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lizbethandthelifeinbetween
This is not as good as The Pillars of the Earth, but it is still one solid gem of a novel folks. While I wanted more of Jack and Aleina and their mentions made me miss the more, but Caris and Merthin are almost as good. I loved seeing all the parallels between the characters in this book and the characters in Pillars. I also have a teacher who absolutely loves the black plague. She says it's her favourite disease to study so I liked knowing a lot about it before going into the book and learning more. Follett's historical accuracy is admirable in this series. I'm not going to write some long review as I did for Pillars because there's not much more that I can say about this that does not apply to the prequel. While my emotions were not as intense, I loved the characters. I liked that the big villains were related to the protagonists and therefore had some will they/won't they be good tension in the beginning, but I did miss an all-out evil powerhouse like William of Hamleigh, though Ralph was a good substitute. The same can be said for all of the characters. This is one of the few instances where more of the same is good because you can get all the feels and if you want, you could even substitute names for characters from Pillars and it would be like reading au fanfiction written by the author. Ken Follett is great and I'm excited to read the third installment in this series.
I went into this thinking it was going to be a three-star read, but I forgot about the awesome storytelling powers of Phillip Pullman. This book is definitely aimed at the younger middle-grade demographic, but I really enjoyed the story. I was smiling throughout. This had some darker themes to it, but the whole story made one nice whole and Lord Scarecrow was much more of an endearing character than I thought he would be.
I don't really feel like writing up a full review for this. It was rather boring, didn't hold my attention span, and needed a lot more Christmas given its title and cover and whole "Christmas story" premise. I do feel like I might like some of Karen Swan's other books though, as there was a small element that kept me engaged so this didn't take forever to read. Also, I love the fact that I've actually been to London and I know what the O2 is. if I didn't, I think I would have enjoyed this book less.
Where to begin? This book was one that made me think the entire time I was reading it. Subconsciously, as I'd find myself coming upon an opinion in the middle of the day without any conscious thought on the work. I love Howards End, that much is clear.
Let's start with how refreshing it was to read. I always love reading classics because the style of writing has evolved. From talking to the reader to arguing the character of one's character, it is truly a different reading experience.
But part of this book's genius lies in the fact that it is so old, yet some of the ideals are so modern and so applicable to life today. Somehow, Howards End has not lost its meaning when applied to a modern audience. It deals with wealth gaps, the rich and poor, feminism and much more. And it deals with them well and in a just manner. The characters represent different viewpoints and they make their arguments amongst each other charmingly as they discuss what should and shouldn't be done. While they have a completely different way of life, the underlying morals are the same. Moving for the Schlegel's is viewed upon as a tragedy where back then houses would be inherited and inherited again for generations. Mrs. Wilcox even exclaims: "Can what they call civilization be right, if people mayn't die in the room they were born." As I stated before, the vast differences between now and a century ago are astounding, and it is even more so impressive that this book is still relevant today.
Next, the characters are quite something. For a start, I love the way E. M. Forester portrayed genders. What stuck out to me the most was Mr. Wilcox. He was the average rich Englishman of his time, yet still found forward women such as Margaret admirable, though it did take some time. But what absolutely blew me away was the fact that even though he was the time's picture of masculinity, he was still emotional and had some "feminine" qualities. For example, early on in the book when Mrs. Wilcox dies, he is noted to cry. Even today, the man box states that men should not have emotion because they are weak and feminine, yet in this book, we have Mr. Wilcox, who in many cases shows emotion, as the man in the driver seat of the plot despite the fact that it is Margaret Schlegel who is the main character. He does things like breaking off the engagement and makes passionate decisions and it takes little thought to notice that these decisions are based on his emotions and pride, not always stoic logic. Even Margaret sometimes finds herself shocked at the this. In chapter 14, "unwittingly, she had touched his emotions." Mr. Forster admits that Henry Wilcox is an emotional man despite his pretenses. The author did a great job at writing women too, much better than I've seen some modern women do.
I also love how this book was paced. It was fast, yet perfectly slow in the rights parts. I believe some of this was due to the fact that it as told through Margaret as well as the abruptness of some of the events like the death of Mrs. Wilcox. It was almost poetic, switching from her at the train station to the Wilcox's disapproving of Margret's flower choice to lay on her grave. It made the book easy to read and kept it interesting. It also made the book feel so real and raw, like the Wilcoxs, the Schlegels and the Basts were real, living people.
Lastly, I just love the old language and the use of English. We would no longer describe the way one walked onto a scene as awesome unless it was reminiscent of the appearance of a superhero in a film with the full-on fanfare, yet that was exactly how E. M. Forster described the appearance of Mrs. Wilcox. Also words like Vehemently. Never seen that before. These types of books can most certainly expand one's vocabulary.
Let's start with how refreshing it was to read. I always love reading classics because the style of writing has evolved. From talking to the reader to arguing the character of one's character, it is truly a different reading experience.
