Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Seduction by M.J. Rose - Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours


Seduction by M.J. Rose
Atria Books 2013

Format? paperback ARC
Source? the publisher via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

**FTC Disclosure:  I received a complimentary copy of Seduction from the publisher in exchange for a review.  However, the review below and the opinions therein are mine and offered without bias.

Title? oh yes, not the kind of seduction that the reader immediately thinks either...smooth, silky, touches at the heart of who you are and who you love seduction, hard to walk away from even though you know with every fiber of your being that you should seduction

Cover? I think the woman is Fantine...that's who it is to me. Love it.

Reminded me of? So many times in this book I was reminded of Kate Chopin's The Awakening, which is one of my favorite books of. all. time.
Owain and Roan - Jacob and Esau, Cain and Able
Theo and Ash - Bobby and J.R. Ewing...and any other contemporary brother feuds...don't roll your eyes...I did want to smack these two around a bit from time to time.

Why? I missed out on The Book of Lost Fragrances and was determined not to miss out again.

What Now? I must have The Book of Lost Fragrances NOW.  Can't believe I've done it again and read things out of order.  Doesn't matter. I don't even care in this case.  Be prepared for me to gush below because I. loved. this. book.


Golden Lines

"Creatures have an authenticity about them, a purity people don't possess.  Our complexity overwhelms us." (41)

Very little was known about these people whose civilization could be traced back to the Bronze Age in 1200 BCE.  Most of what had been written about them came from biased and bigoted accounts from the Romans who considered the pastoral, pagan Celts barbarians.  Pull away the veil of prejudice and what emerged for Jac was a complex, deeply spiritual and evolved society. (63)

I know I can never satisfy my longing for a ghost.  The thought alone is madness!  But I crave her.  I want to experience her in the way that only mortals can experience each other - with taste and touch and smell.  But she has none of these.  She is shadow and smoke.  Knowing that makes no difference.  My passion won't listen to logic.  And so my poetry fills with her.  My sleep has begun to suffer.  Day after day, I find myself desiring to commune with the dead more than the living. (75)

To be a decent writer you must have both empathy and imagination.  While these attributes aid your art, they can plague your soul.  (80)

I had never met a woman who was as empty emotionally and accepting of it as you were.  Who was a s dead inside and so at peace with it. (81)

As the fragrance filled the corners and seeped into the fabrics, it transformed a strange room into a familiar one.  With so few constants in her life, and so much of her family gone, scent was how she remembered  and kept herself sane. (85)

Nature was a fine sculptress as well as perfumer.  A leafy canopy shaded the allee and the air smelled sweet.  Hazels were rich with symbolism, and the air around them was said to be laced with magically charged energy that helped those who breathed it to gain wisdom and poetic inspiration. (89)

"Everything changed though in 1855, when Victor Hugo, who was living in exile in Jersey at the time, introduced Pierre to a young Parisian woman named Fantine." (115)

"We get to any given point via the choices we make.  Even those that seem insignificant have far-reading implications." (121)

"You're not here to take medicine and get better," Malachai had explained on Jac's first day.  "You're here to study your psyche, learn from it, and then use those lessons to develop coping skills." (134)

I am a rational man.  I live in exile because of what I believe: that the church and the clergy are evil oppressors.  That they use the fear of the unknown to control those who are uneducated.  I believe in the rights of the individual and that the government is corrupt and not dedicated to its citizens. (215)

I am Lucifer.  All I want is for man to have the same knowledge as God. (223)

Suddenly Jac felt the air wavering around her.  Familiar shivers ran up and down her arms, pinpricks of cold that alerted her to what was coming.  The smells around her intensified.  The light dimmed.  Shadows descended.  Her thoughts threatened to ebb away.  She was suffering the first warning signs of an encroaching hallucination. (237)

This was the circle of stones he'd been alternately terrified by and fascinated by as a child, and which he most often gravitated to as a teenager.  Even though it sometimes frightened him to be here, this was wehre he came to be alone.  To think.  To weep. This was where he felt the most in touch with himself.  Even if that self was in hell. (261)

