Devrim Eyyubi Eyyubi itibaren Satu Nou 507083, Романија
A rich, enchanting tale equally as fantastical as it is realistic, as beautiful as it is terrible. Quite a novel.
My copy of this book is titled "Aztec". I thought it would be interesting as I know virtually nothing about Cortes. However I found it very slow going. Malinali is of royal blood but has had an eventful and difficult life. She is captured by Cortes and eventually becomes his interpretor and then concubine. She thinks Cortes is the god Feathered Serpent returned to his people. I found the discussions of what was 'barbarian' interesting, and an insight into the history of the era, but the book seemed to be very repetative. Endless wars, translations and treachery. I eventually skipped through the pages to get to the end.
It's a little too distubring for my taste
This book is well-written, goes quickly and keeps the reader engaged. Telling the story of Frances Henderson's life in Madison County, Virginia, the author gives wonderful insight into the Madison way of life. Having grown up in the county, it was refreshing to get a glimpse into the history of several long-standing Madison families and read about places I know well. While the book has special meaning for those familiar with Madison, all readers will find inspiration in the story of a young girl taken into a family and raised through generations of love and perserverance.
I think I appreciated the ground-breaking nature of this book the first time I read it, but with this re-read, I enjoyed it much more. Since I didn't have to spend as much energy orienting myself to future depicted in the book, I was able to enjoy the complex details of that future and Gibson's often vivid and precise imagery. The main characters struck me more this time as well - there's not a lot of character development, but the important moments when backstory is revealed had impact -- and an essential trait of the main character is his junkie psyche, his numbness towards most things of 'the meat world' - which makes those times he breaks out of that more meaningful. The ending still felt abrupt, but the mysteries it hints at felt tantalizing this time, instead of slightly frustrating. I now want to read more Gibson.