Book Of The Week: Atonement

  4 1/2 Stars

 

  Loved this novel. Absolutely loved it. Everything was very well done, developed, and things were just so well written overall. Ian McEwan knows his stuff when it comes to writing. 

  Every line has something to it, the prose..ah! It’s a lovely, lovely novel that will stick in my head for a long time to come. Brilliant, brilliant.

  I meant to read this over the summer, but instead ended up putting it away for a wile after getting a little bogged down by the start, and with little time to read it between Memoirs of Cleopatra, and this novel. Memoirs won, but I’m glad I ended up reading this one. It is a gem, and I think I will end up watching this movie pretty soon to see if the movie comes close to the novel. It has Kiera Knightly in it, so I believe it could work out well.

  Anyways, the good, the bad, the ugly.

  The good; loved it. The plot is beautiful, the narrative just brilliant, and the simplicity of it great. Loved the subtle twist at the end that changes everything.

  The bad; not much of ‘the bad’ to it, but, like all novels I read that there is not a first-person narrative, I found it hard to get into. Especially with a slower start, and a slightly confusing pace with the twirling plot at the start, it was difficult to keep going.

  And the ugly; this does bug me, personally, but be warned, there is some strong language and descriptions in this novel. I felt that it added to it rather than subtracted from it, but just so you know.

  Overall, thought it was a great read worth the time it took to get into it, and I recommend it. I will have to get back to you on the movie, and see how that works out. Fingers crossed, as it was a most excellent novel.

  Briony Tallis is a thirteen year old girl with a passion for writing. Innocent, protected, and living what seems a simple life in light of the war, she misinterprets a moment’s heated passion and crushes her sister’s newly-fledged dreams in mere minutes.

Her innocence tears the family apart at the seams, ripping a chain of events that alters’ the family forever.

In a novel that makes a distinct point, and tells of love, war, and forgiveness, this is sure to sweep you off your feet and make you think if innocence is really what it seems to be.

Author: Ian McEwan

Published: November 27, 2007

Page Count: 496

ISBN: 0307388840    (isbn13: 978-0307388841)

Book of the Week: The Two Princesses of Bamarre

4  Stars

I have to put this novel up as book of the week, because I finished it yet again this weekend, and I have remembered how much I adore this novel. It’s quirky, cute, and different.

Yes, it’s yet another young adult novel, but this is, in my opinion, that captures young girl’s hearts.

And what a favorite; two princesses, fighting, magic, swords and a quest. I mean, when you are a young girl or teen this book has everything you could want without being overwhelmed.

I first read this in grade six, I fell in love. Princess and fairy tales with a older Disney quality to it, it was great.

The story is well developed, lopes along at a great pace, and works in the context that the author wants it to. It’s a fun read. It’s enjoyable. It’s a story that forces a princess to grow up and buckle down.

For the most part, I think I loved this novel more than the lovable Ella Enchanted. This novel is about getting over your fears, struggling, and finding the courage you need in the deep spaces.

What I had issues with was the length. It should have been longer, and therefore, a better, more developed ending, but, what can I say.

This is a fantasy plum full of monsters, an impossible quest, and finding things you never knew you had. I love it, and, overall, it’s great for girls who love their Disney princess’, but wish that perhaps they had a little more oomph.

Meet the two princesses of Bamarre. One is blonde and beautiful, courageous, and craves adventure. The other is brunette, tiny, timid, and just seeks a calm life. When the two used to play, it was always Meryl that saved her younger sister Addie from the dreaded grey death.

That all changes in a moment, when Meryl falls while declaiming the epic poem of Drault. This time though, grey death is not a game…and Meryl is not able to save herself.

Mustering up all of her courage, and then some, Addie takes it apon herself to save the sister she admires so much.

On the way, she will discover more than she ever though she would know…and maybe find love to go with it.

In a volume where terror and fantasy collide for young adults, Gail Carson Levine’s The Two Princesses of Bamarre will delight girls everywhere.

Author: Gail Carson Levinge

Published: February 5th 2004 by EOS (first published 2001)

Page Count: 304

ISBN: 0060575808    (isbn13: 9780060575809)

Book of the Week: Charlotte’s Web

4 Stars

Now here is a novel that is just as great as A Little Princess or The Secret Garden. Beautifully written for children, and overall just gorgeous, this is probably the best of E.B White’s works, though some may argue with me. However, I feel like this is a classic for our times.

It’s a tale of friendship, loss, and quirky animals. This is a tale that strikes any child, because of the identifiable characters, the fact that some of the characters are animals, and the touch of sadness that introduces a taste of reality.

