Take a photo of a barcode or cover
oliainchina's reviews
514 reviews
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
5.0
If I were a boy, I would have loved this book even more, I think. It's a great story of coming-of-age of a boy named Nobody set in a Gothic environment. There is magic, there are life and death. At some point, the book reminded me of Harry Potter.
I've found in the reviews an opinion that there are too many powerful male characters. I find it only natural, since the book is about a boy, who grows into a man and in this formative period he would need some male figures, while feminine ones step aside for a while.
I would love to read a similar book written by a female author about a female protagonist.
I've found in the reviews an opinion that there are too many powerful male characters. I find it only natural, since the book is about a boy, who grows into a man and in this formative period he would need some male figures, while feminine ones step aside for a while.
I would love to read a similar book written by a female author about a female protagonist.
The Birth of Britain by Winston Churchill
4.0
It was the first book I read on the history of Britain and I found it a bit too brief and overloaded with facts. It can be a great background read though, if one combines it with more complete researches of particular periods.
A great companion for Shakespeare's hiatorical plays.
A great companion for Shakespeare's hiatorical plays.
Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman
4.0
I picked up this book, while reading a rather dry account of the history of Britain by W. Churchill (The Birth of Britain). Here Be Dragons was a welcome addition to my knowledge of Plantagenet dynasty. Besides, I didn't know anything about Wales, except that it was always firmly bound to England, so much unlike Scotland. What a mistake! Welsh wars were described with a lot of flourish and drama and I fell in love with the region only after reading about it. :D
Reading the Dragons, I imagined how Penman built the story and the love story of Llewellyn and Joanna. It must have been exciting to look at bare facts and try to imagine a relationship behind them.
Even if the history in the book is heavily spiced with imagination, the events feel so much alive and memorable right now.
Reading the Dragons, I imagined how Penman built the story and the love story of Llewellyn and Joanna. It must have been exciting to look at bare facts and try to imagine a relationship behind them.
Even if the history in the book is heavily spiced with imagination, the events feel so much alive and memorable right now.
Falls the Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman
3.0
Despite the fact that the characters were opened up in great detail and flourish, the book was a slog. The plot didn't hold my attention and I was looking forward to finishing it. Unlike the Medieval love saga of Here be Dragons, Falls the Shadow didn't have any particular plot line to give the novel its backbone. It felt just like the marvalously described characer of Henry III - weak.