Review — The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig

Summary (via Goodreads): "Pride and Prejudice lives on" (USA Today) in Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation series, which has been hailed for its addictive blend of history, romance, and adventure. In The Orchid Affair, Willig introduces her strongest heroine yet. Laura Grey, a veteran governess, joins the Selwick Spy School expecting to find elaborate disguises and thrilling exploits in service to the spy known as the Pink Carnation. She hardly expects her first assignment to be serving as governess for the children of Andre Jaouen, right-hand man to Bonaparte's minister of police. Jaouen and his arch rival, Gaston Delaroche, are investigating a suspected Royalist plot to unseat Bonaparte, and Laura's mission is to report any suspicious findings. 

At first the job is as lively as Latin textbooks and knitting, but Laura begins to notice strange behavior from Jaouen-secret meetings and odd comings and goings.
As Laura edges herself closer to her employer, she makes a shocking discovery and is surprised to learn that she has far more in common with Jaouen than she originally thought...

As their plots begin to unravel, Laura and Jaouen are forced on the run with the children, and with the help of the Pink Carnation they escape to the countryside, traveling as husband and wife. But Delaroche will stop at nothing to take down his nemesis. With his men hot on their trail, can Laura and Jaouen seal the fate of Europe before it's too late?

Review:  I had planned on reviewing A Visit From the Good Squad (which I have been calling Welcome to the Goon Squad for a good couple weeks now, embarrassingly enough), but I think I’m going to get the chance to hear Jennifer Egan speak this week so I thought I’d hold off and instead talk about the latest in the Pink Carnation series, The Orchid Affair, which I read in one night, as I do most of Lauren Willig’s books.

There’s something addictive in Willig’s writing. Like chocolate, caffeine and some good wine all rolled into one, I just can’t seem to stop myself from devouring each book as soon as I can get my hands on it as quickly as possible.  Maybe it’s her heroines.  No matter their place in society, there’s always something strong, but slightly tragic about each of her characters, even if they’re heiresses, royalty, or, in this case, a self-sufficient governess.  Or maybe it’s that she blends so many genres so well.  Historical fiction, romance, and chick lit all rolled into one.  She’s created the perfect blend of suspense and sentimentality (and I use that word in the best way possible).

At first I was a little put off by the idea her love interest was a widower.  Something smacked of Jane Eyre to me (which I loved, but Laura is no soft-spoken governess like Jane).  There’s also something that always rubs me the wrong way about romances with widowers, as if the heroine is second best, and he’ll never really get over the love of his life who’s gone.  However, Willig deals with this incredibly well, turning what could just be a typical romance into an adult look at love and relationships.  Out of all eight of her books, I think this might be the most mature romance.  Plus, the kids were actually kind of interesting characters instead of an annoying nuisance like they could be.  I’ve read my share of historical romances and trust me, it can go very, very wrong when kids are introduced into the picture.

And though all of her books deal with war and spies, this was the first time I really understood the gravity of the situation.  Maybe because it was set in France or the fact there was a state of paranoia throughout the country, but this was the first book where I actually feared for the characters.  I always thought of these as fun spy romps, but as Willig described a “republican marriage” (where they strip ‘traitorous’ men and women, bind them together and throw them in the river) things didn’t seem so fun anymore. It made me want to read a historical non-fiction or two to I could fully understand the political and social landscape.

My only gripe is that things wrap up a bit too quickly, which I guess is the best gripe to have.  It seems like we get to the second half of the story and Willig realized she only have 100 pages or so to finish up and glossed over certain aspects of their travels.  Things moved especially quick when it came to Laura and Andre coming clean with each other and their relationship is resolved.  Their romance is underplayed overall for the bigger political tension and spy suspense, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but, hey, I'm not ashamed to admit a big draw for me with this series is the fact that Willig writes a damn good romance without feeling like I'm reading something that should have Fabio on the cover or something.  Andre seemed to find resolution faster than I would have expected.  (Plus, I just like my romance a little tortured so I wouldn’t have minded twisting the proverbial knife a bit)

There are so many good things that outweigh my nitpicking.  Eloise’s story, which could easily get stale now that she’s “got the guy,” is taking an interesting turn.  There were some great new characters, both likable and villainous (was Delaroche in the first Pink Carnation book?  I wasn’t sure if he was a call back to Selwick’s time as a spy or not).  I really hope to see the poet Whittlesby (who could easily be the new Turnip) in future books.  Willig seems to have a lot more stories to tell with the introduction of three new young females in Mischief of the Mistletoe, her Christmas-centric installment of the series. Now I’m just going to have to deal with some Pink Carnation withdrawal until book number eight.

