Joan Kessler
Insightful, practical, and immediately accessible. It's easy to fall victim to the non-writer's opinion of what a writer should be. Weiland effectively sweeps that opinion off the page and offers ways for the writer to allow the intuitive process to grow.
Until reading this book, my only knowledge of the Dracula story came from the films. While I still love some of the films (huge TCM fan), in them the character of Mina is usually diminished to that of a soft-boiled egg. But in his book, Stoker not only gives her intelligence, courage, and self-respect (as well as grace and beauty of mind), but also opportunities to use them. She is the hero of this story. Perhaps because Stoker's mother was a feminist, he saw no reason not to make Mina an active part of the story. It is well paced (although I could have done with less dialogue from Van Helsing), and he uses the landscape and scenery to evoke a perfectly creepy atmosphere. It makes for a compelling read.
An intense story about a strong-willed girl growing up without love, struggling through other horrible conditions, and finding freedom in body, mind, and soul in a time that didn't recognize freedom for women. The theme, love is not something you must earn, plays out beautifully throughout the book. But note to first-time readers of Jane Eyre; the annotations contain spoilers. I found this annoying, despite my familiarity with the story, and left off reading them for several chapters, catching up with them later. But on the whole, I appreciated the excellent annotations as a writing structure guide. A really insightful way to read a story.
If they were going for Quick Factoid Reference Guide, they nailed it. Encyclopedia, not so much. Still, an enjoyable guide.
I loved the premise, and the cover is gorgeous. The writing comes across as modern rather than evoking the time period. The amateur-detective main character explained everything and stated the obvious repeatedly. I don't know if her naiveté was meant to be a charming personality quirk, but the fact that she'd worked as a riveter in a bomber plant during the war made her lack of little grey cells perplexing. I was left with no sense of her having attained mastery. Unfortunately, like Julia's mayonnaise problem, this just didn't come together. It was such a great idea for a mystery.
Delightful! Sure to inspire spumescent divagation among pajama-clad chasmophiles and rusticated putti alike.
