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Book Review
Aug. 2nd, 2007 11:19 pmTonight started as expected. A nice salad* for dinner followed by some light research for my podcast. I found myself growing tired around 20:00, and thought about going to bed early. However, that's a bit early even for an early-to-bed, so the question became "What to read?".
I looked at my tidy little row of books that I had pre-selected as "next". Of course, I couldn't see them, so I moved the pile of other "next" books out of the way first. There I saw The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages. I had no idea what it was about when I bought it. See, at last Minicon, I asked Charles de Lint what he'd recommend that would be like what Nina Kirki Hoffman writes, given I have everything she's written and she's not releasing anything anytime soon. And after all, it's all his fault since he introduced me to her work. The man's got to make amends, right?
Anyway, I open this book hoping to read an oddly magical tale that drifts along like a tendril of smoke. Instead, I get a story about two children living at Los Alamos during 1944-5. No magic at all, just a story about some quirky kids growing up on a military base surrounded by famous scientists working together as had never been seen before or since.
Oh darn.
By the way, I'm not a WWII buff, as I tend to dislike military history. I am, however, utterly fascinated by nuclear physics, the Manhattan project and what subsequently occurred in New Mexico and Japan. I'm also a sucker for stories about personal growth within unusual circumstances, so even though it was nothing like Nina Kirki Hoffman's work, it was exactly what I've been looking for.
I won't go so far as to say that Ellen Klages writes children well, but she certainly writes quirky children better than most authors (who seem to like to turn children into mini adults). The characters were believable, though not fully developed. The storyline was engaging, and didn't feel pulled off course by the actual historical events. It was a very easy read, but that's likely because it's one of those new "not really a children's book, but aimed at the upper young adult market" novels. You know, a typical Sharyn November / Viking imprint. Honestly, I think that most kids today would be lost in the historical references (What's a LIFE magazine? What's a PX?) but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Generally speaking, it's a good read for most thinking persons... But it's an excellent read if you're interested by the project and time period.
* I am coming to the conclusion that, to make a good salad, you need a combination of green leaves, one or more fruits, a protein source, a fat source**, one or more root vegetables in small quantities, and a dressing that is composed of oil and acid with spices for flavoring.
** If you use olive oil as the dressing oil, you can omit the fat source***
*** Avocados are a good enough fat source that they're good even when you have olive oil.
I looked at my tidy little row of books that I had pre-selected as "next". Of course, I couldn't see them, so I moved the pile of other "next" books out of the way first. There I saw The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages. I had no idea what it was about when I bought it. See, at last Minicon, I asked Charles de Lint what he'd recommend that would be like what Nina Kirki Hoffman writes, given I have everything she's written and she's not releasing anything anytime soon. And after all, it's all his fault since he introduced me to her work. The man's got to make amends, right?
Anyway, I open this book hoping to read an oddly magical tale that drifts along like a tendril of smoke. Instead, I get a story about two children living at Los Alamos during 1944-5. No magic at all, just a story about some quirky kids growing up on a military base surrounded by famous scientists working together as had never been seen before or since.
Oh darn.
By the way, I'm not a WWII buff, as I tend to dislike military history. I am, however, utterly fascinated by nuclear physics, the Manhattan project and what subsequently occurred in New Mexico and Japan. I'm also a sucker for stories about personal growth within unusual circumstances, so even though it was nothing like Nina Kirki Hoffman's work, it was exactly what I've been looking for.
I won't go so far as to say that Ellen Klages writes children well, but she certainly writes quirky children better than most authors (who seem to like to turn children into mini adults). The characters were believable, though not fully developed. The storyline was engaging, and didn't feel pulled off course by the actual historical events. It was a very easy read, but that's likely because it's one of those new "not really a children's book, but aimed at the upper young adult market" novels. You know, a typical Sharyn November / Viking imprint. Honestly, I think that most kids today would be lost in the historical references (What's a LIFE magazine? What's a PX?) but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Generally speaking, it's a good read for most thinking persons... But it's an excellent read if you're interested by the project and time period.
* I am coming to the conclusion that, to make a good salad, you need a combination of green leaves, one or more fruits, a protein source, a fat source**, one or more root vegetables in small quantities, and a dressing that is composed of oil and acid with spices for flavoring.
** If you use olive oil as the dressing oil, you can omit the fat source***
*** Avocados are a good enough fat source that they're good even when you have olive oil.
