tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36944274069342604192024-03-10T02:46:14.539+00:00Park Benches & BookendsJessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08861424110678889637noreply@blogger.comBlogger326125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-18268202556880795762013-04-22T21:34:00.001+01:002013-04-22T21:34:36.612+01:00When the Dragons Came<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FwEysI7eiuE/UXWee9WVFeI/AAAAAAAABDk/0E-OZyUGjzg/s1600/wpid-cvr9781847383037_9781847383037_lg.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FwEysI7eiuE/UXWee9WVFeI/AAAAAAAABDk/0E-OZyUGjzg/s320/wpid-cvr9781847383037_9781847383037_lg.jpg" /></a><br />
My son will be starting school this year, one thing I don’t have to worry about will be his reading. He is absolutely obsessed with books.<br />
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One of his favourite books is ‘When the Dragons Came’ it is also one of my favourites to read to him. When a family of dragons arrives in the sleepy town of Poppledown not everyone is happy about it but before long the scaly visitors prove that even dragons can be kind and helpful.<br />
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The book is colourful, imaginative and fun. It is short, easy to follow and full of brilliant artwork that really grabs the imagination. Any young child will love this book.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tbREWFZnGcA/UXWewG-0NiI/AAAAAAAABDs/yho5W7PATJI/s1600/wIMAG1142.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tbREWFZnGcA/UXWewG-0NiI/AAAAAAAABDs/yho5W7PATJI/s320/wIMAG1142.jpg" /></a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-18360154055306452422013-04-17T06:04:00.000+01:002013-04-17T06:09:04.787+01:00My Kindle<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ga4gA_kRJ2s/UW4sdA_ixEI/AAAAAAAABDU/3iMncNawcNg/s1600/Kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ga4gA_kRJ2s/UW4sdA_ixEI/AAAAAAAABDU/3iMncNawcNg/s320/Kindle.jpg" /></a><br />
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Well, I finally did it, I bought a Kindle. I shouldn’t really see this as ‘news’ considering Jessica has had one for years now but in my longstanding tradition of being slow on the uptake I’ve only just joined the club. And what a glorious club it is.<br />
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This is one of those times when I genuinely ask myself ‘why didn’t I get one of these years ago?’ Compact, lightweight, easy to use, cheap (for what you get) and thousands of books to download in the blink of an eye the Kindle is ideal for casual readers and bibliophiles alike. <br />
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Jessica, reading over my shoulder, just scoffed and said this article sounds like an advert. Since Amazon isn’t paying me to review it I will try to be as objective as possible.<br />
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Kindle is a handheld device about the size and weight of a thin paperback. Using the internet you can search for and purchase books which download directly onto your kindle handset. It even allows you to download a ‘sample’ of the book for free to see how you get on with it before committing to buy the whole thing. It is undoubtedly convenient. Not only is it able to download whole books very quickly but it also duplicates said book into your Amazon account so, even if you drop your kindle into a puddle and ruin it, you won’t lose your books.<br />
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My favourite feature is that you can ‘highlight’ passages you like and revisit them with ease. You can also make notes. There is a dictionary available which you can use anytime whilst reading just by highlighting a word. Kindle books in the ‘public domain’ are completely free to download. For newer books there is a charge, usually less than a paperback. <br />
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Despite all these ‘pluses’ the Kindle is not perfect. The basic model doesn’t have the touch screen feature meaning you have to navigate, type and select using buttons which can be slow and frustrating at times. Another minor criticism is the screen for the basic model is only black and white. This isn’t a major problem for just reading novels but if you are a fan of comic books (sorry, ahem, graphic novels) the illustrations will not have colour. Sadly Amazon can only convert books electronically with permission so if, for whatever reason, an author or publisher doesn’t want their book to be available on the Kindle they can prevent it. For this reason one of my favourite books, To Kill a Mockingbird’ is not currently available. I have no doubt this will change in time.<br />
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Overall I think it’s a great bit of kit, particularly if, like me, you live in a small maisonette with limited room for bookshelves. Now all I need to do is get over the guilt of finally giving up on paper… <br />
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ChrisAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-38445881304395813502013-04-16T14:53:00.001+01:002013-04-16T14:53:32.010+01:00We're back!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-51pCOZiX_Co/UW1XwvT7O7I/AAAAAAAABCo/cBJfZSm1nfc/s1600/medialibrary.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-51pCOZiX_Co/UW1XwvT7O7I/AAAAAAAABCo/cBJfZSm1nfc/s320/medialibrary.jpg" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The last time we made a blog post here it was July 2012,
during the biggest sporting event in British history; the London 2012
Olympics. Both Jessica and myself were directly involved in the Olympics and
postponed blogging until it was all over and done with. When the Olympics
finished one thing followed after another and the blog was temporarily
forgotten.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">However, now we are back! We’ll be blogging here in the same
format as before, trying our best to be as eclectic as possible. We’ve read a
lot of books since July 2012 and we look forward to telling you all about them!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris & Jessica<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-79212089276028636832012-07-27T16:09:00.001+01:002012-07-27T16:09:47.492+01:00Olympic torch and the next couple of weeks<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In a few hours </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">70 sheep, 12 horses, 10 chickens and
nine geese will participate in </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the London 2012 opening ceremony <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and two weeks of madness will begin. My
husband’s day job is in the emergency services so whether we like it or not, plus
given our close proximity to the action means we are affected by the Olympics.
Chris has been given something ridiculous like three days off over the period
which is why this blog has been rather neglected of late. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">But it’s not all bad; his job means that for a few of the
events he gets the best views of some of the events. </span><br />
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For those of you who don’t know, over the past year the
Olympic venues have been put through their paces by holding a large number of
‘test events’ in order to test the venues themselves and to spot any potential
problems that can be fixed in time for the Olympics. My area Surrey is hosting
the men and female road cycling events and during the test event a number of
small problems arose including a lack of friendly face for the many visitors.
The policeman and the Stewarts on the day were bombarded with questions ranging
from ‘where’s the best place to stand’ to ‘what time are they coming through
this area’ and while the policeman and stewards were very good, the policeman
do have a job to do and the stewards were not from the local area and could
therefore their help was limited. Given that way more people will be descending
on the area during the Olympics the role of the ‘Surrey Ambassadors’ was
created.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So I’ll be there I a few days, giving out information
leaflets, answering questions (there are a large number of Ambassadors that
speak a foreign language) and basically giving visitors the impression that we
are all very nice really. Unfortunately although the uniform is certainly distinctive,
it does resemble a jockey’s jumper somewhat but hey at least we get to keep it.
