Room by Emma Donoghue

I've just finished reading Room.

Its an emotional and inspiring read about a 19 year old girl who is kidnapped and locked in an 11 foot by 11 foot room. She is held captive for 7 long years by a man twice her age. He is a loner and a bachelor and uses her for his pleasure.

The narrator is Jack, her 5 year old son who was born into this room and has never seen the outside before. He is a remarkably clever young boy, and together he and his mother develop ways of coping in this captivity.

It is such an amazing read. The first part of the book is dedicated to their experiences within the room, and especially the relationship between Jack and Ma. Ma tries her best to protect Jack, and she inspires him with what little resources they have. They have an exceptionally close relationship and she teaches him all that she can. Jack in many ways is more able than the average 5 year old, and in other ways, of course, he is not. But the relationship that they have forged is so special, it cannot fail to move you.

The second part of the book is dedicated to life on the outside of the room, and Jack's experiences of the world. It is about their ways of coping with their new found freedom, the press and the emotional anxieties that they are faced with.

Room is an outstanding book. Although the subject matter is one which is something we would rather not delve into, it is not a depressing book at all. It is inspiring and thought provoking and the relationship between Ma and Jack is overwhelming. It took me about a day to read it, I just could not put it down.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier

Burning Bright is the story of the Kellaways, a family from Dorset who move to London in 1792 on the brink of the French Revolution. It centres on Jem Kellaway, a thirteen year old boy, who immediately forms a friendship with local London urchin, Maggie Butterfield. Together they make an unlikely pair but are united in their fascination of Jem's next door neighbour William Blake. Blake is a printer, a painter and a poet and both Maggie and Jem are drawn to his curiosities.

As their relationship develops, so too does their relationship with Blake, and Jem and Maggie manage to entangle themselves in all sorts of mishaps and misdemeanours; the seduction of Jem's sister Maisie by the local philanderer, the riot with the Lambeth Association, not forgetting the story behind cut-throat lane.

Burning Bright is an entertaining tale of the relationship between two very different characters, Jem and Maggie. Jem is very likable, he is a hard working boy who supports his family and his sister in particular. Maggie in contrast has had a difficult childhood, her family are more often in the pub than working, and she has had to become quite self-sufficient. Her harsh and brutal ways are somewhat softened by her occasional episodes of innocence and vulnerability, so she too, becomes very likable.

Other than that, the story in itself does not progress. We only see flashes of Blake and he is not that significant a character. 18th Century London is portrayed well, but the historical backdrop for this novel, The French Revolution, was hardly integral either. I didn't learn anything historical particularly, and if I had purchased this book for the purpose of it being historical fiction, then I would have been thoroughly disappointed. However, I did not. I came across this book by accident, I thought I would read it, and I really enjoyed it.

If you want something that is light-hearted, easy to read and entertaining then give this one a go.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach

It is 17th Century Amsterdam, during the midst of tulip mania, and young Sophia and her husband Cornelis are posing for a portrait by a talented young artist named Jan van Loos. Cornelis, a successful merchant, is much older than Sophia. He is a collector of beautiful things, and his wife is his pride and joy. But Sophia is young, and has married Cornelis to save her family from destitution.  She feels no passion for him, only a lifeless marriage further disappointed by her inability, so far, to produce a child.

But Jan van Loos is watching her, and Sophia is uncomfortable. Feelings stir within her that she has only ever imagined, and when she receives a love letter from the young artist, she embarks on a passionate affair. But where will this lead Sophia?  Will she be happy with her deception, or will it lead to tragedy?

Tulip Mania is an enjoyable fast paced story of passion and deceit. But that is about it for me. It's enjoyable, but it isn't great. I liked the narrative. I liked the short sentences, the short chapters. It was atmospheric, and I was intrigued with the setting of 17th Century Amsterdam, but that is where the enjoyment ended. It didn't quite develop enough for me.  I wanted to understand the characters better; to feel sympathetic to the plight of Sophia, but I just couldn't. I wanted to feel absorbed by the tulip mania in Amsterdam, but I just didn't. In fact, the tulips were hardly integral to the plot at all, and I feel there should have been more historical reference to them.

The plot was interesting, but predictable in places. The ending was a little abrupt. But that may be my fault, as I could only manage to skim read the final fifty pages or so. By that point, I was losing the battle with this book but I still wanted to know how it ended.

To conclude, an enjoyable book for the passionate romance and atmospheric setting, but poor in the historical content and depth.

My Rating: 3 Stars

Waiting by Ha Jin

Lin Kong is a dedicated army doctor employed in a military hospital in the city of Muji. It is there that he meets and falls for Mannu Wu, a student nurse. Manna, full of energy and life, is a thoroughly modern woman, and Lin wants nothing more than to spend his life with her. Lin, however, already has a wife and daughter back home in Goose Village. But Lin did not marry for love, but for filial duty. His arranged marriage has always been a  disappointment to him, and he is ashamed of his wife's simple-minded ways and bound feet.

Every year Lin returns to Goose Village to ask Shuyu for a divorce. And every year she agrees, only to back out at the very last minute. Constrained by the regulations of Mao's Cultural Revolution, Manna and Lin are unable to consummate their relationship. They are not allowed to kiss. They are not even allowed to be alone together outside the hospital boundary. So Manna and Lin are left waiting. Waiting for seventeen years until Lin is awarded a divorce....

Waiting is another of those novels that has left me wondering.

It is very simply written, and its plot is minimalist. And to be honest, I was expecting something far more complex and passionate. So initially I was disappointed. The pace, at times, was slow moving and there were occasions when I really questioned why I was reading it. However, I persevered, and I am glad that I did.

