Book Reviews by a Chick Who Reads Everything

Bridget’s Gambit: A Saga of Family Enterprise in Gold Rush California Book Review

Full disclosure: I was given a free copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

I love learning about women who took the lead and blazed a path for future generations. After all, these tenacious women have always existed. I recently learned about someone who fit that mold perfectly. Her name was Bridget Miranda Shannon Evoy. She was an Irish woman who sought a better life for her family in California during the Gold Rush. Her direct descendant Craig S. Harwood details her journey in the book Bridget’s Gambit: A Saga of Family Enterprise in Gold Rush California. It’s a well-researched biography about a fascinating character in California history.

Bridget’s Gambit: A Saga of Family Enterprise in Gold Rush California is the fourth volume in the “Women and the American West” series. In 1828, Bridget Miranda Shannon Evoy escaped famine-stricken Ireland with her family for a better life in America. However, within two years, she became a widow and was left raising her five children alone after her husband’s death in St. Louis, Missouri. A while later, Bridget sets her eyes on California. Craig S. Harwood recounts the adventures and accomplishments of this determined woman and her daughters, from a harrowing overland crossing in the winter of 1849 to innovative efforts to build an empire despite the social and gender constraints of the Victorian Era. By pursuing commercial ventures in Northern California, the family ascended the social ladder and exerted influence, doing business with many of the early shapers of California statehood.

According to the author, much of the story was relayed through family oral history. While this is sound, one needs to back up the information with hard facts. Harwood does just that with sources like newspaper articles, census and tax records, journal entries of those who went on the same trail as the Evoys, and general histories of Northern California and Nevada. He even covers the conflicts between the pioneers and natives when necessary and points out that more indigenous people were killed in these scrimmages than the settlers. Although the book is less than 200 pages, this mix of primary and secondary resources provides it with plenty of substance.

Additionally, Bridget Evoy is an amazing person. I’ve covered books about tenacious women in the past, but she is definitely one of the most interesting. Honestly, I am in awe of her. She raised five children by herself, led a group of people heading westward on the dangerous Overland Trail, and established herself a savvy businesswoman with multiple commercial ventures with her daughters Ellen and Margaret. It’s especially true with the latter to capitalize on the Gold Rush. She was an assertive woman in a time when women were meant to be docile. For example, she raised her voice and tore into a guy who tried to steal her carpetbag filled with gold dust satchels (p.98-100). She wasn’t going down that easy. Nonetheless, she was well respected in what would become Oakland, California. Even Zach Montgomery, a boisterous speaker critical of the Lincoln administration, deferred to his mother-in-law. In addition, since she was an Irish Catholic, she led with empathy. She and her daughters contributed to various Catholic organizations that helped the less fortunate most likely because of her experiences with the 1820s famine.

My only complaint about the biography is how it can plod at times. I felt this especially when the Evoy family makes the trek to the California territory. However, the more I thought about it, it made sense. The journey was slow moving and harrowing, especially when Bridget elected to take a different route on the Overland Trail to avoid the treacherous mountains and a potential Native American raid. Harwood does a good job with emulating how that would’ve felt.

Bridget’s Gambit: A Saga of Family Enterprise in Gold Rush California by Craig S. Harwood is a great biography of a bold and pragmatic woman and her family. It was fascinating to read about how Bridget Evoy paved a better life for herself and daughters. She didn’t wait around for people to rescue her; she did it all by herself. On top of that, Harwood fleshes out the Evoy story with research that correlates to what happened. I would recommend it to those who love reading about a woman’s place in the history of the West, the Gold Rush, and the Mother Lode. Women of the tenacious kind are usually the ones that make history, and Bridget is a fine example.

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Literary Travel – Michigan and Canada Edition

Hi Everybody,

To my American and Canadian viewers, I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July and Canada Day earlier this month! Last year, my husband and I traveled to Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario, Canada for our dating anniversary. Neither of us had been to those places before, but we had a great time. And of course, we went to two book-related businesses, which I can’t wait to show you. All of the photos used were the ones I took and can be seen at the bottom of this page.

Our day trip began in Port Huron – the largest city in The Thumb area in Michigan. It’s also best known as the place where a young Thomas Edison worked for the Grand Trunk Railway Depot. We had lunch at Pompeii’s Pizzeria and Italian Eatery in the downtown area. One of my co-workers at the library I work at recommended the place. The cheesy bread and pizza were delicious!

Afterwards, we ventured further into Downtown Port Huron to go to Raven Cafe. According to its website, it’s “an Edgar Allan Poe-inspired restaurant in a Civil War-era building.”

They serve a variety of food and beverages (especially their coffee shakes), but what makes them stand out is that they allow customers to pull books of a shelf and read while they wait or consume. You can’t buy them, yet what you can do is purchase a bookmark, so if you return, you can pick up where you left off. While I was waiting for my Lavender Vanilla coffee shake, I tried finding an Edgar Allan Poe novel to no avail. However, I did come across a Doctor Who book that I looked at while I was at Raven Cafe.

