Review: The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie

The Enchantress of Florence is set in a beautiful city in the east (India, I think?).  The emperor, who has begun to doubt religion and his role as ruler, befriends a mysterious stranger from the west who calls himself only "Mogor dell Amore".  The blond traveler has a story to tell.  Soon the emperor and his kingdom are entranced by the story of the beautiful and powerful enchantress of Florence.

So, I actually hadn't planned on reading this book.  I actually went to the library to get Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children, but it was checked out.  This story caught my attention and I'm glad I got The Enchantress of Florence, although I was a little bit disappointed by the story. 

The story itself is interesting, though a bit hard to follow in the beginning.  It at times jumped around locations and time periods without my realizing it.  Once I realized what was going on it was easier to understand.  I loved the parts of the book that take place in the emperor's kingdom in India, and I also liked reading about the enchantress and her story, yet there were long sections that I labored through because I just wasn't drawn in to the certain parts.  Perhaps it's because right before reading this book I read The Pope's Daughter, which takes place in Renaissance Italy, just like certain parts of this book. 

I loved a lot of the characters.  Rushdie has a way of painting characters that brings out hilarious things about them.  For example, everytime I read about the emperor's mother and aunt, I had to laugh.  They are both such real characters.  I could see parts of my own family members in them.  Then there's the emperor himself.  He is a ruthless king who wins battles and isn't afraid of killing people, yet through the book, we see him beginning to doubt.  He wonders if he's really doing the right thing.  He realizes that he doesn't want to be known as ruthless and blood-thirsty like many of his ancestors before him.  He begins to doubt his religion.  Most important, I think, he starts to want to be a normal person.  The emperor plays with using "I" instead of "we" when talking about himself, and there's nothing he wants more than a friend to talk about his thoughts and philosophies with.  I felt bad for the emperor because he desperately wants to change himself and his kingdom, yet risks losing a lot if he does.

Despite some issues with the story for me, I really loved reading The Enchantress of Florence.  The reason?  Rushdie's gorgeous writing.  It is beautiful.  I love how much humor is in this book, yet the way it's written makes it seem like pretty prose.  If you read this book for anything, read it for the writing. 

Some favorite quotes:
Page 5: In the day's last light the glowing lake below the palace-city looked like a sea of molten gold.

Page 38: Bhakti Ram Jain proudly held the rank of Imperial Flatterer First Class, and was a master of the ornate, old school style known as cumulative fawning.  Only a man with an excellent memory for the baroque formulations of excessive encomia could fawn cumulatively, on account of the repetitions required and the necessary precision of the sequencing.  Bhakti Ram Jain's memory was unerring.  He could fawn for hours.

Page 73: By then, however, the knowledge was of no use to him, except to remind him of what he should never have forgotten, that witchcraft requires no potions, familiar spirits, or magic wands.  Language upon a silvered tongue affords enchantment enough.

Page 308: The sun had not yet risen, but the emperor was up and about.  Sikri in shadow seemed to embody the great mysteries of life.  It felt to him like an elusive world of questions to which he must find responses.

Title: The Enchantress of Florence
Author: Salman Rushdie
Date of Publication: May 27th, 2008 (my birthday!!)
Number of Pages: 368
Genre: Fiction
Source: Library

Review: The Pope's Daughter by Caroline P. Murphy

In The Pope's Daugther: The Extraordinary Life of Felice della Rovere, Caroline P. Murphy brings to life a woman who lived during the Italian Renaissance.  Daughter of Pope Julius II, Felice lived most of her life in Rome and its surrounding areas.  She learned at an early age that it paid to be independent, and decided to live her life the way she saw fit.  Murphy uses documents from Felice's time period to put together a woman who fought hard and got independence in a time when women were little more than pawns for men to play with.  The Pope's Daughter chronicals her rise from adolescent to a powerful landowner, a woman who survived the sack of Rome and her stepson's jealousy.  Read it and get to know the amazing Felice della Rovere.

I have such a hard time reviewing nonfiction.  I really can't say anything about the plot.  After all, the plot in this case is the actual life of Felice della Rovere.  I can't exactly criticize characters.  They were real people.  However, I can rate the writing and the style, and the way the author presented her information.  So here goes.

