TWIB II-12: 12/17-12/23
Jan. 21st, 2008 01:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akujunkanIncluding a, shall we say, unique reading experience.
1) The Expected One - Kathleen McGowan
In a word: creeepy. McGowan’s Expected One is another addition to the long line of Mary Magdalene Carrying The Bloodline Of Christ novels popularized by Dan Brown's odious Da Vinci Code; put another way, one more novel by someone who read Holy Blood, Holy Grail and saw a way to make a quick buck without having to waste time on research, or indeed, coming up with any ideas on their own. (I recommend Clysta Kinstler's The Moon Beneath Her Feet to anyone interested in an unique and readable take on this otherwise tired exercise.)
At any rate, Expected One originally seemed solidly positioned at the lower end of passably mediocre: not excellent (or even decent) writing, but a perfect novel to pick up for anyone who'd like to let their brain take a holiday between more mentally taxing books. The plot unfolds in a highly predictable manner: petite, feisty redheaded heroine Maureen Paschal (get it?!) writes academically controversial yet widely acclaimed books on historical figures--most notably the Magdalene, goes to Jerusalem to investigate, and discovers that--gasp!--she herself shares an intimate connection with the woman and the Christ, our first clue being the mysterious ring she receives in an ancient market. This was all well and good until I happened to flip to the back inside cover, to discover an author photograph of a petite (likely unnatural) redheaded woman, pudgy fingers extended to prominently display just such a ring. Blech.
On the other hand, it gave me a good idea of just what I was in for, and my expectations were not disappointed. McGowan--I mean, the main character, soon found herself in the midst of an international web of intrigue involving the Vatican, several ancient secret societies, friends who aren't who they seem, and cryptic French villagers...as well as the requisite rougish Scots-French heart throb. Again, blech.
The story continues from here along its predictable trajectory, made even more predictable by McGowan's close borrowing from Brown. (Example: Renaissance artworks are at the heart of the mystery, although McGown clumsily attempts to disguise this creative debt by relegating Leonardo Da Vinci to the bad guys' side, making her narrative debt to Brown's masterturd all the more obvious.) So, as I've taken pains to make clear above, good trashy reading. Until, that is, one reaches the epilogue, in which we learn that it's all true.
Indeed, unbeliever! McGowan herself is the descendant of the Magdalene and carries within her own petite, feisty, (unnaturally) redheaded self the very blood of Jesus Christ the Savior. She really has been hunted by secret organizations bent on murder! She really has made harrowing, death-defying escapes! The Magdalene has indeed Visited her! And she is indeed the "Chosen One" who's been touchedin the head by the Hand of God to continue his mission on earth. It made for the most trying-manfully-not-to-wet-myself-hysterical reading experience I've had in living memory...if I hadn’t felt so embarrassed for the author, that is. Make of this what you will, but be warned: readers are in for one kooky experience.
2) Gair Nan Clarsach – Meg Batesman
This excellent collection provides the lyrics and, when known, tunes to 43 16th Scots Gaelic songs, as well as extensive commentary on their collection histories, variants, authors (if known), obsolete vocabulary, and historical references. The text also strikes a good balance between widely known and obscure tunes. Indeed, it’s the best collection of its type of which I’m aware, and I recommend it to all aficionados of Gaelic song.
That will be all.
1) The Expected One - Kathleen McGowan
In a word: creeepy. McGowan’s Expected One is another addition to the long line of Mary Magdalene Carrying The Bloodline Of Christ novels popularized by Dan Brown's odious Da Vinci Code; put another way, one more novel by someone who read Holy Blood, Holy Grail and saw a way to make a quick buck without having to waste time on research, or indeed, coming up with any ideas on their own. (I recommend Clysta Kinstler's The Moon Beneath Her Feet to anyone interested in an unique and readable take on this otherwise tired exercise.)
At any rate, Expected One originally seemed solidly positioned at the lower end of passably mediocre: not excellent (or even decent) writing, but a perfect novel to pick up for anyone who'd like to let their brain take a holiday between more mentally taxing books. The plot unfolds in a highly predictable manner: petite, feisty redheaded heroine Maureen Paschal (get it?!) writes academically controversial yet widely acclaimed books on historical figures--most notably the Magdalene, goes to Jerusalem to investigate, and discovers that--gasp!--she herself shares an intimate connection with the woman and the Christ, our first clue being the mysterious ring she receives in an ancient market. This was all well and good until I happened to flip to the back inside cover, to discover an author photograph of a petite (likely unnatural) redheaded woman, pudgy fingers extended to prominently display just such a ring. Blech.
On the other hand, it gave me a good idea of just what I was in for, and my expectations were not disappointed. McGowan--I mean, the main character, soon found herself in the midst of an international web of intrigue involving the Vatican, several ancient secret societies, friends who aren't who they seem, and cryptic French villagers...as well as the requisite rougish Scots-French heart throb. Again, blech.
The story continues from here along its predictable trajectory, made even more predictable by McGowan's close borrowing from Brown. (Example: Renaissance artworks are at the heart of the mystery, although McGown clumsily attempts to disguise this creative debt by relegating Leonardo Da Vinci to the bad guys' side, making her narrative debt to Brown's masterturd all the more obvious.) So, as I've taken pains to make clear above, good trashy reading. Until, that is, one reaches the epilogue, in which we learn that it's all true.
Indeed, unbeliever! McGowan herself is the descendant of the Magdalene and carries within her own petite, feisty, (unnaturally) redheaded self the very blood of Jesus Christ the Savior. She really has been hunted by secret organizations bent on murder! She really has made harrowing, death-defying escapes! The Magdalene has indeed Visited her! And she is indeed the "Chosen One" who's been touched
2) Gair Nan Clarsach – Meg Batesman
This excellent collection provides the lyrics and, when known, tunes to 43 16th Scots Gaelic songs, as well as extensive commentary on their collection histories, variants, authors (if known), obsolete vocabulary, and historical references. The text also strikes a good balance between widely known and obscure tunes. Indeed, it’s the best collection of its type of which I’m aware, and I recommend it to all aficionados of Gaelic song.
That will be all.
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on 2008-01-20 05:16 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2008-01-20 06:43 pm (UTC)