Poppyshake's Reading Year 2014

[Karsa Orlong]

Moby Dick does seem to divide opinion  I wouldn't want you to be put off reading for another ten years .. though possibly you'd be rich by then and thank me

 

 

  Yeah, it would save me a lot of money

 

 

 

 

It sounds like an interesting book, Kay . Steve, what did you not like about Moby Dick? I haven't read it myself yet.

 

I think it's possibly the most boring book I've ever read, tbh.  I think a lot of it's down to my preconceptions, though - everyone knows the basics of the story, and that was what I was expecting, and it turned out that it wasn't the case.  The bulk of the actual story is at the start and the very end, and the 300 pages or so in between I found was like wading through treacle.  If anyone tries to tell you it's a great adventure story, don't believe them!  When he spent pages and pages explaining how rope is made I reached the end of my, ahem, tether    

[BSchultz19]

I'm thinking of getting a disc with sounds of the sea on it. I do like some background noise when I read .. to help block out more intrusive noises. I can't listen to anything with words in it though .. I get jumbled and start following the song instead of the story   Similarly I can't read with the TV on. I usually listen to classical music if anything but waves lapping the shore would be brilliant. I found it relaxing reading on the beach on holiday .. I especially like the lemonade fizz noise the sea makes after the waves have crashed. I will look into it (I wonder if I put 'lemonade fizz type noise' into Amazon it'll know what I mean?    ) Might be good for bedtime too. I usually always listen to something to help stop thoughts     

ME TOO! I can't read while listening to music with words, because I end up not reading anymore. Or with people talking. It becomes a problem with I have my windows open on nice days because the outside noise is so distracting. Maybe I will try sea noises, although that might make me have to go to the bathroom 

[poppyshake]

You need something like this. 

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ocean-Sounds-CD-Waves-Nature/dp/B003FYKD8M

Thanks my lovely .. I am now in possession of it and it works like a charm .. sooooooo relaxing (I actually have to watch I don't nod off   ) Some tracks are more soothing than others .. I'm going to make a playlist to repeat them because others sound a bit like my tummy after too much cake   

[poppyshake]

I think it's possibly the most boring book I've ever read, tbh.  I think a lot of it's down to my preconceptions, though - everyone knows the basics of the story, and that was what I was expecting, and it turned out that it wasn't the case.  The bulk of the actual story is at the start and the very end, and the 300 pages or so in between I found was like wading through treacle.  If anyone tries to tell you it's a great adventure story, don't believe them!  When he spent pages and pages explaining how rope is made I reached the end of my, ahem, tether

It is one of those books that wouldn't suffer at all from being abridged. However, I didn't mind the pages and pages of minute detail  .. I was quite happy hearing about every plank and screw etc. Not sure why .. it captured me I suppose

[poppyshake]

ME TOO! I can't read while listening to music with words, because I end up not reading anymore. Or with people talking. It becomes a problem with I have my windows open on nice days because the outside noise is so distracting. Maybe I will try sea noises, although that might make me have to go to the bathroom 

Rain would probably have that effect on me .. or a waterfall but the tidal noise is more mixed and you do get that nice hissing sound of the waves retreating which I was hoping for. I did try and watch TV recently and read because I desperately wanted to read but I also desperately wanted to watch the Commonwealth Games. It was no good though .. the commentators would just keep bleating on   It's just constant chatter (mind you .. it would be a bit boring for everyone else if the events took place in virtual silence   ) I can't read at my Mum and Dad's either because Mum is always talking   .. the TV is on full blast as well cos Dad is a bit deaf plus the radio is on fairly loudly in the kitchen   When I get to bed I'm too whacked out with all the talking/TV noise to read  I've stopped taking my book when I visit them .. or it goes along just for a change of scenery    

[poppyshake]

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

 

Book Blurb: How would the world change if human beings vanished from the earth right now, for good? What would the planet be like in a day, a week, a month .. a millennium? Just how long will our greatest achievements and our biggest mistakes last after we are gone?

 

Review: I've just finished reading this for July's RC (more thoughts here .. beware of polluting spoilers ) It wouldn't usually be my thing but it's nice to challenge yourself once in a while and frighten yourself into the bargain. 

