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Title: The Witch's Trinity
Author: Erika Mailman
ISBN: 978030735153
Publisher: Three Rivers Press/2007
Pages: 257
As soon as I received this book, I started reading it. I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Long after finishing the novel, it stays in mind. I would call it one of the best reads of 2008.
The novel is based in a small town in mediaval Germany, which is suffering from severe famine. Food is scarce on the table. And it is severe winters too. Meanwhile a Friar arrives into the town carrying with him a book called Malleus Malefaction, which is supposed to be a guide for identifying witchcraft. He implies that the town is under the spell of witches which are conniving with the Devil.
The narrator, Gude Muller is an old woman living with her son, daughter in law and their two children. She knows that due to the food shortage, her daughter in law wants her out of their life and thus is afraid what she might tell the friar to gain favours.
When Gude's friend, Kunne is taken for a witch and burnt at the stake, Gude knows it is her turn now. Despite her son's support and faith in her, she is very scared. Gude has hallucinations, which seem very real to her. She is filled with guilt because of those and half believes that she is a witch herself. That is most scary part of this book.
This book only emphasises the madness of witch hunting, which kind of spread to all parts of the world like an epidemic. It needed only a few words out of the mouth to condemn someone as a witch. The very poor or the very outspoken were targeted and burnt at the stake without any trial or hearing. Believe me, it still happens in a few parts of India. What has really changed?
It is a very well written novel, which keeps one totally engrossed. After reading The HERetic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent, I am very glad I read it. I recommend both to be read one after the other. They are written in entirely different styles with a common thread of witch hunting.
Title: Lost and Found
Title: Sarah's Key
Author: Tatiana de Rosnay
ISBN: 9780312370848
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin/2007
Pages: 293/Trade Paperback
Sarah's Key too interested me via the blogging world. The publicist of the book was kind enough to send me a copy of it. I am very glad I requested and received this book. This book opened up facts I had not known before. That the French police being responsible for rounding up thousands of Jews in Paris and sending them to Auschwitz to die. Those included more than 4000 children between the age of 2 to 12. Those children were citizens of France. But it did not matter a fig for the police. And the people too turned a blind eye. It seems that France has kept it well hidden from the world.
It is July 1942, Paris. Sarah is a ten year old girl, who is taken away from her home along with her parents, in the middle of the night. Meanwhile, she hides her 4 year old brother in a cubboard which is not visible. She promises to come back for him. Her parents are taken away from her and unknown to her, sent to their death.
After 60 years, Julia Jarmond, an American journalist settled in Paris investigates the roundup. She stumbles upon certain secrets which almost rips apart her life. But she knows she has to find out what happened to Sarah Starzynski. And she keeps doing it no matter what. The past and present run in parallel. It keeps the reader rivetted till the end. It stays in mind long after reading the book. We cry with Sarah, for Sarah. We need to know what happened to her. Where did she go? Did she survive at all?
I am glad that I read it. I am glad I got to know about the French connection. It is fiction but it is totally based on facts. And this has made me look up more material on that period of time. What I want to know why did the French keep it all hidden? Even now not much is known about it.
As it is said in the book. Remember. Never forget.
Such books should be read by ALL of us.
Title: The Triumph of Deborah
Author: Eva Etzioni-Halevy
ISBN: 9780452289062
Publisher: A Plume Book/2008
Pages: 355
Book Blurb:
In ancient Israel, war is looming. Deborah, a highly respected leader, has coerced the warrior Barak into launching a strike against the neighboring Canaanites. Against all odds he succeeds, returning triumphantly with Asherah and Nogah, daughters of the Canaanite King, as his prisoners. But military victory is only the beginning of the turmoil, as a complex love triangle develops between Barak and the two princesses.
Deborah, recently cast off by her husband, develops a surprising affinity for Barak. Yet she struggles to rebuild her existence on her own terms, while also groping her way toward the greatest triumph of her life.
What led you to pick up this book?
It was doing the rounds of book blogging world. The storyline pulled me in. I asked Eva for a copy and she was kind enough to send me one.
What did you like most about the book?
I like the strong character of Deborah. In those times when women had no say, she was widely respected for her wisdom. I also learnt a lot about Israel's history. Many a things might have changed but some remain the same way. Our culture is embedded in us. I felt so is the Israel culture. I found many a similarities between Hindu and Canaanite weddings.
What did you like least?
I think the sex scenes could have been toned down a bit. At a few points I felt Barak was only ruled by his desires of the flesh. So that kind of detracts from the storyline.
What did you think of the writing style?
Etzioni-Halevy's writing is simple. It does help the reader to be engrossed in the novel.
Which of your readers are most likely to enjoy this book? Why?
Those who like history and wish to know more about religion will like it. It clearly depicts geography and makes a socio-political statement for that period of time.
