Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

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Title: Death Comes to Pemberley

Author: P.D. James

Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction

Length: 291 pages

Published: 2011

Publisher: Vintage

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) The year is 1803, and Darcy and Elizabeth have been married for six years. There are now two handsome and healthy sons in the nursery, Elizabeth's beloved sister Jane and her husband Bingley live nearby and the orderly world of Pemberley seems unassailable. But all this is threatened when, on the eve of the annual autumn ball, the guests are preparing to retire for the night when a chaise appears, rocking down the path from Pemberley's wild woodland. As it pulls up, Lydia Wickham - Elizabeth's younger, unreliable sister - stumbles out screaming that her husband has been murdered. Inspired by a lifelong passion for the work of Jane Austen, PD James masterfully recreates the world of Pride and Prejudice, and combines it with the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly-crafted crime story. Death Comes to Pemberley is a distinguished work of fiction, from one of the best-loved, most- read writers of our time.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I did receive a copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.

I have never read Pride and Prejudice (I do plan on remedying this at some point), so I was really grateful to find that P.D. James had added a brief synopsis in the prologue of Death Comes to Pemberley, explaining who the characters were and their relationships to each other.

I really enjoyed this mystery. The novel starts out with high expectations of the annual ball, only to be cancelled when Lydia Wickham's coach comes barreling to the doors of Pemberley as she screams of murder in the woodland on a night wrought with storms. From there, the police investigation, the inquest as to cause of death, and the subsequent trial form a grand mystery. Why did Captain Denny head out into the woodland instead of along the trail? What secret is Colonel Fitzwilliam keeping?

The truth is revealed in the end, and all of the mysteries resolved. I really enjoyed the story and the fact that everything was neatly wrapped up in the end.

You can purchase Death Comes to Pemberley through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Death Comes to Pemberley? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Casual Vacancy By J.K. Rowling

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Title: The Casual Vacancy

Author: J.K. Rowling

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Length: 503 pages

Published: 2012

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) A BIG NOVEL ABOUT A SMALL TOWN ...

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils ... Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

My Review:

I give this book a 4 out of 5. 

I'm a huge fan of the Harry Potter series, so when I saw that J.K. Rowling was publishing an adult non-fantasy novel, I was...intrigued.

The main plot centers around the political race in a small town after one of the council members dies unexpectedly. The author introduced a ton of characters very quickly. At first, I had trouble remembering who was who and what relationship they were to other people in the story. This truly is a small town, as everyone knows everyone else and their business. Rumors run rampant.

My favorite character was Krystal Weedon. Her whole situation was terribly sad, but she still tried to get through it all. She was probably the most tragic character (aside from her brother, Robbie) in the whole novel. 

The events that occur right near the end of the novel left me speechless. But it was refreshing to have the final pages be a reflection of the selfishness of most of the characters because of that horribly tragic event (I refuse to state what it is because it will spoil things). 

The Casual Vacancy is not a small book by any means. It took every ounce of willpower I had to power through the very beginning and get to know and understand the characters (34 of them!) and their complicated relationships. No one had a perfect life. Everyone had some sort of secret. That was the best part of the whole novel: knowing that the characters were real. Because it did take me awhile to really get into the novel, I had to mark this as a 4 out of 5. It was tedious in places, and confusing at the beginning. However, for the most part, it was a pretty good novel. It's more about the characters and their complicated relationships and lives than it is about the election.

You can purchase The Casual Vacancy through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Casual Vacancy? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

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Title: The Dressmaker

Author: Kate Alcott

Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance

Length: 365 pages

Published: 2012

Publisher: Doubleday

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Just in time for the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic comes a vivid, romantic, and relentlessly compelling historical novel about a spirited young woman who survives the disaster only to find herself embroiled in the media frenzy left in the wake of the tragedy.

Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.

Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy. Others—including the gallant Midwestern tycoon—are not so lucky.

