"RECKLESS" Cornelia Funke's gorgeous book for all ages... 5 Stars

Publisher: Little, Brown & Co.

Hachette Publishing Group

Previously Released Hard Cover Copy: 2010

Published by: Little, Brown & Co.

Young Adult Fiction

Pages: 400

New Release: Sept. 5, 2011

Trade Paperback Edition

"Reckless" is written and illustrated throughout by the unbelievably gifted Cornelia Funke. She can be seen and heard live on video at her dedicated website: http://www.get-reckless.com

A Simple Summary:

Ever since Jacob Reckless was a child, he has been escaping to a hidden world through a portal in his father's abandoned study. Over the years, he has made a name for himself as a finder of enchanted items and buried secrets. He's also made many enemies and allies—most important, Fox, a beautiful shape-shifting vixen whom Jacob cares for more than he lets on.

But life in this other world is about to change. Tragedy strikes when Jacob's younger brother, Will, follows him through the portal. Brutally attacked, Will is infected with a curse that is quickly transforming him into a Goyl—a ruthless killing machine, with skin made of stone.

Jacob is prepared to fight to save his brother, but in a land built on trickery and lies, Jacob will need all the wit, courage, and reckless spirit he can summon to reverse the dark spell—before it's too late. 
 

The Bookish Dame Humbly Reviews :

Like so many of you, I learned to read by fairy tales.

Weren't our minds caught up in visions of the beauty, the magic and the color of those dark tales...didn't we all understand that pain and horror had to come before the happily ever after? Fairy tales were my bread and butter reading; undoubtedly they laid some kind of subconscious footwork in my life.

Fairy tales and their illustrations were so much a part of developing our imaginations; they helped to lay the foundation of our creative minds. Teachng, love and loss, psychology, empathy, art, imagination....so important; archetypical, as our professors would say. Children don't read fairy tales like we used to.

Now comes Ms Cornelia Funke who has written and created illustrations for her painstakingly crafted book. Hers is a book grafted throughout with fairy tales. Her fingers seem tipped with fairy wings, overtaken by an enchantment in order to make such strikingly beautiful pictures to accompany her story.

Here is a treasure fit for a king's child. It's a heroic, charmingly dark, gothic and mystical book. It has a story to tell and a moral to the story. It's "Reckless."

Fairy tales do not wholly dominate the book, there are only elements of the twisted and familiar stories we grew up with in "Reckless." Some of those that frightened and enchanted us are included, but Funke revisits them from another, more adult perspective. Sleeping Beauty with parchment yellow-colored skin and brittle straw-like hair laying with unseeing eyes; while her prospective, unsuccessful "princes'" bodies hang garishly disemboweled by sword-like rose thorns, gave me a sad twinge! Shiver....

Cornelia Funke's use of imagery and wordsmithing is mastered by few others in this genre. She creates a plausible world that is fantastical at the same time. We are drawn in by the details and reactions of her characters, and, as we accompany them; we believe in the action moment by moment. It's nothing short of magical. Visually, I found myself wanting to look like 13 yr. old Nesser, the Fairy-cursed Goyl..."amethyst suffused" jasper stoned skin with golden eyes. Even if she wasn't on "our side." How did that happen?

Characters such as Jacob, Will and Fox are sure favorites. I admit to a partiality for Fox, a shapeshifting young girl who scampers around as a golden-eyed red fox most of the time. She's wise and strong, a lithe and brave little warrior whose loyalty and selflessness is unbendable. She's just the sort of role-model that's wonderful for young girls.

And, of course, Will's girlfriend; Clara, is a strong-minded combination of the professional, medical student-sweetheart any young man would want by his side. It's Clara's knowledge of medicine, her insights, and her support of Will that leads the small band along their journey.

I applaud the way Ms Funke creates independent and well-rounded young women in her book. And, I also appreciate how she's balanced her male figures in the same way. Both Jacob and Will are worthy warriors and well-rounded young men. There is a purpose for good in them. They rise above their troubles and go through their mystical journey learning the lessons of all great men, survivors and leaders. Love, endurance, single-mindedness, loyalty, self-respect and selflessness are some of those lessons learned for both sexes.

This balance of fully realized heroic figures in the young men and young women speaks to the Utopian quality in Ms. Funke's "Reckless," and it's greater outreach and vision. Much could be said on this point alone.

Ms Funke's German heritage is tapped openly in her book: the Germanic home and history of the Brothers Grimm's Fairy Tales; Schwanstein's Castle; i.e., Neuschwanstein, the "fairytale castle" of King Ludwig of Bavaria; the craggy glories of the Alps she perhaps grew up loving and seeing; and the songs and tales of Nordsmen, Vikings and mystical creatures as expressed in Wagner's operas. Germany is rich in folktales about the Black Forest and its dark creatures who haunt there; the caves, crystals and beautiful lakes that run from the mountains. All of these things, perhaps, lend themselves to the earthbound richness and beauty that fuels Ms Funke's literary achievements and art.

