Category: Book Review

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Book Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time… by Mark Haddon…

The simply cover reflects nicely the way the main character processes things.
The simply cover reflects nicely the way the main character processes things.

i LOVE this book!

i think i could just leave this book review at that but that wouldn’t be much of a review, would it?

This story is written from a first-person point of view, which in my opinion can be quite difficult to have good staying power, cos it is just one point of view for the entire story; there is no insight into the minds of the other characters. But i must say, this one kept me reading and reading and always hoping the best for Christopher; wanting the other characters to help him out.

i am very interested in special needs such as Aspergers, Autism and related conditions because my son has been given a label; one which i do not agree with – but that is another post altogether. Anyhow, that was the first attraction to the book for me.

It gives a real look into the mind of a child on the spectrum; how his mind works, how he processes everything and everybody around him, how his extremely logical thought processes can be… well, logical but… the people all around him are illogical in their thoughts and actions and expressions, and so there is conflict in his otherwise logical mind.

It also shows how difficult it can be on the parents of such children, how even trying your best, sometimes, is not enough. But there is always hope as long as you do not give up.

i root for Christopher and children like him to succeed in life, to have the opportunities that they deserve!

If you want to understand children on the spectrum a tiny bit better, have a read. If you like a good detective story but with a completely new style of writing, have a read.

And before i forget, this book is also a Whitbread (now known as Costa) Award winner.

syc

PS: As i read the story, there are many points i find myself agreeing with the way Christopher thinks… hmmm… what does that mean? 😉

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Book Review: Eyes of Light by Charissa Stastny…

Now i have been sitting on this review for a while… why? you ask… well it is most definitely NOT because it is not a good book but it is because i sort of know the author personally (or at least digitally if you will). We have been fellow-bloggers who follow each other and regularly comment on the other’s posts for more than a year now… so… i feel funny when it comes to giving critic about a friend’s work… always have and i don’t think that will ever change for me, at least not any time soon so i’m just going to go ahead with this review now (before i rethink it again).

Needless to say i was eager to read Eyes of Light because i know Charissa and i know she has worked so hard to get it together and published!

The first thing you have to know is that she makes no apologies about it having a strong religious component. There is a missionary who is deeply involved in the story and in her Author’s Notes, she does state that she wanted to show her daughters her belief in the love and power of Jesus Christ.

And of course, if you have been following my blog for a while, you will know that i share that belief and love for Jesus Christ too. However, i have felt conflicted when reading the book because it speaks of Jesus Christ from a Mormon perspective which is not the background i come from and i certainly have never explored that perspective before.

But religious notes aside, i love the story!

The story of Suvi’s very troubled life, the complication of being involved with a secret agent , her fall into despair believing herself unworthy of anything better, the turn-around she made only to be faced with the demons from her past yet again, the 2 men in her life who love her and would not give up on her, her journey to finding peace, love and acceptance in Jesus Christ… kept me reading and reading as i was taken on an exciting, sad, at times funny, scary and ultimately happy journey with Suvi.

The writing and pacing was good, although i did question for a while what was the missionary doing in the story as he didn’t meet Suvi and seemed to be leading a completely separate life till about a third of the way into the book. i also enjoyed the different perspectives of the different major characters, it gave a lot of insight into their motives and beliefs as well as their pain and struggles.

The main characters were nicely developed but a little predictable in their reactions to the events of the story. i would have liked to see more facets to the 2 men, James and Austan, who play such major roles in Suvi’s life. Maybe that would come in the sequel, Secret Keepers, which by the way, is already available for purchase.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable read and i look forward to the sequel!

Well Done Char!

Oh, do hop over to her blog. She has lots of gems to be found on there; advice about writing, funny posts about her family and her likes/dislikes, serious ones about heart issues and ones where she gives away stuff… go and enjoy!

syc

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Book Review: Skippy Dies by Paul Murray

A view into the teenage boy's mind...
A view into the teenage boy’s mind…

This book was picked as one of our book club reads before we disbanded (sob). So i decided to read it since i had bought it.

i did not read the reviews before i read it so i dived in without expectations. And when i say “dived in”, i really mean fell in the deep end.

This was the first time i have read a book mainly about boys; teenage boys in an all boys boarding school in Ireland! So i was a little lost at the beginning (emotionally and culturally) and Paul Murray’s writing style did not help. However, once you get used to the rambling style, which i have come to accept as a reflection of how the mind of a teenage boy would function, the story does grab you.

The fact that Skippy dies within the first few pages kept me reading on, wanting to find out how, why he died. i came to enjoy the way Murray writes; the chopped-up, rather disconnected (or maybe it is connected, just weirdly) thoughts of teenagers really came through the writing. The way the story is structured also reflected the chaotic way a teenager’s life can be, flying back and forth between internal thoughts, external action, past memories and secrets; it can be hard to follow but it makes for an interesting read.

The all girls school next door certainly was fuel to the fire as what else could distract a teenage boy from his video games. The back story of the history teacher known as Howard the Coward shows us that a mind can indeed be stuck in the past by one simple incident; in a way he never stopped being a teenager. The story also shows the difference between the way a teenage girl handles a relationship and the way a teenage boy does, which of course is well used to advance the plot. The various ways people handle pain and suffering is also a major part of the story.

i love the way the book ended, even though lives were shattered as a result of Skippy’s death, there are people who will eventually pull themselves together and unlikely ‘friendships’ form, but there are those who don’t. And in the end, life still goes on.

i have read various reviews for this book before writing this and all i can say is that you either love the book or you don’t.

So dive in at your own risk!

syc

PS: the language used by the characters in the book is NOT for the faint-hearted and i was told that the audio version of this book is really good, it really brings out the Irish feel of the book.