BOOK REVIEW: A Private Place by Amanda Craig

This novel was strange. Well for myself, a liberal feminist, I found it all rather distasteful. However, Craig's cynical view on co-educational boarding schools is well-written as well as well-read. I did see how her personal experiences reflected her approach to the plot which revolves around several characters all involved in some way with Knotshead school. You hear third person perspectives from Hart (the headmaster), Alice (a student who is a 'reject'), Winthrop (a new American student) and Grub (a talented pianist who is a student as well as a bully).  All characters have very interesting though processes but the overall tragedy leaves a somewhat stale taste in your mouth.

 As an avid fantasy, horror and sci-fi reader I am used to death and tragic romances but I was just left feeling very nonplussed by this novel. This could be because of my preferred genre of reading. I don't know if it is because I felt this was an attempt of attack the ideals of liberal education or because I was really not too sure what the message actually was. I was not sure if it was highlighting the realistic events in private schools like that of Knotshead, which it could have been but it was never too clear.

 Like a really bland meal, this novel has left a very stale after-taste. I did not find the strong theme of misogyny, which was created by sexist male students and some females, to be at all interesting to read but rather it angered me. I had to push past it  to actually keep reading.

 Surprisingly I came to like Grub despite that he was a bully in the beginning as he became a three dimensional character. His attraction to Alice was a good way to show he did not have the usual  bully characteristics and had feelings for others except his mates.

 I did like some of the characters and events. My favorite scenes are between Alice and the Librarian which illustrate Alice's intelligence as well as her struggle between her passion for knowledge and the lust she develops for Winthrop. I did like this character at the start of the book because the Feminist in me was yelling ' Way to Go! Don't conform to gender stereotypes!' but when her relationship with Winthrop developed I was beginning to find her annoying as she started to become submissive. And don't get me started on Winthrop!

 Overall I felt this novel was not to my tastes and I would not recommend this to anyone with aversions to submissive characters and outdated social norms. So I would give this book a 3/10.

BOOK REVIEW: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

So this is the second time I've read this novel in 2 years. The first time was when I was volunteering at the Library at my High School. The second time was over the last week - on and off. 

 This is a fantasy novel and I am really not sure what age group its aimed at; I would assume young adult as the main protagonist is a 15 year old boy who was told stories by his Grandfather of the childrens' home where his grandfather had stayed during the WW2 and homed a vast selection of peculiar children (such as the girl on the cover who can levitate), which ,until Jacob's Grandfather's suspicious death, he had believed to be untrue.

 What was really interesting about this novel is the story is interspersed with vintage photographs which either  "show" Rigg's characters or provide evidence for events mentioned in the story. It was actually quite enjoyable to be taken into a fantasy story based in the present day world and have some pictures to study along with the first person narrative. The photographs also add an eeriness to certain aspects of the story especially with the unsmiling portraits of some of the peculiar children.

 I would recommend people go out and buy this as it really is an original novel. I have not come across many books that include photos of this nature and captivate the reader instead of boring them. I also enjoyed the story progression as I felt it is not unbearably slow or confusingly fast but just right. 

 However I felt the events leading up to the ending went a bit too fast; by that I mean that the climax and conclusion were very close together yet I don't think it destroys the overall feeling of the book. So in my opinion I would give it a 8/10 as it is original in its format but I did not feel like I want to keep reading it over and over again unlike other books such as previous recommendations.

 Anyways more reviews (both film and book) should be up soon: probably A Private Place by Amanda Craig.

Summer reading!

 So as to do more reviews, I have to read more books and now that exams are finally over, it means I can get started. The books that I have purchased so far to review are:
 A private place by Amanda Craig
 Emotions revealed by Paul Ekman
 How the Dead live by Will Self
 Red - The Waterstones Anthology
 Dodger by Terry Pratchett
 Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

So expect some reviews very soon, as I have just started the novel by Riggs. So watch this space!

