apfopd United Kingdom

I'm never into books that need to be analysed - and this one does... it was quite a good story but I kept waiting for the twist or the real exciting bit - and then I got to the end and realised it was one you need to think about themes and other reading group-type things.
Not for me I'm afraid - so I just swapped it for another book on my wish list :)

This was recommended by my friend Katy. It was quite hard to keep up with this as it kept flipping back and forth between characters narrating - it was an enjoyable book - but far too long. I only finished it as quickly as I did because I had a new book on the shelf I was itching to read! *lol*

It's now on my swaps list over at RiSi.

Meyer does not disappoint in the final part of the Cullen trilogy - the love triangle continues as Bella fights to combine her obsessive love for Edward with her friendship with her soul-mate Jacob. Not an easy task when vampires and werewolves are sworn enemies. It’s one of those tales where you find yourself rooting for each boy in turn - should she be with Edward or Jacob or Edward or Jacob?? (I do love a good love triangle!)
The story moves at a fast pace and the pieces flow much better than in the previous book making it a very easy read.
From vampire and werewolf folklore to concerns of the ultimate commitment with a nail biting battle thrown in for good measure, this book left me wanting another installment!

Score
5 stars

The back cover description suggests a tale of a newlywed couple on their wedding night and that pretty much sums it up - what it didn't warn me about was the graphic detail McEwan uses to describe events of the evening... well I considered it graphic anyway and am not sure I needed that much detail to understand the point he was trying to make!

The book is short - I got through it in one sitting of two to three hours - but it's one of those books that you just can't take at face value. I'm still not sure whether I enjoyed reading it - but I did find myself thinking about the characters and their histories and trying to work out why McEwan wrote the book.

The short of it is this - following a 12 month courtship Edward and Florence find themselves alone in the honeymoon suite of a hotel on Chesil beach, what follows is a *mishap* which leaves Florence heading for the beach in embarrassment and disgust and Edward alone in the room feeling angry and humiliated. Their joint inability to discuss their feelings leaves the marriage in tatters and the two never see or speak to each other again.

All quite sad really.

But throughout the novel McEwan shares snippets of their earlier lives, how Edward's mother became brain-damaged when he was five, and the lengths his family went to to pretend that she was a normal loving mother. How Florence's family were much better off, but her parents showed her no affection - well I say no affection but I got the distinct feeling she had been sexually abused by her father as a child - perhaps the source of her discomfort with intimacy.

I was intrigued by the fact that following their divorce Florence went on to pursue her dreams while Edward followed a completely different path. I did wonder what happened to Florence relationship wise - since we were told that Edward was married again, if only for a short time.

But that's as far as I got...

I have to admit this lost me along the way, and while I'm sure some of the things I just mentioned are part of the point McEwan was trying to make I wasn't interested enough in the characters to try and unravel it all. I think perhaps McEwan could have made much more of this tale and turned it into one worth reading rather than glossing over so many details and leaving us guessing.

In fact - I think I should have just read the last page and I may have walked away happy.

I’m one of those people who judges a book by its cover - which is how I came to pick this book up - although I almost put it straight back down when I saw the mention of the Da Vinci Code on the front! I enjoyed that book but don’t want to waste time reading carbon copies. But this is about Shakespeare rather than Templar nights and the Holy Grail, so I thought I’d give it a go.

I was actually pleasantly surprised - yeah it bears a similarity to the Dan Brown tale - a search for buried treasure where the heroine gets crossed and double crossed along the way - only this time the conspiracy theories are based around the infamous Bard.

We join Kate Sinclair as she finds herself thrown into a treasure hunt - for a lost manuscript and Shakespeare’s real identity - while a twisted killer leaves a trail of bodies whose deaths reflect those of victims from Shakespeare’s plays.

I have to admit that I struggled at times with the academic references to events that occurred in the 1600s but Carrell does a good job of keeping the story moving at a good pace and keeping you guessing as to the real intentions of the characters that Kate encounters during her quest.

I’ve spent an enjoyable Sunday getting caught up in the adventure and would recommend the book - if you liked the DVC but have had enough of the Knights Templar then this may well be right up your street! And if you’re not sure about reading it - I can see it hitting the silver screen at some point in the future.

Review

I’ll admit that I picked this book up and was put off by the description… Nazi Germany… and narrated by Death?? Hmm not my idea of a fun read - and so it went back on the shelf.

Then someone recommended it so I thought why not give it a go.

I am so glad I changed my mind - this isn’t Death as the Grim Reaper - he comes across as a much friendlier soul who tells the tale of Liesel and her *family* as they live their lives under Hitler’s reign. It’s hard to describe this without giving anything away - although Death gives you a taste of what will happen before you get there!

This book is beautiful - from the story to the prose - and I can honestly say I’ve never read anything like it. Zusak’s at times disjointed writing style took some getting used to - but by the end of the first chapter it feels second nature.

I must admit to feeling a little lost now the experience is all over - I will definitely be reading this one again - and probably more than once - which is probably the best praise I can give it - so do yourself a favour and buy a copy - but be sure to have some tissues handy.

Rating

5 stars - outstanding - a truly beautiful tale