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The torch was a practice event for the ambassador system
which it was a success and great fun. It’s amazing how many people turned up
and how busy it was. Even Chris who was working is beginning to get into the spirit
slowly but surely.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Normal service will be resolved in a couple of weeks but in
the meantime I may blather more about the Olympics as I do have tickets.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</span><br />Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08861424110678889637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-37659911470534936582012-06-12T21:01:00.004+01:002012-06-12T21:01:58.555+01:00Reading update<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ok so in many ways this blog is a little neglected at the
moment! I am still of course reading and below are a round-up of my current
books on the go……..</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_HgiCY2pUtFU-xc9zOiJRAPy7T6HOoCFj0YlGJpt4nlmQ-u9AzayzZZSL2gx4y0JfjNmE2kqJNNaXhhBN9JWXt0ww6fCv-f2uzSfCOphuzyVL5TtKaQmZjk2ntxvDG5DImak6FWO9_l-/s1600/clarissaEIA-MW_jpg_627x325_crop_upscale_q85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_HgiCY2pUtFU-xc9zOiJRAPy7T6HOoCFj0YlGJpt4nlmQ-u9AzayzZZSL2gx4y0JfjNmE2kqJNNaXhhBN9JWXt0ww6fCv-f2uzSfCOphuzyVL5TtKaQmZjk2ntxvDG5DImak6FWO9_l-/s320/clarissaEIA-MW_jpg_627x325_crop_upscale_q85.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Clarissa by Samuel Richardson (not the above Clarissa exactly but I couldn't resist)<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Oh man this is a long one. I’m about half way through now
and sometimes it’s easy to read, sometimes it a struggle, it goes from being a
page turner with lots of things happening to suddenly nothing happening while
being very repetitive. I will finish it however but I’ll be glad when it’s
done.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Les Miserables by Victor Hugo<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All you none kindle owners can now feel a little smug now if
you like as I lost my kindle charger and had to order a new one. In the
meantime of course I couldn’t carry on with this novel until I received said
charger and I admit I did often say to myself ‘this would never with to a real
book’. But anyway this is a fine book and one I’m very much enjoying.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Dracula by Bram Stoker<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I needed to start one while I was waiting for my kindle
charge to come through and since I recently rewatched the film I picked this
up. I last read it when I was 18 and I appreciate it so much more now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6o2rzs0uLcqDLV2TNA7CqulLmzxvkT7Qu7CywJOmM4dSRhHILhkEYj5GDeQ4zRX8rVV3a1qMpVl2CNU9eUBjEkBprsUEsJnBfsLY7iIDhY0jaIPDekUgHRUPUernS5ROw39o5Phh4OyqJ/s1600/047965-FC222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6o2rzs0uLcqDLV2TNA7CqulLmzxvkT7Qu7CywJOmM4dSRhHILhkEYj5GDeQ4zRX8rVV3a1qMpVl2CNU9eUBjEkBprsUEsJnBfsLY7iIDhY0jaIPDekUgHRUPUernS5ROw39o5Phh4OyqJ/s320/047965-FC222.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Bringing up the bodies by Hilary Mantel<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is now just embarrassing but I needed a ‘bath book’ and
Clarissa is too big, kindles and water do not mix and my copy of Dracula is too
nice. I loved Wolf Hall and I love this one also.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkKR7zccd8xzTOMjs63GqJ0_3BozGRez4iEf5PgZ1GQlINUpPLMPDxJ7bGIqSWtdwDOj92Jfak0qA6aMrM9Mn3qyw2bfGLonrLui0MLo9oj4pIcsw-CLxBskdOGNrpoom40tzLsX-UStw/s1600/9781853753640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkKR7zccd8xzTOMjs63GqJ0_3BozGRez4iEf5PgZ1GQlINUpPLMPDxJ7bGIqSWtdwDOj92Jfak0qA6aMrM9Mn3qyw2bfGLonrLui0MLo9oj4pIcsw-CLxBskdOGNrpoom40tzLsX-UStw/s320/9781853753640.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>The Diary of a nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This was my recent holiday read which I read very quickly. A
real gem of a book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ok so that’s my reading at the moment. It’s all far too
heavy going but there you go, I might be done by January!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Posted by Jess<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08861424110678889637noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-90734154460371770432012-05-29T09:14:00.004+01:002012-05-29T10:25:37.371+01:00Back from holiday and Triple Tuesday<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today I am featured on Kim’s blog Reading Matters as part
of her <a href="http://kimbofo.typepad.com/readingmatters/">Triple Tuesday feature</a>! So pop over there if you would like to see what I have choosen.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have just got back from Edinburgh where we supported my
brother who completed his first ever Marathon in extreme heat. More to follow
and we hope everyone is having a great day.<o:p></o:p></span>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08861424110678889637noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-35917312264397433992012-05-21T08:35:00.000+01:002012-05-21T08:37:12.318+01:00Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation by George Washington<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwbfijRVDriv9be_Q7pQSiBuOUamPTvlcl1hwZLIjOqoSQnUk5sfdUuFA4gOu7Bnj4Se2owf3jRKriUCb8XqGBBhFj1M97Fsq9e2ICE5FXcyisL3uzywjp11BcQMJ6Vp7oddwT2BhafNE/s1600/6466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwbfijRVDriv9be_Q7pQSiBuOUamPTvlcl1hwZLIjOqoSQnUk5sfdUuFA4gOu7Bnj4Se2owf3jRKriUCb8XqGBBhFj1M97Fsq9e2ICE5FXcyisL3uzywjp11BcQMJ6Vp7oddwT2BhafNE/s320/6466.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>
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A Charming little book reportedly written by George Washington, (yes, that George Washington) when he was just
14 years old.<br />
<br />
The book is laid out as a list of 110 rules for decent
behaviour in polite society. This may sound a bit dull but each rule
is very short and easy to digest and most of them are perfectly relevant, even today. For example;
56: "Associate yourself with men of good quality, if you esteem your own
reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company" and 89; "Speak not
evil of the absent, for it is unjust"<br />
Of course some of the rules aren't
useful anymore, and some are just beyond my understanding, such as 55: "Eat not in the streets nor in the house out of
