50 Book Challenge - January

Hello everyone! Finally time for another proper blog post (mainly due to coursework procrastination). This time I'm reviewing the four books I read in January which were: Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Maquez, Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz, Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart and Volpone by Ben Jonson. Here we go!

Love in the Time of Cholera
This one might be a bit of a cheat as I actually started it back in September, but I FINISHED it in January so it totally counts (honestly).

 Love in the Time of Cholera is one of the first post-modern novels that I've actually managed to finish which was a bit of a struggle but I think completely worth it. At first it was a bit of a slog, I struggled to identify with the characters due to their age and the style and format of the writing was difficult to get used to. For example there are no chapters so I never could decide where to stop reading, but then this is the point of post-modernist literature, it is entirely experimental and, at times, bizarre. Once I understood the point of the story and how it was going to pan out then I really began to enjoy it. The story is very real, the relationships are very real and the situations are very real. However strange it may seem at times couples with the idea that life and people are strange, everyone is different and everyone changes. It was very poetic in its message that love has a time if you only give it a chance, despite your age, and I think it is very beautiful in its depiction of this message. Some of the characters are questionable, I found Florentino Ariza disgusting and dangerous but (and I don't know how Marquez did it) I was cheering him on at the end with his quest to get the girl. Even if he is a complete pervert.

All in all I give it between 3 and 4 stars. It was a fantastic experimental and truthful piece of work but a bit too much effort to read a second time. I definitely encourage someone looking for something more challenging to give it a go though, it's one of a kind.

Odd Apocalypse
I reviewed the first in the Odd Thomas series a while ago as one of my first reviews and I couldn't stop raving about it. As the series has gone on, however, I'm finding myself becoming more and more underwhelmed. That's not to say the books aren't good, they still are captivating reads, but I feel as though they've lost the sparkle and charisma that characterises the original.

In this latest installment, Odd finds himself in an even stranger situation than in Brother Odd (the third installment in the series) with the paranormal aspect being, in my opinion, even less believable. I don't want to give anything away so I'm just going to say that it's weird and crazy and I'm not sure even Dean Koontz had any idea what he was writing about. With Odd still being on his impromptu road-trip, Koontz is having to introduce more and more characters to keep the story rolling and I feel that they are losing their charm. So far none of the characters have the likeability of Little Ozzie or Stormy Llewellyn, or the disgusting factor like Fungus Man, they are becoming far too two-dimensional, and it is becoming more and more difficult, in my eyes, for Koontz to come up with anyone unique. With each new book launch there is the promise of an even more terrifying and horrific villain, and these are promises which are hard to keep. Yes, each of the characters are horrific and disgusting, but none have made my heart beat as much as the ghost of Fungus Man and this is slightly disappointing.

The story is still gripping and intriguing but for me it is the characters which gave the first three books their spark, and recently, the characters in Odd Thomas have been lacking. I give Odd Apocalypse 3 stars.

 Is It Just Me?

This is only the second autobiography I've ever read - the first being that of Frankie Boyle, hm - and as I'm such a fan of Miranda Hart, I was quite excited. It contained all the charm of her television series with a lot of "what-I-call"s and "my dear reader chum"s and all the hilarious, laugh-out-loud embarrassing situations which make the comedienne so popular. The lay-out of the book was a bit strange at first with the chapters being based around aspects of society such as "Holidays", "Pets" or "Relationships" rather than key periods in Hart's life which gave a greater insight into the way her mind works but a more disjointed view of her career. It's possible to piece together an overall picture of her childhood and early adulthood with some memorable anecdotes - school trip, anyone? - whilst maintaining some sense of privacy for her private life, something which was unexpected but a responsible choice for this kind of book. The presence of an 18 year-old Miranda voicing her opinions made for an entertaining read and directed the book to a heart-warming conclusion.

All in all, I found it a nice book to read, funny in places but not extraordinary and not something I would read again. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Volpone

This is considered to be Ben Jonson's masterpiece - a story depicting the corruption and avarice of 17th Century London whilst being set in exotic and erotic Venice. Volpone, a cunning fox, tricks three upstanding members of society (Corbaccio, Voltore and Corvino) into believing he is gravely ill in order for them to compete for the chance to be his sole heir. With the help of Mosca, his assistant and his fly, Volpone causes what appears to be harmless trouble until his insatiable lust lands him in court on rape charges.

