The women of The Great Gatsby: the Roaring '20s and change in the 20th century.

I'll admit, I'm a latecomer to The Great Gatsby and the dizzying, hard-partying, yet remarkably tender world F. Scott Fitzgerald created. I didn't read it in high school. I didn't even read it in a college lit class. In fact, I read it two weeks ago out of a desire to at least have some idea of the plot before the movie comes out in May, as I was intrigued by the trailer:

What captured me most about that trailer was, surprisingly, the soundtrack. How can a movie set in the 1920s have a trailer set to Kanye West and Jack White? I wondered. I was reminded of the movie A Knight's Tale, which was one of my favorite movies as a kid. I once read an interview with someone involved in that movie--the director, maybe--where he said that the classic rock soundtrack was meant to echo the changing music and social mores in the medieval period in which the movie was set, much like what the '60s and '70s were to the latter half of the 20th century.

What a cool idea, I thought.

In fact, there is an oft-neglected decade when we talk about social change in America: the 1920s. Sure, you might know that it's the time of flappers and speakeasies and funny catchphrases like "the cat's pajamas," but what these things actually meant for the America that would eventually become a superpower is rarely discussed--most especially flappers.

Flappers is a catch-all term for the women who wore their hair short, wore short skirts and funny hats, and did such revolutionary things as have sex before marriage and drive cars. They fought for women's suffrage and stayed out late at parties (like the ones Gatsby throws at his sprawling mansion), and generally did things to change the face of America (and the West in general) forever.

The men of The Great Gatsby--the lovestruck Gatsby himself, our narrator Nick, and the despicable Tom Buchanan--are fleshed-out portraits of the American Dream gone wrong; characters onto which the reader can project himself. But it is the female characters--Daisy, the object of Gatsby's affections; Jordan, the tennis player and casual date of Nick; and Myrtle, Tom's mistress--that captured me most: all defined by men, and all treated more or less badly by them. It seems that even as social and sexual mores were changing, women still existed to be put in their place--a theme of the 20th century at large.

Zelda Sayre and F. Scott Fitzgerald

This story is echoed in the bitter marriage of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre, both of whom talented writers and both of whom consumed with jealousy and envy of the other. Zelda dated casually for years before her marriage to Scott, and was decidedly autonomous. Tragically, her mental health declined steadily until her institutionalization in 1930, followed by many subsequent institutionalizations and episodes. Theories  on her mental illness range from untreated bipolar disorder to schizophrenia, but there is also speculation that Fitzgerald's jealousy over Zelda's considerable talent--which led him to effectively eliminate any chances of Zelda's own novel, Save Me the Waltz, succeeding during her lifetime--helped to destroy her health. (For further reading, I'd recommend this blog post on A Boat Against the Current.)

I can't imagine a better way to conclude this blog post than the final words of The Great Gatsby:

…It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…And one fine morning—

            So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

Micro and macro scales in storytelling: Lessons to be learned from White Teeth by Zadie Smith & Room by Emma Donoghue.

I have a habit. (It's a habit I think I share with most book-lovers.) It's the habit of buying and borrowing more books than I actually need. Every time I'm in a thrift shop or library--or bookstore, when cash isn't too tight--it's an effort not to walk out with just one more thing to add to my to-read pile.

Lately, those one-more-things have been adult literary fiction as often as they have been YA, and that's led to some interesting reading experiences, and musings on what those experiences mean for me as a writer.

My two favorites of those experiences lately were White Teeth by Zadie Smith and Room by Emma Donoghue. (Links to Goodreads, and a disclosure: White Teeth was a Goodwill purchase, and Room was a library find. When I'm a little less poor, I fully intend on buying shiny new copies of these books so that publishers and authors get my pretty penny, because that's just the right thing to do.)

What surprised me most about these two novels was how deeply riveted to and moved by both I was, despite their vast differences.

