COP TOWN by Karin Slaughter

COP TOWN

by

Karin Slaughter

            Kate Murphy is not quite the typical rookie one would expect at the Atlanta Police Department. She doesn’t fit, in many ways, especially in 1974, when the book takes place. Nonetheless, she is the star of Cop Town, a novel by Karin Slaughter.

            At the beginning of the book, Jimmy Lawson’s partner, Don Wesley, is murdered, bringing the total of executed police officers to five in three months. The other murders, however, were executions, with the pair of officers each being shot once in the head while on his knees. According to the old guard at the police department, the issue is racial – it is time, they believe, for the white males to take back the power that is rightfully theirs.

            It is into this environment that Kate Murphy begins her job as a police officer. She is an unlikely rookie, performing unlikely actions, and growing into the profession at an unlikely rate.

            I did not particularly care for Cop Town.  There are, roughly, three reasons for this.

            First, in my opinion, the start is very slow. I had a difficult time getting into the book. Although the pace picks up, I almost did not stick with the book long enough to reach that point.

            Second, I found the plot to be somewhat predictable. Although I did not correctly select “who-done-it”, I was in the right ballpark.

            And, third, I found the book to be weak on character development. In my opinion, but for a few exceptions, the characters are flat – one dimensional. There is not one character with whom I connect, or for whom I feel particularly empathetic, and so many of the characters are simply stereotypes. Perhaps this is what Slaughter intends. But, I think her message would hit harder if she were more subtle. This complaint, however, might be a result of my own preferences. My interests lean more towards drama, not true mysteries or thrillers in which extensive character development is not as important.

            Cop Town provides interesting descriptions of the many different areas of Atlanta. The novel does not feel realistic to me. It does not resonate with my own recollections of 1974; however, I am unfamiliar with 1974 Atlanta, Georgia.

            If you like straightforward thrillers, you might enjoy Cop Town. It did not, however, appeal to me.

NOT RECOMMENDED

THE REFLECTIONS OF QUEEN SNOW WHITE by David Meredith

THE REFLECTIONS OF QUEEN SNOW WHITE

by

David Meredith

            Most of us know the story about Snow White; most of us know that she and Prince Charming lived happily every after. But just what is that “happily ever after”?

            In The Reflections of Queen Snow White, David Meredith leads us through Snow’s and Charming’s “happily ever after”. Not only do we get the inside scoop on that question, but Meredith also shows us some of the never before revealed details of the goings on between Snow and her stepmother.

            We learn all this, ironically enough, through Snow’s stepmother’s “Mirror Mirror on the wall” – that magical reflecting glass that continues to hang, forgotten, on a wall in Snow’s castle. What Snow White learns from her reflections includes how, in a way, she is doing to her own daughter what had been done to her. When she emerges from her reflecting, Snow comments: “I took a good long look in the mirror….”

            When I was originally asked to review this book, I was reticent, as so many classics and fairy tales have been sullied of late, by authors trying to modify or expand them beyond their original covers. But, Meredith’s novel, although fairly short, is very clever.

            One negative about the book, in my opinion, is the writing. Although Meredith’s writing is, basically, very good, he seems to have an aversion to commas. This may seem like a petty complaint, but commas are a big deal to me, and there is a dearth of them in this book. The teacher in me feels like I need to sit Meredith down and teach him about the comma.

Other than this personal foible, I found The Reflections of Queen Snow White to be well written and very clever. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with this little book!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

            

THE LOST SISTERHOOD by Anne Fortier

THE LOST SISTERHOOD

by

Anne Fortier

            When I finally (with much regret) closed the back cover of The Lost Sisterhood, I sat for awhile mulling over whether I would give the book 5 stars or 4 & ½ stars (were I to do star-rated reviews). Instead of reaching a decision, I opened the front cover and began reading the book again. It wasn’t long before I was once again ruing the closing of the back cover. It is that good!

            The “Lost Sisterhood” mentioned in the title refers to the Amazons – those epic women warriors of mythical proportions. Central to the book is modern day Philologist, Diana Morgan. Diana is also an Amazon specialist – whose enthusiasm and interest was sparked by an allegedly mentally ill grandmother. The book follows Diana as she is lured away from her Oxford teaching post by an unknown, but familiar, writing that had been uncovered at an archeological dig. Part of the book follows Diana as she follows the trail of the text.

            The other part of the book follows Myrina and her sister Lilli, priestesses to the Moon Goddess long ago, at the genesis of the Amazon sisterhood. The book shifts back and forth between Myrina’s journey, in the past, and Diana’s journey in the present.

            As with all myths, there is a kernel of truth in the myths about the Amazons. Diana tries to seek that kernel of truth – as well as to discover whether Amazons continue to exist in the present. The journey includes Greeks and Trojans, history and love, and professional and personal discoveries.

