Average customer rating:
- Show, don't tell!
- Breathing life into the Legend
- Super Reader
- El Zorro, Romantic and Honorable
- Easy, entertaining read - characters a bit frustrating
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Zorro CD: The Legend Begins
Isabel Allende
Manufacturer: HarperAudio
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Binding: Audio CD
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Allende, Isabel
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ASIN: 0060789581 |
Customer Reviews:
Show, don't tell!.......2007-09-12
I was looking for a clever retelling of this fictional American homegrown hero, something with an interesting feminine twist. What I got was indeed a retelling, but not as clever or interesting as I had hoped.
This is a "tale of origin" explaining how Zorro became the masked avenger. He is born Diego de la Vega, son of a Spanish hidalgo and a fierce Shoshone she-warrior. Apparently, the author took great pains to research this book. Kudos. Despite all the research, there seemed to be something a little off. It wasn't so much the facts that were suspect(although I'd like to check if the Shoshone values of "Okahue" were created to serve the plot), but the way the facts integrated--or failed to integrate--with the story. At one point Diego is bitten by a rattlesnake. "Diego remembered some of the facts he had learned about rattlesnakes..." The facts that follow may as well be numbered, taken from some text or scientific article. The fencing scenes are even worse. You might as well read from a manual. I listened to the audiobook, so here is my best paraphrase: "He held his arm 180 degrees in front, foil pointed forward, left arm raised 90 degrees over his head for balance." Yes, that makes for quite the thrilling fight scene. The gripes go on. Every other word is a cliche (the translator's fault?), there is hardly any dialogue, the prose is bland, the characters flat and impossible to sympathize with, as they have as much pep as are papier mache.
This is my first Allende book, and I hear she is renowned for her well-drawn female characters and ability to write emotional drama. I can't speak for her other books, but here I found Julianna a distressed damsel, and Isabelle just annoying. Nuria, the girls' chaperone, is religious, superstitious and narrowminded, which makes her the most interesting of all. As for the men...Bernardo the mute Shoshone is sympathetic, mainly because of some emotional manipulation on the writer's part by making him an orphan who refuses to talk due to his suffering. She tries to make Zorro a sort of "scarlet pimpernel" type who behaves flamboyantly while defending the downtrodden from behind his mask. As with all her descriptions, she never gets more specific than saying he "dressed well" and "behaved flamboyantly". No "show", all "tell". She also tends to spell things out in case the reader wasn't observant enough to figure out something themselves.
I'd like to end on a positive note. Scientific discussion of rattlesnake bites aside, I did enjoy Diego's and Bernardo's Spirit Quests with the Shoshone tribe. I thought the two boys' respective experiences finding their totem animals did more to establish character than any other anecdote in this book.
Breathing life into the Legend.......2007-08-30
Now, I have the original Zorro novel, "Curse of Capistrano", and although all the basic elements are in there, the character of Zorro was truly brought into being by Douglas Fairbanks. His silent 'Mark of Zorro' established everything we know about the character, right down to his now-iconic look. Now, Isabel Allende takes the last step: making this pulp fiction character seem like a flesh and blood human being. Her Zorro is viewed through the sometimes jaundiced eye of the narrator, coming off as both a true hero and at the same time, an overgrown adolescent who likes playing dress-up and swashing his buckle. He seems more human than ever, rather than just an invincible hero who triumphs because his cause is just. I was a bit startled at first by the idea of Zorro's mother as an 'Indian' who barely tolerates her husband's white man's world, as it seemed like having Zorro really close and in tight with the natives is just a tad Lone Ranger, you know, but it works within the context of the book. I guess I'm more used to Mrs. Diego from the Tyrone Power remake of the movie, as just another senora, wife of the Don. This is a stronger and more interesting portrayal. I particularly appreciate the handling of genuine historical events and settings, which lends an extra verisimilitude. All in all, I've read this thing three times in less than two months, and it just made me hungry for more Zorro. Sorry, Antonio Banderas, but this is the real deal.
