Story Had Potential

Under The Dome

By: Stephen King

Simon & Schuster 2009

On a crisp fall day a mysterious dome descends on a small Maine town, trapping all its residents like prisoners.

This book has quite a simple concept; however the story is anything but simple. Filled with more characters then most or any book I have ever read, Stephen King’s new novel Under The Dome is less about the dome as it is about how people react to catastrophe and the lengths they will go to for survival.

I, admittedly, am not a Stephen King fan. But I read this one due to the interesting premise. My first feeling while read this book was that I could see this as a made for TV mini-series.

As I mentioned before there are so many characters, so many in fact that at times it is difficult to remember who everyone is and to really develop an intimate relationship with them. King even felt he needed to place a cast of characters page at the beginning of the book.  

And even though I think King was making more of a statement on humanity’s instincts in crisis’ situations and how these things can bring out the worst in the worst type of people, instead of actually explaining why the dome came to be, I was very disappointed in the resolution of the book. The story had major potential but I was left with a feeling that it could have been 500 pages shorter than it was. When you read a novel that is 1000 plus pages, you are expecting a satisfying payoff.

If you’re the type of person who doesn’t read a lot of books, I don’t feel like this is worth spending your time on. If you’re looking for an interesting scientific or science fiction thriller with smart and creative storytelling, this is not your book.

Story                           **

Characters                   **

Readability                  ***

Overall rating               ***

www.stephenking.com

A Great First Lady

Spoken from the Heart

By: Laura Bush

Simon and Schuster 2010

Laura Bush grew up as an only child in the oil town of Midland Texas.  So begins the memoirs of the First Lady who many thought brought dignity back to the White House.

In a detailed and almost poetic ode to her home state, Laura Bush writes about her early years in Midland, surviving a devastating accident at 17, being a teacher in the inner city, her early marriage to George Bush and their journey together from the Texas Governor’s mansion to the White House.

I think Laura Bush is one of the most misunderstood First Ladies, due, in part, to her private nature. Spoken from the Heart really shows what it’s like for the President and his family. Whatever you may feel about the Bush administration, she did many good things in her time as First Lady. Including starting programs to aid with literacy, speaking up for breast cancer education in the Middle East, and starting programs to help HIV/AIDS victims in Africa.

Laura Bush is a strong independent woman. A true role model and I was surprised at how much I related to her.

She made me see what it is like to live under a microscope and what it was like for them and their family after 9/11. The peril and danger they felt on a daily basis.

At times I did feel as if I was reading an expose of all the good things her and her husband did in their time in the White House, considering the fact that their administration was so criticized and mocked. But this book makes you see the Bushes a very really humanized way, which is something I think we forget about public figures. A really interesting story by a woman who held her dignity through the criticisms and held her strength through disaster. A woman to be respected and a great role model for younger generations.

Readability          ****

Overall rating     ****

http://www.laurabushfoundation.org

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Mysterious Page Turner

The Bone Garden

By: Tess Garritsen

Ballantine Books 2007

Julia Hamill has made a horrifying discovery in the garden of her new home in rural Massachusetts, a human female skull.  After calling in the police, it becomes apparent that the female was a murder victim and the bones are much older than first thought. 

Julia receives a call from the previous owner’s cousin Henry Page, who insists he has documents that may explain who is buried in her garden.  Together, Julia and Henry sift through letters and documents that tell the story of a destitute Irish immigrant, Rose Conolly, A medical student Norris Marshall and the legend of the West End Reaper in 1830’s Boston.

Like James McGee’s “Resurrectionist”, The Bone Garden is filled with much detail about the accepted medical practices of the early 1800’s, along with the messy occupation of being a resurrectionist.  But there is so much more here to sink your teeth into. 

It is an intense mystery novel, which really shows what life was like at the time, the class division based on economic means.  How terribly poverty stricken a person could be, and what that meant for their life. 

The legend of the West End Reaper, reminded me very much of the Jack the Ripper legend from 1880’s London. But what I found to be more shocking was the fact that at the time, doctors or anyone in the medical field didn’t place the connection between hand washing and infection or communicable diseases.  Many doctors would go right from the autopsy room, to examining a patient, without washing their hands.  That is until the renowned Physician Oliver Wendell Holmes brought this radical yet obvious idea to the medical world.

The characters were well drawn yet a little cliché, but overall I really enjoyed this mysterious page turner.

Story                           ****

Characters                   ***

Readability                  ****

Overall rating               ****      

http://www.tessgerritsen.com/

New York, New York!

New York

By: Edward Rutherfurd

Doubleday 2009

Spanning the course of nearly 350 years, New York tells the story of the city of New York from its beginnings as a Dutch settlement, through to the domination of the British, ending with the tragedy of the World Trade Centre attacks.

An ambitious novel, we see the inception and evolution of one of the largest and most populated cities in the world through the eyes of the families who lived through it all seamlessly intertwined.

What an undertaking it must have been for Rutherfurd in the writing of this book. The immense detail that he paid in the researching of the city allowing us to see, through combining fact and fictional people, some of the most famous events in American history and how it touched New York.

The maps in the book are fascinating too and had me mesmerized, comparing how it looks today to how it looked almost 400 years ago and through the years.

New York is a testament to a great and turbulent city. A love letter of sorts just when she needs it most, a truly fascinating read. I definitely plan to read Rutherfurd's other epics.
The paperback will be released on September 21.

Story                            ****

Characters                    ***

Readability                    ****    

Overall rating                 ****

http://www.edwardrutherfurd.com