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Feb. 1st, 2019 09:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. The bad news? I can't take Aleve or Ibuprofin near my blood pressure meds. Also can't take the omeprazole at all -- that's dangerous. But I can take Tyenol...so. Also got my new blood pressure gauge today -- took first reading. It's 144 over 93, which I'm told isn't too bad.
2. What I just finished reading...
The Essex Serpent by Sara Perry
First off -- the description and cover are misleading. This is not a gothic fantasy romance or horror novel about serpents and repressed Victorian sexuality. It's a character study, with not a lot of plot and a heavy focus on social issues during Victorian times. While there are romantic moments and an oddly written sex scene -- that turned me off, it's not a romance.( This writer is not good at sex scenes or action scenes.)
The writer does a lot summarizing. Reminds me a little of what annoyed me about Pamela Dean's Tam Lin, actually, although Dean had more of a plot and was far less literary in style. We're told in various spots what the characters are up to, and how they are living their lives -- then we jump back to the action. I found it a wee bit jarring and unnecessary, as if the writer was getting tired and thought, okay, I'll truncate 100 pages to 20 by summarizing what happened, which I totally understand. But I'd rather you just get rid of it altogether.
I also went from loving all the characters in the book to despising 85% of them. Which is interesting, often it is the opposite. Usually characters grow on me, but here? It went in the opposite direction.
Luke Garrett -- who from his description reminds me a lot of Tyrion in Game of Thrones (except Tyrion grew on me and became very sympathetic and weirdly kind while Luke becomes harder and harder to like.) Luke is infatuated with Cora (I don't think he actually loves her, so much as he loves an ideal of her and desires it, regardless of what she wants or makes her happy. At one point, Martha and Luke sleep together -- because they can't have Cora. It's sort of unsettling how they use each other.). He resents the fact that she doesn't love him romantically -- friendship clearly isn't enough. And sort of imposes his feelings on her, and when she rejects them or informs him all she wants is friendship -- he rejects her out of hand. (He does redeem himself a little -- by doing one self-less act -- he saves his friend's life, although it's not completely selfless since he realizes that he can't live without his friend and his friend is the only one who truly cares about him.) Poor Cora, recently widowed from an abusive husband, just wants to explore the world, raise her autistic son, and find her way in the world. She doesn't want to flung into another similar relationship. But alas, she runs into other people who sort of want to possess her and only care about what she can give them in return. And they mope endlessly about how their love is unrequited, while they use others around them. Martha -- wants Cora, but uses Spencer who adores her, and marries Edward who adores her, because he offers her companionship. I'm like why do they adore this self-righteous nasty woman who uses people to obtain her own ends? Then there's the Vicar that Cora despite herself falls for, and he falls for her -- but he can't be with her because of his sickly and somewhat vain wife...who cares more for her baubles, and fantasies than reality. She's very kind and likable until she contracts TB. Then I spent half the book thinking, die already. Spoiler - She doesn't. Unfortunately.
At the end of the novel, the only people I liked were Cora, Naomi Banks (who oddly grew on me), Spencer, and Edward Burton. Everyone else -- I had an overwhelming desire to smack upside the head.
There is a heavy feminist theme at the center of the novel -- and it does show how men view women as an extension of themselves or a means to provide them with pleasure and comfort. Not as separate human beings worthy of praise or kindness. Which I found disquieting.
It's not really written in Victorian Style, which I found to be a relief -- for the most part. I'm not a fan of Victorian writing -- it grates. But at the same time...it did make it hard at times to remember when I was -- I kept forgetting it was during Victorian times. It could have been anytime between 1885 to 1935.
Overall an okay read, but I was rather disappointed in it and it took me forever to finish. So, reading slump continues.
What I'm reading next?
Eh, I'm currently reading Vol #2 of X-Men Blue which is surprisingly good for a comic book. A lot more interesting than Essex Serpent, believe it or not. Magneto is overseeing the original five time-displaced X-men. Basically the teen versions of Cyclops, Jean, Iceman, Beast, and Angel. There's a rather interesting character bit with Cyclops/Jean and Emma Frost that surprised me. Also we have Polaris and Magneto working together and bonding as father and daughter.
The art, however, is a bit wonky.