In addition, I love the cafe’s atmosphere. It was quirky and inclusive with its Halloween-like decor (even though we were there in May), rustic and antique furniture, local art, and Pride flags. From what I’ve heard from regular customers, this is intentional as the owners wanted it to be a safe place for everyone, especially for the marginalized. They certainly did a great job with that. During my time, I felt cozy and relaxed, and I can’t wait to go back. Along with their website, you can check out Raven Cafe on Instagram.

After the Raven Cafe, we drove across the Blue Water Bridge to visit Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. For those who’ve read my Literary Travels as of late, this is the first place in that country that we have visited outside of Windsor. There was a local bookstore I wanted to check out called the Houde (pronounced Hood) Family Books.

Houde Family Books is Sarnia’s largest used bookshop and has been around since 2015. It’s a very cozy place where books, vinyls, and trinkets are sold at very low prices. The novels were organized neatly with chalkboard signs indicating which genres it had. Moreover, it houses a greenhouse, where customers can sit, read, and/or watch the plants grow. If you look closely enough, you can find various characters in the plants.

We also met one of its owners Robin Houde. Yes, that is his name, and he was a pretty cool guy. He was chill and able to answer the questions I had.

Some parts of the bookstore were closed off or were in disarray because at the time, they were about to remodel the place. As of now, they are temporarily closed because of construction, but I hope they open up soon. They had a great variety of titles.

Like with other bookstores I’ve been at, I bought some books. They were One Hundred Over 100 by Jim Heynen and Lady in Waiting: A Tale of Transition by Jennifer Marige Hodgetts. I also finally found the only Edgar Allan Poe novel he wrote called The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (I reviewed it back in September).

Houde Family Books is another quirky and inclusive place that I would definitely recommend visiting once they open up again. In the meantime, you can check out them out on Facebook and Instagram.

And that concludes the eleventh installment of “Literary Travel!” I hope all of you had a great time on this trip. My next ones are going to focus solely on the Mitten State.

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The Silent Patient Book Review

I’ve read books that contain psychological and thriller aspects before. And yet, it’s only now that I’ve read a novel that has both. It’s not just any title, but it’s one that defines the term “psychological thriller.” You want to know what it is? It’s The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides – a gripping story with unreliable, yet interesting characters.

The Silent Patient is about a woman who vows not to speak after killing her husband. Alicia Berenson has a great life. She’s a successful painter who’s married to an in-house fashion photographer. Also, they live in a home in one of London’s most desirable areas. And yet, when her husband comes home late from a photo shoot, Alicia shoots him five times in the face. Then, she never speaks another word. Her refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, transforms a domestic tragedy into something grander that captures the public consciousness. This casts Alicia into notoriety. Years later, she has been hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London. Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and find out why she murdered her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations. It’s a search for the truth that threatens to consume him.

The book is the textbook definition of “psychological thriller” for two reasons. One is that it analyzes the main characters’ minds and behaviors and how those are conveyed through their actions. With Alicia, it’s hard to understand why she murdered her husband Gabriel since she decides not to speak. Luckily, Michaelides is able to provide her perspective by including excerpts of her diary. These sections are tough to get through at times because it becomes clear that Alicia has been used by many people in her life like her brother-in-law and the gallery owner. Personally, I had to put down the audiobook for a bit after listening to those parts. And yet, one has to wonder if she’s telling the whole truth.

The second reason is how suspenseful it is. Throughout the novel, I was rooting for Theo to find a way to allow Alicia to talk without any repercussions. He was up against not only her, but also the Grove, which was on the brink of closure, and their practices. I won’t spoil what happens, but it became clear throughout that he had more nefarious motives. During the course of the book, Theo reveals that he came from an abusive household. Even though he sought treatment to confront his trauma and vowed not to be like his father, he ends up stalking his own wife when he suspects that she’s been cheating on him. The big twist almost caught me off guard.

Another aspect that makes The Silent Patient stand out was its use of unreliable narrators. Alicia is painted from the beginning as unpredictable and difficult by other characters. Christian – a Grove staffer who previously treated her – states at one point that she could be playing Theo, for she sees how much he empathizes with her. However, her diary reveals that she had a hard time standing up for herself because only a few listened to her, including Gabriel. She also compares herself to Alcestis – a princess in Greek mythology who sacrifices her own life to protect her husband’s, but refuses to speak after returning from the underworld. At the same time, when she tells the whole story about how the murder happened, Theo doesn’t believe her at all.

Then, there’s Theo. At first, he is portrayed as someone who wants to help others despite the trauma he’s been through. In other words, he seems reliable even though some of his colleagues at the Grove might label him as a do-gooder. As the novel progresses, layers of Theo’s personality get peeled off, and it becomes clear that he wants to get Alicia to talk for more personal reasons. With all of that being said, it’s fascinating to see who starts off as reliable/unreliable and how they intersect. It makes one wonder how truly trustworthy Theo and Alicia are.