"Reckless" is not just a book for children and young adults, rather, it's a book for everyone. This series will go on my library bookcase along with the Harry Potter(s) and Alice in Wonderland.

5 Stars for an exceptional book and a collectible series.

Deborah/TheBookishDame

Prep School for the Psychic Crowd! "Haven" is a fantastic YA novel by Kristi Cook

Publisher:  Simon & Schuster (Simon Pulse)

For:  Teens, YA readers

Pages:  401

Book 1 of a series

From Author, Kristi Cook's Website:

Violet McKenna isn’t a normal girl with normal teenage issues; she has more to contend with than most people could handle. Violet thought she was just crazy when she had a vivid vision of her dad’s murder. Her life started falling apart when her premonition came true. She’s had flashes of other events too–the problem was nobody believed her until she found a new school: Winterhaven.

At Winterhaven, Violet finally feels like she belongs. She quickly finds a close group friends and discovers that they too have psychic ‘gifts’—as do all the students at Winterhaven. But as soon as she feels settled she discovers the most intriguing and alluring boy she has ever met, and things quickly go awry. As the attraction between them grows, intense visions of the boy’s death start to haunt her. In her premonitions, the secret he is unwilling to share begins to reveal itself. And to Violet’s horror, she learns that their destinies are intertwined in a critical–and deadly–way.

“Cook’s first YA novel reads like a blend of the Gemma Doyle trilogy, the Twilight saga, and Lois Duncan’s thrillers, and it will find a wide audience among female fans of gothic novels”
– Booklist

Such An Absolutely Cool Playlist!

If you’ve had a chance to read HAVEN yet, you might be wondering about that iPod that Violet gave Aidan for Christmas–what songs would be on his “favorites” playlist?

 What kind of music would a guy like Aidan like to listen to?
So….I give you AIDAN GRAY’S OFFICIAL PLAYLIST!  Or, “music to read HAVEN by.”  Something like that!  Some songs on his playlist have real meaning for him (for example, “October” by Broken Bells–Aidan’s birthday is in October, and it’s also the month that he first meets Violet.).  Others are on his playlist simply because he likes them.  And others, well…you’ll figure it out if you’ve read the book!  But the songs–and their order–kinda tell a story.
Hope you enjoy it!

Oh, and I’ve listed it at iTunes–so if you follow the link, you can find the entire playlist at iTunes, listen to samples, buy a song or two or even the entire playlist!  Here’s the LINK.

1.  Waiting for the End — Linkin Park
2.  And She Was — Talking Heads
3.  October — Broken Bells
4.  Young Forever — Jay-Z (featuring Mr. Hudson)
5.  In the Aeroplane Over the Sea — Neutral Milk Hotel
6.  Little Lion Man — Mumford & Sons
7.  Should I Stay or Should I Go — The Clash
8.  Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) — Green Day
9.  Bodies — Drowning Pool
10.  Let it Bleed — The Rolling Stones
11.  The Only Exception — Paramore
12.  A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under — WHY?
13  I Wanna Be the One — Fun
14.  Like Dylan in the Movies — Belle and Sebastian
15.  Bittersweet Symphony — The Verve
16.  Better That We Break — Maroon 5

The Dame Gives A Proper Review:

Dear readers of YA fiction, I'm so happy to let you know that "Haven" is great fun to read and relax with!  I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I can recommend it without reservation to both tweens and teens, as well as YAs.  Of course, those of us who like to enjoy a soft read into the realms of the psychic and paranormal will love it, too.

Violet, the darling primary character, is a girl not too full of herself or too involved in her ability to forsee the future through dreams/visions. In fact, her ability scares her and makes her a sort of outcast at school. She's just an ordinary girl; however, being an orphan also leaves her in the extraordinary position of needing friends and someone to care about her.

When her step-mother gives her a choice of boarding schools, Violet is drawn inexplicably to Winterhaven. Arriving at her new school, Violent finds there's something odd about it and the students and faculty...  She's not quite sure she "fits" here, either.  This alone makes her a bit vulnerable, but when she meets Aidan, a gorgeous and mysterious boy in a couple of her classes, she's smitten...so is he.  Thus begins Violet's adjustment to Winterhaven, and its adjustment to her!

Kristi Cook is the perfect writer for this genre.  She carefully balances the fanciful, the dark, mysterious ebbs and flows of the paranormal, and love interests of the many.  Teens and tweens will find her book all they need to set them daydreaming!

Characters are fully drawn with quite thoroughly decided relationships to each other.  Each one has specific "skills," personalities, connections that are well defined, and can stand alone. In that they are interesting in and of themselves, it makes for a wonderful cast for Kristi's second novel in this series.

