Review-Ape House, by Sara Gruen

APE HOUSE
Sara Gruen
Spiegel & Grau
September 2010
$26.00, 320pp.
978-0-385-52321-9.








Ape House, is not Water for Elephants for sure. The beginning moves along and I was hooked as the story of the fascinating bonobos fueled my desire to research more about them. However, I was disappointed in this story. I was anticipating so much more after falling in love with Water for Elephants. Ape House is a story stretch that didn’t make much sense.

The beginning is plausible and promising, I was engaged from the start. Isabel Duncan is a dedicated scientist and specialist who is renowned for her communication skills with the bonobos. When an explosion leaves her critically injured, no one seems to care about the bonobos health and well-being. Isabel is enraged to discover their escape and disappearance, especially since her fiance promised to take care of them. Unbeknownst to her they have ended up in the hands of profiteers who have one motive, making money. To Isabel, the bonobos are her family, and she can’t rest until she knows they are safe and protected.

The plot gets strange and frankly is too far fetched. Without giving away too much of the story, can you imagine a reality show with primates who communicate with sign language, order what they desire online and then the world tunes in to watch with fascination as their wishes come true? Seriously, I kid you not. I’m not a fan of any television, nor do I watch it, but this was beyond my limit of tolerance. I understand that this is meant to be a parody of life as we know it today, but honestly, it doesn’t work.

Sara Gruen is a fine writer with a passion for animal rights. Her ability to bring forth stories about the plight of these animals should not be minimized. With that said, there is an endearing element to her novel Ape House. The reader learns about the captivatingly, often comical, and surprisingly communicative bonobos. I can only imagine what it would be like to have a conversation with one of these amazing apes. I encourage you to go to her website and read about her interest in animal rights. She has obvious passion for protecting animals and has given them voice through her storytelling.

Sara Gruen Website



Disclosure: This book was given to me by the publisher.
Regardless of how I obtain my books, all reviews are my honest and unbiased opinion.



© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2011].

Mark Twain's Other Woman, by Laura Trombley

MARK TWAIN’S OTHER WOMAN
The Hidden Story of His Final Years
Laura Trombley, Alfred A. Knopf,March 17 2010, $28.95,  352pp, 978-0-307-27344-4.

Mark Twain wanted his biography published without a doubt. He also wanted to have total control over the image of the man people would read about and therefore went to great lengths to protect his reputation.  So, how do we know the real Mark Twain? 

Mark Twain’s Other Woman, by Laura Trombley is about the writer’s later years between 1900 and 1910 and his personal relationship with his secretary, Isabel Van Kleek Lyon.    Trombley, a college professor,  has written two other books about Twain and has sifted through a vast array of primary documents that include personal letters, notes and diary entries.  Through interviews and reading the daily reminders written by Isabel Van Kleek Lyon the author has put together a chronology of Twain’s life, a portrait of the man he and his family hoped would never come to light.

This is an engaging at times shocking look at Mark Twain, his relationship with his secretary Van Kleek Lyon and his daughters.  It will be easy to overlook slow moving passages that are burdened by the author’s research findings.  Trombley’s evaluation and interpretation about this unconventional yet respected iconoclast in American literature will offer an irresistible and controversial read.

Disclosure: This book was provided to me to review by Historical Novels Review.
Regardless of how I obtain my books, all reviews are my honest opinion.
This review originally appeared in Historical Novels Review.

© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2011].

Michelle Moran's Madame Tussaud Book Giveaway and Guest Post!

As a huge fan of Michelle Moran, I am delighted to announce her latest book Madame Tussaud:A Novel of the French Revolution will be in stores sometime around or on February 15, 2011.  To kick-off her book release, I am hosting a book giveaway for a signed copy of Madame Tussaud and a pair of aristocratically delicate cupcake earrings. (Take a look below)

Michelle has submitted this synopsis of her book that will give you a little background about this amazing woman from history.  After reading the excerpt see the contest details. With eager anticipation I can't wait for my copy to arrive.   Congratulations Michelle!

MADAME TUSSAUD: The Woman

When most people hear the name Madame Tussaud, the first thing that comes to mind are the eerily lifelike waxworks which crowd her museums throughout the world. But who was the woman behind the name, and what was she like in the flesh?