Super Reader.......2007-08-04
Not too bad, although Allende is clearly not that great an action/adventure writer. The first part of the book should be called 'The Unhappy mother of the boy who it looks like will become Zorro'. Included in this are a few Tom Sawyer type adventures for him and his mate.
Points for this though : they get attacked by pirates while ON THEIR RANCH! That is novel. Once they get to Spain, it becomes more interesting, as the boy is old enough for some serious escapades, and the identity of Zorro comes out.
After some Napoleonic induced problems there he and his female entourage return to yankeeland and there you get the full on Zorro feel. I think she was perhaps getting the hang of it a bit more by then.
El Zorro, Romantic and Honorable .......2007-08-01
I confess I have superhero ambitions. I am attracted to anyone having the fashion sense and BMI to pull off wearing tights and a cape in public and I want to be just like them when I grow up. The consummate altruism that comes along with the costume is an ideal I can only hope to achieve. Paragons of this race come along only once in a generation.
When Isabel Allende wrote El Zorro, I knew I had to read it. Zorro may not be the type of superhero that has a bat cave or changes clothes in a phone booth, but he's still a superhero of the most romantic kind.
Impatiently I waited for it to come out in paperback. Seeing it paraded in front of me constantly over the next few months, I broke down and bought it in hardcover, an honor normally reserved for books I plan to read over and over. It turns out that the investment was prudent. I recently reread this wonderful story. It was just as good the second time around.
The author herself is almost as interesting as her characters. Like El Zorro Diego de la Vega, Allende has noble roots. Like Diego de la Vega, she was essentially exiled to Spain as a young adult. Perhaps it was inevitable that she would write the story of the Fox. Even in translation, Allende writes beautifully. Although she lives in California, she writes in her native Spanish.
El Zorro explores the creation of not just a folk hero, but of the boy, Diego de la Vega, who grew up to become el Zorro. Spanning two continents and four decades, there is never a lull in the story. The swordplay is really cool, too.
Zorro's parents meet at a Spanish Mission. His father, Alejandro de la Vega, is the brilliant young officer charged with the mission's defense. His mother, Toypurnia, is the daughter of White Owl, a shaman and healer of the Gabrieleno tribe, and a Spanish sailor who deserted his ship and lived among the Indians.
Toypurnia is injured in an attack she leads on the San Gabriel mission. When the Spaniards discover that she is a woman, she is given medical treatment. Alejandro de la Vega is fascinated by her and often tends to her himself. She and Alejandro fall in love and rather than allow her to be executed as a captured enemy, Alejandro maneuvers Toypurnia into the protection of Doña Eulalia de Callís, the wife of the governor of Alta California, who, as a condition of Toypurnia's pardon, turns her into a "Christian Spanish lady" newly christened "Regina María de la Inmaculada Concepción." Alejandro and Toypurnia are married and inherit a grand estate when Doña Eulalia and her husband, Governor Pedro Fages, decide to return to Spain.
When Toypurnia seems to have failing health during her pregnancy with Diego, an unmarried pregnant Catholic Indian woman is sent from the San Gabriel Mission to be her servant. The two women give birth the same day, but since Toypurnia's health continues to decline the servant nurses both Diego and her own son, Bernardo. Diego and Bernardo come to be more than milk brothers, though. They are the best of friends and when Bernardo's mother is killed during a pirate raid on the family's compound, they are raised as true brothers. Bernardo is so traumatized by seeing his mother murdered by the marauders, though, that he becomes mute.
Bernardo is the perfect foil for Diego's personality. He is smart, strong, silent, sturdy, and unassailably loyal to his brother. Diego, on the other hand, is small, mischievous, brilliant, witty, and the instigator of most of the trouble the boys find.
Diego's Indian grandmother, White Owl, exerts as much influence on the course of the boys' lives as do the Spaniards who raise them. She takes the boys on shamanistic journeys of survival and character development. On a survival vision quest Bernardo finds his spirit animal, the horse Tornado, and Diego finds his totem, the fox. "Like the fox, you will discover what cannot be seen in the dark, you will disguise yourself, and you will hide by day and act by night," his grandmother explains after the vision quest.
