The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly: A Review

The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly is a jam-packed combination of historical fiction and romance with a healthy dose of adventure. The final installment in the "Rose Trilogy" is released by Hyperion on August 2, 2011.

Called by The Washington Post Book World as "a master of pacing and plot," Donnelly paints with a vivid palette of espionage, blackmail, steamy romance, exotic places, women's suffrage and politics. She is a born storyteller.

Drink mint tea in a Bedouin tent after desert wanderings sustained only by water, dates and courage. Ride an omnibus as it belches and careens over London's cobblestone streets. Watch a photo shoot of an avant-garde composer in Paris as the sun sets. Vivid description flows through this narrative as it travels from 1914 London to the mountains of Nepal and the Arabian Desert.

We are reunited with old friends Fiona and Joe Bristow, Sid Malone and his wife, Dr. India Selwyn Jones. Highlighted are Seamie Finnegan, famous polar explorer and Willa Alden, the "wild rose" and apparent heroine. Willa photographs and maps the Himalayas with a prosthetic leg. Seamie can't decide what woman he loves and winds up a captain in the British navy. Handsome Max von Brandt, a German mountaineer who toys with women for his own advantage, is a colorful, man-you-love-to-hate character. Maud Selwyn Jones, a scandalous lady novelist, is married to one man and mistress to another.

Extensive period detail entrenches us in the historical setting. After seventy pages of the main characters' back stories from The Tea Rose and The Winter Rose, the book takes off at a fast clip. Women seek equal rights in England. Climbers scale mountains in Nepal. Anxious people wait for news of their loved ones at war. Love, lust, jealousy, deception and action-packed adventure intertwine. World War I looms before us. The Dali Lama, Ernest Shackleton, Lawrence of Arabia and Winston Churchill make appearances.

Author, Jennifer Donnelly, lives in the Hudson Valley of New York. She reads widely and considers research more of an art than a science. Her recently published Revolution won the American Booksellers Young Adult Book of the Year and the Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Books. A Northern Light, her coming of age book, received numerous awards. Donnelly's versatility is clear in her creation of The Rose Trilogy.

The stories from The Tea Rose (2002) and The Winter Rose (2008) are intertwined to reacquaint us with characters from the previous novels. Reading the other books in the trilogy will enhance your enjoyment of The Wild Rose, but in case you haven't, Donnelly fills us in on sufficient background. That attempt proves a bit mind-boggling due to the myriad of characters and sub-plots it produces. This reader was sad that minor roles are given to some of the characters I came to love in the first two books.

The novel does yield a refreshing dose of adventure not found in the first part of the trilogy. Their appeal lies in Donnelly's strong, never-give-up female characters, Fiona and India. That element is curiously lacking in The Wild Rose. Here, the author chooses a different tack.

A third book in any trilogy is tricky. Donnelly turns the tables on us by giving her main characters a surprising twist. In The Wild Rose, main characters Willa and Seamie are unlikable, self-absorbed people. Driven Willa uses any quest (mountain, man or fame) as a coping mechanism for her inability to accept her lost limb. When Seamie marries Jenny we are hopeful, but he soon becomes devoid of backbone or honor until the end of the book. Not villains, Willa and Seamie are simply flawed humans clawing their way out of their misery. Some readers may balk at this abrupt change in writing technique. This reviewer found it refreshing. Irritating characters can be more interesting than protagonists. Changing things up a bit is a bold author's prerogative.

Some of the book's themes converge on our current world state, elevating the book's relevance. Political intricacies, horrors of war, drug abuse, and economic crisis mirror many issues facing us today.

Despite the fact that I longed for more character development and fewer characters, I couldn't put the book down. The plot twists seemed outrageous at times, but the novel is engrossing and seductive. Donnelly has a vivid imagination and it gushes through her writing.

Hyperion graciously supplied the review copy. Opinions expressed are unbiased and wholly that of the reviewer.