What did you think of the main character? What is the central character’s biggest problem?
Deborah is a wonderful woman, strong-willed and very objective in her views. She can forsee the future, abhors war yet knows that it is needed too. Her biggest problem is that at one point of time she listens to her heart than her mind. This affects her relationship with her husband.
What did you think of the ending?
I liked it. With the help of Deborah, Asherah and Nogah, peace finally prevails. War is given up for good.
Do you recommend this book? If you use a rating system, what’s your rating?
Yes, I do recommend it for all those who like historical fiction and I rate it 3.5/5. In other words, I liked it.
I don't know how I got to know Dewey. But after I landed up on her blog, I never looked back. Her blog simply drew us all in. Her reading was vast and varied. I looked up at what she had to say about a particular book. As I said before on my blog, I was in awe of her. She had so much enthusiasm that it kind of attracted us to her. She kept the book blogging spirit alive by doing 24 hour read-a-thon, which I loved. Out of three, I participated in two. This time I also won 5 bookmooch points, which I forgot to redeem. She wrote me to remind me of that.
I liked to do the Weekly Geeks. It kept the book blogging community alive. She made sure we visited each other. Her giveaways were generous. I for one, won three books from her.
I had some inkling of her illness but did not know the seriousness of it. Yes, I will miss her. I am missing her. Hope she is looking at all of us from up there. Dewey, we will keep the community feeling alive. We have to. You started it, we got to make it grow.
Love you Dewey, wherever you are. It hardly matters that I never met you.
Title: Any Given Doomsday
Author: Lori Handel
ISBN: 9780312949198
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperback/2008
Pages: 343
I had seen this book make the rounds of book blogging world and requested a copy from the author. She was kind enough to send me one. This book is pegged as urban fantasy. I usually do not go in for paranormal fiction. This time I thought to read one or two books on that.
Elizabeth Phoenix is a psychic who helps the police to fight against injustice. She is good at it too, although she does not know how she got the psychic skills. Her foster mother is found murdered and she becomes unconscious while she is there. She has this strange memory of seeing weird creatures. Her former lover, Jimmy Sanducci is presumed to be involved in the murder.
Jimmy knows the truth and makes it known the evil has been there from the beginning of time and she is the chosen one to lead and destroy it. Elizabeth has no inkling what to do other than her instincts to follow.
So far so good. As a start this sounds good. But it fizzles out in the middle. Too many creatures, to many things happening, which somehow do not connect. And there is excess of sex. I felt those were not needed. Not with Jimmy or with Sawyer. The sex is kind of demeaning, to control her. That completely put me off. I think I should better stay away from paranormal fiction, if it is one. For those who like that genre, it might interest them a lot. I kept waiting for the climax and I was disappointed.
Recently I read and reviewed The HERetic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent. I liked her work immensely. When I asked to do an interview with her, she was kind enough to agree despite a busy schedule. So here I go, without much ado!
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1. How much time did it take to write The Heretic's Daughter? Did you have stumbling blocks in the way? If so, what?
It took me about five years to do the research and writing of the novel. I studied every bit of historical source material on the Salem witch trials I could find as well as family genealogical records. I visited historical societies throughout New England and read quite a few letters and sermons from 17th century Massachussetts to get the rhythm and cadence of the language right. English today in the U.S. is quite a bit different than the way the colonists spoke in the 1690's, so my most difficult task was getting the narratives to sound authentic, without making it too cumbersome for the modern reader. I went through four major drafts of the original manuscript before I started sending it out to agents and publishers.
2. Do you have any favourite spot that you like to write in (i.e. sitting on the bed, in a comfortable chair or out in the open, etc.)?
I actually wrote "The Heretic's Daughter" at a little desk in my kitchen. My husband traveled for business most of the week, and my son was in school, so the house was quiet. Now my husband works from home, so I have moved my desk up to my bedroom where I can close the door, turn off the phone and write. I usually try to work from 9:00 in the morning until 1:00 in the afternoon.
3. What was the process you went through to find a publisher for you book? Was it dificult?
I had no contacts in publishing and didn't have a clue how to publish my work---so I went to the book store and bought a book, "How to find an agent." I made a list of agents in the U.S. whose clients wrote historical fiction and sent out cover letters saying, in effect, "Please read my book because. . . ." I got a lot of very nice (and some not so nice) rejection letters before getting interest from my present agent. She had done her master's thesis in college about the Salem witch trials and loved my novel. It was she who approached the publishers and, though her help, I was able to get a deal. It took about a year from the time I started looking for an agent to the time I was signed to a publisher.
