Tag: Daniel

Carlos Ruiz Zafon – The Shadow of the Wind | Review

Title: The Shadow of the Wind

Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 522

Rating: 2*/5

 

Carlos Ruiz Zafon - The Shadow of the Wind

Carlos Ruiz Zafon – The Shadow of the Wind

 

Well I guess the short and simple version here is that I was disappointed by this. You ready for the long version?

This book had its pros and cons, and I can totally see why a lot of people like it. At the same time, though, I’m also surprised I haven’t heard more people giving it negative reviews. For me, it was pretty dull and I found myself repeatedly zoning out and losing interest.

Part of the problem is from the main character, Daniel, who made a lot of decisions that I didn’t agree with. He developed an unhealthy obsession for someone, let himself into their house and walked in on them having sex, and then later he started sleeping with someone who was engaged to a dude in the army. He just acted like a bit of a douche throughout and I found it hard to really care about him. He was spoiled, entitled and the kind of protagonist where I just want to see them fail.

In fact, the main problem that I had with this book was the fact that it was like watching a bad magician. I could tell when I was supposed to feel excited or scared or to laugh at the book, but the fact that I could tell I was supposed to do it made me less inclined to actually do so. It was like being in the studio audience for an unfunny comedy and feeling awkward when they flashed up big “laughtersigns.

 

Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Carlos Ruiz Zafon

 

Sure, there were bits here and there where it was beautifully written, and it’s a very “quotablebook. But that’s not what I look for when I read something, and there’s no point being able to write decent sentences if the book as a whole just bores someone to tears. I wouldn’t have bothered to even finish reading it if I’d been reading it by myself, but because it was a buddy read and I’d organised it, I felt as though I had to. But it didn’t get any better.

And we’re now getting to the point at which my review is resembling the book, because I don’t have anything else to add here but I have another 150 words to write to meet my word count. For those of you who didn’t know this, my word count for my reviews matches the page count of the book, and so I write longer reviews for longer books.

You could condense this review to 300 words and it would be better. Which is kind of funny because you could condense the book to 300 pages and it would be better for it, too. Instead, it just felt bloated and a chore to read, and I can’t imagine ever wanting to read another Zafon book in the future. I don’t really have “reading slumps”, but if I did then this book would have given me one. I had to switch to an Agatha Christie book afterwards to enjoy reading again.

 

Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Carlos Ruiz Zafon

 

Click here to buy The Shadow of the Wind.


Jemma Wayne – Chains of Sand | Review

Title: Chains of Sand

Author: Jemma Wayne

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 336

Rating: 8/10

 

Jemma Wayne - Chains of Sand

Jemma Wayne – Chains of Sand

 

Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this for free to review.

This book was pretty interesting, a literary fiction piece that shows the difference between London and Gaza, and the different lives that their inhabitants have. As if jumping from London to Gaza isn’t confusing enough, it also jumps backwards and forwards through time, but don’t let that put you off – it’s well-worth reading, even if it does leave you feeling like you need to re-read it to appreciate what actually happens.

And it really isn’t an easy read – it felt like it was taking me longer to read than it should do, although I did still blitz through it over a weekend. But that’s because there are so many layers to it, and you sometimes need to stop and think, because it’s the type of book that makes you do that.

As for the story line, it mainly focuses on two characters. First up, we have Udi, a 26-year-old Veteran of the Israeli army. Udi is the same age as I am and he’s already killed five men, and he wants to start a new life on London. Then there’s Daniel, a 29-year-old Londoner. Daniel is a Jewish investment banker who seems to have everything, but who still wants something more – in this case, he wants to move to Israel. Oh, and his family thinks that he’s crazy.

If you wanted to categorise this, you’d call it a piece of literary fiction. It’s more than that, though – it’s a strong exploration of the world that we live in, and one which makes you think. It’s rare for a contemporary book to do that – these days, in a culture which prefers instant gratification, it’s unusual for someone to take such an evocative approach to showing where things are wrong, and where we should fix it. It makes you think.

 

Jemma Wayne

Jemma Wayne

 

Click here to buy Chains of Sand.