Take a photo of a barcode or cover
rubygranger's reviews
305 reviews
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
4.0
I did really enjoy this book, even though the writing style was pretty simple... the plot more than made up for it. It's such an important topic and I love that the reader only gradually grows to understand what has happened (mirroring Melinda's memory).
I would recommend to high school students. Even though some of the content is disturbing, it's an important book for teenagers to read -- and the writing style means it's really accessible.
I would recommend to high school students. Even though some of the content is disturbing, it's an important book for teenagers to read -- and the writing style means it's really accessible.
The Cambridge Companion to the Victorian Novel by Deirdre David
3.0
2020 Review = offers a comprehensive and complete overview of literary criticism of the Victorian novel; chapters on gender, race, sexuality, sensationalisation, detective fiction etc; I would highly recommend for English Literature students just wanting a taster of the period. There isn't that much depth to the articles (as I said, they're more overviews than anything) but it's a good starting point for research. Accessible.
2017 Review = Interesting and detailed introduction to reading the Victorian novel; however, it does assume that you are already familiar with a lot of literature from this period. I recommend this to all who love the Victorian period because it is very much contextualised -- in a few of the essays, it was actually more history than English literature. Very interesting though.
2017 Review = Interesting and detailed introduction to reading the Victorian novel; however, it does assume that you are already familiar with a lot of literature from this period. I recommend this to all who love the Victorian period because it is very much contextualised -- in a few of the essays, it was actually more history than English literature. Very interesting though.
Emily Dickinson and the Modern Consciousness: A Poet of Our Time by Kenneth Stocks
2.0
This was interesting, but more of an annotated anthology than a collection of thoughts. It's a new way of reading Dickinson, where the poems are grouped by their existential purpose, but I was hoping for something more substantial.
The Distance Home by Paula Saunders
5.0
Hands down the best book I've read this year. Saunders's writing is beautifully lyrical -- filled with movement and life, but also intense sorrow and memory -- and provides a wonderful backdrop for this family history.
The book follows a family of five, from marriage to death, and how parenting affects the people that children and parents alike become. Eve and Al have three children (Leon, Rene and Jayne) and their two eldest children start dancing from an early age. Whilst Al adores Rene for her talent, he is cold and distant towards his son, never properly connecting with him. Eve makes up for this by favouring Leon and neglecting Rene. These complex family dynamics, and the effect which this has on the two children, is explored intricately and sensitively.
I particularly liked how Saunders played with empathy. Typically, there is one protagonist -- maybe a few if you're playing with timeframes -- but Saunders switches between Rene and Leon, turning them into antagonists and heroins so rapidly that you can't quite tell whether you're supposed to like them or not. Interestingly though, whilst we always hear from Rene directly and can access her interior thoughts, we cannot for Leon (he remains distant). We only ever understand Leon through Eve, which of course makes all knowledge of him rather unreliable... In short, I loved the complexity of characterisation.
Plus -- best last chapter of a book I think I have ever read. Everything literature should be.
The book follows a family of five, from marriage to death, and how parenting affects the people that children and parents alike become. Eve and Al have three children (Leon, Rene and Jayne) and their two eldest children start dancing from an early age. Whilst Al adores Rene for her talent, he is cold and distant towards his son, never properly connecting with him. Eve makes up for this by favouring Leon and neglecting Rene. These complex family dynamics, and the effect which this has on the two children, is explored intricately and sensitively.
I particularly liked how Saunders played with empathy. Typically, there is one protagonist -- maybe a few if you're playing with timeframes -- but Saunders switches between Rene and Leon, turning them into antagonists and heroins so rapidly that you can't quite tell whether you're supposed to like them or not. Interestingly though, whilst we always hear from Rene directly and can access her interior thoughts, we cannot for Leon (he remains distant). We only ever understand Leon through Eve, which of course makes all knowledge of him rather unreliable... In short, I loved the complexity of characterisation.
Plus -- best last chapter of a book I think I have ever read. Everything literature should be.
Nutshell by Ian McEwan
4.0
I've got to say that this wasn't one of my favourite McEwan books, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy it. I would still hugely recommend it, mainly because of the narrative voice. The story itself is purely domestic (troubles within a relationship which become sinister *no spoilers*); however, it is told from the perspective of the woman's unborn child. The foetus listens to the world from the womb, deducing the nature of his parents and the world. Since we are a visual-driven culture, this is such a cool way of approaching the world (though, ironically, there is still a huge emphasis on what the child thinks everything will look like).
The voice itself, in true McEwan fashion, is highly intelligent and receptive. It draws on impressive reference and profound thought. The depth of thought means I would recommend sitting down and taking the book slowly to fully appreciate it.
The voice itself, in true McEwan fashion, is highly intelligent and receptive. It draws on impressive reference and profound thought. The depth of thought means I would recommend sitting down and taking the book slowly to fully appreciate it.