Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book : Like Water for Chocoalte (Como Agua para Chocolate) Author: Laura Esquivel (Translated by Carol Christensen, Thomas Christensen) ISBN: 0-385-47401-6 Publisher: Anchor Books Type of book: Mexico, Revolution, relationships, sisters, generations, forbidden fruit, desire, food, cooking, memories, magical realism, history, past Year it was published: 1989, 1992 Summary: Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico became a best-selling phenomenon with its winning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit. The number one bestseller in Mexico and America for almost two years, and subsequently a bestseller around the world, Like Water For Chocolate is a romantic, poignant tale, touched with moments of magic, graphic earthiness, bittersweet wit - and recipes. A sumptuous feast of a novel, it relates the bizarre history of the all-female De La Garza family. Tita, the youngest daughter of the house, has b...

Name of Book: The Heike Story Author: Eiji Yoshikawa ISBN: 978-4-8053-1044-1 Publisher: Tuttle Type of book: Japan, Genji and Heike clans, warfare, clashes, 1135-1174, rags-to-riches story, Emperor, Kyoto, secrets, translation Year it was published: 1956 (translation 1989) Summary: Kyoto in the twelfth century was a magnificent city, but crime, disorder, and lust were rampant. The people were abused by the nobility, while the armed Buddhist monks terrorized court and commoner alike. In despair, the Emperor called upon the Heike and Genji clans to quell civil disturbances. Although the clans succeeded, they quarreled over the spoils of war and plunged the country into a century of warfare. This novel describes the rise to power of Kiyomori of the Heike clan during this turbulent time. From a youth sunk in poverty, Kiyomori eventually rose to become the Emperor's Chief Councillor. Although he was a gentle, enlightened man, he left a trail of bloodshed and ruin in...

Name of Book: The Court of the Lion Author: Eleanor Cooney, Daniel Altieri ISBN: 0-380-70985-6 Publisher: Avon Books Type of book: China, 700s, barbarian, Tang Dynasty, love, politics, relationships, bonds, eunuchs, emotions, mathematics, supernatural, logic, filial piety Year it was published: 1989 Summary: In a magnificent age of exotic splendor and blackest treachery, the sun set on the mighty T'ang dynasty In the 8th century, the great Emperor Hsuan-tsung arose from the flames of chaos and terror to rule the majesty that was China- a vast and mysterious domain of witches, artists, concubines, poets, and assassins. But by the year 738 AD, tragedy upon tragedy had unhinged the beloved Son of Heaven, setting loose the jackals in the Court of the Lion: Li Lin-fu, the evil Chief Minister, discretely gaining power through intrigue and murder...An Lu-shan, the sadistic barbarian general, who played the royal bufon while plotting his master's downfall...Yang Kue...

Name of Book: Remember Me Author: Christopher Pike ISBN: 0-671-73685-X Publisher: Archway Paperback series Part of a Series: Remember me series Type of book: ghosts, death, life, incest, 1990s, clairvoyance, Ouija board Year it was published: April 1989 Summary: When Shari Cooper awoke at home after being at her girlfriend's birthday party, her family acted like she wasn't there. They didn't hear a thing she said. They wouldn't even look at her. Then the call came from the hospital. Her father and brother paled. Her mother started to cry. Shari didn't know what was wrong. Not until she followed them to the hospital. There she found herself lying on a cold slab in the morgue. The police said that it was suicide. Shari knew she had been murdered. Making a vow to herself to find her killer, Shari embarks on the strangest of all criminal investigations: one in which she spies on her friends, and even enters their dreams -- where she comes face-...

Name of Book: Number the Stars Author: Lois Lowry ISBN: 0-440-40327-8 Publisher: Yearling Type of book: World War 2, resistance, bravery, 1943, secrets, Germans, Jews, Denmark Year it was published: 1989 Summary: Ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think about life before the war. But it's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching in their town. The Nazis won't stop. The Jews of Denmark are being "relocated" so Ellen moves in with the Johansens and pretends to be part of the family. Then Annemarie is asked to go on a dangerous mission. Somehow she must find the strength and courage to save her best friend's life. There's no turning back now. Characters: The Danish, Johansens in particular, are portrayed as a loving and well rounded family, along with others. I checked a history book I had, whether or not this book might kind of like a...

Name of Book: The christmas ghost Author: Francine Pascal ISBN: 0-553-15767-1 Publisher: Bantam Part of a Series: Sweet Valley Twins and Friends Super Chillers; The ghost in the graveyard, the carnival ghost, next. Type of book: Sweet valley twins, kid to young adult, Dickens' christmas carol parody, moral, 1985 Year it was published: December 1989 Summary: Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield are looking forward to the most glorious christmas ever. The tree is trimmed, the presents are wrapped, and movie star Beau Dilon is coming to town! THe actor, who'll be in Sweet Valley to publicize his new movie, has agreed to help Elizabeth raise money for the children's wing of hte local hospital. BUt when the teen star arrives at the Wakefields' house, it's Jessica, not Elizabeth, he meets. What's the harm in pretending to be your twin? No harm, Jessica thinks-until strange things start happening and three ghostly visitors appear. Is Jessica's i...

Name of book: Scavenger Hunt Author Name: Christopher Pike ISBN: 0-671-67656-3 Publisher: Archway Paperback Type of book: Young adult Year it was published: July 1989 Summary: School was almost over. A secretive club on campus had organized a scavenger hunt for the entire senior class. In small groups, and with the help of cleverly planted clues, the kids are led throughout the city, and then deep into a nighttime desert. The sponsoring club has promised a wonderful prize for the first group to reach the goal of the hunt. But for Carl Timmons, a troubled young man who has recently lost his best friend, the hunt will become a nightmare. Led astray by his love for a strangely beautiful girl, he will wander far from the others, and back into a haunted past, where the line between hte living and the dead is blurred and broken. Characters: The characters are second dimensional but are interesting. In particular its hard for me to find a character I disliked. Also th...

 Chinese Fairytale Gone wrong Name of book:  The Joy Luck Club Author Name:  Amy Tan ISBN:  0-8041-0630-4 Publisher: Ballantine Books New York Type of book:  Originally an adult novel, now young adult-adult, fantasy china, historical, contemporary Year it was published:  October 1989 Summary:  Four mothers, four daughters, four families whose histories shift with the four winds depending on who's "saying" the stories. In 1949 four Chinese women, recent immigrants to San Francisco, begin meeting to eat dim sum, play mahjong, and talk. United in shared unspeakable loss and hope, they call themselves the Joy Luck Club. Rather than sink into tragedy, they choose to gather to raise their spirits and money. "To despair was to wish back for something already lost. Or to prolong what was already unbearable." Forty years later the stories and history continue. With wit and sensitivity, Amy Tan examines the sometimes painful,...