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Erin Britton - 13/07/2010
The 11th July 2010 marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of Harper Lee's sublime novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. An instant classic that is still being bought and enjoyed in huge numbers today, To Kill a Mockingbird is based loosely on people and events from Lee's own childhood in the American Deep South and primary concerns issues of racial inequality and the destruction of innocence.
The storyline of To Kill a Mockingbird must be one of the most instantly recognisable in the history of American, if not world, literature but, briefly, it follows imaginative tomboy Jean-Louise "Scout" Finch through several illuminating and turbulent years of her childhood. Six-year-old Scout lives with her brother Jem and widowed lawyer father Atticus in the "tired old town" of Maycomb, Alabama. Scout and Jem befriend a boy named Dill [based on Harper Lee's childhood neighbour, the author Truman Capote] who is visiting Maycomb to stay with his aunt. The three children begin a campaign to make their mysterious neighbour, the reclusive Boo Radley, come out of his house. Their peaceful lives of childish games and the way they view their town and neighbours are changed forever, however, when Atticus is appointed by the court to represent Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman.
To Kill a Mockingbird is a truly wonderful novel and its lessons about the importance of tolerance and understanding are just as relevant today as they ever were. As a story, it is by turns humorous and tragic, magical and brutal, while as a piece of social commentary it serves to highlight a deeply disturbing facet of American history. Harper Lee is an exceptional writer, her prose style is elegant and warm and demonstrates a clear love for the people and places of her youth, however flawed they ultimately proved to be. In a way, the huge success of To Kill a Mockingbird did something of a disservice to readers since, without the massive public scrutiny and adoration for her work, Harper Lee would surely have gone on to write further novels, but it would be impossible to deny that the triumph and praise that has been heaped on the book was undeserved. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend To Kill a Mockingbird to anyone who is seeking to read a truly great novel.
As to this particular edition of To Kill a Mockingbird, it is a delightful book to own and read. It is a stunningly designed clothbound, hardback edition released to commemorate the book's 50th anniversary and is beautiful to behold. This would make an excellent gift or special purchase for readers who love To Kill a Mockingbird and would appreciate a particularly fine edition to add to their book collection.
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Editor - 02/07/2010
This book started with a lot of promise. I really liked the first chapter where Roberta is getting prepared to evacuate her daughter. It was quietly sensitive to the emotions that must have been a very common situation for many at the time. One could easily imagine the sensible stoicism and confidence a mother would wish to impart prior to sending her daughter into unknown circumstances for an unforseable future. I particularly liked Anna's pragmatism and excitement because she imagined she was going to the seaside, and I think Rosie Allison did a pretty good job of travelling into the mindset of a twelve year old girl and identifying the thoughts and feelings from a childs point of view.
Rosie Alison builds up fascinating characters in the Ashtons, and the historical function of Ashton House is particularly evocative. Both Thomas and Elizabeth's perspectives are conveyed well initially. However, whereas Thomas Ashton's emotions are deeply considered,even though he is rather emotionally stilted, it is rather less sympathetic to Elizabeth Ashton. Rosie Alison largely describes Mrs Ashtons temprament and behaviour from the outside looking in, more than she attempts to explain it from the inside looking out. Although this is a novel and doesn't require absolute objectivity, it does need to try to balance its sympathies evenly.
I think the trouble is that Rosie Allison tries to do to much empathetic perspective in the first half of the book with too many of the characters: Anna; her mother and father; the Ashtons; Miss Wier; and both of the Nortons giving a first person narrative, that she just runs out of steam. The characters become flaky and each dramatic twist and turn becomes a bit understated and whimsical, with very little compassion, at times, to very distressing circumstances.
In essence, I think ' The Very Thought of You' has the basis of a very good plot but the execution is poorer during the second half of the book. An OK read if you want something to while away a few hours without making your head bleed, but not the Orange Prize potential that made me first pick up the book.