On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic. Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period's glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I really enjoyed this novel. The author took elements of a real event (the sinking of the Titanic) and real people (Lady Duff Gordon and her husband, Cosmo) and wove them into this tale about an aspiring seamstress and fashion designer. The core theme seems to be about choices. There are plenty of choices, both easy and difficult to make throughout the novel: the choice to leave England for America, the choice between two very different men, the choice to stay on with Lady Duff Gordon despite her demeanor, the choice to be the bigger person, and the choice of who to believe about the events that transpired in Lifeboat One. These are just a few of the choices that Tess Collins has to make. Other characters also have choices: the Duff Gordons, Jim Bonney, Pinky Wade, among others. 

One of my favorite characters was Pinky Wade. She was plucky, insecure, and intelligent. I found her to be a good counter to Tess, as well as to Jim Bonney. Tess followed at a close second. I mean, come on, she's the heroine of the novel, therefore she has to be pretty high up there on the favorite character list, right? Not necessarily of course, but I really did like Tess' character. She was naive, indecisive, and kind. Finally, with the letter she received from her mother, she made several life-changing decisions at the end of the novel. She also managed to do something that most people would have completely balked at: she was the better person and showed up to support Lady Duff Gordon at her fashion show, in spite of everything. 

Since finishing The Dressmaker last night, I have read a few other reviews out there. Some people were horrified by the historical inaccuracies. Honestly, as it's a fiction novel, you should expect that some things are not going to be perfectly accurate. Was the portrayal of Cosmo and Lucile Duff Gordon completely accurate? No. But the point of a fiction novel, even a historical fiction novel is to make it your own. I don't feel that this took away from the the history of the time or the story in the least. 

So, in conclusion, I loved everything about this novel. The romance of the time period, the Titanic and its history, the characters, and the very difficult and realistic decisions that nearly everyone featured in the novel had to make. I definitely recommend that you pick this book up and give it a shot. 

You can purchase The Dressmaker through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Dressmaker? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Undead Winter by T.M. Williams

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Title: Undead Winter 

Author: T.M. Williams

Genre: Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy

Length: 52 pages

Published: 2013

Publisher: T.M. Williams (Kindle Direct Publishing)

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) One little touch. That's all it takes for the darkness to penetrate. To infect. To destroy.
A plague has incapacitated humanity, spreading across the globe faster than it could ever possibly be contained. Almost overnight the world is awakened to a new reality and the realization that no one is safe, not a single living soul.

As the virus takes control, humanity is brought crashing to its knees. The few left untouched fight frantically for their survival, even as they know their future no longer exists, doing the uninmaginable at the brink of death.

A dark tale that shows exactly how desperate, how dark, humanity can get once the undead winter arrives.

This short story will haunt readers long after the last page has been read. A story you will want to read over and over.

My Review:

I give this novella a 5 out of 5. 

Even though it was a tiny bit disjointed due to the short nature of this novella, Undead Winter was actually pretty frightening. The story jumped around between various characters, including some of the infected. I was left yearning for more. There was so much missing from the story that I was disappointed when it was over. I was left with so many unanswered questions.

Luckily, T.M. Williams is expanding Undead Winter into a full length novel called Masochists. I personally can not wait for this expansion. I definitely recommend reading Undead Winter if you want a short, scary not-your-average-zombie type of story. 

You can purchase Undead Winter through Amazon in Kindle format. 

Have you read Undead Winter? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti

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Title: The Almond Tree

Author: Michelle Cohen Corasanti

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Political Fiction

Length: 348 pages

Published: 2012

Publisher: Garnet Publishing

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Gifted with a mind that continues to impress the elders in his village, Ichmad Hamid struggles with the knowledge that he can do nothing to save his Palestinian friends and family. Ruled by the Israeli military government, the entire village operates in fear of losing homes, jobs, and belongings. But more importantly, they fear losing each other. On Ichmad's twelfth birthday, that fear becomes a reality. With his father imprisoned, his family's home and possessions confiscated, and his siblings quickly succumbing to the dangers of war, Ichmad begins the endless struggle to use his intellect to save his poor and dying family and reclaim a love for others that was lost when the bombs first hit."The Almond Tree" capitalizes on the reader's desire to be picked up and dropped off in another part of the world. It tackles issues that many Americans only hear about on World News or read about at The Huffington Post, such as the Israeli Palestinian conflict, the scholasticide that is being imposed upon the Palestinians in Gaza and the current Gaza blockade. But even more, it offers hope.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

