Review 632: Neither Here nor There

Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe by Bill Bryson
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Bryson goes to many different countries across Europe, mostly revisiting places he had been to before with a friend of his several decades earlier.

He tries for humor, it mostly doesn't work with me. The exaggeration for comedic effect was overdone. All that is okay. My main gripe with his writing is how the exaggeration was often done as a way to denigrate the place, or generalize the people. Of course, there is also the suffering of Bryson.

As I was nearing the end of the book I was starting to wonder if I will ever read another of his books. Maybe. The last couple places he visits had tipped in his favor. So often he was describing his everyday experiences, mostly complaining, but with the last couple of places he visited, there is a small amount of history.

These locations were part of the USSR that broke up when the soviet communism collapsed. When Bryson was in Sofia, a city in Bulgaria, the people were struggling; inflation was rampant and there was practically no food to be found, except for the few tourists in the only hotel in the city. This chapter he treated with a bit more humanity than I would have expected based the previous 90% or so of the book. But it did take him a minute to get there. It’s hard to be a comedian when faced with such dire circumstances.

I’m not unhappy I read the book. Bryson visited many countries I visited while on a brief European tour of my own a couple decades ago and this book reminded me of my own experiences, which does improve my impression.

Review 565: The Wandering Season

The Wandering Season by Aimie K. Runyan
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Interesting premise, but the writing lacked polish. There is a bit of magical realism in the book, but despite that there unexplained moments, such as understanding people speaking a different language. If it’s already magical there could have been just a short line explaining this.

The problems, unfortunately, did not end there. Too often, from the character’s POV, the reader is told something that the character would not know. Such as at a bakery in a city unknown to her she finds pastries that were made from recipes handed down through the generations. She does not know this, can only guess, but the wording in the book makes it seem she absolutely knew.

There were many instances where this type of thing occurred, and every time it pulled me out of the story. Also, many of the descriptions were not detailed, instead explained and used general words, such as modern and tasteful, well what exactly is that? It felt clunky and awkward whenever this occurred. Also, there was reliance on too many clichés, and way too many convenient coincidences.

Since this was an advance review copy I was reading, my hope is many of these things were fixed before publication.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thanks to HarperCollins Focus/Harper Muse and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 412: Glowrushes

Glowrushes by Roberto Piumini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



A strange fairy-tale/fable type book for kids. Very sad actually as the main character, a kid, is dying from an unknown disease. He is allergic to nearly everything and must stay inside his room in the castle. 

Takes place in Turkey but written by an Italian, also old, a classic. 

Review: 313 The Last Mona Lisa

The Last Mona Lisa by Jonathan Santlofer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fast-paced book, a thriller really, while also being an historical fiction book about art, one of the most famous paintings, The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. The main character, Luke Perrone is the great-grandson of Vincent Peruggia who stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911. The painting went missing for two years, then the thief was caught trying to sell it and was sent to prison for a short time. While in prison Peruggia wrote a journal explaining how and why he did it. Another mystery suggests that while the painting was missing a copy artist created several versions of the painting that are nearly identical and difficult to determine the real from the fake. There are rumors there is a fake hanging in the museum.

Luke is an artist himself and art history teacher and he finally gets a lead about his great-grandfather that makes him drop everything, putting his teaching job in jeopardy, to fly to Italy. From a source he finds the journal, locked in an archive library where he can only read bits at a time. Meanwhile INTERPOL along with some nefarious individuals are tracking Luke and leaving dead bodies in their wake. There’s also the gorgeous blonde in the library, another American, who becomes a love interest, distracting Luke from his goal to find out about the painting and his great-grandfather.

There are several characters, nearly too many, but somehow it does manage to work together. The writing style is easy to read and makes the reading go quickly. It’s hard to put the book down, wanting to know what happens next. There are some unsavory individuals and we do get their point of view, but happily these are usually very short sections. One of the best aspects of the book is how much is based in fact, what actually happened in the past. There is some who still suggest the famous painting is a forgery.

Thanks to Soucebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 204: Eternal

Eternal by Lisa Scottoline
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This WWII story takes place in Rome, the heart of Italy with three main characters that form a love triangle, with Elisabetta in the center of Marco and Sandro vying for her love. They grew up together and now the two boys are clamoring for Elisabetta’s love, with family drama mixed in, all in the lead up to the start of WWII. By the time the first race laws are passed and cause great heartache, we are already a quarter of the way in the book. 

The beginning of the book felt slow and detailed, too much at times, with alternating points of view. There are sections when the next chapter jumped months, and this just after an important scene and you might expect more details. 

I wasn’t fond of the writing style overall, it felt stilted to me, with the plot being forced by the author instead of feeling natural. Yet, all characters were developed and could feel the setting. I particularly enjoyed the author’s note on what was historically accurate and fiction. 

Thanks to the author and publisher G.P. Putnam’s Sons for sending me an advanced review copy.  

Review 42: The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna

The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna by Juliet Grames
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Rating a 2.5 stars, more thoughts soon on why this one didn't work well for me.

This book started out strong and unique. Or at least unique for me. I haven't read a book about the seven or maybe eight deaths of someone. The tone was whimsical, and seemed like the book would be a real treat.

While it quickly dropped the whimsy, the story was still interesting. It foretold several of the almost deaths of Stella Fortuna, then went back to the beginning; the days of when her mother was young and met her future husband, in rural Italy. This part of before Stella, and even up through some of her childhood was an interesting story. The place and time was solid and you were right there with this poor family and feeling for them and their plight, especially when we started having the near deaths of Stella.

Then as the family grew and Stella got older, perhaps somewhere when they immigrated to America, the story just sort of lost it's way. It got bogged down and belabored over the fact that Stella did not want to marry, she wanted to keep her virginity. Of course she also didn't want to go to a convent, that also would be too stifling for her independence. Yet her overbearing, strict and uncaring father had insisted and kept insisting.

It is here the story takes a very long time, and where it fell. The story gave too much time over Stella's fear of losing her virginity that it overpowered the story. Perhaps this is what the author intended to write, how a woman in the early 20th Century didn't have a choice in her own life, that her father ruled her until her husband did. Perhaps, but it felt like the setup for was for something else.

There were certain aspects which became the central focus that was more than uncomfortable. The beginning about her almost deaths was interesting. This foray into the fear of the sexual act is not. And her fear wasn't based upon the very real possibility that childbirth could mean death.

I can see how some people may enjoy this book more than myself, with some historical aspects and there is the generational aspect, with immigrant experience. I wavered between giving it 2 or 3 stars, and I had to lean on the lesser aspect because all of the positive experience I had with the book was taken away.

Book rating: 2.5 stars


Thanks to Ecco/HarperCollins and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. Although I had access to an early review copy I listened to the audiobook from my public library. The narrator did an excellent job. My disappointment in the book was all about the story line and writing.