As mentioned earlier, I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Louise Brealey and Jack Hawkins. Brealey has been mentioned on this website before since she helped record None of This is True by Lisa Jewell. She reads Alicia’s diary with meekness while sounding like she is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. This perfectly suits the character, who wants to be believed but can’t due to reasons she is well aware of. There’s no doubt that Michalides thought that she was extremely good since she recorded the audiobook to his follow-up The Maidens. Meanwhile, Jack Hawkins provides the strongest performance. He’s an actor who has appeared in movies and television shows like Call the Midwife as well as recorded audiobooks for “The Laundry Files” series by Charlie Stross, 1356 by Bernard Cornwell, and books by The Secret Barrister and British race car driver Jenson Button. Hawkins speaks like Matt Smith when voicing Theo. I don’t know if it was because he sounds like the Doctor Who actor in real life, or if it was a choice. Regardless, this makes Theo appear to be dependable at first, but there’s always an edginess and aggressiveness to it. This transforms Theo from what could have been a wolf in sheep’s clothing into something vastly more complicated.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is a top-tier psychological thriller. It engages with its story and characters in creative ways and remains compelling throughout. Other books in the same genre will have a hard time topping this one, especially through the use of unreliable narrators. Since I’m going to assume most of the people who’ve been on this website have read it, I will recommend it to anyone who hasn’t looked at it yet, especially to those who love psychological thrillers. There’s not another one like it.

Before I go, I want to let everyone know that returning guest Cheyne Nomura and I will discuss how we would adapt this book on an episode of the Adapt Me Podcast. That one will come out this fall. Keep an eye out for the link.

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Wuthering Heights 2009 Series Review

Content warning: this review mentions animal abuse.

Welcome to Part 10 of looking at various adaptations of Wuthering Heights and seeing if they can capture the spirit of the book by Emily Brontë. Today, I’ll be looking at the 2009 miniseries made by ITV and aired on PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre starring Tom Hardy as Heathcliff and Charlotte Riley as Catherine.

The 2009 miniseries comprises two episodes, both of them over an hour long. Of the two Wuthering Heights television series, this one is the best. It depicts many of the story beats while also fleshing out the relationships, and it’s not just Catherine and Heathcliff’s. Director Coky Giedroyc takes some time to focus on the ones between Edgar and Isabella as well as Mr. Earnshaw, Heathcliff, and Hindley. I especially love how the show spent time with Catherine and Heathcliff when they were children, and viewers even see them messing with younger versions of Edgar and Isabella. My chief problem with the 1967 BBC miniseries was how it gave little attention to these relationships to cover the wider scope of the book. Luckily, this one strikes a great balance.

Moreover, this is another faithful adaptation of the novel with a few noted changes. The first is how some of the dialogue gets reassigned to different characters. For example, some of the lines from when Catherine proclaims to Nelly that she’s going to marry Edgar and tries to justify her reasons for doing so get transferred to an earlier scene when she explains to Heathcliff her plan to marry Mr. Linton. This certainly improves the communication between the two lovers, but Heathcliff runs off just the same. The second is how Catherine’s dying scene is drastically reduced in this version. Some viewers complained about this because it contains some beautiful dialogue between her and Heathcliff. I felt that it was a bit weird to shorten an important scene from the book.

The biggest change is the structure. Usually, it starts with Nelly telling Mr. Lockwood about what went down. Instead, this miniseries begins with Linton – Heathcliff’s son – moving from Thrushcross Grange to the Wuthering Heights estate. In this way, the second half of the book acts as a framing device for Heathcliff to flash back to his relationship with Catherine, especially after he digs up her grave. Of the non-Lockwood frameworks I’ve seen, I prefer this one because it utilizes what’s already in the novel and doesn’t try to add anything unnecessary (I’m looking at you, 1992 movie). In fact, this is one of two adaptations that eliminate Mr. Lockwood. The other is the 1970 film.

Speaking of the 1970 flick, there’s another thing that the 2009 miniseries has in common with that one. Both acknowledge that Heathcliff is Mr. Earnshaw’s illegitimate son, thus making him and Catherine half-siblings. However, the latter does it better since it shows how it affects his relationships with others, especially with Hindley, as well as Mr. Earnshaw’s character. For instance, there’s a nice scene where Mr. Earnshaw purchases a horse for Heathcliff in front of onlookers, thus making it understandable as to what he means to him.

It certainly captures the gothic horror spirit of the novel. This is especially true with the vast shots of the Moors and the percussion-based music that’s right at home in Riverdance. Additionally, this shows more of Heathcliff’s violent nature. For example, he beats up the dog that bit Catherine and chokes Hindley to death later on. To be fair with the latter, Hindley put a pistol to Heathcliff’s forehead. However, they could have highlighted the supernatural parts more. They show Catherine’s ghost towards the end, but outside of that, there’s not much. Throughout, Heathcliff will say that he placed curses on certain people. It felt like they didn’t have much of a budget for the special effects, so screenwriter Peter Bowker wrote in those parts to satisfy that and to foreshadow the spell he puts on Catherine. This felt like a cop-out.

