Books in our Belltower

Nights in Rodanthe

Nights in Rodanthe

by Nicholas Sparks

 

  

 

When the movie, Nights in Rodanthe was in theaters a couple of months ago, I picked up the book on a whim, intrigued by the idea of a love story involving more mature lovers.  Though I’ve only read one other book by Mr. Sparks (The Notebook, years ago), I felt I was familiar enough with his style to expect a story simply told, simply written, likely with a sentimental message.  In that respect, the book didn’t disappoint.

 

Nights in Rodanthe tells the story of Adrienne, a woman whose recent divorce has left her withdrawn and hopeless, having given up on love and on life, seeming to exist solely for her children and her ill, elderly father.  Through rather interesting if unlikely circumstance, she meets Paul, a man who has just voluntarily given up the life he’d always known, looking for something more fulfilling, and trying to find his way back to his estranged son.

 

As much as I love the idea of two people meeting later in life, when both are older and wiser, and having the meeting change both of their lives, for me it didn’t quite work here as well as I’d hoped.  Perhaps if their affair had taken place over the course of weeks or months rather than a few secluded days, I would have felt as much faith as we are to believe the characters did.  I felt that the author held back too much of the “getting to know you” moments and as a result, I was left feeling that they didn’t really know one another enough to have had a life-altering experience.  Yes, yes, I know; it’s supposed to be a “once in a lifetime love”, but for me, it fell a bit flat.  Maybe I just can’t suspend my disbelief that much.

 

The story is told in flashbacks as Adrienne finally shares the details of her secret affair with her daughter, who is at a place in her life where she, too, needs to believe again.  This aspect of the story, to me, was the most moving.  I enjoyed the moments between mother and daughter, and could relate to the idea that a mother will dig to the depths of her soul and lay it bare in the effort to take away her child’s pain.  I’ll even admit to getting misty toward the end.  The comparison of Adrienne giving of herself for her child’s sake with Paul doing something similar works well, and evokes the expected emotion.

 

Nicholas Sparks’ writing style is spare, sparsely detailed, and there was a brief POV switch in the middle that threw me for a moment, but didn’t prove too jarring.  It’s a definite “quick read” at 222 pages.  Maybe that was the problem for me; had the relationship been expanded, even just a bit more, and the characters’ psyches delved into more deeply, I may have found the story ultimately more credible and moving.  As it is, I was left wanting more – more evidence of great love, of a life-changing connection being forged.

 

Perhaps, too, the very briefly mentioned physical expressions of such a strong and seemingly significant love between the two left me feeling a bit short-changed.  Detailed love scenes are certainly not always necessary to depict the emotion between two characters, but the skirting around it that was done here seemed a bit of a cop-out, as though the author didn’t want to explore it in such depth, and rather wants the reader to take his word for it that it was passionate and meaningful.  The reason for the omission given by the character of Adrienne – that she backs off from relaying such a personal thing to her daughter due to a sense of propriety – winds up feeling contrived, a rather flimsy excuse tossed in so the author could avoid the attempt, in my opinion.  Not being familiar with enough of his other works to know, I can’t say if it’s simply his style.  But combined with the lack of depth shown in the relationship itself, the omission only added to my remaining largely unconvinced that the love between the Adrienne and Paul could have had the hugely significant impact we are told it does.

 

Despite all of this, Nights in Rodanthe is not a bad book; I did enjoy reading it. I would say that if you are looking for a quick read, a sweet story with a few tears wrenched out of you by the end, you won’t be disappointed.  But if you are looking for in-depth characters, the type who are written in a way that makes you truly feel what they are feeling, with a well-rounded, credible storyline, you may want to look elsewhere.

 

Rating: 

(Reviewed by Thalia)

Move Over Harry Potter

I didn’t read juvenile fiction when I was a juvenile, so you can imagine my surprise that I’ve recently enjoyed so much fiction geared toward young adult readers. Perhaps I’ve hit my second childhood?

