Book Review - Jojo Moyes' The Ship of Brides

I've recently begun using NetGalley, where reviewers can request advanced copies of books from publishers, in exchange for an honest review. I felt like I hit the jackpot, when Penguin Books approved me for Jojo Moyes' The Ship of Brides. Moyes is a fantastic writer and I was excited to read another one of her novels.

The Ship of Brides is a fictionalized account of the true story of Australian women who married British soldiers during WW2. After the war, hundreds of women were brought to England on an aircraft carrier, set to be decommissioned. Moyes' novel follows a group of very different women, who share quarters on the ship.

Meticulously researched, Moyes starts off every chapter with a quote or news clipping from the real events, which helps set the scene for her fictional story. On one level, the idea for the story and hearing about how these brides were transported is fascinating. They had to keep these women entertained, safe and protected from mingling with the soldiers on board. Some of the women received telegrams mid-travel and were told that they were no longer wanted by their husbands. There is lot of inherent drama in this story and that's before you even get to Moyes fictional world.

The four main female characters couldn't be more different than one another and they are all forced to share a tiny room. Avice is concerned with her reputation and appearances and she is none too pleased to be bunking with Jean, a brash sixteen year girl who seems to lack all sense of decorum. Margaret is heavily pregnant and has smuggled a dog aboard, while serious Frances, is harboring a dark past. 

I'm not going to give anything away, just know that there is plenty of drama and surprise to keep the pages turning. This story is even a bit of a tear-jerker, so have those kleenex handy.

The only minor story device that I didn't like, was the way Moyes book-ended the story with showing one of the women as an old lady, traveling with her granddaughter. It reminded me of the older Rose sequences in Titanic and even though it gave closure to the story, I didn't care for it. 

Overall, this is a wonderful novel. The history element is fascinating and Moyes really knows how to bring her characters to life. 

Book Review- Barbara Kingsolver's Flight Behavior

Dellarobia Turnbow is living a life that doesn't feel authentic. She is a young mother living in rural Tennessee, who gave up on her dream of going to college, when she discovered that she was pregnant. Now, she is in her late-twenties and completely discontent in her life. Her husband is good to her, but they have little in common and Dellarobia has a string of affairs to try to fill the void. Her own family has long since died and her in-laws have never quite made her feel like part of the family. She feels isolated and trapped.

One day, Dellarobia comes across what appears to be a miracle in the woods behind her farm. On her property is millions of monarch butterflies that have migrated to the area. When word gets out about the butterflies, Dellarobia finds herself caught between various opinions as to the reason for their migration and the importance of respecting their new habitat. The butterflies bring new people and new opportunities into Dellarobia's life and she begins to feel less trapped by her circumstances. 

I'm a fan of Barbara Kingsolver. With the exception of Prodigal Summer, I've enjoyed all of her other novels. Flight Behavior left me feeling uncertain. I liked the setting and the overall premise. I thought that Dellarobia was a well-rounded, complex character and even if I didn't quite like her, I could understand her. Her flaws and mistakes made her feel like a real person. Kingsolver did a solid job of making Dellarobia's world come alive. I felt a bit oppressed reading about the farm life in rural Tennessee and the day-to-day of this poor family. Much of the story is very "Slice-of-life", a style that I quite enjoy, in particular, there are many wonderful dialogue scenes between the characters. 

The book felt preachy. I don't need to be sold on the idea of global warming. I've been taught in writing classes not to write a story from a place of an agenda, to let the characters drive the story, not a concept. I often felt like the characters were overshadowed by the environmental message in this story. I happen to agree with the message, so it was preaching to the choir. However, it was the message being so blatant, that made the book off-putting. This was my biggest issue with the story.

Aside from the preachiness, I thought that the story ran long and often had sluggish pacing. It took me longer than it should have to read it, because I kept picking up other stories and setting it aside.

Kingsolver is a great writer, but this isn't her best novel. 

Book Review- The Pirates of Miss Fortune: And The Crimson Fist

As I now have many people following my blog and contacting me regarding my book reviews, I need to be upfront with my readers. My review of The Pirates of Miss Fortune: And the Crimson Fist, is going to be completely biased. I'm not even going to attempt to write my normal type of review. I'm happy to say that it was co-written by two of my good friends, H.M.A. Latif and Mark Adams. I bought the book and I'm writing this review to help support them.

Beyond knowing the authors, one of the main reasons that I struggle with writing a fair review, is this is completely not the type of story that I would normally buy. It's very different from the other books on my shelf and very much, outside of my comfort zone. That said, here is my review and why I think you should give it a shot.

Like adventure? Like comedy? Like pirates?

The Pirates of Misfortune: And the Crimson Fist is a non-stop, action-packed adventure about several groups of bumbling pirates who are in search of a moving island that holds the key to the power of a bejeweled glove, known as the crimson fist.

The pirates are all fairly dimwitted and made me think of a cross between Jack Sparrow and the pirates from the stage show at Legoland. The comedy ensues from their myriad of mistakes and their general outlandish behavior. This story is not rooted in reality, it's very much a fantasy with characters that are cartoony and exaggerated. The style is consistent, which makes it easy to buy into the reality of this fantasy world. There is an abundance of creativity in the world of the story.

Perhaps because the characters are so over-the-top, this is not a character driven story. There is not a great deal of character development. However, that's okay. It's a plot and action driven story with a new problem developing every couple of pages. The characters are in constant peril and their lives intersect in unexpected ways. The pace is quick.

If you like action based stories, this is a strong pick.

If this sounds like it would be your type of read, pick up a copy on Amazon. Support independant authors. Support my friends!