I also wasn’t crazy about the costumes. For one thing, it’s not set in the 1700s, but in the early 1800s. This is not the first time that an adaptation has changed the time period (the 1939, 1950, and 1958 versions did this as well). My problem is not that the clothing isn’t historically accurate to the book. It lies in how they don’t always look good. Some of the outfits Charlotte Riley wears as Catherine when she roams throughout the Moors feel like a 2000s interpretation of a casual Regency dress, especially with the scarf she has on. In addition, let’s talk about Tom Hardy’s wig. I love Hardy’s performance, and I like how the Professor-Snape hair suits him in a way. My issue is how it can be distracting from seeing his face at times. Despite this, it’s not the worst hairpiece in a Wuthering Heights adaptation (see the 1967 miniseries review on that).

Like the other Wuthering Heights reviews, this wouldn’t be complete without discussing the performances. As mentioned earlier, Charlotte Riley plays Catherine. She’s fine. Riley plays the snob and wild parts of that character, but she feels too much like an innocent victim in an abusive relationship. Catherine has more agency and is as much of an enabler as Heathcliff is in the novel. However, I will concede that Riley and Hardy have great chemistry. I truly believed in their romance even when I knew how toxic it was (I’m not saying this because the two are married in real life). Kevin McNally (best known as Mr. Gibbs in the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise) is Mr. Earnshaw, and he plays as if he’s a proud man who has good intentions, but doesn’t realize how it affects others. Burn Gorman (best known for his work in Torchwood and Game of Thrones) plays the pettiest Hindley ever. He takes great pleasure in putting Heathcliff in his place during the first half of the series, especially when he orders him to shake Catherine’s hands. When Hindley starts drinking, Gorman tries to hide the character’s addiction, whether he’s the focus or in the background. For example, he remains composed despite being visibly drunk at Catherine’s wedding. Then, he drinks at the reception and proceeds to chase his son Hareton around.

And, there’s Tom Hardy. Yes, I know he’s another white guy as Heathcliff, but he is one of the better ones. He’s emotional and manipulative with lots of brooding. Hardy is not that cruel compared to other interpretations, but he remains cold and distant, particularly to Isabella. He also has plenty of swagger, which comes out when Heathcliff returns. When the character gets older, Hardy uses the voice he would later utilize as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises three years later (side note: Gorman is also in that movie). I’ll admit that it took some time getting used to that tone, but it suits the character well. Hardy’s best acting moments in this series are his nonchalant/smirk reaction to Hindley putting a pistol to his head and the scream he emits after hearing the news that Catherine died. What a great vocalization of grief in the most passionate way possible!

If there ever was going to be a miniseries of Wuthering Heights, the 2009 one would be it. It covers most of the story while fleshing out the characters and their relationships with others in meaningful ways, not just Heathcliff and Catherine. The changes it makes mostly work. The best part is the performances, especially Tom Hardy. It’s no wonder that he was able to have the career he has now because of this miniseries. I would recommend it to anyone, whether they are actively watching every adaptation of Wuthering Heights, are a Tom Hardy fan, or just want a miniseries to see.

Now, let’s see how this one fits into the ranking.

Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights 1992 Movie
Wuthering Heights 2009 Series
Wuthering Heights 1939 Movie
Wuthering Heights 1958 Teleplay
Wuthering Heights 1967 Series
Wuthering Heights 1998 Television Movie
Wuthering Heights 1970 Movie
Wuthering Heights 1950 Teleplay
Wuthering Heights 2026 Movie

We’ll see how this ranking evolves after I see all the others.

Stay tuned next month when I review the 2011 movie with James Howson and Kaya Scodelario.

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The Truth About You: You’ll Never View Domestic Violence the Same Way Again Book Review

Full disclosure: I was given a free advance reader copy of this book by Author Marketing Experts in exchange for an honest review.

Although domestic violence is a sensitive topic, it has attracted a lot of curiosity. People have seen it in some form, so they have an idea what it entails. However, domestic abuse is more complicated than what they think. Michael Clark strives to unearth such complexities with his book The Truth About You: You’ll Never View Domestic Violence the Same Way Again. Even though it can be one-sided and over simplified at times, the book still fulfills its objective of providing a more nuanced view on the delicate subject.

The Truth About You: You’ll Never View Domestic Violence the Same Way Again is about one woman realizing what abusive relationships truly look like. When Lucy and Meg’s mom Paula is assaulted by her husband, stepfather Greg, his arrest seems to end a nightmare. However, when their mother chooses to stay with him, the sisters find themselves in a disturbing moral dilemma. Desperate to protect her, they secretly install hidden cameras to capture the truth for themselves and the rest of the world. What unfolds isn’t what Lucy expected. As she grapples with conflicting narratives of abuse, loyalty, and manipulation, she’s forced to question not only her mom and stepdad’s roles in this abusive relationship, but also the whole framework of judgment, justice, and victimhood.

