Sunday 30 June 2013

The Fault in our Stars by John Green

"Ours was an epic love story, and I won't be able to get more than a sentence into it without disappearing into a puddle of tears". 


I am a massive fan of the Youtuber Tyler Oakley and in one of his videos he mentioned this new John Green novel. He said that it had made him laugh and cry as well as opening his eyes to life; after hearing his recommendation I just had to read it and I am so glad that I did because it was a complete breath of fresh air. 

The plot follows Hazel, a cancer patient, who falls in love with Augustus Waters and their mutual friend, Isaac who loses both his eyes due to cancer. Hazel suffers from cancer of the thyroid which has has spread to her lungs leading her to need oxygen apparatus at all times whilst Augustus has only one leg. They meet through a cancer support group and quickly bond, the only thing stopping them from moving quicker is that Hazel feels that she will soon die and leave Augustus alone.

Hazel and Augustus find a common interest in her favourite book, An Imperial Affliction; however, they are both plagued by the same questions that its unresolved ending brings. An Imperial Affliction finishes halfway through a sentence which implies that the girl writing it has died but the lack of resolution leads Augustus to use his wish from the Genies to go and visit the author, Peter Van Houten, in order to find some answers to the great unanswered issues. The Genies (a fictional equivalent of the 'Make a Wish' foundation) fund Hazel and Augustus' trip to Amsterdam where they are able to meet  Van Houten as well as appreciate the romantic aspects of the city with its blossom everywhere.

The majority of the novel is written from a positive point of view which is refreshing for a novel of this genre. A prime example of this is when Isaac loses his eyes, we are able to see his obvious resentment and despair  but this is cleverly contrasted with the jokes which Augustus and Hazel make of it in order to make him feel better. All is not well though and as can be expected from a novel featuring cancer, one of the characters dies which was heartbreaking. I don't know why but I found reading this much more upsetting than watching 'My Sister's Keeper' and cried like a baby until the end. As a whole, the novel felt like an emotional roller-coaster with moment of pure joy being contrasted with despair, but I guess that this mirrors life with cancer.

John Green - the author
As with any good book, this raised so many questions in my mind and not only about life and death but about the legacy that we leave when we die. One of the characters states that for every living person there are fourteen dead ones and so  if we all remembered fourteen people then everyone would be remembered - unfortunately we are never going to be able to remember everyone who has died but I do hope that I am able to leave a legacy.

It is no surprise to me that 'The Fault in our Stars' rapidly became a bestseller and I would not hesitate in recommending it to those who have not read it. I now plan to look for more John Green novels in the hope that they will be as good as this one. Since reading it, I have researched into the novel and much to my delight I discovered that a film script is currently being written; although I never feel that films truly do books justice, I am still looking forward to its release in the (hopefully) near future.

Please comment and let me know whether you enjoyed this novel as much as I did!

...x

Friday 28 June 2013

The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith

"Something odd happened that night at the Usher Hall. I don't think that it was an accident. I really don't."


I've never read any of Alexander McCall Smith's novels before and after reading this I am sorry to say that I probably wouldn't jump at the chance to read another. I was really excited at the chance to read a new detective novel but it was not anywhere near as gripping as an Agatha Christie novel.

Contrary to my original expectations, this is not a plot-driven novel but a character driven novel which meant that the solving of the murder was not the focus of the plot. The protagonist was a Scottish woman by the name of Isabel Dalhousie who works as the editor for the 'Review of Applied Ethics' and as such many of the issues discussed were of a philosophical nature. Despite being mentioned in the title I did not expect the novel to have such a high volume of philosophical content and I found that it distracted from the main plot, making me lose interest.

The sub-plot within this novel revolved around Isabel's niece, Cat, and her love life. This led to two interesting characters, Toby, Cat's current boyfriend who always wears crushed-strawberry trousers, and Jamie, Cat's ex-boyfriend and a great friend of Isabel. Unfortunately this all distracted from the murder to such a degree that I was left confused as to what the real point of the story was.

Alexander McCall Smith - the author
Originally I felt that the action would be fast paced because the murder occurs so close to the beginning of the novel; however, I was wrong because the whole affair felt slow. In the interests of giving every book a fair chance, I was convinced that the denouement would include an interesting twist when the murderer was announced. Although I had not suspected the murderer,  I found the eventual conclusion weak and disappointing. For these reason, I would not choose another of McCall Smith's books in a hurry.

