Review: Please Ignore Vera Dietz

Please Ignore Vera Dietz

Written By: A. S. King

Published By: Knopf Books

Published On: October 12, 2010
Pages: 336

Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything.
 
So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?
 
Edgy and gripping, Please Ignore Vera Dietz is an unforgettable novel: smart, funny, dramatic, and always surprising.



I was recommended this book by a friend of mine who's judgement on books I trust immensely. If she goes on and on about a particular book, I'm 99% convinced that I'm going to love it. Vera Dietz was no exception.

The cover is simple yet effective, a design in which you don't often see on many modern books which I quite like. I love the way the lighter is forming the title and the green background is quite eye-catching. As you make your way through the book, you also realise the lighter is actually a very important part of the story.

The book is narrated by Vera as she moves on with her life after the death of her best friend, Charlie, who she hadn't spoken to in months after he had changed enough to cut out of his life. The thing that I really love about this book is how very real it is. As though this situation, and this life, could really happen to the average teenager.

Aside from the somewhat confusing drunken hallucinations of Vera seeing dead Charlie's ghost, the book is exceptionally well written. It was easy to get captured into the story within the first few pages and it very quickly becomes hard to put the book down. While Vera knows the true cause of Charlie's death, you want to keep reading so you can find out the heartbreaking truth of what happened on that fateful day.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves a strong and powerful YA novel.
I would give Please Ignore Vera Dietz 5 stars

Review: The Book Thief

The Book Thief
Written By: Markus Zusak
Published By: Picador (Australia), Knopf (USA)

Published On: March 14, 2006

Pages: 576

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

It's been a couple of months since I read The Book Thief, and I've mentioned before how much I enjoyed it, so I thought I might as well write a review on it. 

There are many different covers out and about for this particular book but the image I've chosen here is the cover on the book that I own. I feel that it really represents the story. Death, the narrator, standing alone in a frozen almost dead forest. Then of course the splatter of blood. The mark of war. It's a very thought provoking image if you really look into it, and I'm sure English classes all over the world have a field day pulling it to pieces. (I used to hate that part of english.)

I had been recommended this book to read by so many people for the last two years. I had been roaring through my books at such a fast pace and I thought this would be the same. Not so. 

Firstly, the writing style is very different to everything else I'd been reading. It's narrated by death, so of course it's a different reading experience. You're not hearing about the story from someone who is actually in the action, you're hearing about it from someone who is on the outside, looking in. 

Secondly... you read the plot synopsis. You know it's set in WWII, and you know at some point during the book she'll be a part of hiding a Jewish man in her basement. The content of this book is heavy. There are no restrictions on who may die and who may live. Who may be sent to the war front and who may be beaten to a pulp in front of all the other characters. 

There are of course funny moments, charming moment and sweet moments. But it's a difficult book to read. That being said, it's very rewarding. It's a great story, very powerful and very serious. I love the occasional book like this but you really have to be in the right mind frame to read it. I should issue some form of warning. By the end of the book your heart may be broken.

Otherwise, it's a very thought provoking and well written novel. I would certainly recommend it, but you probably have to be into the darker, heavier books.

I give The Book Thief 5 stars.

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why

Written By: Jay Asher

Published By: Razorbill

Published On: 2007
Pages: 289


Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush - who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and learns the truth about himself-a truth he never wanted to face.

Thirteen Reasons Why is the gripping, addictive international bestseller that has changed lives the world over. It's an unrelenting modern classic.


This book had been top of my list for a while now. I'm not quite sure why, it just seemed like suddenly I was hearing about it everywhere I went.

I was lucky enough to have a friend lend it to me on my return to New Zealand and I finally got a chance to read it. In the limited reading time I have, I managed to get through the book pretty quickly.

It's kind of morbid but this kind of subject in a book really captivates me - that is, the subject of suicide.

Clay Jenson is the "nice guy" of his school, who had a long time crush on Hannah Baker, the girl with the reputation. He always assumed he was out of her league, but he didn't realise how much he didn't know about her until her suicide tapes arrive on his doorstep one afternoon after school. The tapes blame thirteen people for her suicide - and each person she blames will at some point be recieving the tapes.

