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The Mad Women’s Ball by Victoria Mas

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Summary

“The Salpêtrière Asylum: Paris, 1885. Dr. Charcot holds all of Paris in thrall with his displays of hypnotism on women who have been deemed mad and cast out from society. But the truth is much more complicated—these women are often simply inconvenient, unwanted wives, those who have lost something precious, wayward daughters, or girls born from adulterous relationships. For Parisian society, the highlight of the year is the Lenten ball—the Mad Women’s Ball—when the great and good come to gawk at the patients of the Salpêtrière dressed up in their finery for one night only. For the women themselves, it is a rare moment of hope.

Genevieve is a senior nurse. After the childhood death of her sister Blandine, she shunned religion and placed her faith in both the celebrated psychiatrist Dr. Charcot and science. But everything begins to change when she meets Eugénie, the 19-year-old daughter of a bourgeois family that has locked her away in the asylum. Because Eugénie has a secret: she sees spirits. Inspired by the scandalous, banned work that all of Paris is talking about, The Book of Spirits, Eugénie is determined to escape from the asylum—and the bonds of her gender—and seek out those who will believe in her. And for that she will need Genevieve’s help . . .”

-From Amazon.com

Review

This was yet another book from my book club that I probably never would have picked up on my own. This was for our theme of “A Book Translated into English” and this was our choice – a book from French to English. And wow am I so glad that I gave it a read. I truly enjoyed this book and it was a quick read too with it being completed in about 2-3 hours, so you know it’s good when that happens. I just curled up and devoured it.

Infuriatingly Interesting – Really Men?!

This book really displayed the power that men had during the 1800s and the fear that they had of powerful women. Men, and particularly fathers and husbands of women could just lock a woman up in a asylum for anything – hysterics, murder, seeing things, just because they didn’t fit the mold. It was so infuriating to see the treatment of Eugénie and the fact that because she saw spirits her father turned against her and quite literally threw her away. It was just so painful to read that she went from being this relatively beloved daughter to being completely disowned. And seeing the treatment of Genevieve and the general disregard of her after a particular turn of events….ooo man my blood was boiling.

And then you just have the treatment of the women while in the asylum – paraded around like animals in a zoo. They were presented and studied, and photographs taken of them and posted in the newspapers. It was just such a look into life that people forget about. While the book is fiction it is historically accurate with those details.

A Look into Asylums

While there was the whole terrible side of the treatment of women by men like they were property, you did get to see a kind of safety that the asylum did provide – whether that be through a false sense of safety/Stockholm kind of syndrome or true safety. You read about women who maybe were a little bit clinically insane loving the world that was the asylum because of the safety that it provided and the little world that they had been able to create for themselves.

Seeing the more open minded Eugénie come in with a very progressive mindset into there and almost turning the place on its head in a way was just very interesting to see. The shake up she caused internally, even though not terribly massive, really did cause some big waves.

A Stark Reminder in Modern Times

No to get political, but these kind of books during modern times are always a reminder of what was and what could possibly be again! A time when men had all the power over society and over women – a time that is scarily becoming more and more a reality in many places both in the United States as well as around the world. I honestly found it a little stressful to read all of this because of that. I felt like it was hitting a little to close to home and I felt a deep seeded annoyance. The portrayal of this world really makes you think and also be grateful for all the strides that the Women’s Rights movement made for women all over.

 

But overall, this was a 5/5 teacup book for me! It was well written (any writing style issues I chalked up to translation issues which always happen), a really interesting and captivating story and emotionally thought provoking. I wished by the end of it that there was more – like maybe it was a bigger book with more for me to read! That’s how you know a book is good – when you feel satisfied with the story but just wish there was more because you don’t want it to be over.

If you’ve read this book, what did you think?

Also there is a French movie adaptation of this book which I will absolutely be checking out soon!

 

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Robert Burns Night 2023

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure here.

With January 25th comes Burns Night, the day when people celebrate the life and poetry of the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns.

