These days it takes a couple weeks off of school to get any serious, non-academic reading done. I am going to challenge myself to read a Potter chapter a day in 2012, however, and see how long it takes to get through all seven books again that way. (Yes, I realize I could count chapters and figure this out ahead of time, but who plans things lie this out in advance?).
This Christmas break I’ve read Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, my monthly book club’s selection, and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, a book I have to admit I picked solely based on its cover.
I started off enjoying the Major and his motley assortment of “friends,” or rather fellow townsfolk, but about 7/8 of the way through it took a turn down a path I probably should have expected, but disappointed me nonetheless. As a commentary on the narrow-mindedness of a small British village and its lack of tolerance for those out of step with its societal hierarchy, it’s a fairly entertaining read. The Major plays his role as a staunch family patriarch, ex-military man, trying to do the “right” thing by his family and his village, well for the most part. The characters of Roger, his son, Grace, a proper female friend, and the local Lord, sister-in-law, married male friend, all compliment him decently and serve to highlight what is good and lacking in the Major. The main relationship of the book, though, is that of the Major and Mrs. Ali, the local Indian shopkeeper with whom the Major strikes up an unlikely friendship that later takes a romantic turn. The Major and Mrs. Ali encounter rather typical obstacles in their individual lives and in their relationship, placed there by the artificial constraints of local society. These constraints are further highlighted in a few side relationships of the younger generation as well. Unfortunately, what started out with great promise as an entertaining satire and possible deeper social commentary fell flat during the falling action and denouement. The conclusions of each sub-plot felt rushed and unsatisfying with too many frayed ends. The resolution of the Major and Mrs. Ali’s story felt predictable, but yet there was a “Really? Did it have to happen like that?” sense in parts of it. As a reader of a wide variety of classic and modern literature I certainly wasn’t shocked or offended by any of the turns the stories took, but I was disappointed that the author felt like she had to go there with each one. I felt betrayed somehow and was left rooting for the wrong characters in the end.
Miss Peregrine’s, on the other hand, was new and unusual and very enjoyable. Again, because I chose this book really based on an unusual and intriguing cover and book flap description, I wasn’t holding by hopes too high, especially after the disappointment of Major Pettigrew. There is not a whole lot I can say about the plot with spoilers, but I definitely didn’t have this one all figured out well in advance of the plot progression. It’s very quirky, and I’m sure will not appeal every audience, but if you’ve enjoyed any of the QuirkBooks reads in the past, this one lives up to its predecessors. “Peculiar” not only describes the characters, but the storyline as well. I love that while most of the events require a healthy amount of willing suspension of disbelief, segments are rooted in enough in the real world and history to have readers wondering “Well…maybe…could that really be happening?” I’m a huge Doctor Who fan, and several times could picture these characters in a crazy episode with the Doctor. Yes, time travel is a component, but only a somewhat small, backdrop type of element. The photojournalistic approach works well helping readers with images that are too fantastic to grab a hold of on our own. A quick, quirky, quality read!
