50. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. Alfred Lansing. 1959/2015. 357 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence of preface: The story that follows is true. Every effort has been made to portray the events exactly as they occurred, and to record as accurately as possible the reactions of the men who lived them.

 First sentence of chapter one: The order to abandon ship was given at 5 P.M.

Narrative nonfiction at its best. I suppose "best" is a relative term. But still. This book is an incredibly compelling, near-haunting read. This one was first published in 1959. Lansing traveled to England to do his research. He interviewed survivors--many survivors. He read diaries and journals. This book is the result of his immersion into his research. The first chapter opens with the call to abandon ship--the Endurance--but for the most part it is a chronological account from when they set sail to go exploring to the day that ultimate rescue comes. The book is divided into parts. And these divisions make perfect sense--even adding a bit of suspense. There are twenty-eight men. Twenty-seven officially chosen as crew, with one stowaway (who didn't have the best of luck picking ships to stowaway on). This is their story--collectively. Some men readers get a better grasp of than others--but I would say there's fair representation of all. Enough to say this is THEIR story, not just the story of a single man, an incredible leader (Shackleton). The book does not build him up as a saint; he is presented as a great--but human--leader with flaws. 

The story is a fascinating one. I'd probably recommend it for reading in any season except winter. I jest. Mostly. It is honestly one of the best nonfiction books I've read as an adult. That being said, it is not--I repeat NOT--a book for every reader. This book could easily trigger those who are easily triggered when it comes to dogs. For the pack dogs on board the Endurance, well, let's just say the story does not in any way end decently. It was ROUGH reading, to be sure. Same could be said with those with a soft spot for penguins and seals.

 This book does not conclude with an epilogue of what happened to the twenty-eight men after they were rescued. I've read other books about the Endurance that do. (It was not all happily ever after.) But excepting that fact, this is by far the best of the three or four books I've read on the subject. And according to the book's introduction, this is the "definitive" must read on the subject.

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

49. Mio, My Son

2015 cover

Mio, My Son. Astrid Lindgren. 1954/2015. NYR Children's Collection. 184 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Did you listen to the radio on October 15th last year? Did you hear the news about a boy who disappeared? This is what it said: "Police in Stockholm are searching for a nine-year-old boy missing from his home, at 13 North Street, since 6.P.M. two days ago. Karl Anders Nilsson has light hair and blue eyes. At the time of his disappearance he was wearing brown shorts, a gray sweater, and a small red cap. Anyone with more information on his whereabouts should contact the police."

Premise/plot: Mio, My Son is a children's fantasy novel. The protagonist, "Andy" (aka Karl Anders Nilsson) is in reality Prince Mio, the son of the King of Farawayland. He is the narrator of his own adventures...

1956, first English translation cover

My thoughts: The narrative voice is quite strong, in my opinion.

Now, I will warn readers that sometimes Mio repeats himself. For example, "I must go there to fight Sir Kato, though I was so scared, so scared." Some readers might find this an unforgivable sin. I don't. Not in this case at least. I didn't find it as annoying as a written stutter, for example. Perhaps because it mainly occurs when Mio is thinking about or talking about Sir Kato. It doesn't occur on every page.

So essentially, the book is Mio's adventures in Farawayland. The first half of the book is mostly light and joyous. Nothing heavy or dark. The second half of the book, however, is much more dramatic and dark. THINK Lord of the Rings only for a much younger audience. Mio has a mission to accomplish, something that only HE, as a royal son, can do. And it is seemingly impossible and very daunting. Mio must make up his mind to be brave and determined and risk everything for his mission.

Mio is not alone. He has a best friend, Pompoo, and a horse, Miramis. And, there is, of course, his father THE KING, who I personally LOVED.

