Fiction – Page 23 – Nonfiction and Nonsense

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence

If the Netflix trailer for the film had not piqued my interest so greatly, would I have ever read this book? Probably not. Am I glad that I read this book? Yes, I think so. Banned books have always intrigued me simply because at a point in time they were labeled either too vulgar or too revolutionary to be read by the general public, and so the persons in power, who didn’t want the masses to read such perverted literature or get radical ideas, decided that they must be banned. As I was reading the afterword, I learned that this book is still banned in China, and by that I am going to guess that it is still banned in a few other countries as well. I can see why, at the time, this book was banned in both the United Stated and the United Kingdom. It would have upset the ideal of the nuclear family and traditional male and female roles.

I usually don’t enjoy the classics, but if more of the classics were written like this then I would. I enjoyed reading in the language of the time, even if it is hard to believe that people at the time actually spoke like that, and it was made even more enjoyable by the filthy and sometimes crude language of the gamekeeper, Mr. Mellors, as he speaks intimately to his lover, Lady Constance Chatterly. Although I have not seen the film yet, I expect that they will modernize the dialogue to make it easier for the audience to understand as well as make it more enjoyable for todays ears. I do hope that they keep some of the more raunchy lines, because they really do make the story. If you want to get into the classics, I would highly recommend this as a starting point. It’s somewhere between Pride and Prejudice and a Bertice Small historical romance, a blend of which I really enjoyed.

Dune by Frank Herbert

Fiction

I bought this book with the intention of finishing it in time to go see the film in theaters, but that didn’t happen. When I came to terms with the fact that I wouldn’t be able to get through it before it left theaters I spoke to my friend who had read the book. I asked her if they managed to fit the entire book into one film and she said no. So I had then planned to read up to the part she said the film ended at, but that didn’t happen either, because I will say, getting through the first few chapters was a bit rough. You just get thrown in the middle of it without any backstory or explanations, which can be challenging or frustrating when the text is full of unusual made up words and strange names. Trying to figure out what the words meant and how the characters were related to each other meant that I was reading relatively slowly at first. But as soon as I got into the story I found myself looking forward to my evening reading in bed.

I’ve been trying to think about what reading this feels like, or what it can compare to, but I can’t think of anything. I always mentally compare it to Tatooine, because of the vast deserts, but it’s more than that and vastly different from Star Wars. It’s political, tribal, mystical, but also serious and dark, expressing very few moments of joy or humor. It is definitely a book I would read again.

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Mass

Fiction

This book was almost one thousand pages and I still wish it had been longer. While a great deal happened and the important loose ends were tied up there was still so much more that I wanted. But overall, it was everything I could have wanted and I especially loved the very last sentence.

My biggest frustration is over Eyllwe. After Aelin’s anger and regret over the death of her friend, princess Nehemia, and knowing of Aelin’s desire to protect the Ytger family and their land as a means of honoring her friend, we never really get to go to Eyllwe or meet any of the royal family. We only ever see its shores and hear about what is happening inland and I was a little disappointed in this. Nehemias sacrifice was made with the intention to push Aelin into action so that she could potentially end the war with Erawan, and I was really looking forward to Aelin meeting her parents to express her love and gratitude for what their daughter did.

While the battles sequences were important to the storytelling, the back and forth between the southern army marching towards Orynth, in order to provide much needed aid, and the active massacre occuring, was so incredibly long and exhausting. It made me feel as though the end of the book was rushed because so much text was spent on describing the battles as well as the despair of both those fighting and those trying to reach them on time to save the city. It leaves you wondering what went on in the following weeks as all the main players began to rebuild the city, heal the wounded, and figure out how they were going to rule. I would have enjoyed reading about the aftermath, it would not have been as exciting as the battle sequences but it would have been interesting to me.

Besides all of that, I did enjoy the way the series ended. I was left wanting more, in a good way, but I am happy that the book had a mostly positive ending for the people trying to do right by the world.

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

Fiction

I loved getting to go to the southern continent, of which we have heard about in all of the preceding books. Like Wendlyn, magic remained here when it was wiped from Erilea, but it is a different type of magic than what we saw in the eastern continent as there aren’t Fae here. While reading it gives you the impression that the author was inspired by Asian, South American, and Native American culture that I hope to see represented if this ever becomes made into films or a series. I had an amazing time reading the story through Nesryn, Chaol, and Yrenes’ eyes and I really look forward to hopefully getting to experience more narrative from their perspectives in the seventh and final book. Learning more about the magic of the southern continent from Yrene, rooting for Chaol as he tries to get the use of his legs back, and experiencing adventure with Nesryn had me finishing Tower of Dawn in three days. This is impressive even for me considering that it is over six hundred pages. They were six hundred of the best pages I have ever read and I might even say that it could be my favorite book in the series after Empire of Storms, which I also loved. Come back next week to see what I have to say about the final book, Kingdom of Ash.

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

Fiction

This book is almost non-stop action. There are multiple battles, main characters constantly separating to complete tasks and then meeting up at designated locations to join forces, and endless secretive plots planned out and put into effect by former assassin for hire turned hopeful future queen of Terrasen, Aelin. Also, there are several budding romantic relationships that come to fruition or are set up to possibly occur in the next two books. There are plot twists, multiple enemies, and tragedies that make you groan in frustration with the unfairness and suffering of the people that have to endure them.

While I did enjoy the book a great deal, the entire time I was reading I was wondering when we would get a chapter from Chaol and Nesryn’s perspective. When I reached the halfway point I started to think that there wouldn’t be any of their storyline laid out here, and I was correct. Then, knowing that the next book in the series is the only one that does not have a picture of Aelin on the cover, I am predicting that book will narrate what occurs on the southern continent during the events of Empire of Storms. I am very eager to see what happens to the now imprisoned Aelin but I have been missing Chaol and I want to see what blossoms between him and Nesryn. When we last heard from them in Queen of Shadows they seemed to have admitted that they were interested in transitioning from a guarded friendship built on a previously casual intimate relationship they had a few years ago to a serious romantic relationship. I want to power through the next book so that I can read the final book in this series, but I also want to take my time and enjoy the story. As soon as I am finished with this entry I will be picking up the next book, Tower of Dawn.