Fourth NZIFF Session - Wadjda

My fourth session (as the film slots are called) at the NZ Int'l Film Fest was Wadjda. This movie is about a young Saudi girl who chafes at the restrictions experienced by women in Saudi Arabia. In the film we see this in her determination to make enough money to buy a bike and beat her neighbor in a bike race. I chose this film because it's the first feature-length movie filmed entirely in Saudi Arabia (where cinema is banned) and the first film to be directed by a Saudi woman.

I thought this review had some interesting points about the film: 

Waad Mohammed, a 12-year-old born and raised in Riyadh, is utterly disarming in the title role: she strikes the perfect balance between cheek and impudence, and her tomboyish grin lights up the screen.The film largely consists of little vignettes in the home and at school, and while many of them are very funny, we get an acute sense of the little everyday frustrations and burdens that Saudi women have to shoulder.

Al Mansour reveals in the film’s production notes that she often had to direct from her production van via walkie-talkie when filming in more conservative areas, but Wadjda offers the hope that for the next generation of Saudi women, things might be different. Modest as it may look, this is boundary-pushing cinema in all the best ways, and what a thrill it is to hear those boundaries creak.

Wadjda, by the way, is awesome! She's the kind of friend/daughter/sister you wish you had. Creative, ambitious, determined and independent, you root for her in every way. This is a protagonist you don't want to miss.

Interspersed with Wadjda's efforts to buy her dream bike (and if you can resist a protag who uses the religious club to further her entrepreneurial schemes then I have to assume you have no sense of humor at all!) are the challenges facing her mother in marriage. It's easy to see how Wadjda's family life shapes her as much as her ambition does.

Slice-of-life/vignette films are not usually my kind of thing but this movie is a definite exception. I highly recommend seeing it. Wadjda alone makes the film worth it but this window into Saudi life* is just as compelling.

My next and last film to see is a NZ documentary about the video game industry. Dr M is going to join me for this one so perhaps I can convince him to do a guest review.



* I thought I'd take a moment to mention a mystery series set in Saudi Arabia because many of the things described in the books came alive for me in this film. The fully covered women waiting on drivers and shopping in the malls gave me a sense of deja vu. That's good writing, yes? The author Zoe Ferraris is not a Saudi national but lived there for a time with her then-husband.

Third NZIFF Session - The Broken Circle Breakdown

My third session (as the film slots are called) at the NZ Int'l Film Fest was The Broken Circle Breakdown. This movie is about the relationship of a banjo player, Didier, in a band called 'The Broken Circle Breakdown' and eventual lead singer, Elise. I chose this film because BANJOS! Banjos in BELGIUM! And that's probably the only flipish thing I'll say because this film is pretty heavy.

I went to see this title despite what looked like heavy relationship melodrama because I love bluegrass music. I didn't realize there was much of a bluegrass community in Belgium (if I'd only known the few times I was there I would have looked out for some concerts) and it piqued my curiosity. Despite my reservations, this was probably the movie I've enjoyed the most in the theatre since Black Swan. The script was quite excellent and never fell into melodrama. There were a few scenes that I thought a little heavy-handed but, ultimately, that did not decrease my enjoyment or my admiration for the craft on display in this movie.

The screenplay is based on the play co-written by Johan Heldenburgh, who plays Didier in the film (he wasn't one of the screenplay writers). He and Veerle Baetens (Elise) were absolutely fucking fantastic! I was really impressed with their individual acting skills and with their chemistry (which no amount of training can supply). Baetens is luminescent with remarkable range. It's been a long time since I've taken so much pleasure in a performance.

In addition to the bluegrass performances scattered throughout the film, it is also set apart from standard relationship dramas in that the narrative skips in time. The movie covers about 8 years of actual time but slips back and forth as it covers the highs and lows of Didier and Elise's partnership. Narrative jumps can be anything from confusing to contrived but the style is executed superbly in this film. At no time are the jumps hard to follow and they added an intimacy to the film that would otherwise have been lost. I found that it nicely mimicked how a relationship works between two people. Never do you meet someone and start with "i was born." The way we get to know new partners/friends nicely parallels how viewers learn of the relationship between Didier and Elise.

And the bluegrass performances? Awesome! I'll be getting the soundtrack.

So, not my usual kind of film but highly recommended nonetheless. I did a double feature the day I saw this to also catch the Saudi film Wadjda. Another that is not my usual kind of movie, it ended up being just as must-see as TBCB. I'll talk about that one in another post.

 

Another one worth a read

As an opponent of "stop and frisk" tactics and the US military as an occupying force, it was interesting to see this short piece on the juxtaposition of the philosophies behind both.

Quotable

...witchcraft requires no potions, familiar spirits or magic wands. Language upon a silvered tongue affords enchantment enough.

The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie

Second NZIFF Session - Jappeloup

My second session (as the film slots are called) at the NZ Int'l Film Fest was Jappeloup. This movie depicts the real life events of show jumper Pierre Durand and his horse Jappeloup. I chose this film because HORSES!

I didn't know anything about this French horse and rider team but they were apparently quite the hit at the 1988 Olympics. The story follows the ups and downs of Durand's equestrian career and the challenges presented by the atypical (for a stadium jumper) Jappeloup. Durand was a bit atypical himself and just as prickly as his horse. It's as much a human drama as a sport or horse drama so you don't need to be into equestrian sport to enjoy this one. My one quibble was with the director not always using the camera to highlight the jumping. I'm sure it has to do with creating more drama for the non-horse person but if you're doing a Nascar film would you have endless close-ups of the tires?

