The Romance of a Spahi by Pierre Loti

The Romance of a Spahi by Pierre Loti
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

A spahi was a horse-soldier in the French army. This book is a tale of a young, naive Frenchman who becomes a spahi and is stationed in Senegal. I bought this book, because this edition is a lovey leatherbound, gilt-edged edition. I had no idea what a spahi was or what the story was about, I just thought the book itself was beautiful.

Well, you know what they say about judging a book by its cover? The content of the book is as far away from the beauty of the cover as is possible. I read older books a lot, as I collect them, and am used to the casual racism and/or sexism that is innate in these older books. But this one was just HORRIBLE. Female black Africans are referred to as Negresses, and they are either lazy and stupid, or sexy and trying to trap the white solders. The blacks beat drums at night, "stirring up the black blood" which makes the soldiers go wild with lust and drink. Oh, and let's not forget the constant reference to the "smell of the Negro".

Our young hero 'falls under the spell' of a lovely black woman (oh, excuse me - Negress), who uses spells and totems to bind her to him. He loves her but also hates her because she's black and he loves her. So he beats her, of course. Which she endures, of course. She follows him even when he has to go on a mission to the interior.

I suppose this is a good example of the "romance" novels of that era (romance in the classic sense, not necessarily 'romantic'), but it was SO difficult to get past the racism and imperialism. The one good thing was that the author was able to really give a sense of the places - the dry white city, the desert, the jungle. The descriptions were very vivid, and made me FEEL what it was like to be there. That's the ONLY positive about this book (other than this edition is pretty! ;) But I really cannot recommend this book to the casual reader - but only to those who may be studying literature of that time and type.

The Sea Wolf

The Sea Wolf by Jack London
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

How many ways did I loathe this book? Well, first there was the constant theme that in order to be a "real man" (I'll save discussion of women for later) that one has to work with his hands, and has to brave the elements, and laugh in the face of danger, and be cruel, sadistic and amoral, and that these are all things to be admired! Oh, and don't forget that you have to have the body of a Greek god and a a self-taught intellect that is only used to back up one's own views, not to explore other views. This, basically, is the description of Wolf Larsen, captain of the Ghost, a seal-hunting ship in the early 1900's. Our protagonist, Humphrey van Weydon is an intellectual and a scholar, who never "worked a day in his life", according to the illustrious captain. (Hump was 'rescued' from a shipwreck and immediately, and illegally, pressed into service aboard the Ghost - where the first thing he sees is the captain killing the first mate.) Hump is shown to be in every way inferior to the brutish captain.

Needless to say, the captain and 'Hump' disagree on morality, duty, bravery, and just about anything else. So the first part of the book is full of long discussions between the two of them, where the captain always seems to get the better of Hump. This was point two of what I loathed. The arguments were facile; Hump was never very convincing of the 'Christian' or even moral point of view. In all ways, Wolf Larsen is portrayed as superior (despite, or even because of, his cruelty to his crew).

Next we have an amazing coincidence of a rescue at sea of a damsel in distress, Maud, with whom Hump immediately falls in love. This really lacked in believability. At least Maud does not fall for the epitome of all that is male (Wolf) and sees him for what he is - a sadistic monster, who uses his intellect to justify his cruelty.

The next bit of the book was at least interesting, when Hump and Maud escape and are marooned on an island and have to fend for themselves to survive. Their struggles to make shelter and find food seemed quite realistic, and at least at this point their blooming love for one another seemed more realistic. But, even here, the descriptions of Maud as the weaker sex and Hump's feelings toward her were simply laughable: [Hump thinks to himself] "I shall never forget in that moment how instantly conscious I became of my manhood. The primitive deeps of my nature stirred. I felt myself masculine, the protector of the weak, the fighting male. And best of all, I felt myself the protector of my loved one. She leaned against me, so light and lily-frail, and as her trembling eased away it seemed as though I became aware of prodigious strength. I felt myself a match for the most ferocious bull [seal] in the herd, and I know, had such a bull charged upon me, that I should have met it unflinchingly and quite coolly, and I know that I should have killed it." All I can say is, ugh.

