Review: The Angel's Game

Title: The Angel's Game

Author: Carlos Ruiz-Zafon

Publisher: Doubleday

# of Pages: 470

Favorite Line: He was a small man who looked as if the world had wrinkled him up to such a degree that it had taken everything from him except his smile and the pleasure of being able to clean that bit of floor as if it were the Sistine Chapel.

Rating: 7/10

This review is based on an advanced reader's copy. The book will be available in the US on June 16, 2009.

From Booklist
Zafón’s international best-seller, The Shadow of the Wind (2004), a book-steeped fantasia set in post–World War II Barcelona, introduced us to Daniel Sempere and the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a secret library where books are guarded against oblivion. The Angel’s Game, a prequel of sorts set in the 1920s, features another Daniel—Daniel Martín [AARTI NOTE: This is false - his name is David]—an orphan who learns the writing trade at a newspaper, then finds success with a pseudonymous series of gothic potboilers called City of the Damned. After his lone literary effort falls flat, his health failing, he accepts a commission from a mysterious publisher, Andreas Corelli, to write an audacious book for an astronomical sum—but soon has reason to suspect that his handshake deal is worse than any contract he has signed. Once again, Zafón proves himself a magician, vividly invoking bygone Barcelona while unscrolling a byzantine plot at breakneck pace. The crumbling houses, supernatural secrets, and emotionally responsive weather might be a bit much for some readers to digest, though for others it will be a feast. But what would have kept The Angel’s Game itself from being someday consigned to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books would have been a stronger connection between storybook evil and the real-life kind. While Zafón portrays Martín as a successful seller of entertainments who longs to be a serious scribe, his own unfinished thoughts about religion and totalitarianism show his priorities. Pity, because he seems the perfect author to help prove that serious stuff can also be entertaining as hell.

One of the best perks of being involved in the online literary community is the ability to sometimes get my hands on books before they are published. Sometimes, I can get my hands on books by authors that I really, really, really like. This is one of those times. If you have ever once had a conversation about books with me, you have probably heard me gushing like a teeny-bopper at a boy band concert about Carlos Ruiz-Zafon's novel The Shadow of the Wind. It is one of my all-time favorite books, and sooner or later, I tell everyone I know to read it. In fact, if you are reading this blog and you haven't yet read that book... get on it.

So when I saw that Ruiz-Zafon's highly anticipated new offering in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series (honestly- how can one not love a series of novels based around a place called the Cemetery of Forgotten Books?!) was coming out and that I had a chance at receiving a review copy, I couldn't send an e-mail fast enough. And, happily, the book arrived very quickly at my door and I have been reading it ever since.

I opened this book expecting a novel similar to The Shadow of the Wind. That was silly of me, and The Angel's Game is very different. The story is much darker and uses many more supernatural elements. There are sections that you read and then think you must have dreamed as they are barely ever alluded to again. There is a great deal of physical violence and disturbing psychological drama. It is an angry book, full of theological debates and the hard truth that sometimes, things just don't end perfectly. There are so many characters- and some characters with many personae- that it is easy to get confused. In fact, I must admit, I'm not entirely sure exactly what happened in the last fifty pages or so. I feel like the writing just kept going and when you thought things were being resolved, it ended up they were not, and then you were right back in the midst of the teeming, complicated plot once more.

But wow, what a writer.

From the first page, you are once again immersed in Ruiz-Zafon's writing style. He is so atmospheric. The Barcelona I visited some years ago, that was light and bright and full of fun architecture, is here transformed into a Gothic vision of darkness and depression and cruelty. Ruiz-Zafon is masterful at creating a sense of place in his books. He knows his way around Barcelona with his eyes closed, and the city is just as much a character in the book as anyone else.

I did not enjoy The Angel's Game as much as I did The Shadow of the Wind. I think Ruiz-Zafon expected this. It has been seven years since The Shadow of the Wind was published, and he has been promising four books in the series. In an interview, he compared the two books:
One of the fun things about this process was it allowed me to give each book a different personality. Thus, if Shadow of the Wind is the nice, good girl in the family, The Angel’s Game would be the wicked gothic stepsister.

A very apt description. The Angel's Game is in a different vein entirely than The Shadow of the Wind, but the same themes (and at least two characters) resonate in both. Most importantly, both novels detail the power that books can have in our lives, the voids they fill within us, and the myriad methods by which they can mold us- for better or for worse.