I wouldn't call this one a tear jerker by any means but I did tear up at the end. I'm a sucker for sports, I adore horses, and the Olympics always make me weepy so ending this film with the 1988 Olympic performance hit all my buttons.

Next up is The Broken Circle Breakdown and Wadjda back to back tomorrow.

First NZIFF Session - Giselle

My first session (as the film slots are called) at the NZ Int'l Film Fest was Giselle. Reading the program notes tells me that this ballet was first performed in France (1841) and that this production by The Royal New Zealand Ballet is "universally acclaimed." I chose this film because it was a NZ production and because I like ballet. I should clarify that I like ballet because I think the dancers are amazing athletes not that I like ballet because I know and appreciate the history of ballet as an art form. I'm just throwing that out there so anyone reading this review knows where I'm coming from as a viewer.

Overall, the director did a mostly good job at bringing a stage performance to the screen. Two major party fouls were committed, in my opinion. The first is what can only be described as cut scenes. In between the staged ballet there were scenes of Giselle (Gillian Murphy) and Douchey Suitor (Qi Huan, whose character's name is probably Prince in Disguise or similar) in NY and Shanghai being sad. This did not work for me. The second was performer close-ups/above the waist shots while dancing was going on. The story, such as it was, was not hard to follow so I didn't need close-ups of the acting when there was dancing; it's a ballet! I don't want to miss the dancing. Also, over-acting and heavy make-up are stage necessities, in film they become comical. Bad decision to highlight them.

Giselle is a commoner who loves to dance. Douchey Suitor is a Prince who has disguised himself (for unknown reasons) as a commoner. He sees Giselle and instantly falls in love (natch!) and courts her (i'm using courts loosely as they dance for a few minutes outside her house and the courtship is complete). Turns out he woos her away from a local who we will call Rejected Suitor. Shortly thereafter a party of royals comes picnicking through the countryside near Giselle's house and we get our first view of Douchey Suitor's fiance (hence DOUCHEY Suitor). Later, Rejected Suitor reveals the princeliness of our hero and calls the royals back with the special Royal Calling Horn the prince had hidden away earlier. Giselle is so sad she dances herself to death. Well, that's unfair, they were not her best dances so perhaps she was despondently dancing and then could never snap out of it and so died. (I think I prefer that second interpretation since everyone stood around and watched her and I'd like to think they would have stopped her from exercising herself to death.) End Act One.

I enjoyed the second act much more because there was more dancing (less acting/story) which was why I was there. The second act is full of a bunch of female wraiths who had such uninteresting lives that when they were left nearly/at the alter they died and have been dancing forever in the afterlife. So, not the most interesting cast of characters for the second act but I loved the dancing. Leading Wraith was phenomenal. She and her Wraith Chorus performed several beautiful sets (or whatever they are called) and spent the rest of the time alternately rejecting and judging Wraith Giselle for dancing with Douchey Suitor now that she's a wraith. There was a bizarre section where Rejected Suitor was harassed by the wraiths. I didn't really get that. Other than not taking rejection graciously he really didn't do anything that should warrant wraith harassment. Oh well. The dancing in the second act was well worth any weird story stuff. Huan's character might have been douchey but he was a powerful dancer (I found it very difficult to stop staring at his rugby thighs) with amazing grace. Murphy was also quite good (though I found her to be overshadowed by Leading Wraith in the second act) so I got what I went for: ballet dancing.

Now I'm off to watch a French film about a horse show jumper. I'll report back on that one later. For now, the Giselle trailer is below and here's a cool ballet dancer link I coincidentally saw today.

In defense of dialects

I was born in, and most of my family still live in, a dialect heavy region of the US. While most regions have dialects some are more noticeable than others. I've always been fascinated by those who look down on dialects and mildly interested in this phenomenon in my not-at-all-a-linguist way. More practically, it's made me That Person who will always speak up in defense of dialects. But never so well as in this example.

What I find as fascinating as dialects is the fluidity of speech contained within one speaker. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, most everyone's speech alters for a given situation. Whether it be the use of in-group slang or an actual modification of an accent/dialect, almost everyone does it. In my everyday conversation the only regionally specific marker* I use with regularity is "y'all." However, when I'm visiting family my speech alters so greatly that my jaw is actually sore at the end of the day. Amazingly, I don't even notice it's happening until after my jaw has alerted me to the fact that I'm clearly not speaking in my adult default way. I don't actually ever fall into the full dialect as I moved so much as a child that I never fully learned the dialect in the first place. However, the parts of it I picked up as a youth are definitely still lurking in my brain. Fascinating!

I was talking about accents with a Dutch colleague back when I lived in The Netherlands as I had come to the point in my time there that I could hear a few of the different Dutch dialects (don't think this means I could speak or understand the language with anything approaching fluency, though:). He relayed a story about visiting his family in the north with his son. He immediately drops into the local dialect when with family but his son was not raised there so he gaped at his father who had just adopted a completely different dialect. Again, fascinating!


*Dr M would probably refute this as he often points out little bits of my speech that are markers for my region of birth. 

Recently Read

After a hot streak I've been suffering from some duds. No mini-reviews this time... just a few words. But I'd love some recommendations to get me off the Dud Train.


recommended
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
--actually this should be super highly recommended. this might be my favorite title read so far this year. keep meaning to post a review.