Before I get into this review, I want to provide some background information. Author Michael Clark is the founder and Executive Director of the Ananias Foundation. It’s a nonprofit organization committed to ending domestic violence at its root by working with those who have caused harm. Clark himself was a former domestic violence offender, who went through rehabilitation to become a safe and emotionally healthy partner. He wrote about his struggles and transformation in his memoir From Villain to Hero.

Given this context, it makes sense that Clark would portray Greg more sympathetically than other authors. In fact, Greg is provided with a backstory involving his single mother and an assortment of emotional issues. Initially, he resists doing the program that’s supposed to help him, but overtime, he learns a lot of things that he relays to stepdaughter and protagonist Lucy. In the beginning, I wanted to hate him, but later, I empathized with him in a way, and he actually expresses regret for his actions. I kind of wish this book was from Greg’s perspective. Not that I don’t think Lucy is an interesting character, it’s more that I find his story fascinating. However, he’s likely a self-insert since Clark already wrote his tale of a reformed abuser in the memoir I described above.

With that being said, I found The Truth About You to be one-sided and over simplified at various points. This is especially true with Meg and the domestic violence organization she’s a part of. They promote the view that abuse is gender-based with women always being the victims and men the abusers. I get Clark wanted to include this to highlight common assumptions about domestic violence, but it comes off as shallower than intended. This is apparent when the group spells out their intentions like an evil scientist announcing his plans to take over the world and when Brenna – one of the organizers – force feeds lines to Paula at a rally. It doesn’t help that Meg drank a lot of that Kool-Aid when she and Lucy watched the videos of Paula and Greg’s interactions.

On the other hand, it does achieve its goal of changing how readers look at the topic overall. For starters, it shows what an abuser goes through during the aftermath. Even when they repent, others will still define them by their past infractions, which makes their lives much harder. This is evident of what Greg goes through in the book although I wish it included more of the reality of some abusers getting off scot-free and never expressing regret. In addition, the book is effective in demonstrating that the line between a victim and a victimizer can be blurred. Even though Paula gets physically attacked by Greg, there were several incidents that would’ve marked her as an abuser.

Lucy is a good audience stand-in. She learns from the videos and Greg of what domestic violence actually looks like. Even though she is a bit bland, it was nice to see her grow from being naive and a pushover to standing up for herself and seeing the misinformation that her sister and the domestic abuse organization espouse. She reminded me of my life at times. In addition, I love how Clark included a romantic interest for her with Brett – the trainer who helps her dog Oreo. They are so cute together, and I hope that she applies what she’s learned in this story to maintaining a healthy relationship with him.

The Truth About You: You’ll Never View Domestic Violence the Same Way Again by Michael Clark is a good story for anyone curious to know more about the topic. It can be shallow and biased at times, but it provides plenty of nuance in other places. While it didn’t completely change how I view domestic violence, it reaffirmed and fleshed out certain aspects, especially when it comes to abusers who want to atone for their actions. I would recommend this to readers who love dark literary fiction and contemporary women’s drama as well as those who crave psychological insight and stories that challenge assumptions. Domestic abuse will always be a subject of interest despite how sensitive it can be, and while this book is not perfect, it’s a good starting point.

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Massawa: A Tale of Illusion, Espionage, and Love Book Review

Full disclosure: I was given a free advance reader copy of this book by Books Forward in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read tons of historical fiction novels set during World War II. Most of them usually take place in Europe and Asia. However, Allied and Axis bases were also in North Africa, and wars were fought there as well, especially for control of the Suez Control. Not many novels cover that aspect of the conflict. Luckily, today’s book, Massawa: A Tale of Illusion, Espionage, and Love by Pam Webber, does. It’s a good story with a memorable setting and interesting characters.

Massawa: A Tale of Illusion, Espionage, and Love is the first in a series about novice female American spies in North Africa and the Mediterranean that changed the tide during World War II. In 1942, Wild Bill Donovan, the director of the United States’ first spy agency, believes that women were the key to winning the intelligence battles against the Nazis. To prove his point, he pairs fledging agent Kit Thomas with British MI6 agent Mark Williams and sends them to one of the most dangerous places in the world – Massawa, Eritrea – to investigate the theft of millions of military payroll dollars. While there, Kit and Mark discover a conspiracy by the Vichy French – Nazi sympathizers – to shut down the only Allied naval base on the Red Sea, an essential resource in stopping the Nazi invasion of North Africa. As they work to reveal the conspirators, Kit and Mark engage in a perilous and tempestuous dance of trust versus mistrust.

Normally, I follow the rule of not judging a book by its cover. However, the one for Massawa doesn’t scream spies and espionage. The picture looks like it could’ve been a part of a commercial for an adult contemporary love song CD compilation with On the Wings of Love by Jeffrey Osborne playing in the background. I even showed it to my husband, and he said it resembled a romance novel. He’s not wrong, for there is romance. Fortunately, the cover is referenced in the story. One character mentions that ancient Massawans believed a mirage was “a gift from the gods to be able to live near the union of sun, sand, and sea – to thrive in a place where illusion and the environment protected them from their enemies” (p. 269).

