The King's Speech by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi
Biographical
Published 2011 by Quercus
An excellent read offering an insight into George VI's abrupt succession to the throne, his incredible battle with the speech impediment that plagued him since childhood, and his tough reign through the trauma of World War Two.
The reader comes to see how important Lionel Logue was in helping the King overcome his stammer, not only through his skills as a speech therapist but also through the friendship that formed between himself and the King. He was always a loyal friend to the King which provided the support he needed throughout his remaining years.
This documentary, in its biographical style, makes The King's Speech easy to follow and understand, creating a book you cannot put down.
There is a feeling of immense sympathy for the King as he endeavoured to overcome the ordeals and struggles in his life. Through this he became praised as a great monarch, remembered for ruling the people through a disastrous time of war and catastrophe, into a more peaceful time.
I found this book to be a wonderful tribute to two great men who deserve to be remembered and honoured each in their own right; the ordinary, Australian speech therapist and the Duke of York, King George VI.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
The Good Shall Conquer
J.K Rowling: The Harry Potter series
Adventure and Fantasy
What started out as a novel, about an exceptional boy who survived an attack from the most powerful, dark and evil thing in the world, became a sensational story about three unlikely friends whose journey will test their friendship, their loyalty and their magical talents.
All of this is in the name of that age old battle between good and evil. Their quest will transform their world forever.
Yes, i am of course talking about Harry Potter and his close friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
Adventure and Fantasy
What started out as a novel, about an exceptional boy who survived an attack from the most powerful, dark and evil thing in the world, became a sensational story about three unlikely friends whose journey will test their friendship, their loyalty and their magical talents.
All of this is in the name of that age old battle between good and evil. Their quest will transform their world forever.
Yes, i am of course talking about Harry Potter and his close friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
The Life of a Lady
D.H Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover
Published by: Penguin Group 2011
Romance
Rather negatively, i found the writing style hard to get along with in its jumpy style. Stories with a flowing style, like most classic novels, tend to hold my interest better and tend also to be clearer to understand and follow. Not only is the style and language not to my taste but the actual content does not hold my interest either. This however, is not Lawrence's fault, but just down to my individual taste.
The complex heroine Lady Constance Chatterley shifts between an emotionless and empty woman to a pathetic and needy lover, bringing contempt and frustration to the pages as no amount of lovers, money, high society or good living ever seems to make her happy. Although the sex is explicit, there seems to be little romance or even love between the characters who share these intimate moments.
I can appreciate the struggle Lawrence must have gone through to produce a novel about such a delicate and complex topic, as he talks so openly about sex and the complexity of love.
Published by: Penguin Group 2011
Romance
Rather negatively, i found the writing style hard to get along with in its jumpy style. Stories with a flowing style, like most classic novels, tend to hold my interest better and tend also to be clearer to understand and follow. Not only is the style and language not to my taste but the actual content does not hold my interest either. This however, is not Lawrence's fault, but just down to my individual taste.
The complex heroine Lady Constance Chatterley shifts between an emotionless and empty woman to a pathetic and needy lover, bringing contempt and frustration to the pages as no amount of lovers, money, high society or good living ever seems to make her happy. Although the sex is explicit, there seems to be little romance or even love between the characters who share these intimate moments.
I can appreciate the struggle Lawrence must have gone through to produce a novel about such a delicate and complex topic, as he talks so openly about sex and the complexity of love.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Reality is not always the perfect picture
Jodi Picoult: Picture Perfect
Fiction - Domestic violence/family saga
Published by Hodder & Stoughton 2010
Picture Perfect tells two stories that come to coincide and inter-link with each other. One is of a melancholic Indian man's plight, who is trying so hard to forget his past, wishing he could erase his roots, trying to confront the racist issues his faces, whilst living an ordinary life. It becomes apparent that Will Flying Horse has a big part to play, almost acting as a guardian angel and saviour for the abused Cassie. The main focus is on the seemingly perfect, storybook Hollywood marriage which, as the story develops, rather despairingly turns into a harsh reality of domestic violence as it is clear that not everything is as it first appeared. Despite Cassie's nightmarish life though, she is overcome with the gripping emotions of love, loyalty and care as she vouches to stay with her husband Alex. What makes their relationship so intense is Alex's propensity to perform as a modern-day Jekyll and Hyde.
Here, Picoult portrays hidden depths, showing the reality and complexity of human existence. Her complex characters are never exactly what they appear to be as the facade begins to crack with reality seeping through the hidden secrets, mysterious pasts and forgotten identities and ancestral histories.
Will Cassie finally escape or can the relationship return back to its initial fairy-tale beginning? Either way, something has to change as it is clear Cassie cannot survive much longer in her current predicament.
Fiction - Domestic violence/family saga
Published by Hodder & Stoughton 2010
Picture Perfect tells two stories that come to coincide and inter-link with each other. One is of a melancholic Indian man's plight, who is trying so hard to forget his past, wishing he could erase his roots, trying to confront the racist issues his faces, whilst living an ordinary life. It becomes apparent that Will Flying Horse has a big part to play, almost acting as a guardian angel and saviour for the abused Cassie. The main focus is on the seemingly perfect, storybook Hollywood marriage which, as the story develops, rather despairingly turns into a harsh reality of domestic violence as it is clear that not everything is as it first appeared. Despite Cassie's nightmarish life though, she is overcome with the gripping emotions of love, loyalty and care as she vouches to stay with her husband Alex. What makes their relationship so intense is Alex's propensity to perform as a modern-day Jekyll and Hyde.
Here, Picoult portrays hidden depths, showing the reality and complexity of human existence. Her complex characters are never exactly what they appear to be as the facade begins to crack with reality seeping through the hidden secrets, mysterious pasts and forgotten identities and ancestral histories.
Will Cassie finally escape or can the relationship return back to its initial fairy-tale beginning? Either way, something has to change as it is clear Cassie cannot survive much longer in her current predicament.
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