Book Review: The Color Purple by Alice Walker

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My Mum bought me this book when I was younger and probably too immature to read it, but I've finally got around to it and I wish I hadn't waited so long. Alice Walker was 'W' in my A-Z of authors which means I'm finally on the home stretch.
The Color Purple is a series of letters from Celie to God, or her sister Nettie and from Nettie to Celie as they grow up and live their lives. It's one of the most addictive books I've ever read, due to the style of the narrative each 'chapter' is a relatively short letter, and I would keep telling myself 'just one more'. Each writer has a distinctive style as well, making it easy to differentiate between Celie and her sister.
The wealth of characters Celie meets are interesting and individual. My favourite character is Sofia, Celie's step-daughter-in-law and Shug Avery, who everyone seems to be obsessed with and I understand why. All of the characters have their flaws as well as points that make them brilliant, and that's why this book works so well.
Overall, this is a fantastic, engrossing read. I only have two negative points. Celie is not as well educated as her sister, Nettie and therefore she frequently spells words as they sound which sometimes disrupts the flow of storytelling. Also, by the end of the story I was losing track of the children and who their parents were. Maybe I was just tired but I couldn't remember all of their names!

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Book review: River of Shadows by Valerio Varesi

River of Shadows by Valerio Varesi
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had great problems connecting with this book. It took me forever to read and normally I whip through murder mysteries with no problem but it wasn't the case for this one.
The pace was ridiculously slow, maybe it's the relaxed Italian culture, but it dragged along. The book couldn't hold my attention either, I would find my mind drifting off and thinking about other things only to find I hadn't taken in any of the story.
The main character, I think his name was Soneri, was generally likeable. He seemed like a nice man, although his relationship with his girlfriend got on my nerves. They seemed to spend most of their time together trying to find risqué places to sleep together, including someone's flat and the barge belonging to the missing Tonna. I know it's not real but it comes across as really unprofessional and I like my policemen to do things properly.
One thing that also got on my wick (sorry for ranting, I'm in one of those moods!) was how much they went on and on about food. I know Italians are passionate about what they eat but every time someone sat down at a dinner table I would get a detailed recipe.
Overall, this was a bit of a disappointment. At the end it was just a relief to finish and I'm not sure I completely understood who was the murderer or why. I think I'll stick to my Scandinavian reads. I always seem to enjoy them more.

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Book review: Fragile by Lisa Unger

Fragile by Lisa Unger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It took me ages to find an author beginning with U for my A-Z of authors, but eventually I settled on Lisa Unger, the author of Fragile.
I have found similar themes and characters in a lot of American books, particularly those by Harlan Coben. The main characters are always childhood sweethearts and still know everyone they went to school with, which I find a bit unrealistic. I'm twenty and already I've lost contact with a lot of my school friends.
The story of the missing in both present day and in the past is interesting. As the reader I was never entirely sure what had happened, although I could guess who was involved. I found the case from the past much more interesting and didn't really care for Charlene, who seemed to be destined to find herself in that situation.
The characters we meet are interesting and flawed, which is a massive tick for Unger. They all have histories and insecurities, but it's hard to find a character that is happy with their life. Everybody seems to be depressed and wishing they were somewhere else, which makes me wonder why everyone comes back to The Hollows?
Overall, the mystery side kept me going, and the characters were interesting, but this was quite an unhappy book. There were also some characters that were a bit unnecessary, i.e. Charlie and Wanda.

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Book review: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my second attempt at reading The Hobbit and I must admit, I enjoyed it much more this time around. It is a lovely, charming story, I love the character of Bilbo and how different he is to your normal action/adventure hero. His narrative makes the story flow well. All the characters are brilliant. They are all unique and different and it's surprisingly easy to keep track of the various dwarves. I also love how Tolkien writes songs into the story, it's a nice edition and brings scenes to life. I'm sure Peter Jackson will use them to great effect in the new film.
My only criticism is that my mind wandered on occasion and I had to re-read passages. Maybe this is more of a reflection of my state of mind that the book, but I like a book to grip me from beginning to end.
Overall, a charming, classic story which I look forward to reading to my children one day.

