Review: The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"I found myself on Gatsby's side, and alone."


Reading The Great Gatsby was a lonely journey. Mr Gatsby was a lonely, very lonely man. I could help but feel incredibly heartache for him. Nobody's there for him when companionship is needed the most. His love for Daisy was nothing but a speckle of dust which was easily blown away by her. Daisy, the despicable whore, has eyes on money and anything with monetary value. "Her voice is full of money." Gatsby, for once, was on point.

If I'd say one thing I learnt from The Great Gatsby, it'd be 'people come to you when you're at your best hour but they aren't necessary your best companions'.

Something about classics which throw readers off with pretentious vocabularies and high-end wordings. Sometimes it's impossible to see why this piece of literature was labeled 'classics' when the story was as plain as my breakfast white toast. The Great Gatsby, as much as the powerful descriptions and narrative go, the story was too flat. As some point, I was put off by the out-of-topic narrations and strong double-shots-caffeine is needed to put me back into the story.

Asides, it was an eye-opening read. The powerful narration brought Gatsby to justice.

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Review: The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Handmaid's Tales is like a nightmare I'd gone through and glad that it doesn't happen in reality. Sometimes, I think dystopian should be sub-labeled under horror. The whole idea of a non-existing world can be intriguing to read about but it sure creeps you out if you were to place yourself in the characters' shoes.

"In your hands, she said, looking down at her own hands as if they had given her the idea. But there was nothing in them. They were empty. It was our hands that were supposed to be full, of the future; which could be held but not seen."


The Handmaid's Tale shows a world where women (the handmaids) are treated as nothing but "childbearing automates". The handmaids only have one duty - to bear child for the Commanders. They could go out to shop once per day, but under deep surveillance of the Eyes. They are, under no circumstances, to speak ill of the systems or disobey. The world of Gilead is sickening, demoralised and horrifying.

As intense as Orwell's 1984, Atwood's incredible world-building and words-building won my heart. As terrifying as the coup in Gilead goes, I could not help to be immersed in the powerful narratives by the main character, Offred. Offred's narratives help to bring readers in her shoes - walking the same paths, thinking the same thoughts. Plus, the intended word-play which proper terms can only be found in Mark Forsyth's The Elements of Eloquence all but blew my mind away.

"Myself, my obverse."


The scariest thing about this novel is not the plot which supposed to bring you to the different stages of fright but just the knowledge of being in that world - the world of Gilead. At this point, I'm awfully turning this statement fiction to a horror of Stephen King but fret not, it's not (at least not in the same way). The crazy revelations of this novel will make you realise what the world will become without the freedom of varies.

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Review: The Children Act

The Children Act by Ian McEwan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I spent 6 months learning about Family Law to finish up with a 20-over pages of portfolio and it is so utterly impossible that Ian McEwan tackled the Law way better than I did (ok, I was't that good either). But truth be told, he did extremely well, not trying to pinpoint anything from an experienced, well-known, award-winning author from the other century. I guess it's sort of a habit to want to find if something was wrong whenever I read legal fiction. (thoughts)

"The music in her head had faded, but now came another old theme: self-blame."


The novel was written in a third-person perspective. Ian was a skilful and talented writer, I agree. It's his writings which made me so into the story. It feels like he was bringing us on a teleportation journey to Judge Fiona's life. Imagine Ian and the reader were "glamoured" invisible and stalking Judge Fiona. It was exactly how the story was told, very cinematic .

This piece of fiction was so well-written. The aspects of law were so clear and a part of me wish that if Ian were to write his version of all case judgments, I would be so pleased. His writings was a blessing. I couldn't stress more that I enjoy reading it. The writing style was a mixture of flashbacks and currents. It seems like a mess, yes but it's very interesting to read about the character's thoughts. It grabs your attention, as you try to figure out when's when. But that's how it goes in your head.

I would admit I like reading his way of case commentary, except it's from a judge's perspective. I like how he describe the process of summing up a judgment. The way he explained Gillick competent, child's welfare and how he summed up with a conclusion to overrule the child's wishes. It's so amazing! (I ran out of words.)

I could go on and on about how perfect this novel is but my review won't matter if you don't read it yourself. This is my first Ian McEwan's book and I have his Atonement on its way now. I'm so excited to explore all his works.

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Review: Memories

Memories by Lang Leav
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Before I fell
in love with words,
with setting skies
and singing birds-
it was you I fell
in love with first.


Lang Leav has a unique way of writing her poems. They need not rhymed or filled with figurative phrases. They're simple and realistic. They would see through your soul and break your heart, all over again. Read it with a cup of warm earl grey, by the window seat, preferably during the rainy days.

It was words that I fell for. In the end, it was words that broke my heart.


*Memories is a compilation of some of her new poems and some favourites from Love & Misadventure and Lullabies. My favourite poem so far is still "Patience".

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[REVIEW] The Ghost Bride by YangSze Choo

Funfact: This is my first book written by a Malaysian author. *round of applauses*

The Ghost Bride is a paranormal (& romance) asian fiction which sets place in one of the states of Malaysia, namely Malacca. This book contains many hearsay customs and traditions of Chinese (of Malaysia) and supernatural believes. Personally, being a Malaysian chinese, I do still heard or lectured on various superstitions make known on this book.

Goodreads synopsis: "One evening, my father asked me if I would like to become a ghost bride..." 

Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs. And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound. 

Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects. But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family. They want her to become a ghost bride for the family's only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances. Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit. Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price. 

