Road To Yesterday (1974)

The Road to Yesterday. L.M. Montgomery 1974. McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited. 252 pages.

The Road To Yesterday is a collection of short stories by L.M. Montgomery set on Prince Edward Island. All of the stories mention the Blythes. The stories cover several decades. In one story, for example, Jem and Walter might be described as young boys. In another story, you might read of Rilla's loving Ken Ford. By the end of the collection, however, World War II has begun or nearly begun. So, yes, this one covers a wide span of years. One hears in passing, almost by chance, of news of the Blythe family, of Susan Baker. But the stories have their own main characters.

The stories include:
An Afternoon with Mr. Jenkins
Retribution
The Twins Pretend
Fancy's Fool
A Dream Come True
Penelope Struts Her Theories
The Reconciliation
The Cheated Child
Fool's Errand
The Pot and the Kettle
Here Comes the Bride
Brother Beware
The Road to Yesterday
A Commonplace Woman

Some stories can be sweet and predictable with a cozy, just-right feel. Other stories are darker and perhaps creepier. And a few are just FUNNY. I love, for example, Penelope Struts Her Theories. A "child expert" who has studied and written books on how to raise children finally gets a chance to put her theories into practice when she decides to adopt a child. Needless to say, she learns a thing or two!

I definitely recommend this one. All of these stories are included in The Blythes Are Quoted. 

© 2014 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

Sunday Salon: The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles. Julie Andrews Edwards. 1974. Scholastic. 288 pages. [Source: Bought]

It was a crisp, sunny October afternoon and Benjamin, Thomas, and Melinda Potter were visiting the Bramblewood Zoo. 

Have you read The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles? What did you think of this children's fantasy novel? I personally loved it a good deal! I enjoyed spending time with Ben, Tom, and Lindy. Their adventures begin with their excursion to the zoo. At the zoo, the children happen to meet a strange man, a professor it turns out. They are resting and discussing among themselves WHAT animal they would take home with them, if they could. This strange man interrupts them and asks if they've ever "considered" a whangdoodle. A what?!?! they essentially respond. That encounter might not have changed their lives too much, been easily forgotten in a week or so, IF, it hadn't been followed up by a trick-or-treating adventure soon after! Lindy was dared by one of her brothers to knock on the door of the local "haunted house." The haunted house, you guessed it, is where this strange professor happens to live. He himself started the rumors so that children would leave him to his work. He's busy making advances in genetics and marveling in studying the nature of DNA...remember this is 1974!

Friendship. These three children find a friend and fellow adventurer in Professor Savant. Someone who challenges them to open up their minds to the world of possibility, a world that allows for just about anything and everything that you can imagine. The four decide to go big, they will work to imagine themselves all the way to Whangdoodleland. Half the book focuses on their time in Whangdoodleland. Readers meet many fanciful creatures...but will they meet...at last...a Whangdoodle?!

If you enjoy fantasy novels with action and adventure and a LOT of imagination, then this one shouldn't be missed!

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews

The Bastard King (1974)

The Bastard King. Jean Plaidy. 1974. Fawcett Crest. 320 pages. [Source: Bought]

I really enjoyed reading Jean Plaidy's The Bastard King. The Bastard King is a novelization of the life of William I or "William the Conqueror." It was certainly a well-paced read! Especially once he comes of age. His courtship with Matilda was quite unique. (As this horrible histories sketch shows quite clearly!!!) The novel isn't exactly a romance novel, it is grounded in history with a focus on ambition, politics, and manipulation. Matilda and William are very interesting characters even if they don't come across as nice or pleasant or lovable. Readers see the tension between husband and wife increase year after year and decade after decade as the two happen to play favorites with their very large family. He has his favorite child; she has hers. This leads to some complications which lead to some big trust issues!!!

The last part of the novel focuses on William invading England and becoming King William I. The novel is sympathetic to William in many ways, so often books have a bias one way or another on whether or not William had any right to England at all. I thought the ending was a bit rushed, we spent much more time with him before he became King, but still I really liked this one. Enjoying this one gives me hope that I will read other Plaidy novels with pleasure!


William the Conqueror and Normanopoly
Battle of Hastings, News at 1066; Now That's What I Call Miserable, vol. 3
Words We Get From the Normans

© 2013 SukaYuka.com of SukaYuka's Book Reviews