A Nice Surprise and More Books

Yesterday afternoon I had a nice surprise when Ann called and invited me to join her, Jim, and Anita for supper.  After a lovely meal, we shared stories about the pets we have known and loved--or in some cases, where we endured a pet's idiosyncrasies for inexplicable reasons!  We had a few good laughs as we pondered the mysteries of the human/animal bond.

And now for more books from the library...

I highly recommend The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman. The book appears to be the separate stories of 4 different women who are dovekeepers at Masada in the year 70, the time of the Roman siege.  At first I was a little put off, thinking the first story was a bit like a romance novel set in ancient times, but I'm glad I continued--the book is much more complicated and original than that!

The Amazon review says:  "The lives of these four complex and fiercely independent women intersect in the desperate days of the siege. All are dovekeepers, and all are also keeping secrets—about who they are, where they come from, who fathered them, and whom they love. The Dovekeepers is Alice Hoffman’s masterpiece."  I agree!

I loved the way that Michael Ondaatje was able to tell this story from an 11-year-old boy's perspective in an authentic way.  And what adventures he and his friends had!  In today's thinking, it's hard to believe that in 1954 it was perfectly acceptable to send unsupervised children halfway around the world on a ship.  I felt The Cat's Table was weaker when the three boys interacted and interpreted the events of the voyage as adults.  I think Hoffman did a better job of tying everything together seamlessly in her book than Ondaatje did here, but it's still a worthwhile read.

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See is the sequel to Shanghai Girls, which I reviewed here on October 24, 2011.  I truly enjoyed reading both of these books:  fast pacing, historical details, and family relationships come together in a straightforward yet entertaining way.  Good storytelling!

"My test of a good novel is dreading to begin the last chapter."

William Hazlitt, author (1778-1830)