Natasha
I think I set myself up for a bit of a disappointment with this one. I LOVED the first two BJ books, they were some of the only books I re-read every now and then, so I expected a lot from Mad About the Boy.
I don't think I can ever really forgive Helen Fielding for killing off Mark Darcy . I don't think it was necessary. However, it was fun getting to know Bridget as a mother and ‘cougar' in her fifties. In some ways she was the old Bridget, but I don't think the book reads like the ‘old Fielding.' Some parts were just overly sentimental (esp bit at the end about the Owl) and the romance at the end of the book seemed a bit rushed (although I knew where it was going from the beginning)
Overall, I really enjoyed it - It made me laugh out loud a couple of times - but it won't be placed on the pedestal with BJ 1 and 2.
This is a story about time. How a few seconds can alter lives forever.
Byron Hemming is concerned after his friend James tells him that two seconds are going to be added to time. He becomes convinced that this is unnatural and is sure to result in some disastrous consequences. He is not wrong. After he inadvertently causes an accident, his life begins to unravel.
This accident will forever alter the lives of an array of characters; Byron and James, Diana and Seymour (Byron's mother and father), and a little girl and her mother (Jeanie and Beverley) from the wrong side of the tracks.
In alternating chapters we are introduced to a middle-aged man named Jim who is battling both severe mental illness and the demons from his past. You sense that somehow these two stories are connected, and I was so sure I had it figured out until Part 3 when I realised all my expectations and assumptions were incorrect (in a good way).
This was a very good story, and yet I found it so uncomfortable to read. It was like waiting for a horrific accident you know is going to happen, but you don't know when or how. And there is nothing anyone can do to change it. Beverley was so manipulative and the most unsympathetic character I have met in a long time, despite her unfortunate social situation. I was really hoping her scheming would lead to her own undoing.
And poor James and Byron, despite their good intentions, their interference just made matters worse for everyone.
The looming catastrophe was shocking, but not in the way I expected, almost as if the entire story was a red herring. Part three felt a bit anti-climatic, but I liked the way it slowed down towards the end.
SPOILER: I really liked the way the alternating chapters stopped once Byron felt whole again. It was a clever and subtle literary device.
Rachel Joyce is clearly a gifted writer. As the novel progresses you can see Diana and Byron slowly unravelling and looking back I had to ask: could Diana's inaction and fear regarding Beverley and her manipulation have lead to her undoing?
Perfect poses some very interesting social questions regarding gender roles, class and ultimately mental health.
Wow, what a satisfying and gripping conclusion to the Silo saga. I enjoyed this book so much that I forgot to take review notes while I was reading it. I was so engrossed in the plot and so invested in the characters that I forgot that this was an ARC for review!
So, we are back with Juliette in Silo 18. She is the reluctant new mayor and is in the midst of a ‘rescue plan' for her friends in Silo 17. At the same time we touch base with Donald & co in big bad Silo 1 as he wakes up to yet another new name and the task of saving the world (no pressure!)
As with the first two books, this is a fast-paced, gripping adventure. Though it doesn't necessarily push the envelope of literature, it is damn good entertainment.
Hugh Howey is a master of leaving you hanging between chapters, and I often wanted to scream “No! Don't end it there, what happens?” Luckily, the action in other places is just as thrilling so it does not remain a problem for long.
Sort of SPOILER ALERT so skip this paragraph if you don't want to know ANYTHING about the ending.
I loved the hopeful ending. Some people had a problem with it. Yes, there could have been other survivors to encounter or glimpses into other silos but sometimes the simple endings are the best. It was optimistic. He could have just ended it with a group heading out of the silo door – now that would have been frustrating! I am glad we were there to share the joy of the outside with them.
I love book to movie adaptations and am so excited to see that casting for Wool will begin next year. Yay!!
I gave the first two books 4 stars because I am difficult to please and there were tiny things I didn't like about them, but Dust gets the big one – 5 Stars! Thanks Mr Howey for a rip roaring adventure and I blame you for my lack of sleep this past week.
Ok, so if you read the jacket blurb on this book it sounds like nothing much happens. I will try to sum it up without giving too much away.
Patrick turns his alcoholic father in to the police after he is involved in a hit and run, killing a young child. A few months on Patrick is still living in his father's house with his brother, Mike, and Mike's girlfriend Caro. He is by all accounts a loser and the town pariah due to his unfortunate family connection.
Then we meet Vera, a sheltered and naïve schoolgirl who is horribly bullied due to the sins of her family too (notice a pattern here?). She finds solace and comfort in a group of strange outcasts.
