The Age of Will

Reviewer: spratt

Some people think humans evolved from apes…gorillas. Glee Granger thinks gorillas are almost human and can be taught to think and talk. Rob (Glee’s brother) thinks gorillas are animals, but he talks with Sema, Glee’s gorilla. Brad Fielding (director of Gorilla exhibit at zoo) thinks gorillas are fascinating…but animals from which humans evolved. Irene (Glee and Rob’s grandmother) thinks gorillas are animals uniquely created by God. Sema knows she’s a gorilla, and wants to be a mother gorilla.

Glee Granger rescued Sema from death when she was only a few hours old. She took Sema home and raised her as if she were a human baby. In fact, she has spent the last 8 years of her life totally dedicated to studying and teaching Sema. She talks in sign language, understands the spoken word, plays with dolls, has lessons on the computer. She plays on children’s playground equipment instead of climbing in trees. She’s even potty trained.

Glee was almost ready to begin her doctoral dissertation based on Sema’s linguistic abilities…sign language, etc. Technically, Sema still belonged to the XXXXX zoo. Now…they want her back. The new Zoo Director plans to use her unique talents as a money-maker for the zoo. Glee fights with every legal loophole she can find until there is nothing else she can do. She strikes a bargain with the zoo that makes her a zoo employee and allows her to continue her studies…but at the zoo.

The process of successfully habituating Sema into an existing gorilla group (family) is an interesting story. Sema learns to be a gorilla. Glee also has some learning to do. She learns that she also…quite naturally…as God intended for humans…needs to be a part of a human group (family)…thus an interesting relationship with Brad Fielding, the director of the gorilla exhibit. (I know…my sentence structure is terrible.)

There is an interesting discussion with Glee’s Grandmother regarding her take on how animals figure into God’s creation of the world. She thinks that people and animals used to be able to communicate verbally…before the fall. The religious reference in the book is small, but I think this is interesting. I never thought much about the animals being “redeemed.” A quote from the book:

Fielding shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I’ve always had a hard time with that. People say God is good and perfect–how, then, could he create evil?”

“Evil is not a tangible creation.” Nana’s gentle smile assured me that she enjoyed this gentle sparring. “It is a consequence; it is the negation of good. Our Creator endowed us with a great gift–the freedom to obey God, who is goodness–or to reject God, which is sin.” Fielding nodded, thought working in his eyes. “And sin results…in evil.”

“Yes.” Nana focused on Fielding, an almost imperceptible note of pleading in her face. “Free will is a good thing, but it can result in bad decisions and dire consequences. For thousands of years men have paid dearly for their freedom of choice. Because they are closely linked to us, the animals have paid dearly as well. One day, soon I hope, God is going to redeem the earth. Then the lion will lie down with the lamb, and the elephants and mountain gorillas will care for their young without fear of poachers. All those who love the Lord will worship him in heaven and on a new, redeemed earth. The Bible says every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea will sing, “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.’”

Unspoken is a quite fascinating, really. I learned a lot about gorillas. I didn’t like the way the book ended…but it’s mostly is a great book. I highly recommend it.

Another interesting tale with Qwilleran and his two cats. In this installment, they are renting a large mansion on the main street of town. The owner of the house is retired and now living in Florida. When the owner suddenly commits suicide, Qwilleran suspects foul play.

Qwilleran is quickly becoming one of my favorite mystery novel characters. He is an older gentleman; retired journalist, with an inquisitive mind and active imagination. He is cranky in the mornings before coffee, he will often yell at his cats when they are doing something they shouldn’t, and he is not always polite. He is a very interesting character.

Reviewer: spratt

James Qwilleran stayed the compulsory five years in Pickax to complete the requirements placed on his inheritance. He is now officially a billionaire. Now it is time to decide what to do with the rest of his life. He intends to go somewhere–a quiet island with a beach or a mountain hideaway–someplace where he can have seclusion and quiet to sort out his options and make plans.

Qwill (as his friends call him) decides on a whim to spend three months in Spudsboro, a small town in the Potato Mountains. It was recommended highly by some friends who camped there recently. Finding a house to rent is always difficult with two Siamese cats as roommates. The only thing he can find is a huge house on the very top of Big Potato Mountain. It was originally built as an exclusive lodge for well-to-do tourists. More recently it was the home of the area’s most influential businessman–owner of the local newspaper. It didn’t take long for Qwill to discover the house he rented had been the scene of a ghastly murder a year earlier.

I do admire Jim Qwilleran’s ability to converse with everyone he meets. He is well practiced, of course, since he made his living for years as an investigative reporter for various newspapers. He knows just how to steer the conversation and just the right questions to ask. He makes people so comfortable that they usually tell him anything he wants to know. Of course, he has an uncanny ability to read people and know when he is being lied to. Within two days of arriving in town, he is sure that the wrong man is in prison for the murder.

