If Only They Could Talk - Book Review

If Only They Could Talk (1970) - James Herriot

A delightfully British and upbeat depiction of the highs and lows of a young vet’s life in rural Yorkshire in the 1930s. Full of eccentric characters and their bizarre antics. Herriot has a way with words and he whisks you straight into the narrator’s stories - from birthing cows at night in freezing barns, to drying out in front of the roaring fire - you see the characters' faces (human and non-human), hear their cries of embarrassment, and join their laughter.

Quality: 8

Plot: 6

Style: 6

Entertainment: 9

Depth: 6

= 7.0

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Book Review

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (2004) - Susanna Clarke

At 1000+ pages, this fantastical novel may take a while to read (it took me two months), but if you like Dickens, Austen and Gaiman then you’ll savour every word.

It’s character-driven and well-researched historical fiction. Two thoroughly British magicians seek to bring magic back to England. Real events and people (Wellington, Byron etc.) are referenced and given a sprinkle of strange magic. 

There aren't many female characters, which it seems Clarke attempted to reconcile in her 2006 follow-up, The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories. Nevertheless, the eloquent men of JS & MN are entertaining and often charming. As well as these endearing characters, I was captured by the increasingly magical atmosphere of the northern English countryside.

So it’s not a magical action story like HP. It’s not an epic adventure quest like LOTR. It’s believable human characters - and maybe some faeries - in a Britain where the real sometimes blurs into the fantastical. Where a gentleman can sip his tea at home one moment, and understand the language of the trees, sky and stones the next.

Quality: 8

Plot: 7

Style: 9

Entertainment: 7

Depth: 7

= 7.6

Of Mice and Men - Book Review

Of Mice and Men (1937) - John Steinbeck

This classic tale depicts the destruction of innocence in depression-gripped 1930s California. 

The story joins two men as they arrive at a ranch with the hope of "working up a stake" of a few dollars. The dream is simple: to get a place of their own and be able to sustain themselves. However, all comes under threat as they encounter ignorance, intolerance and insecurity.

The plot is fairly interesting but the characters are goofy, dated caricatures. Still, Steinbeck's eye-dialect and concise style turn this uncomfortable tale into a memorable glimpse of hope and cruelty in the Dust Bowl.

Quality: 7

Plot: 5

Style: 6

Entertainment: 4

Depth: 5

= 5.4

Moon Palace - Book Review

Moon Palace (1989) - Paul Auster

An eloquent and quirky tale of a detached young man trying to find his place in the universe.

Despite getting carried away with nonsensical, mystical ponderings on the self, an increasingly involving plot and some surprisingly emotive moments make this novel worth a glance.

Quality: 8

Plot: 6

Style: 4

Entertainment: 7

Depth: 6

= 6.2

A Sound of Thunder - Book Review

A Sound of Thunder (1952) - Ray Bradbury

Sci-fi legend Ray Bradbury's short story elucidates the potentially colossal consequences of the smallest of actions - the butterfly effect.

Original and efficient, with an effectively awesome tyrannosaurus description.

Quality: 7

Plot: 8

Style: 6

Entertainment: 7

Depth: 6

= 6.8

Brave New World - Book Review

Brave New World (1932) - Aldous Huxley

If state violence breaks the spirit of society and people choose comfort over truth, we could end up with a "soma"-sedated civilisation similar to that of Huxley's Brave New World.

You can see why BNW is often quoted alongside dystopian classics like Orwell's 1984 and Zamyatin's We, because here individuality is obsolete, intensive social conditioning is inescapable, and the state machine rules supreme.

The book's hypocritical State Controller defends this system, musing:

What need have we of repose when our minds and bodies continue to delight in activity? Of consolation, when we have soma? Of something immovable, when there is the social order?

The book leans towards a rejection of this sedated society but provides no clear-cut alternative solutions, instead encouraging the reader to contemplate humanity for themselves.

The plot itself is thin and the characters uninspiring, but that's not why you should read this book. Read it for Huxley's vision of our future, which is cleverly rendered, disconcertingly perceptive, and increasingly present.

Quality: 8

Plot: 5

Style: 7

Entertainment: 6

Depth: 9

= 7.0

Never Let Me Go - Book Review

Never Let Me Go (2005) - Kazuo Ishiguro

The emotionally charged Never Let Me Go is often labelled as a dystopian science-fiction story. While a sci-fi premise does provide the novel's foundation, it would be more appropriate to call it a psychological coming of age tragedy.

The story unfolds around the recollections of the narrator, Kathy. The reader is gradually introduced to the setting of her childhood - a boarding-school with a twist. As we learn about her friends and their experiences together, there is an obscure darkness underpinning their development.

Fragments of information are tentatively revealed, piece by piece. The students are cunningly “told and not told” about their identity, purpose, future. This sinister intrigue is reflected for the reader and emphasised through the narrator's casual mentioning of her job as a “carer” and the “donations” that await the students after school. The students don't question their “guardians” too fiercely due to an unspoken rule of the playground and, perhaps, some deeper, subconscious awareness of what is truly going on.

Unfortunately, there are some dull moments in the story where you feel you are reading an unknown woman's ordinary school memories. There are also frustratingly predictable moments where the narrative delivers set-up after set-up, becoming formulaic and repetitive. However, these flaws are overcome by two things: the increasingly menacing sense of curiosity and Ishiguro's astute psychological insight.

The author is clearly talented in creating characters with realistic behaviour. He shows a detailed and perceptive understanding of how differing personalities react to emotionally heavy situations. His skill in forming these personalities is furthered through the manner of the details' expression - namely Kathy's own observations of encounters with her friends. As the children progress through adolescence, Kathy's observations illuminate their struggle in coming to terms with the reality they face. Ishiguro records their interactions with a psychological accuracy so convincing you will be taken back to moments in your own formative years.

As well as being an insightful character study, Never Let Me Go addresses the loss of innocence and the search for self-knowledge. Moreover, the novel raises some philosophical questions: Is it preferable to know the difficult truth or to exist in blissful ignorance? Is a society more worthy than an individual? Just what indeed constitutes humanity?

By the story's conclusion, Kathy and her friends eventually find their own sober answers to these questions. This may be fiction, but these people are real. As a result, Never Let Me Go is a heartbreaking tale of loneliness, resignation and lost love.

Quality: 8

Plot: 6

Style: 7

Entertainment: 6

Depth: 8

= 7.0