Category Archives: Drama

Book Review, 2 Treasure Boxes, Goodreads, Drama

Number 9 Dream by David Mitchell

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Book Review: 2 Treasure Boxes
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (February 11, 2003), Paperback: 416 pages, ISBN-10: 0812966929, ISBN-13: 978-0812966923

Eiji Miyake has never met his father, but he is on a journey to find him. The desire to find and meet his father is what drives him to take action, when in reality this aspiration is just a side quest. What he really wants to find is the meaning of life.

Number9Dream is the second novel written by David Mitchell.  The story takes place in Japan, it is a drama/coming of age tale told in a first person narrative by the main protagonist, nineteen year old Eiji Miyake.

Eiji grows through his trials and tribulations. He experiences life through his dreams, his imagination, video games and the people around him. But as the tale unfolds, it is difficult at times, to differentiate which of these experiences are really happening. While the task of searching for his father both terrifies and enthrals him, it also seems to be continually out of reach.  Eiji is likeable and we care about him immediately, he is an interesting yet damaged character. There is a fair bit of humour throughout this novel and there are also some pretty gruesome parts.

Number9Dream is a standalone story which is weaved together in a unique fashion. It has stories within stories and includes his sister’s journey, which is tragic. However, I did not really understand the part about “goatwriter”, it does not seem to add anything. Despite this, it was a good read.

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To Purchase: “Number9Dream” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

Goodreads, Drama, Book Review, 2 Treasure Boxes, Public Library

The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham

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Book review: 2 Treasure Boxes
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc., Listening Length: 7 hours and 19 minutes (186 pages), ASIN: B000N85TWI

Kitty, a vain and shallow young woman, marries Walter, a serious, bacteriologist for all the wrong reasons.  Although Walter loves and adores Kitty, she is bored with Walter and their life together in Hong Kong.  As a distraction, Kitty has an adulterous relationship with the handsome, dashing and married Charles Townsend. Once Walter discovers what his wife is up to, his heart breaks and to help both his heart and their relationship to heal he takes Kitty away to the interior of China to give aid dealing with a cholera epidemic.

The Painted Veil was written in 1924 and originally released as five instalments in Cosmopolitan magazine. Subsequently it has been made into a movie three times, in 1937, 1957 & 2006. This story is a drama and it is told in a third person narrative from the point of view of the main protagonist, a young woman whose name is Kitty. Mr. W. Somerset Maugham wrote numerous plays and novels; his best known work was Of Human Bondage.

I was intrigued from the first page. The story pulled me in immediately. I was curious about the characters and what drove them. Mr. Maugham does a superb job of showing us who Kitty, Walter and Charles really are, with well drawn characters. This book is truly a tale of transformation.

This is a standalone book and although the ending is sad, it is satisfying. The story is original and keeps us guessing right up to the last page about what will happen. Although the book revolves around the marriage of Kitty and Walter, it is not a romance; instead the focus is more on Kitty’s personal journey through a difficult time.  I recommend this book.

To Purchase: “The Painted Veil” from Amazon, click here or on picture above
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Drama, 3 Treasure Boxes, Historical Fiction, In Library, Goodreads

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

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Book Review: 3 Treasure Boxes
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics; 1st edition (May 31, 2005), Paperback: 576 pages, ISBN-10: 0060786507, ISBN-13: 978-0060786502

The Prices, an American missionary family of six, attempt to bring Christianity to the Congo in 1959, but things do not turn out the way they hope. Instead, the land, people and customs are so foreign that the Congo imprints itself onto the family and irrevocably changes all of them. This story follows both the Congo’s trials and tribulations during this time as well as the lives within this family.

This historical fiction starts in 1959 in the Belgian Congo and continues through to 1990. The story is told in a first person narrative alternating between the five Price women, Orleanna, the mother and her four daughters: Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May. Barbara Kingsolver has 13 published books and has received several awards for her various works.

The Poisonwood Bible illustrates how war negatively affects people’s lives. The story shows first how World War II changed and destroyed Nathan’s life and ultimately led them all to the Congo. Since the majority of this book takes place in Africa during a time of war and strife, the heart-wrenching damage done to Africa and it’s people is continually revealed as this tale is told. The story is a clear indication of the evil and harm that greed and selfishness can do. This tale is well written with great character development.