During the first adolescence I read books like Exodus by Leon Uris, Hawaii by James Michener, and various classics – Dickens, Bronte, Salinger. Plus Taylor Caldwell’s massive tombs and Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt’s gothic romances and well, biographies and histories and…. You get the picture.

But when Harry Potter came along, I was sucked into the series along with the international mass of readers who have turned Harry’s creator into a billionaire. Did you hear? J.K. Rowling tops Forbes list of wealthiest authors with a whopping 300 million earned just this PAST YEAR?)

Over the years I managed to withstand Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Anne Rice’s vampire series and Buffy and Angel and friends. But now, I find myself stuck on, of all things, a vampire teenage love story. Well, the girl is seventeen when the story begins, the guy hmmmm more like seventeen for the past 100 years. Yes, I’m talking about Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Bella and Edward.

I’ve heard the rumblings that some of Meyer’s fans have turned on her, are in an uproar about the final book (Breaking Dawn) of the series. Jane, a reviewer at the blog site Dear Author breaks the series down this way: “I totally loved Twilight, was less than enthralled with New Moon, watched the wheels fall off the bus in Eclipse, and now have come to this sad and somewhat crazy conclusion.” She speculates that Breaking Dawn reads more like a compilation of fan fictions.

I’ve heard that Bella ends up with the wrong guy. I’ve only read the first book, so I didn’t know that there’s another guy vying for Bella’s affections. As soon as I get my hands on the second book of the series, New Moon, I’ll have a better idea of what the hubbub is all about. I’ve also heard the hype and read the first chapter of the unfinished manuscript Midnight Sun released on Meyer’s official website. This manuscript posting resulted from the actions of a trusted friend posting her copy online, breaking copyright infringement laws willy nilly, not to mention damaging a friendship. In Midnight Sun the author ventures into telling the first book (Twilight) from Edward’s point of view. From reading that first chapter, my interest is definitely piqued.

Even if I never read another book of the series (like that’s going to happen!), I am amazed to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this little play on Romeo and Juliet meets Moonlight (TV series) and (now I’m revealing age) the soap opera Dark Shadows. Ohhhh Barnabus how we loved you back in the 1960s – and how our mothers worried that our little Ids would be damaged by such an evil-worshipping soap opera. What is it about young women (and not so young) that ‘bad boys/men’ seem irresistible. In my mother’s day it was Valentino and later Clark Gable of Rhett Butler/Gone with the Wind fame. In my mother-in-law’s day, it was Bogart, Marlon Brando, Elvis Presley, James Dean. Come to think of it, there seemed to be an abundance of bad boy heroes and celebrities during the war years and into the 50s. Having raised two sons, I’m not sure who the baddie romantic interests were of their generation – Sean Penn? Rockers like Axel Rose?

But, back to Twilight. If you have not heard of this book, let me ask -- Where have you been? If you have, then you’ve probably already read it at least twice. The premise seems like a straight forward girl meets boy with all of the angst and moodiness of adolescence. Bella Swan – I know, I know, a little to Hans Christian Andersen-ish-- has exiled herself to a dark and dreary spit of land in the rainy Pacific Northwest: Fork, Washington. (Put a fork in it, it’s done!)

She moves back to live with her father, a man who lives for sports and fishing. Bella exiled herself to give her flakey mother freedom to forge a life with her new love. Bella has been the adult in the family since she was old enough to walk, living with, protecting and trying to please her dear old mum who absconded with her baby daughter to Arizona, leaving a bewildered and heartbroken husband behind. Bella, one of those rare heroines who can not only kick butt, but can also cook and clean and do domestic chores, lives to nurture. She takes care of people and even when behaving like a sullen teen, she wants people to like her.