It is the development of the characters that enrich this story. Not the plot. Nor the ending. It is the way that each of them grow and change, intertwining in this story of relationship during a period of significant political and cultural change. Whilst Manna Wu represents the modern 'New China' in Muji, the character of Shuyu embodies the 'Old China' in Goose Village.  It is Lin that is the bridge between the two, at times enjoying the sophistication and energy of the modern world whilst craving the peace of mind and simplicity of the old.

Lin Kong is a contradiction himself. This new, modern man is repelled by the ways of the old world, its fashion for bound feet and folk remedies. But he also desires its traditions and its simplicity, he needs its folk remedies despite being a modern, medical man. Alternatively, he admires the educated women of New China, their freedom of speech, their energy and passion, yet is left disappointed with the restlessness, the upheaval, the secrets.

It is the development of Shuyu that most interests me. Initially described as unattractive, skinny, and old before her time, it is apparent that she is not considered 'good enough' for her husband Lin. No wonder that Lin will not share a bed with her. She is simple-minded, uneducated, almost ignorant. However, Shuyu is a loyal and faithful wife, a good mother and cook, she embodies all that is homely and safe. And slowly throughout the book she transforms into a character who is not considered so ugly, nor so old looking. As Lin and Manna Wu deteriorate with age, Shuyu appears younger, healthier, happier. She is a sympathetic character, embracing modern China whilst maintaining the traditions of the old.

Whilst political and cultural change are integral to the plot, it is not a political text. Ha Jin portrays its influence without forcing it, and in doing so keeps the story simple and honest. It is this simplicity that, for me, gives it its charm.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I picked up a second hand copy of this title almost by accident. I had wanted to read it for ages but never got around to it, but there it was, in the middle of a 'job lot' of second hand books I had managed to get hold of.

It is a tatty copy, complete with student notes written inside. That didn't put me off though. It reminded me of English A Level when I used to have to do the same thing. It took me ages to get out of that habit. To stop analysing the text so much and to enjoy the books for themselves.

Love in the Time of Cholera is a love story of sorts set beside the Caribbean. It is the story of Florentino Ariza, who in his youth, falls passionately in love with the beautiful Fermina Daza, and wishes to marry her. Fermina's father, however, has other ideas. Florentino, an apprentice in the Postal Agency, is an illegitimate child and is not considered a worthy enough match for Fermina. He forbids their alliance, and whisks his daughter away for a sufficient period of time to allow their love to cool.

Unbeknown to her father, Fermina and Florentino continue their love affair through the exchange of letters, and they agree to marry. Upon her return home, however, Fermina realises that she does not love Florentino and brutally rejects him. Instead, she marries a wealthy doctor of good social standing, thus commencing a 51 year, nine month and four day obsession for Florentino. He cannot forget this woman. Not a single day passes where something does not remind him of her. He resolves to wait for her, until the day her husband dies, and makes the decision to win 'fame and fortune in order to deserve her'.

But Florentino does not embark on this lonely, unhappy life alone. He takes a large number of lovers, of various ages and various circumstances, and of course, he still has his books and love of second-rate literature.

I really don't know what to think of this book. I finished reading it about 2 weeks ago, and I am still unsure how I feel about it. It is beautifully written, and most certainly thought provoking. The themes that weave in and out throughout the book are simple yet relevant; love, death, marriage, age, all of which we will all experience in our own way.

The author's vision of marriage, for example, was at times comical, and at others times sincere. Love, well, I would personally substitute that word for 'Sex'. The concept of 'Love' in this case, is not of your classic, soul-searching variety, but more based on carnal desire. Whether Florentino really 'loved' any of the women in his life, I am unsure. I feel the author is allowing you to make your own mind up, and I'm still pondering on that one.

The characters of  Love in the Time of Cholera are well presented. The fact that I am left disliking all of the main ones in the novel is irrelevant. They are interesting, three dimensional, appealing, yet at the same time, appalling. Florentino is by far the worst. His behaviour is obsessive, so much so that he is more of a 'Stalker'. He describes himself as a 'solitary hunter' (of women). A possible understatement I would say. And when, as an old man, he manages to have sex with a 14 year old of whom he is considered a guardian, well, it just makes your skin crawl.

Despite all that, the content of the novel feels real. It has also given me much to think about. And even though I am unsure if I love it or hate it, I think I'll go and rent the movie just in case.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I finished reading  The Book Thief a few days ago, and it still lingers with me. When I am in the kitchen making dinner. When I put a load in the washing machine. When I take time out for a coffee. Scenes from the book push their way into my mind and don't seem to want to let go.

I love it though, when a book does that to me. I find that I can't help but make references to it. I talk to people about it, even those who are probably not interested. I think about it, internalise it, try to make sense of it, and what it means to me. How it makes me feel.

 The Book Thief  is based in Nazi Germany during the Second World War. It is a tale about Liesel Meminger a young, illiterate girl, who faces tragedy at the outset; the death of her younger brother whilst on a journey to meet their new foster family. Whilst at his graveside, Liesel discovers a book, half hidden in the snow entitled 'The Gravediggers Handbook'. This is her first find, and her first act of thievery. It is the beginning of a passion for her, a love of books and words, and her desire to steal more. 

The Book Thief, narrated by Death itself, takes us on a journey into Nazi Germany in the prelude to, and during the Second World War. It invites you to see it not only through the eyes of Liesel, but also through the narrative voice of Death. Daily life. Rationing. The Fuhrer. Hitler Youth. The hidden Jew in the basement.  

It is a tale that envelops you in its sincerity, that takes you through the highs and lows of love, trust, faith, happiness, fear, hunger, loss, hatred and despair.

It is an amazing read, and one that will be read by me over and over again. I thoroughly recommend it.

My Rating: 4.5 Stars