I highly recommend this novel; it gives a really good description of Africa. I loved the picture Ms. Kingsolver draws of the pre-Belgian Congo. This is a standalone story with a great beginning and middle, I found the ending to be a bit weak, but overall still a really good read.

To Purchase: “The Poisonwood Bible” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

Goodreads, Drama, Book Review, 2 Treasure Boxes, Public Library

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Book Review: 2 Treasure Boxes
Publisher: Trout Lake Media, Listening Length: 4 hours and 40 minutes (180 pages), ASIN: B002T5U202

A mysterious young man frequently holds extravagant parties for the rich and chic crowd in what is known as East Egg on Long Island. Nick, his neighbour, is soon invited, which we learn is due to Nick’s connection to Gatsby’s long lost love. This is a story of love, lost honour and the cruel nature of some people; it also shows how the past influences the future.

The Great Gatsby was released in 1925 and is a drama that takes place just after the end of World War I. The story is told in a first person narrative by Nick Carraway, but he is not the protagonist, only the narrator. He is chronicling Jay Gatsby’s story. Gatsby is the protagonist and the story is his life as observed by Nick. The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald has completed four novels and numerous short stories; he is also considered one of the great American authors.

The first page of this book is intriguing and summarizes what the story is about, a non-judgemental view of Jay Gatsby’s life. Throughout the book, Mr. Fitzgerald is examining society and exploring the difference between “old” money and “new” money. This is a sad story about some awful people. Initially, we know little about Gatsby, but as the story unfolds his character is drawn with skill and precision until we come to fully understand the man and his motives.

This book is a great character study and certainly worth the read.  It examines an earlier time and gives us an interesting view into the past.

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To Purchase: “The Great Gatsby” from Amazon, click here or on picture above
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Book Review, 3 Treasure Boxes, Kindle, Goodreads, Drama

The Truth About Us by Dalene Flannigan

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Book Review: 3 Treasure Boxes
Publisher: Dalene Flannigan (November 5, 2011), Format: Kindle Edition, File Size: 319 KB, ASIN: B00642CEB6


A horrendous, life changing event impacts three young college students. To protect themselves, they swear to keep it a secret. After graduation, they drift apart, each finding ways to escape their past. Twenty years later, one of the friends decides the truth must come out, but at what cost? This story examines each of their lives, how they have reconciled with the past and how revealing the truth will affect them.

The Truth About Us is Dalene Flannigan’s second novel, she has also written a couple of plays. This book is a drama and it is told in an alternating first person narrative by the three main protagonists. Three women who roomed together in college. The story takes place about 20 years after they graduated. Grace is now a successful, independent woman who makes documentary films about violence against women. Erica is struggling with her marriage but loves her two children and is trying to make her life work. For Jude, life has been difficult so she turned to drugs, and became an addict, but recently she has found Jesus, This has led her onto a new path and she is putting her life back together.

The story was well told and intriguing from the first page. Ms. Flannigan is a gifted story teller as she baits the reader, slowly releasing facts while drawing us in. Each of the characters are well drawn, well rounded people who we care about. I found the book hard to put down. First I was curious to find out what the secret was, and then once it was revealed I could understand why they wanted to keep it a secret. I could also see how the secret impacted each of them and lead to their current lives.

The Truth About Us is a standalone book, with a well developed plot and a great ending. If you enjoy reading a good story about women, then I recommend this book.

To Purchase: “The Truth About Us” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

Book Review, 2 Treasure Boxes, In Library, Goodreads, Drama

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

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Book Review: 2 Treasure Boxes
Publisher: Europa Editions (September 2, 2008), Paperback: 336 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1-933372-60-0

Paloma is looking for a reason to keep living and at times she thinks she may have found it only to realize, that no, that is not good enough. Renee is cynical and she is reiterating her dim view of life, with only her art as the highlight. Both characters are completely different, yet each is searching for meaning.

Muriel Barbery is a French novelist and The Elegance of the Hedgehog was originally written in French and is a novel of ideas. The story is told with a first person narrative that alternates between the two main protagonists. Renée Michel is a 54 year old concierge (landlady) of an upper middle class apartment building. Paloma Josse is a 12 year old girl, who lives in one of the apartments.

