bantam (first published 1980)

Page Count: 480

ISBN: 0553381679    (isbn13: 9780553381672)

The Valley Or Horses

Ayla is alone, and desperate. With everything she knows gone, she struggles to move on, and survive, though the ways of the Clan still nip at her.

On her quest to find people like her, the ‘Others’, Ayla finds a valley of horses where she decides to winter. Using her skills and forbidden prowess of a hunter, Ayla is able to fend for herself. In doing that, she ends up living with a horse, and strangest of all, a cave lion.

But when a stranger man is injured Ayla has to overcome barriers…and the shock of meeting one of the ‘Others’.

Can Ayla break down the walls of language and differences?

Published: June 25th 2002 by Bantam (first published 1980)

Page Count: 512

ISBN: 0553381660    (isbn13: 9780553381665)

The Mammoth Hunters

Ayla has now completed her quest of finding one of the ‘Others’. But how will she cope will a whole cave of them? With new people, customs, and ways, the Mamutoi hold a whole new challenge in the way of meeting people like her.

Customs are not the only thing that Ayla has to struggle against. Between her worries once renewed about acceptance, and her strange ways that are hard to understand, Ayla is an outsider once more.

Will Ayla ever find a place to fit in? Or is she destined to always be on the fringe?

Published: June 25th 2002 by Bantam (first published 1985)

Page Count: 656

ISBN: 0553381644    (isbn13: 9780553381641)

The Plains of Passage

Ayla’s journey continues, and she has made her choice. Leaving the culture that she was beginning to understand behind, she travels into the unknown, and the unknown is starting to take it’s toll, as is the constant strain of travel.

Worn by the unforgiving journey, Ayla is beginning to question all that she knows, as well as the unknown.

Ayla soon learns that the vast and unknown world can be difficult and treacherous, but breathtakingly beautiful and enlightening as well. The people she meets, both enemy and friend are different, but nothing has yet shown to be somewhere to stay forever.

The long journey for a home is a strain. Will Ayla ever find that place she can call her own? And will the man she loves ever settle?

Published: June 25th 2002 by Bantam (first published 1990)

Page Count: 768

ISBN: 0553381652    (isbn13: 9780553381658)

The Shelters of Stone

With a home in the horizon, the dangers of travel are also overlooked. But Ayla soon learns that perhaps the most frightening part of the end of the journey is just that…the end.

With a place to stay forever, and the chance to meet the man she loves parents, she is once again worried about acceptance and her strange ways.

With plenty of danger and thrill, any step towards home could soon be their last, with the dangers that llay between her and their final destination.

Will Ayla finally find a home and a place where she belongs?

Published: April 27th 2004 by Bantam (first published 2002)

Page Count: 789

ISBN: 0553382616    (isbn13: 9780553382617)

I highly recommend this book to people who love historical fiction, or any adult who has the time to sit down for lenghly periods of time to enjoy such an immense novel.

Alright, so that is it for that so called quick review. Enjoy.

Quick Review: Dear John

  2 ½ Stars

So I sat down with this novel after being promised that it was an amazing novel and that the movie was superb and that it had everything Nicholas Sparks had offered before.

  I should not have been surprised that after reading The Last Song, that I would not enjoy it.

  Sparks has veered off into a different realm, it seems, than the great novels like A Walk to Remember, and The Notebook.  Those were heart-wrenching romances.

  This was just…dull.

  I admit, the first part of the novel was promising, if not familiar to The Last Song. It seemed like it could work up to a steady, heart-pounding climax.

  Dull.

  Also, the novel promises a ‘life-changing decision’. Okay. Waited for that, and it was not untill I passed a few pages that I had to flip back and realize ‘oh. That was it’. See? So well hidden I missed it.

  And the ending. That was awfully dull too. And so easily foreseen. I guess, though that it was realistic, and therefore, it made the ending a little more down-played than a big shablam ending, but, I wished for a twist. Some sad twist of fate. A long lost-something-or-other. No. Just what he had and what he did. The end.

  This novel really, really let me down. One of my first thoughts after finishing was ‘I’m done with Nicholas Sparks for a while’. Sadly, this remains true, and will for a while. Though I suppose I could visit his old stuff, when it was actually good. But for now, I am going on a Nicholas Sparks ban.

  I liked the characters though. thoughtfully developed, and rounded out by the end, but they can only do so much in a story such as this.

  I think that everything just needs to be re-worked. A bigger climax (eh-ehm.  How about a more noticable one?), and a story that is way more deep than this.

John Tyree is an angry rebel wanthing nothing to do with school, planning or his Dad. And he is half-sick to death with the only thing his father will share with him in his boring, everyday routine; coins.

 So when he gets out of high-school, out of the party zone and into the real world, surfing and drinking is about the most he can see himself doing in this life.