The author states right in the beginning of the book that she had to make a lot of inferences about the life and person of Felice della Rovere.  Although this at first worried me-would the book really be an accurate representation of Felice and her world-those "inquietudes" as they say in French soon fell to the way side.  There is very little written about Felice, even by her contemporaries, so at first it seems impossible that Murphy could write a whole book on her life.  But Murphy was able to use letters mentioning her that were written by her friends, employees, and acquaintances, and the personal records of business and inventory that Felice herself kept, to paint at least a glimpse of the true Felice.  Could some of Murphy's inferences about Felice be wrong?  Yes.  But because Murphy backs everything up with these sources, it seems highly likely that the real Felice really was at least a bit like the Felice Murphy describes throughout the pages of this book.

As far as writing goes, sometimes when I read nonfiction, the writing is so dense and boring that even if I'm interested in what the book's about, I don't want to keep reading.  Murphy's writing was super easy to follow and she explains everything in easy to comprend terms.  There are a ton of Italian names and words in this book though (obviously, since Felice lived her whole life in Italy), so if you get annoyed easil by lots of foreign pronunciation and whatnot, you might at times get frustrated.  I, however, loved it.  I've never taken Italian, but I had a blast trying to say things out loud.  I especially love saying "Felice" (pronounced "fel-ee-chay").

I think Felice is a great role model to women everywhere.  If you love reading about strong women who take control of their own lives, read this book.  Felice was living in a time when women pretty much had no rights (though renaissance Rome was a lot better to women than a lot of places.  Felice was able to buy land and run it as long as she had the money to purchase it).  Her status as the pope's daughter gave her a taste of independence and power at a young age, and she worked hard as an adult to make sure she stayed independent.  She wanted an income besides that of her husband's to safeguard herself and her children against the death of her spouse. 

The Pope's Daughter portrays such a strong woman, so I've decided to post some of my favorite quotes about Felice and her personality:

Page 61: There were few who did not comment on her prudentia-wisdom or intelligence.  Such a reputation endured throughout her life.  The scholar Angelo Firenzuola, writing in defence of the female intellect, cites among the female luminaries of his time: 'the prudentissima Felice della Rovere...of whom with no small amount of praise do men speak, with a resounding voice.'

Page 71: There is something poignant about Carteromacho's account of Felice's fervent desire for books.  Over and beyond how books helped her appear to her best advantage in fashionable scholarly circles, they also served as her companions during those times when her father deliberately excluded her from courtly events.  Books were a means to shut out the trials of ongoing bargaining, and negotiations for a husband she did not want.  Reading was one of the great pleasures of Felice's life.

Page 72: Felice was determined to focus on aspects of her personal identity and social connections that reached beyond a role as wife to an Italian lord.

Page 129: Stazio's description of Felice's emotional state is quite surprising in its candour.  Thus far in her life, Felice had performed in public, no matter what she may have felt inside, as a woman who was both proud and resilient....For her to leave Rome in tears is an indication of the deep humiliation she felt from her father's refusal of her request.  Life was frequently unfair for women in the Renaissance, but its unfairness on this occasion seemed particularly harsh to Felice.  She had proved herself a more than competent estate manager, a shrewd businesswoman, an admired diplomat.  All were useful attributes for becoming governor of a city.

Page 172: Felice's inventory reveals her carefully crafted strategy for personal survival.  If life with the Orsini did not work out for her, she was still, independently, extremely wealthy.

Page 188: Felice della Rovere had learned the language and cadences of the courtier's voice.  Over the previous decades, she had had occasion to plead tearfully with her father and to take a somewhat obsequious position in order to ingratiate herself with Isabella d'Este.  She had continually charmed and impressed the humanists and clerics of the Vatican court.  Felice could be theatrical if need be: she had vowed to throw herself into the sea rather than be raped and she had wept at her husband's deathbed.  But her tone of authority of what endures.

Page 190: Felice, who fought hard for her own rights and possessions, seems particularly angered that another woman should be denied the right to bequeath her own property as she chose. (this is then followed by some examples of Felice receiving and writing letters to the women on her land to help them get what they rightfully deserved)

Page 297: Everything she had done, she had done for the ultimate benefit of others-her children.