Excellent. Heart-breaking. Absolutely amazing. I could not put this down. The author does an incredible job drawing you in right from the start. She weaves her tale around Ichmad, an almost twelve year old Palestinian boy who must grow up quicker than expected when his father is arrested as a terrorist. Through hard work and using his intelligence, Ichmad rises from a boy in a rural village to winning a full scholarship to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Through awful tragedy and the end of his relationship with his brother, Abbas, Ichmad continues to persevere and care for his family back home while making money abroad. He manages to win the respect of his bigoted physics professor and eventually his friendship.

The Almond Tree really takes a subtle look at racism, religious persecution, and the idea of rising above those beliefs to become who you were meant to be and to care for others despite who they are or what gods they claim as theirs. The Almond Tree bears a resemblance to Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa, as it follows along a similar path: following the story of a Palestinian family and how they persevere against the Israeli government. This was incredible and I definitely recommend it. 

You can purchase The Almond Tree through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Almond Tree? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Only Revolutions by Mark Z. Danielewski

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Title: Only Revolutions

Author: Mark Z. Danielewski

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Length: 360 pages

Published: 2007

Publisher: Pantheon

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) They were with us before Romeo & Juliet. And long after too. Because they're forever around. Or so both claim, caroling gleefully "always sixteen." Sam and Hailey, powered by an ever-rotating fleet of cars, from Model T to Lincoln Continental, career from the Civil War to the Cold War, barreling down through the Appalachians, up the Mississippi River, across the Badlands, finally cutting a nation in half as they try to outrace History itself. By turns beguiling and gripping, finally world-wrecking, Only Revolutions is unlike anything ever published before, a remarkable feat of heart and intellect, moving us with the journey of two kids, perpetually of summer, perpetually sixteen, who give up everything except each other.

My Review:

I give this book a 3 out of 5. 

I loved Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves, so I knew I had to give this one a try. I started the book knowing that it would be in an odd format (something I really loved about House of Leaves was the formatting) and that it would take a bit to get used to. I neither loved nor hated this book. In truth, Only Revolutions is a novel length epic poem. Hailey and Sam are the two main characters and the book is written from each of their perspectives. 

The book jacket informs you to read the book starting with Hailey and flipping it over every 8 pages to read Sam's point of view. There's a lot of repetition by doing these revolutions, as you just read what happened from Hailey's point of view and then you are reading the same event from Sam's. While this made the book fun and interesting, it did get a little annoying.

It was really hard to get into the writing style. Misspelled words, random plant or animal names, etc, made it a little confusing until I got a little farther in and got used to the flow of things. The Misspelled words were on purpose, of course, since this was written as stream of consciousness. 

As I said before, I neither loved nor hated the book. If you want something quite a bit different from the normal novel, definitely check it out. 

You can purchase Only Revolutions through Amazon in hard copy format. 

Have you read Only Revolutions? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Monthly Update - May 2013

Hello Readers!

This is the first monthly update post. Basically in these posts, I'm going to summarize what I intend on reading and reviewing in the upcoming month, as well as list what I'm currently reading now. 

April was a busy month! I reviewed 13 books! Now, some of these I had already read and had the reviews ready to go, but several of these books were actually completed in April. I told you guys that I loved to read! I didn't quite get around to all of the books I said I was going to put reviews up for last month, so those will roll over to May. 

First things first, my Currently Reading list: 

• Only Revolutions by Mark Z. Danielewski
• The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Honestly, I haven't touched this since February, but it remains as one of my current books.)

Next up:

• The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
• The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti
• The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott
• Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
• Crossbones Yard by Kate Rhodes
• Neglected but Undefeated: The Life of a Boy Who Never Knew a Mother's Love by Jonathan Anthony Burkett
• My Second Death by Lydia Cooper
• XO by Sherrie Cronin

Reviews of previously read books coming up: 

• The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
• Undead Winter by T.M. Williams

Whew! That's quite a list to read, I better get cracking on reading those books! If there's anything in particular you'd like me to read and review, either leave a comment here or send me an email at theprintedwordbookreviews@gmail.com.