Worn Out Pages: 2015

Book Review: The Picture of Dorian Gray - by Oscar Wilde

5:48 PM

Summary from goodreads:

Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray sells his soul in exchange for eternal youth and beauty. Under the influence of Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life, where he is able to indulge his desires while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society. Only Dorian's picture bears the traces of his decadence. A knowing account of a secret life and an analysis of the darker side of late Victorian society. The Picture of Dorian Gray offers a disturbing portrait of an individual coming face to face with the reality of his soul.

Rating: 4.8/5

The Picture of Dorian Gray, written by Oscar Wilde in third person, is a masterfully executed book that is filled with extremely quotable and thought provoking lines. The general plot is as follows: a youthful, beautiful, and initially innocent young man has a portrait of himself painted by a fascinated artist. The story gradually gets darker after the main character, Dorian Gray, commits a few crimes (if not legally, then morally), and his nature is tampered with by a man captivated by the idea of psychology.

If a person is not used to reading stories written by Oscar Wilde, there is no doubt that their mind will be blown away more than once the first time around. Despite the complex storyline and the heavy nature of the book, the writing style in The Picture of Dorian Gray was surprisingly easy to understand. While reading this particular novel, it is likely the reader will question how it was possible for a person to construct such intriguing thoughts and manage to put them in the form of words; but not just words, rather in the form of an entire story with varying characters each with their own distinct personality and individual storyline. Another thought regarding Wilde’s writing is that there is no plausible way his personal life is not in some way reflected in his writing. His writing style is so unique and distinct and paired with such a fascinating but grim storyline that it would be near impossible to not have a piece of the writer portrayed in some aspect of the novel.

Aside from the writing style, the story was generated very skillfully. The plot moved at a perfect pace and the characters’ personalities were distinct. There were also different levels of character development which keeps the readers entertained. The main character’s personality for example, drastically changes as the story plays out and his development is reflected in his actions. In contrast, the side characters remained the same from beginning to end. An interesting observation about The Picture of Dorian Gray is that even though there were only three recurring characters, it was filled with a great deal of emotion as well as logic. The fact that both the emotional and logical aspects were evenly balanced throughout the plot was truly fascinating. And even more impressive than that, it made sense. In fact, the story as a whole deserve every single award.

Anyone who appreciates the finer things in life will probably enjoy The Picture of Dorian Gray (unless you have an acute radar for pretentiousness and cannot tolerate it whatsoever).

j.k. rowling

The Book So Far: The Casual Vacancy - by J.K. Rowling

8:13 PM

book review

Book Review: The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy - by Rachel Joyce

9:34 PM

Summary from goodreads: When Queenie Hennessy discovers that Harold Fry is walking the length of England to save her, and all she has to do is wait, she is shocked. Her note had explained she was dying. How can she wait? A new volunteer at the hospice suggests that Queenie should write again; only this time she must tell Harold everything. In confessing to secrets she has hidden for twenty years, she will find atonement for the past. As the volunteer points out, 'Even though you've done your travelling, you're starting a new journey too.' Queenie thought her first letter would be the end of the story. She was wrong. It was the beginning.

Rating: 3.8/5
*The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is the first installment of the Harold Fry series.*

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy are both novels that require a bit more motivation to read than a dramatic or action filled novel. If you are a reader who is more inclined to fast paced novels, then chances are you won't be a very big fan of this series.

With that being said, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy is written with so much expertise and intricacy that any reader who is interested will find themselves in awe once they pick up on the smaller details. It may take some time for the reader to adjust their mentality to that of one which focuses not so much on the plot but on the writing, but it is well worth the read once they are in that state of mind. This novel has an abundance of diverse characters, a great deal of parallelism, consistency while shifting between one place and time to another, and a unique writing style.

First and foremost, the characterization in this novel has to be commended. There are so many side characters that one would assume that they were all just supporting characters thrown in the story to keep it moving. But that is not the case. As one reads, it is near impossible for the complexity of each and every single one of the side characters to go unnoticed. They are given so much attention and care that a reader could almost yearn for books dedicated to their backstories. There were characters that were clearly and obviously round while others were more subtly written and there were characters who went through an admirable amount of development while others developments had to be deciphered. In addition, they were all so different. There were not two characters from the two installments combined that had similar personalities.

Moving on to a more particular writing trait: parallelism. As to not give too much away, the parts of the story that could have been perceived as parallel will not be mentioned, but it could be expected that there is almost more parallelism than you know what to do with between Harold and his wife as a single story line and Queenie's storyline. While on the topic of specific writing traits, one could also expect imagery (a lot of it, but not as much as The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry).

