On Books | The Girl On The Train - Paula Hawkins

I mentioned that I had barely put this book down since getting it the other day. Quite literally. I got it last Wednesday; I finished it yesterday! I really enjoyed it and finally understand the hype! I also thought it was a great autumnal read; it isn't a cosy read, but it's definitely one that you can stay in all day when it's cold and wet and just keep reading. 

The book follows Rachel, who goes on the same trains every day and passes the same houses every day. She sees the same people and has conjured up lives and names for them as if she knows them. Her over active imagination leads her to eventually becoming involved in a murder investigation. Being an alcoholic and emotionally unstable, Rachel is quite a complex character (I can also see how Emily Blunt will be so good in this role!) Her story develops so well throughout the book as more and more of her past becomes unveiled and everything starts to make a little more sense about who she is. 

It also follows two other women, Anna and Megan. Anna is Rachel's ex-husbands new wife. Megan is one of the people Rachel sees from the train. As the book progresses, it becomes very clear that they are all in fact very much intertwined. 

The book is a thriller and gets darker and darker as it continues. I did not see the ending coming until very late in the book. But that's probably just me as I don't like to try and work out how it will end. For some people however it was probably kind of predictable, but I personally did not find that. 

The only negative comments I would make is that it is written by date, then morning and evening. This meant that sometimes I would have to turn back to see how the days were following on, especially when the narrator changed. But this was more my pedantic side than the actual writing was hard to follow. The second is that the ending does suddenly all build up, happen and then just kind of fades out. Again, this may just be me that found this, and it by no means ruined the book! 

I though that Hawkins writing was very direct and she gave the feel of each of the characters really well so that each time the narrator changed it really did seem like another person. I would definitely recommend this book; and if you're like me, read it before the film (which I cannot now wait to see!)

Have you read The Girl On The Train?

xoxo

On Books | Prep - Curtis Sittenfeld

This book had been on my list for a little while now and I actually ended up picking it up in a used book shop in Kenilworth just before I left university. I loved this book; it wasn't exactly what I was expecting but I really did adore it. 

Prep follows Lee Fiora, from South Bend Indiana, go through all of the trials and tribulations of a big fancy boarding school, Ault. The book starts when Lee is 14 and follows through her four years at Ault. I did not register for a large chunk of the beginning of the book how young all the characters were! They all seemed so mature and developed! (Nothing to what I was like at 14 haha!) 

The book is broken into the four years at the school. My only, and I mean only, criticism of the book would be that it did jump around a little bit. One moment it was Freshman fall, next thing you knew it was Sophomore spring. This did then mean that the story suddenly had progressed a lot, but that might just have been me being pedantic! 

Lee is intelligent and overthinks a lot. In some ways I could see a lot of similarities between Lee and myself; I think the way she handled situations could be relatable for many people! At times she is a bit naive; other times she knows exactly what she wants. In so many ways she is a typical teenager, but other times she is so much more than that. 

This was very much a coming-of-age book and explores all different themes that we all experience as teenagers. Friendships, relationships, sex, rebelling, parents. The whole lot! It is however all done through the eyes of someone that not so much involves themselves, but observes and sees everything. With Lee sometimes looking back on her life and discussing how she feels about the situation now was also a really nice touch. It gave the book that little bit more depth. 

As always, I never like to give away spoilers. There are not so much plot twists here but more things that are inevitable, yet it is still really interesting to see how everything plays out. I was expecting Prep to be very much like Gossip Girl and It Girl, but this was much more about the quiter people of boarding schools, and the ones trying to make something of themselves, as opposed to the privileged students and their scandals.

Sittenfeld's writing is also extremely detailed and indepth. She has been likened to J.D.Salinger, however this is definitely not something I would agree with. (I cannot bare The Catcher in the Rye). Sittenfield's writing is much more thought out and considered with far deeper themes and wide reaching character developments. Not to mention she covers the institution of boarding schools and education within America. 

I really only have praise for this book! It was so well thought out and executed that you cannot help but want to see how Lee ends up. Definitely a good Autumnal read as well! 

Would you read Prep?

xoxo

On Books | Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

I am trying not to make a habit of this, but I borrowed this book from my Nan who has never read it and it was a gorgeous copy. Leather bound and only with the writing in gold embossed lettering on the side. Yet I returned it without a photo. I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

I am just going to start this by being completely honest. The cover was probably my favourite part about this book. It had been on my list for years and years. It is known as one of those books; you know, if you haven't read it, what have you read, type of thing.

And it was just plain weird. 

The story follows Humbert Humbert, a fully grown man who has quite a piqued interest in what are referred to as nymphets, young girls. He then falls in love with Lolita, the daughter of the womant hat becomes his landlady and eventually his wife. At the beginning, Lolita is 14.

I have not given away any huge spoilers here; you can see it all happening. But for a large majority of the book I felt quite uncomfortable reading it. Humbert is an academic, a highly intelligent and respected man, yet the book follows him stumbling through sex and relationships with teenage girls. 

The writing was very good, albeit at times hard to follow what was actually happening. The story also jumped around and had a tendency to become confused. 

