Time Travel Reading Challenge 2010 - Wrap Up

Many thanks to Alyce of At Home With Books for sponsoring the Time Travel Reading Challenge in 2010 -- definitely was right up my alley! Some of my top favorite books of the year were read as a result of the Time Travel Reading Challenge, so it was an extremely worthwhile challenge. Here is a list with a link to the reviews for my selections (click on the book title for the review).


Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine




The Exile (graphic novel) by Diana Gabaldon





Mariana by Susanna Kearsley





Angel Time by Anne Rice





A Cottage by the Sea by Ciji Ware

Very much looking forward to continuing what I think is one of the most fascinating genres -- a blend of history, romance, and time travel -- in 2011!

A Cottage by the Sea by Ciji Ware

"A remote cottage on the wild coast of Cornwall sounded to Blythe Barton Stowe like the perfect escape from the pain and humiliation of recent events in her Hollywood life. But soon she seems to be reliving a centuries-old tragedy, and the handsome owner of the shabby manor house on the hill appears vitally entwined in her destiny. As they unearth one shocking family secret after another, Blythe is forced to conclude that her intriguing neighbor is more than just an impecunious British gentleman bent on saving his ancestral home. And the impeccably honorable Lucas Teague begins to see Blythe as a lifeline in an otherwise bleak existence.

But is the unbridled attraction they're experiencing a dangerous distraction, or could it be strong enough to transcend the insurmountable complexities of time and place?"
(from the publisher)

my thoughts:

A thoroughly enjoyable, complex and emotional story of one woman's journey to escape the pain of her high-profile Hollywood divorce.

Blythe Barton Stowe was a successful partner with her British-born movie producer husband, Christopher Stowe, and enjoyed fame and fortune with their box-office hits. But her world is rocked when she arrives unannounced at her husband's office and finds the cad with another woman....and the identity of the woman is an even bigger shock to Blythe! Devastated by the humiliation of a scandalous divorce and the paparazzi, Blythe escapes to a remote area in Cornwall to come to terms with many painful memories and events in her life. She rents a small cottage on the grounds of a large manor and meets the landlord, Lucas Teague, a man who has his own secrets and pain due to the recent death of his wife. These two have a long and difficult journey to find healing and happiness, but it is a realistic relationship with jealousies and insecurities and it kept me turning the pages to find out how they would work out their challenges.

There is also a timeslip element in this story as the modern day Blythe has visions of an ancestral story from the 1700's of Blythe Barton and her forced and violently unhappy marriage to Kit Trevelyan. The mystery and secrets of her ancestors were very compelling and tied the threads of the present-day story to the past. A Cottage by the Sea was a marvelous tale of betrayals, passion, mystery, family secrets, ancestral history, and romance.

4/5 stars



athomewithbooks.blogspot.com

Title: a Cottage by the Sea
Author: Ciji Ware
Publisher: Sourcebooks
2010
529 pages

The Exile by Diana Gabaldon - First Impressions

"Diana Gabaldon's brilliant storytelling has captivated millions of readers in her bestselling and award-winning Outlander saga. Now, in her first-ever graphic novel, Gabaldon gives readers a fresh look at the events of the original Outlander: Jamie Frasier's side of the story, gorgeously rendered by artist Hoang Nguyen."

my thoughts:

First of all, let me begin by saying how exciting it is as a fan of Diana Gabaldon to experience a new facet of her Outlander story! Although a graphic novel is by no means the best way to truly enjoy Gabaldon's writing talent, her creative spin on the original plot was an interesting and unexpected treat.

In the original , the story is told from Claire's point of view, and the reader "sees" and "experiences" the events through Claire's eyes and thoughts. In The Exile, the reader now gets the opportunity to learn about new events through the POV of Jamie and Murtagh.

***SPOILER***

The key to The Exile surprise is that Claire was observed arriving through the stones....and since I read the original Outlander story countless times, a passage from the original book jumped out at me:

from Outlander, Chapter 11, p. 155 (Claire's thoughts)

"What would have happened, I wondered, had anyone been present on the hill of
Craigh na Dun when I made my abrupt appearance? I supposed it might depend on
the time one enetered. Here, had a cottar encountered me under such
cirumstances, I would doubtless have been thought a witch or a fairy. More
likely fairy, popping into existence on that particular hill, with its
reputation."

Leave it to Diana to pick up a thread that she wrote years ago and bring new life to a passage!

There were enough surprises in the graphic novel that made me go, "Hmmmmmmmm" (sometimes in surprise, and sometimes out of confusion). As I was cruising though The Exile on the first reading, I found myself scratching my head over Kenneth.....Kenneth? Did I miss something in one of the books? Am I supposed to know who Kenneth is? It took me a bit, but I eventually figured out a little about who/what he is, but he DID throw me for a loop.

The artwork by Hoang Nguyen was quite lovely, though a bit inconsistent, and I think it's safe to say that everyone is going to say, "That's not my Jamie and Claire!" Of course not, as we each have our own vision that is uniquely ours. It is interesting, however, to at last get a glimpse of Diana's vision of the characters as this was a collaborative effort between the author and the artist. It's not meant to be an exact representation, but merely an artistic approximation. It could just be that I was whipping through paying more attention to the content rather than the artwork, but I did at times have trouble telling apart some of the male characters as the story progressed.