Diego is sent to Barcelona, to the home of his father's best friend, to be educated. Naturally Bernardo accompanies him, ostensibly as a servant but in actuality Bernardo is educated the same as Diego. The Spanish household accepts the boys without reservation. He and Bernardo reach their adult growth there. As political intrigues permeate the Barcelona, Diego and Bernardo find themselves getting involved to preserve their own reputations as well as those of their patron. El Zorro, a masked and mustachioed liberator of political captives, is born due to the necessity of acting in secret.
The political climate in Barcelona becomes dire and Diego and Bernardo are entrusted with the safety of his patron's beautiful daughters. They escape back to America, encountering the famous pirates Pierre and Jean Lafitte in the process. Their return to Alta California does not improve their circumstances. The political climate there is at least as bad as it was in Barcelona. El Zorro has a need to continue to act. The Zorro we are all familiar with becomes the legend we love.
Allende's El Zorro embodies the melding of many different aspects of society into one conflicted and heroic personality. El Zorro becomes a legend because he has no choice given his integrity his complex background. Loyalties that should be divided find a simple resolution simply by doing what is right. Diego is of three worlds: Indian, Californio, and Spain. El Zorro cannot fail because of his wit and his friends and family.
The elements that make el Zorro a hero and a legend are the elements that create any true legend: mystery, physical prowess, masterful wit, and above all else, honor.
Easy, entertaining read - characters a bit frustrating.......2007-07-30
Three and a half stars. ***1/2
This was an easy read following the creation of Zorro from Diego de la Vega's childhood up to his first full adventure as Zorro in California. Unlike Allende's other books, it was more for entertainment than serious thought on a certain era of time and it felt like she just had a lot of fun writing it.
Although called "Zorro", the real focus is on the women who helped him become Zorro. Out of the books I've read by her, it was the first time I saw her have a man as her principal character which I think she struggled with a bit. Hence, her using the women's roles (her forte) to save her.
Anyway, I really enjoyed following the characters (although I could have slapped Juliana around a bit -- okay, I could have slapped a lot of them) on their wild ride to Zorro's creation.
I couldn't put the book down as her writing was quite gripping and certainly kept me entertained (beautifully written scenery and swashbuckling adventures!) but it wasn't as intellectually satisfying as her other works. For this, I'd recommend the book to seasoned Allende readers but not first timers. This is not a reflection of her usual work (except in terms of her ease in prose) and so beginners would be best introduced to her earlier works.
Book Description
Clairvoyant Cassie Plamer has inherited new magical powers-including the ability to travel through time. But it's a whole lot of responsibility she'd rather not have. Now she's the most popular girl in town, as an assortment of vamps, fey, and mages try to convince, force, or seduce her-and her magic-over to their side. But one particular master vampire didn't ask what Cassie wanted before putting a claim on her. He had a spell cast that binds her to him, and now she doesn't know if what she feels for him is real-or imagined...
Customer Reviews:
Not so intertained.......2007-08-27
I did not read the first book, but I picked this one up because it looked good. I just did not get into it like I normally do with books of this genre. The main character just seemed whiney to me. I could see no real reason that she wouldn't want to accept her power. Maybe it is explained in the first book. The shifting through time was interesting as well as the Dracula references. Over all I counsider this book ok and I will not read the others in the series.
Indecisiveness with Mystic Backgrounds.......2007-08-18
In book one, Cassie was smart, savvy, and running for her life. In book two she is still running for her life, but she doesn't know what's going on. On the whole, I believe a protagonist with a clue is more fun than one without one. The supporting cast from 'Touch the Dark' is still here, but with switched around loyalties that aren't always well explained. I liked the first volume better, but the second isn't that much worse. 'Claimed By Shadow' gave me the sense the author was trying too hard with her plot, as things become very tangled at the expense of characterization. This could have been wonderful if motivations were shown instead of told in dialogue.