Madame Tussaud’s story actually began in 18th century Paris. While most people know her from her famous museum in London, it was in France, on the humble Boulevard du Temple, where Marie first got her start as an apprentice in her uncle’s wax museum, the Salon de Cire. At the time, the Boulevard du Temple was crowded with exhibits of every kind. For just a few sous a passerby might attend the opera, watch a puppet show, or visit Henri Charles’ mystifying exhibition The Invisible Girl. The Boulevard was a difficult place to distinguish yourself as an artist, but as Marie’s talent grew for both sculpting and public relations, the Salon de Cire became one of the most popular attractions around. Suddenly, no one could compete with Marie or her uncle for ingenious publicity stunts, and when the royal family supposedly visited their museum, this only solidified what most showmen in Paris already knew — the Salon was an exhibition to watch out for.

But as the Salon’s popularity grew, so did the unusual requests. Noblemen came asking for wax sculptures of their mistresses, women wanted models of their newborn infants, and – most importantly – the king’s sister herself wanted Marie to come to Versailles to be her wax tutor. While this was, in many ways, a dream come true for Marie, it was also a dangerous time to be associated with the royal family. Men like Robespierre, Marat, and Desmoulins were meeting at Marie’s house to discuss the future of the monarchy, and when the Revolution began, Marie found herself in a precarious position. Ultimately, she was given a choice by France’s new leaders: to preserve the famous victims of Madame Guillotine in wax, or be guillotined herself.

Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution is the story of Marie’s life during one of the most tumultuous times in human history. Her survival was nothing less than astonishing, and how she survived makes for what I hope is a compelling read.~ Michelle Moran

Visit MichelleMoran.com

Check out Michelle's blog at michellemoran.blogspot.com

Contest Giveaway from January 21st-February 21, 2011

Prize: 

A  copy of Madame Tussaud signed by Michelle Moran and a pair of cupcake earrings.

Rules:

1. To be entered you must be a follower on my sidebar Google Reader, and post a comment about the above excerpt, or about Michelle Moran's novels and writing. 

2. Blog about this contest and leave a link to the post in the comments.  (2 additional chances) 

3. Twitter about this contest and leave a link to your tweet. (2 additional chances)

Open participants worldwide. :)

Disclosure: All book copies for review, and earrings for this giveaway are free copies sent by Crown Publishing.  Any review or guest post is submitted without monetary compensation with my opinion written and posted free from bias.  



© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2011].

Wordless Wednesday-Bread Baking on a Snow Day

Can't you just smell this?

© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2011].

Bookworm's Dinner Top Pics for 2010

Thank goodness for snow days in New England to give me some extra time to catch up on my to do list.   I am excited to share my favorites for 2010 with all of you.

Top Pics for 2010

Fiction

A Fierce Radiance, by Lauren Belfer

The Day the Falls Stood Still, by Cathy Marie Buchanan

For the King's Favor, by Elizabeth Chadwick

Mistress of the Revolution, by  Catherine Delors

The Gift of Rain, by Tan Twan Eng

Lady of the Hay, by Barbara Erskine

The Confessions of Catherine de Medici,  by C. W. Gortner

Bloodroot, by Amy Greene

The Forever Queen, by Helen Hollick

Lady of the Butterflies, by Fiona Mountain

The Heretic Queen, by Michelle Moran

My Name is Mary Sutter, Robin Oliveira

Wicked Company by Ciji Ware

The Captive Queen, by Alison Weir

Song of Slaves, by Alan Cheuse (HNR February 2011) (Review to follow upon publication)

Non-Fiction

Little Princes, by Conor Grennan

Young Adult

The Alchemy and Meggy Swan, by Karen Cushman 

© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2011]. 

Review-Diamond Ruby by Joseph Wallace

DIAMOND RUBY
Joseph Wallace,Touchstone, 2010, $25.00,pb, 464pp, 978-1-4391-6005-3.


Ruby Thomas, a child of seven catches a fly ball hit by Casey Stengel on April 5, 1913. As she looks at the ball she imagines herself a pitcher. Whether her unusually long arms often a source of ridicule, contribute to her success one will never know. Catching baseball fever that day, Ruby is destined to make a mark on the world.

