Looking for Pearls

(I took care to give no obvious spoilers about the story)

Title: Jane: The woman who loved Tarzan (on Librarything)
Author: Robin Maxwell
Language: English
Series: none, but related to the Tarzan series.
Reviews for other books in this series (up till now): Tarzan #6 - Jungle Tales of Tarzan, by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Format: paperback
Pages: 320
Publisher: Tor Doherty Associates, LLC
Year published: original 2012, my edition 2012
ISBN number: 9780765333599
Topic of the book: Jane's life before, during and after she met Tarzan; beginning of the 20th century (Victorian/Edwardian eras); difference between ways of living
Reason for reading: Tarzan <3 Though I did think of it as 'published fanfiction', as it's based on another author's work, I like the Tarzan series so much that I wanted to read this book too, as it sounded quite interesting (and the cover art was pretty too). I asked it for Christmas and I got it as my present (^-^).
Recommended: YES!! Even if you have never read the original Tarzan books and only know the story from the Disney movie or something.

Back cover text:
Cambridge, England: 1905. The only female student in Cambridge University’s medical program, Jane Porter is far more comfortable in a lab coat, dissecting corpses than she is in a corset and gown sipping afternoon tea. A budding paleoanthropologist, Jane dreams of travelling the globe in search of fossils that will prove the evolutionary theories of her scientific hero, Charles Darwin.
When dashing American explorer Ral Conrath invites Jane and her father on an expedition deep into West Africa, she can hardly believe her luck. Africa is every bit as exotic and fascinating as she has always imagined, but Jane quickly learns that the lush jungle is full of secrets—and so is Ral Conrath. When danger strikes, Jane finds her hero, the key to humanity’s past, and an all-consuming love in one extraordinary man: Tarzan of the Apes.

Jane is the first version of the Tarzan story written by a woman and authorized by the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate. Its publication marks the centennial of the publication of the original Tarzan of the Apes.

First paragraph of the first chapter, "Chicago Public Library, April 1912":
Good Lord, she was magnificent! Edgar thought. Infuriatingly bold.
He had many times fantasized about women such as this Jane Porter, but he honestly believed they existed only in his imagination. The vicious heckling she had endured for the past hour in the darkened room would have broken the strongest of men, yet there she stood at the podium casting a shadow on the startling image projected by the whirring episcope on the screen behind her, back straight as a rod, head high, trying to bring order back into the hall.

Comments on the first paragraph:
The book starts in third person, as Jane is introduced to Edgar Rice Burroughs - the original author of the Tarzan books.

Review:
Read more...

(I took care to give no obvious spoilers about the story)

Title: Pocahontas: Het ware verhaal, geschreven door een directe afstammeling van Pocahontas (on Librarything)
Original title: Pocahontas
Author: Susan Donnell
Language: Dutch (original = English)
Series: no
Format: paperback
Pages: 286
Publisher: De Boekerij
Year published: original 1991, my edition 1995
ISBN number: 9022520323
Topic of the book: Pocahontas, early 17th century, America, England
Reason for reading: I liked the Disney movie (I've only seen the first Disney Pocahontas movie) and wanted to read the story it was based on. I found this book in the book basket in the Bagels & Beans restaurant in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Recommended: Yes.

Back cover text:
Pocahontas is een oud, door overlevering in stand gehouden verhaal over een jong Indiaans meisje, de dochter van een machtig opperhoofd. Haar naam betekent Kleine Ondeugd en deze ondeugd is voorbestemd een groot krijger van een andere stam te trouwen. Haar leven verandert van de ene dag op de andere wanneer zij in contact komt met een groep Engelse kolonisten. De Britten worden bedreigd door de stam waartoe het meisje behoort, maar de jonge vrouw trekt zich het lot van de bijna verhongerende mannen aan en redt hen van een wisse dood. Pocahontas wordt hun heldin en haar faam verbreidt zich razendsnel. Voor de moedige kolonist John Smith wordt zij echter meer dan een heldin... zij wordt de liefde van zijn leven en met haar gaat John terug naar zijn verre vaderland...

Pocahontas is een prachtig verhaal waarin de Amerikaanse Indianen en hun geschiedenis op boeiende wijze tot leven komen. Maar bovenal is het een hartverwarmende roman over een jonge, moedige vrouw; een boek dat niemand onberoerd zal laten.

Susan Donnell, een directe afstammeling van Pocahontas, gebruikte haar eigen stamboom als basis voor deze onvergetelijke roman.

Comments on the back cover text:
Uhm, in the story John Smith does not accompany Pocahontas to England! He's already there when Pocahontas arrives in London. She travels with John Rolfe (well, another John, so maybe the back cover text writer got confused?).

First paragraph:
Londen, juni 1616

'John, kijk eens! Het lijkt wel of iedere familie een eigen kerk heeft. Ik had nooit gedacht dat het er zoveel zouden zijn.'
Pocahontas stond aan de reling toen het schip langzaam de Theems opvoer, langs Gravesend naar het havengebied van Londen. H.M.S. Treasurer was de vorige ochtend in Plymouth gearriveerd, na vanuit Virginia de oceaan te zijn overgestoken. Daar waren sir Edwin Sandys, parlementslid, en een kleine delegatie van de Virginia Company aan boord gekomen om hun protégée, de Indiaanse prinses, haar man John Rolfe, hun zoontje en hun gevolg te vergezellen bij de officiële ontvangst in Londen.

