4 STARSA Fine Imitation is a realistic historical fiction novel, that was an enjoyably quick read, centered around Vera in alternating chapters between two different times in Vera's lifetime - pre-war 1913 and post war 1923. I was worried about the alternating chapters, centering around the same character ten years apart being confusing, but I fell into the rhythm of the book quickly, and the timeline was done in a way that complemented the overall plot. The integral theme of wanting to be set free from an imitation of life set in societal norms as opposed to personal fulfillment, in a high society man's world where maintaining reputation means everything - a least to Vera and her family, ended up being less shallow than I thought it would be. I did however like that the conclusion of being able to be set free, having choice, and being daring enough not to answer to anyone unless you choose to was refreshing. The climax felt anticlimactic to me after being built up after so long, and I didn't love parts of the ending (her husband's reaction to everything she had done annoyed me - in fact her husband annoyed me in general), but the book itself was well written and intriguing from the very beginning. I received a copy of A Fine Imitation from BloggingForBooks.
4 STARS
This novel is so beautifully written. Yasmine El Rashidi (native, herself, to Cairo) begins the story right after Sadat's assassination, before Mubarak took office, then down through events which eventually led to the takeover of the Islamic Brotherhood. I remember hearing about this back in 2011, but didn't fully understand what what going on since I hadn't learned about the history preceding the event. So this novel was extremely illuminating for me in that sense (along with really making the me feel grateful for American freedom). That being said, to learn the history that goes on in the book....I would have googled it first to supplement the historical context. The book is told from the perspective of a young girl (unnamed) growing up and coming of age in Egypt through this (current) historical time for the country. Since it is pretty much her thoughts that are told to the reader as the narration, it is a little vague at times, but also gives more emphasis to her feelings in response to things happening around her, which I really appreciated. My favorite part of the book was the fact that the novel started off with the narrator as a young child and El Rashidi wrote it to actually be read like you are reading the consciousness of a little girl living in Cairo. Then, as the story unfolded, the summers pass, and the narrator grows older, and the narration gradually gets more complex. I loved that! Yasmine El Rashidi is an extremely talented author. I received a copy of Chronicle of a Last Summer through Bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for an honest review.
"Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.
Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great risk--documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart."
RATING 4 STARS
I have wanted to read this book for a while now, and only recently had the chance to finally get the guts up to do it.
It is not a good story. It is not an enjoyable read. For the majority of this book I was either tearful or nauseous. But it is beautifully written in a way that gives hope for survival and love above all other human emotions. That being said, I think this is something that everyone should read at least once in their lifetime, but I don't think I'll be re-reading it.
This is a story that needs to be shared with the world. And I hope that, eventually, it will be.
I would have loved nothing more than to have read this book in high school. I wouldn't mind it being a required reading for everyone. Of course, I learned about Stalin and Hitler and WW2, but mostly just the "Hitler vs. the rest of the world" that predominately is told. I wish we gone into more detail about Stalin and his evils, which is exactly what this story brings to light.
I think what made this story so riveting and unforgettable is knowing that most of it happened. Even where the characters were fictional, the things that happened to them and a lot of the kindness that is shown between them is not fictional.
"A pilot forced to land in the Sahara meets a little prince. The wise and enchanting stories the prince tells of his own planet with its three volcanoes and a haughty flower are unforgettable.
A strange and wonderful parable for all ages, with super illustrations by the author."
RATING 4 STARS
I absolutely adore this book and have ever since I first read it. It takes me to a different place. I think everyone should read The Little Prince at least once in their lifetime…but that is just me. The storyline is fabulous, especially for youngsters, and the characters are lovable. The only thing negative I have to say about this book is that I don't like the ending very much at all.
"In 1897, the French poet Edmond Rostand published a play, Cyrano de Bergerac, on the subject of Cyrano's life. This play, Rostand's most successful work, concentrates on Cyrano's love for the beautiful Roxane, whom he's obliged to woo on behalf of a more conventionally handsome but less articulate friend, Christian de Neuvillette.
The play has been adapted for cinema several times, notably in 1990 with Gérard Depardieu in the title role. That 1990 version's dialog is in French with subtitles written by Anthony Burgess in rhymed couplets, mirroring the form of the dialog in the original play. The most famous film version in English is the 1950 film, with José Ferrer in the title role, a performance for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Steve Martin wrote & starred in a contemporary retelling, Roxanne, earning himself the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 1988. Based on Rostand's play is the libretto by Wm James Henderson to the 1913 opera Cyrano by Walter Damrosch."
RATING 4 STARS
A timeless classic. I always get lost in this twisted but romantic {and almost heroic} love story. Enough said.
