Amazing! The story of estrangement of two lovers and two bodies of people.
Learnt so much about Nigeria and the US's links, challenges Euro-centric novel form.
Writing is elegant, informative and witty.
Love Adichie!

(full review on www.booksarebrainfood.org)

Characters 1pt - Characters were compelling, background characters a bit 2 dimensional but still endearing, feel like archaic peoples but matches the tone of the book and in my opinion made them more interesting. Liked the subversion of the daughter/birth giver /mother trope to show the depth of the main character without reducing her to any of these alone.

Writing 1pt - Enjoyable, digestible, maybe a bit too conversational at times which didn't really match the high fantasy but it made it more accessible to me and helped me get through. Enjoyed the development of swear words and other terminology based on our own world and Jemisin's own invention.

Plot 1/2- Didn't find the plot very inspiring, couldn't really see where it was going, 1st novel in a series so I understand emphasis on world building and character establishing but standing alone as I read it I wasn't sure about this.

Enjoyable 1/2pt - Really struggled to get through, not sure if this is my own issue but I've seen the same from others. Maybe needed more intrigue or enjoyment, I enjoyed the Fulcrum part with Damaya because it gave the world more structure. Maybe needed more emphasis on structure before everything fell apart?

World Building / Engaging 1pt - This was very well done and the series' greatest asset for sure. Perfect blend of the familiar and unfamiliar. Well developed systems of power, imaginative and intriguing, liked the stone eater element and the folklore etc, would be interesting to research how far its based on any mythology. The Guardians were sinister and the orogenes were really intriguing. The novel also engages really well on issues such as climate change and hostile environments, displacement, systematic breaking of family structures, fear and abuse of power, caste systems, race, education, feminism, slavery and dehumanising those with differences. Comment on fear of feminine sexuality perhaps with issues of FGM? Could properly study this novel.

Overall 4 stars: Any issues I had with this were to do with its place as an exposition novel not a standalone one, and my own concentration issues at the moment. I don't feel compelled to read on immediately but maybe in the future, but any lovers of fantasy, sci fi or YA would really enjoy it. Really intricate world building and also engaging with our own world.

Characters 0.5pt - Purely for how outrageous it was to write a character like Catherine Earnshaw in 1847. Rebellious / rejecting Christian values / rough and wild in a time of female compliance and piousness. I also liked the character of Joeseph how he was the only religious character yet he was villainous and hypocritical, saw someone say it could be a reflection of Emily's encounter with religious types in her childhood. Lost half a point for Heathcliff. References to his skin colour undoubtedly go hand in hand with the violent and barbaric way that he is written, nevermind the abusive and horrific way that he treats Isabella. Has the effect of a violent "foreigner" abusing the pale, delicate and English Isabella, harmful and has no place in 2020 whatever way he is redeemed. I am not sure if I like this dislikeable likeableness, however rebellious, but I will excuse it in Catherine's case just for Emily's bravery.

Writing 1pt - I enjoyed the Gothic and nightmarish elements of Wuthering Heights, was truly spooky and Emily Bronte does a good job at atmosphere creation. Enjoyed the Gothic references to faeries and the devil as well as Wuthering Heights as a Gothic mansion and the misty moors and violent weather that make the Gothic so enjoyable to read. The dream part with Lockwood was great. Really good engagement with the sublime through hysteria and passion, very Romantic more than romantic. Liked the various fragmented point of view, through Lockwood / Catherine's diary / Ellen / Isabella etc , added an extra layer of mystery and unreliability that gave the story texture.

Plot 0- Found it extremely lacking. I know it's a tale of revenge but it just seemed like someone was going up the lane for a chat, then someone else was coming down the lane for a chat, then someone died in tragic circumstances. Was a bit difficult to pace through, redeemed only by the Gothic package for me. Not sure if there was a moral, other than like forgiveness and love? Seems flimsy to me, maybe this needs further analysis.


Enjoyable 1/2pt - I enjoyed the Gothic elements a lot, the part in particular where Lockwood spends the night at Wuthering Heights and has the horrific dream and reads the diaries. Felt like Dracula. I think I enjoyed the bits that resembled Dracula and Jane Eyre, not sure about the rest. Enjoyed Catherine as an unlikeable and rebellious female character.

World-Building / Engaging 1pt - It's a classic and it has lasted the test of time, it also challenges notions of femininity and heroism which is interesting. For a novel of its time, it is extremely controversial and some of the themes at the time would have been scandalous, it is so brave. It is very separate from the world, but I think in that way it creates its own world for Heathcliff to terrorise. Not sure if it had such a hard-hitting message or if it was revolutionary in any way, but its legacy and messages can't be ignored.

