Kaseys Korner

The House by the Sea

When the charming Italian villa is the best thing about the book, you know you're in trouble.

I think another old house reeled me in ~ they get me every time!
So basically I loved reading about the house and the gardens but could NOT get excited about the main characters at all. They had a sad history which the protagonist brought up ad nauseam. Talk about holding onto anger! Her ex husband seemed a tad bit more likeable but he never got fleshed out fully.

So many predictable elements to the story. I'm a terrible guesser at "who dunnit's" but even I knew a third of the way in who the sinister culprit was.

Wish I could have liked it better. I'm going to be generous here and round up to 3 stars but really wavering over clicking two. Maybe it would be better on the beach??

The Art of Flowers

If you never thought flower arranging was an art, break open the cover of this book and prepare to do an about face. It most certainly is! From selecting the container, to the colors and forms of flowers that are going to reside in it, it's quickly apparent (from the fabulous creations within these pages) that it's nothing short of a creative skill set! Not all the designs are elaborate either, some are fairly simple but elegant and easily duplicated!

This book is the same quality level as all the other books the editors of Victoria magazine have published. There is no end to the beauty they are able to assemble and bind together. Lovely, lovely book whether you garden or not but for sure if you love flowers and appreciate incorporating them into your life. I plan to spend countless hours poring over the pages, examining the vases ~ many of which are antique and unique ~ and the way the flowers are assembled therein.

These books are automatic "buys" for me and I've never once been disappointed.

The Kite Runner

I'm not sure why I think I like books with happy endings ~ those are not the ones that end up sticking with me!!! 'The Kite Runner' ripped my heart out, caused me all kinds of anguish but it's absolutely unforgettable.

Of all the characters, I loved Baba and Hassan, especially Hassan, the most. The magic of this book tho, as much as I couldn't abide the main character Amir (throughout the majority of the book) in the end, I came around to caring for him too ~ that's masterful writing! Reading about the destruction of Afghanistan thru each government transition; old monarchy, Russian invasion, and Taliban rule was heartbreaking. Amir said: "My chest tightened with a surge of unexpected anger at the way my countrymen were destroying their own land." Those feelings, what once was there and now lost, so eloquently translated.

What a wonderful story. It's sad, it's beautiful, it's full of valuable life lessons and I can't help but wonder if any of the lessons are drawn from the authors own life experiences??

One I've had on my wtr list for a long time. If it's on yours, I urge you not to wait as long as I did to read it.

Into Thin Air

What is it about man (as a species) that he feels like he has to conquer everything???

Since Englishman George Mallory (upon asked why he wanted to climb Everest) said "because it's there," men and women have been taking their chances on the worlds highest mountain peak. I personally don't understand the need to summit something just because it exists but as you all know, I'm far from adventurous. If I even made it to base camp, I'd consider it an achievement and promptly turn around!

What floored me the most about reading 'Into Thin Air' (and it was written 25 years ago) was how commercialized conquering Everest has become. I use the word "conquer" loosely too because as evidenced by events in this book, the mountain and nature ALWAYS have the last word. Try as we might, we can't make either subservient to our whims. Maybe because I don't move in the orbit of elite mountaineers, I had no idea there were so many people willing to pay huge sums of money for the opportunity to climb Everest and that they would literally have to stand in a line while summiting and descending. Unconceivable to me there would be a traffic jam on top of that treacherous escarpment.

I understand why this book and tragedy, haunts people. From Krakauers description, it seemed like a compilation of many small errors that added up to a giant human catastrophe, not the least were the loss of renowned guides Rob Hall and Scott Fischer. I can understand the "what if's" or "if only's" would make for a lot of lost sleep. What if they'd stuck to Rob Hall's deadline of turning around by 1 or 2 pm (at the latest), what if all the ropes had been fixed prior to the attempt, what if there'd been more supplemental oxygen available, and so on and so on?? The latter seems a controversy in itself, because having it means more people who haven't acclimatized can climb. If there were no supplemental oxygen, so many more people would turn around before they found themselves in a perilous predicament. The biggest "what if" was the weather, a factor out of everyones control.

The environmental catastrophe around Everest saddened me also. Krakauer wrote that all the trees had been denuded (for firewood), there's trash all over the mountain (advertising banners, empty oxygen canisters, human feces, food trash, etc., etc.) So so sad that the incredible majesty of the place is defiled in such a manner.

I could have done without the last part of the book where the author defended his perspective (at length) of how the events unfolded on this climb. He wrote the story as he saw it & remembered it. Let it stand on that basis alone. No need to cast aspersions on other climbers versions. I grew up with three siblings. If you ask us about an event in our childhood, you get four different versions. Everyone remembers events differently. For that reason, it wasn't a full five stars for me.

Definitely a recommended read tho.

Dark Tides

Sequels... They can be comfortable (because of a preexisting familiarity with the characters) and wonderful, exhilarating extensions of an already loved storyline. Let's face it, if you're coming back for the second, you must have liked the first. Or they can be fails ~ to the point where you wished the author had stopped, dropped the story and never continued the journey. This one falls in-between those categories for me.

