Persuasion by Jane Austen – Book Review October 7, 2008

One of the shorter of Austen books, and I believe the last, I was shocked by how much this love story moved me. Anne Elliot, who, at a young age, was persuaded by her friends and family to give up on her love of the “unsuitable” Captain Wentworth, has never loved anyone else since. When he returns, her feelings for him show themselves to be as strong as ever. His anger at her rejection of him hides his true feelings for her, and they come so close to being apart forever, that in places my heart was pounding.

 

I loved the element of humour in the characters of Anne’s vain and selfish father and elder sister, her petulant younger sister, and her scheming cousin, but it was mainly the romance of the story that won me over. As Anne and Captain Wentworth come closer to being reunited, their delicate conversations, the subtlety of their meetings, the way expressions and emotions are described, are nothing short of beautiful. My only regret is that the book ends when it does – I was hungry to read more about Anne and Captain Wentworth’s lives together – but this was just me being greedy, the ending is in fact perfect.

 

I strongly recommend this book to any romantic. Anyone who hasn’t read any Austen but is curious would probably love it – I certainly do!

 

The Girls by Lori Lansens, Book Review September 15, 2008

3.5*s

This book is written in the style of an autobiography of two sisters, who take it in turns to add their own entries to the book. The sisters happen to be conjoined craniopagus twins – joined at the head – which is an issue I’ve never really thought about before. Having said that, I loved this insight into the obviously close relationship between “The Girls”. The story was in places very sad, as the sisters faced the prejudices of everyone around them while doing the best they could to live normal teenage lives.

During the first half of the book I found it quite hard to like the character Rose, and much preferred the “pretty” sister Ruby – perhaps this is an indicator of my own prejudices – but throughout the book I warmed to the thoughtul side of Rose’s character. I find it incredible how Lori Lansens is able to put herself so realistically in the shoes of people whose struggles through life must be so different to her own. I found myself wondering what kind of research she had done, or whether it was purely her imagination. This is possible, as parts of Ruby and Rose’s relationship certainly reflects that of me and my own sister.

Definately worth a look, and even if I can’t say that this story was one of my favourites, I will definately remember it.

Down Under by Bill Bryson – Book Review September 1, 2008

Never judge a book by it’s cover – I gave it a brief glimpse and thought the book might be about ice cream. In fact this book is a sort of travel diary of Bryson’s trip around Australia. I am a lover of all things Aussie and immensely enjoyed the time I spent there, so a lot of this book was nostalgic for me. The other attraction the book holds is the amount of pure information! I am a bit of a trivia addict and loved learning the highlights of Bryson’s thorough homework on the subject of all things Australian! Bryson is hilarious – he relates the eccentricities of the Aussies in a hilariously endearing way, and I found myself laughing out loud frequently. He clearly felt the same affinity to them that I did, and a lot of the book rang true to me.

Some of it didn’t, though. He pays a lot of attention to the dangers of Australia, and quite frankly seems to be a total wimp! I’m terrified of anything creepy-crawly, but don’t remember being particularly spooked by Australia – he REALLY is! But I expect he did more research prior to his visit than I did and was therefore better informed.

Definately worth a read for anyone with an interest in Australia – I have actually dreamt about Australia a lot since reading the book – it will make you want to go there and probably teach you things you didn’t know! Remote Australia isn’t in the news a lot, you know!

Moab is my Washpot – Stephen Fry – Book Review August 18, 2008

Moab Is My Washpot is the autobiography of Stephen Fry’s first twentyish years, and boy does he tell it well. Surprisingly, this remarkable man’s early years were relatively unremarkable (for the time, place and class of course - I found the whole narrative pretty astonishing!). What makes his story so different, and intriguing, are the insights into this genius’s troubled teenage years.

 

Haunted by his homosexuality, plagued by unrequited love, disturbed by the extent of the distances between himself and his peers and his desperation to join in, Stephen’s descent into depression really captivated me. At times the story is so cringeworthy I wanted to look away, but the tragedy of the story is beautifully balanced by frankly told humourous and hilariously vivid anecdotes.

 

I adored reading this book, and lapped up the delectable English language used by Fry in its purest and proper form. I wholeheartedly recommend this to any fan of Stephen Fry and follower of his career, and I can guarantee you, it explains a lot! You may well wish to ensure you have a dictionary handy when reading this

The Wheel of Time: The Great Hunt, by Robert Jordan – Book Review August 5, 2008

 

 Robert Jordan has truely become the master of his genre. This is the second book in a series of 11 (I believe), and follows on from the first in the series, The Eye of the World. I left a big gap in between reading the two books, simply because they are so long and take me such a long time to read that I had a lot of other books that I wanted to read in between. However, half way into the first chapter I found myself well back into the swing of the adventure.

I love the way that Jordan writes – incredibly descriptively and fantastically – and the man has imagination enough to create an entire detached world, Tolkein style. The characters are created lovingly, chapters skipping between their individual adventures, and I have come to love and respect all of them. Rand al’Thor, the unwilling Dragon Reborn, is I suppose strictly the protagonist, but we are given insights into the thoughts and fears of all his companions. My favourites are Egwene al’Vere, village girl turned novice Aes Sedai, and Naeneve, village Wisdom turned accepted Aes Sedai, both of whom show such bravery and spirit on their inevitable journies. Jordan creates a real sense of danger and fate throughout.

I absolutely recommend this book, but make sure you read the first book first, as Jordan has dispensed with the usual “catch up” information that most series of books include at the beginning of each episode. Definately a must read for any fantasy or science fiction fans, of which I am not usually one, but I think most people (with a bit of reading stamina) will enjoy this story.

RIP Robert Jordan!

Louis De Bernieres – A Partisan’s Daughter – Book Review June 12, 2008

I was really excited about this book, the newest addition to the section of my bookcase dedicated to one of my all time favourite authors, Louis de Bernieres. Needless to say my expectations were high, which is probably why I was slightly disappointed by A Partisan’s Daughter. It is a love story between two rather odd characters, which is usually my sort of thing. Unfortunately I found it hard to like either of the protagonists, and while I enjoyed the informative side of it (lots of accounts of Russian history), the story is quite short (I got through it in an afternoon) and I was left wondering if I might have missed something. There are definately good bits, some of it is pretty funny and some of the stories told within the story are quite touching (some in a shocking way!). Basically, it hasn’t nearly over taken Captain Corelli’s Mandolin or Birds Without Wings in my esteem, but if you’re looking for something short and different, go for it.

‘The Jane Austen Book Club’ By Karen Joy Fowler – Book Review December 13, 2007

 

I loved this book immensely. It tells individually the story of each member of a group of friends who gather monthly to ponder the works of Jane Austen, and their deep (or not so deep) friendships. Each of Austen’s books is discussed in it’s own chapter at a different character’s home, the focus of each being the story of that character. Tales of the woes, successes and emotional rollercoasters of the characters are told so sensitively and with such a streak of humour that each member of the book club grows to be well loved by the reader. 

Fowler’s uses of Austen quotes and references are witty and well placed, and while I must admit that I have not read the whole Austen collection (the characters in the story would judge me harshly for this!), reading this book I felt an affinity for Austen and her readers which I had not felt before.

This book combines love, heartbreak, controversial relationships, forgiveness and happy endings in a way which kept me painfully involved for the time it took to read it. I recommend the book to fans of Jane Austen, which is to say readers of Jane Austen, as you will undoubtedly be touched. As for those of us who are ashamedly lagging in reading the classics, read it anyway! The back of the book holds short summaries of Austen’s storylines which will familiarise you with plots, and I can guarantee that, having read the book, you will be a born again avid Austen reader.