Ruefully, she thought of Oedipus and the futility of trying to escape your fate.  But she didn't believe in fate. (279)

For Fantine and the child who will be mine. (338)

But he had, in the end, chosen life. (366)

Summary

Jac L'Etoile's life and work is mixed with Victor Hugo and ancient mythology as she tries to recover from her own psychological issues.   Against the advice of her therapist, Malachai, Jac travels to Jersey Island to visit with another patient from her Blixer Rath days, Theo Gaspard.  Theo and Jac have a spiritual connection strong enough to save them both from their own independent turmoils as long as they don't fall into it too deeply.  Theo and Jac search for Victor Hugo's journals of the seances he participated in while in exile on Jersey in order to get to the bottom of their connection and what it means to the past as well as any future they might have together or independently as survivors.

What I Liked

Fantine, Fantine, Fantine, Fantine - she's not even a main character but I connected with her somehow, someway.  I've never lost a child, but I got her sadness...to her core.  I understood her logic.  What a character.  

Spirituality - Who we are as spiritual beings begins with what we're taught...but ends up being a conglomeration of what we're taught, what we choose to study and our life's experiences.  Spirituality seeps from every possible pore of The Seduction.  Yes, there are some aspects which are hard for the reader to wrap his/her mind around...things we automatically doubt or feel as if we are betraying our faith if we think about other options...but I think that's the point.  Not to change anyone's mind...but to think about the possibilities that so much spirituality, throughout centuries, overlaps in some way.  Could it be possible that various religions, beliefs are one in the same but re-named or built upon over time?  

Death - The possibilities of reincarnation would be difficult to discuss without death...and it's not that I like discussing death...but these characters were susceptible and even weakened by their losses.  As humans, no matter how intelligent we are, the loss of a loved one, especially in tragic, unexpected circumstances, can literally mess with one's mind.

Literary historical fiction - as if I need another kind of historical fiction to love, I'm over the moon for historical fiction that builds on what we know of a classic author's life.  

Fragrance - honestly when I began reading, I had no idea The Seduction was a continuation of The Book of Lost Fragrances.  *Yes, I need a thump on the head :p  Jac's sensitivity to smell is incredible (obviously the reason she was born into a family of perfumers.  I knew quickly that if Rose's lyrical descriptions of the combinations of smells around Jac were anything like The Book of Lost Fragrances, that I would need the other book quickly.  I could smell most of what Rose described...and I wanted desperately to smell the natural components she described with which I was unfamiliar.  I myself am sensitive to smell and have been all my life, so the references to fragrance and how they affect us psychologically were very easy for me to follow.  

Timeframes - 1855, present day, 56 BCE
Another aspect of Rose's writing that is absolutely the very best I've seen in a long time...I was never confused and wanted to enter each period as much as the others.  

The Shadow of the Sepulcher - now don't get me wrong; I didn't "like" him, but Rose's description of him is one of the best I've read in a long time.

Jac's relationship with her brother Robbie - he saved her life both literally (as a child) and figuratively so many times.  Their bond was one that held both of them up.

Gwenore - I so want to know more about this part of the story...a woman of ancient civilization who was respected and loved, who held knowledge that her people honored, who questioned her husband's experiences and added to his visions with her own gifts.  In the end, she too walked voluntarily into her destiny (again, very much like The Awakening)

Google factor:
Elizabeth Castle
Jersey, Channel Islands, Great Britain 
Charles the Second - English Civil War
Victor Hugo's exile in Jersey
Fantine
LEtoile - star (can't tell you more than that)
the Cathars, the Inquisition, early America - branding of those with differences
Jung's theory of collective unconscious
Celtic Druids
Jersey history during WWII - connections with Guernsey history, German invasion, protection of the Jews
those who helped the Jews protect their family heirlooms
Marine Terrace - Hugo's home in Jersey
Rocher des Proscrits - Rock of the Outlaws
Wiccan reenactments of Celtic ceremonies
the legend of La Dame Blanche
La Pouquelaye de Faldouet
Neolithic-period temples and burial sites - ley lines


What I Didn't Like

Ash - didn't like him from the moment he showed up.  I also didn't like the childishness of Ash and Theo's relationship.  Will it change after the finale of The Seduction? I have no idea.  

