2024 #4: The Starless Sea (Morgenstern)

 

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't exactly remember what led me to read The Starless Sea, but that seems fitting. Perhaps I encountered a painted door of my own. That metaphor, which may not mean much to the uninitiated, is as poetic and amorphous as the beginning of the book. Morgenstern's fantasy has its sharp edges, evident from the violence and captivity described in the initial pages. But the wardrobe,
at least initially, does not quite lead to Narnia here, and we are better for it.

Zachary Ezra Rawlins, who is half-heartedly chipping away at a Master's degree in "Emerging Media,"would rather just read. He hides out in a Vermont college library during the term break, only to encounter a strange book that changes his life forever.

Yes, there are definitely Neverending Story tropes here, as well as Narnia tropes (the latter made transparent by the author), but Morgenstern weaves stories within stories that seem so distinctly unique yet familiar at the same time. This is, as Joseph Campbell recognized, the power of mythmaking--to hold on to the common themes, but dress them up in an unending variety of costumes. Most of the characters stay behind a gauzy curtain of mystery by necessity, but not without character development. Most endearing is Zachary's friend Kat, whose sense of humor and self-awareness provides moments of utter charm: "I accepted because mysterious ladies offering bourbon under the stars is very much my aesthetic" (464), she tells us, explaining her choices. Kat, notably, also gives a shout out to Campbell via a quip regarding the Hero's journey.

There were moments when the journey felt a bit too drawn out -- a choose-your-own-adventure without being able to choose, and being taken down every possible path. There are things--crucial things--that are never really explained, and that's part of the point. One doesn't mind so much, and comes to accept the truths of the novel as fantasy and reality begin to blur. Time and Fate are leading players in all worlds, it would seem. What we protect is not always what we love, and we don't always protect that which we do love. These are some of the wisdoms that Morgenstern reveals through paper stars, bees, owls, keys, and swords.

This is a book that will benefit from more than one reading, no doubt unearthing layers upon layers. It deserves to be savored, not rushed. And if you happen to like cats, you'll be an even more willing participant.

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2024 #3: A Murder of Crows - Nell Ward #1 - (Yarwood-Lovett)

 

A Murder of Crows by Sarah Yarwood-Lovett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I can't be sure, but I think this is my first "eco-mystery"--and yes, I'm definitely here for the subgenre. Reminiscent of the late Lyn Hamilton's Lara McClintoch series (in that case, an archeologist, not an ecologist), this first book of the Nell Ward series is very promising. Yarwood-Lovett is not just an armchair ecologist, and boasts an impressive bio, including re-discovering a British species thought to be extinct and giving evidence as an expert witness. I particularly appreciated that the end of the book featured some notes explaining the actual ecology behind some of the plot devices.

The mystery itself is quite entertaining, and Kristin Atherton's reading of the characters on the audiobook is phenomenal. There were two main drawbacks: 1) one of the people in the frame we know cannot be in the frame, and 2) one of the people in the frame is the obvious choice. I won't say more, but motives are not surprising here, but means get a bit far-fetched. My only other main criticism is of Nell herself, but I have high hopes that the issues will be resolved in the next books in the series. In order to understand Nell's backstory, she is presented as a rather insecure individual (with legitimate reason, due to a past trauma), and while brilliant and competent as an ecologist, she seemed incredibly doubting and self-deprecating when it came to possible romantic partnerings. By the end of the book we are given hope that the situation will change, but I grew weary of her constant inner dialogue of self-doubt.

The plot has a healthy supply of twists and turns, but nothing very shocking or out of left field. Ecology is a sleuthing field, so it makes a lovely partner to the mystery genre. I'll be looking forward to continuing the series!

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2024 #2: Remarkably Bright Creatures (Van Pelt)

 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've long been a fan of octopi, long before the film My Octopus Teacher made many people sit up and take notice of these wonderfully intelligent and mysterious creatures. Around 2018 or so, they went on my personal "do not eat" list, which aligns with my own needs/choices. I say all this because it was around 2017 or so when I started noticing videos and stories about octopi escaping their enclosures at aquariums. And this kind of behavior makes them easy to anthropomorphize!

So we meet Marcellus, the sometimes-narrator of Remarkably Bright Creatures. He is the linchpin of the story, and every bit the octopus we hope he would be. Shelby Van Pelt manages to give him narrative agency without resorting to maudlin sentimentality (see also Six-Thirty in Lessons in Chemistry). I applaud this. Many of the characters are vivid and well-written: Tova Sullivan, Ethan Mack, and Jeanne Cassmore stand out.

I struggled to enjoy Cameron Cassmore as a character, and I think that's part of what made this book 4 stars instead of 5, for me. He is so self-deprecating and self-pitying at times that it was difficult to gather sympathy for him. His clear love and respect for his Aunt Jeanne notwithstanding, every time his character started to grow up a step, I felt something else happened to move him two steps back. While growth is never linear, of course, this pattern disrupted the narrative flow for me, particularly given my other quibble described below.

The book isn't a mystery per se, but there are a couple of mysteries contained therein, and the big one was revealed far too early to us (the reader), so I spent a good chunk of the book getting frustrated waiting for the characters to catch up. But that frustration illuminates the soul and wisdom of Marcellus, whose patience and life-view is laudatory, so in that regard, it may have ultimately been a good thing!

