The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

The Eyre Affair
Jasper Fforde

The word "unique" is overused and frequently misused. Here, however, is an instance where it truly applies. But to call The Eyre Affair a unique first novel featuring a fearless fictional adventurer barely begins to tell the story. When asked to summarize his creation is a single sentence, Jasper Fforde described it as "a literary detective thriller with romantic overtones, mad-inventor uncles, aunts trapped in Wordsworth poems, global multinationals, scheming evildoers, an excursion inside the novel Jane Eyre, dodos, knight-errant-time-traveling fathers, and the answer to the eternal question: Who really wrote Shakespeare's plays?"

Swindon, a traditionally tranquil English town, is the ironic setting for most of these oddball characters and peculiar goings-on; the year is 1985. Fforde spins his wildly imaginative crime caper in language every bit as ingenious as the madcap plot; his devilishly clever turns of phrase take the form of verbal puzzles, anagrams, and literary and cinematic in-jokes.

Long involved in the movie-making business, Fforde gives a starring role to Thursday Next, a captivating sleuth whose respect for literature matches that of her creator. The essence of Thursday's quest is the capture of Acheron Hades, a wily cad whose dastardly crime is murder of characters from the classics.

My Thoughts:

When I started reading The Eyre Affair, I wasn't sure how much I would like it. The ideas and concepts seemed a little strange to me, and I was confused with the alternate world painted out in the novel. I'm so glad I decided to stick with this book, though, because it was simply amazing.

As the story continued, I found myself falling in love with the quirky characters and plots. It was also fun to pick up on the references made to other novels, mostly classics. If you haven't read some of those classics, like Jane Eyre, you might not enderstand everything avout the novel, but I don't believe it would stop you from enjoying the book.

The writing style of Jasper Fforde was light and fun, and this book was a wonderful quick read. The Eyre Affair is perfect for anyone looking for a fun, but still intellegent, read. I have the second book in the Thrusday Next series, Lost in a Good Book, and I am very much looking forward to reading it.

Overall Grade: A-

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

The Other Boleyn Girl
Philippa Gregory

Two sisters competing for the greatest prize: the love of a king

When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Dazzled by the king, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her family’s ambitious plots as the kings interest begins to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. Then Mary knows that she must defy her family and her king, and take her fate into her own hands.

My thoughts:
I really enjoyed reading The Other Boleyn Girl. It swept me up from the very beginning and didn’t let go until the last page had been turned. I found myself very emotionally invested in the main character, Mary, and I was rooting for her the entire novel. That’s one of the wonderful things about this book, I think: I really, truly cared about the characters, or at least the likable ones, and part of the reason I kept reading was to see if those characters made it through to the happy ending I wanted for them.

Something else I really enjoyed about the book was the plot. It moved quickly enough that I was never bored, but not so quickly I couldn’t keep up. The writing was simple and enjoyable, so I wasn’t slogging through pages and pages of introduction or description.

One complaint I had was that some of the characters seemed a little one-sided, Anne Boleyn in particular. It’s impossible to have no redeeming qualities, but Anne had very few if any. She was mostly set up as the plotting snake who would do anything, including exploiting her own family, for power. That seems a bit unrealistic to me.

I’m a huge historical fiction fan, so I loved reading about real people following a real series of events. That said, I know next to nothing about Tudor England, so I can’t say for sure whether or not the facts in the book are accurate or not. I’ve heard several people say that for those knowledgeable about this time period, you have to be prepared to let all of that go and just enjoy the writing.

Overall, The Other Boleyn Girl is an enjoyable read that will leave you hanging on for more. I’d recommend it to anyone interested on learning a little more about the history during the Tudor period of England, but who wants to enjoy themselves while doing so.

Overall Grade: B

A Welcome of Sorts

Welcome to Swimming in a Sea of Books, my new blog for all things book-related. I've been a blog reader for a while now, but have never tried blogging myself. So, I hope I'll be able to provide interesting content, even with a sea (haha) of people doing the same thing. We'll see how that works out.

I like to describe my tastes as "eclectic" and "varied." My sister likes to describe my tastes as "crazy." It all amounts to the same thing in the end, though-no matter what types of books you enjoy, I'm likely to be reading those types of books. I'm very open to suggestions, also, so if there is a book you think is worth a read, send me an email. I'd love to hear your recommendations. I can be reached at swimminginbooks(at)yahoo(dot)com.

I think that's all for now, but be expecting more from me in the coming weeks!