At the end of the book Nabokov writes himself that Humbert will probably not be liked as a character, but that this was not his intention. And it is true, he is not particularly likeable, yet there is something about him that is entertaining. 

What was really nice about the book were the references to literature, and the wittiness behind Nabokov's writing. However the story itself was just plain weird and uncomfortable. Considering that this book was writtin in the 1950s, to an audience that was far more close-minded than what we have today, I find it very surprising that my views seem to be in the majority.

I am glad I have read it, however I would not particularly recommend it. Lolita contains good writing and good character building, but much of the book makes for some uncomfortable reading (especially as a woman!) 

Yet, I can see that this book makes for good discussion. Nabokov writes Humbert's character as one that should repulse and offend. Yet he doesn't all the time. It is only when you really think about what you are reading that this does come across. The relationship and how it is developed between him and Lolita is an in-depth study of the workings behind adult-child relationships. It is merely that this one is very unconventional and not my by any means normal. 

Nabokov has managed to write a psychologically problemed person into someone that does pique our interest. Despite this, I cannot say that I particularly enjoyed the book. 

I have looked into this book a lot and would be interested in opinions and thoughts if you've read it!

Have you read Lolita?

xoxo

On Books | Water For Elephants - Sara Gruen

Having watched the film around when it came out, I had never gotten round to reading the book Water For Elephants. I generally always, always, read the book before the film but this time that just didn't happen! Boyf's mum lent me this book and I got through it so quickly!

The story follows Jacob Jankowski in present day and during his youth. Jacob, now in a carehome, continues to reminisce about his younger days when he ended up working as the vet on a travelling circus. Following the tragic and sudden death of his parents, Jacob never quite finishes his final exams and with little left for him at home he, for want of a better word, runs away. He launches himself at a passing train, without knowing that he has landed in a carriage of the circus' train. 

As Jacob gets situated within the circus, he becomes close with one of the trainers August and his wife Marlena, one of the best performers on the circus. Jacob, as you can imagine, ends up falling for Marlena, which of course, is not without consequence. 

The circus eventually ends up taking on an elephant called Rosie. Jacob becomes extremely attached to her, yet she is difficult to train despite being seemingly very intelligent. Jacob watches over whilst August roughly and harshly attempts to train her to perform with Marlena. Yet August is very troubled and more often than not, things go wrong. 

Gruen writes at the end of the book how she ended up writing a book about circuses and the involvement of elephants. She references a lot of real life tragedies and amazing events that happened in the early 20th Century. Her story developed from real events and she writes in a very accurate way, describing the ins and outs of the circus as if you were watching it. (I have a crippling fear of clowns, but don't worry, they aren't involved; it's all about the animals here!) 

The story, despite having some harrowing scenes, is a very sweet and wonderfully written tale. It almost felt like it could have been a memoir of Jacob. Although not always lighthearted, the story has some beautiful moments in. 

If you are looking for a nice, well written, easy read, then I would definitely recommend this! Just be prepared that there are some aspects of animal cruelty and abuse, which are of course in this case fiction but do bring an awareness of the tragedies that did occur. Not to mention, Rosie is a completely loveable elephant!

Have you read Water for Elephants?

xoxo

On Books | The Tenth Circle - Jodi Picoult

I apologise that this is a stock image but I left my copy at Boyfs; blogger struggles!

I have loved Jodi Picoult's books for ages and my collection of them is pretty vast. I think that a lot of people, even if you weren't so keen on her storylines, you would struggle to find fault with her writing. She has an amazing ability to become every single character, even if they are 12, or 90. Not to mention that her plot lines are always so well thought out and different to anything else I read. 

The Tenth Circle has a loose basis around Dante's Inferno (if you haven't read it, don't worry you don't need to have done!) The book sees Daniel and Laura Stone and their daughter Trixie struggle through far more than just your average teenage strops. Trixie claims that she was raped by her boyfriend. This in itself would make for a dramatic story, but the plot just keeps thickening! Her parents are struggling to keep their marriage together, and following the rape accusation, Trixie is struggling to keep herself together as well, as she begins to self harm.

Daniel is a comic book writer, and each chapter starts with a couple of comic book pages. This was something that I really enjoyed about the book as this was so different to anything else that I have read by Picoult's. These added a whole other dimension to the book as it gave you an insight into Daniel's mind and his background. Originally from Alaska, the story is flecked with Inuit references and cultural aspects. All of which helped to make the characters seem even more real. 

Throughout the book you follow Mike Bartholomew, the Detective investigating Trixie's case. As with most of Picoult's characters, he has his own past that continues to haunt him throughout the case. Yet he has a pet pot-bellied pig which just makes him a whole lot more endearing! 

As you know, I never like to give too much of the plot away, but this was one story that had a lot of plot twists that I did not see coming. It definitely made for a page turner as it quickly became more and more thrilling and dramatic. As common with most of her novels, it is easy to tell that Picoult has truly put in the research into what she writes about. Her novels are full of such clarity on a subject, even medical and criminal terminology that you almost feel like she has experienced everything she writes about. 

If you have never read any of Jodi Picoult's books before, be prepared for some heavy, yet all the more intriguing sections! If you have...you know what to expect!

Have you read The Tenth Circle?

xoxo