The Weird Sisters

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The Weird Sisters
Eleanor Brown
2011

The Summary
After spending years consciously avoiding Barnwell, their quiet Midwestern hometown, Bianca (curiously nicknamed Bean by her family) and Cordelia (Cordy) Andreas have returned home and rejoined their sister Rosalind (Rose) in caring for their ailing mother.

But this family reunion is far from happy.  Both Bean and Cordelia have been keeping secrets - and even responsible, dependable Rose isn't above keeping one or two of her own.

The Good
The Weird Sisters is a uniquely entertaining book that incorporates real life, the good and the bad, into a twisted tale of family and all the things that can be strange, go wrong, or just drives a sibling crazy.  Besides which, it's well-written and fairly easy to read.  Although the narrative can occasionally drag, it moves at a steady pace that makes for an enjoyable ride.

The Bad
The one thing I never understood about Eleanor Brown's book was the narrator.  While I give her credit for creating a unique narrator, I can't say it made the novel any better or even made me appreciate the work more.  You see, the narrator uses inclusive terms like "we" and "our," which makes this anonymous, omniscient being sound like one of the sisters.

But the narrator isn't.

Despite seeming to manifest as one of the sisters, the narrator remains decidedly separate - there within the sisters' midst but simultaneously not, almost like a collective consciousness that is all and none at the same time.

It's unconventional and interesting, but, more often, it's a confusing premise and an annoying literary tic because almost immediately you're flummoxed by the narrator and his/her/its relationship to the Andreas sisters.  As I said, the narrator seems to be of them but not - and it leaves you pondering over exactly who or what is telling the story and looking back to see what little tidbit of information you missed.

The Ugly
Life has a way of getting away from you, as all of the Andreas sisters discover - and, sometimes, it doesn't always go straight.  For both Bean and Cordelia, the consequences are especially tough to face.

Additionally, I should mention that the sisters' father is a scholar of Shakespeare.  As such, he liberally quotes Shakespeare and consistently avoids giving a straight answer when he can use a line of poetry or monologue from Hamlet - and its an almost unnatural quirk passed down to his daughters.  It's an annoying habit, and it doesn't always make any real sense.

Milestone

This week marks a somewhat special occasion for Reader's Reach.  This week, 50 book "reviews" (and, yes, I still use the term somewhat loosely) will be posted to Reader's Reach.  50 books ranging from science fiction and fantasy to popular fiction and history, and a little bit of everything in between, have made their way onto this blog.

It's a good start, I think.  So, here's to another 50.

Cheers, and happy reading.

- The Scrivener

The Things They Carried

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The Things They Carried
Tim O'Brien
1990

The Summary
Written with the author's personal experiences in mind, The Things They Carried chronicles the violence and aftermath of the war in Vietnam.

Embellished with facts and fiction, Tim O'Brien's novel provides readers with an intimate and emotional connection to the soldiers of Vietnam, as well as insight into the physical, emotional, and mental carnage that occurred before, during, and after the Vietnam War.

The Good
Well-written and dynamic, this novel will keep you riveted from cover to cover.  The Things They Carried provides intimate insight into the lives and minds of soldiers.  It's deep, thought-provoking, and astonishingly compelling.

More importantly, it's an interesting story because so much of it involves fact - perhaps, even reminisces of a memory or two - but it combines factual events with fictional chracters and situations.  It's strange, slightly surreal, but interesting nonetheless.

The Bad
Although O'Brien creates an exceptional novel, his book contains gratuitous amounts of foul language and violence.  Not only is it graphic in nature, it's gruesome and slightly terrifying.

Admittedly, it isn't for the faint of heart - or younger readers.

The Ugly
To be perfectly honest, The Things They Carried is a heavy, emotionally draining piece of work.  Full of graphic details of violence and gore, it displays the most frightening and perilous sides of the Vietnam War from the perspective of a soldier.

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of this novel, however, is not the elements of fiction which embellish its pages but, rather, how much of it remains factual.

A Light in the Window

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A Light in the Window
Jan Karon
1995

The Summary
Jan Karon's second novel, A Light in the Window, continues to follow the life of the kind, quiet Episcolpalian priest, Father Tim Cavanaugh, as he acclimates to his new life with Dooley Barlowe, a dog named Barnabas, and diabetes.

Moreover, the novel highlights the growth of the tiny mountain town of Mitford and the budding romance between Father Tim and his delightfully quirky neighbor, Cynthia Coppersmith.

