Bleh. So, this book was recommended on one of the Yahoo!Groups I belong to, specifically, one of the LDS Mom/Education groups that is somewhat a book group. Its not one the group decided to read, but I read a lot of books on my own and thought I would give it a try. I was kind of thinking this would be like Charlie by Jack Weyland or I don't know what. NOT a "romance" with shallow morals books. I admit I did not read the whole thing, I read the beginning and the last half. Its not like a harlequin romance with all the sex scenes, in fact I don't think there were any sex scenes. Because I didn't like this book I'm not going to hold anything back so if you plan on reading it and don't want to know how everything works out stop now.
It opens with a main character, whose first name I don't know because its covered on the back of the book by the library sticker and I couldn't find it in the first few chapters or last half of the book. I suspect for most of it she is called Mrs. de Winter, anyways, she's the narrator. In the beginning she and her husband are in a small, out of the way hotel in Monte Carlo. They are dealing with a tragedy surrounding Mr. de Winter's great estate, Manderlay.
The book then flashbacks to when they first met. Mrs. de Winter, whose name I don't know and isn't really the Mrs. yet, anywho, she is a personal companion to Mrs. Van Hooper, an embarassing snob who is only looking for the best of people and goes out of her way to make new connections. They are in Monte Carlo and happen to be staying in the same hotel as Mr. de Winter. Mrs. Van Hooper rudely introduces herself to him, without proper introduction by third party etc., and they become acquianted. Mr. de Winter later apologizes to young girl whose name I don't know for the rude way he behaves. Through circumstances Mr. de Winter and girl end up spending time together, and when Mrs. Van Hooper decides to leave Monte Carlo taking girl with her, Mr. de Winter can't stand to see he go and proposes, they get married and are off to Manderlay, which is along the Cornish coast. Oh yeah, its only been ten months since Mr. de Winter's first wife, Rebecca died.
The new Mrs. de Winter quickly realizes that she is stepping into the shoes of a woman that everyone loved. Rebecca was loving and kind and wonderful to everyone. The servants all pity the new Mrs. de Winter, except for Mrs. Danvers, a creepy old lady who is completely loyal to Rebecca, having been her servant since Rebecca was a child, and it out to get the new Mrs. de Winter.
The new Mrs. de Winter comes to believe that everyone misses Rebecca, that whatever her husband is thinking or doing it is about Rebecca, that he can never really love her, that they can never be happy, blah, blah, blah. Then comes the night of a fancy dress ball, Mrs. Danvers tricks the new Mrs. de Winter into wearing the exact same costume that Rebecca had worn when she was alive. There is a great outburst by Mr. de Winter and grand hullabaloo. The new Mrs. de Winter retreats to her room, meeting up with an evilly happy Mrs. Danvers, and removes her costume. She puts on a plain dress and returns to the party, telling everyone the wrong costume was delivered.
The next day a ship crashes on the rocks along the coast. This postpones Mr. and Mrs. de Winter from addressing whatever, their relationship etc., but while a diver is down looking at the hull of crashed ship he discovers the late Rebecca's boat with a dead body in the cabin. Who is it? Well, Mr. de Winter had already identified a different body as Rebecca so no one knows. Well, Mr. de Winter knows.
After they are informed of finding the boat with body, Mrs. de Winter tells Mr. de Winter that she knows he still loves Rebecca, that he can never really love her, that maybe they can start over and be good friends and so on. Then he breaks down and says he nver loved Rebecca. She was really a mean, nasty woman, who spent much of her time living up life with her lovers in London, but managed to keep all this from everyone around Manderlay who thought she was an angel. But then she started bringing one of her lovers, who is also her cousin, to a cabin in Manderlay, Mr. de Winter grew angry about it, and one night when she told him she was with child and she planned on raising it as an heir for him, even though it wasn't his child. So Mr. de Winter shot her. Yup.
Then he put her body in her boat cabin, sent it out to sea, where it would sink and ta-da! Free to remarry. And the real reason he hadn't been happy since they had returned to Manderlay from their honeymoon was because he just knew something like this would happen to destroy their happiness, well, happiness they didn't have but there you go.