In other words, the cover makes more sense when one reads the book. At the same time, it could’ve been more effective if it added a woman in uniform looking outwards, like the ones in Kate Quinn books, to emphasize the espionage work.

Once I actually started reading Massawa, I enjoyed it. I love the setting. I could imagine the desert and the colorful buildings as well as feel the heat. This certainly demonstrates how the city is a character in itself. It was funny when various people complained about the heat or spoke about the need of air conditioning in the story for that reason.

While the characters are well developed, the story mainly focuses on Kit. She is a strong, confident woman who’s determined to prove herself to her peers and perceived enemies. And, she gets to do some physical stuff as well. At the same time, Webber doesn’t make her one note. Kit gets into spats with Mrs. Higgins – the British secretary in the city who’s mad at the Americans for not doing enough. Additionally, her confidence gets a reality check when a man points out all the techniques she used to seduce him to get information. She remains insecure even when the same person congratulates her for fooling him in other ways. Moreover, she has romantic feelings for her supervisor Jake and her coworker Mark, but she wants to concentrate on her work and tries not to let love distract her. It’s refreshing to see a female character who is skilled, but flawed.

Some readers might complain about how much this novel is a slow burn, especially if they want more action. It certainly felt sluggish at times. This was apparent when Kit discovers something and then tells certain characters everything about what she saw…literally. I understand that Webber probably wanted to let readers know what was going on. However, it feels similar to how Netflix wants its writers to make it super clear of what was happening in their shows because they knew viewers weren’t always paying attention. I’m not saying any reader who picks up this book will not understand the plot and its mechanics. It’s that Webber simply needed to pick up the pace by trimming down the details. Thankfully, the third act was swift.

Massawa: A Tale of Illusion, Espionage, and Love by Pam Webber is a good historical fiction novel about a little-known World War II story. The setting and characters were engaging, yet there were issues with the cover and pacing. I would recommend it for those who love stories about World War II, espionage, and strong female characters. Massawa: A Tale of Illusion, Espionage, and Love is out now, so grab it wherever you get your books.

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Adapt Me Podcast – Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Women Archetype

Hi Everybody,

Howl like a wolf because the latest episode of the Adapt Me Podcast is up right now. In it, returning guest Jaylan Salah from The JayDays YouTube Channel and I discuss how we would adapt Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Women Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés as an immerse theatrical production. We talk about how this kind of medium could truly capture the authentic and intuitive nature of the book. We also discuss how the nonfiction book changed our lives and has influence feminist circles since 1992. Check it out at this link!

In the meantime, I have a review of the book itself, so check that out too!

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Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Women Archetype Book Review

I’ve come across plenty of self-help books over the years, but I’ve rarely read ones that are geared towards women. The only one I can think of is Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness by Deb Miller, which covers how the author forged her own fairy tale and happily ever after. Recently, I found a different kind of female empowerment book with Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Women Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, which was published back in 1992. It’s a powerful nonfiction title about how women can get in touch with their inner Wild Woman through the power of stories.

Normally, I would provide my own summary, but the one from Goodreads is so good that I had to provide it here:

“Within every woman there lives a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. She is the Wild Woman, who represents the instinctual nature of women. But she is an endangered species. For though the gifts of wildish nature belong to us at birth, society’s attempt to ‘civilize’ us into rigid roles has muffled the deep, life-giving messages of our own souls.

In Women Who Run with the Wolves, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés unfolds rich intercultural myths, fairy tales, folk tales, and stories, many from her own traditions, in order to help women reconnect with the fierce, healthy, visionary attributes of this instinctual nature. Through the stories and commentaries in this remarkable book, we retrieve, examine, love, and understand the Wild Woman, and hold her against our deep psyches as one who is both magic and medicine.

Dr. Estés has created a new lexicon for describing the female psyche. Fertile and life-giving, it is a psychology of women in the truest sense, a knowing of the soul.”

I never knew about this book until a friend of mine recommended it. Even a volunteer who’s about 10 years younger than me was aware of this title. I can see why it has stood the test of time. It speaks to the soul of women and encourages them to embrace the kind of person that they truly want to be regardless of what society dictates. And, what better way to do that is through the power of stories.

Pinkola Estés chooses familiar and obscure fairy and folk tales to get her points across. She analyses stories like The Ugly Duckling (translated from the Hungarian language) to let women know that they’ll find their own family who accepts them as they are, The Red Shoes (from the Hungarian-Germanic version) about self-preservation, and La Llorona for the importance of nourishing one’s creative life. In addition, she utilizes the dark, and sometimes, violent versions of these stories to add to the authenticity as well as ones from all over the world, and not just from Europe.