As someone with Scottish heritage (my grandmother’s family line) I celebrate this day with my family. Normally we will have some traditional Scottish foods such as Haggis (which while some think is yucky is quite delicious), black pudding and of course some Scotch. 😉 Can never go wrong with that.

But it is also an evening for us to enjoy some of Burns’ most interesting poems. We of course have our favorites, and everyone who knows of Burns knows the classics and has their favorites as well. However, here are a few of mine that I think really show his abilities and are good places to start for those unfamiliar!

To A Mouse – Such a wonderful classic that begins with the turning up of a mouse’s nest with a plough. One of my personal favorites!

A Red, Red Rose – A beautiful love poem with a speaker professing his undying love for a beautiful lass.

Address to a Haggis – A humorous tribute to a Scottish classic!

Tam O’ Shanter – A bit more of a gruesome poem about a story of a farmer who comes across witches!

About Robert Burns

Born in 1759, Robert Burns (familiar: Rabbie Burns) was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely accepted and regarded as the national poet of Scotland. Even with this title, much of his writing is accessible and understandable by an audience beyond Scotland.

He was a pioneer of the Romantic movement (as clearly visible in some of his poems).

While people outside of Scotland may not recognize a lot of his work, one you will absolutely recognize is sung every year on New Year – Auld Lang Syne!

 

There are some incredible works by him if you want to get your hands on some hard copies too!

Even for those of you not Scottish or have any Scottish heritage, do you celebrate?

 

 

MyLibraryCardWoreOut is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way affects my opinion of the book(s) included in this post. 

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In The Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende

 Summary

“During the biggest Brooklyn snowstorm in living memory, Richard Bowmaster, a lonely university professor in his sixties, hits the car of Evelyn Ortega, a young undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, and what at first seems an inconvenience takes a more serious turn when Evelyn comes to his house, seeking help. At a loss, the professor asks his tenant, Lucia Maraz, a fellow academic from Chile, for her advice.

As these three lives intertwine, each will discover truths about how they have been shaped by the tragedies they witnessed, and Richard and Lucia will find unexpected, long overdue love. Allende returns here to themes that have propelled some of her finest work: political injustice, the art of survival, and the essential nature of—and our need for—love.”

-From Amazon.com

Review

This was a book and an author that I have heard quite a lot about. I feel like I hear this name super often and people give such high praises. I’ve never read another book by Allende so I have zero comparison of this book to her more famous book The House of the Spirits. But for this book, honestly, I was kind of disappointed….

Lower Quality Writing?

I just felt like the writing was a little sub par. I will be transparent and say I was also read The Satanic Versus by Salman Rushdie at the same time which has very elite writing, so maybe my brain was confuddled, but, others who were reading this as part of my book club felt similar. The writing and story just felt, at a more in the weeds level, kind of below the quality that I was writing. The sentences and writing style was simple at the story just felt a little disjointed and all over the place.

Interesting Story with Potential

The story itself was quite interesting through. You had various stories going on with overlap and it wasn’t until the end that it all came together. You got to see characters change and see how they grew based on their previous life experiences. And the central event that held them all together through the story was interesting to see how it impacted the characters. So the story had such potential and overall as a read was certainly interesting.

But there was just parts of the story that felt a little strange or rushed. Like some of the relationship development felt almost comical, and not in a good way. The fact there was all this stuff going on in the story, in the middle of a huge snow storm…I don’t know it had this kind of Planes, Trains and Automobile kind of feeling to it. I can’t put my finger on exactly what I didn’t love as it wasn’t anything glaring.

A Representation of Latin American Struggles

I did love reading the stories from some of the characters past from Latin America. Hearing about Evelyn and what she had gone through really pulled at my heart. Just imagining someone going through what she went through and persevering and just being as strong as she was was beautiful. I did absolutely love the inclusion of that and how it was woven into the story and also kind of an integral part of the book. Also the little hits of magic realism, which while miniscule, did have a few moments.

