Book Review

Review – Us by David Nicholls

~ Hanna ~ Leave a comment

Hello,

Yesterday, the U.S edition of David Nicholls‘ new novel Us was released. It was longlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize, and thanks to HarperCollins US I was able to read an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Us
Image provided by HarperCollins US¹:
Synopsis quoted from HarperCollins US¹:

Douglas Petersen may be mild-mannered, but behind his reserve lies a sense of humor that, against all odds, seduces beautiful Connie into a second date . . . and eventually into marriage. Now, almost three decades after their relationship first blossomed in London, they live more or less happily in the suburbs with their moody seventeen year-old son, Albie. Then Connie tells him she thinks she wants a divorce.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Hoping to encourage her son’s artistic interests, Connie has planned a month-long tour of European capitals, a chance to experience the world’s greatest works of art as a family, and she can’t bring herself to cancel. And maybe going ahead with the original plan is for the best anyway? Douglas is privately convinced that this landmark trip will rekindle the romance in the marriage, and might even help him to bond with Albie.

My Thoughts:

In Us, David Nicholls takes us on a trip all over contemporary Central Europe. Due to the author’s vivid descriptions, you get to see the replica of Michelangelo’s David on Piazza della Signoria in Florence and a great selection of paintings, including Velazquez’ The Maids of Honor.

The main character Douglas Petersen is a caring but introvert husband and father. He can’t show his feelings and is therefore often misunderstood by his extrovert wife Connie and his teenage son Albie. The relationship between the three is the novel’s main theme and is depicted so realistically you’ll probably be able to relate to at least one situation.

All in all, Us is a wonderful read for someone who misses the summer. You get to travel quite a bit and I think you will probably find someone to connect with. What I find fascinating is the pacing. Overall, Us reads very comfortably, but at some point during the Petersen’s trip the novel’s pace slows down. I think this is intentional, as the trip becomes strenuous for the reader as well as for Douglas and the slow pacing adds to that feeling of strenuousness. If you’re up for a stirring adventure that could make you shed some tears and rethink your own family, Us will be the book for you.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

¹ http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062365583/us

Review – Rooms by Lauren Oliver

~ Hanna ~ 2 Comments

Hi,

Just a few more days until Halloween and so I thought we might as well talk about something spooky for a change. I read Lauren Oliver‘s novel Rooms which scared me quite a bit. Thank you HarperCollins International for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rooms
Image provided by HarperCollins US¹
Synopsis quoted from HarperCollins US¹:

Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His estranged family—bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna—have arrived for their inheritance.

But the Walkers are not alone. Prim Alice and the cynical Sandra, long dead former residents bound to the house, linger within its claustrophobic walls. Jostling for space, memory, and supremacy, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself—in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb.

The living and dead are each haunted by painful truths that will soon surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide—with cataclysmic results.

My Thoughts:

Rooms is set in a house in Coral River, New York. While the house is old, there isn’t much to help you place the different time periods talked of, so I sometimes got confused as to when Alice and Sandra actually lived while they were still alive.

The ghosts of Alice and Sandra have become one with the walls of the house which is a very original idea. While they both get separate chapters to comment on the happenings, I’m having problems distinguishing the two of them. They are just too similar. On the other hand, they are two ghosts merged with the walls of a house, so they do have one obvious thing in common. The character I like most is Amy, a little girl who is often overlooked by the others but seems to have a lot of insight into the things going on. She’s like a ray of sunshine on a dreary day.

In Rooms, the narrative voice and time alternates between first person narration in present tense with Alice and Sandra, and third person narration in past tense with the characters who are still alive. This is quite irritating and takes some getting used to. Other than that, Rooms is a light read about lots of unresolved family business, but if you are a scaredy-cat like me, it is enough to make you dread to go to the bathroom at night.

3beans

¹ http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062223197/rooms

Review – History of the Rain by Niall Williams

~ Hanna ~ Leave a comment

Hello,

The secret is out, Richard Flanagan won the 2014 Man Booker Prize for his novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North. As you might have noticed, I already read some Man Booker Prize long- and shortlisted books this year (but didn’t read Richard Flanagan). The one I’ll be talking about today is Niall Williams‘ longlisted novel History of the Rain. Its cover made me want to read it as soon as I first set eyes on it. Thank you Rupertus Buchhandlung for providing me with a free copy for review.

