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#236 ~ O, Juliet
Published by: NAL Trade
Published on: Feburary 2, 2010
Page Count: 338
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: ARC sent to me by the publisher
Availability: paperback and eBook
Giveaway: see below for details
My Review
O, Juliet is the first novelization of Shakespeare’s famous play. Although Robin Maxwell maintained the key plot points, she did modify the location, opting for Florence over Verona. The main characters are much the same, however their last names and circumstances are shaped by the history and feel of Florence. Therefore, the Medici family plays a large roll in the relationship (or lack of) between Romeo and Juliet’s families. In addition to the Medicis, Dante is also front and center. The love of his poetry is what brings the two young lovers together.
What I enjoyed most about this novel is the romance between Romeo and Juliet. Their stolen moment outside of the Medici palace painted such a wonderful picture of young love. It reminded me of how my husband and I bonded over R.E.M. We could talk about music for hours. Having an obvious impediment also seems to draw young couples together. It makes for a quicker, tighter bond, regardless of how wise the relationship might be in the long run. When you don’t think that you can have something or someone makes you want it all the more. You can see very easily how these two characters could get so involved so quickly.
I had some difficulty with the change in Romeo and Juliet’s last names. They were changed, I presume, due to the different settings to make them authentic to the time and place. For whatever reason, I never grew comfortable enough with Monticecco and Capelletti to stop looking for Montague and Capulet. This didn’t prevent me from enjoying the romance, but it did take me out of the story from time to time. Besides, I liked Maxwell’s selection of Florence over Verona over all, too. Florence is such a fascinating location and the Medici involvement added so much to the family rivalry.
If you are in the mood for romance, I strongly suggest picking up and reading O, Juliet. I loved the way Maxwell retold such a familiar story, adding details and fleshing out scenes. Although I knew the ending to this story before I ever opened, I held out hope in the end. With this love story, I always do. Now, when I think of Romeo and Juliet, I will think of two things: how the young lovers got to know each other in the Monticecco vineyard in this novel and visions of Mr. Sommers, my freshman English teacher, acting out the play his classroom with his wispy white comb-over bobbing up and down on top of his head.
Robin Maxwell’s Site and a Giveaway!
If you are interested in reading this novel or entering the author’s poetry contest, you should really check out Robin Maxwell’s website. Or, you can also enter my contest! I want to thank Robin Maxwell and NAL for providing me with a copy of this novel to giveaway to one of my lucky readers. Between today and March 4th, leave a comment here telling me about your best Romeo and Juliet memory – your first read, first theater experience, etc… I will use the great Randomizer to select the winner.
Other Voices
Devourer of Books
Booking Mama
S. Krishna’s Books
In Bed with Books
So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
Tanzanite’s Shelf and Stuff
Downtime Anticipated
I just got another email from my web hosting provider saying that the upgrades I made this evening have not fixed the issues they’re reporting. Their phone support is down for today and I left a feverish response and hope that they will not take my blog down again. I cannot be sure. I am preparing for alternative hosting. Please know that I am doing all I can to keep my blog up. If I am down the next time you visit. Please be patient!
Thank you for your continued support!
Blogiversary and Tainted Winners
I cannot tell you want kind of day it was today. I found out late this morning that my web hosting provider had to remove access to an essential file, causing my blog to be out of commission for most of the day. I guess you don’t truly realize how much something is a part of your life until it’s unavailable. I will never take my web hosting for granted again.
In thanksgiving for it being back up and running (yay!), I am announcing the lucky winners of two of my recent contests: my 3rd blogiversary and Tainted by Brooke Morgan.
Winner of Tainted
Congratulations to Lisa for Lit and Life! Lisa, I’ve got your address, so keep an eye on your mailbox.
Blogiversary Winners
I used Random. org to select three numbers between and including 1 and 88. Here is what the great randomizer on the net sent back:
1G iPod Shuffle: Congratulations to Sam!
3 book Grab Bag: Congratulations to Bonnie from Redlady’s Reading Room!
1 book Grab Bag and Bookmarks for the Library of your Choice: Congratulations to Melissa from The Betty and Boo Chronicles!
If your name isn’t listed here, I have another giveaway in progress for one of two signed copies of Kathleen Grissom’s The Kitchen House.
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- #233 ~ Tainted ~ Blog Tour and Giveaway (literatehousewife.com)
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Literate Housewife Unscripted ~or~ My First Vlog
I finally put my thoughts together and made my first vlog on Monday. I recently became a Friend of the Library and thought I’d talk about one things I love most about libraries. Enjoy!
Bloopers:
- The library that held the sale in question is part of the Roanoke Valley Public Library, not whatever it was that I said.
- Apparently I’ve spent my life seeing the word sapling and reading it as “sampling” all my life. I must work on that. LOL!
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An Afternoon with Kathleen Grissom
I loved Kathleen Grissom’s debut novel, The Kitchen House. As soon as I knew she would be in my area, I made plans to see her. When I told Jaime from Confessions of a Bibliophile about the event, she agreed to come with me. Saturday was a blogger’s day out for me.