A review posted by Sarah on Smart Bitches site describes Bella well and hits on many of the series’ weaknesses. Sarah writes, “But what really bothers me is the degree to which Bella subsumes her identity at every turn. She inserts herself into her father’s home by doing the things that will make him happy…. She inserts herself into Edward’s world by doing the same - the biggest show of spine she has is asking a shit ton of questions, but mostly only with his permission to do so.”

On Bella’s first day at the new high school, she sees a group of beautiful students sitting together, isolated from the majority of the student population. They look like an exclusive club of Greek gods, perfection. Bella’s new friends quickly inform her about the Cullen clan, a group of five foster and adopted children of a much admired surgeon and his wife.

The first meeting between Bella and Edward -- one of the Cullen kids -- goes less than perfect. His attitude toward her was described as “if looks could kill.” Of course the biology teacher assigns them as lab partners, forcing the young couple together for at least one class a day. The problem, we eventually discover is that Bella has the sweetest blood and Edward wants nothing more than to taste her, ravish her, kill her. At the same time he’s frustrated because Bella’s thoughts are the only ones he cannot read and he’s developing an overwhelming need to protect her. Well, since this is basically a romance, you can imagine that they figure out how to be together without any blood shed. An interesting byplay involves Bella accompanying Edward home to meet the little family – all vampires of course. All on edge for fear they can’t stop themselves from ‘tasting’ little Bella.

The author creates engaging characters. Bella is charming, strong, sarcastic and vulnerable and not over the top. Edward too is believable, a thinly veiled image of a rock star, right down to music that makes a girl’s head spin. He’s moody, but not melodramatic. A bit angst ridden, but he’s been living with raging teen hormones for a century, so maybe his extremes are to be expected. Thankfully no flashing fangs or red eyes and no, he does not turn into a bat. For the most part the writing is even, the pacing works, and the storyline fraught with a comfortable balance of difficulties and light moments to provide readers with a satisfying diversion from the harsh realities of life. This is, after all, a fairy tale.

Meyer, unlike Rowling, has serious problems with her fan base. Writing a series can be a fun indulgence until readers take ownership and turn into a raving mob when the series fails to meet their expectations. I suppose that is one of the pitfalls of success. Perhaps Meyer watched Rowling and decided that when ending a series everyone should be happy and all dangling story lines should be neatly tied up to form a happy little knot – thus the fairy tale “Happily ever after” ending. She may have gone overboard with that concept, I couldn’t say -- yet. But when it comes to the first book in the series, Twilight, I think she’s written a winner. -- Clio

 

Note: Opening Nov. 21, the movie based upon this book and with the same title will debut. Check out some of the trailers.

The Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance (Mammoth Books)

Erato, here.

I’ve been reading through the new Mammoth Book of Vampire Romance and it’s high time I put my review up. You can see on our side bar that I gave this book three stars, (Amazon won’t let me give it bells there). There were several other stories I enjoyed, but with so many, it would take pages to review each one. So, I have highlighted my three favorites here, but must give a nod at then end to several others whose work I’d never read but found interesting enough to try a full novel.

Lilith Saincrow

Rebecca York

Jenna Black

Delilah Devlin

…and several others were very good reads. There were a few clunkers for me but that’s my take and I won’t mention them here. Overall, this was a great read, easy to carry with me with stories just the right length to finish while waiting at the doctor’s office or sitting down with a cup of coffee for half an hour.

If you like vampires, you won’t be disappointed! Overall Grade: 

 

What’s at Stake?
Alexis Morgan

Josalyn Sloan – Chancellor, neither human or vampire, she is the equivalent of our Federal Marshall-District Attorney-Executioner. (Well, okay, we don’t technically have people who carry the title of Executioner, but in the justice system, someone has to push the button).

Rafferty O’Day – Vampire. Once a lead arbitrator for the council between vampire and human, he now stands accused of murdering a human. And it’s Josalyn’s case to prove guilt or innocence. If she finds he is guilty, she’ll be his executioner.

