Sweet Reality (Reality Star)

Hey, it’s Heather posting. We’ve all been devouring our university reading lists, so these last few weeks have been spent basically becoming books (I swear my hair smells slightly like the paper somehow now). Needless to say, after a week of reading Shakespeare, however wonderful that may be, I was in dire need of something lighter, and thus was delighted to read the sequel to America’s Next Reality Star (see my review on that), Sweet Reality. Many thanks to the author for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

Information

Author: Laura Heffernan

Published: September 2017

Publisher: Lyrical Shine

Length: 236 pages

Brief description (from Amazon)

Jen Reid's life after walking off a reality show has been great--she's gone from being a broke twenty-four-year-old Seattleite with no love life and no job to the twenty-five-year-old who got the guy, moved to Miami, and is starting a bakery with her best friend. She thinks her showmance love might be about to propose. And with mouthwatering goodies based on everyone's favorite shows, her business, Sweet Reality, is destined for success.

That is, until a killer competitor opens right across the street. If she's going to save Sweet Reality, Jen has to come up with a secret ingredient--like the recipe that won Totally 80s Bake-Off. Jen can get it--if she steps back into the spotlight. Soon she and her boyfriend are out to sea on a cruise ship full of reality stars, including her nemesis, Ariana; her lying, cheating ex; and some wicked producers looking to bring the drama. Separate cabins, "surprises" from her past, and scenarios tailor-made to spark fights are just the beginning. But with her self-respect, her business, and her future on the line, the fallout from this made-for-TV plotline will be all too real . . .

(https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sweet-Reality-Star-Laura-Heffernan-ebook/dp/B01N1R8PV6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504621082&sr=8-2&keywords=sweet+reality)

Review

I sometimes struggle with reading sequels. The first book is often so much better than the second or third, which can sometimes ruin the entire series for you. Even years later, the prospect of reading the Hunger Games frightens me because Peeta’s character turns so nasty in the third book, and poor Prim had such a rushed death scene. Honestly though, I’m so glad I persisted with this one because it’s just as well written as its predecessor.

In my review for the prequel, my main criticism was that the ending felt hurried, so I had high hopes that this novel would tie up some of the loose ends – something definitely achieved. Jen’s about to open a cake business with Justin’s sister, Sarah, with the unique selling point of the baked goods being reality television themed. Meanwhile, Justin’s finishing his studies in law and helping the others out with the legal side of opening the shop. The couple also decide to go on a cruise for reality television stars, in which a few familiar faces pop up again. Typically, Jen gets the worst luck possible and finds herself stuck on a cruise with her enemy, Ariana, and her ex-boyfriend, as well as the wife he hid from her throughout their past relationship.

Jen definitely retains the same flaws as in the last book; she’s easy to agitate, insecure, bitter, has severe trust issues… this is excellent. Jen is far from a perfect person, that’s what makes her real and relatable, especially after the last serious relationship she had. Similarly, Justin is so stressed out with family problems, worrying over when to propose, and his academic results, that we see some of his less ideal boyfriend traits. Ariana’s character has a very clever and interesting twist at the end, making her character have dimensions and development which I adored. Another praise has to go to the author for including a deaf character, and subtly approaching the challenges the deaf have to face, I really hope that in the next book we see more of this character, or Jen learns sign language. Ed and Rachel are such lovely people, wonderful friends for Jen to have made, I can only compliment them too.

Friendships were another highlight of this novel, both old and new ones, Heffernan wrote them with the perfect amount of banter and support that’s realistically involved. The relationship between Jen and Justin was so problematic though, that I have to confess I kind of hoped they’d break up at times – it’s clear that Jen needs more time to realise that she can fully trust Justin, and they could certainly use a bit more communication. Maybe she needed more of a break after her last relationship? Although, they did have a couple of calmer, cute moments.

As usual, Heffernan writes in an imaginative way, including snippets of private interviews, news reports, and standard narrative. This creative written style is lifted even more by the measures of humour and drama, poor Jen really has to go through some mortifying situations. And, oh my goodness, that secret ingredient had me laughing out loud. I’d really recommend this series for anyone that wants a funny, light read.

Black & White

Hiya, it’s Heather posting today! Hope you’re all having a super summer, I’m not particularly well at the moment so apologies for a shorter than normal review. Many thanks to the author for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

Information

Author: Nick Wilford

Published: September 2017

Publisher: Superstar Peanut

Length: 180 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian

Brief Description (from Amazon)

What is the price paid for the creation of a perfect society?