My favorite images (besides the glorious rear view of Jamie as he arrives back in Scotland!) are the frame with Jamie in all his Highland finery on his wedding day (where Claire thinks, "Oh. My. God.") and the full page wedding kiss.(awwwwww) Lovely.

I also enjoyed the insights into Murtagh's thoughts and feelings....totally shocked by Murtagh's *almost* violent actions at Claire's bedside, and softened toward him as the last frame in the graphic novel is particularly poignant regarding Murtagh's love of Ellen.

This is not the complete Outlander story, unfortunately. This graphic novel only covers about one-third of the original plot, so fans must wait for future graphic novels to pick up the storyline when Claire and Jamie arrive at Lallybroch.

Although I enjoyed this addition to the Outlander world (there were some really funny moments), I think it is necessary to have an understanding of the books in order to fully appreciate and comprehend most of the graphic novel....this is not the best way for a newcomer to Outlander to experience the story. Start with the novel, and then add the graphic novel as an interesting twist to the plot, and that would be the perfect combination.

I definitely need to go back and read through it again to absorb the details I missed on the first quick reading....and give more thoughtful attention to the artwork. Thanks again, Diana, for another Outlander treasure!


What are your impressions?



4.5/5 stars

Title: The Exile
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Artist:Hoang Nguyen
Del Rey Books
2010
graphic novel

Mariana by Susanna Kearsley

"Julia Beckett believes in destiny. When she moves into Greywethers, a beautiful sixteenth-century farmhouse, she suspects that more than coincidence has brought her there. The locals are warm and welcoming, especially the eligible squire of Crofton Hall, yet beneath the ordinariness, Julia senses a haunting sadness about her new home. Then she learns of Mariana, a beautiful young woman who lived there three hundred years ago. It seems history has been waiting for Julia....." (from the publisher)

my thoughts:

Susanna Kearsley's Mariana was one of those books that I curled up with in a comfy chair and didn't come up for air until I had turned to the last page.

Haunting and romantic, with elements of reincarnation and time travel, this was a wonderful novel in the tradition of Daphne du Maurier and Mary Stewart....highly recommended for those who love stories where the present is tied to the past, suspense, and an old-fashioned second chance love story with a two-hankie ending.

Click on the trailer photo for a full-screen view of the book trailer -- it captures the haunting quality of the love story perfectly!


4.5/5 stars

Title: Mariana
Author: Susanna Kearsley
1994
395 pages
genre: romantic suspense

Angel Time by Anne Rice

From the publisher:

"Anne Rice returns to the mesmerizing storytelling that has captivated readers
for more than three decades in a tale of unceasing suspense set in a time
past -- a metaphysical thriller about angels and assassins.

The novel opens in the present. At its center: Toby O'Dare -- a contract
killer of underground fame on assignment to kill once again. A soulless
soul, a dead man walking, he lives under a series of aliases -- just now:
Lucky the Fox -- and takes his orders from "The Right Man."

Into O'Dare's nightmarish world of lone and lethal missions, comes a
mysterious stranger, a seraph, who offers him a chance to save rather
than destroy lives. O'Dare, who long ago dreamt of being a priest but
instead came to embody danger and violence, seizes his chance. Now he
is carried back through the ages to thirteenth-century England, to dark
realms where accusations of ritual murder have been made against Jews,
where children suddenly die or disappear...In this primitive setting,
O'Dare begins his perilous quest for salvation, a journey of danger and
flight, loyalty and betrayal, selflessness and love."


My thoughts:

This one is going to be a tough one to write about, so please bear with me as I flounder here a bit to try to express my mixed feelings about Angel Time. I want to be completely honest in all my reviews, and this book has both strong and weak points.

I am a huge fan of some of the novels written by Anne Rice, and when she nails it, her writing can be spectacular. I haven't read everything she's written, but I've read enough of her novels to know that not everything is created equally. Some are hit or miss. Angel Time, for me, isn't quite a hit.

I read Angel Time out of curiosity; most know the story by now that Anne Rice has publicly stated that her faith is taking her writing in a new direction. While she stands by her original works (read a fascinating essay she has written regarding this issue here), she has stated that she wishes for her writing to be inspirational and illuminating.

I wholeheartedly support positive and uplifting messages in books, and it is certainly a refreshing change to see her characters have a chance at redemption. But when you approach her novels, you have certain expectations about the reading experience, and there was definitely something missing in Angel Time. I felt like the writing was too sanitized, lacking depth and breadth and scope. Toby and Malchiah, his angel companion, were not "fleshed-out" characters, if you will,and this is very unusual for her writing; she has the ability to create vibrant and realistic characters. I was also disappointed that her breathtaking ability to describe another time, another era (the 13th century England) wasn't explored.