History of the Rain
Image provided by Bloomsbury UK¹
Synopsis quoted from Bloomsbury UK¹:

We are our stories. We tell them to stay alive or keep alive those who only live now in the telling. In Faha, County Clare, everyone is a long story…

Bedbound in her attic room beneath the falling rain, in the margin between this world and the next, Plain Ruth Swain is in search of her father. To find him, enfolded in the mystery of ancestors, Ruthie must first trace the jutting jaw lines, narrow faces and gleamy skin of the Swains from the restless Reverend Swain, her great-grandfather, to grandfather Abraham, to her father, Virgil – via pole-vaulting, leaping salmon, poetry and the three thousand, nine hundred and fifty eight books piled high beneath the two skylights in her room, beneath the rain.

The stories – of her golden twin brother Aeney, their closeness even as he slips away; of their dogged pursuit of the Swains’ Impossible Standard and forever falling just short; of the wild, rain-sodden history of fourteen acres of the worst farming land in Ireland – pour forth in Ruthie’s still, small, strong, hopeful voice.

My Thoughts:

History of the Rain is set in a small town in contemporary Ireland. It is very hard to think of the setting as contemporary because the story could as well be set in the early 20th century. The town is a very small rural town and Niall Williams’ writing gives it a vintage touch. It’s quite shocking when suddenly a modern car winds its way up the road.

Our main character is Ruth Swain, who tells us about her ancestors’ lives. She is a young, intelligent woman bedbound in her family’s home. Ruth tells us a lot about her father Virgil, a great thinker born into a world of doers. Virgil turns out to be a very intense character in the second half of the book. He loves writing so much that he starts to forget everything around him.

History of the Rain has two stories to tell. While Ruth recounts the lives of her ancestors, we observe how Ruth leads her own life. These two plotlines are interwoven and alternate just like two fish taking turns jumping out of the water. The novel is beautifully written and some passages are amazing and create very strong feelings. On the whole, however, History of the Rain very often drags on. I was wondering about this, because the story isn’t boring. I think it was the writing (some very long sentences in there) that made the book tedious to read, at least for me. Nevertheless, History of the Rain is a book that you will enjoy if you’re looking for a novel you can analyze (and reread), because I think there is more to it than I had time to discover.

 3beans

¹ http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/history-of-the-rain-9781408852026/

Review – The Children Act by Ian McEwan

~ Hanna ~ 9 Comments

Hello,

Before I’m off to Frankfurt Book Fair, I’d like to share another review. Thanks to Penguin Random House UK I had the pleasure of reading Ian McEwan’s latest novel The Children Act in a LovelyBooks reader’s circle.

The Children Act
Image provided by Jonathan Cape¹
Synopsis quoted from Jonathan Cape¹:

Fiona Maye is a leading High Court judge, presiding over cases in the family court. She is renowned for her fierce intelligence, exactitude and sensitivity. But her professional success belies private sorrow and domestic strife. There is the lingering regret of her childlessness, and now, her marriage of thirty years is in crisis.

At the same time, she is called on to try an urgent case: for religious reasons, a beautiful seventeen-year-old boy, Adam, is refusing the medical treatment that could save his life, and his devout parents share his wishes. Time is running out. Should the secular court overrule sincerely held faith? In the course of reaching a decision Fiona visits Adam in hospital – an encounter which stirs long-buried feelings in her and powerful new emotions in the boy. Her judgment has momentous consequences for them both.

My Thoughts:

The Children Act is set in contemporary England and from the very first page, Ian McEwan draws you into Fiona Maye’s world with detailed descriptions of her surroundings.

Fiona is an introvert High Court judge approaching sixty who has been living by the rules for all her life. She has problems showing her feelings and in consequence her marriage suffers. When Fiona meets Adam, a young man suffering from leukaemia, her world starts spinning. Adam, who is almost 18, is very different from Fiona. He is overly self-confident, poetry-writing know-it-all and he is determined to live his short life to the fullest – finally, a teenager acting like a teenager.

The Children Act is built around a theme that some might be bored by and it is written in beautiful, refined prose that can be hard to understand for those who aren’t advanced speakers of English. But please don’t be put off by the complex language and the law theme, as McEwan manages to give you insight into a world unknown to most of us, and while I was sceptical at first, this book kept me glued to the pages. So go on and read this riveting novel about life and the choices you make.

