Persuasion

Persuasion
by Jane Austen

First published in Great Britain in 1818.

I'll start with a confession.  As much as I love reading, before Persuasion I had only read Austen's Pride & Prejudice.  I always liked the idea of reading Austen, but I always seemed to have a book on the go already.  However I bought Persuasion after a recommendation from a certain Miss Sandra Bullock (well, her character in 'The Lakehouse') and put it at the top of my 'to-read' list.

The story follows twenty-seven year old Anne Elliot, who broke off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth eight years earlier.  Set in the fashionable societies of Lyme and Bath, we meet many different family members and friends who all have opinions on the gossip of the day, particularly which eligible bachelor will choose which girl.  When Anne suddenly meets Wentworth again after all this time, it is tinged with the heartache of the missed opportunity.  The story is full of morning calls, theatre trips, visits to the seaside and other such social events.  As the story progresses it is tinged with the love that Anne still feels for Wentworth and there is an overriding wonder of 'will they, won't they?'

I liked Anne - she is funny and doesn't give in to the whole society aspect of life as much as the rest of the characters, which gives her a great independent streak.  I felt for her and the heartache she felt.  I could not imagine being persuaded to break an engagement and then have to spend time with the man years later, and Austen's writing was sad at times but hopefully optimistic.

Wentworth was a quiet character for most of the story, as it is told from Anne's point of view, and so we are never sure how he feels until the second to last chapter.  He comes across as a bit aloof but if you know Austen you'll quickly see that this is the usual 'he's actually deeply in love with her' style.

The main issue I have with the writing here is that is it long-winded.  I appreciate classic language, and don't mind flicking to the notes at the end to find meanings, but I find that it stops me from getting as emotionanally involved in the story.  At the end of this book, I felt like I should have been crying, but the fact was that it had taken me so long to read and understand the sentences full of commas that my heart wasn't properly engaged.  Perhaps this was because it was the first reading, but I hate to skip over words or phrases that are new to me.  On the other hand, the writing being so detailed makes it easy to imagine the clothes, houses and atmosphere and I did feel like I was in another time.

This isn't a book for everyone, and you definitely have to be in the right frame of mind to read it, but if you're settled in with chocolate and hope in your heart, it is pretty wonderful.

The Flame Alphabet

The Flame Alphabet

By Ben Marcus

First published in Great Britain in 2012.

This is a brilliant book, but takes some persistence to read and appreciate the message.  I’d leave it at that but I can imagine the comments you’d leave, so here are a few paragraphs of me trying to tempt you to read this book.

The Flame Alphabet tells the story of a terrible epidemic that makes the speech of children toxic to adults.  Sam and his wife Claire have to decide whether to stay with their teenage daughter and waste away, or escape to the quarantine centre.  The story follows their journey into the unknown and the people they meet, including a strange scientist named Le Bov who seems to be trying to create a cure.  Sam soon becomes involved in attempts to make a new alphabet which does not infect adults, as even reading letters kill people.

I bought this book because the idea of language making people ill intrigued me.  I could not imagine a world where any sort of human interaction, through speech, facial expression or reading was fatal.  As I read the book it raised more questions than gave answers, and really made me think about what would happen if speech were dangerous.  At one point Sam wonders what the point is of having an idea if you cannot share it with someone and this really stuck with me.

Character wise, I didn’t feel anybody was particularly developed.  I was interested in Sam’s situation but did not feel much emotion towards him.  For me, the book’s emotion was brought about by the plot rather than the characters.  Saying that, Le Bov did make me quite uncomfortable as he is an untrustworthy oddball who has a worrying power over people.  To me he represented corporations who would take advantage of the public’s desperation in a terrifying situation.

 As a dystopian novel it was not one I felt as attached to as others, for example The Handmaid’s Tale, as it did not seem as plausible, but it was a truly interesting idea.  The story is slow at times and meanders along, however I thought that in the context of the toxic speech killing slowly it works.  

I would say you need some patience when reading this one, and I definitely didn’t take in all the layers of meaning on the first go, but stick with it and it will make you appreciate language and speech in new ways.

Jamrach's Menagerie

Jamrach's Menagerie

by Carol Birch

First published in Great Britain in 2011.

Jamrach's Menagerie was a book I had not heard of before buying it.  I saw it on the shelf and was drawn to the shiny cover (I can be somewhat like a magpie at times).  Upon reading the blurb I decided to add it to my collection, and it was definitely a good decision.  As the story progressed it twisted into something unexpected, but brilliant.

Set in 19^th century London, the story introduces us to eight year old Jaffy Brown.  He lives with his mother in a crowded house in Watney Street, with the smell of the sea in the air, making his living by running errands in the market lanes.  One day his life changes when Jaffy meets a tiger, owned by Mr Charles Jamrach – Naturalist and Importer of Animals, Birds and Shells.  Jaffy goes to see Mr Jamrach in his menagerie and is soon helping to look after the exotic animals with his friend Tim.

When Jaffy is fifteen, he signs up to join the crew of a ship called the Lysander, which is setting sail to find a dragon.  This journey will test Jaffy’s friendship and when they are shipwrecked they must all cling to every faith in themselves, and each other, to survive.

Jaffy is a strong character.  He is well-written and the author gives a clear insight into the mind of an eight year old, and then a fifteen year old.  He deals with love, family and friendship everyday, and enters into the ship’s adventure with all the excited innocence of a young person.  As the story progresses, his innocence is lost forever and the choices he makes clearly effect him.  He grows up faster than he should and is forced to face the world from a different perspective.  I wasn’t sure how I would relate to Jaffy – most of my books feature female characters – but as I read I found myself cheering him on and crying with him.  As the youngest on board the ship he seems to have the most to learn, but it is he who really seems to hold the group together.

