Mary Stuart is a bratty 12 year old girl who is stubbornly "quite contrary." She goes to a party at an abandoned house outside of town even though herMary Stuart is a bratty 12 year old girl who is stubbornly "quite contrary." She goes to a party at an abandoned house outside of town even though her mother tells her not to, and even though none of the older kids want her there. Then, when dared to go through a small door that goes under the house (which she does out of spite), she ends up in "fairy tale land" where she promptly dons Red Riding Hood's outfit and is chased by the Wolf for the rest of the story.
Yeah, I know my summary doesn't make a lot of sense, but neither does the book. First she's in the Wolf's forest, then she runs through a fairy ring and ends up in fairy land, then she's in Viking land(?), then... the story just jumps from one weird random place to another. She has a talking rat named "Rat-in-boots" who doesn't have any boots, and he's perhaps the most likable character (maybe also Scarecrow, the wooden puppet girl). But I even found myself liking Mary, who proves herself to not always being so insufferable - until she goes back to being insufferable.
The problem with the book is that it's all over the place, both literally and figuratively. The author has a penchant for vivid description, which sounds like a good thing but it's just too much and it has too little to do with the overall story, dragging it out in unnecessary and sometimes incoherent detail. Even worse is that there are several hints about the Wolf and Mary, and I kept thinking that by story's-end we'd have something clever tying it all up so that it actually made sense. Alas, no such luck. The story really doesn't make much sense. It's just a long, drawn-out and pointless story with a lot of details that are never put together.
I've had this on my kindle shelf for 8 or 9 years, and based upon the rather low collective rating I expected I'd soon abandon it and call it DNF. But it can actually draw you in, and I feel cheated that I kept thinking the story was actually going somewhere. Mary doesn't act like any 12 year old you know; maybe like a much older teenager. There is quite a bit of profanity at times as well as some violence and gore and alcohol and drug use. There are a number of insinuations about child molestation or rape and even serial killers, but nothing graphic - just enough to make the reader think this story has some point (however unpleasant that point might be) when it really doesn't. I was going to give the book 2 stars, but on second thought I'm not sure it deserves more than one.
Merged review:
Mary Stuart is a bratty 12 year old girl who is stubbornly "quite contrary." She goes to a party at an abandoned house outside of town even though her mother tells her not to, and even though none of the older kids want her there. Then, when dared to go through a small door that goes under the house (which she does out of spite), she ends up in "fairy tale land" where she promptly dons Red Riding Hood's outfit and is chased by the Wolf for the rest of the story.
Yeah, I know my summary doesn't make a lot of sense, but neither does the book. First she's in the Wolf's forest, then she runs through a fairy ring and ends up in fairy land, then she's in Viking land(?), then... the story just jumps from one weird random place to another. She has a talking rat named "Rat-in-boots" who doesn't have any boots, and he's perhaps the most likable character (maybe also Scarecrow, the wooden puppet girl). But I even found myself liking Mary, who proves herself to not always being so insufferable - until she goes back to being insufferable.
The problem with the book is that it's all over the place, both literally and figuratively. The author has a penchant for vivid description, which sounds like a good thing but it's just too much and it has too little to do with the overall story, dragging it out in unnecessary and sometimes incoherent detail. Even worse is that there are several hints about the Wolf and Mary, and I kept thinking that by story's-end we'd have something clever tying it all up so that it actually made sense. Alas, no such luck. The story really doesn't make much sense. It's just a long, drawn-out and pointless story with a lot of details that are never put together.
I've had this on my kindle shelf for 8 or 9 years, and based upon the rather low collective rating I expected I'd soon abandon it and call it DNF. But it can actually draw you in, and I feel cheated that I kept thinking the story was actually going somewhere. Mary doesn't act like any 12 year old you know; maybe like a much older teenager. There is quite a bit of profanity at times as well as some violence and gore and alcohol and drug use. There are a number of insinuations about child molestation or rape and even serial killers, but nothing graphic - just enough to make the reader think this story has some point (however unpleasant that point might be) when it really doesn't. I was going to give the book 2 stars, but on second thought I'm not sure it deserves more than one....more
Mina Ellis is still struggling with the death of her younger brother years before. When another member of her grief support group tells her about a giMina Ellis is still struggling with the death of her younger brother years before. When another member of her grief support group tells her about a girl who claims to be haunted it seems like a good way to get some work experience in her field (child psychology), but part of her also hopes the girl might be able to contact her dead brother. But when they arrive in the remote English village the situation is more complex that Mina is ready for. And when very disturbing events start happening, she's not sure what the truth is.