But part of this book's genius lies in the fact that it is so old, yet some of the ideals are so modern and so applicable to life today. Somehow, Howards End has not lost its meaning when applied to a modern audience. It deals with wealth gaps, the rich and poor, feminism and much more. And it deals with them well and in a just manner. The characters represent different viewpoints and they make their arguments amongst each other charmingly as they discuss what should and shouldn't be done. While they have a completely different way of life, the underlying morals are the same. Moving for the Schlegel's is viewed upon as a tragedy where back then houses would be inherited and inherited again for generations. Mrs. Wilcox even exclaims: "Can what they call civilization be right, if people mayn't die in the room they were born." As I stated before, the vast differences between now and a century ago are astounding, and it is even more so impressive that this book is still relevant today.
Next, the characters are quite something. For a start, I love the way E. M. Forester portrayed genders. What stuck out to me the most was Mr. Wilcox. He was the average rich Englishman of his time, yet still found forward women such as Margaret admirable, though it did take some time. But what absolutely blew me away was the fact that even though he was the time's picture of masculinity, he was still emotional and had some "feminine" qualities. For example, early on in the book when Mrs. Wilcox dies, he is noted to cry. Even today, the man box states that men should not have emotion because they are weak and feminine, yet in this book, we have Mr. Wilcox, who in many cases shows emotion, as the man in the driver seat of the plot despite the fact that it is Margaret Schlegel who is the main character. He does things like breaking off the engagement and makes passionate decisions and it takes little thought to notice that these decisions are based on his emotions and pride, not always stoic logic. Even Margaret sometimes finds herself shocked at the this. In chapter 14, "unwittingly, she had touched his emotions." Mr. Forster admits that Henry Wilcox is an emotional man despite his pretenses. The author did a great job at writing women too, much better than I've seen some modern women do.
I also love how this book was paced. It was fast, yet perfectly slow in the rights parts. I believe some of this was due to the fact that it as told through Margaret as well as the abruptness of some of the events like the death of Mrs. Wilcox. It was almost poetic, switching from her at the train station to the Wilcox's disapproving of Margret's flower choice to lay on her grave. It made the book easy to read and kept it interesting. It also made the book feel so real and raw, like the Wilcoxs, the Schlegels and the Basts were real, living people.
Lastly, I just love the old language and the use of English. We would no longer describe the way one walked onto a scene as awesome unless it was reminiscent of the appearance of a superhero in a film with the full-on fanfare, yet that was exactly how E. M. Forster described the appearance of Mrs. Wilcox. Also words like Vehemently. Never seen that before. These types of books can most certainly expand one's vocabulary.
3.5
Well, this book has left me muddled, torn, and shook. It was great, but it was weighed down by its marketing as the next book in the Kingsbridge series. But I cannot think of a better book to have started off 2019 with.
Had this been a separate novel, I would have loved it more, but because it's Kingsbridge #3, I wanted Kingsbridge. I wanted something that was established in the two prior books to be at stake, like the way the Market was in WWE, adding to the level of tragedy that such thing was collapsing. Unfortunately, this dealt with a part of history on a large, political scale and I, at least, knew what would happen. There was no level of suspense to who would win or not because history is history and I doubt Ken Follett was about to change it for the sake of a surprising ending.
This also meant I was comparing every little detail to TPOTE and WWE but this book was so different from the romance to the plot that the difference made it fall short, even though this was a thrilling and compelling book. It really put a damper on Follett's talents because I just could not push Merthin and Caris and Jack and Aliena out of my mind long enough to enjoy Sylvie, Margery and Ned as individual characters.
Other than that, this book was quite a knockout. It had the amazing writing and world-building and characterization that I have come to expect from Follett as well as a fun plot. Unfortunately, this would have worked better if it had been separate from the other two works and treated a sole book because, in the end, my disappointment ended up hindering my enjoyment and lowering the rating.
Well, this book has left me muddled, torn, and shook. It was great, but it was weighed down by its marketing as the next book in the Kingsbridge series. But I cannot think of a better book to have started off 2019 with.
Had this been a separate novel, I would have loved it more, but because it's Kingsbridge #3, I wanted Kingsbridge. I wanted something that was established in the two prior books to be at stake, like the way the Market was in WWE, adding to the level of tragedy that such thing was collapsing. Unfortunately, this dealt with a part of history on a large, political scale and I, at least, knew what would happen. There was no level of suspense to who would win or not because history is history and I doubt Ken Follett was about to change it for the sake of a surprising ending.
This also meant I was comparing every little detail to TPOTE and WWE but this book was so different from the romance to the plot that the difference made it fall short, even though this was a thrilling and compelling book. It really put a damper on Follett's talents because I just could not push Merthin and Caris and Jack and Aliena out of my mind long enough to enjoy Sylvie, Margery and Ned as individual characters.
Other than that, this book was quite a knockout. It had the amazing writing and world-building and characterization that I have come to expect from Follett as well as a fun plot. Unfortunately, this would have worked better if it had been separate from the other two works and treated a sole book because, in the end, my disappointment ended up hindering my enjoyment and lowering the rating.
