Mockingjay! The long-awaited finale to Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games trilogy!
And....!
I didn't love it.
Katniss Everdeen returns as the rebel's icon: the Mockingjay. In an effort to overthrow the Capitol, the rebels have banded together to take back Panem, district by district. Katniss' only request is that she herself wants to be the one to kill Snow. Peeta, Katniss' fake lover, was captured at the end of the last book, and it is evident in this book that he has been tortured. In a desperate rescue attempt, he is saved but his mind has been hijacked and perceives Katniss as a threat and tries to kill her.
In theory, the storyline is good, but Katniss herself is angsty as she still waffles between Peeta and Gale. And to make matters worse, both guys are aware of her struggles; they even come to an agreement that she will choose the guy that she can't survive without. Katniss also strikes me as sulky for most of the book; while others are going about their business (going to classes, etc), Katniss wanders off and does what she pleases, when she pleases. It isn't until near the end of the book that she accepts authority, but it is still for her own purposes: to sneak off and kill Snow. Katniss also spends a large majority of the book in the infirmary, so it seems like much of the story is happening behind the scenes. And it seems like Katniss doesn't care.
I also found the writing style to be jarring. I don't know the proper term, but it is written in first person present tense; meaning that it is written as it happens. However, I didn't like that style and I'm surprised I didn't notice it in the other books.
Even the ending was anticlimatic: Katniss assassinated the wrong person (the correct person in her thinking) and then tried to kill herself with a poison pill. In the end she was exiled back to District 12. There's an epilogue included as well: a 20 year look into the future. Which would've been fine if it wasn't written in the present tense.
Like I said, I was disappointed by the story. Maybe I'll re-read it in the future, this time with the books back-to-back (instead of reading the third book several months later) to see if it makes a difference. When I read them before, I really enjoyed the series, so I'm rather surprised that I didn't care for this one.
So, read it if you want. And let me know what you think.
Showing posts with label dreams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dreams. Show all posts
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
This story requires little introduction; however, you'll get one anyway.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was written in 1865 by Reverend Charles Dodgson, under the pen name Lewis Carroll. This story can be read on different levels - ranging from innocent child's story to a story written by a pervert with a drug problem who likes little girls too much. Some common FAQ's about the story can be found here, as well as some alternate explanations here. So I don't have to do it, a synopsis can be found here.
It had been a while since I'd last read it so I thought the story was incredibly confusing, as well as fun and nonsensical; fortunately, that seems to have been the author's intent. The writing was interesting with play on words running rampant, enabling a change of subject or change of context to what was being said. It seemed like just when I started making sense of the story, it would change again - out of the blue! Even the ending was abrupt: a deck of cards flying in Alice's face wakes her.
Earlier in the year I read The Looking Glass Wars, so I was finally able to contrast the real story with the spin-off. (Which I had meant to do shortly after I finished the book, I promise!). And just for fun, here's a link to the Johnny Depp movie (you're welcome).
Due to when the story was written, I know that there are social and/or political nuances that I've missed. Despite that, I really enjoyed the story and will be reading the sequel, Through the Looking Glass soon. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is on the Banned Book Club list of potential stories to read, so if chosen, I'll be one up on the others!
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was written in 1865 by Reverend Charles Dodgson, under the pen name Lewis Carroll. This story can be read on different levels - ranging from innocent child's story to a story written by a pervert with a drug problem who likes little girls too much. Some common FAQ's about the story can be found here, as well as some alternate explanations here. So I don't have to do it, a synopsis can be found here.
It had been a while since I'd last read it so I thought the story was incredibly confusing, as well as fun and nonsensical; fortunately, that seems to have been the author's intent. The writing was interesting with play on words running rampant, enabling a change of subject or change of context to what was being said. It seemed like just when I started making sense of the story, it would change again - out of the blue! Even the ending was abrupt: a deck of cards flying in Alice's face wakes her.
Earlier in the year I read The Looking Glass Wars, so I was finally able to contrast the real story with the spin-off. (Which I had meant to do shortly after I finished the book, I promise!). And just for fun, here's a link to the Johnny Depp movie (you're welcome).