The Good
Karon's novel follows in the same vein as her previous novel, At Home in Mitford, by emphasizing the uncommon good of common people.  Granted, life for Father Tim is far from being full of sunshine and bowls of cherries, but he remains stalwart and good - a Godly man with a good conscience and a good heart.

And you almost can't help getting involved in his life and the lives of the sometimes crazy, sometimes maddening people of Mitford.

More importantly, the novel is easy and entertaining.  It's enjoyable for its simplicity of style and language, and it's a feel-good story that leaves you with a lingering sense of happiness.

The Bad
Here and there, Mitford can get a little dull.  But it's real life.  It can't always be a thrill a minute.

The Ugly
In this go round, Karon's novel becomes a little more gritty and unpleasant.  Well, not so much unpleasant as more attuned to the rougher aspects of life.  The episodes with Buck Leeper, a construction worker now inhabiting Mitford, prove a point that not all people have lived happy lives.

Oh, and Father Tim has a few unpleasant run-ins with the newly widowed Edith Mallory.  (One word, "man-eater.")

The Harry Dresden Files: Storm Front

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The Harry Dresden Files:  Storm Front
Jim Butcher
2000

The Summary
To put it simply, Harry Dresden is a wizard - and, as the only publicly practicing wizard in the books, his work tends to take interesting twists.  Take a recent case with the Chicago Police Department, for instance.  It's ripe with black magic and likely to get Harry killed.

Worst of all, the Wizard Council has again grown suspicious of Harry.  And with his probation still hovering over his head, they have begun to suspect him of the recent murder spree in Chicago.

For Harry, things just aren't looking good.

The Good
Jim Butcher's first novel of the Dresden Files is fast-paced and packed with action.  It will keep you glued to the pages from beginning to end, because Butcher knows how to propel the reader forward through the story by throwing in dashes of suspense and intrigue and sprinkling in a generous amount of humor.

(I should mention that Butcher's protagonist, Harry, can be down-right funny, sometimes.)

But, more importantly, Butcher adds a great depth of detail and intricacy to his story that gives his novel a life of its own.  He provides a new twist on old ideas of magic and wizardry, almost as if he's ripped Gandalf from the pages of Lord of the Rings and given him a new lease on modern life - and taught him how to use a handgun.

It's interesting, to say the least, and makes for a very good story.

The Bad
Sometimes, Storm Front can turn into a difficult read because of its convoluted nature.  You'll find scapegoats, backstabbers, double dealers, proxies, and more, which can occasionally leave you just as hopelessly lost and confused as Harry.

The Ugly
To put it mildly, Butcher's novel calls for an older, more mature audience.  You'll find quite a bit of violence and gore, sexual innuendo, and strong language, which I wouldn't recommend for a younger reader to encounter just yet.

Make a note:  Storm Front isn't "bad" for all that, but let's just say it isn't always pretty.  Magic isn't all sparkles and wands.  Sometimes, as Harry points out, it can get a guy killed.

Revolutionary Backlash

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Revolutionary Backlash
Rosemarie Zagarri
2007

The Summary
Illustrating the lives and accomplishments of ladies throughout early American history, from the formation of the colonies to the presidency of Andrew Jackson, Revolutionary Backlash provides a study into the treatment and condition of women in early America.

The Good
Rosemarie Zagarri does some pretty thorough research in compiling her book.  She sets the stage by providing ample historical references, lists of literary and social accomplishments by notable women, like Mercy Otis Warren and Judith Sargent Murray, and, in a word, she provides proof to support her claim that the American Revolution made a significant impact on the lives of women.

As a note, Zagarri separates her book into distinct chapters that highlight specific historical eras and further breaks down her chapters into manageable bite-size pieces.  So, not only does her book provide ample information for the history enthusiast - or student, as the case may be - it allows for easy research.

The Bad
In her book, Zagarri provides an argument for the social and political growth of American women, during the American Revolution, and a subsequent social backlash.  She provides a compelling argument; however, she often sequesters her research to a specific group of women:  upper and middle-class white women.

To put it bluntly, Revolutionary Backlash doesn't offer much diversity in its study of early America.

The Ugly
Some books are riveting, and some books - well, not so much.

When it gets down to it, Revolutionary Backlash gets a little stale and a little boring.  It's great for research, or if you happen to really enjoy early American history, but I would hesitate to recommend it for recreational reading.