Wulf's Book Reviews

Chocolat by Joanne Harris This is one of the rare occasions I’m giving up on a book but I just don’t enjoy this one at all… From the beginning, I’m confronted with “paranormal”, “supernatural” bullshit. » My mother was a witch. « Yes, sure… But that’s not all, superstition abounds… » The forking of the fingers to divert the path of malchance. « Then there’s the catholic priest… I despise anything related to so-called “churches” which, to me, are dens of bigotry, hypocrisy and a haven for hostile and misanthropic beliefs and people. And, worst of all, home to any kind of preacher (the child-molesting variety gets extra protection). So, yes, even in a negative context as in this novel, I don’t want to hear about those male harpies. Also, a novel that in all seriousness tells me » Scrying with chocolate is a difficult business. « is beyond redemption. The 25% I’ve read were also very, very clichéd with simplistic characters, a heroine that left me entirely and completely d...

Tinkers by Paul Harding My rating: 2 of 5 stars I have to say Paul Harding's " Tinkers " left me feeling unmoved and dissatisfied - like so many other books this year… The novel revolves around an old man named George who is dying from cancer, and the narrative follows his thoughts and memories as he grapples with his mortality. The language used by the author is often ornate and overwrought, which, coupled with the slow pacing of the story, made for a tedious reading experience. The characters lack depth and development, with George being the only character with any discernible personality traits, and even those are underwhelming. The supporting cast feels two-dimensional, failing to contribute anything meaningful to the narrative. The themes of loss, mortality, and the passing of time are not uncommon in literature, but Harding's handling of them is clichéd and trite. Rather than telling a compelling story, the author seems more concerned with showcas...

Distantly Falling Stars by Berengaria Di Rossi My rating: 5 of 5 stars How do I review the novella of a (Goodreads) friend? “Never again” or “very, very carefully” immediately came to my mind when I pondered reading Berengaria Di Rossi's “ Distantly Falling Stars ”. Especially since Berengaria with a down-to-earth attitude, sensible reviews and interesting reads as well as - obviously - an impeccable taste in (Goodreads) friends, has long earned my respect. So it was with a healthy portion of trepidation that I started reading this - and quickly started breathing freely because, thankfully, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this short novella. Seti, a “puny scribe” from ancient Egypt is forced on an expedition to recover some “distantly falling stars” in a race against (or possibly negotiating with) the Babylonians. There are some supernatural aspects which I usually don’t like but these made sense in the setting of the novella and weren’t too intrusive. The stor...

The Case of the Left-Handed Lady by Nancy Springer My rating: 3 of 5 stars I read “ The Case of the Left-Handed Lady ” to see if Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes series would improve with the second instalment. When I came upon » Chapter the First «, though, I had an inkling about how this review would read because just like the ridiculous chapter titles, this is The Case of Even More of the Same that Didn’t Work for Me the First Time Either : Springer’s writing style still resembles that of a middle-grade school teacher who wants to provide material for her pupils. She still taints the legacy of Holmes; here in a discussion with Mycroft who states… » The only rational way to reform her into some semblance of decent young womanhood!” interrupts the older brother with asperity. “You, of all people, should see the logic – ” « To which Springer let’s Sherlock Holmes answer: “Logic is not everything.” and Mycroft rightly replies: “Certainly this is the first time I have ...

The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer My rating: 3 of 5 stars Thankfully, this was almost as short as it was disappointing: In “ The Case of the Missing Marquess ” by Nancy Springer we first witness Enola Holmes’ flight from her older brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft. Yes, it’s another case of a contemporary author trying to make a few bucks from the legacy of another… This uneventful flight takes up an entire half of the novel and it’s just plain boring. The writing is simplistic, the language is old-fashioned but not in the way of Arthur Conan Doyle’s historic works but reimagined by Springer, whose primary research material was colouring books… For example, Doyle would never (and indeed never did, I checked!) write about a lady’s “unmentionables” (as in undergarments) like Springer does several times. As a matter of fact, authors of the Victorian era, including Conan Doyle, would often employ various techniques to allude to and mask such sensitive subjects r...