Due to when the story was written, I know that there are social and/or political nuances that I've missed. Despite that, I really enjoyed the story and will be reading the sequel, Through the Looking Glass soon. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is on the Banned Book Club list of potential stories to read, so if chosen, I'll be one up on the others!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
the perks of being a wallflower
the perks of being a wallflower is a story by Stephen Chbosky about an antisocial teenager who writes a series of anonymous letters to a recipient that is never named. His advanced english teacher tells him to truly live life, instead of just watching it happen and so "Charlie" ends up befriending a guy in his shop class.
As Charlie's friendship grows with Patrick, Charlie begins to party and use drugs, making friends and gaining a girlfriend in the process. However, Charlie's home life, while stable with good parents, begins to deteriorate after he sees his sister get hit by her boyfriend. A comment to his teacher, which in turn makes its way back to his parents causes his sister to alienate Charlie after their parents forbid her from seeing her boyfriend again. There are continuous references to an Aunt Helen who was always in an abusive relationship, before she passed away due to a car accident on Charlie's birthday years ago.
As the reader delves further into the story, more carnal subjects appear: homosexuality and teenage sex (which, for one character, leads to an aborted pregnancy). Charlie's life becomes more complicated as one of his friends puts the moves on him, and Charlie, for the sake of friendship, doesn't stop it. Not even a girlfriend will prevent him from pining for his elusive Sam.
Charlie is brutally and whimsically honest with his friends, which they pass off as "Charlie-esque" and cute. He is emotional and never truly tries to be someone he is not. He is protective of his friends and will (literally) fight anyone who threatens them.
He is damaged.
It is not until nearly the end of the story that you realize that he has been molested by someone close to him when he was a child. It was buried in his subconscious until Sam attempts to be intimate with him.
He is also a survivor.
His final accounts are of his rehabilitation and counselling. He believes that he no longer needs the support of his unknown reader to live life. And that he'll be just fine. His final letter ends with: "So, if this does end up being my last letter, please believe that things are good with me, and even when they're not, they will be soon enough" (page 213).
I found this story to be bitterly sweet. Charlie is a likeable character who is intensely in love with Sam, but was told to "not think that way" at the start, so he's truly fighting it every step of the way. He's a good kid with a good family, but they have problems just like everyone else.
There's a poem that I want to share with you, from the story (pages70-73) that I find mesmerizing and tragic. You'll see why:
This story reveals itself in bits and pieces. When Charlie mentions a poem that he read, the reader doesn't imagine it could be anything so sad. However, later, Charlie writes down the words and one of his friends comments on how it was a suicide note.
I really can't say too much more about it, except what I've already said: bitter sweet. I loved this story; I read it in one night and honestly didn't feel like I could write a blog about it without thinking about it first. Unfortunately, my internet went down and I subsequently forgot most of what I would've said. The story is beautiful and joyful mixed with sad and tragic. Which is pretty much the definition of adolescence.
As Charlie's friendship grows with Patrick, Charlie begins to party and use drugs, making friends and gaining a girlfriend in the process. However, Charlie's home life, while stable with good parents, begins to deteriorate after he sees his sister get hit by her boyfriend. A comment to his teacher, which in turn makes its way back to his parents causes his sister to alienate Charlie after their parents forbid her from seeing her boyfriend again. There are continuous references to an Aunt Helen who was always in an abusive relationship, before she passed away due to a car accident on Charlie's birthday years ago.
As the reader delves further into the story, more carnal subjects appear: homosexuality and teenage sex (which, for one character, leads to an aborted pregnancy). Charlie's life becomes more complicated as one of his friends puts the moves on him, and Charlie, for the sake of friendship, doesn't stop it. Not even a girlfriend will prevent him from pining for his elusive Sam.
Charlie is brutally and whimsically honest with his friends, which they pass off as "Charlie-esque" and cute. He is emotional and never truly tries to be someone he is not. He is protective of his friends and will (literally) fight anyone who threatens them.
He is damaged.