Later, using a tree in her backyard as a target, she discovers her athletic gift. A mighty fastball with pin point accuracy. Some years later, when her family dies during the Spanish influenza outbreak, she becomes the sole support for her two nieces. Driven by the need to care for them, she lands a job at a Coney Island sideshow throwing fastballs. The attraction, called the Birdcage, is a challenge to anyone to beat her speed. The abusive owner schedules her long arduous hours with little rest. The pay is low and the work takes a painful physical tole on her throwing arm. One day Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey, curious visitors, show up at the Birdcage to watch Ruby, and the resulting newspaper article rockets her fame. When given the opportunity to pitch for a minor league team, Ruby agrees.

As her adoring public craves more of Ruby, others of bad intent emerge. The Ku Klux Klan threatens her, the underworld wants to own her, and the baseball commissioner wants to ban her. All Ruby wants is to play ball and shelter her family.

Wallace has written a dramatically powerful story of determination. Ruby faces difficult choices, she is inspiringly special with an innate ability to endure immense hardships. The character genuine, not sainted, but human facing persistent challenges. Based on the life of Jackie Mitchell, Diamond Ruby is a historically uplifting unforgettable journey back to the excitement of the roaring twenties.

Disclosure: This book was given to me by HNR for review. This review originally was published in Historical Novels Review August 2010 issue.



© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2008-2011].

Monday Movie Recap-The King's Speech

Wow! I want to share an astounding film with you, The King's Speech. 

What an incredible story of King George VI. If you have not seen this brilliant performance by a spectacular cast, treat yourself to a truly wonderful movie today.  Here is the official trailer to take a look, but honestly, the acting is superb. Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter had me staring at the screen with an engrossing intensity.  I have to see it again, something I have rarely done. The story is based on the history and life of King George VI, who struggled with a speech impediment for years. When he  assumed the thrown after his brother abdicated, the spotlight on his elocution was intensified causing even greater self-doubt. The fascinating and the clever repartee between King George VI (Bertie) and Lionel Logue, his speech therapist will deliver many emotional scenes that are unforgettable. Don't miss this marvelous contender that I predict will be nominated for Best Movie of the Year and Best Actor.  (January 25, 2011).




© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2011].

Review-When We Were Strangers, by Pamela Schoenewaldt

WHEN WE WERE STRANGERS
Pamela Schoenewaldt
Harper Collins
1/25/2011
$14.99, 336 pages
978-0062003997


Book Description from Publisher

"If you leave Opi, you'll die with strangers," Irma Vitale's mother always warned. Even after her beloved mother's passing, 20-year-old Irma longs to stay in her Abruzzo mountain village, plying her needle. But too poor and plain to marry and subject to growing danger in her own home, she risks rough passage to America and workhouse servitude to achieve her dream of making dresses for gentlewomen.
In the raw immigrant quarters and with the help of an entrepreneurial Irish serving girl, ribbon-decked Polish ragman and austere Alsatian dressmaker, Irma begins to stitch together a new life . . . until her peace and self are shattered in the charred remains of the Great Chicago Fire. Enduring a painful recovery, Irma reaches deep within to find that she has even more to offer the world than her remarkable ability with a needle and thread  -Harper Collins

My Review

When We Were Strangers will be one of this years cherished memorable novels. Schoenewaldt is a dramatically exciting storyteller who has a velcro like ability to hold on to an audience throughout. Her characters are destined to attain literary immortality, they breathe beyond the final chapter. Two women stand out as formidable in their own way: Irma both victim and survivor and Sofia, savior and mentor. Whether random, kismet or some divine encounter, when Irma and Sofia meet their relationship is powerful and inspiring.

The story reflects the immigrant experience unique to America and the multicultural composite of it’s citizens. Once valued and celebrated, this diversity was the foundation of this country, adopting an appropriate motto, e pluribus unum (out of many one). Today, rather than shrinking, the gap of intolerance of others difference has become extreme, a disturbing trend. Reading this novel one might question how civil we are today, two centuries later?  Further, when will tolerance emerge from this apex of intolerance and the prodigious prejudice still with us today?

Pamela Schoenewaldt, a propitious and pensive writer who will no doubt leave readers anticipating her next book. Until then, don’t miss her debut.

http://pamelaschoenewaldt.com/reviews/

Disclosure: The copy of this book was given to me by Library Thing as an ARC to review for the Early Reviewer program.  This review is submitted free of bias and represents my honest opinion.


© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2011].

Review-Heartbroke Bay, by Lynn D'Urso

HEARTBROKE BAY: A NOVEL, BY LYNN D'URSO
Lynn D’Urso
Berkley Trade Paperback
November 2, 2010
$15.00/C$18.50,HC, 320pp
978-0-425-23680-2.

