Hermann Hesse: Siddhartha

Hi

I bought this copy in a Charity Shop in Brighton. It only has 117 pages.

“Hesse's Siddhartha is the story of a young Brahmin's quest for the ultimate reality. His quest takes him from the extremes of indulgent sensuality to the rigors of ascetism and self-denial. At last he learns that wisdom cannot be taught — it must come from one's own experience and inner struggle. Steeped in the tenets of both psychoanalysis and Eastern mysticism, Siddhartha presents a strikingly original view of man and culture, and the arduous process of self-discovery that leads to reconciliation, harmony, and peace.”

I really don’t know what to write about this one.
It's a unique little book.
Quite beautiful in its own way but not really for me.

Happy reading.
Helena

Nina Sankovitch: Tolstoj and the Purple Chair

Hi

This review is about Tolstoj and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch.
I got it from The Book Depository and it has 240 pages.

“After the death of her sister, Nina Sankovitch found herself caught up in grief, dashing from one activity to the next to keep her mind occupied. But on her forty-sixth birthday she decided to stop running and start reading.”

The novel is a true memoir of Nina’s life. It’s about her family and coping with the loss of her sister, about the insights she gets through reading and through thinking about the words in those novels.

As an avid reader myself; I understand the meaning and the worth books have and how they can change the way we feel, live, see others and ourselves.

It’s not dark, dramatic or sad. It’s a beautiful recounting of the past mixed in with her life during her ‘year of magical reading’ and tidbits about the novels she is reading. Sankovitch gets a bit too sentimental for my tastes. Her sister was perfect and she had no flaws. Like, for real?

It does get repetitive. I loved the first 150 pages, but after that I had to push myself a bit to finish it.

This novel is definitely only recommended for readers. I think non-readers wouldn’t really understand why she would do that and how it could help her.

But books can heal and books can nurture.

I truly believe that.

Happy reading.
Helena

Robert Louis Stevenson: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Hi

This review is about The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
The book contains another short novella: The Imp Bottle.
It has 111 pages and I got it at a Waterstones.

 “Published as a 'shilling shocker', Robert Louis Stevenson's dark psychological fantasy gave birth to the idea of the split personality. The story of respectable Dr Jekyll's strange association with 'damnable young man' Edward Hyde; the hunt through fog-bound London for a killer; and the final revelation of Hyde's true identity is a chilling exploration of humanity's basest capacity for evil.”

I wish I could have read this novel without knowing anything about it. But that’s impossible because everyone knows what it’s about. I think it would have been so much more shocking and exciting to read this without knowing the plot.

To me, the novel is about the duality of human nature, but I won’t bore you with more details.
The story is fascinating, haunting, shocking, very fast and so, so exciting.
It is well written, easy to read and descriptive with some beautiful prose.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself reading this.

Happy reading!
Helena

Wine and a book. My kind of evening.

Richard Yates: Revolutionary Road

Hi

This was my second time reading Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates.
It has 338 pages and I got it in the beautiful Vintage edition.

Revolutionary Road is Yates' debut novel and in his own words his best work.
It was shortlisted for the National Book Award.

“In the hopeful 1950s, Frank and April Wheeler appear to be a model couple: bright, beautiful, talented, with two young children and a starter home in the suburbs. Perhaps they married too young and started a family too early. Maybe Frank's job is dull. And April never saw herself as a housewife. Yet they have always lived on the assumption that greatness is only just around the corner. But now that certainty is about to crumble. With heartbreaking compassion and remorseless clarity, Richard Yates shows how Frank and April mortgage their spiritual birthright, betraying not only each other, but their best selves.”

This is such a beautiful novel. I loved it even more than the first time.
It’s not sentimental or melodramatic. It’s a clear, controlled and bleak novel.

Frank and April purport to disdain the traditional American suburban lifestyle where everyone should be the same, have the same, want the same and feel the same.
But in Frank’s case this ridicule is just camouflage for his real fear of being uninteresting and unloved by April, for his lack of confidence in his own masculinity. 
Now he is trapped in a job he didn’t want to prove he can provide for his family and he lives in a house in the suburbs because it is expected. These actions and his constant contempt for this very lifestyle only serve the purpose of making him feel like a real man.
His anti-suburban talk and ridicule has become an empty gesture to make him feel sophisticated and to being in April’s eyes the interesting, stifled genius he once was.
When April proposes a move to France he acts enthusiastic but he fears the change and he fears being imasculated even more. For that reason (being less of a man) and only for that reason he takes the moral position and he convinces April to keep the baby, because her unwillingness to bear his child makes him less of a man and unloved by her.

