The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

Before I bought The Birth of Venus, I had heard praises sung about it. Following other people’s advice I acquired it for my own collection thinking that with so many wonderful opinions circulating the readers’ world, I could not go wrong. Well…so very wrong I went after all.

The main story of  The Birth of Venus is interesting enough. It is a story of a young girl, Alessandra Cecchi, growing up in Florence at the end of the 15th century. Alessandra is a willful girl, who is determined to not go the way other women in her world do. She is intelligent, she loves art and painting and has no inclination to ever be a wife, a mother and a mistress of her own future house. She wants to be an artist instead. Such future, however, is not to be hers. She has the bad luck to live the best years of her life when Florence changes from the place where art is revered to the country ruled by devout Savonarola, who wages religious war against beauty, art and earthly pleasures, replacing it all with threats of hell, with torture and death dealt to everyone that does not succumb to the utmost religious devotion and asceticism. Alessandra gets married off to a man much older than herself, but also very understanding towards her independent and curious spirit. Of course, there is a reason why her husband would be so lenient and that is revealed soon enough. Alessandra, in the meantime, realizes that she loves another man, a mysterious painter hired by her father to paint the household’s chapel. I think that such plot promises a fabulous historical and romantic adventure for a reader. Sadly, it is not so.

If it weren’t for the shocking prologue, I would have stopped reading this book after the first 100 pages. Because of the mysterious death of a nun and a tattoo of a serpent on her body described in the first seven pages, I kept trudging through The Birth of Venus until the end. Ms. Dunant is undoubtedly very knowledgeable about the history of Florence and its art. I am not so sure about her knowledge of writing a good historical fiction. The writing is tedious and many times verging on hopelessly boring. Honestly, if I wanted to read a detailed description of any historical period, I would reach for a non-fiction book. Having heard and read so many good opinions of The Birth of Venus, I was sorely disappointed. There was hardly any excitement, no poignancy and the tone is certainly not light. And when I finally got to the long-awaited ending, all I could think was, “Huh?, That’s it?”. It was completely anti-climactic and as I write this review I am wondering if I missed something because I still have no clue why the book was titled The Birth of Venus.


* Since reading The Birth of Venus, I decided to give Ms. Dunant another chance and read her Sacred Hearts. I am glad that I did because it was a lot better (even if not yet perfect).

Reader's Epiphany

For this Weekly Geek installment, I'm asking you to think back to the moment when you realized "I am a reader!" The moment you felt that desire to read everything! The moment you knew you were different than most of those around you and that this reading thing was for real.

Well, I didn't really have an epiphany. There was no one moment when the light bulb went on and I knew that I would forever be "doomed" to be a reader. It happened over time, every year in my childhood giving me a moment or an event that brought me closer and closer to the realization that books would forever be my true love. And crazily enough, I couldn't even pinpoint which of these moments was the pivotal one or what specific book I was reading at a time that was more important than any other.
That's why I choose to compile those moments in my life,  pieces of the "Reader Inside Me" puzzle.

1. I was barely six years old and was sitting at a kitchen table with my dad. It was one of those rare moments when my dad was actually home (he was a sailor on transatlantic merchant ships and was usually gone from home for six to nine months at a time and then would come home for a two-week break) and I remember wanting to impress him with something very special. The only thing I knew how to do then was read but we didn't own any books, so I grabbed the newspaper he was reading (I know it was kinda rude in retrospective) and started reading headlines out loud.

Now, I know that reading at six is no special achievement nowadays since there are more and more people who start reading a lot earlier, but I still believe that for a kid who was never surrounded by books or by voracious readers, it was a big deal. Why? Because without any encouragement, any good example from adults, deep down I had an instinct to learn to read and read well. And I did. And I also made my father quite astounded and I think proud too.

2. I was a third grader, sitting in a classroom and having a private competition with my so-called best friend. Every student had to read a paragraph from a story we were working on and when it came my turn, I already knew I was a better reader than other students but I wanted to show the teacher that I was not only better but the best (meaning better than my biggest competitor, the girl sitting next to me and pretending to be my best friend).

Well, it didn't end pretty for either of us that day, because we both started accusing each other of interrupting and sabotaging our own reading time. I was actually very very mad when she would whisper to my ear how to read a certain word if I only paused for a moment (it never once occurred to me that she perhaps wanted to help). It seems so trivial now but then it was very important to me that I were the best reader.

3. Fast forward to middle school when our book market had all of a sudden been flooded with Harlequin romances (this was the beginning of democracy in my country and everything Western was being introduced to us). I could not get enough of those little hot books. I had one girlfriend and I purposely got her hooked on those romance books so I could read twice as many. I knew I didn't have enough pocket money to buy them all so I worked out a plan where we would buy two different titles each month and then switch them as soon as we were done (this way both of us could read four different Harlequin books).

