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Tag: book reviews

The Enchanted April: Book Review

It was winter and I was commuting to work on public transportation and my commute involved a train, a shuttle bus, the metro, and a whole lot of standing around at exposed train stations, bus stops and metro platforms. Needless to say, I was feeling forlorn, cranky, sorry for myself, cold and wet, burned out, and slightly put upon.

So I decided to bring my unread copy of The Enchanted April, along for the ride. Why did I have an unread copy of The Enchanted April just lying around for the house? you might reasonably ask. Allow me to explain.

I love, love, love the 1991 movie version, which is critically acclaimed and has Joan Plowright in its cast. However, despite the fact that practically everyone loved this movie, I took a long time joining the party because (1) I was too young to appreciate it when it first came out and (2) when I finally was old enough to appreciate it, I was a bit “over” movies about Italy (having seen one too many films like Il Postino, Under the Tuscan Sun, Life is Beautiful, and Eat Pray Love.)

One day I finally decided to rent it (I’d seen all of the other rom-coms, I guess) and, of course, I loved it. So, I ordered the book. When it arrived, I immediately opened it up to my favorite line (from the movie) where Lotty says:

“I–I’ve done nothing but duties, things for other people, ever since I was a girl, and I don’t believe anybody loves me a bit–a bit–the be-better–and I long–oh, I long–for something else–something else–”

Thus, having satisfied myself that the movie was faithful to the book and having loved the movie so much I couldn’t imagine how reading the book could improve my opinion of the story, I closed the book, placed it safely in the bookcase where it stayed for the next couple of years, while I remained too busy to read it/think about it/think about reading it (I did, however re-watch the movie several times in the interim).

Then the winter of my discontent arrived–or, at least, the winter of my horrid commute–so I read The Enchanted April.

I Was Enchanted

The best thing about this book is that it really is enchanted–not in the sense that it has magic or fairies or pixie dust, but in the sense that it has the very real ability to transport one to a delightful villa in Italy…in April. You feel the sunshine, you smell the wisteria, you taste the pasta. I looked forward to my commute in the cold and fog because it meant I’d get to go to San Salvatore once more. April in San Salvatore beats December in San Francisco hands down.

The downside (for me anyway) of seeing the movie version before reading the book is that the element of surprise is largely removed. Yet, what was surprising was Elizabeth von Arnim’s writing style. She was witty and insightful and I enjoyed her characterizations, especially of some of the characters I found to be more or less one-dimensional in the movie, Lady Caroline and Merlesh Wilkinson, for instance.

For those of us who, on occasion, feel burned out and put upon and need a vicarious getaway, The Enchanted April offers a welcome respite from day-to-day life. You will be transformed, much like our four heroines were transformed. It might be just the thing to beat pandemic fatigue.

June 4, 2021
The Scarlet Pimpernel: Book Review

I was first exposed to The Scarlet Pimpernel by my ninth grade English teacher whose approach to teaching ninth grade English seems to have been getting literature down the throats of teenagers by any means necessary. More often than not, this meant showing us the movie version of novels rather than actually requiring us to read them. One spring day, we watched the 1982 version of The Scarlet Pimpernel with Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour. I was smitten.

Shortly thereafter, I found a used copy for sell at my local public library and for just $0.25 the world of Sir Percy Blakeney and Marguerite Blakeney was mine! I devoured it. Twice smitten.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is a cat and mouse tale of an English nobleman who is hell-bent on saving his French counterparts from the bloody blade of the guillotine during the French Revolution. He has the annoying habit of leaving the symbol of a red flower (a scarlet pimpernel) behind as a calling card and this has made everyone curious about his identity. The English have put him on a pedestal; the French have put a price on his head.

The book is filled with adventure, near-misses, secret identities, lies, espionage, shocking revelations, an arch-nemesis, and things that could/would never happen in real life, forcing you to suspend disbelief (just a tad). But that’s why we read fiction, isn’t it? I know there are a myriad of other reasons we read fiction, but sometimes it does come down to escapism, pure and simple.

However, despite all of the high drama, danger and excitement, there is a part of me that sees The Scarlet Pimpernel simply as a love story. Not as a simple love story; maybe, and perhaps more accurately, a love triangle along the lines of the Clark Kent-Lois Lane-Superman love triangle.

Marguerite is married to Sir Percy, but she is in love with the idea of another whose initials also are S.P. (hum…) Sir Percy seemed like a decent guy when she agreed to marry him but alas, now he seems doltish, and what’s even worse, he seems quite indifferent to her. Sir Percy and Marguerite’s marriage is in crisis. True, it’s not as big a crisis as the French Revolution, but Baroness Orczy has skillfully juxtaposed one against the other. As the drama of the revolution plays out in the background and the world (well, France) falls apart, we can quietly explore the anatomy of a failing marriage (and possibly contemplate such questions as: How well can you really know the person closest to you? Do you only know what he/she chooses to reveal to you? Could you forgive the ultimate betrayal? Did those glasses really fool Lois Lane? Really?!)

