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patchworkbunny's Reviews (2.12k)
It's 1911. Underneath the idyllic surface of small town Eliada, eugenics is being studied and the town may have reasons for its seemingly perfect inhabitants. I first read about the American eugenics program in Jodi Picoult's Second Glance and it was that subject that made me want to read Eutopia. It's a part of American history that has been swept under the carpet, for understandable reasons. However, eugenics is used as a vehicle for the plot here and I didn't learn much more than I already knew.
If eugenics isn't scary enough for you, there's something not right in the quarantine shed. Dr Waggoner is a black doctor who happens to be available when a young woman has been butchered during what looks like outhouse abortion. Now in a town practising eugenics, you can tell that a black doctor is going to be in for a tough time and an attempted lynching is just the start of it. It turns out that women are being raped and the person being kept in quarantine is suspected of being involved.
This novel is seriously creepy. Do not read it on your own, at night, with the bedroom window open. I ended up jumpy and paranoid and then had to sleep with the window closed even though it was muggy and uncomfortable. Now, when it comes to films, I'm a big girlie wuss but not so much with horror novels. I find the scariest things are often the stuff that can really happen and horror writers can kill the suspense with excessive description. But not here.
There are a lot of big ideas in Eutopia and I think maybe there are too many to do them all justice. Not only are there the real life horrors of practising eugenics on a community, biological warfare and an element of the supernatural but also questions of religion. It did seem a bit disjointed at times and the end seemed a little anti-climatic after all the good stuff that came before but the creep factor gives it an extra star.
If eugenics isn't scary enough for you, there's something not right in the quarantine shed. Dr Waggoner is a black doctor who happens to be available when a young woman has been butchered during what looks like outhouse abortion. Now in a town practising eugenics, you can tell that a black doctor is going to be in for a tough time and an attempted lynching is just the start of it. It turns out that women are being raped and the person being kept in quarantine is suspected of being involved.
This novel is seriously creepy. Do not read it on your own, at night, with the bedroom window open. I ended up jumpy and paranoid and then had to sleep with the window closed even though it was muggy and uncomfortable. Now, when it comes to films, I'm a big girlie wuss but not so much with horror novels. I find the scariest things are often the stuff that can really happen and horror writers can kill the suspense with excessive description. But not here.
There are a lot of big ideas in Eutopia and I think maybe there are too many to do them all justice. Not only are there the real life horrors of practising eugenics on a community, biological warfare and an element of the supernatural but also questions of religion. It did seem a bit disjointed at times and the end seemed a little anti-climatic after all the good stuff that came before but the creep factor gives it an extra star.
The time is 1989. Very few people have mobile phones, the internet is in its infancy and British graduates flock to America for working holidays. I think Camp America and BUNAC's Work America style programs have gone a bit out of fashion now but I do remember them being very popular. Emma and her best friend Dee go for the Work America option, convinced they will make a fortune.
Of course, they struggle to find jobs and when they do they're not well paid. Having a contact in San Francisco, they'd decided to base themselves there however their return flight leaves from New York. Emma and Dee must somehow get across the country on a barely there budget. Not only that, but Emma seems to have inherited the holiday bad luck gene from her parents.
Not as funny as The Tent, the Bucket and Me but then I don't have any experience of back-packing to compare this to. Maybe you'll read it and identify with lots of their struggles. One thing that does ring true, the more you try and do things on the cheap, the more likely things are to go wrong... When they do go wrong, they appear ten times worse because you have no money to get yourself out of it!
Emma's books document a slice in time that we won't see again. Just like her family's camping experiences, working and travelling abroad has changed so much. I don't think anyone would be naive enough to set out without back-up funds and there is the constant communication we have in the internet to help us out.
Of course, they struggle to find jobs and when they do they're not well paid. Having a contact in San Francisco, they'd decided to base themselves there however their return flight leaves from New York. Emma and Dee must somehow get across the country on a barely there budget. Not only that, but Emma seems to have inherited the holiday bad luck gene from her parents.
Not as funny as The Tent, the Bucket and Me but then I don't have any experience of back-packing to compare this to. Maybe you'll read it and identify with lots of their struggles. One thing that does ring true, the more you try and do things on the cheap, the more likely things are to go wrong... When they do go wrong, they appear ten times worse because you have no money to get yourself out of it!
Emma's books document a slice in time that we won't see again. Just like her family's camping experiences, working and travelling abroad has changed so much. I don't think anyone would be naive enough to set out without back-up funds and there is the constant communication we have in the internet to help us out.