Then, a still more amazing coincidence occurs - the Ghost crashes on the island, bereft of all crew except for Wolf Larsen. He, however, is suffering from some sort of brain ailment (possibly a tumor of some kind) and is blind, and then slowly becomes paralyzed. Hump and Maud both bemoan the tragedy of such an "alive" person becoming weak and helpless. When he finally dies, Maud even feels sorry for him!

Look, I realize this was written over 100 years ago, when the ideals of masculinity and femininity were different, but this was just WAY over the top. There was nothing, NOTHING admirable about Wolf Larsen, except maybe his hot body. He was a bully, a sadist, and a criminal.

Oh, and one more thing I loathed - the edition I read had an afterward written by some English professor who seemed to practically glow with admiration for Wolf Larsen and what and example of the Heroic Man he is in literature.

So, why did I even finish it - well, Jack London is a decent story teller and I wanted to see how it was going to end. But I found the first half of the book difficult to read, between the endless (and pointless) arguments about morality and manhood, and the horrible cruelties inflicted on the crew. This was NOT a rousing sea adventure, a la Horatio Hornblower or Master and Commander. If that's the kind of sea-faring tale you like, do NOT bother with this book.

Islands in the Sky by Arthur C. Clarke

Islands in the Sky by Arthur C. Clarke
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is an early work by the legendary Arthur C. Clark, written in 1952, and targeted to what we call today the YA audience. It follows the adventures of a 16-year-old boy, who wins a trip to a space station. Unlike many other early "space operas", this book is blessedly free of space battles, unbelievable aliens on every planet in the solar system and damsels in distress. What it DOES have is lots and lots of descriptions of how satellites work, orbital science, and what it's like to live and work in zero gravity. The author is quite good at describing what a 'sunrise' looks like from orbit, and other space-related phenomena. Quite prescient, given that this was written before the first satellite was launched!

However, I do have some nits to pick. First, and most surprising, is that Clark has the space station commander using "an old-fashioned fountain pen" - in ZERO GRAVITY! Fountain pens require gravity to work! I found this mistake shocking, given all his other (mostly accurate) description of zero gravity effects. The other thing that really bothered me was the complete lack of women (other than a movie star). All the 'apprentices' were boys. All the space station crew were men. There weren't even any female nurses in the space hospital! However, given the time the book was written, this is understandable. Regrettable, but understandable. At least he didn't have everyone smoking, as in so many other science fiction works of the same era. (Asimov's Foundation, I'm looking at you!!)

If you are a fan of early Sci-Fi (as I am) this is worth reading. It's not the typical "space opera" of the time, but has lots of good science-based fact and conjecture. But modern young people would probably not be too enthralled by the story.

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A delightful mystery! Much like The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency, though, it's not a typical mystery. It's more an exploration of life, with gentle philosophic observations, all told while a protagonist (again, a single woman) carries out her duties as a private investigator. And, like Mma Ramotswe, Maisie Dobbs likes to truly help those who come seeking her professional services.



Yet, despite the similarities to that series, this is not a copy, nor even an homage. This book (and, I hope, the series) stands on its own, with its own style and flavor. It is set in England, before during and after WWI. We see the upheaval in class lines that took place during that timeframe, embodied in Maisie's own rise from parlor maid to college-educated professional.



The story is told with real affection for the characters, as well as the time and place. While many of the events that take place are horrific, the writing is so tender that it makes it all quite readable. (The violence of these events is not described, but left to the reader's imagination. This does not lessen their impact, at all.)



I must say, that if you are a fan of Downton Abbey, then you will probably enjoy this book, as it covers much of the same time and place. I certainly enjoyed it enough that I just ordered the next in the series!