My fellow Americans, I hope you remember all the opportunities living in America has offered us. Especially the write to say what we think about books without persecution.
Title: I Know It’s Over
Author: C. K. Kelly Martin
Pages: 299
Published: 2009
“PURE. UNPLANNED. PERFECT. Those were Nick’s summer plans before Sasha stepped into the picture. With the collateral damage from his parents’ divorce still settling and Dani (his girl of the moment) up for nearly anything, complications are the last thing he needs. All that changes, though, when Nick runs into Sasha at the beach in July. Suddenly he’s neck-deep in a relationship and surprised to find he doesn’t mind in the least. But Nick’s world shifts again when Sasha breaks up with him. Then, weeks later, while Nick’s still reeling from the breakup, she turns up at his doorstep and tells him she’s pregnant. Nick finds himself struggling once more to understand the girl he can’t stop caring for, the girl who insists that it’s still over.”
Awkward. If I had to pick one word to describe I Know It’s Over, it would be just that — awkward. It’s not the situation that is entirely awkward for me, especially since I was intrigued by the idea of a novel about an unexpected pregnancy and following abortion from the male teen’s point-of-view. But the characters are awkward, the dialog is awkward, the interactions are awkward. The necessary details just aren’t there, and the ones that are involved more telling than showing. There’s a heavy reliance upon flashbacks and a character telling you the back story. I prefer it when details are inserted subtly rather than a giant block of information dropped into the reader’s lap, and as the story began I was wondering when Martin would just get on with the story. And when she does, it’s unrealistic and unfocused.
The unrealistic part stems from the parents’ reactions. which really bother me. Nick doesn’t tell his mother until after the fact, but once he does, she just seems to nod her head and move on to the next topic. There’s no reaction, and the only parent that does react is knocked down to a reference. There’s no discussion of what to do amongst the teens or the parents; Sasha’s decision is just an automatic reaction with no one even discussing keeping the baby or putting it up for adoption. I wasn’t bothered by the decision, but I was bothered by how Sasha and Nick reached that decision.
There were bits and pieces of this novel that I liked — the premise, Nick’s reaction to Sasha’s decision — but Sasha doesn’t react, which ultimately killed this novel for me.
Rating: 1
Balance of Opinion: Becky’s Book Reviews, Maw Books Blog
Title: By Force of Instinct
Author: Abigail Reynolds
Pages: 260
Published: 2007
“In Jane Austen’s classic Pride & Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet never expects to see Mr. Darcy again after his disastrous proposal in Hunsford. But what if family business required him to stay at Rosings after giving her his letter? Coming face to face with Mr. Darcy only days later could give Elizabeth a new chance to understand him… or chance for even more misunderstandings. The Pemberley Variations by Abigail Reynolds is a series of novels exploring the roads not taken in Pride & Prejudice.”
I’ve always wondered what would have happened had Darcy not fled from Rosings after his disastrous proposal, and Abigail Reynolds attempts to answer that question in By Force of Instinct. This “what if?” novel is packed with misunderstandings, more pride, and more prejudice.
While I would consider this one Abigail Reynolds best Pride and Prejudice variations, I really did not like her portrayal of Georgiana or Mr. Bennet. Thankfully, Mr. Bennet isn’t in the story enough to really detract, but Georgiana is a major player in By Force of Instinct. She’s also malicious, vengeful, and bitter. Some of her bitterness is easy to stomach; Darcy is allowed to marry Elizabeth, who is “beneath him,” but Georgiana could not marry the man who is beneath her. But the majority of it is over-the-top. It makes for great controversy and plot line, but it is a deviation from the character presented to us by Jane Austen. There’s also the little problem of the “love shack” Darcy sets up for himself and Elizabeth.
I enjoyed By Force of Instinct, but it’s certainly not for Austen purists. It’s diverting and enjoyable only if you don’t mind of a few twists and distortions.
Rating: 4
I’m off to celebrate America’s Independence Day with my dad in St. Louis, and since my grandfather doesn’t have a computer, I’m taking a blogging break. I do have a post scheduled later this week, but that’s just about it. When I get back I need to writing up reviews for:
- Little Face (Sophie Hannah)
- The Doll People (Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin)
- Sleeping Arrangements (Madeleine Wickham)
- The Killing Jar (Nicola Monaghan)
- A Bride in the Bargain (Deeanne Gist)
I’m hoping to get a lot of reading done during my vacation, but our phone has been ringing off the hook as my uncle calls to tell us all the new updates in the schedule — fishing, boating, shopping trips in St. Louis with my cousins, parties, large quantities of food, day trip to Silver Dollar City, massive fireworks display — so I’m afraid my pile is a bit ambitious. Even so I like to have a large selection of books on hand so I have something to read no matter what my mood may be.
- By Force of Instinct (Abigail Reynolds)
- Cousin Kate (Georgette Heyer)
- The Girl She Used to Be (David Cristofano)
- I Know It’s Over (C. K. Kelly Martin)
- Mansfield Park (Jane Austen)
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith)
- The Runaway Dolls (Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin)
- Songs Without Words (Ann Packer)
- Specials (Scott Westerfeld)
Title: A Bride in the Bargain
Author: Deeanne Gist
Pages: 365
Published: 2009
“In 1860s Seattle, redwoods were plentiful but women scarce. Yet a man with a wife could secure himself 640 acres of timberland for free.
Joe Denton doesn’t have a wife, though. His died before she could follow him to Seattle and now the local judge is threatening to take away his claim. In desperation, he buys himself a Mercer bride — eastern widows and orphans brought to the Territory by entrepreneur Asa Mercer.
Anna Ivey’s journey west with Asa Mercer’s girls is an escape from the aftermath of the Civil War. She signed on to become a cook — not a bride. When she’s handed over to Denton, her stubborn refusal to wed jeopardizes his land. With only a few months before he loses all he holds dear, can he convince this provoking, but beguiling, easterner to be his lawfully wedded wife?”
I sort have this weird fascination with the 1860’s mail-order brides, so when A Bride in the Bargain popped up on my radar, I immediately snapped it up. The story revolves around Joe Denton and Anna Ivey. Joe’s a lumberjack living near Seattle who desperately needs a wife, a scarce “commodity” in the Washington Territory. Because he doesn’t have a death certificate for his first wife, who died before she joined him out west, Joe stands to loose half his land and his livelihood. After plunking down several hundred dollars to literally buy a wife from Asa Mercer, Joe is introduced to spunky Anna Ivery, who Asa led to believe that she’s going to be a cook, not a wife.
The beginning of this novel is actually very strong; the historical details are woven into the story in a believable way and the characters are charming. However, as the story progresses, the historical setting is tossed aside. Joe and Anna say things that are clearly 21st-century speech, not the 19th-century setting they’ve been placed in. Joe’s extravagances and wealth is implausible for the time; no man would decorate a house the way he did. And by the end of the book, the development of Anna and Joe’s relationship is tossed aside for jumping in bed. Yes, this is a Christain novel, but their wedding is completely rushed and loses sight of building and elaborating on their relationship.
One of the pluses about A Bride in the Bargain is the lack of preaching. If I hadn’t know it was a Christian novel, I never would have known based on the content. Occasionally God is mentioned, but these mentions reflect more of the times than the author or publisher’s religious views.
Rating: 2
Balance of Opinion: Becky’s Book Reviews