I wasn't done with this story...especially that of Owain, Roan, Gwenore and Brice and how their past affected so many futures...and most especially, now that the circle had been closed, how the present future would be affected.  (Now if that's not a convoluted sentence, I don't know what is ;)


Overall Recommendation

If you like historical fiction mixed with present day ghost stories, stories deeply intertwined with human psyche, spirituality from a variety of perspectives, fragrance, family dynamics over generations including choices and consequences that are apparent even centuries later, you will LOVE The Seduction.

The Author




Other Stops on the Tour

VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE

Monday, March 25
Review at Luxury Reading

Tuesday, March 26
Review at Peppermint, Ph.D.

Wednesday, March 27

Thursday, March 28
Interview at A Bookish Libraria

Friday, March 29
Review & Guest Post at vvb32Reads

Monday, April 1
Review at A Bookish Affair
Review & Guest Post at The Novel Life
Review & Guest Post at The Lit Bitch

Tuesday, April 2
Guest Post at A Bookish Affair

Wednesday, April 3

Thursday, April 4

Friday, April 5

Monday, April 8
Review at Girls Just Reading
Interview at The Novel Life

Tuesday, April 9
Review & Guest Post at Kinx’s Book Nook

Wednesday, April 10

Thursday, April 11
Guest Post at Literary Marie

Friday, April 12
Review at West Metro Mommy

Monday, April 15
Review at Layered Pages

Tuesday, April 16

Wednesday, April 17

Thursday, April 18

Friday, April 19
Guest Post at Flashlight Commentary

Monday, April 22
Review at Impressions in Ink

Tuesday, April 23
Review at Review From Here

Wednesday, April 24
Guest Post at The Maiden’s Court

Thursday, April 25

Friday, April 26

Monday, April 29
Review at A Chick Who Reads

Tuesday, April 30
Interview at A Chick Who Reads

Wednesday, May 1

Thursday, May 2
Review at Unabridged Chick

Friday, May 3

Monday, May 6
Review at Amused by Books

Tuesday, May 7

Wednesday, May 8
Review at Buried Under Books

Thursday, May 9
Interview at Buried Under Books

Friday, May 10
Review at Savvy Verse & Wit

Monday, May 13

Tuesday, May 14
Review at Words and Peace
Guest Post at Historical Tapestry

Wednesday, May 15
Review at Stiletto Storytime

Thursday, May 16
Review at From Left to Write
Guest Post at Stiletto Storytime

Friday, May 17
Review at A Novel Review

Monday, May 20
Review at Broken Teepee

Tuesday, May 21
Guest Post at Broken Teepee

Wednesday, May 22

Thursday, May 23
Review at Man of La Book
Guest Post at Bags, Books and Bon Jovi

Friday, May 24
Review at The Calico Critic

Monday, May 27
Review at Paperback Princess

Tuesday, May 28
Guest Post at Blood Mother Blog

Wednesday, May 29
Guest Post at To Read or Not to Read

Thursday, May 30
Review at Book Nerds
Guest Post at Cheryl’s Book Nook

Monday, June 3
Review at A Book Geek

Tuesday, June 4
Review at Tribute Books Mama
Guest Post at My Shelf Confessions

Wednesday, June 5

Thursday, June 6
Guest Post at Book Nerds

Friday, June 7
Review at Book Drunkard

Monday, June 10

Tuesday, June 11
Review & Interview at Pure Textuality

Wednesday, June 12
Review at From the TBR Pile

Thursday, June 13
Review & Guest Post at Books by the Willow Tree

Friday, June 14

Monday, June 17
Review at Mari Reads

Tuesday, June 18
Guest Post at Mari Reads

Wednesday, June 19

Thursday, June 20
Review at History and Women
Guest Post at Daisy’s Book Journal

Friday, June 21

Monday, June 24

Tuesday, June 25
Guest Post at The True Book Addict

Wednesday, June 26
Interview at Judith Starkston Blog

Thursday, June 27

Friday, June 28




Monday, March 25, 2013

TLC Book Review - The Prisoner of Heaven


The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
HarperCollins 2011

Format? Hardback
Source? the publisher via TLC Book Tours

**FTC Disclaimer: I received a copy of The Prisoner of Heaven from the publisher in exchange for a review.  However, the review below and the opinions therein are my own and are offered without bias.

Title? I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I'm not sure which of them is the prisoner.  Fermin or Martin would be the obvious choices, but I could also make a case for several of the other characters, dead or alive, human or not.  I'd love to hear what others thought of the title and its meaning.