So the body is identified as Rebecca, though the water has eroded the evidence of the gun shot. An inquiry is held where everyone testifies to Rebecca's skill on her boat, but conclude she must of accidentally become trapped in her cabin, the boat overturned and she drown. Everyone that is, but the ship builder, whose business slacked off after Rebecca died, so when the boat turned up he went to examine it and found drilled holes in the hull, some other pipes opened up to let water in, etc. and determined these were intentional. Even though it is obvious someone killed her the inquiry determines it was suicide. Yeah.
Later, the lover-cousin turns up at Manderlay to blackmail Mr. de Winter into paying him money on a yearly basis to keep quiet about the murder. Mr. de Winter calls his bluff and phones the local police-investigator guy. The lover-cousin hands over a letter which is from Rebecca saying she has something important to tell him so he should come to Manderlay right away, which he didn't because he was out late. The lover-cousin says she would never have written this letter if she was really going to kill herself.
The policeman starts to suspects something is up, but with Mr. de Winter calmly denying killing Rebecca, and aiding in the investigation even, he can't decide whats up. Then they call for Mrs. Danvers who produces Rebecca's diary, which shows a mysterious appointment with a man named Baker the day of her death. They find out Baker is a doctor and head to his office the next day. Mr. and Mrs. de Winter conclude this is their last time together so they remain attached at the hip, jumping to the conclusion that the doctor will tell everyone she was pregnant, it will come out that it isn't de Winter's child, and he'll be arrested.
Instead the doctor tells them Rebecca had cancer, and was dying. The policeman concludes Rebecca must have killed herself, even though its pretty obvious to everyone else Mr. de Winter did her in. The lover-cousin wonders if cancer is contagious, says the doctor must be on their side, and threatens that the de Winter's will get theirs.
Mr. de Winter decides Rebecca must have intended for him to kill her by lying about being pregnant, and decides they will travel all night so they can go home to Manderlay. Once they arrive, Mrs. Danvers has disappeared and Manderlay is burned to the ground.
Thus they are hiding out, back in Monte Carlo, burdened with the past.
What a soap opera. Rebecca intened to have him kill her? Yeah, that makes it okay. And Mr. de Winter is burdened with having his happiness destroyed by the truth coming out, but doesn't feel bad about killing someone to protect Manderlay? Yuck
Thumbs DOWN.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
The Squire's Tales by Gerald Morris
This is one of my favorite series--which means it is one I've read multiple times and still love it!! I believe all of these books are true to the tales they are based on, but also very original. I like how the main characters in these books would be considered "minor" characters, like the first cople books are told through the eyes of Terence, squire to Sir Gawain, King Arthur's greatest knight. Morris has a very humorous style of writing--dry and subtle--it makes reading enjoyable. I really enjoy the first 7, but there was something about the last one that made it a so-so story. Maybe it was because it is about the illegitimate sons of the knights, or because the quest they are on ends differently (doesn't feel as victorious as past books), or the story wasn't as fluid as the others--or all of the above.
Morris has a very humorous style of writing--dry and subtle
Again, I've mostly copied the story plots from my library website or amazon, but have added some of my own comments as well.
1. The Squire's Tale (1998)
In medieval England, fourteen-year-old Terence, who has been raised by a hermit who sees time backwards--seeing the future and forgetting the past, finds his tranquil existence suddenly changed when he becomes the squire of the young Gawain of Orkney and accompanies him on a long quest, proving Gawain's worth as a knight and revealing an important secret about his own true identity.