Until two marines jog by.

Without much of a thought, John enlists in the army, with very little regrets. He is fit, he has good buddies, and he gets to see the world.

 But when he returns home from Germany on leave, all that changes when a girl drops her purse in the ocean.

The two young people soon find themselves falling for each other, their lives tangling, and love forming. But that all changes when John’s leave is up, and it’s time to go back to to Germany.

 However, the two write letters back and forth, love sealed into each of them, scalding, hurting, and John and Savannah are counting down the days untill John comes home.

That changes on 9/11.

In a story that is truthful and realastic, Dear John is a novel that seems heart-felt.

 

 

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Published: October 30th 2006 by Warner Books (first published 2006)

Page Count: 276

ISBN: 0446528056    (isbn13: 9780446528054)

Quick Review: A Little Princess

4 Stars

Yes, here is yet another classic for this lovely little project. A Little Princess is by Frances Hodgson Burnett, who wrote The Secret Garden, yet another classic in the realm of writing.

I remember reading this when I was about seven or eight, coming back from Manitoba. I loved it then, and I still love it now. The writing is just so classy, the characters just right for the intended audience. Sarah is such a strong character for a young girl to look up to, along with the fact that she can fight through what fate hands her.

I also ended up liking the bad characters in this. They were just so…Disney, even. They have a quality about them that makes them truly unique, but can still be put in the category of Ursula and Cruella De Ville. They have their own plan of action that still stings, but they are so focused on what is going on.

I could say that I did not like the writing, because it was too childlike, but one has to remember the intended audience, and it was never meant for a 16 year-old girl to read and proclaim it as a classic adult genius novel. No. The writing is perfect for the audience, with enough maturity for the kids reading it to be happy.

The one thing that did get on my nerves a little was the fact that Sarah is so self-sacrificing. But that’s also contradictory, because I also liked that about her.

Sarah Crewe is a princess. Or at least that is what many people see her as. Sarah is the daughter of a wealthy captain and merchant. She grew up in India pampered by her father and her servants. But she is also far from spoiled. She is mature and giving; she also loves to tell stories and make pretend. So when she is sent off to finishing school in London, she is treated truly like a princess. That all changes one day when her luck runs out, and all she has left is her imagination.

In a story that has stolen hearts for years, A Little Princess is memorable and lovable, sure to keep you reading about  Sarah Crewe, the girl who was a princess.

Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett

Published: December 20th 1987 by HarperTrophy (first published 1888)

Page Count: 245

ISBN:0064401871    (isbn13: 9780064401876)

Quick Review: Anne Frank and Me

4 Stars

Okay, so here is, yet again, another YA novel that I have chosen to review. This time, though, it’s not really a fantasy. It’s more historical fiction, with a twist. and it deals with the subject of the Holocaust and World War II. It is very similar to The Devil’s Arithmetic, which is even mentioned in the novel a few times, and, of course, The Diary of Anne Frank. It is a book that ties into both of these, so it really works well if you have read both of them before reading this one. However, you don’t really need to; it can stand alone.

This novel is about a teenage girl named Nicole whose life is filled with the usual teenage stuff; shopping, dancing, high-school, and, of course, sighing over boys. Especially Jack, who does not even really seem to see she exists. However, on a field trip, Jack breaks her heart a little more, and she is thrust into the past; and it will change her life forever. Afterall, she is in the middle of the war.

What I liked about this novel was the way that it was written. The idea was executed well, and they used historical facts to really enhance the book (one would hope they did anyway…). The character was believable, and how she lived was also believable. Which is nice, becuase you have to be able to relate to the characters, or else they seems to very distant.

What I did not like was the fact that is was so similar to the The Devil’s Arithmetic. The idea was extremely close, and some of the story line echoed Yolen’s novel. I also do not like that the beggining is more memorable than the ending. Sometimes I even forget the ending altogether, becuase it ends so mistily.

Overall, though, a great novel.

Nicole Burns is an average 10th grader in a normal high school where life is crazy. She hates school, but loves to dance, shop, and fantasize over Jack…who seems oblivious to her very existence.

But Nicole’s world get turned upside down when they go to the Anne Frank Museum as a field trip. There is a crack of gunshots, and suddenly, life changes.

Becuase Nicole is no longer Nicole Burns. She is Nicole Bernhardt, of Paris, France. And she is living in the middle of World War II.

Filled with historical facts and the emotions of those trapped by War, Anne Frank and Me is a novel to remember.

Author:  Cherie Bennett & Jeff Gottesfeld

Published: November 11th 2002 by Putnam Juvenile (first published 1997)

Page Count: 352

ISBN: 0698119738    (isbn13: 9780698119734)

Quick Review: Pride and Prejudice

4 Stars

A classic novel? What? Yes, I read a classic novel. And I highly enjoyed it. Highly.