The only problem is, they spent one hot, sex filled night together and fell hard for each other, though neither was willing to admit it, long before the accusations. Rafferty has asked that Joss handle his case, because he knows, if she finds him guilty, his execution will be quick and as painless as possible. Joss doesn’t want her face to be the last thing he sees.

Wonderfully self contained, this was a great read and the characters stayed with me long after I’d finished it. They are clear and well defined for a short story, pulling the reader into their emotional ups and downs. Josalyn aches for the man she may have to kill, Rafferty aches for Joss and the fact that he’s never wanted another woman the way he’s wanted her. The plot is concise, no plot holes, the sex was hot and the story wrapped up nicely. I would love to see more of this world and I have a feeling, judging from Miss Morgan’s site, that we will.

 

Hunter’s Choice
Shiloh Walker

Sarah stands on a rooftop, crossbow aimed at a vampire, feeding in a dark alley, when she hears a familiar voice behind her. Wyatt, the man she’d met a year before, spent one scorching week with him before walking out on him, now stands on the rooftop with her, though she never heard his approach. She’d found comfort in his arms during that week, after tending to funeral services for her twin brother and his new wife, brutally killed on their honeymoon. The police didn’t do much. But Sarah knew who killed them. Vampires. Now she was determined to wipe out as many as she could.

Wyatt is a Hunter, the vampire equivalent of our elite police force. He was sent that week to make sure Sarah would be all right. He wasn’t sent to bed her or to fall in love with her. But he did both. Now he’s back to stop her from killing because not all vampires kill and she doesn’t know that, or care.

What follows is a well plotted short with great characters and no plot holes. The ‘good guys’ were easy to sympathize with, the ‘bad guys’ easy to hate and another story that ended much too soon. I had never read Miss Walker prior to this, I certainly will read more in future.

 

Play Dead
Dina James

Nikolai is a lost soul. A vampire, destined to mate with one of his own, or die alone. He is on a mission to find and kill a Betrayer, one of their kind outcast from their world. Instead, he meets his soulmate in the form of a human woman.

What follows is a well orchestrated ballet of give and take, trust and suspicion, between Nikolai, Kail the Betrayer and Katrina, the mortal Nikolai wants as his own. Should Nikolai stumble in the dance, it means not only his life, but Katrina’s. If he completes it, it means his salvation. Not to the human world, but to his clan.

I really enjoyed this story. I’d never read Miss James, but she brought her characters to life in a way that made them whole. It didn’t feel like a short story in its execution, but did in the fact that I didn’t want it to end. I won’t give away the ending, but I could see a much longer story generated from this. Her writing draws the reader in, the old world style of Nikolai and the modern of Katrina are well defined and Kail keeps his secrets well, demanding we know more about him, which is my one regret. Because I do. And in that instance, this ended much too soon. This is another author I will have to add to my TBR list.

 

 

"Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus"

By John Gray

(Reviewed by Thalia)

A friend came by to visit yesterday and mentioned that she had never read “Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus,” and was considering buying it, just out of curiosity.  In an effort to save a good friend from tossing her money on a less than worthy cause, I offered to dig through my bookshelf and give her my old copy, excited that I had finally found a way to get rid of the burden and open up the space.  I told her what I thought of it and handed it over gratefully, on the condition that she would never return it.

I bought the book years ago, when John Gray was busily penning his follow-up works, and the initial excitement over “Men are from Mars” had died down.  Impressed by Mr. Gray’s credentials (which, I’ve since learned, are possibly less than stellar after all – mail-order PhD, anyone?), and equally impressed by the apparent popularity of the book, I opened it with great enthusiasm, prepared to learn all I’d ever wanted to learn about communicating with the opposite sex.

Not even halfway through, I closed it for good.

