by Lynne | Apr 21, 2014 | Uncategorized
Artistic License or Outright Lies
I watched the first episode of “Salem” Sunday night and wanted to share some thoughts. My latest book, “Pure Lies,” is an alternative history of the Salem witch trials. Unlike the WGN mini-series, however, it truly is based on real events. I’ve devised an alternative explanation for the “afflicted” girls’ delusions.
Historians have suggested a number of reasons for the girls’ behavior from fungus in the grain they ate to simple boredom. I came up with a new possibility. (Sorry, you’ll have to read it to find out.) But the television program went far beyond any reasonable solutions in creating an alternate history. They completely revamped history.
Let’s start with the setting. Salem Village was tiny, not the busy enclave with shops and big houses they portrayed. (The set was staged in Shreveport, Louisiana, by the way, nowhere near Salem, Massachusetts, but okay, what the heck?) Salem houses were small and very simple; windows were rare and made out of blown mullioned glass. Plus, Puritans were extremely religious and yes, puritan. So did they really have a whorehouse in town? Egad.
Yes, some of the characters they portrayed did, indeed, live during that time and place. But many were fictitious. Even the characters based on real history were in fictitious situations ie: Cotton Mather (who played no significant role in the real Salem story) caught with a prostitute? I know, I know, the whole series is based on the fantasy that witches were real with devilish powers, so what am I going on about? It’s fantasy. Still, it bugs me that producers can take a very real and very fascinating period of history and turn it into Hollywood.
Don’t get me wrong. I love “Grimm,” “Lord of the Rings,” “Game of Thrones,” “The Hunger Games.” These are all fantasies and you can get lost in them. But they’re not, and don’t pretend to be, based on real events in history. That’s the problem with “Salem” for me. Since I know so much about the real history, I get distracted and, frankly, annoyed, at the ridiculous plot and silly character machinations.
Maybe I’m just one of those righteous history geeks and hate to see the essence of the truth completely destroyed. When I was a kid I remember watching a Disney cartoon about hippos dancing underwater. Even as a kid, I somehow knew that hippos didn’t dance in real life. But I did not know, until I was much older, that they didn’t, couldn’t, live underwater. How much does this fake history teach our children?
Yikes. Does anyone else agree?
by Lynne | Apr 13, 2014 | Uncategorized
Reviews That Make You Laugh . . . or Cry
Every so often I visit my book pages on Amazon to see if any new reviews have come in. Some of the initial reviews were family and friends, of course, so I knew they’d be pretty positive. But when the new reader reviews started coming in, I was fascinated. Some were funny, some not so.
Just as in writing a book, writing a review reveals a glimpse into the writer’s true identity — on which side of the political aisle s/he stands. How s/he feels about love, hate, money, ethnicity, religion, values and much more. I learned something from all of them so I decided to share a few with you.
Time Exposure, 3 stars: “I’ve read worse books. Enjoyed some of the historical descriptions of uniforms and photographic advancements used during the Civil War. Author reveals her irrational fear of guns, in true ivory tower northern liberal style. She cannot seem to fathom that fighting a war to save our Union was worth the sacrifice. She seems to think it was some sort of small misunderstanding and that the war was a way for the rich to get richer. I think the most illogical theory was that it was bad of a Union gun supplier to sell faulty guns to the Confederate. That was actually a great strategy which we should consider using today. How great it would be to give all Qaeda guns that blew up in their own hands. Like I said, serious anti-gun liberal.”
Methinks this person is a Ducks Dynasty fan. What do you think
Deadly Provenance, 5 stars: “Deadly Provenance is the third book I’ve read by Ms. Kennedy and I am a RAVING FAN. The language is intelligent & colorful; downright “cheeky” when the timing is right, making for an enlightening and fun read. The smart dialog compliments intriguing characters that are human – accessible and credible. The plot is complex enough to keep me enthralled, eagerly winding my way through the maze of well researched fact and deftly organized fiction. I turn the last page smarter than when I started, longing for more. PLEASE, bring on the fourth book soon. Thank you for the excellent read.”
I’d love more of these, wouldn’t you? Honest, I don’t know this person. But I’d like to.
The Triangle Murders, 4 stars:This is an interesting combination of mysteries. Frank and his family are great characters and I like the tie to the Triangle Factory fire. One question is left hanging: what happened to Fiona’s murderer? There is also a small discrepancy where one character is labeled first a great-grandson and later a grandson. The dialogue in the historical sections is a little stilted but not bad. All in all, a very good read.”
Aha. Stilted dialogue. I always worry about this.
Check out your reviews from time to time. What did you learn? Share them with us.
I watched the first episode of “Salem” Sunday night and wanted to share some thoughts. My latest book, “Pure Lies,” is an alternative history of the Salem witch trials. Unlike the WGN mini-series, however, it truly is based on real events. I’ve devised an alternative explanation for the “afflicted” girls’ delusions.