That is what I love about this book. Yes, it’s written for children, but the writing has a quality to it that is classic, and at the same time, very new. The characters are well-developed for a children’s novel, and at the same time have a complex shape to them that an older audience can enjoy.

The story line is the best part of the book, as many books should be. The cleverly written dialogue, and snappy pace is great. The idea behind the novel is great for kids and adults alike, and it explores subjects that they will experience or hear about later in life. The ideas that E.B White explores are great, comical, and yet manage to remain realistic to a point.

And, as strange as it is, I also highly enjoyed the illustrations. Call me weird, but I did; tey add to this story rather than take away from it.

What I did not like about this novel was when Wilbur went on and on and on, and is constantly whining. That is a irritation to me, even if I understand the why. There has to be a point though where the character develops into more than a whinny pig; thank goodness that happened.

I also did not like the way that the author would sometimes – sometimes – talk down to his audience.  It irritated me. However, more often than not, in a grade four’s perspective, you learned new words to broaden your vocabulary.

Overall, a good children’s novel that will be loved for years to come, and be deemed as classic as The Secret Garden someday, I think.

Wilbur is a pig. Fern is a human girl who has been taking care of him ever since he was born. If not, then he would have been killed; after all Wilbur was a runt.

But with plenty of love and tender loving care, Wilbur grows too big to be a family pet any longer. Wilbur is then sent to Fern’s uncle’s farm, which is unfamiliar and strange to an innocent, bashful pig.

After many tears are shed, Wilbur finds himself with one friend of strange proportions; Charlotte, who is a spider. Little does Wilbur know that Charlotte will be the one who can save him when he learns of a devastating fate that will befall him.

In a children’s novel that is beloved around the world, Charlotte’s web will inspire as well as make you see things in a different perspective.

Author: E.B White

Published: June 15th 1952 by HarperCollins

Page Count: 192

ISBN: 0060263857    (isbn13: 9780060263850)

Book of the Week: The Stone Angel

4 Stars

For the book of the week, I had to go through my shelves and find something different. This is what I unearthed. The Stone Angel, by Margaret Laurence.

I remembered reading this a while ago, and I found myself liking it again. So, here it is, this week’s novel. 7

What I like is that the characters are strong, and stay very consistent. There are no weird changes in them that make you wonder where they whipped that out from, so I have no complaints there whatsoever.

The story line is good, the flashbacks essential, even if the tone of the story was a little…heavy.

What I did not like was the strangeness of who Hagar was, is and how she treats others. I mean, at times it was really confusing. I did not like it. I also found the ending to be disappointing, and awfully a buzz kill.

I also did not like that the story was violent, and the way that everything was tied up. But that was just me, and trying to put certain feelings to paper (keyboard) is a little tricky.

Overall? A good, read, but not one to take lightly.

Hagar Shipley has lived through hell, and now her life is drawing to an end. It’s the late 1960′s and Hagar finds herself being drawn back into the past, replaying over the events that made her the bitter woman that she finds herself to be today.

With that, comes the sad consequences and questions that cannot be answered. But there is one last grope at freedom before her ninety years plus years are up.

In a novel that it questioning and deep, The Stone Angel is a book for those who have their own lives to question, and what the consequences might be.

Author: Margaret Laurence

Published: January 1st 2004 by McClelland & Stewart (first published 1964)

Page Count: 344

ISBN: 0771047088    (isbn13: 9780771047084)

Book of the Week: The Time Capsule

    4 Stars

  So, again another Monday…and the days are getting nicer!!! Spring is finally here in most of Alberta, and it’s great to see all the snow melting and the themometer hitting double digits. 23 degree Celsius (74 degrees Fahrenheit) today alone. Lets hope it’s here to stay.

  Now with summer on the way, I will have more time for reading!

  So…what book is it today? Well, I was looking through this her blog and was slightly confused when I say that for some unknown reason I have not reviewed very many Lurlene McDaniel novels. Crazy, consider she is partially what lead me to try Jodi Pilcout novels and explore the realm of other teen novels.

  So, while I was thinking about the sun, the cover of The Time Capsule popped into my head. Sunny, summery, a good summer read.

  I have always liked this book. It’s light, but once you get into it, it’s deep, scarring and will make you think.

  McDaniel’s novels have always been like that. They deal with real issues, and it deals with a real topic that most authors either blow out of the water, or make light of. She takes a topic that is either taboo or overdone, and makes it real.

 What I liked most about this novel was the sincerity and the pure honesety that radiates from her writing. It tells a unique story that may have acctually happened to somebody. It is well written in the ominscent tone, but the narrative does not really matter in a story so well told.

  What I did not like was the shortness…with a deep concern such as this, i felt that the story needed to be longer to more thourougly explore the topic. But no. Never happened.

