In the Company of Whispers

Lowenstein, Sallie. 2008. In the Company of Whispers.

Weird. Weird. Weird. There is really no other way to describe this one. Weird doesn't equal bad. Not really. Especially not in this case. But it does mean different, very very different. That is unless you can name a list of novels that are part memoir and part science fiction that focus on Burma's troubled past in the 1950s and a Big-Brother type government of the 2040s. Certainly none came to my mind.

I'll try to give you an impression of what you'll find IN THE COMPANY OF WHISPERS. First, you'll find lots of quotes. These are drawn from the Burmese culture--history, mythology, etc. Second, you'll find lots of photos. Black and white photos. There is a list (an appendix perhaps?) of photo credits. That's something you don't find every day. Third, you'll find letters, personal letters, from 1958. These letters are based on those from the author's family from their time in Burma. Fourth, you'll find a fictional story of a family and society in turmoil. This is where the science fiction elements come more into play.

So it was interesting and fascinating in a way. But very strange and other-ly as well.

Three strange characters share this futuristic story--Zeyya, a teen girl, Granna, her grandmother, I think her name might be Louise but I'm not 100% sure, and Jonah, a tattooed stranger that appears on their doorstep soon after Zeyya's parents are "quarantined."

Another review: Wands and Worlds.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

I Am Scout

Shields, Charles J. 2008. I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee.

In ten wonderful chapters, the reader gets an introduction to the ever-so-fascinating author Nelle Harper Lee, author of the phenomenal To Kill A Mockingbird. I AM SCOUT by Charles J. Shields  is a must-read for any one who has ever been curious about this novel and novelist. (For those that are wondering, I AM SCOUT is an adapted version of his MOCKINGBIRD. I haven't read Mockingbird. But I Am Scout is just wonderful.)

Well researched, well written, I Am Scout fascinates with every page. Did you know that "Dill" is Truman Capote? Did you realize how influential Lee was in Capote's writing of In Cold Blood? Did you know that she did at one time have plans for a second book? Did you know that Atticus Finch is loosely based on her own father? There are hundreds of I-didn't-know-that facts sprinkled throughout I Am Scout that makes this one so essential to those interested in a behind-the-scenes look at this mysterious writer.

This one is definitely one I'd recommend.

Read Sarah Miller's review.
Visit the author's website.

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In Mozart's Shadow

Meyer, Carolyn. 2008. In Mozart's Shadow: His Sister's Story.

"In the beginning, when I was four, Papa sat beside me at the clavichord, the music book open to minuets and other short pieces he had prepared for me, and he taught me how to play." (7)

In Mozart's Shadow is a novelization of Nannerl Mozart. Several years older than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, she was a talented, gifted musician in her own right.  When Wolferl showed talent and promise as well, the family--mom, dad, brother, sister--went on the road together. The children performed together. Nannerl would have her time to shine. Wolferl would have his spotlight. They'd perform together as well playing duets. Their father would join in on occasion as well. Music was the family business. The Mozart's world revolved around music. Unfortunately, while many many people enjoyed their performances, money never really quite rolled in the way the parents hoped. They wanted fame, yes, but they also wanted money. Lots and lots of money. The father had a habit of living beyond his means, beyond his income. He wanted the best of everything. He thought that by spending money he would look aristocratic. And he thought that by looking aristocratic, people would give him more money.

These times together on the road as a family performing music were some of the happiest of her life. Unfortunately, the good times would not--could not--last. Sooner than Nannerl would have liked, her father stopped touring as a family. Wolferl, her younger brother, was the rising star now. He was the one that everyone hoped and prayed would be a big STAR. If the family were to make a fortune, to have a rise in social standing--fame, glory, success, money--it would be because of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. And the father didn't want Nannerl along for the journey--not even in the background.

Nannerl's hopes and dreams would not disappear or dissipate overnight. No, she clung to her dreams, her hopes for many years. Many. But her happiness was not to be. Not at all. Her life was full of  disappointments, shattered dreams, and losses. It brings to mind Langston Hughes' "A Dream Deferred." Though she was talented, she was a she. There were not any famous women musicians, keyboard players. Women singers occasionally made it big and became stars. But not musicians. There was no place in that society for a grown woman to succeed in the world of men. The best she could hope for--if she wanted to keep music in her life--was to teach music. That and to play privately for family and friends and acquaintances and such. But there would be no career as a professional musician.

Though Nannerl's story is far from happy, the book itself is rich in detail. The people. The places. The culture and society. Hair. Fashion. Gossip. Those who love historical fiction will find it interesting I'm sure.