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Gillian Inglis - 30/06/2010
Gripping story well told. If you like Twilight, you'll like this wonderful story. The characters are fantastic and the setting is almost magical while being in the real world! Can't wait for the next one to come out!!
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Blah - 27/06/2010
To be honest, i had never read a King book in my life before i read The Shining. i had no idea what to expect. a lot of people i know have seen the film based on this book and said it was good so i thought: why not read the book?
i have to admit the beginning didn't really grab me. i'm a person that gets easily distracted though so that may have been why but when stuff started to happen in the hotel, i couldn't put it down! i was glued to this book! King has got everything just right in this book. The horror is more of a subtle nature at first, leaving you to think the characters may have just imagined these abnormal events and then as the novel progresses so does the level of noticeable abnormality.
I was a person who didn't believe in the whole 'books are scary' kind of thing because it's been said i 'lack an imagination'! but after reading this, i feel different towards this view! i wouldn't go in a bathroom for the next month without turning the light on before i'd go in!!
So, yeah, i'd take a chance and buy this book if i was you. i'm not exactly known for being a fan of reading or whatever, but i loved this book!
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Chris M - 24/06/2010
With the South African World Cup in full swing I thought it would be fitting to review a book by arguably the host nation's greatest writer and one of my favourite authors. Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee (pronounced I am informed as "cut-zee-uh") is a complex novel, intricately weaving a soul questioning story line with intuitive undertones of socio-political and racial reflection on post-apartheid South Africa. These factors are coupled with an exploration of sexuality and a moralistic appraisal of middle-age masculinity. Race is obviously one of the key issues in South Africa's turbulent modern history and taking into consideration the other factors explored in the book I think it is worthwhile to note that J. M. Coetzee is a middle-age (at time of publication) white South African male of Afrikaner descent. Born in Cape Town in 1940 Coetzee's childhood and much of his adult existence were spent living in South Africa's apartheid regime. Throughout the book it is clear that Coetzee draws on his intuitive understanding and his own personal experiences of his native South Africa. Gifted with an exceptional literary talent and an arrestingly beautiful eloquence, Coetzee bewitchingly conveys to paper a commentary on the state of a whole country, veiled in the shadow of a Booker Prize winning story...
David Lurie, a 52 year old professor of English at Cape Town University has a penchant for romantic poetry. Unfortunately for his career and his reputation his romantic inclinations consume him when he falls in love (a love all the more alarmingly born of lust) with one of his young students. A lustful creature, his weakness for heart pumping, soul stirring, life engaging romances are interestingly alluded to be conceived of a synchronous acceptance and denial of his own mortality, symbolised by his aging body and his fixed and unchangeable temperament (a mid-life crisis of sorts). Usually David is clinically romantic in the sense that he has his fling and ends it before things get too serious. He cites his two failed marriages as evidence that he is no good at relationships. This time however he is simply unable to stop himself and the romance builds a dangerous momentum, culminating in a sour ending for his life as he knows it. When the girl's parents find out about the relationship they forcibly end their daughter's involvement with David and call for the university to fire him for a gross misuse of his position of power. A tribunal is held and David reluctant to defend his actions and bemused as to why he should have to, pleads guilty to all accusations and puts the whole incident down to unstoppable human nature and the weakness of man. David's refusal to repent combined with a media frenzy forces the university's hand and our protagonist is dismissed in disgrace. Unemployed and his reputation in tatters David travels to the Eastern Cape to stay with his daughter on her small farm. For a while rural life and the company of his daughter suit him and his problems in Cape Town feel a long way away. However the dream like tranquillity of country life is soon transformed into a living nightmare as the pair fall victims of a home invasion by three young black men. His daughter raped and impregnated and himself beaten up and left bald and blistered by burns, David's life dramatically changes course for a second time. For David the horrifying events begin to bring into focus the issue of race and the much changed societal nature of post-apartheid South Africa...