I found Mr. Gray’s book to be a pompous pile of patronizing drivel, a thinly-disguised attempt to turn us all into Ward and June Cleaver.  My interpretation of Mr. Gray’s views boil down to women being overly-emotional, constantly needy creatures who need to be humored, and men as nomadic Neanderthals (insert grunting Tim Allen sound byte) who have a primal need for excessive time and space away from loved ones in order to remain human.  I can’t condemn the book as completely sexist, though, as it seems Mr. Gray views both men and women as equally selfish, ridiculous and reprehensible.

Not even those overly simplistic views managed to offend me enough to close the book.  No, I think what turned me off the most was the suggestion that if my man comes home at the end of the day and needs his “space”, then it’s my obligation to give it to him, without any regard to my own needs or those of other family members, and without time restraint. (No mention was made of bringing him a pipe and slippers, or wearing my best dress, prettiest pearls, and brightest smile, but I am assuming that is a given in this scenario).  Evidently, I should encourage the children to respect his time in his “cave” (a barf-worthy analogy; we won’t even get into any of the others, some of which have thankfully faded from memory), and I should hold off on any important discussion, decision, or less than pleasant discourse in an effort to ensure his overall happiness.  Only when he is good and ready will he emerge from his Man Cave, content and willing to take on all issues being held back in deference by the obviously needy and weepy woman he is encumbered by.

No wonder I was nauseous.

In return for indulging my hard-working, misunderstood man, apparently I will then be rewarded by his nodding enthusiastically, if emptily, in agreement to my endless whining about housework and inequality.  There will be no need to discuss anything, because if we women can simply learn to let men handle things only if and when they want to, then they will be kind enough to put up with our silly sniveling about mundane things like bills, children, health, etc.

What could make for a better relationship than all that?

If my friend makes it any further in the book than I did, I will applaud her fortitude.  I consider it to my credit that my own sense of horror at the idea of anyone’s written words being destroyed ensured that I didn’t burn or trash this book when I closed it.  Instead, I stuck it in the very back of a bookshelf, allowed it to collect dust, and prayed to forget.  Now that it has left the premises, perhaps I will.

This book is still available, used and in paperback, from Amazon.  The lowest price I could find was $4.13.  Personally, I’d put it toward a gallon of gas instead; I’d get a lot more mileage.

Rating:   

(one bell, only because it did give me a laugh or two)

A Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing

A Real Bellringer!

by Melissa Bank
FICTION
Penguin Books, New York, 1999
ISBN: 0143035479

The weekend turned stagnant; I wandered through the house like a bored teenager picking up and putting down things in an attempt to find something to do. It was the perfect opportunity to read. I'd heard glowing reviews and reports on Melissa Bank's book The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing,  but that had been almost a decade ago. I had dismissed it as too young, too chick lit, too girly for me back then. Somehow I had acquired a copy and it seemed to leap into my hands.

I can do anything for five minutes, I told myself. The opening sentence reminded me of my brother as a high school jock and his string of girlfriends. I looked at the clock then back to the book. I read the first page and didn't look at the clock again until I resurfaced 45 minutes later. The rest of the weekend is a blur because my nose was stuck in that book until the final word.

Jane Rosenthal and I could have grown up in the same skin. Both younger sisters, bright, book lovers, sarcastic, and sensitive who never quite figured out the dating game, but came out winners despite ourselves. Written in a lively, uncensored voice of a young woman facing the challenges and heartbreaks of modern courtship, relationships and self discovery, it holds true from start to finish. We watch her work her way from one boyfriend to the next, some her age, another old enough to be her grandfather. Eventually she finds herself, and then Mr. Right. Along the way readers will think of their own experiences so like Jane's and realize that they can laugh at their own mistakes and ineptitude in this game called love.

The author strikes just the right balance between humor and insight, dignity and indignity, loss and love. For women of a certain age, the book will take you back to a time long forgotten and much in need of remembering. That Saturday I actually became a teenager again and this time savored the angst and anguish of young love.

The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing -- still a good read after all these years.  --Reviewed by Clio