4beans

¹ http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/editions/the-childrens-act/9780224101998

Review – How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran

~ Hanna ~ 2 Comments

Hi,

Today I’d like to show you a book that surprised me, because, judging the book by its cover, I thought this would be your usual coming-of-age fare. The novel is How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran and I’d like to thank HarperCollins International for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

How to Build a Girl
Image provided by HarperCollins US¹
Synopsis quoted from HarperCollins US¹:

What do you do in your teenage years when you realize what your parents taught you wasn’t enough? You must go out and find books and poetry and pop songs and bad heroes—and build yourself.

It’s 1990. Johanna Morrigan, fourteen, has shamed herself so badly on local TV that she decides that there’s no point in being Johanna anymore and reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde—fast-talking, hard-drinking Gothic hero and full-time Lady Sex Adventurer. She will save her poverty-stricken Bohemian family by becoming a writer—like Jo in Little Women, or the Bröntes—but without the dying young bit.

By sixteen, she’s smoking cigarettes, getting drunk and working for a music paper. She’s writing pornographic letters to rock-stars, having all the kinds of sex with all kinds of men, and eviscerating bands in reviews of 600 words or less.

But what happens when Johanna realizes she’s built Dolly with a fatal flaw? Is a box full of records, a wall full of posters, and a head full of paperbacks, enough to build a girl after all?

My Thoughts:

How to Build a Girl is set in England in the 1990s. To be more specific, our main character Johanna lives in Wolverhampton, about two hours north of London.

We accompany Johanna Morrigan through the worst of her teenage years. Johanna is a chubby girl who wants to change the way people see her. This is why she reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde, a goth and music critic who has seen it all. While I can absolutely identify with Johanna, I’m having problems with Dolly. Sure, like Johanna, Dolly has traits that remind me of my teenage self (very spooky!), but sometimes I get the feeling that Dolly’s character is a bit over the top. I can’t think of any person I know who, as a teenager, behaved like Dolly – and I was in the goth and heavy metal scene myself for some time.

Overall, reading How to Build a Girl feels like traveling back in time. I got to relive my teenage years with a different perspective. The novel is fun and includes bite-sized historical background information for those who aren’t that familiar with the UK in the 1990s. How to Build a Girl is the perfect read for 20- and 30-somethings, as they can relate to the 1990s setting and connect with Johanna/Dolly.

4beans

¹ http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062335975/how-to-build-a-girl

Review – The Thing About December by Donal Ryan

~ Hanna ~ 2 Comments

Hi,

Today I’d like to introduce you to Donal Ryan’s novel The Thing About December. I have the hardcover edition, but there’s a new, very beautiful paperback edition that was released last week. Donal Ryan’s first book The Spinning Heart was longlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize and won the Guardian First Book Award in the same year.

Also, thank you Iris from Leseerlebnis for this wonderful gift!

The Thing About December
Image provided by Transworld Publishers¹:
Synopsis quoted from Transworld Publishers¹:

‘He heard Daddy one time saying he was a grand quiet boy to Mother when he thought Johnsey couldn’t hear them talking. Mother must have been giving out about him being a gom and Daddy was defending him. He heard the fondness in Daddy’s voice. But you’d have fondness for an auld eejit of a crossbred pup that should have been drowned at birth.’

While the Celtic Tiger rages, and greed becomes the norm, Johnsey Cunliffe desperately tries to hold on to the familiar, even as he loses those who all his life have protected him from a harsh world. Village bullies and scheming land-grabbers stand in his way, no matter where he turns.
Set over the course of one year of Johnsey’s life, The Thing About December breathes with his grief, bewilderment, humour and agonizing self-doubt. This is a heart-twisting tale of a lonely man struggling to make sense of a world moving faster than he is.

My Thoughts:

Donal Ryan set his novel in a village in contemporary Ireland. Large parts of the story take place on Johnsey Cunliffe’s farm which is so lonely it sometimes resembles a still life.

In The Thing About December, we follow one year in the life of the main character Johnsey Cunliffe. Johnsey is a lonely young man with a job he doesn’t like, less than a handful of people he can count on and a lot of problems coming his way. I was instantly able to connect to Johnsey. He is a very sweet man who knows much more than people seem to notice.