The author does an amazing job of making us empathize with Qwill’s frustration with the situation he has gotten himself into. He came to the mountains for solitude and a time of reflection. He had no desire to get mixed up in the politics of the region–environmentalists vs. developers. He really had no desire to get mixed up in the mystery surrounding the murder. But…being a reporter for so many years (and truly caring about the innocent man in prison), he just could not resist finding the truth. It doesn’t take long. Qwill has learned to trust his instincts–and the instincts of his cat Koko. Together they follow the clues and confront the real murderer.

I highly recommend that you get acquainted with Jim Qwilleran through the Cat Who… mystery series. You will like him.

The first chapter of Nick Hornby’s novel, A Long Way Down introduces the 4 main characters, Martin, Maureen, Jess and JJ. Each main character tells the story in a rotating first person, and each section clearly identifies who is speaking. The story starts with Martin explaining why he is on top of a fifteen-story building, on New Years Eve,

Can I explain why I wanted to jump off the top of a tower block?

The pacing of the story is fast and furious. The switching between narrators leaves the reader dizzy, in a ‘Being John Malkovich’ style voyeuristic whirlwind of personalities. Martin, we learn, is a middle-aged morning television talking head, out of work, and out of marriage, because of a well-publicized affair, with an underage girl. Maureen is a conservative single mother of a special needs child, now grown. Jess, turns out to be the rebellious daughter of a well to do politician. JJ is a musician, out of work and out of luck since his band broke up, and sick of delivering pizzas.

Nick Hornby brings these desperate souls together, on a night when each has decided to end their lives. The characters are well drawn and consistent; at times each is likeable, dislikeable, frustrating and endearing. The book is well timed and well organized. We are introduced to each character in turn, and we genuinely want to know how life will turn out or end. Nick Hornby takes a depressing subject and heart breaking characters, and weaves a tale that leaves the reader satisfied and entertained.

Reviewer: linda

Adventure books, I keep reminding myself, were written in the mid-1970s for men, just as James Bond movies were made for men. And the women in them are, well, less than the men. If you can make it past this issue, the book is a fun, quick read.

Dirk Pitt goes to look at a ship stuck in an Iceberg, and has at least 3 attempts at his life because of something he has learned, but he doesn’t know exactly what. As with Sahara, which was recently made into a movie, the actions sequences are improbable, but fun. An enjoyable read, if you ignore the women!

Reviewer: spratt

‘Life Happens!!’ We’ve all seen the bumper stickers. Some use different words, but the meaning is the same. It’s the cynic’s answer to ‘Why?’ It’s also the optimist’s answer to the same question. I like to finish the statement this way: ‘Life Happens!! Get over it!!!’

‘Why…is this happening to me?’ It is one of the age old questions. Many authors have offered their version of the answers. Viewpoints are varied, of course. We blame others, we blame God, and sometimes we even blame ourselves. One thing is for sure. There are no easy answers.

How many books have been written in which an author tries to answer the ‘Why?’ questions?

‘The Scent of Water’ by Linda Nichols is still another. It starts off with a very sad scenario. I don’t like sad books, so I almost didn’t continue reading. I’m glad I did. Not just because of the happy ending, but because the author deals with the ‘Why?’ questions better than anyone I have ever read.

We meet a married couple who have been separated for 5 years–Sam and Annie Truelove. Sam is a gifted surgeon. He repairs heart damage and heart birth defects on children and tiny babies. His one mistake resulted in a child having brain damage and being in a coma for 5 years. He was preparing for the operation when he received word his own young daughter had just drowned in a creek. He could not longer help his daughter, he said; but he could heal this girl with the damaged heart. But he didn’t heal her. Neither could he repair the damage that had been done to his marriage by not going immediately to his wife’s side.

If you have unanswered ‘Why?’ questions in your life, I highly recommend reading ‘The Scent of Water’ by Linda Nichols. Even if you think you have all of the answers already, you might just enjoy the read!!! It is fast-paced, well written, and insightful.

Murder at Five Finger Light is a Jessie Arnold mystery. Jessie joins a group of friends on a very small and remote island in the middle of Frederick Sound to help restore the Five Finger Light House. The island is very small, about 3 acres and very isolated. Things get serious when a man is found dead on the south side of the island.

Alex wasn’t able to join the restoration party because of work with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and concerns about drug smuggling across the border. But when Jessie doesn’t call and Alex can’t get contact anyone on the island, he knows something is wrong.

Sue Henry’s novel is full of wonderful scenery and the plot is solid and keeps moving. An entertaining book, especially if you are looking for something a little different.