Retro Friday: Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc.

From the moment she first sets foot back in France, Linda Martin feels as if she's finally coming home. Even if she's not returning to her own home per say, she is returning in the role of governess to the quietly contained nine-year-old Count Philippe de Valmy. An orphan like Philippe, Linda quickly gains her footing with her new charge but it's the boy's family that keeps her on her toes. She never can quite find her balance in the face of the tremendous presence of his uncle Léon or the quiet ambivalence of his aunt. But it's the handsomely arrogant Raoul that keeps her "eggshell composure" permanently rattled. Yet when a series of accidents seem to point to an attempt on Philippe's life, Linda doesn't know what to believe or who to trust and time is running out.

Somewhat ashamedly I admit that Nine Coaches Waiting is my very first foray into the fabulous world of Mary Stewart. Which seems utterly absurd to me now that I've gone and read it because it reads like a laundry-list for All Things Michelle Adores. The language (can you get more romantic than French?), the setting (I swear I could see those twisting zigzag switchbacks leading up to the château), the frightening yet enigmatic Valmy family (Léon practically gave me the shivers with his puppet master-like remarks). And oh! The suspense! Told in Linda's first person narrative, I could not have been more caught up in her fears and triumphs and most importantly her unease concerning whom to trust.

It's like Jane Eyre and Rebecca (two of my all time favorite reads) went and had a gorgeously intelligent baby with a flair for the dramatic and a penchant for poetry. I don't think I've ever read a book that references another so subtly and appropriately. And the best part is that Linda even makes the Jane Eyre connection herself -- she is fully aware of the similarities but it only serves to heighten the aptness of the comparison, not lessen it. How does Ms. Stewart do that?!

Furthermore, Mary Stewart possess that rare quality in a writer of being able to not say something and have it mean a great deal. This may seem like a small thing, but I so appreciate an author who is willing to trust her readers to pick up the threads and make sense of their emotional import without beating the thought to death. It's a very quiet trait (and often very undervalued) but I think Ms. Stewart has it in spades.

Ms. Stewart certainly understands how to play upon this readers' emotions; despite its initial slow buildup, there was always yet another twist just around the corner to throw my heart back into overdrive. Truly when all's said and done Nine Coaches Waiting packs a bit of a wallop in the best way possible. I literally could not put it down and venture to say, if you're a Mary Stewart innocent like I was, I recommend you remedy the situation immediately.

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
The Allure of Books review
Angieville review
Book Harbinger review
Chachic's Book Nook review
She Reads Novels review

book source: purchased

Sync Summer Freebies!

Sync's series of free summer audiobooks is BACK! The first two titles (Of Poseidon and The Tempest) were released today and trust me when I say there are all kinds of good books to look forward to.

So go check out the 2013 schedule and mark your calendars for all the winners to come!

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Okay, so after a stint of not reading any YA dystopian novels because my reactions were shall we say, less than positive, I decided to take a chance with Joelle Charbonneau's debut The Testing. A cut-throat university setting where students are expected to learn how to rebuild the world without being stabbed in the back by their class mates? I'll bite.

After the world was decimated and recognizable civilization all but destroyed, tiny pockets or colonies were established to help bring mankind back to life. Only the brightest and best however were sent to Tosu City, to the University, to learn how to help rebuild and become the future leaders. Cia is a young candidate, chosen from her primarily agricultural colony, selected for the Testing -- a rigorous testing to be allowed entrance to the University. Where the penalty for wrong answers is more than just a bad grade. Warned by her father to trust no one, Cia is packed off to the big city where her life and her family's will forever change. If only she can make it through her exams.

I was initially very much on board with the idea behind The Testing. But like so many others it quickly began to deteriorate into a less polished derivative of The Hunger Games. Which may be harsh to say fresh out of the starting gate, but let me say this: the comparisons are inevitable. Cia, a young girl from an unappreciated colony, travels to the big city, has unknown people 'watching' out for her, and must fight for her life to succeed. More than a little similar. The Testing started off at least with some original ideas but predictably fell into common tropes.

