Just Finished
"Can You Forgive Her? is the first book in the Palliser series written by Anthony Trollope. The book was initially published in 1865. It is a long book; my Oxford University Edition, published in 1972 is 1,000+ pages. While it is a long book, it is definitely not a slow book. On paper, it's not my type of story at all but that makes it even better.
The story centers around 3 women, Alice Vavasor, Lady Glencora and Mrs Greenow, a widow. If you want to look at in its simplest form, each is sorting out her relationship, each has two suitors and must decide between them. But, of course, there is so much more to it than just that, politics, and an exploration of English life.
The main character is Alice. She had previously been engaged to her first cousin, George Vavasor. This engagement, which was not supported by her father, was broken off when it was discovered that he had cheated on her. When the story begins she is now engaged to John Grey, a sturdy, dependable man, but one who Alice finds it difficult to love. Going on a trip to Switzerland with George's sister, Kate, and escorted by George as well, her relationship is turned upside down as she once again agrees to wed George and to help him financially with his run for Parliament. (Yes, George is money-poor and has a bad relationship with his grand father whose estate and wealth he stands to inherit). What you have here is a woman who must decide between a steady, somewhat boring man and a 'bad' man.) Breaking her engagement is the premise for 'Can You Forgive Her?' Can Grey forgive her? Can Alice forgive herself?
The other relationships involve Lady Glencora, Alice's cousin and her aunt, Mrs. Greenow. Lady Glencora, a wealthy woman, loves Burgo Fitzgerald, a handsome wastrel, but was pressured by her family to instead marry, Plantagenet Palliser, a wealthy Member of Parliament with designs on the position of Chancellor of Exchequer. Having a beautiful, young wife who might provide him an heir will only help him. Glencora still loves Burgo and wants to run off with him. Mrs. Greenow is a wealthy widow. Two men are her suitors, a penniless Capt in the Army, Capt Bellfield and a farmer, Mr. Cheeseacre. Mrs. Greenow plays the two off against each other as she doesn't need any money.
This is the gist of the story, which moves between the three women at a leisurely pace. It's well written and kept me reading throughout. The men are all different with George Vavasor being the surliest, hardest to like. I particularly liked Lady Glencora, funny, a trouble maker but so likable. She brings me to mind of Carolyn Enys of the Poldark series. I also particularly liked George's sister, Kate who sets up her brother and Alice and comes to see him for what he is.
There is so much to the story that it's hard to describe in toto. But you have to discover that for yourself, don't you. There are 5 more books in the series. I will hopefully get to try them as well. Please check out Can You Forgive Her? (5 stars)"
"Ender's Game is the first book in the Ender Saga by Orson Scott Card. I had purchased this book back in early 2000ish and after picking it up and putting it down a number of times traded the book in. I don't know if I was intimidated by it or if I'd read something about it or the author that put me off, but for some reason I decided not to read it. A few years back I saw the movie based on the book and quite enjoyed so thought I'd try again. I had a new copy added to my bookshelves and this year made it one of my reading challenges after a recommendation from a Goodreads friend.
The premise of the story is that the Earth has previously won two wars against the Buggers and expect another to occur. The planners want to take the war to the Buggers before they can get an attack in place and destroy them. Children, smart children, are chosen and sent to a training school in Outer Space to become the future military leaders, making them enhance military geniuses. Where Ender lives in the US, families are permitted only two children. Ender is a 3rd, granted under a special exemption. He is picked on by his brother, protected by his sister. At an earlier age than most, he is sent to the training facility. Over the majority of the book, we see him learning to lead, picked on by some, but showing leadership skills beyond his age, until he is sent to Command school to finish his training, with the aim he will lead the final battle. As well, we also see his sister and brother back on Earth, an interesting, unique story line there.
That is the basic story. I found it was a slow burn for me, but gradually I found myself being drawn in more and more. In many ways it's a cruel story, how the government takes these children and makes them adults and warriors before their time, destroying childhood and innocence.
I liked Ender and many of his friends. Valentine, his sister, is a wonderful character and I also liked Graff, the Colonel, who must train Ender but also cares for him deeply. The final chapters become more and more fascinating and the ending is quite a surprise. It left me feeling more hopeful and positive than the beginning and also made me interested in getting into the 2nd book, Speaker for the Dead. (4 stars)"
Currently Reading
I've started the following two books
"England, the 1520s. Henry VIII is on the throne, but has no heir. Cardinal Wolsey is his chief advisor, charged with securing the divorce the pope refuses to grant. Into this atmosphere of distrust and need comes Thomas Cromwell, first as Wolsey's clerk, and later his successor. Cromwell is a wholly original man: the son of a brutal blacksmith, a political genius, a briber, a charmer, a bully, a man with a delicate and deadly expertise in manipulating people and events. Ruthless in pursuit of his own interests, he is as ambitious in his wider politics as he is for himself. His reforming agenda is carried out in the grip of a self-interested parliament and a king who fluctuates between romantic passions and murderous rages"
"Spenser earned his degree in the school of hard knocks, so he is ready when a Boston university hires him to recover a rare, stolen manuscript. He is hardly surprised that his only clue is a radical student with four bullets in his chest.
The cops are ready to throw the book at the pretty blond coed whose prints are all over the murder weapon but Spenser knows there are no easy answers. He tackles some very heavy homework and knows that if he doesn't finish his assignment soon, he could end up marked "D" -- for dead."
The Mystery Genre - UK Style (Mainland Scotland)
I have six authors who set their stories in Scotland so I'll highlight 3 in this entry.