White Teeth was an epic; a tale of three families in London over generations--one Jamaican Jehovah's Witness, one Bengali Muslim, and one English yuppie-atheist by way of Judaism--as well as a love story,  a war story, a culture-clash story, a story of religion and how it shapes us, and a growing-up story. It also happened to be a human story, which is really the only thing tying it to Room: an intimate, gripping story of a young woman imprisoned in an eleven-by-eleven foot room with her son, and the life they create for themselves.

While White Teeth is narrated in the third person from dozens of points of view, Room is narrated solely in the first person by five-year-old Jack. Where White Teeth is concerned with the larger bonds that bind us to our families and our culture, Room focuses in on the much tighter bonds between mother and son. White Teeth deals with the very roots of faith, of fundamentalism, of atheism, of the role of science in our lives; Room is concerned with faith only in how it saves us from an unlivable situation.

White Teeth is a story on the macro scale of humanity. Room is a story on the micro. They were, in my opinion, both equally excellent, affecting, frightening, and incredible.

So what can we take away from this? I think I have a tip for writers of any genre: Determine which scale is most effective for your story, and stick to it.

Whether you figure it out pre-draft, in the first draft, or the umpteenth draft, don't get to final edits and realize you've tried to zoom in on a story about a crazy family or a group of friends, or zoom out on a story that really only hinges on one relationship or conflict. Think of those photographers that focus in on one tiny part of a big picture when the full landscape is called for, or the ones that lose a tiny subject in a massive panorama.

For what it's worth, in my experience as a reader and a writer I think it's much easier to accomplish a micro-story that focuses primarily on one relationship conflict. That's not to say you can't have subplots, but just like babysitting one screaming kid is easier than babysitting, say, ten, a smaller story is easier to manage, especially for beginning writers. I've waded through far more bloated novels where a writer has tried to squeeze in every single detail than I have through novels that are too lean (though it does happen).

Of course, I feel that all writing advice should be taken with a grain of salt: the first rule is always to write the story, and to write it well. But I've seen so many novels go wrong on the issue of scale that I felt it was about time I highlighted a couple of books that did it right.

As always, I want to hear from you. What novels have you read that dealt with scale well? Middlingly? Very, very badly? Leave your titles and thoughts in the comments!

An interview with Meagan Spooner, author of Skylark, plus a giveaway!

Interviewing writers I admire is one of my favorite parts of book blogging, so naturally, when Meagan Spooner--author of Skylark, which I loved and reviewed recently--said yes to an interview, I was thrilled! We have sequel news, her favorite books, and some insight into the writing of Skylark. Plus, a swag giveaway and a chance to win my ARC of Skylark! Keep scrolling down for some serious dystopia-steampunk-fantasy goodness.

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First, how would you describe Skylark in a sentence or two for those who might be interested in reading it?

Skylark is a dark, twisty story about a girl fleeing the life she knows for the unknown wilderness beyond the Wall. She has to survive in a strange world of magic, danger, and betrayal—all that good movie trailer stuff!

One of the things I liked best about Skylark was how it blended fantasy, magic, steampunk, and dystopia. It definitely wasn’t your typical post-apocalyptic read! Can you tell us a little bit about your inspiration?

It’s funny, I never thought about genre until after Skylark was finished, and only then because I had to write a query letter and pick a label for my book. For me, genre is more of a spectrum than a category—think a series of overlapping Venn diagrams with shared tropes rather than isolated zones.  To me, there’s no reason a fantasy novel can’t have machines with artificial intelligence, for example. And sure, my character might have magic, but it’s governed by very concrete rules grounded in physics. I’ve always been drawn to both fantasy and science fiction—and much of my inspiration comes from the books and movies I love—so in my mind, there’s no reason the two can’t overlap!

As a writer, I’m always interested in hearing about an author’s drafting process. What was it like to write Skylark?

