Tag Archives: literature
Review: the Miniaturist, Jessie Burton
On an autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman knocks at the door of a grand house in the wealthiest quarter of Amsterdam. She has come from the country to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt, but instead she is met by his sharp-tongued sister, Marin. Only later […]
Review: Far From the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
I’m starting to become quite the Hardy fan now, having read and loved The Return of the Native and Tess of the D’Urbervilles in the last year or so. I’m going to pretend, however, that my desire to read this particular book wasn’t fuelled by a certain upcoming film adaptation starring Carey Mulligan, and a particular penchant for all […]
Review: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Brontë
I read this book for a number of very random reasons: a) it was free on my Kindle (sickening, I know). b) I kind of felt a little sorry for poor old Anne being continually overshadowed by her older sisters, and c) I simply felt the urge to read a good old old-fashioned classic. I’ve […]
Review: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?: (And Other Concerns), Mindy Kaling
I probably shouldn’t have read this on public transport so much; I definitely got a few strange looks at my stifled giggles and silent laughs. I’ve been a fan of Mindy Kaling for a while and have religiously watched The Mindy Project through all of its low parts, because the highs are just so clever […]
Review: The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss
“I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others […]
Review: Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
“Who are you? What have we done to each other? These are the questions Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. Amy’s friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it […]
Review: The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton
“It is 1866, and Walter Moody has come to make his fortune upon the New Zealand goldfields. On arrival, he stumbles across a tense gathering of twelve local men, who have met in secret to discuss a series of unsolved crimes. A wealthy man has vanished, a whore has tried to end her life, and […]
‘unavoidably detained by the world’ – Review: Stardust, Neil Gaiman
Have been unavoidably detained by the world. Expect us when you see us. And so I celebrate finishing my degree with some words that I feel will serve me well in the coming months. I’ve never read any Neil Gaiman before, and despite feeling like I knew a lot about him (graphic novels and Doctor […]
Review Book #4: Enduring Love, Ian McEwan
Ok, so I have two confessions to make. 1) I completely forgot about my reading list for the year… https://foreveronalilo.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/7-books-im-going-to-read-this-year/ 2) I also completely forgot that I read book #4 Enduring Love over the summer… Oops. Basically I have a terrible memory. Let’s crack on! Having read and enjoyed a couple of Ian McEwan’s books (Atonement, […]
Meeting (Fangirling over) Patrick Ness
On the weekend of the 5th and 6th October, myself and my housemate went to Cheltenham Literature Festival. You won’t see much evidence of this, however, because I cleverly forgot my camera and to take any photos which is annoying because I wanted to share it all with you. But never mind, I am not […]
Bethany Wren 