Both the characters are living a lie; they are pretending to be less than what they really are because neither feels they will be accepted. Numerous times Ms. Barbery uses exaggeration as a means of portraying her point. It was obvious that the book had been translated from French into English because the language selected for numerous words are not commonly used, for example Renee refers to her apartment as a loge. There are some pretty profound thoughts and observations in the final chapter, with both characters experiencing epiphanies.

Although the story slowly unfolds, the book concentrates more on the internal dialogue of each of the characters as they examine the meaning of life then on actual plot. However, things do pick up in the last quarter of the book. There is a lot of philosophising in this book by both characters and at times, Paloma seems much older and far more cynical than most twelve year olds. The story also has both a sad yet uplifting ending. The book is not for everyone, but if you enjoy analyzing life, then you should give this book a try.

My favourite quote: Moments like this act as magical interludes, placing our hearts at the edge of our souls: fleetingly, yet intensely, a fragment of eternity has come to enrich time. Elsewhere the world may be blustering or sleeping, wars are fought, people live and die, some nations disintegrate, while others are born, soon to be swallowed up in turn-and in all this sound and fury, amidst eruptions and undertows, while the world goes its merry way, bursts into flames, tears itself apart and is reborn: human life continues to throb.

  To Purchase: “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

Goodreads, Drama, 2 Treasure Boxes, Kindle

The Secret of Lies by Barbara Forte Abate

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Book Review: 2 Treasure Boxes
Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing LLC (April 21, 2010), Paperback: 304 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1608444182

A horrendous event occurred in Stevie’s life when she was sixteen which continues to haunt her. The story starts when she abandons her loving husband, Ash, when she is in her late twenties. Her past won’t leave her alone. This is a tale of love, betrayal and secrets which continually tears at Stevie’s heart.

The Secret of Lies is Barbara Forte Abate’s debut novel. This drama is told to us with a first person narrative using the voice and thoughts of the main protagonist, Stevie Burke. She is a young woman and the story follows her tale as she grows from a young teenager of twelve until she is in her late twenties.

The story grabs our attention from the first page and keeps us involved right up until the last page. It starts in the present, alluding to a tragedy, and then flashes to the past.  Tension is immediately created and as the tale unfolds, I knew something bad was going to happen. I loved the beautiful word pictures that Ms. Forte Abate creates when she describes the beach house and the summers that Stevie spent there with her sister, aunt and uncle.

The book still needs a bit of polish, but overall it was well written. I liked Stevie’s character, but I did not see any reason that Ash would be so devoted to her.  She was rather selfish, self-absorbed, and not very nice to Ash. I understand why she was the way she was, but I still had a hard time believing that Ash would be interested in Stevie.

I recommend this book, it is a good read. The story will keep you entertained as the characters are developed and it is an interesting look at the dynamics of family.

To Purchase: “The Secret of Lies” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

4 Treasure Boxes, Public Library, Goodreads, Drama

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

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Book Review: 4 Treasure Boxes
Publisher: Random House Audio (February 3, 2009), Audible Audio Edition, Listening Length: 23 hour(s) and 58 min. (667 pages), ASIN: B001RMWBFC


WOW!! An engrossing story centering on love and redemption.  Twin brothers, Marion and Shiva Stone are born in 1952 at a small missionary hospital in Ethiopia. Initially, conjoined, their birth resulted from the unlikely union of an Indian nun and a talented but aloof British Doctor.   This is a 360° view of their life as shown through the eyes of one of the twins.

Cutting for Stone is a wonderful first novel written by Abraham Verghese. He is a medical doctor, with Indian parents and he was raised in Ethiopia near Addis Ababa. It is told in the first person narrative with the voice of Marion, and sometimes it takes on a third person narrative when Marion is telling his mother or father’s story.

The setting is primarily in Ethiopia and we experience the turmoil that was going on in that country.  We also get a hint of what life was like there including a glimpse of the Ethiopian people. This is a beautiful story; painted with vivid and stunning word pictures. Mr. Verghese medical background adds an interesting dimension to this narration as Marion’s character develops as a Doctor.  He weaves together an incredible tale with phenomenal character development. The story swung full circle and although sombre it was still satisfying.

I highly recommend this novel. It has all, it made me laugh, it made me cry.  Although the ending was surprising and somewhat sad, it was still great.

My Favourite Quote from the book: “Wasn’t that the definition of home? Not where you’re from, but where you’re wanted.”

To purchase: “Cutting for Stone” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

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