Scan barcode
georgierosereads's reviews
103 reviews
Face to Face with Evil: Conversations with Ian Brady by Chris Cowley
4.0
This book doesn't really tell Ian Brady's story as to how and why the author thinks that Ian committed the crimes that he did, but it is more of a textbook introduction to Criminology and where it could lead you.
As a student with a vast interest in Serial Killers, and the Criminological world in general, I found this book to be an interesting read. It may not be very long, but the sections are intriguing and helped me to gain more of an impression of what Criminology and profiling was about.
If you are looking for information on Ian Brady in particular, I would choose a different book focused more on his crimes - but I believe this book should be read by any budding Criminology student as an introduction to the subject.
As a student with a vast interest in Serial Killers, and the Criminological world in general, I found this book to be an interesting read. It may not be very long, but the sections are intriguing and helped me to gain more of an impression of what Criminology and profiling was about.
If you are looking for information on Ian Brady in particular, I would choose a different book focused more on his crimes - but I believe this book should be read by any budding Criminology student as an introduction to the subject.
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi
4.0
This book is a great, if biased, read. Get through the first few chapters, and it is engrossing. My favourite section of the book is where the actual motive of Helter Skelter is explained. The ending, for me, dragged on. We didn't need the afterword really, anything from there could have been explained neatly in the epilogue - but overall highly readable and it explains everything about the Manson case from the perspective of somebody involved.
If you're looking for more analysis than the actual story of the crime in itself, I would look for another book however I'd still recommend this as a detailed overview of the case. I'd also recommend this to Social Psychology students, as I found it helped me to explain a Key Issue based on Cults, Tajfel's Social Identity Theory, Milgram's Agency Theory and Obedience in general.
If you're looking for more analysis than the actual story of the crime in itself, I would look for another book however I'd still recommend this as a detailed overview of the case. I'd also recommend this to Social Psychology students, as I found it helped me to explain a Key Issue based on Cults, Tajfel's Social Identity Theory, Milgram's Agency Theory and Obedience in general.
Divergent by Veronica Roth
4.0
I picked up a copy of ‘Divergent’ after being recommended it by my Mother, a consistent reader of whose opinion I can generally trust – except for her previous recommendation of the ‘Twilight’ series, but I can forgive her for that one slip in judgment. All that she had to say to me in order to entice me to read this book was, ‘It was like The Hunger Games’; many people mourning the ending of Suzanne Collins’ now famous trilogy would have done the same thing – searching perhaps for something that would fill the gap of which Katniss, Peeta, Gale and co had left in their hearts.
My Mother was most certainly right. Divergent is incredibly similar to the Hunger Games. Whilst the concept is different, and the emphasis on romance over action is also slightly different, I found myself seeing too much of Katniss in the protagonist of the novel, Triss. I can see Veronica Roth’s influences clearly upon reading this novel. There’s the brooding, romantic attempt of an Edward Cullen type character in the form of Four/Tobias Eaton, the already established elements of Katniss I found in Triss – and the antagonist Jeanine Matthews, for some reason, reminds me heartily of President Snow. Or perhaps it is because, by this point, I am simply on the lookout for similarities between Divergent and The Hunger Games. Maybe I am being too harsh, and these character types are merely growing archetypes among Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic Young Adult Fiction. However, often I wished upon reading Divergent that I hadn’t read The Hunger Games before – specifically Mockingjay. It perhaps would have increased my enjoyment of Divergent.
Now that isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy Divergent. In fact, I found it inherently readable even though I could point out so many flaws in the novel, or things I didn’t particularly like. I didn’t quite understand the fascination, but I simply couldn’t put the novel down. There were many things that I enjoyed about reading Divergent; the concept itself was fascinating. I was truly interested in the idea that people could be separated into factions based on their personality types. It was an idea that I wish Divergent had explored in more detail, because I simply found it far too difficult to comprehend that the majority of the individuals within the dystopian city only held one strong predominant trait. It made no sense to me that being Divergent and containing more than one personality type could be something which was a rarity. To me, it went against characterization which could have improved the novel, because characters were never truly fleshed out. They were simply stereotyped by the place of which they lived – and acted completely living up to this stereotype. I guess this was the entire point of the novel, but I have mixed feelings about it. I expected people within factions to be a bit more frustrated with their places in life. Instead, they seemed content with being sectioned off from the rest of society like animals. Somehow, I find it difficult to comprehend how human beings could end up in that predicament – and Roth doesn’t really explain it. Whether this is explained in the second novel or not, it leaves a giant plot hole in the novel which makes the city seem unrealistic.