TV SERIES REVIEW: Hannibal

A lot of people I know have thought many negatives things about this show. For example, through its grotesque imagery and morbid murders its is glorifying murder, or its gore for the sake of gore. Etc. 

 But if I'm honest, I don't think its anything like that at all.

 Hannibal is based on the story by Thomas Harris about a cannibal called Hannibal Lecter (I know it rhymes!); it is based on the novel Red Dragon and centers around the development of the relationship between Hannibal and FBI special investigator Will Graham. If you want a synopsis,  google it.

 First thing I got to say is there is chilling and disturbing imagery, this show may very well make you uncomfortable and you may even start to empathize with a cannibal. All of this is true, I can't deny that but those are the things that make the show watchable. I want to know what happens, despite the cannibalism and dark imagery. The stunning special effects and the performances by the actors really having you believing this new twisted reality. 

 The most fascinating part is being able to see into Will Graham's mind. He is someone who can empathize with killers and picture their murder in gruesome detail - which is rather fantastic to watch as he struggles with emotions towards killing that he has never had before. His hallucinations are weird and wonderful, you will find them haunting to watch.

 Also Hannibal isn't the bad guy. You know he should be but he isn't. Everything you have been taught about life would lead you to believe that Hannibal is truly the villain due to his cannibalism but he's not the big serial killer you expect when you start watching. He's kind, compassionate and has some morals - no wonder people feel uncomfortable as the show humanizes the killers who we have been dehumanizing for centuries. Yet Hannibal isn't a good guy; in the first episode he warns another cannibal, the FBI are hunting, that they know and are coming for him. So he's not the villain but he isn't the good guy.

 The series shows that although what they are doing is wrong, they are just people and this is what some people are capable of. It doesn't glorify murder because Will Graham quite clearly goes after the killers but it doesn't make it the usual bad cop - good cop scenario; its a big grey area which is nice to see for a change as the killers seem to actually be smart.

 However this is just my opinion which is an opinion molded by horror books and psychology literature on psychopathy; maybe I'm more open to this idea than others may be. But I do agree that sometimes the line between safe TV and dangerous TV is blurred because there are times that it romanticizes certain aspects of Will Graham's struggle with his ability. Yet who knows, give Hannibal a shot with an open mind. You might enjoy the discomfort.

The Catcher in the Rye: Overrated?

I almost feel like I’ve missed something.  As if my copy of The Catcher in the Rye had a large section missing – a section where something relevant might have actually happened.  Otherwise I was left feeling a little bemused upon finishing the novel because I struggled to understand how a seemingly random depiction of a teenager’s life constituted one of the great novels of the twentieth century.  The novel, by J.D. Salinger, presents very little more than ramblings of the unhinged yet precocious Holden Caulfield as he wanders New York having just been kicked out of another school.  After reading the book (and ascertaining my copy was in fact in its entirety) I want to discover why this novel has become one of the “classics” and is still eulogised today.

     On the surface, there is very little that could merit the novel the renowned status it has.  The narrative is disjointed and structured around an amalgamation of Holden’s past memories and current thoughts and feelings all covering a three day period.  The style is convincing: told from the point of view of a teenager and this translates well with a colloquial and informal tinge to the writing - albeit the slang comes across a little dated in 2013.  But half-way through Holden’s hipster-style life story the reader begins to wonder where the novel is taking us. Ok Holden, so you’re miserable and you’ve had a hard time – but why do I need to know arbitrary things about your life?  The problem for the reader is that we never find out why Salinger wrote the story of Holden Caulfield.  We’re left waiting for the climax that never happens or the explanation that never comes.

     Perhaps if you’re a fan of The catcher in the Rye (and there are many) then you’ll probably rebuttal with the importance of the novel’s subtext: what it tries to say rather than how it actually says it.  Appraisal for the novel might suggest the ideas (or “theme”) behind the narrative is what makes it a triumph.  I found the message ambiguous, but ultimately I would argue that it’s the isolation and disillusionment of the pre-adult phase.  This is not a book for adults; and it is certainly not a children’s book.  It’s for the adolescents wavering between youth and the undesirable heights of adulthood.  It’s the long road from innocence to cynicism. 