I still remember this moment of pure joy, excitement and anticipation when I would enter the store and see a new batch of books had arrived.

4. And finally we are arriving at my high school years. The last two were the most crucial because that's when we started reading 'the big books'. I just couldn't get to the library fast enough to make sure I would get to read each one of the books from the required reading list first. It somehow didn't matter to me that no one else was in such a great hurry to read them anyway. All that mattered was that I had them in my possession and could start reading them as soon as the first break between classes started and then continue on on the bus ride home and if the novel was particularly captivating, disregard all the other homework, concentrate on reading until the book was finished, which meant a lot of times staying up until dawn and going to school with almost no sleep.

It never bothered me in the least that I was probably one of the biggest geeks ever, that I had no other life besides reading (no boyfriends, not a lot of going out or partying either). I was happy when I read and when high school ended I went on to study English philology because I knew there would be tons of reading to be done and I would not only read in my native Polish but now I could move on to read in English which I haven't stopped since...

Vivaldi's Virgins by Barbara Quick

I am not a huge fan of music. Since I discovered audio books, I have replaced the radio stations in my car with more reading. However, I do enjoy classical music. This fondness was instilled in me by my high school Language Arts teacher. She strongly believed in the connection between classical music and classic literature.  Ever since then I have shared her belief that these two arts go hand in hand. And Vivaldi’s Virgins was truly my guilty pleasure as it combined both.

The book is written in a form of a memoir of Anna Maria dal Violin, a girl raised from infancy in Ospedale della Pieta, a home for elite female musicians of the early 18th century Venice. It was Venice where the legendary Antonio Vivaldi reigned supreme. Vivaldi was also the maestro of Ospedale instructing and teaching young girls, future musicians the beautiful art of music. Anna Maria was one of these girls and she was also one of Vivaldi’s favorites. Her amazing talent for playing violin was only overshadowed by her quest and longing for finding out who she truly was. She had been left at the doors of Ospedale as a motherless infant and was raised by the nuns. The whole novel weaves around Anna trying desperately to find out who her mother is, what her familial heritage is. She risks her career and her love for music only to discover what is most important to her.

Photo with permission from Barbara. Here's what she said about it:

I'm also attaching a photo I took (lying on my back in the Sala della Musica in Venice, looking up at a fresco by Jacopo Guarana, which was commissioned by girls of the coro contemporaneous with Anna Maria--though from another of the Ospedale--who also modeled for the painting...).

I truly adored this book. The world of splendid Venice and the world of beautiful, divine music were captivating. Barbara Quick must love classical music just as much as she loves writing because she could not have channeled the notes of Vivaldi’s compositions via the book otherwise. As with every great historical novel, this one compelled me to find out all I could about Vivaldi and his Virgins. And I must say that Ms. Quick also happens to be quite accurate in her portrayal of Venice’s history. That was yet another plus added to my growing list of pluses as I kept reading Vivaldi’s Virgins.

But the part of this book I appreciated the most was the portrayal of Anne. She was just a small, 9-year-old girl when the story started but from the very first pages I could feel the wonder at her two passions. She was equally burned by the need to find her mother, and consequently her own identity, and by the love she had for playing violin. Her talent and her adoration for music turned into a love affair (who says that a love affair has to be between two people) that lasted Anna’s whole life and for which much was sacrificed.  I really enjoyed reading about another person’s great devotion and passion towards what she loved and it made me feel a little guilty about my sometimes lukewarm attitude towards my own interests. I made up for it though, at least in one small part by re-discovering the music of Vivaldi to which I listened all the while reading the book.

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  Another book by Barbara Quick will soon be released. A Golden Web is coming on April 6th from HarperCollins.

My girl is looking for a penpal.

I know that it is a little bit of a weird request but my 11-year-old daughter just asked me if she could have a pen-pal. I, of course, agreed thinking she had someone in mind. As it turned out she didn't and was really asking me to help her find one.

So here's my request: I know that many of you are moms of girls and I was wondering if you could ask your girls to maybe consider an idea of being a pen-pal with my daughter Karolina. I know that it would make her very happy and make me feel a little better knowing who she is in contact with. She wanted to search online but I am so wary and afraid of this form because you just never know what perps are lurking out there.

Thank you so much ahead of time and we, my daughter and I, will be keeping our fingers crossed that she'll find her pen-pal.