Here are some things that I generally liked about the novel (beware, there are some spoilers):
The shocking change of faction by Caleb, after lengthy descriptions by the narrator, Tris, about how perfect for Abnegation he is. This was, to me, not easy to guess. It emphasized the idea that sometimes the people that we think we know the best are just not who we think they are.
I really enjoyed the concepts of the Simulations. I felt the battle plan by the Erudite was subtle - seeing as most people across factions relied on their medicine – including injections – to survive – and effective. I also thought using the simulations as a battle tactic was pure evil within itself, by turning the people who Tris loved into enemies. Although it hurt to see Tris in the position of having to kill one of her closest friends, it was realistic in terms of the plot. Furthermore, the simulations used as part of the Dauntless Initiation Process were imaginative yet simultaneously terrifying. I hated the idea of having to face my biggest fears under the Simulations. Experiencing Four’s fear landscape along with Tris truly reinforced that idea in my mind, and allowed me to connect more emotionally with Four as a character.
I liked Four, in general, as a character. Although, as stated above, it is obvious that an attempt is made to make him the stereotypical broody, mysterious male which is prevalent amongst Young Adult fiction at the minute – there is something different about him. He has an emotional side, which he shows to Triss, and also, to us. As a reader, I will admit, I started to become affectionate towards him. In many ways he is like the perfect boyfriend we wish we could find – and hey, there’s no harm in indulging in a bit of fantasy is there? That is really what differentiates him from other ‘boyfriend’ characters in novels I’ve read. He is actually a good boyfriend; Triss and Tobias have a healthy relationship which I feel is important to promote to young, impressionable girls in fiction.
On the other hand, here are some things that I didn’t really like about the book as a whole:
The entire novel seems to be based around a prejudice against intelligent people. Now, don’t get me wrong, Jeanine and her supporters appear to be awful shits. However, I think it’s unfair to lump the whole Erudite clan in with them. After all, the Erudite are important in every faction’s lives; without the Erudite there would be no teachers at the school, their would be no medical care and life in factions would cease to function. When you think about it, I don’t think it would be unreasonable to allow them a place in government along with the Abnegation – after all, why should only the Abnegation be allowed a place? Each faction would bring positive elements of their personalities into a stable government. The hatred for the Erudite could simply be due to Triss’ personal prejudice towards them due to her Father’s propaganda at the dinner table – but it does get tiresome. As someone with an aptitude for Erudite herself, surely she should be capable of realizing that they are not all evil brutes who want to use their intelligence to manipulate the ignorance of others?
I also thought a big inconsistency with the plot, which wasn’t mentioned, was that originally Tris and Four agree that they don’t want to reveal their relationship yet in case the Dauntless believe that it influences Tris’ results on the initiation. However, as soon as the results are posted, then Tris and Four kiss and apparently don’t seem to care what people think. This is a minor detail I guess, but it irks me. Any sensible person would have waited until a few weeks after initiation day, so people would think their relationship blossomed after.
One last Con based on Divergent has to be the treatment of Al, although I do believe that this could possibly have been due to my personal need to have characters reform and show bravery. I wish he, like Neville Longbottom in ‘Harry Potter’, would have shown true bravery towards the end. Instead, killing himself seemed a rather cruel ending – although I guess it showcases the reality of life.
Overall, despite all of the cons, I would give Divergent a four out of five stars. This is because the cons, although noticeable, don’t ruin the entire book. It is readable, in fact, incredibly so. Somehow, it drew me in and I could not unstick myself. I would recommend it as a light, easy read. This is no work of classical literature, yet is it entertaining? Completely, and what more could you ask for in a book?
My Mother was most certainly right. Divergent is incredibly similar to the Hunger Games. Whilst the concept is different, and the emphasis on romance over action is also slightly different, I found myself seeing too much of Katniss in the protagonist of the novel, Triss. I can see Veronica Roth’s influences clearly upon reading this novel. There’s the brooding, romantic attempt of an Edward Cullen type character in the form of Four/Tobias Eaton, the already established elements of Katniss I found in Triss – and the antagonist Jeanine Matthews, for some reason, reminds me heartily of President Snow. Or perhaps it is because, by this point, I am simply on the lookout for similarities between Divergent and The Hunger Games. Maybe I am being too harsh, and these character types are merely growing archetypes among Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic Young Adult Fiction. However, often I wished upon reading Divergent that I hadn’t read The Hunger Games before – specifically Mockingjay. It perhaps would have increased my enjoyment of Divergent.