In Whitopolis, a gleamingly white city of the future where illness has been eradicated, shock waves run through the populace when a bedraggled, dirt-stricken boy materialises in the main street. Led by government propaganda, most citizens shun him as a demon, except for Wellesbury Noon – a high school student the same age as the boy.

Upon befriending the boy, Wellesbury feels a connection that he can’t explain – as well as discovering that his new friend comes from a land that is stricken by disease and only has two weeks to live. Why do he and a girl named Ezmerelda Dontible appear to be the only ones who want to help?

As they dig deeper, everything they know is turned on its head – and a race to save one boy becomes a struggle to redeem humanity.

(https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-White-Book-One-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B07395MKSH/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1502791602&sr=1-1&keywords=black+%26+white+nick+wilford)

Review

This novel is set in a spotless society (they’d despise my house) called Whitopolis in which even the word dirt is confusing to the citizens. One day, a kid named Mallinger from another place suddenly appears there – and this boy is covered in dirt, so naturally the citizens are terrified and condemn him as a ‘demon’. Meanwhile, Wellesbury is bored of how routine and perfectionistic their lifestyle is, so talk of a ‘demon’ intrigues him and he decides to investigate.

I found the concept of living in an immaculate society really creative. There’s no illness, most people live until they’re a hundred, and everything is fairly uneventful. This did rub off on some of the characters too. With the exception of Wellesbury, Ezmerelda and Tindleson, everyone living there seemed content with their lives yet were distant, passive and dull, almost lacking any energy. Wellesbury was a good protagonist; I really liked how innocent he was, harbouring a sweet crush for Ezmerelda and wanting to help Mallinger, but also struggling with his peers as school. Ezmerelda was animated and passionate, her bravery and thirst for justice making her very likable and a strong character. To be honest, I felt that Tindleson was introduced too late on in the book and seemed to very suddenly gain the trust of Wellesbury and Ezmerelda.  

“Her eyes had colour. Her skin had colour. Ezmerelda longed for more colour in her world.”

Sometimes, I found myself yearning for just a little more imagery – it’s particularly hard in fantasy and science fiction books because the reader needs to feel convinced that the place could exist. It’s the little things like the shade of the paving slabs, descriptions of the hovercars and food, did they have garages? Was there any fake grass or stone patches or was the outside completely concrete? Did they have windows and statues? Teensy details like the sound of one’s footsteps on different materials can really help to develop a sense of realism for the reader. The whole concept of eradicating anything vaguely unclean does make one question how toddlers were dealt with pre-toilet-training stage and whether dust was an issue. Were paint stains frowned upon? I know that a certain amount of information should be left to the imagination, but I’m a curious person and the idea of Whitopolis sparked my interest, so these questions bugged me.

I enjoyed this novel, but felt it needed just a little bit more description. The grammar was flawless, though there was an overuse of ellipses at the start. If you’ve read it, let me know your thoughts below!  

The Existence of Pity

Hello, it's Heather! Many thanks to the author for sending this to us for an honest review. This made a very pleasant summer read that I'd definitely encourage others to look at.

Information

Author: Jeannie Zokan
Published: October 2016
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
Length: 256 pages

Brief description (from Amazon)

Growing up in a lush valley in the Andes mountains, sixteen-year-old Josie Wales is mostly isolated from the turbulence brewing in 1976 Colombia. As the daughter of missionaries, Josie feels torn between their beliefs and the need to choose for herself. She soon begins to hide things from her parents, like her new boyfriend and her explorations into different religions. Josie eventually discovers her parents’ secrets are far more insidious. When she attempts to unravel the web of lies surrounding her family, each thread stretches to its breaking point. Josie tries to save her family, but what happens if they don’t want to be saved? The Existence of Pity is a story of flawed characters told with heart and depth against the beautiful backdrop of Colombia. (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Existence-Pity-Jeannie-Zokan/dp/1940215803/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499696321&sr=8-1&keywords=the+existence+of+pity)

Review

This novel is honestly as sweet as apple pie, I adored reading it for a bit of escapism. It’s told from the perspective of Josie, who is growing up in Cali, Columbia, with her Baptist Missionary family. Overshadowed by her brother Aaron who deceives his parents into believing him to be innocent in every way, Josie starts to question her religion and has to battle between staying true to herself or making her family happy.