Clay can't figure out what he did to Hannah to make him be on these tapes. Especially since all he wanted was to be with this girl. So the book is set over one night as he wanders his neighbourhood, going to places of importance to Hannah and listening to her story.

The book has a split narration style, but it's actually done in such a way that you barely notice it's a split narrative. Interspersed with Hannah's words, and her story are Clay's thoughts about Hannah's narration and interactions with others around his neighbourhood.

I found the book very easy to read, it captured me immediately and I wanted to keep reading until I found out what Clay had done to earn a place on those tapes. After I found out, I still didn't want to put the book down as I wanted to know how the tapes had affected everyone else who's names were on Hannah's list. Hannah's "Baker's dozen".

I did, sometimes, find Clay's reaction a little hard to believe, and a little unrealisitic. I get that finding and listening to those tapes would have been really difficult and heartbreaking, but I also think at times Clay's reaction was a little over the top and his comments in reaction to things Hannah was saying often became a little repetitive.

When the book ended, I wasn't ready. I wanted to keep reading, and find out what happened to other characters on Hannah's list after they heard the tapes. I, honestly, could have stayed in Clay's world for longer and I didn't want the book to be over!

While at times the writing of the book left a bit to be desired, I really loved this book. It was captivating, heartbreaking and interesting. I found it hard to put the book down, and it would be easy to read this book in a single day.

I would definitely recommend this book to others althoguh despite the difficult subject matter I would say it's possibly for the younger end of the Young Adult genre (although I wouldn't go younger than 15....)

I would give Thirteen Reasons Why 4 stars.

Review: The Dry Grass of August (Anna Jean Mayhew)

The Dry Grass of August
Written By: Anna Jean Mayhew
Published By: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Published On: April 1, 2011
Pages: 352

In this beautifully written debut, Anna Jean Mayhew offers a riveting depiction of Southern life in the throes of segregation, what it will mean for a young girl on her way to adulthood--and for the woman who means the world to her. . .

On a scorching day in August 1954, thirteen-year-old Jubie Watts leaves Charlotte, North Carolina, with her family for a Florida vacation. Crammed into the Packard along with Jubie are her three siblings, her mother, and the family's black maid, Mary Luther. For as long as Jubie can remember, Mary has been there--cooking, cleaning, compensating for her father's rages and her mother's benign neglect, and loving Jubie unconditionally.

Bright and curious, Jubie takes note of the anti-integration signs they pass, and of the racial tension that builds as they journey further south. But she could never have predicted the shocking turn their trip will take. Now, in the wake of tragedy, Jubie must confront her parents' failings and limitations, decide where her own convictions lie, and make the tumultuous leap to independence. . .

Infused with the intensity of a changing time, here is a story of hope, heartbreak, and the love and courage that can transform us--from child to adult, from wounded to indomitable

Firstly, I love the cover of this novel. It really gives me a sense of peace and tranquility. It also looks vintage because of the more sepia tones of the cover image which I really love.

I really love stories that are loosely based on the Civil Rights movement and The Dry Grass of August doesn't disappoint. It's told from the perspective of Jubie, a young white girl who's life isn't particularly easy. Her dad is not a very good guy, yet despite the whippings he regularly gives her, Jubie still looks up to him... at least at first. The family, minus Jubie's dad, get on the road to head down to Florida to see other members of the family. It's there that Jubie starts to witness the discrimination against their African-American maid, Mary. However, it's not until they end up in a small Southern town that they really start to run into trouble. It is this trouble that teaches Jubie a lot about the way of the world in 1950 America.

I don't want to ruin the story for you so I can't say too much but I will say this book is an emotional roller coaster. At it's core, it explores the relationship between a white girl and her black maid, but there is so much more to it than that. There are a lot of twists and turns you really won't see coming, and it seems every member of the family is keeping more than a few secrets.

