Thirteen Moons - Charles Frazier

Title: Thirteen Moons
Author: Charles Frazier
Date Finished: January 6, 2008
Pages: 420
Rating: 4/5

I chose this book because I loved Cold Mountain, so I thought it would be perfect for the Seconds Challenge. Thirteen Moons begins in the early-mid 1800s and is set mostly around and in the Cherokee Nation. The story follows Will Cooper, a young orphan boy who is bound into servitude at a trading post at the edge of Cherokee Nation. Will quickly adapts to the rough surroundings around him using his quick wits, business savvy, and befriending a chief, Bear. The rest of the novel follows Will's story through middle age into old age--tracing the history of the native people he is adopted by--mainly the exodus of natives to the west.

Frazier's writing is exquisite--many complain about his writing style, but I don't agree that it is exaggerated or overdone. Frankly it is what will drive me to buys his next novel. The plot, however, did not grab me like Cold Mountain did. I really liked Will as a character, but I never warmed up to Claire--his sometimes love interest throughout the novel. I found the premise believable, but I wanted it to take hold of me and consume me like Inman and Ada did.

I would recommend this to those who love language--and a little patience is required. I appreciated the insight into the removal of a huge population as well as the customs of the Native Americans during this time, both of which Frazier detailed at great length and with great feeling.

Flesh and Blood - Michael Cunningham: A Review

Title: Flesh and Blood
Author: Michael Cunningham
Date Finished: November 14, 2007
Pages: 466
Rating: 4/5

I picked this book up a few years ago at a booksale after reading The Hours. While I didn't like this book as much as I did The Hours, I thought it was a good book. The book follows the Stassos family through three generations beginning with Constantine the Greek immigrant patriarch and ending with his grandchildren almost 100 years later. Hmmm, sounds like Middlesex? Perhaps--most of the story revolved around the sex lives of the characters--first the parents Constantine and Mary then their children Susan, Billy, and Zoe and finally the grandchildren. The difference? Cunningham does not tackle delicate subjects with quite as much grace as Eugenides does. Sometimes the topics were brash, but they were also written brashly.

Nevertheless, Cunningham writes characters beautifully. This is one of the things that I really admired about The Hours, and to a lesser degree this book. Perhaps because of the time-span of the book or simply what the characters go through during the book, I felt myself being drawn into their stories and becoming invested in what happened to them even though I didn't necessarily feel sympathetic to any of them until the last third of the novel. Would I recommend it? Umm...not the best book I've read this year, but I also felt really compelled to finish it all the way through. I even shed a few tears at the end of the book. Take it on at your own risk. Definitely start with The Hours, though.

Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen: A Review

Title: Northanger Abbey
Author: Jane Austen
Date Finished: November 2007
Pages: 211
Rating: 4/5

I read this for Joy's 2nds Challenge because I read Pride and Prejudice years ago...ironically I will be re-reading P&P later this month/next month for Something About Me Challenge. It wasn't until a co-worker asked for a "fluff" recommendation that I realized that most of the books I've been reading lately have been classics, but I've been enjoying them in a very strange, almost sadistic way. :)

Northanger Abbey is about Catherine who is not your typical heroine. She leaves her home to stay in Bath with some friends, the Allens, and she becomes entangled with Henry Tilney and his sister Eleanor. After befriending Catherine, the Tilneys invite her to stay with them at Northanger Abbey, an old Gothic castle. Can Catherine find love at Northanger Abbey; did her love interest's father commit a horrible crime at Northanger Abbey; does Catherine come into the type of life that she deserves? These are some of the questions that are answered in the second half of the book.

While I enjoyed the book, it wasn't as developed as I would have liked. It has been so long since I've read Pride and Prejudice that I don't have much to compare with, but the depth didn't seem to be there--not only with the characters, but with the plot as well. There were parts, especially near the end, where the connections were never really clear (why was Catherine asked to leave Northanger Abbey?). I thought it was a fun book, and I loved how Catherine has a tendency to overanalyze situations because I do the same thing. I'll be really interested in reading more of Austen's books--especially P&P in a few weeks.

2nds Challenge

October 1-December 31, 2007

I can't help it...really I can't. I'm not sure if I'm just crazy or what, but I've found these challenges a great way to "schedule" in my TBRs. Thoughts of Joy is hosting this challenge, and basically it is just a push to read a second book by an author that we've read before and want to read more of.

My List (revised 6/17/07):

• Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier
• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
• Flesh and Blood by Michael Cunningham

Alternatives:

• Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy (unless I read All the Pretty Horses this year)
• A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf

At least this one doesn't start until October, so I have some time to mull things over a bit and get prepared (since none of these are cross-listed with other challenges).

I feel like such a motivated reader...when I finish a book I'm not looking at my bookshelf wondering what the heck I should devour next. I never did do too well with too many choices.