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Confused people?
Jun. 16th, 2004 08:04 pmOK, I really don't have an intro for these ones. Just books I heard about and wanted to read and happened to get at the same time.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman Ah, Gaiman… who else could take something as prosaic and technological as the London Underground, and turn it into a tale of myth and horror? This story was written based on a British miniseries, which Gaiman also scripted, but was unhappy with. Personally, I enjoyed them both, but who can complain about another Gaiman book? Richard Mayhew is satisfied with his ordinary life, when he finds a girl bleeding in the streets. He takes her home, patches her up – and his life starts falling apart. His fiancée dumps him, then forgets who he is. Taxis no longer stop for him. And he is drawn into the dim world of London Below where the Lady Door and the Marquis du Carabais are trying to find out who massacred the Lady Door’s family.
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant In 15th century Florence, what’s a girl who loves the manly pursuits of painting and reading Greek but can’t dance to do? Neither marriage nor the convent offer Alessandra the independence she craves, and the French armies marching on the city make virgins particularly vulnerable. This book manages a dreamy feeling, similar to Girl with the Pearl Earring, while not glossing over the harsh realities of life in this time. There seem to be a number of books about art-loving renaissance women these days, and Alessandra tops my list so far.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman Ah, Gaiman… who else could take something as prosaic and technological as the London Underground, and turn it into a tale of myth and horror? This story was written based on a British miniseries, which Gaiman also scripted, but was unhappy with. Personally, I enjoyed them both, but who can complain about another Gaiman book? Richard Mayhew is satisfied with his ordinary life, when he finds a girl bleeding in the streets. He takes her home, patches her up – and his life starts falling apart. His fiancée dumps him, then forgets who he is. Taxis no longer stop for him. And he is drawn into the dim world of London Below where the Lady Door and the Marquis du Carabais are trying to find out who massacred the Lady Door’s family.
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant In 15th century Florence, what’s a girl who loves the manly pursuits of painting and reading Greek but can’t dance to do? Neither marriage nor the convent offer Alessandra the independence she craves, and the French armies marching on the city make virgins particularly vulnerable. This book manages a dreamy feeling, similar to Girl with the Pearl Earring, while not glossing over the harsh realities of life in this time. There seem to be a number of books about art-loving renaissance women these days, and Alessandra tops my list so far.