I really liked the characters - I felt they were well developed and seemed very realistic. Each character added something significant to the story and built up the layers both of the family dynamic within Jubie's family, and to the state of 1950's American society. Throughout the book you are really able to get inside Jubie's head and relate to her and what she was going through at different stages of the story. Right on the brink of adolescence, Jubie has to deal with more than growing up - she has to deal with loss, betrayal and injustice in the worst way possible.

I was a little disappointed in the ending. I feel it almost just...ended without having a solid 'happily ever after'. I also felt a little like the sub-story of Jubie's dad and uncle seemed a little disconnected from the main story. It took a long time to understand how it fit in with everything else that was going on. Plus a little more development on Jubie's dad could have been nice. However, the pluses of this book, and the incredible realistic story outweighs any negatives.

Overall it's an excellent book about race relations in the 1950s. I would say it's almost The Secret Life of Bees meets The Help. It's well written, the story is great, and despite the pace being slightly slower than other stories I've read lately, I think that works. In fact I think it adds something to the story. I would definitely recommend it. I give The Dry Grass of August 5 stars.

 

Review: Still Alice (Lisa Genova)

Still Alice
Written By: Lisa Genova
Published By: Gallery Books
Published On: January 6, 2009
Pages: 292

Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, written by first-time author Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience from Harvard University. 

Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heartbreaking, inspiring and terrifying, Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what's it's like to literally lose your mind...

Reminiscent of A Beautiful Mind, Ordinary People and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Still Alice packs a powerful emotional punch and marks the arrival of a strong new voice in fiction.

Like in so many families, Alzheimer's Disease seems to run in my family. Because of this, my mother was curious to read this book. She bought it, but before she had a chance to read it, I snatched it up and was finished within a few days. 

The book is like nothing I've read before. This book follows Alice as she deals with her diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's Disease while she's still in her 50's. It's very interesting the way it's written. At first she forgets just little things. Of course, she doesn't realise she's forgotten them and she thinks nothing of it. It's not until she begins to forget her way home when she goes for a run that she becomes concerned. As the book progresses, you feel so frustrated as you see just how little she remembers. The people who have been present throughout the book who she begins to forget. How one minute she is very aware of what is going on, but by the end of the conversation she doesn't know who she's talking to.

To be honest, it's a heartbreaking read. Seeing the decline of this incredibly intelligent university professor as she slowly forgets who she is, is difficult, particularly as you see everything from her perspective. 

I don't want to say too much about this book, simply because it's one of those books that doesn't have an intricate plot full of twists and turns. It's not that kind of book. However, it's not slow moving either. It's very well written, and keeps you interested in seeing how Alice manages to get through each day, and seeing how her husband and adult children deal with her prognosis. 

I really enjoyed this book, as much as you can enjoy a book that details the process of such a horrible disease. It actually really made me appreciate what I've got and how lucky I am. I can't imagine how terribly hard it would be to simply...forget who you are. 

After I read this novel, I returned it to my mum, who read it within a few days before passing it on to my dad. Both of them really enjoyed the novel as well, although both admited it was quite difficult and spooky to read. I would really recommend this book to all, particularly anyone who has watched a loved one struggle with Alzheimer's in any of its forms. 

I give Still Alice 5 stars. I know, I don't give out many of these, but it's a very well written, thought provoking novel.

Review: Ape House (Sara Gruen)

Ape House
Written By: Sara Gruen
Published By: Spiegel & Grau
Publishing Date: September 7, 2010
Pages: 320

Sam, Bonzi, Lola, Mbongo, Jelani, and Makena are no ordinary apes. These bonobos, like others of their species, are capable of reason and carrying on deep relationships—but unlike most bonobos, they also know American Sign Language.

Isabel Duncan, a scientist at the Great Ape Language Lab, doesn’t understand people, but animals she gets—especially the bonobos. Isabel feels more comfortable in their world than she’s ever felt among humans . . . until she meets John Thigpen, a very married reporter who braves the ever-present animal rights protesters outside the lab to see what’s really going on inside.

