Tag: Geraldine McCaughrean

100 Years Ago at the South Pole

On By cherylmahoneyIn Historical Fiction, Reviews, Young Adult4 Comments
Scott and Party at the Pole, Jan 17, 1912

On January 17, 1912, Captain Scott and his team of explorers reached the South Pole, 100 years ago today.  They weren’t the first ones there–Roald Amundsen’s Norwegian team beat them there by a month.  Scott also found that getting there was the easier part.  All five of the men who reached the Pole died trying to get back again.

So why am I telling you this depressing story?  I suppose because I don’t actually find it depressing.  Tragic, yes; depressing, no.  They did fail–but that’s usually not how the story is told.  They died martyrs to the adventure and heroes of history, proving the length of man’s endurance and determination, pushing out the frontier and chasing the impossible dream.

Also, Titus Oates, one of Scott’s men, has a major role in one of my favorite books, The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean.  I freely admit that most of my impression of Scott and his journey came from her book.

So in honor of the anniversary, here’s to impossible dreams (hopefully with better planning!) and I’m re-posting my review of The White Darkness.  It was only the third book review I ever posted here, so most of you probably weren’t here to read it the first time anyway.  🙂

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“I have been in love with Titus Oates for quite a while now—which is ridiculous, since he’s been dead for ninety years.  But look at it this way.  In ninety years, I’ll be dead, too, and the age difference won’t matter.”

This is one of my all-time favorite opening lines of a book (right up there with “All children, except one, grow up”).  I read this in a bookstore and knew immediately that I had to read The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean. Continue reading “100 Years Ago at the South Pole” →

Capturing Ten Moments in Time

On By cherylmahoneyIn Juvenile, Reviews1 Comment

How often do you really think about a photograph?  You’ll look at photos in a whole new way if you read Smile! by Geraldine McCaughrean–or, as I did, listen to the audiobook.

Smile! is about Flash, a photographer whose small plane crashes in a remote area.  He manages to save only one camera–a simple Polaroid, with ten shots.  Flash is taken in by a primitive village, which has rarely had contact with the outside world.  As he speaks to the villagers, he realizes that none of them have ever seen a photograph.  Accepted by the villagers as “the magician who fell from the sky,” Flash must decide what to spend his ten photographs on–what sights will he preserve for the villagers?

Flash comes to love the villagers, and it’s not hard to relate to that feeling.  There are Sutira and her brother Olu, two children who adopt Flash.  And there’s “the old, old man,” the village elder who helps Flash decide what pictures to take–and what shouldn’t be photographed.

Seeing the photographs through the villagers’ eyes is fascinating.  All of us, with our digital cameras and our Google image searches, are so used to the idea of photographs.  But through the eyes of the villagers and through McCaughrean’s gorgeous prose, a photo becomes something magical–a moment in time, frozen and preserved.  Through photos, “the dead can still smile in the land of the living.”  A little boy is ten years old forever.  When the village goes through hungry times, they can look on the feast in their past.  In sad times, the image of their joyful dance.

The book is about photos, and about Flash, as he learns from the villagers–about beauty, about memory, and about what’s really valuable.  It’s a simple, fairly short, and lovely book.

McCaughrean’s writing is beautiful, and I’m sure it was enhanced in the audiobook (available on iTunes) by the reader.  I was thrilled to discover this was read by Richard Morant.  He was the voice of Titus Oates in the audiobook for another of McCaughrean’s novels, The White Darkness.  I won’t wax on again–I’ve done it before–but suffice to say he has a beautiful voice.

This book is listed as a children’s book, and in its simplicity, perhaps it is one.  But it’s another wonderful example of a children’s book with depth, with meaning, and which can be read on so many levels.

Author’s Site: http://www.geraldinemccaughrean.co.uk/index.htm

Other reviews:
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I couldn’t find others!  Any you’d like to share?

Favorites Friday: Prolific Writers

On By cherylmahoneyIn Favorites FridayLeave a comment

Since I’m working on writing a novel this month, it seems appropriate to do a Favorites Friday on very prolific writers–who must be writing their books quickly too.

Most of my favorite authors seem to get a book out about once a year, sometimes less.  And when I’m eagerly awaiting a new installment, that seems like a very long time!  But I can think of three favorite authors (two living, one dead) who seem to manage a faster rate.  I know frequent publishing is normal in the Romance section–but that’s one reason I don’t read romances.  I find it hard to believe an entire genre’s-worth of writers can really publish three books a year without ruining their quality.

