Kingston's Tripmaster Monkey is one of my favorite books ever. The Warrior Woman is pretty amazing as well. A classic, for what I hear :) - I love how Kingston mixes up family stories with traditional Chinese legends and mythology. After all, don't we all do that, regardless what culture we belong to? If you're a story teller and like to include cultural elements in your narrative, it's pretty convenient to belong to a culture as rich and exotic as that of China. Otherwise, make stuff up, like Kingston admits to doing at times. After all, like she complains to her mom in the last chapter of the book, "I don't know what's real and what are just stories!" But then, who cares, right?A Study in Scarlet, by Sir Arthur Connan Doyle
After getting over myself and deciding that Sherlock Holmes is real literature (after reading dozens of young adults and children books, my standards have lower considerably), I started reading the Holmes cannon, starting with the first story, which is one of the four novels in the Holmes series. The rest forty or fifty something are short stories.My first surprise was to find out how similar Doyle's and Robert Downey Jr.'s Holmes are. It's true that Sherlock Holmes never fought giant French guys or was an action hero, but he was a boxer, and somewhat of an irreverent slacker. Watson was lazy too, according to his own words.
My second surprise: this book trashes Mormons like no other. It actually reminded me of a silent movie I saw a while ago in which Mormon missionaries went to other states and countries with the purpose of kidnapping women to turn them into sister wives. Doyle goes after the Danite Band, a sort of army that protected Mormon settlements against random attacks, and which, according to Mormon history, didn't even exist anymore once they moved to Salt Lake, which is where Doyle locates them. Second, he goes after Brigham Young pretty viciously, making him a grumpy, cunning dictator who forces people into joining the church and marrying as many wives as possible. One of my favorite passages of the book:
"Brother Ferrier," he said, taking a seat, and eyeing the farmer keenly from under his light-coloured eyelashes, "the true believers have been good friends to you. We picked you up when you were starving in the desert, we shared our food with you, led you safe to the Chosen Valley, gave you a goodly share of land, and allowed you to wax rich under our protection. Is not this so?"The book is one of those historical fiction/detective (obviously) stories with a conspiracy twist. An early DaVinci Code of sorts, with as little investment on research and everyhing.
"It is so," answered John Ferrier.
"In return for all this we asked but one condition: that was, that you should embrace the true faith, and conform in every way to its usages. This you promised to do, and this, if common report says truly, you have neglected."
"And how have I neglected it?" asked Ferrier, throwing out his hands in expostulation. "Have I not given to the common fund? Have I not attended at the Temple? Have I not——?"
"Where are your wives?" asked Young, looking round him. "Call them in, that I may greet them."