Comments on the first paragraph:
The first chapter starts with Pocahontas' arrival in London. After that it starts at the beginning, when John Smith arrives with the other colonists on the coast of Virginia.

Review:
Read it here (^-^)

(I took care to give no obvious spoilers about the story)

Title: Zilverwolf: De val van Rome (on Librarything)
Original title: The Silver Wolf
Author: Alice Borchardt
Language: Dutch (original = English)
Series: Book 1 of Legends of the Wolves. The book doesn't indicate it's part of a trilogy. It works very well as a stand-alone.
Format: paperback
Pages: 400
Publisher: Het Spectrum
Year published: original 1998, my edition 1998
ISBN number: 9027464782
Topic of the book: history, Rome, (were)wolves
Reason for reading: The combination of werewolves/Rome sounded interesting.
Recommended: NOT the Dutch version! See 'Writing style' in my review linked below for the reason. I'd recommend it if you think the combination of werewolves/Rome (after the glory period of the city) sounds interesting, but not if you care a lot about the writing style.

Back cover text:
Regeane, een beeldschone jonge vrouw, wordt door haar bloedverwantschap met Karel de Grote een pion in de strijd om de macht. Het beangstigt haar dat er allerlei krachten tegen haar samenspannen, en ze verdedigt zich dan ook met hand en tand. Haar tegenstanders weten echter niet dat ze niet alleen heel intelligent is en over een grote innerlijke kracht beschikt, maar ook een aantal heel bijzondere eigenschappen van haar vader heeft geërfd. Ze heeft een geheugen dat duizenden jaren teruggaat en beschikt over zintuigen met bovennatuurlijke krachten. Bovendien kan ze van vrouw in wolf veranderen en daarmee een gedaanteverandering ondergaan van prooi tot jager...

Alice Borchardt is een auteur met een unieke schrijfstijl, die zowel aan Marion Zimmer Bradley (Nevelen van Avalon) als aan Jean Auel doet denken! Met Zilverwolf, een lyrische, sensuele roman, rijk aan historische details en aan menselijke emoties, heeft ze haar meesterproef afgelegd.

First paragraph:
De zon ging onder. De felle lichtcirkel gleed langs de met acanthuskapitelen bekroonde zuilen van een vervallen tempel, die de gloeiende bal in plakken rode gloed sneden. Bijna nacht, dacht het meisje. Ze huiverde toen de kille herfstwind door het onbeglaasde raam woei.
Er zaten tralies voor het raam - dikke tralies. De ene rij liep horizontaal, de andere verticaal. De stangen waren in de stenen muren van het kamertje ingemetseld.

Review:
Go here for the review.

(I took care to give no obvious spoilers about the story)

Title: The Help (on Librarything)
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Language: English
Series: no
Format: paperback
Pages: 451
Publisher: Penguin
Year published: original 2009, my edition 2011
ISBN number: 9780241956540
Topic of the book: 1960s, Mississippi (America), racial issues ('black' and 'white'), history
Reason for reading: A friend recommended it and I borrowed this book from her.
Recommended: Yes!!! If your English is good enough that you can easily read the first paragraph, go read it! Though there is a Dutch translation as well ("Een keukenmeidenroman"), I can't judge the quality of the translation.

Back cover text:
Enter a vanished world:
Jackson, Mississippi, 1962.
Where black maids raise white children,
but aren't trusted not to steal the silver...

There's Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son's tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter, home from college, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared.

Skeet, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they'd be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and rely upon one another. Each is in search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell...

Comments on the back cover text:
I didn't read the back cover text before reading the book. This one doesn't really give spoilers, but if you don't read it, you don't know that.

First paragraph:
Aibileen
Chapter 1
August 1962

Mae Mobley was born on a early Sunday morning in August, 1960. A church baby we like to call it. Taking care a white babies, that's what I do, along with all the cooking and the cleaning. I done raised seventeen kids in my lifetime. I know how to get them babies to sleep, stop crying, and go in the toilet bowl before they mamas even get out a bed in the morning.

Comments on the first paragraph:
This is the writing style of the Aibileen and Minny chapters. The Skeeter chapters are in regular English, but when you get to those, at least I was already very used to this writing style. I can imagine someone could have a bit more difficulty reading this, though.

Review:
Read it here.

(I took care to give no obvious spoilers about the story)

Title: Jungle Tales of Tarzan (on Librarything)
Author: Edgar Rice Burroughs
Language: English
Series: Tarzan #6
Format: paperback (also available as free ebook here)
Pages: 183
Publisher: Standard Publications, Inc
Year published: original 1919, my edition 2008
ISBN number: 1605974536
Topic of the book: Tarzan's younger years in the jungle (short story collection)
Reason for reading: I'm reading the Tarzan series in order on paper, but as I didn't have #6 (in paper version), I skipped it because it's a collection of stories taking place during book 1. Now I got it on paper, so I'm reading it :)
Recommended: Yes, but you should have read at least the first Tarzan book (not only seen the Disney movie! There are too many references to things in the first book which don't appear in the Disney movie).

Back cover text:
No back cover text.

First paragraph of the first story, "Tarzan's First Love":
Teeka, stretched at luxurious ease in the shade of the tropical forest, presented, unquestionably, a most alluring picture of young, feminine loveliness. Or at least so thought Tarzan of the Apes, who squatted upon a low-swinging branch in a near-by tree and looked down upon her.

Read the entire review here!