Review of 1984 by George Orwell

Status: read and returned to friend.
Rating: 3/5.

I love a good dystopian, particularly one created by a master. 1984 is a dark dark place for Winston and his fellow comrades. Winston feels isolated from the messages of Big Brother; his work "correcting" records at the Ministry of Truth, which actually involves Winston erasing history, prevents him from swallowing the Party's preaching. Simply by doubting the Party, Winston commits thoughtcrime. He must be caught.

Orwell injects fear into each scene, a feeling of being watched by Big Brother and the inevitability of capture. The beginnings of love in the meadow scene was like the drip of light in a dark forest. He uses words precisely. For instance, Winston describes himself as gelatinous; tired, transparent, nervous, shaking. Orwell certainly uses juicy language to keep you entertained throughout a relatively slow-moving plot.

Orwell's world is so thorough, it includes new language, government, ways of thinking. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the world. The ending, however, left me unsatisfied. I didn't expect a happy ending - Winston's pessimism did not lead me to hoping - but I did not really understand the ending. I think it requires a reread at some stage.

Favourite quote:
Almost as swiftly as he had imagined it, she had torn her clothes off, and when she flung them aside it was with that same magnificent gesture by which a whole civilization seemed to be annihilated.

Review of The Giver by Lois Lowry

Status: returned to elibrary to much dismay.
Rating: 5/5 stars.

In a futuristic society Jonas reaches the age of maturity where his career will be decided. Instead of being awarded a career, Jonas is selected as the society’s new Receiver of all human memories of the past. Though exempted from society’s rules against curiosity and dishonesty in his new position, Jonas vows to never lie. But he must lie. With the Giver’s training he sees the true world and cannot share it.

This novel kept surprising me. Like many adult readers, I lowered my expectations due to the book's classification as children’s fiction. However the book challenged me intellectually and morally beyond what a child may grasp. I came to realise how a totalitarian society can flourish without its citizens noticing how controlled they really are. The twists were seamlessly interwoven with world-building and clear dialogue. I would recommend this book for non-readers or lovers of dystopian or introspective literature. Think Animal Farm crossed with If I stay. An odd mix, but it works.

Let me know what other children’s stories you enjoyed as an adult. Have you seen the film adaptation of the Giver? Ciao.

Review of the Juliette Chronicles by Tahereh Mafi

I finished the Juliette Chronicles by Tahereh Mafi. This was one of those series that I liked as a whole experience rather than its individual parts. The fluency of the series including its novellas read extremely well and I highly recommend it.

The basic premise of the first book Shatter Me is that a girl called Juliette is in an asylum after the Revolution. Due to radioactive activity in the new world, she has developed the power to inflict pain on anyone in contact with her skin. Badass right? Wrong. Juliette starts off as a wimp, she is terrified of herself and of accidentally touching anyone. She sits on the ground the whole day and counts cracks in the wall or her breathing. This changes when she gets a roommate in her cell called Adam who so happens to have gone to her old school. Adam is a soldier sent in by sector 45's commander, Warner, on recon to see if the reestablishment by can use Julliette as a torture, if she is so far gone as to become part of Warner's army. Warner, the head of sector 45 as the privileged son of the country's commander, pushes Juliette to her emotional limits and finds her more intriguing than just another experiment.

I can't tell you anymore of the first book without spoilery but I can tell you that the plot and the world building skills were out of this world. The saving grace of the whole series was the complex and incredible character arc of these three characters. 

The novellas

I have high praise of how Tahereh Mafi used the novella structure to her advantage. I've found that in most series novellas have been used as little "extras" ie. non essential character background to the story. Both of these novellas are overwhelmingly powerful as they connect readers to characters we hadn't previously formed a huge connection with. Adam's story brought us closer to understanding his priorities so much so that I immediately knew he would not be the winning bachelor. Warner's story was so interesting and enlightening. He was unashamedly honest - a refreshing change. I empathised with both boys a whole lot more. 

The series as a whole

(Some spoilers included)

Adam remains the least developed of all three characters. His priority is keeping his brother safe. This is understandable and mature. His behaviour though was another story. As soon as he felt his relationship with Juliette weakening (bound to happen) he clung on to her like a life vest he didn't even need. I was so ready to be rid of him by the middle of book 3.

Warner is very interesting. He and Juliette are completely messed up but in a way that weirdly complement each others' flaws. I like how brave he is to say what he wants and express his feelings to Juliette. For instance the speech in Ignite me where he says, "I have been forced to do terrible things in my life, love, and I am seeking neither your forgiveness nor your approval." I was so proud! You tell her Warner! It was so refreshing to see how all the information in his novella plaid a HUGE part in the third book. He was perfect for Juliette. Now she just had to accept it.

