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Feste

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About Feste

  • Birthday 01/15/1992

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  • Reading now?
    Jacqueline Carey's 'Kushiel's Dart'
  • Gender
    Male
  • Location:
    Newcastle upon Tyne

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  • Website URL
    http://cantputdown.blogspot.co.uk/

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  1. Thank you! What were your thoughts on 'Rebecca'? And can I ask which of du Maurier's you'd recommend, Ooshie?
  2. I read (novels) primarily because I enjoy it, otherwise it would be a waste of time. Learning new things, getting lost in another world or time, escaping reality, they all amount to what reading is to me. Reading has helped me know how to deal with situations; communicate, or empathise, with people; see life from different perspectives, they all help me learn about things I've not yet experienced. Reading is beautiful, each text is unique and whether or not I enjoy the story, I feel I grow as a person with every passing novel.
  3. Thank you everyone I must apologise for delaying so much in finishing my review of Daphne du Maurier's 'Rebecca' but I'm finally done. Daphne du Maurier's 'Rebecca' Perhaps reading Daphne du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’ during the throes of a painful breakup allowed me to appreciate the little-loved aspects of this beautiful novel. Truthfully, I purchased ‘Rebecca’ on a whim, chosen as I share the name of the eponymous character and thus, had few expectations as to how the book would ultimately change my opinion on my own life. Du Maurier’s characterisation was flawless; her ability to create opinion on a deceased character was incredible. To me, it was this empathy I created with Maxim de Winter’s first wife, and not his second, that surprised me upon reflection. I’ve no doubt that most readers would be drawn to the nameless narrator, struggling to adapt to her new position in society whilst her husband pulls away, becoming colder with each passing chapter. Yet I found Rebecca the more interesting of the two. Her independence, strength and ability to lead her own life whilst being married, to me, mirrored traits that I’d love to possess, though not quite to the same degree. Du Maurier’s decision to keep the narrator nameless ultimately proved that she was, through and through, only Mrs de Winter and not a person in her own right. Throughout the novel, all she appears to want is her husband’s love and, juxtaposed with Rebecca’s full character, she comes across as weak. Controversially, perhaps, I read ‘Rebecca’ with an inherent hatred towards Maxim de Winter. He brought little of the stereotypical romantic male protagonist and his coolness and secrecy left me feeling confused as to what the narrator saw in the man she loved so effortlessly. Though I understood his aloofness towards his new wife as a result of his previous relationship, I despised his decision to remarry when he quite clearly was unable to love again whilst keeping the secret that would ultimately force him into his new wife’s arms, when he finally broke down his walls. Reading ‘Rebecca’ it felt as though I was thrown into the middle of a story beginning years before we had the privilege of joining the de Winters, just as our narrator felt. The secrets swamping Manderley were not only kept from the reader but also the cast, creating a tense, page-turning plot that was both complex and thought provoking. The web of lies proposed not only by Maxim, but also his housekeeper, Mrs Danvers, creates confusion as to the reality, resulting in a novel that can almost be described as a psychological thriller. One cannot deny that the resulting adaptations as well as several sequels by other authors, proves ‘Rebecca’ is more than an updated version of Charlotte Bronte’s ‘Jane Eyre’, an argument proposed by critics of the novel at dates surrounding its publication. Indeed, du Maurier’s use of language and the beauty of her writing only highlights the intricacy of the plot, the opening line to ‘Rebecca’ being renowned as one of the more memorable in modern classics. The plot twists, the expert complexity of the storyline were beautifully composed and I endeavour to read not only the sequels to ‘Rebecca’ but many of the other works du Maurier has to offer. Rating: 10 I tried finding a thread on Rebecca but failed, does anyone know if there is one (search doesn't seem to bring any up) or can I start a new one?
  4. This. I totally agree, or perhaps controversially, was the epilogue necessary? Why not just end it where it should have ended, after the overthrowing. There was no need to tie it all up so neatly. But I do also share these ideas regarding Harry Potter so it may just be a case of my hatred of epilogues...