Aidan will take your breath away.  Ms Cook leaves no stone unturned to make him the vampire of your dreams.  Golden haired, glistening-slivertoned eyes, a hunk if we've ever read of one!  He's sensitive and manly at the same time.  Oh, give me room to fall...I'm falling!!  I'll take one, please...

This is a book that's perfect for a quiet weekend.  Why not this weekend?  Both you and your special girl(s) will love it.
Just don't leave it laying around before you've finished it.

4 stars for a fresh and fun YA novel

*Please see more information and special links at:
Kristi-Cook.com

Deborah/Your Bookish Dame

The Oftimes Difficult Task of Reviewing Books

It's a sometimes treacherous walk we take when we offer ourselves as book reviewers.  It actually puts us in a place of having to become certain critics, certain experts or certain knowledge ables about books.  There's a serious responsibility to reviewing books.  It's not a thing to become cavalier about.  Nothing to toss around lightly.

In this time of technological genius and fast-moving words and blurbs, we may tend to forget that reviewing a book is quite a responsibility, actually.  With a false word, a flippant slip, a dismiss of something important or a misunderstanding of text, a reviewer can set in motion a small wave that could cause a book to be remembered as; "I heard something strange about that book, but I can't remember where..I don't think it got good reviews."  The slip that sank a ship.

Just as we're required to read and structure our reviews in an honest and just manner to the best of our abilities, I truly believe that also means we cannot always give 5 stars to books and authors.  To do that would diminish the standard we use to evaluate books altogether.

To me, 5 stars means I want to keep the book in my library forever. I love it so much and found so much literary merit in it. I want to see it again. 
4 stars means it was so fabulous I want everyone else to get one, too!  I recommend it to everyone.
3 stars means it was a good read, I liked it, but I probably won't keep a copy. You'll have to choose to read it for yourself after evaluating my review.
2 stars means; good try but I couldn't finish it and can't recommend it.
1 star is something I can't even give a book!!

I take my role as a review writer so seriously that I study the art of writing.  I have taken time to learn grammar and spelling.  I read other reviewers' work so that I can learn from the best of them.  My searches include finding books, new and classical that continue to educate my mind and, hopefully, keep me from becoming intellectually stagnant.  I consider myself well-red, well-educated, a good writer and a conscientious person who takes my book reviewing role seriously.  Books are very important to me.  I'm interested in being a part of the big wheel that keeps them alive and well in our world.

Sometimes we won't please an author with our review.  We won't mesh with them, or we won't understand what they've tried to convey, or we won't appreciate their craft in the manner they've employed it.  I hope my readers know that in such cases I look very hard to pull out the gold from books and that I don't knowingly mislead anyone.  I see my role as a scout--going ahead to let my readers know what to expect.  Some will want to follow...some will not.  Some writers will want to hear the response to their writing, some really will not unless it fits their own perceptions. 

It seems to me, as well, that the role of a reviewer is also to convey something to the author about how their book may be perceived.  I recall a professor once saying that when Faulkner (or some such great author) was asked if he meant to say thus and so symbolically in his story...he answered, "If you say so.  I never know what I meant to say until you tell me."   It's this idea that once that word is written down in the way it is, once it leaves the pen of the writer and becomes a page in a book that's sent out to readers...it becomes the property of the readers to define and to evaluate.  No matter how the book was conceived of and birthed onto the page from the mind of the author; ultimately, it will evolve into the product of the minds of its readers.  Of course there's room for debate here, but Faulkner isn't here anymore to debate that issue, and, yet we still find and dismiss all sorts of things in his novels!

All in all, what I'm going on about here can be summed up this way:
We have a responsibility to authors, publishers, readers and the book world on a whole to be the best we can be at our craft.
We have a responsibility to be honest in the delivery of our reviews regardless of how the writer may like or dislike the message.
We have a responsibility to our readers to actually read and think and take time to give a review that will lead them to make an intelligent decision about the purchase of a book.
Books are important.  We have a responsibility to keep them around.

All this being said, I'd like to most gratefully acknowledge the wonderful publishers who make my book reviewing possible:
Hachette Publishing Group: Little, Brown & Co., LBYA, Mulholland Books, Grand Central, and others; Simon & Schuster, St. Martin's Press, Bloomsbury, Random House, Overlook Press, Penguin, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books, Poison Pen Publishing, Crown, Harper Collins and others.

Thank you so much, my very special publicity friends who make things happen for me, kind and caring authors, faithful readers and visitors.  You make it all work together for good for me.  I'm so appreciative. 

Deborah/TheBookishDame

A Bookish Libraria: The Bookish Dame Reviews: Gothic, Vampirish and Old World ~ "The House on Bl...

A Bookish Libraria: The Bookish Dame Reviews: Gothic, Vampirish and Old World ~ "The House on Bl...: "The Book Summary : This is a tale of vampirism, madness, obsession and devil worship as Rose Baines, only survivor of her family’s carnage..."