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Nannerl's life is one of frustration. Raised by a domineering, controlling, authoritative, demanding father--worst stage dad ever perhaps--she was kept reined in even at home. She was in her early thirties and her father would not even consider letting her get married. He turned away any suitors that came around. She did fall in love. She did hope to marry. There was a man very much in love with her. But her father said never in a million years. She did eventually marry, but she never found love in that marriage. She married a man just as abominable--if not more so--than her father. Her true love stayed true to her even though they could never be together.

I'm not quite sure how well-known the existence the life of Mozart's sister, Nannerl, (Maria Anna) is generally speaking. (I was going to say with teens. But then I got to thinking...how many adults are familiar with her? I just don't know. I certainly didn't learn of her until a year or so ago. And that was just through a conversation with a friend. She mentioned her casually. So maybe I was clueless and the rest of the world is more aware. Or maybe she's just well known in certain sets.)

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Island of the Blue Dolphins

O'Dell, Scott. 1960. Island of the Blue Dolphins.

If as a child I read Island of the Blue Dolphins, I must have blocked it from my memory. And there's a good reason for that: 1 dead father +1 dead brother +1 dead dog + countless years spent alone on an island trying to survive the elements and cope with the loneliness = 1 book I'd just as soon live without. Sometimes I try to fool myself into thinking that I'm all introspective, that I am happy with my alone time. It doesn't work for long. I need people. Not 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But given enough "alone" time, I start to go crazy.

Island of the Blue Dolphins is about a girl, Karana, and her slightly unusual coming-of-age story. It is based on a true story. Which *should* logically make the dead father, the dead brother, the dead dog, etc. easier to accept because it is so authentic. The author's note says, "The girl Robinson Crusoe whose story I have attempted to re-create actually lived alone upon this island from 1835 to 1853, and is known to history as The Lost Woman of San Nicolas." I cannot imagine, can't fathom, the emotional, mental, and physical strain of such loneliness. To not only have to have the strength and courage and common sense to survive day after day and season after season and year after year, but to have to live with everything psychologically speaking.

The novel begins with the arrival of the Aleuts. Karana's tribe welcome halfheartedly these strangers onto their shores. These hunters are here to kill sea otters. They agree to pay for this privilege; however, there is some distrust. Her family, her community, are unsure about the trustworthiness of these men, these strangers. But what can they do? If they don't allow them to hunt, won't that be challenging them and provoking a war? If they do allow them to hunt, and they don't get what has been promised, that is a challenge or threat of war as well. But there is a small chance that they might actually be honorable. I don't know if there is a right or wrong way to go about it. What is, is.

As you might have guessed, these men are not honorable. And the community is practically slaughtered. By the time these strangers leave, the tribe is down to fifteen men--most of them old men or young boys. There are only a handful of men physically and mentally capable of leadership. Karana's father, the chief, is one of the men that died. She does witness it--from a distance I believe.

The people then decide, over the next few years or seasons, that the island has too many bad memories. That they should try to move to another island. One man goes off in search of a new home, and he later sends a ship back for the rest of the tribe.

The problem? Karana's brother misses the boat. He went back home to get his spear despite Karana having told him NOT to go because there wasn't enough time. She's safely on the boat, but her brother isn't. As they're leaving, she realizes that he is not there. She even, I believe, sees him on the shore. She jumps into the sea and swims home. The tragedy of it all? Within a few days--maybe even that same day--her brother is dead--mauled by a pack of wild dogs. So her brave attempt to be a good big sister is all in vain. Now she's alone, alone, alone.

Perhaps some people love the Robinson Crusoe of it all. I'm not one of them. I didn't like Robinson Crusoe in school--hated it in fact. And this doesn't really read like Swiss Family Robinson. For one thing, it's realistic. But another thing, it's the story of one person's isolation. Maybe the book doesn't focus on the alone-ness of it. But as a reader, it was something I couldn't escape. How do you keep your sanity when you are all alone for years and years?

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She is eventually rescued. But she is never reunited with her community, her tribe. What is perhaps sadder is that she could only communicate with others in signs. No one understood her language, and she couldn't understand other languages. So even supposedly-rescued, she remains isolated in a way. I can't imagine being unable to communicate fully and freely. To be alone in your own little world. There is something so troubling about this whole mess. People need to be heard, be understood. They need to connect.

I think there are many many people who love this book. I don't know that I can grasp the why of that love. But it's there just the same. I am not one of them. This book has a haunting sadness, a heartbreaking melancholy that I just DON'T want to experience again.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

I Am The Messenger

Zusak, Markus. 2005. I Am The Messenger.