Overall 3 stars: This feels treacherous but it was good in some respects and not in others. Not much more to say than I mildly enjoyed it but it didn't offer me as much as I'd hoped.

Really torn on this one!


Plot 1/2: This book isn't supposed to be extremely plot oriented, but I gave it half a point for sort of holding the relationship with Naoko throughout as a plot anchor, which turns out to be very poignant and sad.

Writing 1: Murakami is an extremely talented writer. I love love loved the descriptions of Tokyo and Kyoto, his descriptions of nature and people are so vivid that this book is almost cinematic. A really nice balance of detail while remaining light and readable I also thought the themes were explored really cleverly, for example the title Norwegian Wood put me in mind of the infamous suicide forest of Japan when the novel deals with these issues, but also is the title of a Beatles song which is related to Toru's sort of exploration of western culture that makes him feel connected to the world and is a really crucial part of his coming of age. The death of his friend at 17 is notable as it felt symbolic of Toru's death of his childhood, and it is no coincidence that this novel covers the years of 18/19/20 a transitional phase, which is interesting as the novel begins with older Toru on a plane, a transitional phase of reality. It also demonstrates the power of music and how it can take you back to years in the past and how interconnected our memories are with music.

Characters 0: Ugh. I'm not sure how far I can critique this as a novel set in the 60's and written in a culture that isn't mine, especially with translation, but I was not a fan of any of the characters at all. The men were piggishly sexist and predatory, Toru is an extremely unreliable and unlikeable narrator who everyone seems to like even though he is boring and narrow minded, the women were romanticised and degraded in the same breath, Midori in particularly is subjected to this manic pixie dream girl status who is supposed to save him from his issues. I'm not sure what Murakami was trying to achieve by including the character in the asylum as she was clearly a very toxic and predatory woman, and it didn't sit right with me that Murakami would sexualise teenage girls so flippantly while blaming them for their own abuse. Weird and was not a fan of that at all, the gratuitous descriptions of intercourse throughout felt like seedy and unnecessary panderings to male readers and to Murakami's own fantasies since this is so closely linked with his life. They also use a character who is clearly autistic as a joke, as well as fetishising mental illness and dealing with it in a really archaic and sexist way. Not a fan of that at all.

World Engagement 1pt : I loved the way this novel dealt with those crucial years of coming of age, as Toru and those around him battle adulthood while bearing scars of childhood. He does such a good job of exploring social disconnect, so many characters say that they feel that no-one understands them, and this sadly leads to suicide in a few cases which is all too common. I liked how Murakami coded Toru's life and his friends with the novels he was reading, for example reading the Great Gatsby when he meets Magasawa to whom he acts as a Nick Carraway figure observing as he gets into debauchery in the expensive clubs and hotels of Shibuya, and reading the Magic Mountain while visiting Naoko in the facility in the snowy mountains of Kyoto, there are also references throughout to the Catcher in the Rye, mentioned by Reiko who sort of takes his innocence in their engagements as the prostitute poses this threat Holden Caulfield, as well as the sort of stream of consciousness narrative and getting up to various exploits with Midori. Naoko in the asylum also put me in mind of the Bell Jar, and their clinging onto the Beatles and other western indie singers shows that this engagement with western culture has created a disconnect between them as it doesn't give them the tools to deal with their own world.

Enjoyability 1/2: I deducted half a point for the amount of times I rolled my eyes at the characters annoyingness, but I gave it the other half as I really enjoyed Murakami's writing. I read this book in 2 sittings it was a joy to read linguistically, and I really enjoyed this version of coming of age stories set in a different place than I'm used to reading, and the exploration of the characters attachment to their friend who died young.

I will definitely be picking up more Murakami novels and hope they amend some of the issues I had with this one, as I think he had a lot to say that I connected with.

This book is definitely a new favourite! Incredible.

Plot 1 star: It's always a feat when authors can successfully pull off a character-oriented story with a sustained and not forced plotline. The story centres around the union of Agnes and the "husband" and their family, as well as the demise of one of their children, and the "husband"'s rise to fame to be one of the most influential people to come from England and the inspiration for one of his most famous plays. The novel always has a propelling force and the intertwining of past and present keeps the reader interested throughout.

Writing 1 star: Wow. Maggie O'Farrell's writing is the star of the show here. Not only are her descriptions simply put while also being beautifully detailed, she writes the complex and threatening 1500's in England with a modern urgency that allows you to learn about the fragility of life in those days and how they lived, while also reading a moving story about a family's struggle to coexist and cope with grief. Maggie O'Farrell brings alive the town of Stratford with its bakers, glove makers, and sinister plague doctors. She tells the story of the plague and the journey from the continent and the micro journeys made by the disease to reach her characters. She describes the dangers and wonders of London in its formative years and the burgeoning success of her playwright. The novel is a gift to any Shakespeare lovers and by never mentioning him by name it doesn't feel like she's trying to claim a piece of his legacy.

