Search
Search results
I was sure I’d read Dubliners before - possibly during my English Literature A Level, but I couldn’t remember what the stories were about. They really give the reader a feel of what life must have been like at the turn of the last century in Ireland. They’re not all ‘pretty’ stories either. We see alcoholism (or at least heavy drinking that impacts life and family), poverty, suicide, missed opportunities and hard decisions. So, normal life for a lot of people.
I now wonder if I should go back and reread one of his novels?
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this book.
I now wonder if I should go back and reread one of his novels?
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this book.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated My Brilliant Friend in Books
Jul 27, 2017
Well written but repetitive and boring
I heard a lot of high praise for this series but I have to admit I was quite disappointed. The lives of the two protagonists Lena and Lila just seemed so shallow and contrived based around the confines of poverty. While it started off remotely interesting, it was far too long to keep up. Their friendship is a constant battle between love and rivalry - which could have been summed up in half the time. And their constant need for male affection was rather aggravating. It has the same premise like Zadie Smith in terms of writing but that's it.
Bookapotamus (289 KP) rated Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt, #1) in Books
May 25, 2018
Angela's Ashes was an extremely heavy, tragic but touching memoir peppered with humor and emotion and love. Frank McCourt is a master at telling stories, but this memoir of his Irish Catholic family, spans so many subjects, so creatively and so beautifully - from family, to love, religion, sickness, abandonment, poverty... The hardship that immigrants had to go through is heartbreaking - as is their strength, and will to survive and make better lives for themselves. So much emotion after reading this. I don't know if this story will leave me for awhile. Definitely something for the mature reader, and definitely something that stays within you.
Hari Nef recommended Fish Tank (2010) in Movies (curated)
ClareR (5589 KP) rated Edge of The Grave in Books
May 16, 2023
These are the mean, violent streets of Glasgow in 1932. It’s a time when police officers like DI Jimmy Dreghorn and his man-mountain ex-Olympic wrestlerDS Archie McDaid get the results that are needed in the way that is necessary.
Corruption is rife, as is poverty and unemployment (it’s the Depression). Everyone is out for themselves - and that includes the police.
This is a hard, gritty read, not for the faint hearted, but compelling nonetheless. I was gripped from start to finish, and I’ve spotted that there’s more to come from Dreghorn and McDaid in a second book - it’s on my wish list already!
Corruption is rife, as is poverty and unemployment (it’s the Depression). Everyone is out for themselves - and that includes the police.
This is a hard, gritty read, not for the faint hearted, but compelling nonetheless. I was gripped from start to finish, and I’ve spotted that there’s more to come from Dreghorn and McDaid in a second book - it’s on my wish list already!
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Oliver Twist in Books
Oct 10, 2017 (Updated Oct 11, 2017)
Bleak but beautifully written
I bawled while reading this as a child, especially reading this horrendously bleak tale. Orphan Oliver Twist escapes a rundown orphanage and workhouse only to live in further poverty at the hands of a terrible thief, who exploits young children to do his bidding. Oliver, a very simple and innocent boy, moves from one place to another in order to survive the harsh streets of early 19th century England.
It literally is a never-ending saga of one horrific incident after another, highlighting Dickens' strong views about how children were treated during Victorian times. And while there is a bittersweet ending, it leaves you with a feeling of deep sadness for these lost children.
It literally is a never-ending saga of one horrific incident after another, highlighting Dickens' strong views about how children were treated during Victorian times. And while there is a bittersweet ending, it leaves you with a feeling of deep sadness for these lost children.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated All The Good Things in Books
Jul 25, 2017
Profoundly moving look at the social and prison system through the eyes of a troubled young girl
An extremely moving, emotional rollercoaster of a debut novel about circumstances and consequences. Clare Fisher has done a superb job in writing about how poverty and lack of support can have a devastating impact on a person's life. The story slowly unfolds to reveal how the protagonist ultimately ends up in prison through various tragic experiences and desperate situations that she finds herself trapped within. It seems apparent that she's as much a victim in many ways despite being incarcerated.
Keep the tissues at hand, this empathetic beautiful story will have you bawling your eyes out.
Keep the tissues at hand, this empathetic beautiful story will have you bawling your eyes out.
Booksnthreads (19 KP) rated Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood in Books
Jun 14, 2018
As a white, middle class American, most of my education about colonialism and the resulting systemic and institutionalized racism and poverty have come from my own efforts to broaden my understanding. The more I learn, the more I am appalled not only by the realities themselves but also by the huge missing gap in my American education.
Trevor Noah's Born a Crime provides incredible insight into apartheid in South Africa as well as it's lasting effect, even after it "ended." I was already a bit of a fan of Noah's humor and political commentary, and his memoir is not a disappointment. He tackles big issues with a sense of humor that does not in any way minimize those issues.
Trevor Noah's Born a Crime provides incredible insight into apartheid in South Africa as well as it's lasting effect, even after it "ended." I was already a bit of a fan of Noah's humor and political commentary, and his memoir is not a disappointment. He tackles big issues with a sense of humor that does not in any way minimize those issues.
William Finnegan recommended My Brilliant Friend in Books (curated)
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Educated in Books
Apr 5, 2018
Harrowing and inspiring
It seems almost impossible that Tara Westover is an academician from both Harvard and Cambridge given that she had never been to school. Her story is important, revealing how women are treated and subjugated in fundamentalist societies.
Brought up in a survivalist, Mormon family, Westover speaks about a poverty-stricken, difficult childhood where education is seen as secondary and violence is rife. Her relationship with her abusive brother is horrifying, And moreso is her family's acceptance of his behaviour. So gaining scholarships to top universities in the world despite having had no clue about the Holocaust, the civil rights movement, and Napoleon, is no mean feat.
While parts are repetitive, it is engaging and harrowing to hear her inspiring story.
Brought up in a survivalist, Mormon family, Westover speaks about a poverty-stricken, difficult childhood where education is seen as secondary and violence is rife. Her relationship with her abusive brother is horrifying, And moreso is her family's acceptance of his behaviour. So gaining scholarships to top universities in the world despite having had no clue about the Holocaust, the civil rights movement, and Napoleon, is no mean feat.
While parts are repetitive, it is engaging and harrowing to hear her inspiring story.