This tale is based on the "ugly woman"--one of the Gawain legends. Sir Gawain becomes a knight of the round table by defeating a recreant knight with a stew pot
2. The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady (1999)
Young Terence, squire to Sir Gawain, can't deny that things at Camelot are changing--and not for the better. Handsome new knight Sir Lancelot has eclipsed Gawain's star and also has won the heart of Queen Guinevere, sending courtiers into a gossipy frenzy, and beloved King Arthur into a depression. When the mysterious, otherworldly Green Knight issues a daunting challenge, only Gawain accepts, proving his loyalty to Arthur, though embracing potential tragedy. But the quest proves a soul-searching, ultimately rewarding personal pilgrimage. A sequel of sorts to Morris' The Squire's Tale (1998), this delightful interpretation of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" stands well on its own. (Amazon)
3. The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf (2000)
Teenaged Lady Lynet sets out for Camelot, looking for a champion to free her family's castle from the siege of an evil knight who is demanding her sisters hand in marriage. Along the way, she befriends several mysterious companions, none of whom is exactly as he or she first appears. Scattered throughout Lynet's saga are droll, unusually modern portrayals of many familiar Arthurian characters. The heroine, nicknamed the Savage Damsel, is a take-charge kind of gal. Noble Sir Gareth appears as a "clothheaded ninny," whose turbocharged sense of honor forces him into an unnecessary duel with every knight he stumbles across, and brave Sir Lancelot has burned out on chivalry and admits he has become a media creation. The novel is also enjoyable for its good-natured spoofing of the conventions of its medieval setting (my favorite thing about Morris' books!!). Knights of the Round Table avoid any tournament where the prize is a lady's hand in marriage, figuring there must be something wrong with her. Characters poke fun at one another's lofty, Maloryesque language. Also, some of the most courageous knights are shown to be none too bright, which explains why they risk their lives so readily. (Amazon)
4. Parsifal's Page (2001)
Morris retells a knight's legend from the perspective of his helper and companion, Piers becomes squire to Parsifal. In this entertaining and substantive story, Piers's wanderlust takes him to the court of King Arthur where he meets up with a lost soul, Parsifal, who longs to be a knight. Piers's mother has regaled him with stories of her life as a maid-in-waiting at the French court, so he has grown up with lofty ideas and the ambition to become a knight's page. Parsifal is clearly in need of his expertise--he doesn't know anything about proper dress, manners, or social customs. Readers familiar with the legend will recognize the main events. After Parsifal fails to ask "the" question and realizes his mistake, he continues his Grail quest alone, and Piers joins Sir Gawain and his page on further adventures, thus continuing the story begun in The Squire's Tale. (Amazon)
5. The Ballad of Sir Dinadan (2003)--My favorite one
Sir Dinadan is a reluctant knight who upholds the noble standards of Camelot in his own way. The likable and unassuming Dinadan, younger brother of the famous Sir Tristram, travels the land, encountering deceptive damsels and foolish knights. His compassion and common sense earn him the respect of many, and his keen wit satirizes the excesses of Arthurian heroism that he observes along the way. The tragic tale of Tristram and Iseult becomes a funny story "about two fools drinking from the wrong flask." Dinadan befriends a would-be knight named Culloch, but can't endure the useless parade of tasks his friend eagerly attempts to win a bride. The humor is accessible; readers don't need to know The Faery Queene to appreciate Dinadan's playful mockery of allegory (or, as he calls it, "saying things by pretending to say something else"). Along with the satire, though, Dinadan succeeds in righting some true wrongs, protecting a young woman he admires, and restoring a deposed king to his throne. (Amazon)
6. The Princess, the Crone, and the Dung-Cart Knight (2004)
Sarah, an orphaned teenager who is on a quest for revenge when she encounters Queen Guinevere and Sir Kai. After Kai catches Sarah trying to steal his sword, he gives her a special sword made for his son and teaches her how to use it. When the evil Sir Meliagant kidnaps Guinevere and wounds Kai, Sarah searches for a way to help them. A crone leads her to Camelot where she meets King Arthur, and she goes with Sir Gawain and his squire to rescue Kai and Guinevere. On the road, they encounter trickery, danger, and many characters and plot twists. Sarah gets her revenge, but it is not sweet, and this well-drawn character eventually finds strength and peace within herself.
