Tag: Praise

Sylvia Plath – The Bell Jar | Review

February 14, 2019
Authors P-T (By Surname)Fiction

Title: The Bell Jar

Author: Sylvia Plath

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 216

Rating: 5/5

 

 

This is one of those books that I’ve been meaning to read for years but which I never got round to. I’ve read Ariel, Plath’s poetry collection, but I eventually had to order a copy of this online after giving up hope of ever seeing it.

Plath’s writing is beautiful here, and she does a fantastic job of capturing the complex emotions that are going through her protagonist’s mind. It’s also interesting because it’s semi-autobiographical, and indeed it foreshadowed Plath’s own tragic end. If you have any interest at all in mental health and its portrayal in literature, this one is a must-read.

All in all, my voice is just yet another one that rings out in praise of The Bell Jar, but what can I say? When people say this is an excellent novel, they’re right. I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up on my top books of the year list. I also liked that in the biographical note, it mentioned that the novel was described as like a feminist Catcher in the Rye. I can see that, and I think that if you like one then you’ll like the other.

 

 

Click here to buy The Bell Jar.

Agatha Christie – Murder on the Orient Express | Review

January 2, 2019
Authors A-E (By Surname)Fiction

Title: Murder on the Orient Express

Author: Agatha Christie

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 352

Rating: 4/5

 

 

I’m not really sure how it took me so long to get to this. After all, Agatha Christie is one of my favourite (and most read) authors, and this is one of her most famous books. And it’s not as though there’s some specific reason behind me not getting to it. It’s just that I generally get my Agatha Christie books from charity shops, and it took me a while to find a copy of this one. I thought that after the movie came out they’d be all over the place, but nope!

As for the story itself, it’s not my favourite of hers but I do think it’s pretty representative of her work and her writing style. If you’re new to her, I can see why it would be a good introduction, and that might be why it’s so popular in the first place. People tend to look back fondly on their first Christie, and that also tends to be the one that they recommend to other people.

In this one, Hercule Poirot investigates a murder that occurs on the Orient Express while he and his fellow passengers are all stuck in the snow. In that respect, it’s a little bit like And Then There Were None in that we know that someone on board the train committed the crime and they’re all isolated there together. I figured out the solution before the big reveal, but I’m not sure whether that’s just because I’ve read so many Christie books that I know how her mind works or even because it’s such a part of pop culture now that I’ve seen a spoiler.

All in all, I can see why this book receives the praise that it does, but I also don’t think it’s the first Christie book that I’d suggest if people asked for a recommendation. My favourite is Death on the Nile, but I’d suggest And Then There Were None for your first.

 

 

Click here to buy Murder on the Orient Express.