Let me back up, The Testing did have some good ideas - the general concept that after the world was all but destroyed, the colonists were trying to rebuild it by educating people on how to genetically alter plants and discover new energy sources - but the execution seems just short of believable. It's a book that wants to be technical but doesn't ever get much past general knowledge.

For example: we have Cia, a sixteen year old (prodigy, no less) who 'a few years ago' built a solar power system for her family. Okay, I'll buy that there are some very talented and resourceful teens who could accomplish that but I didn't get the sense that Cia was all that mechanically inclined beyond the author telling us she was by a few token descriptions. I'll be honest, I'm married to an engineer and from day one I knew his mind worked just a little bit differently from my own. To put it bluntly, Cia acts like someone's idea of how a mechanically-minded person thinks they would, but never really gets past the surface ideal. There is no fiddling, no try and retry, there isn't even jimmy-rigging for heavensakes (which I have learned is imperative to those of the mechanical bent)! And maybe I wouldn't be bothered quite so much if I wasn't intimately acquainted with someone just like that, but I am and thus Cia is utterly unbelievable. But kudos to Joelle Charbonneau for trying to write writing about a female interest in mechanical things.

Ultimately, my major problem with this book was the actual testing portion the candidates faced. Yes, it was intense and even a wee bit terrifying at times, but I began to wonder Is this really how they are searching for the best of the best? With the exception of the last survival exam (don't even get me started on that one), the tests were a gauge of intellect not knowledge. For example: what plants are poisonous, how to build a radio, history, etc. Nothing that checks for intuitive thinking. If I wanted to find the brightest future leaders, I think I would administer more tests of creativity and ability to learn and adapt rather than what they have already had in their teenage heads. So while The Testing had it's moments ultimately, it fails. In a big way.

The Testing comes out June 4, 2013

series reading order:
~ The Testing
~ Independent Study (Jan 2014)
~ Graduation Day (June 2014)

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Heise Reads & Recommends review
Little Book Star review
Popcorn Reads review
Resistance is Futile review
Winter Haven Books review

book source: review copy from publisher

This Just In: Novel Gossip

I have met some truly amazing bookish people since I first started this blog. One of those lovely bibliophiles happens to be Chachic -- who I first started chatting with several years ago. She now lives in Singapore although I actually got to meet her for the first time a few months ago when she visited Los Angeles. Which was just so much fun. Awhile back Chachic and I did a readalong of Northlander and The King Commands by Meg Burden and since we enjoyed ourselves silly we decided to make it a regular thing...and thus the feature Novel Gossip was born!

The bloggers behind Chachic’s Book Nook and See Michelle Read chatting about books, thousands of miles apart.

For our inaugural post we chose to read The Chocolate Rose by Laura Florand, an outstanding contemporary chick lit author who writes about France and delicious chocolate and all sorts of other good things (but really, those first two items were enough of a draw for me). 

Head on over to Chachic's place to check out our full reactions to The Chocolate Rose.

Crash Course in YA

I have this wonderful friend that I've come to know better in the past year and it's slightly baffling how similar our tastes in books are. It all started with a surprise discovery of our shared devotion for Kate Daniels, Mercy Thompson, all things Jennifer Crusie and Jane Austen which then spurred a back and forth lending of various books we thought the other had missed out on (a little October Daye here, some vintage Lisa Kleypas there).

But then I recently went to her house and discovered the woman had never really read any young adult novels to speak of (aside from a ill-fated brush with Twilight and a near miss with Hush, Hush -- one I responded to with: "No. Just say no, my dear."). She then proceeded to oh so casually ask me which YA books I recommended. Shut the front door. Well. You can surely imagine my sheer giddiness at being offered such a open invitation and I cavalierly said I'd make a list of my top favorites. Walking away I began thinking how fun this was going to be until I realized I was going to have to put together a list of my favorite YA books. Oh. Crap. A favorite YA books list. And I was supposed to do this how?

After much agonizing deliberating over which would be the perfect introduction to one of my favorite genres, these are the books I've come up with.