This one addresses the more serious issue of prejudice, injustice, and violence against Jews in medieval Europe, but still remains true to Morris's style. (Amazon)
7. The Lioness and Her Knight (2005)
Lady Luneta lives cooped up with her parents in a remote region of the kingdom and, like many teens, longs to get out and have some fun. When her parents agree to let her see a bit of the world, and to give them a break from mother-daughter turmoil, Luneta is thrilled. Soon she is on her way, accompanied by her cousin, the knight Ywain, to the castle of a family friend near Camelot. They meet Rhience, a former knight who has sworn to live as a court fool for one year and not use a sword against anyone, and the three travel together, with Ywain imagining himself fighting gloriously in battle and Rhience spouting barbs and witticisms along the way. Once at Lady Laudine's castle, Ywain kills their hostess's husband in battle and immediately falls in love with the lady herself, Luneta becomes an enchantress under the direction of her great-aunt Morgan Le Fay, and Rhience proves to be a loyal companion and not such a fool after all.
The plot feels like it runs a bit long and sometimes seems to move away from the main plot, but is overall good. (Amazon)
8. The Quest of the Fair Unknown (2006)
Beaufils spends the first 17 years of his life in a forest cottage with his loving mother, never meeting another human being. Then, upon her urging, he goes forth into the world of men, to seek out King Arthur's court and his erstwhile father. This unique background makes the protagonist the perfect foil for the other characters' antics. He bumbles along, innocently taming evil as he seeks his father and helps his friends complete their own quests. (Amazon)
"Bumbles along" is how I would describe the plot. For whatever reason this one just wasn't as enjoyable.
Morris has a very humorous style of writing--dry and subtle
Again, I've mostly copied the story plots from my library website or amazon, but have added some of my own comments as well.
1. The Squire's Tale (1998)
In medieval England, fourteen-year-old Terence, who has been raised by a hermit who sees time backwards--seeing the future and forgetting the past, finds his tranquil existence suddenly changed when he becomes the squire of the young Gawain of Orkney and accompanies him on a long quest, proving Gawain's worth as a knight and revealing an important secret about his own true identity.
This tale is based on the "ugly woman"--one of the Gawain legends. Sir Gawain becomes a knight of the round table by defeating a recreant knight with a stew pot
2. The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady (1999)
Young Terence, squire to Sir Gawain, can't deny that things at Camelot are changing--and not for the better. Handsome new knight Sir Lancelot has eclipsed Gawain's star and also has won the heart of Queen Guinevere, sending courtiers into a gossipy frenzy, and beloved King Arthur into a depression. When the mysterious, otherworldly Green Knight issues a daunting challenge, only Gawain accepts, proving his loyalty to Arthur, though embracing potential tragedy. But the quest proves a soul-searching, ultimately rewarding personal pilgrimage. A sequel of sorts to Morris' The Squire's Tale (1998), this delightful interpretation of "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" stands well on its own. (Amazon)
3. The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf (2000)
Teenaged Lady Lynet sets out for Camelot, looking for a champion to free her family's castle from the siege of an evil knight who is demanding her sisters hand in marriage. Along the way, she befriends several mysterious companions, none of whom is exactly as he or she first appears. Scattered throughout Lynet's saga are droll, unusually modern portrayals of many familiar Arthurian characters. The heroine, nicknamed the Savage Damsel, is a take-charge kind of gal. Noble Sir Gareth appears as a "clothheaded ninny," whose turbocharged sense of honor forces him into an unnecessary duel with every knight he stumbles across, and brave Sir Lancelot has burned out on chivalry and admits he has become a media creation. The novel is also enjoyable for its good-natured spoofing of the conventions of its medieval setting (my favorite thing about Morris' books!!). Knights of the Round Table avoid any tournament where the prize is a lady's hand in marriage, figuring there must be something wrong with her. Characters poke fun at one another's lofty, Maloryesque language. Also, some of the most courageous knights are shown to be none too bright, which explains why they risk their lives so readily. (Amazon)