"Altamont Augie" ~ The Decadent Sixties...Vietnam, Rock 'n Roll, Making Love-Not War

Overview from Amazon.com:

"Barager spins a compelling tale of youthful passion, both personal and political...a rich, satisfying experience. A well-written, gripping novel that expertly blends fact and fiction, love and conviction."

--Kirkus Indie

"...historical fiction at its very best. The main characters are true-to-life and make the readers care...Barager's writing is always on target." --ForeWord Clarion Reviews, Five Stars (Out of Five)

"Richard Barager has written the novel of the Sixties--a passion-filled, pitch-perfect, roller coaster of a tale about the decade that divides us all..." --David Horowitz, former New Left radical and best selling political author

"The Vietnam War not only claimed thousands of lives, it also shattered a country..."Altamont Augie" is a fascinating read of the harsher conflict of words on the home front and what they meant to the soldier."---Midwest Book Review

"The drowning death of an unidentified man at the infamously violent 1969 Altamont free concert sets the stage for first novelist Barager's dynamic, passionate, often moving exploration of the turbulent and politically divided 1960s...the story of a fraught love triangle...adds arresting human dimensions"--Booklist

A NATION'S HONOR...A GENERATION'S POLITICAL SOUL...

LOVE and WAR in the AGE of AQUARIUS

A startlingly vivid portrayal of one of the most colorful and turbulent periods in recent American history: the 1960s, as seen through the eyes of two ill-fated college lovers at odds over Vietnam. Their story and the story of their generation spill onto a tableau of some of the era's most iconic settings: the legendary battleground of Khe Sanh; a Midwestern campus riven by dissent; and Altamont Speedway, scene of the notorious rock festival profiled in the film Gimme Shelter. Let this richly satisfying tale transport you to a Sixties state of mind.

About Richard Barager:

Richard R. Barager, MD, FACP, is a nephrologist in private practice in San Diego’s North County. Dr. Barager, who has twice received a San Diego County Medical Society “Top Doctor” award for distinguished care in his specialty, is a champion of the healing power of literature, and from time to time “prescribes” specific novels to receptive patients and families to help them cope with their burden of illness.
He has engaged the medical community at large in this endeavor via The Literary Doctor, a blog category devoted to the use of literary fiction to help patients and physicians alike explore the meaning of human illness in a way scientific method cannot. A disease can be understood through the process of empiric research and publication; understanding illness—the fully expressed human response to disease, manifested by its emotional, spiritual, financial, as well as physical aspects—requires a different paradigm. Illness is best understood in story form, i.e. selected works of literary fiction.
Dr. Barager has long believed the two finest callings in life are doctor and writer, the one ministering to the human condition, the other illuminating it, both—when performed with compassion and knowledge—capable of transforming it. His novel Altamont Augie, a tale of the late 1960s, is due for publication in June, 2011.

Dr. Barager earned BA and MD degrees at the University of Minnesota, and did postgraduate training at Emory University in Atlanta and the University of California at San Diego. He has published a chapter in a medical textbook, is past chief of staff at a large district hospital, and is fluent in Spanish, in order to better serve his area’s substantial Hispanic population.

---

Guest Post from Dr. Barager:

Hello to all the loyal followers of The Bookish Dame, and thank you to Deborah for inviting me to write a guest post on her wonderful literary blog.

There is an insatiable curiosity on the part of readers, I think, about the process of writing fiction—what Norman Mailer called "The Spooky Art" in the eponymous title of his famous book on writing. I thought I would attempt to make the art of novel writing a little less spooky by revealing how some of it came to be for me in my debut novel Altamont Augie.

First, a word about how I decided on the subject matter.
As is often the case, it chose me—seven years ago, during the Iraq war. The protests that flared up against the war reminded me of street protests I had witnessed in my youth against another war: Vietnam. Which got me thinking again about the 1960s, a decade that left an enormous cultural and psychological imprint on me. Yet I never really understood the Sixties, never knew what it all meant: the music and fashion, the war and protest, the racial strife and assassinations. Altamont Augie, then, is my humble exploration of the meaning and legacy of the 1960s.

The premise of the book fell into my lap when I came across an article about an event I had nearly forgotten about: Altamont. The Altamont Speedway Concert was a rock festival held on December 6, 1969, in the waning days of the 1960s. It was a concert that went bad. Really bad. So bad, it is regarded by many as the metaphoric Death of the Sixties, the symbolic—and tragic—end of the Age of Aquarius.

The notion of Altamont as the Death of the Sixties quickly became an idée fixe of mine—in a good way. I watched the seminal rock documentary Gimme Shelter (the second half of which is devoted exclusively to Altamont) half a dozen times; read everything about Altamont I could find, including San Francisco Chronicle articles (preserved on microfiche from the pre-digital era) written in the days immediately after the concert; and I visited Altamont—forty miles east of San Francisco—and walked its sere, windblown grounds.