Disgrace is a masterpiece as both a story and a commentary of post-apartheid South Africa, yet the lesson is universal. The book examines the excruciating scenario of a middle-aged man forced to comprehend and adapt to an evolving country at a time in his life where he believes himself too old to change. It questions human nature and the way in which we exploit each other to our own often selfish ends. It challenges our conception of disgrace and our humility in overcoming personal obstacles to forgive ourselves and gain the forgiveness of those we have wronged. Interesting and thought provoking throughout, this is one of the most intelligent yet accessible books I have ever read. Disgrace will enthrall you; challenge your own beliefs and preconceptions; and teach you a little bit about a country which despite its racial divisions of the past, has united together to bring the world a successful and exciting, distinctly African World Cup.
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Erin Britton - 15/06/2010
As well as being responsible for McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, a truly excellent literary periodical, Dave Eggers' (author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius amongst other novels) McSweeney's publishing house also releases a few, usually exceptionally good, books each year. Michael Chabon's Maps & Legends is one such book.
Maps & Legends is Chabon's first foray into book-length nonfiction and contains sixteen essays, some of which have been previously published. Chabon himself has described Maps & Legends as "a love song in sixteen parts" - the book offers a series of linked essays in praise of reading and writing, with subjects ranging from ghost stories to comic books, Sherlock Holmes to Cormac McCarthy. As well as speaking out powerfully in defence of genre fiction, Chabon argues energetically for a return to the thrilling, chilling origins of storytelling and "rejecting the false walls around serious literature in favour of a wide-ranging affection." A tremendously entertaining treatise on why books matter, Maps & Legends is written with Chabon's characteristic verve and wit and is a wonderful collection of thought provoking essays.
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Mike Kenny - 06/06/2010
Second Foundation is the third novel of the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov and is best read in sequence as it advances on concepts from the earlier novels. This is yet another excellent novel by Isaac Asimov (in fact, I've never encountered a bad book by him) and is written in two distinct parts.
The first part, "Search by the Mule", follows telepathic warlord The Mule's search for the elusive Second Foundation. The executive council of the Second Foundation is aware of the Mule's search and of his destructive intent but still allows him to discover the organisation "in a sense". It is then up to agents of the Foundation to deal with the threat in the most appropriate way.
The second part, "Search by the Foundation", is set sixty years after the events narrated in the first part. The members of the (First) Foundation are now fully aware of the existence and purpose of the Second Foundation. The original Foundation is embroiled in conflict with the Mule's former imperial capital at Kalgan and wants to avoid the potential threat posed by the Second Foundation. After inventing a device that can jam telepathic powers, the Foundation locates telepaths on Terminus and believes this to answer the question about the location of the mysterious Second Foundation. However, although this is an answer that satisfies, it is not necessarily an answer that is true.
Science fiction that is this good is a rare thing - I would recommend Asimov's Foundation series wholeheartedly.
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Philip - 27/05/2010
The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman is the definitive collection of a series of comic strips initially published in a magazine, later in two volumes of books and finally combined in the complete edition we see here. Okay, so this is a comic book, but don't let that put you off if you are not traditionally a huge fan of the medium. This is a comic book unlike any you have ever read. In 1992 it won the Pulitzer Prize. Yet somehow this prestigious award does not do it justice...
In Maus, the artist Art Spiegelman tells the story of his father's experience as a Polish Jew in Nazi occupied Europe. The story is based upon a series of taped interviews with his father and interestingly the artist presents the interaction between himself and his father and other friends and family as interludes to the main line of the story. Essentially it is a Holocaust survivor's tale but it is also a story about relationships and specifically the gulf that exists in the relationship between father and son (or subject and artist). The artist discusses his own sense of inadequacy and guilt for not ever having experienced firsthand the terrible things that have shaped his father's life, and therefore never understanding or being able to relate to him.