When an explosion rocks the lab, severely injuring Isabel and “liberating” the apes, John’s human interest piece turns into the story of a lifetime, one he’ll risk his career and his marriage to follow. Then a reality TV show featuring the missing apes debuts under mysterious circumstances, and it immediately becomes the biggest—and unlikeliest—phenomenon in the history of modern media. Millions of fans are glued to their screens watching the apes order greasy take-out, have generous amounts of sex, and sign for Isabel to come get them. Now, to save her family of apes from this parody of human life, Isabel must connect with her own kind, including John, a green-haired vegan, and a retired porn star with her own agenda.

Ape House delivers great entertainment, but it also opens the animal world to us in ways few novels have done, securing Sara Gruen’s place as a master storyteller who allows us to see ourselves as we never have before.

My FH purchased this book a few months before we moved to America and it was one of the new novels he ended up packing in his suitcase. I was unprepared for the long, boring trips on the subways and I hadn't managed to buy a kindle yet, so I picked up Ape House. It then proceeded to blow me away.

Isabel has been working with bonobos for years, teaching them how to communicate via sign language and monitoring their progress as they grow and learn how to communicate with humans. John is suffering a slump in his journalism career and looking for a 'pick me up', decides to write a human interest piece on Isabel and the bonobos. He comes prepared with treats and games for the apes and quickly earns their trust. On his way out he notices the protestors at the gates of the lab but ignores them to head home to his semi-strained marriage. Later that night, with Isabel still inside, the lab explodes. From this point on the intensity of the story continues to rise, as more twists and turns are thrown at your face without giving you enough time to realise they're coming.

I really liked the character of Isabel. She's brave, strong, sweet, loving and entirely devoted to those apes. Throughout the novel, she battles a lot of hurdles and has to realise who she can and can't trust. One thing I love about Isabel is that she very firmly knows who she is. She knows where she belongs and how to be her own person.

I liked John as well. I found him to be quite a complex character. He struggles with where he fits in the world, he struggles with his career and his marriage, but he's also devoted. He knows where he should be and he strives to get to that point. He also knows right from wrong and isn't afraid to call out anyone who doesn't play by the rules.

Of course there are some really nasty characters on board in this book. Some are outright nasty from the beginning, some completely blind-sighted me - I didn't even see their evilness coming! I like books that surprise you like that. Very well written, Ms Gruen!

I really loved the plot of this novel. It was different than the books I normally read. The research that obviously went into writing this story was evident, and it was amazing how much I learned about bonobos and their nature just by reading this novel. The book was fast moving, exciting and I couldn't barely put it down.

I later read Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen's more well known book, and while I enjoyed it a lot I think I preferred Ape House. They're very different but I found the story of Ape House much more intense and fast paced.

**SPOILER**

One thing I also loved about this book is that throughout most of the story it seemed like the sexual tension between John and Isabel might amount to something. I found it really refreshing to see that instead of giving in to it, he really worked hard at making his wife happy and working on their marriage. It's not something you often see in novels, and it was really nice to see.

**END OF SPOILER**


Overall I definitely recommend this book. I give Ape House 5 star.

Book Review: Silent Tears (Kay Bratt)

 

Silent Tears: A Journey of Hope in a Chinese Orphanage
Written by: Kay Bratt
Published by: Self-published
Date: July 3, 2008
Pages: 430

“An eye-opening account of life in China’s orphanages. Kay Bratt vividly details the conditions and realities faced by Chinese orphans in an easy-to-read manner that draws the reader in to the heart-wrenching moments she has experienced in her work to bring hope to these children.”—Dan Cruver, cofounder and director of Together for Adoption

When her family relocated to rural China in 2003, Kay Bratt was thrust into a new world, one where boys were considered more valuable than girls and poverty and the one-child policy had created an epidemic of abandoned infants. As a volunteer at a local orphanage, Bratt witnessed conditions that were unfathomable to a middle-class mother of two from South Carolina.

Based on Bratt’s diary of her four years working at the orphanage, Silent Tears offers a searing account of young lives rendered disposable. In the face of an implacable system, Bratt found ways to work within (and around) the rules to make a better future for the children, whom she came to love. Her story balances the sadness and struggles of life in the orphanage with moments of joy, optimism, faith, and victory. It is the story of hundreds of children—and one woman who never planned on becoming a hero but became one anyway.

