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Aug. 20th, 2014 10:52 pmI think, dare I hope, that I've finally found and decided on an apt. Fingers crossed.
1. What you just finished reading?
The Hidden Blade and My Beautiful Enemy - both by Sherry Thomas. The story is about a Anglo-Chinese girl, Ying-Ying, raised in Peking China to become a martial artist, by her Amah. Over time she becomes devoted to her step-father, Da-ren (meaning Most Respected or Honored One) who later becomes the governor of Chinese Tukanstan. He is sort of banished there for attempting to implement reforms, not favored by the dowager emperoress. Both books take place between 1878-1891. The other pov, is Leighton Atwood, a young British boy, who after the tragic suicide of his father, learns how to become a British spy. Leighton's father is deeply in love with another man, Herbert Gordon, who is a close family friend. The father and Herb have a loving relationship - and Leighton is extremely happy with both. Until that is, his wicked uncle, Sir Cyrus, a cruel religious fanatic threatens to imprison Herb and commit Leighton's father to an insane asylum for "deviant behavior". Apparently he did this years ago - when the father was younger, and he was horribly tortured at the place. So, the father panics and commits suicide. Leighton's mother, unfortunately, can't take him - because the mother and father had an understanding. Leighton's brother - it turns out was by his mother's current lover, a Mr. Delaney. The uncle threatens both the mother and the younger brother - so Leighton takes measures to ensure his mother takes off with his younger brother and leaves him behind, which suits the uncle just fine. Leighton then struggles to free himself from his uncle's control and reunite with Herb Gordon, who has traveled across the world to Shanghai, China - and is currently tutoring the children of Da-ren, as well as Ying-Ying. All of this occurs in The Hidden Blade, where you flip back and forth between Leighton and Ying-Ying's point of view. It reads a bit like a YA coming of age journey. The author is attempting to recreate an English version of wux-ai novels (see Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon as an example of wux-ai, it was based on a book apparently.)
The second novel, My Beautiful Enemy - is a historical romance novel - that flashes back to when the characters first meet, what drove them apart, and how in the course of Ying-Ying's quest for a Buddhist treasure, finally reunite.
While far from perfect, I found the book highly enjoyable and a heart-warming read. Plus, the writer, who is Chinese, and writes in her second language, English, does a decent job of discussing Chinese culture, and the differences between China and England.
For example? The Chinese do not have any problems with homosexuality. They accept it.
While the English see it as deviant behavior. Also how women are treated in each culture - is examined in some detail.
Add to all this - we really have a heroine's journey, with the guy being the support system - which is quite rare. Often it is the exact opposite in these sorts of novels.
2. What you are reading now?
A Lady's Lesson in Scandal by Meredith Duran
Duran is a better writer than Thomas. More deft with dialogue, and word syntax. Less typos and grammatical errors. She also has a wee bit more humor, or a dryer wit - which works well for me. I didn't find Thomas funny at all, and Duran's novel - I actually grin or laugh at. My sense of humor is quite dry and rather ironic- and humor is a subjective thing, so I can't promise that anyone else would find it funny. For example?
I do not find GRR Martin's novels funny, yet quite a few people do. And I rarely laugh at Terry Prachett - puns make me wince not laugh, much to my co-worker's considerable chagrin. You either love puns or hate them, there really is no in-between.
Example?
Me: My family couldn't come up with a pun to save our lives. We completely blanked when my mother asked for an example. For she didn't know what a pun was.
Co-worker: That's not punny.
Me (cringing at the pun and laughing at myself and my family's reaction to puns): exactly.
The story, considered by some to be quite dark, is about a lost heiress, who has been raised as a factory girl in the gutters of London. Duran doesn't glamorize poverty like a lot of romance novelists do or for that matter the working class of England during the 1800s? I think it's the 1800s? It certainly feels like the 1800s. Anyhow, a down-on-his luck Earl, who has inherited the title, and the entitlements, but none of the money to keep them up - because the former Earl was an ass, discovers her with a gun in his bedroom one night, realizes who she really is, and makes a deal. He'll help her regain her inheritance, if she agrees to marry him and share it.
It's sort of a combination of the lost heiress trope, the pauper to riches tale, and My Fair Lady/Pygamallion. Except both characters are well-developed, and likable, or at least I'm finding them likable. In the process the author is doing a stand-up job of depicting the differences in class, and the divide between the classes, along with the prejudices. One of the better depictions that I've seen to date, not to mention realistic.
It's not fluffy, but then not a fan of fluffy romance novels.