I learned there were four deaths amidst the violence of Altamont, the most famous of which was the stabbing death of a black Berkeley teenager named Meredith Hunter by the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang. But what intrigued me far more than Hunter’s notorious slaying was a fatality nobody paid much attention to that day: that of a young man who, an hour into the show, inexplicably got up, walked over to the nearby California Aqueduct, plunged in and drowned. He would remain anonymous, unidentified, his body never claimed. As futile a death as I had ever heard of.  Or not.

Altamont Augie

What kind of man goes to one of the biggest rock concerts of the sixties, manages to drown in a nearby irrigation canal an hour into the show, and is never identified? Who was this John Doe? Another hippie drifter left over from the Summer of Love, more drugged-out flotsam from the wreckage of an overwrought decade? A nutcase, one of thousands wandering the Bay Area back then? An oddball suicide, perhaps.

So much for the trigger of my story. Now for a word about the title.
The "Altamont" piece you already understand. But what about the "Augie" part of it? What’s up with that?

The use of the name Augie in my story and title is a tribute to Saul Bellow’s The Adventures of Augie March, one of the greatest novels of 20th century American literature—and to its protagonist, one of the greatest characters in 20th century American literature. What makes Augie March so great? How about this, the greatest opening sentence in 20th century American literature.

I am an American, Chicago born—Chicago, that somber city—and go at things as I have taught myself, freestyle, and will make the record in my own way: first to knock, first admitted; sometimes an innocent knock, sometimes a not so innocent.Bellow’s novel about a prototypical American’s quest for identity during the Great Depression championed the belief that an individual, no matter how lowborn and disadvantaged, can succeed in America solely by dint of character and ability. My novel echoes that belief.

So there you have it, two Augies in two different novels, written half a century apart, each in celebration of the greatest statement of human liberty ever written:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.　
Thanks again for having me, Deborah.

Thank you, Dr. Baranger, for enlightening us about your spark of motivation for writing "Altamont Augie," and for the insight into the importance of the title.  You're welcomed to share anytime about anything on my blog!

Now:  A short trailer of your book--

The Dame's View:
Gripping trailer for a gripping novel which would make a really great film.  I was swept up in this story that was a flashback into the turbulent 1960's.

The conflicting ideals and opinions of the Vietnam War are central to the theme of "Altamont Augie;"  as it was to those of us who struggled to make sense of the War in those times, of the reasons why certain of our friends and loved ones were being "drafted" into the clearly "unpopular," politically challenged War, and certain ones were left untouched.  Just like Dr. Barger's characters, we were fighting to make changes in our lives: breaking out of restrictive, status focused chains ready-made for us in a world assuming to hold us back from expressing the knowledge we'd gained of new sciences, new sociology, new art and literature...a new awareness of who we were and what kind of world we wanted, particularly in a world that warned of nuclear annihilation by a Big Bear enemy.  The 1960's generation was the first to break barriers in college-educated citizens, for the first time children were significantly more educated than previous generations.

Through all of these struggles for rights to their own bodies, to their conscience, equality, peace and a voice of freedoms, college sweethearts David and Jackie provide a bird's eye view into the angst of young Americans of the era. 

Like the majority of the world around them Dr. Barager's characters experience professors, friends, student uprisings and news commentary of the day.  And, while the two young lovers are bound to each other, they are also bound to the truths they've arrived at for themselves.  It is these differences in philosophy and values that causes a chasm between them that only love can grow into.

I found "Altamont Augie" a trip back in time.  It's a good story of love and loyalties--honor and shame, the bottom-line 
issues close to our hearts during times of unrest in our country and our homes.   It's a novel written by an accomplished writer whom I expect we'll hear more from in the future. 

On another note, I just want to say that in contrast to the current wars we are sending our young men to in the Middle East, and despite our national conscience and political outcries currently...the Vietnam War was a catalyst for more unity and uprising of voices in America in its day.  There was more determination, more "guts," more a sense of urgency and anger.  Young adults had a sense of gravity and loss, it seems to me.  I'm not sure why this is.  Perhaps it was because so many were forced to fight...perhaps it was seeing them die daily on television (like today: 19 yr. olds, 20, 21, 22-30 yr. olds)...perhaps it was that we were young and felt the oppression of our collective "selves" on so many fronts so profoundly.  Maybe we didn't have the added burden of a society fraught with the base-of-the-pyramid challenges of financial collapse!   Or the infiltration of the Muslim Brotherhood terriorists in our midst...  All which may seem to be an overwhelming war in itself to surmount.

Whatever the reason...I wish we had the power behind our convictions today that we did back then.

This book is one you'll be glad you read.  It's a quick read with a heart-warming message of love and triumph...with a bit of rock 'n roll to spice it up, and a bit of sobriety to leave us thinking.

Deborah/TheBookishDame

*PS:  Order it from me at Amazon.com on my side bar?  This is an amazingly well priced book!

