Review: One Day by David Nicholls

First off I want to say this book was amazing. I was pleased that I finally got to read this book as it had a great story, brilliant character interaction and set the tone very well.

Plot: The plot centres around the two main characters, Dexter and Emma, where they spent the night together at Edinburgh University however do not follow on to a relationship and remain friends. It tells each of the characters story on the 15th July for 20 years after they met at university. It goes through the struggles that each of the characters go through and their bond. Its all about how they change through the years and how they interact with each other.

The development of the character is key through the book and how they interact with each other. At the beginning they might have the odd conversation here and there but gradually they begin to speak each more after their encounter at university. They each go through their different trials and you see how the other is doing. What the theme is, that when one is doing well in their life, the other falters and gives you the chance to see how the other characters tries to support the other. However at the beginning a lot of the communication is done by phone call as the characters seem to be very preoccupied with their occupations to meet up. But through the book there are moments where you care about the decisions the character makes and may may from one minute hate the character to liking them again.

It is written on the 15th July of each year since its the anniversary of the day they first met. However any events that have occurred in the year that has been missed out are usually conveyed in the chapter by means of narrative or a monologue of what that character has done so the reader is not kept out of the loop. This information is normally plot central and would leave a lot of the monotonous details out. Through these chapters it is either told from the perspective of either Emma or Dexter. Both of these perspectives is different due to their regional upbringing (Emma - North, Dexter - South), which highlights how differently the characters are and how they feel about each other. Not written as a diary but more of an account what they are doing on that day and what they are thinking which provides a bigger insight to the characters development more than if it were told from a third person perspective.

I would have liked to go into the plot more but it may mare the enjoyment of a brilliant book which I had enjoyed reading. I must say the story was well written and you were taken on a journey about two people and how their friendship/relationship is developed through the 20 years that they know each. I would recommend this book to anyone.

9/10

Also the book has been turned into a film which may/may not be an accurate portrayal of the book. But as the case is normally, the book will surpass the film. As well as this, Emma being portrayed by an American (Anne Hathaway), I personally believe that these sort of characters should be played by British actors with the correct dialect. However I will not give my final verdict until I have seen the film. I have included the video below and you may give your opinion on the book and the film adaptation in the comment section below.



Due to the lateness of this post I have read about 2/3 books as it was the beginning of the summer holidays and finishing university, the posts for these will be uploaded in the next few days. But the first one will be Room by Emma Donoghue. This book is about mother and son being brought up in a small room and are under the eye of Old Nick. You find out how the mother ended up in the room and how the child is brought up by the mother in the room. If anyone has any recommendations, they are always welcome. Happy Reading!

Reading Fail

Another post from me (Yeah I know it has been ages). Basically, the book I said I was going to read is hard going and if you don't like it, you change to another book. If someone said that this book is good or is on the Top 100 books to read it dosent mean its for everyone. The Wasp Factory and We Need to Talk About Kevin are hard going books (especially The Wasp Factor, I didn't know what was going on most of the time).

So the new plan is; instead of saying what I am going to read, before I start the book, I will read a couple of chapters and if its something I can get into then I will say that I am reading it. This way I can commit to a book and I will definitely review it.

Plus as I am not reading We Need to Talk About Kevin, it gives me a good opportunity to read One Day by David Nicholls. I have been on the library waiting list for this book for over 2 months because it is that popular. I could have brought it but I need to know if its a re readable book so that its worth the purchase.

This books is very popular at the moment, hence the 2 month library waiting list. This book is about Emma and Dexter who meet on the night of their graducation and then they must go their seperate ways. So it follows both of the characters and see what happens with their lives. It is a comedy so I am looking forward to reading something less hard going.

I will finish this book and there will be a review in under 2 weeks. It would be under a week but I am really busy. If you have any book requests or comments on the current book please comment below :)



Happy Reading Everyone!!

Reading: We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Well as you know I was reading The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. After a couple of chapters it started to confuse me and I didnt know what was going on so I decided to change books (again) and go for We Need to Talk About Kevin (WNTTAK, abbreviating it will be easier than typing out the whole title).

Plot: The book is about a boy named Kevin, just under 16 years old. He kills 7 of his felllow students, a cafeteria worker and a teacher. He is visisted in Prision by his mum and following a seires of letters to her ex husband you find out how Kevin was brought up and how he ended up being how he is now.

This sounds like an interesting book and since the story is told through letters its a different style from books I have read. That and I have been meaning to read this book for quite a while.

Happy Reading Everyone!

If anyone has any suggestions for different books please comment below.

Review: The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾

I must say this book is well written and you can easily tell this is the style of a 13 year old (sorry 13¾ year old) and this book would appeal to the younger audience or the older audience (as some of the references are set around the 80s so older audiences will get it).

Plot: Its just gone New Years Eve and Adrian Mole makes his new years resolutions (as so many of us do) and he documents his life through the years until he is 15 in which the book ends and leads to the further books (next being  The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole. You hear from the prospective of a naive teenager just trying to get by and doesn't really know what is going on a lot of the time.

