The strength and perseverance of some people continually amazes me. I work in a field where on a daily basis I see people struggle with their histories; their deeply dysfunctional families; physical, emotional, sexual abuse; their mental health; low self-esteem and paralyzing self-doubt. I read memoirs like this one and I am astounded by the dedication and sustained effort it takes to escape an abusive family. Not only did Tara Westover escape it, she thrived. How parents like hers could produce both mentally ill, abusive children and incredibly intelligent children who have the strength to escape their abusive families is of great interest to me. Of course it was also so frustrating how long it took for Tara to actually separate herself from her abusive family. No matter how old a "child" is, they want to be loved and accepted by their parents and siblings. Tara had a really difficult time disconnecting from the dysfunction. That was painful reading.
Tara could have easily fallen into the habits of her parents. Her father was controlling and abusive; her mother was eccentric. What's interesting is that her mother's eccentricities brought them fame and wealth. Tara's mother was incapable of protecting her children from the abuse they suffered from their father (mostly emotional abuse which resulted in physical harm) due to her unwavering support of her husband, and yet she was intelligent in her own right. There is a fine line between genius and mental illness. Many geniuses would be diagnosed with a mental illness (if they cared about being diagnosed!), so it's not surprising that Tara's parents had children who were mentally ill and some who were intelligent enough to separate themselves from it.
This wasn't always an easy read - due to my internal screaming at Tara to STOP going back to her family home and her abusive father and brother - but it was also a powerful read. There ARE people who can break the cycle of abuse.
Wendy's Rating: *****
Thursday, January 30, 2020
A Beautiful Blue Death by Charles Finch
I really enjoy reading British mysteries. This one is set in the 1800's (the Victorian era). Charles Lenox is independently wealthy, even though he is the younger brother and doesn't inherit his father's estate. He is very close to his older brother however, so there are no resentments about that. It would be difficult to not like his brother, Edmund. Charles, at age 40, discovers things about his brother in this book that he didn't even realize because Edmund is so modest about his influence and talents. All in all, a good solid family.
Then there is Lady Jane, who is a young widow. Lady Jane grew up with Charles and Edmund and now Lady Jane and Charles live next door to each other in London. They see each other nearly every day. They obviously have feelings for each other, but they spend too much time being "proper" to act on it. This is the first book of the series however, so I have to think that changes over time. ;) Another key character is Thomas, the brilliant doctor married to the beautiful Toto. Thomas has unfortunately succumbed to drink, but he is Charles' best friend and assists Charles in his sleuthing. I am hoping that Thomas can kick his drinking habit in future books, because I really like him!
Lady Jane's former servant, Prudence, is found dead and she asks Charles, the gentleman sleuth, to look into it. It's an apparent suicide that Charles quickly determines is murder. Charles' approach to investigation is "charming". He loves to sit by the fire with his tea while thinking about the murder. He trudges through London in boots that are inappropriate for the weather. He interviews his suspects either in high-end gentlemen clubs, of which he is a member of a dozen (easily) or in the scariest, poorest parts of London. He gets beaten up in an alley; gets thrown off by erroneous information; suspects the wrong person; suspects the wrong motive; but in the end, Charles outsmarts Inspector Exeter and solves the mystery - for which Inspector Exeter takes credit for.
This is a charming British murder mystery. What's not to like?!
Wendy's Rating: ****
Then there is Lady Jane, who is a young widow. Lady Jane grew up with Charles and Edmund and now Lady Jane and Charles live next door to each other in London. They see each other nearly every day. They obviously have feelings for each other, but they spend too much time being "proper" to act on it. This is the first book of the series however, so I have to think that changes over time. ;) Another key character is Thomas, the brilliant doctor married to the beautiful Toto. Thomas has unfortunately succumbed to drink, but he is Charles' best friend and assists Charles in his sleuthing. I am hoping that Thomas can kick his drinking habit in future books, because I really like him!
