Sunday 27 August 2017

Under the Pendulum Sun

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Book Title: Under the Pendulum Sun
Author: Jeannette Ng
Date Started: August 19th 2017
Date Completed: August 26th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Mystery
Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Three Star
Final Rating: Three stars
Review:

◆ Thanks to NetGalley for this ebook for review ◆

This book had a promising start and I found myself pleasantly surprised in the opening chapters. But the more I read, the more it felt like I was walking in circles - albeit, very pretty and whimsical circles in this creative interpretation of the the old-fashioned kind of fae - but in aimless directions nonetheless.

Under the Pendulum Sun's strength was undeniably in its whimsicality and imagination. I haven't read any Young Adult fantasies that draw so strongly from the 19th Century style of fae. This was a breath of fresh air for me; the 1800s is a favourite of mine, and I read a lot of this kind of thing when I was little. Ng also adds to the traditional ideas of the fae with her own creations which was what made this book interesting. The only problem was that I don't think it was her priority. At some points there's a great deal of care and imagination that goes into describing and explaining the world (how the Pendulum Sun works, the sea whales that live in the ground, the clockwork dancers at the ball), but at others it's lacking in much detail at all if the characters are more important at the time. It's a shame since the world building was the most enjoyable part of the book.

The story of this book takes after traditional gothic mysteries, where the protagonist is told precious little and has to work it out for themselves. The problem is that 80% of Under the Pendulum Sun is Cathy complaining that no one will tell her anything, and that's about it. As you can imagine, it gets old and repetitive pretty fast (which is why the elaboration in the world building was the interesting part and should've been given more attention). I also have to say, I didn't entirely understand the explanation of what was really going on when it was revealed at the end. I'm still not sure what actually did happen.
This is, in part, to do with the abundance of Christianity in the plot. At first I thought it was for the time period and the connections to the fae were interestingly done, but as I read on it became so tied into the plot that it became harder to understand all the metaphors and references. It expected you to know quite a bit about the teachings of the Bible (either that or it thought referencing it every sentence is all the explanation you need), and since I'm not overly familiar with it I was lost pretty quickly. I thought I'd be able to appreciate the references and the eventual conclusion of the novel without being given this information, but I don't think I was right.

Character-wise, I wasn't overwhelmed. It's a small cast and people drop in and out when necessary to the plot. In the story they're all pieces in the Pale Queen's games, but in the context of the novel they're the author's puppets instead. It doesn't feel like any especially meaningful relationships are developed past that of the romance. Regardless of the morality of the situation, I didn't feel much chemistry between the characters as lovers (ironically they felt more genuine in their previous relationship). I'm still not entirely sure if the reader was supposed to feel conflicted about their affections, but I was just waiting for the next piece of magic honestly.

Under the Pendulum Sun is a creative and different look at the fae that got too bogged down in the complexities of a religion it expects you to know the details of and a controversial romance that lacked chemistry, while you sit there hoping for another whimsical creation to distract from the weak plot.

Saturday 19 August 2017

Weight



Book Title: Weight
Author: Jeanette Winterson
Date Started: August 15th 2017
Date Completed: August 19th 2017
Genres: Historical, Fantasy
Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Three Star
Final Rating: Three stars
Review:

This book left me feeling a bit eh. There were parts of it that I liked and parts of it that I didn't, but overall I think it wasn't for me. I've struggled with Winterson's writing in the past and I think it's maybe just a clash in what I like to read and how she likes to write.

Weight is a self-aware book. Not necessarily for the whole thing, but the sections where Winterson brought her own life into play between the story pulled me out so far that I struggled to get into it. It didn't help that this book is very short and relies on an understanding of the classical world to begin with (I don't know how accessible this would be if you weren't aware of the style of Greek mythology). I appreciate that the simple writing wants you to look three layers beneath the surface and draw meanings when it's contrasted against modern existence but honestly, it was a bit much for me when I just wanted to know the story.

I really enjoyed the mythological parts of Weight. Where we were being told the story, even if it was in simple straightforward terms. But, like I found with The Stone Gods, I didn't get along with being continually pulled away from what was happening with these symbolic comparisons that were unrelated to the action itself. Being unaware of this myth, I really wanted to get into the heart of the plot, but I kept being pulled out of it. I'm used to following a story and maybe seeing things in the subtext along the way, but I hate being interrupted in the middle. I wanted to see where Atlas and Heracles' story was going, not be suddenly shunted to Winterson's persona writing the book. To be fair, I don't think there's anything wrong with this creative choice, I just personally didn't enjoy it.