Luzies Erbe by Helga Bürster My rating: 3 of 5 stars I have been contemplating this book for a few days now and the review it deserves. Helga Bürster, as I learned from the afterword, has told the story of her grandparents. That certainly has its individual value, but so many books and stories have been written about the personal fates of forced laborers in the countryside. I have also read those that depict such forbidden relationships, although rarely resulting in children and most of these relationships ended tragically… So, is this one story so special, so different, or so worth telling? Is Bürster such a great writer that her story would particularly appeal to me or move me (or should it)? The publisher writes: "Helga Bürster tells wonderfully light yet deeply moving about how a fate endures over the decades, how silence about the past overshadows a family. She tells of four generations of strong women - and that it is never too late for reconcil...

Slaughterhouse -Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. My rating: 1 of 5 stars » Another book, another June Another sunny afternoon Another season, another reason For breakin’ with classics! « (Based on “Makin’ Whoopee”, by Gus Kahn) So, 1969 is still too old for me or maybe it’s just that this rambling, repetitive, dated-feeling, non-linear novel is a true classic in the worst sense of the word! Supposedly, it focuses on the firebombing of Dresden during World War II but in fact, it’s more of an episodic play on war. The protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, is a prisoner of war, an optometrist and a time-traveller (since he suffered a brain trauma and had a major surgery done…) who experiences his life in a non-linear way and tells us about it. Actually, I’m tempted to say he threatens us, because he’s become convinced he’ll live forever, thus troubling us with his terrible anecdotes. Let’s get the most minor annoyance out of the way first: » So it goes. « - that phrase comes up exactly ...

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier My rating: 2 of 5 stars I never learn… Classics and I are incompatible and yet I still hope to come to terms with at least some of them. “ Rebecca ” by Daphne du Maurier was another attempt at just that - and one that failed. The unnamed heroine and narrator meets Maxim de Winter, a widower, agrees to his marriage proposal after a few weeks, and moves with him into his ancestral home Manderley where nothing much happens for a long time. The shadow of Maxim's first wife, the eponymous Rebecca, looms large over their marriage, and the new Mrs. de Winter finds herself constantly compared to her predecessor and struggling to fit in with the household staff and society. Maxim is also very thoughtless and inconsiderate towards the protagonist, especially in the early stages of their marriage. He doesn’t fully open up to the new Mrs. de Winter about his feelings and emotions which leads to misunderstandings and a lack of communication between th...

Eva Luna by Isabel Allende My rating: 4 of 5 stars For about 30 years I’ve been a fan of Isabel Allende's work , starting with her amazing “ The House of the Spirits ” (highly recommended as an introduction to her work). Allende’s style of magical realism, her strong storytelling and her beautiful prose so far have always managed to capture my heart. " Eva Luna " was no exception to this rule: Allende's writing is lush and evocative, and she creates a vivid sense of place and time. The unnamed South American country in which the novel is set is brought to life with rich detail, from the bustling streets of the city to the quiet beauty of the countryside. Allende's descriptions of the natural world are particularly striking, and she imbues even the most mundane objects with a sense of magic and wonder. The way she weaves in themes of magical realism throughout the novel is truly masterful. Even though the country is never named, it never ceases to fas...

Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann My rating: 5 of 5 stars Except for some periods, I have always read a lot and very mixed across all genres. So it's inevitable that there was pretty much everything from almost unbearable rubbish to average reading experiences. However, I rarely experienced something like literary "awakening moments". Thomas Mann's "Buddenbrooks" was one such moment. Published in 1901 when Mann was only 26 years old, "Buddenbrooks" established his world fame and earned him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929, because the work "over the years has gained an increasingly firm recognition as a classic work of contemporary literature." At least for me, that has not changed, because although "Buddenbrooks" portrays the decline of a specific family in 19th century Lübeck, it has lost nothing of its fundamental topicality and truthfulness. Mann tells the story of four generations of the Hanseatic merchant fami...

