Bonus: The Gap of Time

Hogarth Shakespeare

The Gap of Time
Jeanette Winterson
2015

The Summary
"The Winter's Tale is one of Shakespeare's late plays.  It tells the story of a king whose jealousy results in the banishment of his baby daughter and the death of his beautiful wife.  His daughter is found and brought up by a shepherd on the Bohemian coast, but through a series of extraordinary events, father and daughter, and eventually mother too, are reunited.

"In The Gap of Time, Jeanette Winterson's cover version of The Winter's Tale, we move from London, a city reeling after the 2008 financial crisis, to a storm-ravaged American city called New Bohemia.  Her tale is one of childhood friendship, money, status, technology, and the elliptical nature of time.  Written with energy and wit, this is a story of the consuming power of jealousy on the one hand, and redemption and the enduring love of a lost child on the other."

The Good
The Gap of Time was an intriguing novel.  Part tragedy, part story of redemption, The Gap of Time does a fair job of transporting Shakespeare's play to the modern era.  It conveys all the conflict, all the tragedy and love and joy and hurt of The Winter's Tale, but it also gives his characters a little more color, a little more depth.

And, speaking of characters, I want to mention Shep.  Aside from Autolycus, who is basically a crooked car salesman with a heart of gold, Shep is probably my favorite character.  He has this gentle, genuine quality to him that I appreciated the more I got to know him (and the other characters), and he has such a wonderful narrative.

In the first chapter (if it can be called a chapter), Shep details the tragedies that have beset him and tells readers how he happened across Perdita.  Yes, I found his thoughts were rather tangled up with his past, caught up in the regrets that plague him and the memories that haven't quite settled; however, his narrative is heavy with emotion and purpose.  It has a lyrical quality to it that makes his words beautiful.

I loved the way he describes his first encounter with Perdita, how he describes his out of body experience of finding the baby and knowing, just knowing she was in his life for good:  "I realise without realising that I've got the tyre lever in my hand.  I move without moving to prise open the hatch.  It is easy.  I lift out the baby and she's as light as a star."

Or when Shep decided, in one moment the importance of this child in his life--and recognized the impact of important moments:

"The cars come and the cars go between me and my crossing the street.  The anonymous always-in-motion world.  The baby and I stand still, and it's as if she knows that a choice has to be made. 

"Or does it?  The important things happen by chance.  Only the rest gets planned. 

"I walked round the block thinking I'd think about it, but my legs were heading home, and sometimes you have to accept that your heart knows what to do."

His lines are, by far, the best found in the book.

The Bad
I didn't really understand The Gap of Time.  It just didn't strike the right note with me, so to speak, and it didn't appeal to me on an emotional level, because I didn't understand the characters--that is, I couldn't connect with them.  Much of Winterson's novel is told in this odd, almost meandering verse that is part omniscient, omnipresent narration and part stream-of-consciousness monologuing.

It actually reminded me a lot of The Sound and the Fury, in that I didn't quite understand it either.  Not only does it hopscotch through time, it utilizes a style of writing that makes it difficult to read.  It feels scattered, unhinged, especially when Leo is involved.  I couldn't stand when Leo was involved, I couldn't stand his jealous rantings or his madman-like ravings.  It made the story difficult to stomach and altogether too brutal.

Overall, I had a hard time understanding and connecting to Winterson's novel.  It made me squirm, but it didn't make me think.  It made me feel sympathy for Perdita, for Hermione (MiMi) and their shared plight, but it didn't make me feel sorry that Perdita was ripped from her home and given a parent who loved her with the unbounded, unconditional love that a parent feels for their offspring.

It made me feel revulsion, but it didn't make me feel joy, which I found very disappointing.

The Ugly
Leo never seems to understand what he did wrong.  I mean, sure he's remorseful for his actions after they destroy the lives of so many (his wife, his daughter, his best friend, his son, and his own), but, even after the nuclear fallout has settled, he doesn't quite seem to grasp that his actions--his jealousy, his vindictive attitude, his sense of superiority, his abject cruelty--is what drove everyone he loved away and resulted in so many heavy casualties.

At the end, he's not the lion of a man he was at one time; however, he doesn't seem to have learned much of anything either.  Maybe, I don't understand his humor (his racist/anti-semitic playfulness that Pauline merely ignores or his complicated almost cruel relationship with Xeno); maybe, I don't understand him, period.  Either way, I feel like Leo just didn't develop as a character and he didn't learn from his mistakes.