Juliette was very Bella Cullen at the beginning of the series and I am SO PROUD of her finally growing into her own skin. The fact that by the end the sentences were far less rambly and crossed out allowed readers to see obvious change. Although I found it unlikely that she become a successful political leader, I was past the point of caring; in the end, I was just too excited for the moment when she would realise she and Warner were perfect. And the moment came. And it was beautiful and heartwrenching. I loved that she came to it on her own terms. Her elated talk with Kenji and him saying "Do what you gotta do" was so so.... it just made me really happy. And when her revelation made Warner so happy.... I was grinning like an idiot for ages. 

Favourite quote (Ignite me)

I've tripped over a planet and I don't know anything anymore - Juliette.

Needless to say her progression as a character was remarkable and incredibly natural. The author did a fantastic job at developing not only the protagonist but also the love interest. This was particularly important in light of the character's emotional and mental difficulties coming to terms with their past and with themselves. I would recommend this series to fans of character driven novels and to see some awesome romance and drama. 

Let me know what I should read next. Ciao!

How to cry your eyes out- Allegiant book discussion

I’ve tried writing this several times now. But to be honest, I really don’t know what to feel. I may as well start from the beginning...

About a year ago I first read Divergent and Insurgent. Fast-paced and intriguing, it tells the story a Tris who makes the choice to change factions, jumps off buildings, falls in love with a boy of four fears, shoots guns, reveals government conspiracies and searches for some sort of truth. The highly anticipated conclusion to this dystopia increased on the release of the Divergent movie trailer. There was a lot of squeeling when I first saw the book on the shelves. Literally, squealing and skipping towards it in Target.

Brief combined reviews of Divergent and Insurgent:

 In Chicago, the government is controlled by members of factions. Factions divide the citizens into groups who have certain mental and moral structures. For instance, members of Abnegation- Tris’ original faction- dress in grey and are in charge of helping the city’s homeless as they prize selflessness. There are also other factions such as of knowledge and bravery. A person’s faction is usually inherited from their parents however when a person turns 16, an aptitude test reveals to which one they belong and a choosing ceremony forges their future. Tris’ examination reveals an anomaly, that she could belong to more than one faction. Tris is Divergent. Special and dangerous to the government. She commences the Dauntless initiation- the faction of bravery and dare I say, psychosis- where she meets friends, enemies, knives, tattoo artists and a cast of terrifying and fascinating characters. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Tris’ journey continues in Insurgent as she deals with the aftermath of death, killing, deception and knowing the truth when you don’t really want to. The concept of how different characteristics war in us – the good and bad, selfish and selfless, brave and complacent- is consistent in all three books and makes for a fantastic message in the finale. If this sounds appealing then please stop here. You really don’t want to be spoiled on such a fantastic series. When you read the books, feel free to come back and discuss. Ciao...

Okay. They’re gone.

Allegiant Review and Discussion

The novel begins a little while after the Edith Prior revelation. The whole city is a controlled experiment. I’m glad that’s cleared up but this opens up a wave of new questions. What is beyond the fence? Is it time to send out the Divergent to complete their original ‘mission’? Will Evelyn let them? It becomes obvious that the city is in danger of another uprising, this time of the Allegiant – a new rebel group dedicated to preserving the factions, overtaking the factionless and going beyond the fence. Tris, Four, Christina, Uriah, Cara, Caleb, Peter, Tori and Johanna head out of the city. This is where it gets interesting (straggling spoiler seekers, please leave. It’s for your own good and the rest may not make much sense).

How to run a maze

I thought it time to reveal the extent of my nerdiness. I read this novel in 2 sittings...

James Dashner’s novel The Maze Runner just taught me how to run a maze. ‘If you want to run a maze,’ I imagine Dashner saying, ‘you run hard so you and the audience are out of breath. You need to make sure the maze is dangerous and exciting so the audience can know how scared they should be. You’ve got to lead them right to a Cliff and jump off.’ Dashner knows this is the only way to run mazes and boy have I enjoyed the ride.

The concept of The Maze Runner is incredible.  This man had a plan and executed it with stunning results. Thomas’ sudden appearance in a complex maze with no memory, no friends or escape ideas to speak of really thrilled me- I was just as confused as he was and just as curious. His interactions with the other Gladers –the inhabitants of the maze- were carefully constructed to pike interest but not give the ending away.

The Maze Runner, book 75 in my Goodreads challenge 2013

My favourite scene was Thomas’ first run in the maze. Dashner’s very visual writing style highlighted the maze’s eeriness and the mad dash from the monsters was easy to imagine. The big reveal of Thomas’ memories was diabolical.

The only thing that bothered me was a lack of subplot, a problem I found most annoying as various subplots had time and opportunity to develop. However, I have no doubt that Dashner will use The Maze Runner as strong foundation for the rest of the trilogy.

To wrap up, I gave The Maze Runner 4/5 stars on Goodreads and I will definitely read book 2. Fans of Maximum Ride, The Hunger Games, Virals and Harry Potter will love the mystery as well as the fresh voice of Thomas. Read it before the movie in 2014.

Ciao!