Ray Olivay Olivay itibaren Hakaui, Fransız Polinezyası
Have been looking forward to reading this from my shelves for a long time. For when I can be a bit more active/write a bit more; or not have more time for those things, but can think about it even .. more..
Sometimes, I have a hard time with heroines that everyone loves. They might be too brave, too independent, or just too much. That was totally not the case with Gwen Frost in Touch of Frost. Jennifer Estep has created a wonderfully rounded, seemingly real girl who I could totally see myself in. She has doubts, she has insecurities and she's afraid of things. But all that is okay, because once she gets past her doubts, her fear and her clumsiness, she finds answers, solutions and ways to make things work. Estep's world that she built around Mythos Academy is fantastic. I have always loved myths, especially those centering on Greek gods and goddesses. I thought it was so neat how Estep took those characters, interwove them with other gods and goddesses from other cultures, and made it one world. I've never thought about it in those terms, and I love it! The characters in this book, as mentioned before, are real. I honestly felt as if I could put names and faces to these characters from people in my own life. There are of course some stereotypical "mean girls" and "jocks," but once you get really into the meat of the story, you see that there are slight variations on them that makes you see the people in a completely new life. Toward the middle of the book, I felt that the mystery was unraveling a bit too fast. I felt that there was more storytelling left to do. Once I got closer to the end, though, I appreciated how new mysteries and unanswered questions were brought up and left to be answered in new books. Can't wait for book 2. Picking it up now.
A story within a story. The historical part of the story is about a Korean princess who lived as a contemporary of Catherine the Great, Marie Antoinette, and George Washington. This part of the book is based on her diaries. She was married to the Crown Prince who was quite literally insane, making her life and the lives of those around them very unstable. Eventually he was executed, but her life at court continued to be tense and full of strife. The other part of the story is of a modern English author who is traveling to Korea. She picks up a copy of Princess Hong's diary to read on the plane and becomes entranced by the story. Her meeting with Dr. Oo provides her with a guide to discover more about the Princess. In addition, she has an ill-fated love affair with another European. The ghost of Princess Hong hovers over the entire book. No, this is not a ghost story. This is Margaret Drabble--and for a change, I read this without wishing to throw it across the room in disgust, which happens with too many of her books. I found this one really delightful. My synopsis is inadequate to show what a good book I found this to be. Read for 2009 Spring Challenge 15.9 Red-hot Jello Salad and Red Velvet Cake