He was too stubborn to accept Perdita as his daughter, too jealous to accept that his wife wasn't sleeping with his best friend, and simply too cruel.  I mean, he doesn't even bother to contact his wife--the woman he supposedly loves beyond comprehension--after their world is torn asunder and he doesn't bother to seek out his daughter, if he ever even accepts that she's his.

I hated Leo.

Yes, hated.

I much preferred Shep.  Like Leo, Shep is grieving and hurt by the "anonymous always-in-motion world," but he doesn't let it hollow him out, turn him into a raving madman or a violent, vindictive father.  He lets Perdita into his life, unlike Leo, and he lets love back into his life.  He doesn't cast it aside, he doesn't try to ruin lives because he's hurt.  He makes an effort to change his life, he makes an effort to be kind.

So, yes, I much prefer Shep and I can't help thinking that Perdita got a much better deal when she wound up in his care.  Just saying.

Batwoman: Elegy (Volume 0)

DC Comics

Batwoman:  Elegy (Volume 0)
Greg Rucka
J.H. Williams III
2010

The Summary
"She is the Batwoman, Gotham City's newest protector.

"And battling her at every turn of her still-young crime fighting career is a crazed cult called the Religion of Crime.  Led by a Lewis Carroll-quoting madwoman known only as Alice.  They plan to turn Gotham City into a wonderland of carnage.

"But Alice has something special in store for the Batwoman--something that will show her everything she thought she knew about her life as a caped crusader is wrong.

"It this one-woman army fighting a war she can't win, against an enemy with more power over her than she could have every guessed?

"Writer Greg Rucka (Gotham Central, Action Comics), J.H. Williams (Batman, Seven Soldiers of Victory), and Dave Stewart proudly present one of the most acclaimed comics of the year.

"Collecting the first seven pulse-pounding, visually stunning issues of their landmark collaboration (Detective Comics #854-860) featuring an expansive behind-the-scenes section, and an introduction by Rachel Maddow, Batwoman:  Elegy unveils the shocking origin--and chilling archnemesis--of one of the DC Universe's most memorable characters."

The Good
This book is intense.

Not only do you get the opportunity to see the formative years of Kate's life when her mother and twin sister were killed during a terrorist attack, but it also shows the beginning of her career as Batwoman--that is, her training, her father's involvement, her first steps onto the mean streets of Gotham with the bat symbol on her chest.

And it's great!

However, it's also very, very sad and emotionally gripping.  Not to ruin anything, but it's terrible to see the toll her line of work takes on her--and a heavy loss that wracks her with grief all over again.  It makes for an interesting story, but it's all a little tragic, very morbid, and, of course, unexpectedly twisted.

Honestly, I liked being able to see where it all started.  I've heard Greg Rucka's name in the past, so I was anticipating some great work out of him, and as I'm familiar with J.H. Williams, I was excited to see how they kicked off Batwoman.  And they did it with a bang!  Overall, it was great, and I'm glad I actually went back and read the prequel.  It definitely cleared up a number of questions for me that I had when I jumped into the first volume.

The Bad
Again, confusing artwork.

I know this has been a pretty consistent complaint for me, but it's a quirk of Batwoman that has staying power.  Don't get me wrong, I still love the artwork and the creativity and the beautiful illustrations between individual issues; however, it makes Batwoman a bit of a trial.  I'm used to it now, for the most part, but it still leads me on a merry chase, making me wonder if I'm really understanding the story...or if I'm completely misinterpreting it.

The Ugly
The usual:  blood, gore, death, violence, explicit material, etc.

And there's a nasty little surprise regarding Alice, which you'll know what I'm talking about if you (like me) started with Hydrology instead of Elegy, but I can't say anything else or I'll ruin the story for readers starting out.  Just trust me, it's an ugly surprise that, if I hadn't read the first three volumes before Elegy, would have left me shocked and appalled.

Vinegar Girl

Hogarth Press

Vinegar Girl
Anne Tyler
2016

The Summary
"Kate Battista feels stuck.  How did she end up running house and home for her eccentric scientist father and uppity, pretty younger sister, Bunny?  Plus, she's always in trouble at work--her preschool charges adore her, but their parents don't always appreciate her unusual opinions and forthright manner.