The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge
--very cool world with excellent characters. only drawback for me was the idea that i was supposed to think Sparks/Starbuck was worth dallying over.

13 Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis by Robert F. Kennedy
--reviewed here



undecided
Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge
--i'm a bit burned out on alternate british history but this world was intriguing and the protagonist is freaking awesome. loved her! however, this one seems geared to the younger half of "young adult" which tends to lose me as a reader.

Where Serpents Sleep by C. S. Harris
--interesting mystery (and cool motive for Hero Jarvis' interest) but i think it could have been much shorter and i ended up skipping lots of words. how many times do i need to be told about Jarvis wearing alpaca or about how St. Cyr doesn't really like her?

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson
--still reading this one but it's easy to put down. love the setting and societal structure but it moves pretty slowly. i own this so will probably eventually finish it so it will have a chance to improve. if it was a library book i would just return it...

Joyland by Stephen King
--still reading this one, too. i feel like i'm supposed to like the main character because it's a first person perspective so he's leading the action but he just seems like an asshole who needs to get a life. maybe that's what the book is about (along with the mystery) and i own it so i will probably finish it. also, i'm so compelled to comment on his extremely poor relationship skills* that i plan to review it and i prefer to finish books i plan to review.
*for anyone who has read this title, i don't mean in comparison to his ex, her relationship skills are awful, too. he's going to get the commentary because his perspective allows me to see his thought process.



not recommended
Dreamfall by Joan D. Vinge
--after enjoying Cat's first two books so much i found myself mostly bored reading this one. spending time with the Hydrans was a great addition to the world building but overall the story was predictable and didn't seem to add much to Cat's journey.

Lifelode by Jo Walton
--really cool style/narrative structure, interesting world, but spent the second half mostly bored (which is extra off-putting due to it being the heart of why the story was being told in the first place) and what originally seemed like a fascinating set of characters devolved into mostly petty bickering.

Lirael by Garth Nix
--the imaginative world gets precedence over story and that gets boring to me. i've started to skip a lot and actually haven't finished it yet. i *might* finish this one but it belongs to the library so if i don't finish it before this week's trip i plan to return it. oi! that doesn't say much for being interested in the ending. the world is quite imaginative which is nice but the two MCs never go for long without whinging on about not fitting in (in a book of over 500pgs that's a lot of whinging). i don't think of myself as having a short attention span but it's obviously shorter than your average teenager because they seem to gobble Nix up.
bonus points for being a fantasy world with men AND women... women who get to do things other than be the silent incubators of more men who get to do things. 



did not finish
Fall of a Kingdom by Hilari Bell
--read about half of this before i gave up. really liked the persian setting which is what kept me reading as long as i did. the characters left me cold and i couldn't get interested in the plot.
bonus points for being a fantasy world with men AND women... women who get to do things other than be the silent incubators of more men who get to do things.

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer
--i might have finished this one if i hadn't just read Fly by Night. this is another that is on the younger end of young adult and i didn't have the patience to read another. great setting, though!!!!

Half a Crown by Jo Walton
--i was so impressed with the writing style of Lifelode that i wanted to try another Walton. got about halfway through (would not have read that far if i wasn't newly familiar with the author) and was just bored. writing style was completely different. liked the watch commander a lot but with the plot moving so slowly i couldn't stick with him. also, this world is not to my taste... plus my alternate british history burnout.

13 Days by Robert F. Kennedy

Title: 13 Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis
Author: Robert F. Kennedy
Publisher: Pan Books Ltd (1969)

Have I mentioned lately that Michael is awesome? It really can't be said enough and this month will show us another example: he's doing two movies for the book I picked!!! That's right, two! I've always liked the movie Thirteen Days and I thought it would be a nice addition to our series. Turns out a person shouldn't assume books and movies of the same title about the same thing are necessarily based on each other. But, again, Michael is awesome so he queued up the actual movie based on this book and that other movie about the same thing that I like.
 
For those that are new to our monthly series, this is when Michael reviews a film adapted from a book which gets a review here.

Click here for Michael's film review of The Missiles of October/Thirteen Days

at It Rains... You Get Wet

"You are in a pretty bad fix, Mr. President." The President answered quickly. "You are in it with me."

This succinct memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis is a fascinating look not only at the events surrounding the placement of nuclear warheads into Cuba but of the philosophy of dealing with a crisis. It is virtually impossible to separate Kennedy's description of the events from his thoughts on the obligations and responsibilities of those called to respond to crises. I have not found government officials this inspiring in a very long time.

He [RFK] demonstrated then, as I have seen him do on so many other occasions before and since, a most extraordinary combination of energy and courage, compassion and wisdom.
--Robert McNamara

The events of the Cuban Missile Crisis are inherently exciting and tense but this is not the type of memoir prone to the grandiose. If anything, it is focused and generous. RFK sets forth a clear record of the days he spent in council with Ex Comm and the president responding, sometimes hourly, to the USSR's provocation. It's generous in that RFK highlights what was brought to the table by each of the committee members rather than judging or blaming individuals whose opinions varied greatly from his own.

And so we argued, and so we disagreed - all dedicated, intelligent men, disagreeing and fighting about the future of their country, and of mankind.

