The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder

Translator: Sarah Jane Hails

Illustrator: Hilde Kramer

Date of Publication: November 7^th, 1997

Memorable quote: “My advice to all those who are going to find themselves: stay exactly where you are. Otherwise you are in great danger of losing yourself forever.” (pg. 11)

Captivating storyline: B+

Characters: A

Ending: A-

Odds you will remember this book in five years: A

Overall grade: A-

Two unlikely subjects, philosophy and playing cards, collide in Gaarder’s thought-provoking novel The Solitaire Mystery as Gaarder creates an elaborate story about a father and son, Hans Thomas, and their journey through Europe.  Their reason for the epic road trip is to find “Mommy,” Hans’ mother who left them to “find herself” in the fashion world eight years earlier.  During their journey, Hans’ meets a strange midget who gives him a magnifying glass and later stumbles upon an old baker who gives him a tiny book inside a sticky bun, which gives an amazing inner story about Hans’ family history.  (The “sticky-bun book” also serves as a means of answering mysterious questions about Hans’s father’s heritage and the reason why his father is obsessed with collecting Joker playing cards.)

The story within the sticky bun book is even more mystical than the main story-line, which at times keeps the reader wanting to know what is going to happen as much as Hans Thomas.  This was a great method to keep readers interested for when one storyline began to lose interest, the other picked up. The dynamic of playing cards throughout the novel is also fascinating, making every reader look at playing cards in a new fashion, especially the foolish Joker, and wonder the true meaning behind each card.

As Hans and his father travel through Europe, his father gives Hans random philosophy lessons about life, what it means to be human, and destiny.  Through the lessons, Hans’ receives and the jokes and interactions he has with his father, Hans’ relationship with his father is heartwarming and shows how the son helps his father to be a better individual and vice versa.

Sarah Jane Hails translated the novel from Norwegian, so at times, the translation is rough and difficult to understand, but the concept shows through.  The only other downside to this incredible novel is the way the storyline, both the main and sticky-bun stories, are long and drawn out at times but the ending is worth the wait!

If you are interested in philosophy, mystery, adventure, and playing cards, The Solitaire Mystery will keep you wondering what will be discovered until the very end.

~Shelly-Beans

Nectar by Lily Prior

Date of Publication: July 8^th, 2003

Memorable Quotation: “He held to himself the view that his wife would make a more competent grape picker than an opera singer. He had not the heart to tell her that her singing voice sounded like a cracked pot struck with a stick.” (pg. 52)

Captivating storyline: B-

Characters: B+

Ending: D-

Odds you will remember this book in five years: D+

Overall rating: C

The story follows Ramona, the arrogant and unappealing albino chambermaid of the estate, as she woes married men, old men, young men, any male with a non-congested nasal passage to a place of ecstasy simply from her natural fragrance. Becoming tired of working in the countryside, Ramona dreams of the city and stardom as an opera singer, but her arrogance and unworldly ways soon show her that the world does revolve around her and her magical scent.  

What starts as an erotic fairy-tale filled with magical realism quickly turns into a self-absorbed tale about Ramona and…that's about it.  With such a strong beginning, it is disappointing that the story loses its drive almost half way through the novel.  What first kept me interested was the way Lily Prior kept the story going at a nice, even pace with the humorous characters she created.  Unfortunately, the characters fell short of being memorable when their entire purpose turned into being pawns in Ramona’s game of life.  

As terrible as it is to say, the way I pushed through the rest of the book was through the hope that something terrible would finally happen to Ramona because she of the way she thought she could buy or be anything because of her scent. Unlike other books where I rooted for the main characters ambitions and goals, I hoped that she would not win and would finally get what she deserved after causing so much pain without caring about anyone but herself.

If you are hoping that the ending at least wraps everything up, you are mistaken.  Although the ending will remain untold, it does not solve all of the problems that are created throughout the novel and you will be left feeling neglected by the author.  All in all, Prior’s writing style is the only salvation to this tale of false love and misery but the storyline itself could have been so much better if the characters, other than Ramona, played a bigger part in the story.

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Thanks for reading! Until next time, happy reading!

~Shelly-Beans