Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (3611)

Content

Amy Curtis (49 KP) rated Pride and Prejudice in Books

Dec 31, 2018

Modest Romance

Contains spoilers, click to show

Everyone always mentions this novel, it’s a classic, how can it not be mentioned? When I picked up this novel, I was just praying that it wouldn’t be one of those clichés where everyone says it’s amazing and once you’ve read it you think to yourself, what was all the fuss about? I’m pleased to say that this was not the case.

Most people know the rough story of this novel but I will give a little recap anyway. You are introduced to a middle-class family with 5 young girls that are ready to be married off. The mother is a hysterical kind of woman that cannot keep herself out of her daughter’s business. The eldest daughter Jane is a very shy individual and she falls in love with a wealthy man Mr. Bingley. When Mr. Bingley arrives in town, he brings with him his friend Mr. Darcy who is constantly described as a disagreeable fellow particularly as he does not enjoy the social norms that were custom in this era. Jane’s sister Elizabeth finds something curious about this man and spends the majority of the narrative expressing her dislike of him. Eventually though, he wins her round but the journey is what is so beautiful about this novel.

When I read this, I really thought it was going to be a cliché novel and I was pleasantly surprised as to how much I enjoyed it. You can see parallels between the relationship with Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet and Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. Looking back on this, there are quite a lot of similarities between these two novels and the characters that make them.

Austen has created an incredible classic novel that highlights what life was like in this era and how people behaved. You could look at this novel as a study of personalities. The romance between the two is incredibly sweet especially when it seems as though it would be such an unlikely couple. Both characters have to have internal battles before they are both ready to open up to each other and declare how they really feel.

I can now understand why this novel has been such a fascination for literary scholars. It is beautifully written and contains the modest kind of romance that leaves you wanting more. It will be going up there as one of my favourite works of literature.

Kudos

EmersonRose (320 KP) rated Knight of The Dead II: Cavalry in Books

Nov 20, 2019

Knight of the Dead 2: Cavalry is author Ron Smorynski’s second book in this action-packed, zombie apocalypse book with a medieval twist. In the second book, Ronan and his family have found themselves a place to build up as their fortress and are ready to start bringing others into their midst. But as their little community grows, they find themselves faced with inner conflict as much as dealing with the danger the world has become. This conflict mainly arises from the fact that when it was just his family, Ronan shared the same beliefs as everyone else, they understood each other’s skills, and trusted each other completely, which is not the case with traumatized strangers. The book is a quick and easy read that is full of action-packed zombie fights and chases, interesting ways of surviving in an apocalyptic world, and sweet family moments. I would say that this book is best suited for those that love zombie, apocalypse, and Christian literature.
I really appreciated the small moments throughout the book that hold sweet moments of family. In a dark world, it is nice to see those moments of trying to keep a little innocence alive for young children, sharing love, the comradery of close friends, and the earnest desire to protect one another. What this book, and the series as a whole, are very strong in is the action. This does not just mean the actual fights but the interesting chases, the intense moments of sneaking through the city, searching for materials needed to survive, and trying to save others. I thought that the addition of new characters was great and through their eyes allowed us to learn even more about the central family. Especially when it came to dealing with conflict and trusting those around them. In this book, the family’s connection to God is strengthened and becomes a key aspect of their mental journeys and how they deal with the horror that surrounds them.
Smorynski has done an excellent job of creating an atmosphere in the series that feels possible. For both the physical shape of the world and the mental space of the characters, you can see this being a future for humanity despite the sci-fi premise. I found the book to be a fun read and look forward to reading the next installment in the series.