Cover? I'm assuming the man running in Fermin...but he's in a suit...this could indicate his planned wedding day, but I'm not sure.  Hopefully somebody will straighten me out on this.  The cover reminds me of the movie/musical "Catch Me if You Can."

Why? I missed this when it first came out in hardback but didn't miss all the reviews.  I can't stand feeling left out of something important, so I wanted to dive into Prisoner of Heaven if I could.

What Now? The Prisoner of Heaven reads like a classic to me...this one is going in the antique secretary, and I will most definitely be reading the other two books in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series...sooner rather than later.

Golden Lines

I was beginning to think that something odd must be happening to Fermin Romero de Torres - proud standard-bearer of civil resistance against the Holy Mother Church, banks and good manners in that pious 1950's Spain so given to religious services and propaganda newsreels - for him to display such urgency for tying the knot. (7)

"Do bear in mind that when women have a baby, it's as if someone had dropped an atom bomb of hormones into their bloodstream.  One of the great mysteries of nature is how they don't go crazy during the twenty seconds that follow birth.  I know all of this because obstetrics, after free verse, is one of my hobbies."  (45)

The prisoner started to whimper like a wounded dog and was shaking so violently that the governor, who clearly found the scene distasteful and wanted to put an end to the matter as soon as possible, exchanged a glance with the guard and, without saying a word, wrote the name the prisoner had given him in the register, swearing under his breath. 
"Bloody war," he muttered to himself when they took the prisoner to his cell, dragging him naked through the flooded tunnels. (62)

"You're a good man, Fermin.  Try not to let it show," the writer would tell him. (73)

"Sometimes one just gets tired of fleeing," said Fermin. "The world's very small when you don't have anywhere to go." (81)

"Trying to stop Isabella is like trying to stop a cargo train: a fool's errand." (111)

"You've given me back the truth," I said.  "I'm going to give you back your name." (204)

His tiny figure was engulfed by the great beam of light pouring down from the glass dome in the ceiling.  Brightness fell in a vaporous cascade over the sprawling labyrinth of corridors, tunnels, staircases, arches and vaults that seemed to spring from the floor like the trunk of an endless tree of books and branched heavenwards displaying an impossible geometry.  Fermin stepped on to a gangway extending like a bridge into the base of the structure.  He gazed at the sight open mouthed.  I drew up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Welcome to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, Fermin." (264)

Summary

A mysterious stranger shows up one day at Sempere & Sons bookshop with a crypic message for Fermin Romero de Torres.  The stranger leaves the message with Daniel Sempere ("Son") who follows the stranger and then relays the message to Fermin.  In order to convince Daniel, who Fermin loves like a son, to stay away from the dangerous man, Fermin tells Daniel the rest of his story...the part that he left out so many years ago.
Fermin was a political prisoner during the Spanish Civil War of 1939.  He was a pawn of the communist regime and thrown into a cell at the prison of Montjuic Castle...a prison from which no one escaped and most never left alive.
There Fermin meets famed author David Martin who befriends Fermin as much as is possible in order to enable Fermin's survival as well as the survival, he hopes, of his lover Isabella Sempere and her son Daniel.  Martin is imprisoned because of his ability, or so his captor thinks, to re-write history, to perpetuate the propaganda and the career of one very evil but powerful man, Mauricio Valls.  Valls is the "governor" in charge of the prison while Fermin and Martin are incarcerated.
Somehow Martin must accomplish his task while holding on the very last threads of his sanity.
Fermin's bond with the Semperes is explained fully through the retelling of Fermin's history, and Daniel's relationships with both his father and Fermin are affected once the story is complete.  Their lives will forever be intertwined with that of Fermin and unfortunately Mauricio Valls.