The start of the book reveals a massive plot spoiler, which I’d have been tempted to leave out, however I actually have to commend the author for doing it as I was in a state of anticipation throughout. It means you progress through the novel querying the how’s and why’s of the situation, rather than the what. The plot itself develops steadily throughout so that you’re never resumed to feeling even an inkling of boredom, there’s always some drama. I have to say that the ending was spectacular and concluded in exactly the right way, though I’d personally be very happy if the author decided to write a sequel.

I loved the snippets of the way life works in Cali – being from dreary England we often read about the sunshine of America, so it was nice to drift further down to Colombia, a country less explored in literature. It was also nice to read about Aunt Rosie, who comes to visit from the States, and some of the other people that joined the missionary camp that were also from there. Through their reactions, the reader was able to fully understand how even minor earthquakes are very scary and the difference in food. The religious theme in the novel was one of my favourites as Josie starts to stray away from her own church and explore other forms of religion. It was interesting to see how Blanca and Aunt Rosie were more open to this than some other characters. Furthermore, how vital Josie’s faith was in keeping her controlled in some pretty stressful situations.

The characters are really fun to meet, from the effervescent Aunt Rosie whose always open to new experiences and offers Josie comfort when she’s down despite living far away, to their motherly maid Blanca. Josie is a wonderful protagonist; brave, adventurous, nosy. She thinks with her heart, wanting to stay true to herself but sometimes making irrational decisions as a consequence. The book has an endearing family feel to it initially, and yet as the story goes on it is not quite as idealistic as appearances may suggest.

Overall, the novel is a lovely read, very easy to get through quickly and perfect for summer. There are some controversial topics discussed, but the author does so delicately with openness to different perspectives. The writing style has an excellent description to dialogue ratio and shows thoughtfulness. There’s nothing graphic, so most age groups will be able to read this without any qualms!

Didn't get Frazzled

Hello, it’s Heather with another book review!

Author: David Z Hirsch

Published: April 2016

Publisher: Self-published

Length: 284 pages (this varies depending on the copy you get I think)

Rating out of 10: ★★★★★★★★

Didn’t get frazzled is a fictional medical-comedy told through the sarcastic narrative of Seth Levine; it pans over the years he is working hard to get his degree. With exams coming up and stress blooming like steam coming out of a kettle, I felt pretty fortunate to get such a fun book to read. Seth narrates the story in such a light-hearted manner that between cringing at his misfortunes in sympathy, you have to laugh. The plot itself is easy to follow, the reader checks in at him during several parts of his life, gaining an insight as to how the American medical schooling system works but more importantly understanding how his relationships with friends and his girlfriend develop. There is some medical jargon, but it’s in no way confusing to the reader, simply adding a sense of realism.

Seth’s interactions with the other characters mimicked those on comedy shows beautifully, making nearly every conversation an excellent read. The medical twist to it provides plenty of chances for these comedic moments, several gross stories being shared with the reader and the first chapter being literally called: A beautiful slice of dead penis (he performs a transection on this area of a cadaver). And yet the humour did not squash out the morality – you can’t help but love Seth, he stands up for what he believes in, even if it may lower his popularity from other doctors. He’s also a human. Lots of comedy authors forget that their characters have other emotions aside from happy and laughing at their life; Seth goes through a troubling time, battling with a bad-relationship that he struggles to maintain but also does not want to leave, on top of all his studying and witnessing some patients in severe pain. His empathetic attitude makes him thrive in his work, as does his ability to not get ‘frazzled’. Though if the book were to improve, I think it would have been insightful to see how he dealt with more pain through his profession, since those involved in medical careers will often cross paths with death usually by no fault of their own. The other characters accompany the story brilliantly, and the author managed to juggle between his different friends without any confusion.

“I saw a mom last week who brought her daughter to the ER because she thought her kid had chicken pops.”

Jeff cracked up, and I joined in. I always called Jeff when I needed to cheer up.

“I knew she meant chicken pox, but each time she said chicken pops I thought, did Kellogg’s come out with a new chicken-flavored Pops cereal?”

I finally found the skills gained from watching Casualty – do not eat or think about eating whilst the characters are inspecting a patient. Anyone squeamish will need to skim through these parts to avoid anything too unsettling. Personally, I was fine with it, to be honest if you are troubled by surgical shenanigans then perhaps not reading a book set around a medical student is better. In fact, the only parts I was less keen on were the more sexual, intimate scenes, which is purely my personal preference in books. Like the medical parts, this was not overly explicit, and these only popped up a few times, so did not make the read bad by any means.

