Hello All! Happy December! I can hardly believe that we are just around the corner from bringing in the new year of 2011. Ridiculous. I think I'm getting old.
Anyway, this time around, I read a series of books called the "Fairy Tales Retold Series" by Regina Doman. There really is too much to say about these books. Maybe over time we should discuss each one individually. Anyway, the series consists of five books, set in modern times, that are based off of a traditional fairy tale. They are:
-Shadow of the Bear (based off of Snow White and Rose Red)
-Black as Night (based off of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
-Waking Rose (based off of the classic Sleeping Beauty)
-The Midnight Dancers (based off of the 12 Dancing Princesses)
-Alex O'Donnell and the 40 Cyber Thieves (based off of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves)
The first three books follow the story of sisters Blanche and Rose and their adventures with two mysterious young men who call themselves Bear and Fish. Shadow of the Bear focuses mainly on the beginning of their adventure when they first meet the two young men. Black as Night was centered largely on Blanche, and Waking Rose about Rose. The other two, The Midnight Dancers and Alex O'Donnell focus on characters that are introduced in Waking Rose, but no longer really follow the story of the original four characters.
As for the plot... it's pretty complex. The stories are mystery mixed with fantasy, and I thought it was beautifully done. The characters were very real and relateable, set in modern day New York. There is a great mixture of fascinating elements like criminal activity, mistaken identities, dark pasts, secrets, and mysteries. At the same time it is filled with the fairy tale lover's bliss of love, fantasy and princes and princesses, evil witches and frightening spells. It's hard to explain how that can all fit together without having a serious continuity issue, but somehow, it happens. By the end of the book, you're thinking, "Oh my gosh... that is SO clever! I never would have come up with that!" Also, there are many many references to classic literature that my book loving comrades will appreciate. There is also a strong thread of rich Catholicism throughout all five, which I thought was impressively done because it was not over the top at all, which I appreciated.
Now, some girlfriends of mine recommended this book to me and I was like "Fairy Tales Retold? Yeah. Right. Chick novel, NOT for me or any other guy with any dignity." But, I read it, and I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't entirely "chick" oriented. Much of the story is told from the guys' points of view, and there is enough "real man" stuff in there to keep us interested. While I do think these books are probably most popular for teenage girls, I do admit that guys shouldn't be embarrassed to check them out.
On a precautionary note, however, I do want to point out that there is some "older kid" content in some of the books. Drugs, jail, criminals, violence and messed up people are met and dealt with. Nothing immoral is ever looked upon as a good thing. The author is a pretty staunch Catholic, and on her website has a "Picky Parents" guide to her books, so that you can find out just exactly what kind of stuff is in there. So, if you're younger, maybe have an older sibling or mom or friend read it first for you.\
Here is Miss Doman's website: http://www.fairytalenovels.com/index.cfm
I really encourage you all to read these books; once you start, I promise you WON'T be able to put them down!
Ciao~
Tony D.
Shadow of the Bear - 4/5 Recommended
Black as Night - 4/5 Recommended
Waking Rose - 5/5 Recommended
12 Midnight Dancers - 4/5 Recommended
Alex O'Donnell and the 4- Cyber Thieves - 4/5 Recommended
Showing posts with label novel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label novel. Show all posts
Friday, December 10, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
The Bronze Bow
Hello All-
Sorry it's been so long! Today, I decided to post on "The Bronze Bow," by Elizabeth George Speare. I have read this book so many times it's crazy. I haven't actually read it recently, but I know this is a good book.
This book is set in first century Judaea. The lead character, a young man named Daniel Bar Jamin, lives at the same time as Jesus of Nazareth.
Daniel's father was crucified in front of him by the Roman occupiers (as his uncle did not have money to pay the tax) so even at the age of eight, he immediately hates and distrusts the Romans and vows that he will avenge his father's death. His mother dies of grief after her husband's death. Daniel's younger sister, Leah, is traumatized by these events, possessed by demons, and never leaves the house. The children are both taken in by their grandmother, but as she becomes ill and poor over the years, she sells Daniel to Amalek the blacksmith. Daniel escapes his cruel master, running away to the mountains where he meets Rosh, the leader of an outlaw band of rebels,who plan to someday overtake the Romans.
Several years after these events, he meets two old childhood friends: Joel bar Hezron and his twin sister Malthace, who climb the mountain for a holiday. Joel fiercely wants to join Rosh's band, so he promises Rosh that he will be a spy in Capernaum, the city to which he is moving.
One of Rosh's missions has Daniel capturing a slave. The crew names him Samson (a character in the Biblical book of Judges with immense strength and quite a temper) for his brute strength. Samson doesn't talk or understand anything, but he sees Daniel as his master and follows him. One day, Simon the Zealot, Daniel's friend from the village, comes to tell Daniel his grandmother is dying. He returns to his village of Ketzah and sees his grandmother. She passes on and Daniel is left in charge of Leah. Later, Simon tells Daniel he is going to follow Jesus and leaves Daniel in charge of his shop; Daniel and Leah move. At some point a Roman soldier younger than Daniel (a conquered German) befriends Leah after he sees her. Daniel eventually finds out, and goes into a fit of rage. Leah, who had seemed to be in the process of being cured, falls back into fully being possessed by her demons.