What connects them is Layla, Vera's Goth sister who takes an unhealthy interest in Patrick and basically stalks him.
The lives of all these characters start to intertwine dangerously and it all leads up to a very dark and thrilling climax.
The problem is that the book takes a little too long to get there. I was half way through and was still asking, “ok, so where is this going?” I think author may lose a few readers because of this. There seems to lack direction until the end. Having said that, the characters do pull you in and you want to find out what happens to them.
I don't think the title of the book does it justice either. After reading it I am still trying to figure out how ‘save yourself' comes into the plot. None of the characters ‘save themselves'; in the end they are all rather selfless and sacrificial.
A large focus in the book is bullying and the affects of trying to fit into a group. It made me really grateful that I was not in high school during the camera phone and social media era. I shudder to think that what happens in the book actually takes place in reality.
Another factor I found interesting was the cult-like mentality of the ‘Goth group'. Kelly Braffet offers us some fascinating and chilling insights into the nature of group peer pressure and abuse.
Though the beginning is slow paced, the last 100 pages had me hooked so I'd say it's worth a read.
I have a confession to make. Despite studying English literature for 3 years, and being an obsessive reader, I have not read any Edgar Allan Poe. I was obviously aware of him, and know of his love of the macabre, “The Raven” and “Nevermore”, but he was just another writer I would eventually get to. Then along came Mrs Poe by Lynn Cullen, and my curiosity was piqued.
Turns out Mr. Poe had a rather strange life. He was orphaned at an early age and ended up marrying his 13-year-old first cousin. He was rumoured to have romantic links to fellow poet Frances Osgood, and this is the relationship Cullen explores in her book.
Frances Osgood is trying to provide for her daughters after her scoundrel of a husband runs off with one of his many mistresses. She is considered a mediocre poet by the New York literati and is tolerated, but not truly respected at their gatherings. It is at one of these soirees that she encounters the celebrated Mr Poe and his pretty young wife Virginia. There is an immediate mutual attraction and respect between Osgood and Poe and the novel follows their growing affection for each other. This affair has not gone unnoticed by Mrs Poe, and it seems she has her own sinister ways of punishing Frances and reclaiming her husband's affections.
At first I detested Mrs Poe (the character, not the book). She comes across as jealous, possessive, childish and vindictive. It was probably the first time I actually hoped for a successful affair. But as the novel progressed I realised that she was the best part of it. Although she is described as a fragile, sickly girl, her part of the story always came with a dark edge.
The romance between Frances and Poe was far too clichéd for my liking. I found myself rolling my eyes during every desperate encounter and cringing at the cheesy dialogue.
He caressed me with a grateful gaze. “How well you understand me. I cannot say I have ever felt this from another person – I knew it the minute I met you. Thank you”
“For what?”
“For brightening my life”
Never judge a book by its cover. We all know the idiom well. However, I am afraid, that on this occasion I did judge the book by its cover. A beautiful and interesting image and a title that really appealed to me: The Book of Someday. How much possibility lay in that title, yet how disappointed I was with just about everything else.
There are three narrators in this story. First there is Livvi; an introverted writer who comes from an abusive background. Next, Micah; a world famous and renowned photographer who finds out she has breast cancer, and finally, AnnaLee, a Long Island housewife who is slowly selling off family heirlooms to help support her family because her husband can't hold down a job.
I have read reviews describing The Book of Someday as ‘intriguing' and ‘fascinating', but I felt it was predictable and rather unoriginal. The mystery of the story is supposed to be that there is a connection between these women. However, I figured it out rather early on in the book. The only reason I kept reading (and the only reason this has an extra star) is not that I wanted to find out WHAT happened, but to find out HOW it happened.
Livvi drove me nuts with her neediness (and I realise she was damaged and abandoned, but so were a lot of great characters in literature.) She also develops an unhealthy obsession with basically the first child she meets.
The saga felt rather overdone and melodramatic. It could fit right in with Days of Our Lives. Dixon's methods of concealing ‘the truth' also grew a little tiresome as the story progressed SPOILER! (was nobody known by their birth name in 1986?)
There was nothing particularly clever about the writing either. There was no turn of phrase that took my breath away. Nothing I wanted to add as a quote. When I read a novel I want the author to wow me; to make me see and experience the world they created, to love or loathe the characters, but Dixon left me feeling indifferent.
I am sure some people will really like this book. Just like some people (a lot in fact) like Danielle Steel. And there is nothing wrong with that. It just wasn't for me.