Targeted at an adult audience that appreciate comedy, I really enjoyed this one. Any students will find they can relate to the multitude of awkward situations and quantity of studying as well as the need for friends in such frantic time to retain ‘unfrazzled’; if you’re a medical student then this is a must-read. If you’ve read this or are considering doing so, please do leave me a comment!

Links for anyone that wants to purchase this are below:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Didnt-Get-Frazzled-David-Hirsch ebook/dp/B01DOHSK0M/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Didnt-Get-Frazzled-David-Hirsch-ebook/dp/B01DOHSK0M/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29748682-didn-t-get-frazzled

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/didnt-get-frazzled-david-z-hirsch/1123610624 ean=2940152949414

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/didn-t-get-frazzled

Apple iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/didnt-get-frazzled/id1099034309?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

LibraryThing: https://www.librarything.com/work/18996986

The Man in the Brown Suit

Hi, this is Heather here (these intro bits always feel awkward to write). It’s been a while since I’ve written a review on a book that hasn’t been recently published, so I’m back with some Agatha Christie. I initially read this when I was about eight or nine and I was hiding from some party downstairs with the first book I could seize without getting caught, but heard a rather brilliant audio book version of it a few weeks back that made the memories flood back. This should avoid spoilers.

Author: Agatha Christie

Published: August 1924

Publisher: The Bodley Head

Length: 238 or 312 pages depending on the one you get

Rating out of 10 (I keep forgetting to do this): ★★★★★★

In Christie’s world of Poirot and Miss Marple and Tommy and Tuppence, The Man in the Brown Suit rather stands out because there is no ‘detective’ as such. The little chunk at the start sets the scene for the orphan Anne, who has a quenching desire to seek out adventure (hence she calls herself Anne the Adventurer a few times)! I believe people would now call her spur of the moment idea to use whatever money she can muster to fulfil this excitement ‘yolo’ – as she travels with very little aside from the reputation of her deceased father, professor Beddingfield across the ocean. It doesn’t take long for an adventure to come along as some commotion over which cabin she’ll be sleeping in leads her to being involved in a dangerous position as she becomes suspected of being allied with the ominous ‘Man in the Brown Suit’ that ‘The Colonel’ is after.

Christie switches the narrative from Anne to Sir Eustace Pedlar, now I know that many people dislike the idea of points of view changing but in this instance, it really works. Anne is sweet, young and naïve, very likable – and that’s great – but you really need Sir Eustace to make this book worthy of reading. You can tell that Christie had a wonderful time writing his part, with his selfish soul, taunting his dear secretary, Pagett, Sir Eustace is that jolly old chap that has no filter and bluntly announces every thought to enter his head, however rude it may come across.

“To begin with, it appears he caught sight of a man behaving suspiciously. Those are Pagett’s words. He has taken them straight from the pages of a German spy story.”

Oh Pagett. Pagett is hard to put into words… He works tirelessly for his employer and seems to suspect a good many people of being guilty. Yet despite the mocking he receives, he always means well. Anyway, another main character who I feel I should mention is Suzanne, who craves a little excitement, but not too much, nothing that would take away the fun or dampen her hair. She gets on brilliantly with Anne and they form a strong friendship, both of them splashing out on lots of little wooden animals and having a lovely time of it between the more serious scenes. I’ve rambled again. You get the picture, Christie is yet again amazing at bringing to light some extraordinary characters. In fact, the only character I wasn't too fond of was the man in the brown suit ironically enough.

The plot and pacing of the novel is quite good. Personally, I found the last bit a little rushed and the last quarter seemed perhaps a tad too random for me. I won’t spoiler it because it isn’t necessarily a bad ending; the book is most certainly still worthy of a read – I think from a modern perspective, everything seems less romantic, but it’s critical to remember that this book, whilst by no means old in terms of literature, is also not exactly modern. This means that some of the ideas do reflect the time it was written in as Anne becomes a little less independent. It’s also good to remember that Christie is not an emotional writer in the way of writing deep, philosophical or mournful pieces, in this novel it’s all fairly light-hearted. Aside from the last bit, the pace is excellent, and the switching of narrators makes it an enticing read. Though I did find the structure a little on the annoying side – the prologue is so entirely different to the majority of the book and only really links in at the end. This means the story first appears confusing as it switches rather hurriedly from a Russian dancer and some diamond scandal to an introduction on Anne before the story really starts happening. Had the prologue been the penultimate chapter, it would have been far clearer in this sense.