The Book List: Childhood Favorites

Rebecca from Lost in Books is hosting this fun meme that allows us to share books and make a list of books! This week we are asked to list three books that we loved as children (I hope I got it right this time).

1. Anne of Green Gables (and the rest of the series) by Lucy M. Montgomery.

Who doesn't love Anne?! I loved this wise cracker, spunky and funny girl and always wanted to be like her even though or maybe because I was a complete opposite. It's twenty years later and I still can't get her out of my head :-).





2. House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne

Long before Disney came up with their version of Winnie, Piglet and the gang, there had been this awesome book that really is a million times better than the Disney characters. I remember borrowing it from the library and reading it in one night and then after it was returned harping on my friends to read it faster so I could borrow it again (there was only one copy in the school library).




3. Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson

I am so, so happy that Macmillan decided to introduce these cute Moomintrolls to the American market. As a child I could just never get quite enough of them and it makes my day that it's yet another favorite from my childhood that I can now share with my own kids

The importance of journal writing, as told by Holly Christine

Today I have a special post. It's special because of two reasons. Number one, it is written by Holly Christine who is the author of three novels, including the most recent one Tuesday Tells It Slant. Number two, it's about keeping diaries which I never could pull off even though I tried and now I am hoping that what Holly has to say will inspire me to go back and try my hand at journal writing again. I also hope it will give you a push to dust off that old diary with only two pages filled in and the rest waiting to be written on. Enjoy!

Keeping a journal at times seems unnecessary. We have cameras on our phones and text messages and Facebook to look back on, right?

 

My parents were preparing to sell their home a few years ago and I was faced with these old diaries (one had a lock on it and a unicorn on the cover). I started to read through them and became flooded with emotion. I could see the changes in my life in my own handwriting. It was powerful and entertaining all at the same time. I had forgotten what a gossip queen I was in fifth grade.

 

Back then, I wrote with the idea that recording my life in pen was important and timeless. For some reason, the emotional impact is much more extreme in pen. It’s quicker too. It’s a release, a physical release that stays on paper for as long as you like.

 

This moment of reading my old diary entries inspired the basis of  Tuesday Tells it Slant. I kept thinking that it would be easy to erase these old memories that I had. Perhaps I wanted to forget that I fought with my younger brother. Couldn’t I just rip the page out? I had forgotten about that fight up until the moment I saw it in my diary.

 

Throughout the book, Tuesday changes her old diary entries, eliminating all painful memories. But in the process, she loses her self; her soul seems halfhearted and confused. Her diary, as it turns out, is like an extension of her existence.

 

But all entries aren’t necessarily painful memories. My mother kept a journal of her pregnancy with me and recently gave it to me. It is written in pen on regular notebook paper and it is a tradition that I plan to continue.

 

A diary is a gift to your future and your present soul. It can inspire the future while recording the present and is like an old photo of your emotions: timeless.

 

Thank you for the opportunity to guest blog and happy readings!

 

~Holly Christine 

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If you liked what Holly wrote and would like to read more, please make sure you visit her website and check out the three novels written by her: 

The Nine Lives of Clemenza

Retail Ready

Tuesday Tells It Slant

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

I cannot believe how long it takes me recently to get things, such as reviews, done. Especially when it comes to wonderful books that deserve to be spoken about as soon as possible. Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah is one such book.

The publisher says:

Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time—and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya’s life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother’s life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.

I say:

This book was absolutely amazing. Ms. Hannah's writing is at once to the point and deeply moving. Before you know it, you're drawn into the world she created and don't want to leave. Perhaps, the best testament to the quality of Winter Garden is my sister's reaction. She is not a book worm whatsoever (hi sister!), it is extremely difficult to get her interested in a book even though she tries, judging by a number of books borrowed from me that she started but never finished. And once she starts reading a book, it takes her a long time to finish it, not because she doesn't want to but because her lifestyle doesn't really give her a lot of spare time. With all that in mind, my sister Eva read Winter Garden in two days and called me right after she finished to discuss it. In her words: 'the book was phenomenal and the author's sentences are such that you just want to remember them all and as soon as I get home I'll be writing them down'. Not only did she like it so much that she didn't sleep all night and chose to read instead, but while driving to work, she actually had to pull over to keep reading because she couldn't wait until the end of the day! I think that says it all!!

But I will still say some more. Winter Garden is also heartbreaking and I was unable to stop the tears from flowing freely. The story became so sad and touching to me because the fictional story of Anya's life is probably a real story of many women and men that survived the Leningrad siege. So be prepared for many heartrending passages but also know that you will be rewarded in the end and will most likely want to read Winter Garden all over again. I know I already do (thank goodness I still have three other books Ms. Hannah wrote to read for the first time).

