Thursday 30 May 2013

One Day Review - 'What Are You Going To Do With Your Life?'


Hi readers, 

I just finished reading One Day by David Nicholls and having no plans for the next hour, I thought I'd write my review so that I could have it ready for putting up after I've done the third Looking Glass Wars book. I always get this odd feeling when I finish a book. I guess other people get it too, its a mixture of things and there's no easy way to describe it because it depends on my experience with the book.

I always feel a sense of completion at finishing reading though, even if I didn't get the ending or a didn't like the book as a whole. Sometimes I feel annoyed that the book has ended because I was enjoying it so much or else the ending turned out to be an anti-climax, where more should have happened to bring closure. A part of me feels sad that I now have to leave those characters when they have become my friends and I won't be wondering through the fictional settings any more. But there is a small part of me that knows I can return whenever I want as I only have to pick up the book again to be be back in that story.

I have a bad habit with the books I really really like. I'll try and draw out the last set of chapters, so that it feels like the story is longer and I can spend more time enjoying it before I close the back cover. Then I'll spend a few minutes thinking about the book, before moving on to the next. I've never been a fan of books that have won prizes and/or been famous, I guess because I tend to stick with one genre and don't expand out to look at others. However, my main reason for this is because I've never been keen on fiction books that have a 'real life' theme to them. I read to escape from the stresses of life and find it hard to get into books that focus on 'normal' peoples' lives. 

Saying that though, I do sometimes come across these genre of books that I do actual like. Maybe its because I can connect with the characters and the stories are so well written that I easily get into them and find it difficult to stop reading. One Day is just that. I had heard of the book before I picked it up and people had told me how good it was. It just took me awhile to buy and read it as I was unsure if I'd like it. I try not to pick up a book and judge it there and then. I try and set my thoughts aside and read the first half, before deciding on it. I was hooked on One Day straight a way because I liked the idea behind it and I wanted to see how Nicholls had been able to write it. 

Parts of this book are also very quotable and some great lines are said. So to stop this post looking like a mass of text, I've searched around for some of my favourite quotes with picture/photo backgrounds to go along side my words. It also means I won't have to type out the bulk of the quotes I want to share and look at in detail.  


Firstly, the cover for One Day -as above- is really eye catching and simple. It conveys the book's subject of two people and the passage of time. I really like the cover because even though the faces are in silhouette you get the impression that they are good looking people, also that they are just about to kiss. I prefer original art work to book covers then stills from the movies based on them. I think this is because sometimes the adoptions can influence how the book is read and the covers just don't like as good!  

One day is the story of two people, Emma and Dexter, across twenty years, who try and meet up or make contact on the same day of the year- 15th July, St. Swithin's day. The story starts with them in bed having meet after their graduation from university. They discuss what they could do with the rest of their lives and how they might make a difference in the world. After they part as friends, agreeing to stay in connect. From that point onwards every chapter is set one year on and we catch up with what they have been doing and we get to see the development of their friendship/relationship.

I could go on about all the different events that happen, but I feel like I'd be giving too much away and spoiling some of the twists. The effects of the events are handled really well and it doesn't feel like they have been placed as obstacles before the characters, more like they have just happened through the process of life. One thing I really wasn't expecting as I draw towards the ending was the sudden turn of fate that happens. It was always clear that the characters would end up together at some point, as the main plot is built around this idea. However, the unexpected ending really hits home the cruelness of life, also it fits in with the themes in the book and so doesn't actual seem out of place on reflection.    

The plot is very character driven and fitted around their actions. This works well because it feels very realist and reflects the choices that people make every day. The plot has a very real life feel to it with different events happening to each character. These events are a mixture of happy moments, sad/tragic times, personal triumphs, dreams coming alive and missed opportunities. It makes the reader question "what if?" in places too as the characters miss chances to get together or go down certain paths. I think everyone can connect with this and it allows the reader to question their own lives and missed things. 

In some ways, it feels like there isn't an actually plot to this book, because we are just following two people living out their lives. This creates a natural story because it doesn't seem like you are reading fiction. It feels more like someone's memories and the dating of the chapters adds to this. There is also the appearance of historic events in the background, which make it more realistic and gives the characters talking points. Most readers should know of these events as the readership is aimed at young adults.      