season". Some of them are quite funny such as Rule 7 "Put not off your clothes
in the presence of others, nor go out your chamber half dressed"<br />
<br />
My
personal favourite is 44: "When a man does all he can though it succeeds not
well blame not him that did it"<br />
<br />
It's a shame that we don't all carry around a little copy and adopt its ideas, i'm certain modern society would benefit from a few old fashioned rules of behaviour.<br />
<br />
Well worth a read<br />
<br />
Overall rating 4/5<br />
<br />
ChrisJessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08861424110678889637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-61263538093564246642012-05-15T21:41:00.003+01:002012-05-15T21:41:23.859+01:00The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpSxa1fvKBuOR73KfjZuJLTOFPWu7h2WMYZn-sgtaD0uFWZ0QN7N0AUfCd9_30RK8d2qkPXiySItyZVsHJvcWfsgJQ_DjPvyf0Q05OGRTAjw8nGqO35HF-voHPjsq5z8KXDijcEq-ZA9l5/s1600/77158-004-F630FFF6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpSxa1fvKBuOR73KfjZuJLTOFPWu7h2WMYZn-sgtaD0uFWZ0QN7N0AUfCd9_30RK8d2qkPXiySItyZVsHJvcWfsgJQ_DjPvyf0Q05OGRTAjw8nGqO35HF-voHPjsq5z8KXDijcEq-ZA9l5/s320/77158-004-F630FFF6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I cannot think of this book without thinking of Dame Maggie
Smith’s Oscar winning performance of the main character Miss Brodie. Throughout
the book I had her voice exclaiming ‘I am in my prime’ ringing in my head in
that accent of hers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But back to the book. On the face of it this book has quite
a funny plotline. Miss Jean Brodie is a teacher in a posh school in Edinburgh
who is in ‘her prime’, she decides to use her prime and influence on</span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> a
group of girls she takes under her wing to make them into the ‘crème de la
crème’. Her rather bonkers teaching methods are detailed in the book and most
of her lessons seem to involve her holiday snaps and detailing her past and
present love life while someone looks out for the headmistress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s all quite amusing up to a point and throughout the
book there are some really funny lines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.great-quotes.com/quote/1615506"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">"<b>Jean
Brodie</b>: “Dear Miss Brodie, I hope it will be convenient for you to see me
in my office this afternoon at 4:15. Emily Mackay”. Four fifteen. Not four, not
four thirty, but four fifteen. Hm. She thinks to intimidate me by the use of
quarter hours? <br />
</span></span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But everything is not quite right with Miss Brodie and it
soon transpires that having influence over young girls is one thing but what if
the person with that influence was a fascist who also had some rather strange
ideas when it came to the paths she has chosen for her girls?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Spark herself is the all knowing narrator throughout and the
narrative will quite often jump forwards in time (sometimes mid-sentence) by
about twenty years so that even when the narrative is in the present the reader
knows what exactly what will happen to Miss Brodie and what became of the
girls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I can see why this is Muriel Spark’s most famous novel and
while the story-line is a cracking one, it’s the humour and Spark’s use of
narration that ensures I’ll read more from this author.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Recommended<o:p></o:p></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08861424110678889637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-842225279258849162012-05-06T14:43:00.003+01:002012-05-06T14:43:24.629+01:00The Pearl by John Steinbeck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyO4FRvVekjD7pv1ECygo3Kssbik2qLw598utkolmomLiQGoSXpCUO0yQZTveyaD1X0aWQFH62UG02bsnYQvs7wiPyFTZzTIZc5Dyb044sxlJ-3SteX7pZF6Fn8Wfg5N1QjtqrKWa-O-dC/s1600/the+pearl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyO4FRvVekjD7pv1ECygo3Kssbik2qLw598utkolmomLiQGoSXpCUO0yQZTveyaD1X0aWQFH62UG02bsnYQvs7wiPyFTZzTIZc5Dyb044sxlJ-3SteX7pZF6Fn8Wfg5N1QjtqrKWa-O-dC/s320/the+pearl.jpg" width="189" /></a></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Pearl is a retelling of an old folktale which has a
strong message about the corruption and evil that springs from wealth and
power.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kino is a poor fisherman with a young family who finds an
enormous pearl. He dreams of the many ways he can spend his newfound wealth.
Soon his community’s curiosity and good will turn to envy and spite. They try
to cheat Kino and when that doesn’t work they resort to violence in an attempt
to take the pearl for themselves. Kino is forced to flee the town with trackers
hot on his trail.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is a strong morality theme throughout the entire book,
Steinbeck never lets the reader forget that despite the outward promise of
riches and happiness the pearl only brings misery and pain. The futility of
chasing money is spelled out clearly here. The metaphors are as subtle as a
slap in the face with a brick but the message is poignant and ageless. It isn’t
telling us anything new but at the same time a reminder doesn’t hurt.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is a far cry from some of Steinbeck’s more popular works
and certainly not one of his best but it was an entertaining novella and worth
a read as a Steinbeck fan.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Overall rating 3.5/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
ChrisJessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08861424110678889637noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-40060207504196108262012-04-28T20:31:00.000+01:002012-04-28T20:31:06.087+01:00The Girls of Slender Means by Murial Spark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQL6Vuqqx6vH7a-NsJI_ese4X7JFJkqUVvA8CkPT_S7XTgBFK5qlDN6-askobgMqY8jAuVEFez4kq1Bu4Y-Er6t_WlQrNj4NtA8vQyAQLQAQ2QanN0m6HKkU7OrR2TBdBeJ0fCd_LZg70/s1600/011987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJQL6Vuqqx6vH7a-NsJI_ese4X7JFJkqUVvA8CkPT_S7XTgBFK5qlDN6-askobgMqY8jAuVEFez4kq1Bu4Y-Er6t_WlQrNj4NtA8vQyAQLQAQ2QanN0m6HKkU7OrR2TBdBeJ0fCd_LZg70/s320/011987.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Towards the end of Murial Spark week which has been
