Review: Are Women Human?

November 28, 2012Leave a comment

Dorothy L. Sayers, Are Women Human?

Dorothy Sayers is best known for her mystery series featuring Lord Peter Wimsey, but she wrote on a lot of other topics too. This short volume contains two of her essays in which she explicitly talks about the role of women in society and the feminist movement as she perceived it in the early 20th century. Sayers’ central point in these essays is that people should spend less time thinking about “women” as a class and more about each particular woman as an individual. She notes that opinions, beliefs, intellect, and abilities vary among women just as they do among men. She also champions a woman’s right to work outside the home if she wants to; both women and men should be able to do work that they enjoy and at which they excel.

I really enjoyed both of these thoughtful, witty essays. Even though they were written many decades ago and the world has changed a lot since then, I think Sayers’ observations remain relevant and interesting. I especially liked what she says about the idea that a woman’s place is in the home. She points out that in the Middle Ages, a lot of the most interesting and important jobs were done in the home — weaving, dyeing, food production, brewing, estate management, etc. These all used to be women’s jobs, and they didn’t become men’s jobs until after the Industrial Revolution, when they moved into factories. I don’t tend to read a lot of feminist theory, but I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of the feminist movement — or anyone looking for a quick, humorous, and thought-provoking read!

Review: The Man in the Queue

November 14, 20123 Comments

Josephine Tey, The Man in the Queue

When an unidentified man is stabbed to death while waiting in line outside a theater, the crime becomes an immediate sensation in London. Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard is assigned to the case, which at first seems impossible. The people standing closest to the dead man noticed nothing, and the murderer seems to have left no trace behind. However, eventually one witness mentions that he saw the dead man arguing with someone in the queue — someone who afterwards left in a hurry. With the help of this statement, Grant is soon on the trail of the man who argued with the victim. However, the more evidence Grant obtains, the more complicated the case seems to grow.

My experience so far with Josephine Tey has been very hit-or-miss: I was disappointed by The Daughter of Time, I really liked Brat Farrar, and now I find myself underwhelmed by this book. I read in the introduction that Tey didn’t like to use the standard conventions of the mystery genre, and that’s certainly evident in this novel. A lot of the book takes place inside Grant’s head, as he immediately begins to theorize about what sort of man might have committed this crime. Thus, much of the novel is Grant jumping to conclusions and then being proved wrong as more evidence is uncovered — which may be true to life but isn’t a lot of fun to read about. The mystery is also technically not “fair,” as the solution comes out of nowhere with no clues given in advance. So I wasn’t a huge fan of this book, but I think I will try some more Josephine Tey in hopes of finding something better.

Review: Jamaica Inn

November 5, 20125 Comments

Daphne Du Maurier, Jamaica Inn

Mary Yellan is a young woman who finds herself alone in the world when her mother dies. She decides to seek out her Aunt Patience, who lives not far away at Jamaica Inn. But as Mary travels to her new home, the coachman warns her that it’s not a respectable place and that it could be dangerous for a young woman like her. Nonetheless, Mary continues her journey, but she soon finds that the coachman was right. Her uncle, Joss Merlyn, is a brutish drunkard who completely dominates Aunt Patience with violence. Joss is also involved in some extremely unsavory business activities, which Mary does her best to ignore for her aunt’s sake. But eventually, Joss and his sinister confederates perpetrate an outrage that is too shocking to ignore, and Mary must decide whom she can trust to ask for help.

I’ve read several books by Daphne Du Maurier, and this is the first one that I really didn’t like. Honestly, my overall reaction was simply meh. The prose is too flowery, the plot is too melodramatic, and the whole thing is entirely too drawn-out and predictable. I knew immediately what Joss Merlyn’s mysterious business was, I knew whom Mary would end up with, and I knew who the bad guy was — all before the book was half over. In such a slow-paced book whose main entertainment value is the suspense, this much predictability just made the whole thing dull, in my opinion. So all in all, I wasn’t a fan. It’s one of Du Maurier’s earlier works, though, so presumably her writing style matured over the years. I would definitely recommend Rebecca, My Cousin Rachel or Frenchman’s Creek instead!

Review: Death in Zanzibar

November 1, 20121 Comment

M.M. Kaye, Death in Zanzibar

Dany Ashton has lived a fairly sheltered life with her Aunt Henrietta in rural England, but she dreams of travel and adventure. So when she has the opportunity to visit her mother and stepfather in Zanzibar, she jumps at the chance. However, before she even gets on the plane to leave England, mysterious events conspire to throw obstacles in her path. Her room is searched, her passport is stolen — and the family solicitor, whom Dany had visited earlier in the day to pick up a document for her stepfather, is murdered. Dany nevertheless manages to get to Zanzibar, but more sinister occurrences follow her. When a member of her stepfather’s house party dies, seemingly by accident, Dany can’t help suspecting that it might be murder — and that her own life may also be in danger.