In 1898 Lady Hamilton, recently from England is traveling by rail on a tour of the West. Hannah Butler is one of her servants and she bleakly envisions four remaining in her employ. During their trip Hannah meets Hans Nelson, a fellow traveler bound for the Pacific. Their courtship is brief and they soon marry. Nelson has visions of striking rich as he plans to make a fortune mining gold. Along the way they encounter three other gold seekers, Harky, Dutch and Michael Severts. Their journey seeking riches is not an easy one, as countless others discover. Undaunted by the climate and horror stories they manage to make a tenuous landing after a ferocious storm in Lituya Bay, Alaska. For months they work tirelessly with meager results. Their promise of wealth alludes them. When they loose their only means of transportation back to civilization there despair is lifted when Negook, a local Tlingit shaman agrees to take them back home. As they enter his village, abundant food and wealth are everywhere, and a plan to stay is agreed upon by all. Negook is convinced the white people are causing bad luck to his people. Knowing that the only way for him to rid himself of their presence is to give them what they want. He sees their greed is driving their destiny and is sure they won’t survive, so Negook leads them to gold, lots of gold.

Based on a true story of Hans and Hannah Nelson. With D’Urso’s research and some imagination it is easy to picture the despair and isolation felt by the the four men who along with Hannah Nelson battled the harsh and hostile climate of Alaska.


Disclosure: This book was given to me by Historical Novels Review.
Review first published HNR, November 2010.

© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2011].

Review-The House on Salt Hay Road by Carin Clevidence

THE HOUSE ON SALT HAY ROAD
Carin Clevidence
Farrar, Strauss and Giroux
2010, $25.00/C$18.50,HC
304pp
978-0-374-17314-2.


Clayton and his sister Nancy lost both parents and have moved in with their mother’s family on Salt Hay Road on Long Island. In the Spring of 1937 a firework factory explosion rocks the community as the story opens and you soon get a sense of the family dynamics. Nancy takes on the role of mother to Clayton causing some resentment on his part. She never quite accepts her circumstances or the love of her Aunt, Uncle, grandfather. When Nancy meets Robert, a visitor from Boston, she is swept away by his charm and with impulsivity agrees to marry him. Nancy assumes that Clayton will move with her, but when he refuses she is forced to leave her only family and move to Boston.

After her departure, Grandfather Scudder, is filled with sorrow and his health deteriorates as he grieves her absence. Aunt Mavis questions her own marriage left abandoned by her husband. Uncle Roy, never married becomes interested in a newcomer to the island. Clay finds a job and avoids school whenever possible. Nancy feels isolated and unhappy. When the hurricane of 1938 slams the eastern seaboard, all are caught off guard. This is not a story about this devastating hurricane, but more about the choices made, consequences, and ultimate forgiveness.

The first half sets the tone and the rhythm of daily life for the Poole family. The setting is vivid and charming as anyone who lives or visits the shore will embrace. Each character touches you with compassionate familiarity. Readers may find the pace at the beginning slow, however, the second half is much more engaging as the family struggles through the hurricane and its aftermath. The House on Salt Hay Road is a pensive and memorable achievement with a timeless message.

First published in Historical Novels Review, September 2010.
Disclosure: Copy of book was provided by HNR. This review is original and without bias.


© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2011].

Young Adult Review-Iron Thunder, by AVI

IRON THUNDER

The Battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac
by AVI
Hyperion Books, 2007
Hardcover Follett Bound, 207pp
978-1423104469

Description from the Author’s Page

When his father is killed fighting for the Union in the War Between the States, thirteen-year-old Tom Carroll must take a job to help support his family. He manages to find work at a bustling ironworks in his hometown of Brooklyn, New York, where dozens of men are frantically pounding together the strangest ship Tom has ever seen. A ship made of iron. Tom soon learns that the Union army has very important plans for this iron ship called the Monitor. It is supposed to fight the Confederate “sea monster”—another ironclad, the Merimac. But almost no one believes the Monitor will float!
Meanwhile, Tom’s job at the ironworks has made him a target of Confederate spies who offer him money for information about the ship. Tom finds himself caught between two certain dangers: an encounter with murderous spies and a battle at sea in an iron coffin. . . .

http://www.avi-writer.com/books/books/iron.html

My Review

The battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac was a distance vague memory from my childhood.  An exciting story, Iron Thunder shows off the skillful storytelling of AVI who always makes history is fun to read.  It is through his character’s lives that his nimble novel writing excels. 