The narrative of the story is third person and switches points of view from Emma to Dexter throughout the chapters. At times the tense also switches from past to present and back again. The shifts are done really well and there is no jarring or sudden jumps between the points of view. Often this is because Nicholls has his current character thinking about the other and so the changing narrative feels natural.  

The characters are excellently written and remain three dimensional throughout. They go through a lot of development, which is important to keep up with the ever changing time span. They also reflect on their younger selves questioning their liking, disliking or support of things and how that has changed as they've got older. All the characters are very like able and  easy to connect with. You also become a emotionally attached to them and because of the way the story is written, you start to feel like Em and Dex are your best friends and you feel everything along side them. This draws you in and you feel gripped to carry on reading to see what happens.

The background characters connect with Dex and Em because they are either family, friends or co-workers. Each of these character's stories become part of Dex or Em's stories and pop in and out of their lives, the same way people naturally do. All of these characters are just as complex and three dimensional. Some even have development and reappear as events unfold. This adds another layer to the reality of the novel and really shows how useful background characters can be.   

There a lot of themes, but the main ones are friendship, family, relationships, death/lost and love. These are mixed in with the sub-themes of alcoholism, drugs, music, politics, literature and travel. All together these  themes don't overwhelm the narrative,which is a massive achievement because it would be so easy to become stuck down with so much going on! I think as they are spread out and kept in the background because of the year leaps, they become more like hints or suggestions. This works though because it just adds to the depths of the characters and gets the reader thinking.

To go with everything else contained in this novel is a whirlwind of settings. You would easily become lost if the chapters didn't declare where the characters where. Really, it seems they go all over the world, but the bulk of the story takes place in the greater London area. It really does help having a central setting and it was also refreshing for me to read a British novel! We start in Edinburgh and do circle back to it later on, then move to Bombay, Greece, France and a range of UK places. We see fleeting glimpses of most of these places in letters or conversation, so the narrative doesn't district too much. However, enough description is given to each place to bring it alive and they do appear to be suitable backgrounds to the characters throughout their lives.
   

It's easy to see why this book has won awards and so many positive reviews. It captures not only twenty years of British history, but twenty years in the lives of two people, who are destined to be together but are kept apart by fate. I was unexpectedly gripped and got carried away by this novel and it really is a story that will make you smile, laugh and cry. It's beautifully told,easy to read and you become unable to put it down. It's also one of those books makes you want to  re-read it straight a way!    

One Day became a movie in 2011. Though I've not seen it, I know that Nicholls wrote the screenplay and adapted his book to the big screen. Luckily, he's also a screenwriter and had previously written; Starters For 10 and When Did You Last See Your Father? He has co-wrote other movies, adapted classics to the TV screen and wrote a number of scripts for different British dramas. I look forward to seeing the movie at some point as I believe it is a really good adaptation of the book.  

The last thing I love about One Day is that I could easily relate to the first half of the novel. Having graduated myself, currently not working and wondering what to do next, I found that I was able to sympathises with Em because I'm in her position. I felt that some of the quotes about living inspired me and made me want to actually get out there and start doing more things. I would so recommend this book to graduates and people who are in a limbo about their lives. 

Overall, I love this book and can't believe it's taken me this long to read it! I think its set to be a modern classic and for Lit students to studied it. So much can be got out of this book and there is so much to explore  within the lines and between them. It's odd how a book that is packed with so much, could work as well as it does, but the plot and narrative are excellent. The characters really do become your best friends because you feel so involved with their lives that by the time its all over you feel like you've lost them. I'd recommended this book to anyone because no matter what you enjoy reading, you'll love this!    


Movie - one day Wallpaper

Images from;

Monday 27 May 2013

Arch Enemy Review - The Final Battle For Wonderland Has Begun.

ArchEnemy (The Looking Glass Wars, #3)

Hey readers,

So, I've finally finished the third book! Took a lot longer than I thought and once again I'm feeling like I didn't actually enjoy it all that much. Though it hardly remind me of the first book, I just wasn't caught up enough in the story to get really into reading it. It seems predictable in parts too and there's not many twists. I knew how things were going to work out, but I felt that the journey getting there wasn't exciting enough. It's still a typical good vs evil plot and the out come stays true to this. However, I'd have liked a little more....I don't know imagination? Though that seems rather ironic since this book is all about saving imagination! 