I have really enjoyed all the “Death in…” books, but I think this one is my new favorite. I liked that there isn’t a lot of tedious exposition at the beginning of the story; rather, Dany is immediately plunged into a mystery and a possible romance, so I was paying attention right away. It was also interesting to read about 1950s Zanzibar from a British perspective. Kaye describes it as an idyllic region fairly removed from politics, yet communism and Cold War ideology are beginning to creep into the area. Kaye is also fairly evenhanded in her portrayal of the native Africans, though certain turns of phrase are harsh on 21st-century ears. If you like the basic premise of “girl travels to exotic location and becomes embroiled in danger and romance,” you’ll probably enjoy this book. Recommended, especially for armchair travelers!

Review: The Westing Game

October 22, 2012Leave a comment

Ellen Raskin, The Westing Game

At the beginning of this novel, 16 people of all ages and walks of life are invited to live in a fancy new apartment building overlooking Lake Michigan. They all accept due to the luxurious accommodations and affordable rent, but it soon becomes apparent that they have been gathered for a purpose. Old Samuel Westing, who founded the town and employed many of its citizens, has just died. When the apartment dwellers are summoned to the reading of the will under the guise of being his heirs, they are shocked to hear that Mr. Westing has accused one of them of being his murderer. He proposes a game to the 16 heirs: The person who discovers Mr. Westing’s killer will inherit his vast fortune.

This is one of those books that I somehow missed in my childhood, and I decided to pick it up for the read-a-thon since I assumed it would be a fairly effortless read. But while I enjoyed the book a lot, it was definitely more complex than I thought it would be! There are a lot of characters to keep track of, which was hard at first, but they each had such distinctive qualities that I was soon able to tell who was who. The game itself was delightful to puzzle through, and I’ll admit that I didn’t see many of the twists coming! I think this would be a great read for bright children, especially those who love mysteries — but it can definitely be enjoyed by adults as well!

Review: The Maltese Falcon

October 17, 2012October 17, 20126 Comments

Dashiell Hammett, The Maltese Falcon

Sam Spade is a private investigator operating in the seedy underbelly of early 20th-century San Francisco. His clients are usually shady types who don’t want to get mixed up with the police, so he knows right away that the beautiful Miss Wonderly, who comes into his office with a sob story about a missing sister, is trouble. Spade agrees to take the case, and his partner Archer shadows the girl in hopes of discovering more about her. When Archer ends up dead shortly thereafter, Spade must investigate Miss Wonderly (whose real name is Brigid O’Shaughnessy) and the various shady characters with whom she is involved. But the case becomes even more dangerous than he imagined when he discovers a group of criminals on the trail of a priceless historical artifact known as the Maltese falcon.

I hate to say this about such a well-loved classic mystery, but I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. The writing style didn’t do anything for me, and the plot was only so-so. Now, I’m sure it was wildly creative at the time, as I believe Hammett was one of the pioneers of the noir genre. But in this day and age, the twists are all too familiar. I am glad I read the book, since it’s an influential part of pop culture, but it’s not something that I’d read again just for fun. I am curious to see the movie, though; I predict that this is one of those rare cases where the movie is better than the book! All in all, while I quite liked The Thin Man, this book was just not for me.

Review: Parnassus on Wheels

October 7, 20122 Comments

Christopher Morley, Parnassus on Wheels

Set in the early 20th century, this short novel tells the story of Helen McGill, a 39-year-old spinster who has spent the last several years living on her brother’s farm and keeping house for him. One day a traveling book salesman named Roger Mifflin shows up at Helen’s door and persuades her to take over the business. She purchases his van, called “the traveling Parnassus,” and sets off with Mifflin to have an adventure. Along the way, she meets several interesting people, discovers the joy of literature, and even finds true love.

I think this novel is a must-read for any book lover. Roger Mifflin’s love of literature is contagious, and he is very eloquent in praise of the written word:

“Lord!” he said, “when you sell a man a book you don’t sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue — you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night — there’s all heaven and earth in a book, a real book I mean.”

The book isn’t particularly complex or thought-provoking, but it’s sweet and cheerful and a real pleasure to read. I definitely recommend it, and I hope to read the sequel, The Haunted Bookshop, soon.

You Book Me All Night Long

Tag: 20th century