Another book review

The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner


My rating: 1 of 5 stars
I know it's very early (on page 12) but I'm not impressed with this book so far. For starters, there is a sentence that ends with "a symbolic symbol of defeat". This just struck me as very poor writing - you don't need both words "symbolic" and "symbol" because by definition, a symbol IS symbolic!

I plowed on, determined to give it a chance. But then came to a point when the women of the conquered moors committed suicide and Catalina's (Catherine) eyes were covered to protect her innocence since she is the youngest. This confused me because just prior, the entire royal family rode through the battlefield where the dead and dying still lay. Surely this is no less horrific than watching someone commit suicide?

Additionally, I'm not even sure I believe that the children would be present at the battlefield upon victory. In this book, Juana described her childhood as mainly living in tents alongside battlefields. She even describes the sounds of battle as the sounds she fell asleep and awoke to and in the background of her tutoring. It just doesn't sound very realistic to me - surely the children would be safely tucked far away in a grand house or palace?

I haven't completely written it off yet, only because it gets so many good reviews both here and on Amazon. But this book has a lot to make up for if my opinion on it is going to improve.

Update: I thought if there were no more issues like this, I could enjoy finishing it. But there are. On page 17, the author actually uses the phrase "I could care less"! Not only is this an extremely modern term that has NO place in a novel set in the 15th-16th century but technically, it's not even correct grammar. I'm not even a grammar guru or anything but I still know a phrase like this in a book like this is just appalling. I'm shocked that not only would an author use this term but that it would go unspotted by the editor!

This is more subjective but not long after that, Juana is told she will marry Philip of Flanders. Despite having been betrothed to him since childhood, Juana is shocked. I just found this unrealistic. Although I'm sure leaving your home and family for a foreign land to marry a man you've never met would be distressing and daunting - but it was not uncommon so I'm confused by her shock. Juana follows up her shock with a childish whine "But why me?" I just found this really annoying and it didn't make me like her character at all.

Juana then goes on to try to persuade her father to not marry her off to a foreigner. He uses some very see-through reverse psychology and frustratingly, it works. It doesn't say much for Juana's intelligence and again, it doesn't make me like her character.

Sorry, I know I'm only on page 39 but I gave this book more than enough chances - continuing to read even after what I saw to be at least 5 major flaws. The sixth was the last straw. My husband says life is too short to read books you don't like so I'm giving up on this one.

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The Lost Symbol (belated)

Finished reading this about a month ago but only got around to sharing my thoughts about it now! Slight spoiler warning.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was a bit disappointed to see The Lost Symbol follows Dan Brown's formulistic plotline of "academic expert teams up with attractive single woman whose "father figure" is somehow involved (usually injured or killed and often a leader of a "secret society") to unravel an earth shattering secret while on the run for their lives. But that is my only complaint.

Though not always 100% factual, the general concepts that Brown presents in his books always introduce me to new ideas and information I had never come across before and The Lost Symbol is no exception. Criticize his writing skills all you want, the theories that some of his novels are based on inspire probably millions of people to get on the internet and research it themselves. How many books have accomplished that? There is obviously something worthy about his material.

The theory of Intention in particular struck a cord with me. In a way, the concepts are familiar ones: prayer, positive thinking, even a bit of Karma. But to learn there are scientific studies going on as we speak which could potentially prove the benefits of such acts? Have I been living in a cave or is this really as groundbreaking as it sounds?

Though I can't credit Dan Brown with the idea or studies of Intention, I can thank him for bringing it to my attention in a fun, entertaining, action-packed story.

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Books

Finally! I recently finished reading "Memoirs of Cleopatra" by Margaret George, a historical fiction about Cleopatra VII. It wasn't a bad book but it was very long (about 1130 pages of small text) and wound up taking me over a year to read! I go through phases where I'm not in the mood to read for a while so that didn't help. Usually those phases occur inbetween books but this novel was so long, it occurred during it.

Anyway, since finally finishing "Cleopatra" I have taken up David Starkey's "Henry, Virtuous Prince", a history of Henry VIII early life. I was a little tentative about reading a history book rather than a historical novel. I was worried it would be dry and boring or that it would be written in some snobby intellectual way that I could not keep up with. But it's neither. It gives great insight into who and what from Henry's childhood and early life helped shaped the man and king and David Starkey is known for making history interesting, not boring. Let's just say it's going much faster than Margaret George's lengthy historical fictions, lol.

Of course I'm writing all this while watching a documentary on Helen of Troy in the background too - how obsessed with history am I? lol

Now for some hopefully less boring updates: tonight Steve and I are off to see Derren Brown, a performer who uses psychological tricks like subliminal messages on his audience to do "magic" and "mind reading". But he doesn't claim to be psychic, he's quite clear that they are all tricks and often reveals how he did them. It's very interesting to see how suggestive we all are to such psychological trickery. I just hope I'm not picked to take part!

On Sunday, we're going to the Didsbury Inn (yes, again!) but this time with some friends of Steve's.

We have off work on Monday for a bank holiday (May Day) so we're going to the new Liverpool shopping center - Liverpool One. I need to look for a dress and bathing suit for Jamaica!