Tuesday 24 April 2018

West

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Book Title: West
Author: Edith Pattou
Series: East #2
Date Started: April 12th 2018
Date Completed: April 23rd 2018
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Historical
Quality Rating: Three Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars
Final Rating: Three stars
Review:


◆ Thanks to NetGalley for this ebook for review ◆


My rating for this one keeps jumping up and down. I was a bit underwhelmed while reading, but every time I put it down I'd find myself replaying little sections. In the end, having had the time to step back from it, I think of it more fondly than while I was reading. Take that as you will.



As an older reader, reading East again with its simplistic style didn't matter too much because it was fuelled by nostalgia. I adored it as a child. Reading a new story with its very straightforward writing was a bit harder. It's both a blessing and a curse because there's a timelessness to it, a real nod to fairytales. Its ambiguous style lifts it in some ways, but it also means that important twists and action scenes are underwhelming: they're described in three or four points and then it's finished. It's not quite as satisfying when you feel so personally attached to the characters (whereas in a fairytale the protagonist is often androgynous and unspecified).



Ultimately, as much as I enjoyed the parallels to the first story, it didn't add much new. If you broke down the structure of West it'd probably be identical to East, and when you consider that Rose is essentially on her own search again, the White Bear is trying to find this identity, and Neddy is trying to unite his people, it's the same story all over again. And, to be fair, we do look at different things, but I'm not as attached to them. Where East beat with a heart of exploration, filled with maps and compasses, West replaces them with more practical mountain climbing and wind directions. It's still interesting, and I suppose it's grown with the characters now in their adult forms, but it wasn't as whimsical. Worth the read? Yes. But maybe not so close to reading the first book.



How to make me love Rose even more than I already did? Give her a sword. Goddamnit, I am weak. Of course, Rose was already a heroine authors should look up to; she was active and determined without needing a weapon. I think she's scaled maybe three or four mountains largely by herself at this point. Most importantly, she empowers others. It stretches the imagination sometimes, how adoringly they all look at her, but I think it's believable too. She's the beating heart of this story (even though it was a shame we still don't really get to know Charles at all).



I was a bit disappointed while reading West, but the more I think about it the fonder I am of it. I remember it like a fairytale, and that's a hard thing to achieve, but it doesn't sit so much like a novel. It works better recounted than experienced.

Saturday 7 April 2018

The Miniaturist

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Book Title: The Miniaturist
Author: Jessie Burton
Date Started: April 1st 2018
Date Completed: April 7th 2018
Genres: Historical, Mystery, Adult
Quality Rating: Five Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Five Stars
Final Rating: Five stars
Review:

It's rare you find a book with a story so compelling; that unfolds so naturally as if it isn't written at all. To then find that it has beautiful writing as well is even rarer. I thoroughly enjoyed The Miniaturist, even having watched the BBC adaptation so I already knew the story.

For me, this is diverse historical fiction. It's how you write a feminist story (that features varying minorities) that is still accurate to the time period and society it's set in. The history of Amsterdam is so interesting, and even without being a primary focus I feel like I learnt a lot about general everyday life, especially about the kinds of people that aren't recorded in history.

Nella is an interesting protagonist because she begins entirely believing in how she's been raised. She has such clear expectations and anticipation for what she'll have to endure, and suddenly she's thrown into a whole different game and has to tread water herself. So often these days I find myself seeing character arcs that are simply triumphing over evil instead of personal development. But through experience, hard learning and actively starting to make decisions when she thought she couldn't, Nella completely transforms.

The book is just as enjoyable as the show - and as accessible too. It's a very faithful adaptation but I felt like I was discovering it all over again. I'm quite glad I read it after watching the show since I knew to pay attention to the slow-burning plot and have the patience for the politics. That being said, it's all so engaging regardless of your historical knowledge that I would've loved it anyway.