It’s 1854 and British troops are fighting hard in the Crimea. Mariella sits in London, sewing for the war effort and making scrapbooks whilst her cousin Rosa and fiancé Henry go to Russia to help the wounded. When Henry falls ill and they loose contact with Rosa, Mariella finds herself drawn to the Crimea to find some answers. Whilst on this adventure she is forced to reflect on her relationships with Rosa, Henry and the rest of her family and realise she has been blind to the truth.
The Rose of Sebastopol is an interesting study into the relationships between Mariella and those around her. Mariella’s character is reserved, introverted and she has set herself specific boundaries. Rosa’s character is the complete reverse of this, she is outgoing and feisty. Whilst Mariella has a tendancy to start a project and see it through, Rosa, for the most part, appears to move from project to project without necessarily finishing any of them. The only two constants in Rosa’s life appear to be her desire to nurse and her love for Mariella. This character study can serve as a warning to the reader to not allow themselves to limit their lives like Mariella, but also to adopt some common sense unlike Rosa.
The book serves to show the misery of the Crimean War. Troops were under prepared, poorly equipped and were fighting a war that to many was not justified. There was tremendous loss of life, both on the battlefield and in the hospitals where medical provision was exceedingly poor and hygiene dire. References as made to Florence Nightingale in the book, as Rosa wishes to emulate her, and for those with an interest in Nightingale and nursing in the Crimea this is a book well worth reading.
The author’s use of flashbacks in the book, whilst trying to flesh out the characters and their history, does prove at times to be confusing. Readers should take great care to note the date and place at the top of each chapter (if they are noted) in order to keep track of the storyline.
The book is engaging and thought provoking, well written and well researched. However the book is not suitable for those looking for a light hearted and uplifting read. Those who want a more challenging book, a book that draws on this specific period of history and who have an interest in human nature in respect to love and faithfulness, this is the book for you.
*3 stars*
Notes:
I have tried to write this review using the suggestion made by Amber in the comments to Michael Scott’s ‘The Alchemyst’ (click here to read those comments). It is not my usual style but I hope that readers find this new style of more use. I would very much welcome comment on this so please click on the post a comment button below and add them. Remember you don’t have to be a member of Blogger to do so! Alternatively you can send me an e-mail (see my profile for more details).
The reason I have only given this book 3 stars is that whilst is it well written and a good book, it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. Although I have tried to be objective with my review I felt I had to be honest about how I rated it.
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
When Henry first saw Clare, he thought she was beautiful and captivating. Clare on the other hand was astonished to see Henry looking so young. 'The Time Traveler's Wife' follows the story of Clare and Henry. Henry has a rare disorder which means that he inadvertently time travels. When he does he just disappears to a random point in the past or the future (usually within 50 years either way). When he goes he can take nothing with him, including clothes. Henry must learn how to survive his condition and the perils associated with it. Clare must learn to love Henry, despite never knowing if she will wake up beside him in the morning and the side effects of Henry's condition. Is it really possible to happy as the time traveler's wife?
Its hard to sum up what this book is about in an interesting way without giving too much away. The concept is simple, Henry time travels. Unlike H G Well's time machine inventor, or Marty McFly, Henry can't take anything with him and has no control over where or when he goes. It's a good twist to what might otherwise be another time travel story. Henry must survive his condition anyway he can and so you end up with amusing scenarios when he's teaching a younger version of himself to pick pocket or he ends up in fight because he's managed to steal some very unusual clothing. Added to this mix is Clare, who is head over heels in love with Henry and some how manages to put up with the bizarre events as they unfold. It was a good book, well written, and tugged at the heart strings.
I think it's a good book on the imperfections of relationships. Nothing is perfect, least of all love. Niffenegger manages to illustrate this in numerous ways and shows that even the best relationships have their crosses to bare. For Clare and Henry this is coping with the unpredictability of his condition and Clare's desperation for a child which Henry does not necessarily share 100%. Each of them is able to reach some level of understanding about the other to cope though. Clare accepts to an extent Henry's condition and lives with it, while Henry is able to see what it means to Clare to have a child (and ultimately helps her to do so).
Any book that involves moving backwards and forwards in time and space at random is going to have a difficult job keeping their audience from total confusion. This has to be one of the best efforts I've read though. Yes, there is always a small element of confusion, but I feel it adds something to the book. It echoes the confusion of the characters at various points (e.g. Henry when he *first* meets Clare when he's 28, Clare's confusion at times in her youth about Henry, various members of Clare's family feeling like they've seen Henry before, Gomez's confusion over seeing Clare and Henry together when he's supposedly dating someone else etc etc). Yet for the most part you could still follow the storyline.
It is a very cleverly crafted book, with characters with depth and enough imperfections to keep them interesting. Even Alba sounds slightly pretentious when we meet her at the age of 10. It's what keeps the story real. No angels and no devils. It makes the characters feel like real people, even goody-two-shoes Clare has her faults.
It's definitely worth picking up and trying.
*4 stars*
Its hard to sum up what this book is about in an interesting way without giving too much away. The concept is simple, Henry time travels. Unlike H G Well's time machine inventor, or Marty McFly, Henry can't take anything with him and has no control over where or when he goes. It's a good twist to what might otherwise be another time travel story. Henry must survive his condition anyway he can and so you end up with amusing scenarios when he's teaching a younger version of himself to pick pocket or he ends up in fight because he's managed to steal some very unusual clothing. Added to this mix is Clare, who is head over heels in love with Henry and some how manages to put up with the bizarre events as they unfold. It was a good book, well written, and tugged at the heart strings.
I think it's a good book on the imperfections of relationships. Nothing is perfect, least of all love. Niffenegger manages to illustrate this in numerous ways and shows that even the best relationships have their crosses to bare. For Clare and Henry this is coping with the unpredictability of his condition and Clare's desperation for a child which Henry does not necessarily share 100%. Each of them is able to reach some level of understanding about the other to cope though. Clare accepts to an extent Henry's condition and lives with it, while Henry is able to see what it means to Clare to have a child (and ultimately helps her to do so).
Any book that involves moving backwards and forwards in time and space at random is going to have a difficult job keeping their audience from total confusion. This has to be one of the best efforts I've read though. Yes, there is always a small element of confusion, but I feel it adds something to the book. It echoes the confusion of the characters at various points (e.g. Henry when he *first* meets Clare when he's 28, Clare's confusion at times in her youth about Henry, various members of Clare's family feeling like they've seen Henry before, Gomez's confusion over seeing Clare and Henry together when he's supposedly dating someone else etc etc). Yet for the most part you could still follow the storyline.
It is a very cleverly crafted book, with characters with depth and enough imperfections to keep them interesting. Even Alba sounds slightly pretentious when we meet her at the age of 10. It's what keeps the story real. No angels and no devils. It makes the characters feel like real people, even goody-two-shoes Clare has her faults.
It's definitely worth picking up and trying.
*4 stars*
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