We’ve been having a lot of winter weather in Southwest Virginia, but Saturday proved to be a clear, if not windy, day. I had never been to the Givens book store in Lynchburg before. I was pleasantly surprised because the Givens in Salem looks a lot like one in this video. The Lynchburg store sells both new and used books as well as children’s toys. We were there a few minutes early, giving me time to buy additional copies of The Kitchen House and to do a little browsing.
They set up Kathleen’s reading by a fireplace with a portrait of Edgar Allen Poe above it. It was really a nice area. I hadn’t been expecting her to be looking for me, so I was pleasantly surprised to learn that she had read my review. She was as happy to meet me as I was to meet her. She introduced Jaime and I to Eleanor Dolan, the poet who has mentored her along the way. Both women were warm and charming.
I brought my new Flip video camera along to capture some of the event to share with you. One word of caution: I won’t be receiving any Oscars for best cinematography any time soon. I don’t have a full-sized tripod for my Flip (a definite wish list item), so I did the best that I could. The first video is a little shakier than the last two.
Kathleen began the reading by explaining how The Kitchen House came into being. Here is a clip about the origins of her novel and her reading of the Prologue:
Kathleen also read one of my absolute favorite scenes from the book. It is between Lavinia shortly after she became acclimated to life on the Pyke plantation and Papa George, Mama Mae’s husband:
The final clip is in answer to a question about Kathleen’s next novel, which takes place in her native Canada:
I really enjoyed listening to Kathleen talk about the book and her writing process. An afternoon with a book blogging friend and a new author. What a nice way to spend the day.
After the reading, there was a book signing and I bought a copy to have singed to giveaway here. To make it even better, Kathleen, after reading my review, brought another copy with her to giveaway. So, I have two signed copies of The Kitchen House to giveaway here!
This contest is open to U.S. and Canadian readers and will be open until Monday, March 1st at 11:59 EST. For a chance to win, simply leave a comment here.
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TSS ~ No Time to Blog Today
Happy Valentine’s Day! I had hoped to post about my day yesterday, including video and pictures from Kathleen Grissom’s wonderful reading. Unfortunately, I won’t have time until this evening while I’m watching the Olympics (love them!). The in-laws are going to watch the girls and hubby and I are going dinner I’ll be posting about the reading and my associated giveaway tomorrow. Until then, have a great day!
#235 ~ The Kitchen House
The Kitchen House
Published by: Touchstone
Published on: Feburary 2, 2010
Page Count: 384
Genre: Historical Fiction
Format: paperback review copy from the publisher
Availability: paperback and eBook
My Review
Imagine fleeing with your family from your home country as a 7 year-old child only to land in a strange new country as an orphan soon to be separated from your only living brother when he is sold on the block as an indentured servant. Lavinia herself was brought into the household of Captain James Pyke as little more than a slave. The only two things that separated her Lavinia from many thousands of Africans brought to the United States as slaves is that she is white and would be given her freedom at the age of 18. This meant nothing for the scared little girl with nothing left in the world. She soon clings to Mama Mae, who shows her unconditional love, even though she lives with Belle, the mulatto daughter of Captain Pyke, in the kitchen house. Over time, Lavinia and Belle’s relationship grows and solidifies. While she was young, she found comfort in her slave family, but it was only inevitable that what made Lavinia different would tear her away from Mama Mae and Belle.
Lavinia’s plight from the very beginning of this novel had me hooked. From the moment I started reading, I didn’t want to put it down. I was always wondering what was going to happen next. There is so much happening on the plantation around her. Captain Pyke is often away from the plantation, at work on his ship. Even though Captain Pyke is a decent slave owner, those he puts in charge of his plantation and family while he’s gone make life hard for all. Mrs. Pyke, a woman who grew up in Willliamsburg, has never become accustomed to life separated from her husband while alone on the plantation. She turned to opium long before Lavinia arrived. In a way, the Pyke children are nearly as motherless as Lavinia. Marshall Pyke is especially affected by his father’s physical and his mother’s emotional distance. Mama Mae is the heart of all that is good on the plantation, but even she can’t keep the inevitable away.
Kathleen Grissom divides the narration of The Kitchen House between Lavinia and Belle. This is an important part of the story because each woman has her own perspective on the events unfolding. Although Lavinia was truly loved by her adopted slave family, she was equally sheltered. The truths kept from her may have protected her while she was young, but brought harm to her and the plantation as she grew older. Belle is more experienced and knowledgeable about what is taking place, but even she is blinded by her place. It is the combination of voices that make this story as compelling as it is.
Just when I thought that there were new stories to tell about plantation life in Antebellum South, Kathleen Grissom has given us something unique with her first novel. She gives her readers a look at that life through the eyes of an indentured servant. I couldn’t help putting myself in Lavinia’s place, feeling her deep need for finding a home and understanding her inability to see and accept that one race of people is lesser than another. The Kitchen House brought me out of a reading slump as if it never existed and reignited my interest in American historical fiction. There is so much that has happened just outside my own back door.
My Final Thoughts
The Kitchen House would make a terrific book club selection. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
About the Author
Kathleen Grissom was born in Saskatchewan, Canada and has loved to read her entire life. She was inspired to write The Kitchen House while researching the history of the plantation house she restored with her husband in Virginia. She is currently at work on her second novel.