In short, this novel was fast and suspenseful without being great. A nice quick read if you go for vampires and magic. It felt much more like paranormal romance than fantasy.
Wonderful Sequel!.......2007-08-15
I loved the first book (Touch the Dark) and anxiously awaited the sequel. I was thrilled to find it was even better! Smart, sexy, funny, intense, like nothing else in the genre. Can't recommend it highly enough for fantasy, mystery or thriller fans.
Trying too hard.......2007-07-31
I'm a huge paranormal romance fan - it's almost the only thing I read these days - so I was excited to think I had found another author to add to my list. Unfortunately, Ms. Chance doesn't make the cut.
This is the first book of hers that I have attempted to read, and I have to say it doesn't motivate me to try again. Frankly, I haven't even finished it. She lost me in the first chapter. I have continued to slog about halfway through the book, but the pacing of the book is frenzied and the characters, while fairly well developed, seem out of control of their own lives. Too much back story is needed from the previous book (which I wasn't aware existed when I purchased this one) to really understand this one.
The feeling I get from this book is that the author is trying too hard. She seems to be attempting to achieve a Harry Dresden style, but is just flat out trying too hard. Too much in too short of a time. She's rushing and I'm not enjoying the ride.
Basically, I've lost any interest in these characters and don't really care what happens. I expect I will eventually finish this book when I don't have another one and am desperate for something to read. I can only hope it suddenly improves.
Fun, exciting read.......2007-07-30
I loved this book! I've read many fantasy/vampire tales, but none that were as original and just plain fun as this series. I really enjoyed Touch the Dark, which turned out to be unexpectedly substantial (I had initially thought it would be a fairly basic vampire romance book). And this one was equally surprising. Fun, funky, yet strangely meaty, for lack of a better word. There's a solid plot in there amidst all the madness! And I was very surprised by the final denoument. I can't wait for the sequel.
Book Description
Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking Mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with revenge in mind, she's forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection.The undead senators won't help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire- and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay.
Customer Reviews:
More like 4 1/2 stars.......2007-10-04
"Touch the Dark" was a great find. It's mainly a vampire novel, but it centers around a clairvoyant who grew up in the vampire world. A nice touch in this book was that, unlike most vampire novels, Chance didn't spend a ton of time on the backstory of every vamp we meet. She didn't have to because she used some familiar historical characters-everybody from Kit Marlowe to Mircea (Vlad Tepes' brother) to the painter Raphael, to Rasputin (the villain). This gives an idea to their age without spending the whole book on them.
The reason this lost 1/2 a star for me was the author's habit of stopping in the middle of an action sequence to infodump, which I found annoying. It was mostly interesting stuff, though, so not so very annoying. I was glad to see that the problem didn't show up in the sequel, so maybe a rookie mistake? Anyway, great premise and great book for the most part.
Cool New Series.......2007-10-04
The first line sets up the tone of the whole book:
"I knew I was in trouble as soon as I saw the obituary. The fact that it had my name on it was sort of a clue."
It's the kind of start that makes me want to keep reading, and I'm really glad I did! This book stands out in the field of fantasy/paranormal romances that have come out lately. It's the characters that really made it for me. All of them were individuals with their own personalities and quirks. Pritkin was especially fun-although I worried that he was about to have a heart attack whenever he appeared-and Mircea and Louis-Cesare and . . . oh, hell, I loved all of them. Billy Joe, Cassie's ghost friend, was especially funny. Which was another neat element. I didn't expect a dark fantasy (and this is really dark in places) to also be funny, but it was.
Very good start to a series. The second is Claimed by Shadow and it was even better than Touch the Dark, I thought. And the third is Embrace the Night, out in April of 2008. Come on April!