As this is a play, it is quite difficult to judge the quality of content when I've only been able to read it. What I read I certainly enjoyed - especially the character of Sir Pol, a buffoon on holiday from England, completely out of his depth in exotic Italy - and the depth into which we have explored in class makes this an exiting text to write about. While I cannot particularly recommend you to read Volpone, I would insist it is worth going to see if a performance is put on in your local area. I definitely will be keeping my eyes peeled.

50 Books 2013 Challenge

So this year my New Year's Resolution was to read 50 books in the whole of 2013 which is roughly one book per week with some exceptions. Every month I am then going to make a blog about that for week's progress; hopefully that will make me both blog and read more :)

In January I started off well, managing to read four books in four weeks. These were Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz, Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart and the play Volpone by Ben Jonson. As you can see, there's quite an eclectic mix.

I will shortly be making a blog post reviewing these four books but I just wanted to write a quick update explaining this year's plan. I will be writing here again shortly, I hope you all had a love Christmas and a great start to the New Year, chat soon!

Jane Eyre

This is the Puffin Classics edition, published in 1994

Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Bronte
First Published: by Smith, Elder & Co, 1847
Audience: 15+
Rating: 4.5 stars
About: The orphan Jane Eyre has never had a home. Hated by her Aunt Reed, she is sent away to Lowood school where she lives a bland and sheltered life for the next eight years. However, after taking the post of Governess at Thornfield, she meets the not-so-handsome Mr. Rochester, and finds in him the love, security and friendship she's been searching for. 

"Birds began singing in brake and copse: birds were faithful to their mates; birds were emblems of love. 
What was I?"

Out of all the classics I've read lately this has got to be my absolute favourite. I've seen the recent film version of Jane Eyre, starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender, which was released in 2011 and I thought I loved it. But then I read the book and I love that so much more. If you ever feel at a loss as to what to read this summer, pick up a classic as you may be pleasantly surprised by what you find, I definitely was. 

I was impressed by the amount of tragedy and despair contained within this novel as it isn't completely and utterly doom and gloom like many novels I've read recently. Whereas most of the time, when a character has had a difficult childhood, happiness and contentment is usually absent entirely which makes it difficult, in my opinion, for the adult character to be well-rounded and unaffected. But in Jane Eyre, her prospects improve steadily with the change in each situation, providing a refreshing change. Jane moves from her bleak situation with her Aunt Reed, to a slightly more loving - if less comfortable - life at Lowood School, then eventually to Thornfield, where she admits to being happy and to finally feeling at home. What I thought was interesting about Jane's childhood was not that it was a lack of material comforts or a comfortable home which made it sad, but a lack of love, friendship and family. She then finds all of these things in Mr. Rochester, something which makes their love so much more valuable and captivating to read.


As love stories go, this has to be my absolute favourite. It's ahead of Wuthering Heights, The Notebook, Never Let Me Go and maybe even The Time Traveller's Wife. The way their relationship develops is so tender and cautious that it provides time for the passion expressed to simmer and grow, meaning that when they do confess their mutual love in that famous and powerful interaction, it does not seem melodramatic or forced but controlled, eloquent and truthful. It is these attributes which create a love story which is not only passionate but also intelligent and utterly breathtaking. It does not conform to that modern trend of sacrificial love, where the two characters would sacrifice their lives and good names to be together. Instead, Jane places both their morality and relationships with God above their own happiness, in an attempt to do what is right rather than what is selfish. I think that this is a powerful message which should be more readily conveyed in modern society, but it is also this old traditional charm which captivates me.


My only criticism is that occasionally the storyline became long-winded and unexciting, but the way Charlotte Bronte narrates with such articulate beauty kept my attention so that this did not become a deteriorating factor. For this reason, I give Jane Eyre 4.5 stars out of 5.




 

The Picture of Dorian Gray

This edition was published by Vintage in 2007

Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray
Author: Oscar Wilde
First Published: by Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, 1890
Audience: 14+
Rating: 4 stars
About: The character of Dorian Gray is beautiful, youthful and innocent, so much so that Basil Hallward decides to capture his looks in a portrait. Mesmerised by his own reflection, Dorian sells his soul to the Devil, so that his painting will age and change, while Dorian stays young forever.

