What I'm Reading: The Picture of Dorian Gray - Review

The Picture of Dorian Gray 

Oscar Wilde

‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ (1891) was the only novel written by Oscar Wilde and follows the story of the young and handsome Dorian Gray. Dorian Gray, at the beginning of the novel, has a portrait of himself painted and he is confronted with the true extent of his beauty. After a conversation with the easy-going Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian is fearful of what will happen to him when his beauty leaves him and old age takes its place. He makes a wish, that “If it were I who were to be always young, and the picture that was to grow old” which is fulfilled. Dorian Gray proceeds to live a life of immorality, with the portrait acting as a constant reminder of the effect of his sins and debauchery on his soul until he becomes tormented by his own behaviour and the novel comes to a sombre but thrilling end.

I truly enjoyed reading this thought provoking novel that makes you think about what would happen if people were not called into check by the consequences of their own actions and if they had no idea of empathy but were instead allowed to run riot and do whatever they feel like. Dorian, throughout the majority of the novel, is not haunted by his own misdemeanours and instead is thankful that he has license to act as he wishes and enjoys watching the painting change as he remains young and beautiful and is allowed to turn his back on the painting and continue with his self-indulgent behaviour. The ending of the novel however is a message to the reader that this type of selfish and hedonistic behaviour will catch up with you in the end, and although the ending was not a ‘happy ending’ as one is pleased to read in most novels, it is certainly one which leaves an imprint on you.

Right from the first page of this book, I was amazed by the eloquent and rich writing style of Oscar Wilde. Although this book is filled with brilliant descriptive passages, it does not, at any point, become dull to read. The dialogue between characters is pleasant although it is at times shocking to read the views and opinions such as those of Lord Henry Wotton, who tells the easily influenced Dorian Gray that the only way to resist temptation is to yield to it, to experience everything without experiencing any remorse or consequences, and that the most important thing is beauty. These views would be frowned upon by most people but I found them thrilling to read and Lord Henry’s appearances in the novel soon became something that I looked forward to.

After reading this book, I would today rank it among my favourites. The story is captivating and exciting and the grave and dramatic ending to the story makes you understand the meaning of ‘Be careful what you wish for’ a little more than you did before.

What I'm Reading: Wicked - First Impressions.

Ok. So this book is actually called "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" but it's pretty long adn I thought that shortening it down to its more popular name, simply "Wicked" would be a good move in regards to aesthetics. I got this phone on my brand spanking new iphone to take advantage of the iBooks feature (heaven sent, I tell you) and because my parents just bought me tickets to see Wicked, the musical which I have been dreaming of for the past five years, for my sixteenth birthday. I am a firm believer in reading books before watching films, so I figured that the same also applies to musicals, therefore, I am delving into the wonderful world of Oz.

I haven't read a lot of Gregory Maguire's novel yet, inspired by L. Frank Baum's 1939 book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but I am so excited to get into it! So far, I loved the opening scene, I won't give too much away, but the story begins with Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, watching Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Lion and the TIn Man making their way through Oz. I thought it was quite a heartfelt scene, as Elphaba hears of all the rumours that have circulated between people on the subject of her wickedness and evil, I think that it's probably a feeling a few of you out there can relate to, hearing gossip and lies about yourself.

I can't wait to keep reading this novel, I am super excited and definitely hope to be moving on rapidly throughout it. I will keep you updated! Comment below if you've read this book, or seen the musical, or any other thoughts on Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West!

Personal: Where Have My Books Gone?!

First of all, I would like to apologise for not posting as many reviews as often as I wished! I am, I admit, disappointed in myself. But as I am sure I have said, I need to feel truly inspired by a book to be able to get really into the essence of it, and read it to the end. Anyway, I've found a book that I am pretty sure I will be reading rapidly, given I have time amongst the floods of work I have to do, and I am hoping to post a review of it soon (ish). I've also devised a list of books I really want to read right now, and I am so excited to get my hands on them! Some of them include Dracula by Bram Stoker and Little Gods by Caitlin McColl. So please keep up with this blog, don't leave me!

"We read to know that we are not alone." CS Lewis.

What I'm Reading: The 10PM Question - Review

The 10pm Question

Kate de Goldi

Frankie Parsons is ‘twelve going on eighty’. Whilst growing up in New Zealand, his mind is overflowing with fears and worries about almost everything; are the smoke alarm batteries flat? Is the kidney shaped rash on his chest cancer? Does the cat have worms? Every night, at 10pm, he wanders into his mother’s room and hopes that she can calm his fears – but Frankie’s mother isn’t doing too well herself. Frankie doesn’t know why his mother hasn’t left the house in almost a decade, or why he lived away from home with ‘the aunties’ for the first part of his life, or why the only thing that reminds him of his mother is a caged bird. It isn’t until Sydney, the colourful, confident and creative new girl with dreads and handmade clothes comes along, that he begins to realise that his family isn’t as normal as he thought.

