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BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Testaments (The Handmaid's Tale #2) in Books

Sep 24, 2020 (Updated Jan 26, 2021)

There are three protagonists in this book and the story is told from their perspectives. Aunt Lydia is one of the founders of Gilead, she helped to create the rules and she is worshipped and feared among the residents. She was the star of this book! I loved her story, that she shared from her past, and how she became so influential. On the other hand, I have a million questions, because some of her actions don’t really make sense.

Another person telling the story is Agnes, a teenage girl, that was raised in Gilead since birth. She is sharing her life story, that I found quite intriguing. I was surprised, how brainwashed people can be, and how easy it is to mould young people. Agnes amused me, and I really enjoyed her journey. The third person was my least favourite one, that was baby Nicole. She lives in a present-day like Canada, and I think she was the least interesting and kind of lame. However, when all three stories are combined, it did make a pretty amusing read.

The narrative of this book was constantly changing, depending on the character. I really liked the way the author tangled these stories. I think it was quite eventful and action-filled. I liked the way M. Atwood combined the different worlds and different times in this book, it had me engrossed. I really enjoyed the writing style of this novel, I think it was creative. The chapters had a decent length, and the book didn’t leave me bored. I really liked the ending of this book, I think it concluded this story very well.

To conclude, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I liked the character’s differences in values and understanding of what’s right and wrong. This book has an interesting, “mission” like narrative, and is quite layered, all these things kept me intrigued till the end. I hope you will give it a go and will enjoy it as much as I did.

Kudos

BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Unmaking of Ellie Rook in Books

Sep 24, 2020

The Unmaking of Ellie Rook

Sandra Ireland | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences, Thriller

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

The protagonist in this novel was Ellie, and the whole story was told from her perspective. Ellie comes back to her hometown after the news, that her mother drowned. But as I was going through the pages, it was clear, that Rook family is a very dysfunctional one, hiding many horrible secrets. I really liked the way the author chose her characters, they all have a story to tell, they all are interesting and play very important parts in this book. I liked the way Ellie opened up and shared her story throughout the pages. She seemed fearless but used to crumble after her father’s words. I think she represents many of those, who grew up with abusive, controlling parent.

The narrative was very fast paced, and every chapter allowed to see a little bit more of Ellie’s past, and what shaped her to be the way she is now. The topics covered in this book were emotional and physical abuse, bullying, teenage romance, controlling behaviour and many more. This book has some very cleverly written surprises and twists and was an easy and pleasant read for me.

The atmosphere of this book is very dark, gloomy and messy, filled with scrap cars, crows, and violence. I liked the writing style of this novel, it was complex and layered. The chapters were short, and the ending of this book left me very satisfied indeed. Even though a single perspective was sufficient for me, I would’ve liked to read Imelda’s thoughts as well. I don’t really know how I feel about all that folk story about Finella, it adds a nice touch to the story, but making it a core of this book wasn’t really necessary.

So, to conclude, it is a really good domestic noir, filled with complex characters and difficult situations. I really enjoyed this book and the topics it discussed, and I recommend it to people who are looking for a quick but important read. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did. 🙂

Kudos

BookInspector (124 KP) rated The Key in Books

Sep 24, 2020

The Key

Kathryn Hughes | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Mystery, Thriller

8.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

I really like reading books which has an interesting setting, and what could be more intriguing than a mental hospital in 60ies. That was what kindled my interest to read this book. There is always something sinister behind those closed doors…

This novel didn’t disappoint me with the originality of its characters. I loved this wide variety of amusing characters with different states of mind. The main characters in this novel were Ellen, Amy and Sarah. Amy was a patient in the hospital where Ellen was working. And Sarah was the person from the present, investigating, what happened in Ambergate all those years ago. I absolutely adored Ellen and Amy’s story in this novel. It was very indulging, absolutely absorbing and heartbreaking. I adored Ellen’s kindness and the constant fight for making patient’s lives better. I really enjoyed reading multiple perspectives in this novel, I think it opened up the characters wonderfully.

It is obvious from the blurb, that narrative was switching between past and present events, bringing different stories and different findings, and Hughes has done amazing transitions between these parts. I really liked that author was telling multiple stories in this novel, constantly bringing in turns and twists to keep the reader entertained and hooked. K. Hughes touched really sensitive topics in this novel, such as mental health, loss in a family, teenage homelessness, family relationships, disability and many more.

The writing style of this novel was absolutely beautiful and the whole book very well rounded up. It has pleasant short chapters and the pages just flew through my fingers. I really liked the way author ended this book. I think it was very deserved and heartwarming finish to the story, and I appreciate that author kept it realistic. So, to conclude, this is a very intriguing and full of surprises story, with plenty of original characters, which kept me hooked, and I savoured this book till the last page. I do strongly recommend it and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.