 

Anyone who has owned their own home or had the responsibility of maintaining one will know that nature is always trying to reclaim it. If you don't keep on top of things like painting woodwork, fixing roof tiles and trimming back climbers then it's only a matter of time before you've got serious problems. So it was no surprise to learn that .. if for any reason we are wiped out by a deadly virus or hit by an asteroid or raptured or whatever .. it wouldn't be long before most of our houses start tumbling. Nature would have no respect for that lovely rolltop bath I've installed or my Laura Ashley wallpaper ... it also couldn't care less about spotty teapots .. nope .. once my roof tiles have gone (and .. they're pretty iffy as it stands .. the aerial man did damage   ) and rain comes in .. it's all downhill. To be honest not many of our inventions or achievements would last long to tell the tale of our existence to any future visitors to planet Earth. Except that is for a couple of notable exceptions .. the first of which is plastic 'except for a small amount that's been incinerated .. every bit of plastic manufactured in the world for the last fifty years or so still remains. It's somewhere in the environment'   Oh! .. well done us!   We've invented something that can't break down .. no matter what nature throws at it .. and which almost always invariably ends up in the ocean polluting the waters and poisoning the fish!!   

 

It's a pretty sobering thought that most of the irreversible damage we've inflicted on the world has been done during the last 100 years   less than that actually   The other thing we can pat ourselves on the back for is the discovery of nuclear energy. The book is full of astounding statistics about the amount of radio-active waste that is dumped and stored all over the world. You can't get rid of it of course .. it'll be here to tell the tale zillions of years from now. A lot of former nuclear sites have been turned into wildlife sanctuaries .. this to me is sickening .. it may seem to the world that this is recompense but unlike humans the animals flock to these places unaware of the dangers and the result is sick and ailing animals and mutant strains .. some divers have reported seeing angel fish around the Johnston Atoll with their usual beautiful chevron stripes on one side and a cubist nightmare on the other   Toxic waste has also been linked to the increase of hermaphroditism in polar bears  Also we're doing untold damage to the bird population with pylons, glass plate buildings, communications towers and power cables. But ultimately animals are resilient .. they will find a way of dealing with these problems and also .. for the most part .. be happy without us. Some will die out but many will thrive and some might even return from extinction. 

 

Anyway, suffice to say there is lots of food for thought here .. theories on what will happen to our rivers and seas and underground subways etc .. and how long it would take for the world to recover from the impact of man.

 

Very interesting but at times confusing .. for me anyway (as I am hopeless when it comes to nuclear physics .. just the words alone make my head form knots  ) and like a lot of detailed, factual books it can drag in places.

 

3/5

 

[poppyshake]

Will try to get some other thoughts down about books read  Bear with though  Long time since I've read them and all that 

[poppyshake]

The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wecker

Amazon's Synopsis: Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master, the husband who commissioned her, dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York in 1899. Ahmad is a djinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Though he is no longer imprisoned, Ahmad is not entirely free – an unbreakable band of iron binds him to the physical world. The Golem & The Djinni is their magical, unforgettable story; unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures – until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful threat will soon bring Chava and Ahmad together again, challenging their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice.

Review: Great, great storytelling. I'm not always entirely at home in fantasy but this is the kind I love. Most of you will know that I'm not that happy or comfortable in other worlds but for the most part this story takes place in New York so that made it more enjoyable for me because there's something extra intriguing about a golem and a djinni .. let loose in New York. I do love a bit of magical realism
Whenever I put the book down I couldn't wait to pick it up again and I wasn't sure where it was going to take me which I liked as it's always a disappointment when you can second guess the outcome. It's quite a large book and a sprawling story but that was never a problem .. I was engrossed.

Chava and Ahmad are obviously unusual but, after their initial introduction, you get so involved with their story lines that you almost forget that these beings aren't human. That is you know they're not .. there are plenty of incidents to remind you but you connect with them emotionally. Chava especially is a brilliant character .. I loved her. What a terrific concept to have her brought to life on the ship taking her to New York .. her owner was told not to do this but he couldn't help himself and then of course (for the purposes of the story for which I'm very grateful to him ) he dies leaving her without a master. Ahmad has taken the long .. thousands of years .. route to New York encased in his flask. This was the one thing that was obvious from the outset .. you know they are on a collision course .. there's a great sense of anticipation about it. A bonus to the story was the setting .. turn of the century New York which was very vibrantly bought to life with all its sights and smells. Being as how Chava is new to the world and Ahmad is free although trapped and out of his time .. they question the world they now find themselves in so the story gets quite philosophical, also, of course, it's imperative that no-one knows their true identities .. though this proves difficult. If anyone finds out how to control Chava for instance .. the results could well be catastrophic for her and the city at large.
 