Fire (or Graceling, Bitterblue) by Kristin Cashore Fire is a comfort read to me. It's the book I have to reread about every six months because it is just that good. And every time I'm surprised. Fire's determination to be something other than her father is something to behold.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater This one is all about place for me. Although the feisty Puck and steadfast Sean may have something to do with it as well. Also, killer horses from the sea. (I was gonna say 'killer sea horses' but I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea)

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein Because I'm still thinking about this story of two best friends facing all kinds of hurt during WWII. Nothing is what it seems and you will want BOXES of tissue.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Another WWII book about a young German orphan girl but I've never encountered another story like it. This man’s prose will change the way you think. Seriously. He’s that good. I'll never forget some images from this book.

Beauty by Robin McKinley THE Beauty and the Beast retelling which sparked my love affair with this story so long ago. McKinley's imagination and lovely writing do all sorts of good things for this book.

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan This whole series is somewhat mind-blowing but this one, with its' focus on two very different brothers, caught me from the very first sentence.

Melina Marchetta -- Looking for Alibrandi, Jellicoe Road, Saving Francesca, The Piper's Son This is totally cheating but I love everything this woman has ever written. She's an Aussie writer with serious chops and her contemporaries and fantasies alike are jam-packed with such real people that I can't recommend them enough.

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier I could (and have) go on and on about this retelling of the seven swans story but really, Marillier does it so much better, so I'll just leave it to her then.

The Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner A uniquely drawn fantasy full of political intrigue and EMOTIONS and one spectacular thief. Full stop.

Going too Far by Jennifer Echols Let's start with the classic bad girl meets good boy story and then turn it on its head with characters who totally rock and are so much more than they seem. Add in a dash of snarky banter and you're golden.

Bonus pick: The Road Home by Ellen Emerson White Sadly out of print, this book about a nurse during the Vietnam war broke my heart in all kinds of good ways. Rebecca is easily one of the most brilliant characters I've ever encountered.

So those are my picks -- but please tell me, for all that is holy, where would you have a novice YA reader start?

More Like Her by Liza Palmer

She's got it all. At least that's what it seems like to speech therapist Frances Reid upon meeting her lovely, talented and successful new boss, Emma Dunham (who happens to be the first ever female headmistress at the posh Markham Prep School. Ahem, she's that perfect.). Perfect job, husband, house and life and to top it off, Frannie discovers she's actually a really nice person. While in comparison, Frannie's life could nicely be described as a train-wreck. But what do we really know about our friends lives, if anything at all? That's the question Frannie and her friends must ask themselves when tragedy strikes Markham School and Emma Dunham in particular.

I honestly do not know how Liza Palmer keeps doing it. Really. This latest novel*, More Like Her, contains one of the touchiest subjects out there -- bullying, abuse, and hello...death and she just pushes it all upfront and forces you to deal with it straight on -- all the time feeling like you're right there. Especially in all those moments when the characters are dealing with messy aftermath of hurt and guilt for trying to get on with their lives. Because that's really where this book excels. You'd think reading a novel where every couple of pages someone is falling apart would be annoying at best or even slightly embarrassing, but no. Not remotely so. Frannie and company's grief is so real and honest and open that it becomes impossible for you to even think of addressing the circumstances any other way.

What I especially loved was that Liza Palmer gave each of her characters room to deal with such a horrible event in their own way. Be it healthy or not. Frannie wants to 'taaaalk' about it all, Jill doesn't want to ever speak of it again and Lisa, well, Lisa finds the silver lining through it all. And then there's Sam. Sam about broke my heart numerous times with his quick Southern boy charm and manners and his definite un-okayness with it all. But it was just so understandable, warts and all. Every single reaction felt real and while utterly sad in theory it was thoroughly suffused with Liza Palmer's trademark dry wit to keep everyone moving along.

One thing I really like about Liza Palmer's books is that she doesn't dumb down to her audience. She doesn't explain every reference or give her readers time to catch up, she simply drops these little or big nothings along the way and expects you to be with her 100%. Can I say how much I love that about her books? It's like mental gymnastics in the best way possible. This is never more apparent in Frannie's case as she often leaves much unsaid (or halfway said) and expects the reader to follow along. And can I just say: I'm totally with you, Ms. Palmer, totally.