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Special thanks to Nicole B. from Authors on the Web for sending me a copy of this book.

Winter Garden giveaway results.

The results are in and with the help of random.org the winner is chosen.It is comment  number 18  and it belongs to Angie.   

Congratulations!

Everyone else, thank you very much for visiting my log and participating in this giveaway. Moreover, Winter Garden is truly worth reading so even if you didn't win it, you always buy it or get it from the library.

First Wild Card Tour: Chosen by Ginger Garret

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Ginger Garrett

and the book:

Chosen

David C. Cook; New edition (March 1, 2010)

***Special thanks to Audra Jennings, Senior Media Specialist, of The B&B Media Group for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Focusing on ancient women’s history, critically acclaimed author Ginger Garrett creates novels and nonfiction resources that explore the lives of historical women. In addition to her writing, Garrett is a frequent radio and television guest. A native Texan, she now resides in Georgia with her husband and three children.


Visit the author's website.



Chosen, by Ginger Garrett from David C. Cook on Vimeo.


Product Details:

List Price: $14.99
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: David C. Cook; New edition (March 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1434768015
ISBN-13: 978-1434768018

AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:

Prologue

Fourth Day of the Month of Av

Year 3414 after Creation

If you have opened this, you are the chosen one.

For this book has been sealed in the tomb of the ancients of Persia, never to be opened, I pray, until G-d1 has put His finger on a new woman of destiny, a woman who will rise up and change her nation. But we will not talk of your circumstances, and the many reasons this book may have fallen into your hands. There are no mistakes with prayer. You have indeed been called. If this sounds too strange, if you must look around your room and question whether G-d’s finger has perhaps slipped, if you are not a woman with the means to change a nation, then join me on a journey. You must return with me now to a place without hope, a nation that had lost sight of G-d, a girl with nothing to offer, and no one to give it to.

I must introduce myself first as I truly am: an exiled Jew, and an orphan. My given name was Hadassah, but the oppression of exile has stripped that too from me: I am now called Esther,2 so that I may blend in with my captors. My people, the Hebrew nation, had been sent out of our homeland after a bitter defeat in battle. We were allowed to settle in the kingdom of Persia, but we were not allowed to truly prosper there. We blended in, our lives preserved, but our heritage and customs were forced underground. Our hearts, once set only on returning to Jerusalem, were set out to wither in the heat

of the Arabian sun. My cousin Mordecai rescued me when I was orphaned and we lived in the capital city of Susa, under the reign of King Xerxes.3 Mordecai had a small flock of sheep that I helped tend, and we sold their fleece in the market. If times were good, we would sell a lamb for someone’s celebration. It was always for others to celebrate. We merely survived. But Mordecai was kind and good, and I was not forced into dishonor like the other orphans I had once known. This is how my story begins, and I give you these details not for sympathy, but so you will know that I am a girl well acquainted with bitter reality. I am not given to the freedom in flights of fantasy. But how can I explain to you the setting of my story? It is most certainly far removed from your experience. For I suspect that in the future, women will know freedom. And freedom is not an easy thing to forget, even if only to entertain an orphan’s story.

But you must forget now. I was born into a world, and into this story, where even the bravest women were faceless specters. Once married, they could venture out of their homes only with veils and escorts. No one yet had freed our souls. Passion and pleasure, like freedom, were the domain of men, and even young girls knew the wishes of their hearts would always be subject to a man’s desire for wealth. A man named Pericles summed up my time so well in his famed oration: “The greatest glory of a woman is to be least talked about by men, whether they are praising you or criticizing you.” Our role was clear: We were to be objects of passion, to receive a man’s attention mutely, and to respond only with children for the estate. Even the most powerful woman of our time, the beautiful Queen Vashti, was powerless. That was my future as a girl and I dared not lift my eyes above its horizon. That is how I enter this story. But give me your hand and let us walk back now, past the crumbling walls of history, to this world forgotten but a time yet remembered. Let me tell you the story of a girl unspared, plunged into heartache and chaos, who would save a nation. My name is Esther, and I will be queen.

1 Out of respect for God, Jews write the name of God without the vowels, believing that the name of God is too holy to be written out completely by a human. God is referred to as either “G-d” or “YHVH.”

