Thursday, February 9, 2012
I'm moving!
Hello, friends. I've just launched a new website, expanding on what I've been doing here. In addition to reviews, the new site features a bookstore and a quotes section. In order to consolidate and streamline, I'll be publishing all my future book reviews there (as well as integrating the ones already posted here - nothing will be lost). Please come along and join me at www.booksbybecka.com.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Book Review: Secret Sacrament by Sherryl Jordan
I’ve been frustrated for a long time by my inability to write a review of a particular book. I just can’t seem to pull all the threads together to weave a cohesive but concise summary. I even took the time to reread the entire 338 pages recently, hoping to find the elusive strand that would tie everything in neatly. It didn’t happen; in fact, I realized that the story is even more complex than I had seen previously. Some stories simply defy being synopsized. So, I’m just going to share a few notes about this book – Secret Sacrament by Sherryl Jordan.
The story takes place in Navora, a Roman-ish empire near the sea, and in the neighboring tribal lands. Gabriel, the son of a wealthy and respected Navoran family, discovers through a chance encounter that he has a mystical bond with the Shinali people whose lands border his city. Throughout his childhood and into young adulthood, this bond grows and strengthens him in his dedication to becoming a healer. The connection finally becomes tangible through another chance encounter with one of the Shinali, a young woman named Ashila.
While Gabriel is clearly the main protagonist, there are several other very strong characters – his brother Myron, his mother, his teachers , Ashila, and Tarkwaan the rising chieftain of the Shinali tribe.
Throughout the story, God is consistently presented as the source of all true understanding and strength, and especially of the remarkable skill of the healers. Conversely, supernatural evil is shown to be the power corrupting the empire from within.
As I noted earlier, I find it impossible to minimize the plot into a meaningful abstract. However, the spirit of the book is captured well in this prayer, which Gabriel prays at times of momentous decision:
Sovereign Lord, give me wisdom to know your dream for me. Give me courage to live that dream. Give me strength to fulfill the task before me, knowing it was designed for me alone. Give me peace in the knowledge that I have been given everything I need. So that what I do has value in your sight, give me love.
The story takes place in Navora, a Roman-ish empire near the sea, and in the neighboring tribal lands. Gabriel, the son of a wealthy and respected Navoran family, discovers through a chance encounter that he has a mystical bond with the Shinali people whose lands border his city. Throughout his childhood and into young adulthood, this bond grows and strengthens him in his dedication to becoming a healer. The connection finally becomes tangible through another chance encounter with one of the Shinali, a young woman named Ashila.
While Gabriel is clearly the main protagonist, there are several other very strong characters – his brother Myron, his mother, his teachers , Ashila, and Tarkwaan the rising chieftain of the Shinali tribe.
Throughout the story, God is consistently presented as the source of all true understanding and strength, and especially of the remarkable skill of the healers. Conversely, supernatural evil is shown to be the power corrupting the empire from within.
As I noted earlier, I find it impossible to minimize the plot into a meaningful abstract. However, the spirit of the book is captured well in this prayer, which Gabriel prays at times of momentous decision:
Sovereign Lord, give me wisdom to know your dream for me. Give me courage to live that dream. Give me strength to fulfill the task before me, knowing it was designed for me alone. Give me peace in the knowledge that I have been given everything I need. So that what I do has value in your sight, give me love.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Book Review: Finding God in the Land of Narnia by Kurt Bruner and Jim Ware
C. S. Lewis made it clear that the Chronicles of Narnia were not written as, and were never intended to be read as, allegories. Rather, the story grew out of a supposition, an imagination of what another fallen world, its history, and its redemption might look like.
Bruner and Ware, while maintaining an obvious respect for Lewis’s original intent, select brief passages – no more than a sentence or two – from the Narnia books and explore applications to “real life,” drawing connections to holy Scripture, Lewis’s other works, the writings of other great authors, even hymns. Their thoughtful presentation of these themes is simple and easily understood, but leads one to deeper reflection on the ideas brought forth.
Bruner and Ware, while maintaining an obvious respect for Lewis’s original intent, select brief passages – no more than a sentence or two – from the Narnia books and explore applications to “real life,” drawing connections to holy Scripture, Lewis’s other works, the writings of other great authors, even hymns. Their thoughtful presentation of these themes is simple and easily understood, but leads one to deeper reflection on the ideas brought forth.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Book Review: Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder
Synopsis:
Sophie begins receiving enigmatic, anonymous letters addressed to herself, as well as letters directed to Hilde, whom Sophie does not know, from Hilde's father, shortly before her fifteenth birthday. They cause her to start thinking about the "big questions" - who are you, why are you here, etc., and eventually lead her into an unusual relationship with a mysterious older gentleman who becomes something of a mentor.
