Book Review: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Memoirs of a Geisha is a book that started out with great potential but petered out and left me feeling rather worn out and uninterested. The shift in character development, plot interest and writing style happens about 2/3 through with the book. By that time you’re committed to finding out what happens. I found myself wanting to be finished with the book but not having the interest to continue reading.
Memoirs of a Geisha is about Chiyo/Suyuri who is sold into a okiya (geisha house) at the young age of 9. She is a beautiful girl with exceptional blue-grey eyes.

Because she is so beautiful, she is the target of the jealousy of the okiya’s current geisha, Hatsumomo, who tortures her in psychological and physical ways and makes young Chiyo’s life utterly miserable.

In an attempt one day to relieve her misery, Chiyo goes to the river to cry and meets a man who we know as the Chairman. The Chairman changes Chiyo’s life forever and becomes an important focal point for her to cling to as she goes through the trials and tribulations of her life.

Things that didn’t ring true for me:
• Hatsumoto’s single minded obsession with Chiyo/Suyuri. She was simply evil with no clear motivation. Her end-outcome was rather pitifully executed.
• WWII was glossed over as a “bad time,” but little descriptions of that time other than Suyuri having to work hard were provided. This whole section felt very flat and uninteresting to me
• The plot line comes to a tension point when Suyuri and Mameha finally outsmart Hatsumoto, but then the novel kept going. It almost felt like there were two separate books, the first a very detailed lush description of a girl growing up a very hard life and the second a young woman adrift without much clue how to proceed.

For the most part the voice rings true and is interesting and well done. And I did enjoy the book despite my disappointments. Perhaps that’s why I’m more disappointed: Because there was so much potential and it left me feeling wrung-out and deflated.

Jelly Bean Rag by Martha Mier

Proposal Defense...

...is passed! I had lots of very positive comments from my committee members and several suggestions to improve my study. I'll begin making those revisions next week, but in the meantime I'll rest on my laurels for a couple of days and enjoy being ABD. (all but dissertation)

Proposal Defense

My proposal defense is tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Book Review: Loving a Lost Lord by Mary Jo Putney

Loving a Lost Lord by Mary Jo Putney is the first in the Lost Lords series and was a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know 4 of the "lost lords" and seeing the romance blossom between Mariah and Adam.

Mariah and her father have just moved into Harley Manor after her father won the estate in a card game. The former owner, Mr. Burke, wants to marry Mariah in order to get the estate back so he starts forcing his way into Mariah's life in an attempt to get her to marry him. She pretends a husband in an effort to deflect his attentions, but he doesn't believe her.

Then, fate intervenes, and Adam washes ashore on her property. He doesn't have a memory, and she tells him he's her husband. The romantic interplay happens from this point forward, successfully deflecting the attentions of Mr. Burke. Adam's memory is slow to return and there is ample opportunity for the couple to get to know one another.

The book ends with a highly satisfying ending. I'm looking forward to the other Lost Lords books.

Highly recommended to romance readers.

New Orleans Nightfall by William Gillock

A nice jazzy end to the week.

Book Review: Writing Jane Austen by Elizabeth Aston

I absolutely adore everything Elizabeth Aston has written. Her "sequels" to the Pride and Prejudice novel written by Jane Austen are witty, well-researched and extremely well-written. I devour each and every book she's written, and I do so as soon as I discover it's been published (for whatever reason, though, I've decided to wait on Mr. Darcy's Dream for a later "fix" when I'm in a reading slump).

I discovered Writing Jane Austen was being published last week and bought it on my trip to DC. I had to go to 4 bookstores before I found it on the shelf and hastily picked up the last copy at the store. And I was not disappointed.

Aston tackles contemporary romance in this novel with a focus on Georgina Jackson who must write the remainder of a "found" Jane Austen novel in order to maintain her work permit and financial situation to stay in London any longer. The catch: She'd never read Jane Austen. Her historical period (she's a PhD in history) is late Victorian and she writes political historical fiction that's as dry as can be. Georgina must tackle her aversion to Austen's novels and time period in order to overcome her writer's block. The journey she takes is captivating, funny, and so true to form.

I absolutely loved this novel, as I have all of Aston's work.

Highly recommended to all readers, especially those who like Jane Austen "sequels."

Book Review: Glitter Baby by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Glitter Baby is a story about Fleur Savagar as she grows up from a lonely child being educated in a convent to a star-savvy talent agent who understands and loves her place in the world as well as herself. It is a typical bildungsroman, a story about growing up, and has many literary qualities.

But, alas, it is categorized as "romance" and thus has not garnered the literary and critical attention it deserves.