What becomes abundantly clear is that multiple opinions and viewpoints was integral to what RFK thought was the committee's strength as an advisory body. He never misses a chance to point out that comprehensive information and detailed contingency plans for all recommended courses of action are what enabled JFK to act appropriately during this global, nuclear crisis.

It might be this aspect of the memoir that was most captivating to me. It's a crisis we know the end of, it's a crisis that comes with its own 'dramatic tension' but what may not be known is the absolute dedication of both brothers to have all possible information and not be hasty. JFK did not want the Russians backed into a corner from which they could not gracefully exit. It was the ultimate in think globally (a mistake now will almost surely lead to world devastation) but act locally (our national security is threatened, how do we fix this without precipitating war).

The strongest argument against the all-out military attack, and one no one could answer to his satisfaction, was that a surprise attack would erode if not destroy the moral position of the United States throughout the world. 

I'm the last person who's going to opine modern morals as inferior to the Greatness of the Good Old Days but an additional theme of the decision making during this crisis was: Can we justify what we're going to do? Will the world support what we do? Appropriate answers to these questions were vital to anything JFK might decide. Again, it's clear that Kennedy believed any decision made by a super power had to serve that super power but also had to serve the greater world responsibility any super power has. How inspiring!

Miscalculation and misunderstanding and escalation on one side bring a counter-response. No action is taken against a powerful adversary in a vacuum. A government or people will fail to understand this only at their great peril. For that is how wars begin -- wars that no one wants, no one intends, and no one wins.

Reading this book left me feeling much as I did when I read Don't Shoot by David M. Kennedy: could people who make policy decisions please also read this book? Read it, learn from it, pay attention and apply that knowledge. Emotion and knee-jerk reaction almost never end well. Careful consideration and analysis improve everyone's chances of making the correct decision at the right time. My little scientist heart just soars when I see good analysis. 

He did not want anyone to be able to write... that the United States had not done all it could to preserve the peace. We were not going to misjudge, or miscalculate, or challenge the other side needlessly, or precipitously push our adversaries into a course of action that was not intended or anticipated.

Neither brother ever forgot that this was as much a human crisis as a nuclear crisis. How hard to push was a carefully orchestrated gesture that would be just hard enough and come with UN/Latin American support. This memoir shows the delicate and elegant dance that is international relations. It shows the success that deliberate and visionary problem solvers can enact in the face of great pressure. How inspiring!



So about the movie... don't forget to check out Michael's post.


rating: 4 of 5 stars




Click here for an index of the joint post series

Reading Roundup

Quick notes:
Still haven't got my brain working properly to write a few words on the Flowers From the Storm audiobook. I keep trying to sit down to write something useful and all that comes out is: so much awesome. (tears) didn't know the book could get better. (joy) just listen. (more joy). holy shit the ending. (tears) Yeah, seriously, I cried! I've read that book more times than I can count but this is the first time I cried! Also, just started Code Name Verity (my library didn't have any more of Wein's Aksum series) and I'm totally hooked. This book is fantastic and flat out engrossing. And after gobbling up some Vinge I'm so full of joy smiles satisfaction at being on a good reading run. Yay!



Title: Paladin of Souls/The Hallowed Hunt
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Publisher: Harper Voyager (2003, 2005)

These are next after The Curse of Chalion. Paladin is about the dowager Ista and it is awesome. And so is she! The gods are back meddling with the poor wee humans and Bujold's amazing characterization/plotting are, of course, around while she enriches the world she introduced in Chalion. The Hallowed Hunt is about some people who do some stuff... I didn't finish it. Stick with just the first two in this trilogy.

Paladin: recommended
Hallowed: not recommended

Title: A Coalition of Lions
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Publisher: Viking Juvenile (2003)

I mentioned in a previous post that I finally got around to reading The Winter Prince which is a retelling of the King Arthur legend... it begins Wein's Aksum series and I'd thought I'd read 2 and 3 from the series. I picked this title up again (#2) and realized I didn't finish it the first time. I remember why I didn't finish it and it was a mistake. Coalition follows Goewin who has fled Britain after the high kings' deaths for help from her allies in Aksum (Ethiopia). There she encounters complicated politics that involve her fiance (the British ambassador in Aksum), the kingdom's heir, and her Aksumite ambassador who escorted her to Aksum. Oh, and she meets her nephew (son of Medraut) who lives with his mother and grandfather. Loved the world, loved the characters! It's been a few years since I read The Sunbird but I would say this one edges it as the better between the two. Have not read the two newest in the series.

recommended

Title: Borrower of the Night
Author: Elizabeth Peters
Publisher: Dodd Mead (1973)

I picked this one up as I was attracted to a mystery without a PI/former cop/succubus or similar as the protag and I ended up really liking Vicki Bliss but, in the end, the series was too dated for me. Too many gender based jokes, too few female allies... but Bliss did intrigue me so I went ahead and tried another (Silhouette in Scarlet) since the Bliss character had a lot of potential for me but, in the end, my first impression of the series won out and this series is not for me.

not recommended


Title: Psion/Catspaw
Author: Joan D. Vinge
Publisher: Delacorte Press (1982); Warner Books (1988)
I read the newer Tor editions...

