Jul
15
2006
Author: Robin Hobb
Book #1 The Soldier Son
ISBN: 0007196148
DDC: 813.54
See also: LibraryThing; RobinHobb.com
I remember well the first time I saw the magic of the plainspeople
I’m a big fan of Hobb’s Fittz books, so I was looking forward to this coming out in paperback. And despite hearing some bad reviews I think it was a very enjoyable read. Not as good as the Farseer books, but still engaging and interesting.
Nevare Burvelle is the main character; the second son of a lord it is his destiny to become a soldier, an officer, and to fight, as all second sons must, for king and country. This is a duty and responsibility he looks forward to. The Writ of the good god lays out the life choices of nobility and Nevare has no problems with his path. He wants to be a good officer, to make his father proud, to bring honour to his family and his name.
This is very much a Hobb book, and by that I mean that character development is more important than plot, and I like that. But I would have to say that the story itself isn’t all that fascinating. Somewhat interesting, yes, but not as gripping as it could have been. If I’m totally honest it feels like an introduction to the life of Nevare rather than a book in its own right. Still, the story does end, so if don’t want to read on in the series, then you don’t have to.
Tags:
7 Stars,
character driven,
plauge,
Robin Hobb,
series,
sff,
Shaman's Crossing,
soldier,
Soldier Son,
solid read
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Mar
16
2006
ISBN: 0743468953
DDC: 813.6
Author: Jennifer Weiner
First line:
“Hello?” I tapped on Kitty Cavanaugh’s red front door, then lifted the brass knocker and gave it a few thumps for good measure”
This was a good enjoyable read, chick lit, but with a little extra.
Kate Klein doesn’t fit into the world of immaculate suburban housewives. But when one is murdered, and she discovers the body, she is pulled into the investigation. And then there is the old flame back in her life, you know, the one she never really got over.
This is sort of Desperate Housewives meets the detective novel. And it is probably the first US chick lit that I’ve read, and the world seems very different than the chick lit world’s in British and irish books. Then again, I haven’t read a whole lot of those either, so maybe I just haven’t read the right ones.
Nicely written and well paced, this will keep you interested, but all in all I felt that this was lacking something. There is quite a bit about how life as a mom has changed Kate from whomever she was into this nobody, who does nothing but look after her children. How she isn’t quite sure how she ended up in this position but that she is more than just a mother. However, I think that the book would have been better served if the peripheral characters were more developed. As is, they are there only to serve the purpose of the story, and are not individuals in their own right.
Tags:
5 Stars,
813.6,
chick-lit,
crime,
Goodnight Nobody,
Jennifer Weiner,
murder,
mystery,
solid read
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