Along the four months that The 10pm Question is set, Frankie, with the help of his best friends Sydney and Gigs, also a free spirit, who doesn’t worry about  the threat of terrorism or McDonalds taking over the world, Frankie slowly becomes conscious of the rodent voice in his head which is driving him gradually insane. He is imprisoned in the set-in-stone routine of his life, and he can’t seem to let go of it.

The 10pm Question is written brilliantly, with subtle humour from a young boy who isn’t completely sure whether his best friend is actually his girlfriend. Kate de Goldi’s writing touches on the topics of OCD and mental illness through the mind of a child who doesn’t understand it himself. His innocence leaves the reader unable to put down the book, and wondering whether or not Frankie Parsons will be able to fight the ‘freak-out gene’.

What I'm Reading: Forgotten

FORGOTTEN

CAT PATRICK

“He’s not in my memory, which means he’s not in my future.”

London Lane remembers her future in the way that we remember our past – she could tell you what you will wear next week, but not what she was wearing last night. Every morning her mind wipes out the memories of the day she has just lived, forcing her to write notes to remind her future self of her own past. But when London meets the Luke Henry from Boston, she is confused as to why he isn’t appearing in her notes, and even as time goes on and their relationship grows, she still cannot remember him in her future. In the meantime, she is being plagued with 'memories' of a funeral – is it her father, who she hasn’t seen or heard from in years?

Or could it be Luke’s? Is that why he isn’t in her memory?

I think that Forgotten has a compelling and clever storyline, and it’s very well written, but I think that the plot would have been more believable if it leaned a little more towards the fantasy-science fiction genre than simple teen fiction. I simply couldn’t take the backwards memory ‘thing’ seriously when it was treated as a medical condition, maybe I was just too – I don’t know –closed minded while reading this book. I definitely think I would have taken the whole thing a little more seriously if London’s brain was strange because of a supernatural cause.

Now, I’m not the biggest fan of teen romance books, it all becomes too much about the couple having a perfect, rosy relationship and there isn’t enough emphasis on the actual storyline, or writers will put all their efforts into describing how in love their characters are instead of letting their actions speak for themselves. I felt that I had this problem while reading this book. However, I did put that behind me, and just ignored my general dislike of novels dripping with romance and not enough story-telling.

London is a very likable character, and any teenager who has had to stand up to a friend will relate to London’s relationship with her best friend Jamie, the only person except London’s mother who knows of her condition. Another intriguing plot of the storyline is London’s relationship with Luke, as every day for London is as though she has just met him. Every morning, she wakes up to read about her boyfriend, and every day, she falls in love with him – but is Luke keeping something from her

What sold the book to me was the way that London doesn’t let her backwards memory get in her way. When she sees how her best friend’s relationship will end in sorrow, she doesn’t allow her future to be decided for her, but instead sets out on a mission to put it to a stop. And when she learns about a hidden mystery from her past that tore her family apart, she takes it upon herself to use her ability to see to future to put right her wrongs.

What I'm Reading: The Perks of Being a Wallflower -First Impressions

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky

So I just bought this book yesterday in Waterstones. Why did I buy it? Well, not that I mean to sound shallow, but this book's film adaptation is being released in 2012, and it stars Emma Watson (Harry Potter), Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), Nina Dobrev (Vampire Diaries) and many more brilliant actors. Now, although I said this at the risk of sounding shallow, in an attempt to redeem myself, I will admit that I am the kind of person who always tries to read the book before watching the film. And so I have been searching for this book everywhere, and found a single copy in Waterstones.

The book is written by Stephen Chbosky and follows a teenage boy going by the alias 'Charlie' as he sets out as a freshman in high school. He is writing letters to an unknown person, who he calls 'friend' as he describes various scenes of his life. I've heard a lot of good things about this coming of age novel, and I'm super excited to finally have it!

So far I've read the Part 1 of 4 (just over 40 pages) and I am loving it! Charlie writes to us, the reader, in a form that is easy to read. The sentences flow easily and if you are anything like me and Charlie, and long, dull descriptions full of complex vocabulary sometimes baffles and bores you, this book is perfect for you. Chbosky skips over all the pages and pages of descriptive waffle that other authors include, and simply includes the plain truth; Charlie's experiences.

Charlie is one of the sweetest protagonists I have come across; he seems to be so innocent as he sets off into high school. He doesn't experience much, simply witnesses. He stays in the background and observes. Through his letters, we follow Charlie through school, his Advanced Level English, his family life including his sister's relationships, his brother's football scholarship, his friendship with brother and sister Patrick 'Nothing' and Sam, who is Charlie's first crush, and the star of his fantasies. Charlie's first 'real' party includes him getting high, albeit accidentally, and discovers the power of the perfect song at the perfect time.

So far, I'd say that this is definitely a book to read. Any teenagers out there would most likely adore this as much as I have so far; Charlie's honesty is great fun to read and is reminiscent of many teenager's experiences and thoughts. I specially love how Charlie just tells us everything that happens, and what he thinks, but without judging the people he's talking about. It definitely makes me think that the world would be a lot nicer if people were more like Charlie - understanding. 

I can't wait to read on to Part 2 and the rest of the book - I will keep you updated!!