JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The Bad Beginning (A Series of Unfortunate Events #1) by Lemony Snicket

Dear Reader,
I’m sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.

In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast. It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.

With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

This has to be one of my favourite childhood book series, apart from Harry Potter. And the first few books in the series are really only a couple of hundred pages, so they’re quick to read and wonderful to reminisce with when you’re an adult and you’re re-reading them.

Lemony Snicket created a brand with the Unfortunate Events books. The hardcover books and cover designs are intriguing and unique, and the frayed edges of the pages would draw in children in a bookstore or a library.

The Bad Beginning introduces a fantastic villain – Count Olaf. He’s vile and mean and Lemony Snicket includes such a great description of him that you can really envision him. And the three Baudelaire siblings are wonderful protagonists. Each of them are different, both in their personality and in their interests/talents.The Baudelaire children are forced to live with Count Olaf after their parents die, and he spends the entir novel concocting a plan to steal their fortune.

Lemony Snicket introduces an interesting writing technique in this book where he talks directly to the reader, and you can experience this first when you read the blurb. He tells the reader that the book is going to be unpleasant, and he momentarily halts the story throughout the book to inform the reader of certain things, for example:

Page 13 “over a dull dinner of boiled chicken, boiled potatoes and blanched – the word ‘blanched’ here means ‘boiled’ – string beans”
Page 18 “Please get out of bed and get dressed,’ he said briskly. The word ‘briskly’ here means ‘quickly, so as to get the Baudelaire children to leave the house”

Although I loved this technique and found it engaging, at times it was a bit much, and I think Lemony Snicket overused it. He could’ve dialled it back a little to fasten the pace of the story.

I recommend this book not only to children but also to adults who want a quick, easy read – something that doesn’t require any thinking on their part. I also recommend this book to adults who want to read something to their child.

My Score: 8/10

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Berlin, 1942: When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move to a new house far, far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people in the distance.

But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different from his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.

This is such a heartbreaking novel, not just for children but for adults. It captures perfectly the absurdity of the Nazi concentration camps, and the innocence that was lost.

The story moves forward quite quickly. Bruno and his family move to Poland because of his father’s new job, and he struggles to settle into his new life. His sister is cruel and it is quite obvious that she – unlike her brother – really does understand what Auschwitz is. Bruno feels isolated and learns to explore, and it is this that propels the story forward at a seemingly fast pace.

John Boyne has written this story through the eyes of a young child – Nazi Germany is seen through Bruno, who is trying to grow up within such a harsh and unrelenting time in history. He befriends a boy of the same age in the concentration camp next to his house, and the two become friends.

Their friendship is sweet – he brings food for his friend and they talk about trivial things. They learn to enjoy each other’s time, but throughout the entire novel, there’s a sense of dread. Somehow, you know that this story won’t end well and John Boyne achieves this by writing the main character as an extremely naive young boy. Bruno does not catch on to what Auschwitz really is, and does not understand why his new friend wears striped pajamas. Bruno does not really understand what his father’s job is, or why his friend is so skinny and doesn’t get fed.

This novel shows Nazi Germany in a subtle way because Bruno does not understand what he’s experiencing, therefore he does not dwell on it. Particular aspects of his life are described in short paragraphs because Bruno does not think them to be important, and it is this kind of storytelling that makes this novel so powerful and eye-opening.

My Score: 8/10
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The Duff: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger

Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face.

But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.

Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone.

I enjoyed reading this novel much more than I thought I would – I actually devoured it in one sitting. Perhaps it’s because it doesn’t even seem like a YA novel. There are quite a few explicit sex scenes and this novel deals with some deep issues like child abuse. It was refreshing to have such young main characters deal with adult issues.

The main character is feisty and witty and actually has real personal issues that justify her behaviour. I mean, sure, she’s a heartless bitch, but it makes sense since her Dad is an alcoholic and her mum, well, I’m still not really sure about her mum. She’s flaky, to say the least.