3. What I'm reading next?
No clue.
1. What you just finished reading?
The Hidden Blade and My Beautiful Enemy - both by Sherry Thomas. The story is about a Anglo-Chinese girl, Ying-Ying, raised in Peking China to become a martial artist, by her Amah. Over time she becomes devoted to her step-father, Da-ren (meaning Most Respected or Honored One) who later becomes the governor of Chinese Tukanstan. He is sort of banished there for attempting to implement reforms, not favored by the dowager emperoress. Both books take place between 1878-1891. The other pov, is Leighton Atwood, a young British boy, who after the tragic suicide of his father, learns how to become a British spy. Leighton's father is deeply in love with another man, Herbert Gordon, who is a close family friend. The father and Herb have a loving relationship - and Leighton is extremely happy with both. Until that is, his wicked uncle, Sir Cyrus, a cruel religious fanatic threatens to imprison Herb and commit Leighton's father to an insane asylum for "deviant behavior". Apparently he did this years ago - when the father was younger, and he was horribly tortured at the place. So, the father panics and commits suicide. Leighton's mother, unfortunately, can't take him - because the mother and father had an understanding. Leighton's brother - it turns out was by his mother's current lover, a Mr. Delaney. The uncle threatens both the mother and the younger brother - so Leighton takes measures to ensure his mother takes off with his younger brother and leaves him behind, which suits the uncle just fine. Leighton then struggles to free himself from his uncle's control and reunite with Herb Gordon, who has traveled across the world to Shanghai, China - and is currently tutoring the children of Da-ren, as well as Ying-Ying. All of this occurs in The Hidden Blade, where you flip back and forth between Leighton and Ying-Ying's point of view. It reads a bit like a YA coming of age journey. The author is attempting to recreate an English version of wux-ai novels (see Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon as an example of wux-ai, it was based on a book apparently.)
The second novel, My Beautiful Enemy - is a historical romance novel - that flashes back to when the characters first meet, what drove them apart, and how in the course of Ying-Ying's quest for a Buddhist treasure, finally reunite.
While far from perfect, I found the book highly enjoyable and a heart-warming read. Plus, the writer, who is Chinese, and writes in her second language, English, does a decent job of discussing Chinese culture, and the differences between China and England.
For example? The Chinese do not have any problems with homosexuality. They accept it.
While the English see it as deviant behavior. Also how women are treated in each culture - is examined in some detail.
Add to all this - we really have a heroine's journey, with the guy being the support system - which is quite rare. Often it is the exact opposite in these sorts of novels.
2. What you are reading now?
A Lady's Lesson in Scandal by Meredith Duran
Duran is a better writer than Thomas. More deft with dialogue, and word syntax. Less typos and grammatical errors. She also has a wee bit more humor, or a dryer wit - which works well for me. I didn't find Thomas funny at all, and Duran's novel - I actually grin or laugh at. My sense of humor is quite dry and rather ironic- and humor is a subjective thing, so I can't promise that anyone else would find it funny. For example?
I do not find GRR Martin's novels funny, yet quite a few people do. And I rarely laugh at Terry Prachett - puns make me wince not laugh, much to my co-worker's considerable chagrin. You either love puns or hate them, there really is no in-between.
Example?
Me: My family couldn't come up with a pun to save our lives. We completely blanked when my mother asked for an example. For she didn't know what a pun was.
Co-worker: That's not punny.
Me (cringing at the pun and laughing at myself and my family's reaction to puns): exactly.
The story, considered by some to be quite dark, is about a lost heiress, who has been raised as a factory girl in the gutters of London. Duran doesn't glamorize poverty like a lot of romance novelists do or for that matter the working class of England during the 1800s? I think it's the 1800s? It certainly feels like the 1800s. Anyhow, a down-on-his luck Earl, who has inherited the title, and the entitlements, but none of the money to keep them up - because the former Earl was an ass, discovers her with a gun in his bedroom one night, realizes who she really is, and makes a deal. He'll help her regain her inheritance, if she agrees to marry him and share it.
It's sort of a combination of the lost heiress trope, the pauper to riches tale, and My Fair Lady/Pygamallion. Except both characters are well-developed, and likable, or at least I'm finding them likable. In the process the author is doing a stand-up job of depicting the differences in class, and the divide between the classes, along with the prejudices. One of the better depictions that I've seen to date, not to mention realistic.
It's not fluffy, but then not a fan of fluffy romance novels.
3. What I'm reading next?
No clue.