Lady Jane's former servant, Prudence, is found dead and she asks Charles, the gentleman sleuth, to look into it. It's an apparent suicide that Charles quickly determines is murder. Charles' approach to investigation is "charming". He loves to sit by the fire with his tea while thinking about the murder. He trudges through London in boots that are inappropriate for the weather. He interviews his suspects either in high-end gentlemen clubs, of which he is a member of a dozen (easily) or in the scariest, poorest parts of London. He gets beaten up in an alley; gets thrown off by erroneous information; suspects the wrong person; suspects the wrong motive; but in the end, Charles outsmarts Inspector Exeter and solves the mystery - for which Inspector Exeter takes credit for.
This is a charming British murder mystery. What's not to like?!
Wendy's Rating: ****
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
This book's protagonist, Artemis Fowl, is not your typical lead character. He certainly cannot be defined as a hero. He is a 12 year old genius, who also happens to be a millionaire. Oh yeah, and he is a thief. In this first book of the series, Artemis decides he wants to be the first human to steal gold from the fairies. Of course this is tricky business since fairies have lived for thousand of years - and are often unseen by the naked eye. Artemis figures out a way to copy one of the fairy manuals so he can figure out how to outsmart them. There is no denying that he is clever. He is a successful manipulator, definitely thinks outside the box and always thinks ahead to his end game.
Artemis kidnaps Captain Holly Short, a fairy from the LEPrecon Unit. Her supervisor, Commander Root, tries to outwit Artemis to rescue her. Artemis wants fairy gold and Root wants Holly back - as well as the gold that he presents to Artemis as her ransom. It was interesting to discover all the "rules" that fairies must follow, like they cannot enter a home without an invitation and they cannot leave without permission from the host. They can mesmer humans (which Holly only manages to do once since Artemis knows he and his bodyguard, Butler must wear mirrored sunglasses at all times so that Holly can't look into their eyes. Holly is able to get Butler's sister to remove her glasses eventually though and is able to mesmer her into thinking she is watching 24-hour wrestling on a big screen). Anyway, I digress. The story also includes other creatures, like trolls and dwarfs, but not like you read about in children's stories. These are mean and ugly and do disgusting things.
Even though Artemis is only 12 years old, and this series is youth fiction, it doesn't necessarily read like that! The vocabulary is advanced for a typical 12 year old. There are many, many words that I wouldn't even use as an adult! There are also words that I don't really like my own 12 year old reading out loud - like damn and hell - two words that were used several times. It's a complex read for youth, but it's setting the scene - and introducing characters - for future adventures. I thought at one point that Artemis and Holly might end up as a "team" (since they help each other toward the end), but they end as they started, as antagonists. They might be antagonists that kind of like each other though in future books. ;)
Wendy's Rating: ****
Artemis kidnaps Captain Holly Short, a fairy from the LEPrecon Unit. Her supervisor, Commander Root, tries to outwit Artemis to rescue her. Artemis wants fairy gold and Root wants Holly back - as well as the gold that he presents to Artemis as her ransom. It was interesting to discover all the "rules" that fairies must follow, like they cannot enter a home without an invitation and they cannot leave without permission from the host. They can mesmer humans (which Holly only manages to do once since Artemis knows he and his bodyguard, Butler must wear mirrored sunglasses at all times so that Holly can't look into their eyes. Holly is able to get Butler's sister to remove her glasses eventually though and is able to mesmer her into thinking she is watching 24-hour wrestling on a big screen). Anyway, I digress. The story also includes other creatures, like trolls and dwarfs, but not like you read about in children's stories. These are mean and ugly and do disgusting things.
Even though Artemis is only 12 years old, and this series is youth fiction, it doesn't necessarily read like that! The vocabulary is advanced for a typical 12 year old. There are many, many words that I wouldn't even use as an adult! There are also words that I don't really like my own 12 year old reading out loud - like damn and hell - two words that were used several times. It's a complex read for youth, but it's setting the scene - and introducing characters - for future adventures. I thought at one point that Artemis and Holly might end up as a "team" (since they help each other toward the end), but they end as they started, as antagonists. They might be antagonists that kind of like each other though in future books. ;)
Wendy's Rating: ****
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