  If you were super close with your twin brother, would you know if he had a secret? Would you know if your entire life was about to change?

Adam and Alix have always been close; after all, they were womb-mates for almost nine months. But their life have never been easy.

When they were young, Adam had cancer. It tore the family at the seams, straining, and continues to do so. And all Adam  wants to do now is have the senior year of his life with his sister and friends by his side.

But will that happen? Or is Adam hiding something that just might cause the family to re-evaluate what’s important and what’s not.

 

Author: Lurlene McDaniel

Published: May 10th 2005 by Laurel Leaf (first published 2003)

Page Count: 224

ISBN: 0553494317    (isbn13: 9780553494310)

Book Of The Week: Sarah’s Key

 

3½  Stars

Here we are at yet another book of the week. This one was a little different, and as I read it, I could not help but compare it to Mulling Monday #6: The Last Song. Why? Because the story tended to veer off in uncertain directions, only to stumble back onto track. And the chapters were ridiculously short.

But this novel was good. It had many elements that I was familiar with that go with Holocaust novels. There was also elements that made it very well done, and different by all standards.

What I iked about the book was the main character, Julia. I also liked the historical elements. They really added to the novels, and overall, the story was well done. Which leads to the fact that I liked the idea of the story, as well as where it went…in the beginning that is.

What I did not like was the shortness of the chapters (I mean, really. Can one page even be considered a chapter?). I also did not like that names were omitted until the last moment. It seemed like the author was debating names in her head, and when she decided the name, she started writing with it. But until then, she said, the girl said, etc. It got on my nerves. I know that it was the author’s choice, and it was being creative, but I did not like that approach. I also, once again, hated the ending. It was too abrupt, and left  lot to be imagined. But oh well, I can deal with that.

Julia is an American woman who has lived in France for 20 some years, happily married with a darling girl. She is a journalist who loves her job, her life, even though her family is rich and a little snooty. But that all changes when she is given a task by her employer to write about something tragic…something that she will soon find out holds it’s self near her life.

A mysterious family history. A event that an entire country attemps to ignore. This is what went on behind the scenes of the Vel d’hiv roundup during WWII. And the story of the woman who tried to uncover it…only to find skeletons in the closet and a mystery deep as the ocean that seperates her and her home.

Author: Tatiana de Rosnay

Published: September 30th 2008 by St. Martin’s Griffin (first published 2007)

Page Count:293

ISBN: 0312370849    (isbn13: 9780312370848)

 

Book of The Week: Ella Enchanted

3 1/2

Sadly, I did not have the opportunity to read much this week, thus, there is only one option as to the “book of the week scenario”, becuase I am still working on my mission…but you will have to wait for that review, coming up sometime this weekend, I think.

And I do admit that it is a little sad, even though I loved this book as a kid, and I still love it (yes, it is yet another YA novel…oh well.) that I am still stuck on young adult fiction. It is Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted.

 This is a novel that all the girls I knew when I was younger loved the book. And the movie, when it came out, starring Anne Hathaway as Ella.

There are major differences between the book and the movie, however.

But we won’t get into that, other than for me to say that I much preferred the book to the movie, and found that in the movie they took a lot of liberty with the plot. Moving on though…

What I like most about this book is the fact that you can love it, whether you are young or old. It has that fairy-tale quality to it that is reminiscent of  Cinderella. I also really enjoyed the characters, which were true, again to the Cinderella tale. The ugly step-sisters, the evil step-mother, the forbidden prince.It’s all one remix.

What I don’t like about this novel is that is a very light read. You can read it in one sitting, though I suppose that would not matter to ten year old girls sitting down to read it. It’s not necessarily meant for teens my age, but I will get over it. I still love this novel, even if the characters were flat, the writing sometimes awkward, and the plot sometimes slogging.

Overall though, its a good story and a light read.

Ella is not an ordinary girl in the town of Frell. If you told her to lose a race, she would do it. If you told her to do your chores she would do it. If you told her to chop off her own head…she would have to do it.

After all, her gift of obedience won’t let her do anything else.

But will she have to power to overcome her obedience when it matters most? Or will she succumb to the gift that twisted itself into a curse?

In a story that is reminiscent of Cinderella, Ella Enchanted is a read that will fascinate fantasy-lovers of all sorts.

Author: Gail Carson Levine

Published: January 1st 1997 by Scholastic Books

Page Count: 394

ISBN: 0778323420    (isbn13: 9780778323426)

 

Book of the Week: Song of the Sparrow

4 Stars

Some people have asked me how I can call this book a novel. After all, it’s 380-some pages of poetry, is it not?

Well, um, no. While it may be in a poetic format, there are no rhymes, no set rhythm, just a story that you can read as easily as anything else.It is beautifully done, and I have to love the idea of it.