Overall I think I would give this book 3 out of 5 teacups. It was definitely worth a read because of some of the characters personal stories but it definitely was not as good as I thought it was going to be due to all the hype, and I certainly wouldn’t buy it. This was a library book borrow for me.

If you have read this book, or other books by Allende, I’d love to hear your opinions because maybe this wasn’t her best piece of literature. I do want to give House of the Spirits a go when I can because I’ve heard a lot about that one too. And I’ll be very curious to hear from those in my book group (who have very diverse opinions) on what their thoughts were, and will be sure to update this post with some of their thoughts!

Happy Reading!

 

 

MyLibraryCardWoreOut is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way affects my opinion of the book(s) included in this post. 

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Archangel’s Sun by Nalini Singh [Guild Hunter Book Review]

Summary

“The Archangel of Death and the Archangel of Disease may be gone but their legacy of evil lives on – especially in Africa, where the shambling, rotting creatures called the reborn have gained a glimmer of vicious intelligence.

It is up to Titus, archangel of this vast continent, to stop the reborn from spreading across the world. Titus can’t do it alone, but of the surviving powerful angels and archangels, large numbers are wounded, while the rest are fighting a surge of murderous vampires.

There is no one left . . . but the Hummingbird. Old, powerful, her mind long a broken kaleidoscope. Now she must stand at Titus’s side against a tide of death, upon a discovery more chilling than any other. For the Archangel of Disease has left them one last terrible gift . . .”

-From Amazon.com

Review

Oh man, Nalini Singh does it again with another absolutely incredible book! It’s been a while since I read one of her books and was behind on a few releases, so over the past weekend I made some impulse purchases and have been absolutely devouring them. 24 hours to get through this one!

A Beautiful & Intricate Story 

The Guild Hunter series is such a journey, getting to see all the main characters and even side characters, getting to see their life, their love and their pain. That is what I love about this series. While of course it is a romance story, there is just so much more than that! There is a story in each book and an overarching story throughout the series that keeps you turning pages.

Nalini Singh is a master with writing honestly. She writes with lots of beautiful adjectives, painting this ethereal picture of these creatures and places in her stories that you just feel transported there. It only take a few sentences to feel myself pulled into this world, experiencing what everyone is experiencing and just seeing both the beauty and horror.

Titus & The Hummingbird: The Perfect Balance

The Hummingbird, or Sharine, was always one of the characters I was so curious about. Her and her so Illium have wings in the book that are just this gorgeous indigo/blue color and I always wanted to know more about her. She was always referenced as this incredible artist and gentle and seeing her in this story was marvelous. You saw this wonderful progression of this woman who was perceived to be fragile who actually had warrior talents and was beautifully badass.

Singh always writes women who are powerful, kick ass, take no crap from men, yet have this beautifully sensual relationship with them and through that are just incredible. I’m always impressed how she manages to balance that fine line between the romance and keeping the woman strong and the men masculine.

Romance & Blood

This continued the story of all the reborn, following the destruction and mess created by the Archangel of Death and the Archangel of Disease. A lot of the story was following the clean up of so many of them and included the traditional Guild Hunter violence and gore that you all will be familiar with if you have read Singh’s writings before!

But in this one it was just so interesting to see with a character like The Hummingbird – a woman who was always presented as staying inside and being the artist who is now out in the thick of it getting down and dirty with Titus, the Archangel of Africa (who is just so very yummy!).

You got to see Titus go from an Archangel who was flippant with relationships and never promised anything more to him finding himself and questioning just so much. Seeing his transformation as well within the writing was just beautiful!

A Classic Nalini Singh Book! 

Every book that Singh writes I absolutely devour and love to read. I get capitated and transported into the world and honestly cannot put it down. This one was no different.

I absolutely give it the 5 out of 5 teacups rating, but definitely recommend you read it as part of the whole series and not a stand alone – although technically you could, just may be a little lost!

Happy Reading!

MyLibraryCardWoreOut is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way affects my opinion of the book(s) included in this post. 