My favorite chapters involved knowing how to identify a predator (the French-Slavic version of Bluebeard); utilizing intuition (Vasalisa the Wise); retrieving sexuality, as in being a state “of intense sensory awareness that includes, but is not limited to, her sexuality” (p. 334) (The Dirty Goddesses); and setting boundaries with rage and forgiveness (The Crescent Moon Bear from Japan and The Withered Trees from the Middle East). I especially love the last one because I’ve had trouble defining those lines, and Pinkola Estés does a great job with letting readers know that anger will always exist, justified or not, and it’s a matter of when to use it. Additionally, I have even started employing her advice in my everyday life. After reading about returning home with Sealskin, Soulskin, I literally spent a few hours in my childhood house, and it was refreshing.

If I have one complaint about it, it would be that it could’ve been trimmed down. With the bibliography and index, it’s over 500 pages. Without them, it’s still over 400, and I felt it. Pinkola Estés left no stone unturned when analyzing every aspect of the stories chosen for this book. However, she can be repetitive and the ways she dissects the tales are sometimes stretched out. Reading this book has made me understand how some things can be analyzed to death. At the same time, when it works, it’s truly effective.

Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Women Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés is a great analysis of that character type. She shows women how they can get in touch with their inner Wild Woman through the meaningful stories she recites. While it can be overanalyzed at times, it’s certainly empowering for female readers whether they need it the most, or are simply curious. I would recommend it for those who like reading about character and story archetypes ala Joseph Campbell. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I got to go sing “She Wolf” by Shakira and howl because that’s what my inner voice is telling me to do.

Before I go, I want to let everyone know that the latest episode of the Adapt Me Podcast will come out this week. Returning guest and host of the JayDays YouTube Channel Jaylan Saylah and I will howl about how we would adapt this tome. Keep an eye out for the link.

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A Bear Called Paddington Book Review

After last week’s review of what’s probably the most disturbing adaptation of Wuthering Heights, I needed something soft, cozy, and silly. I managed to get this with Paddington – the iconic bear from the series of the same name. Since one of his birthdays is coming up on June 25, let’s look at the character and his adventures in the book that started it all – 1958’s A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond.

A Bear Called Paddington is Paddington’s origin story and then some. A little bear has just traveled from Peru when the Brown family first meet him at Paddington Station. Taken in by his charm and manners, the Browns decide to bring him home and make him a member of the family. The bear, now named Paddington, gets into plenty of shenanigans while adapting into his new environment. Since then, the Browns’ lives have never been quite the same, for ordinary things become extraordinary whenever Paddington is involved.

Growing up, I didn’t read a whole lot of books. I was more of a movie and television kid. However, if I had read Paddington when I was young, I would’ve loved it to the end of time. The bear is cute, kind, and means well when he accidentally gets himself into trouble. Regardless of what happens, the Browns accept and care for him. They don’t even question why he’s able to talk in general. Of course, they make sure that he understands certain things and that they accident proof the house, but they love him just the same.

In addition, It was fun to read the kinds of scenarios that Paddington found himself in. My favorites in A Bear Called Paddington were when he goes shopping, to the theatre, and to the beach. The book consists of eight chapters, and they follow a pattern: Paddington goes to a place and accidentally gets lost or misunderstands something and tries to do it himself. He then finds himself in trouble, but everything is straightened out in the end. Most of them could’ve been individual short stories because there isn’t much of a plot in A Bear Called Paddington. Outside of the Browns finding the bear at the Paddington Station and certain members accepting him, the book is literally a series of episodes that could’ve been written for television (yes, I’m aware of the fact that Paddington had several tv shows). Regardless, it was still fun to see how he dealt with certain situations.

While reading this book, I noticed how British it is. It’s not just in using certain words like lift (elevator) or spade (shovel), but it’s in the humor like the focus on the little things. For example, when Mrs. Bird – the Browns’ live-in housekeeper – first meets Paddington, she is skeptical, but she mentions that he has good manners, so she’s ok with a bear living with them. This comes full circle in the beach episode. When Paddington is lost at sea, the family try to search for him, and Mrs. Bird says that she couldn’t imagine the house without him. Additionally, British humor tends to focus on navigating the chaos as opposed to causing it, A Bear Called Paddington is full of that. Since he arrives in London from Peru, he’s unfamiliar with the territory and social customs. Much of the comedy comes from how he attempts to understand new things, like going shopping or taking a bath.

While A Bear Called Paddington and the other books in the series are marketed towards children, it can still be read by adults. There’s clever wordplay, and a cast of colorful characters that people might recognize in real life. Readers will certainly know someone who’s like the friendly and caring Mr. Gruber or the nosy and critical Mr. Curry. For the children, the reading level is geared towards anyone over the age of 8, but parents can easily read it to younger kids. There are small, pencil illustrations, created by Peggy Fortnum, of Paddington in various situations, but if kids want more visuals, there are picture books of his adventures. One way or another, people of all ages can enjoy reading about the marmalade-loving bear.

