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Cadnum, Bagdasarian
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From: Sally Leahey <sleahey>
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2001 10:04:18 -0500
In response to Claudia's praise of The Book of the Lion, I found much to respect about this book. The violence and coarse details of everyday life were clearly drawn, leaving a memorable sense of the hardships and personal isolation of the times. The relentlessness of the long journey and the graphically described horrors of war removed any romantic notions I might have had of the Crusades. Who can ever forget the massacre of prisoners ordered by King Richard the lion-Hearted?
At the same time, I was disappointed by the rather oblique character development, leaving Edmund's motivations and emotions to our inference. For me it did not work, in spite of the first person voice, and prevented the book from meeting the criterion of "distinguished."
Now, Forgotten Fire is another story! I believe that this book will have a lasting effect on its readers and certainly qualifies as "distinguished."
The shock value of the Armenian holocaust in 1915 is made absolutely real to us through the voice of young Vahan. Perhaps because he comes across as the arrogant and feisty son of a privileged and influential family to begin with, it seems that (like us) he would be immune to the horrors of genocide. But the description of the ensuing horrific brutality through his eyes becomes all too easy to imagine, the suffering too close to home, the deprivation and depravity almost too much to bear. Somehow (I haven't been able to pinpoint how; has anyone else?) the author conveys a strong sense of survival and forbearance in the face of man's inhumanity to man. The understated but eloquent imagery is carefully crafted. I just opened to a random page to find this example. "As the light will illuminate each colored chip of a kaleidoscope, so Seta's happiness began to illuminate every aspect of her being..." (222) Without becoming labored or preachy, Bagdasarian has used his writing to tell a terrific story, while informing readers and giving them something to think about for a long time to come.
Now as far as editing errors (such as typos in The Book of the Lion and the incorrect map in Forgotten Fire), I'm willing to disregard those, IF the books' merits far outweigh minor mistakes.
Sally Leahey, Young Adult Services
McArthur Library
Biddeford, Maine
Received on Thu 11 Jan 2001 09:04:18 AM CST
Date: Thu, 11 Jan 2001 10:04:18 -0500
In response to Claudia's praise of The Book of the Lion, I found much to respect about this book. The violence and coarse details of everyday life were clearly drawn, leaving a memorable sense of the hardships and personal isolation of the times. The relentlessness of the long journey and the graphically described horrors of war removed any romantic notions I might have had of the Crusades. Who can ever forget the massacre of prisoners ordered by King Richard the lion-Hearted?
At the same time, I was disappointed by the rather oblique character development, leaving Edmund's motivations and emotions to our inference. For me it did not work, in spite of the first person voice, and prevented the book from meeting the criterion of "distinguished."
Now, Forgotten Fire is another story! I believe that this book will have a lasting effect on its readers and certainly qualifies as "distinguished."
The shock value of the Armenian holocaust in 1915 is made absolutely real to us through the voice of young Vahan. Perhaps because he comes across as the arrogant and feisty son of a privileged and influential family to begin with, it seems that (like us) he would be immune to the horrors of genocide. But the description of the ensuing horrific brutality through his eyes becomes all too easy to imagine, the suffering too close to home, the deprivation and depravity almost too much to bear. Somehow (I haven't been able to pinpoint how; has anyone else?) the author conveys a strong sense of survival and forbearance in the face of man's inhumanity to man. The understated but eloquent imagery is carefully crafted. I just opened to a random page to find this example. "As the light will illuminate each colored chip of a kaleidoscope, so Seta's happiness began to illuminate every aspect of her being..." (222) Without becoming labored or preachy, Bagdasarian has used his writing to tell a terrific story, while informing readers and giving them something to think about for a long time to come.
Now as far as editing errors (such as typos in The Book of the Lion and the incorrect map in Forgotten Fire), I'm willing to disregard those, IF the books' merits far outweigh minor mistakes.
Sally Leahey, Young Adult Services
McArthur Library
Biddeford, Maine
Received on Thu 11 Jan 2001 09:04:18 AM CST