2.5
Well, umm... This book was weird. Interesting, sorta boring and very, very weird. I'm not quite sure what I've just read, only that I didn't really like it all that much.
Well, umm... This book was weird. Interesting, sorta boring and very, very weird. I'm not quite sure what I've just read, only that I didn't really like it all that much.
2.5
Okay so it was moving but why is it being called funny? This book is literally about a man trying to take his life and eventually decided not too after a bunch of nosy neighbours keep om interrupting him. And the writing style really did not mesh with me. I don't know if it was the translation, but the third person omniscient made it too hard to fall into the book and the story just seemed to be told in such a weird way. I guess Fredrik Backman just isn't for me.
Okay so it was moving but why is it being called funny? This book is literally about a man trying to take his life and eventually decided not too after a bunch of nosy neighbours keep om interrupting him. And the writing style really did not mesh with me. I don't know if it was the translation, but the third person omniscient made it too hard to fall into the book and the story just seemed to be told in such a weird way. I guess Fredrik Backman just isn't for me.
The five stars I gave this book and the five stars awarded to the author's other works like Wonder Woman: Warbringer or Shadow and Bone are two entirely different stars. While WW:W entranced me with the relatable portrayal of Diana Prince and her Grisha Verse introduced me to an amazing world and cast of characters, this book is entirely different.
The Language of Thorns (Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic) is a set of fairytales based in the world of the Grisha. It has some inspiration from folk stories and fairy tales that we are all familiar with, but amazingly these minor details and similarities did not feel recycled or cliche. In fact, they felt very fresh and I loved how I would think "oh... it's ina like _" only to have my expectations (often brought on by the tropes we find in current fairy tales) totally thrown out the window. Leigh Bardugo has done something amazing with these few Grisha legends: she has created a whole new form of fairytales, ones where marriage isn't always the solution and often times the witch isn't who you thought they were. These are the fairy tales a lot of little girls all over the world have been wanting since they noticed that every female Grimm and Anderson character usually ends up being saved or dead.
And it was a visual masterpiece! Throughout this book are illustrations that grow bit by bit on every page. Something is always added, removed, or changed and it falls perfectly in place with the development of the story. It couldn't be more apparent than in the last one where the border images go through two complete transformations as the characters change and grow. I found myself stopping to look at the differences and how they tied into the story more time than I could count. And it was not helpful that the artwork done by Sara Kipin was amazing.
Not only that, but these stories were told as if they were fairy tales. they had a dark, foreboding feeling and a prose style that was just screaming to be read aloud by a fire on a cool winter night. While I liked some more than others, I couldn't help but notice how incredible they were and the way they had been placed in the book. The first one has a lot to do with stories and subverting and expectations of ending based on the stories we know which cleverly embeds the idea in the reader that these tails aren't average.
These tales were crafted with care and whit and are great for any Grisha fan or someone looking for a good collection to read before bed could enjoy. Not much knowledge of the Grisha Verse is needed to understand what is going on, and the few things that are mention, generall Grisha and Fjerdan word for "witch" is explained and the included map can help anyone unfamiliar with the layout understand the few areas mentioned.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes Fantasy, fairy tales, and/or the world of Leigh Bardugo.
The Language of Thorns (Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic) is a set of fairytales based in the world of the Grisha. It has some inspiration from folk stories and fairy tales that we are all familiar with, but amazingly these minor details and similarities did not feel recycled or cliche. In fact, they felt very fresh and I loved how I would think "oh... it's ina like _" only to have my expectations (often brought on by the tropes we find in current fairy tales) totally thrown out the window. Leigh Bardugo has done something amazing with these few Grisha legends: she has created a whole new form of fairytales, ones where marriage isn't always the solution and often times the witch isn't who you thought they were. These are the fairy tales a lot of little girls all over the world have been wanting since they noticed that every female Grimm and Anderson character usually ends up being saved or dead.
And it was a visual masterpiece! Throughout this book are illustrations that grow bit by bit on every page. Something is always added, removed, or changed and it falls perfectly in place with the development of the story. It couldn't be more apparent than in the last one where the border images go through two complete transformations as the characters change and grow. I found myself stopping to look at the differences and how they tied into the story more time than I could count. And it was not helpful that the artwork done by Sara Kipin was amazing.
Not only that, but these stories were told as if they were fairy tales. they had a dark, foreboding feeling and a prose style that was just screaming to be read aloud by a fire on a cool winter night. While I liked some more than others, I couldn't help but notice how incredible they were and the way they had been placed in the book. The first one has a lot to do with stories and subverting and expectations of ending based on the stories we know which cleverly embeds the idea in the reader that these tails aren't average.
These tales were crafted with care and whit and are great for any Grisha fan or someone looking for a good collection to read before bed could enjoy. Not much knowledge of the Grisha Verse is needed to understand what is going on, and the few things that are mention, generall Grisha and Fjerdan word for "witch" is explained and the included map can help anyone unfamiliar with the layout understand the few areas mentioned.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes Fantasy, fairy tales, and/or the world of Leigh Bardugo.