2 The name Esther is related to the Persian name of Ishtar, a pagan goddess of the stars.

3 Esther refers to the king by his Persian name. In the Hebrew texts of antiquity, he is also referred to as Ahasuerus.


1

Eleventh Day of Shevat

Third Year of the Reign of Xerxes

Year 3394 after Creation


Was it today that I became fully awake, or have I only now begun to dream? Today Cyrus saw me in the marketplace haggling gently with my favorite shopkeeper, Shethana, over the price of a fleece. Shethana makes the loveliest rugs—I think they are even more lovely than the ones imported from the East—and her husband is known for his skill in crafting metals of all kinds. When I turned fifteen last year, he fashioned for me a necklace with several links in the center, painted various shades of blue. He says it is an art practiced in Egypt, this inlaying of colors into metal shapes. I feel so exotic with it on and wear it almost daily. I know it is as close to adventure as Mordecai will ever allow.

But as Shethana and I haggled over the fleece, both of us smiling because she knew I would as soon give it to her, Cyrus walked by eating a flatbread he had purchased from another vendor. He grimaced when he took a bite—I think he might have gotten a very strong taste of shallot—and I laughed. He laughed back, wiping his eyes with his jacket and fanning his mouth, and then, oh then, his gaze held my eyes for a moment. Everything in my body seemed to come alive suddenly and I felt afraid, for my legs couldn’t stand as straight and steady and I couldn’t get my mouth to work. Shethana noticed right away and didn’t conceal her grin as she glanced between Cyrus and me. I should have doubled the price of her fleece right then!

Cyrus turned to walk away, and I tried to focus again on my transaction. I could not meet Shethana’s eyes now—I didn’t want to be questioned about men and marriage, for everyone knows I have no dowry. To dream of winning Cyrus would be as foolish as to run my own heart straight through. I cannot dream, for it will surely crush me. And yet I can’t stop this warm flood that sweeps over me when he is near.

I haven’t told you the best part—when Shethana bought her fleece and left, I allowed myself to close my eyes for a moment in the heat of the day, and when I opened them again, there was a little stack of flatbread in my booth. I looked in every direction but could see no one. Taking a bite, I had to spit it out and started laughing. Cyrus was right—the vendor used many bitter shallots. The flatbread was a disaster.

©2010 Cook Communications Ministries. Chosen by Ginger Garrett. Used with permission. May not be further reproduced. All rights reserved.

Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein giveaway

Yes, you read it right. I do have another giveaway for you, my dear readers. And what a title it is! On March 9th, Garth Stein (the author of The Art of Racing in the Rain and creator of wonderful Enzo) gave us another book which I'm sure is just as good, Raven Stole the Moon.

Here's what the publisher says:

From the author of the acclaimed New York Times bestseller The Art of Racing in the Rain comes an extraordinary tale of grief, devotion, redemption, and timeless mystery.

When Jenna Rosen abandons her comfortable Seattle life to visit Wrangell, Alaska, it's a wrenching return to her past. The hometown of her Native American grandmother, Wrangell is located near the Thunder Bay Resort, where Jenna's young son, Bobby, disappeared two years before. His body was never recovered, and Jenna is determined to lay to rest the aching mystery of his death. But whispers of ancient legends begin to suggest a frightening new possibility about Bobby's fate, and Jenna must sift through the beliefs of her ancestors, the Tlingit, who still tell of powerful, menacing forces at work in the Alaskan wilderness. Armed with nothing but a mother's protective instincts, Jenna's quest for the truth behind her son's disappearance is about to pull her into a terrifying and life-changing abyss. 

I am able to offer you an ARC copy of this book thanks to the generosity of Sarah D. from Terra Communications.

Giveaway 411:


1. It is open internationally.


2. All you have to do is leave me a comment with your email if you don't already have one in you profile.


3. The giveaway is open from March 11th - March 31st.


Good luck to you all.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah Giveaway March 4 - 18

I am very excited to offer you guys an opportunity to win a signed copy of Winter Garden, the newest novel  by Kristin Hannah.  I just finished reading it myself and it was absolutely amazing. My review will be coming up shortly but for now I will just say that this novel will be on my list of top ten reads at the end of the year.

Here's what the publisher says:

Can a woman ever really know herself if she doesn’t know her mother? From the author of the smash-hit bestseller Firefly Lane and True Colors comes a powerful, heartbreaking novel that illuminates the intricate mother-daughter bond and explores the enduring links between the present and the past .

Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time—and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya’s life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother’s life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are. 

Make sure to visit Kristin Hannah's website for more details about this book and her other, wonderful novels.


Giveaway details:

1. This giveaway is open to residents of US and Canada. No PO Box addresses (street mailing only).

2. To enter simply leave me a comment saying that you would like to win this book. Please include your email address if I have no other means of contacting you.

3. The giveaway is open until March 18 midnight.

Good luck to you all!

*********

This giveaway is made possible thanks to Nicole B. from Authors on the Web. Thank you.