4. Parsifal's Page (2001)
Morris retells a knight's legend from the perspective of his helper and companion, Piers becomes squire to Parsifal. In this entertaining and substantive story, Piers's wanderlust takes him to the court of King Arthur where he meets up with a lost soul, Parsifal, who longs to be a knight. Piers's mother has regaled him with stories of her life as a maid-in-waiting at the French court, so he has grown up with lofty ideas and the ambition to become a knight's page. Parsifal is clearly in need of his expertise--he doesn't know anything about proper dress, manners, or social customs. Readers familiar with the legend will recognize the main events. After Parsifal fails to ask "the" question and realizes his mistake, he continues his Grail quest alone, and Piers joins Sir Gawain and his page on further adventures, thus continuing the story begun in The Squire's Tale. (Amazon)
5. The Ballad of Sir Dinadan (2003)--My favorite one
Sir Dinadan is a reluctant knight who upholds the noble standards of Camelot in his own way. The likable and unassuming Dinadan, younger brother of the famous Sir Tristram, travels the land, encountering deceptive damsels and foolish knights. His compassion and common sense earn him the respect of many, and his keen wit satirizes the excesses of Arthurian heroism that he observes along the way. The tragic tale of Tristram and Iseult becomes a funny story "about two fools drinking from the wrong flask." Dinadan befriends a would-be knight named Culloch, but can't endure the useless parade of tasks his friend eagerly attempts to win a bride. The humor is accessible; readers don't need to know The Faery Queene to appreciate Dinadan's playful mockery of allegory (or, as he calls it, "saying things by pretending to say something else"). Along with the satire, though, Dinadan succeeds in righting some true wrongs, protecting a young woman he admires, and restoring a deposed king to his throne. (Amazon)
6. The Princess, the Crone, and the Dung-Cart Knight (2004)
Sarah, an orphaned teenager who is on a quest for revenge when she encounters Queen Guinevere and Sir Kai. After Kai catches Sarah trying to steal his sword, he gives her a special sword made for his son and teaches her how to use it. When the evil Sir Meliagant kidnaps Guinevere and wounds Kai, Sarah searches for a way to help them. A crone leads her to Camelot where she meets King Arthur, and she goes with Sir Gawain and his squire to rescue Kai and Guinevere. On the road, they encounter trickery, danger, and many characters and plot twists. Sarah gets her revenge, but it is not sweet, and this well-drawn character eventually finds strength and peace within herself.
This one addresses the more serious issue of prejudice, injustice, and violence against Jews in medieval Europe, but still remains true to Morris's style. (Amazon)
7. The Lioness and Her Knight (2005)
Lady Luneta lives cooped up with her parents in a remote region of the kingdom and, like many teens, longs to get out and have some fun. When her parents agree to let her see a bit of the world, and to give them a break from mother-daughter turmoil, Luneta is thrilled. Soon she is on her way, accompanied by her cousin, the knight Ywain, to the castle of a family friend near Camelot. They meet Rhience, a former knight who has sworn to live as a court fool for one year and not use a sword against anyone, and the three travel together, with Ywain imagining himself fighting gloriously in battle and Rhience spouting barbs and witticisms along the way. Once at Lady Laudine's castle, Ywain kills their hostess's husband in battle and immediately falls in love with the lady herself, Luneta becomes an enchantress under the direction of her great-aunt Morgan Le Fay, and Rhience proves to be a loyal companion and not such a fool after all.
The plot feels like it runs a bit long and sometimes seems to move away from the main plot, but is overall good. (Amazon)
8. The Quest of the Fair Unknown (2006)
Beaufils spends the first 17 years of his life in a forest cottage with his loving mother, never meeting another human being. Then, upon her urging, he goes forth into the world of men, to seek out King Arthur's court and his erstwhile father. This unique background makes the protagonist the perfect foil for the other characters' antics. He bumbles along, innocently taming evil as he seeks his father and helps his friends complete their own quests. (Amazon)
"Bumbles along" is how I would describe the plot. For whatever reason this one just wasn't as enjoyable.
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