20 April, 2006

The Probable Future (Alice Hoffman)

I enjoyed The Probable Future very much, more so than some of Alice Hoffman's novels. It has that air of ethereal dream-like magic which she does so well.

Three generations of women in the Sparrow family all have different gifts, which come to them on their thirteenth birthday. One can smell when people lie, another visits people in their dreams, and worries about what gift will arrive on her daughter Stella's thirteenth birthday. As usually happens in Hoffman's novels, things tie up fairly neatly at the end - we see characters' redemptions and healing love affairs coming a long way off. But this doesn't detract from the pleasant lyrical story Hoffman weaves. I really liked this - 4 out of 5.

The Battle for Christabel (Margaret Forster)

I've enjoyed Margaret Forster's book before, but I found The Battle for Christabel rather dated, in such a way that I didn't really connect with the characters.

You know the outcome of Christabel's adoption from the beginning, but it is interesting see how that plays out. At times, Rowena, Christabel's mother, feels like a character study rather than a living, breathing character - in fact, I found elements in this in many of the characters.

Mildly enjoyable, fairly dated - it didn't really grab me at all. 3 out of 5.

The Saskiad (Brian Hall)

This was a somewhat strange book. Although the protaginist is 12 years old, it's a book for adults. Saskia is a precocious, imaginative girl whose intensive daydreams permeate her life. The book is divided into parts - the first part, we get to know Saskia and her inner life. Next, Saskia and her friend travel to meet with Saskia's long-lost father. Things begin to fall apart in the last third of the book, for Saskia and, I thought, for the novel. I think the beginning and middle are much more strongly crafted than the end.

It's an interesting novel, mildly depressing, well written, but it didn't grab me completely. 3.5 out of 5.

The Golden Fool (Robin Hobb)

This wonderful fantasy novel is part of Robin Hobb's Assassin series, which began with three Assassin books, and continued with three Tawny Man books. The Golden Fool is the second of those novels, and can't really be read as a stand-alone book. You've got to have the background the other novels give you, and they're also excellent in their own right, well worth your time.

I won't bother going into any plot details - they won't make any sense if you don't know the characters. However, The Golden Fool is one of the most exciting books in the series, given that it promises to reveal so many secrets that have been previously hinted at, and sets up the final book, Fool's Fate, to be an incredible conclusion. Five out of five.

06 April, 2006

Kidding Ourselves: Breadwinning, Babies & Bargaining Power (Rhona Mahony)

Kidding Ourselves is an amazing book. I picked it up on a recommendation from Bitch PhD, and found it particularly relevant, given that I'm about to enter this world of marriage and all it entails. There's another review of Kidding Ourselves here.

Kidding Ourselves examines the role of negotiation within a marriage, what happens within a marriage when a child is born, and how tasks and childcare are divided between a couple. Mahony examines these issues using a lot of practical examples (which I enjoyed, because I'm fairly awful at understanding theoretical points, especially as they relate to relationship dynamics, and so on). I found the idea of specialisation fascinating - when one party specialises in something within a marriage - be it washing dishes, doing laundry, or taking care of a child, they will likely end up being solely responsible for that task, because it takes them less time, and they do it more efficiently. Even if two people share household chores equally prior to them having children, if one stays home, or works part-time, to take care of the children, they will inevitably end up increasing the household chores they do, and eventually specialising in them, which is an impediment when that parent wants to go back to work fulltime.

Kidding Ourselves does give solutions and negotiation tactics for many of the problems it examines , and I've already slotted away a few of them for future use, such as giving a non-primary carer lengthy solo time alone with a child, so that the primary carer's specialisation in childcare is not so pronounced, and therefore the transition back to fulltime work is not so difficult.

Thinking about relationships in terms of negotiation and future tactics is not something I've really thought about specifically before, hence my fascination with this book. An extremely valuable read, especially for those who've never examined this area of their lives, or plan to get married and have children, and want to plan ahead. 4 out of 5 (I would enjoy reading an updated edition, as this one is 10 years old - still very relevant, though, despite that).

03 April, 2006

Young Wives' Tales (ed Lisa Miya-Jervis)

When I first became engaged, I did a lot of thinking about marriage, and being married, and all the ingrained concepts I hold about that particular institution. And browsing in the feminist/women's studies area of the library, I came across this book, and grabbed it.

It was interesting, although I'm not that the editor's had much of a coherent theme in mind while doing their editing. I guess the point was to have a whole spectrum of views and experiences of marriage, but the book as a whole was a little too broad, really.

I enjoyed it thought - it was interesting reading about marriages, honeymoons, divorces, gay marriage, polygamous marriage, marriage with children, marriage without children, celibate marriages. It reminded me that marriage can be whatever you want it to be - there are no rules. Whatever works. So, a patchy but enjoyable read - 3 out of 5.

Vanishing Acts (Jodi Picoult)

I didn't particularly enjoy this story of a woman who works to find missing children discovering that she was kipnapped as a child herself. But was it a real kidnapping? Should the kidnapper be prosecuted? Do we really care?

Not really. This is a very heavy-handed, over the top, novel, and not recommended. 2 out of 5.

Od Magic & The Book of Atrix Wolfe (Patricia McKillip)

I wanted to talk about these two books in the one entry, because they have certain points of similarity, and I didn't want to repeat myself.

Patricia McKillip is an excellent fantasy writer, her stories similar to the best magic realism, in that magic, shapeshifting and tricksy, edges its way perfectly naturally into her worlds. I find it difficult to describe what I find compelling about her voice - her lyrical powers of description are certainly beautiful, her characters are compelling. Her worlds seem ordinary, yet they are wondrous. It is easy to place yourself within them.

I enjoyed Od Magic, a story of the wizard Od, her school of magic, and the strange gardener she recruits, more so than Atrix Wolfe, which explores the idea of a fairy otherworld. Atrix Wolfe was confusing in places, its main character frustratingly obtuse, whereas Od Magic was a delight, although occasionally a tad heavy handed with its societal/political agenda. Very enjoyable. 4 out of 5 for Od Magic, and 3 out of 5 for The Book of Atrix Wolfe.

The Antelope Wife (Louise Erdrich)

The Antelope Wife is a gorgeous novel, a novel of many interconnected stories, about two Ojibwa families. The Amazon.com review by Mary Park says, "Erdrich follows them through two failed marriages, a 'kamikaze' wedding, and several tragic deaths. But the plot also loops and circles back, drawing in a 100-year-old murder, a burned Ojibwa village, a lost baby, several dead twins, and another baby nursed on father's milk."

I loved Erdrich's skill with language, and the insight she gave me into another culture. Myths weave their way through The Antelope Wife - women who can attracted by the fluttering of cloth in the corner of their eye, a dog who tells stories to his alcoholic owner. It's an intricate, very enjoyable read. Five out of five, because I can't think of anything that would reduce its score.