"Dr. Battista has his own problems.  After years in the academic wilderness, he is on the verge of a breakthrough.  His research could help millions.  There's only one problem:  his brilliant young lab assistant, Pyotr, is about to be deported.  And without Pyotr, all would be lost.

"When Dr. Battista cooks up an outrageous plan that will enable Pyotr to stay in the country, he's relying--as usual--on Kate to help him.  Kate is furious:  this time he's really asking too much.  But will she be able to resist the two men's touchingly ludicrous campaign to bring her around?"

The Good
Vinegar Girl was interesting, to say the least.  A little odd, yes, but it was strangely compelling.  I couldn't help getting wound up in Kate Battista's life, couldn't help wondering what would happen as she struggled to deal with her wild child sister and tried to corral her father's mismanagement and fend off Pyotr's obvious affection.  I was somehow hooked by her story, and I found I couldn't put it down.

I've never read anything by Anne Tyler and, oddly enough, I've never read (but I have seen) The Taming of the Shrew.  Despite my lack of exposure to writer and inspiration, I thoroughly enjoyed Vinegar Girl.  First off, I should state that Tyler is a wonderful writer.  There's something about the story that drew me, a cadence to the narration that made the story appealing on a visceral level for me, and a way the characters were made that kept me coming back for more.

And she's descriptive!

I hate when authors don't set the stage, when they don't offer descriptions of the characters or give weak descriptions about the scene.  Tyler, luckily, does a wonderful job of bringing life to her characters, showing off the little details that make them unique and intriguing, and unfolding an entire world on the pages.  She helps me sink into the story, helps me feel like I'm really there with Kate as she weeds her garden or as she walks the next few blocks to her father's lab because he forgot his lunch (again) or fights with Bunny over the boy she wasn't supposed to bring into the house.

Plus, I found Kate to be singularly enjoyable.  She's headstrong, she's fiery, she's brutally honest and blunt even when speaking to children, and she's incredibly intelligent.  Tyler crafts a compelling and sympathetic character in Kate, creating a complex female character who is pulled in many different directions by her loyalty to her family, her interest in her own career, and her dreams for herself.

And, as an aside, I want to note that I actually appreciated Pyotr's accent.  I mean, after reading What's a Ghoul to Do?, which also features a character with a heavy accent, I realized Anne Tyler does a fantastic job of conveying accents, of individual speech patterns.  Like Dr. Sable in Victoria Laurie's first Ghost Hunter novel, Pyotr does not have a complete grasp of English.

However, unlike Laurie, Tyler manages to make her character's struggle with his second language seem natural, rather than forced.  He trips up on the rules and language quirks that even native speakers may struggle to grasp and he may have difficulty with verbs, articles, and the like, but his lingual missteps seem more like natural mistakes than forced attempts to make him seem cute or bumbling.

The Bad
No complaints, really.  I mean, some part of me did wish for more for Kate, did wish she wasn't so constricted and confined by her family--but isn't that often the way with family and love and marriage?  Sometimes the burdens fall in different patterns, meaning responsibilities (and thus challenges) do not always fall evenly.

But, I suppose, if she's happy with how things turned out, how can I complain?

The Ugly
Family dynamics can get messy.

Let's just leave it at that, okay?

Bonus: The Secret to Hummingbird Cake

Thomas Nelson

The Secret to Hummingbird Cake
Celeste Fletcher McHale
2016

The Summary
"When all else fails, turn to the divine taste of hummingbird cake.

"In the South you always say "yes, ma'am" and "no, ma'am."  You know everybody's business.  Football is a lifestyle not a pastime.  Food--especially desert--is almost a religious experience.  And you protect your friends as fiercely as you protect your family--even if the threat is something you cannot see.

"In this spot-on Southern novel brimming with wit and authenticity, you'll laugh alongside lifelong friends, navigate the sometimes rocky path of marriage, and roll through the outrageous curveballs that life sometimes throws...from devastating pain to absolute joy.  And if you're lucky, you just may discover the secret to hummingbird cake along the way."

The Good
This novel was pretty incredible.  Yes, it felt a little clunky, a little heavy-handed and awkward, but, as first novels go, it was a decent novel with interesting characters and a poignant story that made me tear up a little.  (Okay, a lot.)  It's not as refined as I might have liked and Carrigan has a lot of flaws, which sometimes makes her a story a little difficult to stomach, but, overall, I enjoyed it.

