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wordsofclover's Reviews (2.16k)
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A super sweet book about a lonely girl who discovers magic in the simple things - the moors of Yorkshire, a blue-eyed boy who can charm the animals and a secret cousin she never knew about. I never read this as a child but I'm sure it would have been just as beautiful and magical. So cute!
The Handmaid's Tale is set in a new kind of America, now known as Gilead. In Gilead, sterility is a countrywide, and possibly worldwide, problem. Because of these problems, the world for females is no longer a nice place. They no longer have any rights, and are seen more as breeding factories than human beings. Young fertile women are now given the choice to be handmaids, which means moving in with a rich couple, having ritual sex with the husband and, hopefully, having a baby.
Offred, the main character in this book, is literally the handmaid of Fred. Along with their bodies, the women's names are taken from them too. Offred tells the story, flitting back and forth between her current situation as a handmaid and her life before - as the wife of Luke and the mother of a young daughter.
I felt like parts of the story were told by Offred in what could be described as a distant manner. I felt like Offred was trying to distance herself from her situation and it made the whole thing even creepier. I found the whole concept of the book creepy, just the thought of being in that kind of situation repulsed me. It was also the kind of book that made me angry when I reading it, not because it was badly written, but because of the way women, not just the handmaids, were treated.
I found it very interesting how, at the same time, the handmaids seemed to be honoured yet reviled at the same time. They were so many people's only hopes at having children - their jib literally meant having their own children ripped away from them. They weren't allowed sit down, weren't allowed hardly any kind of comfort at all and even their food was extremely basic. You would think, being pregnant, they have been allowed have a second helping of eggs now and again but nope, not allowed.
The scariest thing about this book is I just kept having this feeling about how it could almost be possible. It didn't seem that far-fetched. There are still so many places in the world where women have zero rights and are treated just as badly, even worse, than Offred and Ofglen. There is definitely something in the back of people's minds that things like this could happen - you only have to read all kinds of disaster books, or watch disaster movies/TV shows, and see how there are always communities who go back to treating women like crap.
Overall, The Handmaid's Tale was an extremely powerful, yet not a very comfortable read. I can't read to pick up another book by Atwood.
Offred, the main character in this book, is literally the handmaid of Fred. Along with their bodies, the women's names are taken from them too. Offred tells the story, flitting back and forth between her current situation as a handmaid and her life before - as the wife of Luke and the mother of a young daughter.
I felt like parts of the story were told by Offred in what could be described as a distant manner. I felt like Offred was trying to distance herself from her situation and it made the whole thing even creepier. I found the whole concept of the book creepy, just the thought of being in that kind of situation repulsed me. It was also the kind of book that made me angry when I reading it, not because it was badly written, but because of the way women, not just the handmaids, were treated.
I found it very interesting how, at the same time, the handmaids seemed to be honoured yet reviled at the same time. They were so many people's only hopes at having children - their jib literally meant having their own children ripped away from them. They weren't allowed sit down, weren't allowed hardly any kind of comfort at all and even their food was extremely basic. You would think, being pregnant, they have been allowed have a second helping of eggs now and again but nope, not allowed.
The scariest thing about this book is I just kept having this feeling about how it could almost be possible. It didn't seem that far-fetched. There are still so many places in the world where women have zero rights and are treated just as badly, even worse, than Offred and Ofglen. There is definitely something in the back of people's minds that things like this could happen - you only have to read all kinds of disaster books, or watch disaster movies/TV shows, and see how there are always communities who go back to treating women like crap.
Overall, The Handmaid's Tale was an extremely powerful, yet not a very comfortable read. I can't read to pick up another book by Atwood.
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.
During the day, Carly Johnson seems like a normal teenager. She has friends, she goes to class, she flirts with boys and she writes in her diary. However, at nighttime, Carly is no longer, well, Carly. Instead Carly is Kaitlyn. But who is Kaitlyn, is she an alter-ego made up to cope with the death of her parents? Or is Kaitlyn, as Carly and Kaitlyn believe, a long sister sharing the same body?
This story is so intriguing. Not only is the concept something I've never read about before but the whole story is told through a series of diary entries, police interviews and transcripts of videos. All the reader knows is that there was a fire in Elmbridge High, Carly's boarding school, which resulted in the death of several people. Ten years later, the mystery behind the fire, the events surrounding it and Carly/ Kaitlyn Johnson have never really been understood. Until Kaitlyn's diary is found.