And I think I'm going to read another Laura Kinsale novel -- the Shadow and the Heart. My mind feels too scattered for more literary novels that spend most of their time meandering about, and depressing me.
2. What I just finished reading...
The Essex Serpent by Sara Perry
First off -- the description and cover are misleading. This is not a gothic fantasy romance or horror novel about serpents and repressed Victorian sexuality. It's a character study, with not a lot of plot and a heavy focus on social issues during Victorian times. While there are romantic moments and an oddly written sex scene -- that turned me off, it's not a romance.( This writer is not good at sex scenes or action scenes.)
The writer does a lot summarizing. Reminds me a little of what annoyed me about Pamela Dean's Tam Lin, actually, although Dean had more of a plot and was far less literary in style. We're told in various spots what the characters are up to, and how they are living their lives -- then we jump back to the action. I found it a wee bit jarring and unnecessary, as if the writer was getting tired and thought, okay, I'll truncate 100 pages to 20 by summarizing what happened, which I totally understand. But I'd rather you just get rid of it altogether.
I also went from loving all the characters in the book to despising 85% of them. Which is interesting, often it is the opposite. Usually characters grow on me, but here? It went in the opposite direction.
Luke Garrett -- who from his description reminds me a lot of Tyrion in Game of Thrones (except Tyrion grew on me and became very sympathetic and weirdly kind while Luke becomes harder and harder to like.) Luke is infatuated with Cora (I don't think he actually loves her, so much as he loves an ideal of her and desires it, regardless of what she wants or makes her happy. At one point, Martha and Luke sleep together -- because they can't have Cora. It's sort of unsettling how they use each other.). He resents the fact that she doesn't love him romantically -- friendship clearly isn't enough. And sort of imposes his feelings on her, and when she rejects them or informs him all she wants is friendship -- he rejects her out of hand. (He does redeem himself a little -- by doing one self-less act -- he saves his friend's life, although it's not completely selfless since he realizes that he can't live without his friend and his friend is the only one who truly cares about him.) Poor Cora, recently widowed from an abusive husband, just wants to explore the world, raise her autistic son, and find her way in the world. She doesn't want to flung into another similar relationship. But alas, she runs into other people who sort of want to possess her and only care about what she can give them in return. And they mope endlessly about how their love is unrequited, while they use others around them. Martha -- wants Cora, but uses Spencer who adores her, and marries Edward who adores her, because he offers her companionship. I'm like why do they adore this self-righteous nasty woman who uses people to obtain her own ends? Then there's the Vicar that Cora despite herself falls for, and he falls for her -- but he can't be with her because of his sickly and somewhat vain wife...who cares more for her baubles, and fantasies than reality. She's very kind and likable until she contracts TB. Then I spent half the book thinking, die already. Spoiler - She doesn't. Unfortunately.
At the end of the novel, the only people I liked were Cora, Naomi Banks (who oddly grew on me), Spencer, and Edward Burton. Everyone else -- I had an overwhelming desire to smack upside the head.
There is a heavy feminist theme at the center of the novel -- and it does show how men view women as an extension of themselves or a means to provide them with pleasure and comfort. Not as separate human beings worthy of praise or kindness. Which I found disquieting.
It's not really written in Victorian Style, which I found to be a relief -- for the most part. I'm not a fan of Victorian writing -- it grates. But at the same time...it did make it hard at times to remember when I was -- I kept forgetting it was during Victorian times. It could have been anytime between 1885 to 1935.
Overall an okay read, but I was rather disappointed in it and it took me forever to finish. So, reading slump continues.
What I'm reading next?
Eh, I'm currently reading Vol #2 of X-Men Blue which is surprisingly good for a comic book. A lot more interesting than Essex Serpent, believe it or not. Magneto is overseeing the original five time-displaced X-men. Basically the teen versions of Cyclops, Jean, Iceman, Beast, and Angel. There's a rather interesting character bit with Cyclops/Jean and Emma Frost that surprised me. Also we have Polaris and Magneto working together and bonding as father and daughter.
The art, however, is a bit wonky.
And I think I'm going to read another Laura Kinsale novel -- the Shadow and the Heart. My mind feels too scattered for more literary novels that spend most of their time meandering about, and depressing me.