Man this is a work of a true genius.
I loved it; the beautiful prose, the haunting, bleak story, the heart-rending emotions and the almost real characters.
The novel made me cry the first time I read it. Revolutionary Road did it again this time.
It’s a wonderful and amazing novel.

Happy reading!
Helena

Margaret Atwood: Lady Oracle

Hi

Lady Oracle is my second novel by Atwood; I read The Handmaiden’s Tale about three years ago.
I got it from bol.com and it has 375 pages.

“Joan Foster is the bored wife of a myopic ban-the-bomber.  She takes off overnight as Canada's new superpoet, pens lurid gothics on the sly, attracts a blackmailing reporter, skids cheerfully in and out of menacing plots, hair-raising traps, and passionate trysts, and lands dead and well in Terremoto, Italy.  In this remarkable, poetic, and magical novel, Margaret Atwood proves yet again why she is considered to be one of the most important and accomplished writers of our time.”

To me; this novel is about a woman who is whatever those around her want her to be. She is easily consumed by other people but she doesn’t find happiness in any of those relationships because she’s always pretending to be someone else. She has no idea who she is; Joan needs to figure out her own identity without others around her who she can conform to.
That’s what the maze refers to: the search for her identity.
Aside from that; Atwood shows us how our past can influence our present and our future. This really was nicely done. Everyone has some minor secrets we don’t want to talk about. Or a mistake we don’t want others to find out about.

Lady Oracle is a very intriguing novel. Easy read but still, it made me stop and think at certain points.
It is a bit boring though.

Not much to add to this because it wasn’t anything special. Not fantastic, nor awful. Just a relaxing, easy read.

Happy reading.
Helena

Hugh Howey: Dust

Hi

This review is about the third and final installments in the Silo Series.
I got my copy from bookdepository.com and it has 401 pages.

You can find all my reviews on Howey’s novels here.
There’s not much to add to my reviews of Wool and Shift.

*SPOILER FREE!*

This is basically a rambling of thoughts about the novel.

I really enjoyed this final book in the series.
People learn that meaning well and doing well isn’t always the same thing. Bad people turn out to be good or vice versa. One decision or an instant in time can change everything. Decisions have consequences.
The novel is fast, it never wavers, and it’s always interesting.
The writing style didn’t change; simple, straightforward and absorbing.
A real page turner.
And full of suspense until the end! I had no idea how it would end.
Howey is not afraid to get it all out. Characters die, we learn how evil humanity can be, and we see through people how everything depends on your point of view.

Happy reading.
Helena

What a GLORIOUS night!

Jo Walton: Among Others

Hi

The first novel I finished this month is Among Others by Jo Walton.
It got a lot of hype online and I wanted to find out what it’s all about. It won the Nebula Award and the Hugo Award and it was nominated for the World Fantasy Award.
I got my copy from bol.com and it has 408 pages.

“When Mori discovers that her mother is using black magic, she decides to intervene. The ensuing clash between mother and daughter leaves Mori bereft of her twin sister, crippled for life and unable to return to the Welsh Valleys that were her own kingdom. Mori finds solace and strength in her beloved books. But her mother is bent on revenge, and nothing and no one – not even Tolkien – can save her from the final reckoning.”

Among Others is a lovely novel. It’s absorbing, charming and fun.
Walton mixes the magic into our world in a brilliant way. It seems so real and almost logical that you’re wondering why it isn’t real.
Mori is a wonderful character. She’s smart, she’s without prejudice (e.g. LGBT people) and she is a very strong girl.
This novel is set after the Big Event, after the Climax and Mori has to go on living with the consequences of her actions. She says that it's like life after the Scouring of the Shire.
Nothing much happens in the novel. It’s even quite boring. There’s no suspense or big event and because of that it is a slow novel. But that doesn't really matter.
The moments Mori realizes and anguishes over the possibility of others liking her only because of her magic are truly genius.
So real and so unlike anything I have ever read before. Now I’m wondering what happens after almost every other fantasy novel I have ever read. How the characters are coping etc.
A truly wonderful novel. I loved the style, the feel, the idea behind it.