Now that isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy Divergent. In fact, I found it inherently readable even though I could point out so many flaws in the novel, or things I didn’t particularly like. I didn’t quite understand the fascination, but I simply couldn’t put the novel down. There were many things that I enjoyed about reading Divergent; the concept itself was fascinating. I was truly interested in the idea that people could be separated into factions based on their personality types. It was an idea that I wish Divergent had explored in more detail, because I simply found it far too difficult to comprehend that the majority of the individuals within the dystopian city only held one strong predominant trait. It made no sense to me that being Divergent and containing more than one personality type could be something which was a rarity. To me, it went against characterization which could have improved the novel, because characters were never truly fleshed out. They were simply stereotyped by the place of which they lived – and acted completely living up to this stereotype. I guess this was the entire point of the novel, but I have mixed feelings about it. I expected people within factions to be a bit more frustrated with their places in life. Instead, they seemed content with being sectioned off from the rest of society like animals. Somehow, I find it difficult to comprehend how human beings could end up in that predicament – and Roth doesn’t really explain it. Whether this is explained in the second novel or not, it leaves a giant plot hole in the novel which makes the city seem unrealistic.
Here are some things that I generally liked about the novel (beware, there are some spoilers):
The shocking change of faction by Caleb, after lengthy descriptions by the narrator, Tris, about how perfect for Abnegation he is. This was, to me, not easy to guess. It emphasized the idea that sometimes the people that we think we know the best are just not who we think they are.
I really enjoyed the concepts of the Simulations. I felt the battle plan by the Erudite was subtle - seeing as most people across factions relied on their medicine – including injections – to survive – and effective. I also thought using the simulations as a battle tactic was pure evil within itself, by turning the people who Tris loved into enemies. Although it hurt to see Tris in the position of having to kill one of her closest friends, it was realistic in terms of the plot. Furthermore, the simulations used as part of the Dauntless Initiation Process were imaginative yet simultaneously terrifying. I hated the idea of having to face my biggest fears under the Simulations. Experiencing Four’s fear landscape along with Tris truly reinforced that idea in my mind, and allowed me to connect more emotionally with Four as a character.
I liked Four, in general, as a character. Although, as stated above, it is obvious that an attempt is made to make him the stereotypical broody, mysterious male which is prevalent amongst Young Adult fiction at the minute – there is something different about him. He has an emotional side, which he shows to Triss, and also, to us. As a reader, I will admit, I started to become affectionate towards him. In many ways he is like the perfect boyfriend we wish we could find – and hey, there’s no harm in indulging in a bit of fantasy is there? That is really what differentiates him from other ‘boyfriend’ characters in novels I’ve read. He is actually a good boyfriend; Triss and Tobias have a healthy relationship which I feel is important to promote to young, impressionable girls in fiction.
On the other hand, here are some things that I didn’t really like about the book as a whole:
The entire novel seems to be based around a prejudice against intelligent people. Now, don’t get me wrong, Jeanine and her supporters appear to be awful shits. However, I think it’s unfair to lump the whole Erudite clan in with them. After all, the Erudite are important in every faction’s lives; without the Erudite there would be no teachers at the school, their would be no medical care and life in factions would cease to function. When you think about it, I don’t think it would be unreasonable to allow them a place in government along with the Abnegation – after all, why should only the Abnegation be allowed a place? Each faction would bring positive elements of their personalities into a stable government. The hatred for the Erudite could simply be due to Triss’ personal prejudice towards them due to her Father’s propaganda at the dinner table – but it does get tiresome. As someone with an aptitude for Erudite herself, surely she should be capable of realizing that they are not all evil brutes who want to use their intelligence to manipulate the ignorance of others?
I also thought a big inconsistency with the plot, which wasn’t mentioned, was that originally Tris and Four agree that they don’t want to reveal their relationship yet in case the Dauntless believe that it influences Tris’ results on the initiation. However, as soon as the results are posted, then Tris and Four kiss and apparently don’t seem to care what people think. This is a minor detail I guess, but it irks me. Any sensible person would have waited until a few weeks after initiation day, so people would think their relationship blossomed after.
One last Con based on Divergent has to be the treatment of Al, although I do believe that this could possibly have been due to my personal need to have characters reform and show bravery. I wish he, like Neville Longbottom in ‘Harry Potter’, would have shown true bravery towards the end. Instead, killing himself seemed a rather cruel ending – although I guess it showcases the reality of life.
Overall, despite all of the cons, I would give Divergent a four out of five stars. This is because the cons, although noticeable, don’t ruin the entire book. It is readable, in fact, incredibly so. Somehow, it drew me in and I could not unstick myself. I would recommend it as a light, easy read. This is no work of classical literature, yet is it entertaining? Completely, and what more could you ask for in a book?