It is not until nearly the end of the story that you realize that he has been molested by someone close to him when he was a child. It was buried in his subconscious until Sam attempts to be intimate with him.
He is also a survivor.
His final accounts are of his rehabilitation and counselling. He believes that he no longer needs the support of his unknown reader to live life. And that he'll be just fine. His final letter ends with: "So, if this does end up being my last letter, please believe that things are good with me, and even when they're not, they will be soon enough" (page 213).
I found this story to be bitterly sweet. Charlie is a likeable character who is intensely in love with Sam, but was told to "not think that way" at the start, so he's truly fighting it every step of the way. He's a good kid with a good family, but they have problems just like everyone else.
There's a poem that I want to share with you, from the story (pages70-73) that I find mesmerizing and tragic. You'll see why:
"Once on a yellow piece of paper with green lines / he wrote a poem /
And he called it "Chops" / because that was the name of his dog
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A / and a gold star
And his mother hung it on the kitchen door / and read it to his aunts
That was the year Father Tracy / took all the kids to the zoo
And let them sing on the bus
And his little sister was born / with tiny fingernails and no hair
And his mother and father kissed a lot
And the little girl around the corner sent him a / Valentine with a row of X's / and he had to ask his father what the X's meant
And his father always tucked him in bed at night
And was always there to do it
"Once on a white paper with blue lines / he wrote a poem
And he called it "Autumn" / because that was the name of the season
And that's what it was all about
And his teacher gave him an A / and asked him to write more clearly
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door / because of its new paint
And the kids told him / that Father Tracy smoked cigars
And left butts on the pews
That was the year his sister got glasses / with thick lenses and black frames
And the girl around the corner laughed / when he asked her to go see Santa Claus
And the kids told him why / his mother and father kissed a lot
And his father never tucked him in bed at night
And his father got mad / when he cried for him to do it
"Once on a paper torn from his notebook / he wrote a poem
And he called it "Innocence: A Question" / because that was the question about his girl
And that's what it was all about
And his professor gave him an A / and a strange steady look
And his mother never hung it on the kitchen door / because he never showed her
That was the year that Father Tracy died
And he forgot how the end / of the Apostle's Creed went
And he caught his sister / making out on the back porch
And his mother and his father never kissed / or even talked
And the girl around the corner / wore too much makeup
That made him cough when he kissed her / but he kissed her anyway / because that was the thing to do
And at three A.M. he tucked himself into bed / his father snoring loudly
"That's why on the back of a brown paper bag / he tried another poem
And he called it "Absolutely Nothing"
Because that's what it was really all about
And he gave himself an A / and a slash on each damned wrist
And he hung it on the bathroom door / because this time he didn't think / he could reach the kitchen"
This story reveals itself in bits and pieces. When Charlie mentions a poem that he read, the reader doesn't imagine it could be anything so sad. However, later, Charlie writes down the words and one of his friends comments on how it was a suicide note.
I really can't say too much more about it, except what I've already said: bitter sweet. I loved this story; I read it in one night and honestly didn't feel like I could write a blog about it without thinking about it first. Unfortunately, my internet went down and I subsequently forgot most of what I would've said. The story is beautiful and joyful mixed with sad and tragic. Which is pretty much the definition of adolescence.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
The Satanic Verses
I finished it!
Salman Rushdie was sentenced to death after the publication of his book, The Satanic Verses. His novel follows the lives of two actors, Gibreel Farishta and Saladin Chamcha, starting with their fall from a hijacked airplane over England. Not only do they survive their fall, they transform into a living incarnation of an angel (Gibreel) and devil (Saladin), to the point where they take on the physical characteristics of each: a halo for Gibreel and a goat-like body for Saladin.
After losing their divine/fallen characteristics, they attempt to regain their normal lives; however, they are obsessively drawn toward each other - both for purposes of revenge. For Saladin, he wishes to destroy Gibreel's life the way his was ruined. When Saladin returned to his home in his goat form (after being brutally beaten and humiliated by the police), he discovers his wife in bed with his friend. He left his home and stayed at a bed & breakfast above the Shaandaar Cafe. His presence causes a disturbance in the dreams of the people living nearby, forcing him out of the B&B and into a club called Hot Wax, where he has a hissy fit in the basement and regains his human form. At this point he's determined to destroy Gibreel.