Please comment and let me know whether I am the only one to find this dull and disappointing.

...x

Tuesday 25 June 2013

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

"He wanted to tell her again how much he loved her. Instead, he'd watched her go, knowing in his heart that this was the last time he'd see her."

Nicholas Sparks is well known for his love stories such as 'The Notebook', 'The Last Song' and 'Dear John' which have all become best-sellers and popular films. So when I saw 'The Best of Me' I had high expectations for a gripping romantic novel, however, disappointingly this did not transpire.

The plot focuses upon two main characters, Dawson Cole and Amanda Collier who were once in love but were torn apart at a young age and separated to live their own lives. They are reunited after the death of  Tuck Hostetler who was a mentor to both Dawson and Amanda during their high school years and this rekindles the flame which they once had. Dawson and Amanda are no strangers to adversity, facing challenges in their youth because they both came from completely different backgrounds but now the obstacles are even greater with Amanda having married.

Nicholas Sparks - the author
Although the premise of the novel is promising, I found the plot to be predictable and slow which meant that I did not particularly enjoy it. In my opinion, the segments written focusing on Dawson's family were much better than those following the main plot and surprisingly, my favourite part of the book was the last 20 or so pages because it was then that I really enjoyed the plot.

After having read so many Sparks novels which were brilliantly written I will continue to read his books but I don't think that I'll be rushing to read 'The Best of Me' again!

Please let me know your comments below - I'd love to know whether I am the only one to think that this is Nicholas Sparks' most disappointing novel.

...x

Sunday 23 June 2013

This House

"Let those on the continent cooperate and hug and kiss each other on the ruddy cheek. Here in Britain, one party governs and we get things done."

This House is another National Theatre Live production which I was keen to watch, having seen that it focused on a particularly turbulent era of British government which I had studied. The play looked at the political issues caused by small majorities between 1974 and 1979 where Harold Wilson and James Callaghan were Prime Ministers but only just. What made the play so appealing for me is that the action revolved around the whips office and not the main politicians of the time and as such provided an alternative angle to the events of the time. 

James Graham, the writer, chose a particularly interesting period of British history with many of the events feeling as though they had come from fiction. The Labour governments majority was so small that they relied on every one of their members attending each vote, especially when the system of pairing was revoked. This led to huge problems such as the infirm attending parliament; within the play we are shown how many politicians died and how one even faked his own death in order to escape from the stress of government. 


The staging of the play only served to enhance the experience and the fact that we were watching it on a screen did not make any difference. The most striking aspect of the staging was that some of the audience sat on stage on moving chairs which looked like the seats from the Houses of Parliament; these chairs moved to create the iconic benches facing each other which were used by the cast during the performance. During this period of history, many politicians died and knowing this, I was eager to discover how their deaths would be staged; I was really impressed with the choice to have the actors walk up through the audience into a white light. I don't know how well this worked in the theatre but it translated really well onto the screen broadcasts with the cameras following their ascent.

What surprised me most about this
play, however, was that music was integrated into the show with a band being seen on the balcony in front of Big Ben. There was stylised dancing and songs which helped to lighten the mood and was really refreshing to see, especially in a political play.

As with all National Theatre Live productions, there was a half-time feature which in this case took the guise of a half time interview with the writer, James Graham and Ann Taylor. Graham spoke of his inspiration for having written the play and the lengths that he went to in order to research the events given that he was not born during this period. Taylor was one of the featured characters in the play after having been MP for Bolton West. She worked in the Labour Whips Office during this time and so was able to offer insight into the real events, agreeing with Graham who said that he was lucky that so many extraordinary events had occurred!

Overall this was a performance which I really enjoyed and I can see why so many politicians past and present have taken the opportunity to go and see it. I would now really like to see another of his plays, especially after seeing the flair that he has for writing political plays.

Please let me know your comments below.

...x

Thursday 20 June 2013

Inferno by Dan Brown



"In dangerous times, there is no sin greater than inaction"

I have been a big fan of Dan Brown's writing for a while and so was eager to read his newest novel, Inferno, which features the intriguing Robert Langdon. This latest instalment in the saga is based upon Dante's infamous poem, Inferno, and sees Langdon and Sienna Brooks embark on a journey through Italy and Turkey.