            The Lost Sisterhood is beautifully written and has wonderful character development. Frustrated at not having a sequel, I am tempted to read it a third time.

            So, why the half a star quandary? I was a little dissatisfied with the ending. The plot was so complex and convoluted that I found the end – where all the loose ends seemed to be neatly tied up very quickly – to be a sort of letdown. But there is now no question in my mind – were I a star- giving reviewer, The Lost Sisterhood would definitely receive 5.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

ARCADIA by Tom Stoppard

ARCADIA

by

Tom Stoppard

            Arcadia is a play that takes place at Sidley Park, a stately country home in Derbyshire. The play shifts back and forth between the early 19^th century and modern day Sidley Park.  The action in both time periods takes place in a bare room with a large table.

In the 19^th century, Thomasina, the daughter of the house, is working with her tutor, Septimus Hodge; there are books and Hodge’s tortoise.  In the modern time, Hannah Jarvis, an author, is working on a book about the history of the gardens – or, more precisely, about the hermit-genius who lived in the 19^th century gardens like a “garden ornament” or “pottery gnome”.  She is joined by, among others, Valentine, a son of the house, and his tortoise.

            In each time period, people come and go and dramas unfold. But the room and table remain constant. As the play proceeds, everything from both time periods remains on the table. The table and its contents are period neutral, and, by the end of the play, the table has become quite cluttered with objects.

There are striking parallels between the two time periods. Early on, questioning her tutor whether God is a Newtonian, Thomasina asks “[a]m I the first person to have thought of this?” (p. 9).  In the modern time, Chloe asks her brother “Valentine, do you think I’m the first person to think of this?” (p. 77).

            There is humor. Valentine explains to Hannah how her tea is getting cold – by itself. “Your tea will end up at room temperature. What’s happening to your tea is happening to everything everywhere….It’ll take a while but we’re all going to end up at room temperature.” (p. 82).

            The modern day dramas involve the 19^th century dramas – an attempt to sort out the past with meager historical evidence. There is poetry and duels; parks and a hermitage; heat exchange and Lord Byron.

            And, there is Entropy. As the play progresses, so does the chaos. Toward the end of the play, the distinct time periods begin to bleed into one another. They proceed at the same time and intertwine. Chaos ensues.

            The result is a fascinating, intellectual drama. Arcadia is a great read, and I hope one day to see it performed.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

TREE & SKY: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SECRETS OF MESHYAH'S WORLD by Judith Victoria Douglas

TREE & SKY

An Introduction to the Secrets of Meshyah’s World

Judith Victoria Douglas

THIS BOOK WAS GIVEN TO ME IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW.

            Tree & Sky is a book for middle grade children written by Judith Victoria Douglas. Although it is billed as a collection of short stories, it reads more like a book in that there are continuities between the three stories, or chapters. Each of the stories, however, had been published separately at an earlier time.

            As the title indicates, the stories center around Meshyah Bluebird Garcia, a Hispanic-American of Lakhota Sioux descent. Also at the center with Meshyah – or, Shy, as she is called – are her two closest friends, Jasmine, of East African descent, and Ozwald, of British descent. The three of them live under a geodesic dome on the Antarctic continent at what has become the north pole.

            In the first story, or Chapter,  “The Tree on My House”, Shy and her friends are 10 years old. The story explains about the geodesic dome under which they live, as well as the Before Times. Shy and her friends make a remarkable discovery on the patio roof of Shy’s home: a little seedling. The little seedling grew into a big tree, a very unexpected tree under their dome.

            In the second story, “The Day the Sky Fell”, Shy and her friends are 11 years old. We learn more about life under the geodesic dome and the immense amount of work it takes to maintain the dome. When an emergency occurs, the dangerous and fragile nature of the dome becomes apparent.

            In the third story, “Under a Honeycomb Sky”, Shy and her friends are 12 years old. Although the main event in this story is Shy’s twelfth birthday party, it describes even more about life under the geodesic dome.

            For her twelfth birthday, Shy received a five year journal. She and her friends planned to find a way to send the journal, with their stories, into the past to warn the people of the Before Times about the devastating events to come. At the end of the book, we are told that Shy and her friends will write two more stories, which will be published in a separate book.

            My favorite story is the first, “The Tree on My House”. It reminds me of the Native American legends written by Tomie dePaola, and the tree is truly a wonderful character.

            In my opinion, Tree & Sky is a science fiction/environmental awareness book for children in late elementary school and early middle school grades. The writing and dialogue sometimes feel a bit stilted, but it is a creative and interesting story. I enjoyed reading Shy’s stories!

RECOMMENDED

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