3.5 Stars
Shelley Parker has a gift. She is able to see people after they crossover into the next life. She lives with her mother and brother on Black Mountain in North Carolina in the 1930's and they work for the malevolent Rev. Dobbins and his family. Shelley has never liked Faith Dobbins, the Reverend's daughter. But after a persistent spirit in a yellow dress asks Shelley to ‘finish her story', she realizes she may have more in common with Faith then she realises.
The Storycatcher is a dark, brooding tale of the search for truth and justice in politically unjust times, and to uncover a family secret that links all the characters together.
Ann Hite writes simply, yet eloquently and creates a realistic voice for her characters. At first I found it quite difficult trying to keep up the all the different narrative voices. I found myself flicking back to the beginning trying to find out how they were all connected. But as I continued through the book I realised this was unnecessary; Hite explains all eventually.
The Storycatcher is a female dominated story. The women are strong, although it takes time for them to stand up to the Pastor. Most of the men (with the exception of Will) are mean and tyrannical, or play minor roles.
My biggest quarrel with the book is that too many characters had ‘special gifts'. And if everyone has one (sight, spells, clairvoyance, ability to predict the future) then the gift doesn't seem so special anymore. There were also, in my opinion, way too many ghosts. There only needs to be one or two mysterious ones to have me hooked.
Hite, very successfully, creates a sense of time and place. The language and the descriptions transport you to the Depression-era South. Her story is very ‘visual'; you can picture the mysterious Black Mountain and the spooky cemetery.
The Storycatcher is a hauntingly beautiful tale and worth a read if you like a bit of the supernatural with your historical fiction.
After reading this novel the first thought that came to my mind was a quote from Hamlet: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”. Only with A Serpentine Affair, something is rotten in Hyde Park!
The story follows seven university friends over a period of 25 years. Since graduating, they try to meet up once a year for a reunion. This year they are having a picnic in Hyde Park. Seven women arrive at the picnic, but only six will leave.
This is no happy reunion. Each woman seems to have a secret, and after a few too many bottles of white wine, the allegations and confessions fly. But could one of these secrets be enough to destroy a friendship of 25 years? And could it be a motive for murder?
I found this to be a compelling read. After the initial confusion (very short-lived) of who was who, I felt like I had to discover all their secrets. I felt like a voyeur on a reality television series – watching a train wreck unfold but not being able to look away. And Seskis sure knows how to deliver on the drama. Revelation follows revelation and you never quite know when it will stop.
But don't expect to love the characters. They are awful (with a few exceptions of course). These are bitter, angry and resentful women with so much baggage they may as well own a Louis Vuitton store. Their marriages are mostly unhappy, with the exception of Camilla and probably Sissy, though she has her fair share of tragedy.
I view this novel as an examination of strained relationships. How our connection (or lack thereof) to other people define us. While outwardly successful, these women fail in their roles as wives, mothers, daughters and friends.
The story is told from various points of view and can be a little difficult to follow at first, but you soon learn to compartmentalize each individual character (I found myself imagining my own university friends, although thankfully, none of them are as malicious and damaged as these women yet!). One criticism is that all the different voices sometimes confuse the story (especially in part 3 where extremely peripheral characters narrate a chapter each).
Overall a very entertaining read that appealed to the drama queen in me, and clearly illustrates the old adage: with friends like these, who needs enemies!
Thank you Netgalley and Kirk Parolles for providing me with a copy of this novel for review. A Serpentine Affair was released on 2nd August 2013
Wow, what a spellbinding book! I honestly couldn't put it down. I was so invested in the characters and really cared about how their stories would end.
This is a chillingly dark tale revolving around a ten-year-old boy named Alex who claims to see demons, and the psychiatrist, Anya, who is treating him. Alex is haunted by one demon in particular, the sinister Ruen; a Harrower (upper level demon) who is thousands of years old. Although Alex perceives Ruen as his friend, it is pretty clear from the start that the demon does not have good intentions for Alex.
Anya, meanwhile, is grappling with a tragic event from her own past, and has to learn to deal with demons of her own before aiding Alex in exercising his.
The novel delves into the darkness of serious mental illness, and examines the unsatisfactory way society deals with it. It seems Jess-Cooke is criticizing a social systems that does not adequately deal with people on the fringe. Alex comes from a very low socio-economic background and lives with his mother in appalling housing conditions.
