Category: Mainstream Fiction

fitz?

Posted on by Greig

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

Despite being regarded as one of the greatest writers of english literature I’ve never had the slightest interest in reading any of Austen’s works. I find 19th Century prose hard work.
So what on earth motivated me enough to put in the effort to read this novel?
A modern day adaptation of the story told through the medium of videoblogs called The Lizzie Bennet Diaries started earlier this year on Youtube and I’ve been watching and becoming ever more invested in the story since the beginning. It got to the stage where I needed to know where the story was headed. I turned to the famous BBC adaptation from the 90s, which somehow only served to deepen my interest until eventually I cracked and started to read the novel proper.
It’s a book of subtle and sly wit with a tremendously appealing rather flawed protagonist. I still struggle with the language (which is why it’s an A- rather than an A+) but the power of the tale is undeniable. Once you hit the proposal in Hunsford you’re firmly gripped and the story isn’t going to let you go until it’s finished.
I have to admit I still find myself preferring The Lizzie Bennet Diaries as a piece of entertainment but I would definitely recommend the book. Get yourself a free copy from the internet and stick with it and you will find real rewards.

Rating: A-

annie?

Posted on by Greig

The Half Life of Stars

Louise Wener

I’ve read a couple of Wener’s books since she gave up being an indie pop star and became a writer instead.
Just like those books this is not the most profound novel ever written but Wener has a pleasant prose style.
Claire’s family have never been the same since her Dad died of a heart attack when she was a kid. Fast forward to the present day and her older brother, Daniel, has gone missing. Her own life in a mess after divorce and financial failure she finds herself following a tenuous series of clues in an attempt to find Daniel and solve the mystery at the heart of her dysfunctional family.
Pleasant read, nothing exceptional. If it sounds like you’d enjoy it – go for it.

Rating: B-

nancy?

Posted on by Greig

Lemonade Mouth

Mark Peter Hughes

Lemonade MouthI came across the Lemonade Mouth film while looking for episodes of Phineas and Ferb (awesome kid’s cartoon) on the Disney channel. I gave it five minutes expecting to hate it and instead found it sweetly funny and filled with pleasant songs (well constructed teen pop, nothing revelatory).
So when I saw the book the film was based on for sale in the Kindle store on Amazon for a couple of quid I decided it was worth trying.
It differs from the film in that the characters less obviously photogenic and the music they play in the book sounds insanely off the wall, but most of the character’s themes and motivations are there.
In the book the story is told from the perspectives of the individual band members and some other people involved in the events related.
It’s a sweetly funny, very readable young adult book and I’m not surprised it translated so well into a tv film.
Recommended if you enjoyed the film or like charming young adult tales where misfits band together to become something greater. Personally I’m a sucker for that kind of thing.

Rating: B+

syringes?

Posted on by Greig

Life After God

Douglas Coupland

This was one of the few remaining Douglas Coupland books that I hadn’t read.
It’s a collection of short stories, each one told in a series of short vignettes.
To be honest these are messy pieces filled with pre-millenial malaise. As such they come across as lazy and self-indulgent.
Coupland’s usual effortless style is the only thing making this collection worthwhile.
Unless you’re a fan of Coupland’s work in general I’d not recommend this particular work at all.

Rating: B-

orangee?

Posted on by Greig

The Fault In Our Stars

John Green

the fault in our starsJohn Green’s latest book is about two teenagers, Hazel and Augustus, who meet in a cancer support group. Spoilers in this case would be inappropriate, so I’ll not go into any more detail.
The book is moving, amusing and frequently insightful. The characters are complex, memorable, and you like them enough to become invested in their struggles. Green has a way with a nicely turned phrase, but he still has the occasional attempt at profundity fall flat. Understandably it’s not as laugh out loud funny as the last book of his I read (An Abundance of Katherines) but there’s enough humour to leaven the subject matter and indeed a few nice in-jokes for those who follow the Green brothers on youtube.
Ultimately it feels like he gets at the truth of what it’s like to have cancer and happen to be a teenager, which is no mean feat.
I would definitely recommend this book. I suspect it’s going to stay with me for a long time.

For those that care, the signature in my copy is in blue sharpie.

Rating: A

ambros?

Posted on by Greig

The Emigrants

W.G. Sebald

the emigrantsThe Emigrants tells the stories of four exiled German Jews. These four stories are loosely linked together by an unnamed narrator.
These four tales add up to tell the story of the narrator, another exiled German, obviously based on Sebald himself.
These tales are simply slices of ordinary lives told from the perspective of the narrator, or the narrator interpreting the memories or memoirs of others.
All four stories are haunting and linger in the memory. The writing is beautiful, economic and graceful.
I came to this book by recommendation from the James Yorkston book I read last. It was a recommendation well deserved and I think I will delve further into Sebald’s work.
It seems that there is only a small back catalogue as sadly Sebald was killed in a car accident at age 57.

Rating: A

bluebonnet?

Posted on by Greig

Whip It

Shauna Cross

Originally known as Roller Girl, this is the book that the recent Drew Barrymore directed, Ellen Page starring, film is based on.
The book is a lot of fun, but really quite slight.
The film manages to improve on quite a lot of the book, especially the ending, which is rather trite in the book

Rating: B+

snehurka?

Posted on by Greig

Giraffe

J.M. Ledgard

giraffeThe story of a group of giraffes that end up in Prague zoo in the mid 70’s as told through the eyes of various individuals who interact with the animals during the journey to Prague and when they are settled at the zoo.
Beautifully written, it’s episodic, rambling nature robs the book of narrative momentum.
The novel feels like it’s going nowhere until the last 90 pages when the story comes together to a point in magnificent fashion.
Points are taken off for making me fall asleep reading it…

Rating: B+