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid My rating: 4 of 5 stars Oh, well, another difficult review to write… I really did like this book and while writing this very sentence I’m still unsure what my final verdict will be. Evelyn Hugo, fictional Hollywood icon, is - to me - an immensely likeable person: Starting her career in the 1950s she works her way up to become a legend. That alone would already have made for an interesting read because I grew up on films from the Golden Age of Old Hollywood. When I first read the title I immediately thought of Elizabeth Taylor (eight marriages, seven husbands…) whose work in the film industry has indeed inspired Reid (as I just found out). Just like fictional Evelyn Taylor has been a staunch ally of the LGBTQ* community and an early HIV/AIDS activist. More than that, how could I not like a bisexual woman who lives through eight tumultous marriages? In a time, more than 20 years into the 21st century, during which sti...

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah My rating: 5 of 5 stars It was " The Nightingale " by Kristin Hannah that originally introduced me to Hannah and I’ve since read everything she published . Next to her “ The Four Winds ” this remains one of the most emotionally impactful novels I have ever read. The story follows the lives of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, as they navigate their way through Nazi-occupied France during World War II. One of the things I loved most about this novel is how well-developed the characters are. Both Vianne and Isabelle are complex and multi-dimensional, and I found myself becoming deeply invested in their stories. Vianne is a mother and a wife who is forced to make difficult choices to protect her family, while Isabelle is a rebellious young woman who becomes a member of the French Resistance. Despite their differences, the sisters' love for each other shines through and is a constant source of strength for them both. The historical setting ...

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah My rating: 4 of 5 stars “ The Great Alone ” by Kristin Hannah is a heart-wrenching and breathtaking novel that took me on an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. Once again, Kristin Hannah has written a remarkable story that is both hauntingly beautiful and unforgettable. My personal introduction to Hannah was her brilliant novel “ The Nightingale ” (which is still my favourite book of hers) and both this novel as well as the later “ The Four Winds ” firmly cemented her position as one of my favourite authors. The story follows the Allbright family as they move to the remote wilderness of Alaska in search of a better life. They are a family struggling with inner demons, and the isolation of Alaska proves to be both a refuge and a danger to them. I was fascinated by the way Hannah portrayed the beauty and the harshness of Alaska through her descriptions. She made me feel like I was right there, experiencing the cold, the snow, and the rugged...

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan My rating: 3 of 5 stars In stark contrast to Keegan’s “ Foster ” I couldn’t connect as much with this novella, “ Small Things Like These ” by Claire Keegan . This may very well be because - as often - I went into this novella not knowing what it was about. Once more we’re in Ireland in 1985 and we’re following Bill Furlong, our protagonist, around doing his deliveries, preparing for Christmas with his family, etc.. It felt slow and, sadly, not very interesting. Only when he accidentally meets a desperate girl at the local convent do things get somewhat interesting. I sympathised with Furlong’s courage to help the girl at the end and finished the book somewhat disappointed. The author’s note on the text first introduced me to the “ Magdalene asylum ” (read: child abuse) system (instituted, of course, by the Christian churches) that existed into the late 20th century. Hundreds of girls and women died while being abused, forced to do hard lab...

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus My rating: 5 of 5 stars “ Lessons in Chemistry ” by Bonnie Garmus was one of those rare reading delights that kept me glued to my Kindle for “just one more chapter”. Go read the blurb if you want to know what this novel is actually about. Meanwhile, maybe on the sixth attempt , I’ll find a way to express my joy about having read this book which hit all the right notes for me: As the father of a daughter with a razor-sharp mind, I was infuriated about the despicable treatment Elizabeth receives. »“We can learn more, we can go further, but to accomplish this, we must throw open the doors. Too many brilliant minds are kept from scientific research thanks to ignorant biases like gender and race. It infuriates me and it should infuriate you. Science has big problems to solve: famine, disease, extinction. And those who purposefully close the door to others using self-serving, outdated cultural notions are not only dishonest, they’re knowingly lazy...