It’s easy to see why A Bear Called Paddington by Michael Bond and the series it spawned are beloved. The titular character is memorable in his manners and how he finds himself in unfamiliar places. In addition, while it’s predictable to a degree, I found myself invested in what he or the Browns were going to do. As I alluded to earlier, I would recommend it to any reader of any age, whether it’s the first or the one hundredth time. Paddington has been around for nearly 70 years, so here’s another 70!

Stay tuned when I review Paddington’s first movie – 2015’s Paddington in December.

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Wuthering Heights 1998 Television Movie Review

Content warning: this review mentions animal abuse and sexual assault.

Welcome to Part 8 of looking at various adaptations of Wuthering Heights and seeing if they can capture the spirit of the book by Emily Brontë. Today, I’ll be looking at the 1998 movie made by Masterpiece Theatre starring Robert Cavanah as Heathcliff and Matthew MacFayden as Hareton.

As I got more into the post-Kate Bush Wuthering Heights adaptations, it’s clear that each one of them wants to be as faithful and transgressive as possible. So far, this version takes the cake for both. Not only does it contain the second half of the book, but it also has almost every scene, including ones that weren’t in the prior adaptations. The most infamous being when Heathcliff tries to hang Isabella’s dog. I was nervous about that since anytime she was on screen prior, she was carrying her little black dog. Luckily, the film provides a happier ending to that scene than in the novel.

I honestly didn’t expect how far Masterpiece Theatre would go to show the wickedness of the novel, but wow, it went there. It includes a scene in which Heathcliff rapes Isabella soon after they get married. In previous adaptations, he’s always a brute to her, but I never would’ve expected that one would take it up a notch, especially from Masterpiece Theatre, which is funded by viewers like you. Thank you. The 2002 Goodbye, Mr. Chips movie through Masterpiece Theatre also had plenty of realism, but it wasn’t to the level of this version of Wuthering Heights. It was very unsettling. It didn’t help that director David Skynner decided to juxtapose that sequence with Catherine getting hair cut to reduce the swelling in her brain from her fever. Although I don’t know if I want to see this film again, I will give it props for including such a disturbing scene.

The rest of the movie is decent. I like how it taps into the best parts of the 1970 and 1992 flicks. It contains the scene in which Heathcliff chases ghost Catherine all across the Moors, which is a nice homage to the former. In addition, it emulates the 1992 movie with its gothic horror tone, supernatural elements, and its volatile Heathcliff.

On the other hand, there were a couple of parts which were baffling. For starters, the story starts when Heathcliff flashes back to his youth as opposed to Nelly telling Mr. Lockwood about it. This is like the 1950 teleplay, and just like that one, this change makes Mr. Lockwood and Nelly pointless to some degree. Also, in the beginning, when young Catherine and Heathcliff are playing outside, she sees an older Heathcliff. Then later, when he’s dying, he flashes back to that time. How was he able to teleport himself through space and time? I mean, he has the ability to put people in purgatory by damning their souls, but that could’ve been explained better.

My main complaint is the rape scene is so overpowering that it overshadows everything else in the film. It’s not to say the movie is bad. Not much of it is as memorable as the sequence mentioned earlier.

The performances are mostly good. Robert Cavanah is Heathcliff. Let’s get it out of the way now: he’s another white man playing a racially ambiguous character. Even with bronzer on, that still doesn’t change the fact that he’s a white man. As for his performance, he’s the most volatile Heathcliff I’ve seen. He forcibly kisses Catherine, and I already mentioned what he does to Isabella. It doesn’t help that he looks like a tan Bob Geldof during the first half. I still prefer Ralph Fiennes’s interpretation of the character because of how dynamic it was, but this one is still serviceable. Orla Brady is Catherine. She does a good job with tapping into the character’s volatile moods, especially when she calls Hindley a tyrant and acts like a stubborn child during the key scene. The best performance comes from Matthew MacFayden, who portrays Hareton – Hindley’s son. From the moment I saw him, I felt the character’s sadness, torment, and determination with little to no dialogue. Also, he gets to play with a puppy. MacFayden would go on to portray Mr. Darcy in the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice.

The Wuthering Heights 1998 television movie is fine. It’s the most faithful version I’ve seen so far in how true it is to the text, and it captures the disturbing elements of the story. I’m truly amazed by how PBS greenlit this one, but I don’t know if I will ever return to it because of how unsettling it is (even with Matthew MacFayden in it). I would recommend it to those who are actively watching every adaptation of Wuthering Heights and/or want to see a more loyal adaptation of the story. We’ll see how the other ones fare as we move into the 21st century.

Now, let’s see how this one fits into the ranking.

Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights 1992 Movie
Wuthering Heights 1939 Movie
Wuthering Heights 1958 Teleplay
Wuthering Heights 1967 Series
Wuthering Heights 1998 Television Movie
Wuthering Heights 1970 Movie
Wuthering Heights 1950 Teleplay
Wuthering Heights 2026 Movie

We’ll see how this ranking evolves after I see all the others.

Stay tuned next month when I review the 2009 mini-series with Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley.

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