Since I still have some time left to write, I thought I’d add a little section on the context of the novel and how that altered its reception. This book was preceded by a Poirot book, which meant that Christie had some fans that were anticipating a similar style – according to Wikipedia (I know, not very reliable, but it’s the best I can do), one reviewer noted that Christie regrettably had dispensed of the Sherlock-Holmes-like Poirot, which is what had caused the success of her prior books. This review kind of annoyed me for suggesting that Poirot was the pure reason Christie was so successful; I’d like to see them write as many different plots with such powerful characters! I rather liked having a protagonist who had no knowledge of how to solve crime except that of the works of fiction, it means the reader can relate more to the protagonist. Don’t get me wrong, Poirot is a masterpiece, but by no means is he the only detective that Christie came up with worthy of her success.

As a stand-alone novel to get yourself into Christie’s work, this is a good choice! The characters are, as usual, spectacular, giving this book a light, funny kind of style. If anyone did get the audio version, I must add in that the voice of Sir Eustace and Pagett is hilarious and really brings the book to life.

Birdsong

Hiya, this is Heather writing! I know that several people are planning on reading this book, so will attempt to avoid spoilers. Bear in mind that a lot happens in this book, so this review does simplify the plot massively!

Author: Sebastian Faulks

Published: September 1993

Publisher: Hutchinson

Birdsong covers just under seventy years – from 1910 to 1979 – and is largely themed around the First World War, including before it has begun and the aftermath. The main protagonist (though the perspectives do change throughout) is Stephen Wraysford, a young British man who has been sent to France to oversee the way their textile industry works, whilst staying with the Azaire household. I think some people found the first section rather confusing because it is mostly a romance initially, you have to persevere until the war is abruptly entered. I actually really liked this, it shows that the soldiers’ lives did not simply revolve around the war; they had their own conflicts and personal battles before it. We also get a glimpse into the life of Stephen’s granddaughter, Elizabeth, who is narrating from 1978/9 and gains a sudden fascination with the war. Again, this displays rather a contrast to war, branching onto a more drama themed section as she struggles with her own relationship. Moreover, it illustrates how society disregards the First World War so much, with many of the characters lacking much sympathy or understanding of the horrors that we see Stephen go endure.

Like Barker’s Regeneration, the book addresses the link between love and war. At first, I thought this might be linking to how the soldiers would think of the most beautiful moments of their lives to remind themselves what they were fighting for, hence the love scenes were aforementioned. Yet there’s also the concept that love is a distraction, rather than a reason, to fight. The juxtaposition of ending life in war and forming life through a form of love is very powerful to write about. I did struggle to find the relationship between Stephen and Isabelle (this isn’t really a spoiler, it’s fairly obvious that they develop feelings for one-another) romantic since she is cheating on her husband with all things considered. Though the way Faulks presents it, Isabelle has no intimacy with her husband anyhow and Azaire is fairly easy to dislike, so it’s in no way an uncomfortable romance to read, I very much enjoyed it (plus it’s very easy to skip past the brief sex scenes if that disturbs you).

The parts set in war were written in a grotesquely visual manner, which was excellent at portraying the reality of war. Another main character – Jack Firebrace – works in the tunnels, which is a role that very few books look at. I can honestly not think of much worse than tunneling in the war. It’s described so vividly that as someone not fond of small spaces or loud noises, I felt terrified at points. The prospect of being buried alive was real for many in the war, so I’m really glad the Faulks wrote about it, as I feel it’s sometimes forgotten about when we refer to roles in the First World War.

Reactions to war is another phenomenally written aspect of the book – again, I find myself hooking back to Regeneration, particularly Siegfried Sassoon and his hatred of the civilians – Birdsong goes deeper into this so the reader really does sympathise with this view. When Weir goes home for a bit, his parents seem to dismiss his war experiences as dull, with the soldier’s family almost treating him like a nuisance for coming back without any advanced warning. Weir’s father seems practically offended that his son thinks he knows more about war, announcing at one point that he’s read about it in the paper, insinuating that he doesn’t need to know any more details, he’s perfectly well informed. I’m not quite sure whether to view this ignorance as his father’s bitterness about not being able to enlist himself, or perhaps feeling threatened upon knowing that his son is so tremendously brave and has seen such dreadful things. Maybe he wants to protect himself from hearing about the traumas his son has witnessed. Either way, Weir sums up his frustration later on saying that “his ‘bit’ and mine seem so different”. Anyone that’s read Haig’s play My Boy Jack may think to Rudyard Kipling, who is presented contrastingly in a proud way but still as ignorant to the reality of war, glorifying every moment.

