Wednesday, June 06, 2007
[Book Review] THE INTUITIONIST by Colson Whitehead
Fiction/African-AmericanLaura Bonds reviews THE INTUITIONIST by Colson Whitehead (Anchor Books, 1999)
Colson Whitehead’s The Intuitionist is a genre-bending work that will appeal to a wide cross-section of readers. Rooted in speculative fiction, the novel successfully blends seemingly opposite elements of futuristic engineering along with 19th century political machinations. At the same time, the story is by turns comical, noir, and philosophical, all without losing direction or purpose.
Lila Mae Watson is the first black female elevator inspector in a city defined by its verticality. In his exploration of Lila Mae’s personal predicament within a larger political struggle, Whitehead addresses the issues of racism, classism, and sexism both subtly and poignantly, compelling the reader to become invested in the journey of his character through to its ultimate resolution.
The book is set in an unnamed metropolis closely resembling New York City. Elevation, both architectural and social, embodies the central idea of upward mobility in this metropolis, and Lila Mae finds herself in the middle of controversy as a new face in an established hierarchy. It is an election year for the Elevator Guild, an influential organization divided into two ideological factions: the Empiricists, who rely on logic and thorough, detailed inspection to assess elevator safety, and the relatively new Intuitionists (of whom Lila Mae is a member), who simply “know” if something is wrong once they step in an elevator. When the Number Eleven elevator in a newly completed building goes into a deadly freefall just after Lila Mae signs off on it, it is assumed that the accident was sabotaged, and Lila Mae was set up to take the fall. In her attempt to clear her name, Lila Mae embarks on a journey that leads deep into a world of mystery and conspiracy, as well as sociological and political intrigue.
Laura Bonds, Circulation Department
Labels: African-American Fiction, Reviews by Laura Bonds, Science Fiction
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
[Book Review] THE PREACHER'S DAUGHTER by Beverly Lewis
Fiction/GentleLaura Bonds reviews THE PREACHER'S DAUGHTER by Beverly Lewis (Bethany House, 2005)
Annie Zook is a preacher’s daughter in her early twenties who has lived all her life among the people in her small Amish community of Paradise, Pennsylvania. Louisa Stratford, a modern woman and “Englisher” from Denver, Colorado, is a young art instructor engaged to be married, and Annie’s long-time pen-pal. During the friends’ written exchanges over the years, each has become fascinated with the vastly different life that the other leads. Annie loves to paint and yearns to be an artist full-time, but creating art is strictly forbidden by her church district, so she must keep her passion a secret from her community. Louisa has become disenchanted by the trappings of her hectic, modern-day life, and wishes to escape it all. When she decides to go to Paradise to experience a simpler life, Louisa’s influence could either push Annie closer to her home and church, or tempt Annie to pursue her own dreams against the established mores of her community.
Beverly Lewis’ The Preacher’s Daughter, the first book in her series Annie’s People, will appeal to anyone interested in learning about the Amish community and its traditions. The dialogue is filled with particular phrases and words unique to the Amish, and while never pedantic or preachy, the author takes great care to accurately describe the day-to-day activities and reasoning that support the values and traditions of this enigmatic American population. The writing style itself is very straightforward and uncomplicated, leaving the reader immersed in the quiet atmosphere of Pennsylvania-Dutch country. In addition to creating this specific mood, Lewis also succeeds in weaving intriguing storylines throughout the novel. Not only is the reader absorbed into the main plot of Annie’s moral dilemma, there are side plots of a mysterious kidnapping and domestic abuse that are propelled by a well-developed cast of satellite characters. Having never read anything classified as Gentle Fiction before and expecting not to like the genre as much as I do others, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this title. I was very taken by the characters that Lewis portrays and the world they live in, and I look forward to picking up the next book in the series (The Englisher) and reading what happens next to Annie and her people.
Laura Bonds, Circulation Department
Labels: Gentle Fiction, Reviews by Laura Bonds
Thursday, October 12, 2006
[Book Review] THE BONESETTER'S DAUGHTER by Amy Tan
Fiction/HistoricalLaura Bonds reviews THE BONESETTER'S DAUGHTER by Amy Tan (Putnam, 2001):
The Bonesetter’s Daughter tells the stories of LuLing Lin Young, an older Chinese-born woman with Alzheimer’s, and her American-born daughter, Ruth. The novel is separated into three sections: the first and final sections of the book are told from the modern-day viewpoint of Ruth, who, as we meet her, has become frustrated, confused, and resentful of her mother and her increasingly debilitating illness. Ruth is afraid LuLing’s dementia has caused her mother to create her own realities and distort her recollections of the past and will prevent Ruth from ever knowing the family from which she came. That is, until Ruth discovers LuLing’s memoirs of her life as a girl in China and is transported to the rural village of Immortal Heart. In translating her mother’s writings from LuLing’s native Chinese, Ruth unearths the heredity and history of her family, along with the spirit and myth that influenced her mother and shaped the woman she became as well as the daughter she raised.
The Bonesetter’s Daughter is a densely written book in a deliberate, measured style. The storyline is very character-driven, especially in the first section of the book that introduces Ruth and her mother. Amy Tan has created clear, well-developed characters in these two women, which makes it easy for the reader to be completely drawn into their lives and the connections they are desperately trying to make with each other. The bulk of the novel is comprised of LuLing’s written account of her life growing up in rural early 20th century China. The author alludes to world events going on at the time, but in the context of their impact on LuLing’s small village and its inhabitants. Tan’s descriptive style is colorful and detailed, and her language is graceful. This not only brings the China of LuLing’s childhood vividly to the reader, it enlivens the evocative, sometimes bittersweet tone created throughout the book.
In recent years, I have been drawn to Asian culture and the Asian experience in America, and I have always been interested in writing that explores the intricate and complicated relationships between mothers and daughters. Surprisingly, I had not previously read any of Amy Tan’s novels prior to picking up The Bonesetter’s Daughter, but had understood Tan as an author whose work is immersed in Asian-American women’s experiences and perspectives. As I expected, I was impressed and satisfied with what I had read. Amy Tan’s sincerity, poetic use of language, and willingness to explore the differences in beliefs, culture, and traditions between people, especially women, has made her an author whose entire collection I look forward to reading.
Laura Bonds, Circulation Department
Labels: Historical Fiction, Reviews by Laura Bonds