That was from Wikipedia- but I don't want to ruin the ending. I like this book so much, I think we should have a discussion on it. What does every one else think?
~Tony D.
5/5 Recommended
Sorry it's been so long! Today, I decided to post on "The Bronze Bow," by Elizabeth George Speare. I have read this book so many times it's crazy. I haven't actually read it recently, but I know this is a good book.
This book is set in first century Judaea. The lead character, a young man named Daniel Bar Jamin, lives at the same time as Jesus of Nazareth.
Daniel's father was crucified in front of him by the Roman occupiers (as his uncle did not have money to pay the tax) so even at the age of eight, he immediately hates and distrusts the Romans and vows that he will avenge his father's death. His mother dies of grief after her husband's death. Daniel's younger sister, Leah, is traumatized by these events, possessed by demons, and never leaves the house. The children are both taken in by their grandmother, but as she becomes ill and poor over the years, she sells Daniel to Amalek the blacksmith. Daniel escapes his cruel master, running away to the mountains where he meets Rosh, the leader of an outlaw band of rebels,who plan to someday overtake the Romans.
Several years after these events, he meets two old childhood friends: Joel bar Hezron and his twin sister Malthace, who climb the mountain for a holiday. Joel fiercely wants to join Rosh's band, so he promises Rosh that he will be a spy in Capernaum, the city to which he is moving.
One of Rosh's missions has Daniel capturing a slave. The crew names him Samson (a character in the Biblical book of Judges with immense strength and quite a temper) for his brute strength. Samson doesn't talk or understand anything, but he sees Daniel as his master and follows him. One day, Simon the Zealot, Daniel's friend from the village, comes to tell Daniel his grandmother is dying. He returns to his village of Ketzah and sees his grandmother. She passes on and Daniel is left in charge of Leah. Later, Simon tells Daniel he is going to follow Jesus and leaves Daniel in charge of his shop; Daniel and Leah move. At some point a Roman soldier younger than Daniel (a conquered German) befriends Leah after he sees her. Daniel eventually finds out, and goes into a fit of rage. Leah, who had seemed to be in the process of being cured, falls back into fully being possessed by her demons.
That was from Wikipedia- but I don't want to ruin the ending. I like this book so much, I think we should have a discussion on it. What does every one else think?
~Tony D.
5/5 Recommended
Monday, September 7, 2009
Anne of Green Gables
Written by L.M. Montgomery, this is a classic, bestselling novel that I am sure most of you have read and enjoyed.
A quirky, imaginative, read-headed, freckle-faced, romance-loving, chatter-box orphan named Anne, who, by means of a great accident, goes to live with Marilla (a sensible, straightforward middle-aged woman) and her brother, Matthew Cuthbert (a shy, awkward fellow, who takes a liking to Anne right from the start.) She gets herself into countless catastrophes such as: dying her hair green because she hates it's red color, smashing a slate over a boy named Gilbert Blythe's head because he called her "Carrots" (this causing Anne to strongly despise Gilbert), and accidentally getting her "bosom friend," Diana drunk. Despite her talkative and quirky nature, she is incredibly smart and wins awards and scholarships for her intelligence. Towards the end of the book, Anne really begins appearing as an accomplished and attractive young woman, who has learned a lot from her amusing mistakes.
This book was delightful. Anne is such a charming character whom one wishes she could be like. It was both funny and heart-rending, both light-hearted, and true-to-life. I must warn you though, it did drag at parts because Anne is such a chatter-box! But even so, I think it's a book every girl should read. It's appropriate for all ages.
Rated 4 or 5/5. (I can't remember because I haven't read it in a while.)
Thanks,
Lady Arwen
A quirky, imaginative, read-headed, freckle-faced, romance-loving, chatter-box orphan named Anne, who, by means of a great accident, goes to live with Marilla (a sensible, straightforward middle-aged woman) and her brother, Matthew Cuthbert (a shy, awkward fellow, who takes a liking to Anne right from the start.) She gets herself into countless catastrophes such as: dying her hair green because she hates it's red color, smashing a slate over a boy named Gilbert Blythe's head because he called her "Carrots" (this causing Anne to strongly despise Gilbert), and accidentally getting her "bosom friend," Diana drunk. Despite her talkative and quirky nature, she is incredibly smart and wins awards and scholarships for her intelligence. Towards the end of the book, Anne really begins appearing as an accomplished and attractive young woman, who has learned a lot from her amusing mistakes.
This book was delightful. Anne is such a charming character whom one wishes she could be like. It was both funny and heart-rending, both light-hearted, and true-to-life. I must warn you though, it did drag at parts because Anne is such a chatter-box! But even so, I think it's a book every girl should read. It's appropriate for all ages.
Rated 4 or 5/5. (I can't remember because I haven't read it in a while.)
Thanks,
Lady Arwen
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