Every now and then I like to mix up my reading list, which consists mostly of fiction, with a non-fiction book. I don't remember how I stumbled upon this one, but once I read the plot summary I decided I should add it to my list. It has since become one of my most recommended books of the year.

As it says in the plot above, Kay relocated to the harsh life of China with her family in 2003. While her husband went off to work, and their young daughter went off to school, Kay decided to volunteer at a local orphanage. It was like nothing you could ever imagine.

Now this book is not an easy read, especially as you are painfully aware that what you are reading is a true account of the conditions in China. It also made me want to head over to China and adopt all these children myself. It's heartbreaking and disturbing but also very uplifting to see Kay's determination to help these children.

I don't want to say too much about it so as to not spoil this book, but I will say that I feel this a very important book for us to read. It gives us insight into life in China. A life that is so very different than mine, and quite possibly yours.

The writing of the book isn't first class. It's not perfect, and the book is really a series of diary entries of her daily life which some may not enjoy, but she doesn't hold a lot back. She's very honest about her experiences, as painful as they may be and for me that over rode any questionable writing or lack of editing.

I'm going to give Silent Tears 5 stars. Simply because it touched me and really made me think about my own life, and how important it is to help others out who aren't as fortunate. I recommend this book to everyone.

Book Reviews: Divergent (Veronica Roth)

Divergent
Written by: Veronica Roth
Published by: HarperCollins
Date: May 3, 2011
Pages: 496

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

At a loss for what to read next, I asked Amazon for some dystopian books. It pointed me in the direction of Divergent. I was late to the party. Insurgent (the sequel) had already been out for almost two months and the series had a dedicated fan following throughout the web. I decided to check it out and within a few hours I'd been pushed into a hermit-like state which didn't end until I had finished both novels.

The book is centered around sixteen year old Beatrice - or Tris, as she soon becomes known. After making one of the most important decisions in her life Tris finds her life thrown completely into turmoil as she navigates her way through her faction initiation, new friends, new enemies, and new romance. Then, of course, there rumblings of unrest and danger....

I really liked Tris. From the opening pages I felt in some ways I could relate to her. It soon becomes obvious she's a very complex character, very strong willed and feisty, yet also anxious and vulnerable. Her growth throughout the novel is awesome to watch and you're left wanting to be best friends with this crazy teen. Tris is backed up during the book by new friends Christine, Will and Al. While they may not all have the best intentions, they create a great dynamic within Tris' life. Tris becomes a reasonably strong protagonist – though the process of getting her to that point DID feel a little slow. But to be honest, I liked the fact she was weak, ‘stiff’ and undefined in the beginning; it allowed the audience to see her transformation.

Then there is Four. You couldn't possibly forget Four. He is the teacher of the new initiates of the faction Tris chooses. He puts them through their paces, watches over them, and does his best to intimidate them. He is oh so dreamy, oh so strong, dark and brooding, and yet behind the tough exterior you see there is a lot more to Four than you could possibly imagine - like his real name, why he is called Four, and where he originally came from. Four is brave, yet he has a strong moral compass so he is not needlessly reckless like some of the other instructors *cough ERIC cough*. He is not the type of character you will like from the moment you meet him. In fact, you might despise him just a little bit at the start. Give him a chance though, he's worth it.

I loved the world building of this novel. It really intrigued me and I wanted to know more about it. I wanted to go and experience this world and to understand how it got this way. I couldn't quite wrap my head around why (most) people managed to fit so neatly into only one faction of society in the first place, but I do like to take everything with an 'anything is possible approach'. This world is so different than our current society. We all hope to be honest, selfless, brave, peaceful and intelligent - but most of us aren't. At least not all the time. Can you imagine a world where you have to abide by one of those virtues every minute of your daily life? Your whole existence would be devoted to that one virtue. It's quite thought provoking, isn't it? That's why I love this world Veronica has created. It really makes you think about humanity and what we've become as a society.

