Review: What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal

What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



this novel instantly drew me in, I felt like I could have read it in just one go, a gripping story of a subject which most people find fascinating I think, the forbidden love or desire between an middle age woman and her 15 year old pupil. Heller writes beautifully and unpretentious making the reading so easy and with the method of the narrator being a third person looking at the relationship from the outside telling their story adds to originality and cleverness. I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it highly!



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Review: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Not my favourite Joyce book, very heavy with religious talk and references, I believe that was the reason I didn't really enjoy it. Joyce is a brilliant writer but in this novel it is too much of that, too much of nothing really happening, more Stephen's struggle of finding his place in the world. My Literature teacher told us a lot of background of this novel and the impact Joyce actually made for writing this, considering he is questening religion, god and struggles with his sexuality so I do appreciate that, hence the 3/5 rather than 2/5. This is my second time reading this so perhaps I need to research Irish history and catholicism beforehand to really understand it because I believe it is a great novel I just need another go to really appreciate everything I think.



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Review: Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Another amazing novel from Kazuo Ishiguro, whenever I pick up one of his books I have the highest of expectations and I am never dissappointed. He is the elit amongst authors for me because his style of writing and storytelling is utterly captivating and even though he was soley writing about the life of hosue flies, it would be a masterpiece.
Nevel let me go is a realist novel which brushes sci-fi since it is set in an alternative universe where our tenchological skills in cloning is beyond of what's possible now and Ishiguro portrays the life of three of them that are only brought up to donate their organs to "real" people with diseases or injuries. So Ishiguro explores friendship, love and what it is to be human. A fantastic novel well worth reading.



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Review: Kingdom Come

Kingdom Come by J.G. Ballard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



A great satire of our over-consumerism world and what it can do to your mind. I think Ballard writes something real even though it is set in a dystopian society and it is not far fetched from the real world which is sadly filled with racism, violence and consumerism. Ballard is a master writer and when he died we lost a man who could brilliantly criticize our flawed world.



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