But here are three writers who do write good books at an astonishing pace.

Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote over seventy books in his lifetime, typically two a year.  Granted, they almost all have the same plot, but the quality of the writing and of the adventure is solid.  I’ve heard that Burroughs defies everything writing teachers want to tell you about the importance of revision.  He’d typically write a draft, re-read for punctuation and the occasional word change, and that was it.  His novels are practically first drafts.  Once in a while it shows, but most of the time it doesn’t.  And since I’ve read 47 of his books so far, I’m so glad he wrote as many as he did!

Author’s Site: http://www.tarzan.org/

Geraldine McCaughrean knocks me over every time I look at her book list.  It just goes on…and on…and on!  Seriously, check it out–you have to scroll for a long time.  🙂  Her “About Me” on her website says she’s written 160 books (that really is one-six-zero).  I’ve been meaning to read more of her books…so now I just have to decide where to start!

Author’s Site: http://www.geraldinemccaughrean.co.uk/index.htm

L. A. Meyer has a shorter booklist, having written nine books in the Jacky Faber series.  They do come out about once a year, but somehow they feel more frequent–and I include him here mostly because he has a wonderful knack for always having a new book coming out just when I happen to think of looking for one!  Perhaps they feel more frequent than other authors’ books because he only writes one series–so I never have to wait an extra year while he’s writing something I’m less interested in!

Author’s Site: http://clairdeloon.com/

I know there are other writers who write/wrote a lot–Isaac Asimov and Piers Anthony both come to mind as having very lengthy bibliographies.  So, who am I missing?  Any other favorite writers who put books out at a fantastic rate, and still keep up the quality?

Favorites Friday: Male Characters

On By cherylmahoneyIn Favorites Friday1 Comment

First, a bit of business: I’m going to be heading to D.C. next week (thanks to everyone who gave book suggestions!)  I scheduled posts ahead, so you shouldn’t see any drop in content.  But I won’t have internet access, so don’t be offended if I’m not responding to comments!  I’ll read them all when I get back.  🙂  Now, to today’s post…

Two weeks ago I shared five of my favorite female characters, so obviously that must mean that today it’s time for the other half of the population to have their turn.  In no particular order, a few favorite male book characters. Continue reading “Favorites Friday: Male Characters” →

New Feature: Favorites Friday – Opening Lines

On By cherylmahoneyIn Favorites Friday8 Comments

I’ve been thinking about Fridays.  As regular readers know, on Fridays I normally post my own writing.  Which is fun, but I think I want to mix it up with a new feature.  Book reviews are normally a drill-down focus on one book (or series or author).  But sometimes I want to do a round-up of several favorites of something…favorite characters, favorite opening lines, favorite paintings that plainly have a story in them (most of my favorite paintings are like that!)  Because I have a thing for alliteration, I’m going to start doing Favorites Friday.  I’ll still do Fiction Friday too, but I want to do a mix of both.  And by all means, let me know your preferences too!

To start us off, why not begin at the beginning?  Favorite opening lines.

“All children, except one, grow up.”
—Peter Pan, by J. M. Barrie

Six words, yet it’s all there.  The tragic thread throughout, especially at the end, of children growing up and changing and leaving (“tragic” seems to be Barrie’s feeling on it).  The magic of one child who defies this most basic convention.  And the poetry and charm of Barrie’s writing.

“I have been in love with Titus Oates for quite a while now–which is ridiculous, since he’s been dead for ninety years.  But look at it this way.  In ninety years I’ll be dead, too, and the age difference won’t matter.”
—The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean

Brilliant, funny, and I love the way she talks about him simultaneously as both a distant historical figure, and as someone immediately present in her life–which is how Titus is throughout the book.

“If it had not rained on a certain May morning Valancy Stirling’s whole life would have been entirely different.”
–-The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery

And now you have to keep reading to find out why, right?

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”
—Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

I can’t analyze for you why I like this so much–but somehow it’s got into my head and when I read it I want to sigh and say, oh yes, Manderley…

And speaking of sighing:

“Sam Vimes sighed when he heard the scream, but he finished shaving before he did anything about it.”
—Night Watch by Terry Pratchett

Which is Discworld in a nutshell.  And Sam too, for that matter.  Rather world-weary but still going about his business as head of the Night Watch.  In this case, tending to a would-be assassin who has fallen into his booby trap.  I don’t think anyone handles “oh bother, another assassin” quite like Pratchett–and makes it funny!

What are some other great opening lines?  I’d love to hear your favorites!