(1) The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Historical Fiction / Mystery - "Barcelona, 1945: A city
slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an
antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds
solace in a mysterious book entitled 'The Shadow of the Wind', by one
Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he
makes a shocking discovery."
A beautifully
written book with so many layers, twists and turns, and interesting
characters to boot. I liked how it had so much going on, yet felt quite
small in context with the setting of it being in Barcelona. It's
haunting and captivating in lots of places, but I have to admit that
some bits did feel a little slow to get through, especially towards the
end. Saying that, it's a wonderfully rich and descriptive book to settle down with, but take
your time and enjoy it - it's certainly not one to pick up if you're feeling rushed for time. [4/5]
(2) For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
Literature / Historical Fiction - "High in the pine
forests of the Spanish Sierra, a guerrilla band prepares to blow up a
vital bridge. One of the greatest novels of the twentieth century by one of the greatest American writers."
I'm not a big fan of Hemingway or his writing, and found For Whom The Bell Tolls
to be mostly tedious and a chore to get through. Had I not been
reading it with a book club, I don't think I would have managed to
finish it on my own. However, I can't fault the true depictions of
the grittiness and sheer violence of war, which was both depressing and
compelling to read at the same time. [2/5]
(3) The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks
Contemporary - "A small-town morality
play that addresses one of life's most agonizing questions: when the
worst thing happens, who do you blame?"
Beginning with the tragedy of a horrific school bus accident, The Sweet Hereafter
devotes a chapter to four different characters who share their point of view of
what happened. As these people talk, all of the grief, accusations, guilt
and jealousy caused by the incident erupts from this small town, taking
the reader on an emotional journey into the very heart of what human nature is. The
writing is rather simplistic and because it's a short book, it can be difficult to fully immerse
yourself into the story due to it feeling like it's already over before it's
begun. I did enjoy the psychology between the lines though and how it
reminded me of the film Crash with the different narratives intertwining with each other so well. [3/5]
(4) The River Of No Return by Bee Ridgway
Time Travel / Romance / Fantasy - "200 years after
he was about to die on a Napoleonic battlefield, Nick Falcott, soldier
and aristocrat, wakes up in a hospital bed in modern London. The Guild,
an entity that controls time travel, needs Nick
to go back to 1815 to fight the Guild’s enemies and to find something
called the Talisman. In 1815, Julia Percy
mourns the death of her beloved grandfather, an earl who could play with
time. Soon enough Julia and Nick are
caught up in an adventure that stretches up and down the river of time."
A very, very
slow start but if you can get past the first 200 or so pages, it really begins to pick up. I liked the mix of time travel and romance with all
the interesting historical fiction stuff spliced into it, but thought
that some of the sex scenes were a bit out of place with the overall
style of the story. Nick and Julia's blossoming romance was interesting to see grow, and there's a lot of interesting hidden politics that are tied in with the mysterious Guild. Not a patch on The Time Traveller's Wife that it's been frequently compared to, but good for a holiday read. [3/5]
What have you been reading lately?
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I know the first witter I think I read something from him but in Spanish.
ReplyDeleteYeah he's quite famous - I wish I could read Spanish! Need to make it a new years resolution :)
Deleteheheh yes , make it :) maybe another language aside too :)
DeleteI recently read the housekeeper and the professor, not a fan of it :(
ReplyDeleteDanniella x | www.famousinjapan.co.uk
It's always disappointing when you read a book and don't like it much. Hope your next one is better :) x
DeleteThe Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks sounds very intriguing, though I'm a little put off that it's short. I like books with a lot of "meat" to them, but perhaps shorter reads shouldn't be something to shy away from in 2014!
ReplyDeleteNell at And Nell Writes
It's an interesting book, but I do wish it was longer just so that more of the story could have been fleshed out and perhaps more people's POVs could have been included instead of just four. Give it a go though, you don't have anything to lose :)
Delete