An interesting feature about this novel is that it is constantly shifting between Queenie's modern day perspective and her backstory. Normally, a reader would find themselves confused and it would be hard to keep track, but the first line of each transition every time the story shifts is usually enough for the reader to understand. At the same time, the storyline was consistent yet progressive. The reader has to keep in mind that the main character is dying, so her deteriorating condition is portrayed through her writing (since it is written in first person) while still keeping a consistent voice throughout.

In both the first and second novels in this series there was a clear goal. This is very refreshing because the characters don't get sidetracked and neither do the readers. In the first novel, Harold Fry's goal was to walk to Queenie, and in the second novel, Queenie's goal was to write a letter to Harold. In a way, this builds suspense and makes anything and everything that happens so much more impactful than it would have been if there were a fast paced plot. The writing style as a whole was very smooth and had a strong voice that fit well with the main character. There were varying sentence structures and adjectives galore. If any of this sounds like your cup of tea, then you should definitely give this novel a read.

book review

Book Review: Legacy - by Ellery A. Kane

8:05 PM

Summary from goodreads:
How do you want to feel today? In 2041, the choice is yours. San Francisco is deserted, the Bay Bridge bombed, and the BART subway trains grounded. The Guardians, members of an elite and mysterious government-appointed military police force, are maintaining order at all costs—thanks to emotion-altering drugs like Emovere that suppress fear and anxiety. Lex Knightley, daughter of a prominent forensic psychiatrist, risks entering the devastated city to partner with the Resistance, a group of rebels intent upon exposing the dangers of Emovere. As she uncovers the secrets of the Guardian Force and confronts the truth about her family, Lex begins to realize that even those closest to her are not quite who they seem.

Rating: 3.7/5

Legacy was pleasantly surprising. It was not the typical dystopian novel, and this statement does not mean that the plot slightly veered from stereotypical dystopias; it swerved into an entirely different road and took it's own course for the dangerous journey that is YA dystopias. The plot was completely different and unique in comparison to other novels and, to be honest, it was arguably a great deal better. In addition to the entertaining and attention drawing plot, there was diversity in characters which is always an endearing aspect to any book. With that being said, there were a few bothersome qualities, one of which was the unexpected shifts from the main plot to the romantically dominant subplot.

It can not be emphasized enough how unique and entertaining the plot of Legacy was. It's mind-blowing. The reason I find it to be so interesting is because of how easily our own future could parallel with the events that happened in this story. The emotion altering drugs could be made and they could be used for the wrong reasons but with good intentions. Which brings me to my next point: the very confused characters. The main character was female. Even though she had a love interest who made his way to the top of the list of main characters, Lex Knightley is ultimately the one who lead her team. She was a good female lead and that, on it's own, gives Legacy a huge bonus in terms of characterization. Along with a great protagonist were side characters that were equally as important. The characters talked about real issues that happen in everyday life, but they didn't do it in a manner that was 'obnoxious' (for lack of better word). It was subtle and sat well with the rest of the plot which goes to show just how talented the author is and how expertly Legacy was written.

As mentioned previously, this particular novel had a flaw, and that flaw was the abrupt transitions between main plot and subplot. It got to a point where certain scenes in said subplot where completely useless to the development of the actual story. For example, there were a few chapter towards the end that were dedicated to a certain relationship while other characters were doing far more interesting tasks that dealt with the main plot. It did, however, play a major role on the characters' personalities and developments. So while it was not completely useless, it could have been avoided or redone to help with the movement of the story. But as a side note, it should be mentioned that the main character did not only have romantic relationships, but her relationship with her mom was a dominant trait in the book as well.

The story tied up really nicely in the end, but it still had room for a second novel which, I personally think, is how all books should end. Legacy is most definitely a page turner and it could easily be said that if the summary provided interests you enough, you will enjoy it thoroughly. This isn't just interesting in theory, it's interesting in every way. I recommend this to readers who are interested in a thought provoking but 'edgy' plot with a dash of romance and sappy one-liners.

german

Is German Better Than English?

10:12 PM

book review

Book Review: Tell the Wolves I'm Home - Carol Rifka Brunt

3:13 PM

Summary from goodreads:
1987. There’s only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that’s her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn’s company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June’s world is turned upside down. But Finn’s death brings a surprise acquaintance into June’s life - someone who will help her to heal and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart.