The amount of reading she does and her opinions on them as a 15-year old is quite ridiculous though.
From the moment Mori gets a boyfriend I became a bit irritated with the novel. Suddenly it’s all about someone’s looks and how nice and sweet he is. I really didn’t care for this part.
The part where her father tries something on her was completely unnecessary too.
And the ending is rather meh. It’s a bit stupid I mean. How is it even possible that all three are there? There was no need for that final confrontation or for what happens with the fairies. Really she should have cut those last 70 pages and written an ending closer to the style of the novel.

When I’ll reread it I’ll make sure to make note of the mentioned authors. Among Others is more than anything else a love letter, an ode to literature.

Happy reading.
Helena

Enjoying this!

Wrap Up: January 2015

Hi

Even though January was a very busy month (the holidays, my husband’s birthday, my birthday and all the New Year’s visits) I managed to read 3004 pages in 9 books which is great.
When you go visit someone you never quite know when you’ll be going home. So you clear the whole afternoon or evening.
Free time equals reading time in my book. :)

Here are the books I read this month.

-    Terry Pratchett: The Wee Free Men
-    H. G. Wells: The Time Machine
-    Brandon Sanderson: The Well of Ascension
-    Evelyn Waugh: Vile Bodies
-    Tatiana de Rosnay: Sarah’s Key
-    Stephen King: Doctor Sleep
-    Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey
-    Nathan Filer: The Shock of the Fall
-    W. Somerset Maugham: Don Fernando

What did you read last month? Anything you’d like to recommend?

Happy reading.
Helena

W. Somerset Maugham: Don Fernando

Hi

Don Fernando is a non-fiction work and I regret buying and reading it as my introduction to Maugham.
I bought it second hand on a holiday and it has 178 pages.

“Considered by Graham Greene to be Maugham's best work, "Don Fernando" is a paean to a golden age of enormous creative energy. It discusses the writings of St Teresa and the paintings of El Greco, and comments with sagacity and wit on such illustrious figures as Cervantes, Velazquez and the creator of Don Juan. This vibrant assessment of a great people at their greatest hour is full of happy surprises, curious facts and stimulating opinions that reflect Maugham's lifelong enchantment with the landscape and people of Spain.”

Don Fernando covers a range of topics about Spain including El Greco, traveling, food, literature and Catholicism. All in one book.
It sounds boring and it is boring. It's interesting, but boring.

Happy reading.
Helena

Nathan Filer: The Shock of the Fall

Hi

I’m back with another review. This one is about The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer.
It has 314 pages and I got it from bol.com.

 “I’ll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother. His name’s Simon. I think you’re going to like him. I really do. But in a couple of pages he’ll be dead. And he was never the same after that.”

A very short and intriguing blurb. It got my attention for sure.

Filer’s use of different fonts, the childlike drawings, the lack of details in the past, the references to the past and the inconsistent thought process made me feel like I’m sneaking around and reading someone’s diary. It is perfectly done.
The characters are wonderfully done; they feel so real you can just see them.
Reading about family life before and after Simon’s death and about their involvement in Matt’s health (especially his Nan) was heartbreaking.

The Shock of the Fall is a gripping, deeply moving and very honest story. BUT, it is not a sentimental story; it’s not overly dramatic or sad.
Filer writes realistic but he handles things with great sensitivity. His own outrage at the system comes out through Matt.

I would have liked more information about his mother and her problems but it fits into the story to not tell us everything.

I will definitely read this one again. It is very beautiful and it stays with you for a while.

Happy reading.
Helena

It'll be an early night.

Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey

Hi

I decided to reread all Jane Austen novels. This time I’ll read them in the order she wrote them. This means I have to start with Northanger Abbey; even though it was published posthumously.
I own Austen’s novels in the very, very beautiful Penguin English Library editions. My copy of Northanger Abbey has 236 pages plus a 10-page article by Susannah Carson.

