Book Review Year 2 No 4
Dec. 30th, 2016 12:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smallhobbitMy Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
One of those books which I saw a recommendation for and thought since it was very popular I'd read it. I ordered it through the library and had quite a long wait (not as long as I'd feared) and so when it arrived I had to stop reading my current book and turn my attention to this one. I had high hopes, but in fact was disappointed. The book is set in Naples, which may have affected my judgement slightly. I didn't like Naples when we went there, and for a while this coloured my view of Italy, since I'd not been there before. That all changed with going to Florence. I wasn't taken with either of the main characters, and tellingly, because this is the first book in the series, I have no desire to read the next book to find out what happens to them. I shall be interested to hear what others think of the book.
Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
I get regular emails from National Book Tokens (I like entering their competitions) and they had a quiz to see 'Which 2016 book should you read?' In my continuing quest to read widely I did the quiz and this was the suggested title. It tied in incredibly well with my course, which was a bonus. It's a short book, 114 pages of largish print of which a good number are only half pages, and it took me less than an hour on the train to read. It's slightly strange, disjointed, and some of the language you certainly wouldn't hear from the pulpit, but it's an excellent read.
The Seamstress by Maria Duenas
I was chatting with someone on Fan_Flashworks Social (on DW) who mentioned this book. I looked at the synopsis and thought it worth trying. This was the book I was reading when I stopped for My Brilliant Friend. The contrast for me couldn't be more marked. The heroine Sira Quiroga lives in Madrid just before the Spanish Civil War, but due to various circumstances finds herself in Morocco and then back in Madrid at the beginning of WWII. The descriptions are powerful, there is plenty of action and the heroine (the story, as is the other, is told in the first person) is very honest about herself. The book was written in Spanish, by a professor of the University of Murcia and includes plenty of historical references, which ground the story rather than detract from it. Highly recommended. (It's also published under the title The Time In Between)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J K Rowling
Hooray! Finally read them all. This was better than some of the others, at least I skipped less of the pages than I did in some of the earlier books. It wasn't as though I didn't know the final outcome, although some of the details were interesting, especially with regard to Snape. And hooray for Neville, who was my favourite.
Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik
Seventh in the Temeraire series. I enjoyed it more than the previous two and found it an entertaining story, although whether sufficiently so by itself to encourage me to continue reading the series I'm not sure. But there are only two more books to go and I am fond of Temeraire and Laurence (and Iskierka and Granby) so I shall keep going. Although the books are quite expensive for a read once only book - and I can't decide whether I want to use MIL's Christmas book token, I may well hold onto it for a while. And once I've finished reading the series I can indulge in the fanfiction.
One of those books which I saw a recommendation for and thought since it was very popular I'd read it. I ordered it through the library and had quite a long wait (not as long as I'd feared) and so when it arrived I had to stop reading my current book and turn my attention to this one. I had high hopes, but in fact was disappointed. The book is set in Naples, which may have affected my judgement slightly. I didn't like Naples when we went there, and for a while this coloured my view of Italy, since I'd not been there before. That all changed with going to Florence. I wasn't taken with either of the main characters, and tellingly, because this is the first book in the series, I have no desire to read the next book to find out what happens to them. I shall be interested to hear what others think of the book.
Grief is the Thing with Feathers by Max Porter
I get regular emails from National Book Tokens (I like entering their competitions) and they had a quiz to see 'Which 2016 book should you read?' In my continuing quest to read widely I did the quiz and this was the suggested title. It tied in incredibly well with my course, which was a bonus. It's a short book, 114 pages of largish print of which a good number are only half pages, and it took me less than an hour on the train to read. It's slightly strange, disjointed, and some of the language you certainly wouldn't hear from the pulpit, but it's an excellent read.
The Seamstress by Maria Duenas
I was chatting with someone on Fan_Flashworks Social (on DW) who mentioned this book. I looked at the synopsis and thought it worth trying. This was the book I was reading when I stopped for My Brilliant Friend. The contrast for me couldn't be more marked. The heroine Sira Quiroga lives in Madrid just before the Spanish Civil War, but due to various circumstances finds herself in Morocco and then back in Madrid at the beginning of WWII. The descriptions are powerful, there is plenty of action and the heroine (the story, as is the other, is told in the first person) is very honest about herself. The book was written in Spanish, by a professor of the University of Murcia and includes plenty of historical references, which ground the story rather than detract from it. Highly recommended. (It's also published under the title The Time In Between)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J K Rowling
Hooray! Finally read them all. This was better than some of the others, at least I skipped less of the pages than I did in some of the earlier books. It wasn't as though I didn't know the final outcome, although some of the details were interesting, especially with regard to Snape. And hooray for Neville, who was my favourite.
Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik
Seventh in the Temeraire series. I enjoyed it more than the previous two and found it an entertaining story, although whether sufficiently so by itself to encourage me to continue reading the series I'm not sure. But there are only two more books to go and I am fond of Temeraire and Laurence (and Iskierka and Granby) so I shall keep going. Although the books are quite expensive for a read once only book - and I can't decide whether I want to use MIL's Christmas book token, I may well hold onto it for a while. And once I've finished reading the series I can indulge in the fanfiction.
