Friday 31 August 2018

Kate DiCamillo: The Tale of Despereaux (2004)

    Welcome to the story of Despereaux Tilling, a mouse who is in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea (Goodreads).

     It might be charming, but beyond that, The Tale of Despereaux is extremely underwhelming. It's hard to root for the protagonists, not because one of them is named after a vegetable, though that doesn't help, but, to be honest, they don't really do much. Light is good and dark is bad, and sometimes, the imagery going along with that in the book is pretty well-executed, but the entire plot is mostly forgettable. It's also kind of annoying being constantly reminded of what just happened a few seconds ago by random interjections from the author. Luckily, the author writes well enough, with a calm, clear diction, that these interruptions are bearable. Imagery is done well, and the author describes things with an endearing, intelligent voice, and the vocabulary is pretty well done, but a bland plot, characters, and dialogue make for a fairly 'meh' read. 6.5/10

Sunday 26 August 2018

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Return of the King (1955)

    The armies of the Dark Lord are massing as his evil shadow spreads even wider. Men, Dwarves, Elves and Ents unite forces to do battle against the Dark. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam struggle further into Mordor in their heroic quest to destroy the One Ring (Goodreads).

    Although it is the third installment in his fantasy epic, Tolkien's world building expertise shines again as he introduces new places, people, and history that makes one feel as if they have been immersed for much longer than they actually have. As the suspense builds towards the climax, readers are torn between wanting to stay surrounded by Tolkien's beautiful, borderline verbose, diction and discovering the penultimate ending. The author switches between different points of view seamlessly, and the many layers of plots and subplots add to an incredible experience. Having Frodo and Sam's journey as a completely separate section of the book has its pros and cons, a pro being able to stay involved with each character more thoroughly, a con being repeated reminders of what is taking place at which time. Nevertheless, Tolkien's fantastic, and by now legendary storytelling abilities more than make up for it, stupendously finishing the saga. 8.8/10

Saturday 25 August 2018

Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890)

    Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray exchanges his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life, indulging his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of polite society (Goodreads).

    A brilliant portrayal of humanity at its most raw, Oscar Wilde uses his trademark wit and thought-provoking philosophy to weave a grand tale that begins as a bold venture into human morality and sin, and finishes as a chilling yarn of horrific proportions. Countless quotable lines are peppered throughout, as Wilde showcases his talent at both dialogue and overall narration. Characterization is also done splendidly, as Basil, Lord Henry, and Dorian Gray himself all shine in their own specific way. The title character in particular stands out, as his transformation from innocent young man into cold-blooded killer paints (heh) an eerie picture of humanity at its worst. Wilde wraps it up with a grim (although, to be fair, somewhat predictable) ending, yet the novel itself leaves readers thinking about its contents for a long time afterwards. 8.7/10