I really liked Alinor in the first book & was eager to see how she pulled herself up from the "waterboarding" she'd received at the end of 'Tidelands.' A hopeless romantic, I wanted James to have stepped up in 'Dark Tides' and become the hero for her that she mistakenly believed him to be throughout 'Tidelands.' Disappointed again. James is hopelessly flawed as a hero ~ too weak to do the right thing. And poor Alinor, 20 years later, is portrayed as elderly and relegated to the back burner, her life as much as over. She's still more insightful than anyone else in her family and she deserved more of a role in this update on their families fortunes than she received. Her daughter Alys was now in the position of decision maker and in most aspects disappointed me. They were both portrayed in 'Tidelands' as being beautiful, we hear nothing of that in 'Dark Tides,' nor why either had decided to stay spinsters?? I have nothing against an independent woman, it was just surprising considering the period in history.

Another of the storylines in this book was about Alinor's brother, Ned. Once a ferryman, always a ferryman. He's left England and is now in America, part of the immigrants that were trying to create a "new" England in a new land. He had a smaller storyline in 'Tidelands' and I think it would have been better to keep it that way in 'Dark Tides.' It was perhaps overly ambitious of Ms Gregory to go into all the ways the European settlers were cheating the Natives from the moment they stepped foot in North America. Him running a ferry across a river in America and the hardships of being a pioneer together with the settlers interactions with the Indians weren't really why I was reading the series.

The third storyline was the most interesting to me and it involved the 3rd generation of this family. Alys daughter Sarah and her "secret" assignment to Venice. Exploring the waterways and canals of the city was fascinating but where on earth did a simple "indentured" milliner girl get so sophisticated?? Maybe the sight Alinor possessed skipped a generation and went directly to her? It seemed a bit implausible but anything to expose the imposter we were introduced to in this book, I was ready to buy into. Which brings us neatly to the biggest new character in 'Dark Tides' ~ Livia. It was obvious from her first appearance that she was nothing but trouble. Thank God for the trouble tho, otherwise the story would have fallen flat. Her manipulations and machinations at least gave it some life.

I've heard there will be a third book in this series. I'll probably read it but I won't go into it with the hopes I had for this book.

Mistress of Rome

If I ever make it to Rome, I don't know that I could visit the Colosseum after reading this book. Holy cow, what a blood thirsty lot the Romans were! A UV light (to detect blood) would probably light up the whole arena floor even after all these centuries. The ground has to still be saturated. They showed a reckless disregard for animal and human life for the sole sake of amusement ~ is blood lust an acquired taste??? The descriptions of the many exotic animals that died during their games makes trophy hunting of today (as distasteful as I view that "sport") seem benign and restrained. Where did all those zebras, ostriches, tigers, elephants, etc. come from anyway?? It was illuminating to say the least. Here I thought the colosseum was for glorified gladiators to fight in, with maybe a tiger or two thrown in for extra thrills?

The historical aspect of the reign of Domitian, the last Flavian Emperor, was pretty dark as well. He was not especially a benevolent man, to put it mildly. That history, woven with the fictionalized story around his reign, was (despite the multitudes of killings) absolutely as wonderful as I've come to expect from Kate Quinn. A true sense of life in that time.

Apparently there are three more books in this series and based on 'Mistress of Rome,' I plan to read them all! I guess that's everything you need to know, right??!!

Song of a Captive Bird

I don't know that I would have picked this book up if it weren't for book club. It was my first introduction to Forugh Farrokhzad and the story of her unconventional rise to Iranian poet notoriety ~ truly worth respect and the read. No matter how you view the path she chose, it was unquestionably gutsy, brave and tough. I'm way less familiar with the efforts of women in the Eastern World to gain rights and freedoms (like their male counterparts are automatically granted) than I am with that journey in the Western World. It's no less daunting or perilous for them than for the women that went before us and it took a boldness and conviction to buck tradition that I'm not sure I possess. There were a few times her spirit and voice could have been crushed yet by good fortune, destiny or whatever, she was plucked from dire situations and given other chances.

'Song of a Captive Bird' also touches on the fight Iranian traditionalists have in keeping their culture from becoming westernized. The battle a country finds itself in to become progressive and forward thinking yet not lose those customs which make it unique ~ is simultaneously a balancing act and a revolutionizing force. As the world becomes smaller, maintaining those customs seems infinitely more difficult. Forugh epitomized the independent feminist that raised the shackles of those "old school" Iranians. Tragic that her life was lost at such a young age yet at the same time, incredible that she made such a powerful impact despite her limited time.

I will always believe people like her are born with a specific purpose and she definitely rose to the challenge of fulfilling it and left an indelible mark that will live long into the future.

The Lost Apothecary

** spoiler alert ** Don't you hate when a book has all the potential of an enthralling novel but then falls waaayyy short??? That's how I'm left feeling about 'The Lost Apothecary.' Let down. Let down for all the ways a hidden, back alley, centuries old apothecary, dispensing poisonous tinctures and potions (only to women, for use solely on men) could leave me without a single breathless moment. Just look at all those awesome elements the author had at her fingertips ~ and yet, they did not get spun together in that extraordinary way that left me on the edge of my seat, gleefully satisfied and bereft to find no more pages in the book.