The opening is somewhat confusing, with Langdon waking up in a hospital with amnesia before being forced to go into hiding with his doctor, Sienna Brooks. This amnesia makes for fascinating reading, however, with everything being a revelation to Langdon who is initially unsure of who to trust. This questioning of trust develops further as the novel progresses and the differing chapter focuses highlight this with us being able to see three main angles: The provost, Elizabeth Sinskey and Robert Langdon.

As with all Dan Brown novels, the twists and turns in the plot made it impossible to predict what would unfold and the action made for a particularly gripping novel. The threat of the police (and therefore capture) looming over Langdon provides a continually tense atmosphere with the constant reminders of the police keeping this fresh in the mind of the reader. Also, the novel felt very current despite technology not playing a huge part in the unravelling of the plot (who needs a computer when Langdon is on hand?!); furthermore, it was particularly pertinent that Brown was writing about contemporary issues, namely overpopulation and genetic modification.

I know that these books are not to everyone's taste but I find them fascinating and greatly admire the skill which goes into writing them. My interest in the novels  for me was peaked when I saw Brown giving an interview where he explained his love of maths and codes as well as his intense desire to fully research a topic before creating his fiction.

Dan Brown - the author
Despite having big shoes to fill, in my opinion Inferno certainly lived up to expectations and was the best Langdon novel; however it has received mixed reviews with some critics labelling it boring. I was surprised to discover the levels to which Inferno had divided people with some loving it and others hating it. Without a shadow of a doubt Brown novels are an acquired taste and so perhaps the best way to describe Inferno would be as 'a Marmite novel'! Regardless of this controversy, one thing is for sure - Dan Brown has left the world waiting for the next Robert Langdon novel.

Please let me know your comments below on Inferno, I'd be really interested to know what other people thought and whether you feel that this is as good as Dan Brown's other novels.

...x



Monday 17 June 2013

The Audience

"Just a Postage Stamp with a Pulse!"

The Audience
The Audience is one of the most talked about recent plays and so I was thrilled to find that National Theatre Live were broadcasting one of the last performances. I went to a local cinema in order to watch the broadcast and was not disappointed. 

I can see now why Helen Mirren has received so much critical acclaim for her reprisal of the Queen. Her ability to reflect the Queens mannerisms was uncanny and her costume changes were unbelievably quick, with some even being done on stage! Also, it was nice to see that her dialogue reflected current events with a reference being made to the Duke of Edinburgh's recent surgery.

The rest of the cast too were excellent, all being instantly recognisable in their respective roles. As soon as Haydn Gwynne walked out and curtseyed, the audience laughed at her clear representation of the indomitable Mrs Thatcher.   The political star of the show, aside from Helen Mirren, was undoubtedly Richard McCabe as Harold Wilson who was able to show the bond which Wilson an the Queen had. He burst onto the stage clutching his camera, had a corgi run through his legs and left the stage having won the hearts of the audience. 

As with all other National Theatre Live broadcasts, we were treated to a feature show in the interval. Firstly there was an interview with Peter Morgan, the author, who explained that all of the interactions were imagined due to the secretive nature of the weekly audience. He was obviously very passionate about the play but was dubious as to whether the Queen herself would like it! After this, there was a short film which revolved around the costumes in the show. I was fascinated to see the scrapbook of the Queens clothes which the costume designers had compiled in order to gain an air of authenticity in the costumes. The most breathtaking costume was without a shadow of a doubt the ball-gown which was being photographed by Cecil Beaton and was included at the request of Helen Mirren who wanted a sparkly dress!

This play was of particular interest to me because I have just finished studying British political history during the Queen's reign; however, my younger sister struggled to under
stand all of the dialogue because she did not understand the context of the Prime Ministers who were featured and so I would not necessarily recommend it for young people who don't have a good understanding of politics. Overall, I thought that this was a fabulous production which was full of incredible characterisation, simple sets and witty dialogue and so I am now excited to see what other shows the National Theatre Live is going to broadcast!

Please let me know your comments below and I'd be particularly interested to know what other people thought of the show.

...x