Tag: British
Review: A Village After Dark by Kazuo Ishiguro
It has been quite some time since I last reviewed one of Ishiguro’s works here on The Steady Read, and I think A Village After Dark was a bad place to jump back in. This short story seems enigmatic. I cannot find a single scrap of definitive information on when it was published, where it…
Review: USA National Parks: Lands of Wonder by DK Eyewitness
One of my many lofty dreams in life is to see all—or most—of the United States’ national parks. It is a dream that only seems to grow stronger in desire as I eke further into my twenties, and because of how reoccurring and ever-present it is as of late, I decided to read through all…
Review: Autumn by Ali Smith
Writing is hard to spice up, especially when it comes to the way in which a story is told. A typical novel follows a largely chronological telling of a story from a limited amount of perspectives, and that’s that. Ali Smith’s first entry of her Seasonal Quartet of works, Autumn, seeks to challenge how cohesive,…
Review: Fuck Yeah, Video Games by Daniel Hardcastle
Most YouTubers, especially those who do let’s plays and gaming content, aren’t highly regarded as great writers. The same is somewhat true of Daniel Hardcastle (of Nerd³ fame), but his passion and somewhat bearable comedic edge shine through in this love letter to video games. Part autobiography, part educational, part review; Fuck Yeah, Video Games…
Review: Animal Farm by George Orwell
A novella that many people like to reference, Animal Farm is a suitable criticism of capitalism, greed, and the nature of how we humans—or perhaps any being—inevitably take advantage of the power afforded to us. Whilst not as deep or as clever as some claim it to be, Orwell’s relatively compact story works as a…
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…
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 of American…
Review: King Lear by William Shakespeare
King Lear is one of Shakespeare’s most notable and tolerable works. Despite how it seems, I actually say the latter part with good intent; remaining easy for modern audiences to follow, even after centuries of cultural and lingual change. The story of King Lear is one of corruption, loyalty, and good versus evil. After the…
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…
Review: Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl
Fun and memorable, whilst standing as one of Dahl’s best releases nearly fifty years on. Danny, the Champion of the World is not only a mouthful to say, but a fun novel that all ages can enjoy. Set in the 1970s, the story follows Danny and his father as the two live in a caravan…
