Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category

The Medallion

One of the things I have enjoyed about my leap into writing has been meeting other new writers. I was recently privileged to meet Sunni Morris and read her latest novel, The Medallion.  I try to stick to historical fiction, time travel, and Scotland:  Sunni’s novel falls in the world of fantasy, but in a medieval style setting in Britain.

The Medallion has a fairytale quality, a story within a story in the style of Second Hand Lions, the Princess Bride, or Inkheart. Like The Princess Bride, it is set in a semi-fantasy, semi-Medieval world; this particular world is teeming with bandits, a mysterious medallion, a mischievous fairy trying hard to be less so, an enigmatic Lady, and wizards, moving in and out among the ordinary peasantry just trying to survive and make sense of the hardships of life. The story, as told by a mysterious old man, centers on two sisters torn apart by bandits in their youth. One sister finds a semblance of happiness and, eventually, a mysterious and great destiny waiting for her, while the other suffers greatly, but never gives up her dream of finding her sister.

The story opens with a narration in an almost fairy-tale style that promises something magical and mysterious to come, and sets the stage. The language is beautiful, with a rhythm and poetry that echoes the mysterious, dreamlike, fairy-tale beauty of the story itself. I found myself wanting to read slowly and savor every word and lush image, even as I wanted to race ahead and find out what happens.

What attracted me most to The Medallion was the lyric and poetic writing style. The book is worth reading for that alone, with descriptions as lush and beautiful as the Lady’s island. You can see the dew drops on each leaf, and feel the grass under your feet. But lovers of fantasy and medieval times will also love the setting, and the elements of adventure and romance, as Anwen and her sister Alana, separated years ago by an attack of bandits, spend years hoping to find one another even as their lives unwind.

The book ends with one mission accomplished, but the good feeling that there is plenty of story left in these characters, and plenty more adventures waiting for them and for their readers. I look forward to the sequel.

1 Feb 2010
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Posted in Authors, Reviews, Writing | 4 Comments »

This Time by Joan Szechtman

In keeping with the theme of my blog, I present another time travel book:

Joan Szechtman’s new book, This Time, in an original twist of the time travel genre, is the story of King Richard III of England, rescued in his final moments on Bosworth Field by modern science. He is brought into the modern era by Hosgrove, a wealthy Ricardian who wishes to learn more of Richard’s life. He regards Richard, however, as a well-informed museum exhibit, who can be returned to inevitable death at Hosgrove’s own convenience. 

Hosgrove does not count on Richard objecting.

What ensues is part car-chase-pistol-shooting adventure as Richard escapes his new enemies; part history-mystery as Richard reveals what happened to his nephews, what went wrong at Bosworth, and how Anne died; and partly a human interest story of a man adjusting to the new life thrust upon him.

I thoroughly appreciated the historical aspect of this book, the research that went into it, and the clear love the author has for her subject. For those who like learning history through fiction, this is a good introduction to Richard III’s reign. I liked how Joan revealed pieces of Richard’s kingship over the course of the story, and presented evidence contrary to the historical record through the device of Richard contemplating and re-telling from his perspective.

Literature’s value lies, in part, in the insights it offers. To that effect, This Time raises important issues: a man adjusting to a new environment, a man accepting changes thrust unwillingly upon him; a man faced with false accusations. I especially liked the large theme of what we believe about others and why. Who shaped the historical view of Richard? Henry, who defeated him? Why did Shakespeare portray him so negatively? Whose word are we taking, and why do they say what they say?  These are issues we should all consider in our own lives.

I felt this book left ample room for delving in. As a non-Ricardian, I wanted to know more, both political and personal, of the fight between Henry and Richard, and the events surrounding Bosworth and the Stanleys. It is to the author’s credit that someone with no prior interest in Richard III was left wanting more, and she assures me it is coming in the sequels.

I wanted a stronger sense of the characters’ looks, mannerisms, and personalities. Apart from the issue of marrying outside his faith, where we see Richard struggle and learn, I felt Richard adopted modern views too quickly. It is to anyone’s credit to be open, but I would have liked to see him question our beliefs more deeply, and for him and other characters to also discover value in some beliefs of Richard’s time. I felt Richard was the only one expected to grow and change.

Ms. Szechtman has come up with a novel– forgive the pun– device in exploring history, and I would look forward to seeing it used again to raise interest in more historical figures, to bring them to life as real people with thoughts, fears, hopes, and all the emotions we ourselves have.

 

29 Jan 2010
Posted in Authors, Reviews, Time Travel | 2 Comments »

Deck the Medieval Halls

Today, many people are taking down the Christmas tree and cleaning out the vestiges of Christmas.  In medieval times, the twelve days of Christmas– from the feast of the birth of Christ until the Epiphany, when the wise men arrived with gifts– is barely beginning on December 26. 

How might the halls of the great castles been decorated throughout the celebrations?   It has turned out to be a particularly difficult topic for research, with very little information turning up.

As mentioned in a previous post, trees might have been decorated with apples on Christmas Eve.  But the trees stayed outside, strongly rooted in terra firma.  Pine boughs would have been common, however, perhaps with plenty of ivy, holly, and mistletoe.  As it was a great feast day, we can guess that the rushes on the floor would be fresh, and likely a higher quality of candle used around the hall– perhaps more candles than usual.  A yule log would have burned in many hearths throughout the twelve days.  It’s a good guess, too, that it would have been a time of fresh linens on tables and altars.

