Beloved Exile (Avonova Fantasy

The Stone Diaries (Vintage)

By Darke Godwin/

I could not resist grabbing this novel labout Guenever, as I am fascinated with all (Camelot lore. The story begins when the Queen istold, ‘‘Lady, The King Is Dead’’, and lit chronicles her struggle to rule England, (then Brittanea) until her final days. The plot does not follow the ‘‘true’’ Arthurian legend, but who cares? It was an interesting read, jalmost making me believe I was living the tale. Even if you don’t particularly care for the story of King Arthur, Lancelot and (Guenever, this is a tale almost anyone could enjoy. There are two faults: 1) The last page...rip it out and the whole thing is greatly improved, and 2) There is a dryness to the first chapter while they get the political background lout of the way; however, it is worth it for this fresh view of the Queen of Camelot. She seems Imore human, not the untouchable goddess of previous stories. This book makes you think this must have been the true Guenever.

-- Aldera Chisholm

ture when I took this home. There has bee: so much hype about the “‘wonderful Fabio”’ that I had to see for myself. Our hero is an actor who is starring in a Viking movie with his lover. In the movie finale, theactor is sent off for burial on a burning ship. All of a sudden, in a freak accident, he finds himself thrown back in time as a great Viking king risen from the dead. Heis then determined to bring peace to the Vikings and ‘‘tame’’ Reyna the Ravisher, the ancestor of his mod- ern-day lover. Sound contrived? You are right. It’s also trite, predictable, corny, and extremely sexist. What else can you expect 9 4 novel containing a fold-out, inscribéd centerfold of Fabio? Don’t buy it. Dgn’t

I feel rather ignorant trying to review the wonderfu work that Carol Shields has penned. Ican’t sufficiently describe the simple beauty of herlanguage and the intimacy I felt with her characters. The spell Shields is able to cast over herreaders is amazing, and rarely demonstrated by contemporary authors.

Page by page, the novel traces the path ofDaisy Goodwill’s existence. Her life is one of tragedy, but nota kind of tragedy that is insurmountable. Daisy is an orphan, a young widow, a mother and a journalist during the nine decadesof her life, and all the time, she is desperately uncertain of what her life station should be. The family tree and photographs of various ascendants and descendants make reading this book, based on the life of a Canadian-born woman, an even more intimate experience.

Shields has a wonderful talent formaking her characters come alive. The images she paints with her characters’ thoughts are intricate and vivid. Particularly disturbing, yet fascinating, is her representation of themind of a person near death.

The most striking feature of thisbook is not something found in the text. What Shields has been able to do with her wonderful bookis encourage self-revelation and self-discovery. The book forces readers to take a walk through their own lives and ponder the relevance of their existence.

The Stone Diaries has won manyaccolades, including the Governor General’s Award in 1993, and a nomination to the short-list for the prestigious Booker Prize. As well, the book spent forty weeks on the Best Sellers listwhen the first edition came out in hard-cover. Truly, when youread thebook, there is no doubtit deserves the praise it has received. The Stone Diaries is a perfect book for the soul-searcher, and for anyone who enjoys a beautiful story.

(Carol Shields en

\x Steve Ellis ‘ae

|__-» Shannon_Younker.

The Ant Book and See-Through Model Set (Andrews and McMeel) By Luann Colombo,

Illustrated by Susan Hernday sien

The Ant Book is sold as one half of the Ant Book and See-Through Model packaged set. This 48-page book contains the directions for putting together the pieces of your very own ant, as wellas information on the anatomy, ecological importance, and society of various ant species. Colombo’s language is sophisticated for children’s reading, but many of the big words are defined in the text to make it more accessible. The directions were simple to follow and the ant can be constructed within a few minutes, easily within a child’s attention span. I have taken university-level invertebrate zoology courses and I found the story of my ant very interesting. The reading level of The Ant Book is late elementary. With someone reading the directions, a younger child could easily figure out the model.

Susann Hernday’s artwork is excellent. Her ants are lifelike-- you can almost feel the hairs on an ant’s antenna.

