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tapestry100 (306 KP) rated The Queen of the Night in Books

Aug 2, 2017  
The Queen of the Night
The Queen of the Night
Alexander Chee | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
9
8.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I'm not really sure what to say about Alexander Chee's novel The Queen of the Night other than it is magnificent. A sprawling, epic tale that put me in mind of Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha, we follow Paris Opera sensation Lilliet Berne as she recounts her life from her humble beginnings as an orphaned American child, who tried to make her way to Europe to the only family she new of after the death of her family and ended up being swept up by one circumstance after another into the spectacle that was the Second French Empire. We follow her life from her time with a traveling circus, to becoming a prostitute in one of Paris' more prestigious whorehouses, to her time as a dresser for Empress Eugénie de Montijo at the Tuileries, until she finally makes her debut at the French Opera. Through this tale, she is trying to discover who might know of her secrets, as each time she took on a new role, she also cast off her old life and name and reinvented herself at each turn, trying to finally free herself from her own past and come into the life that she wants for herself.

Chee seems to have thoroughly researched his setting for Lillet's journey, and his writing is strong and precise. Lilliet's life is quite an adventure, but it never seems to be dull, and I never felt like I was wishing that her tale would hurry along. I listened to the audio version, and Lisa Flanagan's narration is spot on; she truly became the voice of Lilliet for me. The only thing that I added to my own listening of the book that I think could possibly benefit other readers is that I listened to selections of the operas and other musical pieces that are mentioned in the book, to add that next level of enjoyment to the story.

Chee is an extraordinary storyteller and I'll definitely be reading more by him in the future.
  
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ClareR (5779 KP) rated Six Tudor Queens: Katharine Parr, The Sixth Wife in Books

May 23, 2021  
Six Tudor Queens: Katharine Parr, The Sixth Wife
Six Tudor Queens: Katharine Parr, The Sixth Wife
Alison Weir | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
9
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Katherine Parr’s book in this series of Henry VIII’s six wives was a really immersive read. She’s always seen as the wife who made it: the wife who escaped, lived after Henry died. And she’s certainly portrayed as a genuinely nice person - someone who I’d certainly be happy to sit down and talk to. She’s approachable, mature beyond her years as a young woman, and constantly loyal to all of her husbands (but they did have a habit of dying on her).

It’s clear that Alison Weir did loads of research on Katherine’s childhood and early years, and it was so interesting to learn more about that part of her life. Usually, any of Henry VIII’s wives are only spoken about in relation to their marriage. But Katherine Parr certainly lived in the years before Henry. She was a dutiful, supportive wife to both of her husbands before Henry, and had happy marriages - but no children. She didn’t have children with Henry either. It must have been a great sadness for her. I loved reading about the relationships she had with all of her stepchildren, and how she convinced Henry to re-establish Mary and Elizabeth in the succession. Not so good in Mary’s case (she wasn’t nicknamed Bloody Mary for nothing), better in Elizabeth’s. Indeed, Mary and Elizabeth seem genuinely fond of Katherine, and both even live with her for a time.

Things don’t run smoothly for Katherine - the knives are out for her whilst she is Queen, and remain out after Henry’s death. So when she marries the man that she truly loves after Henry’s death - without permission - there is scandal.

This is a captivating chunk of a book. I do enjoy a big, historical book, and this delivers in spades. I loved it!

Many thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for my ARC of this book.
  
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Hallettatme (9 KP) created a post

Mar 16, 2018  
A man called Ove was a very different kind of book for me. A 59 year old man, taking his life in a .... Different direction.... After the death of his wife 6 months prior and the loss of his job. I've finds that things keep getting in the way of his... Plans... Like a new neighbor who can't park a trailer, needs to borrow a ladder, falls off that ladder so that his wife and kids must ask I've for a ride to the hospital. This book takes an upbeat look at some very dark emotions, and how sometimes, its for the best that our plans don't work out, or get interrupted.

8/10 highly recommended, although it took me some time to really get into the book, by the end, I was crying at its beauty.