Cat is a poor, disenfranchised Oldcity dweller on a planet which has become the new Hub of interstellar human commerce. He's picked up yet again by Security personnel but given an alternative to prison: take a test, see if you are a psion. Psions are a minority group of humans who have tele powers (be they pathic, kinetic, or otherwise). Cat is unaware of his latent skills but is willing to avoid prison. For the first time in his life he becomes part of a group, has a safe place to live and meals to eat. If it seems too good to be true, it is; he'll soon find himself caught up in complicated interstellar schemes but the real heart of this novel is what it's like to be caught up in the schemes of humans, be they carefully crafted or emotionally tangled. And I'm only describing Psion! Catspaw continues with the interstellar politics but again focuses astutely and acutely on themes of what it means to have humanity, the temptations of power, the plight of the have-nots, prejudice, greed, fear and loathing. This is not light reading but it is worthwhile reading. My poking about the internets has revealed that Catspaw is generally thought to be the cat's pajamas (hee!) but I think I liked Psion just a little better. Both are very good so it's splitting hairs but I thought I'd mention it.

both recommended



As is probably obvious, I've been reading a lot of sf/fantasy of late. I need to take a moment to talk about awful cover art. Because seriously why does sf/fantasy trend towards awful cover art? Fantasy titles have better odds here (and some fantasy books have some truly beautiful covers) but, holy fuck, the sf covers are almost 100% just plain terrible. Am I just getting unlucky here? Can anyone point me towards some beautiful sf cover art? I also find sf cover art is often inaccurate. Body types and especially skin color are so off from what is described that I wonder if it's even supposed to be for the book I'm reading. Ugh!


What have you been reading lately?

The Long Answer

My Time With Captain Cordelia Naismith's Son

One of the author crossovers for Megan Whalen Turner fans is Lois McMaster Bujold and her Vorkosigan series is oft recommended to me. I loved Cordelia's Honor (which I've mentioned before) but only tepidly made it through a Miles book many moons ago. I decided to not mention to my fellow mwt fans how little Miles interested me due to the, as far as I could tell, universal love of Miles by my fellow fans. Time passed, my little Miles aversion remained hidden but a confession to discussion with jmc inspired me to give him another chance. She directed me to some of the later books in the series and I gave it a go again. I'm still not a fan of his series (though you wouldn't know it if you've been checking out my recently read stuff on goodreads) but I know exactly why now.




What I Like About Miles:
His refusal to accept "conventional wisdom" limitations. His loyalty. His faith in second chances. His "trust beyond reason." (I think that's the way Cordelia was described which gets him his mother's "results beyond hope.") He doesn't ask for more than he gives. His commitment to enthusiastic consent. :)

What I Don't Like About the Series/Miles:
I listed the heading that way because what I don't like about Miles is basically what I don't like about the series. I loathe Barrayar as a character. I don't find its social situations interesting as conflict for a series. If anyone has any links to articles/interviews with Bujold as to why she picked such a culture for her centerpiece culture I'd love to read them. I'm sure reasons for not liking Barrayar are pretty obvious (Quinn and I have identical thoughts on the issue) but I find the whole set-up so done. It's what's already been done, it's what's being done now (just see the news about this recent event in Texas where, incidentally, citizens who wish to participate in the political process are seen as disruptive), and these characters aren't bringing anything new to the struggle. Maybe that's the point, I don't know but repetitive social problems without new applications of conquering said leaves me cold. And Miles is so Barrayaran. In a feat of characterization that impresses me no end he's galactic but psychologically enmeshed with that "backwards hole." Ugh. Specific things that stand out to me about the Barrayar Issue that I can't let go of while reading.


1. Miles' determination to be successful with "the hand he was dealt" is completely self-serving. His actions are to prove that he can still be Vor and worthy but he doesn't seem to participate in any way with a greater representation of disabled/disadvantaged Barrayarans. How is this being part of the vanguard for galactizing Barrayar?

2. I read somewhere that Bujold chose for Miles to be disabled as it would be one of the hardest things her characters, Aral and Cordelia, could go through being parents on Barrayar but, in fact, she should have made him female. He is assumed to be a mutant on a mutant-phobic planet and yet he still managed to get to the Academy and get into Imperial Service. Turns out a vagina is even more disabling on Barrayar.

3. Miles doesn't escape Barrayar's patriarchal respect for women. I find this line from Mirror Dance particularly telling: "Miles sometimes wondered how much of his on-going maintenance of the Dendarii Mercenaries was really service to Imperial Security, how much was the wild self-indulgence of a very questionable aspect of his own faceted--or fractured--personality and how much was a secret gift to Elena Bothari." How revoltingly insulting! To me, this is the equivalent of his parents coming up to him and handing him a Miles-scaled Barrayar with lower physical requirements because without them doing that he would not have had his successful life as a result of his choices and hard work. (To be fair, I think Cordelia later pointed out the fallacy of this as a strategy with Ekaterin's garden. Cordelia is so awesome.)

4. Marriage is death to female characters getting to do much of anything interesting on the page. I know the series is about Miles but do the wives have to end up in the hinted at behind the scenes stuff all the time? I find Ekaterin to be the most egregious example of this. Seeing her in Komarr and A Civil Campaign and then comparing that to her "have you eaten anything yet sweetie" and "you just listen to him right now" role in Diplomatic Immunity makes me sad. (This is where you need to hear Cordelia saying Barrayarans! as a curse.)

5. Miles accepts his mother's love/respect without question but has to perform worthwhile work to obtain his father's??? See #3.

6. This isn't a Barrayar specific issue but the series is riddled with darker skin being described with food (and sometimes even as exotic!) which maybe it's time to move past that in the literary landscape we are living in today. Unless, of course, we're going to start using exotic water chestnut hues (or similar) to describe lighter skin.