On a positive note, the tale of contract killer Toby O'Dare (he takes his victims by inserting a poisonous syringe) moves along quickly and reads more like mainstream crime fiction than a "metaphysical thriller," so it may appeal to fans of Dan Brown or Ken Follett's Eye of the Needle. There was very little in Angel Time that would cause offense to a reader (nothing graphic or explicit at all), and the persecution tale of thirteenth century Fluria and Meir, a Jewish couple accused of murdering their daughter for her Christian beliefs, was very moving and well-written. Their story carries a very relevant and important message of the need for religious tolerance and understanding, and ends with a message of hope and possibilities for Toby O'Dare.

A message of hope is always good.

3/5 stars

Title: Angel Time
Author: Anne Rice
Publisher: Knopf
274 pages
genre: fiction/suspense/time travel

Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine

from the publisher:

"Joanna Clifford is a confirmed skeptic. A hard-hitting journalist, she is all set to debunk hypnosis and the nonsense of past-life regression in her next magazine series...until she submits to a simple hypnotic session and finds herself inextricably bound to another time, another life as Matilda de Braose....until she learns that Matilda's loveless marriage, her secret passion for the handsome Earl of Clare, the brutal threats of death at the hands of King John, are very real...until she realizes that the pageantry, the passion, and the cruel facts of her past are still alive, changing and threatening her relationship to the man she thinks she knows and loves, the man who holds her in his arms--today."

my thoughts:

I absolutely adore time travel stories, and I selected Lady of Hay by
Barbara Erskine as the first book to read for the Time Travel Challenge. It's one of those big, fat juicy novels that you just have to suspend your disbelief and allow yourself to be swept away to the cold, dark castles of the twelth century with fair maidens, chivalrous knights, secret lovers, and treacherous kings.

The present-day storyline of Joanna Clifford begins in the 1970's when she is 19 years old and submits to a psychological test to determine if she has the ability to be hypnotised and "regress" to a past time or life. Skeptical of the whole idea and ready to prove that hypnotism is nonsense, Joanna has a most unusual and near-fatal experience. The professors performing the regression have never seen such astounding results....Joanna begins to regress to a horrifying scene in the past, begging for her life, complete with bleeding wounds on her hands from scratching and clawing jagged stones. I was hooked on this book right from the start!

Alternating between the present day and the past in Wales, the fine line between the characters of the present (Joanna; her on-again/off again boyfriend, Nick; his brother and rival, Dr. Sam Franklyn; and a quiet admirer of Joanna, photographer Tim Heacham) begins to blur and blend with the players of Joanna's past life when she was Matilda de Braose, (her husband, William; her lover, Richard de Clare; her jealous enemy, King John). Matilda de Braose was known in history as Lady of Hay.

Her life becomes increasingly more complicated and dangerous when she cannot stop herself from continuing to regress to the past where the loves of her life (both in the past and present) become questionable: who truly loves her and wants to protect her, and who is really her enemy and determined to harm her?

Will the past replay itself in the present and doom Joanna to another dreadful end, or will life and love be given a second chance 800 years later?

Lady of Hay is sure to entertain those who love stories of another time, rich with historical detail, and full of suspenseful twists and page-turning, non-stop action. Definitely a reflection of the times when it was written (the 80's when Dallas and Dynasty were popular tv dramas) this story is an oldie but goodie!



4/5 stars

Title: Lady of Hay
Author: Barbara Erskine
Sourcebooks
genre: historical fiction/time-travel

Preview of Angel Time by Anne Rice

The first book I have selected for the Time Travel 2010 Challenge will be Angel Time by Anne Rice. Angel Time: Songs of the Seraphim is described as a metaphysical thriller that begins in the present day with a contract killer, Toby O'Dare, on assignment to claim another life; in his nightmarish world of killing, he meets a mysterious stranger, a seraph, who offers him an opportunity to save rather than destroy a life. O'Dare is carried back through time to 13th century England on a journey of danger, suspense, and an opportunity for redemption.

************


Interestingly, I have noticed that whenever I post about an Anne Rice book, those posts have generated the most comments, interest, and blog visits. This has prompted me to think about hosting a few Anne Rice reading events in 2010. We all have so many new books on our TBR shelf that I know we do not have the time to reread entire favorite novels; however, it might be fun to do a few mini-reads of a chapter or two from an old Anne Rice classic, reread some famous passages, and discuss her writing.

So, dust off those old, tattered paperbacks and "come into my parlor"....let's revisit The Myth and Magic of Anne Rice in 2010.

Time Travel Reading Challenge 2010

I'm very excited to join in the Time Travel Reading Challenge in 2010 hosted by Alyce of At Home With Books. I have always been immediately drawn to any book which manipulates the concept of time and already have several titles that come to mind that I have read in the past and enjoyed.

Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Timeline by Michael Chrichton
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
Green Darkness by Anya Seton
The House on the Strand by Daphne Du Maurier
Somewhere in Time by Richard Matheson
Beyond the Highland mist (entire series) by Karen Marie Moning

The rules of the challenge are simple enough: decide for yourself how many time-travel themed books you want to read, and read them in 2010. Definitely doable! I'll decide at a later date the titles I will select for this challenge. Are you in?