Skylark was actually the first book I ever wrote. I’d been writing since I was a child, but I never stuck anything out, always flitting from idea to shiny new idea. The idea for Skylark was just the right one at the right time; I’d reached the point where I knew I wanted to try finishing something, and then the world of Skylark just showed up in my head one day. And I knew it was The One. In order to make sure I saw it through, I gave myself a non-negotiable daily word count goal. Small enough to be doable, but big enough to force me to sit down for long enough for the words to flow. I wrote the actual book in only a couple of months after that.

I know I’m anxious to hear sequel news! Can you tell us what you’re working on next, and what we can expect from the Skylark trilogy?

The next book of mine to hit the shelves will be Shadowlark, the sequel to Skylark. It’s coming out Oct. 1, 2013, in the U.S. It follows Lark as she journeys north in search of her long-lost brother, Basil. I can’t tell you too much about what happens, but I will say that we’re not quite done yet with certain characters who Lark thought she was leaving behind forever. And Nix, too. There’s lots of Nix!

After Shadowlark, I have another book coming out Dec. 10, 2013 from Disney-Hyperion called These Broken Stars. It’s a science fiction romance I wrote with my friend, Amie Kaufman, and follows the story of two unlikely companions who get shipwrecked on a strange planet when the luxury spaceliner they’re both traveling on crashes. Like Skylark, it’s a bit of a genre-bender!

Let’s talk books! What are your favorite classic novels? What 2013 releases can you recommend?

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle is one of my all-time favorite books. I saw the movie first when I was very little, and then when I was old enough to read the book, I just fell in love. I also adore works by Robin McKinley and Tamora Pierce on the fantasy side, and Orson Scott Card on the science fiction side.

As for recent books, if you read ONE book from 2013, you must read The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd. It’s absolutely gripping, and beautifully written. I also loved Through The Ever Night, the sequel to Veronica Rossi’s Under The Never Sky. It’s so hard to make a second book top the first, but I think Veronica Rossi managed it with this one!

Any final words? What else would you like readers to know about Skylark and your work?

There are a lot of twists and turns in this book, and in this trilogy. I once got a rather heated email from someone after she read one of the big twists that happens in Skylark, in the “how could you DO that to [character name redacted], I hate you!” way. That was actually one of my proudest moments as an author. If I can give you all the feels, I’ve done my job!

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Thanks, Meagan! I can't wait for the release of Shadowlark. If you want to find out more about Meagan Spooner and her work, you can visit her at her website, www.meaganspooner.com, or follow her on Twitter, @MeaganSpooner.

Now for the giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a pack of signed Skylark swag from Meagan Spooner, as well as my ARC of Skylark. (This is my first time using Rafflecopter, so be gentle with me please, and leave a comment if you have any trouble.) This giveaway is open through March 27th, and the winner will be contacted by email within 48 hours of the end of the giveaway. Thanks for entering, and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Matched by Ally Condie

Matched by Ally Condie
Goodreads | IndieBound
Barnes & Noble | Amazon

• Series: It's a trilogy, followed by Crossed and Reached
• Pub date: November 30th 2010
• Disclosure: Checked out a copy from the library. Thanks!

Judged by its cover: I really like this cover. It's simple, sci-fi-esque, and it fits the story well. The font is cool, too.

The Long...

Cassia has spent her whole life dreaming of her Match Banquet: the ceremony on her seventeenth birthday that will determine who she spends the rest of her life with. When her best friend Xander appears on the screen, she knows she couldn't be luckier--until a malfunction in the system shows her the face of Society Aberration and friend Ky Markham instead. As she finds herself falling for Ky, she must question everything she's ever known: herrole in the Society, her family, and her future.

I must admit, it took awhile for Matched to win me over. I found Cassia irritating, immature, and shallow, and every metaphor and thought that passed through her head felt forced. The writing in the beginning of the book is juvenile (though impeccably edited), and the dystopia felt like a total cliche: Big Brother Controls Every Aspect of Your Life, And Unsurprisingly, Uses That Power for Evil. I almost put this book down halfway through. Almost.

