A Return to Austenland

Midnight in Austenland, Shannon Hale
In Book 1, far-fetched variables came together with such frivolous whimsy that it deflected my disbelief.  It was so fun and light I could let the unlikelihoods slide in the interests of chortling throughout and enjoying a happy ending.

Learning there was a Book 2 founded upon essentially the same far-fetched variables, I was dubious.  How could reading this book end any way other than disbelief crashing the party like a messy old ex-boyfriend?  The answers is: it could not.  The party ended with Book 1, peops;

• I can see the direction Hale has taken here -- in letting the darkness in; having more scenes set in the evening and night-time, re-casting the romantic homestead as an ominous mansion, shading the flashbacks by regret (or at least sombre retrospection) -- I get it.  Some darkness does many stories a world of good.  Sadly, what made the entire silly gambit of a place where people go and play dress up as characters from another period fly in the first book was that it was light, playful, and optimistic.  The corniness worked better when the overall tone was hopeful and warm -- our heroine knew it was silly, but she wanted to do it anyway.  Although some playfulness remains, the attempts to introduce shadows to this same world has an effect much like a campfire torchlight beneath a storyteller's face -- it distorts a normally pleasant composition of angles and features to become something very different -- something gruesome, unrecognisable, or comical.  I couldn't buy into the unlikelihoods anymore.  It wasn't as fun.
• It was difficult to maintain interest after the climactic reveal.  I didn't particularly even want to keep reading.
• Book 2 had more moments that simply felt wrong...like they made me uncomfortable in a bad way -- not that they challenged me or made me rethink my world views -- more that I was squirming "Noooooooo!" 
• Female characters seemed unbelievable, powerless, or sappy.  
• I prefer reading medieval pastoral Hale to contemporary Hale.

Some great lines here and there, but not the simmering romance or fun of the first.  Skippable.

Beautiful Book: Pandora

Pandora, Victoria Turnbull
Wow.  The illustrations in this are breath-taking.  The story moves from sombre and thoughtful to hopeful and grand.  There are very strong similarities to The Lion and the Bird, but I think Pandora's existence and motives are more complex and overall change is more dramatic.  This isn't to say one book tops the other -- The Lion and the Bird is a thing of simple beauty; Pandora is weightier in style and message.  The cover of the hardback is the nicest I've touched in a very long time... possibly ever.  My children will be poring over these pages for years.  Here is one of the pages with with the least detail:

Review copy received from Walker.

The Calligrapher's Colouring Book

The Calligrapher's Colouring Book, Renee Chin
I know, I know, there's some serious market saturation going on with colouring books these days, but Renee Chin's offering has a very appealing point of difference; each page features a letter of the alphabet, numeral, or punctuation mark, so that after you've coloured them in you can piece the pages together and create your own name or inspiration/power-word for display.  (Yes, mixing words and art is a sure way to get my attention.)  I love that an ampersand has been included.  There are also a few bonus pages that are compositions without representing any specific character.

In addition to looking for a colouring book with a point of difference, I'm interested in high resolution images.   Inexpensive detail-colouring books are made more affordable because the print quality is low -- with pixelation, blurring, banding or truncated images.  They also usually have poor quality binding.  The Calligrapher's Colouring Book is well-bound and is a high quality print production. Another win with me is that the forest-themed pages all include something corresponding to the text (e.g. an Ibis on the letter I).  I consider each page frame-worthy, either as part of a set, or on its own -- great for initials in a kid's room, or perhaps you could display your surname's grapheme in a family space.  Elegant, artsy and of excellent quality.   My only disappointment is that the pages aren't perforated! 

Available officially today.

Review copy received from Hachette.

Austenland

Austenland, Shannon Hale
A silly and fun tribute. 

• Great dialogue (wide-ranging in current and period style).
• Not one for the fiercely feminist.  It plays out like many predictable romantic comedies, and so if you don't enjoy those, chances are this isn't for you.  I have been known to enjoy those more than the average human...this was sucker fodder.  I relished every romantic detail.
• It screams "adapt me for the screen" so it's no surprise they did.  I haven't seen it yet.  I will.
• The sensuality is quite steamy but there is no sex.  No swearing or violence.

Romantics and Austen fans -- this is a great slim summer read for an airport, flight, beach read, sick day or night in.

 

Stephenie Meyer's New Crime Fiction Novel

The Chemist, Stephenie Meyer

I was interested to see how Meyer had done with a spy thriller.  I thought she deserved a chance.   I gave her one.  I wasn't disappointed.

• The book opens with a steady pace and sufficient intrigue.  Because the early chapters are centred wholly on the protagonist, it is easy to get to know her (and if not like her, at the very least respect her). 
• A quarter of the way in I did little excited hiccups because Meyer drew back the curtains and there -- glittering in blockbuster style -- was the conceit; confirmed.  It wasn't poetry or brilliance, it was entertaining and the promise of more entertainment to come.  I was hooked from there...admittedly the part of me that is a sucker more than the part who likes surprises.
• Her wordsmithing has bumped up a few notches and felt more mature in tone and form.  It was intelligent and well-plotted, albeit predictable (I knew what lay behind the curtain)
• I laughed out loud numerous times.  Great dialogue, great silly scenes.  It only got better the more time I spent with the characters...whom I came to really care for.
• Meyer has done some research.  
• I can see why comparisons are being drawn to Jason Bourne.  I also found some similarities to Patricia Cornwell and John  Grisham...only I preferred this much more -- it felt less like one of 50 formulaic books and instead like a smash of a blockbuster love-thriller. 
• It must be acknowledged that this is the most Meyer aspect of this book; she's a romantic idealist, and romance is a central part of the narrative, although the driving arc is the crime mystery/thriller. 
  I dug the love story more than I probably should have. There are flaws (nothing so glaring as a hundreds-year-old vampire stalker pursuing a relationship with a sulky teenager), but I did. not. care. after things got started. (There's some insta-, and I let it go.)
• There is no swearing (this is edited out and instead reported as colourful speech), sex is alluded to but not described, and there is sensual hankering (again, this is the most Meyer aspect).  There are a lot of drugs...mostly administered by the protagonist, a.k.a. The Chemist herself.  

Conclusion: If you would like pulpier version of Grisham/Cornwell/Patterson, give Meyer's latest a whirl. 

Review copy received from Hachette.