The book does start off a little slow, but the pace soon takes off and you’re left feeling like you’re on a train that’s hurtling forward towards the finishing line. A few things that I didn't like about the book - I felt the true definition of ‘brave’ was hugely blurred (this was potentially intentional, but if it was that was unclear) and some of the characters felt extremely one dimensional to the point that you really didn’t care about them. I also didn't like how in one particular scene Tris talks about how she feels powerful when holding a gun. Wasn't a huge fan of that, but after reading the sequel it was possibly necessary.

In saying all this, I still found it to be a really great book and wasted no time in recommending it to all my friends. If you're not the type to pick a book to pieces and have the ability just to sit back and enjoy the story, I think it’s a really great read.

I should also mention the author, Veronica Roth, conceived the idea while she was still at College. She is 24 and already a bestselling author which is obviously a huge achievement. While the writer side of me is jealous that she’s totally and completely living my dream, I’m so happy for her and the success is completely deserved. The third book in the Divergent series comes out in Fall 2013, and I’m eagerly waiting its release!

So after all that I give Divergent 4.5 stars. It's not quite 5 stars but it's as close as you can get. It's one of my favourite books this year and I highly recommend it!

 

Book Reviews: Hourglass (Myra McEntire)

Hourglass
Written by: Myra McEntire
Published by: Egmont USA
Date: June 14, 2011
Pages: 400

One hour to rewrite the past . . . 

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

I initially picked up this book because I had seen it mentioned on a few blogs in the cyberworld. Aside from that, I absolutely LOVED the cover. It's so mysterious and intriguing that I wanted to know how it connected to the story.

The story follows 17-year-old Emerson and is set in a small town just outside of Nashville, Tennessee (probably because the author, Myra McEntire, is from Nashville). Words can't express how much I loved the setting. The way the small town of Ivy Springs was described left me with a clear picture in my head of where the characters were living their lives. It was picture perfect. It truly left me with the image of my ideal small town.

One of the key spots throughout the book was the Emerson's best friend's grandmother's cafe, Murphy's Law. This particular cafe was described in such intricate detail I could imagine every nook and cranny. I had a conversation with the author recently on Twitter who told me about the town on which Ivy Springs is based. Naturally I Googled it. I was right; it is a stunning, picturesque little town which, as I thought, matched my idea of the perfect small town. Myra also drew my attention to the cafe on which Murphy's Law is based. Again, this was exactly as I imagined Murphy's Law -- except flipped, to which Myra said.... "You're freaking me out... because Murphy's Law is also flipped". Shazam! That must be some talent for her to write these places in such a way that I could visualise them exactly.

The lead character, 17-year-old Emerson, is quite simply, awesome. She's tiny and fiesty and despite going through a lot in the last few years, she's strong. However, she does have a lot of difficulty trusting people because of her ability, which she thinks of as more of a curse. This ability causes her to see people who aren't actually there... not quite ghosts, but not quite real people either. She's been institutionalized because of this 'ability' and has spent far too long on medication that turns her into a zombie-like shell. She has an awesome best friend, which I always like to see in a strong female protagonist, and she's incredibly independent.

Michael is the male love interest for Emerson who also happens to see things that aren't really there. He's incredibly good looking, charming and incredibly mysterious. He growls when he's frustrated, broods about as much as Edward Cullen, he's crazy over protective but he's kind-hearted and oh so dreamy! He's hiding something, and it seems like something big. Whatever he's hiding is the kind of thing that makes you want - no - NEED to turn the page to find out what happens next.

The other characters, Lily, Kaleb, Ava, Dune, Nate, Jack, and Cat, along with Emerson's older brother brother Thomas and his wife Dru, help to give the story substance and keep it moving. The thing that I like about the characters in this book is that they have depth. They're flawed, they have issues, they have good moments, and they have bad moments, and that's what I like to see in a novel. 

The plot itself is totally different than anything I've read recently, which is awesome. It's not really spoiling anything by saying that a big part of the story is time travel and how the lives of the characters in this book are affected so completely by time travel. It's very interesting to see the manner in which Myra has approached the time travel idea. It's very original and fresh and consequently made me really excited about this book. 