What I Liked

Fermin and his wit - I can't tell you how many times I snorted at Fermin's one liners :)

Fermin's friendship, respect for women, respect for Senor Sempere...to have one friend like Fermin would be everyone's wish.

Fermin's history - a harsh history no doubt, but necessary to the story to understand the stranger, the "keys," and the man...even though I was stunned to find him such a seemingly well-adjusted person once Ruiz Zafon had told Fermin's story.

Rocito - saved by Fermin and spends the rest of her life repaying him...but is also able to look at her circumstances realistically while not laying around whining or blubbering about them.  Hard times call for hard measures, and Rocito had the figurative balls to keep moving forward.

Bebo - a small speck of kindness is an unbelievably cruel circumstance. 

David Martin - despite his slow descent into insanity, he was smart enough and cared enough to do what needed to be done at that time in order to guarantee the future.

The writing - lyrical, smooth, flowing, entrancing, the kind of words and prose a reader actually wants to read more than once...just for the experience of the ride.  Great stuff, here...again, destined to be a classic in my opinion.

the letter from David Martin and the angel - I can't tell you about these things, but these are the kinds of tidbits that make readers jump up and down and clap their hands :):)

The Cemetery of Forgotten Books - if you read enough about history, you find that so many times as regimes changed, those in charge burned books...they purged the land of any and all semblance of previous regimes and then re-filled the bookshelves with their own agendas.  As fragile as books are, I find it very interesting that again, over and over, throughout history, books survive.  I am sure the survival of books is due in part at least to the actions of those who take it upon themselves to salvage the whole story...and not just the parts prioritized by the whims of ruler after ruler after ruler.  We owe these people throughout history a great debt.


What I Didn't Like

The scenes from prison - graphic depictions of the cruelty, evil at work and pure helplessness on the part of the prisoner, even the guards who wish to help, and of course, the reader.  How many more times in my adult life will I learn of horrific history that I honestly never knew anything about?  How does this stuff get swept under the rug??

Mauricio Valls - I tried to think of an animal who takes advantage of any and every possible situation to further its life while stealing from other more deserving creatures...one that knows no bounds when it comes to lowering itself and one that is inherently evil.  Truly evil.  I couldn't think of one.  Valls is in a category all his own, and it degrades even buzzards to compare him to them.  Buzzards do actually have a purpose, as do weasels, etc, but not Valls.


Overall Recommendation

The Prisoner of Heaven is a story of history, war, literature, political prisoners, family, friendship, perseverance, grit, determination, unconditional love, humor, and evil.  




The Author


Other Stops on the Tour


Tuesday, March 12th: Bibliophiliac
Wednesday, March 13th: Lectus
Thursday, March 14th: five borough book review
Monday, March 18th: Lavish Bookshelf
Tuesday, March 19th: Book Dilettante
Monday, March 25th: Peppermint PhD
Wednesday, March 27th: Unabridged Chick
Thursday, March 28th: 5 Minutes For Books
Friday, March 29th: From the TBR Pile
Monday, April 1st: A Utah Mom’s Life
Tuesday, April 2nd: Curling Up By The Fire
Wednesday, April 3rd: Shall Write
Monday, April 8th: guiltless reading
Tuesday, April 9th: A Bookish Way of Life
Wednesday, April 10th: Book Snob
Thursday, April 11th: Love at First Book