Wicked (Review 5/20/96)
Subtitled "The Lives and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West", this is the story of a particular green denizen of the land of Oz. It begins with her childhood, when her green skin and anti-social disposition gave people cause to despise and fear her. Then, we follow her to the university, where she becomes friends with a cast of characters including Galinda (who later becomes Glinda) and Fiyero (a prince of the western lands). This is where she was when the Wizard's policies -- including the oppression of the Animals, those who can speak -- begin to become unbearable. Then we follow her to her days as part of the Emerald City underground, then to the Vinkus in the west -- Fiyero's lands. Finally, her sister is killed by a house from which walked a certain young girl from Kansas...
Great. It takes a character you think you know and shows you her side of the story. She's not wicked -- she's human. I give it an A -- one of my all-time favorites!
Between Silk and Cyanide: A Codemaker's War, 1941--1945 (Review 5/23/2002)
A telling of one Brit's experiences trying to protect the Allied agents through the codes they use for their messages. The author was the head of agents' communications for one of the British departments doing that kind of work.
Overall, very interesting, although the author's writing style left a bit to be desired. (I hated the first three chapters, until I got used to the style.) Overly melodramatic at times, and not enough at others. The author's self-denigrations gradually felt more forced and insincere. (Basically, "I was sure they were going to hate me but then they told me how brilliant I am." Over and over and over again.) However, I had to keep reminding myself that he was only in his early twenties, and because of his unorthodox approaches (which were what was needed at the time) looked down upon in his education and training. I give it a B.
Aces High (Wild Cards #2) (Review 11/94)
The swarm mother is approaching Earth, and it looks tasty to her. The masons are calling her using the Shakti device (where did it come from?) and Tachyon's cousin is coming to bring him home or kill him, preferably.
Not bad; a decent read. C+. This might be more because I'm getting tired of the Wild Card books, but I really don't think it was as good as the other ones I've read.
Joker's Wild (Wild Cards #3) (Review 9/94)
The Astronomer is back to seek revenge on the Aces who foiled his plans (I assume in Wild Cards #2). On Wild Card Day, 1989, exactly 40 years after the day Jetboy died and the Takisian virus was let loose to spread across the world, someone is killing Aces....
Good. Each chapter is an hour of the fateful day (more or less, since it begins at 6 AM and ends the next morning). I give it a B.
Wild Cards (Review 10/1/94)
The first Wild Cards book. What happened in 1949, when Dr. Tachyon came to Earth and Jetboy died? Who is Croyd (the Sleeper) Crensen? Who are the Four Aces (Golden Boy, Black Eagle, Brain Trust, and the Envoy) and what happened to them? Through the Red Scare, Vietnam, and the Summer of Love, the Jokers and Aces had their own perspective....
Interesting -- although I'm sure it would have been more so if I had read it first. At least a B.
Marked Cards (Wild Cards) (Review 7/31/94)
The wild cards disease kills 9/10 of those infected; most of the remaining are disfigured "jokers"---and the "Card Sharks" don't want them, or the lucky Aces, around. This group of short stories are interconnected to reveal what the Sharks are up to, and what happens when they find a virus that will kill only the infected people.
Pretty good. Since it's the first Wild Cards book I've read, I'd like to read an early one (or two). Interesting.
Further Tales of the City (Review 3/13/94)
This volume focuses mainly on Mary Ann (career and relationships) and DeDe Halcyon Day (her children, and what she's been up to over the past few years -- and what happens now...).
This one was okay. It got much better a little over halfway through, but I'm not sure that want to continue the series -- at least, not any time soon. B.
More Tales of the City (Review 3/9/94)
The continuing saga of the crew at 28 Barbary Lane. These people's lives interconnect even more than in the movie Short Cuts -- or a small southern town's bloodlines.
Still very good. A.
Tales of the City (Review 3/6/94)
The cast: Anna Madrigal, landlady of 28 Barbary Street, San Francisco; her tenants, Mary Ann Singleton (from Cleveland), Mona Ramsey, Michael "Mouse" Tolliver (gay), Brian Hawkins (straight), and Norman Neal Williams (straight). Add supporting cast of lovers and their wives, and you have an intricate tale of life in SF in the 70's.
Frequently very humorous and always involving. I read nearly all of it the day I bought it, and the remaining 35 pages the next morning. A quick, but good, read. A.
The Many-Colored Land (Review 9/13/98)
Someone has discovered a way to travel in time -- but only in one direction (to the past) and at an unchangeable interval (sometime in the Pliocene Era, 6 million years ago). For the tens of thousands of Earth people who don't feel they fit into a world that includes aliens and galactic responsibilities -- and morals -- the Pliocene Exile seems like Paradise. But they don't really know what awaits them in the past....