This book compared to the ones I have read is very light hearted and is a big break from the hard hitting serious books, which I don't mind, its just nice for a change in writing style. From the moment you read the first entry in the diary you can relate to him. You sympathise with him when he goes through the hard times but laugh when he says something that you would have done as a kid or when he really doesn't have a clue.

The layout is something which I have seen much of in books. The diary entries add that personal touch which is what the author was hoping to do. And as some of them are shorter or longer than others it does have that sense of what someone does with a diary. Unlike myself which had a diary 'when I were a lad' but only ever had a couple of entries in it, then didn't bother with it, only in a blue moon. But if I did write in it everyday it would be similar to Adrian's (apart from a few obvious points).

It is a nice read that I always look forward to reading. Something which is light, funny and if you want a break from the nitty gritty novels, this is worth picking up.

8/10

P.S. I shall be reading the whole series but won't be reading them all in one go. I do get bored of the same genre and style, I like to mix it up a bit.

Something a Bit More

I hope you enjoyed the Interpretation of Murder review. It took me a while to put up this review, since I have been revising for exams (taking a break at the moment, I find blogging relaxing). But during my revising I did read a book called The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ by Sue Townsend and finished it a while ago and now currently on The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. So as soon as it is Tuesday I will hopefully post the review for The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole. I started reading the first in the series, as a friend of mine got me the latest one for Christmas; she was a bit shocked when I had never heard of the series (as some of you may be shocked by that too). I had enjoyed the first one and have just been sent the next 2 in the series. I will take a break from the series between each book. If I read the same book, I get bored quite easily.

 

Hopefully everyone has been reading a bit; it might have been your New Year’s Resolution. If you need a goal, I aim for 1 chapter a night, however it depends of the book and how long the chapters are but overall a chapter a night. It may take you longer to read the book but at least then you may have read about 6 books in one year. It’s sad to say that some people don’t even read that many. If you have any good books for me to read or if you can think of any improvements to my reviews please comment below. Feedback is always appreciated and would like to try and get more views. 

 

 

 

 

Happy Reading Everyone!

Review The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld

   I must say it has taken me a long time to finish this book but I have finally done it. And I must say this was an excellent read indeed. If you love crime and good plot twists then this is definitely for you.

   Plot: One murder and an attempted murder has occurred and it is believed that a man is responsible for both crimes. Freud, Jung and Frenzai come to New York to present a lecture on Psychoanalysis to a college in Worcester. Younger and Brill meet them at the boat and they introduce them to the big city and what America has to offer. However this is short lived when Freud and his colleagues must assist victim Ms Acton with recovering her memories of an attempted murder. With Younger trying to help Ms Acton with her memory, sabotage on Freud’s psychoanalysis theories, lectures and even his reputation and Detective Littlemore trying to solve the case, you will be eager to turn the pages to see what is happening next.

   Everyone knows who Sigmund Freud is, or by the end of it, you will have a general idea who he was. However you don’t need to be a psychoanalysis to understand some of the theories. The basic theories are explained however majority of the book uses simple terminology during analysis. The character of Freud is a major character in the first part of the book (Hence a play on the title of the book, Interpretation of Dreams by Freud), however during the book his followers, tend to refer to him rather than speak to him directly and personally as the reader, don’t get that much time to understand the character. However this book is mainly about Younger and the mysterious killer so maybe the author did not want to emphasise too much on the psychoanalysis.

   We don’t follow one person the whole way through the book. It cuts to different characters and scenes to keep the story more interesting and keep you alert. For example, one scene has you near the construction site half way through the book and are introduced to a new character and an unknown figure. Even though its one chapter it does make you wonder what this has in connection with the story as a whole. The main characters that it does follow are Younger and Littlemore. These characters have been developed nicely and can be easily imagined in their head. Younger is the enthusiast psychologist with a thirst for understanding people and Littlemore a young detective who is eager to please the coroner and somewhat naive at the beginning. However not stating the other minor characters don’t have a strong enough persona, they are equally important to the storyline and are well developed through the book.

   Plot twists are a staple for your basic crime thriller novel. However for this book it seems to keep giving each plot twist their own plot twist. When something seems to make sense it turns it over and makes you think again. Not many books can pull it off, however with this one you will be saying to yourself ‘Ohhh!’

   As the book was set in the 1909 there was a lot of research needed for this book. I must say the author had done a very good job in that department. However some details were changed for example the date of when Freud came to America and some locations were added. As well as making up the people that never existed. However when he describes the locations of buildings what is occurring at the time he was writing for are quite accurate. As I don’t find inaccuracy a mar on my enjoyment of reading the book some people may find it more beneficial when they read the book.

   This book is worth the read. An amazing storyline which keeps your attention and makes you keep turning the pages, it’s worth picking up. More plot twists than you can handle and an amazing cast of characters for the book, I can highly recommend this book

8.2/10

There has been a sequel to this book, The Death Instinct. I shall be reviewing this book in the near future.