Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon (YA)

Summary (from Goodreads):

Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the color yellow.

This improbable story of Christopher’s quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog makes for one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years.

Review:

I’ve mentioned in a previous post that I go through periods of focusing on young adult fiction. Well, this was one of those moments.

To be honest, I tried reading this a few years ago, but couldn’t ‘get into it’ for whatever reason. However, picking it up now, the story itself, Christopher (the protagonist), learning about his disability, his family life, and his unique method of investigating the death of his neighbour’s dog, had me interested from almost the beginning (it takes me a while to become truly interested in a story).

The characters are believable because they are flawed, and this is what kept me reading. I wanted to learn more Christopher’s family (mother dies of cancer, and the father – a mechanic – is raising Christopher alone), his neighbours, who are colourful and not unlike some of my own, and his teachers that both inspire and try to hold Christopher back. It is the human relationships, complicated and messy, that drives the story. The story takes quite a twist about halfway through, that affects both Christopher’s investigation and his family life – sort of saw it coming, but it did nothing to lessen the surprise.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel and recommended it.

Review: Trash by Andy Mulligan (YA)

Summary (from Goodreads):

In an unnamed Third World country, in the not-so-distant future, three “dumpsite boys” make a living picking through the mountains of garbage on the outskirts of a large city.

One unlucky-lucky day, Raphael finds something very special and very mysterious. So mysterious that he decides to keep it, even when the city police offer a handsome reward for its return. That decision brings with it terrifying consequences, and soon the dumpsite boys must use all of their cunning and courage to stay ahead of their pursuers. It’s up to Raphael, Gardo, and Rat—boys who have no education, no parents, no homes, and no money—to solve the mystery and right a terrible wrong.

Andy Mulligan has written a powerful story about unthinkable poverty—and the kind of hope and determination that can transcend it. With twists and turns, unrelenting action, and deep, raw emotion, Trash is a heart-pounding, breath-holding novel.

Review:

This is one of those novels that breaks your heart and that haunts you for days afterwards. This novel is part social awareness and part mystery, but most of all it is a story of hope. This is a compulsive read and I very much enjoyed it. Recommended.

Review: Boy by Roald Dahl

Summary (from Goodreads):

Twenty-five years ago in “Boy,” the world’s favorite storyteller recollected scenes from his youth–some funny, some frightening, all true. “More About Boy” is the expanded story of Roald Dahl’s childhood, with his original text augmented by never-before-seen material from behind the scenes, and some of the secrets that were left out. Dahl’s adventures and misadventures during his school years are crowded with people as strange and wonderful as any character he created and are as exciting and full of the unexpected as his celebrated fiction. This special keepsake hardcover edition is filled with personal memorabilia such as family photos, letters, report cards, plus dozens of illustrations by Quentin Blake, as well as a quiz to test the knowledge of Dahl aficionados of all shapes and sizes.

Review:

Every now and then I experience the absolute need to read a Roald Dahl novel. Don’t ask me where this need comes from, but when it does, I pick up either a much-loved, much read novel of his or one that I had not read before (which tend to be his autobiographical work).

This particular novel, Boy, was suggested to me by a colleague who had used it with her grade seven students and she could not contain herself when she told me how much the students had loved it. So, to make a long story short, I read the novel.

And loved it! The novel focuses on Dahl’s education and his experiences at the different British boarding schools (his father insisted that his children receive a “British” education) he attended before finishing secondary school. While most of his experiences (friends, photography, writing) appeared to have been positive, he seemed to have had a terrible time with principals and teachers, especially when it came to discipline.

The most touching part of story was the number of letters Dahl wrote his mother every time he was away from home – from the first time he went away to school as a young boy to the times when he traveled for work, and then for war. Mrs. Dahl kept every letter the young Dahl wrote her, which I find touching and unspeakably sad.

This is a wonderful novel, and although most teachers are painted as horrors, it was nice to spend time with and get to know the boy behind the legendary author. Recommended.

Review: A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

Summary (Goodreads):

Here is the third volume in George R.R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. Together, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, victim of the sorceress who holds him in her thrall. Young Robb still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. And as opposing forces maneuver for the final showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost limits of civilization, accompanied by a horde of mythical Others—a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords.

Review:

This instalment of A Song of Fire and Ice took much longer to read than initially anticipated. For the most part it had nothing to with the novel itself – I was distracted by work and other novels –  and could not give this the time and concentration it deserved. However, I have finally completed it and … wow!

While the first few sections (about four of them) were a little slow going, the action picks up right afterwards. So much happens to all the characters in this instalment, it took a couple of days afterwards for me to come to terms with what I had just read. The action, needless to say, is intense, gruesome and bloody (as wars are), but the outcomes are astonishing! Characters I adored (and some that I despised) either died (should have learned my lesson from book 1!) or made decisions that took my breath away, while one character that I had long despised (I get way too emotionally involved) gave me pause, and made me reconsider his behaviour and my feelings towards them (I still don’t particularly care for them, but the feeling is not an intense loathing, either). And then there were those characters that got their just rewards – both good and bad (will not say more or will give too much away). Every character undergoes a change due to their own actions or because of the actions of others, which is one of the reasons I find this series so addictive. The setting, Westeros, and the cities beyond it are astonishing in scale and detail, while the plot (at some points meandering and tiresome), for the most part is exciting and full of suspense.

Much is revealed, but even more questions are raised about the conspiracies and political intrigues that lead to the battles, in all its forms, in Westeros.

I very much enjoyed this one and and am looking forward to season three of the HBO series, as well. Recommended. On to book four – A Feast for Crows!