  5. I was a massive fan of The Hunger Games and thought the concept was unique in that it had a reason behind the games, rather than a group wishing to see a second kill one another. I loved that Katniss was flawed, she wasn't a 'Bella Swan' type that was an over-hyped Mary Sue, if you like. Coupled with Haymitch and Peeta's lack of perfection, I thought the character development was brilliant. Collins' ability to convey emotion and have Katniss change due to experience was, to me, one of the major selling points of the first novel. However, I think Catching Fire and Mockingjay failed to live up to the expectation that The Hunger Games produced. I didn't like the writing style though, I'm not a fan of the 'in the present' style that Collins developed. I won't go into too much detail as to why Catching Fire wasn't my cup of tea as to be honest, I can't really remember. Mockingjay, on the other hand, had a single flaw that resulted in my clouded judgement. The ending. I haven't read a book with a more contrived, unoriginal, completely out-of-character finale. In my opinion, Collins should have left The Hunger Games as a standalone novel, or spent more time determining a less contrived overall ending.
  6. I love Birdsong, it's definitely one of my favourites too I too had House of the Spirits on my TBR list for ages, like two years! I finally got into it, I hope when you do get round to it you enjoy it too Sorry? What do you mean?
  7. Hi Stacie, welcome to the forum. I only joined this morning and I think I'm already hooked! Everyone is really friendly. My sister loves Darren Shan and I think has read every one of his at least once. I've read 'PS I Love You' by Ahern and 'My Sister's Keeper' by Picoult, as well as 'Harry Potter' and 'The Hunger Games'. What were your thoughts on 'The Hunger Games'? I've heard varying opinions and am interested in seeing how many match mine!
  8. Truthfully, I wasn't a fan. I feel perhaps due to all the social hype about vampires and that almost everyone grows up with a knowledge, albeit limited, of Dracula, I had high expectations and was left feeling disappointed. Dracula barely features, he hardly does anything and is certainly not this 'terrifying ethereal being' that one is led to believe. I liked the unusual writing style, yes, but the plot was dull and I felt nothing towards the characters. Perhaps had I lived in a bubble unaware of the hype, Dracula may have amounted to something more, but as it stands, I won't be reading it again.
  9. Can I suggest 'Kushiel's Dart' by Jacqueline Carey? It's 1015 pages long and as I'm in the midst of reading it, it'd be nice to make it the first one of my Doorstep Challenge!
  10. Oh I see, well I do hope you enjoy it, I look forward to reading your thoughts. I'm also interested in joining the World Challenge, I saw you'd mentioned it in a previous thread, I may have to give that a search!
  11. I enjoyed Life of Pi, in many ways I found it to be very originally written. I liked his new ideas on religion and thought that it was very comical the way a child could find the similarities in the differing faiths, something religious scholars are often unable to master. Once Pi was shipwrecked, I thought the story was slow but I almost found that added an extra depth to the book, in that the reader could empathise with the mundane life Pi was forced into. I didn't find it boring, per say, just a different type of interesting, who knew I'd read chapters about knot tying? I didn't, however, enjoy the ending. I don't necessarily believe books should end with an overly-contrived conclusion, but I think the author should comment on where the characters ended. I liked the idea of the animals in the boat but thought it juxtaposed with the possibility of them being human to be an unnecessary addition and ultimately, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Perhaps it was due to the beauty of Martel's writing and the dehumanising of people towards the end that I found almost distasteful. I did give it a 7/10 rating, however, because I did enjoy the book and did find it, until the finale, encaptivating.
  12. I too loved Rebecca I think du Maurier is brilliant. I'm interested in reading more too, I only picked Rebecca up in Waterstones as I'm a Rebecca (or Becky). I was pleasantly surprised and I'll be reading it again I imagine. I await your review of Birdsong, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did
  13. I absolutely loved 'The House of the Spirits', Janet, I was given it as a gift by my A Level English Literature teacher and its taken me two years to get round to reading it! I thought it was beautifully written, found the plot absolutely magical and the characters completely believable. What more could one want? I was a little intimidated by her style initially, if I'm honest, and it took me a couple of chapters to get engrossed but I couldn't put it down by the end! Did you enjoy it?
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