Extremely enjoyable. Hope the author keeps up the standard. 5/5

[poppyshake]

Look Who's Back by Timur Vermes

Amazon's Synopsis: Berlin, Summer 2011. Adolf Hitler wakes up on a patch of open ground, alive and well. Things have changed - no Eva Braun, no Nazi party, no war. Hitler barely recognises his beloved Fatherland, filled with immigrants and run by a woman. People certainly recognise him, albeit as a flawless impersonator who refuses to break character. The unthinkable, the inevitable happens, and the ranting Hitler goes viral, becomes a YouTube star, gets his own T.V. show, and people begin to listen. But the Führer has another programme with even greater ambition - to set the country he finds a shambles back to rights. Look Who's Back stunned and then thrilled 1.5 million German readers with its fearless approach to the most taboo of subjects. Naive yet insightful, repellent yet strangely sympathetic, the revived Hitler unquestionably has a spring in his step.

Review: Very clever and very funny although also quite disturbing. The narrative is with Hitler so there is a fair bit of totally OTT ranting (mostly about the state of the world today and you are in constant danger of agreeing with him .. which is alarming  ) but most of it so ridiculous as to be comical and the reader laughs AT him not with him or at least for most of the time. It did make me feel uncomfortable at times but then it is satire and as such there are or should be no taboos. This is just one more resurrected monster but in any case, you will know what you're comfortable with.

There was a very poignant part actually when his Goth secretary .. a character I came to like immensely even though she peppers her sentences liberally with OMG's and LOL's.. had a heart to heart with her Jewish gran and found out all about the atrocities carried out by the Nazi's .. she is absolutely heartbroken (not that she believes this is the real Hitler .. nobody but himself believes that .. but so far she has seen his 'act' as just harmless entertainment) but Hitler's own reaction to this and subsequent reassurances enforces what we already know to be true, he could be a very charismatic and persuasive man. He's on a mission to rebuild the Fatherland but it's going to take some time and he is starting from scratch.

Obviously you have to suspend disbelief quite a bit for it to work which is not something I'm good at in general but there was just enough interest in the writing for me to do that .. though there were also lulls and a few 'wandering off' points   

I'm not sure it quite delivers on it's early promise .. I was wanting a definite conclusion which didn't come (to be honest I was wishing some kind of dreadful judgement on him.) It was quite disturbing though and perhaps more sobering than the content had been up to that point. It does leave you feeling uncomfortable.
One thing I did learn was that German daytime TV is every bit as awful .. if not worse .. than British daytime TV .. that's a comfort anyway  4/5

[Devi]

added Look whos back to my wish list! Sounds very different.

[Athena]

Great reviews, Kay! I do love reading them .

 

I have The Golem and the Djinni on my wishlist I believe.. though I can't remember where I heard about it. Glad to hear you liked it .

[BSchultz19]

Rain would probably have that effect on me .. or a waterfall but the tidal noise is more mixed and you do get that nice hissing sound of the waves retreating which I was hoping for. I did try and watch TV recently and read because I desperately wanted to read but I also desperately wanted to watch the Commonwealth Games. It was no good though .. the commentators would just keep bleating on   It's just constant chatter (mind you .. it would be a bit boring for everyone else if the events took place in virtual silence   ) I can't read at my Mum and Dad's either because Mum is always talking   .. the TV is on full blast as well cos Dad is a bit deaf plus the radio is on fairly loudly in the kitchen   When I get to bed I'm too whacked out with all the talking/TV noise to read  I've stopped taking my book when I visit them .. or it goes along just for a change of scenery    

Maybe I should go away from the rain/waterfall and into more ocean sounds. 

 

My mom is the same way. I have to close the door to the room I'm reading in, otherwise every time she passes she has something to say and I'm always in the good part of the book when it happens  

[karen.d]

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

 

 

Very interesting but at times confusing .. for me anyway (as I am hopeless when it comes to nuclear physics .. just the words alone make my head form knots  ) and like a lot of detailed, factual books it can drag in places.

 

3/5

This sounds a thought provoking book, also one that might make you feel very unsettled. Great review.

[bobblybear]

Will try to get some other thoughts down about books read  Bear with though  Long time since I've read them and all that 

 

I can relate.  

 

Nice reviews, too!