Lit Snit Verdit: A

Review -- Room by Emma Donoghue

Review: If you've heard of this book at all, you probably know basically what it's about: a woman is locked in a room, raising her young son (she was impregnated by her abductor/rapist). This is not going to be a cheerful story…

The story's told from five-year-old Jack's point of view, in Jack’s language. He says “disappeared it” instead of “took it away”, and turns the objects in Room into proper nouns (dinner isn’t laid out on the table, but rather on Table) because of course in his world there is only one table, period. In Jack’s world, nothing is real outside Room*, stuff on TV is all pretend, and stores don’t really exist.

* Has anyone ever read Robert Heinlein’s "Orphans of the Sky”? A self-sustaining ship journeys through space for so many generations that people on board have forgotten the ship is not all there is to the universe. In "Room”, we see how easily that could happen. Though Jack knows something exists outside room, because Old Nick comes at night, providing them with food and clothing.

I found the first 80 pages or so to drag a bit, though they were crucial to the story: The author needed to establish exactly what it’s like in Room before any moves can be made to shake Jack’s world view. I also found Jack’s child-voice a little annoying at first, but grew used to it as the story progressed. I say this not as a criticism to the book, but to say not to give up on it.

I have to give the author credit for telling such an adult story from a child’s perspective. Jack doesn’t understand all that is going on, but faithfully dictates what he sees and hears, and so Ma’s feelings and motivations are clear to us, the readers. I think this really enriched the story. If it had been told in Ma’s voice, it would have been more her tale, rather than a shared story.

This is a well-written novel dealing with a dark side of humanity. I liked that even in Room, we still see some typical parent/child battles. (For example, when Jack sees a mouse behind the stove, it instantly becomes his best friend, though Ma reacts by shoving foil into the hole so the mouse can’t come back.) I thought the characters were all realistic, and the author handled the entire topic well.

Lit Snit Verdict: A

Waiting on Wednesday — Erin

The Tiger's Wife
by Tea Obreht
Pub date: March 8, 2011

Synopsis (via Goodreads): The time: the present. The place: a Balkan country ravaged by years of conflict. Natalia, a young doctor, is on a mission of mercy to an orphanage when she receives word of her beloved grandfather’s death far from their home under circumstances shrouded in confusion. Remembering childhood stories her grandfather once told her, Natalia becomes convinced that he spent his last days searching for "the deathless man," a vagabond who claimed to be immortal. As Natalia struggles to understand why her grandfather, a deeply rational man, who go on such a farfetched journey, she stumbles across a clue that leads her to the extraordinary story of the tiger’s wife.

I heard people talking about this book a few months ago and it was nothing but praise.  For some reason the summary Tiger's Wife reminds me of Elizabeth's Kostova's The Historian, which, okay I never got around to finishing (but I still intend to), but really liked the feel of, especially it's "epic-ness" and can see this debut novel.  I can't wait to see what's in store for us in The Tiger's Wife!  

*Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by the lovely Jill over at Breaking the Spine

Review - Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

Summary: (via Goodreads) Best known for her satirical depictions of the manners and mores of New York society, Edith Wharton shows her mastery of a far different milieu in this classic story of a farmer who is trapped in a loveless marriage to a tyrannical wife.

Review: Edith Wharton, was a woman born into great wealth who had a keen sense of how to create great fiction out of that which she saw in the social circles of the upper class. For this most part, her literary efforts worked out beautifully, endowing all generations past her time with glimpses of what once was through such classics as The House of Mirth, The Age of Innocence and The Buccaneers.

            In the novella Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton steps away from that which she knows (i.e., lavishness, propriety, the upper-class) and tries to examine life from the view point of someone located closer to the bottom of the social strata: Ethan Frome is a poor New England farmer who has been dealt a difficult hand in life in terms of love and money.

