Nadine (23dollars) -
Helpful Score: 4
This GORGEOUS cover caught my eye as I perused the new releases table at Barnes & Noble the other day. And that first line? Sold me as soon as I read it! It's one of the best openings ever! It even got several of my online reading buddies in The Reading Cove interested enough to get the book and read it with me.
But what a disappointment! Talk about a book not living up to its potential...
It's the 1920s, and amidst Parisian scandal, Delilah Drummond must take refuge in Kenya ~ where she better watch how hard she breathes, or she'll be eaten at any second by hungry LIONS, TIGERS and BEARS, oh my! And every time she turns around, another poor person or child's been hacked into by wild African beasts! Oh my! ;-)
Not to mention that 2.3 seconds after getting there, Delilah suddenly becomes a prime candidate for UN Ambassador! Healing the sick, feeding the poor...and confessing to a murder she didn't commit. You know, the usual.
No, seriously. This book was just a wad of generic clichés about Africa, with a bow of trite, bland Harlequin romance between Delilah and Ryder White tied on. It was eye-rollinglylaughable bad. Zero complexity. Negative zero depth. Something I might've gobbled up as a 12-year-old perhaps, but now? Not so much. For instance, what adult reader is supposed to believe that Delilah Drummond would be utterly perplexed, page after clichéd page, as to why Ryder behaved so strangely around her lover, Kit?? Seriously??! Puleeze.
Alas. The writing itself wasn't bad, but the substance was lacking. So for A SPEAR OF SUMMER GRASS, C/C-.
But what a disappointment! Talk about a book not living up to its potential...
It's the 1920s, and amidst Parisian scandal, Delilah Drummond must take refuge in Kenya ~ where she better watch how hard she breathes, or she'll be eaten at any second by hungry LIONS, TIGERS and BEARS, oh my! And every time she turns around, another poor person or child's been hacked into by wild African beasts! Oh my! ;-)
Not to mention that 2.3 seconds after getting there, Delilah suddenly becomes a prime candidate for UN Ambassador! Healing the sick, feeding the poor...and confessing to a murder she didn't commit. You know, the usual.
No, seriously. This book was just a wad of generic clichés about Africa, with a bow of trite, bland Harlequin romance between Delilah and Ryder White tied on. It was eye-rollingly
Alas. The writing itself wasn't bad, but the substance was lacking. So for A SPEAR OF SUMMER GRASS, C/C-.
Crystal J. (dorolerium) reviewed A Spear of Summer Grass (1920s Adventures, Bk 1) on + 212 more book reviews
I absolutely adore Deanna Raybourn, so I practically jump at the chance to read anything she puts out. While this novel is not starring my beloved Julia Grey, I was delighted to get to know Delilah, another strong female character ahead of her time. Delilah generally does as she pleases, consequences be damned, and I like that in a character. I love watching a character grow and change from the start of a story to the end, and recklessness is a great way to begin that journey.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my review.
To read the rest of my review, please visit my review.
Bridget O. (sixteendays) -
I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. Raybourns style is one that I enjoy very much, and I suspect she could write almost any kind of story and I would find myself falling in love with the words as they mingle amongst each other on the pages.
That being said, this story in particular is problematic, which is something I suspected would happen as soon as I realized it was about a privileged, white American traveling to Africa. My background in African history is not very strong, but I do believe at least the basic political ideals and push for Kenyan independence during this time period was correct. And, honestly, the fact that we only really have the white European view of Kenyan independence can be construed as a very astute comment on how the the politics of it were handled, historically. However, Raybourn does dip quite a few toes in the White Savior complex here not only when it comes to the Masai she interacts with in general, but very heavily with Gideon and Moses. I cant say that it wasnt possible for a white American woman to become such close friends with a Masai warrior in 1920s Africa, or that it never once happened, but the ease with which Delilahs relationships took hold was a strange thing to read. The scene when Delilah returns to Fairlight and the tribes gather to sing for her was both incredibly beautiful and incredibly uncomfortable at the same time; ultimately it left me feeling unsteady with what I was experiencing.
There were characters that were mis-(or under)used in the story, namely Dora who I feel should have been explored more deeply not only as an individual but also as a contrary confidant of Delilahs. I also felt like Tusker wasnt given her due and that Helen's motives ended up seeming forced. Ryder was a semi-interesting character, but I found reason to be complicit in Delilahs feelings for him.
The shining star of the novel is by far Delilah as a hell-raising, devil-may-care, pseudo-feminist and how she deals with her own personal demons. I think given a different setting and perhaps a different love interest, I would have fallen deeply for her story.
That being said, this story in particular is problematic, which is something I suspected would happen as soon as I realized it was about a privileged, white American traveling to Africa. My background in African history is not very strong, but I do believe at least the basic political ideals and push for Kenyan independence during this time period was correct. And, honestly, the fact that we only really have the white European view of Kenyan independence can be construed as a very astute comment on how the the politics of it were handled, historically. However, Raybourn does dip quite a few toes in the White Savior complex here not only when it comes to the Masai she interacts with in general, but very heavily with Gideon and Moses. I cant say that it wasnt possible for a white American woman to become such close friends with a Masai warrior in 1920s Africa, or that it never once happened, but the ease with which Delilahs relationships took hold was a strange thing to read. The scene when Delilah returns to Fairlight and the tribes gather to sing for her was both incredibly beautiful and incredibly uncomfortable at the same time; ultimately it left me feeling unsteady with what I was experiencing.
There were characters that were mis-(or under)used in the story, namely Dora who I feel should have been explored more deeply not only as an individual but also as a contrary confidant of Delilahs. I also felt like Tusker wasnt given her due and that Helen's motives ended up seeming forced. Ryder was a semi-interesting character, but I found reason to be complicit in Delilahs feelings for him.
The shining star of the novel is by far Delilah as a hell-raising, devil-may-care, pseudo-feminist and how she deals with her own personal demons. I think given a different setting and perhaps a different love interest, I would have fallen deeply for her story.
