Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

I'm cross-posting this one with my other review site because I thought this was a pretty interesting book that not too many people had heard about! It wasn't my favorite but was still a decent read.

Title: Nefertiti
Author: Michelle Moran
Genre: Historical fiction
Publisher: Crown, 2007
Source: Borrowed from my sister-in-law

The untimely death of the pharaoh's oldest son leaves the kingdom wide open for Amunhotep, the ambitious and heretic second son. Nefertiti, the beautiful and intelligent niece of the Queen of Egypt, is a logical choice as his chief wife. However, as Amunhotep (later Akhenaten) pushes his new religious ideas on his reluctant subjects, the political climate of Egypt grows more and more unstable. Nefertiti's cat-eyed sister, Mutnodjmet, is thrown into the center of it all as she struggles to escape the tumult of royal life and establish a peaceful family life of her own.

This book sat on my nightstand for months, and I'm not sure why. I think it was one part my overwhelmed feeling with everything I had to read, one part my lack of interest in Egypt in general, and one part my reluctance to get into historical fiction. This is kind of laughable to me now, because since reading this book I have read practically nothing but historical fiction since.

To me, Nefertiti was mildly entertaining. The setting, however, was fantastic. In my mind I had a preconception that I wasn't interested in Egyptian history, but once I became swept up in the story I found the scenery and daily-life tidbits fascinating. Moran inserted little details of culture that made the events more believable. Her scenes were vivid - I could picture the city Nefertiti and Amunhotep were building and Mutnodjmet's herb garden.

I had mixed reactions to the characters. Mutnodjmet herself was an enjoyable character to read. She only wants to enjoy her life as a loved and fulfilled woman, but her family expects her to be willing to sacrifice everything for their social status, The Other Boleyn Girl -style. While she does have a few weak moments enjoying a triumph of beauty over Amunhotep's Second Wife, Kiya's, ladies in waiting. She has interests beyond the family's status, growing medicinal herbs and setting up a business to help women with various problems. She wants to have a family and enjoy a life married to a man that she loves. My one complaint with Mutny was that she was too perfect - she never made a mistake, never showed a dark side. She was consistently either devoted and dutiful or righteously indignant.

Nefertiti and Amunhotep, on the other hand, were selfishness personified. They ignored all political life and cut a pathway of destruction, debt, and death through Egypt. Their horrible deeds, which could have been entertainment for shock value, become predictable. You know that Amunhotep will do something stupid and selfish, and you know that Nefertiti will go along with him to keep power over him. Their story, presumably the central story, was occasionally tiresome because of the endless tirade of horrible acts.

However, the pace picks up in the last hundred pages as Nefertiti and Amunhotep's misdeeds escalate to a horrible climax. The story becomes like a train wreck (please realize I'm referring to the horrific events, not the writing). I knew just what would happen, but I had to keep reading. I was originally thinking that perhaps I wouldn't read the sequel, The Heretic Queen, but the last 100 pages convinced me to stay invested in Amunhotep and Nefertiti's tragic story. Be warned, however, that the first several hundred pages are a slow ebb and flow of Mutnodjmet trying to assert her right to happiness and Nefertiti and Amunhotep wreaking havoc.

This was an enjoyable read, perhaps not quite living up to my expectations or the time invested in the high page count, but nevertheless one that is staying with me still. I am still looking forward to reading Michelle Moran's other works, although I am hoping her next books hold my attention a little better.

3 stars

So Brave, Young, and Handsome by Leif Enger

So Brave Young and Handsome tells the story of a discouraged one-hit wonder, Monte Becket. After publishing a wildly successful novel, he has found his imagination running dry. Just when he reaches his limit of frustration, an enigmatic neighbor on a boat enters his life and takes him on a journey that will change Monte's perspective on life.

Rereading that summary makes me feel like it is inadequate. Yes, that is what happens in the book, but there is so much more to it than that. Most people who like Leif Enger know him from his first novel, Peace Like a River, and most people I know enjoyed it much more than So Brave, Young and Handsome. However, I fell in love with SBY&H almost immediately.

I think in the plot department, SBY&H may be short of the mark when compared with Enger's first book. This book is quieter, more meandering, with some thoughtful, introspective sections. However, there are several moments of excitement, especially in the middle sections of the novel when Monte Becket is trying to protect his friend Glendon from the untiring, unpredictable, and violent Siringo (who, it turns out, was a real person). There are chases, shootings, and one irascible snapping turtle before the book quiets down to a peaceful orchard in California.