I enjoyed the way the chapters alternate between Alex's and Anya's stories. It gives the reader a glimpse into both worlds. I found myself, from the onset, willing people to believe poor Alex. He is so vulnerable and lovable; I just wanted to protect him from the evil lurking in the shadows.
The ending left me reeling. It is not often that an ending of a novel surprises me, and although I expected some kind of twist, I didn't see this one coming.
At the novel's core is how one traumatic event can impact the rest of a life, physically, emotionally and psychologically. An absolutely terrific read; horrific and haunting in places, but gentle and hopeful in others.
I was lucky enough to attend a YA Penguin event a few months ago, and Gameboard of the Gods was one of their showcase books. I don't usually read YA novels, however when I found out that this was actually classified as ‘adult' or ‘new adult' I thought I would give it a try.
As much as I tried to love it, I just couldn't. It was entertaining enough, but the story lacked structure and the characters any substance.
Probably my biggest disappointment was with the dystopian world Mead created. In most of the dystopian novels I have read (1984, Brave New World, even Delirium (YA)) you get a sense of what occurred before a great decline and some of the reasons why the dystopian elements are implemented. However, with Gameboard of the Gods it seems the reader just has to accept that this is the way the world is now, without any explanation. I want to know what happened to lead to this Decline and the ban on religion.
It seemed to me that so little time was spent on the actual ‘point' of the novel (the solving of mysterious serial murders) and so much time spent describing the characters getting high or drunk. Yes, I get that Justin is a womanising egomaniac who has a problem with addiction, but do I have to hear about how much he drinks in every chapter? Also, I felt like this substance abuse was glamourised (like we are back at University trying to out chug each other) and not in the serious manner that adult addiction should be treated.
It's a good idea. Perhaps the next book will address the world building issues better, and maybe Justin will stop acting like a first class a-hole!
While I enjoyed the story and the murky figure of Rebecca hovering ghost like around Manderley, I found the two main characters rather appalling. The narrator is a spineless snivelling child most of the time and Maxim is patronising and aloof in his treatment of her. Of course they redeem themselves in the end (thank goodness). The plot was addictive though, even though, lets be honest, somebody got away with murder. CSI would have solved that in 1 hour. 3.5 stars.
This book had me hooked from the opening pages. A seemingly wired teenager is stopped at the Dover border with a bag full of marijuana, some cash and an urn containing the remains of one Mr. Peterson. The search for the boy and Mr. Peterson has been all over the news, and for the second time in his extraordinary life, Alex Woods is surrounded by media hype.
The first time was when he was 10 years old and woke from a coma after being hit in the head by a meteorite.
Alex lives near Glastonbury with his esoteric mother and helps out in her Wiccan shop. He seems to me to be slightly autistic, although this is never referred to in the text. He is very much an outsider and lives on the peripheral of his peer group. He is bullied at school and his closest friends consist of scientists and doctors.
The crux of the novel is Alex's friendship with Mr. Peterson – an unlikely relationship to say the least. After being ‘forced' to spend time together, they quickly develop a bond and share a mutual respect. This relationship is beautifully explored and illustrates how friendship can breach any age gap.
Alex's narration is precise and logical (as he is himself) but is an absolute joy to read. It is funny and touching in its honesty, although sometimes I had to remind myself that this was the story told by a seventeen year old, not the twelve year old he seems to be. Alex is very naïve – more so then I think a seventeen year old should be. But that's ok. I loved him anyway.
Some people may find Alex's preoccupation with science and astronomy a little distracting and tedious. However, I found his explanations simple and interesting (maybe I am a science geek at heart too).
The ultimate message in the book is of love and friendship, yet at the end poses an interesting moral dilemma. From the plot and the writing, I think it is safe to say on which side Extence stands, and I tend to agree with him. But what do you think?
Be prepared to fall in love with a rather strange geek!
What a strange strange novel. I find it difficult to believe that this is a Booker Prize winner (I hold this prize in very high esteem, but I am afraid this time it let me down). I found the narrator's preoccupation with sex (especially her own family's) and genitals rather disturbing. Almost the entire first half of the novel involves her imagining how her grandparents met and did or didn't shag! And if that isn't enough, at one point she thinks about her dead baby brother and imagines how he is having little cherub sex in heaven - umm, icky!
Occasionally there is a glimpse at the kind of book this could have been (and I suppose why it won the booker prize), when Enright delivers the most beautiful and powerful prose. However, this is few and far between. As for the plot, well, it is nothing new. Why would a man grow up to be a damaged alcoholic? Take a guess and you will probably be right.