[poppyshake]

added Look whos back to my wish list! Sounds very different.

It's definitely that Deborah Hope you enjoy xx

Great reviews, Kay! I do love reading them .

I have The Golem and the Djinni on my wishlist I believe.. though I can't remember where I heard about it. Glad to hear you liked it .

Again .. hope you enjoy it Gaia xx I think someone has read it on here ... think that's where I heard about it   Oh Lord! I should keep a note of these things.

Glad you enjoy the reviews .. they're little more than scribbles really but at least I've managed to get something written down. 

Maybe I should go away from the rain/waterfall and into more ocean sounds. 

 

My mom is the same way. I have to close the door to the room I'm reading in, otherwise every time she passes she has something to say and I'm always in the good part of the book when it happens.

I know .. I read the same sentence about five times and then give it up as a bad job I highly recommend ocean sounds   

This sounds a thought provoking book, also one that might make you feel very unsettled. Great review.

Thanks Karen    It was quite a scary read .. I was horribly fascinated  I was wondering today if anything I've personally chucked away has ever been responsible for choking or poisoning a fish/bird etc Ear buds apparently do extensive damage .. the little blue sticks. Also those rings you get around beer cans. Maybe we'd all make changes if we could actually see the damage for ourselves .. like that table of shame they always show to people who need to lose weight .. full of cake and pie when they reckon they've only eaten salad all week   I thought I was a responsible shopper/recycler etc but this has made me think again.

I can relate. 

Nice reviews, too!

It's hopeless isn't it? The longer you leave it the harder it gets Good luck bobbs and 

[karen.d]

Thanks Karen    It was quite a scary read .. I was horribly fascinated  I was wondering today if anything I've personally chucked away has ever been responsible for choking or poisoning a fish/bird etc Ear buds apparently do extensive damage .. the little blue sticks. Also those rings you get around beer cans. Maybe we'd all make changes if we could actually see the damage for ourselves .. like that table of shame they always show to people who need to lose weight .. full of cake and pie when they reckon they've only eaten salad all week   I thought I was a responsible shopper/recycler etc but this has made me think again.

 

I'm not as environmentally friendly as I should be I admit but using a shock tactic, like this book, needs to be used to get people to think twice about what they throw away.

[poppyshake]

One Of Our Thursday's Is Missing by Jasper Fforde

Amazon's Synopsis: It is a time of unrest in the BookWorld. Only the diplomatic skills of ace literary detective Thursday Next can avert a devastating genre war. But a week before the peace talks, Thursday vanishes. Has she simply returned home to the RealWorld or is this something more sinister? All is not yet lost. Living at the quiet end of speculative fiction is the written Thursday Next, eager to prove herself worthy of her illustrious namesake. The fictional Thursday is soon hot on the trail of her factual alter-ego, and quickly stumbles upon a plot so fiendish that it threatens the very BookWorld itself.

Review: I'm quite impressed with myself actually for tackling this while my mojo was still in the recovery position. I usually have to hang on tight but this time had to put on rubber gloves for extra grip. I know from the outset though that I'm not going to get everything .. bits of it will whizz over my head but these books are for life .. not just for Christmas .. they will benefit from many re-reads and there's immense pleasure to be had in studying them. A smile is never far off and sentences are continually re-read .. not only for understanding but for pure enjoyment ... you can't help marvelling at the wordplay. Simple sentences just give me the chuckles .. like when Thursday (the written Thursday that is .. as per the blurb) is talking about her housekeeper Mrs Malaprop who has immense difficulty in making herself understood .. she says ... 'It was painfully difficult for her, and if Sheridan had known the misery that using acyrologia in a comedic situation would bring, he would possibly have thought butter of it'.

 

There's always fun to be poked at literary characters too and amongst others here we have three Dostoyevskivites who turn up at Thursday's on their way home from a 'redemption-through-suffering training course' Thursday recognises Raskolnikov (from Crime and Punishment) straight away .. 'Welcome to my home, Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov' 'Oh!' said Raskolnikov, impressed that I knew who he was. 'How did you know it was me? Could it have been the subtle way in which I project the dubious moral notion that murder might somehow be rationalised, or the way in which I move from denying any guilt to eventually coming to terms with an absolute sense of justice and submitting myself to the rule of law?' 'Neither,' I said. 'It's because you're holding an axe covered in blood and human hair.'

