Austen and the Decline of Civilization - October 5, 2014

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Recent Reviews:

First Impressions by Charlie Lovett (received through NetGalley and the First to Read Program)

4 stars

 

I read Charlie Lovett’s first book, The Bookman’s Tale, and absolutely loved it so I eagerly started this one and was not disappointed.  Sophie Collingwood inherited a love of books and reading from her uncle Bertram.  She especially reveres Jane Austen and when two cagey men request a rare book connected to the author, she is pulled into an intriguing and potentially dangerous mystery.  This book will definitely appeal to booklovers of all kinds as it describes books and the act of reading in tender detail throughout the book.  The sections from Austen’s point of view felt authentic and the elderly Mansfield was a realistic creation.  I liked the character of Sophie but her relationship with her two suitors was a bit ridiculous at times and the author seemed more comfortable writing from the perspective of an eighteenth century woman than a present-day one.  That aside, this was a wonderful ode to bibliophiles everywhere and the author will be one that I continue to read. 

 

California by Edan Lepucki (received through NetGalley)

4 stars

 

I tried to wait until the hype (both positive and negative) died down before I read this novel but the pull of dystopia eventually go to me.  I thought this book excelled at describing the eventual decline of the United States through flashbacks of the main two characters, Frida and Cal.  It also explores the relationship between these two characters when they are the only people around and then once again when they join a strange society.  There were facets of this book that I thought were a bit absurd and a whole character that just didn’t make sense but there was enough of a compelling story to keep me vastly entertained.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.