Touching, funny and sweet, The Secret to Hummingbird Cake is laced with tragedy but it doesn't propel the story.  It's real life bundled into a book:  sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes wonderful, but ultimately a lovely representation of human foibles and follies and feelings.

While I can't say I enjoyed it as much as Sarah Addison Allen's Garden Spells or Linda Francis Lee's Glass Kitchen, The Secret to Hummingbird Cake taps the same vein of real-life magic and southern charm that I liked.  Without letting too much of the plot slip, it made me happy, sad, frustrated, ecstatic--the whole spectrum of emotions that comes when you get to know people and grow to love them.

I have friends like Carrigan and Ella Rae--tough, mouthy, but ultimately sweet and doggedly loyal when called to the fray--and I hope to someday befriend someone exactly like Laine, who does the right thing and takes care of her friends and stands up for those who need help.  Heck, I hope to someday be like Laine.  She's a beautiful person, and I couldn't help wishing the world had more people like her.

The Bad
As I pointed out, The Secret to Hummingbird Cake does feel a little awkward.  It's a debut novel, so it felt like the narrative sometimes wavered or grew weak.  Sometimes, it grew saccharine sweet; sometimes, I just couldn't quite believe it.  Overall, it's a wonderful, romantic novel on real life, but it does endure some of the pitfalls of an early novel.

The Ugly
Full disclosure:  I cried at the end of this book.

I don't want to give anything away, because it's worth reading this book to find out what happens to Laine, Carrigan, and Ella Rae, what turmoil they face as they endure the biggest journey of their lives.  But I will admit that it hit way to close to home, and I couldn't help breaking down to cry.

Batwoman: Webs (Volume 5)

DC Comics

Batwoman:  Webs (Volume 5)
Marc Andreyko
Jeremy Haun
Trevor McCarthy
Guy Major
2014

The Summary
"Murderous ghosts.  Machiavellian government agents.  Man-animal hybrids.  Monsters from myth and legend.  Members of her own family.  In the course of Kate Kane's crimefighting career as Batwoman, she has battled an array of adversaries and lived to fight another day.

"But she's about to fall into the web of the Wolf Spider.  And her luck's about to run out.

"A mercenary armed with terrifying toxins and backed by a billionaire's cash, the Wolf Spider has come to Gotham City for reasons unknown.  But one fateful encounter with the Batwoman claims a shocking casualty:  the private life she's fought so desperately to preserve.

"When the calling she's chosen could cost her the woman she loves, what will Batwoman decide?"

The Good
I really enjoyed this volume.  It provided resolution for This Blood is Thick, which I appreciated, and it had an appearance by Batman who was his usual, awesome self; however, it also serves as a nice fulcrum point for the second half of the series.  Hydrology, To Drown the World, World's Finest, and This Blood is Thick have a very distinct artistic style that's simultaneously beautiful and confusing, whereas Webs seems to take the series in a new direction.

It remains visually appealing, like its predecessors, but I noticed it has a distinctly different flavor as Marc Andreyko takes over composition.  The panels are a little easier to read, a little easier to follow, which I liked.  Plus, I enjoyed that Kate's story veering back to the streets of Gotham after such a long and convoluted plot involving Medusa and the DEO.

And, for some reason, I enjoyed the Wolf Spider's story arc immensely.  As a villain, I liked him.  He was snarky, self-serving, and strangely compelling.  Granted, I wanted Batwoman to take him down--and take him down hard (he deserved it)--but, oddly enough, I liked him and I'd like to see more of him down the road.

Overall rating:  Excellent.

The Bad
Cliffhangers.  I really, really hate cliffhangers.

Plus, I was a little less enthusiastic about Nocturna and her plot line.  She wasn't as interesting to me, despite her black widow/creature-of-the-night vibe.  I much preferred Wolf Spider's unexpected and exhilarating romp through Gotham with Batwoman at his heels.

The Ugly
Batwoman:  Webs has the usual blood, gore, gratuitous violence I've come to expect; however, I wasn't expecting the level of heartbreak I'd have to endure.  I like Detective Sawyer and Kate Kane as a couple.  They may not be perfect, but they work so well together.  They have a mutual respect for one another, an affection that is both endearing and enduring--and I hated to see that fragmented in a million tiny pieces.

And I definitely didn't like the direction things went after Natalia became involved.