Previous review:
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

First of all, I'm going to apologise, because I know for a lot of people, The Hobbit is a beloved book. But there was something about it that I just couldn't connect to. To be honest I don't remember a lot of it, all I do remember is struggling, so I should give it another go before I review it for definate.

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Book review: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've been wanting to read Treasure Island for ages, ever since another class read it at school. Then I watched the most recent adaptation on Sky in January and absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, I think watching the TV show lessened the book for me slightly.
First of all, it was very easy to read, a lot easier than I expected. Books written in this time period can often be complicated with an unfamiliar vocabulary and out of date speech. But this wasn't the case for Treasure Island.
The story itself is brilliant, a good old-fashioned pirate story, with brilliant characters, especially the eccentric Long John Silver. Some of the other crew members got a bit muddled in my brain but the main characters were very memorable and easily distinguishable. For me, Eddie Izzard was the only person I saw as Silver.
Overall, it was a good book, but I wish I hadn't known the ending. I spent ages waiting for the next event, waiting for the introduction of another character, and that took the joy out of it a bit.

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Book review: The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan

The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Charlotte Rogan's The Lifeboat was the R in my A-Z of authors. My Mum had read the book and I was intrigued and excited to have a go. I'd never read a book like this, but it was the kind of film that I would go and see.
We meet Grace Winter, recently married and being charged for murder. She is the character that leads us through the story, from meeting her husband Henry, to being on the lifeboat and the consequences of what happened.
I personally did not find her a very likeable character. She is strong, which is a nice change, especially for the time period, but she seems to think little of anyone else. Her choice at the end of the book is really disappointing to me, but I'll get onto that later.
The book goes back and forth from the events on the lifeboat to the trial. The lifeboat sections are really exciting. I was hooked on every word, every action, every thought. The trial and meetings with her lawyers weren't so gripping. I found myself wanting to be back on the boat.
Rogan creates a menagerie of characters, all of which are interesting and unique. At the beginning it's a bit hard to keep track of them all but, as you can probably guess, that gets easier over time.
This is one of the quickest books I've ever read. I was travelling back and forth to my home town at the time and I do read more on the train, but not this quickly!
The reason why I only gave this three was honestly because of the ending. The book kind of fizzles out, there's no twist or sudden surprise, it just ends and I was left with that feeling of injustice. I wanted there to be something more, and there wasn't.

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Book review: Run For Home by Sheila Quigley

Run for Home by Sheila Quigley
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sheila Quigley's Run for Home was the Q in my A-Z of authors. I'd never heard of the author, but the plot sounded intriguing so I thought I'd check it out.
To start with, we meet Kerry Lumsdon a sixteen year old girl, who is training to be a professional athlete, she lives on a council estate with her alcoholic mother and a variety of brothers and sisters from different fathers.
Kerry is not a very sympathetic character. The first time we meet her she is stealing milk from the doorstep of a blind old lady, before chucking the empty bottle over into her garden to smash. She has a go at anyone and everyone for no particular reason. It seemed a bit unrealistic to me and I couldn't care less what happened to her.
The other characters seemed to be a bit soapish. With six children, and all their friends it's hard to keep track of everyone. The police searching for Kerry's missing sister Claire and mainly detached from this, but we constantly hear their thoughts about how much they fancy each other. I just wish they'd stick to their job, if I'm honest. Lorraine, the central police figure is a likeable character. Again, she has unnecessary family introduced just to add to the confusion, but you feel on her side. She has a lot on her plate. As well as searching for Kerry's sister, she also has headless bodies turning up left, right and centre. Despite being a strong police woman, she seems a bit feeble in her personal life. I wanted to give the character a shake of the shoulders and tell her to pull herself together.
One thing I did love about this book was the way Sheila Quigley wrote dialogue. It's set in Sunderland, and she writes her characters with an accent. I could hear their speech very clearly in my head, which I love. It does bring the characters to life more, even if there were too many of them.
Overall, an okay book, but I probably wouldn't read another of hers. There were good points and bad points, but it was a bit too melodramatic for me.

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