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Book Reviews
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The Collector (Vintage Classics)
Robert J. Thomas30 March 2010
John Fowles is a true master of literature and The Collector is arguably his greatest novel.
Frederick Clegg is a lonely, grey young man who works as a minor clerk at a nameless city hall and whose one joy in life is collecting butterflies. Clegg is obsessed with Miranda Grey, a beautiful art student, but is unable to talk to her and so makes do with watching her from afar. Clegg's mundane life is transformed dramatically when he wins the football pools and is able to quit his job and move to the country. Unfortunately the peaceful country life is not what Clegg hoped it to be and he soon begins to pine for Miranda. Incapable of actually making personal contact with her, Clegg decides to kidnap Miranda and to hold her in the basement of his house along with his butterfly collection until she grows to love him.
Although I quite realise that The Collector by John Fowles is a widely read and much discussed modern classic, I intend my next comment to be deliberately vague so as not to spoil the novel nor to dissuade anyone from reading it. I do have to say that, I consider the ending of The Collector to be the most subtly devastating of any that I have read. When I reached the end of the novel during my first read though I felt that I could never return to the story again, but I found my mind regularly returning to the events of the book and pondering on the character of Frederick Clegg. Eventually I decided that I had to reread the novel and, on that second pass, I found it every bit as compelling as during my first reading but I noticed several elements and nuances that I have previously missed. I certainly couldn't say that The Collector becomes any easier with repeated readings yet it is such an exceptionally engrossing story and an amazingly astute character study that I have found myself rereading it many times over the years. With so many great works of literature out there, I believe that the novels that can tempt you back time and again are true masterpieces and deserve to be enjoyed by as many people as possible. -
Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian
James Brooks30 March 2010
Rick Riordan's excellent Percy Jackson and the Olympians series comes to an end with The Last Olympian, the fifth book in the series. Percy Jackson was just an ordinary twelve year old boy, struggling with dyslexia and getting into trouble at school, when the series began with Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief but Percy soon discovered that he was not so ordinary after all. Percy Jackson is in fact a demigod, his mother is a regular human but his father is Poseidon, god of the sea. It turns out that Percy's dyslexia is due to his brain being hardwired for ancient Greek rather than English and that he is naturally good at sport because he has an inbuilt ability for sword fighting and defence. After discovering his truth heritage Percy had to leave home and go to live at Camp Half-Blood, a camp for demigods, so that he will be safe from enemies of the gods such as Medusa and the Furies. Since the first book Percy, with the help of his friends Grover (a satyr) and Annabeth (daughter of Athena) has been battling to save the ancient Gods of Olympus and prevent the Titan Kronos from gaining power.
In the Last Olympian the great battle between the Olympian and the Titans finally begins. While the Olympians have many demigods and creatures from Greek mythology on their side, quite a few of the demigods have switched sides to join Kronos and with every new supporter that he recruits his power grows stronger. With the Olympians occupied trying to destroy the monster Typhon, Kronos attacks New York City and begins to advance on Mount Olympus which is left unguarded at the top of the Empire State Building. It is up to Percy Jackson and his loyal band of demigod friends to stop Kronos as battle rages on the streets of New York and the true meaning of the Great Prophecy is revealed.
The Last Olympian is a great book and even though I am sad that the series has ended I really enjoyed reading it. I think that the thing I like best about this series is that Percy Jackson himself has both dyslexia and ADHD but he is still the hero. I've not found another series where the hero has dyslexia and is treated with respect rather than being made to look stupid. I also love the way Rick Riordan has worked in the Greek myths so that they fit in perfectly with the modern world. I have always liked Greek mythology and so have enjoyed seeing the famous characters as if they were still alive in our times. There is always lots of excitement in the Percy Jackson books and the battles in the Last Olympian are really good. Apparently Rick Riordan is writing another series about demigods from Camp Half-Blood - I really hope that he hurries up with it! -
How Democratic is the American Constitution? (Yale Nota Bene)
Chris M.26 March 2010
In How Democratic is the American Constitution? The author Dahl essentially debates the democratic nature of the American Constitution, questioning how truly democratic it can be whilst remaining so unchangeable and so rife with inequalities.
To quote from the foreword, 'Parts of this book were given as a series of Castle Lectures in Yale's Program in Ethics, Politics and Economics, delivered by Robert Dahl at Yale University in 2000.' This work was adapted and developed from this source and thus the entirety of this short book reads just like the deliverance of a lecture. The author frequently poses questions and arguments and then proceeds to answer or dispute them as if in audible debate with the reader. This method of writing challenges the reader to consider their personal interpretations and draw their own conclusions of the subject matter in a much more active manner than most similar works. Published by Yale University Press and penned by an eminent scholar one would perhaps be forgiven for expecting a convoluted and complicated potted history of the American Constitution, incorporated in an unfathomable tome of elaborately perplexing, cryptic interpretations. Instead this book is as accessible to undergraduates as it is to our most learned and eminent scholars. In fact this book could easily be accessed by the everyday American or non-American with a general knowledge of the Constitution. Naturally some scholars may consider this accessibility to the masses to be a poor accolade. However it would seem the author intended this book to spark debate and promote discussion regarding the Constitution amongst all Americans. Therefore Dahl should perceive this universal accessibility as a personal success.