Rating: 3.2/5
Tell the Wolves I'm Home, written by Carol Rifka Brunt in first person point of view, is a coming of age novel surrounding June Elbus, the self pitying main character. The book had a brilliantly executed plot, an engaging writing style appropriate for the story, and a fair amount of round characters. What it didn't have, however, were likable characters.

Obviously, the likability of a character does not determine a novel's success from a literary point of view, but it is a very big deal when the novel is written in first person. This is because the entire novel from beginning to end follows this character's thoughts and feelings which makes it very mentally exhausting to read if said character is a pain. June Elbus' most dominant character trait was self pity. This is clearly understandable considering the fact that one of her closest relatives dies. But as a reader reads on, June Elbus goes from an understandably upset teenager to an almost pathetic and whiny character. In addition, she was the type of character whose mantra was 'I'm not like other girls' (without it being explicitly said). But June wasn't the only character who felt sorry for herself. Just about every single main character in the story had a scene in which they expressed their reason as to why their problems were more tragic and pity worthy than June's. It's simply an annoying trait to read.

Nevertheless, Tell the Wolves I'm Home did have it's moments. For example, the writing style is very similar to what a reader would see in a young adult novel. At first, it's a bit odd since it dealt with such heavy subjects, but it's actually a very impressive effort. The narrator was barely a teenager, so the the style was appropriate. What's even more impressive is the fact that the teenage voice was there throughout the entire novel. The narrator did not once fall out of her mentality, and that is easily an effort to be commended.

Despite the characters' unlikable personalities, they were all round and complex. June developed and learned a great deal throughout the story, as well as most if not all of the side characters. They all had depth and underlying meanings for their actions and it was endearing to see them unravel and to understand the thought process that lead them to do whatever it was they did.

Tell the Wolves I'm Home is a good enough book to keep the reader engaged. For some, it's a page turner. For others, it's a difficult read. This book is for all the readers out there who are looking for a tear jerker.

book review

Book Review: The Graveyard Book - by Neil Gaiman

7:47 PM

Summary from goodreads:
After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own. Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family . . .

Rating: 3.8/5

The Graveyard Book, written by Neil Gaiman, is a fantastic and simply written novel appropriate for all ages. Although the book lacked the presence of round characters, it had a plot and writing style that kept the audience interested and its unique execution of the story is an effort deserving of praise.

First and foremost, it should be noted that this particular book may not be fully appreciated the first time it's read. The reason for this because the presentation, so to speak, can be considerably confusing. The Graveyard Book starts out as an ordinary novel. The characters are introduced and the conflict is exposed. Not too far into the story, however, the story shifts from the main plot and has entire chapters dedicated to short stories that seem irrelevant and unnecessary. But as the reader keeps reading, one realizes that the short stories are intertwined with the main plot, making several reappearances and occasionally serving as informative excerpts regarding the characterization of certain personalities.

With that being said, although the characters were likable, they were, for the most part, both flat and static. The main character, Bod, did not develop throughout the story considering the amount of change and risks he had to physically undergo. He went from infancy to toddlerhood and then onto adolescence but his overall personality remained stagnant. The same goes for the minor characters as well, although the side characters arguably had more dimension and depth to their personalities.

As for the writing style, it was simply easy to read. It was not necessarily thought provoking, but it kept the readers interested. As a result, perhaps purposefully so, The Graveyard Book has a wide range of audience. Younger age groups would be able to read this book with awe and anticipation of such a unique and extraordinary plot while older age groups are able to read the book with ease and content. This is not the only result, however. The simplicity of the writing made the the imagery and the feelings so raw. It was as if the reader were being transported to a graveyard and was watching Bod from the sidelines. It made the emotions real enough to be transferred onto the reader as well.

As a whole, The Graveyard Book deserves the praise it has received and the awards it's won. I would easily recommend this to anyone who is looking for an easy to read yet suspenseful novel.

fairy tale

Original Plot of Rapunzel

9:47 PM

Most children have heard of Rapunzel. Beautiful girl with long hair locked in a tower and eventually marries a dashing prince. The Disney version was executed beautifully, and the way they worked with the plot was amazing. Not many people, however, know of how the story was originally written.

If you enjoy the childhood memories you had with fairy tales, then I suggest you leave this page (even though this isn't even the most drastically changed fairy tale).

