Musings on some Recent Reads

Read Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons" a couple weeks ago, a made-for-Hollywood followup to his widely popular "DaVinci Code." A decent enough plot, but I guess I would have rathered waiting for the movie. The pat way in which the protagonist (a ruggedly handsome--of course!, middle-aged Harvard professor with expertise in the ancient Illuminati cult that has suddenly resurrected itself and is terrorizing the Catholic Church in the 21st century) ends up saving Vatican City from imminent disaster was, shall I say,...a little too formulaic. Not only is this hero a pseudo-Jesus figure that saves the Catholic religion from complete disintegration, the novel ends with his bopping the attractive, brainy marine biologist/nuclear physicist who assisted him in fending off the bad guys during the entire crisis. Warner Brothers is no doubt peeing their pants to get this on the big screen. 2006 or 2007, look for it. Mark my words.

On the other hand, my sister's risk at the bargain buy ($3.98!) "L'heure Verte," or "The Green Hour," was a winner. I actually haven't finished it, but I was enamoured with the bicoastal settings of New York and Paris and the main character's indecision between settling with Mr. Perfect (the confident, attractive, wealthy Eric, who lacks that certain "something" to really move her) and her soul mate, an idealistic wanna-be revolutionary who thrives on transience and the unknown. I completely identify with Dominique, with her transparent facade of strength, who knowingly self-inflicts drama and unhappiness on herself. Never want what you can have, spaketh they. An interesting note, "The Green Hour" refers to the Parisian equivalent of happy hour when poets, artists, lovers, and young idealists toasted to life with absinthe (illegal in the US), the mildly hallucinogenic licorice-flavored liquor, also know as "La Fee Verte," or "The Green Fairy." Watch "Eurotrip" for an extremely sickening scene involving the intoxicating spirit. By the way, having imbibed this particular liquor whilst on a recent trip to Paris, I can say its effects are verily overrated. That, or they gave us stupid Americans some worthless watered-down version (not an entirely unreasonable assumption.)