Review: The Remains of the Day

Title: The Remains of the Day

Author: Kazuo Ishiguro

Publisher: Vintage

# of Pages: 245

Favorite Line: You've got to enjoy yourself. The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it. That's how I look at it. Ask anybody, they'll all tell you. The evening's the best part of the day.

Rating: 9/10

Amazon.com Review
The novel's narrator, Stevens, is a perfect English butler who tries to give his narrow existence form and meaning through the self-effacing, almost mystical practice of his profession. In a career that spans the second World War, Stevens is oblivious of the real life that goes on around him -- oblivious, for instance, of the fact that his aristocrat employer is a Nazi sympathizer. Still, there are even larger matters at stake in this heartbreaking, pitch-perfect novel -- namely, Stevens' own ability to allow some bit of life-affirming love into his tightly repressed existence.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ishiguro's more recent novel, Never Let Me Go, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize (The Remains of the Day won it in 1989). It was one of the few audiobooks I've ever listened to, and I think it was one of the few books I could really enjoy in that format. It has very simple prose and was easy to follow along with in the car.

The Remains of the Day is much the same. Ishiguro packs a punch into this short, easy to read narrative (much like Hilary Mantel did in Fludd). Stevens, the narrator, is every bit the "stiff upper lipped" English butler that one would expect. His evolution, from the first page of the book to the last one, is so subtle, and yet so transformative, that one can only marvel that it happened at all, and try to pinpoint when his thinking changed.

Stevens is not a very likeable character. Most of the characters in the book are not. He is so repressed and so emotionally unavailable that it is almost funny. There are priceless moments when he tries to make a witticism, fails, and then spends a great deal of time analyzing why his joke went flat, and then commenting on the difficulties of "bantering" with another person. Sad and painful for him, I'm sure, but so fascinating. What would it be like to go through life so completely unable to connect with anyone? One of the saddest passages of the book to me took place in Stevens' butler's pantry, when the housekeeper comes inside to see what sort of book he is reading and he is very upset that she sees him reading a romance. The man's loneliness tears through every page.

Ishiguro's writing style is neat and unsentimental. He brilliantly writes from the point of view of a repressed old man. And the simple, unassuming redemption that occurs at the end... wonderful.

The Remains of the Day reminds me of Fludd in the starkness of its prose and its sense of satisfaction one gets at the end. I would highly recommend both books to anyone with an interest in 1950s England.

Review: Making Money

Title: Making Money

Author: Terry Pratchett

Publisher: Doubleday

# of Pages: 349

Rating: 8/10

From Booklist
Moist von Lipwig, the savior of the Ankh-Morpork post office, has gotten settled into a routine. He's filling out forms, signing things, will probably get to be head of the Merchants Association next year, and he hasn't designed a stamp in months. He's so bored, in fact, that he's taken to climbing the walls of the post office and breaking into his own office. Lord Vetinari, always brilliant in his ruthlessness, recognizes an opportunity when he sees one, and offers Moist the job of running the royal mint. Moist tries to refuse, pretending that he's satisfied with the stable life, but he can't deny the urge for adventure and intrigue for long. The mint is, in the finest Ankh-Morpork tradition, a strange and oddly old-fashioned place, with bizarre traditions so ingrained the long-term employees can't imagine doing them any other way. Moist is the perfect innovator, with his wildly creative solutions to problems, for changing the way the entire city thinks about money. In the transition from the gold standard and old money, Pratchett brings up all the details that make Ankh-Morpork one of the most satisfying contemporary fantasy cities and continues in his trend of beautifully crafted, wickedly cutting satire on the underpinnings of modern human society. Making Money is smart, funny, and a thoroughly entertaining read.