I love the premise. I even loved to know what they found, and wondered what would happen. But I found it impossible to care what actually happened to these characters after they found it, and so wondering wasn't enough. The characterization is pretty good; each has his or her own motives and clear backgrounds, very different personalities -- but even still, they seem a little two-dimensional and single-minded; the strong aspect of the personality appears to be the only motivation behind anything they do. I give it a D; I didn't feel it was worth my time to finish it -- especially since it was obvious this is the beginning of a series, and not everything would be resolved. I don't want to spend that much of my life with these characters.
Superfolks (Review 2/14/98)
Written in the late 70's, this book is a satire on popular culture -- from the pseudo-Superman Indigo's alter ego David Brinkley (from the dead planet Kronk and whose only weakness is -- you guessed it -- Kronkite) to Holden Caulfield, proctologist to the socialites. Peppered with funny one-liners but ultimately quite boring, I enjoyed the first half but felt no real reason to finish it -- unusual for me. I give it a wishy-washy C-. If you're a *real* comic geek, even more so than I who worked in a comics shop for four years, then go for it; if you're really interested in 70's satire, great; otherwise don't bother.
Color of Water, The (Review 3/14/98)
"A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother", it says on the cover. James's mother, Ruth, aka Rachel, was raised as an Orthodox Jew in the South then raised twelve black children, largely (but not entirely) on her own -- all professionals: doctors, teachers, artists. This is her story, and James's story, with the focus alternating with the chapters between James and Ruth.
Intensely fascinating. Ruth's guiding principles (once she converted to Christianity) were education and God. An excellent story, I highly recommend it. (Thanks to Linda, Mark's mother, for recommending it to me!) It amazes me sometimes how religion can be such a source of strength, inspiration, and solace to some people, when it's been such a negative influence for me.
Angela's Ashes (Review 7/11/98)
This memoir covers the first nineteen years of the author's life, the first few of which were spent in the United States (where he was born) and the rest in Ireland before and at the front end of World War II. (Both parents were from Ireland.) There are many similarities and differences between this book and The Color of Water (see above). For example, in each, the author's family was poor, but Frank's was much poorer. Religion played a major role in both's lives, but in Frank's it did not seem to be a source of solace.
This book was highly recommended to me by several people; one said it was "bittersweet." I found it to be a pound of bitter to a pinch of sweet. Frank's father's alcoholism and utter selfishness, the pure and petty meanness of his aunt and grandparents, the fates of several siblings, the repulsive brutality and hypocrisy of his teachers and clergy -- there were maybe a half-dozen times I laughed, and the only true sweetness was that the author finally got the hell out of Ireland and out on his own.
This was an educational book, and I'm sure that many sincere and worthwhile discussions can be had about it. But if you want a feel-good story, even a story of exuberant triumph over extreme adversity -- SKIP IT.
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (Review 2/1/2003)
In a small Southern town in the 1930s, several people find a deaf-mute man to be the one person they can talk to---they believe that he can understand them, better than anyone ever has. The characters make decisions about their lives, or don't, or have decisions made for them by circumstances and others around them.
This was an amazing book, even though one can't say it has a happy ending. The description on the back makes it sound like it's about a young girl, but it's not. It's very much an ensemble piece, about several different people and how their lives intertwine. Much potential is created in the intertwining, and how the potential is created, and whether or not it's realized, show an incredible talent from an author who was only 22 when she wrote the novel. If you like novel with a lot of character development, you can't go wrong with this one. I give it an A.
Amsterdam (Review 2/1/2003)
Clive and Vernon are friends who were, at separate times, the lovers of a woman whose funeral starts the novel. Situations arise in both men's lives that require a decision of ethics, and both mean have to deal with the consequences of their actions---including the reactions of the other to the decision that was made.
The book generated some excellent discussion in my book group, especially when we set aside the craftsmanship of the story and talked about the situations and the ethics involved. I enjoyed this book until the end, when the two men go to Amsterdam for the book's tepid climax. Their reactions to each other made so little sense that I went from liking the book to hating it. I can suspend my disbelief to a certain extent, but with a supposedly realistic novel like this, the plot simply must be tighter than this for me to like it. All in all, I'll give it a C. I just wish it had a more believable ending.
On Being Gay (Review 3/92)
Subtitled "Thoughts on Family, Faith, and Love" this group of essays examines many topics important to gay men and lesbians. He makes many wonderful points, often touching personal concerns. Many of the essays reaffirm one's right to be oneself in spite of whatever adversity there may be. There wasn't a page I read that I didn't see SOMETHING of myself in it.
