Tag: British
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…
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…
Review: Jam by Yahtzee Croshaw
A comedic post-apocalyptic novel set in Brisbane; Jam is a book that will entertain you with its nerdy humour and solid wit. The premise is bizarre, with Australia being covered in a man-eating jam overnight. With most of the population being wiped out in a flash, it’s up to Travis and his posse of odd…
Review: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Undoubtedly, this novel stands as Ishiguro’s magnum opus (at least in the eyes of many readers). Never Let Me Go is a melancholic tale that seeks to explore our worth as living beings. Following Kathy, one of many orphans at a strange boarding school called Hailsham, Ishiguro details the life of our narrator from infancy…
