Mary Higgins Clark-what else can I say? This book came my way when I was looking for a little distraction and light reading. Perfect! If I hadn’t promised myself to write a post about every book I read, I wouldn’t have bothered with this entry.
Let’s face it, Clark’s books are all pretty much the same. Her astounding popularity, and ability to sell books, have always perplexed me. Where Are You Now? is slightly better than the last MHC book I read (don’t remember the title). It’s a mystery, with the requisite red herrings thrown in.
I really have nothing else to say about this book. If you’re a fan of MHC, read it.
In USA:
Published in hard cover-Simon & Schuster-2008
Softcover edition-Pocket Books to be published March 2009
Where Are You Now?: A Novel
The Appeal is the latest legal thriller by John Grisham. Once again, the wealthy and powerful are preying on the poor and weak. This time, the scheme involves fixing an election for the Mississippi State Supreme Court. The short term goal is to overturn a particular jury verdict; the long term goal is to make it virtually impossible for a plaintiff to successfully sue for damages in a personal injury case.
The protagonists include a husband-wife team of attorneys, Wes and May Grace Payton. The Paytons represent a number of plaintiffs suing Krane Chemical for deaths and illnesses caused by Krane’s dumping of toxic waste, which has polluted the groundwater in Bowmore, Mississippi. As the book opens, the jury returns a $41 million verdict in the first of the cases to go to trial.
Of course Krane will appeal. But how can Krane possibly win on appeal when the State Supreme Court routinely votes 5-4 to uphold such jury verdicts? Enter Barry Rinehart, a shady operative whose business is finding, and electing, pro-business candidates for seats on appeals courts.
The concept of The Appeal is interesting. And the book is a quick and easy read. At this point, Grisham seems to be writing with half the enthusiasm of his earlier works. There is little tension, and the characters are not all that interesting or sympathetic. If you are a Grisham fan, you should read The Appeal. Otherwise, maybe buy the paperback and save it for that long airport layover.
In USA:
Published in hardcover-Doubleday 2008
Softcover edition-Dell 2008
The Appeal
The Wild Swans:Three Daughters of China is the fourth book I’ve completed for the Book Awards Reading Challenge. This memoir won the British Book Awards “Book of the Year” in 1994. Wild Swans tells the story of three generations of women in Jung Chang’s family: her grandmother, her mother, and herself. It spans the years from 1909, when her grandmother was born, to 1978, the year Jung Chang left China to study in Great Britain.
Wild Swans encompasses the personal history of Chang’s family, as well as the tumultuous history of China. At the age of 15 Yu-fang, the author’s grandmother, became the concubine of a warlord. Jung Chang’s mother, De-hong, was born 7 years later. After the war lord’s death in 1933, Yu-fang married Dr. Xia. De-hong was raised in his household, as one of his children. Jung Chang was born in 1952, the second of 5 children born to De-hong and her husband, Shou-yu.
This book details the family’s struggles, as China itself struggles. Some events that impact the family include: World War II; the rise of Mao Tse Tung and the Communist party,;the founding of the People’ Republic of China; the Great Leap Forward; the Cultural Revolution; and China’s eventual opening up to the West.
Chang’s parents are loyal Communists, yet they suffer denunciation, re-education and imprisonment. The entire family is subject to the daily indignities of life in a totalitarian society. As children, Chang and her siblings rarely see their parents. Fortunately, Yu-fang is able to care for them.
Wild Swans is a very long and complex book. The appendices include a brief chronology of modern China juxtaposed with Chang’s family’s milestones. There is also a very helpful family tee and a map of China. I referred to these often. This memoir is quite thorough. I learned a tremendous amount about modern China.
Unfortunately, it did get a bit repetitious. We read numerous times that De-hong was upset that her husband put his very strict Communist principles before his family’s well-being. And the family’s constant struggles with other Communist Party officials, while important, are also tedious after a while. Some of the language seems a bit stilted. Chang did not learn English until her early 20’s, and the awkwardness shows. Overall, this memoir was quite good. It took me a very long time to read it, and I think it would be improved greatly by skillful editing.
In USA:
Published in hardcover- Simon & Schuster-1993
Softcover edition-Touchstone 2003
Wild Swans : Three Daughters of China
Shia LaBeouf plays Jerry Shaw, an underachiever who can’t pay his rent with the wages from his job at Copy Cabana. He can’t even get money from his ATM. Then, his twin brother suddenly dies in an “accident”. Returning to his run down Chicago apartment from his brother’s funeral, he stops at the ATM to deposit a check from his father. Lo and behold, there is over $700,000 in his bank account, and he can’t scoop up the money fast enough. When he gets home, his apartment is full of packages that have been delivered in his absence. Unfortunately for Jerry, these packages all contain weapons, ammunition, and explosives. His cell phone rings. A woman’s voice tells him he has 30 seconds to get out before the FBI comes to arrest him. And then the fun begins.
Eagle Eye is an action packed adventure, fueled by the idea that someone is monitoring every move we make (even you reading this!). There are cameras everywhere, and “they” can pick up every word you say, even when your cell phone is turned off. The only hope is to remove the battery.
This movie has chase scenes, car crashes, assassination plots, and even a little romance. It also has the most devious computer on screen since HAL made us frightened of new technology in 1968. The voice of Aria (not credited) is that of a placid woman, but she has devised a deadly plot, and carries it out with brutal efficiency.
Shia LaBeouf is fairly good in this movie. Michelle Monaghan seems out of place. Billy Bob Thornton is, well, Billy Bob Thornton. The real star is the action and the computer. It was a lot of fun. In some locations, it’s playing in IMAX and if I had the time to see it again, I’d probably do that.
Eagle Eye