Donal Ryan doesn’t use standard English to tell Johnsey’s tale, so some passages might be hard to read for those who aren’t native speakers of English. The language however, reduces our distance to Johnsey to a minimum and helps us to empathize with him. Throughout one year, we get to know the intimate thoughts of a man whom we would probably just pass on the street. The Thing About December will leave you thinking about all the lonely people spending day after day within their four walls and it will make you cherish your friends and family even more. A wonderful novel for everyone.

5beans

¹ http://www.transworldbooks.co.uk/editions/the-thing-about-december/9781781620090

Review – The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell

~ Hanna ~ Leave a comment

Hello,

I hope you’ve heard that David Mitchell has written a new novel. It’s called The Bone Clocks and it was longlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize.

The Bone Clocks
Image provided by Sceptre¹
Synopsis quoted from Sceptre¹:

One drowsy summer’s day in 1984, teenage runaway Holly Sykes encounters a strange woman who offers a small kindness in exchange for ‘asylum’. Decades will pass before Holly understands exactly what sort of asylum the woman was seeking . . .

The Bone Clocks follows the twists and turns of Holly’s life from a scarred adolescence in Gravesend to old age on Ireland’s Atlantic coast as Europe’s oil supply dries up – a life not so far out of the ordinary, yet punctuated by flashes of precognition, visits from people who emerge from thin air and brief lapses in the laws of reality. For Holly Sykes – daughter, sister, mother, guardian – is also an unwitting player in a murderous feud played out in the shadows and margins of our world, and may prove to be its decisive weapon.

My Thoughts:

The Bone Clocks is set on various continents between the 1980s and the 2040s. Sometimes the story takes you even further into the past. David Mitchell is good at setting different scenes. I really enjoyed my time at an Alpine ski resort and got scared visiting other places and times (I’m being vague, so I don’t spoil anything 😉 ).

Throughout the book we meet a lot of different characters: writers, a war reporter and the members of two old organizations. We actually switch between those characters and that becomes quite confusing at times. The book is written in first person narration and each time the narrator changes you have to find out who you are. The first character we meet is Holly Sykes. She plays a vital role in the Script, which is a sort of prophecy, but she also connects the various characters we meet. Another important character and narrator is Marinus. He is very old and was easier to empathize with than some of the other narrators.

As I’ve already said, The Bone Clocks is divided into sections that each feature a different character. It was easy to find into the story and the first two sections flow wonderfully, but by the third section things slow down and the plot distances itself from the supernatural part of the book and what in my opinion is most gripping about it. Unfortunately, the plot only picks up after about 300 more pages. So, 300 out of 600 pages didn’t really add to the main plot. Not that they weren’t written well, but they just didn’t fit the story and made me want to skip them altogether (which I didn’t do of course). In The Bone Clocks, David Mitchell shows off his talent, so we get to read a little bit of everything, like for example young adult literature, dystopia and fantasy. I would have preferred a condensed version of The Bone Clocks without having the feeling of reading a portfolio. I’ll still read Cloud Atlas though!

3beans

¹ https://www.hodder.co.uk/Books/detail.page?isbn=9780340921609

Review – Hideous Creatures by S. E. Lister

~ Hanna ~ Leave a comment

Hi,

A few weeks ago, there was a deal on the e-book edition of Hideous Creatures by S. E. Lister. I’d never heard of the book before, but it sounded interesting, so I thought I’d give it a try.

Hideous Creatures
Image provided by Old Street Publishing¹
Synopsis provided by Old Street Publishing¹:

Arthur Hallingham is the youngest son of an English earl. He’s on the run from his former life – from a family where painful, half-understood secrets lurk. Arthur travels on a slave ship to America, hoping to lose himself amidst the teeming squalor and vaulting ambitions of the New World. Before long he meets Flora, the tough daughter of an outlaw, and Shelo, a native medicine man with mysterious powers who seems to have a plan for him.
The three set off on a journey through the thick forests and along the wide rivers of the lush southern wilderness. As they near their destination, Shelo’s terrible and destructive purpose is gradually revealed.

My Thoughts:

Hideous Creatures is mainly set in colonial North America. For me, the setting had a very dark tint to it, so it felt like most of the book was set at nighttime even though many scenes do take place during the day. Nevertheless, S. E. Lister describes a beautiful and enchanting forest setting near the end that stuck with me.