I adore Terry Pratchett. I love the way he layers each of his Discworld books on top of the previous ones, somehow managing to keep a huge cast of characters straight, complete with hilarious personalities, species-specific customs and habits, and the mythologies of God knows how many gods. To call him a "fantasy" author is probably unfair as many people (sadly) look down on fantasy as a genre and have probably never ventured into those aisles at the bookstores. But Pratchett, much as he deals with vampires and trolls and golems and dwarfs in his novels, is a satirist. Every Discworld book has a plot that pokes fun at and mimics our world, and that's what makes them brilliant. If you are the sort of person who enjoys The Daily Show or The Onion, I think you should give Pratchett a try. He's amazing, and prolific. And, sadly, suffers from early-onset Alzheimer's. Obviously, it's sad when anyone suffers from this disease, and it's no more or less sad when it happens to an author. But for someone who is so gifted and clearly adept at remembering all sorts of things about all sorts of people, it must come as a painful blow. Luckily for Pratchett's wide readership, he seems to be in full control of his faculties while writing.

More Awards!

I am so sorry it's taken me a while to acknowledge these other awards I've received, but I'd like to give a HUGE thank you to Kailana at The Written World, Blodeudd at Book girl of Mur-y-Castel, and Fantaghiro at Coffeespoons, all of whom have given me awards recently.

Kailana gave me the Sisterhood Award, and was really sweet in describing why:
Aarti from Booklust - Aarti was a bit quiet for a while there, but I think she has read more books in three months than she did the entire year last year! (Actually, I could almost say same here!) Aarti is such a nice person. She has turned me onto lots of great fantasy novels in the time that I have known her. Yes, that's all it takes folks... Good fantasy. ha ha!

Thank you so much, Kailana! As for me reading more books so far this year than in the entirety of last year... I am pretty close :-) According to LibraryThing, I have three more books to go to tie! Depressing or impressive- which one?

Blodeudd gave me the Premio Dardos award:

This award is for bloggers who distinguish themselves for showing cultural values, ethics, great and fun writing skills, as well individual values, through their creative writing.


Thanks so much! Very nice :-)

And lastly, Fantaghiro gave me the Splash! award, which is given to bloggers who "allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you." I'm blushing- thank you!

Review: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Title: The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

Author: Katherine Howe

Publisher: Voice

# of Pages: 384

Rating: 6.5/10

This review is based on an advanced reader's copy.

Product Description

A spellbinding, beautifully written novel that moves between contemporary times and one of the most fascinating and disturbing periods in American history-the Salem witch trials.

Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she can't refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie discovers an ancient key within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches Connie on a quest--to find out who this woman was and to unearth a rare artifact of singular power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge.

As the pieces of Deliverance's harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-ago witch trials, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past then she could have ever imagined.

Written with astonishing conviction and grace, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the witch trials of the 1690s and a modern woman's story of mystery, intrigue, and revelation.

Based on the book flap on this ARC, there will be a blitz of advertising for this book when it comes up. There is a planned teaser trailer, a Facebook campaign, a "viral widget," (what is that?!) and all sorts of other stuff. I have a feeling this is to be the next The Historian. I did not particularly care for The Historian, and I have the same sorts of issues with Deliverance Dane. The author has done a lot of research into the Salem witch trials, and she certainly tries to put it all into the book. (Though not to the extent that Elizabeth Kostova drops in long passages of vampiric research into The Historian.) She also has a very bizarre way of terming things to be "New England" or "Yankee" culture. I have not experienced this before, and I found it odd that seemingly innocuous occurrences were described as being a New England propensity for thrift or something of the like. Maybe this is normal for people from the East Coast- I don't know :-)

Another feature that irked me was Howe's random descriptive passages. I like authors writing lush books using lush language. But I feel that sometimes, it can seem forced. Saying that a voice "floats in sans serif font" seems forced to me.

Personally, I feel this book is going to get really good reviews due to all the hype surrounding it. And I'm not saying that it wasn't good- it was entertaining and fun to read, though I think it could do with some more editing.

The premise of the book is intriguing on its own- a novel written from the assumption that the accused witches of Salem were truly witches. Interestingly enough, this is not a take that I have seen before (Has anyone elseread books with this premise? Good ones?). And the historical parts are compelling. In fact, I much preferred the historical interludes to the modern-day ones. Modern-day being 1991. I'm not entirely sure why Howe decided to set her story in 1991 instead of in 2009; that's a question I'd like to ask her.

And generally, I think if you enjoyed The Historian, you will enjoy The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. Also, I think anyone who has the tiniest inkling of interest in American colonial history will be unable to withstand the plethora of marketing around this book. So go for it, and enjoy. And for those of you East Coasters, please let me know if you think the book embues that "New England" personality.