chrissie_whitley's reviews
1549 reviews

Honestly, I didn't know what to expect out of this book - or this series for that matter. I went to the library with my son, but without any idea in my head of what book to get next. I had neglected to plan ahead and hadn't even looked through To-Read list. I lingered in the Young Adult/Teen section (as I tend to enjoy these books more), and grabbed this one, thinking I'd seen it somewhere in the Goodreads realm. (My signal on my phone inside the library was garbage, and I didn't want to take the time to get checked out on a computer to find my list.)

I was so thoroughly surprised by this book. The main character, Elisa, is interesting and very likable. Though, I admit to being a little wary of her at first. I wasn't sure if her being overweight was just some gimmicky characterization that was without reason or if it was founded in making the character whole. I thought Elisa was a surprisingly sympathetic and lonely young woman. Her weight was an issue with her, though not overly so. She seemed to accept this about herself and she seemed to eat because of emotional issues. She was left largely alone as a child and had few companions and no real friends. She found solace in food. She felt welcome and at home in the kitchens. She was treated lovingly and was paid her due attention there from the servants and her governess and lady's maid. Plus, aside from her studies, being lonely also often means you are bored. Boredom and sadness are often reasons people overeat... forget about all the other things she'd have to contend with... being in a royal family.

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.
Elisa is the chosen one.

Elisa has been chosen by God and marked with a Godstone, which is a gemstone of sorts that is in her navel. That got me worried at first, too. A belly button jewel? But, as it was treated so reverently, I took a moment to think about it, and realized I was okay with this. After all, our connection to life is first through the umbilical cord, connecting us to our mothers. Mothers are the givers of life, thus it made sense when I looked at it from that angle. Why not the belly button? Sure.

As the princess second in line to her kingdom's throne, she is married off to a neighboring kingdom and weds King Alejandro on her sixteenth birthday. He is a widower with a young son, and has a few years on Elisa. He is, however, a rather ineffective King, and Elisa shows her competence early on. Or, at least her potential for competence as a ruler. Having read so many books where we have to wait patiently for our young heroine to come into her own - and sometimes she never does - before she can be a great ruler/leader, I really loved this book for the adeptness and capability of this young Elisa. She was intelligent and quite adaptable for the situations. She was level-headed and a quick thinker. But, her youth still showed. She was inexperienced and self-conscious, and afraid of her decisions being the wrong ones.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was spectacular, and had some really supreme world-building. We weren't bogged down in an unnecessary history lesson of this made-up world, and the descriptions weren't overrun or running wild, overtaking the plot. It was concise and still somehow poetically written. From Carson, we get a beautifully rich world with fully-fleshed out characters and peoples.

I hope that the epitaph of the human race when the world ends will be: Here perished a species which lived to tell stories.

Jane Steele was just fun. Flat out fun. Well-written and exciting fun. This book and I had a great time. I admit to never having read [b:Jane Eyre|10210|Jane Eyre|Charlotte Brontë|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327867269s/10210.jpg|2977639]. I own that decision. I am not a fan of gothic tales (of which that may arguably be the best) and I grew up watching a televised version of it at my best friend's house, so I know where the story goes, at least. So, it remains on my to-read list.

In Jane Steele, Faye has created a character (the titular one) with harmony of disposition and strength and action and wherewithal. The tone of the book felt a lot like [b:Vanity Fair|5797|Vanity Fair|William Makepeace Thackeray|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344386439s/5797.jpg|1057468]'s Becky, or the backstory for the reincarnated character, Lady Melinda Winifred Waine Tentrees, a seductive 18th century coquette who was born the illegitimate daughter of a kitchen maid in Minnelli's 1970 film, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. It was a lovely balance of being both playful and flirty, and straightforward and sensible. I look forward to reading other works by Faye.

We tell stories to strangers to ingratiate ourselves, stories to lovers to better adhere us skin to skin, stories in our heads to banish the demons. When we tell the truth, often we are callous; when we tell lies, often we are kind. Through it all we tell stories, and we own an uncanny knack for the task.

There is a lot that's said in the summary for this book that touches on everything this book is about. But the emotional connection is something that cannot be summarized. Indeed, nor can it be assumed that everyone can connect with Maribeth Klein, the narrator of this incredible book.

For me, this was a very personal book. I wasn't adopted, but I have been formed and molded from a decent factory of abandonment machines. I won't get into my story, but Maribeth's voice was able to say and put into words things that I have yet to realize in dealing with my own issues of abandonment. As Maribeth finds out, it's difficult sometimes to get at the crux of those issues when you are so certain you are a well-adjusted individual, or you presume yourself to be because you aren't outwardly that screwed up.

Perhaps from the summary, this novel can come off a little trite and self-indulgent for our narrator, but this really isn't about some woman going off for no reason, abandoning her own family, and rebuilding her life elsewhere. This is a book that creates a metaphor with a heart attack—Maribeth's damaged heart—and weaves into that the story of having been abandoned and realizing how that can affect and shape who you are, whether you acknowledge it having done so or not.

With surprising depth, this is the kind of contemporary book that made me nod my head and shout, "Yes! Exactly!" out to the room, to myself. Forman nailed it, and none of it was too sugary or sweet, nor too wallow-y or gloomy. What makes Leave Me so wonderful is that it truly is not only about Maribeth and her journey, but it's also a fantastic example of human nature with sensational, true-to-life characters.

That was tonight? Richard paused for a moment. If ever, he decided, they made disorganization an Olympic sport, he could be disorganized for Britain.

After being introduced to [a:Neil Gaiman|1221698|Neil Gaiman|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg] through a downright lovely book, [b:The Ocean at the End of the Lane|15783514|The Ocean at the End of the Lane|Neil Gaiman|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1351914778s/15783514.jpg|21500681], I was curious to try another of Gaiman's stories. I am so, so glad I did. His books are just wonderful creations.

After starting this particular edition (the one my library had), I was intrigued enough to actually read that "junk at the beginning"—and I discovered the backstory to his first novel, originally published in 1997, and that this edition was considered by Gaiman to be the ultimate version featuring his preferred text.

Gaiman's approach to his idea for Neverwhere (which began its life as a BBC miniseries written by Gaiman) was to create a magical, [b:Alice in Wonderland|13023|Alice in Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #1)|Lewis Carroll|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1391458382s/13023.jpg|2933712]-inspired novel for adult readers. That's how Gaiman's writing feels—like pure magic. I haven't enjoyed an author's ability to create a fully encompassing world of magic and wonder like this in a long time.

His mouth tasted like several animals had been using it as a restroom before liquefying into something vaguely green.

Along with magic, adventure, and wonder, both a fantastic sense of humor and light romanticism are painted into the layers that make up this book. And, oh, does this book have the layers. They are so heavenly and gossamer, that you can't wait for another to be peeled gently back to reveal more of the story. Delicate and hypnotic, the adventures unfold for our hero, Richard Mayhew (our Ordinary Man), in a timeless and fantastical fashion. You love him instantly. We have a [b:The Wonderful Wizard of Oz|236093|The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Oz, #1)|L. Frank Baum|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1398003737s/236093.jpg|1993810]-type of buddy/road trip for adults as we dive down the rabbit hole with Mayhew from London Above into the Neverwhere.

All I know, is that I must read his other books.

P.S. If I hadn't recently read [b:Foundation|29579|Foundation (Foundation, #1)|Isaac Asimov|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1417900846s/29579.jpg|1783981], I would've missed this (potential) reference here from a fantastic character, the Marquis:

"I have always felt," he said, "that violence is the last refuge of the incompetent, and empty threats the final sanctuary of the terminally inept."