12
Aug 2011

Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont

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I remember Beauty and the Beast as the first Disney movie video cassette that my father bought for me. I don’t recall how old I was, probably around six or seven years old. Since then, I grew up only knowing that the heroine in the story was Belle and the hero was Beast. Of course, I disliked Gaston but cheered up whenever the enchanted teapots, cups, clocks and candlesticks in the castle made their appearances. Ohh, and I still drool over the enormous library!

So I was enlightened when I read Beauty and the Beast on my Kindle. Jeanne-Marie wrote an abridged version in 1756 and it was later translated into English in 1757. Not bad, they translated fast, didn’t they?

In this story, Beauty is the youngest daughter of a merchant who had three sons and three daughters. Beauty’s two elder sisters were mean and only cared about themselves. They were jealous of Beauty who seemed perfect in every way.

The merchant lost his wealth and the family were forced to move to a farmhouse. A few years later, in the hopes of recovering his wealth, the merchant leaves for the city. Before he left, the sisters requested for dresses but Beauty only asked for a rose.

Unfortunately, the merchant could not regain his money, leaving him as poor as ever. He loses his way when returning home and finds shelter in a castle. Duh, he landed right in the home of the Beast! He eats and sleeps there for the night. The next morning, he could not resist plucking a rose from the garden for Beauty. The Beast appears and demands that in return, the merchant must sacrifice himself or one of his daughters. The merchant goes back home, tells his sad tale and Beauty offers herself up to the challenge.

That was my abridged version. Well, the story was longer than that but you could read it all under an hour. I enjoyed it somehow and simply ignored most of the stereotypes in the story.

Beauty = good, good, good, perfect!
Beast = kind, a bit stupid but smart at the same time.
The merchant = Loves his children very much but willing to sacrifice youngest daughter to the Beast.
Beauty’s sisters = self-centred, envious, cunning.
Beauty’s brothers = no personality.

Unlike The Little Mermaid, this fairy tale has a happy ending.

Have you read the story? Any thoughts on it?

Popularity: 9%

Categories: Authors B, Genre - Fantasy, Titles B
07
Jul 2011

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

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Ten-year-old Mary Lennox, who has lived in India all her life, is sent to stay with at her uncle Lord Craven’s Misselthwaite Manor in England when her parents died of a disease. Mary has never had a friend all her life and her parents had never bothered much about her. This makes Mary an obnoxious, sullen little girl who always expects her servants to wait hand and foot on her.

As Mary tries to adapt to the strange new ways in her new home, she improves in physique and character. She passes the time by exploring the gardens and trying to make conversations with an old gardener Ben Weatherstaff. Martha, a young chambermaid, is also the only other person who usually speaks to Mary.

Soon, Mary befriends Martha’s younger brother Dickon who has a way of charming animals around him. She lets him in on a secret that she found out a little earlier. She has discovered a garden which was abandoned for 10 years with the door’s key buried somewhere. By some stroke of luck, she found the key, entered the secret garden and felt that she was in a whole new world. So together with Dickon, they begin to work to bring the garden back to life.

Besides the garden, Mary uncovers another secret in the manor that has a hundred rooms. She stumbles upon her 10-year-old sick cousin Colin one night when she followed the sounds of his crying. From then on, she would visit him every day to talk and play, without them realising that they were making each other better and learning to enjoy their childhood at the same time.

I have watched the 1993 movie version of The Secret Garden when I was a kid and loved it till now. While reading the book, images from the movie would constantly pop into my head and I would compare how the characters were portrayed in both versions.

Descriptions were abundant in the book and it made me a little more knowledgeble about gardens and flowers. I was also a bit puzzled but tickled when I read that Dickon has a funny face. How can a person’s face look funny? But Dickon is a good-natured boy and it would be difficult not to like him.

The book got off to a great start but it slowed down for me halfway. It thankfully got better after three-quarter of the book until the ending. I’m glad that I have finally read the book as I have watched two movie versions of it, and like I mentioned earlier, I really liked the 1993 one starring Kate Maberly.

Popularity: 11%

Categories: Authors B, Genre - Children's Classics, Titles S
22
Jan 2011

Wish by Alexandra Bullen

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Olivia Larsen feels lost and lonely after the death of her twin sister, Violet. To start over, she and her parents move to San Francisco where she attends a new school with a new challenge in making friends.

Olivia then needs a dress to attend a function with her parents. Having given up finding something suitable in her own closet, she searches Violet’s stuff only to find a beautiful dress with a tear in it. She brings it to Posey, a dressmaker, for mending but Posey drops off a completely different dress the next day.

Not knowing that it’s a magical dress, Olivia simply wishes for her sister again. Lo and behold, Violet turns up in the middle of the night and Olivia’s life is almost back to normal again. They find out that Olivia has two wishes left and she has to use them carefully.

