The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness

£7.99 ISBN - 978-1-4063-2247-7

When you read books people lend you books. I can't tell you the amount of times I’ve heard, `oh you'd love this take it home with you` and then you are compelled to read the most boring bit of drivel ever written, usually some kind of chick flick with no plot and lots of shoes! But I was lucky enough before xmas to hear this very phrase and be nicely surprised by reading `The Knife of Never Letting Go` lent to me by a friend (the prequel to this book).The I just had to buy the rest....

The Ask and the Answer - despite this being proclaimed teen fiction it is brutal in many ways. I think the author intended to scare small children. With concepts of mind control, torture and a never ending chase the book is enthralling. Todd and Viola are clearly in love and the main characters that you follow through in their own words as they battle against the mayor and...well mad men mainly! Told by each character in their own words I wonder if the third book will add an additional narrator.

I love the fact the book has key animal characters who are loyal. Often I get bored reading sequels and find writers repeat the same plot or drag out themes for too long but i can honestly say i found this book as captivating as the first one. SPOILER - It is unusual to find books that have a tragic ending and I am hoping the final in the series has a happy ending to be honest.

Themes of war are key in this book with many `just following orders` and gravitating toward power. `Noise` is heard by all of the population in the book but only generated by men. Imagine if everyone could hear what you think all the time? You’re most private and intimate thoughts. That is what it would be like to live with the noise. Calling the series `chaos walking` is exactly right as the ever changing pace of the book makes you feel chaotic and at times lost. It reminded me of `The Road` by Cormac McCarthy due to its pace and ever searching for its next direction.

I'm drawn most to Todd in the book as he changes the most. Viola seems to maintain her sense of self throughout despite being kidnapped, drowned and blown up!

Patrick Ness also seems to have a interesting website http://www.patrickness.com/biog.html if you want to learn more about him. I rarely buy books as I am a big fan of the library which I think more of us should use (otherwise the government will take it….grrr…), but being Christmas it was closed so I bought the book. I actually am glad I paid £7.99 for this book. I have the third book waiting to be read along with lot of other Xmas books :) Reading, skating and drinking coffee is my ideal Xmas.

New yrs resolution - Remember to record what i read and use the library! :)

An Impossible Marriage- Pamela Hansford Johnson

My oh so neglected book blog I am sorry. I will invest in you again x All I can say is that roller derby stole my soul – so I haven’t been up to much else but skating. But with a poorly foot I can now…well return to you x I have read many of a book but none of them are worth summarising save this one.

Title                                         - An Impossible Marriage

Author                                     - Pamela Hansford Johnson

First copyright date                  -1955

Type of book                           - Fiction

General subject matter            - Marriage, jealousy, adultery, monotony

Price                                        - 4’6 but it cost me 50p

ISBN                                       - No ISBN or barcode J I love old books

The author does not state a purpose and the dedication page appears to be in French – I think. I love the appearance of old books and fell in love with this one on the shelf. A way to a girl’s heart if to buy her a book and the way to a man’s is through his stomach!

Published by the companion book club I imagine house wives are meant to read this at home while embroidering clothes. Christie is the main character who is a Plane Jane trying to get through a marriage that she falls into in her youth with a much older man. Growing up through the book she realises she cannot stand her husband but he simply will not let her go.

The conclusion of this book feels it is foretold in the first three chapters but overall it is well written. Similar themes to your modern day Jane Mansell or other trashy chic books that come free with Cosmo – this book however has a better cover and more realism than romance.

From Christies often selfish and blunt point of view she try’s to explain the complexities of her relationships but it always seems to lack emotion and be very practical – like reading an instruction book. Ned her husband is a pitiful character who try’s to hold on to her until his moral undoing. A nice book to read that will not upset you before bed time

The book reminded me that literature is often churned out every year on the same topics – recycled with a different cover but the same underlying issues we all face with human relationships. I can’t say it is a joyous book and maybe on a mental note its worth noting it wouldn’t make a favourable engagement gift.

I would recommend the book to my friends on the fact if I can’t give it away to someone it will take up space on my bookshelf and I’ll then have to take it to a charity shop when I remember. After all books are for us all to share.

On a side note the companion book club note at the back of the page is darling ` The Club is not a library; all books are the property of members. There is no entrance fee or any payment beyond the low Club price of each monthly book. Details of membership will be sent on request. Write to the Companion Book Club, 8 Long Acre, London, Wc2`

 Maybe I will write to them and see if I get a reply?!

Grotesque - Natsuo Kirino

WOOOWW Blogger is finally working and not crashing on my computer! thank pffffffffffff....

I read this ages ago but due to my lame blue screen crashing computer I am only just posting this - enjoy!

Title                             -           Grotesque

Author                         -           Natsuo Kirino

Copyright date             -           2003

Type of book               -           Jap fiction, horror

General subject           -     

murder, incest, prostitution, Jap culture, elitism, 

Price         -   Originally £7.99 but it cost me 20p from Amazon

ISBN.                          -           978-0-099-48893-4

Pages                           -           467

Back Cover:

`Twenty years previously both women were educated at the same elite school for young ladies, and had seemingly promising futures ahead of them.