Other subplots are very moving, particularly Tova's situation, as we learn how she navigated/continues to navigate life without her son and her husband, and her estrangement with her brother. Her narrative had a lot of moments that made me cry unexpectedly:

"These women have always worn motherhood big and loud on their chests, but Tova keeps hers inside, sunk deep in her guts like an old bullet. Private."

Ultimately there's a lot of wisdom here, tucked into the nooks and crannies, the way Marcellus keeps his treasures in his enclosures: "Humans are the only species who subvert truth for their own entertainment." I don't know if that is COMPLETELY true, as I have not studied imagination and animal behavior to any great extent, but we know what that little nugget means. The wisdom is delivered through a wide variety of characters and decisions, even mistakes. It is definitely an enjoyable read, and I'll look forward to more from Shelby Van Pelt.


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2024 #1: The City of Last Chances (Tchaikovksy)

 

City of Last Chances by Adrian Tchaikovsky


This review does not include a rating because, frankly, there are long gaps in my experience of the book due to the fact that I could not engage wholeheartedly with the audiobook for some reason. I don't think this is a problem with the book itself, but I think there are certain stories I don't process well via audio book. I had a similar problem with Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver, and I'm starting to think detailed histories narrated by actors with British accents are an issue for me. Perhaps I'm watching too many British mysteries so that my mind lulls into complacency or something. At any rate, I do have some thoughts.

First, David Thorpe is a fantastic narrator, and my inability to stay focused on the story is no fault of Mr. Thorpe. The variety of characterizations, accents, and affects he was able to produce was astounding. The book is absolutely epic, and even with my occasional lapses of attention, several characters stood out. The city of Ilmar is under the control of the Palleseen and there's enough there to keep anyone interested and entertained, but the narration often reflects multiple points of view, bouncing back and forth between characters to provide a multi-dimensional view of events. I can say that the "God" character was a favorite, as were Blackmane, Maestro Ivarn Ostravar, Langrice, and even Yasnic (more toward the end of the book). I don't think I've ever read a fantasy book that had traces of Umberto Eco, Italo Calvino, and I don't know what---some sort of noir, I guess.

Anyway, suffice it to say, I enjoyed enough of it that I'll be buying it in print so that I reread it with full attention. The witticisms and Tchaikovsky's gifts of world-making are exceptional.

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2023 #50: Invisible Cities (Calvino)

 

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I often feel that Calvino could have written about a slice of cheese and would have made it interesting. William Weaver's translation is superb (at least as far as reading experience goes--I have not/can not compare it to the original). The book is full of metaphor, but instead of feeling tedious, we start to understand the metaphors as truths and not just mere symbols. The context is a fictitious conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan, the founder and first emperor of the Yuan dynasty of China, and the subject of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's famous poem. Rather that set it completely in dialogue, however, the book offers vignettes of these "invisible cities" to which Marco Polo has "traveled"--the scare quotes will have to suffice here as I do not wish to offer spoilers. Occasionally dialogue from Khan and Polo interject to wax philosophical, but it is far from gratuitous. For those new to Calvino's writing, it is a great entry! It did not take me ten years to read this book---I just started it on my Kindle ten years ago and put it aside for awhile.

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2023 #49: Haven (Donoghue)

 

Haven by Emma Donoghue
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was close to five stars for me, but I can see why some struggle with it. It is NOT a fast-paced book, but it is the slowness that invites you to experience the intense isolation and bare-bones intensity of the story. Set on a remote "island" (more of a rock) in the Atlantic, Haven is a story about three souls, all of them bound by faith, and how those ties become challenged by religion. The austerity of the backdrop puts the psychological in the foreground, and the end result is compelling. It did not immediately engage me, but I felt it was very worth sticking with it. Donoghue really calls into being the fine threads that might tie together obedience and obsession and how our existence can sometimes sever those same threads to find our own agency and reason to live.

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2023 #48: Chaos at Carnegie Hall --Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane #1 (Oliver)

 

Chaos at Carnegie Hall by Kelly Oliver
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I very much wanted to enjoy this book -- a music-centric cozy mystery with a fun heroine seemed just my speed, so I enjoyed this freebie on Kindle. Unfortunately, Fiona Figg is not Phryne Fisher (which was what I was hoping for) and at least for me, was a truly unlikeable character--fickle, judgmental, prudish, and a bore. She can't decide if she admires her fellow women ("I would be spending the night in jail with the best and brightest female minds in America") or whether her prudish sensibilities will rule the day ("I was glad when the luncheon was over. Mrs. (Dorothy) Parker's flamboyance was giving me indigestion.")

The book suffers from a lack of editing...how many times do we need to see cigars referred to as "foul"? How many times must Eliza be a little minx, or does she have "some cheek"? How many times do we hear that Eliza is not all she seems? When we are told for the umpteenth time, "But I suspected there was more to the girl than met the eye" it has already been revealed what that "more" is, at least in part. There are two references to Sherlock Holmes used as a quipped observation of two different characters in a matter of pages. The ending seemed a rather fantastical turn of events and I found myself rather sore at the protagonist.

There are moments of humor and the cast of historical figures lends some fun, when Fiona isn't busy judging them (outside of her murder investigation): Margaret Sanger, Dorothy Parker, Thomas Edison, etc. Eliza's character is fun, as is her little puppy, but I found myself wishing that she was the main protagonist. Sometimes the "Odd Couple" routine was a bit tiresome.

I realize this is the first book in the series, so I might try another since I feel the character(s) have a lot of potential to grow.


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