Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann

 Random Acts of Heroic Love

Hello all!

It has been over a year since my last post and I apologise. I started this blog when I was in a position to tend to it daily and give it the attention it deserves. Alas, that situation did not last. So here I am a year later, apologising. I hope you accept.


I started to write this post a year ago. It was going to be my next entry, but I got distracted. And I remained distracted until now. So I've decided not to move on until I present this to you as I initially set out to do.

I don't know if it's just me, but I go through phases where I like different genres of books. I have no voluntary say in this; my being just decides what it'd like to be entertained with at the time and I have to obey. There are times I really NEED a romantic, sappy story and must have it. Then at other times I ache for a bit of war and the chaos of human existence. It was during one of the latter a few years ago, that I came across this novel. Unfortunately, I do not recall by what agency it came to my notice as I would like to thank whoever was responsible.



Mr. Scheinmann took six years writing this, his debut offering, and he does not dissappoint in the least.This story follows two young male protagonists. One is introduced to the reader in 1917 at the cusp on the first world war. The other in 1995, having just woken up from a bus crash in South America to realise that his girlfriend had not survived the accident.

We go on Leo's journey through grief and healing after bereavement and we are right beside Moritz as he makes his way across the vast snowy plains of war torn Russia experiencing the unmentionable horrors of war. It explores the lengths a person could go to for love but it also shows the strength that love could bestow upon said person to help them withstand the most unfavorable odds.

And if the compelling drama unfolding isn't enough to keep you turning page after page, Danny Scheinmann has littered nuggets of wildlife trivia as introductions to each new chapter. These are like little gifts that he has laid out along the way thanking you for keeping with the story so far. Does it all get tied nicely together in a photo finish or are you left guessing? You have to make the journey to find out!

Like every book I thoroughly enjoy, I make sure to foist it on the next unsuspecting person who appears to me to be without a book to occupy them at any given time. Through this active endorsement, I was able to create two new fans for Mr. Scheinmann- including my brother who had groaned loudly when he first read the title of the book. He'd deduced from that alone that it would be just the standard love story which he tended to avoid like the plague's meaner older sibling. Luckily for him,though, he had me to gently nudge him along and a few days later he reported, with a contented grin, how glad he was to have given it a chance.

If you haven't, do. It will warm places in your heart you thought were already sufficently cosy.

Review: Papillon by Henri Charriere

The story of how I came upon this book is almost as interesting as the adventures in the story itself (almost!Lol!). It was July 2008 and I was in a guesthouse in Vietnam waiting to depart for my 36hr train journey from Ho Chi Minh city to Hanoi (turned out to be 41 hrs long but that's another story!) - just having been transferred from the adjacent guesthouse because they did not have the capacity to accommodate us for another night. I had just finished a book (I forget which,sorry :() and was desparate to have one on the journey, for obvious reasons. I had browsed around a nearby bookshop and bought two books related to Cambdoia, but I wasn't satisfied with them. I went back upstairs to bring down my luggage in preparationfor myimminent departure but they was so heavy that I was forced to stop in the landing and take a breather.As I sat there catching my breath, I noticed a dusty cabinet in the corner.On top of it, there was an equally dusty TV. But below the shelf holding the TV, was a dark and seemingly empty panel. I do not know what drew me to this cabinet, except my desparation to find a book, still I approached it and put my hand into this dark panel (a big no-no for someone scared of sipders. ha!). Then my hand came into contact with a hard object. Coul it be? As I withdrew the object, it became obvious it was a book. A dusty one which I had never heard of, but a book nonetheless. I was happy!

 

PAPILLON (HARDCOVER) ~ BY Henri Charriere 

This book can only be described as a definitive prison break novel. A prison break novel centred around a most audacious protagonist. It is set in the penal colonies of France and our hero, henri Charriere- nicknamed Papillon, is hellbent on escaping prison where he has been sentenced for a crime he denies he committed. The story takes us through his various attemps at escape (I won't tell you if he is ever successful).

This is non-stop roller coaster of suspense, intrigue and adventure. Our protagonist is betrayed, beaten, disappointed, redeemed, loved, spyed upon but continues on regardless. His refusal to throw in the towel is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and is a great motivational tool for your bookshelf.