Title: The Pope's Daughter: The Extraordinary Life of Felice della Rovere
Author: Caroline P. Murphy
Date of Publication: November 4th, 2006
Number of Pages: 315
Genre: Non-Fiction, Biography
Source: Personal Copy

Shopping Indie: My Local Bookstores

Independent bookstores are an integral part of the bookish community, yet I find that (at least in my city) many people don't realize what indie bookstores are out there.  I live in Buffalo, NY, and the city, suburbs, and surrounding region has so many local bookshops selling used and new books to offer the people in my community.  I've decided to showcase a different indie bookstore in my area every 2 weeks or so (depending on how busy my life decides to get) for a while until I've exhausted the pretty long list.  I'll give a brief description of each store, say what each has to offer, and will personally visit each one to give you an idea of the atmosphere (and buy myself a book or two or three....).  I may sometimes even interview owners or employees as well!  I hope that this feature will encourage those who live in the area or who visit the area to stop in, buy a book or two at one of these stores, and support the local indie community!  And if you don't live in Buffalo, I'd love to see what local book shops your city has to offer!

Look for my first "Shopping Indie" bookstore post coming soon!

Review: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles, written in 1902 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of those stories everyone knows, or at least has heard of.  I loved matching the old movies of it as a little girl, and I finally sat down to read the book.  Sherlock Holmes has been enlisted to help Sir Henry Baskerville, the new owner of Baskerville Hall following the death of Sir Charles Baskerville.  What he needs from Holmes?  Protection.  And the truth behind an old family legend about a hell hound killing off each owner of the estate.  Holmes quickly assigns Watson to accompany Sir Henry back to Baskerville Hall.  He knows that Sir Henry may face real danger, not something paranormal.  Watson reports back to Holmes how things are transpiring until Holmes can get out there himself.  Will Sir Henry fall victim to the hell hound, like many of his ancestors before hime?

I adore Sherlock Holmes, I really do.  The Hound of the Baskervilles was a great read and definitely lived up to my high expectations.  Holmes is just as irritable as always.  I loved Dr. Watson's role in this story.  He has a big part-protecting Sir Henry from whatever may be lurking out on the moors.  And Watson does his duty well.  I thought he was a great friend to Sir Henry and showed how much he values his friendship with Holmes through all the letters he wrote him.  Dr. Watson really isn't as stupid as the movies sometimes make him out to be.  He is friendly with everyone, yet is secretly recounting to his friend in London anything suspicious or out of the ordinary going on.

Holmes was as brilliant as ever.  Even though he doesn't really come into the story until near the end, his presence is felt through the whole thing because Watson is constantly talking to him through his letters.

I was surprised by how intense the story was.  I mean, I've known the story of the Baskervilles well since I was little because of the many movies, but even so I was on the edge of my seat while reading.  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle definitely has a way with words.

Have you read The Hound of the Baskervilles or seen any of the movies?  Let me know what you thought!

Title: The Hound of the Baskervilles
Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Date of Publication: 1902 originally, my copy is from 2003
Number of Pages: 124
Genre: Fiction
Source: Personal Copy

Review: The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot is enjoying retired life when he receives a startling letter in the mail.  It says that there will be a murder in Andover on a specific date, and it's signed "ABC."  The murder happens, and soon Poirot and Scotland Yard are looking for a serial killer who kills in alphabetical order.  This is his toughest case yet, and he hates that he knows more murders are coming yet cannot stop them.

I liked The ABC Murders but it wasn't as gripping as Murder on the Orient Express.  The beginning was a bit slow for me and it took a while to get into.  I think part of it was the narration.  The book is narrated by Poirot's old friend Hastings, who is in town visiting.  I liked Hastings as a character, but he just didn't do it for me as narrator. 

Once the murders and investigations got underway though, I was sucked in.  Numerous characters are introduced-relatives and friends of the victims-and Poirot uses them to help catch the culprit.

Saying much more would ruin the story, but let me just say that Poirot is just as smart and cunning in this as in Murder on the Orient Express.  I really love him as a character and felt for him when he was down and out about not having any clues.  The ending of The ABC Murders is, in true Agatha Christie fashion, shocking and unexpected.  Although I didn't like it as much as my first Poirot book, it was still a great read and I look forward to more Poirot in the future.

Title: The ABC Murders
Author: Agatha Christie
Date of Publication: 1936 (my copy is from the 1970s)
Number of Pages: 272
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
Source: Library