Soldi start to a new fantasy series.......2007-10-04
This book rocks hard! The characters are fantastic, no two-dimensional types here. The dialogue is smart and witty. And the sexual tension is steamy. To the reviewer who found the idea of a sexual situation involving vampires and a human to be icky-where have you been? Buffy come to mind, anyone? Or about a thousand other fantasy books that have come out lately? Only Cassie's "encounter" doesn't turn out quite the way I--or she--expected, and I loved it. It was a funny, sexy, smart scene--like the rest of the book. More, more, more!
Excellent Urban Fantasy.......2007-10-04
I cannot recommend this series highly enough. Both Touch the Dark and Claimed by Shadow were original, exciting and substantial reads. I've read both books twice and I can't wait until next April for the third, Embrace the Night. Chance has created an amazing world that has completely sucked me in.
I don't want to say too much about the plot, because the book has a strong mystery element and I don't want to be responsible for spoilers. But, essentially, Cassie Palmer is a clairvoyant on the run from the vampire who brought her up and used her psychic talents for his own nefarious purposes. She escaped him and lived a fairly normal life for three years. But, as the book opens, he has caught up with her. She returns from a break at work to find her obituary displayed on her computer screen. She assumes that it's a warning from her old master, and that she must flee immediately. From there on, Cassie and the reader are transported into a world of magic, danger, intrigue and secrets, where nothing is what it first seems and everyone is a possible enemy.
Vampires, werewolves, fey, time travel, assassins, witches-the book has it all, but it is all very well done and quite believable. It's obvious that a lot of time was taken on the worldbuilding, something that I found very refreshing. I'm tired of reading so-called fantasies which are little more than romance novels in disguise, with poor world-building and little attention to detail. Touch the Dark has none of that. The characters are well drawn, the writing is solid, the mystery was excellent, and the pace just never lets up!
Highly recommended.
Meh..........2007-10-04
Ok, there was a lot wrong with this. I read the whole thing, unlike many of the other low-star givers who reviewed this book. I found the book lacking in many ways. One was the glaring abuse of English in this book. There were a lot of elementary Grammar and idiomatic mistakes. Another was the kitchen-sink inclusion of every type of supernatural creature imaginable. The werewolf on the stairs was pointless, even though it looked like it might be important later. The inclusion of so many famous figures from history as vampires was ludicrous. Jack the Ripper, Rasputin, Cleopatra, I mean really! I found myself reading on just to find out what other travesties I could find. The 'love story' part of this book fell very flat. I was squicked out instead of enjoying the erotic scenes because they smacked of necrophilia, and were devoid of any arousing emotion. The ending wasn't an ending. The climax happens off-stage while the characters are getting it on, then it ends. The device of using the character's virginity as the key to the plot was just absurd. Very unsatisfying. The motivations of the villain were not believable, Cassie behaved foolishly, acting as a plot-puppet jumping through holes. Not recommended.
Book Description
He needed her as a nurse, not a woman
Benedict van Manfeld was one of the surliest, most unfriendly men Cassandra had ever met! But when she learned he was a brilliant Dutch surgeon who had severely damaged his sight in an accident, her attitude changed. Benedict asked Cassandra to go to Holland with him as his nurse. She agreed . . . and soon began to feel something deeper than sympathy for him. But with his close friend Paula nearby, why should he even notice Cassandra?
Customer Reviews:
A Different Neels Story..........2006-11-30
Book Description: He needed her as a nurse, not a woman -- Benedict van Manfeld was one of the surliest, most unfriendly men Cassandra had ever met! But when she learned he was a brilliant Dutch surgeon who had severely damaged his sight in an accident, her attitude changed. Benedict asked Cassandra to go to Holland with him as his nurse. She agreed . . . and soon began to feel something deeper than sympathy for him. But with his close friend Paula nearby, why should he even notice Cassandra?
This wonderful story is a different Good-Looking Rich Dutch Doctor / Plain Nurse Neels story. She combines her best hero/heroine combination with a slightly different slant on the health issue, the usual lack of self-confidence due to lack of looks, small town gossip, the imagination of two children, with a dash of humor. The story admirably deals with the frustration of what may be a life altering health issue with the ability to rob Benedict of something he dearly treasures - his surgical career. Though he rescues her saving her from drowning -- ultimately, she may just rescue him. . .