What I Do Like About the Series:
The world building. The humor. The characterization. The variety of characters. It can break your heart. Good people do bad things. Bad people do good things. Cordelia makes appearances. The MC shows that determination and persistence are more important than convention based limitations.


Below are the titles I've read and some thoughts. All titles by Baen Publishing. Click here for publication dates and internal chronological order of titles if interested.

Shards of Honor/Barrayar
As I've mentioned before, I love Cordelia with the power of a thousand burning suns and these books are on my keeper shelf and warrant rereads.

The Warrior's Apprentice
While my admiration for Miles' persistence was high, I find the inferior to daddy complex tedious and most of the time was just wishing I was reading another book about Cordelia. I also find Miles' idea of what he needs to do to be worthy of his father to be weird (does he not see the same Aral I see?). I actually think it's a displaced Barrayar complex but he expresses it as an inferior to Aral complex.

The Borders of Infinity (novella)
This has ended up being my favorite of the entire series. The amount of enjoyment I get out of a Miles title is indirectly proportional to the amount of Barrayarness that creeps into the story.

Brothers in Arms
Liked this one well enough. Ivan, Quinn and Cordelia are my faves* in this series so I like situations that heavily involve Ivan. I find his later appearances in the series to be jarringly off from our introduction to him as the guy who importuned Elena when she was young. Are we to assume that Ivan smarted up (he is also a great supporter of enthusiastic consent) or that Bujold didn't initially imagine him as so large a character in the series?

*Sergeant Bothari is one of the most fascinating characters of the series but it's difficult to list him as a fave due to his complexity.

Mirror Dance
Was really enjoying this one until the torture-porn made its appearance. Was Mark not interesting enough already?

Memory
Can't really decide on this one. I like Illyan so the mystery surrounding his condition was interesting but it felt a bit like MC cheating for Miles to do something so destructive and then get rewarded with a second career.

Komarr
Can I still count this as a favorite if I skimmed almost everything that wasn't Ekaterin? No matter, the final conversation between her and Miles makes the entire novel worth it. I was laughing my ass off.

A Civil Campaign
I think it says a lot that I like this one despite it being completely on Barrayar. The plot moppet stuff got a bit over the top and cloying, though.

Diplomatic Immunity
I love the quaddies but Ekaterin was a disappointment.

Captain Vorpatril's Alliance
Good times with Ivan but this book felt really series dependent. Like a twenty year summer camp reunion where everyone is "just happy to be here." Plus you have these two awesome women who lose all initiative once they are on the page with a Barrayaran. Barrayar strikes again.


I didn't read these in the order listed and found there really is no need at all. Any pertinent plot/character points from previous novels get explained to the reader. I don't care for this technique so didn't always read the re-caps.


My top three Miles books:
The Borders of Infinity (novella)
Mirror Dance (sans torture-porn)
Komarr


Miles fans, your top three?

Discover America

Grantland is a lot like Facebook for me. They are both laid out and updated in a way my brain finds counter-intuitive to genuine engagement. As such, I tend to go v. long periods without visiting. Dr M was kind enough to give me a heads up that one of my favorite contributors is doing a road trip series. So far, this one has made me laugh the most.

And while we're on the subject, why oh why did Mark Harris only do one year of Oscarmetrics???? Why isn't he submitting more movie articles??? :(

Well Said

I don't know any of the backstory that led to this open letter post but it's a beautiful post regardless of whether or not you know the background and well worth a close read.

It doesn’t have to be this way, and it doesn’t have to go on forever.  As a species we cannot conduct ourselves in this manner.  As creations of the Living G-d, we are commanded to be better.  You and I are both the descendants of people who lived, fought, died, suffered so that we could be better in our own time.  I’m disappointed but I’m not heartless.  And better yet, praise G-d I ain’t hopeless.

Love is in the Air!

In Star Wars: The Old Republic the character you play has a series of companions. Some of these companions can be wooed. The character I play with the most has a companion I can never have any interest in due to his supremely stupid comment after my ship was stolen. I refuse to woo him in any way though he is a possibility. What I really wish the developers had done was put in the option of wooing your co-op player. My co-op player and I joke about this all the time. I think I have finally succeeded with her. Look at that loving gesture! She says it was an accident... ha!

The Constant Gardener by John le Carre

Title: The Constant Gardener
Author: John le Carre
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton (2001)


I was doing a bit of personal admin before writing this up and I noticed that last month was the three year anniversary of Michael and me (I? oh my grammar challenges) doing these posts together. I don't think either of us mentioned (or noticed?) that. Michael noted that it was science fiction that started it all for us, which was the genre of last month's choice, but I'm going to take a moment here to raise a glass to three years of community that all started with an innocent request by me for Michael to do a specific movie review.

For those that are new to our monthly series, this is when Michael reviews a film adapted from a book which gets a review here.

Click here for Michael's film review of The Constant Gardener

at It Rains... You Get Wet

In the last three years we've done a few fun twists to our posts (Free Fall anyone?) and I've realized belatedly that I should have asked for a twist again this month. I tried reading this book a few years back and never finished it. I liked the movie so much that I wanted it to be a part of our series so I thought I'd try again... I should have asked to do the review twist of me taking the movie. Ah, well. When faced with not quite knowing how to arrange a review I'm not that keen on, I steal AW's format and plunge ahead.