While some people have told me that reading classics is very hard, I find that I have to disagree; after all, the story lines are the same, the language no different. It’s a story about love, hate, and the barriers that people rip down to get what they truly want; and what they get at the end.

So, on that note, what I liked about the book was the characters, the way that the story climaxed, and the way it was built up to the said climax.

What I did not like was the long, dreary parts where I had to force myself through, and the parts that were really unessential and unnecessary.

But, overall I really enjoyed this classic; and I enjoyed it more than I thought. I read everything (for the most part) with ease, and found the story enticing.

When the rich and handsome come to your town, you will do anything to capture their hand…even if it’s for your daughters. That is exactly the plan that Mrs. Bennett has for her girls. Jane wins the heart quickly of Mr. Bingley, due to her mother’s plots and schemes. However, Mr. Darcy…Lizzy finds herself twisted up in a hateful relationship, but that’s all due to change…

In a classic novel that tells the  most classic love story other than Romeo and Juliet. Beautifully written, and written in the old-english tone, this novel is and always will remain a classic story about how two people who hated each-other fell in love.

Author: Jane Austen

Published: January 30th 2002 by Penguin Classics (first published 1813)

Page Count: 480

ISBN: 0141439513    (isbn13: 9780141439518)

Quick Review: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

3.7 Stars.

Let me say that I was obsessed with the musical before I ever read the book(s). I know all the lyrics, all the jokes, one-liners. I know this musical like no other, even some of those that I have preformed in. So I saw the musical before I read the book, so it has greatly influenced my opinion on it…just saying.

I had issues with the book… as so many do. (Ah ha. I have been caught already making Wicked quotes.) The idea is so intriguing, the way it was written was…different. Yes, I know that they changed the musical a lot from the book, and perhaps that is why the two seem like two different stories.

What I liked about the book was just that; the book, the story, the idea that perhaps the Wicked Witch of the West was not wicked. That perhaps she was a real person who struggled with her identity, her love, and the color of her skin.

But,  “just wait a clock tick” (oohh…)

What I did not like was where the book went. Sometimes it was choppy and slow, other times it was confusing and jarring. I also was confused because I did see the musical first, so I had a hard time letting some of the characters be different, and letting them stray off of the well-worn path that I thought was behind-the-scenes Oz.

However, overall, the story is good, the writing is well-done, and the idea commendable.

Ever wonder why the Wicked Witch of the West was wicked? This novel tells the story.  Because, behind the cute story, there is more. Way more.

Elphaba is the witch that everybody loves to hate. Even in Oz. She is difference, green, has magic powers that make her an outsider. Her sister is an invalid. Water must not come near her. Her parents hate her. They call her names like ‘little frog’ and ‘lizard girl’. She has endured much growing up, and continues to fight her way through life.

She wants to get more rights for the Animals, the Munchkinlanders, the people of Oz. It does not mean that everybody agrees with her.

What would you do if you stood out so vividly, when you have something to say?

This novel explores the gaps that were left open in the Witch’s life, and everything in between. We now know the why- and the who.

Author: Gregory Maguire

Published:  December 5th 2000 by Regan Books (first published 1995)

Page Count:  406

ISBN:  0060987103    (isbn13: 9780060987107)

Quick Review: The Host

4 1/2 Stars

Ah yes. A Stephenie Meyer book. One was wound up to show on this site at one point, and voilà , here one is. I know that they may be some of you out there groaning and clutching the mouse to change pages, but there had to be at least one here, as I do like Stephenie, as I was an original fan…from 2005, yes. But we won’t get into that.

This book is all about aliens, yes aliens. I know more of you are cringing already. But they are different than the little green guys that want to destroy the world; in this case, they only want to take over the word, thus effectively removing all of the violent humans. Again, it sounds cliche, but it’s better than it sounds.

This book is about a struggle for life, a struggle  to find what is right, and what is true. It is about finding yourself…and another person inside you. (Heh heh heh.)

What I did not like was the similarities to Twilight. I also was not a fan of the ‘older man, but OMG, I love you with your chiseled features and the way you move!’ Edward Cullen anybody? I also was not happy with the beginning – it took me three times to get through the first few chapters. Confusing and slow, but once you finish and read the beginning again, it all makes sense.

What I did like was the writing, and the idea, along with the approach that Stephenie took to it.

Other than that

Melanie was a normal human, with a normal human life, a little brother, and somebody she loved. That was until Wanda came in…and took over.

Wanda is part of the group of aliens that have come to take over the earth and get rid of the violence. They take the humans as hosts, taking over the body, becoming the mind, until the humans disappear.