The story started with a couple with a baby on the way. At some point in her pregnancy, the woman wanted nothing more than lettuce. Lucky her, their neighbor, a witch, had a garden with Rampion lettuce, so her genius husband deicides to jump over to the witch's garden and steal lettuce. But this craving did not disappear after one serving of lettuce. Oh, no. She still craved the leafiness and oh-so-amazing taste that no other plant could match. So her husband, once again, carried out his fool proof plan to steal the witch's plant. As it turns out, the plan wasn't so fool proof after all. The witch catches him stealing her hard work. Her precious leaves were being stolen by her neighbor! She could not stand for this. She WOULD not stand for this. How dare he think he could get away with such an unforgivable crime. She would confront him. And confront him she did. She stuck it to the man. Told him he couldn't carry on stealing her lettuce. But he was a stubborn man. He didn't go away quietly. He had to make a deal with the witch. He told her she could have anything she wanted if only she would let him take all the lettuce he wanted. But what could match her invaluable lettuce? Ah! She came to a conclusion. She would let this robber take her lettuce as long as he agreed to give up his first born child. Was it worth it, though? Were irreplaceable memories he and his wife could make together raising a beautiful baby girl worth giving up? But, of course it was. So he agreed to the terms.

When the baby was born, and she was named after the lettuce that was obviously worth so much more than herself, the couple gave it to the witch as promised. And the witch, being a witch, decided there was nothing better to do with this girl than to lock her up in a tall tower with no way out. The girl grew up to be beautiful and developed a beautiful voice. She sang to her heart's content. One day, a prince heard her beautiful voice and realized he wanted nothing more than to see the girl that possessed it. So he followed the voice. He followed it until he reached the tower. But, alas! There was no way in. So he waited. He hid in the bushes, because that's the normal reaction, and watched as the witch called out "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair". And at that moment, the girl with the beautiful voice dropped all her hair down the window, which served as a way of entrance.

The prince left after witnessing this, but he wasn't gone for long. When he returned, he chanted what the witch had, and lo! and behold, down came Rapunzel's hair. He climbed up the hair and convinced Rapunzel to run away with him. When the witch cam back, Rapunzel let out the only secret she ever had to keep in her entire life. The only one. She said to the witch: "How come the prince is so much lighter than you are". (I guess she takes after her parents). The witch, of course, was furious. She cut off all of Rapunzel's hair and awaited the prince to execute his plan. When the prince called for Rapunzel, he was greeted with what he expected: her hair. He climbed up with the intention of taking Rapunzel away. Instead, he was greeted with an angry woman who's pride had been wounded. The witch pushed the prince out of the window, and he landed in a bush. He lived, but two thorns punctured his eyes and he was left blind.

The prince, blind and confused, roamed the woods for years. One day, however, he heard a familiar voice. He followed the voice, once again, and was met by Rapunzel. Rapunzel, with two children now, saw the prince and cried into his face. But she didn't just cry into his face, she cried into his eyes. And because of this coincidence he gets his sight back.

That's it. That's how the story ends.

book review

Book Review: Meritropolis - by Joel Ohman

7:57 PM

Summary from Goodreads:

The year is AE3, 3 years after the Event. Within the walls of Meritropolis, 50,000 inhabitants live in fear, ruled by the brutal System that assigns each citizen a merit score that dictates whether they live or die. Those with the highest scores thrive, while those with the lowest are subject to the most unforgiving punishment--to be thrust outside the city gates, thrown to the terrifying hybrid creatures that exist beyond. But for one High Score, conforming to the System just isn't an option. Seventeen-year-old Charley has a brother to avenge. And nothing--not even a totalitarian military or dangerous science--is going to stop him. Where humankind has pushed nature and morals to the extreme, Charley is amongst the chosen few tasked with exploring the boundaries, forcing him to look deep into his very being to discern right from wrong. But as he and his friends learn more about the frightening forces that threaten destruction both without and within the gates, Meritropolis reveals complexities they couldn't possibly have bargained for...

Rating: 3/5
Ever since the undeniable success of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, the dystopian genre has become very prominent in the lives of many, if not all, book lovers. Although Meritropolis, written by Joel Ohman, is completely different plot-wise in relation to The Hunger Games, it is also a dystopian novel. Meritropolis has a noticeably unique plot and a writing style that is simple enough for the age group it is intended for to understand. Even though it has good qualities to it, it is painfully hard to ignore the stereotypically written female characters in the novel.