So did I like this one? Did I love it? Did I love, love, LOVE it? I think I definitely loved it. I loved it for the narrative, for the descriptive language, for the imagery. I really loved the imagery of the Bread That Satisfies Hunger and the Well That Quenches Thirst. Also I really liked the Well That Whispers at Night. The first two images reminded me of Scripture. (John 4:13-14; John 6:35) The sacrificial nature of the mission also reminded me of Scripture. I'm not convinced it can only, always be read as an "allegory" (think The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe). But as a Christian reader, I saw how it could be interpreted that way.

I think anyone can appreciate the imagery of the Well That Whispers At Night:

A whisper began deep, deep down in the well. It was such a strange voice, unlike any other voice. It whispered fairy tales. They weren't like any other fairy tales, and they were the most beautiful stories in the whole world. There was almost nothing that I loved more than listening to fairy tales, so I lay down flat on my stomach, leaning over the edge of the well to hear more and more of the voice that whispered. Sometimes it sang too, the strangest and most beautiful songs.
"What strange kind of well is this?" I said to Totty.
"A well full of fairy tales and songs. That's all I know," said Totty. "A well full of old stories and songs that have existed in the world for a long time, but that people forgot a long time ago. It is only the Well That Whispers at Night that remembers them all."

Here's another favorite passage:

I understood then for the first time that I never needed to be afraid of my father the King, that whatever I did he would always look at me kindly, like he was doing now as he stood there with his hand on the Master Rose Gardener's shoulder and with all the white birds flying around him. And when I understood him, I was happier than I'd ever been before in my life. I was so glad that I laughed quite hard.

And yet another favorite passage:

High over our heads, high above on the steep cliff stood Sir Kato's castle. We were on his shore now. We were close to him as never before, and this night was the night of our battle. I wondered if they knew, all those who had waited for thousands and thousands of years. I wondered if they knew that this was the night of the battle, and if they thought about me. Was my father the King thinking of me? I hoped that he was, I knew that he was. I knew that he was sitting alone somewhere far away and thinking of me and was sad and whispering to himself, "Mio, my son!"

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

48. Goblin Market

Goblin Market. Diane Zahler. 2022. [August] 256 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Market day was Lizzie's favorite day of the week. Not because she loved going to the market--the few times she'd been there, she'd hated it. There were so many people she didn't know, from villages and farms clear on the other side of Elza. So much noise, such constant comings and goings, so many smells and colors! It was overwhelming, terrifying. 

First Impressions: I requested Goblin Market by Diane Zahler because I love, love, love, crazy love the original poem Goblin Market. This one is described as "one sister must save the other from the goblin prince in this rich, spooky, and delightfully dark fantasy!" The cover, well, the cover doesn't scream out read me, read me--but everything else about this one said it would be a good choice for me.

Premise/plot: Lizzie and Minka are sisters. Minka, Lizzie's younger sister, is the one who goes weekly to market. But one market day, well, Minka meets someone different--a young man named Emil who sells fruit in the market. And their lives--the whole family--are changed forever. For once Minka has had a taste of that fruit, well, there's no going back to the way things were before...

It may be up to Lizzie to solve the mystery of her sister's grave illness. (The cost couldn't be higher--if Lizzie fails to find a cure in time, her sister will undoubtedly die. She wouldn't be the first to do so.) But she won't have to do it all alone. Lizzie teams up with a neighboring farm boy, Jakob, and together they will brainstorm a solution. 

My thoughts: It was definitely a fantasy with horror elements. The goblins--or zduszes--are certainly spooky and scary. The action is intense. It kept me turning pages. I can certainly see elements from the original that were retained in this retelling. 

My favorite character was Lizzie. I adored her. I admired her. My favorite quote describes Lizzie, "You're a plucky girl, I've always known. It's far braver to overcome a fear than not to feel fear at all." 

It also reminded me of The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier one of my all time favorite, favorite, favorite books. 

Quotes:

Her worries marched around in her head, a tiny army of waspy thoughts, stinging her awake every time her eyes began to close.

What he promised--it sounded like...freedom. To do what I wanted to do. To be who I wanted to be. He knew I wanted more than I had. He saw that right away....I would have married him...

