Monday, March 3, 2014

The Lost Sisterhood - Anne Fortier

The Lost Sisterhood tells the story of Diana, a young and aspiring--but somewhat aimless--professor at Oxford. Her fascination with the history of the Amazons, the legendary warrior women of ancient Greece, is deeply connected with her own family's history; her grandmother in particular. When Diana is invited to consult on an archeological excavation, she quickly realizes that here, finally, may be the proof that the Amazons were real. The Amazons' "true" story--and Diana's history--is threaded along with this modern day hunt. This historical back-story focuses on a group of women, and more specifically on two sisters, whose fight to survive takes us through ancient Athens and to Troy, where the novel reinvents our perspective on the famous Trojan War.
Received an e-galley from Ballentine 

I read Fortier's Juliet pretty much in one day at the beach, so I was looking forward to seeing how she  captured the same intensity with the Amazons.  I wasn't disappointed.  I was drawn into the mystery of the story right away.  While I had some knowledge of Greek mythology and the Amazons, I found myself learning more about that civilization.

Readers looking for a romance along with a good mystery will enjoy this book.  The main characters definitely have a romantic comedy relationship (on again off again) for most of the book.  At times, I did wish Diana would be a bit stronger and thoughtful about her actions.  She did grow from a bookworm type professor into a confident and well published professor by the end of the book.

The style of the book goes between the present day and the past story. This back and forth didn't happen every chapter which sometimes confused me.  Also in the last quarter of the book, there is less past story and more present. I found myself wanting to read more about the past heroine than Diana.

Fortier delivers another strong novel with twists, turns and romance all wrapped into one.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

An affectionate pig named Wilbur befriends a spider named Charlotte, who lives in the rafters above his pen. In this story of friendship, hardship, and the passing on into time, White reminds readers to open their eyes to the wonder and miracle found in the simplest of things.
February Book Club

It was my turn to host book club this past month and I choose Charlotte's Web for the book. We've been reading our favorite books from our childhood.  I remember reading this book and feeling sad for Charlotte.

Rereading the book as an adult, I was struck by the amount of vocab words and turns of phrases that are prevelant throughout the prose. We discussed at book club how by the end of the book Fern is not really mentioned anymore.  Friendship is a key theme throughout this book and it is interesting how Wilbur's friendship with Fern is different than his friendship with Charlotte.

I found a nice appreciation of E.B. White when searching for discussion questions.