Book Review: 'The Handmaid's Tale' by Margaret Atwood

I know it's been a while since I last blogged, which is mostly because I was working every day at home, and then went away on holiday for 10 days (blog post about my trip coming soon - yay, something that's not a review!).

I have, however, kept reading over the past month and so I thought it was about time I started reviewing before I forget all my thoughts about the books.

I finished 'The Handmaid's Tale' about 3 weeks ago, but I'll do my best to recall my thoughts. I had heard of the book several times in the past, but it didn't properly catch my attention until it was featured in Emma Watson's 'Our Shared Shelf' Goodreads reading list, which is a book club of sorts in which she picks a new book, usually with some link to feminism, each month and followers read and share their views. I've been following the club for a while, but hadn't got round to reading any of the books on it until now.

I couldn't resist finding a copy on a recent trip to Waterstones. Shortly after, I discovered that a 10-episode TV drama depicting the story is currently running. This has certainly led to a new wave of interest in the novel. I wanted to wait until after I finished the book to start watching, and I did watch the first episode, but due to being away I still have a few to catch up on!

Brief Summary (based predominately on my own interpretation): Set in the not-too-distant future, people are not free. Women are given roles in society. That of the Handmaid is to reproduce. Pleasure is sinful. The story follows Offred and other women she meets as they figure out how to survive, how to battle through, and whether this new life is to be the norm. 

Atwood's ability to describe everything so beautifully and in such detail, but still completely understandable and not too tough to read, is astounding. Each place Offred went, each horror she experienced, I felt it.

I don't however think I totally understood everything the book intended. In fact, I know I didn't. Some symbols seemed so clear, the names of the Handmaid's for example, linking them as property of men (Of-name e.g. OfFred, OfWarren etc.) I suppose I read the book as a statement of warning to modern society, that, in terms of equality and divisions and priorities, we risk going backwards instead of progressing. However, there were many other connotations, for example religious, which I did not fully comprehend.

There was a lot of anger and violence portrayed in these books that was subsequently taken out on citizens. Particular prejudices held by those in power which led them to execute those they could not find a 'category' or 'role' for numerous reasons. The hatred towards these people was encouraged among others. With many recent events of violence still very fresh in my mind, I couldn't help but draw comparisons regarding scaremongering and prejudice and the devastation these can lead to.

My mum recently told me that Atwood was referencing the Shah of Iran and the situation of that time in Handmaid's Tale. This was after I had finished the book, but I have done a small amount of reading up about it and it is true that Atwood referenced these events in her historical notes. Some critics have identified an intended parallel between the Republic of Gilead (the fictional setting of the novel) and Iran under the Shah's rule. This is one explanation given for how alien the setting  appears to modern American readers.  So was Atwood actually giving a warning to the US/West about their own society, or about our position with regard to others, where things have not progressed as far?

I found this really interesting, and it made me realise that my first read really had been to be read the story as a story and take in the settings and characters and plot, but there are certainly many many references I have missed.

When watching the first TV episode, I realised that many of the novel's events have been altered in order to add action and make it more dramatic and engaging, however I hope to use the next 9 episodes to find new meanings, and I would really love to give the book a second read in the near future. It's not very long, so this should definitely be possible. I like books that make me google things, that force me to break away from my relative naivety and become more knowledgeable about situations I probably should already know more about, but also give me characters to care about at the same time

The Daily Telegraph quote on the front of my copy read "Compulsively readable' and I am inclined to degree. Despite perhaps lacking in action for long stretches, I didn't want to put this book down. The narration and flashes between past and present pull you in, coupled with the flawless flow of the words on the page and handy chapter lengths.

I am also very keen to read more of Emma Watson's 'Our Shared Shelf' books ... some of the titles look like fab reads!

I followed this read with a lighter, YA book (actually I think I might post some time about book 'quality' and 'good' books and how people determine what is 'acceptable' for them to read, but that's for another time...!) so there will be a totally different kind of review coming very soon!

Catriona xx






Reading Challenge: 7/21

Book Review: 'The Upside of Unrequited' by Becky Albertalli

My friend sent me a Snapchat of this book a couple of weeks ago and recommended it, so when I was in Waterstones last week (naughtily allowing myself to buy books I definitely did not need) and saw that this one was on their 'Buy one get one half price' offer, I was sold (or rather, it was sold, to me...)!

It was in the YA section, and as soon as I opened it up I knew it was probably going to be quite 'easy' to read, in the sense that it is the kind of book I was able to start a couple of days ago and now be finished, despite having been at work almost all weekend. This is not, however, a criticism at all. In fact, I loved to have a book in my hands that I could completely devour. That I was so caught up in I didn't want to put down. I also really appreciated the short chapters, I really do like when I can read an entire chapter of a book when I only have a short time.