*Just do me a favor and stay far, far away from the publisher's book description. It's waaayyy too spoilery for it's own good. Grrr..

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Angieville review
Leeswammes' review
Peeking Between the Pages review

book source: my local library

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

2013 where have you gone? That seems such a trite statement, but I honestly cannot believe we are well into April and I still have not posted a single review this year. Shameful, really. Despite my good intentions to share with you all the good, bad, and even some not-so-great books I've come across this year, I just hadn't hit that one story that I wanted to natter on and on about. Then I finally settled in with a book my dear book friend Angie had recommended ages ago, one I had picked up around Christmastime but had never gotten around to reading. The book was The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley and the rest, shall we say, is history. Because this book, my friends, is one I will never forget.

As a best-selling historical fiction author, Carrie McClelland is accustomed to her characters speaking to her. And once again, that same fire and inspiration is beginning to flood her dreams as she embarks on her latest project: a novel set during the attempt to restore Jacobite James Stuart to the Scottish throne in 1708. Embracing historical accuracy to a fault, Carrie decides to relocate to a small cottage within shouting distance of the ruined Slains Castle where much of her story takes place. And in a move seemingly decided by fate decides to use the name of her own ancestor, Sophia Paterson, as her heroine.

While staying at Cruden Bay, Sophia's story begins to flow with an ease previously inexperienced by Carrie. Aided by the amiable locals and her friendly landlord (not to mention his two very charming sons) Carrie slowly realizes that every insignificant detail, every plot twist, even the layout of the castle she has been spot on in writing about -- even before she learned the historical facts. As the line between history and fiction continues to blur for Carrie, she finds herself drawn to her ancestor Sophia who faced heartbreak beyond compare and joy without measure. All of which lead her to question, what if we could tap into the memories stored in our very genes?

When I first heard about The Winter Sea as a sort of time-travel romance I was intrigued. The only book like that I had previously read was Diana Gabaldon's Outlander, which while fun, didn't ultimately do much for me. So happily unawares at what I was getting myself into, I started The Winter Sea expecting such similar tepid fare. How utterly wrong I was. The Winter Sea is like Outlander's more mature, more experienced, intelligent older sister saturated with honest, real emotions and historical treasures like the descriptions of the French court at Saint-Germain and Sophia's stay at Slains Castle. Yet despite the profusion of history described, The Winter Sea is never once plodding or boring. Quite the opposite, in fact. The two stories of Carrie and Sophia were woven seamlessly together. I was always anxious to find out how Carrie would fare in Cruden Bay with her two very different, yet, similar suitors but I quickly became desperate to discover how the bright Sophia would fare in such turbulent times. Because Susanna Kearsley did not let that woman travel the easy road in no way, shape, or form. But thankfully, she did surround Sophia with people who loved her and watched out for her, including the brilliant Countess of Erroll who gave this piece of piercingly accurate advice after Sophia went through some truly heartbreaking events.

'I do promise that you will survive this. Faith, my own heart is so scattered round the country now, I marvel that it has the strength each day to keep me standing. But it does,' she said, and drawing in a steady breath she pulled back just enough to raise a hand to wipe Sophia's tears. 'It does. And so will yours.'
'How can you be so sure?'
'Because it is a heart, and knows no better.'

"It knows no better." That very line right there got struck right in my heart. The sensitivity and depth of emotion in these chapters did not just induce minor sniffling on my part, but full-out shoulders-shaking, tears-streaming crying. And all because Ms. Kearsley's characters had sunk their lovely hooks deep into my heart and refused to let go. But never fear, because despite my extreme worry that Ms. Kearsley would not be able to give these people I had fallen quite in love with the happily ever after they deserved (you can't change history after all), she somehow pulled it off. Beautifully. To me, this story is all about the power of hope and love and learning to never give up. A truly beautiful book that I would recommend to anyone.

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
~ The Adeventures of an Intrepid Reader review
~ Angieville's review
~ Book Harbinger's review
~ Luxury Reading review
~ Tempting Persephone review

Book source: purchased

Lizzie Bennet Kickstarter

Because the Lizzie Bennet Diaries are totes adorbs..
I am so happy and looking forward to for your next project too, Hank.