4. Are you writing full-time? If yes, do you think it is a good decision?
I am writing full time, working on my second novel which is a prequel to "The Heretic's Daughter." It too is historical fiction and will explore the life of Thomas Carrier who, legend says, was one of the executioner's of King Charles I of England. I have always wanted to be a full time novelist but, because of family obligations, I worked full time in various commerical enterprises. It wasn't until I moved with my family from New York City to Texas, and after years of saving up for this purpose, that I was able to write full time. It is a dream come true to be published and I'm filled every day with gratitude that I have the opportunity to have a second book published.
5. What were you doing before you decided to be writer? Did that help in your writing career in any way?
I worked for ten years as an Operations Manager in commodity trading in New York, and then for another ten years as a defense conversion contractor, traveling to Russia for the U.S. Department of Defense--in essence turning swords into ploughshares. So my work was completely unrelated to publishing, but I always secretly wanted to be a wrtier.
6. Can you please describe you writing style and the various influences you have had or having?
My biggest influences, I believe, were from reading Charles Dickens, Edgar A. Poe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne as a child. I had no formal training in writing other than English classes in college, so I had to develop my own writing style over the five years I researched the novel. Many of the stories in the book were told to me by my mother and grandmother about the Carrier family and the Salem witch trials, but the actual narration was either influenced by the actual court transcripts or from the contemporary language of theologians writing about the events surrounding the witch hysteria of 1692.
7. When is your next book coming out and about what?
I am now writing the prequel to "The Heretic's Daughter" which will hopefully be finished by the spring. It will also be published by Little Brown and will explore the life of my 9 times great-grandfather, Thomas Carrier, who lived to 109 years of age, was over 7 feet tall, and was, by family accounts, a soldier for Cromwell during the English civil wars.
8. Do you have any favourite authors?
Can you tell us why you like them? I love historical fiction. Some of my favorite contemporary authors are Iain Pears and Charles Palliser because of the way they capture time and place in the details of their writing. I also love Annie Dillard for her gorgeous writing style; "Pilgrim at Tinker's Creek" takes my breath away. I also love Cormac McCarthy---his "border trilogy" is, to me, one of the most brilliant depictions of the fortitude, courage, and violence, of the American experience of the new west.
9. What are you reading now?
I just finished "The Witch's Trinity" by Erika Mailman which is about the witch hysteria in a small village in Germany in the 16th century. The similarities to the witch trials in New England are very sobering. The usual suspects were women who were brought to trial and executed because they were mentally unstable, midwives and "healers", or very outspoken and challenging to the society in which they lived.
10. Do you have any book recommendations for my readers?
I recently finished "The Good Thief" by Hannah Tinti, which is about an orphan adopted by thieves who take the child on a strange and dangerous journey towards the discovery of his parentage and family history. It is very "Dickensian"---dark and, at times, scary. Great fun.
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Thanks Kathleen! It was fun doing the interview.
Check out
Kathleen's site
Author: Kalpanik S.
ISBN: 9780981476216
Publisher: Center of Artificia Imagination/2008
Pages: 163
I received this book from Ijustfinished.com. I had read this book long time back but got to write a review only now. Frankly speaking, this book is not easy to review. That is not to say, I didn't enjoy reading it. On the contrary.
Kalpanik S. is an artificial imagination software program who lives with his wife and two daughters in the United States. Despite being a software programme, he has been solely created to be different, to feel and be like a real human. This book takes the reader through adventures of Kalpanik.
Artificial Imagination is a humorous and well-written book. It has some great photographs. I enjoyed the book although it is written very differently from what I usually read. I would recommend it for all science lovers! However, it is not a book meant to be read by all.
Author: Heather Graham
ISBN: 9780778325208
Publisher: Mira/2007
Pages: 379
The book opens with an explosion where Leslie's fiance Matt Connolly is killed and she is injured. Even a year later, she can't get over it. She is an archaeologist and immerses herself in work to forget him. However, now she is capable of seeing and talking to ghosts after that explosion.
On the behest of her boss Brad, she returns to lower Manhattan, the site of explosion to investigate a newly discovered burial ground. She finds restless spirit roaming the site, who are trapped there in time. Leslie stays in the Hasting House, the place where the explosion had taken place killing Matt with three others. She is not afraid of the dead. She can see ghosts but she can't see Matt. Yet he visits her in her dreams, giving her clues of the explosion and trying to protect her from harm.
Joe, Matt's cousin is investigating the disappearance of a very famous social worker. Their paths cross and both sense that is something sinister going on. Leslie can feel the evil in her bones. By the day, Joe protects her and at nights Matt comes in her dream. She does feel a pull towards Joe, who looks so much like Matt. Are they able to save her from the evil?
The Dead Room is fast paced, has that element of mystery and undying love which is beyond comprehension. The world of living and dead merges here at one point. Very suited to the story. The ending might disappoint a few but I thought it was perfect.
