A Modern Adaptation of King Lear

Henry Dunbar, head of a multi-million dollar media empire, finds himself locked in a remote sanatorium in England. His two older daughters, Megan and Abigail, have spirited him away and locked him up in a brazen attempt to take over his empire for themselves. Meanwhile his youngest most beloved daughter, Florence, is looking for him hoping to make amends and with the help of Henry’s loyal ally, Wilson, keep the evil daughters from completing their takeover.

While Florence and Wilson search for him, Dunbar has managed to escape the sanatorium with the help of his alcoholic actor friend, Peter. The two are now wandering about England: Peter in search of a drink, and Dunbar trying to get back his empire.

If you love Shakespeare’s King Lear, this may be somewhat disappointing. The plot is fairly true to the story line of the play. Instead of a king, Dunbar is a corporate executive and the nasty plots center around corporate intrigue and takeover bids. The characters are similar to the Shakespeare characters, but I found them much less human. Megan and Abigail and particularly unpleasant. Florence, trying to win back her father’s approval, was my favorite character. She seemed the most believable.

St. Auban’s prose is clear and fast paced. Some of the scenes, particularly with Peter, are amusing, but, for me, they didn’t reach the level of Shakespeare’s comedy. I enjoyed the book, but the drawbacks keep me from recommending it too highly.

I received this book from Blogging for Book for this review.

A Dark, Magical, Russian Winter

In this sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale, Vasya is off on an adventure. Accused of witchcraft by her village, she rejected the choice of marriage or a convent, and, disguised as a boy, took off on her magical horse, Solovey. In her travels she helps defeat a group of bandits who are destroying villages and taking the young girls to sell. She meets the Grand Prince of Moscow and wins his respect as a fighter, but must be careful to keep him from learning her sex. In Moscow, she reunites with her brother, Sasha, and her sister, Olga, and helps defend the city from a political war that threatens its existence.

As in the previous book, the text is filled with lyrical descriptions of the countryside, fairy tales, and courageous escapades. The deep winter and tales of spirits, weave a dark tapestry against which the action occurs. I loved the fairy tales, but I found the descriptions of medieval Russia more interesting. This book is faster paced with more action than the first book, but the spell is still captivating.

Vasya has grown in this book. She’s no longer a child and faces adult challenges. She finds difficulty reuniting with her family, particularly her sister, Olga.

This is an excellent sequel to The Bear and the Nightingale. If you love atmospheric stories with good characters, this is a book you’ll enjoy.

I received this book from Random Hou

se for this review.

The Story of Byron’s Daughter, Ada Lovelace

Ada’s parents were mismatched from the start. Byron, the scandalous romantic poet, and Annabella, her scientifically inclined mother, had little in comon. Their romance ended in marriage and finally a bitter divorce. Annabella refused to allow Byron access to his daughter, so she grew up with only his portrait and poems.

As a child, Ada was secluded by her mother, but she yearned for more intellectual discourse. Finally, as a debutante, she was introduced to the social circles in London that she craved. She married Thomas, Lord Lovelace, but the marriage suffered from Ada’s propensity for gambling and affairs. Her greatest and most well known achievement was helping Babbage with his computing machine. Some people call her the first computer programmer.

This is a very well researched book spanning not only Ada’s life, but her parents brief marriage. The book opens with her parent’s courtship then moves into Ada’s early life and finally her marriage. I enjoyed the brief description of her parent’s courtship and marriage. However, I found Ada’s early life slow going. The best part was the ending where she helped Babbage. Although the early life was interesting and gave us a picture of the factors that shaped Ada, I thought it was a bit too comprehensive.

If you’re interested in a strong female figure, I recommend this book. Ada worked at a scientific project at a time when most women were content to be wives and mothers.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

 

A Space Themed Bible for Children

May the Faith Be With You Holy Bible is a great Bible for six to ten-year-old children who are interested in space. It reminds you of Star Wars, but the theme is appropriate for the Bible which focuses on creation and God.

The Bible has a limited vocabulary and is easy to read for the older children in this age group, or for children for whom English is a second language. The illustrations are colorful and consistent with the theme. The Bible contains several sections on heavy, glazed paper that answer questions, like who is God, how Jesus came to the world, and what he said.

The pages, except for the inserts, are very thin as is the case with most Bibles, but the book is sturdy. I don’t think children will have trouble with these pages.

I highly recommend this gift for a child, particularly one interested in science and space.

I received this book from Handlebar Publishing for this review.