Gibreel, the Golden Boy who fills Saladin's days with misery, has problems of his own. He finds himself haunted by an ex-mistress, who flung herself (and her children) off of her apartment complex after Gibreel ended it to fly to England to find Alleluia Cone. And after wandering throughout London in a daze, he miraculously ends up on Alleluia's doorstep, much to his relief. After a huge fight, Gibreel storms out in a jealous rage and is convinced that he is the archangel Gibreel (granted, talking to the Man Upstairs helped sway his opinion) sent to convert the world. He tries for a while, but ends up back with Alleluia and his agent, Sisodia. He has visions (one involving a girl by the name of Ayesha who tells the people of her village to go on a pilgrimage to the ocean; another involves the prophet Mahound) which Sisodia figures can be used as screenplays to boost Gibreel's return to the movie world.
At this point their paths cross again at a party: Gibreel, heavily medicated, describes his perfect life to Saladin but reveals his jealous streak when Gibreel beats Saladin's friend (who is sleeping with Saladin's wife) over the head with an oar! In a bid to ruin his perfect relationship, Saladin plants the seeds of doubt in Gibreel's mind, causing Gibreel to destroy Alleluia's apartment, and their relationship. Gibreel ends the night treking through town, again influenced by the notion of being an avenging angel and leaving a path of fire and destruction behind him. Finding his enemy, Saladin, at the Shaandaar Cafe, he realizes the truth and yet somehow manages to forgive Saladin, to the point of carrying him out of the burning building.
Finding forgiveness from a man he was determined to ruin, Saladin decides that it is time to go see his father, who is now on his deathbed. Caring for his father has given him a new view on life, so when Gibreel comes to him the night of his father's funeral and points a gun at him, Saladin is scared. Gibreel then turns the gun on himself and ends his nightmares. Saladin, who has re-adopted his real name Saladduhin Chamchawalla and has reconnected with a fling-turned-love feels pity towards the man who seemed so perfect, but was haunted to the point of killing his lover and taking his own life.
Wow - was this book ever difficult to wade through. Salman has a poetic way of writing that is very beautiful to read, but has caused this book to be at least 4 times longer than it would've been if he spoke more plainly. The story has a tendency to jump around from one man's view point to another and then it will jump back in time to explain the story up until that point. It also goes into detail about the visions that Gibreel has and which I'm not entirely sure if they were dreams or something more. I don't understand certain aspects of the story, like whether it was a coincidence that certain names from Saladin's life were repeated in Gibreel's dreams; if Saladin's wife and lover were set up to take the blame for a terrorist group or if they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I imagine this is a book where several reads are necessary to understand the whole story - as long as you have a dictionary, a science dictionary and several religious texts nearby so you can put the stories in to context.
I enjoyed this book very much: I love the way he writes and I like the way he challenges you to think while reading. As you go through the book there are several "ah-hah!" moments where you feel like you're finally starting to understand the storyline. And then he promptly switches directions, leaving you scrambling to catch up again. I was a little surprised when Gibreel and Saladin have their confrontation in the burning building only to have them forgive eachother. There was so much buildup at that point and I was really excited to see how it would end. By the time the end did come, it was anticlimatic and out of the blue. And the revelation of Alleluia's death was a shock. I had read the Wiki-version of the story, so I knew that it ended in tragedy but it definitely didn't happen the way I expected!
In short, don't read it if you expect an easy read, but I thought it was worth the trouble.
Salman Rushdie was sentenced to death after the publication of his book, The Satanic Verses. His novel follows the lives of two actors, Gibreel Farishta and Saladin Chamcha, starting with their fall from a hijacked airplane over England. Not only do they survive their fall, they transform into a living incarnation of an angel (Gibreel) and devil (Saladin), to the point where they take on the physical characteristics of each: a halo for Gibreel and a goat-like body for Saladin.