What is amazing about this book is we don't really get told whether this is a story about the darkness of magic, or the darkness of mental health. Is what's happening because Carly is mad, or is it happening because Kaitlyn is possessed by a demon? It threw up so many questions for me and really made me think about how I, and others, think about mental health that's not just depression or anxiety. Is it fair for the reader to dismiss Kaitlyn as someone not real because Carly presumably has DID. I really went back and forth with thinking who Kaitlyn was, and how she was real. I really enjoyed the fact that the reader receives the story, for the most part, through Kaitlyn's words. It made her real, and her struggles made me feel sympathy for her. How could I feel sympathy for someone who wasn't really there? Surely, that in itself proved that Kaitlyn existed.
This was a really creepy, yet amazingly thought-provoking read. Its definitely something completely different to what I normally read and i'm so gad I decided to delve into it. And if they ever make this into a movie, boy will it be terrifying!
During the day, Carly Johnson seems like a normal teenager. She has friends, she goes to class, she flirts with boys and she writes in her diary. However, at nighttime, Carly is no longer, well, Carly. Instead Carly is Kaitlyn. But who is Kaitlyn, is she an alter-ego made up to cope with the death of her parents? Or is Kaitlyn, as Carly and Kaitlyn believe, a long sister sharing the same body?
This story is so intriguing. Not only is the concept something I've never read about before but the whole story is told through a series of diary entries, police interviews and transcripts of videos. All the reader knows is that there was a fire in Elmbridge High, Carly's boarding school, which resulted in the death of several people. Ten years later, the mystery behind the fire, the events surrounding it and Carly/ Kaitlyn Johnson have never really been understood. Until Kaitlyn's diary is found.
What is amazing about this book is we don't really get told whether this is a story about the darkness of magic, or the darkness of mental health. Is what's happening because Carly is mad, or is it happening because Kaitlyn is possessed by a demon? It threw up so many questions for me and really made me think about how I, and others, think about mental health that's not just depression or anxiety. Is it fair for the reader to dismiss Kaitlyn as someone not real because Carly presumably has DID. I really went back and forth with thinking who Kaitlyn was, and how she was real. I really enjoyed the fact that the reader receives the story, for the most part, through Kaitlyn's words. It made her real, and her struggles made me feel sympathy for her. How could I feel sympathy for someone who wasn't really there? Surely, that in itself proved that Kaitlyn existed.
This was a really creepy, yet amazingly thought-provoking read. Its definitely something completely different to what I normally read and i'm so gad I decided to delve into it. And if they ever make this into a movie, boy will it be terrifying!
3.5 stars.
I received a free digital copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Kami has never known the grandparents on her father's side. So when one day she receives a plane ticket to join them in Cairo for the summer, Kami knows she must take the opportunity of a lifetime. However, strange things begin to happen as soon as Kami boards the plane, weird shadow creatures seem to be stalking innocent people and Kami's grandparents are nowhere to be found. With the help of some new friends, and a new cousin, Kami must discover what the story is behind the shadow creatures and the queen with a strange obsession with Alexander the Great.
This book was a really good, enjoyable read overall. The culture in Egypt was quite deep and rich throughout the book, and I liked that different things such as women wearing veils and certain characters praying in Mosques (so the introduction of different beliefs). I also thought it was fantastic that Sarah had her characters talking about the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, part of the Arab Spring. This was such a huge deal and really brought social media into the world's eye as a powerful tool for news-making and telling, so to have (young) Egyptian characters talk about it, their troubles with police and refusal to back down was really wonderful to see.
The historical facts are so well researched, it's really impressive. There was lots of Egyptian history mixed in with a little bit of greek in parts because of Alexander's relationship with Greece during his reign.
I felt that at times both some of the historical facts and general dialogue in the book may have been a bit mature for middle grade readers - namingly the parts where police gave protestors virginity tests. I thought that this was being classed as middle grade, which I would presumer to be 10,11,12 years old but I think it's better of as 14 years old and up. I'm not American though so my knowledge of what 'middle grade' is could be completely wrong.
I felt the start of the book dragged a little bit. I was over 50% through before it before it really started going, and even at that, there's wasn't that much action in it overall. It mainly seemed to be them all driving places and talking solutions. I wasn't a huge fan of Kami's and Liam's relationship - for this book in particular being the first and Kami's huge feeling of loss and distance when it comes to family, I would have preferred there to be more emphasis on Kami and her cousin. While it wasn't insta-love, Liam's mooning over Kami was a bit bleh, I've seen it all before. Maybe I'm just becoming hardened to it though.
I wish it hadn't ended where it did. I feel like there could have been a bit more. I kinda felt like when there's an action scene in a movie on TV and suddenly there's an ad break. It just felt too abrupt.
Overall, a good read and perfect for anyone who loves a bit of Egyptian-god/mythical action. It would be good for fans of Greek gods too as it's a bit similar.
