Nineteen Eighty-four – George Orwell
Top 100 Book:: Number 8
Star Rating:: ****
Quick Review::
Wow! What a book! Incredibly scary and as has been mentioned in numerous reviews an eerie look at our own world.
This story follows Winston Smith works for the ministry of truth in London. Posters of Big Brother cover the streets and every move anyone makes is captured there is no free speech, no free thinking. For those with independant thought.... there lies Room 101.
A truly fascinating book from George Orwell. Thoroughly enjoyable to read with twists and turns at every chapter. A brutal book with no holding back and no happy endings. Just a gruesome look at a world under totalitarian control.
Worth a read!
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.
Notes from a small island – Bill Bryson
Top 100 Book: Number 74
Star Rating:: ****
Quick Review::
Bill Bryson arrived in Britain back in 1973, got a job, got married and had some kids. Eventually the time came when he decided to head back to his native country the USA but before doing that he embarked on one epic tour of the wonder that is Britain. Starting at Dover and ending in Scotland Bryson recounts many memories, meet many friends and tells many tall tales about the adventures he has had in this wonderful land I call home!
Now this book is one of my favourite styles, a diary style (as if you didn’t know that by now) In fact I would link this book very closely to Dave Gorman’s America unchained which I reviewed earlier on. Bill Bryson goes on a journey around Britain recounting many tales he himself has had in various locations throughout. Full of plenty of humour and plenty of opinion this is certainly not a politically correct book, but hilariously funny!
I really enjoyed reading this book, I have to admit at the beginning I was getting a little irritated with his style of writing, very aggressive, very impatient and quite rude but as the book progressed I began to warm to Bryson’s unique style and found myself laughing along to his encounters with the British public.
I can completely recommend this book not only as a worthy top 100 but as a book you yourself should read, it is a very easy read and very relaxing, brilliant if you are looking to chill out and get away from the stresses of the day!
Do pick it up and have a read, I have kept hold of my copy!
The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
Top 100 Book: Number 84
Star Rating:: ***1/2
Quick Review::
One of Kazuo Ishiguro’s most famous works, The Remains of The Day is an interesting novel about Stevens, a very creditable English butler reliving his life through this book in order to clarify its meaning to himself.
The book begins with Stevens taking a holiday from his current employer and during his travels he tells the tales of his past with focus on particular characters including the lovely Miss Kenton with whom he was never able to declare his affections towards.
I won’t go too much more into the story but this gives you a general picture of the storyline and the plot it doesn’t stray much from the line. So where do I sit... well it isn’t my kind of thing! I can understand completely why it is in the top 100, it is totally different from any other book I have ever read, but it just didn’t grip me, I found myself getting too excited as the end was approaching and I could move onto something else.
This is now a very famous movie starring Anthony Hopkins and I haven’t yet got round to watching this film. From what I have heard it is pretty good! So my low down, I would give this book a read so you can say “done that” but I wouldn’t go out of your way to make it your life priority there are plenty of better books in the sea in my opinion!
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.
Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
Top 100 Book: Number 68
Star Rating:: **
Quick Review:: You must have been stuck in a cave somewhere for the last 10 years if you haven’t heard of Bridget Jones’s Diary! A major movie starring Renee Zellweger as the unlucky in love, eternal spinster Bridget Jones.
So you have seen the film, what about the book? It’s fairly true to the script, a few differences in events and timelines but essentially the same set of characters and the same ending! But I did not enjoy this book at all and am quite surprised it is in the top 100. Fielding’s style of narrative irritated me immensely. I can’t quite describe here what I mean by it, but believe me it is grating after a while.
But moving on to the actual story itself, very cutesy, very funny and very chick flick. I am not surprised it was made into a film. The story follows Bridget Jones a ‘typical’ single woman living in London always conscious of her weight and looks. The character of Bridget is the type that makes you cringe with all her mishaps and misfortune. Completely besotted by her boss Daniel (Hugh Grant) the story follows her trials and tribulations in trying to seduce the boss and deal with the things life throws at her along the way.
The story itself is well written and flows very nicely; it is very warm and cosy and ends how you imagine it will. I just couldn’t wait to finish it though the annoying narrative killed any warmth I had towards the story itself. I haven’t read the sequel yet but I imagine it’s more of the same. I am definitely more a fan of the film then the book in this case!
The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Top 100 Book: Number 19
Star Rating:: ***
Quick Review:: Now a successful film the Time Traveler's wife is the story of Henry and Clare. Henry has a condition which means that he travels through time regularly and is unable to control it so he goes forward and backwards without any control! I likened it to Journeyman if anyone has seen it. This book tells the story of Clare and Henry in a diary style as they meet at various points through Henry's travels.
A wonderful concept which would have been more highly recommended if it had been around 200 pages less. It got a little repetitive and seemed to keep going over the same stories again and again. The beginning and the end were very well written, lose some of the mindless middle dribble and it would have been a much more enjoyable read.
Detailed Review:: *SLIGHT PLOT SPOILERS*
The Wind In The Willows – Kenneth Grahame
Wind In The Willows - Kenneth Grahame
Top 100 Book: Number 30
Star Rating:: **** 1/2
Quick Review::
Written in 1908, The Wind In The Willows is a "Cutesy" tale of friendship, respect and companionship between wildlife animals, focusing on the lives of Moley, Ratty, Badger and Mr Toad. It's known as a childrens book but I feel us adults can learn a lot from this book. It has a lot of underlying morals which are put across in a very gentle way. We follow the mischevious Mr Toad, The river bank loving Ratty, The home loving Mole and the father, authoritive figure of Badger. There is no real storyline as such it is more a collection of their adventures along the river bank and in the countryside of Pastoral England. A very enjoyable book to read.
The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night- Time – Mark Haddon
The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night- Time - Mark Haddon
Top 100 Book:: Number 59
Star Rating: **** 1/2
Quick Review::
Meet Christopher Boone, a 15 year old boy living in Swindon with Asperger’s syndrome. One day he discovers the neighbour’s dog Wellington has been murdered with a garden fork and he makes it his mission to discover the murderer.
Described as a murder mystery novel with a difference Christopher opens a can of worms that will transform his life, and affect all of those around him. An award winning novel by Mark Haddon that is a real pleasure to read.
Detailed Review:: *SLIGHT PLOT SPOILERS*
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*