But for the time, very little is recorded about those decorations.  I hope soon to find more information.

26 Dec 2009
Posted in Faith, Reviews, Social Customs | No Comments »

Thank You, Jennifer at Rundpinne

The last six weeks or so have been packed with activities.  In writing, I am finishing up the last of five appearances this Saturday, blogging and working on three books, to varying degrees, preparing Blue Bells of Scotland for expanded distribution in several venues and a book awards submission, and reviewing books for other authors.  I’m also keeping up with my music studio and my children’s activities– the Christmas program season is on us, so there have been and are, choir and band concerts for my children, and my music students’ recital coming up!  I’m really enjoying the concerts, have seen some wonderful playing, and am thrilled to have my advanced students playing some jazz arrangements of Christmas carols.

But it means I have been shamefully remiss and dropped a few things I’m juggling.  So, first, my apologies to Jennifer for the delay, and second, my thanks to Jennifer for her review at her book blog, Rundpinne.  Jennifer keeps a very active blog covering a variety of genres in both fiction and non-fiction.  Recent reviews include cookbooks, a book on digital photography, a memoir on dealing with a child’s illness, and a novel that delves deep into two women’s decisions about pregnancies.  (This is from another Minnesota author, Joy DeKok, whose website I will definitely be visiting.)  Jennifer’s blog is well worth following if you love reading.

Jennnifer posted her review of my book on December 4, giving it 5 coffee cups (equivalent to stars, of course!)

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Some excerpts from her review:

“The story line sounded promising and Laura Vosika does not disappoint….  

A delightfully intricate tale of time travel, life lessons, challenges of faith, and redemption…. 

I found the story moving, witty, and captivating. This was indeed a page-turner and I look forward to finishing the trilogy. I highly recommend this novel to anyone. It makes for a fantastic read and would make an excellent gift.”

Now seems like a perfect time to add a comment on the characters to whom people are drawn, and why.  Jennifer says in her blog that she is more drawn to Niall, because he actually cares what happens to people, and thinks through the effects of his own actions on others.  Among the members of my writing group, Night Writers, there are those who prefer Niall– because he’s a better man, because he’s all we hope for in a man or hope our sons would grow up to be– and those who prefer Shawn. 

Why would someone prefer a self-centered, drunken, gambling womanizer?  One member of my group said, tongue in cheek, because he’s taking notes on Shawn’s methods!  A member of the audience at Tuesday night’s talk also brought this issue up, noting how Shawn got all of the attention that night.  She thinks it is partly because rogues fascinate us, as they get into all sorts of scrapes we would never dream of.  They live lives that sound fun, exciting and daring, but which our own better natures and common sense prevent us from emulating.  We live vicariously and safely through literature’s rogues.  And partly, Robin said, we love rogues because we can look at someone like Shawn and feel better about ourselves, seeing we’re really pretty decent people after all, in comparison.  I think she made a good point about human nature.

I enjoy hearing people’s views on whom they prefer and why, in part because I’m pleased to find I’m conveying exactly what I’d hoped to!

11 Dec 2009
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Posted in Book Tour, Reviews, Writing | No Comments »

Thank you, Mirella

The second review on my blog tour went up yesterday at  The Historical Novel Review, the Guide to Exceptional Historical Fiction.  I would like to thank Mirella Patzer for her time, and highly recommend her site to all lovers of historical fiction.  She and a team of four reviewers, Vanitha, Miranda, Anita, and Lisa, writers and editors all, cover a great variety of historical fiction, from 5th Century Europe to America during World War II, from well-known authors such as Jean Plaidy to, well, those like me, just starting out with our first novels.  Styles covered range from mystery and adventure to historical romance and novelizations of Biblical figures.  This site truly has something for everyone!  With so many books and so little time (to steal a famous quote), sites like Mirella’s are a gift to those of us who love discovering history in literature.

A brief excerpt from Mirella’s review of Blue Bells of Scotland:

[Shawn and Niall] evolve and change in a touching, sometimes heart-wrenching manner. It is this, along with a richness of detail, that makes this story larger than life.

And, of course, please stop by her site to read the rest and see what other great novels are out there!

17 Nov 2009
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Posted in Authors, Book Tour, Reviews | 1 Comment »

Thank You, Bridget at Readaholic

Blue Bells of Scotland has just made its first stop on its virtual tour.  A virtual tour is the internet equivalent of a traditional book tour: the book goes out to reviewers who then post their reviews, which may include author interviews, author chats with readers, guest posts by the author, and/ or giveaways of the book.

On Sunday, Bridget at Readaholic posted the first virtual tour review of Blue Bells of Scotland, along with an author interview and a giveaway, open until November 19.  Read Bridget’s Review and sign up for the giveaway by clicking on the link. 

If you are busy but love books, you will especially enjoy Bridget’s site.  She is a prolific reader, who specializes in short reviews, not only for the sake of not giving away too much, but because many of us simply do not have time to read lengthy reviews.  Please check out her site.  Enjoy!  And thank you, Bridget!

10 Nov 2009
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Posted in Authors, Book Tour, Reviews, Writing | No Comments »