organised by bloggers <a href="http://stuck-in-a-book.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/muriel-spark-reading-week-is-here.html">Stuckinabook</a>, <a href="http://myporchblog.blogspot.co.uk/">My Porch</a> and <a href="http://harrietdevine.typepad.com/">Harriet</a>. All three have been
busy bees as my googlereader has been littered with various Murial spark images
for a week now which have been constantly reminding me to get a review up here.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The girls of Slender Means is my second Spark novel and I
randomly choose based on its cover mainly while browsing Amazon a couple of weeks ago. The novel is set
in a female hostel in London during WWII and describes several young girls war
time experience in typical Spark fashion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The narrative will at times suddenly
jump forward in time for a paragraph or two before returning to the present, there
is a great deal of wit throughout along with a sense of amusement. The girls seem more interested in their boyfriends and
having fun than the War around them but this isn’t the first novel I’ve read
which has described a London wartime experience in this fashion and it's an
interesting viewpoint to read about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
The
</span>actual hostel itself was better described in its routine and appearance than the
characters themselves but given the novels length and the sheer number
of girls this is perhaps deliberate.</div>
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I gave a quick perusal at other reviews and many seem to
agree that this isn’t Sparks best, a fact that I cannot comment on as I simply haven’t
read enough of her work. However I like her quirky narrative, randomness and
humour and its these elements which I have enjoyed in the
two novels I have read.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Posted by Jess</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD694D7dBaC2PX5QSg4Ub19p6XgZ1819N_26XUWE7ZRHgXtHvLj8uR0ctheX9mz0Egzu2_wOUho9SWH0JnJA3CPSmuMLzdn51mxvVLOCiXaduUbjx1wk5foiOONL0OEThd8QmKni7NLodD/s1600/MSRW+badge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD694D7dBaC2PX5QSg4Ub19p6XgZ1819N_26XUWE7ZRHgXtHvLj8uR0ctheX9mz0Egzu2_wOUho9SWH0JnJA3CPSmuMLzdn51mxvVLOCiXaduUbjx1wk5foiOONL0OEThd8QmKni7NLodD/s320/MSRW+badge.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08861424110678889637noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-29312245984257690762012-04-17T20:48:00.002+01:002012-04-17T20:48:44.735+01:00In where I attempt to catch up on everything<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am way way behind on reviews at the moment, life seems to
be ticking along quite nicely so perhaps I’m just being lazy but I have also
been up to all sorts. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Instead of writing any sort of review I thought I would
inject some personality into this blog and talk about what we’ve been up to
over the past couple of months. Believe it or not we do have other interests
and we don’t just spend all our time just sitting around reading (although that
does sound like bliss) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Alas however I have just realised how bad I am at taking pictures,
I mean I take my camera everywhere but I don’t seem to take pictures of
anything. We went into London a couple of weeks ago and visited the British
Library and the Charles Dickens House before it closed for refurbishment. I
took one photo the entire day and it was a picture of this Umbrella and walking
stick shop. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09b3sLleaWHgsdcKRU6apGX3_3AEd94kPLpfauVj2CwfQa2-ncLGtf-kNg93SejdpYYYn5C4FNlSQb9sUNWJUy6oZneIMfPZD6iltzhlErg_3m_8wEn1t541ZoJ0K45jT7NZmCHMln9B1/s1600/umbrella+shop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09b3sLleaWHgsdcKRU6apGX3_3AEd94kPLpfauVj2CwfQa2-ncLGtf-kNg93SejdpYYYn5C4FNlSQb9sUNWJUy6oZneIMfPZD6iltzhlErg_3m_8wEn1t541ZoJ0K45jT7NZmCHMln9B1/s200/umbrella+shop.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Admittedly it does look like somewhere a Charles Dickens character would shop but still.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then my sister came down <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from Bristol to visit the family and we took
her to Hampton Court. Hampton Court is somewhere we go quite often as our son
loves it, the staff are friendly and they have really good facilities for
children. Cue lots of photos of my son dressed in a tunic and jester hat but
none of the building or beautiful grounds itself.</span><br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DomhMVdXIYcgI-i5r2V9U7MSgjiwVHTdqCUBpN_ckJdz0LtV1DkB7pIynhZI99ryCF0ki1hVS7MxMB3x5lv5vTmUNqragUW5b_jhnIUr0fLzpbpC2U2Hp_AL86pFwhffPXmLvyMzqYx5/s1600/tn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DomhMVdXIYcgI-i5r2V9U7MSgjiwVHTdqCUBpN_ckJdz0LtV1DkB7pIynhZI99ryCF0ki1hVS7MxMB3x5lv5vTmUNqragUW5b_jhnIUr0fLzpbpC2U2Hp_AL86pFwhffPXmLvyMzqYx5/s200/tn.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But we did before all that go to Wales which was a holiday
funded entirely by our sold ebay items. We decided we wanted a small holiday in
the UK but we had but money due to various expenses so we decluttered and sold
everything on ebay to see how much we could get. Over fifty posted items later
(which included empty perfume bottles and an empty phone box (!) we were off to
Wales. I hadn’t been to Wales since I was a kid and Chris has never been unless
you count a brief visit to Hay-on-Wye. I did take a fair number of pictures and
we loved the place. It was less rural that the parts of Wales I visited as a
kid but we were really impressed with how they developed Cardiff. There was
loads of stuff to do for both adults and children so we will most definitely be
going back.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
Thats a statue of Dylan Thomas in case you were wondering<br />
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In other news I will be a ‘Surrey ambassador’ for the Olympics.
We are not in London but the road cycling will be taking place just down the
road from us and the torch will also be passing through our town. I’m not 100%
sure what a Surrey ambassador actually has to do but I do have to attend a
training day in a couple of months so I guess everything will become clear
then. Whatever I have to do though I am sure it involves wearing a bright yellow
jacket.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next month we will be heading up to Edinburgh for the
running festival they are organising. We will be mostly supporting my brother
who will be completing his first Marathon but I am also taking part in the 10k.
