Ms. Hen reviews Villa Incognito

 

Villa Incognito

Tom Robbins

Bantam Dell

2003

Ms. Hen decided to read this novel because she picked it up at a Little Free Library near where she lives. She has read several Tom Robbins books, but has not read one for a long time. She doesn't know why she hasn't read one for a while, but after reading this, she remembered how good his books are.

This novel is about several things: it's about tanukis, a type or raccoon dog found in Japan; it's also about the Vietnam War and some MIAs that got lost afterwards; it's about drug dealing, and it's about circus performers. A tanuki in Japan impregnates a woman, starting a chain of events that takes place over years. The woman who has the baby realizes she cannot keep it. Many years later one of the descendants is in Laos and is a tanuki trainer for different circuses. This novel is a fantasy, but it also talks about real issues.

There's something about the way Tom Robbins writes that Ms. Hen really enjoys. He has a spastic way of putting words together, with several pop culture references that might get lost on some people that are not well versed in that area. His books are strange, as is this one.

Also, his books are juicy. There is a lot of sex in this book, which a reader may or may not like, but if a reader is not prepared for it, like Ms. Hen she might become a shocked hen. But she got used to it.

A part in this book where the character Dickie reunites with his girlfriend Lisa Ko in Laos, and she brings him mayonnaise and white bread from her trip to the United States. A long description of how wonderful mayonnaise is follows, and even though Ms. Hen is not much of a fan, she liked reading this because it was so strange. The narrator extols the virtues of mayonnaise, and how it's the perfect condiment that goes with everything. Ms. Hen thought this section was hilarious.

There is always a profound message in Tom Robbins' books, and Ms. Hen feels like she walks away smarter than she was before she read the book. One of the messages in this novel is that life is fleeting and nothing is permanent, and there are no accidents. It seems like a Buddhist message to Ms. Hen, and since this novel takes place partially in Laos and Vietnam, it makes sense.

This novel is light and heavy at the same time. It's short, but it's not an easy read. Ms. Hen enjoyed this novel, and liked being shocked by it. Ms. Hen is not a hen that shocks easily, but when she is, it startles her. She has come to the point in her life when not much surprises her, because she has seen so many strange things, but she knows there are always stranger things around the corner or within the pages of an unread book.

Ms. Hen reviews Circe

Circe

Madeline Miller

Back Bay Books

2018

Ms. Hen decided to read this because her hen sister gave it to her for Christmas. She didn't know anything about the book before she read it, but she learned it was about the Greek goddess Circe. Ms. Hen thinks her sister bought this book because the title is the name of a character in GAME OF THRONES, Cercei.

This novel is about the minor goddess Circe, daughter of Helios, the Sun and Perse. She is not well liked as a young goddess because everyone thinks she has a terrible voice and is unattractive. She does not get along with her siblings Perses and Pasiphae and they like to mock her. She befriends her brother Aeetes, and they spend time together when they are young. The gods and goddess think that Circe is ugly and she does not attract men. She is desperate for love, and she falls for a mortal fisherman, who she turns into a god with magic. He decides he does not want her, and she transforms the object of his affection into a monster. She is banned to an island for these deeds, and perfects her magic there.

Circe is lonely on her island, but people come to her. She learns things from the god Hermes, and she turns sailors who come to the island into pigs. She is unhappy, but she manages things. She learns how to use the herbs that grow on her island to do spells. She becomes known as the witch of Aiaia. She faces one of the strongest gods and proves her worth.

Ms. Hen enjoyed this novel. It's a fast read, and she breezed through it, even though it's long. The characters are well developed and the writing is lovely and descriptive. Ms. Hen doesn't know a lot about the Greek gods and goddesses, because there's so much to learn; she only knows the tip of the iceberg. 

She thinks that the gods are rotten to each other, that they're not nice, and it seemed to her at the beginning of the novel when Circe was on Oceanos with her family, that the gods had too much time on their hands, they had all of eternity with nothing to do except have fun and act frivolously, and that could be why they were so horrible.

Ms. Hen read about Circe after she finished the book. There have been many books about Circe throughout the centuries, and all of them have been different. But most of the time, she is seen as a temptress and a person who could turn men into animals.

Ms. Hen loved this novel. She believes that the message clearly describes the story of Circe. She thinks this is a girl power novel, because Circe was a loser, but she fought against it, and prevailed. This novel proves that it's possible that anyone who is viewed as inferior can rise above and become as strong and powerful as anyone else.

 

Ms. Hen reviews Five Children and It

Five Children and It

E. Nesbit

T. Fisher Unwin

1902

Ms. Hen decided to read this book because she found it at a Little Free Library near where she lives. She doesn't usually read children's literature, but she wanted to read something light and refreshing after the pain of THE CORRECTIONS. She took a Children's Lit class when she was an undergrad hen, and she loved the class. She recently found out that the professor that taught that class, Mary Shaner, passed away, and it made her sad. This review is an homage to her.

This book is about a family of children who are sent to the country, and their mother leaves them there with the servants. The five children run off to play in a quarry and they find a Psammead, or a sand fairy, who can grant wishes. The Psammead grants one wish a day to one of the children and they get in trouble. Some of the wishes are pleasant, but they always turn out to be negative experiences in the end.

This novel is a classic story of a twist on the genie in the bottle. "Be careful what you wish for," is an expression that is used in stories like these. There are never stories in which people make wishes with a magical being and it makes them happy. This could be a lesson to teach children to be happy with what they have, and not to dream too much about what they don't have.

Some chickens appear in this book, which made Ms. Hen happy. The children acquire wings from the Psammead, and flying makes them hungry, and they take food from a church window that is meant for a clergyman and leave money in its place, "They had never happened to learn that a tongue, hardly cut into - a chicken and a half, a loaf of bread, and a siphon of soda water cannot be bought in shops for half-a- crown." (This was written a long time ago when money was quite different from the way it is now.)

Ms. Hen thinks that this novel is charming and a good diversion from the troubles of the world. She understands that children's books might not be for everyone, but sometimes it's good to read something very light. This book reminds her a little of ALICE IN WONDERLAND, which she loves. She likes to read things that will make her think of the possibilities of childhood, because children can imagine things that adults cannot. She thinks that adults should stretch their imaginations the way that children do, because if we did, we would be happier, and the our trials and tribulations would be easier to deal with...