When a rebel human is caught, she is immediately taken so that she can become a host for one of the most traveled souls, nick-named ‘Wanderer’. But the human does not fade out like she’s supposed to. She is still there, in the back of Wanderer’s  head, fighting for her body.

Soon Wanderer takes a trip that she would never dream of, and finds things she thought she would never see.

When you are the one intruding, what do you take when you have all you could want? What are the boundaries of life and friendship?

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Published: May 6th 2008

Page Count: 618

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/thehost.html

ISBN: 0316068047    (isbn13: 9780316068048)

Quick Review: Nefertiti

4 3/4 Stars

Nefertiti by MICHELLE MORAN  is one of my favorite books; I loved it when I first read it, and I still continue to love it each time I read it.

This is a novel that I first picked up with the promise of hot deserts and polished palaces in the midst of our lovely Canadian winters. I was rewarded with a rich plot, deep characters, and a piece of work that taught me so much about Egypt and their desert. Considering that this was the author’s first book, I was impressed with it.  The book is great in that a lot of it seems historically accurate.

I also liked the first person view looking at another person. I liked that they were able to take a character that everybody sort-of forgot about in the shock and shadow of her sister and her sister’s husband; the people who left a gaping scar on the histories of the realm.

The only thing that I think I did not enjoy was the ending; it seemed too open, but, considering she wrote another novel to follow it, (which is just as good if not better; ‘The Heritic Queen’) it is okay.

Nefertiti is the most beautiful woman alive; her body is smooth and womanly, her face compelling. Her family has always known she was destined to rule by a Pharaoh’s side. Even if it was only to sturdy the Pharaoh who just might have killed his own brother. At once the people love the beautiful and ambitious Nefertiti.  But Nefertiti does the unthinkable; she supports the Pharaoh even when he banishes the gods for one god and throws all of Egypt into Chaos.

Soon only Mutnodjmet is the only person to see past her sister’s farce, and is the only one to try and convince her that plans are a foot to kill her and her husband. Soon she turns away from the royal family…forever. Only until more horror occurs, and she must rush to her sister’s side.

In a novel that is raw and a refreshing look at Egypt, told through the eyes of the sister everybody forgot, Mutnodjmet brings life to Nefertiti.

Author:  Michelle Moran

Published:  July 10th 2007

Page Count:  480

ISBN:  0307381463 (isbn13: 9780307381460)

http://michellemoran.com/books/index.html

From the moment of her arrival in Thebes, Nefertiti is beloved by the people but fails to see that powerful priests are plotting against her husband’s rule.

Quick Review: The Book Of Negroes

5 (Yes, 5. This is a rare occasion)

So I meant to write this a few days ago, but I totally forgot, so, here is a quick review of `The Book of Negroes’ by LAWRENCE HILL, which I found to be such a great literary work that I think everybody should really read it or at least glance at it.

It is a breathtaking account of a young woman’s tale fighting through her slavery and what she does to make her life worthwhile to her.
While I admit that I was slightly hesitant to read this book at first, because somebody told me it was horrible (how wrong they were…I should have known better anyways, they hate books like this),  I read it.
How glad am I that I have!
The writing is great, the plot (for the most part) fast paced as well as descriptive. It was perfectly researched and written with such care and ability that it was a book that I know for a fact I will be reading again.

I would recommend this book for those that like history-like novels, but also to those who are ready for a combination of love, pain, as well as bitter action.

All I can say now, is read it, and enjoy great Canadian writing!!!

I think what I liked the most about the novel was the fact that it was based on a piece of history, and that we got to grow with Meena, got to see what she had been through and understand that this had actually happened to some people.  We got to experience a woman’s trials and know that somebody had probably gone through something similar. I also liked that it was done in first person; if you know me, then you know that I love fist person narration.

The one thing that I partially did not like in the novel was the fact that you would go back to Meena writing her account. I would have preferred that it had just gone straight through, but, it was nothing big.  Nothing that would really bug me.

Aminata Diallo is a eleven-year old girl when her world is shaken roughly. She watches when her parents are killed, her village burned, and she is put into a slave coffle to walk three months across Africa to be put on a slave ship. There she is forced to grow up quickly and learn how to survive in a rough world where white men dominate. She quickly learns the ways of the white men, and of the South Carolina Negroes alike. It all falls apart on one mistake, and Meena, as she is know to others, is forced to change once more. Soon she has changed owners once more, leaving her lover and husband behind to the unknown. Eventually Meena  ends up in places she never thought she would go.

In a novel that is filled with true facts and history, this work will make you ponder; what would you do?

Author:  Lawrence Hill

Published:  October 4th 2007 by Harper Collins Canada (first

published 1993)

Page Count:  486

ISBN:  1554681561

http://www.lawrencehill.com/the _book_of_negroes.html