It's a dual timeline novel, which I do typically enjoy and as usual the older timeline was far more interesting than the modern one. It's the one that held all the fascinating pieces yet tripped me up with its incongruities. I have more questions about the apothecary owner Nella than the book coughed up. What the devil was wrong with her?? She kept talking about this debilitating sickness but it was never explained? The same sickness that turned her bones to stone, gave her swollen ankles yet she leap over rock walls and outran constables?? Switching the apothecary from above board benign potions to secretive lethal ones because one man played her? That's taking "a woman scorned" to next level. Writing down the purchaser & the intended victims names seemed more like a way to potentially incriminate women instead of help them? I seriously doubt one of those women would have wanted to be immortalized for resorting to that lethal action. Eliza turned out to be the bright spot of the book and the older timeline. The twist about her at the end was a positive moment.

The modern timeline was completely unmemorable. Caroline was a flat, flat character. For all the upheaval the author imparted about her life, I felt zero investment. The police could have locked her up to atone for Nellas sins and I wouldn't have spared her a shrugged shoulder. That sounds harsh but she just wasn't likable. Not all characters need to be likable but at least make me hate them or feel disgust or something about them! She discovered 'The Lost Apothecary' but it was glossed over as quickly as her phone battery ran out. Never to be revisited then kept secret to boot?? wth??

I regret that the review couldn't be more positive. The book had been much hyped. I immediately put it on my wtr list but unfortunately when I finished, it disappointed and I couldn't be more bummed about that outcome. 2.5 Stars

The Rose Code

I want to expand the star category for this book! Unfortunately I don't have that authority, so all I can do is emphasize unequivocally that 'The Rose Code' is worthy of all FIVE spectacular stars. Polished and buffed to gleaming stars too because dull brassy ones aren't even good enough ~ this novel warrants only the shiniest, most brilliantly luminous ones! It truly is literary GOLD! It snares you from the start, doesn't bog down (despite its lengthier size) and ends superbly. *sigh*

When I was downloading it, I noticed Amazon billed Kate Quinn as today's premier author in historical fiction. I'm a fan of historical fiction, I've read a lot of it and I have to say, I couldn't agree more. She brings history to life in a way that's riveting, educational and most importantly never boring. Her research is impeccable too. If you're already a fan of the genre, you can't miss this book! If you've never dabbled in historical fiction before, I can't think of a better book to start the journey!!!

Three sensational characters and a wide array of secondary characters (how much did I love Francis Gray??!!) ~ every story strongly developed, powerful and emotionally evocative. Osla Kendall's (Osla Benning in real life) relationship with Prince Philip was particularly poignant because the news of his passing occurred while I was reading about them. I went down in the troughs with all three main characters at various points in the story and also rode the magnificent highs with them. Another tribute to the author for her ability to throw the reader into the period and make it so "real" and relatable.

The frenetic energy and urgency that existed at Bletchley Park was tangible. So many secrets decoded on its grounds that impacted the war and lives of those who worked there. I wonder if it drove the locals crazy wondering what the heck was happening behind those guarded gates?? If only they knew then! It's deservedly right that the house, huts and grounds have been restored and opened to the public ~ to acknowledge, raise awareness and pay tribute to the sacrifices and transformative work that were churned out there.  

A beautiful, beautiful novel. Kate Quinn puts more faces on the power of humanity when faced with adversity. It's bound to leave a lasting impression on the reader.

A "MUST" read!!!!

One Thousand White Women

I've had this book on my wtr list for a long time. I'm determined to make inroads on the books I've shelved there instead of continuing to add new ones!!

May Dodd may just be my new favorite female heroine. I loved her pragmatic, honest & unflinching attitude toward each situation life presented her, no matter how dire and she found herself in some truly dire predicaments. This novel was comprised almost entirely of journal entries (written by May) and I found them absolutely riveting, especially the ones about her life with the Cheyenne Indians.

Of course I googled whether the 'Brides for Indians" program was real or not. It seemed 100% plausible, especially since the "brides" our government were purported to be offering the Indians were women solicited from prisons, insane asylums, or who found themselves in unfortunate circumstances. It's cringeworthy how women were treated in (not so distant) history and always how our country behaved toward the Native Americans. 'One Thousand White Women' is another embarrassment of the latter behavior, even tho it's fiction, it's underlaid with many truths.

The more I read, the more attached I became to all the women and their Indian families. It's beautiful how Indians put the welfare of the whole tribe before individual achievements. I've always thought the way they treated the land was much more progressive than the Caucasian attitude of development & destruction. In this book, the relationship between the Cheyenne men and women was even portrayed to be more egalitarian in many ways. The journal entries were so beautifully written and compelling, they made the ending that much more heartbreaking. I don't know how anyone could read them and not be powerfully affected by the events that unfold??

I see now that there are two more books in this trilogy. I'm not sure if I'll read them or not but now that I'm familiar with the writing of Jim Fergus, I'm convinced they'd be equally as good.

Very happy I went back and pulled this one up to the top of my reading list. 4.5 Stars