I received a free digital copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Kami has never known the grandparents on her father's side. So when one day she receives a plane ticket to join them in Cairo for the summer, Kami knows she must take the opportunity of a lifetime. However, strange things begin to happen as soon as Kami boards the plane, weird shadow creatures seem to be stalking innocent people and Kami's grandparents are nowhere to be found. With the help of some new friends, and a new cousin, Kami must discover what the story is behind the shadow creatures and the queen with a strange obsession with Alexander the Great.
This book was a really good, enjoyable read overall. The culture in Egypt was quite deep and rich throughout the book, and I liked that different things such as women wearing veils and certain characters praying in Mosques (so the introduction of different beliefs). I also thought it was fantastic that Sarah had her characters talking about the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, part of the Arab Spring. This was such a huge deal and really brought social media into the world's eye as a powerful tool for news-making and telling, so to have (young) Egyptian characters talk about it, their troubles with police and refusal to back down was really wonderful to see.
The historical facts are so well researched, it's really impressive. There was lots of Egyptian history mixed in with a little bit of greek in parts because of Alexander's relationship with Greece during his reign.
I felt that at times both some of the historical facts and general dialogue in the book may have been a bit mature for middle grade readers - namingly the parts where police gave protestors virginity tests. I thought that this was being classed as middle grade, which I would presumer to be 10,11,12 years old but I think it's better of as 14 years old and up. I'm not American though so my knowledge of what 'middle grade' is could be completely wrong.
I felt the start of the book dragged a little bit. I was over 50% through before it before it really started going, and even at that, there's wasn't that much action in it overall. It mainly seemed to be them all driving places and talking solutions. I wasn't a huge fan of Kami's and Liam's relationship - for this book in particular being the first and Kami's huge feeling of loss and distance when it comes to family, I would have preferred there to be more emphasis on Kami and her cousin. While it wasn't insta-love, Liam's mooning over Kami was a bit bleh, I've seen it all before. Maybe I'm just becoming hardened to it though.
I wish it hadn't ended where it did. I feel like there could have been a bit more. I kinda felt like when there's an action scene in a movie on TV and suddenly there's an ad break. It just felt too abrupt.
Overall, a good read and perfect for anyone who loves a bit of Egyptian-god/mythical action. It would be good for fans of Greek gods too as it's a bit similar.
Lilia never stays, she always just arrives for a short time and then leaves, regardless of those she's briefly connected with. Leaving has become part of Lilia's DNA, ever since the time she was seven years old and she was taken away in the middle of the night by her father and they never stopped running from invisible pursuers.
Last Night in Montreal examines not only Lilia's story but how her story affects the others that are someway connected with her life. In much the way I found Mandel's writing to be beautifully portrayed in Station Eleven, I found the same with this book. The prose is breathtaking. Mandel has a power to weave words that only comes along now and again. I really enjoyed drinking it all in.
I love the small emphasis on different things throughout the novel, the leaving and going, the impact you can make on people's lives even if you haven't known them very long and the lost and dying languages. Are people like Lilia, perpetual travellers, a dying language? Are most people content to stay, or is it the other way round? Does everyone want to travel? Mountainside or riverside?
Mandel has a way of creating one character in her books that becomes the sole beacon of light whose rays touch upon other minor characters. I felt the same with Arthur in Station Eleven. The character becomes almost like an unintentional puppet master and with barely visible strings, manipulates so many others whose lives have been changed because of their actions. I found this extremely true in the case of the relationship between Lilia and Michaela. Lilia's story had such a devastating affect on the outcome of Michaela's life, yet they never met until they were in their twenties.
Once again, this novel proves Emily St John Mandel's skill in examining human life, and interaction. And our ability to love and let go. A beautiful piece of work.
Last Night in Montreal examines not only Lilia's story but how her story affects the others that are someway connected with her life. In much the way I found Mandel's writing to be beautifully portrayed in Station Eleven, I found the same with this book. The prose is breathtaking. Mandel has a power to weave words that only comes along now and again. I really enjoyed drinking it all in.
I love the small emphasis on different things throughout the novel, the leaving and going, the impact you can make on people's lives even if you haven't known them very long and the lost and dying languages. Are people like Lilia, perpetual travellers, a dying language? Are most people content to stay, or is it the other way round? Does everyone want to travel? Mountainside or riverside?
Mandel has a way of creating one character in her books that becomes the sole beacon of light whose rays touch upon other minor characters. I felt the same with Arthur in Station Eleven. The character becomes almost like an unintentional puppet master and with barely visible strings, manipulates so many others whose lives have been changed because of their actions. I found this extremely true in the case of the relationship between Lilia and Michaela. Lilia's story had such a devastating affect on the outcome of Michaela's life, yet they never met until they were in their twenties.
Once again, this novel proves Emily St John Mandel's skill in examining human life, and interaction. And our ability to love and let go. A beautiful piece of work.
