book reviews

Peter C. Mancall, ed., Travel Narratives from the Age of Discovery: An Anthology. This is a book filled with, well, travel narratives, all from the period when every continent was brand new to anyone who'd never been there before. I thought it sounded interesting, but in practice, it was kind of boring. Everyone's reactions to everyone else were very similar, and overall, I found the reports tedious.

L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables. Obviously a reread, but as fresh and delightful as always. I had forgotten how fast the narrative moved and how much time was packed into the book. I think I appreciated more than ever before the delicacy with which the change and growth in Anne's character and therefore the reaction to her by the people around her were painted.

Rose Wilder Lane, Young Pioneers. I admit, the first half of this book annoyed me a bit - it moved too fast, dwelt on little, and was obviously cobbled together from her parents' stories of their experiences. (Rose Wilder Lane being the daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder, in case you didn't know.) The second half of the book, where the plot was being moved forward by the actions and decisions of the main character, was much better and more interesting. It really caught the maturization of this newly married young woman who realizes that her decisions are the ones that keep the family going, not those of her impetuous young husband.

Erik Larson, The Devil in the White City. This is my book club's pick for this month. I had picked it up several times over the years and never got around to buying it, so I was quite pleased! And the book was very enjoyable. Weaving the tale of the Chicago World's Fair with a tale of a serial killer preying on the young women who went there, it was well researched and highly readable. If I wished for more detail, that may have been due to gaps in the historical record and/or a wish on the author's part to appear to know more than he did. Either way, I quibble as I would with the dash more salt that might make the steak perfect instead of great.