And the story is done so very well. The legend is taken on in such a way that it is absorbing from the very first page.  The poetry part at first is a tad daunting, if only becuase we are not used to reading a novel set in this way. But it was very well done, and I enjoy it very, very much.

What I liked so much was, yes, the format, but also the story line. It was different than all of the other King Aurthur novels that I tried to avoid for the reason of that they were usually really, really dumb (no offense meant).  I never have found a King Aurthur book I liked, but this was the exception.

What I did not like, was, yes, the format. Sometimes, it was hard to put down for a few minutes becuase you knew it would be hard to get back into it. I also did not like that it was a very quick read. I finished 50 pages in about 10 minutes. So it is a quick and light read.

Elaine has always been the only girl in a military camp of hundreds of men – which are now like brothers to her – ever since her mother was murdered. She admires the playful men who all treat her like a sister…and she especially admires Lancelot. But she cannot tell anybody this – especially when a beautiful maiden comes to the camp.

Filled with a strange sense of jealousy, bewilderment, and an odd sense of possessiveness, Elaine finds herself fighting her own battle. But it cannot go on any longer -or else.

A book that is different and completely well written, Song of the Sparrow is a novel that once read will be remembered.

Author: Lisa Ann Sandell

Published: December 20th 1987 by HarperTrophy (first published 1888)

Page Count: 245

ISBN:0064401871    (isbn13: 9780064401876)

Book of the Week: Ninteen Minutes

4 1/2 Stars

Yet another Jodi Picoult book. And this one makes the Book of the Week shelf. I absolutely love this novel, and it is my favorite Jodi novel out of the six I have read.

I love this one because of the truth behind the story, the innocencce, and the pain that floods the pages. It’s heartbreaking and utterly relevant to many teen’s emotions and needs. I read this not too long ago, after reading My Sister’s Keeper, and Perfect Match. While I thought that My Sister’s Keeper was good, I loved this book. It’s so full of raw emotion and surprises.

Again, I had an issue with the end, just because I was sad that it had to end that way, and becuase I loved the characters too much to let them go that way. But I was also happy at the end, even if it was a bitter end to the novel.

This is truly one of the best novels that Jodi has written.

In nineteen minutes, a lot can change, and quickly.

Such as having the time to pull out a gun and going on a rampage in your high school.

That is what Peter Houghton does, when he finnally snaps and lashes out against those who tormented him all his life.

This is the story of why, and what one kid did when he had enough.

Author: Jodi Picoult

Published: February 5th 2008 by Washington Square Press (first published 2006)

Page Count: 464

ISBN:0743496736    (isbn13: 9780743496735)

Heartbreaking and utterly relevant to many teen’s emotions and needs.
I read this not too long ago, after reading My Sister’s Keeper, and Perfect Match. While I thought that My Sister’s Keeper was good, I loved this book. It’s so full of raw emotion and surprises.

Book of the Week: The Heritic Queen

5 Stars

Alright, my ducks. This is the beginning of  the book of the week. I chose a book that I like, and it becomes the book of the week. It is usually a very good novel that I think deserves to be put on a special shelf. In this case, it is another Michelle Moran novel. This time, it the the sequel to Nefertiti. I have to say that I like this book even more than this one, because this one is so deeply rooted in intrigue and is just so good! Thus, earning it a position on the Book of the Week shelf.

I think the reason I like this book so much it because of it’s idea, and because of the setting itself. Egypt is/was a very sophisticated place, and their dynasties and legacies are remarkable. Let alone the fact that Michelle was able to take history and turn it into a magical work of fiction. I also love the characters, and the way that the story is presented. And, I loved the motivation to win what she wanted in the court.

What I did not like was the ending…I tend to be very picky with how author’s end their novels, and have, well, standards for how they should end. The ending of this fell just short. Sure, it was a great ending, just not what I was expecting…and not the way that I wanted the sequel to end. But other than that, I have very little to nit-pick.

Nefertari is the forgotten princess. Wild, pretty, and very clever, she seems to be quite the catch for any man. But there is one condemning factor to her; her name, and her relatives.

Nefertari is the niece of the heretic queen…the one who almost brought Egypt into ruins. And now she has something she wants more than anything else; her best friend and the prince’s love.

With a plan and a hidden agenda, the Priestess of Hathor  swoops in to help the princess. But winning the prince’s heart is not the only obstacle.

In a novel that is just as compelling as the one before, The Heretic Queen is sure to keep you turning pages.

Author:  Michelle Moran

Published:  September 16th 2008 by Crown

Page Count: 383

ISBN:  0307381757    (isbn13: 9780307381750)