But at that magical halfway point, I was surprised to find that I just couldn't let this story go. Cassia's character began to mature and deepen, and the love triangle between her, Xander, and Ky turned out to be hardly a love triangle at all--there's no constant indecision or manipulation, only one relationship with a best friend and another relationship that's deeper.

In the end, I thought Matched was an entertaining and intriguing dystopia (if, in my opinion, not quite worthy of all the hype). I'd like to read the sequels, even if they're not gotta-haves for me, and I'd recommend it to those hungry for a dystopia that's more thought-provoking and less action-packed.

...and the Short:

A flawed but intriguing dystopia that features a sweet love triangle and a heroine that we get to watch grow up over the course of the story. A good gateway drug into the world of YA and dystopia.

The Final Word: Liked it.

Remer Centennial Library opens its doors!

As you are all well aware if you follow me on Twitter, I volunteer at two libraries here in northern, rural Minnesota: the Grand Rapids Library, part of the Arrowhead Library System, is the bigger, official one. The Remer Centennial Library is brand-new and very small, located in a town of about three hundred and fifty people. I am on the board of the Remer Library, partially in charge of cataloging and managing book donations (as well as our web presence), and generally very excited about it. Which is why I was very happy when, after nearly three years of work, the library opened its doors for the first time yesterday.

(I'm the one on the far left. My mom, president of the library board, is the one cutting the ribbon.)

Remer is a (very) small town, established during the logging and railroad boom in 1912. Our library is located in the historic train depot in the middle of town. Unrelated: I can walk from one end of town, the church coffeeshop, to the other, the Cenex gas station, in five to ten minutes, depending on how well the sidewalk is salted. It's maybe two New York City blocks long.

The library proper.

The library has nearly five thousand books in its collection, all donations. We are incredibly lucky to have a supportive community that helped make this a reality, as well as a wonderful board and a great Friends of the Library organization. There were definitely bumps in the road, but everything came together in the end.

The children's corner at the library. The YA section is on the other side of the shelf to the right.

I'm so excited to have been a part of the birth of a library. The written word is what I live for, and it's an incredible thrill to put that love in the hands of other people. This is what I have been busy doing (since I haven't been too busy blogging), and I can't wait for further adventures in volunteering.

I encourage you to check out our library's Facebook page, and if you're interested in donating--the library is in particular need of children's, YA, and literary fiction--feel free to drop me a line at mdesmondobrien@gmail.com. Thanks for putting up with my incessant tweets, everybody!

What's next on the blog? An interview with Meagan Spooner, author of Skylark, which I reviewed recently. Stay tuned!

Review: Skylark by Meagan Spooner

Skylark by Meagan Spooner
Goodreads | IndieBound
Barnes & Noble | Amazon

• Series: I've heard it's the first in a planned trilogy, but I haven't seen any news on the sequel.
• Pub date: August 1st 2012
• Disclosure: Received an ARC from the BEA Young Adult Buzz panel. Thanks!

Judged by its cover: I'm not such a fan of the title font, but really, I'm being nitpicky here. It's a nice cover that gives us the feel of the story.

The Long...

Vis in magia, in vita vi. In magic there is power; in power, life. This is the government's slogan, in the one city on earth that has survived the Wars. Sixteen-year-old Lark Ainsley knows her place in that city: a historian, she hopes, or performer of some menial task that will be assigned to her after her magic is harvested to power the city. But when it is discovered that Lark is an unheard-of Renewable--someone whose magic recharges--she must flee the city or live an unspeakable life as a human battery. Once outside, she faces a terrifying wilderness of magic and cannibals with the help of a strange, feral boy, who may not be all that he seems.

Rarely does YA build slowly in this day and age: writers seem to be all about jumping straight into the action, and that's hardly a bad thing. But when I read a book like Skylark--a book that seems content to move at its own pace, not slow by any means, but not fast either--I'm reminded that slow builds can have big payoffs. Skylark was a creepy, wild, magical fantasy that had grabbed me completely by the final page.

Lark Ainsley was a surprising heroine: not a badass (despite her superpowers), but not a sniveling weakling, either. She stumbled through the story much as I would assume a sixteen-year-old girl who'd just left everything she'd ever known would. She acknowledges her own weakness frequently over the course of the book, but her self-confidence and power grow on every page, even as greater and greater challenges are thrust upon her. Feral boy Oren stole my heart as well--no typical enigmatic loner here.

Spooner's incredible world was my favorite part of the book; in the first part, all delicate machinery and a city that seems stuck in the early 1900s, and in the second, a terrifying and beautiful forest landscape. I didn't pick up on it while I read, but in hindsight the book seems faintly steampunky, with the its tiny army of mechanical pixies and magically powered walker machines. It's an unusual fantastical dystopia, and I enjoyed every minute I spent between its pages.

I won't spoil the ending, but suffice to say it's full of surprises. I was impressed with Spooner's ability to tie up enough loose ends to make the conclusion satisfying, while leaving enough loose to make me pine for a sequel. Skylark is an impressive debut, and I can't wait to read this author's future work.

...and the Short:

A wild, magical fantasy dystopia whose slow build leads to a big payoff. Spooner's skillful, steampunk-flavored debut will stay with me for a long time.

The Final Word: Loved it.

Review: The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke

The Assassin's Curse by Cassandra Rose Clarke
Goodreads | IndieBound
Barnes & Noble | Amazon

• Series: Haven't seen any news on the sequel, but based on the cliffhanger ending, there's another book in the pipeline.
• Pub date: October 2nd 2012
• Disclosure: Received an ARC from Strange Chemistry. Thanks!

Judged by its cover: Beautiful! I love the illustration and the font. It perfectly conveys the Middle Eastern flavor of the story.

The Long...

Ananna of the Tanarau, pirate princess, has big problems. Not only has she run away from everything she's ever known--all to avoid an arranged marriage to the son of a rival pirate clan--she's got an assassin on her tail. When she accidentally saves her attempted killer's life, inextricably binding them together, she is swept into a world of blood magic, curses, witches, and wizards. Can Ananna and Naji break the impossible curse? Or are they stuck with each other...forever?

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started The Assassin's Curse, but it turned out to be a terrific romp through an unusual fantasy world. It's always refreshing to read a fantasy that escapes the European tradition of elves, dwarves, and deep, dark mountains and forests, and The Assassin's Curse's distinctly Middle Eastern feel--much of it takes place with camels, in the desert--made it an immediate stand-out. I finished it in one sitting, wholly absorbed.

Ananna was sassy and cute, and her salty pirate upbringing made for a great perspective on the story; even if she read more like fourteen than seventeen. Jadorr'a assassin Naji was also well-developed, and I thoroughly enjoyed the romantic tension between the two. That said, many of the other characters were two-dimensional stock, especially seductive river witch Leila and wise wizard Eirnin.

Clarke's writing style is a little clunky, and she can't seem to decide whether she's writing a silly story or a serious one. The ending was a particular disappointment after a long build-up to nothing. I don't understand why the story arc couldn't have been concluded in one book, as this first installment isn't very long. It felt like the story was only just beginning when I reached the last page.

That said, it's still a lot of fun, and I'd recommend it highly to teen fantasy fans. There's an unusual amount of swearing for a YA novel that reads like it's meant for the younger end of the teenaged spectrum, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a quick, entertaining read that's sure to delight adventure lovers.

...and the Short:

An exciting journey through a richly flavored world of pirates, deserts, and magic, The Assassin's Curse is a great pick for young fantasy and adventure fans, despite some clunky writing and an unnecessary cliffhanger ending.

The Final Word: Liked it.