I do think there are a couple of flaws with this story. Firstly, the progression of Bianca and Wesley’s friends-with-benefits relationship isn’t realistic. It happens too fast and Bianca doesn’t seem to notice that Wesley’s parents are never home. She just seems a little clueless sometimes. Secondly, Bianca’s two best friends seem like cardboard cut outs. There was no depth behind them and there didn’t seem to be any authenticity to their behaviour or dialogue. They were just there as props. You probably could cut them out of the story and it wouldn’t affect it that much.

However, I did like Wesley and Bianca. They were authentic, likeable characters – their motivations seemed justified and their banter back and forth provided some comic relief for the reader. Plus, the ending is soppy and cute and perfect for a teenage audience.

I recommend this to young adult audiences, but also to females who are little older (up to mid 20s). There are some deep issues explored in this novel, and this will resonate with an older target audience.

My Score: 8/10
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The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1) by Graeme Simsion

Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don’s Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

I feel like this is one of those books that would’ve been a risk at acquisitions time – you don’t know if it’s going to sell well or not sell at all. And then, of course, the book actually becomes a phenomenon and receives rave reviews.

This novel is funny, but not necessarily a laugh-out-loud funny. It’s more a quiet chuckle or an amused smile. This isn’t a bad thing – Graeme has written the main character Don Tillman so believably that you’re not actually chuckling at him, but at the absurd things that he does. Like creating a survey for women to fill out, and they have to answer every question correct for Don to consider them a candidate for the Wife Project. Don has Asperger’s syndrome, but he doesn’t know it. But the reader is aware of it from the very first page – Graeme has captured his schedule and his personality and his subjective perspective perfectly.

Don is an unusual protagonist, but I really like him. I like that he evolves over the course of the novel – he seems to forget about his routine, and in his own way, goes after Rosie. The love story between Don and Rosie is behind-the-scenes, and doesn’t actually feel like a love story. Don is not the typical brooding lead male in the story, and doesn’t attempt to whisk Rosie off her feet. In fact, he’d probably argue that whisking someone of their feet is impossible, a cliché, and too vague to actually achieve.

Despite Don being extremely intelligent, he also possess a certain level of naivety. And although this probably comes from him having Asperger’s Syndrome, it is also a writing achievement.

My Score: 8/10
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Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

In a faraway land where members of the royal family are named for the virtues they embody, one young boy will become a walking enigma.

Born on the wrong side of the sheets, Fitz, son of Chivalry Farseer, is a royal bastard, cast out into the world, friendless and lonely. Only his magical link with animals – the old art known as the Wit – gives him solace and companionship. But the Wit, if used too often, is a perilous magic, and one abhorred by the nobility.

So when Fitz is finally adopted into the royal household, he must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin.

When I started this book, I wanted to read it as if I were a non-fantasy-reader. Since Game of Thrones became such a phenomenon, more people are opening themselves up to the genre, and it’s easy for me – a huge reader of fantasy – to read Assassin’s Apprentice and review it based on how well it utilises the conventions of fantasy fiction. But this novel, which is the first in a trilogy, has the abilty to engage all readers, even those who aren’t familiar with the genre.

Assassin’s Apprentice is fast-paced and interesting, and the first person narration is believable and realistic. And the journeying in the story doesn’t take 50,000 pages, which is usually what frustrates me about fantasy fiction (*cough* The Queen of the Tearling *cough*). Robin Hobb reveals enough about the world and the characters for the reader to understand the story, but not too much where the reader is going to feel fatigued by the excess information. I assume that Robin reveals more to the reader in the second and third novels in this trilogy.

Robin Hobb’s writing is fluid, and events seem to flow from each other in a natural sequence. There are no disjointed events or conversations that have the reader confused and flicking back through an earlier chapter. Fitz’s motivations and doubts are seen through his actions, not through telling. This is hard to accomplish, especially since fantasy authors have so much information to write down and it’s tempting for them to simply tell the reader things instead of showing them.

What I loved about the main character, Fitz, is that although he’s brave and intelligent, he’s also extremely flawed. His relationships with the other characters are sometimes misguided, or he says or does things that the reader might not understand or agree with. And because he’s flawed, the reader sympathises and engages with him on a greater scale.

My Score: 8/10
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