I have done zero training for this so I really REALLY need to kick myself in
the butt so training will take up a fair amount of my time before then.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So there we go, tomorrow I’ll pop up a quick post on my
reading at the moment and reply to comments (sorry I have been really bad
there)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p>Posted by Jess</o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08861424110678889637noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-85237949503058986902012-04-02T20:38:00.004+01:002012-04-02T20:38:36.919+01:00Bel Canto by Ann Patchett<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjwL_3mJzONtbinQmx0WGP-va5fbWvWQRinMt-jsFYU0wbbD-2PG-lKYNG7SjZiZ_a_Bnu_FYwtixFG1TyyjNjKRvgR3VCl0Iu8mSW1AbTMy6VHauVRg0VJ-yBbzqpVTyMr-yGwnw18gM/s1600/belcanto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjwL_3mJzONtbinQmx0WGP-va5fbWvWQRinMt-jsFYU0wbbD-2PG-lKYNG7SjZiZ_a_Bnu_FYwtixFG1TyyjNjKRvgR3VCl0Iu8mSW1AbTMy6VHauVRg0VJ-yBbzqpVTyMr-yGwnw18gM/s320/belcanto.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">In an unnamed South American country, a
world-renowned soprano sings at a birthday party in honour of a visiting
Japanese businessman. In the opening sequence a group of 18 terrorists enters
the vice-presidential mansion, they are after the president who has stayed home
to watch a favourite soap opera and thus things go awry. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The hostages are made up of an assortment of
Russian, Italian and French diplomats as well as the Opera singer and the
Japanese business man and as the days stretch into months a couple of
surprising love stories blossom within the house.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Bel Canto has quite an unrealistic, far-fetched
plot but Pratchet does somehow make it work, the unnatural and pressured
situation the characters find themselves in does make their decisions and their
love stories believable. The story shifts constantly from the hostages to the
terrorists and after a while the line between them becomes more and more
blurred. What is happening outside the house is not mentioned and their only
contact with the outside world is a great character in the more and more wary
and exhausted red cross man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">The novel is very well written and is told in an
elegant, unhurried and easy manor. Reviewers do quibble about the ending but I
was ready to accept whatever ending the author was prepared to give me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Overall I didn’t love Bel Canto but I did enjoy
reading it and I cared what happened to the main characters (on both sides) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Posted by Jess<o:p></o:p></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08861424110678889637noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-50528735383926809532012-03-28T20:38:00.001+01:002012-03-28T20:38:21.811+01:00Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFId3L0G3pOcKUL3-liBGngKPlPcnzc9E7PlA9GNbmfuumVQnVaUHZBHdA_GIsBjHqereMe37xlQEP3LEaFBsyWh0VbFuhBJyz1u4rDenwjZ2olQIfnEY2XEdfM6zjFCTeo2yky0aj5iS/s1600/let-the-great-world-spin-book-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFId3L0G3pOcKUL3-liBGngKPlPcnzc9E7PlA9GNbmfuumVQnVaUHZBHdA_GIsBjHqereMe37xlQEP3LEaFBsyWh0VbFuhBJyz1u4rDenwjZ2olQIfnEY2XEdfM6zjFCTeo2yky0aj5iS/s320/let-the-great-world-spin-book-cover.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">In New York August 1974, a man is tightrope walking
between the newly built Twin Towers. At the same time the lives of strangers are
going on below and include a radical Irish monk working in the Bronx, a Upper
East Side housewife reeling from the death of her son, a drug-addled young
artist and a prostitute who is trapped in her situation. The novel uses the
chapters to focus on each character as each of their lives ‘spin’ towards each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Let the Great World Spin is a great read, the author
manages to tie up all the various threads in each of the storylines without
making the novel seem forced or contrived. The characters all carried their own
burdens and the life’s of the rich, poor and tragic are well drawn without
being sentimental. The author does not try to deliberately pull on the readers
heart-strings or push some kind of agenda (which given the characters and
setting would be very easy to do) but instead lets the lives’ and the stories
play out and the characters fall where they fall.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Overall while it’s not a novel that I would read again,
it was very enjoyable and I would read more of this authors work.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Verdict 4/5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Posted by Jess</span><o:p></o:p></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08861424110678889637noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-77010131277835265372012-03-22T20:03:00.001+00:002012-03-22T20:03:11.722+00:00The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aBhFZoAGcPk/T2uFOxijduI/AAAAAAAABAw/JZT-eJLHXRc/s1600/104022-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aBhFZoAGcPk/T2uFOxijduI/AAAAAAAABAw/JZT-eJLHXRc/s320/104022-L.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not all of </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Tolstoy's works were the size of War &
Peace as this rather short novella demonstrates. The Kreutzer Sonata begins
with a man on a train (because most Russian novels have to involve a train ride
at some point) telling the story of his marriage to a rather shocked passenger.
The whole affair turns out to be a melodramatic, dark little tale about a
couple that can't live with each other but then can’t seem to live without each
other either. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Jealousy and lust dominate the bitter marriage of the
protagonist and of course it’s not going to end well at all. The story takes
the couple down a more and more tragic route before leading to the eventual
violence which is described in quite a vivid way. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Tolstoy manages to stick in his views on marriage in
general (bitter much!) which now seem outdated from a modern perspective (only
men have sex drives apparently) Unfortunately I fear that Tolstoy wanted the
reader to come away from this having learned some kind of lesson and if this is
the case then the reader should promptly ignore it, but if you like your
fiction tragic and dark there is still a lot to be gained by reading this.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Posted by Jess</span><o:p></o:p><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-69600214784373055812012-03-18T08:52:00.002+00:002012-03-18T08:52:30.411+00:00My Antonia by Willa Cather<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NrtRY7DfkNs/T2WiGcCuyBI/AAAAAAAABAo/C8nxDwwJDKU/s1600/41L6bf3byrL__SS500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NrtRY7DfkNs/T2WiGcCuyBI/AAAAAAAABAo/C8nxDwwJDKU/s320/41L6bf3byrL__SS500_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’d seen My Antonia featured on several lists of ‘best
American fiction’ so decided to give it a read. It was my first Willa Cather
book and I picked it up knowing little about it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My Antonia is difficult to define. Some might say it’s a
book about growing up, about love, romance or maybe relationships. Personally I
see it as all four tied together in the barren setting of 19<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
century provincial Nebraska. The story focusses on the lives of the people who
live in or near the small prairie town of Black Hawk, in particular the
narrator, Jim Burden. The Antonia of the title is Antonia Shimerda, a Bohemian
immigrant who settles at a farm in Black Hawk with her family.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are many characters, all interesting and compelling in
their own way. Some are written about in more detail than others but there are
no weak spots in this respect, some characters come and go but all of them have
a story to tell.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The book is bursting with nostalgia not just for a childhood
spent but about the older, simpler days on the frontier. I was utterly taken in
by the story which is in turns sad and uplifting (just like life which it
reflects so well) there is plenty of excitement intermingled with moments of
prose and reflection which I thoroughly enjoyed reading. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The book is short but I found it felt like it was much
longer, this isn’t a criticism but rather saying that Cather created such a
rich, detailed and enthralling book that you feel it lasts longer than it does.
