Tag: Mara

John Williams – Stoner | Review

Title: Stoner

Author: John Williams

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 298

Rating: 5/5

 

 

I wasn’t too sure what to expect from this, and I basically picked it up because I saw a beautiful copy of it in a charity shop and then kept it on my shelves for a while until my BookTube friend Mara mentioned she was picking it up and I asked her if she fancied a buddy read.

I’m glad that it gave me the motivation to pick this up, because it turned out to be pretty much the perfect novel. Sure, it was bleak and sad throughout, but I like that from books and so I wasn’t exactly complaining. I also thought it did an excellent job of telling the story of Stoner’s life from start to finish.

If you’re looking for a plot-driven read then you should probably look elsewhere, because that’s not what this is. The good news is that I tend to prefer plot-driven reads to character-driven reads, but I thought this was fantastic despite my personal preferences, so there might still be hope for you.

 

 

I think what Williams did well was to show some very human characteristics in some very flawed characters. I even liked reading about Edith, Stoner’s wife, even though she was kind of a terrible person. Because she was a part of Stoner’s story and we follow his wife from start to finish, we can see how she becomes the way she ends up being. The same is true of his daughter, too.

Then there’s the commentary on the first and the second world wars, and you really feel their impact in the small community of Stoner’s university. This is a contender for my top ten books of the year.

 

 

Click here to buy Stoner.


Agatha Christie – At Bertram’s Hotel | Review

Title: At Bertram’s Hotel

Author: Agatha Christie

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 320

Rating: 3*/5

 

Agatha Christie - At Bertram's Hotel

Agatha Christie – At Bertram’s Hotel

 

I wasn’t such a fan of this one, and I think a lot of that was because I just didn’t relate to either the characters or the situations they were in. I think that was one of Christie’s more far-fetched plots, and right at the end, someone just randomly admits everything despite there being no proof against them before jumping out of a window and climbing a drainpipe to the roof before somehow suddenly being on the ground and in a car. It was just super dumb.

Another thing that I didn’t like was the fact that a huge part of the plot relied on the fact that someone had been hit on the head and they’d forgotten who they were. I don’t know, it just all felt very forced to me, and it was a big disappointment after enjoying the last couple of Marple books that I picked up. I’d go so far as to say that it’s the worst Marple book I’ve read yet, although it’s probably not the worst Agatha Christie.

Still, it is worth reading if you’re working your way through all of the Marple books, I just wouldn’t suggest going out of your way for it. I know that my friend Mara enjoyed this one, but she also likes to read Christie to get a feel for the social mores of the time and the way that gender was perceived. If that’s your thing then you’re going to enjoy this. If not, and if you’re more into the actual murder mysteries, this might drag a bit.

But if you ask me, Agatha Christie is a little bit like Stephen King in that even at her worst, she’s better than most other authors at their best. This book is just fine, you know? That’s it.

 

Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie

 

Click here to buy At Bertram’s Hotel.