To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
Top 100 Book:: Number 5
Star Rating:: *****
Quick Review::
To kill a Mockingbird is one of those books that almost everyone has heard of! It is one of those books that a lot of kids read in school (unfortunately I was not one of those) and is still a top seller 50 years after it was written.
To kill a mockingbird is a semi-autobiographical novel written through the eyes of Scout Finch a young girl growing up in a fictional town in Alabama. I absolutely love the fact that Lee chose to write the book through the eyes of Scout, the innocence makes the book just so much more appealing to read. Covering so many touchy subjects Lee manages to make the book so playful and pure through the eyes of a child.
The main plot of the book focuses on Scout’s father Atticus Finch, a very well respected lawyer in the town he is handed the case of a black man accused of raping a white girl. In a time where prejudice was rife across the US the Finch family have to deal with the racial reactions to Atticus being given the case. Written with warmth and humour this beautifully written book explores love, hate, friendship, family and race in the deep south of America.
This is a truly moving book, I found myself getting very emotional throughout the book, I could relate to Scout’s innocence about race and prejudice and the struggles her father faced trying to give his children a normal upbringing. A truly magnificent book that is very much worthy of its top 100 status. If you haven’t read this yet I recommend that you do before you read anything else.
Memoirs of A Geisha – Arthur Golden
Top 100 Book: Number 39
Star Rating:: *****
Quick Review:: I thought that this was an absolutely amazing book! Full of so much emotion and cultural references it drew me completely from page 1. Memoirs of a Geisha follows the story of young Chiyo-chan an orphaned young girl from a fishing village and her sister Satsu as they are thrust into the world of Geishas. The book follows young Chiyo-Chan as she grows into a young teenager, the struggles she faces in the Nitta okiya and her transformation into a beautiful Geisha.
Arthur Golden develops the characters beautifully and you build real connections to the characters in the book, in particular Chiyo . The narrative is descriptive and slow. Although the book covers most of her life it doesn’t feel rushed in any way and has a wonderful flow to it. I couldn’t put it down when I started it and managed to finish it in one sitting. Thoroughly recommended as a poignant insight into an art that is slipping away into history.
The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
Top 100 Book: Number 88
Star Rating:: *****
Quick Review::
Wow, is all I can say. What an absolutely amazing book. A beautifully written exceptionally heart warming book.
I genuinely could not put this book down. Sat up til very late reading this book, I just had to finish it.
It follows the story of Eddie, an 83 year old man who dies in a freak accident trying to save a little girls life. After awaking in the afterlife he learns that his earthly life will be explained to him by five people who were in it, loved ones or strangers, each of them changing his life forever.
Detailed Review:: *SLIGHT PLOT SPOILERS*
Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Life Of Pi
Top 100 Book :: Number 51
Star Rating:: *****
Quick Review::
After the sinking of a cargo ship Pi Patel is left drifting on a lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger, Hyena, Orang-utan and a Zebra with a broken leg. This book follows Pi’s journey along the pacific, the highs the lows and the sickening times he endures.
Detailed Review:: *SLIGHT PLOT SPOILERS*
Nobody True – James Herbert
Nobody True
Recommended by :: Michelle H & Steven F
Star Rating:: *****
Quick Review::
I wasn’t there when I died. That’s the chilling tagline behind James Herbert’s horror novel about James True brutally murdered and mutilated whilst having an out of body experience. An incredibly addictive read I didn’t want to put down, desperate to find out how the story would unfold. Would True find his killer, would he stop the killer striking again…. And then the big twist comes.
Detailed Review:: *SLIGHT PLOT SPOILERS*
Slaughterhouse 5 – Kurt Vonnegut
Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse 5
Recommended by :: John C
Star Rating:: *****
Quick Review::
Science fiction, no wait, wartime memoir, oh hang on… comedy…. Autobiography? All of the above! Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5 may leave you thinking “huh?” but I seriously could not put it down…. Yes I know people say that all the time but I mean it! So different it’s genius!
Detailed Review:: *SLIGHT PLOT SPOILERS*