I appreciate that Weight is a good addition to the Canongate Myth Series, but it just really was not for me. I think Winterson's writing is simultaneously a bit too much and not enough for my tastes. This might be an interesting book to try her out in since it's very short and shows off the range of her imagination, but I think for me it's shown that I'm not really into her style.

Wednesday 16 August 2017

The Night is For Hunting

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Book Title: The Night is For Hunting
Author: John Marsden
Series: Tomorrow #6
Date Started: August 12th 2017
Date Completed: August 15th 2017
Genres: Dystopian, Action
Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Star
Final Rating: Four stars
Review:

It's been a couple of years since I read the previous book in the Tomorrow series, and I was getting a little worried I'd forgotten too much or I wouldn't be able to get into it again. Luckily, I was wrong, and I fell right back into this story. Strangely enough, I think I remembered the majority of major events as they became relevant, and I whizzed through the book. It was very enjoyable.

I'm amazed by how much detail there is in these books. It feels like the plot never stops, but there's so much detail about things that seem boring in theory (I don't have a particularly burning interest in sheep shearing or other farm activities) but weren't when I was actually reading them. I still don't quite understand how a book that doesn't seem to stop the action or the tension can get you so invested that reading about the most mundane things doesn't feel boring. 

The Night is For Hunting is really well balanced between action (as in, motorbikes, running, shoot outs etc.) and downtime (as in, avoiding all of the above while surviving in the bush). Its strength is that it always feels like there's something going on, and it's always engaging. If I were to set out the events that happen, I'd be a bit worried about my attention span while reading. As it was, it took me three sittings to finish this book in its entirety. I couldn't put it down.
The Tomorrow series is a favourite of mine because it deals with that scary, gritty view of teenagers in war. This isn't Divergent (think more How I Live Now), and there are times when it genuinely makes you feel scared and frankly a little bit ill. It's not so graphic and horrible that it's hard to read, but it's honest about what shooting a gun at a human being is like. Being held captive, interrogated and seeing your friends hurt and terrified isn't a tool for dramatic tension, it's an event these characters are experiencing that going to weigh down on them forever.

I still love these characters, after all this time. I think what makes them so good is the fact that Marsden understands teenagers very well. He's not patronising or assuming in their capabilities; they're written with a normality as if they were adults, and are just as able. But he also captures those fleeting moments of youth and doubt that stop them in their tracks and remind them that they're not the trained soldiers they're acting like.
Ellie is one of the best Young Adult protagonists I've come across. Partly because the series in general is very mature and dark, so it only makes sense that the character leading it would be just as tough. But I personally relate to her, and I don't often find that with fictional characters. I find people I'd like to be or like to know, but rarely do I find anyone that I think I'm similar to. But I feel like I'd make the same mistakes she does, and have the same grievances that stop her in her tracks. And I'd like to think I would make the same good choices and hard decisions that she does as well.

It wasn't my favourite in the series, but it rekindled my love for the Tomorrow series. It's a shame there's only one book in the main series left, but I don't think I'm going to wait long to get to it.

Sunday 13 August 2017

Autumn

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Book Title: Autumn
Author: Ali Smith
Date Started: August 7th 2017
Date Completed: August 12th 2017
Genres: Contemporary
Quality Rating: Five Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Star
Final Rating: Four stars
Review:

◆ Thanks to NetGalley for this ebook for review ◆

This is my first novel from Ali Smith, and I enjoyed it much more than her short story collection. That's ultimately a preference thing; I prefer long form stories more on the whole. Which is interesting, because Autumn is filled tiny little fragments of short stories nudged in between the overarching plot that gradually come together to create the collage of the book.

Smith has a reputation in the literary fiction genre, so I wasn't surprised to find that her writing was indeed poetic and layered. Yet also very easy to read. There are sections of more abstract style during Daniel's coma that feel like chunks of proper prose poetry in between. But in general, there was a natural and easygoing flow that made the book a lot simpler to digest than I'd expected - which of course means that you can digest the action that's going on more thoroughly.