The first half of the book was very creepy. The kind of creepy that made me very uncomfortable and I had no trouble putting it down when it started to get too late. (Not sure if this makes sense to anyone else but it reminded me a bit of the movie "The Grudge," with it's quickly growing unease and the overwhelmingly creepy sounds...) But eventually (after lots of daylight reading) I got to a point where I wasn't sure anymore what was happening... which was also unsettling. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's very much the kind of story I like - scary but uncertain and making you wonder what's real. Great ending, too. (Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance electronic review copy.)...more
Several years after the disaster at Biodynamism's labs, Howard Duncan is comfortably out of work. Supported financially by the royalties from a book wSeveral years after the disaster at Biodynamism's labs, Howard Duncan is comfortably out of work. Supported financially by the royalties from a book where he tried to set the record straight, and supported emotionally by his wealthy girlfriend, Maggie, he's a bit bored but managing to live his life outside of the scientific field of entomology. But events conspire to drag him back to Brazil, and before he knows it he and his old assistant Cody Boyd are fighting for their lives.
This was a nice and satisfying conclusion to the 4 book series. Like the others, the action doesn't really begin until nearer to the end of the book - which left me feeling quite bored with it by the mid-point. But Koloen does a good job of ramping up the fun - err, chaos as the bugs turn up and start attacking people. There's also a new bunch of bad guys to worry over, and although it dragged in the middle, it was just as fun as the prior books....more
It's Emma Taylor and her daughter, Olivia, against the world. As a single parent raising a young girl, Emma takes a position at a lending library. It'It's Emma Taylor and her daughter, Olivia, against the world. As a single parent raising a young girl, Emma takes a position at a lending library. It's something she's ideally suited for, having been raised by her widowed father who ran a bookstore until it burned down and he died. But when war threatens, she's forced to send her daughter the the countryside in case of German bombers targeting the cities. But Emma manages to find friendships - with her landlady and through the library - and together they help one another through the difficult times.
In spite of a rather slow start, I eventually found a warm and heartfelt story of friendship as well as the love of books. Emma is a very sympathetic character, having to raise her daughter alone after her husband died and on a meager pension. But the challenges she faces, along with the judgement of those around her, often make them even harder. It's an interesting look into look into life during wartime England and how ordinary people coped with the air raids and having to make hard decisions about their children. I'd say 3.5 GR stars but I'll round up to 4. (I rec'd an advance electronic copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)...more
As British troops are being driven from Dunkirk in 1940 and while the Germans have begun to bomb England, John Howard tries to volunteer locally to heAs British troops are being driven from Dunkirk in 1940 and while the Germans have begun to bomb England, John Howard tries to volunteer locally to help. His son John, an RAF pilot, was recently killed in battle, and while he'd like to do anything to contribute and feel useful, he's deemed too elderly at 70 years old. Instead he decides to take a fishing trip to the Jura near the French/Swiss border before it becomes impossible. But after several weeks he begins to hear of a German offensive into France, and plans for his return to England. But an English couple working for the League of Nations in Geneva asks him to take their young children back to England with him, to which he reluctantly agrees. But it soon turns out that the Germans are moving much faster than he or anyone had expected. And as his plans are disrupted and his return goes much slower than he'd hoped, he finds himself surrounded by a ruthless enemy - and picking up other children along the way.
‘You have been very good to me,’ he said quietly. ‘I think I understand now. That was because of John?’ There was a long silence. She stood looking out across the room, motionless. ‘No,’ she said at last. ‘That was because of the children.’ He said nothing, not quite understanding what she meant. ‘One loses faith,’ she said quietly. ‘One thinks that everything is false and bad.’ He glanced at her, puzzled. ‘I did not think there could be anyone so kind and brave as John,’ she said. ‘But I was wrong, monsieur. There was another one. There was his father.’
I've enjoyed other books by Nevil Shute (On the Beach and A Town Like Alice) but was caught by surprise (again!) by just how good his books are. While this one started a bit slow and sluggishly (perhaps just like a slightly depressed 70 year old man), it soon picks up interest as he finds himself in dangerous situations. The speed of the Blitzkrieg is shown in some ugly events, but his patience and determination to do his duty for the children is an inspiration. And by the end, Mr. Howard finds himself in some truly desperate straits. The heroism of some of the French and both the humanity and inhumanity of some of the Nazi's are shown excellently in this novel that was published at the beginning of 1942, when the outcome of the war was nowhere in sight and looked very bleak indeed. There is quite a bit of dialog in French, German, and even Dutch, and although it's often clear what's meant, the "translate" feature in the kindle was extremely helpful. I also frequently had to look up places in France just to get a feeling for where Mr. Howard and the children were. A highly recommended book!...more
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