Enger's writing in this book is elegant and slow. He uses rich language that left me satisfying after reading a sentence. His style is somehow different from anything else I've read - I keep using the adjective quiet, but that is the best way I know how to describe it. When I read it, I felt like someone was reading it to me very softly by firelight - it is conversational but it takes its time getting where it needs to go, and takes a little time to introspect. Here is an example of a couple of lovely sentences: "There we stayed in the breathless night. Love is a strange fact -- it hopes all things, believes all things, endures all things. It makes no sense at all." (32).

I loved the story and the writing, but the true love for me in this book was in the characters. They are rich and vivid - the ineffable, smiling, ever-positive Glendon, who just so happens to be wanted by the law; the vibrant artist Susannah, who encourages Monte to find himself despite sacrifice by herself; the quiet, firm Blue, the powerful, peaceable Claudio, the exuberant, gusto-filled Redstart, the twisted, manipulative Siringo. And of course, Monte Becket, the voice of the novel, often confused, often imperfect, usually not living up to his own expectations, but lovable in that he is an incarnation of all of us as we try to break out of our mediocre selves and live exceptional lives. The story was really about two things - for Glendon, it is about being absolved of his former crimes so he can start his life over as an honest man, and for Monte, it is about living a life he can be proud of and being a man worthy of Susannah. While the plot was exciting, it was secondary to the character development.

There were a couple of other silly little things that endeared the book to me. One was a telegram Susannah sends to Monte, where it says, "I miss your face. Come home." I had to laugh because I send those exact words to my husband all the time, in the form of a modern telegram - the oh-so-convenient text message. I also had to laugh at a conversation Monte eavesdropped on in the train, where two Mormon elders were arguing about Christy Mathewson, a baseball player for the Giants who wouldn't play on Sunday. (My husband and I are big Giants fans and members of the LDS church so this was kind of entertaining for us). Anyway, reading those bits made me feel like I had some kind of inside joke with Leif Enger that made the book even more fun to read.

So to sum it all up? Love, love, love, love, love. I think I enjoyed this book even more than Peace Like A River, although I definitely enjoyed that novel as well. I can't recommend it enough, and I can't wait to meet Leif Enger!

Readability/Accessibility - You might need to look up a word or two, but the story flows.
Aesthetics/literary merit - 5. Beautiful.
Plot - 4
Characters - 5
Personal Response - 5
Overall: 4.75

PS: Guys, I just reposted my review from my book blog. Is that ok?

The Book Thief

So I actually have a blog for reviews of the books I read. But I thought maybe I couldt post little blurbs about the books I read, and if you want to read more about it you can visit my book review blog.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
5 out of 5 stars (8 out of 5 stars?)

I LOVE THIS BOOK! It was a huge surprise to me - I had no idea what to expect from it, except that it was narrated by Death (and that doesn't exactly tell you anything - it is just confusing until you read the book). If you want a more detailed summary and rantings and ravings go here. But for now, I will just tell you all to read this book. Make it next on your list. It's a winner.

Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
4.5 out of 5 stars
I will be the first to tell you that I try not to jump too enthusiastically onto the blockbuster book bandwagons. You won't see me wearing a Team Jacob (or Team Peeta) T-shirt. But I did love this book. There is a reason it is so popular - it is a great story. I have heard many people say they were disappointed in this final installment of the Hunger Games Trilogy. I was impressed with it. The other two books were entertaining, gripping, and impossible to put down (I read Hunger Games from 10 pm to 6 am on a Saturday night). However, none of them made a huge impression on me. They were just interesting stories that I quickly forgot. This story made me think about life, love and sacrifice. I know, I know. Getting cheesy. I'll wrap up and just say that I loved this book and there was more to it than an entertaining story.

Posted by: Lorren

Gourmet Rhapsody

Gourmet Rhapsody by Muriel Barbery
3.5 out of 5 stars

I liked this book. It was definitely in the style of The Elegance of the Hedgehog, with very "fancy" wording and descriptions. I loved it especially because it focused on food. It is the deathbed confession of a famous food critic (did you know food critics became famous? I didn't. But still) searching for the one flavor that will console him before death. His internal monologue is interrupted by the thoughts of those who have encountered him in their lives on finding out he is dying. It was an interesting read and well done, but not my favorite book of all time. Borrow it from someone.

Posted by: Lorren