     The success of the novel is arguably undeserved, but it’s not difficult to see where it comes from.  The Catcher in the Rye does achieve something unique: universal reliability.  Regardless of your background this is a novel that you can empathise with – especially if you read it as a young person.  We’re not all American, white, middle class; but everyone’s been Holden Caulfield at some point.  Growing up, maturing, finding a mould to fit into - we can all feel lost and irresolute.  Where everything seems vain and we’re left scrutinising the horizon but beheld only to a bleak, frightening outlook.  As Holden repeatedly points out: everything is “lousy”, and everyone is “phoney”.      

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

Terry Prachett is one of the great authors of our time, some may debate with me, and his discworld works are complex as well as interesting and involve realistic characters. Monstrous Regiment centers around Polly Perks who has cut her hair and named herself 'Oliver Perks' so she can join the Ins and Outs of the Borogravian army, which she joins to go in search of her brother who has also enlisted. This novel is set in the Discworld and it was the first I had read by Prachett where I didn't feel I had to know too much about the rest of the Discworld to understand the plot line. 

  I had written about this book for my submission for the course I am currently on as I had to write a review of a book that has inspired you to write. This novel is one of many that have encouraged my interest in writing.

 Polly is one of the main reasons I enjoyed this book, as I had not come across a female protagonist who would cut off her hair and defy some female conventions in order to go save her older brother. When Polly cut off her hair I was genuinely in awe because when I was reading this the first time I was only around 13 years old. Not many female characters are ready to rid themselves of one stereotypical feature of their femininity. 

 Apart from fantastic Polly, the other characters are also interesting. The vampire in the story line, Maladict, is also very interesting as he is a vampire who has sworn himself off blood and now prefers coffee instead. Sergeant Jackrum who is legendary and has been everywhere; now he is in charge of the newest recruits. 
 This novel contains the usual Prachett humor and is excellently written.

 I would recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read Terry Prachett before, and  I can still say that I like to re-read it every so often. So 9/10.

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: I'm not a serial killer by Dan Wells

This is one of those novels I can re-read without much bother; it's just that good. I thought I would write a small review of it for today.

 The story follows 15-year-old John Wayne Cleaver, a diagnosed sociopath who lives in an apartment above a morgue which is owned by his mother. He lives by a set of rules designed to keep his murder-orientated qualities under control so he doesn't kill anyone. This is going well for him until a serial killer arrives in his quiet town and he becomes obsessed with him/her. When trying to find out who the murderer is, John stumbles across something that may mean that the serial killer is more of a monster.

 When I am writing anything with a slight horror edge, I can often cite this novel as an inspiration.It is gripping and tackles utterly gory content in an objective way. All this could be down to the first person narrative by sociopath John; he is a rather fantastic protagonist. John has a particularly strange relationship with his 'friend' and you can imagine all of the characters clearly. I loved that John was a sociopath which may come as a surprise; he has a very unusual view of the world which is something that is refreshing to read.

 Due to John's emotional indifference on certain subjects, such as death, it caused any scenes with a strong emotional atmosphere to feel unusual but also left you glad to see John showing some emotion. I liked this character also due to his human vulnerability as a lot of novels that involve a conflicted protagonist tend to point towards making the character non-human (especially in horror/ sci fi) i.e. vampires, werewolves and demons. I can also admire his determination to find the killer as well as to stick to his rules. He does sometimes stray from the path but I have to say no one has a brilliant mistake-free life.

 Overall I would recommend this novel and I give it a 10/10 as it has really helped me with my writing and has shown me an unusual protagonist whom I love to read about. This is the first of the trilogy, with Mr Monster and I don't want to kill you being the next two in the trilogy.