Wrapping Up the Victorian Challenge

The Victorian Challenge came to an end on June 30. I actually finished the reading several weeks ago, but I didn't want to write a wrap-up until I had all the reviews written. Now that I've finished that task, I can say finis. I chose Level 2: A Walk in Hyde Park, which meant I read four books for the challenge. Started out with quite a list of possibilities, but as it turns out only two of the books I actually read were on that list. So, the best-laid plans and all that . . . .

Here's what I read, with links to reviews:

1. The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton
2. Angels & Insects, by A.S. Byatt
3. The Master, by Colm Toibin
4. The Valley of Fear, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I'm also noticing that while all my books were set during the Victorian era, none was actually written then – something of a disappointment. Guess I'm just a modern girl at heart.

I enjoyed all the books, although of the four I think The Valley of Fear was one that didn't really live up to my expectations. My favorite was without a doubt The Age of Innocence – it's now on my list of all-time best reads, and it's inspired me to go back and give Wharton's House of Mirth another try, after abandoning it many years ago.

I want to thank Alex for coming up with the idea for the challenge and hosting, and all the other participants for all those great reviews and blog posts. This was a wonderful idea – I only wish I'd had time to read a little Trollope. Well, maybe next time.

Review: Angels & Insects

Written by A.S. Byatt
Random House, 1992; 339 pages

Angels & Insects, by A.S. Byatt, is made up of two novellas, both set in Victorian England. The first, "Morpho Eugenia," is the story of explorer and amateur entomologist William Adamson who has come to live in the home of his wealthy benefactor, the Reverend Harald Alabaster, after a shipwreck leaves him homeless and without other means of support. Sir Harald is also an enthusiastic naturalist, and has an extensive collection of specimens that he wants Adamson to help classify and catalog. There, in the Alabaster household, Adamson meets and falls in love with the Reverend's oldest daughter, Eugenia. Eventually, he asks the young woman to marry him and is thrilled, and more than a little surprised, when she accepts. At first ecstatically happy with his bride, Adamson soon begins to be puzzled by her frequent changes of mood and behavior. Eugenia's brutish brother frequently voices his disapproval of the marriage, believing Adamson to be an unworthy match for his sister. And more complications arise when Adamson begins to form a close friendship with another young woman in the household – a sort of governess or tutor who shares his interest in insects and the natural world. Eventually, the story's Gothic plot turns very dark indeed, as Adamson's discoveries make him reconsider his seemingly perfect existence.

The second novella, "The Conjugial Angel," is (quoting from Library Journal's description) "a philosophical ghost story, bizarre and comic." It's the story of Lilias Papagay who believes her sailor husband has died while on a sea voyage. She gets herself involved with a group of mediums who meet to conjure up spirits for their clients and patrons. One of those patrons is Emily Tennyson Jesse, sister of the poet Alfred Tennyson. As a young woman, Emily was engaged to Tennyson's great friend Arthur Henry Hallam, who died suddenly in 1833 while traveling to Vienna. Tennyson dedicated his famous poem "In Memoriam" to Hallam, and that poem plays a role in Byatt's novella. It's a little difficult to write much about the story without giving too much away, so I'll stop there.

Of the two stories, I think the second one was my favorite, even though I suspect it requires a fairly extensive knowledge of Tennyson's poetry to be fully appreciated – and that's something I don't really possess. But I liked the humor – something you don't usually expect from Byatt's work. Also, having seen the film "Angels & Insects" before I read the book, I was familiar with the plot of "Morpho Eugenia" – the film was based on that first novella. Although, even if I hadn't seen the film first, I think I'd have seen the surprises coming – they're not particularly subtle. And I found all the talk about ants and insects and Darwin and nature just a tad boring after a while. OK, maybe more than just a tad.

Would I recommend it? Well, I always have problems with Byatt – I think she's an acquired taste. Her work tends to be fairly scholarly and can be very rewarding if you don't mind doing a certain amount of intellectual work. I generally like that. But if you're just looking for a quick, entertaining read, I'm not sure this is the book to choose.

Review: The Valley of Fear

Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Book-of-the-Month Club Special Edition, 1994; 320 pages
First published 1915

The Valley of Fear was the last Sherlock Holmes novel written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. First published in installments as a magazine serial in 1914, it was brought out in a single volume in 1915. The action takes place before the period of "The Final Problem," the story in which Holmes and his archenemy Professor Moriarty apparently plunge to their deaths at Reichenbach Falls.

At the beginning of the tale, Holmes receives a coded letter informing him that something sinister is about to happen at a country estate called Birlstone. Shortly afterwards, and before Holmes can act on the warning, he receives further word that Birlstone's owner, the American Jack Douglas, has been found dead in his study at the manor house, his face destroyed by a shotgun blast. Douglas's body was discovered by his old friend, Cecil Barker, who was a frequent visitor at the estate.

As Holmes and the local authorities pursue their investigations, the plot thickens (doesn't it always?). Certain clues point to the fact that the killer might also have been an American. Then there's the problem of the drawbridge – the estate is equipped with a large moat and a working drawbridge which was raised (that is, closed) every night. The moat is too extensive to cross easily, and with the drawbridge up and no strangers in the house, the murder begins to look like "an inside job." Add to that the odd behavior of the dead man's widow, a strange tattoo on his body, the discovery of a hidden bicycle which might have been used by the murderer, and a single dumbbell that seems to fascinate Holmes – and the mystery becomes more and more puzzling. Of course, Holmes eventually presents his solution of the crime – but only after uncovering the story of Douglas's past life in America.