Brief Summary: Molly and Cassie are 17 year old twin sisters who live in Maryland with their half brother (on the side of their shared sperm donor) and 2 Moms. Cassie is also attracted to girls and, while she frequently brags of random hook-ups, is a little overwhelmed when faced with the prospect of her first real girlfriend. Molly, who narrates the book, is straight but has never had any experience with a guy, despite numerous crushes. The book follows the pair, but particularly Molly as she deals with body image, opening herself up to the possibility of heartbreak, and the notion that guys might like her back!

From early on, Albertalli's writing style reminded me very much of Rainbow Rowell's, and the plot reminded me of her book 'Fangirl', which I also really enjoyed when I read it last year (you can read my review here). I actually learnt a lot about writing style from this book - Albetalli was very good at setting up relationships between characters and giving them background. I thought the book was very cleverly written and I picked up on a couple of wee techniques I will certainly be bearing in mind. For example, characters referring to each other using nicknames, or associating something random with a character that then keeps reoccurring throughout the book (like Reid's obsession with Mini Eggs) which as a reader you never forget, and helps to give them a sense of being tangible, 3D people!

The less confident, with regard to all things romance in particular, nature of Molly in comparison to her sister and friends was certainly an appealing and relatable characteristic for me, and I found this book to be very honest, for example opening up questions of how do we learn things we are never explicitly told about? What is the code of conduct for certain situations and how do people just seem to know what to do all the time? As well as the constant inner doubt many young people experience regarding attraction and how he/she could possibly fancy you back!

I think there were a lot of characters involved in order to make the story seem relatable, so that the reader could feel like they were part of the girls lives and knew all about the people who surrounded them. However, there were almost too many characters introduced for what was actually quite a minimalistic plot. Not a lot actually happens, as the story is more about how the girls begin their first relationships while holding onto the closeness they share, and so it kind of felt like some of the characters (Olivia, Max, Mina, Abby, Simon, Nick and more...) could have their own stories, where we actually get to know more about their own lives and purposes. As a reader, you get snippets of these background people that are intriguing, but never really followed up because they're pretty irrelevant to the book's main purpose, and would just overcomplicate a rather straightforward concept! I'd also just like to note, despite its relative irrelevance, how much I like the names Cassie and Molly! Have done for years... coincidence, or what?

Following on from this point, it was something which only really occurred to me as I was finishing the book, because to be honest this book ended rather suddenly! I don't know where I thought it was heading but I was kind of surprised it was over, and only then did I start to think that maybe its plot was a little simpler than the number of characters had previously suggested, if that makes sense?

That however, is not a criticism as I would definitely recommend this book if you're looking for something quite light, which is quick to read and is "cute" as my friend described it - it really does make you believe that happiness and happy endings are out there for us all if we have the courage to actively seek them out.

While I did really enjoy it, I possibly wasn't in a massive rush to read Albertalli's other work straight away, however then I realised that her first book actually includes some of the characters from this book, just like I suggested would be great earlier, and now I'm quite intrigued, so we'll just have to wait and see what my book-buying fetish decides on! But I reckon its just a matter of time...

Reading Challenge: 6/21

Book Review 'Another Day' by David Levithan

So, I recently reviewed the book 'Every Day', and loved it. I mentioned in that review, which you can read here, that I had treated myself to a copy of its sequel, 'Another Day'. I won't do a summary of
this book, because it is basically the same story as 'Every Day, but this time from the perspective of the character of Rhiannon, so check out my previous review first for some context!

My first impression of this book was that I was a wee bit disappointed, even bored. I mean, a lot of the book is made up of dialogue between Rhiannon and A which I recognised, as it was identical to what was in 'Every Day'. I spoke to my friend, who also loved these books, about this and she suggested that perhaps she was less bored by the sequel because she had waited ages for it, whereas because I read the two so close together, the story was a bit more repetitive to me.

However, I still enjoyed the book. It was like finishing a book you've loved (in this case, 'Every Day'), and instead of getting the 'more' you crave in the usual way of continuing the story, you get it in the form of extra, previously unknown information and details. Depth rather than length, I suppose! I think in this particular case this helped us to understand far more some of the things that may have come across as a little problematic previously, like Rhiannon's relationship with her (ex)boyfriend Justin.

I was reminded in this book of something that first occurred to me when reading 'Every Day ... these characters are supposed to be aged 16, and yet there feelings, sexual desires, thoughts, conversations, etc., are far from PG. It just sort of made me think, these are genuinely the types of things which interest many/most 16 year olds and are major parts of their lives (relationships, for example) and that just made me feel old!

Levithan used this book, perhaps even more so than 'Every Day, although I spoke about it in that review too, to explore ideas of gender and sexuality labelling. I think I found it more poignant here because, for A, it really wasn't a big deal since he had never really assigned himself definitive labels or been assigned any by society, but for Rhiannon, the thought process of whether or not she is able to love a person truly unconditionally, and not be swayed by her 'type' is a main theme of this perspective.