I have the good fortune to be attending Kathleen’s Lynchburg stop on her book tour on 2.13.10. I will report back on my experience and hope to have a signed copy of The Kitchen House to giveaway with that post.
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#234 ~ A Reliable Wife
A Reliable Wife
Published by: Algonquin Books
Published on: March 2009
Page Count: 291
Genre: Historical Fiction / Gothic Fiction
For Consideration: graphic sexuality
Format: paperback review copy from the publisher
Availability: hardcover, paperback, eBook, audio
My Review
Ralph Truitt, a man who is the virtual king of his small Wisconsin town, put an ad in the the paper looking for a “reliable wife.” Although he has all of the wealth and power he could ever need, he can’t get away from his past. He spent many years celibate and sober in hopes of making right the mistakes he made with the wife of his youth and their children. Ralph, now at a distinguished age, wants to try a different tactic. For that, he needs an honest, simple wife. Catherine Land answers Ralph’s ad for her own reasons. She uses deceit to get what she wants, believing that the transition from living in 1904’s Chicago to Ralph’s rural community worth the sacrifice to satisfy her needs and fulfill her fantasies. Despite the best laid plans, things do not go as planned for Ralph or Catherine. They both find that when you use someone to reach your own ends, things get messy.
A Reliable Wife is a book that requires discussion. There are so many themes and topics ripe for conversation and debate.Thankfully I have been able to participate in a thoughtful Twitter book club as well talk about it in more depth with a friend. I think I could be happy spending hours talking about the interplay between Ralph, Catherine, and Tony, the distinction between nature and nurture, and the role of weather, gardens, and dark sexuality. As much as I want to dig down deep into every little crevice, the story is enjoyable and accessible at the surface level.
I couldn’t have been more than two chapters into A Reliable Wife when I wondered where it had been all my life. I was drawn into the characters immediately and my interest never let up for a moment. The writing was beautiful throughout and I consider its conclusion to be among the best I’ve read. I relished every bit of this novel, finishing it with a sense of satisfaction that can only come from the knowledge that I will read it again many times over.
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TSS ~ Sometimes It Even Happens Here
Every time I read about people getting the chance to meet authors on book tours, I get really jealous. Living in SouthWest Virginia, the opportunity to visit an author while on a book tour is few and far between. Next Saturday, that will change at least for the day.
Kathleen Grissom, the author of The Kitchen House, will be stopping in Lynchburg at Givens Books at 2pm on February 13th. The book was published on the 2nd, so it’s hot off the presses. It got me out of my reading blahs. I just could not put it down. I read The Kitchen House last month and absolutely loved it. Check back here on Friday for my review. I will also be posting about the book tour during my next Sunday Salon post. If all goes well, I’m hoping to have a signed copy to giveaway.
In the meantime, you can check out Kathleen’s site. On her About The Kitchen House page. There are some great resources there, including pictures I wish I had seen while I was reading the book. There is a book trailer as well. I just finished watching it. A slight word of caution: if you don’t like to know much about a book before reading it, you might want to hold off on it.
Now, be honest. How many of you thought I was referring to this weekend’s snow storm? Well, that news also fits my post title. We had a great time sledding in the snow and making a snowman. Thankfully we were able to make it to church this morning and then to the mall. I had a serious case of cabin fever since this weekend was the second in a row that we were snowbound. Yesterday morning I took a short video of our front yard. We didn’t get hit as hard as some of my book blogging girlfriends in Northern Virginia or Maryland, but it was an anomaly for the Roanoke Valley. I want to thank everyone who stopped by on our Friday snow day.
Reading and Reviews This Week
This week I read and reviewed Tainted by Brooke Morgan as part of the author’s TLC Book Tour. I’m hosting a giveaway of Morgan’s debut novel, so be sure to check out my review.
I also finished Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls. I started that during my reading malaise and put it down because I didn’t want it to be ruined by my lack of reading enthusiasm. I thought it was a great companion to The Glass Castle and will be reviewing this novel soon.
For those of you not watching the Super Bowl (I’m assuming anyone reading this isn’t – who watching the big event would also read book blogs during the show?), I hope you enjoy your evening snuggled up with a good book. I’ll be reading Twilight of Avalon by Anna Elliot.
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Have You Been to a Bookstore Like This?
One of the highlights of the day on Friday was when my hubby showed me the St. Vincent video for “Laughing with a Mouth of Blood.” I don’t want to give anything away other than to say other than it takes place in a feminist used bookstore. You will really appreciate this if you’ve ever been to bookstore where they take themselves a wee bit too seriously. Enjoy!
St. Vincent – “Laughing With A Mouth Of Blood”
st. vincent | MySpace Music Videos
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Book Blogger Con
Have you heard about the 1st Annual Book Blogger Convention that will be held in NYC during the BEA? You should check it out. I know it will be a fantastic experience. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend due to family obligations, but I'll be trolling blogs for up to the minute news.
WE Magazine’s A Woman Blogger to Watch
Literate Challenges
What's in a Name? 3
Random Reading Challenge