Tim is Jaffy’s dearest friend, and sticks by him through the menagerie and the ship’s adventures.  They take care of each other, and the bond is totally believable – they are like brothers.

Mr Jamrach is a mysterious man, who is infact hardly in the book.  He is there to bring Jaffy into the world of exotic animals and light the spark of interest in the wider world.  He brings an exciting edge to Jaffy’s life and reminded me of Willy Wonka – though not as over the top.

The other men on the boat are all tied together in their quest to first find the dragon, and then to survive.  Enough is told about each that you care what happens, but they are essentially side characters helping Jaffy to grow and learn about himself.

This book is one which changes from what you’re expecting, and it gets intense very quickly.  I felt like I was on the boat with the crew and could not get off.  It was a book which I enjoyed, but at the same time I did find it hard to read when the characters were stranded and struggling to survive.  It was great to be surprised by a book and for it to be completely different to my expectations.

Read this book if you want to be transported to the past and live an experience you won't get in real life.

The BFG

The BFG
by Roald Dahl

First published in Great Britain in 1982.

As it was World Book Day on Thursday I decided to review one of my favourite books from my childhood this week.  When I was at school World Book Day wasn't about dressing up, it was a chance to get a new book with my voucher.  A lot of the books on offer were by Roald Dahl and he became one of my favourite authors.

I fully believe that growing up reading Roald Dahl gave me a brilliant imagination and a love for reading that has stayed with me.  He also gave me the confidence to believe in myself, even as a small child, as all of his books feature children doing amazing things as the main character.  I remember wanting to write to him when I was about eight, only to find out he had died six years earlier.  Nevertheless I still re-read his books when I want a bit of comfort and escapism.  On a side note, Quentin Blake's illustrations are also brilliant.

It was so difficult choosing just one of his books to review, but I decided on The BFG.  It is one of the first that I remember reading, especially at bedtime.

The story is that of Sophie, a young orphan who can't sleep one night.  She goes to her orphanage window and sees a Giant outside.  Sophie jumps back into bed but she soon feels the Giant's hand picking her up, in her blanket, and taking her out the window.  He carries her away to his home in a cave in a canyon.  There, he introduces himself as the Big Friendly Giant, or BFG, and promises he won't eat her.  She sees the other Giants who live around the canyon, and who are called names such as The Bloodbottler, The Fleshlumpeater and The Childchewer.  While Sophie is with the BFG, he introduces her to eating snozzcumbers, making whizzpoppers and the magic of dreams.  When the other Giants go off to eat children, Sophie decides she must stop them, and comes up with the idea of telling the Queen.  Together, she and the BFG make a plan to meet the Queen and stop the Giants.  What follows is a brilliantly written meeting and an imaginative ending.

Sophie is a brilliant protagonist.  Although she is an orphan and seems to be alone in the world, she is brave and friendly towards the BFG.  Her caring nature creates a strong bond with the BFG and shows that if you are kind, people are kind back.

The BFG is a funny, loveable character who teaches us not to judge by appearance.  He cares about Sophie, even saying that he feels bad taking her away from her parents, to which Sophie replies that she is an orphan.  He is a loner in his cave and just wants to be accepted.

I think reading this as a child, and indeed all of Dahl's books, teach you not to be afraid of situations out of your control, and that even though you may be small you are still important.  The BFG has the right amount of scary writing that younger readers enjoy, but to me the main theme is friendship.  It taught me that the best friendships can come from the most unlikely places.

So tell me, what was your favourite book as a child?

Atonement

Atonement
by Ian McEwan

First published in Great Britain in 2001.

Atonement is a story of guilt, love, shame and anger.  It tells of the consequences of actions and how a seemingly small event can affect many lives.

The story begins in a big country house in the summer of 1935, where we are introduced to thirteen year old Briony who lives with her family, including older sister Cecilia.  She fancies herself a writer and is writing a play, to be performed with her cousins.  One hot day, a visit from family friend Robbie brings a shock when Briony accuses him of a crime he did not commit - an accusation which she will spend the rest of her life trying to atone (hence the title).

Mostly told from Briony’s point of view, the story follows her from being thirteen to an old lady.  Through her life she is constantly thinking of that summer in 1935 and what her terrible, childish mistake cost her.  Although we are seeing events through her eyes, I never liked Briony.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, as she is a difficult character to like, and I think this is the idea.  As she struggles to atone with her sister, so she struggles to atone with the reader.

Cecelia and Robbie are a classic love story; from different backgrounds they resist the attraction until they cannot any longer, only to have their love cut short by war.  Still they are not overly soppy, just quietly waiting for their time together.  Robbie is always thinking of Cecilia, and from his part of the story we see the horrors of war, which are a stark opposite to the carefree time before.

The book is in three parts.  Part one tells of the 1935 summer.  Part two switches to Robbie in the war.  It is an abrupt change, with no immediate explanation of the time in between, so as a reader you need to stick with it to find out what happened.  The third and shortest part brings us to London, 1999.  In this final part, the now seventy-seven year old Briony is returning to the country house to see a performance of the play she wrote at thirteen.  The old lady finally reveals what she has been covering up all these years, and the revelations make me cry every time I read the paragraphs.  This final part touches on the power of writing, and  the choice between writing reality or writing the lives you wish for your characters.

Atonement is a bit of a slow burner.  It stays with you long after reading but you really need the time to sit and fully immerse yourself in it.  Even now that I know the plot, and therefore read the story differently with this knowledge, I still enjoy it, in particular the excellent writing and tense descriptions.