From a young age, Ethan had natural ability and curiosity that made him believe he could make something of himself, but an inevitable series of ill-fortunate events find him (at age 28) the owner of a failing estate and married to the sickly and wretched Zeena. Still, Ethan’s youth and strength, as well as his budding love interest in Zenna’s cousin, Mattie, keep his dreams of a better future alive despite his pitiable circumstances. Sadly, this being the tragic tale of a man who never got what he desired or deserved, it ends on a gloomy note which find our protagonist still tied to the estate and to Zeena, but this time, deprived of his health or any hope. 

I like the contrast Wharton creates between her three main characters, and the melodramatic events that ensue as their lives are intersected. Despite living in a small and sleepy New England town, Ethan, Zeena and Mattie, live lives filled with emotion and desires. Zeena is the oldest of the three; her poor health and general misfortune make her bitter and possessive. She is a villain, but not by choice. Mattie is quite different. She is young and naive and filled with romantic notions about life. She makes us think about how Zeena could have been were it not for her ill health. Ethan falls in the middle. A marriage contract binds him to Zeena, and his desire for youth attracts him to Mattie. Being that he’s near 30 years old, making a rash decision in picking either woman comes with lasting consequences for everyone. This is the tale of three people bound by love and a great deal of misfortune.  

            I’ve read some reviews of this book which criticize Wharton’s attempt at writing outside her scope of knowledge and attempting to penetrate the mindset of a class she knew very little about. Others point to the over-use of dramatics and gloom to make up for the lack of understanding. I would have to disagree. To me, the story’s preface serves as an explanation for all this. Ethan Frome has a fictitious preface, written in the form of an author’s note, which set-up for the rest of the story.  In it, Wharton explains that the writer of the story is a female journalist spending some months in a small town in New England. While working on a news story, this journalist runs paths with a disabled older man by the name of Ethan Frome, whose stoic nature captures her attention. Since she knows so little about him and basic propriety prevent her form asking too many questions, this journalist lets her imagination fill the gaps. What she comes up with it Ethan Frome, a tale of tragedy. It is this preface that gives meaning to why the story might be seen as watered-down and overly dramatic, because in essence, what we have in Ethan Frome is nothing more than the byproduct of a momentary lament of a writer whose imaginations was briefly captured by the sad face of a stranger.

            I never hesitate to pick-up one of Edith Wharton’s works when I need reminding what good literature feels like. 

LitSnit Verdict: B+

Library or Community Center? Save Our Libraries!

This morning I was shocked and dismayed to see on WNYC that Queens library has stopped buying books at least until July.  As a frequent user of the Queens library system, this definitely affects my reading future.  I also belong to the New York Public Library, but it's a fairly far walk from work and, well, Queens is my library. 

What I don't understand is definitive end of buying books for the next few months.  I can understand only one or two copies, but to not buy ANY?  That's crazy!  I don't mind waiting for inter-library loan, in fact, I think it's a great idea, but to know that I can't get any new books unless I buy them or schlep over to the NYPL makes me incredibly frustrated.

Queens Library CEO (who knew libraries had CEOs?  I suppose it makes sense but I never thought about it before) says that libraries aren't exactly centered around books anymore.  They're more about community, a place for kids and seniors to go.  Now, this is something I get in theory, but what about the books?  I'm all for promoting community with libraries, but if we're not also promoting literacy at what point does the library become a glorified community center or internet cafe?  In a time when people seem to be reading less and less, we need a place where we can focus on reading and books.

I was recently in my local Queens library and kids were running around and teens were hanging out in the YA section (which is awesome...though I don't think any of them were reading...) and a guy asked where the quiet room was.  The librarian replied that they didn't have such a thing (she actually didn't seem to understand the concept) and the guy had to leave, rather than stay and get his studying/reading/work done.  I couldn't believe there wasn't one place in this newly renovated library where you could go and just focus on a book.  Maybe I'm just getting old and don't understand the way community needs are changing, but I would think a library would be the one thing that would remain constant for a community.

What do you think?  Are your libraries going through similar struggles?  Do you see libraries becoming less about books and more a place for people to gather?  Any librarians out there that can shed some light on the other side of this?

If anyone's feeling generous the Queens library system is running a Buy-a-Book program where you can donate $25 to the purchase of a book for an institution that is very clearly in need of some help.

Edit: It looks like Queens isn't the only library in trouble.  Texas governor Rick Perry is proposing to cut library spending in his state to just $100,000, that's practically nothing for an entire state budget!  If your a Texan, heck, even if you're not, please let them know libraries are still important!