The artist's father and literary subject, physically survived persecution, pogroms, ghettos and ultimately Auschwitz. We are of course privy to all of these heartbreaking episodes of Vladek's past, which the artist manages to depict in both a biographical and wider historical perspective. However, although Vladek physically survived, the artist queries his father's mental survival and contemplates whether he really survived at all. Although the physical scars are almost all but healed (his camp identity number will always remain as a tattoo) the mental scars are still as vivid as ever. His survivor mentality alienates him from all around him. People see his aversion to wasting food and his thrifty methods of saving money as petit and miserly, but he is just living/surviving the only way he knows how.
Spiegelman metaphorically depicts people as animals. For example, the Jews appear as mice and the Nazis as cats. The analogy with the animal kingdom is clear - mice are the prey and cats are the predators and this works for the Jews and the Nazis too. The Poles are depicted as pigs (the metaphor here is a little harder to decipher) and Americans as dogs. Interestingly for a comic book that metaphorically depicts people as animals, the story is inherently human.
Amazingly, whilst heartbreaking in places, like a ray of sunshine breaking through black clouds, Maus shocks the reader with joy, laughter and love. Some of the interaction between father and son had me laughing out loud, when I had been crying only a minute before. Maus clearly shows us both the worst and the best of human nature. It would make a fascinating read for anyone of any age. I would however especially recommend it to the younger generations, who may find this piece of visual work an interesting and easier introduction to a sensitive, harrowing and incomprehensibly dark chapter of human history...one we should all remind ourselves of and never forget.
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Marco - 18/05/2010
If you are looking for a book where Art meets Architecture and vice versa, this is the best example in the new century. Avant-garde and technology, poetic visions for the cities of the future.
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Tracy Preece - 13/05/2010
As a tired mum I wanted to feed my child homemade food rather than readymade jars. I found this book invaluable as by using the planner I did not have to worry (especially on the extra tired days) about what I was going to give my child to eat as it was already planned out. I knew she was getting a good range of foods by following the meal planner and the recipes were easy to follow. As time went on I could adapt the recipes according to my child's likes and dislikes.
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Mike Kenny - 10/05/2010
Foundation and Empire is the second volume in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. Originally published as two novellas, Foundation and Empire the novel is made up of "The General" and "The Mule".
In "The General", as the Galactic Empire crumbles, General Bel Riose launches an attack on the Foundation. Although the Foundation is theoretically stronger than the Empire, General Bel Riose has access to greater resources and personnel and so his attack does begin to threaten the Foundation. A Foundation citizen named Devers intercepts a communication that details the General's double dealings and attempts to escape to Trantor so that he can show the communication to the Emperor and hopefully stop the attack.
"The Mule" is set roughly one hundred years after "The General". The Empire has crumbled, Trantor has been sacked by invaders, and most of the galaxy has split into barbaric factions. Due to its extensive trading routes, the Foundation is now the major power in the galaxy. Until, that is, a new threat arises in the form of a growing army of barbarians led by a mysterious individual known as the Mule. Once it is discovered that Hari Seldon has failed to predict the existence of the Mule, Foundation citizens Toran and Bayta Darell, along with psychologist Ebling Mis and a refugee clown named Magnifico Giganticus, travel the galaxy attempting to locate the Second Foundation that had been established by Seldon.
Although a much darker and more intense book, Foundation and Empire is an excellent follow up to Foundation. Asimov's writing is excellent as ever, with his descriptions of the alien worlds and his characterisations being particularly strong. The whole Foundation series is fantastic and Foundation and Empire is further proof that Isaac Asimov is one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time.
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Mike Kenny - 06/05/2010
Foundation, a collection of five short stories, is the first book in Isaac Asimov's epic century-spanning science fiction masterwork known as the Foundation Series.
The first of the collected stories, "The Psychohistorians", takes place on Trantor, the capital planet of the 12000 year old Galactic Empire. Mathematician Hari Seldon has developed a new science known as psychohistory which equates are possibilities in large societies to mathematics, allowing him to predict long-term outcomes. Using his psychohistory, Seldon discovers that the Galactic Empire is decaying and that it will collapse within 500 years, the collapse being followed by a 300000 year period of barbarism in the galaxy. When his findings are declared to be high treason, Seldon and a group of hand-picked scientists agree to go into exile on the planet Terminus, where they intend to create a mammoth Encyclopaedia Galactica as the repository for all human learning. In this way they hope to limit the period of chaos that will inevitably follow the collapse of the Empire.
