don't be derivative

The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale by Virginia Kantra

Genre: fiction

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Review: My loyal readers will know that I'm typically wary of any book that takes an old favorite and attempts to transpose it on the modern-day.  However, I trusted Virginia Kantra with Meg & Jo, and was not disappointed, so I opted to take the plunge with her again as she takes on the fruits of L. Frank Baum's imagination.

This time, my own failure to read the publisher's description closely got me into trouble.  The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale is not described as a "modern retelling" of anything, but I assume that it was (perhaps not unfairly), and was therefore disappointed that, aside from the fact that Dorothy lived in Kansas with her Auntie Em and Uncle Henry, and some cleverly punny character names, there really isn't much relation between this book and either Baum's book, or the movie based on it.

That being the case, I wish Kantra hadn't tied her book to Oz at all.  This is an excellent book on it's own, and doesn't need to be propped up by allusions to anyone else's work.  Change the names of the characters, and Kantra has given us something original and well-written.  Tied to such a cultural touchstone, however, fans are bound to be disappointed.

ps. Oz devotees who haven't read Finding Dorothy must do so, as soon as possible.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

love and censorship

You Can't Say That!: Writers for Young People Talk About Censorship, Free Expression, and the Stories They Have to Tell edited by Leonard S. Marcus

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: non-fiction

Review: You might think that all writers have a similar response if their book is banned or challenged, and to some extent you'd be right.  For example, nearly all the writers featured in this collection say that they understand that parents who seek to have books removed are doing it out of love and a feeling that they need to protect their children.  I'm not sure I actually agree with that, but I appreciate the impulse behind such a generous interpretation.  Beyond that, the writers' thoughts vary quite a bit.

Through the interviews in this book, Leonard Marcus gives readers insight into not just the writers' responses to having their books banned or challenged, but also into their writing processes.  This book is certainly a must-read for fans of any of the included writers, and for defenders of intellectual freedom, but also for anyone interested in hearing writers' thoughts on their own work.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

don't let it fester

The Girl Who Could Breathe Under Water by Erin Bartels

Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: Kendra has written a very popular semi-autobiographical novel.  Unfortunately, it's not nearly "semi" enough for at least two people: Tyler, the antogonist of the story behind the novel, and a Very Disappointed Reader who writes Kendra a letter calling her out for not being fair in her retelling of the past.  The letter sends Kendra back to her grandfather's house on the lake, the scene of the crime, to see if she can overcome the writer's block the letter had engendered.

This is a book that can't decide what it's about.  Is it about Kendra's attempt to find out who wrote the letter, and why?  Is it about her attempt to come to terms with Tyler?  Or is it about what happens between her and the her German translator who unexpectedly (and implausibly) shows up at her cabin to complete the translation work?  Or about what happened to Cami, Tyler's sister and Kendra's childhood best friend, after their last summer on the lake together?  Or about what happened to the families on the lake before Kendra was born?

The book tries to be about all of these things, and Bartels does manage to answer all the questions and tie up all the loose threads by the end.  The result is more than readable, if not terribly satisfying, and, one hopes, cathartic for Bartels.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

nostalgia and foreshadowing

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: This is a book of finely drawn and distinct characters. I think it must be easy when writing a book about 5 women to have them all be similar in some ways, but the Wednesday Sisters (as they call themselves) each have their own identity. Each has their own struggles and fears and joys. Through Clayton's vivid writing, we get to share all of these as each character shares them with the group and gains strength from the sharing.

An excellent book of the power of women's friendships, this is also a story of how these women, young mothers at the end of the 1960s, each react differently to the women's liberation movement and other cultural upheavals of that time.

The story is told through the eyes of one of the women, looking back from 35 years later. Her tone is nostalgic for that era (in a very progressive way), but at the same time there is repeated foreshadowing of events to come, both in the lives of the Wednesday Sisters and in the world around them. Aside from this slightly troubling dichotomy of tone, this is an enjoyable book.

FTC Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for this review.