★★★
GENRE: mystery
SUBJECT: baby trafficking
Setting: Venice, Italy
CHARACTERS: Guido Bruneti, Inspector Vianello, Dr. Pedrolli
DATE READ: November 1 - November 9
NO. OF PAGES: 288
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?: yes, audio stockpile
PLOT:....................................................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.00
STYLE:..................................................................3.00
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.00
Threshold Quality.................................................3.00
Average..............................................................................................3.00
This Brunetti installment begins with a late night raid on a home where an apparent illegally adopted child resides. Brunetti's investigation delves into the morality of unwanted children being "sold" for adoption.
Ms Leon takes the reader through the corruption in the medical records arena and leaves the reader wondering if the illegal adoptions are really wrong.
Another enjoyable installment.
★★★½
GENRE: Historical Fiction
SUBJECT: Crusades, Christianity
Setting: Sicily, Palestine,
CHARACTERS: Richard I - the LionHearted, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Joanna of Sicily, Phillipe of France, Berengaria of Navarre, Henri of Champagne, Conrad of Montferrat, Hugh Duke of Burgundy, Saladin
DATE READ: October 29 - November 14
NO. OF PAGES: 665
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?: no, new purchase
PLOT:....................................................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.50
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.50
STYLE:..................................................................3.50
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................4.00
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.50
Threshold Quality.................................................3.50
Average..............................................................................................3.50
Eleanor of Aquitaine, a "barren queen" for Louis of France bore 4 sons for Henry II. The most notable and her favorite was Richard known as the Lionheart. After his older brother Hal's and his father's deaths, Richard became the King of the England and ruled Normandy, Aquitaine, and all the other little duchies that Henry had amassed as well but Richard was a warrior and had pledged to take the Cross and liberate Jerusalem.
Shortly after he was crowned, Richard, along with Phillipe of France, headed toward the Holy Land. He stopped in Sicily, liberated his widowed sister, married his bride from Navarre, captured Cyprus, and freed Acre once in the Holy Land. Single-minded in his quest, this skilled battle commander recklessly endangered himself to protect his own forces throughout numerous battles.
However, Richard was no diplomat and quickly alienated not only his ally, Phillipe of France, but also Conrad of Montferrat (new King of Jerusalem) and Hugh Duke of Burgundy.
Unfortunately, without the complete support of the other Christian commanders, Richard was unable to fully liberate Jerusalem from he Muslim control and was forced to a peace where the Holy Land was open to Christians but still occupied by Muslims.
This was a fascinating story filing in the portion of Richard's life that was engrossed by his quest to free the Holy Land. Very few books that I have read deal with this time in his life and I was completely engrossed.
Challenge Book#91
★★¾
GENRE: History
SUBJECT: compromise, family
Setting: England
CHARACTERS: Elizabeth of York, Henry VII, Edward IV, Richard III, Margaret Beaufort, Prince Arthur, Prince Henry, Katherine of Aragon
DATE READ: October 14 - October 26
NO. OF PAGES: 608
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?: yes, NetGalley
PLOT:....................................................................3.00
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................3.00
STYLE:..................................................................2.50
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................2.50
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................2.50
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.00
Threshold Quality.................................................3.00
Average..............................................................................................2.75
The War of the Roses - House of York with its white rose and the House of Lancaster with its red rose - was brought to an end when Henry Tudor married Elizabeth of York. Elizabeth was the oldest daughter of Edward IV of York while Henry Tudor was the only son of Margaret Beaufort of Lancaster.
This book told the story of Elizabeth's life starting as the daughter of the king and following her through her marriage to Henry Tudor and her life as the mother of the future of the British monarchy.
I was really looking forward to reading about Elizabeth's life and I did get some of what I was expecting but the writing was inundated with list after list of expenses, people, places so much so that the narrative was frequently disrupted.
Disappointing, so I can't recommend it.
★★★½
GENRE: History
SUBJECT: engineering, yellow fever, railroad advancements
Setting: Panama, France, USA
CHARACTERS: Ferdinand deLesseps, Gustave Eiffel, Sen Mark Hanna, Theodore Roosevelt, John Stephens, James J Hill
DATE READ: October 7 - October 31
NO. OF PAGES: 698, 32 discs
Off the Shelf (pre-2013)? Source?: yes, audio stockpile
PLOT:....................................................................3.50
CHARACTERIZATION:.......................................3.00
TOPICS: ...............................................................4.00
STYLE:..................................................................3.50
ORIGINALITY:.......................................................3.50
ADDICTIVENESS:..............................................3.00
OWNERSHIP:......................................................3.50
Threshold Quality.................................................4.00
Average..............................................................................................3.50
This epic story of the construction of the Panama Canal, "the greatest engineering feat of all time", begins with the struggles of the French plans with its shortcomings and ends with the success of the United Sates endeavors to cut a corridor from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
The details are tremendous telling how the French first decided to start the project after their success with the Suez Canal. The French were granted a concession by the Colombian government (then owners of Panama) to start the construction.
Lacking engineering expertise on the team and coupled with the difficulties with the terrain and malaria/yellow fever, the French were doomed to failure.
However, the US had its own issues with a preliminary project due to the political atmosphere. The US, with military recommendations pointing toward another site in Nicaragua, not Panama.
When Colombia rejected United States plans to build a canal across the Isthmus of Panama, the U.S. supported a revolution that led to the independence of Panama in 1903 who ceded control of the Panama Canal Zone to the US, which took over the Panama sites in 1904.
The efforts made in the next 10 years included the building of 4 dams and creation 2 man-made lakes. Research and studies have shown that even with today's technical advances, the construction couldn't have been any faster.
What a fascinating project and thoroughly enlightening story told by a master storyteller.
On a personal note, having taken a cruise through the canal with my sisters and parents, this book brought back lovely memories to this reader.