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| M.C. Beaton |
"A quick, entertaining intro to Constable Hamish MacBeth. A group of people come to his small town to be members of a fishing class. One of them, Lady Jane, is troublesome, causing problems with all of the others, seems to have bits of info/ gossip on each. She is found murdered. Constable MacBeth is pushed aside by the outside police who think he is a hick and just in the way. Casually, MacBeth does his own investigation and well, you can find out how it all ends. Likable and pragmatic, I liked the good Constable and enjoyed the story. I have other Hamish MacBeth mysteries on my shelf, looking forward to reading more. (3 stars)"
"Death of a Cad by M.C. Beaton is the second book in her Hamish Macbeth mystery series. I've read more of Beaton's Agatha Raisin books, but actually I think I might prefer the Macbeth series (don't get me wrong, both are entertaining reads.)
In Death of a Cad, the Halburton-Smythes invite a group of 'friends' to their estate in Scotland to celebrate the engagement of their daughter, Priscilla, to playwright Henry Withering. At the party, boorish cad, Captain Bartlett insults most of the people there and the next morning is found dead of an apparent hunting accident.
This brings in Hamish Macbeth, the local constable, and a man who is in love with Priscilla (but not deemed acceptable to Priscilla's snobbish parents) to try and solve what he thinks is a murder. Detectives are brought in from the bigger next town and they disagree with Macbeth and indicate that it was just an accident. Even though he's been shoved aside, Macbeth continues to investigate.
All in all it's an entertaining story, lots of interesting characters, a nicely woven mystery and a satisfying ending. I enjoyed this very much and the more I got into it, the more I wanted to see how it was resolved, ultimately very satisfactorily. I look forward to the next book in line. (4 stars)"
"When Police Constable Hamish Macbeth is called to a murder at Arrat House, home of relentless practical joker Arthur Trent, he doesn't exactly race to the scene. Prepared for a prank, Hamish arrives to find that Trent is most decidedly dead -- stabbed and stuffed in a closet. And for suspects, there's a houseful of greedy relations, all more interested in the will than the crime at hand."
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| Val McDermid |
"It was a winter morning in 1978, that the body of a young barmaid was discovered in the snow banks of a Scottish cemetery. The only suspects in her brutal murder were the four young men who found her: Alex Gilbey and his three best friends. With no evidence but her blood
on their hands, no one was ever charged.
Twenty five years later, the Cold Case file on Rosie Duff has been reopened. For Alex and his friends, the investigation has also opened old wounds, haunting memories-and new fears. For a stranger has emerged from the shadows with his own ideas about justice. And revenge.
When two of Alex's friends die under suspicious circumstances, Alex knows that he and his innocent family are the next targets. And there's only way to save them: return to the cold-blooded past and uncover the startling truth about the murder. For there lies the identity of an avenging killer..."
"In Britain circa 1984, the news is dominated by the national miners’ strike. The region of Fife in Scotland is hard hit by the strike, devastated economically and shaken by clashes between miners and police. Against this violent and bitter backdrop, heiress Catriona Maclennan Grant and her baby son are kidnapped. The ransom should have gone smoothly, but instead, the payoff goes horribly wrong, and Catriona and her son disappear without a trace.
Twenty-four years later, dramatic new evidence discovered by a jogger in Tuscany prompts police to reopen the cold case. Detective Sergeant Karen Pirie leads the investigation. It won’t be the only cold case to end up on her desk. A young woman soon walks into the station reporting a missing person, Mick Prentice, who abandoned his family in Fife in 1984 to join the strike-breakers down south. Labelled a blackleg scab, he might as well be dead as far as his friends and relatives are concerned."
The remaining books in the series are -
- The Skeleton Road (2014)
- Out of Bounds (2016)
- Broken Ground (2018)
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| William McIlvanney |
"Laidlaw is the first of three books by William McIlvanney featuring Glasgow DI Jack Laidlaw. Laidlaw is sort of Glasgow's version of Edinburgh's Rebus, without all of the self-destructive drinking. Jack Laidlaw is a tough loner. While other cops, such as his 'arch - enemy' DI Milligan are professionals in the way that they are paid to be police officers. Laidlaw is a professional in the way that he feels the crime, feels the killer, feels the victim.
It's a rambling sort of story. A young woman is raped and murdered and Laidlaw is called to the case to work with Milligan. He is assigned a new assistant, DC Harkness, who is caught in the middle, somewhat, of the friction between Laidlaw and Milligan.
The story is told from many perspectives, that of Laidlaw and of Harkness, as well as of those of the killer, his friend Harry Rayburn and a couple of the cities criminal factions. Many people are trying to get the murderer, reasons for which are not all that well explained.
I think that is part of the problem I had with the story, that being the lack of explanation for many people's actions. Why are they so concerned with 'getting' the killer? There is quite a lot of discussion of how Laidlaw works and his concerns and feelings about crime, but it kind of left me feeling a bit blah. In some ways it's an interesting story, especially the feeling of imminent violence from the criminal underworld and the tension between Laidlaw and Milligan. But the resolution of the mystery didn't really satisfy me. Once again, Why!!! I may try the next Laidlaw story to see if we find out more about him but I don't feel any urgency to do so. I think I prefer cuddly Rebus a bit more. (3 stars)"
The other two books in the trilogy are -
- The Papers of Tony Veitch (1983)
- Strange Loyalties (1991)
I'll complete this entry in my next post. Have a great weekend!
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