"The Story of Beautiful Girl" ~Chilling Love Story and Commentary on Asylums

Grand Central Pubishing

Hardcover:  346 ppgs.

Overview:

It is 1968. Lynnie, a young white woman with a developmental disability, and Homan, an African American deaf man, are locked away in an institution, the School for the Incurable and Feebleminded, and have been left to languish, forgotten. Deeply in love, they escape, and find refuge in the farmhouse of Martha, a retired schoolteacher and widow. But the couple is not alone-Lynnie has just given birth to a baby girl. When the authorities catch up to them that same night, Homan escapes into the darkness, and Lynnie is caught. But before she is forced back into the institution, she whispers two words to Martha: "Hide her." And so begins the 40-year epic journey of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia-lives divided by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, yet drawn together by a secret pact and extraordinary love.

Author:  Rachel Simon
In addition to being an author of substance and renown, Ms Simon is an advocate of such organizations as:
AAIDD: The American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.  She speaks at rallies, as seen below, on Capital Hill in support of those with developmental disabilities, and the awareness of programs and special education for them.  In this photo, you can see the topic is "community and opportunity." 

The Book Trailer:

My Review:
"...Beautiful Girl" is an unusual novel in that it demands a suspension of believe for the story to progress; while it urges us to believe in the horrors of the days when families hid their disabled children away from society and themselves, it also wants us to feel the angst of a love story. Ms Simon does a good job of writing a book that "works" for the most part, and which draws us into the characters of her book, as well as the unconscionable insiders and innerworkings of a torture camp for the misbegotten.

This is the chilling story of a couple of lost, "thrown-away" residents of an institution who are shifted off on an anonymous asylum, forgotten, and helpless in a world that is frightening and unpredictable.  Their lives have been stolen from them...they are incarcerated in a holding place of horrors, daily punishments are meted out to them and there is no apparent way out. The couple are lost or rejected and "dead" to parents and other family members, so they come to cherish the connection and love they've forged with each other.

The main characters of the asylum, Homan, a deaf man whom no one understands; and Lynnie, a young woman unable to speak fluently; fall in love and eventually escape the asylum.  Lynnie is pregnant, she gives birth enroute, and the couple finds shelter at a home with a lighthouse carving on the mailbox.  This lighthouse signals a familiarity with "home" to Lynnie who cannot articulate or remember where she came from. 

The story follows Lynnie, Homan, their baby girl, as well as Martha, the brave woman who takes the baby under her protection when Lynnie asks her to take care of her as the authorities straight jacket her and take her back to the prison of the asylum.  Homan, at the same time, escapes the police and abusive asylum guards, running for his life in order to come back another day to rescue Lynnie and the baby.  

There are twists and turns that pace "The Story of Beautiful Girl" and tell us of the plight of these people. Their lives lack real sympathy, support and understanding for the greatest part.  They are the lost and forgotten, the ones not capable of defending themselves, and the ones we cry for in pity for their entrapments. Were it not for the rare few who saw them as valuable human beings with meaning and creative abilities, they would surely have been victims of corrupt, self-serving people until they died.

The view we have of Lynnie's and Homan's love story is moving.  Their devotion to each other despite their inability to "talk" in conventional ways was touching and heartwarming.  Though both have lost their "voices," they communicate from the heart with spirits that unite them over 40 years.  I was moved, as well, by the personal sacrifices that Martha made in her devotion to Lynnie and the baby she came to love.

What falls short to me in this special novel is that it wants to be two things at once, and the author's attempts to blend both was not wholly successful.  The book dragged in parts and it often skipped details without links from one person to another,  leaving gaps in the flow of the story. Perhaps we weren't meant to form an attachment to the child, but I think it may have tied the story together better had we known who she was and how she may have reflected the best of all the characters.  Somehow, the story fell short for me because of these components. 

What I did find most interesting and vital in the novel were the insights into the asylum and its characters.  They were fierce and enlisted stong feelings from me.  I was shocked by the abusive, inhumane conditions, the roadblocks that even those who wanted to help the inmates feared, and the ungodly disregard for human life.  Here was the meat of this novel, I felt--a story that held rich and horrific descriptions of a prison-like facility for the pitiful, demanding we look at the unseen. It begged this recognition, because with awareness comes curiosity and with more curiosity, many might become involved.  This, then, was the most powerful part of Ms Simon's book.

All in all, I really liked "The Story of Beautiful Girl," sans the stated issues above.  Ms Simon is a writer of great talent and devotion to social issues.  Her book is commendable and worthy of support...certainly worthy of  reading. 

I simply feel responsible to tell you that the book is not your typical love story.  It's rather a novel of exposure and indictment of a society that felt it was good to hide away the disabled and those with imperfections.  It's the story of two heart who survive through love.  And, the dedication of one woman, past her prime, whose life becomes one of love and devotion.  Happily, there is redemption  for all in the end.  Hopefully, we have progressed as a society since the days this novel takes place.  But, I'm not sure we have...

