You also know
that this feeling can easily turn on you when you least expect it, even when you’re
on the verge of declaring the novel a champion.
Yes, dear readers, that’s exactly what this Sylvia Wallace’s creation has
done to yours truly. This story of an
insecure movie star who naively marries a Middle Eastern Shah is such a grabber
at first, filled with many delectable and even emotional scenes. Wallace's
writing is vibrant as she introduces her colorful cast of characters via many
flashbacks, which skillfully humanize her heroine. The discovery of the sham
around her makes for an intense read. One can't help but root for her ability
to fight back. And does she. Yet, ironically, that's exactly where the downfall
of what was a truly unique reading experience begins: EMPRESS switches gears
and becomes a serious political drama. The author tries hard to hold her
readers through it, with a kidnapping, a shooting, a true love for oneself and
for a country, but it’s already too late. The damage is done. The thrill of
escapist fiction is gone, and EMPRESS ends up being just so-so. Perhaps Ms.
Wallace should have been told that politics and light reading don't mix very
well—in my case anyway.
The used
bookstore where I got tons of mass market paperbacks like this one is no
more. It has closed its doors in 2013
after many successful years. Another branch
still exists but like EMPRESS it barely fills my heart with joy since it is as
small as my reading room. But I am so
thankful of having discovered downtown Book Market because it led me to find
other unknown writers whom I came to love and cherish still. In the era of the digital publishing isn’t it
fun to own a piece or two of forgotten gem that shouldn’t have been?
Until next
post—Martin
 |
| US hardcover |