My only slight annoyance would be that at times the dialogue felt forced or didn't seem realistic. Other than that I totally loved this book. In fact, it's right up there in my top five books of the year.

So, I would give Hourglass 4.5 stars :) This is one I would definitely recommend checking out!

 

The Tea Rose Review

Have you ever read the kind of book that stays with you for weeks after you turned the last page? The kind of book that creates a world you become immersed in? The kind of book whose characters feel so real you can’t stop thinking about them? The Tea Rose, by Jennifer Donnelly, was like this for me. The novel was first published in 2004, so I was quite late to the party, but it has since become one of those books I tell everyone to include on their must read lists.

Now I should note, it's not a YA novel, and it's not particularly short. In fact it's a heffa of a book, but I loved every inch of that heart-wrenching, beautifully told heffa-ness! I've been talking about it now and again for a while, and noticed a lot of people haven't read it so I thought a review (it's hardly a review, it's more a "oh my gosh this book is amazing" rant) should be published. I wrote this a while ago, just after I read it, but never did anything with it so thought this would be an appropriate place.

 

The Tea Rose follows Fiona Finnegan, a young girl of Irish descent living in Whitechapel in the late 1880s. The east side of London is a place of darkness, where thieves and whores operate, families shiver in their cold and drafty homes and a killer with the name of Jack the Ripper stalks the cobbled streets at night. Fiona works in a tea factory, helping her family buy enough food for the week, and dreaming of owning her own teashop one day with the love of her life, Joe Bristow. With nothing to their name, the love and faith Fiona and Joe share in each other is enough to fuel their dreams.

Suddenly, in more tragedy one person should ever have to bear in a lifetime, Fiona’s life is shattered and she loses almost everyone and everything she holds dear. Fiona must flee London in order to escape the clutches of death, and try to move on with her life. She begins again in New York, drawing strength from those she meets along the way, and the knowledge of what she left behind in London to rise above and become a force to be reckoned with. As in any dramatic story, the ghosts of Fiona’s past are not content to rest in peace, drawing her back to where she started and taking readers on a whirlwind adventure.

At 768 pages, this book is long.  It’s in the family of ‘hefty novels’. But at the same time it doesn’t feel like it. It’s possible this book should come with a warning. It will consume you and it only took me a week to read. . When I was reading, I was physically unreachable to anyone outside the pages of my book. When I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about what just happened and wondering what would happen next. The Tea Rose is the best kind of page-turner. The kind that has action from the very start, and keeps throwing curveballs at you until you realise Donnelly won’t hold back in what she puts her characters through.

The thing I love most about this novel is that the strong female protagonist handles everything life throws at her, yet continues to rise above and be an inspiration to others. If Fiona was real, I’m pretty sure I’d want her to be my BFF. Donnelly’s other strong point is that the world she creates is so incredibly real. You really feel like you’re right there in Whitechapel, walking through the cobblestones streets with Fiona or Joe; or right there in New York cleaning out her uncle’s grocery store. Fiona, Joe and Nick – these aren’t just characters in a book. These are people you come to know and love, who you cheer on in their triumphs and whom you’re genuinely concerned for when they put themselves in the face of danger.

That is probably why Donnelly chose to write more. Fans of the book were desperate to know what became of their newfound friends.

Donnelly’s The Tea Rose is followed up with The Winter Rose and then The Wild Rose.  Both books follow a different member of the Finnegan family and as all three books are told from multiple narratives, readers are introduced to new characters and storylines, as well as following loved characters from the previous books. In each of the books I particularly loved how Donnelly wove real events and people into the stories. Main characters in the books encounter William Churchill, Earnest Shackleton, Tom Lawrence and a character based on Gertrude Bell.

While the sequels are both worthy of reading, The Tea Rose is – of course- the superior novel of the trilogy. I’m not sure what category you would place this epic saga – in fact, it almost creates its own category with a combination of romance, thriller, action and mystery.

The Tea Rose will make you laugh, cry, sit on the edge of your seat in suspense. But most of all, it will make you you fall in love - with the characters, London, New York and possibly even tea!