A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews

How sad is it that as soon as I started to work at Chapters, I never had any time to read? Shutter Island has been sitting neglected on my toilet for almost a millennium it seems. I’m getting my shit together this year so there will be lots more time for literature and there are tons of books to be read for all of my English classes! Any doodle let’s do this I must make my review grand.

A Complicated Kindness is a fiercely original story about the ties that bind families together and the forces that tear them apart. This is the world according to Nomi Nickel, a bewildered and wry young woman trapped in a small Mennonite town that seeks to set her on the path to righteousness and smother her at the same time. as Nomi searches for the truth behind the recent disappearance of her mother and sister, she finds herself on a direct collision course with the only community she has ever known. This is a book that has found its way into the hearts of thousands of Canadians, Miriam Toews reveals herself as a master storyteller at the height of her powers.

 

The description is correct when talking about how original A Complicated Kindness is. Toews conveys the story through Nomi  in a way that isn’t like anything that I’ve read before. Nomi isn’t a very reliable narrator, she’s usually drunk or high or just distant from the present happenings in front of her, so pay attention to detail. The fact she is lost in her past allows the reader to slowly sum things together, as each memory reveals a clue to what makes Nomi the way she is.

Family and hope are the focus in terms of theme. Nomi and her family members are trapped in a religions system that does not agree with them. All of them struggle to deal with various forms of oppression and conflict. At the time when things are really tense for Trudie and Tash (Nomi’s mother and sister) Nomi is still a child and does not fully understand the situation, where the reader does. This is one of the reason’s that Nomi is chosen as a narrator; her viewpoint is unique. Although the family is broken apart, there are acts of kindness in between the sad parts. Despite witnessing so much going wrong, Nomi has hope for a different life.

This novel doesn’t have a typical structure in terms of plot, climax and a resolution. If you’re looking for a satisfying ending or a character you can sympathise with, then I wouldn’t recommend this read. A Complicated Kindness is for a person who is looking for a divergent story, a story that requires the mental stamina of a detective.

Definitely a 4.5 OUT OF 5 kind of novel. It was awesome but wasn’t a winner. If you want to learn more about Toews click the link: http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/miriam-toews/ 

Until next time

- MRR

The Beauty of Humanity Movement by Camilla Gibb

The reviews are coming slowly but surely. I’m disappointed that there aren’t as many page views coming in as in the summer, but I know it makes sense. In the summer months I was finishing a book a week. Just wanted to give a shout out to all of my readers: THANKS! You make me seem popular. Here is a novel I read in my Creative Writing class.

Tu is a young tour guide working in Hanoi for a company called New Dawn. While he leads tourists through the city, including American vets on "war tours," he starts to wonder what it is they are seeing of Vietnam--and what they miss entirely. Maggie, who is Vietnamese by birth but has lived most her life in the U.S., has returned to her country of origin in search of clues to her dissident father's disappearance during the war. Holding the story together is Old Man Hung, who has lived through decades of political upheaval and has still found a way to feed hope to his community of pond side dwellers.

 

 

The beauty of humanity doesn’t always show, especially in this novel. There is great contrast between the horrific past events that went on during the Vietnam war compared to the country in the present, which is where the story is set. The bits and pieces of the country’s cruel past are brought to life by Hung’s memories. Transitions to and from the past and present are written very well by Gibb, she brings out the past at precise moments throughout the plot.

One of the strongest parts in this story are the characters. Written in third person point of view ensures that the reader gets to know each main characters well and Gibb has you rooting for all of them as they make their way through the plot.

Many people in my class commented on how they didn’t enjoy the ending but I thought that it tied up many things very nicely. This is one of those hit and miss novels, either you like it or it’s a big disappointment. If you’re looking for a fiction that is focused on Vietnam history then don’t pick this up, there is more focus on Pho than the details of the war. This novel is also pretty slowly paced so don’t expect super exciting things to be happening all the time, like I mentioned it’s focused on the characters and a deeper concept of people as a whole.

I would recommend The Beauty of Humanity Movement to somebody who is looking for a quick and light read. I’ll give it a 3 OUT OF 5. Here is her website http://www.camillagibb.ca/

Later biznitches,

 

-MRR

The Secret by Rhonda Bryne

Wow. It’s really been a long time since I posted anything on here. Although I have been reading certain books for class (which I will also do reviews for), there hasn’t been much time for me to sit down and write a review. I’m working full time at Chapters  now, which is a blast, and I’m also taking 3 courses at Douglas Collage. Even though it’s Dougy Daycare, my time is totally swamped. My favourite class that I have this semester is creative writing, I’m shitting stories out of my ass, which I’m SUPER proud of. Anyway, lets get to this review of a mediocre book.

Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it. In this book, you'll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life -- money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. You'll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power that's within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life. The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers -- men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible.

As you can probably tell by reading the summary, this novel focuses on a certain way of thinking that can help out any person and ultimately (according to Rhonda Byrne) get that person whatever they want out of life. I’m sure you’ve heard repeatedly that positive thinking really works, and your mind set is what decides what happens in your life blah blah blah. If you think theories like that are bullshit, then I don’t suggest reading The Secret.

The reason I’m giving this books such a low rating is not because of the subject matter. I personally agree with a majority things that are written in this book, and many of the doctors and philosophers quoted really add to the subject that is at hand. I think that Bryne does blow some of the ideas out of proportion, making things sound mystical and spiritual when really a simpler explanation would have been more effective.

The writing style made me think I was reading a textbook, with summaries at the end of each chapter and way too much repetition throughout the entire thing. I would have liked to have read more details in the stories about people that turned their life around with ‘The secret’. Instead of a paragraph written just to ensure the reader that everything being talked about is absolutely real.

Again, the concept is brilliant. More people should focus on their goals wholeheartedly, and stop focusing on what they don’t want. When you focus on what you want, and you believe that it will happen. It will! That is the point of this novel, and it’s a point that I agree with completely.

Still, 2.5. Sounds too much like a religious person preaching their faith onto everybody else.

Seeya’ll later.

- MRR

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Making the transition to Kobo today, I think I could get used to an eReader. Pretty damn cool that my reviews could get me something for free. This week was my first week of collage, and I’m liking it so far. I’m most excited for my creative writing workshop. Finally I can get some constructive criticism.

It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing. But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army. Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

Brace yourself for a world full of unnaturals: criminal clairivoyants of future London. The first page of this book thrusts the reader into a marble swirl of paranormal and fantasy.

The vocabulary might be a bit confusing at the start of the story, there are many new words that take a stretch to get used to. The slang used is supposedly based on language from historic London, I recommend having a peek at the glossary found at the back of the book before getting started.

There isn’t much character development for the majority of this novel, but I have a feeling that it will come later on in the series, which will consist of 7 books. It takes quite a while for the full story of Paige’s background to emerge, and that might have made her character seem a bit flat. She does go through a change near the ending.

I appreciated the fact that there wasn’t a rush when it came to romance. The tension built throughout the story between the two characters was interesting, it kept me guessing about what their relationship really was about.

Shannon is a fairly new and young writer and she’s doing well for her first novel. Thinking back I still feel like there is something missing, but I know that I enjoyed this book and will definitely put faith in the author and read the next book. I’ll give her  3.5 OUT OF 5, check out her blog here http://samantha-shannon.blogspot.ca/

Later cheese graters,

-MRR

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

Starting collage in 3 days, I’m starting to get bored of summer so I guess you could say that I’m not that upset about going back. I managed to get into my fiction writing class, and I’ve also lucky enough to have won a Kobo Glo because of my book reviews! Obviously this is perfect for a bookworm like moi. That’s all for the Megan’s Life Update.

When a white servant girl violates the order of plantation society, she unleashes a tragedy that exposes the worst and best in the people she has come to call her family. Orphaned while onboard ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin. Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction. Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk.

The Kitchen House is a very engaging story and I couldn’t put it down. I would be at a friends house about to watch a movie when the other couch and my book would beckon to me, and I would go read instead. There isn’t very much happiness to be found in this book, for any of the characters.

It reflects on the 19th century problems of racism and social status while breaking the heart of the reader through and through. The author continually allows you to get comfortable after a tragedy in the plotline only to have another one lined up and ready. The continuous rape, and the chaos that proceeded when a child was born got a bit repetitive. Much drama happens all throughout the story, and  it can get tiresome but all the same I kept wanting to read on.

I was reminded of the classic movie Gone With The Wind, a tragic story with too many tragic twists. Of course those qualities are what make the story realistic and almost addicting, as well as giving readers a look into history. Well done Grissom. http://www.kathleengrissom.com/thekitchenhousebook_004.htm I’ll give her a 3.5 OUT OF 5.

Later alligators!

- MRR

The Lost City of Z by David Grann

GOT MY JOB AT CHAPTERS! I’m super excited, my first day was today and I had an awesome time. There is some competition though, for now I’m only in a seasonal contract so I have to have an exceptional performance if I’m going to stay there long term. Other than that the only thing happening is me going to Douglas in September. Hooray for more school, study, and papers.

In 1925, the legendary British explorer Percy Fawcett ventured into the Amazon jungle, in search of a fabled civilization. He never returned. Over the years countless perished trying to find evidence of his party and the place he called "The Lost City of Z." In this masterpiece of narrative nonfiction, journalist David Grann interweaves the spellbinding stories of Fawcett's quest for "Z" and his own journey into the deadly jungle, as he unravels the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century.