After an ominous visit to the opulent Lim mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also by her desire for the Lim's handsome new heir, Tian Bai. Night after night, she is drawn into the shadowy parallel world of the Chinese afterlife, with its ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, vengeful spirits and monstrous bureaucracy—including the mysterious Er Lang, a charming but unpredictable guardian spirit. Li Lan must uncover the Lim family's darkest secrets—and the truth about her own family—before she is trapped in this ghostly world forever.

First of all, I want to congratulate Ms Choo for writing such an epic story about the Malaysian customs (mainly focusing on the Chinese community), especially the afterworld of the dead. It was unbelievably mind-blowing and certainly convincing, as those are the beliefs that I have learnt of and practised since childhood. Believe it or not, acts of superstitious can sound really absurd but some may hold a few hands of truth. Enough scaring, what I'm trying to say it's that whatever written in this book is certainly what the older generations truly believe in and some were still practiced in the later generation.

Everything written in this book was so relatable that I couldn't help but to be convinced by the story. Many things which were written in this book seem to be the answers to those customs I've been asked to follow. Of course, there's no proof to what will actually happen after death but through our customs and beliefs, we believe in having an afterworld for the dead to wander around before their reincarnations.

I love every aspects of this book, from the story to the characters. However, I find the ending was quite abrupt. Another thing about this book which slightly annoys me is the usage of vocabularies. This was pointed out by my friend and I do agree with her. Some words are unsuitable. It's not that I'm afraid of bombastic words, but some actions need not be described with such "hard" words.

Apart from that mild problem of words usage, I'm quite satisfied with this book. I like that Li Lan has picked the right guy in the end. :D

Summer

I recommend this book to everyone - The Ghost Bride (other editions available)

[REVIEW] All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

When I first heard about this book, I knew it will be amazing, instantly. Historical fiction is not a genre I like venturing into because I tend to get bored easily. Strangely, I'm rather interested in the history regarding WW2. The summary of this book gives the vibe of romance but to my surprise, it's not. 

Goodreads summary: From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, a stunningly ambitious and beautiful novel about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. 

Marie Laure lives with her father in Paris within walking distance of the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of the locks (there are thousands of locks in the museum). When she is six, she goes blind, and her father builds her a model of their neighborhood, every house, every manhole, so she can memorize it with her fingers and navigate the real streets with her feet and cane. When the Germans occupy Paris, father and daughter flee to Saint-Malo on the Brittany coast, where Marie-Laure's agoraphobic great uncle lives in a tall, narrow house by the sea wall. 

In another world in Germany, an orphan boy, Werner, grows up with his younger sister, Jutta, both enchanted by a crude radio Werner finds. He becomes a master at building and fixing radios, a talent that wins him a place at an elite and brutal military academy and, ultimately, makes him a highly specialized tracker of the Resistance. Werner travels through the heart of Hitler Youth to the far-flung outskirts of Russia, and finally into Saint-Malo, where his path converges with Marie-Laure.
Doerr's gorgeous combination of soaring imagination with observation is electric. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Ten years in the writing, All the Light We Cannot See is his most ambitious and dazzling work.

All I can say is that ATLWCS is the most stunningly written fiction I ever read this year. The author, Doerr's writings was beautiful, almost enchanting. He could describe every vivid details as if he was presently in the book, alive with the characters. Everything felt so surreal and unbelievable. Of course, the story is amazing. The multiple characters' views regarding their current situations and feelings are coherently matched. 

This story is unbelievably lengthy. It's the only thing which distracted my love for this book. However, because the chapters are short, the reading process didn't seem unbearable. I took quite some time (not my usual speed) finishing this book. Even so, I couldn't help be amazed by the story. It's heart-warming to read, especially about Marie-Laure and her father's relationship. I love the miniature model building of the place they lived in built by her father. I love how her father trained Marie to memorise the streets and surroundings and not give up on her. 

It's crazy all the while I was reading this book, waiting for the moment for Marie and Werner to meet and later realised that it's not even the main thing of this piece of fiction. There seems to be something miraculous about the story which pulled me into reading it. The settings, the characters, the writings, the language, everything were so perfectly plotted and there's nothing much to complain about, even though I find Werner's ending surprisingly heart-breaking. 

I highly recommend this book to everyone. It's a beautiful, epic and miraculous read. 

Summer

PLEASE ORDER THIS BOOK: All the Light We Cannot See

The Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsyth

original post

p.s I’ve writing this in the midst of a flu. Pardon me on any mistake. 

- SYNOPSIS LINK -

Yes, my first review on a non-fiction book. I rarely read non-fiction asides from studies-related ones. 

I actually heard of this book from littlebookowl on her booktube channel. (unintentional advertisement, I would say giving credits.)

Back to the book. This is an interesting, mind-blowing book. It’s about English writing style. The author discussed about various writing style, such as hyperbole, personification, assonance and more. (stating those more obvious ones) He talked about how those very simple (not obvious) tones in writing, yet they amplified the whole sentence. 

He stated that Shakespeare isn’t a genius but he played with words and techniques. He shared thoughts on Shakespeare’s and many different poems and even song lyrics (The Beatles & Katy Perry). He wrote about how these styles of writings enhanced the writer’s works. 

Transferred Epithets: when an adjective is applied to the wrong noun. i.e “The man smoked a nervous cigarette.”

Transferred Epithets is my personal favourite. I love how the words played around. Instead of saying ‘the nervous man’, you say ‘a nervous cigarette’. & clearly, the latter gave more impact on the reader. 

What I found most interesting about this book is that the author wrote it in a simple, easy-to-understand way. I can assure you that if those techniques were to be written in a textbook, it would be difficult to decipher. He did also wrote in a humorous style, a little critiques. 

Overall, a 5-stars book. It’s easy to read and I learnt a lot from it. 

Helpful, interesting & magical,

Summer

To Get this book: The Elements of Eloquence