Anyone on the hunt for either a romance, drama or war novel, please do opt for Birdsong and don't be dissuaded by the number of pages. Faulks writes in a vivid and captivating manner that makes the reader really understand more about the First World War. If you’ve read this or have any questions, comment below!

The Accidental

Hello, it's Heather here! This is a review on The Accidental, which is a little more mature than the typical book I'd go for, but I felt like trying something different.

Author: Ali Smith

Published: 2005

Publisher: Hamish Hamilton

The writing style is what really makes this book stand out. Anyone that knows my book tastes can confirm that I love a good stream of consciousness, so naturally I was intrigued by The Accidental. It's not quite as heavy as Woolf's take on the stream of consciousness, so anyone tempted to delve into that sort of work - but concerned it'll be too slow paced - may want to try this out. Some of the scenes and topics covered are quite mature. There will be spoilers in this review.

The accidental is peculiar to say the least, I began reading it (technically last year I suppose) in December and was delighted at how it was set out. The book is so structurally organised, I felt rather orderly indulging in one sub-section, then eating a biscuit, then reading the next sub-section etc until I had finished a section (and too many biscuits). It flutters between five narrators; Astrid, Magnus, Michael and Eve as well as a rather ominous narrator who calls themselves Alhambra who the reader can presume to be Amber I suppose, though that’s up for debate really. There are three sections which allow each character to have their say. The story-line is hard to concisely put into words without sounding dull, but basically the family are on holiday when a girl named Amber knocks at their door and apologises for being late for an appointment. Everybody then assumes that this appointment is either to meet with Eve (who is a historical writer) or someone involved with Michael, who seems to have numerous affairs with his students. Meanwhile, Magnus is consumed with guilt from having participated in a prank that resulted in the death of a girl he barely knew, so does not question Amber’s appearance. The quote below, eloquently put in Magnus’ narrative, expresses the family dynamic quite well:

“Everybody at this table is in broken pieces which won’t go together, pieces which are nothing to do with each other, like they all come from different jigsaws, all muddled together into the one box by some assistant who couldn’t care less in a charity shop or wherever the place is that old jigsaws go to die. Except jigsaws don’t die.”

Whilst there are certainly some rather awkward moments for the reader, which I’ll write about in a bit, there are also some excellent parts. The writing style is lovely. I’ve said many times that a stream of consciousness is one of my favourite styles because there’s so much that can be done with it – Smith did one of Eve’s sections through a question and answer style thing in her mind (I’m sure we’ve all done it sometimes, you ask yourself a question then answer it like you're on TV) this is surprisingly fun to read. At times, I’d have liked a little more imagery and some more details, we hear a lot of thoughts but not so much description. The contrast in tone between each character was written beautifully: Astrid is a vibrant and young yet somewhat naïve girl fascinated with filming so she can retain the memories she worries will be spun into a dream as she ages and doubts reality, Magnus is consumed with grief then struggles to comprehend Amber and his feelings as he matures, Eve is too forgiving yet also appears bitter and insecure and Michael is pretty self-consumed. Then, there’s Amber, who we mostly hear about through the others. I honestly am in awe of their politeness towards this girl, who randomly intrudes their house, breaks Astrid’s camera and is extremely rude to Eve. The presence of this girl is perhaps so curious that they are bamboozled by her to the extent they don’t seem to mind her crudeness.

The sexual scenes between Amber and Magnus in this book were somewhat disturbing given the age gap and how vulnerable he is at this point (she literally found him trying to commit suicide in the bathroom before trying to seduce him). I was very glad that they weren’t too long or detailed… Another weird part of their relationship was that the church seemed to be a favourite place to meet and do the sex thing (you can probably tell I feel awkward writing about this) – which is fairly typical of an English Literature novel; look at books like Regeneration in which two characters get intimate on a gravestone. Smith plays with this idea of sex and religion being interlinked, perhaps looking at the bad morality of the situation, which seems to foreshadow the relationship itself. Though one can also associate a church with the circle of life since many are christened there, get married there and then have their funeral there. I’ll probably write more detailed waffle about how death and sex are common themes in my Birdsong review. Anyway, the other aspect of this relationship that really deflated the romance was that Magnus’ stepdad Michael was first wrongly presented by Eve to be one of his many flings, then Michael even spends a little time wishing Amber was involved with him in that manner. So, it’s weird to go from thinking that she could be a potential love interest with Michael to then realising she’s more attracted to his stepson.

