Friday 2 November 2012

Finally my turn! (November)

Hello fellow bookclubbers! My name is Esther, and it is my turn to suggest a book.
This summer I got a kindle for my birthday, and as a result I've been reading much more than I used to. I have read some great books, but I've narrowed it down to 3 to choose from. If there isn't a clear winner in a few days then I will pick my favourite.

The first book that I present to you is "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. I picked this up in holiday this summer and I really resented having to put it down! This is Amazon's summary;
"
Enter a vanished and unjust world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren't trusted not to steal the silver...

There's Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son's tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter, home from College, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared.

Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they'd be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and rely upon one another. Each is in a search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell..."

This isn't a topic that I ever thought would appeal to me, but it was told so well that I got sucked in. I loved all the characters and really wanted to know what would happen. It was one of those books that I never wanted to end. It was also a real eye opener, I couldn't believe that it was set in the 60s! The only downside to this book is that it is quite long, but if you can find the time, you wont be sorry. Oh, and I have seen the film since then, and as usual the book is much better. The film was good, but there is only so much that you can fit in, and anything cut out of the book would be a shame.


This summer I especially made an effort to read some of the classics, in an atempt to feel intelligent, and to be better at quizes! So, when my husband downloaded "Around the world in 80 days" by Jules Verne, I thought that I would give it a go. I was very pleasantly surprised. Again, I really liked the characters, and the book wasn't full of boring descriptions like I feared.I especially enjoyed the chapter in Utah :) The best thing about this book though was the ending. Ever though the story is really old, I hardly knew anything about it, and was still surprised at the end! So if you want a classic read, with a really cool story, this is the one!


The third choice is also along the classic lines. The summer I finished reading all of Jane Austin's novels for the first time, and I was in mourning that I would never read one of them for the first time again. I decided to branch out and read "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte. I found it to be a lot more sombre than Austin's work, but still very well written and I was invested in the characters. I think that this is a book that should definitely be read in a person's life time. I also think that it is one of the most romantic stories ever, and I love how doing the right thing and being brave really pays off  in the end. It would have been so easy for Jane to take the easy way out, and , well, I don't want to spoil it if you haven't read it already! I will just say that it was a very satisfying read.


So, it's up to you, although ..I strongly recommend all 3!

4 comments:

  1. The Help it is! (Esther and I talked about it on Facebook and we just wanted to decide!) So start reading!

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  2. Look up my novel on Amazon, The Belgae Torc, launched earlier this year.

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  3. I finished The Help a couple of days ago and loved it! Thank you so much for giving me a reason to read it!

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  4. Cool! Let me get my act together and lets talk about it :)

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