Arthur Hallingham, the main character, is described as a young gentleman with a strange body. Having read the book, I still don’t know what’s wrong with his body exactly and why it is that people shun him. I also wasn’t able to connect with Arthur. Shelo, the native medicine man, on the other hand, is a guy I like. He is mysterious and he too has an odd body but in a very different way. Many people draw back in fear when they see Shelo, while others seek him out for help.

With Hideous Creatures, S. E. Lister wrote a book that reads like an original 19th century Gothic novel. It took quite some time to get used to the writing style and to find into the story, but when I did, the unusual plot gripped me. Hideous Creatures is a novel for fans of 19th century Gothic novels and those who like to read something different once in a while.

3beans

¹ http://www.oldstreetpublishing.co.uk/

Review – The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows & Mary Ann Shaffer

~ Hanna ~ 9 Comments

Hi,

After a short break studying hard for an exam, I’m back with a new review. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows & Mary Ann Shaffer is a book I’ve been hearing many good things about, so I thought I’d give it a go.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Image provided by Random House¹
Synopsis quoted from Random House¹:

“I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

My Thoughts:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is set in London and on Guernsey after World War II. Shaffer and Barrows are able to make you envision the spectacular scenery on Guernsey. Their descriptions of the wind and the sea made me instantly want to go on holiday there.

The novel’s main character is the writer Juliet Ashton, a young woman at the ideal age to settle down and get married. She can’t, however, make up her mind yet. What’s more, she isn’t the devoted wife type who stays at home and cooks and cleans. Juliet has a mind of her own and loves her work. The people living on Guernsey are a lovely mix of different characters. I particularly like Isola, a very kind woman with many future passions lying dormant within her.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is an epistolary novel that reads very fluidly, so please don’t be put off by this unusual writing style. I did need some time to get used to it, but that might also have been due to my massive book hangover after reading We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. While The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’s synopsis suggests a light read, the book has its serious sides concerning the German occupation of Guernsey. What I really like is that the writing is not judging but well-balanced. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will please history aficionados as well as those looking for a down-to-earth love story.

4beans

¹ http://www.randomhouse.com/book/164594/the-guernsey-literary-and-potato-peel-pie-society-by-mary-ann-shaffer-and-annie-barrows

Review – We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

~ Hanna ~ Leave a comment

Hi,

I’m still suffering a massive book hangover after reading Karen Joy Fowler‘s We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves which was shortlisted for the 2014 Man Booker Prize and has won the Pen Faulkner Award and the California Book Award.

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
Image provided by Serpent’s Tail¹
Synopsis quoted from Serpent’s Tail¹:

Rosemary’s young, just at college, and she’s decided not to tell anyone a thing about her family. So we’re not going to tell you too much either: you’ll have to find out for yourselves, round about page 77, what it is that makes her unhappy family unlike any other. Rosemary is now an only child, but she used to have a sister the same age as her, and an older brother. Both are now gone – vanished from her life. There’s something unique about Rosemary’s sister, Fern. And it was this decision, made by her parents, to give Rosemary a sister like no other, that began all of Rosemary’s trouble.

My Thoughts:

Karen Joy Fowler’s novel We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves is set in the contemporary United States, but the book’s focus isn’t on the setting.

Rosie, our main character, is a young woman telling the story of her sister’s disappearance. When Fern vanished, both Rosie and Fern were still small children. Since then, Rosie feels as if half of herself is missing. She is insecure and has a hard time making friends. At college, Rosie meets Harlow, a girl very different from herself. Harlow is outgoing, takes risks, doesn’t think about her actions. Rosie feels drawn to Harlow even though the latter, in my eyes, isn’t a very likeable character. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves lives from characterization and the relationships between characters. Most of the time this works out brilliantly, but Rosie’s & Harlow’s “friendship” just doesn’t work that well for me. I can’t understand why anyone wants to be friends with someone like Harlow.

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves was quite the surprise. I had no idea what it really was about. So if you don’t know either, you are in for a treat. While the story is very unusual, Ms Fowler still manages to embed it into a perfectly normal environment. I am glad that the novel doesn’t get kitschy at any point because I sometimes feared it would. If you’d like to pick up a gripping novel that stays with you for a long time after reading, I’d recommend We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves.

4beans

¹ http://www.serpentstail.com/book-detail/9781846689666