A Soldier's Quartet by Colin Baldwin My rating: 2 of 5 stars DNF at 58%… I really hoped I would like " A Soldier's Quartet " by Colin Baldwin but it was not to be for a lot of reasons. First of all, we’re jumping around in time as if we were Doctor Who’s new companion - from 1918 to 2018 to 1914 and so on and on… This is not only confusing and exhausting, it actually wastes the chance to actually make us care about the German soldier Wolf who first dies and only later do we get insight into some of his life before. Also, the narration about Conrad’s contemporary research into the letter doesn’t really work for me: It’s a thinly veiled memoir of Colin's endeavours and it feels entirely authentic (including some “classic” German habits and traditions) - but, to me, it’s just not very interesting. A lot of it would totally work and amaze me if told briefly and anecdotally in person. Not so much as a book, though. There’s also at least one instance in which a l...

The Dance of the Serpents by Oscar de Muriel My rating: 1 of 5 stars “ The Dance of the Serpents ” is book six of Oscar de Muriel's “ Frey & McGray ” series. The series started out interesting enough with Frey being the rational investigator during superstitious times. McGray on the other hand always was basically seeing the “supernatural” all around him and in everything in their cases. There used to be kind of an equilibrium between both of them: It used to be unclear if there truly was a supernatural force involved or if everything was actually due to “natural causes”. We, the readers, could be the judge of that. This worked well enough for the first four books. Along came “ The Darker Arts ” in which Frey’s no nonsense attitude became overwhelmingly dominant and McGray was pretty much demoted to an unhinged clown. cf. my review . This book reverses these roles to some extent: McGray’s superstition - bordering on obsession - gets to dominate everything else. Probably ...

Sword Song by Bernard Cornwell My rating: 4 of 5 stars » I only need repent, they say, and I will go to heaven and live for evermore in the blessed company of the saints. And I would rather burn till time itself burns out. « (Same here!) " Sword Song " is yet another great entry in this series ! Uthred is supposed to capture Lundene - London - for King Alfred as a wedding present to Aethelflaed and Aethelred. Of course, Uthred prevails but only after a lot of water (and blood) runs down the Thames… At least, though, for a while Uthred can truthfully state » We were so happy. « - a very much deserved state of mind for both Gisela and him. We get to see some more humour in this book as well… » I killed that ship’s crew to save myself having to kill hundreds of other Danes.” “The Lord Jesus would have wanted you to show mercy,” she said, her eyes wide. She is an idiot. « I would have immediately read on in Uthred’s story but I don’t want to burn out my reading interest in ...

Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell My rating: 4 of 5 stars » I had a taste for this kind of madness. In madness lies change, in change is opportunity, and in opportunity are riches. « I had every intention to temporarily remove myself from the amazing literary maelstrom this series has proven to be for me but, alas, when I looked through the books I actually intended to read right now, I kept feeling drawn to “ Lords of the North ”, the third instalment in Bernard Cornwell's “ Saxon Stories ”. This time, we accompany Uthred to the north where he meets Guthred, another king who plays Uthred almost as well as Alfred does. We also see Uthred clash with his arch-enemy, Kjartan the Cruel, and the latter’s son, Sven the One-Eyed. As usual Uthred keeps curious company: From Finnan whom Uthred meets in captivity (the one part of the book that didn’t engage as much as the rest (just like in the TV series!)) to Sithric up to Saint Cuthbert himself and, quite literally, parts of Sa...

When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut My rating: 1 of 5 stars This is one of the very few books I’m not finishing. Let me explain why: The problem with this one is that Benjamín Labatut introduces the history of an invention to us. Let’s take the first story on “Prussian Blue” as an example: Labatut starts by shortly describing the invention itself and what lead to it. He then proceeds to tell us about the inventor(s) and how they relate to each other and the world. Labatut does this, and that’s my first issue, at break-neck speed. He drops name after name after name and forms connections between them in rarely more than a single sentence. It’s exhausting and not very illuminating. Much worse, though, whenever there’s insufficient historical evidence Labatut chooses the most lurid and raciest possible explanation. For example Fritz Haber’s (Haber played a most prominent role in chemical warfare) wife, Clara Immerwahr , did commit suicide - but the reasons ar...