Lowly’s Book Blog

Publishers are a curious breed. This book was marketed at Marchetta’s first book for adults. The Penguin website calls it adult fiction even today, so regretfully, I never included this book on my reading list.

But I was delighted to see this book listed on the CBC short list. That means that someone at Penguin sent this book to the judges for consideration as a children’s book. Personally, I see the book as ageless, and that may count against it when it comes to the book prizes this year.

This is a classic fantasy book, but with one major difference. Fantasy novels are almost exclusively a series – trilogy, quartet, cycle, saga, all these terms are used to describe them. But Finnikin is complete, a satisfying tale all by itself. When I finished, I felt there was nothing more to be said.

Anyway, Finnikin is a young man in exile. His homeland was invaded, the leaders murdered, many thousands of people died, many thousands became refugees. Finnikin, once the son of the Captain of the Guard, is now apprentice to the First Man. In exile this means a diplomatic position where he visits the refugees, compiling lists of the living and the dead and collecting their stories. But a message comes that the two of them must visit a distant cloister to collect a young novice who claims to have news that the heir to the throne is alive. And thus begins the adventure.

Evanjalin is determined to gather together the most powerful men of the kingdom in exile and return home to restore the true royal family. With the help of Finnikin and Sir Topher she rescues the Captain of the Guard, the Priestking and the Guard. And as their band grows, so does the hope of the exiles.

To say much more would spoil the excellent story. And I would hate to discourage anyone from this book. 

Marchetta is well known for her adolescent angst fiction. Many of you will have looked for Alibrandi and saved Francesca. Even those who traveled the Jellicoe Road will remember her work fondly. But fantasy is a major departure for this author. And she handled this new genre with great skill. I have to believe that she reads fantasy nearly as avidly as I do.

I also applaud her gradual finish. Oftentimes fantasy authors reach the big climax battle, then end the book within a dozen pages. Marchetta took her time to look at the aftermath of the invasion, its effect on those who stayed behind. How was it possible to re-establish a complex culture after 10 years of occupation. All these issues were addressed as she gently drew the book to a close.

It was truly a joy to read this book. 

I know that I am way behind my reading list when the CBC shortlist is announced and I haven’t read any of the list. I was at the launch of this book and bought a copy 12 months ago because it sounded interesting, but actually read it only yesterday.

The story is set in WWI, where three girls about 17 years old are attending a finishing school. Anne, daughter of a Duchess, Ethel, the daughter of a grocer and Midge, an orphaned New Zealander whose brothers are serving in the army. When Midge hears that Tim is missing at Gallipoli, she decides that she isn’t wasting any more time learning to balance books on her head, but rather go to France and see if she can find a soldier who knows what happened to her brother. Ethel and Anne come with her and together they set up a canteen at a railway station. But Midge’s skills are too valuable. Soon she is driving an ambulance between the aid station and the evacuation centre. Her search for her brother leads her to make friends with some soldiers, first a captain, and then eventually a private soldier. Midge works in France until her older brother is wounded and then she looks after him and they both return home to New Zealand.

The story is given a modern link in the person of Lachlan, who in 1975 is forced to push his grandfather in the annual ANZAC parade. Curiously his grandfather leaves a rose from his front garden at the War Memorial in town. Many years later, Lachlan understands why.

Jackie French did a lot of research before she wrote this story. In her speech at the book’s launch, she told us how she felt it was important to remind everyone of the important and dangerous work that women in France did to support the men fighting the battles. She certainly succeeded with this book.

A Rose for the Anzac Boys was riveting. I finished it in one sitting. It will be a joy to promote it to my classes next week.

I love Simon Higgins adventure stories. And although I am a full year behind on my reading list, I was in the mood for a light adventure with a delicious sense of humour. Unfortunately, this was not it.

Daniel Marlowe is a young English aristocrat who is traveling with his father on a diplomatic mission from Tudor England to the Japans. He is shipwrecked off the coast of Japan and found by a young samurai. Together these two set off to change the world, or at least parts of it. 

Medieval Japan is a wonderful setting for an adventure story. Hearn did an amazing job with the Otori series. However Higgins is firmly attached to realistic historical settings rather than the slightly fantastic world of the Otori. Daniel is quickly involved in a feud between warlords, fighting off bandits and rescuing young maidens. Classic medieval adventure.

But I am afraid this book did not make the grade. There was no sense of completion at the end of the story. It is really only the opening chapter of a much longer tale, and frankly I didn’t care enough about Daniel to be bothered reading any more.

The blurb promotes this as a ‘ripping yarn which is sure to appeal to boys’. Sorry, but I found it shallow, and boring. The boys I know will want a lot more if they are going to follow Daniel through his further adventures.

I have had this book on my personal ‘read when I get time’ shelf for a year now. And this week I was sent Kellerman’s latest Alex Delaware for review. Since I have been reading the whole series, in order, this book had to come first.

To summarize the plot of a Kellerman novel is easy. Murder happens in chapter one. Body discovered chapter 2. Case rapidly gets very difficult so LAPD hand it to Milo, who calls in his friend Alex. More murders, either freshly committed, bodies found or cold cases linked. In this book, all three of the above. However, Alex’s insight into deviant behavior combined with Milo’s dogged policework, get the bad guy in the end, and before he has the chance to murder the sympathetic witness.

I think this is number 22 in the series. Someone is sure to correct me if I am wrong. And sitting on my reading mountain are books 23 and 24. I have read and enjoyed them all. Escapism, yes. This is real page turning mystery. Nothing too subtle. Usually I can work out the bad guy well before the final chapter. This book was no exception. But that doesn’t make it a bad book.