Slightly different.......2002-10-20
The reviewer from GA has given the plot description in her review. This is an unusual and different story then I'm used to from Ms. Neels. In this one the doctor has a disability. Cassandra is smart, caring and strong. Nice story, good plot, a better than average Neels book.
PRETTY IS AS PRETTY DOES !.......2002-03-06
BACK COVER: He needed her as a nurse, not a woman.
Benedict van Manfeld really was one of the surliest, most unfriendly men Cassandra had ever met ! But then she learned he was a brilliant Dutch surgeon who had severely damaged his sight in an accident, and her attitude changed. He didn't know if he would ever see again, so when he asked her to go to Holland with him as his nurse, she agreed ....... and soon began to feel rather more than sympathy for him. But with his close friend Paula nearby, why should he even notice Cassandra ?
This book deviates from Ms. Neels' standard plot lines, and does so beautifully. The heroine thinks she is a plain girl with nothing special about her, when in truth her compassionate, giving soul is truly wonderful. She meets the hero on a compassionate mercy mission to be a good neighbor, refuses to pity him or indulge in his private pity party, and then continues to show her understanding and warmth. The hero is smart enough to keep her close, and eventually comes to cherish her inner beauty. He knows that it will not matter what she looks like if his sight comes back. She fears just the opposite. She is sure that when he can see how plain she is he will leave her behind. Let's hear it for the good guys ! And for the really important kind of beauty in this world - the inner beauty seen through a person's actions and in their eyes.
This will be a true treat for devoted Neels fans and an engaging read for new fans ! :)
Nice place to escape with quick wit and fun humor.......2000-09-12
I am an avid fan of Betty Neels books. Not every single book is my favorite I would say this one will be added to the list of ones. The doctor in this book had physical limitations which was unusual and refreshing. I loved the way they interacted with candor, wit and humor. I liked the way the doctor had a way of humbling himself in this story. It is still a classic Betty Neels. A wonderful read that I am sure that I will read again and again.
Product Description
Romance, Harlequin, General, Betty Neels
Customer Reviews:
Big Misunderstandings Propel This Plot Forward.......2004-10-14
I seem to be a bit picky today. HOWEVER, this book just has so many loose edges that can be picked. For instance, the hero is blind (oh, and a Dutch Ear Nose and Throat Surgeon who is not just interested in T & A. Tonsils and Adnoids, you dreadful thing!).
Harlequin probably could have started a separate line for blind heroes considering how often it came up-- of course the blind hero is nearly always cured by the last page but in this case the hero's blindness gets worse or better depending on whether the author needs him to draw the heroine closer emotionally or push her away without an explanation. You see, he couldn't saddle her with a blind man-- sob. Talk about a politically incorrect attitude-- it is offensive to women who might just find a man to be worthwhile without regard to his sight and to people who are blind. Heck, it probably is also offensive to Dutch Ear Nose and Throat Surgeons.
I was wondering during one of the dull patches in this book what would have happened had the hero had some really challenging problem instead of this coming and going blindness-- a very bad case of warts for instance, or some lower intestinal problem. That would have really told us something about the heroine's character. Instead he is bad tempered and she is weepy.
One interesting point but it's not enough to save the book-- the person who actually does the work in the household, Jan, is a concentration camp survivor who would have made a great tormented hero and who does get a bit of a story of his own. Odd how the one who has real cause for self pity bears up so much better than the hero.
Average customer rating:
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Cassandra By Chance
Betty Neels
Manufacturer: Harlequin Mills and Boon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0733508448 |
Books:
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- Angel Spotlight
- Anne Tyler: Three Complete Novels: A Patchwork Planet * Ladder of Years * Saint Maybe
- Antiquity and its Interpreters
- Arrow of God
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