In "The Encyclopaedists", having progressed 50 years into the future, the planet Terminus is facing its first Seldon Crisis. The Foundation on Terminus is caught in the middle of a power struggle between four neighbouring planetary systems and the scientists are ill-equipped to deal with military matters. Luckily, Mayor Salvor Hardin is quick to realise the danger and attempts to work out a solution. Hardin receives guidance as to the way forward for the Foundation from an image of the now deceased Hari Seldon that appears in a specially created Time Vault and confirms that psychohistory has predicted a series of crises that will occur on Terminus.
"The Mayors" takes place 30 years later when the Foundation has used its scientific knowledge as the basis for a pseudo religion that keeps neighbouring planets in order. However, the Prince Regent of Anacreon seeks to overthrow the Foundation and so Salvor Hardin is once again called upon to avert a Seldon Crisis.
In "The Traders" another 55 years have passed and a trader by the name of Limmar Ponyets is sent to the planet Askone to retrieve a fellow trader who is facing execution. The leaders of Askone are determined to avoid contact with, and contamination by, Foundation technology so Ponyets must employ devious methods to secure the release of his colleague.
The final story is "The Merchant Princes". The Foundation has expanded and grown powerful through the use of its science religion and economics but three Foundation vessels have recently disappeared in the vicinity of Korell, a civilisation trying to develop their own variety of technical superiority. Trader Hober Mallow is sent to uncover information on their technology and hopefully find the missing ships.
Foundation is clearly an epic undertaking, especially since anyone who reads this first book is pretty much guaranteed to want to progress on to the further books in the series, but it is well worth the effort. The Foundation Series is perhaps more esoteric that Asimov's Robot Series but is still a rewarding read. The characters, planets and indeed empires that Asimov has created are truly immense and his storytelling ability is outstanding. Foundation is a fantastic book by one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time.
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Joanne Leddington - 28/04/2010
Stieg Larsson is the only author whose books are so addictive that I seriously considered learning a new language (Swedish to be precise) so that I could finish the series without having to wait for an English translation! I am so pleased that The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest is finally out in paperback now, I feel like I've been waiting to discover the conclusion to Millennium Trilogy for years. Continuing on from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest opens with Lisbeth Salander having been hospitalised after the dramatic events that followed her meeting with her father. From her hospital bed Salander plots her revenge against the man who tried to kill her and the governmental organisations that tried to destroy her life. Revenge is going to far from simple though as Salander is under close guard in hospital and will face three charges of murder and one of attempted murder as soon as she is deemed to have recovered from her injuries. With the help of journalist Mikael Blomkvilst and the staff at his Millennium magazine, Salander sets out to prove her innocence and to identify the corrupt politicians who conspired to allow vulnerable individuals to become victims of abuse and violence. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest provides a wonderful and downright thrilling ending to Larsson's excellent Millennium Trilogy. The story here is so tense and action packed that I almost had to read it in on sitting it was so difficult to tear myself away from Slander's quest for revenge. I wish that there would be further books from Stieg Larsson but that sadly will not happen. His writing is certainly gritty and he doesn't shy away from the truth of crime and abuse but the story is never gratuitous. The Millennium Trilogy is an amazing trilogy, probably the best crime thriller series that I have ever read, and I would recommend that any readers new to Larsson's work buy all three books at the same time because once you begin to read the series, you are going to want to follow it right through to the end!