Olivia feels quite happy again now that she has her sister with her. She is also making friends with the popular and gorgeous Calla from school. Even Calla’s cute boyfriend, Soren, is taking an interest in her.

Don’t you think it’ll be wonderful to have three wishes to get whatever you want? I’m constantly wishing for more hours in a day. I also wish that I’ve done some things differently. I do wish for many other things (the list is endless) but in the end, I know I need to make do and appreciate what I have now. Be careful what you wish for, right? =)

I enjoyed reading about Violet’s return and liked the close bond between the twins. What put me on suspense was waiting to know how Calla would react if she discovered that her boyfriend was interested in Olivia.

I also liked how Wish wasn’t too fantastical despite having a dressmaker who provided magical dresses. It also explores on dealing with the death of a loved one, which is not easy for a teenager to cope, especially if it’s a very close twin sister.

Wish is a good story and I’m looking forward to reading the author’s next novel, Wishful Thinking, in which the magical dresses make an appearance again!

Popularity: 14%

Categories: Authors B, Genre - YA Fantasy, Titles W
14
Jan 2011

Loving April by Melvin Burgess

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In the village of Cibblesham, April Dean is regarded as the village idiot, just because she is deaf and dumb. Even though she is already in her teens, she cannot read or write. Her father died when she was young and she only has her mother to care for her.

April’s life in the village changes one summer with the arrival of higher class folk Barbara and her son, Tony. Barbara’s husband has dropped them from his life without warning and left them with almost nothing to live by. Tony, ashamed with this new way of life, is initially angry at his mother and blames her for causing their father to leave them.

He gets even more angry and sullen as April keeps popping into their lives. His mother feels relieved however and is really thankful with the help April and her mother were extending. She treats April almost like her own daughter and teaches her ladylike manners.

No matter how he thinks he hates her, Tony feels that April is the only thing alive in the village, which is always full of gossip. Before long, he finds himself falling for her but at the same time embarrassed by her disabilities.

Loving April deals with important issues such as mistreatment towards the disabled. April is an example of an unfortunate individual who has to suffer for her condition, which she never asked for. She is misunderstood and looked down on just because she is different.

As for Tony, he definitely has a lot on his plate. He has to deal with the fact that his father deserted them, discovering the hidden side of his resourceful mother, falling in love with a deaf girl and adjusting to the life of a commoner. All Tony wants is his old life back. But he asks himself, is that what he really wants?

The story is an unforgettable one and I felt deeply for the characters. You can’t help feeling protective towards April or wanting to yell at Tony to stop being so self-centred. Also, you just gotta dislike the village gossip, Mr Riley. Definitely a thought-provoking book worth reading.

Popularity: 11%

Categories: Authors B, Genre - YA Fiction, Titles L Tags:
21
Jan 2010

You Make Me Feel Like Dancing by Allison Bottke

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My sister asked me, ‘Why someone your age would read this kind of book?’

True, You Make Me Feel Like Dancing is about older women who are reaching middle age or are already past that age group.

But it is still a fun, light-hearted read and I learnt more about these baby boomers.

This is the first of three novels in the Va Va Va Boom series. From the book:

The “boom” refers to the baby boomers, people born between 1946 and 1964. Baby boomers today, of which approximately 38 million are women, represent 28 percent of the U.S. population. Boomer women are some of the healthiest, wealthiest, and best-educated women ever to hit midlife.

When I hit 50, I’d sure love to look like Susan Anderson. Folks compliment that she looks better than women who are younger than her!

Anyway, Susan works hard to be where she has come to be. She owns a hip and happening salon in Las Vegas called Disco Diva. Customers go there not only for professional haircuts and styling but they are also nurtured and comforted by the boss herself.

Susan believes in God-cidences instead of the usual coincidences. She always looks on the bright side of things and constantly turns to her Creator for guidance and solace. With that, she’s always lending a helping hand or just being there for someone in need.

Initially, her relationship with her husband, Michael was somewhat non-existent. They rarely saw each other as they worked at different times of the day. She works during the day while he works at night. When she leaves for work, he’s only just returning home for his sleep. They only get the chance to spend time with each other during meals and on Mondays but that had to be cancelled at times.

A dilemma occurred when Susan and Michael began to pursue their hopes and dreams at the same time without first discussing everything. Finally, they agreed to go ahead with both their plans and vowed to somehow make everything work out.

Michael was building his dream home while Susan was working on having a bigger place for her salon and creating a museum to showcase her precious disco memorabilia. She had her friend and mentor, Lily to fund the entire project while roping in the help of the young and dashing Ryan Power to manage it. They also have Tina to help out with the inventory of Susan’s entire disco collection. Together, the four of them, excluding Michael, make a wonderful team.