Although I don't usually like comparing one book to the other (especially when it is a classic) Whistling Past the Graveyard reminded me a lot of To Kill a Mockingbird. Whoa! Those are big shoes to fill. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my all time favourite novels, and for anything to even come near to it is quite exceptional.
Starla Claudelle lives with her grandmother (Mamie) in Cayuga Springs, Mississippi in 1963. Despite Mamie's best efforts to turn her into a lady, Starla insists on maintaining her tomboy ways. After sneaking out on the Fourth of July, there is an incident that has Starla convinced she is wanted by the law. Considering she has never felt loved by her grandmother and her father works for long periods on an oil rig, she decides to run away to live with her mother; a famous singer in Nashville.
So begins Starla's long journey through the Deep South to find a mother she hardly remembers. Her path is fraught with dangers, but along the way she encounters Eula; an African American woman who has a tragic past of her own. Together, the unlikely pair navigates a country ripe with racial tensions and political upheaval, as Starla discovers the injustice of her world and realises that family can come in any shape and any colour.
Starla is a wonderful narrator. Although she is mostly naïve about the political situation in the South, she has an innate sense of right and wrong and fights for those she loves. If Starla is the voice of the novel, then Eula is the heart. Although she makes some bad decisions, her intentions are always pure.
Crandall's writing is effortless and heartfelt. The plot moves quickly and as the characters develop you fall more in love with them.
I really enjoyed this novel. And while it doesn't quite live up to the legendary classic that is To Kill a Mockingbird, it is pretty darn close.
I don't usually review children's books, but when I read the premise of Twerp I decided to break the rules.
The story is told from the perspective of Julian Twerski, a twelve-year-old boy living in New York in 1969. After an undisclosed incident involving another boy named Danley Dimmel, Julian is suspended from school and asked by his English teacher to write about the events leading up to this incident. What follows is a humorous, honest and touching account of a sixth grade boy trying to get to grips with that awkward space between childhood and adulthood.
I absolutely loved reading Twerp. I am a thirty something mother who grew up in South Africa, but when I read Twerp I was a twelve year old from Queens in the 60's. Julian's voice seemed so authentic I had to remind myself it was written by a New York Times columnist in his fifties.
The thing I probably liked most about this book is all the positive messages it sends to the kids who will read it. It teaches tolerance and has very strong anti-bullying messages without being preachy. The characters are flawed; they make mistakes, but in the end they own up to these mistakes and accept the consequences of their actions. A lot of adults could learn from this book.
Twerp covers an array of pre-teen experiences and emotions. From first love to first betrayal. But the main emphasis always is on friendship and loyalty. It is a warm and funny read, bursting with pre-adolescent mischief but remains innocent at heart. I hope my son will read this book one day.
Kids will love the antics of the characters so much they won't even realize they are being taught valuable moral lessons. Well done Mark Goldblatt!
Did Not Finish. I cannot read any more of this book. I so wanted to enjoy it, but after a third of the way into it I still detest Laura and quite frankly don't know what the author is going on about half the time. Very disappointed as I love literary fiction and travel, but can't face the great amount of hours required to get through this.
As the title suggests, this novel consists of a collection of letters all dealing with some kind of loss. There are three main couples involved: In Cork (1969), a Russian painter and his novelist wife who must come to grips with a terminal illness; Perth in 2011 where a bookstore owner writes to her estranged partner trying to fathom what went wrong with their relationship; and Bournemouth in 1948 where a retired doctor writes to his partner who never made it through the war.
These three couples are all vaguely connected through art, war and parallel imagery. I found this to be quite a clever literary tool. It makes lives that seem so random suddenly seem part of some grand plan. All couples have memories involving the artist or artwork of Paul Klee. I also found the imagery of diving and of watches (time) to be quite effective.
Dreams are also of a great importance in the novel and are described vividly. I suppose when love is lost; dreams are sometimes all you have left.
The novel is beautifully written. It is soulful and sorrowful. As a reader you can feel the yearning in Walker's words; the heartbreak over lost love. There is not really any plot at all – these are simply a collection of love letters. So I don't think this will appeal to the general reading public.
One aspect I didn't really enjoy was the graphic sex scene. Please let me state that I am by no means a prude, I appreciate that sometimes to go into great detail about lovemaking is necessary. It just seemed so out of place in this novel. There are these beautiful and lyrical descriptions of love then all of a sudden BANG! (excuse the pun) and we are into 50 Shades of Grey. I just didn't think it fitted into the novel's gentle themes.
Overall a beautifully written novel without much of a storyline.