Set in Australia, I AM THE MESSENGER is a charmingly odd story of how one man learns some important life lessons over the course of a year. Nineteen or twenty years old and a cab driver, our hero, Ed Kennedy is not on the fast-track for success. In fact, most of his friends would nominate him as one of the laziest men ever. But things begin to change when Ed begins receiving some strange mail. Messages on aces. But perhaps I’m jumping ahead, Ed and his friend witness a bank robbery. During this robbery, Ed inadvertantly plays hero and ends up with the gun while the robber makes a very botched escape. After the robbery, things really begin to change. He’s the headliner in this small town. A real hero, at least for a week or so while everyone’s talking. But then he begins receiving strange, cryptic messages on playing cards. What could the messages mean? And is his life in danger if he ignores them? Who is behind this elaborate scheme? As he ‘delivers’ each message--each unique message--Ed begins to realize certain things about himself, his family, his friends, his life. I AM THE MESSENGER is an odd but enjoyable mystery.

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/markuszusak/author.html

At the age of 30, Zusak has already asserted himself as one of today’s most innovative and poetic novelists. With the publication of The Book Thief, he is now being dubbed a ‘literary phenomenon’ by Australian and U.S. critics. Zusak is the award-winning author of four previous books for young adults: The Underdog, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, Getting the Girl, and I Am the Messenger, recipient of a 2006 Printz Honor for excellence in young adult literature. He lives in Sydney.

Ned Vizzini

Vizzini, Ned. 2006. It’s Kind of A Funny Story.

Craig Gilner thinks his acceptance into an elite high school will be the beginning of the best years of his life. But when the pressures of high school overwhelm him, he has no where to turn but to drugs. Thus his downward spiral begins at the height of his success. As academic and social pressures build, can Craig find a healthy way to cope with the anxiety? Or is he doomed to sleepless nights and days of vomiting? Can therapy and prescription drugs really be the answer? Or does the answer lay within himself? Is there a way out of his seemingly hopeless situation? It’s Kind Of A Funny Story follows the ups and downs of a young boys life as he learns about life, love, and coping with reality.

In My Father's House

Rinaldi, Ann. 1993. In My Father’s House.

IN MY FATHER’S HOUSE is an interesting historical novel based on actual historical events. Did you know that the land where the first battle of the Civil War took place was owned by the same man whose land provided the place for the signing of the Confederates’ surrender? Yes, the Civil War began on Will McLean’s property and ended on his property. Will McLean was a man who saw the collapse of the South years before the first battle of the Civil War took place. Considering himself a man of the New South, he raised his family to be more open-minded towards life. He even hired a Yankee governess for his children to tutor them. Oscie is Will McLean’s stepdaughter. Her father died when she was a young child--five or six--and Daddy Will has been the one to raise her for better or worse. Oscie is our young narrator. She provides a behind-the-scenes look at life on a plantation from 1852 to the close of the Civil War in 1865. As she grows up, she learns many life lessons--about life, love, family, and duty. She has difficulty at first deciding what exactly she believes and who she supports. Yet, as the civil war begins--she realizes as does her stepfather--that the Confederate cause is not only ill fated or doomed but that it deserves to be defeated so that something better can begin. Not an easy position to take when most of your neighbors would violently oppose your opinions if you aired them. But sometimes the right road isn’t always the easiest.

Incantation

Hoffman, Alice. 2006. Incantation.

With a title like Incantation, one doesn't know quite what to expect. I certainly didn't expect to find the book to be about a Jewish family living in sixteenth century Spain masquerading as Catholics trying to blend in during the Inquisition. But that is exactly what Incantation is about. Mostly.

Estrella deMadrigal is a girl on the verge of womanhood and just beginning to experience life. Her best friend, Catalina, her neighbor is her dearest companion. They've grown up 'Raven' and 'Crow' (both nicknamed for their black hair) laughing and sharing everything until the summer when Catalina's cousin Andres came to live with them. Suddenly, the girls' friendship is threatened. Catalina has every expectation--as does her family--in her making a match with her cousin. Andres has different plans. He's fallen for the attractive neighbor, the best friend, the lovely Estrella. Estrella try as she may can't stop thinking about him either. But what will their attraction mean to everyone in this dangerous time?

Will Catalina's friendship and love turn to bitter hatred? Will she seek the ultimate revenge on her friend and her family?

http://www.alicehoffman.com/

Clueless...

Carter, Ally. 2006. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You.

Cammie Morgan thinks she has it all. A second-generation Gallagher Girl, she's always been the best...fluent in fourteen languages AND capable of killing a man in seven different ways. One would think she would be immune to intimidation. But there is one thing they didn't prepare her for at Gallagher: falling in love with an ordinary boy.

What is Gallagher Academy? A school for geniuses, yes. But more than geniuses, a training ground for future spies. Cammie and her friends may be able to carry out some pretty elaborate missions--at least for their ages--but they're clueless when it comes to being 'normal' teen girls trying to blend into the town's high school crowd. Clueless in fashion, flirting, and above all else, matters of the heart. How can a girl trained in lying avoid breaking a guy's heart in the end?

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You is a great book, a fun book, one that will keep you smiling as you read about her adventures and misadventures in life and love.

http://www.allycarter.com/
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