'Inheritance' by Christopher Paolini

Inheritance, Christopher Paolini (3.0)

For those familiar with Paolini’s Inheritance series, this is the fourth and last book. It included a long summary of the preceding books (which I did enjoy as it has been some time since I had read the earlier novels). While I found the ending to be thoughtful and complete, I thought the book was too long.  It was full of lengthy descriptions and what I would describe as periods of waiting. After about 50% of the book, the action started to speed up, though I still felt more was added to each mini-drama to extend the story. For some reason I particularly disliked the long and painful torture sequences of Nasuada. I understood the purpose, but felt it was a puzzle piece that did not fit. Paolini has some unique concepts (the dragon Eldunari, the rider/dragon construct), but many feel borrowed. The elves, dwarves, even the Krulls feel very ‘Lord of the Rings’-ish. I appreciate what he has done, particularly given his age and in the absence of good fantasy/Sci-Fi books, but I can’t help but ask for more maturity now that he’s an accomplished writer. In my opinion the first book, ‘Eragon’, was the best and the others have all fallen short of expectations. If you have read the other books in the series – and you have some time (850 pages!), you should read this one in order to close out the story, but I’m afraid I was a bit disappointed.

'Sealab' by Ben Hellwarth

Sealab, Ben Hellwarth (3.0)

This book was advertised as ‘The Right Stuff’ for ocean exploration. I understand the analogy and it is somewhat accurate, though it implies a drama that was missing from the retelling of the attempts to establish a residence on the ocean shelf – 300 to 1000 ft below the sea.  As Mr. Hellwarth explains, while the Apollo missions enjoyed both money from the government and attention from the world, the Sealab projects had little support on either front.  The most surprising thing to me was how precarious the situation was to the ‘aquanauts’ with every addition atmosphere of pressure they experienced.  It cam across as much more dynamic details, it was an eye opener with regards to the types of dangers encountered as we explored the depths of the oceans.  It also pointed out that Jacques Cousteau was quite a showman, but didn’t achieve many of the records for depth of length of time at these depths.  There was also a very interesting story at the end of how some of the experience and knowledge gained by the aquanauts was used to do some spying during the cold war. 

'Faith' by Jennifer Haigh

Faith, Jennifer Haigh (3.5)

This book was very interesting and fast paced.  It is the story of an Irish family in Boston that is central in one of the sadly frequent pedophile priest stories.  It is told from the priest’s sister’s point of view as she moves through the past to understand the present.  While I thought it would be a very sad story, I came away feeling it was not.  I think Ms. Haigh has made characters that are believable, but not morose.  And oddly, it does not become a condemnation of the Catholic Church, which would have been too easy.  I liked that the characters were complex and that the story went in unexpected directions while remaining believable.  I applaud her ability to make a very good story out of a difficult subject.

'The Flight of Gemma Hardy' by Margot Livesey

The Flight of Gemma Hardy, Margot Livesey (3.5)

The NYT review of this book was very positive and indicated it was an ‘homage’ to ‘Jane Eyre’.  Given that ‘Jane Eyre’ is one of my favorite books, I put it on my reading list.  While many things about this book were enchanting and well written, I found it to be less of homage than the exact plot with somewhat updated characters.  While the setting is 1950’s-1960’s Scotland, the basic plot was almost identical.  I think this has worked with some of Jane Austen’s classics as they were less plot-driven and more character/time studies.  ‘Jane Eyre’ has strong characters, but the plot is also strong and serves as a driver to bring out the characters’ strengths and flaws.  Gemma Hardy is as strong and independent as Jane.  She is very likable and resilient.  My biggest problem was that I knew her every move before she did it!  As most of my friends know, I love surprises – particularly in books and movies.  So I can recommend this as a very good story – but why read it if you could read ‘Jane Eyre’??

Book Club book - 'White Fang' by Jack London

White Fang, Jack London (4)

It likely comes as no surprise that the group gave this book a ‘4’ rating.  It is considered a classic for good reason. It is hard for one to pick the best Jack London book, but this is certainly a good place to start, particularly to experience the unique voice Mr. London has given to a wild creature. While we may never know if it is accurate, his vision of the world through the eyes of a wolf is fascinating. We all agreed that the most interesting scene and interpretation were of the newborn pup’s view of his world in the cave where he was born. He knows there are 3 hard dark walls and 1 wall of light, from which his father appears and disappears. Imagine his feeling when he eventually finds that wall of light is not hard like the other walls. We had only a few criticisms. Many of the group found it hard to read the gruesome scenes of dog/wolf fights and had no interest in going to the Great North in all its harshness, though we agreed these were all essential elements to understanding the tough life that made White Fang what he was.  Some of us (ok, mainly me) found the fact that a male wolf who only procreated at the very end quite odd. I chalked it up to Mr. London not wanting to sully our view of the protagonist! Also while everyone appreciated that White Fang eventually gets a loving home, we did find his use of ‘Love Master’ a bit over the top. Jack London writes an amazingly fast reading action story all from the view of a wild animal, pretty revolutionary for 1906.

'A Single Roll of the Dice, Obama's Diplomacy with Iran' by Trita Parsi

A Single Roll of the Dice, Obama’s Diplomacy with Iran, Trita Parsi (3.5)

Given the continuous news about the concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and pressure from Israel for the US to intervene, I was interested in reading more about the issue. Trita Parsi was a recent guest on ‘The Daily Show’ and this book sounded like a good place to start.  I often have mixed feelings when I read the detail behind political decisions our country has made.  The complexity of the situation is usually quite shocking and the details very hard to follow.  And as with most complex issues, there is no one right or wrong answer.  I think my main worry stems from a lack of faith that smart enough brains are involved to navigate us through the issue safely.  In this case, I was particularly suspicious of the Israeli lobby (who obviously have very strong emotions on the question of Iran’s nuclear position) and of our Congress’ ability to do anything but posture.  While I was glad to see cooler heads at the front of the decision making with regards to the US’s position (Secretary of State Clinton and President Obama), the pressure from all sides was remarkable.  Mr. Parsi interviewed 70 high-ranking officials from the US, Iran, Israel, Europe, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Brazil.  I found his reporting to be non-judgmental and balanced.  He did not appear to be as appalled as I was when I read about the nuclear capitulation that Iran delivered to President Bush in 2003. It was a ‘laundry list of policies that Iran was willing to discuss and amend’ and was ‘nothing short of an American wish list of everything that needed to change about Iran’.  Rumsfeld and Cheney roundly dismissed this proposal with ‘we don’t speak to evil’ and even the most hawkish are realizing that may have been a mistake.  The rest of the book delves deeply into the dual track strategy of diplomacy and sanctions, and the effects of both.  I found his conclusions or ‘next steps’ to be wise, though given that more sanctions are currently being threatened, I’m not sure anyone is following his proposed approach.