For me the second book was my favorite, because I got into the story a lot more and it felt better written then the first. The third isn't badly written, it just seems lacking and in places seems more screenplay like the novel like. I guess it really isn't my kind of book, but I can see why younger readers would be taken by it. The one comparison I can think of making is to Treasure Island. I read this believing it would be more adult then it turned out to be and granted I knew it was a children's book, but I still believed that there would be a lot more depth to it, but by the time I'd finished it I felt really disappointed. I then picked up Flint and Sliver by John Drake and found it to be just what I was hoping Treasure Island would be. I was hoping that The Looking Glass Wars would be an adult version of Alice, but this is far for the case.

I don't dislike this trilogy, but for me it just has a few problems and I think the way it's written is one of its main issues. There's nothing wrong with the characters and even in the third book they are well developed and continue to grow as they learn things. They also have key roles to play, which helps to move the plot along. I still also like the connect with Earth that the plot makes. We once again get the Liddell family and Lewis Carroll appearing and its nice to this consistence with characters. The introduction of new characters gives it a fresh edge and adds some more helping hands to the war efforts. I guess some more depth into the characters would have been nice, but I know how hard it is to do this when there are so many of them. 

In my last two reviews, I don't think I really talked about Beddor's use of sound effects. These often appear throughout the book and echo the sounds you would hear if you were witnessing the item in action. Though these are really thoughtful and do add something to the visuals on the page, I did feel they were a bit childish and probably more comic book suited. They were over-used and I got a bored with seeing them. Normal sound description works fine within most books and for most readers and I just felt that in some places the sound effects weren't needed.  

My other problem with Arch Enemy is the fighting scenes. I got a little bored of the fighting towards the end. I guess the constant repetitive action scenes weigh the plot down too much and though this is mixed in with other events happening, the chopping back and forth left me feeling a bit dizzy. When I think about the Drizzt books and how they deal with fighting scenes, I can see the difference straight away. It feels a lot more choreographed and the writer is very knowledgeable about how his character would use his weapons in battle. I just didn't get the same feeling out of Arch. The writing of these scenes didn't feel rushed, but for me a lot more could have gone into them. As the final battle was reaching it's end, I didn't get much satisfaction out of characters completing missions they had set themselves. However, I did like the idea that Dodge felt no sense of close at the death of The Cat, who he'd been trying to kill to get vengeance for the murder of his father.

The obstacles that Alyss faces are good. She is fighting two enemies now and must decided what's best for Wonderland. She does think like a queen throughout, beside from one point, where she drops everything to go and rescue the Liddells'. She is then trapped on Earth because Arch has had the Pool Of Tears drained and the water evaporated. Lucky, Molly is there and able to create another portal which allows them back. I thought Molly could have been more used, but since she needs the time to get over the events of the second book, its understandable why Beddor didn't use her more. Once again, I'd have liked to see more of the relationship between Alyss and Dodge, though they do get to gather at the end. In some parts you can see where Beddor has tried to fit this in, but I felt that a lot more could have been made out of it. More detail about their feelings and the struggle for them to be in love when there was so much else going on, could have added another layer to the story.  

One thing I've found that I did really like about the trilogy was the art work used on the books. I was drawn to the images because they looked different and interesting. My copy of the third book is in hardback and on the pages dividing the book into pages are art works of Wonderland scenes. It reflected the art used in Alice. I don't know if the hardback versions of 1 and 2 did this as well, because the paperbacks didn't. 

The ending works well, though I think I did want a little more out of it, but the characters have learned what they have to do and are able to complete their tasks. Beddor also seems to have issues killing off characters and I don't like how he handled this, because it felt like characters who should be dead escaped it. I guessed also what would happened to the caterpillars- well anyone who's read Alice will also know it.- It did feel like a nicely rounded off ending, but maybe it would have suited a more open ended one?