I've read most of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories and novels – well, a lot of them anyway. But I had managed to neglect this one until now. I believe by the time Conan Doyle brought this one out, he'd really grown pretty bored with Holmes; he'd already tried to kill him off at least once. And I think that boredom shows here – much of the story revolves around several recycled plot elements from other Holmes stories, and only half of the book is concerned with Holmes and his investigation of the murder. The other half is taken up with a lengthy flashback to the apparent victim's earlier life in America. Interesting enough, but not what I signed on for. The book definitely loses momentum when Holmes disappears from the action. If you've read all the other Holmes stories and novels, by all means finish up with this late appearance of the master detective. But if you're just making his acquaintance, I'd definitely recommend starting with one of the earlier works.

Booking Through Thursday: Celebrities?

Thursday again. And July already. How can that be? Ah well, time for another Booking Through Thursday question, suggested this week by Callista83:

Do you read celebrity memoirs? Which ones have you read or do you want to read? Which nonexistent celebrity memoirs would you like to see?

Well, at first, I was tempted just to say no. But I do read the occasional memoir or autobiography. And some of the authors of those would, I suppose, qualify as celebrities – at least in the literary world. I read the entire series of memoirs Anthony Powell wrote back in the '70s and '80s, and I think I'd definitely consider him a literary celebrity. And I've got Muriel Spark's autobiography, Curriculum Vitae, on my TBR list at present.

But if we're talking about more traditional celebrities – movie stars, sports figures, political types – then, no I don't generally read those. I've read a few in the past, but these days I read mostly fiction. Although, come to think of it, some celebrity memoirs might actually qualify in that area.

I guess the problem I'm having here is with the word celebrity. Because today we're saddled with so many "celebrities" who are mostly famous just for being celebrities. Like those instantly-famous individuals from the "Survivor" TV show. Or lottery winners. Or Donald Trump. I'm sure they've all lived fascinating lives, but it's unlikely I'm gonna be reading about them.

I Won, I Won, I Won!

Sorry if that sounds a little like crowing; I don't win that many things. But I managed to snag a couple of giveaway books recently, and I'm a little late posting about it.

Back in May I was a winner of one of Library Thing's Member Giveaway books – a very nice copy of The Real Opera Ghost and Other Tales by Gaston Leroux. It was offered by LT user SandySchmitz, who got it here very quickly and in great shape. Many thanks, Sandy.

Then, earlier this month I won another contest for a copy of Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City, over at arch thinking (thanks very much, Lorin).

Both books look like great reads – French ghost tales, and true crime at the Chicago World's Fair. Now if I can just finish up those four or five other books I've got going right now . . . .

Tuesday Thingers: Get Away From Me With That Glue!

This week's topic for the Tuesday Thingers group is about Glue! – the new social networking site. (Good work, Wendi!) Lately, I've been seeing the Get Glue! ads, but hadn't stopped to investigate – so I was curious and took a look at their website. And now that I know a little bit more about Glue!, I have the following thoughts.

You cannot be serious!!!

Let me get this straight. There's actually a whole organization out there that thinks I'll want them to stalk me around the Internet, and watch my every cyber move? And then broadcast it to a lot of people I don't know? Am I the only one who finds this more than a little terrifying?

I would probably pay a hefty fee to have them NOT do that!

OK, I'm admittedly ignorant when it comes to most of the "new technology" these days. And I'm not enthusiastic about laying out my private life all over the worldwide web – that's probably the main reason I've never really taken to Twitter. But this one seems annoying at best, and at worst downright dangerous. Somebody please explain why I would want to get myself involved in something like this. And please, please tell me it's something I'd have to "opt into" – because if given a choice I'd definitely opt OUT.

Oops! Sorry if I'm ranting here, but this just sounds like a really, really bad idea to me and I'm a little surprised that so many people seem to be in favor of it.

Tuesday Thingers is hosted by Wendi of Wendi's Book Corner. If you'd like to see more or participate yourself, head on over to her blog and leave a comment.

Teaser Tuesdays: Archie-isms

One of the things I'm trying to do this summer is read more classic mysteries. And I'm starting with Fer-de-Lance, the first Nero Wolfe novel by Rex Stout. I think it's possible that I read it once before, many years ago; but so far, it doesn't seem familiar. It was originally published in 1934, which was before even my time – so it's a great whodunit with a nice nostalgic feel to it. Like most of the Nero Wolfe novels, it's narrated by Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin, and although Archie's descriptive abilities definitely improve over time, he's still pretty good in this first outing. Here are a few examples:

"I went over and shook hands with her. She was a homely kid about twenty with skin like stale dough, and she looked like she'd been scared in the cradle and never got over it." [p. 13]

"He was smooth-shaven, his hair was turning gray, and while he wasn't fat there was size to him. He looked worried but amused, as if someone had just told him a funny story but he had a toothache." [p. 180]

"In a neat well-cut housekeeper's dress, black, with a little black thing across the top of her hair, she looked elegant, and her manner was as Park Avenue as the doorman at the Pierre. Well, I thought, they're all different in the bathtub from what they're like at Schrafft's." [p. 268]

I'm assuming everybody knows about Schrafft's, and its famously attractive (mostly Irish) waitresses. But maybe I'm wrong about that. Not sure why I know it, myself. Probably from a lifetime of watching old movies and reading classic mystery novels. It's a habit that's made me wise beyond my years, and old before my time!

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by mizB17 at Should Be Reading. If you'd like to read more teasers, or participate yourself, head on over to her blog. And these are the rules: Grab your current read; Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) "teaser" sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you're getting your "teaser" from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you've given! Please avoid spoilers!