This is to all intents and purposes, a true story. There is, however, a lot of controversy surrounding the authenticity of the novel and the story itself. Did it actally happen? Did it happen in the way we are told? Did it happen to him (the story teller)?

When I pulled this book out of an abandoned cabinet, I have never before heard about it. Now, I am recommending it to you. If you've previously never read this sort of yarn, then this is a rollickingly brilliant way to start.

Enjoy!

Review: The Far Pavillions by M.M.Kaye

I picked up The Far Pavilions by M.M.Kaye from a charity book shop circa 2003. I had never heard of it previously so I had no idea what to expect. I was in my first year of medical school and the workload had started to attempt a takeover of my reading time and dedicated reading effort. I picked it up because it was a hefty tome and I was looking for a story to properly lose myself in at that point. This book did not disappoint. At about 995 pages long it is the very definition of a sweeping saga.

It is a romantic adventure about love: between a man and a woman; between friends and for whatever place you call home. There are divided loyalties, betrayals, war, scheming and passion. Set in India in the 19th century, it centres around the life of Ashton Pelham Martin (a fabulous name by the way) from his birth, his early years and into his adulthood. Raised in a culture totally different from that of his parents, he grows to love a country that he is not meant to belong to so he spends his life trying to balance the tug in his heart for India, with his duty to the British Raj.

Another reason this book is such an amazing find, is that it tells a very beautiful love story. But rather than that being the focus of the book, it weaves it's way all through the book always hovering at the back of the reader's mind and you get the feeling it's at the back of the minds of both the central characters and M.M.Kaye herself. However, when it does come to the fore, as it does at several points during the story, it always potent enough to catch the reader at a vulnerable point and tugs quite strongly at the heartstrings.

I call this a sweeping saga because it carries the reader and Ashton (Ash) across India, to England and back again,before continuing on to Afghanistan. At a point during the book, you find yourself weaving through the Indian jungle on elephants and you feel yourself right there amongst the Royal entourage on its way to what promises to be a magnificent wedding indeed.

This is a book that delivered on so many levels that I just had to share it with as many people as possible. The prose flows in such away that sees your turning the pages over and over again even when it's way past your bedtime. Although it seems quite a daunting task when you open that first page, I envy you that you still have all the brilliance that is this story still ahead of you. If you haven't read it yet, please do! You will not regret it.

Teaser Tuesdays

HOST


* Grab your current read.
* Let the book fall open to a random page.
* Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
* You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from…that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given.
* Please avoid spoilers!
My teaser is from a random page in Last Light by Alex Scarrow

'Westley rose to his feet, and with a beckoning gesture, led them out into...'

Review: Gypsy Lady By Shirlee Busbee

Gypsy Lady was my very first foray into the aptly named genre of bodice-rippers. These are  romance books with a historical setting and are usually quite sweeping in their scope. Gypsy lady covers quite a lot of ground both over years and the development of characters.

It is centred around a beautiful and fiery heroine and a rougish but devillishly handsome and rich hero.

From the moment he lays eyes on her he draws a very wrong conclusion regarding her position and status in society and proceeds to pursue her in an astonishingly forceful manner. That sort of behaviour can only really be excused and forgiven in the era it is set but you find yourself sucked in by the beauty  and passion of the story, that you may surprise yourself by not being as harsh in judging him for his behaviour as you would in today's world!

The heroine, on the other hand, is a supremely stubborn and determined young lady and she goes about making him pay for his actions for a very long time.

Their relationship (if it can really be referred to in that way) is likely to be one of the rockiest you ever read, to the point where shaking them both until their teeth rattle becomes a very real desire in you. It's spans years and distance and deals with political intrigue, misunderstandings on a large scale, betrayal, kidnap and raw passionate desire.

I hasten to add that this is a very steamy read and should be left for those decidedly of age to peruse. Saying this, I did read it at the age of 13! I wasn't warned. Haha! You won;t be able to claim the same.

This book sent me on a wild search for more in the genre and I must admit that while i must have read a dozen more of these sort of stories, Gypsy Lady still over a decade later, tops my list in this genre.

Grab a copy and get reeled in to the tempestuous lives of Catherine and Jason! If you have already, come in and discuss!