Shelves full of Books

#BookReview #Jacaranda #BeyondThePale #EmilyUrquhart

This book moves between Flora as an older lady, revisiting the Arctic, and her youth, interspersed with Jakob’s life and their eventual meeting. It is beautifully descriptive, and the characters jumped to life on the page. My only regret was that Flora’s life after Jakob was never fully explored, and I yearned to know fully what had happened to him. I did love this book though, and would recommend it. Stef Penney’s descriptions are beautiful and immerse you in her icy world. 

First of all, I loved Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, and that’s why I chose to read this book. When I read it a few years ago, I loved the mix of Chinese culture, the historical wartime setting, and the beautiful language and descriptions that made it stick in my mind for months afterwards. Therefore, I was excited to see that Jamie Ford had written another book. While I think it’s a simpler premise, his use of descriptive language still brings alive the eras in which it is set. Ernest is a half Chinese boy, smuggled into the US and ends up working in a brothel called the Tenderloin after he is raffled off at the Seattle World’s fair. The story moves between his experiences as a youngster in 1909, to his memories and life just under 60 years later, at the new World’s fair. He falls in love with two girls who live at the brothel, and as the story unfolds, it becomes clear which of them becomes his wife. The scenes in this book, from the vibrant and colourful fair, to the sumptuous surroundings and beautiful dresses in the Tenderloin, are brought to life by the author's careful descriptions and made me want to climb into the book and visit. While there is scandal, sexual themes and vice, you get to know the characters and end up feeling sorry for their struggle to do their best in a tough world, rather than judging what they do. I really enjoyed this book, I absolutely devoured it within a few days despite the fact that I probably should have been doing some uni work. While sometimes I find the switch between eras difficult, in this book I always knew where I was, and what age Ernest was. His innocent voice as a young man contrasted with his more mature and reflective thoughts as an older man with children, although his love for his wife shone through in both eras. While sin is undoubtably a theme of the book (and therefore the lighthearted brothel setting will not appeal to all), I think the overriding theme is enduring love, despite difficult circumstances. I would definitely judge this as a 4 star book, I guess a little more complexity of story would have elevated it to 5. 

I started reading them this morning, a sleepy Saturday morning, toast in hand, dog asleep on my lap. Sparrowhawk is but a boy, making mistakes and travelling to learn his craft as a mage. The language is remarkably descriptive and once more I was transported to those magical lands. I’m glad my memories haven’t deceived me. If you have not read this series, do. Some have compared them to Harry Potter, I think that does both series a disservice. Both, in their own right, carry magic, but the Earthsea series is more mythical and traditional in a way, more fantastical, more able to carry you away from this earth to an entire new continent. Sometimes on a Saturday morning, that’s nicer than the reality of this one. A must read for anyone who loves Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter or just wants to escape.