I wasn't sure actually where I'd last left Thursday .. it had been a while .. so I had to go read the synopsis of the last book again to familiarize myself with her situation. This proved to be unnecessary in a way as we don't spend any time with her in this book. She is actually .. as the title suggests .. missing and it's left to the written Thursday to find out where she is. Or is it the written Thursday? Perhaps she is the actual Thursday but unaware of it .. maybe she's suffering from 'Bobby Ewing' syndrome She'd like to find out that she is the real Thursday because then she could partake of some truly authentic canoodling with her own husband Landen Parke-Laine in the RealWorld. She's only ever participated in written passion which is a million miles away from the actuality of it .. or so she's been told. Landen thinks she could be the real Thursday too which gives her hope and encouragement but her task as it stands is to find out what happened to the real Thursday and this means taking on the sinister 'men in plaid'.

The book does have a different tone because we're in the company of the written Thursday (if she is? .. oh sorry .. I'm boggling your head now ) She is like a toned down version though it does all get madcap towards the end and there's a car chase and the usual mayhem and lots of delicious book talk (and she has a fabulous sidekick .. Sprockett .. a mechanical butler). I missed the real Thursday and her real family/friends .. the written Pickwick is actually played here by the bespectacled know-it-all dodo in Alice .. very unlike the real Pickwick who is incredibly endearing and has always made me long for a pet dodo

I wouldn't say it was my favourite of the series but it was still hugely enjoyable. I loved the BookWorld map at the front ... inspired. I feel bad actually as this was the signed copy I got from Jasper himself when it was published so I really should have put my mind to reading it before now. He did a whole talk about it so it would have been a good idea to crack on with it but I made it hard for myself instead. 4/5

Always a pleasure and a challenge to read Jasper (for me that is .. never make the mistake of comparing your own abilities with mine though  )

[poppyshake]

I'm not as environmentally friendly as I should be I admit but using a shock tactic, like this book, needs to be used to get people to think twice about what they throw away.

Yes .. we're all a bit head in the sand or sometimes .. with regards to the planet .. we think that whatever we do won't make much difference .. especially when we look at China etc with all their pollution and environmental issues etc. But if we actually understood that we personally are probably responsible for doing serious harm to wildlife etc then I think we would start thinking more seriously about it.  

[Janet]

Thanks my lovely .. I am now in possession of it and it works like a charm .. sooooooo relaxing (I actually have to watch I don't nod off   ) Some tracks are more soothing than others .. I'm going to make a playlist to repeat them because others sound a bit like my tummy after too much cake   

A playlist sounds like a great idea.  I'm glad it works so well for you.    It wouldn't be for me though - I can switch off (for example on public transport) but I think I might find this a distraction. 

[Alexi]

Look Who's Back was already on my wish list (can't remember where I heard about it) but thanks for the great review - it's moving up the list a bit  

[chesilbeach]

Kay, I've just found the *perfect* bookshop for you!!!

 

https://twitter.com/Lit_Books/status/498136320670453760

[Athena]

That is so beautiful! It'd be very hard to find a particular book, but it looks amazing.

[poppyshake]

A playlist sounds like a great idea.  I'm glad it works so well for you.   It wouldn't be for me though - I can switch off (for example on public transport) but I think I might find this a distraction. 

I am terrible when trying to read in cafes or public places etc .. I just want to yell SHUT UP!!    I read the same sentence over and over. Consequently this does a brilliant job of covering the distraction .. but yes .. I'm sure there are lots of people that would find it in itself a distraction. Oh .. we're all different .. some people put baked beans in their shepherd's pie Janet  

Look Who's Back was already on my wish list (can't remember where I heard about it) but thanks for the great review - it's moving up the list a bit.

Good Hope you enjoy it Alexi .. definitely something a bit different.

Kay, I've just found the *perfect* bookshop for you!!!

 

https://twitter.com/Lit_Books/status/498136320670453760

It's brilliant Claire but it's in San Francisco .. so unfair because I want to visit it. To me .. seeing books arranged like that .. is like looking at beautiful art 

That is so beautiful! It'd be very hard to find a particular book, but it looks amazing.