“The story’s unlikely heroine is Catherine Morland, a remarkably innocent seventeen-year-old woman from a country parsonage. While spending a few weeks in Bath with a family friend, Catherine meets and falls in love with Henry Tilney, who invites her to visit his family estate, Northanger Abbey. Once there, Catherine, a great reader of Gothic thrillers, lets the shadowy atmosphere of the old mansion fill her mind with terrible suspicions. What is the mystery surrounding the death of Henry’s mother? Is the family concealing a terrible secret within the elegant rooms of the Abbey? Can she trust Henry, or is he part of an evil conspiracy? Catherine finds dreadful portents in the most prosaic events, until Henry persuades her to see the peril in confusing life with art.”

I’m quite surprised to say so, but this novel is a true parody of Gothic Fiction. Which is probably why it is so different from her other works. Austen sounds much younger in this novel; she’s trying to find herself.

Northanger Abbey is a lighthearted, young and simple novel with a humble, charming, pure and genuine protagonist. Catherine is so much fun; she’s so innocent and naïve, she’s a bit crazy and I loved her.
John and Isabella are really, really irritating but it brought out the best in Catherine (and mrs Allan).

Reading this novel was pure joy; the kind that makes you all warm and fuzzy inside.

Happy reading.
Helena

Finishing this one tonight!

Stephen King: Doctor Sleep

Hi

It’s been about 8 years since I read a Stephen King novel, but when I saw this one at Waterstones, I had to buy it.
My copy has 485 pages.

“On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.
Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”
Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of devoted readers of The Shining and satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.”

The story is good. It’s a bit predictable and it lacks suspense because of that and because we know from the very beginning how powerful Abra is.
It’s a very satisfying read. It’s not scary but it is suspenseful and compelling; it’s so easy to read and fluent. Lots of details, vivid descriptions, almost real psychic abilities and his characterization is the work of a master.
I could keep on reading for hours because of that.
King's allusions to popular culture, music, YA novels and movies are perfect. Just perfect. They make me smile, they’re exactly right and they are an example of the seamless blend of The Shining in our mundane world. This novel is set in our world and it is this day.

Rose The Hat is the perfect villain; she and the Crow are frightening, but her gang is a bunch of comically, stupid rednecks.
I would have liked to know more about The True Knot instead of having to accept them as they are.
The novel is too long. Doctor Sleep would have been better with 100 pages less and the same story. It starts slow and it goes on too long; not some specific chapters but throughout the novel.

Overall, the novel has a good feel about it. The importance of family, friendship, support, recovery after addiction and good vs. evil are all themes.

If you want a sequel that’s much the same as The Shinning, you’ll be disappointed. If you want to find out what happened next to little Danny, you’ll like this.
Stephen King changed a lot since The Shining, and that shines through in his novels. I don’t mind, as long as you don’t put the label ‘horror’ on this novel, because it isn’t and it sets you up to disappointment. Read it like the sequel it is and as a supernatural thriller.

Happy reading.
Helena

 Time to relax before I go to sleep.

Tatiana de Rosnay: Sarah’s Key

Hi again

I had a lovely long day of reading on Sunday and I finished this novel and Vile Bodies.
Here’s my review of Sarah’s Key.
A friend at work gave this to me to borrow. It has 331 pages and the novel is translated into my native language; Dutch.

“Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.
Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.”

Based on true events, Sarah’s Key brings a difficult and dark period in the history of France to life.
A very important and to most French people unknown period is told from the viewpoint of a child in 1942 and a woman doing research in 2002.
It shows us how ignorant the French (and most of Western-Europe) were by helping or ignoring and forgetting those four years and their part in it.

The parts told by Sarah were too childlike. It would have been stronger and more haunting if it was told by a third party. Either way, this is a very strong and, sadly, realistic storyline.
Julia however has too much to say. I really don’t care for her husband, her problems or the baby. Those pulled the quality of the story down to an almost chick lit novel. And I must say I HATE CHICK LIT. de Rosnay should have kept Julia as a journalist and nothing more. The whining, the drama and the doubting made me go insane.
An overall very predictable storyline.

The storyline about the Holocaust had so much potential. She could have made me cry, she could have written a book that makes everyone think about their family and their country’s part in the Holocaust. She could have made this a very important book, a book everyone should read.
Instead, de Rosnay gave us this.

What’s your opinion?

Happy reading.
Helena