Alright, that's the end of this review then. If you have read this book too then let me know what you think in the comments section below! Anyone considering reading it, I'd only recommend this to those over the age of 16 and would advise to look out for symbolism (note how Astrid talks a lot about red when the books reaching its climax) if you like symbolism hunting. 

The Go-Between

Hello, it’s Heather here, hope you all are looking forward to a great new year! The girls and I have all studied this book in our A-Level English Literature class, so I thought I’d write a short review on the prologue – partially for close analysis revision purposes and so they can also review it if they wish to do so without repeating similar things.

Author: L.P. Hartley

Published: 1953

Publisher: Hamish Hamilton

This book is in a framed narrative; thus, the prologue and epilogue is narrated by older Leo (technically his name is Lionel but he thought that sounded fancy so calls himself Leo after the zodiac symbol). In the prologue, Leo finds a box of his older possessions and, after rummaging through it and listing some very symbolic items, he finds his diary. When composed, he decides to read a little bit of it. This is never a good idea, I read my diary a few years ago, and still feel scarred at how whiny eight-year-old me was. Anyway, I could sympathise with Leo when he read about how he was traumatised at having used the word ‘vanquished’, earning himself a bad reputation for having used such a peculiar bit of language. Young Leo is very amusing, he has this odd infatuation with the Zodiac, particularly the Virgin; this belief in fate and his dallying with magic makes the prologue engaging – who doesn’t like a good bit of magic?

His reactions are a bit immature, he spends little time engrossing in self-remorse: for instance, when two boys are hurt and Leo claims it was his spell that caused their accident, he labels himself as a hero and has very little pity for them. I reckon most children would at least feel a tad dejected at someone else being hurt – but it’s vital to grasp that Leo is not what most children are like. In many ways, he’s stereotypical, having just reached that age where he starts to ponder about girls (especially in the main narrative) and being cautious about fitting in at his school. But he’s also completely oblivious to sex at the same time, though given the time era, they were a bit more prude about these matters, yet in a boarding school you’d have thought he’d know the basics. He also seems to read very deeply into things, again this is seen more later in the book, like when he is disgusted at being given something green (because it must be symbolic, right?). I quite liked this, it gives away that vulnerable, self-conscious side, those natural feelings that most children display through not wanting to do certain things anymore, but Leo showed through his analytical mind.

The first line is pretty spectacular; “The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there.” It’s amazingly tempting to use this line after confessing scandalous deviances (for instance, “HEATHER, DID YOU STEAL MY CHOCOLATE ORANGE” … well, you see dear brother… the past is a foreign country, they do things differently there.) The meaning is also quite interesting to consider; look at how much we change as we grow, when you were younger you’d be deemed normal to go to a ball pit and hang out in the park and read picture books but the older you get, the stranger these little things become, imagine a forty-year-old in a ball pit. These changes aren’t the only ones that occur though, most people change their moral coding as they mature, so their customs and norms are like different countries. I could write an entire essay on whether or not Leo has actually changed though, because to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure if he ever did. It’s obvious that his loneliness and craving to fit in is something constant. He queries where the Virgin, his representation of a female companion, is. And on the first page, there is so much symbolism from various items in the box to imply isolation and a loss of meaning: magnets that have lost their magnetism, a couple of empty sea urchins. It’s perfect for the exam, if ever you have a block in ideas, you can simply turn to the prologue and pull some metaphorical meaning out of something.

I remember doing our first essay in English Literature on how Hartley had presented the narrator in this book and being very excited to write it because there’s so much to say! I found the prologue the best part of the novel; literally every other line can be closely analysed, and the charm of older Leo reminiscing about how younger Leo was intrigued with magic and destiny made it a great start to the story. Apparently, this is now a musical, my friends and I were rather befuddled as to how they’ve added musical numbers to this book, but if anyone has had the chance to see it or has read the book then let us know what you thought.