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Chris Minton - 28/04/2010
Mikael Blomqvist is a renowned Swedish journalist and magazine publisher who made a name for himself as a young writer after stumbling upon a gang of armed robbers whilst on holiday. After informing the police he then reported on the inevitable armed stand off from his cabin conveniently situated next door to the robbers. In this instance he lucked out and his subsequent career shared similar fortunes until he published a scathing attack on the wealthy Swedish industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerstrom. A libel case was brought against Blomqvist and our protagonist protecting his anonymous source was unable to provide any evidence to support his seemingly unfounded accusations. Disgraced and with his reputation in tatters, Blomqvist is handed a three month prison sentence and is ordered to pay damages. Seemingly things could not get any worse...
Parrallel to the exploits of the middle aged Blomqvist we are introduced to a young female character called Lizbeth Salander. Tattooed, pierced, dressed all in black with dyed hair Salander is described as a social misfit. She hates uninvited human contact, is extremely introverted and therefore has few if any friends, choosing to spend most of her free time absorbed in the internet. It is suggested towards the end of the book that she may have some form of Asperger's. Salander is a private investigator for a Swedish security firm. In fact, she is the best in the business and it is in this capacity that she first hears mention of Blomqvist, putting her skills to the test investigating the man himself for a lawyer representing a certain Henrik Vanger...
Facing jail time and his career in tatters, Blomqvist is presented an opportunity he simply cannot ignore. Henrik Vanger, another wealthy Swedish industrialist, having read Salander's detailed report offers Blomqvist a very well paid job under the pretense of writing the colourful history of the Vanger family. But his real task is to investigate the disappearance of Henrik's niece, Harriet Vanger several decades earlier. To sweeten the deal Henrik Vanger offers to provide detailed information that will ruin Wennerstrom upon completion of the task. Blomqvist accepts the task but he cannot complete it alone...
Upon finding out that he himself was investigated, Blomqvist reads Salander's report. He is shocked at the intrusion into his private life but far from being angry at Salander he seeks to employ her assistance in the case of Harriet Vanger's disappearance. Queue one of the strangest and most unexpected partnerships in crime novel history...
And what a partnership it is...in both senses of the word. The pair prove to be an investigative whirlwind and their passion for the job soon spreads to the bedroom...The defensive and introverted Salander is slowly drawn out of her shell by the genuine and unobtrusive nature of the older journalist...
The last thing I was expecting from this novel was a love story. But strangely this dynamic developed along with the crime solving elements of the tale. Before every man reading this turns away and decides not to read the book, I should stress that the love story contained within these pages is unlike any other you may have heard about. The love is as brutal as the crime and neither of the characters are 'lovey-dovey'. The relationship mirrors the dark nature of the book and is primarily a crime novel...a 'who-dunnit?' if you will. But although the novel unravels the mystery of a crime on a par with a Jonathan Creek episode, the author's examination of the very nature of the human relationship forces the reader to question their own preconceptions regarding love and friendship. The unselfish and mutual love and understanding that the two characters afford each other are an excellent example of the pureness of human nature.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is a crime novel interwoven with a love story which slowly gains a choke hold on you as the book develops and perhaps does not really become apparent until you've finished the last page and put the book down. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo truly is a modern classic. I know everyone is reading it, but if you haven't already jump on the bandwagon and enjoy the ride.
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Editor - 15/04/2010
This is perfect holiday reading. Emma and Dexter are both likeable young people, even though Dexter is a bit of a pratt at times! Written in an interesting format, from each of the characters perspectives, the story unfolds over a couple of decades following Dexter and Emma's apparently unconsummated one night stand on their last night at University. Each chapter starts at on the same date on each consecutive year, deliberately picking up the most interesting developments in their lives, such as Dexter's great job and how he manages to undermine himself, and Emma's increasing recognition of her personal and professional dissatisfaction. Despite both of their shortcomings and their totally different outlooks on life, there is a sexual tension that runs throughout the story, and a plausible feel good ending, following a tragic event. Generations of 'forty something's will recognise the historical markers that occur, which are actually glossed over quite lightly as passing references, and rather than creating nostalgia appear a tad too superficial. Despite this, it is easy to imagine this converted to the screen in the 'four weddings and a funeral' genre and will be lovely, as long as the producer doesn't change the end to be 'happy ever after'.