Characters 1 star: Despite the title of the novel Hamnet and it's affiliations with Shakespeare, this novel is the story of Agnes, born of the forest and struggling to mould to the expectations of her as a woman of this time. I loved the addition of her premonitions and the rumours of her mother as it gave the story a magical texture while still staying realistic. This is the story of a mother's sacrifice and intuition, and how this extends to her husband, this nurturing allowing the playwright to fulfill his potential and create one of the greatest literary legacies to exist. Every character is given a justification, even when ideals clash and tragedy strikes. She deeply humanises some of the people that we brush over in our histories and the result is beautiful.

World-Building/Engagement 1 Star: This novel builds a world within itself, the world of Stratford and its innermost workings, it makes London feel extremely distant, dangerous, and otherworldly. The superstitions and premonitions I mentioned before give this old world texture, and the physicality of the plague does too. Giving a backstory to the family of one of the most famous playwrights and story weavers in existence is an extremely interesting way to engage with our history, and it's very interesting to read about. The simplicity of the writing makes it accessible too so that teenagers could read this and learn more about the famous Bard, while also reading a great story. This is a difficult thing to achieve, and Maggie O'Farrell does it well.

Enjoability 1 Star: Not sure if it's morbid to say I really enjoyed reading this, given how sad it is. But I really wanted to savour every word written that I even read right through to the notes and acknowledgments. It took me a long time to read it because I just wanted to keep enjoying it, and I am really interested in reading more of Maggie O'Farrell's work as Hamnet has definitely made one of my best books of 2020 so far!

This novel is extremely accomplished and gives a really in depth look at the trans generational effects of slavery and oppression in a way that was never seeking too much to shock or upset the reader. The story of the characters was heartbreaking and beautiful , the writing simple and detailed, and following the characters through the years gave us a really close connection to their lineage. I’m not sure how realistic it is which I think could be confusing since the book is seeking to lay out the truth and expose a timeline of oppression , maybe the serendipitous parts say something about the strength of family bonds and the impact of fate? The way that the ancestors guide those that follow them is really beautiful, and the last chapter really made me weep a little bit.

I really enjoyed getting to know this story again after having seen the film in my teenage years.
I think this story is a really good exploration of friendship, insular communities, the edges of morality, and creation. *spoilers*

Plot 0.5 stars: I was really compelled by the story and the drip-feed of information that you get about Hailsham, the characters, and why they are special. It isn't the most intricate of plots but it was enough to keep me interested throughout.

Characters 1 star: This is where this book really shines. The trio of Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy with the other students at the school and at the Cottages really showed an in-depth understanding of friendship dynamics at a teenage level and how these mature through life and undergo various strains. It also looks at dynamics in insular communities, how they rely on each other for everything and make rumours into a reality by not having a clear structure. Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy are very flawed but very real characters, and their reality only adds to the argument that even though they are artificially created life they are still as real as the people they were modeled off. Their depth supports the novel's argument that creating life is more of a responsibility than they are aware of, and makes their story all the more tragic.

Writing 1 star: I forgot throughout almost all of this novel that it was a male author because Kathy's viewpoint was so well nuanced she was so real to me, which is a good sign of Ishiguro's writing style. Ishiguro's writing is a pleasure to read, and the idyllic descriptions of Hailsham were captivating and intriguing. He does a lot with very little and does the first-person narrative in a way that is not easy to achieve.

World Engagement / Building 0.5 star: This book engages with a lot of different issues, it explores morality in a literal sense and the responsibility of creating life and what we owe to each other. The children's emphasis on art and creation links to their physical donations and shows the dangers of what our system demands from us in terms of output and productivity. In terms of its own world-building as a dystopia I'm not sure how well it did, you never get a full explanation of why they are created to donate or what time period it is meant to be (probably commenting on how little the protagonists know about the world and their own creation). The sense of mystery does add to the story and I think it is a comment on how little we actually know about the systems that sustain our lifestyles and things we turn a blind eye too while others are suffering (eg. eating meat, fast fashion, fossil fuel mining etc). In terms of payoff, I was expecting a little bit more but I think it allows us to focus on the characters as this is a character-driven novel.

Enjoyability 1 star: I blazed through this in a couple of days, I found the story compelling, the characters interesting and the prose easy to digest. It would make a great holiday read or something quick and captivating to get you thinking about the moral issues that we face on a daily basis as our knowledge of science becomes more powerful every day.

Writing