A Swashbuckling Pirate Tale

Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you want a swashbuckling tale similar to The Three Musketeers or The Count of Monte Cristo, then you should like this book. I enjoy the writing style of books published in earlier eras, and am always struck by how much more sophisticated the language was. I needed a dictionary for words such as this: pusillanimity (lack of courage), depredations(plundering), execration (great loathing) and invidious (act or situation likely to incur resentment). For years, when I've read books, I just inferred the meaning of words with the story--who wants to take the time to look them up in the dictionary? However, the kindle has changed all that for me, and I love being able to find the exact meaning with the touch of a finger.

Peter Blood has been unjustly accused of murder and ordered to hang. Fate intervenes, and instead he is sent to an island in Barbados as a slave. As a physician, Peter fares better than most, but, when freedom comes in the form of capturing and commanding a Pirate ship, he takes it. Although Captain Blood is a pirate, he gains a certain respect for the way he and his men treat the crews of the vessels he captures. Peter is always mindful of his behavior, and how it might appear to a certain lady he holds in high regard.

This was a fun story, and as stated earlier, I enjoyed the language and the setting. It was a nice escape during a rainy afternoon.


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An Enticing Prequel to a New Jodi Picoult Novel

Larger Than Life by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This novella was sad, but interesting.

As always Jodi Picoult has done her research, and woven a story into the facts. The story weaves between a researcher (Alice), an elephant calf (Lesego)and Alice's relationship with her mother. You will flip between present time (Alice in Africa researching elephants) and past time (Alice's memories of growing up with her mother). There are some nice connections between elephant memory and human relationship.

You will learn so much about elephants while reading the novella. It was really very fascinating, but also so sad how we disrespect the animal kingdom for the sake of greed.

A favorite passage comes from a reflection Alice has on motherhood, which is oh so true for young mother's everywhere:

"There is a reason people say being a mother is the hardest job in the world: You do not sleep and you do not get vacation time. You do not leave your work on your desk at the end of the day. Your briefcase is your heart, and you are rifling through it constantly. Your office is as wide as the world, and your punch card is measured not in hours but in a lifetime."

I was in the mood for a brief, but interesting read, and this fit the bill.

I will be looking forward to the sequel Leaving Time: A Novel.



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