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The Mystery Unfolds on "The Butcher's List"

The Butcher's List is a fantastic mystery-suspense novel written by Roger S. Williams. It is a large chapter mystery written in a unique style. Through out each chapter the author carries his readers into the lives of the town people and also into the life of the murderer.

The setting takes place in a small town called Dalton Ca. The Story opens with a new family moving into town. The father, Vince Swanson has relocated to take over the Dalton General Foods Company. Little did this family of four realize what they were now walking into.

Within a matter of days the town has been turned upside down with the disappearance of a small child. While her brother and friend were out biking they make a pit stop and deep in the brushes the brother, Mark discovers his sister's frail body. One of her legs had been cut off.

As the story continues to unfold the sheriff is faced with trying to solve the murder. Just who is this criminal. Roger S. Williams refers to him as "The Man". Now just who is "The Man". Could he be Rev. White the AME Preacher who throws out the word with a vengeance but behind closed doors he has other issues going on.

Is it the Sheriff Frank Martinez who we learn has an anger issue and a hatred for children. Throughout the book we see him using his authority to push them around. Or what about Ralph Porter, the Sheriff's assistant. He felt like he had been shafted for the position he was in..just who is "This Man". Or is it Peggie's boyfriend. All he does is lay around the house all day drinking and blaming others for why he isn't employed.

One thing I see is "This Man" is out for revenge. Something to took place in his life and he is out to get payback from the town. He wants the parents to feel the pain and agony that he is feeling. This man could be the sheriff, the preacher, the lawyer, the doctor. Come and read along with Roger S. Williams and hold on to your seat and let's see who will be next on "The Butcher's List". This man does all he can to keep one step ahead of the investigators. When they start getting to close he must add them to his list. So quietly he stalks out each of the individuals so he can stay ahead of the game. Then like a rattlesnake he leaps into motion.

A great mystery suspense for mature teens and adults. A book once you start reading you can't put down until you learn the mystery behind "The Butcher's List".

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6476497

The Immortals of Meluha and The Secret of the Nagas - Must Read Books!

The Shiva Trilogy of Books consists of three books, namely The Immortals of Meluha, The Secret of the Nagas and The Oath of the Vayuputras. This trilogy of books has been written by an Indian author, Amish Tripathi and has gone on to become best-sellers within a short period of time.

The first book in the trilogy, The Immortals of Meluha, was first published in 2010 and the second part, The Secret of the Nagas, in 2011. The author is currently working on the story of the last and final part of this mystical trilogy called The Oath of the Vayuputras which is expected to be released in 2012.

The Shiva Trilogy is a tale of epic adventure and is set in the ancient world of Meluha. Meluha is a land of prosperity and piece where all people live in harmony with others and with nature. The entire civilization is based on the principle of Lord Rama and the people living here are his descendents known as the Suryavanshis or People of the Sun. The only dark spot in all of Meluha is that they are constantly attacked by their evil neighbors, The Chandravanshis, who have enlisted the help of the terrorist tribe, The Nagas, to vanquish them.

The Immortals of Meluha, the first part in the Shiva Trilogy, introduces us to the main protagonist of the series, a simple warrior tribesman known as Shiva. Initially reluctant to leave his homeland, Shiva arrives at Meluha and falls in love with the perfect nature of life there and only after sometime discovers that he has a bigger part to play in the destiny of Meluha.

Shiva soon discovers that he has been chosen by the Gods to end the war between the Suryavanshis and the Chandravanshis and to stop the attacks of the dreaded Naga warriors. Shiva also falls in love with the beautiful Meluhan princess Sati, who initially fails to reciprocate his love for her but later, relents and also foils the terrorist attacks of the Nagas.

The second part in the Shiva Trilogy series, titled The Secret of the Nagas, has just been released and has already gone on to become a best-seller due to the massive hype and strong marketing that took place before its launch. This book will take off from where the Immortals of Meluha left and will further reveal interesting facts about Meluha, Shiva, Sati and the Nagas.

Both, The Immortals of Meluha and The Secret of the Nagas, are available at all leading bookstores although it's best to order them through some online retailer because of the amazing discounts they offer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6489930