I suppose that could be Phillips' desire--to make money on mass market romance--or it could be the prejudices of publishing agents to classify any book where the main plot involves a love story of some kind where the protagonist is female and she has sex as part of growing up--but my critical self can't help but also point out that many literary novels about young men growing up also have them having sex as part of the maturing process. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Glitter Baby is excellently written, beautifully told, and one of my favorite novels of the year. I'll definitely be reading more of what Phillips has to offer. And I'm so happy that there are such thoughtfully written books that have a happy ending.

Highly recommended to all readers.

Home Sweet Home

I made it home around 4:30 today. Glad to be here, but I did have a wonderful time on my trip. Finished Glitter Baby by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. I'll have a review up in the next couple of days. I also found (and bought) Writing Jane Austen by Elizabeth Aston (an author I absolutely adore). I'm almost finished with it and loving every page.

Other than reading, I did a lot of museum going. I met up with my friend Jenn from graduate school in Kentucky and we went to the National Museum for Women in the Arts. It's a nice small museum and perfect for meeting up with someone you haven't seen in 10 years. Yesterday David and I spent the afternoon at the National Museum for the American Indian. There was an excellent special exhibit by Brian Jungen called Stange Comforts. I highly recommend you look it up and go if you're in the DC area between now and August 8th. http://www.nmai.si.edu/subpage.cfm?subpage=exhibitions&second=dc&third=current

We also went and ate out at some very nice restaurants. My favorite is Carlyle Grand Cafe where you can have the best beef ribs that will ever enter your mouth. MMM.

Still, very nice to be home and I plan to get to bed early tonight and sleep as late as I can tomorrow.

Off to DC I go

Heading out of the house in just a few minutes to catch a flight to DC. David's been there since Wednesday and will be there through Thursday of next week, so I though I'd go see him in between conferences. I hope to have some pictures to post next week.

Book Review: Signora da Vinci by Robin Maxwell

I thoroughly enjoyed this imaginative portrayal of what Leonardo da Vinci's mother could have been like and what raising such a genious would have entailed. Maxwell's writing is very descriptive and evocative of time and place. The plot was strong and the historical details felt very alive.

The novel focuses on the life of Catarina, a young peasant woman who has a child out of wedlock (Leonardo) by one of the village's gentry. Her child is taken away after birth and she fights the rest of her life to maintain contact and influence over Leonardo. When Leonardo is apprenticed in Florence, she disguises herself as a man and opens an apothecary in that city so that she can remain close to him. She falls in love with Lorenzo de Medici and helps influence politics and social reform during her time.

In the questions to the author section at the end of the book, Maxwell says that the reader will have to suspend disbelief at some of the things she does with her heroine. I agree, but I find that's what is so interesting and fun about reading historical novels, which I have come to believe is my favorite genre.

My only real complaint about the novel is that there weren't any dates as guideposts, and that would have been helpful, especially at the end of the book when years passed between chapters and it was difficult to tell.

Highly recommended to those who like historical fiction who don't expect it to be written "from the texts."...especially since there are so few texts about women in the 15th century!

A Glitzy Glamourous Pink and Turquoise Scarf

I wish the camera didn't take away all this scarf's lovely sparkles, but alas...it appears rather dim in the picture but trust me...it sparkles and gleams and is so wonderful. Very lightweight, so would make a wonderful spring scarf. Perfect Mother's Day Gift!

It measures 7.5x64, has twisted fringe and sells for $50.

Blue Red and Yellow Cotton Placemats and Table Runner

These four placemats and table runner are a commissioned project. They are made using perle cotton and a "slub" cotton called taffy. I think they are simple, casual AND elegant, if that's possible.

btw, the table runner is short because, alas, there is no cure for a too short warp. I hate that.

Book Review: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery is an absolutely delightful read. Anne is an orphan from Nova Scotia brought to Prince Edwards Islands to the Cuthburts by mistake: they wanted a boy, got a VERY talkative and imaginative girl.

The novel follows Anne as she grows up and makes lots of mistakes and learns from them. She grows into a very compassionate, very intelligent young woman.

I liked this book for several different reasons. I thought the character of Anne was very well wrought. Her voice "spoke" to me at night (much to my dismay as it's a very chatty voice and I couldn't sleep), and her lessons growing up were all training grounds to help her become a useful and compassionate adult.

I'm looking forward to reading other books by Montgomery.

I rate this one a 5 and recommend it to all readers.

Blue Alpaca and Soy Silk Scarf

This is a plaited twill scarf made from a combination of alpaca and soy silk. The yarn is very soft and has a durable feel to it. I like the interplay of the colors in this pattern. Because they are the same hue but different tone, the plaited design almost feels shadowy. The scarf also has a "two-sided" feel to it since it is primarily light on one side and dark on the other.

It measures 5.5x72, has twisted fringe and sells for $80.