Overall, I found Arch Enemy a struggle to get through. It just didn't grip me and it just lacked in the key areas of writing and adventure. For the last book in a trilogy, it feels pretty flat and predictable. The trilogy over all isn't that bad and some parts I did find interesting and readable, but I just got bored of the repetitive fighting scenes, lack of real development in Alyss's and Dodge's relationship and the jagged jumping between characters. I would tell people to read this and come up with their own conclusion about it, though I would tell them that its not a re-telling of Alice or an adult version of the story.  

Friday 10 May 2013

Seeing Redd Review - 'The Evil Redd Heart Has Returned.'



Hey readers,

I've fallen a little behind with things again and I'm still struggling to write and get my mind back in gear. Writing on here does help some what and its a good way to pass time. Especially when time feels really stretched out and boredom is your constant companion. I thought since I still had Seeing Redd sat on my old TV stand, that I'd write my review up before I gave it back. If you've not read my review of the first book which is below this post, then you might want to do that. I don't plan to compare things in great detail, but this is the second book of the trilogy and it does pick up from the ending of the first one. This also means that I won't be looking at the characters or the setting in as much detail as I covered them last time. Seems like its going to be a short post then!

The book opens with a prologue about Redd wondering through her Looking Glass Maze and finding her sceptre which gives her access to her full powers. Redd wants to take back Wonderland and get rid of Alyss- her niece for good- and now it seems she is able to do just that. That part happens later in the book and we actually open with Alyss, Bibwit and Homburg Molly exploring the re-built Heart Place. Alyss is having a hard time getting use to being a Queen and spends sometime wishing she was back on earth or else she was a child again. But as much as the responsibilities of being queen get to her, she deals with them all really well. It makes her a much stronger character in in this book. The fear of Redd attacking again has Wonderland on the alert, but they face a new enemy this time around in the form of King Arch, who rules over one of the neighbouring countries. Arch tries to make everyone believe that Redd is actually back and he does get away with it until she actually appears.

At the end of the first book Redd and the Cat escape to earth and we get some chapters showing what she's up too. This keeps a similarity  to the first book and we also get the Lewis Carrol character again! So, that was a nice touch. Redd is gathering members of a new army, so she can go back and try to win the throne again. There's an handful of new characters here, including an old friend of Bibwit, who is tells Redd about her own looking glass maze. This is mostly sub-plot though and I'm hoping that the real battle will take place in the 3rd book. Less time is spent with these characters because the focus is mostly on Alyss counting Arch.

There is also more relationship development between Alyss and Dodge, but for me this just gets lost almost the main plot. I'd like to see more happening with them, but I guess there wasn't enough time or space for that. I know its not a romance novel, but some love does move things along and everyone can easily connect with it. There is also another relationship here between Hatter and Weaver, which I thought worked at well and give another side to Hatter. The twist about Molly being their daughter is no great surprise, but it was fun to see the characters reactions to the news.

Molly developments a lot and becomes one of the main characters. She is used by Arch to blow up the travel system and also made to go against the queen as she blames herself for what happens. So, instead of spending most of the book by Alyss side being her bodyguard, Molly is capture by Arch and spend most of her time thinking about what she's done, questioning her nature and abilities and then meeting the parents who abandoned her. She helps fight for her freedom towards the end and is able to escape. I really like Molly and she is possibly my favourite character.

I enjoyed this book much more then the first one because I felt it was better written. The narrative structure was a lot tighter and snapper. The pace was also faster and I got into the story quickly. There is less of the Carroll-isms too and the tone of the vocabulary becomes much more of Beddor's own. Which does suit the narrative a lot better. The language also feels more adult aimed, though it still has a teenage age group. That helps to improve the quality as well. Also I found that the plot gets freer of making references to the actual Alice In Wonderland, and that helps it a lot to become a story in its own right. The fantasy, action/adventure genre is still present, but I found it less awing and nothing really new is added to the settings. The fighting scenes are still really good and we get to see much more of Alyss using her powers too.

I've got high hopes for the next one and I'd like to write about it so that I can have all three together. This means it might be another month before I write a new post. But since I've been reading books in-between each of them, I've lots more writing to be getting on with, though I'll try and not publish everything all at once!

Image from: www.booktopia.com.au