I still don’t know how she managed to squeeze in so much content in such an
unhurried way.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say it is a
masterpiece and now a firm favourite.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">5/5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">PS Jess has asked me to put in a line letting you know that
we have finally worked out how to remove the new word verification used by
blogger<o:p></o:p></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-34108060524982674092012-03-09T11:51:00.000+00:002012-03-09T11:51:50.554+00:00We'll be back...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DvncvXVfdGs/T1nuRk0NEkI/AAAAAAAABAU/gjCo2gLOI4U/s1600/wales-flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DvncvXVfdGs/T1nuRk0NEkI/AAAAAAAABAU/gjCo2gLOI4U/s320/wales-flag.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Hi folks,<br />
<br />
We're off on holiday to Wales for a week so we won't be blogging until our return. We will have limited internet access so we'll keep up to date with other literary blogs.<br />
<br />
Chris and Jess<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-67390852593450531662012-03-08T09:01:00.003+00:002012-03-08T09:02:57.098+00:00Green Hills of Africa by Ernest Hemingway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uPWW7YmdR4s/T1h1Rbw7hZI/AAAAAAAABAM/gUOviolMjz8/s1600/25-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uPWW7YmdR4s/T1h1Rbw7hZI/AAAAAAAABAM/gUOviolMjz8/s320/25-2.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When Hemingway wrote Green
Hills of Africa he was already an established writer with seven books under his
belt. This work is said to be autobiographical with Hemingway himself asserting
at the beginning of the book ‘Unlike many novels, none of the characters or
incidents in this book is imaginary’. However Hemingway was notorious for
exaggerating or encouraging exaggeration of his own achievements in order to
build up the masculine imagery surrounding his persona. He mentions this
himself during the book when his fellow huntsmen tease him about his bragging.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Arguably the main subject of this
short read is hunting, with Hemingway chronicling the events of an African
hunting trip he took with his then wife in 1933, which some modern readers will
find unpalatable. I didn’t think the hunting would bother me but at times I was
aware of the sheer senselessness of the activity particularly when Hemingway
was butchering rhinos and lions for no other reason that the thrill of the
chase and the trophy at the end of it. Hemingway himself said that he never
felt bad about killing the animals but he didn’t like making them suffer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The book is slow to get started
and I didn’t find what I considered to be a classic Hemingway line until about
halfway through the book but it does pick up the pace towards the end. The
story moves at a reasonable speed but I felt at times it could have been more
interesting. Ultimately I found Hemingway’s prose and observations about his
own state of mind more enthralling than the slaughter of (largely) defenceless
animals.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are sadder, seedier sides
to the book and fans of Hemingway will not be surprised to read that alcohol is
an ever present apparition and it isn’t long before Hemingway the hunter is
knocking back the beers whilst at camp, on his way back to camp and even while
still on the trail of his quarry. I’m not surprised when he states at times he
needs four or five attempts to kill his prey, it can’t be easy shooting when
drunk. I think it was very telling, and tragic, that Hemingway wrote about beer
with more love, affection and attention to detail than his own wife.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is some racism and
Hemingway does take a sexist attitude towards his then wife Pauline Pfeiffer
who, for some obscure reason, he refers to throughout the book as P.O.M (Poor
Old Mama) and behaves in a patronising, dismissive manner towards her calling
her ‘little woman’ but it is important to keep it in perspective and remember
the book was written in 1935, not exactly the most enlightened period in
history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Overall I enjoyed it but I
wouldn’t recommend it as a first Hemingway book.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Final verdict 3/5</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By Chris<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-7046994456206929202012-03-05T20:29:00.002+00:002012-03-05T20:29:44.083+00:00Evelina by Frances Burney<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgE5vsJcspLZixkGa_s5x2INPMWhOjikDPXAUcYFFpodgyShMMR_9hnWE8-Q3dtl68dZn4O6MC5pNlZu6SuKBn18vRze2CjOvJaccrBSxSxIQVbii4DM_DIMks6mT2NEuaX0NlvVexLXP/s1600/60962370002624367123983Pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGgE5vsJcspLZixkGa_s5x2INPMWhOjikDPXAUcYFFpodgyShMMR_9hnWE8-Q3dtl68dZn4O6MC5pNlZu6SuKBn18vRze2CjOvJaccrBSxSxIQVbii4DM_DIMks6mT2NEuaX0NlvVexLXP/s320/60962370002624367123983Pic.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Frances Burney <span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">was
an English novelist and playwright and is well known for inspiring Jane Austen.
Evelina was first published in 1778 and while her novels were very popular
during her lifetime, her diaries which detailed eighteenth-century life were
more favored by critics and are still used by scholars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Makepeace_Thackeray" title="William Makepeace Thackeray"><span lang="EN" style="color: windowtext; mso-ansi-language: EN; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">William
Makepeace Thackeray</span></span></a><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> is
reported to have drawn on her diaries, while writing the Waterloo sections of <i>Vanity
Fair.</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Evelina is a
young girl who has been brought up in the country away from society, at 17 she
is suddenly introduced into London and the novel follows her naïve
misunderstandings and adventures. I can certainly see similarities with
Austen’s work and indeed I would say that anyone who enjoys one would enjoy the
other, but if I were to compare I would say that Austen is much tamer.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Large parts of
Evelina read almost like a tourist guide to eighteenth-century London or Bath.
How society works, who you should reject or accept a dance from, the places to
go and what to do once you get there are all detailed as Evelina describes her
first experiences of this world. This works wonderfully for a modern reader as
we are not left to assume anything or need any knowledge of that time period or
society.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However while
Austen’s high society may act (with mostly) perfect decorum and manners, Burney’s
world portrays one where some men will act like complete predators with only
one thing on their mind fully taking advantage of woman and their positions.
