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Hazel (1853 KP) rated Havana Sleeping in Books

Dec 17, 2018

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Havana Sleeping is a historical mystery novel by British author Martin Davies, which is based on real events that occurred in Cuba during the 1850s. Although the Slave Trade had been abolished in England, there were still people in America and Cuba who would be happy for slavery to remain legal. George Backhouse was posted to Havana, Cuba as a British Judge to take a stand against the illegal slave trading.

Backhouse ends up getting involved in a lot of complicated situations that could potentially spark a devastating war. His path also becomes tied up with the other main character, Leandra Leigh. Whilst most of the characters are real historical figures, Leandra appears to be fictional. A dear friend of hers, a watchman, was murdered during a supposed robbery and although the matter has been closed for a couple of years Leandra is determined to find out the truth – something of limited value in Havana. To begin with Backhouse and Leandra’s investigations seem unrelated, but a connection begins to build up as the story goes on.

In all honesty, the novel was very difficult to get into. There is nothing wrong with the actual writing as such, it is in fact written well and grammatically correct, however there was a lack of excitement in the narrative. It was also difficult to keep track of the characters – admittedly that may have been the point in the case of a couple of people, but as a result it was impossible to connect story. There were a few attempts of showing emotion, mostly surrounding Leandra’s character, yet this failed to arouse much interest.

From a historical point of view, those interested in Cuban and British history of this time period may be interested in reading Havana Sleeping and the author also includes some factual notes at the end of the book, but anyone hoping to get a story of some kind is bound to be disappointed.

Kudos

Rob P (30 KP) rated Norse Mythology in Books

Apr 22, 2019 (Updated Apr 23, 2019)

Norse Mythology

Neil Gaiman | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry

8.4

(38 Ratings)

Book Rating

very accessible (3 more)

reads like an anthology

simplified for story format

great starting point

no information related to the Norse religion as it was practiced. (1 more)

presumes the knowledge of certain intricacies on behalf of the reader

Norse My"Thor"logy

Contains spoilers, click to show

Ah what an enjoyable read.

I love mythology, and this book is a great starting point if you wish to know about the more "Hollywood" stars of Norse myth (Odin, Thor, Loki, the dwarves and frost giants, Hel (or Hela, as marvel would have it) Frey and Freya and Mimir and Heimdall and a host of others whose names you may have heard).

One of the acclaims on the front of the book sums this up quite well. "Gaiman takes on the role of the fireside Bard" - it's an easy metaphor to use, as this really is a collection of stories simplified to tales of adventure and deceit.

The vikings (or Scandinavians in general) were clearly looking to explain certain phenomena using these characters (much like Greek and Roman mythology) and I love reading about that. Trying to put myself in the position of an awed villager hearing thunder and the seeing the flash of lighting, reasoning that it must be the indomitable Thor, wielding the mighty Mjollnir, ending the life of a wicked Frost Giant with a gigantic blow. Or feeling an earthquake, and believing it must be Loki, trapped in his mountain prison, the burn of the snake's venom corroding his face as his screams of agony set the very mountains to trembling. Waiting for Ragnarok to break his bonds and have his revenge on the gods. Wonderful stuff.

If you have any interest in mythology and (like me) you don't want to dive into more reference or poetry-based offerings right away, this is a great place to start.

I guarantee that once you do, you may very well want to carry on into the more heavy hitting titles out there pertaining to Norse myth.

Definitely recommended.

Rob