My only experience with romance novels has been to deconstruct one for a women’s studies class in college. So when my cousin tried to get me to read Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl a couple of years ago, I resisted. It looked like a romance novel. “I don’t do romance,” I told the next three or four people who encouraged me to read the book. But then my book group chose it to be the our February book. And I buckled down to read a “romance” novel.
I was immediately caught up in the history. The book is extremely well-researched and filled with lots of great historical details. History is definitely something “I do”. Especially historical fiction. Gradually I grew more and more involved with the book. My complaints about romance were forgotten as I grew to care about the characters. I began to enjoy their romances and flirtations. I was emotionally involved.
It’s not like I didn’t know what was going to happen. I was a history major, I knew the beheading was coming (if you didn’t know this, you need to read some history textbooks before you do any more pleasure reading). But I stayed up late, reading like it was a brand-new story.
The Other Boleyn Girl is not great literature. But it is an amazing story; one that I recommend highly. The historical detail is meticulous and the way it’s woven into the story is a great way to learn something while reading for fun.
(The movie comes out next week. I’ll be comparing later.)
I’ve had to take a break from reading Alison Weir. Not that her work isn’t fabulous, but I’m starting to zone out on Tudor dynasty details. So I’ve paused in the middle of Elizabeth I and started a new mystery.
Elizabeth George is a British mystery writer (what is it with me and British writers?) whose characters are so well-written that I feel like I could go to London and meet them. This is the second book I’ve read by her and it was all I could do to make myself go to bed last night. I stayed up so late that I didn’t even fold all the laundry. While many of her books seem to include the same characters, I wouldn’t call them a series. Each one stands very well alone. Also, series mysteries (much as I love them) rely on your love of the characters to propel them while George’s plots are so intricate they remind me of Alison Weir.
Elizabeth George’s Mysteries
The Kite Runner
The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, was my book club’s June selection. It was one of those books I never would have read unless forced. In my youth I read a lot of classical literature and many “great works” of fiction. Ever notice how most of those books are somewhat depressing? Or extraordinarily depressing ? Me too. I’ve avoided most of this deep fiction as an adult. I like books to be an escape and a pleasure.
I will admit that <span style=”font-style: italic;”>The Kite Runner</span> was an escape. I read it in one LONG sitting, completely transported into the lives of the characters. I was enveloped in a completely foreign culture, yet I completely understood the characters. The writing was masterful. I could easily see the settings and hear the characters. The plot was compelling and convincing.
The book left me with a sadness and anger that still hasn’t dissipated. It made me forever grateful to be an American citizen and forever disgusted with my fellow humans. It humanized the Middle East in a way that CNN never has. It is a very powerful book on every level.
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khalid Hosseini is a wonderful storyteller. His prose is detailed without being boring and his characters are very richly drawn. I loved this book more than The Kite Runner, even though I found it more painful to read. I liked the protagonists more. That means a lot to me when I read.
This book also made me a lot more curious about Afghan culture and history. As I read about Pashtos and Tajeks I felt like I missed out on so much of the world. I am so ignorant about that area of the world, about their history and cultures and poets. Even though I was a history major at a decent university, I only had to take one non-Western history class. I took Japanese history because it was at a convenient time. I know nothing of the world between the Ural Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
Anyway, A Thousand Splendid Suns is an amazing book. Sometimes I still think of the characters, as if they were real people. Real people that have been through things I can’t even imagine. Someone said to me, about the book, “Oh, it’s such a soap opera!”
Soap opera?
Desperate Housewives is a soap opera. The things that happen in Hosseini’s books REALLY happen. All too often. And the brilliant way Hosseini writes pretty much negates the whole soap opera thing.