Comments:
I did learn more from this book about philosophy than I knew before, which was a pitifully negligible amount; perhaps a straightforward philosophy textbook would have suited me better. The "story" vehicle, in my opinion, ranged from stiff, jerky, contrived, and stilted, to downright chaotic and maddening. I kept plugging away at it, hoping to find what had prompted the good reviews I'd seen, but I never did. The most valuable lesson I took away from it was to never again waste time reading a book I can't stand.
Sophie begins receiving enigmatic, anonymous letters addressed to herself, as well as letters directed to Hilde, whom Sophie does not know, from Hilde's father, shortly before her fifteenth birthday. They cause her to start thinking about the "big questions" - who are you, why are you here, etc., and eventually lead her into an unusual relationship with a mysterious older gentleman who becomes something of a mentor.
Comments:
I did learn more from this book about philosophy than I knew before, which was a pitifully negligible amount; perhaps a straightforward philosophy textbook would have suited me better. The "story" vehicle, in my opinion, ranged from stiff, jerky, contrived, and stilted, to downright chaotic and maddening. I kept plugging away at it, hoping to find what had prompted the good reviews I'd seen, but I never did. The most valuable lesson I took away from it was to never again waste time reading a book I can't stand.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Short Story Review: "The Man Born Blind" by C. S. Lewis
Synopsis:
Robin is a man, blind from birth, who has recently had an operation facilitating sight, growing increasingly frustrated with his inability to see Light. On a day when he finds himself free of the company and solicitude of his wife, he spends the morning in the old comfortable habits of blindness, then sets out to find, once and for all, the mysterious thing called Light. His failure to understand that light is what one sees by, rather than a tangible object that one sees, leads to disastrous consequences.
Comments:
Just five pages in length, this story is dense with metaphor and meaning. In his essay “On Stories,” Lewis says, “We do not enjoy a story fully at the first reading. Not till the curiosity, the sheer narrative lust, has been given its sop and laid asleep, are we at leisure to savour the real beauties.” I would modify that a bit and say that “The Man Born Blind” cannot be fully grasped, its depths not fully sounded, at the first reading.
Robin is a man, blind from birth, who has recently had an operation facilitating sight, growing increasingly frustrated with his inability to see Light. On a day when he finds himself free of the company and solicitude of his wife, he spends the morning in the old comfortable habits of blindness, then sets out to find, once and for all, the mysterious thing called Light. His failure to understand that light is what one sees by, rather than a tangible object that one sees, leads to disastrous consequences.
Comments:
Just five pages in length, this story is dense with metaphor and meaning. In his essay “On Stories,” Lewis says, “We do not enjoy a story fully at the first reading. Not till the curiosity, the sheer narrative lust, has been given its sop and laid asleep, are we at leisure to savour the real beauties.” I would modify that a bit and say that “The Man Born Blind” cannot be fully grasped, its depths not fully sounded, at the first reading.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Book Review: Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
Synopsis:
Becca has grown up hearing her grandmother tell the fairy tale of Briar Rose, the Sleeping Beauty, over and over and over. But Gemma’s version varies from the traditional story: in her telling, only the Princess comes awake at the kiss; everyone else remains in death-like sleep.
As she ages, and her mind and body fail, Gemma grows more insistent that she herself is Briar Rose. Most of the family has long since ceased to really listen to the old woman, and only Becca gives her words any weight, promising in her grandmother’s last hours to unravel the mystery. A box of keepsakes discovered in Gemma’s room after her death raises many questions and provides few clues, but Becca’s journalistic instincts and perseverance eventually lead her to the startling truth.
Comments:
Many of the old fairy tales were originally much darker stories than the modern versions with which most of us are familiar. This book harks back to that tradition; much of what Becca discovers is deeply disturbing. Briar Rose strongly demonstrates the power of story to help us survive and overcome horrific evil. I would recommend it only for a quite mature reader.
Becca has grown up hearing her grandmother tell the fairy tale of Briar Rose, the Sleeping Beauty, over and over and over. But Gemma’s version varies from the traditional story: in her telling, only the Princess comes awake at the kiss; everyone else remains in death-like sleep.
As she ages, and her mind and body fail, Gemma grows more insistent that she herself is Briar Rose. Most of the family has long since ceased to really listen to the old woman, and only Becca gives her words any weight, promising in her grandmother’s last hours to unravel the mystery. A box of keepsakes discovered in Gemma’s room after her death raises many questions and provides few clues, but Becca’s journalistic instincts and perseverance eventually lead her to the startling truth.
Comments:
Many of the old fairy tales were originally much darker stories than the modern versions with which most of us are familiar. This book harks back to that tradition; much of what Becca discovers is deeply disturbing. Briar Rose strongly demonstrates the power of story to help us survive and overcome horrific evil. I would recommend it only for a quite mature reader.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Thou Shalt Read
"the literary Christian is uniquely equipped to live out the Christian faith and to draw others to it because of a connection between being a faithful reader and a faithful Christian."
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/books/blog/27262-thou-shalt-read
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/books/blog/27262-thou-shalt-read
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