Restraint of Beasts, The (Review 3/25/2002)
A trio of fence builders go from Scotland (native for two of them) to England for their company. Not much else to say about it, without giving away the little bit of pleasure someone might get from reading this boring book. Boring people in a boring job. The author makes the book like a fence itself, with a few points of tension---which come suddenly and quickly, you don't see it coming, and then it's over and not really lingered on---to represent the posts, and a lot of nothing between.
Do I have to say it? I didn't like this book. I must admit that my book group did find a lot to discuss (as many liked it as didn't, and several were lukewarm about it). But I can't recommend it, and I give it a D.
Becoming a Man: Half a Life's Story (Review 9/13/93)
A gay man's coming of age -- i.e. coming out. Very well written. As usual, many things he went through (though not all) echoed in my own experiences.
Last Watch of the Night (Review 9/4/96)
A collection of essays, by a poet with AIDS in his last years. I am constantly struck with the amount of passion, whether it's rage or romance, that this man has.
Some of the essays meander and become boring quickly, but others are captivating. Not as good as Becoming a Man, I think, but overall pretty good. I give it a B-.
Sanctuary (Review 6/28/98)
Within an enchanted forest, Renalda the fox and Lapine the rabbit meet -- and fall in love. Not only are they of different species, they are both female -- and the owl, self-appointed dictator of the forest -- tries and judges them in an attempt to secure his power as the leader of the forest.
Very short (maybe 85 pages of text), this storybook-like tale is a delight. The story itself is fairly simple, but tight, and the writing is wonderful. (Some words are too complicated for the young, but other than that, it seems like all ages would enjoy the story.) The little time needed to read it is well worth it. A.
Beloved (Review 6/28/98)
Sethe was a slave who, while pregnant with her fourth child, escaped a cruel master after giving her other children the means to escape themselves. But one of those children died soon after, by Sethe's hand, and the house became haunted by her ghost. Another former slave drove the ghost out, but then the mysterious young woman who called herself "Beloved" appeared.
There is a moving point to this novel, if you can manage to get through it. Morrison moves fluidically between past and present, which is horribly confusing most of the time. The purpose between this blurring is to show how so many moments in Sethe's past affect her present, but it makes for a very difficult read. I had several people who saw I was reading this book tell me that they couldn't get past the first ten pages, and I understand why that was so. There were parts that I had to skim to keep myself interested in the story. (This feels like a book one would be required to read in high school, that one would hate reading but actually get something out of discussions of it.) For the general story and the power behind the life Morrison has created, I give Beloved an A, but for readability and entertainment, I give it a wary C, at best.
Speak, Memory (Review 2/1/2003)
The autobiography of the Russian author of (among other things) Lolita. He lived through the turbulent times in Russia as the son of an aristocrat---but one who was fairly well-liked. I found this book very interesting and much more readable than I expected. I had no idea that he came from such a wealthy family---although I could have done without his exposition on the distant relations (and worse, how this person was related to that) that appeared to have no real affect on his life, other than as curious family lore. Overall, I give it a B+.
Anno Dracula (Review 6/18/97)
What if Dracula not only lived at the end of Bram Stoker's novel, but became the Prince Consort to Queen Victoria of England? In this Gothic novel, vampires aren't the secret -- or necessarily evil -- creatures from Stoker's classic. But someone is killing vampire prostitutes, and someone gives him the name "Jack the Ripper"....
Very interesting. It takes a little while to get used to the idea that in such a short time, vampires could be tolerated around the world, but by the end of the novel it doesn't seem like such a stretch. I give it a B+.
Bloody Red Baron, The (Review 9/21/97)
The sequel to Anno Dracula, focusing on what World War I might have been like with Dracula and his minions in control of Germany. Charles Beauregard and Kate Reed return along with a (very) few supporting characters from Anno, and new characters (most notably a young man who works for Charles) are introduced.
I was annoyed that the main characters -- particularly Charles and Kate -- were so surprised by one particular, important facet of the plot. (I guessed it very early in the novel.) If you like war novels and dogfight scenes, this might be interesting to you; I found it to be quite dull, although I learned a few new vocabulary words. I give it a D.
Death Wore a Smart Little Outfit (Review 1/3/98)
Someone is killing San Franciscan artists -- which doesn't matter to Doan, who thinks the killer is doing everone a favor, until the police arrest his newest boyfriend on suspicion of murder! With a flash of his latest Paris original dress, and a few new pants suits to lend him a more professional air, Doan begins his work to find the killer.
