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With all the hype about the Tudor dynasty these days, more and more stories are coming out of the historical closet to be told. This is a fictionalized account of Juana of Castile, the daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand and sister to Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII. Juana was married to Philip, the Archduke of Flanders, and their early life was very happy and passionate. But when the succession of Spanish heirs dies out leaving Juana the heir to the Spanish throne, Philip becomes g...more With all the hype about the Tudor dynasty these days, more and more stories are coming out of the historical closet to be told. This is a fictionalized account of Juana of Castile, the daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand and sister to Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII. Juana was married to Philip, the Archduke of Flanders, and their early life was very happy and passionate. But when the succession of Spanish heirs dies out leaving Juana the heir to the Spanish throne, Philip becomes greedy and hungry for power. Their marriage dissolves into anger and hatred and Juana must do everything she can to outwit her husband from stealing her throne.
Historically, Juana was known as Juana La Loca, or Juana the Mad because she physically attacked her husband's mistress and showed a passionate temper when provoked. But was she nuts, or was she just provoked too much to bear? History didn't always account for stupid, abusive, husbands who would declare their wife insane so he could usurp her throne.
The idea of not buying anything for a year other than the essentials of food and shelter was too unbelievable for me to contemplate. But reading about Judith Levine's experiences inspired me. She talks about how much stuff she and her parter Paul had accumulated, and they decide to consciously scale back and conduct a year long experiment of not being a consumer. In between her personal experiences are some interesting facts and theories about American consumerism and the counter-culture of Simple Living. And she isn't the kind of person who tells you how you should be thinking. She tells you how she thinks, what the facts and theories are, and lets you decide for yourself. She did not become an rampant anti-consumerist at the end of the year, but she was much more mindful about what she purchases and for what reason she shops. Very interesting idea. I don't think I will attempt the same project, but I know there are things I can to to cut the clutter and waste from my life.
Tally is an Ugly. She is almost 16 and will soon have the operation that will turn her into a Pretty. It is many hundreds of years in the future and the world now operates like this. From the time you are born until the time you turn twelve, you are a Littlie, and live at home with your parents. At 12, you go to school with other Uglies until you turn 16. Then you have the "operation." Your face is reconstructed, your skin sanded down, and your bones reset to be of uniform height. Everyone becomes pretty. Everyone is about the same height, and has the same skin color. There are no fights over race, religion, or really much over anything. Anything you need comes out of the wall of your house. Food, clothing, gadgets.
Tally wants more than anything to be Pretty. Her best friend Peris turned 2 months ago, and she is one of the last in her age group. But then she meets Shay. Shay has the same birthday as Tally, and the get into all sorts of mischief before their birthdays, including visiting the ruins of the "Rusties". Shay tells Tally about The Smoke, a secret place where Uglies sometimes run away so they don't have to be Pretty. Tally can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to be Pretty. But when Shay disappears right before their birthday, she leaves behind directions for Tally to follow. When Tally gets hauled in for questioning about the disappearance of her friend, she doesn't tell them anything. But the authorities find the directions and give Tally an ultimatum: lead them to the Smoke, or stay Ugly forever.
This futuristic story was engrossing - the technology was cool, and the idea of everyone being pretty was appealing at first. But seeing how the Pretties behave (Dreadfully) and seeing the lives of the objectors in the Smoke made you think about having things too easy. Tally makes an interesting transformation in this book, and it isn't as pretty as you might think.
So many people have read and loved this book, and I can now count myself among them. The thing I liked most about this book was that Elizabeth Gilbert was about my age when the book starts. She is married, and very unhappy. One night, alone in her bathroom, alone, and terrified, she makes a plea to God for help - even when she isn't sure there is a God to begin with. And this begins her journey. After her nasty divorce and a difficult rebound relationship, this woman takes a year off and spends ...more So many people have read and loved this book, and I can now count myself among them. The thing I liked most about this book was that Elizabeth Gilbert was about my age when the book starts. She is married, and very unhappy. One night, alone in her bathroom, alone, and terrified, she makes a plea to God for help - even when she isn't sure there is a God to begin with. And this begins her journey. After her nasty divorce and a difficult rebound relationship, this woman takes a year off and spends 4 months in Rome, 4 months on an Ashram in India, and 4 months in a small village in Bali, learning from an old medicine man. She is one a quest to learn to rediscover pleasure, to discover her inner self, and to find the balance between the two. The book is remarkable, and it made me wistful that I couldn't take a year to do nothing but search for inner peace and love. It inspired me to think about how I spend my time an energy, and maybe about how I need to be a little more mindful in that department.