 "There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written or badly written. That is all." 

What I absolutely love about Oscar Wilde's writing is his humour, wit, and his ability to be beautifully descriptive. Despite its age, I was able to really get into this book, which shows how the language he uses is utterly timeless, probably one of the many reasons why this novel is still so popular.

 Another charm of this novel is its subtlety, a characteristic of the time it is written, which is a huge contrast and break from the explicit nature of most modern books. This is no Fifty Shades of Gray (pun!), even though Dorian is implied to have been having sexual relations with numerous women (and men) through the majority of the story. Wilde describes how "Women who had wildly adored him, and for his sake had braved all social censure and set convention at defiance, were seen to grow pallid with shame or horror if Dorian Gray entered the room." This is as lucid as the descriptions become, and so the main protagonist is always veiled in an air of mystery. His activities seem to the reader to be no more than rumours spread by other characters in the novel, as we are only present with Dorian during his public and apparently moral endeavours, and so we only know the extent of his moral deterioration when the state of the portrait is described. We only witness Dorian's second life when Basil, the painting's creator, feels and sees the full power of Dorian's new darkness, shattering all illusion of him still being a moral and good individual.

When a classic novel such as this has been made into a film, it seems strange not to compare the modern story to the original. It is safe to say that the mysterious edge provided by the novel's narration completely dissolves in the film as everything that is implied, and more, is vividly and explicitly played out onscreen. So much so, that I find it difficult to watch, compared to the book which I found a thoroughly enjoyable read. As nothing is left ambiguous, the image of the painting loses its importance and is only used as a device to induce horror and fear in the audience, something that it does well. However, the original purpose of the painting, I feel, is to provide a canvas where the soul can be laid bare, and for the implications of people's moral actions to be expressed, even if their actions are not widely known. It is meant to show that the individual has a duty to themselves to remain pure to protect their soul, a Christian concept (even though this book was considered to be thoroughly immoral). This is why I prefer the book to the film.

All in all, I feel that The Picture of Dorian Gray is a well-deserved classic. Wilde is a true genius and artist and his philosophical slant on his narration truly captivated me. My one slight criticism is that at times his philosophy overshadowed his story telling, and for this reason I give Dorian Gray 4 stars out of 5.

The Little Stranger

Title: The Little Stranger
Author: Sarah Waters
First Published: by Virago, 2009
Audience: Adult
Rating: 2 stars
About: The Little Stranger follows the story of local Warwickshire GP, Dr. Faraday, as his post-war practise calls him to the mysterious, and slightly delapidated, Hundreds Hall. His life soon becomes closely intertwined with those of it's inhabitants: Mrs Ayres, her two grown-up children, Roderick and Caroline, and their dramatic young servant, Betty. However, soon strange things start happening at the house as the building, and the family, begin their rapid decline. But are these occurances purely psychological - as Dr. Faraday believes - or caused by some other paranormal force?

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT

"the sense of threat and strain had overspilled in his mind to the extent that even 'ordinary things'...seemed to be rising up against him."

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters was one of the novels I needed to read for my English Literature coursework, and if it hadn't been a necessity, I probably wouldn't have finished it. Technically, it was very well written, the description was fluid, the characters were believable and dynamic but out of the 500 page story, about 300 was very montonous padding. It picked up a little bit in the middle and then further towards the end of the novel but by then it was too late, I'd lost interest and I was dying to finish it and move onto something I'd actually enjoy. I think the length of the book was it's let down. I feel as though it could have been a lot shorter and quite an intense ghost story, rather than having sections of intensity separated by large periods of boredom. Having the majority of the action and catastrophe at the end was also quite exhausting. However, Waters is a talented novelist and writer and I'm sure there was some literary purpose behind the method of her storytelling - I just didn't enjoy it.

Something else that irritated me about this novel was the narrator, and main protagonist, Dr. Faraday. When he was simply describing and narrating the scene, I had no problem with him, it was once his character begun to reveal itself through his thoughts, words and actions that I became irritated and couldn't warm to him. He could be very narrow-minded, obtuse and, at times, incredibly patronising towards the other characters, specifically Caroline. I felt that their relationship in particular was very odd, more Fatherly than romantic, and his consistent blindness towards the significance of their one-sided relationship frustrated me. He also had a tendency, towards the beginning of the book, to change his opinion of the characters frequently and, I felt, without much reason. I think that his judgemental tendency stems from his feeling of self-righteousness due to his position, as a doctor, another aspect of his character which was incredibly frustrating.

