Category: Book Reviews
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Review: A Place in the Woods by Helen Hoover
A very calming recount of a lifestyle that has continued to die out as the years go by. A Place in the Woods tells the true story of Helen and Adrian Hoover as they leave their residence in Chicago to enjoy a life in the wilderness next to Lake Superior, just after the midpoint of…
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Review: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Beautiful, sombre, and touching. Often touted as Ishiguro’s most sincere and top-quality release, The Remains of the Day certainly earns that title. The story itself is unassuming, following Stevens, a long-serving butler at Darlington Hall, as he takes a short summer trip in his employer’s Ford. Despite being set in 1956, much of the story…
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Review: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
A return to form, that’s one way to put it. Klara and the Sun, as of writing, is Ishiguro’s latest in a strong library of works — but it seems to have prevailed as one of his more memorable novels. Following Klara, an Artificial Friend (AF), the reader is introduced to a dystopian, near-future vision…
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Review: King Lear by William Shakespeare
King Lear stands as one of Shakespeare’s most dramatic and fast-paced works as it follows the downfall of a kingdom and hierarchy.
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Review: Back Story by David Mitchell
Whilst I’m not one to indulge in the life or pasts of celebrities, it is interesting to learn about the growing pains of a successful, if ever awkward, British comedian. Mitchell’s autobiography is rather simple: it talks of his early life — childhood, school, and the troubles his parents endured — to his first foray…
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Review: Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A crushing and depressing tale about humanity and war. Half of a Yellow Sun focuses on Nigeria as it is torn apart by the Biafran war in the late 1960s.
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Review: The Story of Tomoda and Matsunaga by Jun’ichirō Tanizaki
A short story about a mysterious man who is both an oriental husband and a wild party animal. If they even are the same man at all.
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Review: Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami
A somewhat pro-feminist novel with a moody edge; Breasts and Eggs stands as Mieko Kawakami’s most notable release.
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Review: Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
One of Roald Dahl’s most memorable works. Danny, the Champion of the World is a novel that both old and new readers can have fun with!
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Review: A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro
Touching and odd, Ishiguro’s debut work stands as an interesting short novel, marking the beginning of a long and excellent writing career. A Pale View of Hills follows Etsuko, a middle-aged Japanese mother who recounts her past whilst living in Britain. As she copes with the recent suicide of her eldest daughter, Keiko, Etsuko reflects…