After losing their divine/fallen characteristics, they attempt to regain their normal lives; however, they are obsessively drawn toward each other - both for purposes of revenge. For Saladin, he wishes to destroy Gibreel's life the way his was ruined. When Saladin returned to his home in his goat form (after being brutally beaten and humiliated by the police), he discovers his wife in bed with his friend. He left his home and stayed at a bed & breakfast above the Shaandaar Cafe. His presence causes a disturbance in the dreams of the people living nearby, forcing him out of the B&B and into a club called Hot Wax, where he has a hissy fit in the basement and regains his human form. At this point he's determined to destroy Gibreel.
Gibreel, the Golden Boy who fills Saladin's days with misery, has problems of his own. He finds himself haunted by an ex-mistress, who flung herself (and her children) off of her apartment complex after Gibreel ended it to fly to England to find Alleluia Cone. And after wandering throughout London in a daze, he miraculously ends up on Alleluia's doorstep, much to his relief. After a huge fight, Gibreel storms out in a jealous rage and is convinced that he is the archangel Gibreel (granted, talking to the Man Upstairs helped sway his opinion) sent to convert the world. He tries for a while, but ends up back with Alleluia and his agent, Sisodia. He has visions (one involving a girl by the name of Ayesha who tells the people of her village to go on a pilgrimage to the ocean; another involves the prophet Mahound) which Sisodia figures can be used as screenplays to boost Gibreel's return to the movie world.
At this point their paths cross again at a party: Gibreel, heavily medicated, describes his perfect life to Saladin but reveals his jealous streak when Gibreel beats Saladin's friend (who is sleeping with Saladin's wife) over the head with an oar! In a bid to ruin his perfect relationship, Saladin plants the seeds of doubt in Gibreel's mind, causing Gibreel to destroy Alleluia's apartment, and their relationship. Gibreel ends the night treking through town, again influenced by the notion of being an avenging angel and leaving a path of fire and destruction behind him. Finding his enemy, Saladin, at the Shaandaar Cafe, he realizes the truth and yet somehow manages to forgive Saladin, to the point of carrying him out of the burning building.
Finding forgiveness from a man he was determined to ruin, Saladin decides that it is time to go see his father, who is now on his deathbed. Caring for his father has given him a new view on life, so when Gibreel comes to him the night of his father's funeral and points a gun at him, Saladin is scared. Gibreel then turns the gun on himself and ends his nightmares. Saladin, who has re-adopted his real name Saladduhin Chamchawalla and has reconnected with a fling-turned-love feels pity towards the man who seemed so perfect, but was haunted to the point of killing his lover and taking his own life.
Wow - was this book ever difficult to wade through. Salman has a poetic way of writing that is very beautiful to read, but has caused this book to be at least 4 times longer than it would've been if he spoke more plainly. The story has a tendency to jump around from one man's view point to another and then it will jump back in time to explain the story up until that point. It also goes into detail about the visions that Gibreel has and which I'm not entirely sure if they were dreams or something more. I don't understand certain aspects of the story, like whether it was a coincidence that certain names from Saladin's life were repeated in Gibreel's dreams; if Saladin's wife and lover were set up to take the blame for a terrorist group or if they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I imagine this is a book where several reads are necessary to understand the whole story - as long as you have a dictionary, a science dictionary and several religious texts nearby so you can put the stories in to context.
I enjoyed this book very much: I love the way he writes and I like the way he challenges you to think while reading. As you go through the book there are several "ah-hah!" moments where you feel like you're finally starting to understand the storyline. And then he promptly switches directions, leaving you scrambling to catch up again. I was a little surprised when Gibreel and Saladin have their confrontation in the burning building only to have them forgive eachother. There was so much buildup at that point and I was really excited to see how it would end. By the time the end did come, it was anticlimatic and out of the blue. And the revelation of Alleluia's death was a shock. I had read the Wiki-version of the story, so I knew that it ended in tragedy but it definitely didn't happen the way I expected!
In short, don't read it if you expect an easy read, but I thought it was worth the trouble.
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