While Burney is very careful to control her characters and to not let things go
too far, it says a lot for the women in the novel who has to hang onto their self-respect
and reputations in the face of shocking sexism, unwanted sexual advances and in
one case blatant cruelty.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are some
very funny moments and the romantic arc all comes right in the end as expected
but it’s the comments on the treatment of women and the insight into that
society that will ensure I read more of Francis Burney.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Posted by Jess</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08861424110678889637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-27126317962646339402012-03-03T20:43:00.000+00:002012-03-03T20:43:23.701+00:00The Double by Jose Saramago<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hdDXIBkRlGFb0zJN7NYtP25v-9881S1RItaoIUe6ijtROMKuxSOsEoNT6kpxwcasEuSHifDRatE7xMnbT1P_KCNtcq6cRCT4Psb7pTUEbVxksA7Ae14x7BXjvOcaQoMEJyltco9M4ReJ/s1600/The+double.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hdDXIBkRlGFb0zJN7NYtP25v-9881S1RItaoIUe6ijtROMKuxSOsEoNT6kpxwcasEuSHifDRatE7xMnbT1P_KCNtcq6cRCT4Psb7pTUEbVxksA7Ae14x7BXjvOcaQoMEJyltco9M4ReJ/s320/The+double.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
While watching a rented video, Tertuliano Maximo Afonso is shocked to notice that one of the extras in the film is identical to him in every physical detail. Unable to forget this actor he embarks on a secret quest to find his double which takes both Afonso and his doppelganger down some dark paths, leading each one to question ‘who is real and who is the copy’.
<br />
<br />
After reading Blindness I was fully prepared for Saramago’s style of writing which is dense, large parts are written as a stream of consciousness and there are few paragraphs breaks and no quotation marks. The result is conversational and witty although I did find that because The Double is not nearly as plot driven as Blindness it did drag in some parts.
<br />
<br />
The appeal of Saramago for me are his ideas and the concepts he attempts to convey. The double is a great concept and the mystery and the more philosophical aspects of the novel as well as the writing kept me engaged until the end. This may not be the easiest read but there are twists right up to the end and it played on my mind for weeks afterwards.
<br />
<br />
4/5
<br />
<br />
Posted by JessJessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08861424110678889637noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-67263085758852682962012-02-25T17:24:00.001+00:002012-02-25T17:25:19.387+00:00The Europeans by Henry James<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HV6pqn-sg3Y/T0kZKA--D_I/AAAAAAAAA_8/FokKNXRZz7g/s1600/51MfgSWgKRL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HV6pqn-sg3Y/T0kZKA--D_I/AAAAAAAAA_8/FokKNXRZz7g/s320/51MfgSWgKRL.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The
Europeans was James’s fourth novel which I enjoyed reading a good deal. It is
easy going, short and fun to read without being over simplistic.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br /><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Felix and Eugenia are siblings from Europe who arrive in
America to visit their relatives in the form of the New Englander Wentworth
family. The Wentworth’s behave very graciously and welcome their foreign kin to
live with them in one of the cottages on their property. What ensues is part
romance, part comedy as the differences between the two cultures come to the
fore.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br /><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The story is mostly set on the Wentworth estate which we
rarely leave meaning the story is character driven with a lot of spoken dialogue
which I always enjoy providing it’s done well (and Henry James does it well)
the characters are developed thoroughly and drive the story along. There is
also a good amount of humour.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br /><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It certainly couldn’t be described as an exciting book but it
isn’t boring either as the characters are interesting with a fair amount of tension
in parts. My main criticism, which is small, is the occasional use of French
without any provided translation (which is becoming a literary bugbear of mine)
but other than that it was an enjoyable read.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br /><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I recommend it as a good introduction to Henry James novels</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Final verdict 3/5</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chris</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-74678713367183021492012-02-20T21:59:00.003+00:002012-02-20T21:59:41.563+00:00Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d3GtcDl3JQU/T0LCRBKUYwI/AAAAAAAAA_o/eKOBJFQtxNs/s1600/northanger_abbey_H.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d3GtcDl3JQU/T0LCRBKUYwI/AAAAAAAAA_o/eKOBJFQtxNs/s320/northanger_abbey_H.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>"Mrs. Allen was one of that numerous class of females,
whose society can raise no other emotion than surprise at their being any men
in the world who could like them well enough to marry them."</strong></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Catherine is 17 when she </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">is taken by childless
neighbours to spend time with them in Bath. She quickly makes friends with
other people her own age, finds herself a love interest and begins to forge her
way in this new society she finds herself in. As she is younger than other
Austen heroines she is also more naïve, not very experienced at reading people and
is sometimes rather silly. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The plot is a rather a simple one in terms of its
themes and contains less minor characters than say Mansfield Park, instead it just
gets on with the business of dealing with the usual ‘girl will eventually marry
the right man after various conversations and misunderstandings’ overall plot
arc.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Northanger Abbey is different to the other Austen novels I
have read (although I have STILL yet to read P&P) it’s different for
various reasons but mostly it’s because it is a lighter and less layered read.
Northanger Abbey is known for its parody of other Gothic novels which were
popular during Austin’s time, although anyone who is familiar with works such
as Dracula or Jane Eyre and has an understanding of the usual gothic elements
could probably appreciate these parts of the novel.</span><br />
<br />
<strong>"I cannot speak well enough to be unintelligible."<o:p></o:p></strong><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While it might lack depth it does have two very likeable
characters in both Catherine and Henry Tilney, a couple of unlikeable
characters and some very funny lines and observations. The first half of the
novel is set in Bath before switching the action to Northanger Abbey, this
change of scenery keeps the story fresh and drives the eventual coupling of
Catherine and Henry. The humor and wit in Northanger Abbey is not as subtle as
other Austen’s novels making the novel overall a quick, easy, sparkly read and
is a great introduction to Jane Austen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Verdict 4/5<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Posted by Jess<o:p></o:p></span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-14730407678864300232012-02-13T07:42:00.004+00:002012-02-13T07:45:10.364+00:00The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart by Jesse Bullington<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pbupqqiBi6A/Tzi-wQmKNvI/AAAAAAAAA_g/EPNfomDIQwM/s1600/bullington-sad-tale-brothers-grossbartt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pbupqqiBi6A/Tzi-wQmKNvI/AAAAAAAAA_g/EPNfomDIQwM/s320/bullington-sad-tale-brothers-grossbartt.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is unquestionably the most disgusting, violent and
profane book I have ever read but that is counterbalanced by its ridiculous
nature. It is difficult to be offended in any meaningful way by something so
fundamentally silly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Manfried and Hegel Grossbart are two peasant brothers
journeying through the landscapes of medieval Europe seeking their fortune in
the treasure filled tombs of Egypt. On their travels they encounter witches, demons,
monsters, bandits and mercenaries all of which are intent on killing them but
none of whom are as evil or disgusting as the brothers themselves. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jesse Bullington got straight down to business having the