I recommend "The Story of Beautiful Girl" as long as my readers realize it's not just a love story.

4 stars

Deborah/TheBookishDame

Marcia Clark writes novel "Guilt By Association" ~ Her first legal thriller since OJ Trial

Author Marcia Clark

*Please just take a moment to view this great video from Mulholland Books about "Guilt By Association"

Book Summary:

Los Angeles D.A. Rachel Knight is a tenacious, wise-cracking, and fiercely intelligent prosecutor in the city's most elite division. When her colleague, Jake, is found dead at a grisly crime scene, Rachel is shaken to the core. She must take over his toughest case: the assault of a young woman from a prominent family.

But she can't stop herself from digging deeper into Jake's death, a decision that exposes a world of power and violence and will have her risking her reputation--and her life--to find the truth.

With her tremendous expertise in the nuances of L.A. courts and crime, and with a vibrant ensemble cast of characters, Marcia Clark combines intimate detail, riotous humor, and visceral action in a debut thriller that marks the launch of a major new figure on the crime-writing scene.

Here's Marcia Clark being interviewed by George Stephanopolis  on Good Morning America

Who is the Author?

A former LA, California deputy district attorney, Marcia Clark is probably best known as the lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder case. She wrote a bestselling nonfiction book about the trial, Without a Doubt, and is a frequent media commentator and columnist on legal issues. She has appeared on such CNN programs as Nancy Grace. Ms Clark lives in Los Angeles.



My Review:

Honestly, as far as I'm concerned, Marcia Clark can do no wrong. I've always liked her spicey, "I can play with you big boys and win" attitude. She's funny and she's feisty. When I looked to read and review her new book "Guilt By Association," I was hoping I'd see some of Marcia coming through one of her characters. As always, Ms Clark doesn't fail us...

Rachel Knight is a committed DA and worthy protagonist in Clark's first legal suspense novel. She has all that sharp and edgy humor that kept us watching the irrepressible Ms Clark prosecute OJ Simpson against so many odds years ago. 

Rachel Knight is brilliant and formidable, and I like that combination for a woman. It's that unbeatable personality and character mix that makes for today's women who aren't afraid to make a difference and to take a stand against crime.  Rachel isn't just a good prosecutor, she's a lawyer with street smarts and sensitivity, as well as an instinct for the unsaid. The reader can feel her strength and empathy come through. Her sense of humor and witty cat-and-mouse bits make her thoroughly likable and real.

Clark's writing style is conversational and intelligent. It has an easy flow with a good deal of dialogue that brings the reader stealthily into the heart of the thriller.  As Rachel is caught up in the mystery, so are we. Reading along in this novel I felt like I had when I "rode shot gun" with Kinsey Milhone in her early novels...or when I research forensics with Patricia Cornwell. The flow of this novel is similar to both, actually. The easy way of involving and engaging the reader is of the same quality.

Marci Clark has the keen eye of a former prosecutor and legal advisor. She's clear about the problem, the issues and the details. It's apparent in her book. And, it's an element that makes one comfortable in the reading. 

"Guilt by Association" is a book to curl up with on a weekend. It's that good, and it's one you won't want to put down once you start it. Not so somber you'll make frown lines your botox treatments won't fix...not so gorey you'll forget food and fun...but just the right amount of mystery, suspense, thriller and new woman heroine you'll love!

As I said at the beginning of this review; I like Marcia Clark. I like that she's real and that she embraces her imperfections with a toss of her head and a gritty laugh. Just like Rachel Knight.  I like that both Marcia and her main characters have that touch of the indomitable spirit.

"Guilt by Association" is a book I recommend without question. This first book of Ms Clark's in this genre comes away with high marks.



For further information on "Guilt By Association" and a great interview of Ms Clark by a Boston reporter please visit:  http://www.mulhollandbooks.com/

Last Minute Tidbit!
Taken from the Mulholland Books site, this is a great question and answer put to Marcia:

Who are your 5 favorite women crime fighting characters?



Emma Peel (aka Diana Rigg) of “The Avengers”: Before it was cool to let women fight and carry guns, this woman did it all, and in a black cat suit no less.


Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison in “Prime Supect”: Jane is brilliant, tough, straight-talking; a woman who walked the walk without ever resorting to the cartoonish extremes of either trying to be a man or the outrageous coquette. And Helen Mirren is literally the only person who could play her.


Rita Fiore: The hottest female lawyer on two spectacular legs (thanks, Robert B. Parker!). She was Spencer’s “go-to” gal for all kinds of help and information. Every bit as predatory, tough and smart as any man, she and Spencer shared a perpetual, yet unrequited lust.