The story started out interestingly enough for the average reader to get hooked. It was not the kind of sci-fi novel in which the only explanation that is given for the reason chaos is present is that the characters live in a corrupt society. Paired with this explanation, readers are also basically told who is at fault and who is on a quest to right the antagonist's wrongs. This was not the case in Meritropolis. There were events and comprehensible reasons for why people were dying and why leaders were acting the way they did. Because of this, the readers didn't know who to side with, making this book a distinguishable dystopian novel.

Another aspect that perhaps not everyone would catch at first is that Charlie's main goal was not to benefit the society, but to avenge his brother who was a victim of the corruption that is found in the novel. Even when he wanted to 'save' other characters, it was not because he wanted to save them out of the goodness of his heart, but because he didn't want to relive what he experienced with his brother's incident. All in all, his motives were, in a way, selfish (but in all honesty, anything other than that would be completely out of character).

One of the most irksome things in the story, perhaps even annoying enough to stop a person from finishing the book, is the stereotypical portrayal of the female characters. There is only one way to describe every single one of them: Mary Sue. This is really shocking because the minor characters in the beginning of the story had distinct personalities and were characters one would be excited for. These characters, however, were male. Every single time a new female character was introduced, any reader who appreciates the finer things in life would hope and pray that she is somewhat different and a bit more tolerable than the last. The thing is, though, these female characters seem like they were supposed to come off as strong female leads, and they were. But they were inaccurate. They didn't have any depth and they were all ridiculously similar to each other. Interestingly enough, none of this would have been a problem if the main character were a girl. Nothing would change, not even the name. Even though Charlie is characteristically selfish, writing him as a girl rather than a boy would have been so much more entraining and interesting to read. It would have been unlike any other book and it may have even been even more successful than it is now.

Aside from the disappointing female personalities, Meritropolis is a good book to read if you are looking for a simply written sci-fi dystopian novel with a decent plot.

book review

Book Review: Paper Towns - by John Green

5:40 PM

Summary from Goodreads:
Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew...

Rating: 3.5/5
This is a novel people would generally want to read because the author of Paper Towns is the very same mastermind responsible for the heart aching journey that was The Fault in Our Stars. To be honest, a person never truly knows what to expect when it comes to books written John Green. It could either be a ridiculously uncomfortable story that makes the readers cringe with second hand embarrassment or a ridiculously sad story that makes the reader curl into a ball and cry for nine days straight. Paper Towns is no exception.

When a reader first begins to read Paper Towns, they would most likely assume that it is a romance since the storyline revolves around a soon to be high school graduate, Quentin Jacobsen, who is madly in love with an adventurous girl, Margo Roth Spiegelman, who has no limits when it comes to carrying out a scheme she has carefully planned out. Upon closer reading however, the reader comes to realize that Quentin is not as in love with Margo as he is infatuated with the idea of her. In fact, it could be considered a border-line mystery novel. Throughout the book, the protagonist tries to find out who Margo really is when he is hit with the realization that he didn't know the real Margo, he just accepted the portrayal he was given of her.

Paper Towns, like all of John Green's work, has a wide range of diverse and round characters that sometimes overthrows the main character's likability. The novel doesn't focus solely on Quentin, but it give the readers insight on his friends' personalities as well. This is particularly interesting because Paper Towns is written in first person point of view, so naturally one wouldn't expect much background on any character that wasn't Quentin. Granted the reader's were not given specific details about their back stories, the way the characters spoke and acted with or around Quentin was more than enough for the readers to understand their characterizations and have opinions on all of them based on these simple aspects.

Alongside the amazing characterization was engaging writing. The way in which John Green wrote this book drew in the readers, not necessarily through the plot (although that did play a pretty large role), but through the way it was written. The protagonist, Quentin, had an unfaltering voice that was consistent throughout the book. The same could be said for all the other characters, major or minor. Because of this, it could easily be said that John Green is an unbelievably talented writer and deserves all the attention he has been getting recently.

The one and only thing that was slightly bothersome while reading some John Green books in general is that the middle portion of the stories tend to be quite bland. The middle is when nothing in particular is really going on (aside from angst and occasionally self pity) and the reader is tempted to skim through it to get to the good parts again. This problem does occur in Paper Towns, although it is, to a certain extent, much more tolerable than any other story.

Even though Paper Towns is not an outright romance, it would be extremely exciting if this was made into a suspenseful romantic comedy. It had an entertaining storyline, varied characters, and amazing writing. What more could you want from a book? If you are the kind of person that likes cute stories with meaningful plots, this is definitely the book to read.