The Hunger Games had me gripped. It might be marketed as young adult, but its content is certainly not just for teens. The world is violent and uncertain, where teenagers from each district must kill each other or be killed on live television. If you don't want to get invested in the whole trilogy, I think this works as a standalone novel and is definitely the high point.
Literally had me running out the door to get the rest of the trilogy!
Literally had me running out the door to get the rest of the trilogy!
It would have been easy to make Mockingjay a repeat of either of the first two books but it does change direction. It feels much more like a war story however the plot seems to go on and on, like she can't quite work out what she wanted to include so she put everything in. I enjoyed the world and was attached to the characters enough to keep going but I felt it could have done with a good prune at the editing stage.
Still, I shed a few tears at the end.
Still, I shed a few tears at the end.
I got about half-way before I decided I couldn't read any more. At first I thought I'd really like the book, there was a hint of the early Anita Blake books about it. Tough chick helps police solve supernatural crimes style.
In reality I didn't like any of the characters. I often find men writing a female first person narrator unconvincing and this is no exception. Dakota reads like a man at times, she irritates me by saying every man she meets is hot but giving no real reasoning behind that opinion. Maybe a cursory description but no gut emotion behind it. Then it turns out she's got an ex-girlfriend. Hrm, I'm not convinced at all.
Then there's the attempt to fit in some S&M so it kind of feels like it's being written to a familiar template. Sorry, this one wasn't for me.
In reality I didn't like any of the characters. I often find men writing a female first person narrator unconvincing and this is no exception. Dakota reads like a man at times, she irritates me by saying every man she meets is hot but giving no real reasoning behind that opinion. Maybe a cursory description but no gut emotion behind it. Then it turns out she's got an ex-girlfriend. Hrm, I'm not convinced at all.
Then there's the attempt to fit in some S&M so it kind of feels like it's being written to a familiar template. Sorry, this one wasn't for me.
I don't think I can put into words how wonderful this book is. It's charming, touching and beautifully written and a sure contender for my favourite book this year.
It is a book about love but not a romance. The love between a brother and a sister, between friends, between lovers, secret love and the love of a rabbit named god. Despite the title, the book is not about religion although young Elly does get into trouble with her curious questions about God and Jesus.
The story is divided into two parts; childhood and adulthood. Whilst both are tinged with tragedy, violence and hurt, I found I laughed my way through childhood and cried more during adulthood. Elly's childhood is full of stories that feel familiar in many ways. Whilst there are a lot of books around with a child as the narrator, here it feels as if Elly is an adult writing about her memories.
It is a book about love but not a romance. The love between a brother and a sister, between friends, between lovers, secret love and the love of a rabbit named god. Despite the title, the book is not about religion although young Elly does get into trouble with her curious questions about God and Jesus.
The story is divided into two parts; childhood and adulthood. Whilst both are tinged with tragedy, violence and hurt, I found I laughed my way through childhood and cried more during adulthood. Elly's childhood is full of stories that feel familiar in many ways. Whilst there are a lot of books around with a child as the narrator, here it feels as if Elly is an adult writing about her memories.
El Matadero is reputed to be one of the most studied texts in Spanish speaking South America. It's a fairly short story, only 32 pages once translated and details the events of a day at a Matadero, one the public slaughterhouses common in 19th century Argentina. The story paints a vivid picture of the culture at the time and the manic pace within the Matadero as well as having a political aspect.
The real gem of this book is the accompanying appendixes and glossary which really hit home the reality of that political message. I haven't really had much exposure to Argentinian history and didn't know much more about the country than gauchos and a passion for football and polo. Like many countries, they have travelled a rocky path to get to where they are now, including a civil war between Unitarians and Federalists and a dictator running the country; Juan Manuel de Rosa. This book can describe the history much more eloquently than me, but the story of The Slaughteryard favours the Unitarians, something that would have got Echeverria into deep water if it had been discovered.
The Accounts by Other Travellers includes passages from various travellers within the country between 1818 and 1863, including Charles Darwin. These accounts all describe the Mataderos from an outsider's point of view.
I would really recommend it to anyone studying Spanish as a second language as it also contains the original text as well as a selection of poems. How often do you get both in one edition?
A really interesting little book.
The real gem of this book is the accompanying appendixes and glossary which really hit home the reality of that political message. I haven't really had much exposure to Argentinian history and didn't know much more about the country than gauchos and a passion for football and polo. Like many countries, they have travelled a rocky path to get to where they are now, including a civil war between Unitarians and Federalists and a dictator running the country; Juan Manuel de Rosa. This book can describe the history much more eloquently than me, but the story of The Slaughteryard favours the Unitarians, something that would have got Echeverria into deep water if it had been discovered.