*My note: Many years ago in Wellesley, MA, I met Robert Parker and his ex-wife at one of those Mystery Dinners that were popular in the early 1990's. She and he were not married but shared the same house...she lived upstairs and he lived downstairs. They held hands and were a well-known "odd couple."  Parker told me that Rita was a composite of his wife who was a dark and sexy woman with long legs and a beautiful figure... She was taller and sexier than the teddy-bearish Mr. Parker. :]


Scully of the “X Files”: Cool as a cucumber, the rational, scientifically-minded counter-part to Mulder. Scully was a woman who could run without pin wheeling arms and wield a gun with believable authority. And, for a change, a woman was the logical, more emotionally balanced end of the team.


Nancy Drew: one of the earliest intrepid females and the heroine of my early childhood. In fact, she’s one of the reasons I wanted to be a thriller writer. At eighty years old (yep, eighty) she’s still out there crushing crime.

Please leave a comment for me! What do you think about Ms Clark's new venture into fiction writing?  Who are your favorite women crime fighters in fiction?

Deborah/TheBookishDame

*Ms Clark's publisher is Mulholland Books, from which I received a reviewers copy. I have received no compensation for my review, nor have I been asked to write a favorable review. My opinions and remarks are honestly my own.

"Sing You Home" ~ Jodi Picoult The Review

Jodi Picoult is the voice of the everyday woman today.  While one may not always agree with her, I believe that she attempts to give as complete a perspective of comtemporary issues as any social "observer" can.  In "Sing You Home," Jodi has made no exception.

Like the message or not. Jodi is what used to be known in ancient times as a "scop." Scop means a bard or news-carrier from Anglo-Saxson England. It was a word practically obsolete by the 14th c., but revived again in the 18th c.  It is a definition of those who carried news and stories from town to town in ancient cities before people could read or write.  What I mean to say here is that Ms Picoult will be known, I believe, as an author who recorded our contemporary times and social struggles in such a way that the general population could understand them...like a scop who stopped in villages and spoke around fire gatherings giving the latest news of the "world."

"Sing You Home," is a controversial novel.  And, it is a good one.  The characters are real;  their feelings and personal struggles are heavy.  Though you may not agree with every decision they make, you can understand why they make them, ultimately.  My daughter who has experienced the personal pain and emotional upheavals associated with IVF, told me she had to put the book down.  She was moved to tears, relating to the reality that Ms Picoult wrote into her characters. She was hit once again with the emotional passages she had walked. "How can she tell about something so intimate?" she wanted to know.  That's the gift Jodi Picoult has.  The gift of conveying the realities of emotional pain, horror, love and healing...the conditions of life.

In "Sing You Home,"  the story guides us through a marriage that disintegrates and then works its way around to something more interesting.  We learn how innovative therapies such as music can reach an otherwise locked-up teenager.  And, we find that a person of age doesn't mean they are unwilling to learn and be valuable contributors to other's lives. While it's unrealistic to expect everyone to agree with decisions made by Picoult's characters, we are given an opportunity to envision the situations that many encounter in our society with it's alternative choices.

Jodi Picoult is an author of significant writing skills.  It is clear that she is capable of reaching a wide range of readers.  Her goal is to do just that.  I believe she is more than capable of narrowing her scope to a more specific following, even to her own personal perspectives alone...but she choses to reach more people with views that are as multi-faceted as possible.  This is the gift of a true writer who is committed to giving herself to her readers for the good of all.  A writer who sees her purpose as shedding light on the issues of the day, and allowing her readers to make their own, more informed decisions about them.

I highly recommend "Sing You Home."  It's a novel that will make you cry, make you think outside the box...it will make you angry, and it will expand your sense of what could be done to resolve what seems unresolvable.  It's a novel of our times for good or for bad.  It sheds a light on what different people and groups of people are thinking and living, and for the most part, I think Jodi does that in a way that's unsurpassed by other writers today.  She knows her readers, and she writes for them. 

I don't think the Christian perspective received a full and complete audit; but, nor do I think the teenager in her novel was fully developed, nor the reality of dealing with different relationships. There is much that could be written about these that was left unsaid in "Sing You Home," so I'm wondering if it's a segway into a second book, or if she meant to leave things open ended.

As a gift, Jodi has written some song lyrics which her friend has set to music and sings.  She has added this as a CD and it is attached to her book.  It is an accompaniment to every chapter.  I'm not one to listen to music as I read, so I have listened to it separately.  I appreciate the gift and the inner work it took for Jodi Picoult to share with us.

If you haven't already gotten this book, I hope you'll go now and buy it.  It's an important and excellent read.  Your book groups will have a fantastic time with it, too! 

Deborah/TheBookishDame

The New Dork Review of Books: The Top Five Sins of the Book Reviewer#comment-form

This was such a great blog entry and group of comments that I thought it was be a shame not to share it with my bookish friends.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!      Your Bookish Dame/Deb

The New Dork Review of Books: The Top Five Sins of the Book Reviewer#comment-form



PS:   Let me know what you think!