Yes ... they must have a system (or perhaps the staff are just super knowledgeable about spine colours ) or nobody would find a thing but then it's interesting .. perhaps people look at books they wouldn't normally .. maybe they are suddenly drawn to read a yellow book  

[poppyshake]

Mrs Ames by E.F. Benson

Amazon's Synopsis: Reigning over a social merry-go-round of dinners and parties, Mrs Ames is the undisputed queen bee of Riseborough. That is, until vivacious new villager Mrs Evans catches the eye of both her son and her husband. Not content with captivating the men in her life, 'that wonderful creature' Mrs Evans becomes not just rival to Mrs Ames' marriage, but rival to her village throne. When the whole of Riseborough is invited to Mrs Evans' masked costume party, action must be taken. As the date looms, the irrepressible Mrs Ames resolves to seize the chance to win back her position, and thus, her man.

Review: This is one of the Bloomsbury Group books and as such was written in gentler days for gentler people  As the blurb states, it's all about the inhabitants of a little village called Riseborough. They're a sociable bunch but also pretty competitive and judgmental. Dinner parties are given and invites are sent out .. but there is always somebody slighted or passed over. There's a perpetual jostling of position .. in particular between Mrs Ames, Mrs Altham and Mrs Evans .. all of whom aspire to be Queen Bee. Mrs Ames hits upon the idea of asking wives to dinner without their husbands and vice versa which seems as shocking to the villagers as if they'd been asked to throw their car keys into a bowl .. however her plan to bring some excitement and innovation to the boring dinner party scene backfires somewhat when the lovely and ever youthful Mrs Evans comes to dinner without her husband and captivates both Mr Ames and his son Harry.

 

It's not long before Mr Ames is finding excuses to call on Mrs Evans during his daily walks to and from his club. Mrs Ames is at first worried but then embarks upon a beauty regime (it seems it's nothing new for women to fall prey to the outrageous claims of the miracle skin cream advertisements etc) which she feels sure will lure him back to the fold again. He doesn't notice however (and really .. Mrs Ames is up against it because she's described here as having a face like a toad ) and so more drastic action is needed, possibly she can gain his admiration at the forthcoming masked ball. She'd better be quick about it though as Mr Ames and Mrs Evans' friendship is threatening to turn into something more.

 

Obviously the plot is a fairly simple one, it leaves you a bit sad really that these women have really nothing better to offer life (but then I've only got cake so  ) but it is often very funny so not a dreary read at all and what might be mundane ordinarily is made entertaining here by the quality of the writing. I particularly enjoyed the observations of perennial curtain twitcher, Mrs Altham, who lives for gossip and likes nothing better than to discuss the latest outrage with her husband though both pretend to be perfectly disinterested. It's not among the best of the Bloomsbury books and I imagine Benson wrote better books (the Mapp and Lucia series for a start) but very enjoyable all the same. 3/5

[poppyshake]

Clever Girl by Tessa Hadley

Amazon's Synopsis: All the qualities that readers praised in The London Train are present in Clever Girl, Tessa Hadley's brilliant new novel. It follows the story of Stella, from her childhood as the daughter of a single mother in a Bristol bedsit in the 1960s into the mysterious shallows of her middle age. The story is full of drama - violent deaths, an abrupt end to Stella's schooldays, two sons by different fathers who aren't around to see the boys grow up - but as ever it is her observation of ordinary lives, of the way men and women think and feel and relate to one another, that dazzles. Yes, you think. This is how it is.

Review: I'm not sure I do think this is how it is but it's a fairly good stab at it I suppose   Stella is a bit of a frustrating character, we're told she's a 'clever girl' but she doesn't exactly demonstrate it, falling into one trap after the other. As is most often the case, her problems begin when she discovers love and the opposite sex .. for a smart girl she makes some pretty rubbish decisions. Thankfully, the people she surrounds herself with are, for the most part, kind and compassionate so disastrous situations are made more bearable by their kindnesses. You couldn't call her life happy and so her story does feel like a bit of a trudge and a dreary one at that. The reader is forever waiting for her to buck up and sort herself out (though she's not in the least pathetic .. determinedly stubborn more like). All the same, I do think she was well written .. some passages in particular were brilliant. I'm not sure I liked her particularly .. I never could quite get under her skin .. but I did find her interesting and was always keen to pick the book up and see how she was faring. I particularly enjoyed her childhood days and would have happily stayed there .. there was a real authenticity to those chapters that made them stand out. She claims to be a book reader (claiming to have chosen books over men) and so, of course, I bonded with her over that but there wasn't enough about books and there was perhaps too much about men .. though could there ever be too much about men? ... well these are unsuitable men for the most part so yes 4/5