Tom Carroll was an actual sailor on the Monitor who is fictionalized by Avi.  Through Tom’s point of view his vivid and clever imagination for what could have been comes alive. Backed up and supported by primary and secondary sources,  Avi’s story conveys the importance of these unproven, experimental iron ships and the significance of the battles that took place at sea.

In his author notes he shares how he researched background for the novel by examining newspaper articles, letters, memoirs, and eyewitness reports of those who served on the ships or witnessed the engagement.

Teachers should consider this an excellent choice for middle school readers, as a read aloud or literature circle study. Many themes can be explored as well as the controversy that remains as to who actually won the battle. Tom’s story becomes complicated when he is faced with tough decisions that weigh on his conscience.

Avi’s books are numerous in my school library collection.  From fantasy to historical fiction, he knows how to entertain kids. Many books about the Civil War are inappropriate for upper elementary and middle school due to the brutal reality of battle. Without depicting the harsh and horrific images of the battlefield he is able to tell an inspiring story that is age appropriate.  Iron Thunder is an important addition to the Civil War collection of historical fiction.

© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2011].

Wisteria Leigh
Library/Media Specialist
January 2011

Disclosure:  Library book in my school collection. 

Mary Mackey's-The Notorious Mrs. Winston, a review

THE NOTORIOUS MRS. WINSTON
Mary Mackey
Berkley Books
May 2007
$14.00U.S./17.50 CAN, Paperback
340 pp
978-0425215128.

Book Description from the Back Cover

"Married to an older man who sees her as little more than a possession, Claire Winston feels trapped and unhappy, but she knows her personal suffering pales in comparison to the hardships of the nation, which is teetering on the precipice of civil war. And she has a secret that helps ease her despair: her family's devotion to the cause of assisting runaway slaves to freedom, a purpose she embraces, and of which her husband is unaware. Still, the empty pretense of her marriage makes her vulnerable to temptation, and soon she finds herself captivated by John Taylor, her husband's nephew. In his arms she finds the passion and tenderness her marriage lacks, but as much as John loves her, he is devoted first and foremost to the Confederacy, and to the band of rebel guerillas known as Morgan's Raiders. Separated from John for more than two years by the forces of history, and by her husband's machinations, Claire will travel boldly across the war-torn country in search of her lover. Until, disguised as a male soldier, she finds herself drafted by none other than General Morgan himself, swept up in the greatest guerilla raid in American history, and caught between her loyalty to the Union and her love for John."

http://www.marymackey.com/Pages/books.html

My Review

Claire thought she was in love with her new husband Henry, but soon after they were married his obsession with photographing her became a source of discomfort and revulsion. He wouldn’t touch her, in fact the marriage was never consummated. Claire is not even allowed to touch him when they lay in bed at night. The mysterious green album sends shudders through Claire’s veins as it contains indiscreet photos of her, oddly provocative and perverse, a secret fetish of her husband’s. He worships her beauty in an artistic way, but for Claire, the camera lens becomes a dreaded focal point to her marriage.

When she meets John Taylor, Henry’s nephew, their mutual attraction is explosive. This event will alter her destiny as The Notorious Mrs. Winston takes on the persona of Zeke, a young boy eager to join the infamous Morgan Raiders so that she can be with her beloved.

Historiographically, General Morgan and his company of about seventeen hundred men did exist and their presence in the Ohio River area of southern Indiana was intended to cause havoc for the Union men. The fictional Claire, although she claimed allegiance to the Union cause, fought with Morgan’s men to be with John. She is clever, and devoted to him with an unstoppable tenacious willful spirit of adventure.

While it is hard to accept that Claire was able to pull of the disguise of a rebel soldier, when her beauty was evidently striking, I enjoyed her character. Her loyalty and dedication to the Underground Railroad is evident early on, yet she must somehow work with the enemy in order to save herself and a future with the man she loves. Somewhat dramatic in a soap opera way, this still is an enjoyable read. Mackey has since written The Widow’s War, set in the Civil War period which in my opinion is superb. Those looking for an adventurous book for the Civil War Challenge should consider this one.




Wisteria Leigh
January 2011

© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2011].

Disclosure: Self-purchase at National Military Park Bookstore, Gettysburg, PA.