There are works of literature, and especially memoirs, that are so influential and so affecting that a straightforward review will never do them justice. The memoirs of Maya Angelou, and in particular her first volume, are such books. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which details the early life of one of the most remarkable people in the fight for civil rights, is a triumph, able to connect with all readers on a deep, emotional level. With Angelou’s passing earlier in 2014, it seems like an especially poignant time to explore her story.
by Hayley Charlesworth
There are works of literature, and especially memoirs, that are so influential and so affecting that a straightforward review will never do them justice. The memoirs of Maya Angelou, and in particular her first volume, are such books. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which details the early life of one of the most remarkable people in the fight for civil rights, is a triumph, able to connect with all readers on a deep, emotional level. With Angelou’s passing earlier in 2014, it seems like an especially poignant time to explore her story. By Emma Raymond I came to the Virginia Woolf exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery knowing I would see the famed author’s suicide note. I could already recite the beginning, having read it and heard it read countless times… ‘Dear Leonard, I feel certain that I am going mad again…’ By Laura W Parents, or future parents, please read the following. If you’ve ever hired a nanny, or are considering doing so, you may want to either skip over this article or read this with an extremely open mind. I am a trained Early Childhood Educator, working as a nanny. Consider yourself warned. The Nanny Diaries, originally published in 2002, revolves around a young woman’s experiences in nannying, while still trying to balance her personal life and university education. by Hayley Charlesworth If you’re like me, then you quite rightly love Jeff Bridges. If, like me, you’ve also read a number of star autobiographies, you may expect Bridges’ release to be concerned with the chronological tale of his life and career. But The Dude and the Zen Master defies all these expectations. Written alongside Buddhist practitioner Bernie Glassman, it is a reflection on Zen, on life, and on Lebowski. And it is fascinating. By Charlotte Dibley 'Decadent, tantalizing Berlin in a Germany torn apart by war at the turn of the twentieth century… The illegitimate, orphaned daughter of a cabaret dancer, Lilly Nelly Aphrodite’s early life – and that of her only friend Hanne – is one of reinvention. Transformed from maid to war bride via tingle-tangle nightclub girl, she lands in the heart of the glamorous motion picture world and quickly becomes one of Germany’s leading silent film stars. But when she falls in love with a Russian director, she has no idea that the affair will span decades, cross continents and may ultimately cost her everything.' In short: a tale of one woman’s life which spans across decades of intense political, social and economic change in the bustling city of Berlin. Firstly, the blurb is a little disingenuous. It makes the story sound incredibly whimsical, romance-based and relatively light-hearted, when in reality this book is far from fluffy and upbeat. By Emlyn Roberts-Harry There's loads to like about Robert E. Howard's classic stories of Conan the Barbarian. They're hugely entertaining, pulpy tales of great deeds and high adventure, and they see Conan himself take on practically every adventuring role under the sun. Thief, pirate, mercenary, soldier, all the way to king of Aquilonia, you name it and Conan's probably done it at some point. In spite of that, though, there are plenty of things about these stories which haven't aged well, and can be quite awkward to a modern reader. Naturally, one has to bear in mind that they were written in the 1930s and a certain amount of datedness is to be expected, but there are still aspects of Howard's writing which are problematic. Certainly, there's nothing that's anywhere near as bad as the horrendous - even for the time - racism which you'll find in H. P. Lovecraft, but the treatment of ethnic minorities, and especially women, in Conan's saga tends to leave a lot to be desired. By Gemma Williams To celebrate the release of the film, The Giver, I decided to read the book before going to see the film. I had heard a mixture of opinions about the book and thought I'd make my own opinion on it. The Giver takes place in a seemingly Utopian society and follows a young boy named Jonas. There were reviews saying that this one was the best books they had ever read, and others claiming that it was slow paced and boring. Here's my opinion: By Sarah Wagner 'In, out, done.’ That’s the motto of Jason Garcia, the moody, self-confident heart surgeon in The Half of Us. I love a bit of romantic fiction and, imagining the book to be a little like a Mills and Boon for a gay audience, I expected my take on it to be pretty much like his take on men – pick it up quick, finish it fast, and, in my case, write a review. Over, done and dusted. Having read the book in an afternoon, I did finish it fast. But, instead of the sweet, unrealistic love story I imagined, I found the novel to be a super enjoyable, modern, thought-provoking take on the evolution of a relationship between two adults, both of whom bring their own characters, problems, and, sometimes selfish, needs to the table. by Hayley Charlesworth It can often be difficult to separate a book from its adaptation, and even more so when both are released at roughly the same time. Such was the case for The 100, the first book in Kass Morgan’s young adult series which is now making a splash on television with the CW series (airing on E4 in the UK.) As a viewer of the TV series, it is difficult to judge the book without making reference to the TV show, considering the improvements the adaptation made along with what it neglected to include. As a separate entity, the book of The 100 is an easy, engaging, if not particularly remarkable read. In a comparison to the TV show, it’s one of those rare cases where the adaptation wins out. By Emma Raymond “… Afghanistan was the missing section of my walk, the place in between the deserts and the Himalayas, between Persian, Hellenic, and Hindu culture, between Islam and Buddhism, between mystical and militant Islam. I wanted to see where these cultures merged into one another or touched the global world,” Rory Stewart, an MP, historian and intrepid Scot, walked across Afghanistan during the winter of 2002. His travel book The Places In Between is an account of his journey. |
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