But in a world of dark desire and vicious ambition, for both women, prostitution meant power. Grotesque is a masterful and haunting thriller, a chilling exploration of women’s secret lives in modern day Japan`

            I finished this book a few weeks ago and have been trying to think about how to put my thoughts on it into words…

In this world there are many kinds of monsters. Often cruel and not just featuring in lady Ga Ga’s songs, they shape the world which we live in. Inner beauty is absent in all characters with the exception of Yurio. Born exceedingly beautiful but unable to recognise it due to his disability he lives in world shaped only in his mind only. He represents a pureness that is untouchable.

The main character has a cruel snarl in her story telling. Her heart seems to have gradually rotted away as she feeds gleefully off others misfortunes. I believe she is unable to experience joy. Completely consumed by jealousy and bitterness.

The book splits between several narrators, which is surprisingly understating. I could not help but be captivated by Zhang’s account of his love for his sister and the journey they took together. I forgot I was reading the tale of a murderer due to the intimate and tender nature of his portrayal.

Many characters colour these pages and the tale of Yuriko reminds me of the tragic story of Gia the supermodel. Like many outstanding beauties Yuriko had no need to have developed a personality beyond her carnal desires which makes her raw and intriguing.

Forbidden love and sexuality feature strongly in this novel. Homosexuality, incest, prostitution, sadomasochism & celibacy interlink surprisingly smoothly.

Grotesque achieves a balance between the disturbing and erotic that I don’t think Kirino captured in previous novels I’ve read. I felt violated at times while reading, a common feeling with this type of fiction. I hope that more of her works are translated as they are original, awe inspiring pieces of work.

If you like this genre I would definitely recommend you read this book.

The Russian Concubine Kate Furnivall

The Russian Concubine – Kate Furnivall

I’ve read several books since starting this one which is never a good sign if you can put a book down. I won't review those books here though.

The book is set in China and focuses on Lydia Ivanova the daughter of Valentina from the previous book. She has grown up in a settlement in China where different nationalities are segregated by country of origin.A ghetto with many secrets and harsh realities. Hated by the locals and referred to as `fanqui` (foreign devil) Lydia struggles to make her way in the world. Being a second generation immigrate known as the Russian girl who doesn't speak Russian she has no idea where she sits. Schooled in English, desperate to travel to the shores but struggling to feed herself and control her mother there is little hope.

She dreams of living in England but stranded without a passport the only way for her and her mother to obtain one is to marry an English man - who all seem a bore. To be honest this book just doesn't hit any chords with me and I think it just doesn't have the romanticism of the first book set in Russia. I find myself waiting for the characters from the first book to appear (Countess & Son) which is a real shame. The mafia references to the snake gang and difficult situations Lydia gets herself into just do not excite me. Chang (love interest) just doesn't conquer up the heroic images of Jens Friis form the previous chapter of this series. 

I may read the third book to see if it fulfills any desires but I'm afraid that after about 4 weeks and 269 out of 577 i have decided to jack it in with this one. Maybe I was just too bowled over by the first book and am disappointed by the tragic story of a young carer with an alcoholic mother in this book. I hope people who read the entire book can correct my opinion. I think the tragedy of Valentina is just too much for me!

The Jewel of St Petersburg Kate Furnivall

Bought at a petrol station to stem my despair of being at home in the holidays and having to watch only fools and horses about fifty thousand times!!

Set in Russia which means I find it hard to pronounce the names in my head – I think due to this I have my own version in my head. I think I am learning a few words in Russian though – most notably Spasibo – thank you

The guilt carried by the main character for the act of terrorism carried out by unknowns when she was a child lays heavy on her shoulders.

As a nurse the fact that this character fights to be part of the profession is intriguing particularly in the era when it was seen as truly a glorified cleaner for whores and spinsters. I think its changed a bit nowadays….

A story of love split between not just two men, but a sister, a family, a class and the dashed hopes and beliefs we all hold in our youth when we look through innocent eyes. A strong woman emerges from the upper class debutante who is intended to flower into the jewel of Petersburg.  

The quite character of Live Popkav, the Cossack, portrays so much in his small episodic appearances in the story line. In my mind stick the three dead children, left at the bottom of the bed not even blessed by a father to carry them to heaven, just stone cold dead, consequences of where they were born in time. The fear of estimating in your head if the value of a wheelchair your beloved sits in is worth more to your watchers than the life that sits inside it. It is these moments where innocents are slayed and true characters shown that stick in my mind about this book. Apprentices slaughtered when their innocence was meant to lead to the uprising of social justice. Like lambs being culled.

A beautiful ending to a story – don’t read the last two pages otherwise you’ll destroy the book for yourself. I will seek out her other books to read.