Reading a non-fiction is a first for me, or at least the first time in a long time, and I admit that I thought it was fascinating. This book is a true story that is filled with real adventure, mystery, and suspense. This and the fact that the author get’s caught up in the obsession over Z just adds to the realism.

After a couple pages I was excited to follow Fawcett throughout several of his journey’s all the way through till the end, but this is not the case. Because it’s a non-fiction the author has to piece together the story from tidbits like Fawcett’s journal, letters written by people close to him, and accounts from other important people in the story. This makes the it less focused on adventure and more informative instead.

If you’re a history buff I recommend this novel. I think that after reading this I’ll have to browse the same section in Chapters more often. Despite it seeming like there were no more twists that could happen, the very ending proved that wrong. The Lost City of Z is a beautiful story of english explorers, amazon indians, and the quest for an ancient city.

I adored this novel, its  4 OUT OF 5. http://www.davidgrann.com/ Visit his website to check out his other book, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes

Until  next time,

-MRR

World War Z by Max Brooks

Spent the weekend in Osoyoos and most of the days we were there it was cloudy, which is rare in that city. Oh well I finished WWZ today while tanning on my trampoline, enjoying the cold water from the sprinkler placed underneath. The reading contest going on at my local library is treating me well, I got a coupon for a free pizza which I ordered today. I’m just relaxed!

The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.

I didn’t have high expectations for this novel before I cracked the first page. There were many different things being said about World War Z and from what I could tell it was either a hit or miss with the readers. After finishing I could tell why, the novel is full of interviews from survivors of the war which is a unique way to write the entire book.

Because of this way of writing, WWZ might throw quite a few people off. There is no following a character through a secured plot while reading this book. I remember complaining about Soulless by Christopher Golden, which also was about zombies and had different viewpoints. I was surprised that by the time I reached the ending of this one I appreciated the overview effect given from the random perspectives.

Another thing about the writing that bothered me at the beginning was all of the technical terms that had to do with the military, including things like weapons, aircraft, vehicles etc. I got so lost in the intricate terms that it pulled me away from the story sometimes. After finishing the last page though I felt that brought more to the story than it did take away. I was won over in the end especially with the realism despite it being fiction. Brooks took many things into account like the different countries’ cultures, political leadership, and past wars. This book is very complex, I can admire that.

Check out Max Brook’s website http://maxbrooks.com/ he is a bit obsessed with zombies apparently. I’m going to give this one a 4 OUT OF 5. Thanks for another good read Alannis! I heard the movie sucks though.

Chow,

-MRR

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

Summer is halfway through and already I’m not looking forward to the end of it. All there is to do is make the best of it though! I recently won $25 to chapters for one of my reviews, and I finished my 3rd interview at chapters today. I’m so exited to be working there! Wish me luck in getting hired. Back to the books:

On a burn ward, a man lies between living and dying, so disfigured that no one from his past life would even recognize him. His only comfort comes from imagining various inventive ways to end his misery. Then a woman named Marianne Engel walks into his hospital room, a wild-haired, schizophrenic sculptress on the lam from the psych ward upstairs, who insists that she knows him - that she has known him, in fact, for seven hundred years. She remembers vividly when they met, in another hospital ward at a convent in medieval Germany, when she was a nun and he was a wounded mercenary left to die. If he has forgotten this, he is not to worry: she will prove it to him. And so Marianne Engel begins to tell him their story, carving away his disbelief and slowly drawing him into the orbit and power of a word he'd never uttered: love.

I borrowed this lovely novel from my friend Alannis, and when I asked for her opinion on it she said it was so slow she didn’t even get past the first couple chapters. I feel sorry for my dear friend Alannis. Even though there isn’t a great deal of excitement until you meet Marianne, the first part introduces the character thoroughly, it’s where you get to know him.

After Marianne butts her way into the plotline, the reader feels the same fascination with her as the main character does. Her stories to him in the hospital are what weave the novel together and also what kept me intrigued. The writing is very descriptive, especially near the end when things are wrapping up. Some might find parts of the book graphic, but I enjoyed the intense imagery.

The best part about The Gargoyle is the constant tipping of a scale. On one side the possibility that Marianne is not insane and her realistic stories were real, on the other side an inevitability that her schizophrenia was the only truth behind them. While reading I found that I believed Marianne whole-heartedly, but Davidson might find points to push you to think otherwise.

The first half is definitely not as gripping as the second but I know I made the right choice in picking this up and reading start to finish (Unlike poor Alannis). I’ll give it a 3.5/5.

Learn more about the author here http://www.quillandquire.com/authors/profile.cfm?article_id=10235

And check out my tumblr as well! http://spasticmooseful.tumblr.com/

Chow,

-MRR