The See-Through Ant Model is not a toy; once it has been put together all you really can do with it is look at it. That said, building the model was just plain fun. The internal organs are big enough that adult-size fingers can put the pieces together without frustration. I would have been happier if the pieces snapped together more firmly, especially the two-piece exoskeleton, which does not snap together at all. The see-through dome that houses the ant is snug, but my ant comes apart if one picks it up to look from another angle.

(Andrews & McMeel) By Lynn Johnston

-- Sean McQuaid

It’s The Thought That Counts. . . A For Better or For Worse Fifteenth Anniversary Collection

Shakespeare bashers take heed: isa fun book! Whether you’ re the last of red-hot Bard boosters or sick to death of the fuss about Willie, this is the book for) As Epstein says in her foreword, wrote this book for ‘‘theintelligent comn reader who is tired of the academic jar and the patronizing tone of the stu handbook.”’ For those of you who cring the mention of Shakespeare in the belief he is too ‘‘intellectual’’ for you to appr ate, this book is for you. It is an unpre tious, concise and deliciously diverse bag of history, biography, art apprecia and out-and-out trivia of all kinds. Thes of Jeopardy could probably milk this Shakespeare categories until long after / Trebek keels over dead.

At the same time, this book is by means condescending. Included in the: umeare numerous intelligent discussiot Shakespeare and his works, with spec chapters for his various plays, inclu tragedies, comedies, histories, romances problem plays. But it’s all presented straightforward, accessible prose style, the book is padded with zillions of quote the Bard (by everyone from Virginia W to Mel Gibson), tons of trivia sidebars, reams of short articles on various aspec all things Shakespearean.

Among the topics of discussion Shakespeare’s popularity, why many’ him boring, how Shakespeare is taugl mis-taught) in schools, the Elizabet Theatre, Shakespeare’s life and mystet death, Shakespearean language, actors rectors, hoaxes, merchandising, adapta! in a variety of mediums-- you name it, here (although mention of the deligi Wayne and Shuster Shakespeare sket¢ti surprisingly and depressingly absent it spoof section). It’s a heady blend of his! superstition, folklore, myth, and the li ture that inspired it-- everything from ‘‘curse’’ of MacBeth to whichplay inv the most spitting (if you’re curious, it’s Merchant of Venice).

In short, The Friendly Shakesp is a very readable, accessible guide ! Bard, his works, his world, and ho¥ affects our world. It’s only a taste of Sti speare, but a tasty, eclectic mix it is.

-- Sean McQuaid

It’s two, two, two books in one! It’s The Thought That Counts is the latest annual collection of daily For Better or For Worse cartoons by Canadian cartoonist Lynn Johnston. The chronicles the heartwarming and sometimes heart-rending nuances of day-to-day life with the Patterson family (based on Johnston’s own real-life family).

Ah, but there’s more! This jumbo volume includes not only the usual collection of daily strips, but also a lengthy selection of favourite Sunday colour pages hand-picked by Jo accompanied by amusing and touching anecdotes about her life and how some of these strips reflect it.

Johnston’s accompanying text, like her strip, is candid, warm and accessible. It’s a tantalizing snippet of autobiography, comic strip (something she alludes to at length in the book’s foreword).

For Better or For Worse itself is the undisputed champion of family comic strips. None the Pattersons could be any of us. For Better or For Worse is a universally recognizable picture of family life and life in general, with well-rounded characters who evolve over time and the reader grows to care about like their own family.

From first dates to mid-life crises and beyond, Johnston crafts a timeless slice of family life; and, for all its warmth and wit, the book remains topical and relevant-- touchy issues the pseudo-infamous revelation of supporting character Lawrence as a gay teen) are addressed with sensitivity and intelligence, and Johnston often makes the reader think-- whether fot or for worse. As this latest collection illustrates, Johnston continues to successfully combine humour and heart without sacrificing substance.

as well asa revealing insight into how Johnston creates her

of Johnston’s peers can surpass her blend of realism and gentle humour. The beauty of it

(November. 15,:1994