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Save Me the Plums by Ruth Reichl [Book Review] 1


Summary

“When Condé Nast offered Ruth Reichl the top position at America’s oldest epicurean magazine, she declined. She was a writer, not a manager, and had no inclination to be anyone’s boss. Yet Reichl had been reading Gourmet since she was eight; it had inspired her career. How could she say no?

This is the story of a former Berkeley hippie entering the corporate world and worrying about losing her soul. It is the story of the moment restaurants became an important part of popular culture, a time when the rise of the farm-to-table movement changed, forever, the way we eat. Readers will meet legendary chefs like David Chang and Eric Ripert, idiosyncratic writers like David Foster Wallace, and a colorful group of editors and art directors who, under Reichl’s leadership, transformed stately Gourmet into a cutting-edge publication. This was the golden age of print media—the last spendthrift gasp before the Internet turned the magazine world upside down.

Complete with recipes, Save Me the Plums is a personal journey of a woman coming to terms with being in charge and making a mark, following a passion and holding on to her dreams—even when she ends up in a place she never expected to be.”

– From Amazon.com


Review

I’ve begun to totally fall in love with books that are about food. Any kind of book about food I’m now drawn to thanks to the book group I’m in reading a book by Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential. Food, and good home cooked food, has always been very important to me, and reading about the importance to others and their journeys is truly a joy.

Food & Career Journey

This book wasn’t just about food but also was about Ruth Reichl and her career journey of a woman who really didn’t know anything about being an editor, but wanting to make a difference to a magazine that she once loved. I found it comforting as a younger professional to read about someone well into their career feeling so lost and almost having to start again. But reading about Ruth pushing through a very cut throat kind of world, while managing to keep up with her family the best she could, was inspiring to say the least. It was tiring just reading about all the work she had to do!

A Journey of Food Expression

Reading about Ruth’s journey with Gourmet and how they transformed the presentation of food, as well as combatted the creation of the internet and dancing around how they could utilize it. I sometimes forget how new the internet is and reading about these companies who had to suddenly find a way to present their medium in a new way, and a way that would get eyeballs and was worth the money, was kind of interesting to see tackled. Finding ways to balance what publication released what, what articles were posted where, and how it was presented was such a unique insight.

I personally found it interesting to read about the cover of Gourmet and how important the cover of a magazine is. As a consumer I get drawn to certain covers and since I don’t necessarily follow or read a certain magazine religiously, I don’t read too much into what is on a cover. So reading about Ruth’s experiences of the feedback she got on the magazine, like Gourmet’s edition that had cake on the cover, was something I had never even thought about!

A Rich Read with Recipes and Stories of Importance

One “unique” part of the book was the fact that there were recipes in there! You were able to read about various meals and Ruth’s experience with them and then you got to get the recipe to be able to attempt to make it yourself. There were only a handful of recipes written out but they were the ones that were the most important to the story and had an impact on Ruth’s life in some way, or at least that was how it was presented.

I find recipes, or certain meals, have certain important to people or are intrinsically related to certain events. Save Me the Plums definitely pulled out a few that were important to both her story and the story of Gourmet.

Food as a Unifier – Especially after 9/11

The mention of 9/11 took up a section of this book and the horror of that day and the days that followed. It moved me to tears reading about how the food community pulled together after the tragedy and, while they were all hurting, began to cook food to serve to the rescue workers. Reading about Ruth’s experiences going down to the site to deliver the food, seeing how many other restaurants and cooks delivered, and the appreciation people had for something as simple as chili really was impactful.

It made you remember and realize how important food is to people. Food is memories and comfort. Food unifies people and people have been breaking bread to resolve conflict or make connections for millennia.

Save Me the Plums accurately conveyed the importance that food has to people and how personal food is. Food, and a good meal in general, doesn’t need to be super fancy. Something as simple as a piece of chocolate cake, or a bowl of chili, is all you need.

Absolutely a 5/5 teacup read!

Happy Reading!