Premise:
   From the author's website -

Tessa Quayle has been horribly murdered on the shores of Lake Turkana in Northern Kenya, the birthplace of mankind. Her putative African lover, a doctor with one of the aid agencies, has disappeared. Her husband, Justin, a career diplomat and amateur gardener at the British High Commission in Nairobi, sets out on a personal odyssey in pursuit of the killers and their motive.

His quest takes him to the Foreign Office in London, across Europe and Canada and back to Africa, to the very spot where Tessa died.

Cover:
  This cover gets a big thumbs up from me. I love simple covers that have a clear connection with the book. Even better if you have to actually read the story to understand the cover.


First Sentence:

"The news hit the British High Commission in Nairobi at nine-thirty on a Monday morning."

 
   I normally remove this section but I kept it this time simply to remind myself of whose head you're in for the first sentence. The POV is third person throughout and the first 100+ pages are in Woodrow's head. This was a bold choice by the author, imo, because Woodrow is one dark hallway away from being a rapist. Spending one hundred pages in his skeevy head is why I didn't finish the book the first time. I believe I shoved it under a rock and then went to take a shower.


What Works:
  The plot, the writing, and the characterization are all fantastic. It's incredible to me that I can like so much about this book but still not really like this book all that much. le Carre is a wonderfully gifted writer and it's a pleasure to experience his work. However, my appreciation was all in the craft. I was never that invested in the narrative. It even features a bit of the unreliable narrator slant and I still wasn't all that much into it. Bizarre how a thing like chemistry can matter when reading. Me and this book, we did not click.


What Doesn't:
   Obviously those first 100+ pages with the disgusting perv are high on my list of what doesn't work. But even when past that, I was still not satisfied and it took almost the entire length of the book for me to put my finger on it: it's the perspective. All the mystery and the excitement has already happened. The reader is just playing catch up. Tessa is an amazing individual who committed herself to an extraordinary path for justice and we don't get any of it. Additionally, her research into the Three Bees drug trials being performed in Africa would have resulted in numerous encounters with folks "in the fray" trying to understand what was going on. Why is this story told after her death via Justin's journey? What did that storytelling lens add? These are not rhetorical questions: I'm genuinely curious as to an answer from someone who likes the book as it stands. My thoughts are that we missed so much of the really interesting stuff that would have been going on while Tessa was doing her work. To me, the only thing its structure adds that might not have otherwise been part of the story is the question of Tessa's fidelity. And is that little tid bit worth it? Hardly. I say all this while quite liking Justin's character. His arc is definitely interesting but so overshadowed by what I would rather have been reading that I never was able to invest in him fully.


Overall:
   The plot is truly the centerpiece of this work. My ambiguities aside, a look at big pharma as it exploits whoever it wants to make a profit is fascinating, frightening and necessary. This is a work of fiction but if you hesitate to believe that it touches precisely on truth then you might want to learn more about how drug companies work.

le Carre included this fantastic quote at the beginning of the novel:

Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp,

Or what's a heaven for?

Andrea del Sarto by Robert Browning

So about the movie... I love it but let's leave that discussion for Michael's post.


rating: 3 of 5 stars



Click here for an index of the joint post series

Reading Roundup

Title: The Curse of Chalion
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Publisher: HarperCollins (2001)

This is an alternate historical fantasy title (recommended by jmc) centered around the politics of royals and political boundaries. The fantastical comes in the form of a religion that worships five gods who sometimes take notice of the wee mortals just trying to survive. I was completely sucked into the world (Bujold is a champ at world building) and really enjoyed the characters, as well. Interestingly, I predicted an alternate (and darker) ending. Interesting because I don't usually think much on endings (I like to let them come rather than figure them out) and because [SPOILER! Highlight if interested: I swear there is a way more obvious way to count three deaths for Caz and it would have made for a helluvan ending. He would have died in my ending but I always thought he was going to die. It was a huge surprise to me when he didn't.] I don't think of myself as a particularly dark person but I did think this one wrapped up a little too nicely (Caz, I'm sure, would disagree:). The suffering was all in the journey with an ending that felt really shiny with a nice, red bow. Characters and plot, though, are fantastic so there is lots to like here.

recommended


Title: Memory, A Civil Campaign
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Publisher: Baen Publishing (1996, 1999)

I often get the Miles Vorkosigan books recommended to me (that series has a lot of fan crossover with megan whalen turner's books) but have never actually been able to finish one. I find myself spending most of my time wishing Cordelia Naismith was around because I'd really rather be reading her adventures. This time I decided to get reinforcements before heading back into the fray (thanks again jmc) and it helped to an extent. I did finish both these titles but I was still mostly wishing I was reading about Cordelia. For whatever reason, Miles just does not grab me like his mother does. I think I have a really hard time relating to rabidly ambitious, must live up to dad/granddad type characters. After pining after Cordelia for two books, I re-read Shards of Honor and Barrayar to get my fix. Reading all four of these fairly close together helped me to realize that I don't care for Barrayar at all (or the types of plots/problems its world allows) and it was really coloring my enjoyment of Memory and A Civil Campaign. So. Perhaps I can get into a Miles title if I just get the right setting. (This is so bizarre for me! I rarely give a series/character this much time if I'm not interested. Guess that's what lots of spare time does for you.:) So, so, so. I read over the series' summaries and would like to try The Vor Game or Ethan of Athos. Sadly, neither title is available at my library so I am going to try again for The Warrior's Apprentice. I think I will just skip the beginning on Barrayar as that's where I lost interest before.