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

47. Katherine

2004 cover

Katherine. Anya Seton. 1954. 512 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: IN the tender green time of April, Katherine set forth at last upon her journey with the two nuns and the royal messenger.

Premise/plot: Katherine de Roet is a young girl on the way to the royal court when Anya Seton's historical novel opens. To be fair, she isn't so much on the way to the royal court to become a part of the royal court as it just so happens that her sister, Philippa, serves the Queen. If all goes well, a marriage will be arranged for young Katherine. She is young and beautiful, but, does not have a dowry. She catches the eye of many, but it is Hugh Swynford who steps up and says, yes, I want to actually marry her (and not just bed her). Katherine is not thrilled. Her heart is just not in marrying this OLD man--no matter his social status. (Not that she's in love with anyone in particular.) Plus these two didn't get off to a mutual good start. He likes what he sees a LITTLE too much, and after a struggle in the garden one day, she's saved from rape by a member of the royal family--John of Gaunt. The Duke takes the poor woman home to his wife, Blanche, who takes pity on the girl and offers her friendship and kindness. But a marriage between the two (Hugh and Katherine) is arranged, and off they go to his (pitiful) estate.

2000 cover

Katherine and the Duke (John of Gaunt) keep crossing paths--not often or frequent, but occasionally. When they do cross paths, they live a lingering impression on one another. Like when the Duke just happens to be passing by her estate when she's gone into labor with her first child and NO ONE on the estate is around to hear her cries and screams. But what really leaves an impression perhaps is her devoted care to his dying wife. 

The novel spans decades and covers a LOT of history. (1360s through the 1390s) Politics. Royal family. Religious history. Conflicts domestic and abroad. This one isn't exclusively a "romance" between Katherine and the Duke. But it does concern their decades long love affair. (She has four children with him, none legitimate until much, much, much later).

My thoughts: I first read this one in September 2011. I enjoyed it then. I enjoyed it now. My biggest advice would be don't go into it thinking that it is a swoon-worthy, super-romantic LOVE STORY that will leave you smiling. The characters are human, and, that's not a "bad" thing. Just that it isn't a superficial romance novel with characters that are too-good-to-be-true and a fairy tale ending.

It probably could go without saying that this is a historical novel based on history; especially the royal family and important figures of the time. Seton's novel is peopled with real people. I am curious how much is fictionalized and how much is "true." But certainly it has to blend in some fiction. 

And now just for fun some additional covers:

1954 cover of Katherine

1957 cover

1955 cover

 

1975, 1981, 1983 cover

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

46. A Night to Remember

A Night to Remember. Walter Lord. 1955. 182 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: High in the crow's nest of the New White Star Liner Titanic, Lookout Frederick Fleet peered into a dazzling night. It was calm, clear and bitterly cold. There was no moon, but the cloudless sky blazed with stars. The Atlantic was like polished plate glass; people later said they had never seen it so smooth.

Narrative nonfiction originally published in 1955. A Night To Remember is an account of the sinking of the Titanic and the direct aftermath of the disaster. The narrative begins on the final evening of the maiden voyage of the ship. The narrative flitters and flutters between dozens--if not hundreds--points of view. What makes the narrative cohesive is the chronological timeline of events. Readers do get an occasional aside or observation from the author (presumably). He might be sharing several details taken directly from survivors, but he'll add in, well, this doesn't really quite fit in with these other facts. For example, he points out how many of the women claimed to be in "the last boat" lowered. 

I mentioned the many voices within this one. That can be just as big a strength as a weakness. On the one hand, there is something to be said for sticking to one voice and truly providing an in-depth experience. You can get caught up more in the emotions and drama of it when the narrative is narrower. On the other hand, there is value in trying to capture the scope of the magnitude of the many, many, many voices. Each voice mattered then and matters now. So often one can lose sight of the magnitude of a tragedy by just tuning in to one voice, hearing one story. The drama is in the events not intimately knowing each and every passenger. And watching the events unfold carries weight. 

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews