Teresa
A book that deals with the fine line between reality and the world of performance. When does one cross that line and is the crossing of that line even noticeable? In circumstances where one is encouraged to become a character, where do you stop being yourself?
The characters of this book must deal with moral ambiguity and ethical compromises that they subject themselves to as well as are encouraged by their teachers and the school environment. Their environment wants them to blur the lines between themselves and the character the are playing. This blurs their reality and leads to their lives being a performance of a life and ethical compromises later on. They are manipulated into being one thing when they could be something else. The school, Dellecher Classical Conservatory, stereotypes their students. Putting them in a small niche that channels them in only one direction. Rarely do groups of students in different educational paths interact. These circumstances lead to tragedy later on. One character even describes Dellecher more as a cult than a school. A place “where anything could be excused so long as it was offered at the alter of the Muses.”
The trauma and guilt are never addressed by either the students or the school. They are simply swept away and ignored. The students themselves are reluctantly given counseling. But the circumstances are never really addressed by anyone. This leads to more ethical compromises and more guilt. Actions are taken by the characters, like drug use and sexuality, to cope with the events of their lives. They know, in a way, that they are being reduced. But, they do not know how to deal with it. Which leads to the “cult of excess”. The characters do nothing is moderation. They do not know how.
If the characters were encouraged to be themselves are not the characters they play, would any of them have become what they were when the story ended? Would they have chosen differently then they did? How did the manipulation of the school environment and the teachers, primarily, and their own families, secondary, transform these characters into who they are in the book? When does fiction become reality? Is anyone strong enough or aware enough to find the traps and avoid them?
This has been an interesting book to read. It was not so much about a murder mystery, though that does happen. It was more about what happens when the line between reality and fiction/fantasy are not just blurred, but encouraged to be non-existent. It touches on what can happen when people become characters and not the individuals that they are. A lot can go wrong when people are pushed into a personality corner and not allowed to come out and be themselves, or even find out who their true selves are.
A book that deals with the fine line between reality and the world of performance. When does one cross that line and is the crossing of that line even noticeable? In circumstances where one is encouraged to become a character, where do you stop being yourself?
The characters of this book must deal with moral ambiguity and ethical compromises that they subject themselves to as well as are encouraged by their teachers and the school environment. Their environment wants them to blur the lines between themselves and the character the are playing. This blurs their reality and leads to their lives being a performance of a life and ethical compromises later on. They are manipulated into being one thing when they could be something else. The school, Dellecher Classical Conservatory, stereotypes their students. Putting them in a small niche that channels them in only one direction. Rarely do groups of students in different educational paths interact. These circumstances lead to tragedy later on. One character even describes Dellecher more as a cult than a school. A place “where anything could be excused so long as it was offered at the alter of the Muses.”
The trauma and guilt are never addressed by either the students or the school. They are simply swept away and ignored. The students themselves are reluctantly given counseling. But the circumstances are never really addressed by anyone. This leads to more ethical compromises and more guilt. Actions are taken by the characters, like drug use and sexuality, to cope with the events of their lives. They know, in a way, that they are being reduced. But, they do not know how to deal with it. Which leads to the “cult of excess”. The characters do nothing is moderation. They do not know how.
If the characters were encouraged to be themselves are not the characters they play, would any of them have become what they were when the story ended? Would they have chosen differently then they did? How did the manipulation of the school environment and the teachers, primarily, and their own families, secondary, transform these characters into who they are in the book? When does fiction become reality? Is anyone strong enough or aware enough to find the traps and avoid them?
This has been an interesting book to read. It was not so much about a murder mystery, though that does happen. It was more about what happens when the line between reality and fiction/fantasy are not just blurred, but encouraged to be non-existent. It touches on what can happen when people become characters and not the individuals that they are. A lot can go wrong when people are pushed into a personality corner and not allowed to come out and be themselves, or even find out who their true selves are.
Updated a reading goal:
Read 20 books by December 31, 2026
Progress so far: 15 / 20 75%
A fun romp through a cozy fantasy that also takes the reader on an adventure.
Viv, our main character, is injured while attempting to stop a necromancer. She is left in a village by her team to recover. Viv meets a bookshop owner, a baker, and many other character that help her see a new aspect in her life. Viv, who previously was only interested in sword play, is introduced to the love of books. She also is shown that there is more to life than just hunting down the bad guys.
Viv teams up with her new friends when the village she is at is put in danger by a dangerous stranger who has ties with the big bad. Will they win? Will the friendships Viv has gained survive the encounter? Read and find out.
This is a fun book and a great read. This is also a prequel to Legends and Lattes, which is also written by Travis Baldree. This series is now on my reading list.
A fun romp through a cozy fantasy that also takes the reader on an adventure.
Viv, our main character, is injured while attempting to stop a necromancer. She is left in a village by her team to recover. Viv meets a bookshop owner, a baker, and many other character that help her see a new aspect in her life. Viv, who previously was only interested in sword play, is introduced to the love of books. She also is shown that there is more to life than just hunting down the bad guys.
Viv teams up with her new friends when the village she is at is put in danger by a dangerous stranger who has ties with the big bad. Will they win? Will the friendships Viv has gained survive the encounter? Read and find out.
This is a fun book and a great read. This is also a prequel to Legends and Lattes, which is also written by Travis Baldree. This series is now on my reading list.
This is an adventurous tale of a young wolf named Wander seeking a new home and a new pack.
After a tragedy Wander travels through both beautiful and dangerous landscapes. Wander is immediately a sympathetic character. He has been through much and just wants a family and a place to live. We are immediately able to understand his needs and his fears. This book is an easy read and lets the reader journey with Wander as he searches for a new life.
This book is based on the travels of a real wolf, OR-7, that was monitored by biologist to better understand his species. There are several pages about not just OR-7, but also about wolves in general and their habitat.
This is an adventurous and informative book. The reader, both young and not so young, will enjoy this story immensely.
This is an adventurous tale of a young wolf named Wander seeking a new home and a new pack.
After a tragedy Wander travels through both beautiful and dangerous landscapes. Wander is immediately a sympathetic character. He has been through much and just wants a family and a place to live. We are immediately able to understand his needs and his fears. This book is an easy read and lets the reader journey with Wander as he searches for a new life.
This book is based on the travels of a real wolf, OR-7, that was monitored by biologist to better understand his species. There are several pages about not just OR-7, but also about wolves in general and their habitat.
This is an adventurous and informative book. The reader, both young and not so young, will enjoy this story immensely.
An interesting book that deals with racism, sexism, empire, and colonialism. This book is set in England in the 1830’s when the system of power benefited only the few at the top of the political food chain.
This book follows the life of Robin Swift, a half Chinese young man, who is taken from his home by a man who becomes his “mentor”. This man indoctrinates Robin into his new life. A life where he is expected to learn silver work, the ability to use words to provide power to run the empire, at the The Translation Institute, also known as Babel, at Oxford. Robin meets others like himself, ones who have been taken under the wing of those in power and expected to learn the craft to benefit the Empire.
This book brings up many important questions that need to be asked. When does one realize that they have lost their identity? When someone promises you everything you have dreamed of, what are you willing to let go of to have it? Can you let go of what makes you unique? What is the cost of suffering? What do you abandon to survive a system that is offers you everything you have ever dreamed of, but constantly keeps it just out of reach? Can the system be changed peacefully or must it be changed violently? Can a person truly improve their life if the system is designed to keep them limited and controlled?
The themes of racism, sexism, colonialism, and dehumanization are explored in this book. Foreigners as well as poor natives are seen as an underclass in the society that Babel presents. The both are seen as resources to be exploited by those in charge.
A thoughtful and provocative book. One I recommend.
An interesting book that deals with racism, sexism, empire, and colonialism. This book is set in England in the 1830’s when the system of power benefited only the few at the top of the political food chain.
This book follows the life of Robin Swift, a half Chinese young man, who is taken from his home by a man who becomes his “mentor”. This man indoctrinates Robin into his new life. A life where he is expected to learn silver work, the ability to use words to provide power to run the empire, at the The Translation Institute, also known as Babel, at Oxford. Robin meets others like himself, ones who have been taken under the wing of those in power and expected to learn the craft to benefit the Empire.
This book brings up many important questions that need to be asked. When does one realize that they have lost their identity? When someone promises you everything you have dreamed of, what are you willing to let go of to have it? Can you let go of what makes you unique? What is the cost of suffering? What do you abandon to survive a system that is offers you everything you have ever dreamed of, but constantly keeps it just out of reach? Can the system be changed peacefully or must it be changed violently? Can a person truly improve their life if the system is designed to keep them limited and controlled?
The themes of racism, sexism, colonialism, and dehumanization are explored in this book. Foreigners as well as poor natives are seen as an underclass in the society that Babel presents. The both are seen as resources to be exploited by those in charge.
A thoughtful and provocative book. One I recommend.
Added to listOwnedwith 24 books.
Added to listFrom the Librarywith 8 books.
Grief can be blinding and if not checked can turn into anger and revenge. What recourse do women have when an injustice is done to themselves and their families? This is touched on in A Spartan's Sorrow by Hannah Lynn. This retelling of the ancient myth of Clytemnestra and her murder of her husband for killing their daughter on this subject as well as others. When one lives in a society where women have no true rights and are seen as little better than servants, or worse as property to be used as the master sees fit, what can a mother do to protect her children? Grief can turn to anger, which can turn into revenge, which can lead to a cycle of tragedy.
Also, what is to be done, when the system and society is defended and encouraged by the women living in it. Electra idolizes her father and hates her mother. She refuses to bend, to see the gray areas of not just life, but the circumstances in her own house. She continues the cycle of tragedy that should have ended long ago. This is an unbendable society. The inability to bend continues the cycle of tragedy that should have ended long ago.
What re-courses do women have when the society is against you? What happens when women themselves condone the society that treats them as less than? Electra is the one who is constantly pushing for revenge. She keeps poking a wound that is trying to close. She is the one who refuses to side with the one who has endured harm. She is the one who is siding with the system.
A Spartan's Sorrow is a book that needs to be read and discussed by both women and men. Questions need to be asked and discussed by both.
Grief can be blinding and if not checked can turn into anger and revenge. What recourse do women have when an injustice is done to themselves and their families? This is touched on in A Spartan's Sorrow by Hannah Lynn. This retelling of the ancient myth of Clytemnestra and her murder of her husband for killing their daughter on this subject as well as others. When one lives in a society where women have no true rights and are seen as little better than servants, or worse as property to be used as the master sees fit, what can a mother do to protect her children? Grief can turn to anger, which can turn into revenge, which can lead to a cycle of tragedy.
Also, what is to be done, when the system and society is defended and encouraged by the women living in it. Electra idolizes her father and hates her mother. She refuses to bend, to see the gray areas of not just life, but the circumstances in her own house. She continues the cycle of tragedy that should have ended long ago. This is an unbendable society. The inability to bend continues the cycle of tragedy that should have ended long ago.
What re-courses do women have when the society is against you? What happens when women themselves condone the society that treats them as less than? Electra is the one who is constantly pushing for revenge. She keeps poking a wound that is trying to close. She is the one who refuses to side with the one who has endured harm. She is the one who is siding with the system.
A Spartan's Sorrow is a book that needs to be read and discussed by both women and men. Questions need to be asked and discussed by both.