Shards of Honor/Barrayar: recommended
Still not sure on any others...



Title: The Winter Prince
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Publisher: Atheneum Books (1993)

This is the first book in a series that ties a King Arthur retelling with the kingdom of Aksum (Ethiopia). I read books 2 and 3 in the series and quite liked the Aksum setting but ended up being a little unable to get wholly invested in the characters. Flash forward a few years and I finally decided to pick this one up. Very glad I did. The British setting is not nearly as interesting (to me) but the family dynamics between Artos' children were awesome and I was definitely hooked. I think I'm going to go after books 2 and 3 again and see if more knowledge of the back story helps with the characters.

recommended


Title: Court Duel/Crown Duel
Author: Sherwood Smith
Publisher: Firebird (2002), originally published as two titles beginning in 1997

I wanted to like these books! I wanted to like them so much that I actually finished them even though my interest was not high. The first section of the first book really had me hooked but it petered out quickly whenever the h/h action was in play. I think if the romantic subplot had been completely cut from the first novel it would have improved markedly. There's a lot to like here: brave, assertive heroine choosing to fight the good fight for her kingdom; a world populated with males and (gasp!) females in fairly equal numbers (you know, like how biology works); and plenty of intrigue to keep the reader guessing on who exactly the good guys/gals are. But our otherwise smart heroine does some pretty dumb shit. She's young and naive but there is a limit to how many times she can misunderstand the actions of others (mostly just this one other) before she starts to look dumb rather than cautious. It started to feel like an artificial way of creating romantic tension rather than an interesting plot or characterization issue. Anyone read anything else by this author? Should I try again with another title?

not recommended


Title: Any Duchess Will Do
Author: Tessa Dare
Publisher: Avon Books (2013)

I haven't read a new-to-me romance in quite a while. I just can't seem to find anything that holds my interest or inspires me. I saw some good buzz on this one but... meh. Nothing particularly wrong with it but its cloying nature and unrealistic class issues left me cold. I did, however, quite like the hero's mom. Her wit and mentorish role for the heroine make for good times whenever she was on the page.

not recommended


Right now I'm working on the Midsummer Moon audio (I have not adjusted to Shelby's voice!), re-reading the Dreamblood books that I managed to dig out of a box (final move next weekend, yay! all boxes will be unpacked), re-reading The Eagle of the Ninth, and planning my next library raid.

What have you been reading lately?

Continuum 9 Guest of Honor Speech

Anyone who has stopped by before knows I'm a big fan of N.K. Jemisin's fiction (trust me, it's awesome, give it a try!) but she's an awesome human, too, and her guest of honor speech is just another illustration of that awesomeness. Give it a read and be inspired!


Sadly, there are people in this world who are not awesome (or even just average). Jemisin herself highlighted this cogent response to the vile behavior of certain individuals. Read it and be inspired to SPEAK UP!

Death Sticks

*snicker*

Very fun comic. Educational, too!

hat tip: Dr M

High Speed Cams are Sweet

The Prince of Midnight Audiobook, or A Wholly Unexpected Event

Title: The Prince of Midnight
Author: Laura Kinsale
Narrator: Nicholas Boulton
Publisher: Hedgehog Inc (2013)

I knew Laura Kinsale's novels would be coming available in audio but, beyond savoring the new cover art (which you can find at the previous link but here it is again because the art is lovely and you should definitely check it out), I wasn't planning on adding another format to my Kinsale library. Despite LK choosing (and raving about) the narrator, I just didn't see being able to let anyone else's interpretation be a part of my precious, precious Kinsale romances.

The days continued to pass after the audio announcement in the newsletter, and Kinsale's praise of the narrator only got higher and higher. It definitely piqued my interest (I even went so far as to listen to a sample) but I still wasn't ready to take the leap. Then the first title came available and Beth, an even bigger fan than me, took that leap and wrote this review and what I thought were very high walls around my Kinsale treasures cracked and I surfed over to Audible... If things went south I could always turn it off and not listen to any others, right?

So there I was, queuing up what I never thought I'd queue up, and listening. And listening... and listening... and oh holy fuck it was glorious! It was amazing! It was fantastic! It was falling in love all over again with one of my favorite books! I was floored. I never expected this.

I've read The Prince of Midnight countless times but never has that last scene outside of the party (ridotto?) hit me like it did this time. Wow! Just wow! Not only am I prepared to immediately start TPoM over again in audio, I simply CANNOT WAIT for the rest of them. I've now gobbled up the other available samples (one of which is Flowers From the Storm!!!!) and I plan to listen to them all. Yes! ALL!!! That means not only the aforementioned Flowers From the Storm, but also For My Lady's Heart, Uncertain Magic and even The Shadow and the Star!!

I never expected this!

What I have been unable to decide is whether or not Nicholas Boulton and I read TPoM identically or if he has managed to read it with perfect conveyance but no intrusion. Either way, I remain stunned. So thank you Laura Kinsale for writing these wonderful books and picking a dynamite narrator and thank you Nicholas Boulton for the considerable skill you have brought to a beloved title. And, of course, thanks to Beth for giving me the courage to listen.  :)

And speaking of that considerable skill... I see that NB also does "additional voices" in Star Wars: The Old Republic. I now consider myself part of an audio scavengar hunt and will be listening for his voice whenever I play.