Autumn is a book about a quiet and normal life, and the ways in which no life is really quiet and normal in this world. It captures the little pieces of magic in everyday life, and the little tragedies too, with a proud little sense of humour. (The post office scenes were the highlights for me). This book is renowned for its grasp of politics and the everyday effect it has on people everywhere, specifically in rural Britain. The underlying commentary on Brexit was on point, and I'm astounded Smith managed to write it so quickly during and after it was all happening.
The part of the book that felt more fantastical to me, because of the way it was written and due to my ignorance on the subject, was the art history permeated throughout. Our protagonist is writing a dissertation on said subject, but it weaves its way into the stories she's told as a child, and even in her friend's unconscious imaginings. I would've loved to be more educated on the artists that were discussed, but I also loved learning about it through tinted glasses of fiction. It has a way of showing colours in a different light.

Smith understands people well, and that's really what makes this book. Looking back I think it's quite interesting that, even though we have a protagonist, a great deal of the story is about interactions with other people and how that makes individuals well... individual. Good interactions or bad ones, they build up people as we are and whether we like it or not we affect and are affected by the other humans around us (can you see the Brexit parallels yet?) so maybe we should take a little effort to be civil and kind.

Autumn is a quiet joy to read. Understated and subtle in its story, but bold and expansive in what it has to say. It's made me push up a few of the Ali Smiths on my TBR.

Monday 7 August 2017

Circe

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Book Title: Circe
Author: Madeline Miller
Date Started: July 30th 2017
Date Completed: August 6th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Romance
Quality Rating: Five Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Five Star
Final Rating: Five stars
Review:

◆ Thank you so much NetGalley and Bloomsbury for this ebook for review ◆

If I could read Miller's classical retellings forever, I'd do it without hesitating. Actually, to call Circe and her other novels retellings greatly under praises them. Miller crafts the entire life of one of the most infamous female immortals of the Greek world; it weaves with The Odyssey but it spreads its wings much further.

Something that I loved about The Song of Achilles, Miller's first novel, was the depth of exploration in the ancient world that has the presence of gods, but from a mortal perspective. Circe does the opposite and explores the immortal side of antiquity - which I may have loved more (jury's still out on that one). Miller is a classicist primarily, so there's already a pretty solid trust of accuracy (or at least creative freedom on original information) of the ancient world when stepping into one of her books. I'm a mythology geek anyway, but walking through the halls of Oceanus' made me want to go and look myself in a room with a book of myths for the next month.

As you might imagine being a (somewhat) retelling of The Odyssey, a story in which Circe traditionally plays one of the earliest archetypal seductresses, there's a bit of romance. Romance that Miller (somehow) makes feminist and genuine, without being dominating. In fact, there are several instances of truthful events from the traditional myth that are a whole host of problematic in our modern society, that Miller twists into reality. I love how she writes in the canon that storytellers would twist events in the favour of the Greek heroes, and how those are the stories that eventually echo through time. What actually happened is therefore up to the imagination, and Miller uses it brilliantly to tell her version of the story of Circe.
There's a lot of storytelling in general, and recounting events scattered everywhere in this book. Historically, it was a key part of the ancient world and not only does it give us a wide scope of the world itself, it makes everything feel so human - even if it's the immortals speaking. It's such a human thing to do, tell stories without really realising they're stories.

Circe, who was a character I was generally apathetic to when I studied The Odyssey in college, became a heroine I could not have predicted I would like so much. She's a very developed character considering there isn't that much to go off of. Like I mentioned, this novel is about the whole of Circe's life, not just her interactions made famous through The Odyssey. The creativity and vibrancy with which Miller expanded her personality and experience was just a joy to read. She was both a gentle and fierce heroine to which I related to more than expected. I'd happily read another novel expanding on the parts of her life Miller doesn't have time to explore in depth.
I also liked how Odysseus is painted as just as much of an idiot as he is in The Odyssey. He may be the master of cunning, second to Achilles as the Greek heroes. But he is an idiot, and Circe knows it well.

I was sad to get to the end of this book, and I'm tempted to read it all over again when it's officially released next year. Do I love it more than The Song of Achilles, one of my favourite novels of all time? I actually don't know, I enjoyed them both so much, but I did like the exploration of the female experience in the ancient world in this one. Either way, I loved Circe and I don't want to have to wait anywhere near as long for the next Madeline Miller book.