(5) = Best; (4) = Better; (3) = Good; (2) = Fair; (1) = OK
These abstracts serve as reminders to myself; they serve to "jog" my memory on what a book was all about. That's all. This is not a literary critique, not a social commentary, and certainly nothing profound to warrant further discussion.
(5) = means that I really enjoyed this book; (1) = means I finished reading it but wonder if my time could have been better spent elsewhere.
The old high school football coach is dying and all his former players are back. What follows is an extended wake and a series of conversations that take place between an All Star Former Quarterback and his teammates. They are memorable heros in this town.
The book is a departure from Grisham’s usual mystery murder courtroom novels. Beautifully written. Interesting conversations. You’ll have to live in Small Town America to experience the powerful hold which football has on a whole community. The coach is the most important person in the county. We lived in West Virginia once and saw the influence of football and the high school band. A time warp occurs at every game. You see former players and their cheerleader wives cheering their sons on; the joy in their lives cannot compare with the glory of their youth. Kind of sad. The players reminesce about their youth and talk to locals who remember them and seek their autographs. Ever been to a high school reunion? They talk about one another’s achievements and frustrations. (2)
This book is wonderful.
An archaeological team had been excavating a site and they are perplexed when they find a message in the handwriting of their mentor and a 20th century eyeglass lens. The scientists in the story postulates that time is not linear; there is theoretical conversation on the meaning of quantum mechanics and how one moves from one universe to another. Unbelievable? It helps to set the stage for a marvelous science fiction.
The professor had gone to the 14th century and did not come back. A select group of archaeologists with knowledge of that period in France is sent to bring the professor back. They find themselves in the middle of a civil war in France. This is the period of the 100 Year War in Europe - a very dangerous time.
They’re suppose to find the professor and bring him back. There is the beautiful Lady Claire who owns land in England and France; there are the villains who are at war with one another. The leader of the Team is our hero and scholar who knows the language and culture of that day; he is strong and handsome. He knows how to use the latest technological weapon of that era – the bow and arrow. He falls in love with Lady Claire and decides not to return to the 20th century.
The story is so exciting we decided to visit southern France and stayed at Sarlat to visit the Neantherthal paintings and to see the castles mentioned in the book (5).
The jacket cover of this book summarize it this way: “Time and Chance” opens two years into the reign of Henry II. Having subdued his warring barons, he must now bring order to a land torn by banditry and bloodshed. Astute and charismatic, Henry will exercise uncommon skills of statecraft to consolidate his kingdom. The legacy he leaves is clear: He is one of England’s greatest kings.
And yet, he leaves a stain that cannot be cleansed. Hoping to subdue the Church - and against the advice of his Queen - he raises his closest confidant, Thomas Becket, to the position of Archbishop of Canterbury. But when the once worldly Becket discovers faith, their alliance withers in the heat of his new found zeal. What Becket believes is his holy mission Henry sees as arrant treachery: The way is paved for a murder that still echoes down to us more than eight centuries later.”
This was my first Penman book. The San Francisco Chronicle says that “Penman manages to illuminate the alien shadowland of the Middle Ages and populate it with vital characters whose politics and passions are as vivid as our own.” Need I say more about this book? It was enjoyable to enter into Henry and Eleanor’s world, to “listen” to their conversations, to “see” their struggles and battles, to “hear” their arguements and to “meet” their cousins, relatives, children, uncles and enemies. Penman is able to paint a panoramic historical novel and have the characters come to life here. It was fun to read this book. (5)
“Anne Murphy is smart, gorgeous, and young, the red headed rookie at the Philadelphia law firm of Rosato & Associates. She leaves town for the Fourth of July Weekend to prepare for a high-profile trial, but when she buys her morning newspaper, her own photo is plastered all over the front page. And the headline - LAWYER MURDERED - supposedly refers to her. Anne sets out to find her killer, playing dead in order to stay alive.” This back page summary of Lisa Scottoline’s book is such a good summary am not going to say any more about the book. (3)
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