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Editor - 14/04/2010
It is really hard to decide how to rate this book. The initial few short chapters read as a version of the childrens bible, without the benefit of glossy pictures. I wasn't, and am still not sure if this is deliberate or just lazy on Pullmans part. However following the birth of Jesus and his twin Christ, the story starts to diverge from the original version in Luke's gospel that we are all so familiar with and becomes just a little more substantial. That said, it is an incredibly easy story to read and quite difficult to put down. Phillip Pullman's aim is to suggest that what was a simple and rather unremarkable story of Jesus' ministry became embellished by the establishment of the church, although the book only predicts, rather than describes this.
The book sets out to consider the possiblity that a manipulation of the story of Jesus occurred when it was chronicled, in order to create an established church. The concept of Jesus having a twin, Christ, was an interesting way to challenge the literal interpretations that many churches have used in order to control thier congregations. Unfortunately, the story has a conclusion that is utterly predictable from the point where 'the stranger' joins Christ, which is actually less half way through the book. This did not entirely spoil my enjoyment of the book as some of the sections, particularly the chapter on Jesus in the garden of Gethsemene was especially thought provoking, and elequently describes the state of mind that many people of spiritual faith encounter during times of trial and doubt. However, I couldn't help feeling a bit short changed by Pullman. He clearly understands the essential teachings of Christianity, and he makes some valid, but not previously undocumented, observations of its short-comings. I cant help feeling that if you are going to court deliberate controversy at a time when Christians are feeling marginalised, much greater depth is required to do it justice. Maybe the simplicity was deliberate, for wider appeal, or maybe he just wanted to make a fast buck and took the easy route!
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Tatiana - 10/04/2010
I thought the book was beyond good. The whole series is the best of the best. Tempted had suspense, sorrow, and a whole lot of action. My favorite part was when Zoey finally dumped Erik and got closer to Stark, which i think she should go with him. My least favorite part was when Health died. I cried when i read that Kalona cracked his neck like it was nothing. I would have done and felt the same way as Zoey if one of the people I loved just died in front of my eyes. Now all I can do is wait for the day that Burned finally comes out which i will use my vouchers to get. I'm anticapating to read what will happen next...
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Robert J. Thomas - 30/03/2010
John Fowles is a true master of literature and The Collector is arguably his greatest novel.
Frederick Clegg is a lonely, grey young man who works as a minor clerk at a nameless city hall and whose one joy in life is collecting butterflies. Clegg is obsessed with Miranda Grey, a beautiful art student, but is unable to talk to her and so makes do with watching her from afar. Clegg's mundane life is transformed dramatically when he wins the football pools and is able to quit his job and move to the country. Unfortunately the peaceful country life is not what Clegg hoped it to be and he soon begins to pine for Miranda. Incapable of actually making personal contact with her, Clegg decides to kidnap Miranda and to hold her in the basement of his house along with his butterfly collection until she grows to love him.
Although I quite realise that The Collector by John Fowles is a widely read and much discussed modern classic, I intend my next comment to be deliberately vague so as not to spoil the novel nor to dissuade anyone from reading it. I do have to say that, I consider the ending of The Collector to be the most subtly devastating of any that I have read. When I reached the end of the novel during my first read though I felt that I could never return to the story again, but I found my mind regularly returning to the events of the book and pondering on the character of Frederick Clegg. Eventually I decided that I had to reread the novel and, on that second pass, I found it every bit as compelling as during my first reading but I noticed several elements and nuances that I have previously missed. I certainly couldn't say that The Collector becomes any easier with repeated readings yet it is such an exceptionally engrossing story and an amazingly astute character study that I have found myself rereading it many times over the years. With so many great works of literature out there, I believe that the novels that can tempt you back time and again are true masterpieces and deserve to be enjoyed by as many people as possible.