I've never felt much calling to detective/crime/mystery stories, but a friend recommended this one. (Read, he shoved the book in my hand, "here, borrow this.") Sometimes he throws me a stinker, but usually they're entertaining, at the least. This book was definitely entertaining, a fairly quick read, and quite a bit of fun -- but I have to stop there. The characters were only somewhat believable, but that didn't matter -- with a title like that, you know you shouldn't take it too seriously! I give it a B.
Getting Over Homer (Review 7/26/97)
A "coming-of-middle-age" novel (as tauted on the back cover) about Blue's unsuccessful attempts to find the love that's so important in all the song lyrics. From Homer, interesting on the surface but unable to let anyone past the facade, to young Teddy, who has a few insecurities, Blue has to get past his own securities and learn that sometimes he has to just let go.
Funny and sad at times; occasionally philosophical. I thought it was particular interesting (to me) that Blue was the youngest of a large family (12). A lot of good one-liners, and overall an enjoyable read. Characters were fairly well developed, but not as real as I felt the author could have made them. I give it a B.
Dictionary of the Khazars: A Lexicon Novel (Review 3/19/2000)
The Khazars (who actually existed) were a tribe around the Balkans who disappeared. There was apparently a religious conversion around the 8th century AD or so, but it's not clear which religion they converted to: Islam, Christianity, or Judaism. The dictionary presents a story using an interesting organization: There are three books, one for each of the three major religions. In each book, information is given about people, events, and items in three times: the time of the polemic (the conversion), the 17th century, and present day (1980s).
The introduction says one can read this by skipping around; however, I think it would be detrimental if you read the last sections before reading the first ones. I read a few entries that had analogs in each of the three books, then read through from beginning to end; that seemed to work well. I also suggest reading through as quickly as possible, or you might forget all the little pieces that you have to put together at the end. Patience is required with this book, and you might find yourself flipping through it trying to find places where you read a particular phrase or story before. If you can handle the unusual format and put together the different elements, I think you'll feel rewarded at the end. Still, I can't give it higher than a C+.
Real Boys (Review 11/28/98)
The flip side to Reviving Ophelia, which described the challenges faced by adolescent girls, this book makes explicit the "Boy Code" and discusses the dichotomy created by a society that expects its men to be sensitive and open while at the same time reinforcing aggressiveness and suppression of emotions in its boys. Subtitled "Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood," the book covers a range of topics and considers how those in most contact with adolescent boys -- mothers, fathers, and teachers -- can identify mixed signals and more importantly help boys become the men they are inside rather than the men they perceive they should be.
I thought this was a very good book. Educational psychology is a favored topic of mine, but the few books I've tried to read often left me gasping for air by the end; this one was not only well-written but also engrossing.
And Say Hi to Joyce (Review 2/19/96)
Deb Price is the US's first openly gay columnist whose column (about gay issues) appears in mainstream newspapers. This book collects her first year (and a half? maybe more) of columns. Between column chapters are Joyce's description of how the column came to be, how it affected their lives, and how it affected others (as evidenced by their letters to Deb).
Very good; it gives one hope that we will one day be able to enjoy the respect as couples -- and as people -- that we deserve.
The Shipping News (Review 3/28/99)
Quoyle is a rather pathetic man living in New York and working at a job he is ill-suited for; when his philandering wife tries to sell the kids and then dies in a car accident, he moves to his ancestral home in Newfoundland. There he is able to start anew and find a life denied him in the States.
I hated the first 40 pages, because the "hero" was throughly unlikable and the writing style was throughly annoying. Proulx knows what she's doing, though: After a while, the writing style became less abrasive (and I got more used to it) and I found myself understanding the man and even liking him, somewhat, after all. Well-crafted, despite the seemingly bad writing in the first several chapters. Certainly not a formulaic novel, although I can't say it fascinated me. I give it a B.
The Mentor (Review 10/29/2000)
Subtitled "A Memoir of Friendship and Gay Identity," this book is part story/biography and part essay/social commentary. I have to admit, the cover blurbs say it better than I could: "...a captivating and honest look at the social, religious, and emotional aspects of what it is like to grow up as a contemporary southern gay man." Quinn writes with a distinctly Southern intellectual air: a mixture of good ol' boy, crude language and polysyllabic vocabulary that had me reaching for a dictionary more than once. But the emotional impact of many of his stories is not lost; I nearly cried once, and that's very tough for a book to do. There is only thing I can criticize, and it's actually a minor point: there were too few clues to help me understand the timing. Perhaps it didn't matter, but I found myself trying to put events in the context of the people's lives, as I understood them at that point. In the middle of a story, I would wonder if this was before Joe met Brad or after; at what point in Jay's relationship with Rick did this particular incident take place? Still, I give it an A.
By author: A B C D E F G H J K L M N O P Q R S T W
©2003 Eric E. Karnowski, All Rights Reserved.