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rubygranger's reviews
305 reviews

The Princess of the School by Angela Brazil

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I never read Angela Brazil when I was younger but downloaded her complete works on kindle for about £2 and am loving the nostalgic, halcyon feel of her books. They're light reads but if you love Mallory Towers, I know that you'll love this too.
The Princess of the School is not so much based on boarding school life as her other books, but it is enjoyable nonetheless.
Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein

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4.0

'Small Spaces' is a YA psychological thriller set in the bush of Australia and following the life of Natasha Carmody (17/18). After the disappearance of Mallory Fisher at a carnival ten years ago, Tash was psychologically broken, convinced that she had seen her imaginary friend Sparrow kidnap the six-year-old. With her claims dismissed as attention-seeking, Tash, still convinced that what she saw was real, is forced to accept that she made it all up. But now, a decade later, she keeps on catching glimpses of Sparrow and doesn't know how to interpret these new experiences or those of her childhood.

I've got to admit that the first forty pages of this novel are not massively fast pace and, at the beginning, I was tempted to just set the book down for good... but I am so glad that I did not because 'Small Spaces' quickly becomes just the opposite of slow-pace. Epstein shows Tash's attempts to unpick the mystery of Mallory's earlier disappearance and understand her own role in the kidnapping. The unexpected turns mean that the novel is predominately plot-driven; however, there are also some wonderful descriptions and the characters are three-dimensional and believable (even the 'mean girl' Rachael).

I would definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a light but intense summer read!
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

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I know that this is a book which SHOULD be read before you die, and I certainly appreciate the importance and strength of Miss Jean Brodie as a character (one of the most iconic teachers in fiction); however, I unfortunately did not actually enjoy this novel. The school-setting is lovely, as is the trust which the children (creme de la creme) place in their teacher and the sheer Tragedy of the ending. However, the writing itself was a bit too dialogue-focused for my liking and I did not find it entirely engaging. There were evidently passages which I enjoyed, and I wish that I had enjoyed the whole thing (as I know many have!). Perhaps I will come back to this in a couple of years and give it another go...
Four: A Divergent Story Collection by Veronica Roth

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This has been on my reading list for a couple of years but I only got round to picking it up whilst doing my 24 hour Readathon yesterday. The book is shorter than the other books in the Divergent Series and split into multiple parts (some of which are also documented in he first book of the series, but this time from Four's point of view). I wanted to read this particularly to learn more about his abusive relationship with Marcus. I thought that there would be a greater focus on his childhood in Abnegation; however, it begins the day before the Choosing Ceremony. Nonetheless, Roth does show Marcus frequently (and disturbingly) through memory.