Grossbarts murder an entire family (including four children) in cold blood
within the first few pages and from then on it is a novel of extreme violence
and gore. The Grossbarts spend the rest of the book threatening, assaulting,
robbing, mutilating, murdering and generally ruining the lives of anyone
unfortunate enough to cross their paths. They utter the foulest profanities and
blasphemies I have ever read on paper and cause mayhem wherever they go. Barely
a page goes by when a character wasn’t cursing or leaking vomit, blood or
excrement. In general the story is poorly put together with ridiculous,
unconvincing dialogue and two dimensional cardboard characters I cared little
or nothing about.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Because the brothers are so monumentally evil and stupid I
found it impossible to feel any pity or kind feelings towards them, I couldn’t
wait for them to get their just deserts which never seemed to come. I feel
Bullington was trying too hard to shock and offend rather than focusing on
developing the characters or story in any significant way. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s not all bad; because the book doesn’t take itself too
seriously it is easy to read and I found myself making a significant dent in it
quite early on. Their first encounter with a monster in the forest was quite
impressive. Some of the fights are pretty exciting and dramatic but sadly all
of this is overshadowed by the book’s faults, of which there are many. One
thing Bullington has definitely achieved is to have created two of the most
despicable figures to come out of recent fiction. Oh yes and the front cover is pretty cool.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Towards the end the book completely lost its thread and
became quite difficult to follow with too many new (and arguably quite
pointless) characters introduced near the end of the book when it would have
been best left as it was before.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not a book I would re-read</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Final verdict 2/5</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">By Chris<o:p></o:p></span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-86314157560394067072012-02-11T21:41:00.003+00:002012-02-11T21:43:38.944+00:00Great Expectations BBC trailer<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since quite a few people were curious about the new BBC version
of Great Expectations staring Gillian Anderson which was shown in the UK over
Christmas I’ve posted the trailer below.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve heard rumour that its showing in the US in April but it
is possible I’m thinking of something else (I do that a lot) As explained in my
previous post I only watched the first episode as I didn’t think it was any
good but that was more to do with the general atmosphere of the thing and not
the actors, although it is strange to that Pip is more beautiful than Estella.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">They are also filming a new film version starring Helena
Bonham Carter so perhaps we will all be sick of Pip and his adventures, it
seems overkill.
<object width="420" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZlR1ll0exBg?version=3&hl=en_GB&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZlR1ll0exBg?version=3&hl=en_GB&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="420" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08861424110678889637noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-69175789336303162192012-02-08T22:15:00.003+00:002012-02-08T22:15:58.635+00:00Great Expectations by Charles Dickens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xn3_zp8oFXA/TzLz-onobTI/AAAAAAAAA_M/4KLjd1R0V5s/s1600/great+expectations+book.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xn3_zp8oFXA/TzLz-onobTI/AAAAAAAAA_M/4KLjd1R0V5s/s320/great+expectations+book.jpg" width="259" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">London and in fact the whole country it seems has gone
slightly Dickens mad with the TV specials, constant promotions and the media
hype. It’s great really, we have Dickens’s birthday, the Queens Jubilee, a huge
Shakespeare festival and the Olympics all in the same year. 2013 may feel like
a total come-down after all this year’s excitement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I did not read Great Expectations because of all the hype
although perhaps it has somehow filtered down to me. The BBC recently aired a
new version of Great Expectations over Christmas which was pretty bad (and I
feel bad for saying that because I love Gillian Anderson). While watching
episode one I found myself getting quite defensive over a book and author I had
never read so I decided that rather than put myself through two more episodes I
would just read the dam thing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Great Expectations needs little in the way of plot synopsis
as like many of Dickens’s novels the general gist of the plot is known by many.
After saying that the novel did throw up a few surprises by giving me some
rather beautiful sentences scattered throughout and a couple of delicious plot
twists at the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are many many strengths to this novel. The plot is a
great one, the characters are brilliant, the places are vividly described, the
gothic elements are a nice touch and there also social and moral issues which
thread through and combine the whole thing. It’s a rich novel and one which you
can really curl up with and get into. I also loved the general view that money
doesn’t always equal happiness, the very flawed man in the main character Pip
and the general darkness of it all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yes the writing isn’t the most easy to get on with (but not
Henry James hard) and it did also lull in a couple of places in the middle
where I just wanted Dickens to ‘get on with it’ but if you are prepared to give
this novel your full attention and accept that you are probably not going to
rush through it (although why would you want to) then you will be rewarded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m not quite ready to pick up Bleak House yet but Oliver I
think is next on my list.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Posted by Jess<o:p></o:p></span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694427406934260419.post-91187375881154620662012-02-03T17:01:00.003+00:002012-02-03T17:01:40.686+00:00All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XHvcp7-nEgM/TywS2Mz1eTI/AAAAAAAAA_E/_WFXYI9pj-c/s1600/all-pretty-horses-cormac-mccarthy-audio-cover-art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XHvcp7-nEgM/TywS2Mz1eTI/AAAAAAAAA_E/_WFXYI9pj-c/s1600/all-pretty-horses-cormac-mccarthy-audio-cover-art.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All the Pretty Horses is essentially a coming of age story. </span><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">After
his mother sells the Texan ranch he has grown up on, sixteen year old John
Grady Cole loses everything and sets out for Mexico with his friend Lacey
Rawlins. They are both searching for work as a ranch hand and abit of
adventure. On the Mexican border they both meet Jimmy Blevins a young boy whose
hot-headedness leads them into big trouble. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Much of the story is set on the Mexican boarder where
the landscapes are vividly described. Readers of McCarthy will know already how
well landscapes and the country are so well drawn that you cannot think of the
characters without also thinking of the landscapes they inhabit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">The novel is set in 1949 but you wouldn’t know it as it
has the feel of a western, so much so that I was surprised when planes and
other more modern mod-cons were mentioned. Most of the travel is done in rugged
landscapes on horseback and the place and characters in All the Pretty Horses
seem cut off from the rest of the world. The plot does kind of plod along which
I think is deliberate and while I appreciated this style in context with the
novel this style certainly didn’t make it a page turner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However I did keep reading because of the
descriptions, the dialogue, the plot and of course the writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Like The Road and Blood Meridian, All the Pretty Horses
will be a book that stays with me although out of those three I would recommend
The Road and Blood Meridian more as it took me a little longer (around 30
pages) to get into this one compared with the other McCormacs I have read.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">3/5</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Posted by Jess<o:p></o:p></span></div>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com6