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January/February Book Reviews
Mar. 1st, 2009 09:01 amLYONESSE Book 1: THE WELL BETWEEN THE WORLDS
by Sam Llewellyn
The blurb provided by the publisher has no relevance to this strange permutation of Arthur, but does give an indication of how difficult it is to summarize. It is set in the legendary land of Lyonesse, which is slowly sinking into the sea because the inhabitants are fishing combustible monsters from underneath it and letting in the waters of another, sinister, realm. The monsters are a sort of living fossil fuel, which burn hotter than trees and run their engines, allowing them to "...burn stone and make metal run like water." Our hero Idris is plucked from modest origins to become a fisher and caretaker of monsters and becomes enmeshed in the fate of this strange country. This book has some serious Freudian undercurrents, along with the sort of hereditary madness that often accompanies these types of adventures. Which is to say, heredity is destiny, and blood will out. I think the interview gives a better picture of the book than the review, but I will admit I struggled with this review. It's difficult to describe and has a very creepy psychosexual subtext. While the book is appropriate for children, the subtext would be entirely inappropriate for the review.
http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/9780439934695.asp
Interview with Sam Llewellyn
http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-llewellyn-sam.asp
I should also mention Sam Llewellyn's satirical Little Darlings series, which is a send-up of nanny novels like Mary Poppins and features abandoned children who help a gang of thieves rob the houses of the rich in the guise of nannies. He also writes sailboat thrillers. And his Worst Journey in the Midlands, which reads like a melancholic (and solo) version of Jerome K. Jerome's classic, Three Men in a Boat.
ENVY
by Anna Godbersen
ENVY is the third installment of the Luxe series set in Gilded Age New York. Once the envy of society, her characters are now harboring secret disappointments. Hope for love and personal happiness is swiftly vanishing, along with the money they require to live their lavish lives. Featuring new romance and intrigue, along with a trip to an opulent Palm Beach resort, ENVY is the latest volume in this sumptuous series.
I can't describe why I like these books so much, except to say they are well written and researched. I like reading about the clothes and picking up references to Edith Wharton. (Definite echoes of House of Mirth in this one.) The setting of this one was made even more interesting by the fact that I recently read Phyllis A. Whitney's Poinciana.
http://teenreads.com/reviews/9780061345722.asp
by Sam Llewellyn
The blurb provided by the publisher has no relevance to this strange permutation of Arthur, but does give an indication of how difficult it is to summarize. It is set in the legendary land of Lyonesse, which is slowly sinking into the sea because the inhabitants are fishing combustible monsters from underneath it and letting in the waters of another, sinister, realm. The monsters are a sort of living fossil fuel, which burn hotter than trees and run their engines, allowing them to "...burn stone and make metal run like water." Our hero Idris is plucked from modest origins to become a fisher and caretaker of monsters and becomes enmeshed in the fate of this strange country. This book has some serious Freudian undercurrents, along with the sort of hereditary madness that often accompanies these types of adventures. Which is to say, heredity is destiny, and blood will out. I think the interview gives a better picture of the book than the review, but I will admit I struggled with this review. It's difficult to describe and has a very creepy psychosexual subtext. While the book is appropriate for children, the subtext would be entirely inappropriate for the review.
http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/9780439934695.asp
Interview with Sam Llewellyn
http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-llewellyn-sam.asp
I should also mention Sam Llewellyn's satirical Little Darlings series, which is a send-up of nanny novels like Mary Poppins and features abandoned children who help a gang of thieves rob the houses of the rich in the guise of nannies. He also writes sailboat thrillers. And his Worst Journey in the Midlands, which reads like a melancholic (and solo) version of Jerome K. Jerome's classic, Three Men in a Boat.
ENVY
by Anna Godbersen
ENVY is the third installment of the Luxe series set in Gilded Age New York. Once the envy of society, her characters are now harboring secret disappointments. Hope for love and personal happiness is swiftly vanishing, along with the money they require to live their lavish lives. Featuring new romance and intrigue, along with a trip to an opulent Palm Beach resort, ENVY is the latest volume in this sumptuous series.
I can't describe why I like these books so much, except to say they are well written and researched. I like reading about the clothes and picking up references to Edith Wharton. (Definite echoes of House of Mirth in this one.) The setting of this one was made even more interesting by the fact that I recently read Phyllis A. Whitney's Poinciana.
http://teenreads.com/reviews/9780061345722.asp