In the end, The Scarlet Pimpernel is a sweet and tender tale that proves you can never hide your true essence from the one who loves you best.

Plus, it’s about a hero. We can never have too many heroes. The Scarlet Pimpernel is one for the ages.

December 22, 2016
A Few of My Favorite…Books (Childhood Edition)
Here is a random yet somewhat related thought: I like making lists, especially to-do lists. Then I like crossing items off the list and keeping the lists as proof that I have actually accomplished something.

The following is a list of my top twenty, all-time favorite books, specifically, a list of my favorite books that I read as a child/young adult. To quote Kathleen Kelly in You’ve Got Mail, “When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.”

Note: There are way more than twenty books listed, because a lot of the favorites are series…I tend to think of a series as one book with several volumes, but that’s just me…

Harry Connick Jr. has his Songs I Heard album…this is my Books I Read list.

Feel free to weigh in when you’re finished reading. Are any of your favorites on the list? I know everyone has different tastes, but I’d like to know what you think (specifically about your favorite books/generally…oh, about everything).

Btw, the list is in alphabetical order, just because it’s more diplomatic that way.

1. Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry
- I loved how quirky and odd Anastasia was. I think I may have developed my love for lists after reading this book.
2. The Anne of Green Gables books by Lucy Maud Montgomery
- Anne and Gilbert are the stuff dreams are made of. I found some kindred spirits when I found these books.
3. The Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace
- A trip back to yesteryear when life was “kinder and gentler.” There’s a Besty-Tacy book for all ages, and I’ve read them all…not in order, however, because my local library did not have a copy of Betsy Was a Junior. My favorites are Heaven to Betsy and Betsy’s Wedding.
4. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- Teen angst at its finest.
5. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
- Talking animals. A spider using vocabulary to save a pig’s life. What’s not to love?
6. Cheaper by the Dozen & Belles on Their Toes by Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
- The first book was required reading in junior high; the second was a necessary must.
7. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
- Welcome to the wacky weird world of Harriet M. Welsch, everyone’s favorite under-age spy.
8. Honestly, Katie John (series) by Mary Calhoun
- I loved the Katie John books. My favorite is probably Katie John and Heathcliff. I discovered Wuthering Heights by reading this book, which is a Good Thing.
9. The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
- This book made me cry. It also made me wonder how I would have fared had I been left to fend for myself on an Island with no one but a dog for company.
10. The Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Once again, I was a sucker for a book about a family of girls. I loved following Laura’s adventures, from helping her father keep the family alive to meeting and falling in love with Almanzo. Being a pioneer wasn’t for the faint of heart. (As an adult, I realize that these books are problematic. But I included them because some of the thoughts expressed by seemingly good people provide insight into the feelings and attitudes that allowed people to commit injustices without a twinge of conscience. And perhaps therein lies their value.)
11. A Little Princess by Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett
- This was probably my favorite book as a child. I liked it much more than The Secret Garden.
12. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- I come from a family of four girls, so this book will always have a special place in my heart. I remember sobbing uncontrollably when Jo turned Laurie down and wishing that I could have a best friend like him.
- P.S. Are you starting to detect a theme…how many of these books have “little” in the title?
13. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
- The rats in this book are smarter than most people, and Mrs. Frisby is a brave little mouse who will stop at nothing to save her sick little boy. Who would have thought you could feel compassion for rats and mice? I honestly can’t pass a cage of rats in a pet store without thinking of them.
14. My Friend Flicka (series) by Mary O’Hara
- These books were a favorite of my mom’s when she was a child, and she passed the love on to me. I love the daydreaming Kenneth and watching him grow up and fall in love was to die for.
15. The Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene
- A girl detective? Need I say more? I loved the yellow hardback books. When I was a kid, they tried to update Nancy, they made her modern and paperback, but nothing’s as good as the original.
16. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms by Kate Douglas Wiggin
- I read this before I read Anne of Green Gables and loved it. When I finally got around to Anne, at first, I thought Anne was a poor imitation. The books stand on their own, and I’m a fan of both.
17. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry & Let the Circle be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor
- These books took me to the rural, Jim Crow south. Not I place I’d like to live, but learning what life was like back then was informative.
18. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
- Another book that was required reading, with shades of Dead Poets Society.
19. The Shoe books by Noel Streatfeild
- I especially loved Skating Shoes, but I also like the fact that Movie Shoes picked up the Ballet Shoes story.
20. We Interrupt This Semester for an Important Bulletin by Ellen Conford
- I loved this book, and its precursor, Dear Lovey Hart, I Am Desperate. Even though these books took place in the distant past, I found them timeless.
my childhood-favorites shelf:
May 22, 2014

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