To conclude this book is a must for all Americans and any foreign students of the American Constitution. Through his expressive and accessible prose Dahl forces the reader to reconsider and question every last detail of the Constitution challenging all of the reader's beliefs and preconceptions regarding this document. How Democratic is the American Constitution? Not democratic enough. Although whilst most would agree with the author on this point, hopefully not everyone will share Dahl's pessimism regarding the feasibility of change. -
Kevin Ryan26 March 2010
To listen to the media it would seem we're all getting our travel information from online blogs and downloading insider tips and local twitter feeds to our iphones as we wander around foreign lands. Maybe some of us are, but for many there is still a lot to be said for a good old-fashioned offline travel guide. The right guide can give us hours of anticipatory pleasure in the days leading up to a trip, allow the time-starved to cram some last minute planning into their train journey or flight, provide the solo traveller with a little company as they sit in the pavement cafe and even serve as a storebook of memories waiting to be pulled from the bookshelf in the years to come. Plus there's no need to worry about wifi reception!
There often isn't a lot to choose between the different well known guides but occasionally a destination and a particular guide seem to suit each other perfectly - Paris and Time Out is one such match. Compact and light enough to hold comfortably and fit easily into a bag, nevertheless its 400 pages are packed with up to date information, enticing photographs and useful maps. The guide is written in the cosmopolitan, cultured voice of a local who really loves Paris but there is nothing too trendy or snobbish about it. Time Out knows first-timers want to see the famous sites and it does its best to say which really merit their renown and which can be skipped. It knows you want to wander the streets of Montmartre and Saint Germain but also gives return visitors a nudge towards less familiar parts of the city like Belleville. The hotel and restaurant choices are excellent and the comprehensive arts, entertainment and shopping sections portray a vibrant, modern Paris and read like they are written by locals who really make the most of living in the city. There is a handy directory of useful information, some well-written introductory essays giving an overview of the city past and present, and the guide is dotted throughout with short features on specialist subjects, local oddities, walking routes and summaries of the issues, trivial and serious, that Parisians are argueing about in 2010. It's not perfect: some of the maps can be a little difficult to read especially in poor light, and the index could be better - it can be a pain trying to find that interesting sounding restaurant or quirky museum you were reading about in bed last night. Overall though, Time Out Paris is an excellent guide and this traveller will be staying offline for a little while longer. -
Phillip Matthews25 March 2010
Not a book for just reading but for dipping into to see what events happened in the Royal Navy on a particular day. It is difficult to put this book down - look up today, then yesterday, then tomorrow, then your birthday. A wealth of interesting facts - some world famous, some minor or obscure - but all, nevertheless, interesting. Thoroughly recommended.
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Twilight: Red Edged Special Edition
TwilightFan22 March 2010
Every woman should read the Twilight books to re-experience falling in love and any man that wouldn't read a book for that reason should read these for an insight into the workings of a woman's mind when it comes to love. Twilight is a really great read and hard to put down - a perfect escape from reality.
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S Spader10 March 2010
Watch out for bogus reviews by Roger Carmichael and his aliases. I have noticed identically worded reviews on other websites under different names (most now removed). Perhaps a closer reading of the review points towards the motive of the reviewer? The direct comparison with another cookery book and author is very unusual and curious. As for Cook in Boots, I agree with so many other reviewers on other websites that this is a fabulous cookery book brimming with scrummy recipes - and a great read to boot! Get it? Get it? Oh, suit yourselves!
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The Fabulous Girls' Book: Discover the Secret of Being Fabulous
Charley Morris07 March 2010
This book is amazing for girls but boys dont get this book instead they have their own series. I would recommend this book to every single girl in the universe!
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Digital Architecture: Passages Through Hinterlands
mohamed ibrahim05 March 2010
This book shows the latest creative production in the digital architecture education.
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Greg Cameron03 March 2010
Sol Weinstein's "Loxfinger" is a very funny parody of the novels of Ian Fleming. Some, elsewhere on the Internet, suggest the book has dated. Of course it has. Everything does. But that lends it a certain period charm. Sol Weinstein was a prolific gag writer for various comics and this novel stands as tribute to the time he spent in the Catskill Mountains("the Hebrew Himalayas", as he puts it). There are good jokes, corny jokes, astute jokes and even some surreal jokes. And, by God, there's ethnic humour aplenty. It even gains a certain comic-apocalyptic tone towards the end. It is utter nonsense and fun and I recommend it unreservedly. For anyone interested in the culture of the Catskill Mountain resorts I might even go so far as to call it must-reading. Is it 'Literature?' Of course not. But if you need a laugh, this holds up pretty well over the years, nay, decades....Greg Cameron, Surrey, B.C., Canada