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James Brooks - 30/03/2010
Rick Riordan's excellent Percy Jackson and the Olympians series comes to an end with The Last Olympian, the fifth book in the series. Percy Jackson was just an ordinary twelve year old boy, struggling with dyslexia and getting into trouble at school, when the series began with Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief but Percy soon discovered that he was not so ordinary after all. Percy Jackson is in fact a demigod, his mother is a regular human but his father is Poseidon, god of the sea. It turns out that Percy's dyslexia is due to his brain being hardwired for ancient Greek rather than English and that he is naturally good at sport because he has an inbuilt ability for sword fighting and defence. After discovering his truth heritage Percy had to leave home and go to live at Camp Half-Blood, a camp for demigods, so that he will be safe from enemies of the gods such as Medusa and the Furies. Since the first book Percy, with the help of his friends Grover (a satyr) and Annabeth (daughter of Athena) has been battling to save the ancient Gods of Olympus and prevent the Titan Kronos from gaining power.
In the Last Olympian the great battle between the Olympian and the Titans finally begins. While the Olympians have many demigods and creatures from Greek mythology on their side, quite a few of the demigods have switched sides to join Kronos and with every new supporter that he recruits his power grows stronger. With the Olympians occupied trying to destroy the monster Typhon, Kronos attacks New York City and begins to advance on Mount Olympus which is left unguarded at the top of the Empire State Building. It is up to Percy Jackson and his loyal band of demigod friends to stop Kronos as battle rages on the streets of New York and the true meaning of the Great Prophecy is revealed.
The Last Olympian is a great book and even though I am sad that the series has ended I really enjoyed reading it. I think that the thing I like best about this series is that Percy Jackson himself has both dyslexia and ADHD but he is still the hero. I've not found another series where the hero has dyslexia and is treated with respect rather than being made to look stupid. I also love the way Rick Riordan has worked in the Greek myths so that they fit in perfectly with the modern world. I have always liked Greek mythology and so have enjoyed seeing the famous characters as if they were still alive in our times. There is always lots of excitement in the Percy Jackson books and the battles in the Last Olympian are really good. Apparently Rick Riordan is writing another series about demigods from Camp Half-Blood - I really hope that he hurries up with it!
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Chris M. - 26/03/2010
In How Democratic is the American Constitution? The author Dahl essentially debates the democratic nature of the American Constitution, questioning how truly democratic it can be whilst remaining so unchangeable and so rife with inequalities.
To quote from the foreword, 'Parts of this book were given as a series of Castle Lectures in Yale's Program in Ethics, Politics and Economics, delivered by Robert Dahl at Yale University in 2000.' This work was adapted and developed from this source and thus the entirety of this short book reads just like the deliverance of a lecture. The author frequently poses questions and arguments and then proceeds to answer or dispute them as if in audible debate with the reader. This method of writing challenges the reader to consider their personal interpretations and draw their own conclusions of the subject matter in a much more active manner than most similar works. Published by Yale University Press and penned by an eminent scholar one would perhaps be forgiven for expecting a convoluted and complicated potted history of the American Constitution, incorporated in an unfathomable tome of elaborately perplexing, cryptic interpretations. Instead this book is as accessible to undergraduates as it is to our most learned and eminent scholars. In fact this book could easily be accessed by the everyday American or non-American with a general knowledge of the Constitution. Naturally some scholars may consider this accessibility to the masses to be a poor accolade. However it would seem the author intended this book to spark debate and promote discussion regarding the Constitution amongst all Americans. Therefore Dahl should perceive this universal accessibility as a personal success.
To conclude this book is a must for all Americans and any foreign students of the American Constitution. Through his expressive and accessible prose Dahl forces the reader to reconsider and question every last detail of the Constitution challenging all of the reader's beliefs and preconceptions regarding this document. How Democratic is the American Constitution? Not democratic enough. Although whilst most would agree with the author on this point, hopefully not everyone will share Dahl's pessimism regarding the feasibility of change.