Michael rarely drops in to help Susan with her project. Susan, on the other hand, is doing as much as she can for her husband’s and her own project. She also has to attend to customers at her salon. With so much going on, her close friends and online support group worry for her and urged her to get some rest. Will both projects be completed smoothly? Does Susan have the strength to cope with everything that’s going on?

The novel is 437 pages long but the chapters are kept short. The author also made it 54 chapters, which I suspect was inspired by Studio 54, Susan’s favourite disco in the 70s. It’s a quick and easy read, a chick lit kind of book but it’s also Christian fiction.

To avoid a long, monotonous read, there are also e-mail correspondence between Susan and her online boomer babe friends. They have never met in real life before and only communicated via technology such as the Internet, video camera and of course, the telephone.

For the first half of the book, Susan seems to be a lively and confident mature woman who carries herself well. However, I was surprised when she suddenly broke down and went completely hysterical when something unexpected happened. The sudden transformation of her character was unbelievable. Perhaps I’m not 50 so I wouldn’t know how women that age would act.

But still, it was an enjoyable read from a different perspective. I don’t always read books about middle-aged folks. Among those I remember is A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon and that was somewhat hilarious. This book somehow only managed to get one chuckle out of me. The rest of the time was purely a relaxing read. It’s also a great opportunity for me to discover more about the disco era during the 70s and 80s!

***Thanks to Audra Jennings from The B&B Media Group for sending me this book to review.

Other reviews: CeeCee, Nightreader

Popularity: 3%

Categories: Authors B, Genre - Women's Fiction, Titles Y
30
Jan 2009

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray

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Historical England, boarding school, magic and realms, strange creatures, evil forces, and a group of teenage girls: these make up the Gemma Doyle trilogy. The Sweet Far Thing picks up where Rebel Angels left off.

Gemma and friends are back at Spence Academy and under the watchful eyes of their headmistress, Mrs. Nightwing, they learn decent manners, curtsies, and everything else ladylike. Gemma is unable to fit in with the mindless chatter and gossip of the other girls at her school. She feels that there’s more to life than just attending parties and dancing with men.

Now Gemma holds all the magic of the magical realms where she and her friends, Felicity and Ann have been going. She’s expected to share the magic with all the tribes in the realms but not so soon. Since Felicity desperately needs a Lady Markham to sponsor her debut in order to claim her inheritance, she needs some of Gemma’s magic to make it happen. As for Ann, well, she needs some magic to escape from being a miserable governess.

What about the beautiful Pippa who’s stuck to wander in the realms forever? Felicity is always delighted to spend time and play with her best friend. However, Gemma feels that there’s something suspicious about Pippa and that she must be careful around her.

In the meantime, Gemma keeps having dreams/visions of a lady in a lavender dress. The lady seems to be trying to tell her something but no sound comes out from her. Who is she? Is she dead or alive? What is she trying to say? What is the Key and what in the world is the Tree of All Souls? Absolutely mysterious and frustrating!

Gemma also needs to find out why the school is restoring the ruined East Wing now. Many years ago, two girls supposedly perished in a fire that destroyed the East Wing but they survived anyway. One of the girls was Gemma’s mother. The other girl, Circe, became an enemy and murderer. It is also said that the then headmistress, Eugenia Spence, sacrificed herself to the Winterlands. The Winterlands is an evil place, by the way.

Oh no, I did not forget the handsome and elusive Kartik. He returns to stay with the gypsies and occasionally has little secretive chats with Gemma. He keeps telling her that he’ll leave someday which only irritates and saddens her. His old brotherhood, the Rakshana, is also on the lookout for him as he failed to kill Gemma in the previous book.

That’s quite a lot to digest, isn’t it? Well, you can expect much more than that from this 819-page book. There are five acts and there is a quote at the beginning of each act. In truth, I enjoyed reading every page of this book even though it took me more than a month to finish it.

Some things I just didn’t like though. I thought Gemma’s friends selfish, especially Felicity. Most of the time, I felt that Felicity’s only using Gemma to enter the realms so she could be with Pippa. I’m also quite surprised at Ann who eventually leaves Gemma alone in her troubles too. Like Gemma, I thought that perhaps her friends are only her ‘friends’ because she has magic which can reduce or wipe out the unpleasantness in their lives. Well, nobody’s perfect.

Besides her school chums, Gemma has to deal with Kartik, Pippa, Miss McCleethy who’s watching her every move, Fowlson who’s working for the Rakshana, her father who’s addicted to laudanum, and her obnoxious brother, Tom. She definitely has a lot on her plate.

I’m quite sad to see the end of the Gemma Doyle trilogy. It’s been a thrilling journey following Gemma, her friends and their battle against being helpless women in a rigid English society that expects little and yet so much from them.

Other reviews: Debbie, Susan B. Evans, Emily, Em

Popularity: 6%

Categories: Authors B, Genre - YA Historical Fantasy, Titles S Tags:
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