The Accounts by Other Travellers includes passages from various travellers within the country between 1818 and 1863, including Charles Darwin. These accounts all describe the Mataderos from an outsider's point of view.
I would really recommend it to anyone studying Spanish as a second language as it also contains the original text as well as a selection of poems. How often do you get both in one edition?
A really interesting little book.
The Final Evolution is the fifth book in the Avery Cates sci-fi series by Jeff Somers however this is the first I've read.
Avery Cates is your average hard-ass tough guy. There are lots of guns, augmented brains, avatars with downloaded artificial intelligence, psychics that can control your actions and did I mention guns? It's certainly action packed and has some good themes going on but I think I have missed out by starting this far in. It takes a while for any sort of plot to form and I think if you don't like action based fiction, you won't enjoy this. Whilst I would much rather have the back story of the plague (I still have no idea what it was) and Avery's history with Orel. I'm sure these won't be a problem for the seasoned fan.
There were moments that shined amongst the gunfire. After the civil war, many cities are left radioactive and Avery and co enter such a place. The way that humans are used is frightening and it's one of the few moments that we see a chink in Avery's armour. The appendix actually made me want to read more and I would have liked that style to have been more prevalent throughout. Avery also hears voices of dead men and women in his head after he had been connected up to other consciences (I'm guessing this was in a previous book) and they guide the way to some degree.
I think Avery would translate well onto the screen; I'm much more inclined to watch men running around with guns than reading about them. A bit long and probably not my cup of tea, but one for the action sci-fi fan.
Avery Cates is your average hard-ass tough guy. There are lots of guns, augmented brains, avatars with downloaded artificial intelligence, psychics that can control your actions and did I mention guns? It's certainly action packed and has some good themes going on but I think I have missed out by starting this far in. It takes a while for any sort of plot to form and I think if you don't like action based fiction, you won't enjoy this. Whilst I would much rather have the back story of the plague (I still have no idea what it was) and Avery's history with Orel. I'm sure these won't be a problem for the seasoned fan.
There were moments that shined amongst the gunfire. After the civil war, many cities are left radioactive and Avery and co enter such a place. The way that humans are used is frightening and it's one of the few moments that we see a chink in Avery's armour. The appendix actually made me want to read more and I would have liked that style to have been more prevalent throughout. Avery also hears voices of dead men and women in his head after he had been connected up to other consciences (I'm guessing this was in a previous book) and they guide the way to some degree.
I think Avery would translate well onto the screen; I'm much more inclined to watch men running around with guns than reading about them. A bit long and probably not my cup of tea, but one for the action sci-fi fan.
You know when everyone tells you a book is amazing and when you get round to reading it, it falls a bit flat in your expectations? That's how I feel about The Knife of Never Letting Go. I'm pretty sure I'd have enjoyed it more if I wasn't expecting it to become suddenly amazing after each passing chapter.
Not to say it isn't a good book. The idea of being able to hear everyone's thoughts provides an interesting narrative, the first person accounts are not necessarily Todd's. Todd is the last boy in Prentisstown and is about to become a man in a world without women. At the start of the book, it's made clear that what Todd thinks to be true isn't the actual truth. As an adult reader, I think I worked it all out far too quickly and just wanted to get to the end to have it confirmed.
Read more on this topic at my blog.
Not to say it isn't a good book. The idea of being able to hear everyone's thoughts provides an interesting narrative, the first person accounts are not necessarily Todd's. Todd is the last boy in Prentisstown and is about to become a man in a world without women. At the start of the book, it's made clear that what Todd thinks to be true isn't the actual truth. As an adult reader, I think I worked it all out far too quickly and just wanted to get to the end to have it confirmed.
Read more on this topic at my blog.
All the other Queen Betsy books have been really easy quick reads but I struggled to concentrate on this one. I think I'm a bit bored of Betsy now but I will miss her.
There are a few good points, like when Laura (daughter of Satan) becomes unhinged and tries to do good in a not so helpful way. Part of this book is also written in journal form from Marc's point of view which was a nice change and I preferred these to Betsy's chapters.
There are a few good points, like when Laura (daughter of Satan) becomes unhinged and tries to do good in a not so helpful way. Part of this book is also written in journal form from Marc's point of view which was a nice change and I preferred these to Betsy's chapters.