I must remember, however, that the purpose of reading this was to identify the relevance of 'Houses' in this novel. While reading this I realised that the relevance of Hundreds Hall to the story and the state of mind of the characters was extremely forced and obvious, to the extent that it was even being commented on by the characters. While there are other houses referenced in the novel - that of Dr. Faraday, that of the squatters huts and of the home of the Baker-Hydes - I feel as though I'd prefer to analyse a novel, such as Wuthering Heights, where the relevance of the houses involved is much more subtle.

I'm sorry that this was more of a complaint and a moan rather than a review, but I didn't enjoy reading this book. However, Sarah Waters is a very good writer and I admire her skill but this particular plot didn't grab me. For this reason, I am giving The Little Stranger 2 stars out of 5.

College Catch-up

I've just returned to College for four weeks before we break up for the Summer so we can start working on our A2 courses. While this is all good and exciting, it means I have no time to read things outside of the curriculum (which is annoying, I'd just started Jane Eyre) so I'm going to be commenting on things I've been reading for my courses instead. At first it's going to be a couple of plays - King Lear by Shakespeare and The House of Bernarda Alba by Federico Garcia Lorca - which should be interesting as it's something a little bit different, and then I'm going to be reading a selection of novels which centre around the theme for my coursework of 'Houses'. This means re-reading Wuthering Heights and discovering new books like Howards End by E.M. Forster and The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. I'll probably also do a bit of other extra reading, such as The Return by Victoria Hislop for some more thorough knowledge of Lorca's world, and then Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh and The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley for some more House themes.

These are all just ideas of what I could be reading over the summer so I may not read all of them, but I'll give it a good go. Talk soon!

The Girl at the Lion D'Or

This library copy was published by Vintage.

Title: The Girl at the Lion D'Or
Author: Sebastian Faulks
First Published: by Hutchinson, 1989
Audience: 15+
Rating: 3.5 stars
About: Set in France in the mid-1930s, the novel follows a young woman, Anne Louvet, as she takes up a new post as a waitress in a small town hotel: The Lion D'Or. It soon becomes apparent that Anne is keeping her past secret, a secret she might be willing to reveal once she gets involved with a local, and married man, Charles Hartmann.

The Girl at the Lion D'Or was recommended to me by my sister, who'd recently taken it out of the local library. She'd described it as 'decent' and 'pretty good', so my initial impression wasn't overwhelming, but being a fan of Sebastian Faulks' work, I was eager to read another of his classics.

The pace of the novel was much slower than of those I'd been reading lately, but this was mainly due to the attention to detail contained within the description. The novel opens with a beautifully illustrated scene of a train station in the pouring rain, which immediately places the reader within the character's world. Faulks' unprecedented skill of being able to paint a scene then progresses throughout the narrative until a thoroughly depicted atmosphere of the entire town and the characters within it are created. This is what sucks the reader into the book, not the drama or twisting storyline, but the realistic nature of the place the author has created. There is also a constant political undertone which adds another dimension to the story, developing realism and a distant sense of foreboding which was incorporated into the main story.

What I enjoyed most about the novel was it's simplicity. The story follows the lives of people living within the town, mainly that of Anne and Hartmann, and it is the engaging nature of their characters which moves the story along. What is also unusual about this book is the lack of a villain. There are several characters such as Mattlin and Roland who are less likeable and untrustworthy than the protagonists, but there is no good versus evil battle. What drives the story is the accentuated importance of love, however fleeting, amongst the vastness and grandeur of everyday life. Essentially, this is a complicated, yet uncomplicated, love story between two adults as they plod through their unremarkable lives, and it is the love and lust between them which gives them the opportunity to be remarkable, even for a little while.

All in all, I felt that this novel was nice. It was beautifully written, and a captivating love story, but I didn't feel entirely blown away. That isn't to say I didn't like it, I thoroughly enjoyed it for various reasons, but I don't feel like it's a novel I'd read twice. For that reason, I'd give it 3.5 stars out of 5, but I also definitely encourage others to give it a go.