So Misguided

Plain words, uncommon sense

Author: monique.trottier

Rebecca

February 7, 2024 /

Rebecca is a 1938 Gothic novel written by English author Daphne du Maurier. I believe it’s never been out of print and there’s a new Netflix movie out starring Lily James. I remember the basics of this novel in that it’s got a Wuthering Heights vibe of love, passion, deceit, and consequences. But watching the Netflix version had me grasping for the book to settle some confusion in my mind about the storyline. The film does take some liberties but I actually think the film plays out the last half of the book better way than the novel.

The novel is about an unnamed young woman who is working as a lady’s companion and finds herself swept off her feet in Monte Carlo by the wealthy widower, Maxim de Winter, of the renowned country estate Manderley. After a romantic courtship in Monte Carlo and honeymoon in Italy, Rebecca is whisked off to Manderley, where she is quickly unsettled by the stone-cold housekeeper Mrs. Danvers. What follows is some supreme gaslighting, a weird bit of nerves and misunderstandings, and then the abrupt and emotional discovery that Maxim’s first wife was murdered.

Rebecca is a dark psychological tale full of secrets and betrayal. The 1930s language can be a bit dull, but if you’re a Bronte or Austen fan then definitely give this one a go.

I listened to the audiobook off Libby, which I recommend. But I also discovered this reader, who has a great voice for the book too.

The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet by Katherine Cowley

October 24, 2021 /

I absolutely loved this book. It is fast, fun, witty, and a pleasure to read.

Summary: Miss Mary Bennet’s life is thrown into turmoil upon the death of her father. He’s left the estate to a relative and Mary, her younger sister Kitty and their mother are now at the mercy of relatives who will take them in.

Their best bet are the married sister: Jane the eldest (Mrs. Bingley), Elizabeth (Mrs. Darcy), and Lydia the first to marry (Mrs. Wickham). But Mary wants none of it. She’d like to be independent, play the pianoforte, and read. Not get married off.

The four sisters (Lydia is absent) are sitting with their mother making funeral arrangements when one of the movers ends up stealing some rings. Mary is quick to deduce what’s happened and stops the theft. This seems unrelated to a strange nighttime visit from an unknown relative Lady Trafford who comes to pay respects to the dead Mr. Bennet. And yet, this book is full of twists and turns.

Mary ends up accepting Lady Trafford’s offer to train as a governess. But Lady Trafford is not all she seems and Mary is often left alone in her castle where she seeks to discover the truth about Lady Trafford and her intentions.

I don’t want to spoil any of the fun. But I do want to say this is a delightful mystery, very much in the Austen style. So glad I picked this one up.

The Chimera’s Apprentice by Roslyn Muir

October 20, 2021 /

If you like fantasy, dragons, and a quest narrative this is for you. Ok, there aren’t dragons but there is a chimera (kai-mir-ah — 3 headed monster) and Raturro (talking rats).

Kyra is celebrating yet another birthday without her Dad. And this birthday she’s home from school because she accidentally let some rats out in the classroom during her presentation. Her mom is busy working from home (accountant) and sends Kyra down to do the laundry. Now most laundry rooms in apartment buildings are creepy but this one beats them all. A blast of light explodes from the laundry room wall, there’s a talking rat named Shale who tries to save Kyra, and soon after her mom gets kidnapped by another rat. Basically the novel enfolds from there.

Kyra finds herself transported to Antiica, where her dad is busy waging war. Too busy to find her mom. So Kyra goes in search of her and along the way is helped by forgotten friends and new friends. It’s a good adventure story.

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

April 24, 2020 /

The Glass Hotel is Emily St. John Mandel’s awaited novel. Her previous was Station Eleven, which won the Arthur C. Clark Award, the Toronto Book Award and was nominated for several others. Station Eleven was about a pandemic. The Glass Hotel is about the collapse of financial markets. Hm.

Station Eleven was genius. And I was holding my breath for The Glass Hotel. It’s so hard for an author to deliver one masterpiece after another. I love love love The Glass Hotel.

Description: Vincent is a bartender at a remote resort in Caiette, BC. The hotel is absolutely gorgeous, with a stunning glass lobby and restaurant that looks out at the ocean. This is where she meets the hotel’s owner Jonathan Alkaitis. Alkaitis works in finance and leaves Vincent with a $100 tip and a proposition that leads to her becoming his wife. Well, technically they are not married. Her job is to be young, beautiful, attentive. And she’s everything Jonathan needs her to be. He’s the ultimate scam artist and running a Ponzi scheme that collapses. He takes a lot of people down with him. But ultimately this is not a sad book, nor a suspenseful book. It’s really about what it’s like to lead alternate lives, or rather to recognize there are different realities to each life. That’s the part I loved.

Favourite moment: Everyone underestimates Vincent, the trophy wife. But she’s smart, knows she’s playing a role, and does it perfectly. There’s a moment when Jonathan’s daughter Claire has exposed his crimes.

When it did finally collapse, when he was finally trapped, the wrong woman was there with him. Although Vincent impressed him, at the end, despite not being Suzanne. The tableau: His office in Midtown, the last time he was ever in that room. He was sitting behind his desk, Claire crying on the sofa, Harvey staring into space, while Vincent fidgeted around with a coat and shopping bag and then sat and stared at him until he finally had to tell her: “Vincent,” he said, “do you know what a Ponzi scheme is?”

“Yes,” Vincent said.

Claire, from the sofa, still crying:”How do you know what a Ponzi scheme is, Vincent? Did he tell you? Did you know about this? I swear to god, if you knew about this, if he told you …”

“Of course he didn’t tell me,” Vincent said. “I know what a Ponzi scheme is because I’m not a fucking idiot.”

He thought, That’s my girl.

page 235, The Glass hotel

Perfect read for anyone who loved Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven, or anything by Michael Lewis.

© 2024 So Misguided

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