Enric Sams Sams itibaren 12070 Perletto CN, Olaszország itibaren 12070 Perletto CN, Olaszország

things i've taken out of claude gavard's book so far are that he reckons: (i) the roman empire wound down essentially because of a demographic crisis; (ii) aspects of roman civilization/culture were kept alive in france (longer in the south) through the opening of the so-called dark ages by christian bishops but that after a while they too let the flame die out (for a bit). (iii) peasants in 13th century france had a better and more plentiful diet than their 18th century descendants...

Once again, I've picked up an Erin Bow book, and once again I find myself struggling for words that aren't 'just read this, it's beautiful'. I'm gonna try to articulate it better, but I might not be able to so... just read this, it's beautiful. Comparisons between this book and Garth Nix's Old Kingdom series are probably inevitable, since both share the concept of binding the dead so that they may not walk again. They are, however, fundamentally different sorts of stories: the Abhorsen books are adventure tales at their heart, rife with magic in numerous forms and culminating in a great confrontation. Sorrow's Knot is a character-driven story and fundamentally turns on themes of grief. The adventure is less sweeping, the goal and the resolution more personal. It is a tight knot of a story, the kind that must be picked at with fingernails and teeth and leaves the string bent when it finally comes free. The writing is... simply incredible. I don't really know how else to put it. Erin Bow's descriptions are flowing and lyrical (and speaking as someone who's spent a lot of time in the Rockies, accurate both in environment description and in capturing the feeling of the landscape). Her use of words is elegantly balanced between beauty and economy, and it's consistently so throughout the book - I feel like I could flip open to a page at random and find something to quote. Actually, I did that, and: "She says everything is too tight but the rope is rotting." The cornmeal gave a last great glub, like someone drowning. A silence tightened, and Fawn said: "She says it will be soon." And from another segment, two economical sentences that horrified me and turned my stomach: "Cricket had a story - do you know it? - about the lost woman who was starving, and wished that everything she touched would turn to meat? And then she found her children…" Everything in this book is so careful and beautiful and meticulous and I just can't get over it or put it into clearer words. I would be remiss, too, to mention the setting and not discuss it a bit more at least - especially the fact that the cultures Bow describes are clearly Native American-based, with nary a white person in sight. The acknowledgements for the book make it clear that this was done with much research, ranging from modern botanists to historical accounts to consulting actual sacred drummers. I'm not Native myself, so I can't speak to the accuracy of the details, but I certainly did get a strong sense of a uniquely and wholly non-European fantasy setting here. Unlike Plain Kate, I didn't find this book to be a tearjerker. It was more of a heartstring-tugger, really; deeper and quieter and slower. What it has in common most with its predecessor (other than gorgeous prose) is staying power: this is a book that will sit in the back of your mind for a long time after you turn the last page.

Am listening to this on audio in my car! Finish in July???? :)