Finally, I was not a fan of how this book ended! While the 'Every Day' ending was a little sad, it, on reflection, kind of made sense. This ending is far more romantically hopeful, and yet, well I don't want to spoil it but let's just say that I worry that Rhiannon's inability to let go may lead to tears further down the line!

I found myself wondering, while I read this book, what it would be like if I had read this book forst, and then perhaps 'Every Day' later. Would it have made sense? I don't really think so and yet I wonder if that is just because I could not possibly read it with a clean, fresh mind-set, it was too clouded by my knowledge and experience of just having read, well, the same story!
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So, I would say to readers who have read 'Every Day', 'Another Day' is certainly worth a read, but maybe give yourself a break in between so that you can fully enjoy it. And if you've read neither, well, if anyone wants to try reading them in the opposite order, I'd love to hear about it!



Reading Challenge: 5/21

Film Review: 'Miss Sloane'

Basking in our newfound freedom now that university is over and a nice long summer begins, my friend and I made plans on Wednesday to go into town for some lunch and a trip to the cinema. She had already seen this film, but highly recommended it and thought it would be one I would enjoy too, and as she has a Cineworld Unlimited card, she was more than willing to join me!

Brief Summary: Miss Sloane is a majorly respected lobbyist in the US, who represents many top companies. However, when she is asked to persuade more women to support the right to bare arms, in order to oppose a proposed bill looking to introduce restrictions to this right, she jumps ship and campaigns for the other side. Her exceptional passion for work and seeming lack of personal life proves to do her both good and bad... and suddenly her often ruthless decisions, effect her new colleagues, and can come back to haunt her.

From reading the synopsis, I was expecting this film to be a bit like the show Suits and, in some ways, it was, particularly the legal references and fast pace. But it was also a bit
different - more serious, fewer romances and quite relevant to real life context.

I was surprised that I didn't really know any of the cast with the exception of brief appearances from Christine Baranski Mamma Mia! ; The Good Wife, etc.) and John Lithgow (How I M et Your Mother, etc.) However, I thought the overall standard was excellent - no weak links, and all the characters fitted well together.

I particularly liked Jessica Chastain's performance as Elizabeth Sloane - the principal character, of course, but a very complicated one in my opinion and thus a tough role which she portrayed excellently.

While Miss Sloane is a very extreme version of what I am perhaps picking up on and therefore not particularly like me at first glance, I did feel a little as though I could relate to aspects of her personality- obsessiveness, addictive personality, bossy, impatient (at times), living life with a wall up for fear of being hurt (sometimes), a generally good person who can come across as ruthless or heartless without meaning to, etc...

The plot was simple enough to follow, yet complex enough to keep you interested. I found the overall concept exceptionally engaging as US gun law is something I find particularly interesting and have my own real opinion on (Short version: I am very much anti-gun situation as is, no matter what the founding fathers thought! Long version: I think that would need a whole new post....)

The ending caught me completely by surprise. Not because I had a predicted ending ready, I don't think, and yet I was initially not keen on the ending simply due to the fact that I was taken off guard. However, when we left the cinema I was aware that I needed some time to process it before I could make a real assessment. On reflection, I think my initial dislike was down to the fact that the events that had been set up throughout the course of the film were all quite hurriedly drawn together in the final 10-15 minutes, and felt a little rushed. That said, I think the overall ending and its effect were clever.

Don't go and see it if all you want is a chic-flick, but for some seriously good drama, this is a must see!

Book Review: 'Every Day' by David Levithan

I am currently stuck at home studying because, well, long story short: I'm on crutches.

Basically, I'm a dafty who fell and managed to somehow damage a ligament in my knee which is extremely painful and considerably inconvenient. But anything for an excuse to procrastinate, right?

Anyway, I have a lot of work to get through this afternoon, to make up for spending most of yesterday in the hospital and taking forever to get up and dressed and out to the polling station to vote today! But since I'm at home and in a pretty good mood all things considered, I thought I'd put it off just a tiny bit longer and review the book I read last week.

So, I've been trying to read a few pages of a book for pleasure every evening before bed. Whether I've been studying, or Netflix-ing or social media-ing beforehand, I like to finish every day with a little bit of light reading. This seemed liked a really good plan until I started study leave and realised that when I get really into a book there's very little stopping me from blowing off studying plans and spending all day reading for pleasure! Which may have been what happened on a couple of occasions last week ...

I bought this book in a wee haul I did from Amazon last summer. I got excited about all the free time I'd have when I broke up from uni and Amazon were running a '3 for £10' deal on books and I couldn't resist! As usual, I never got round to actually reading the books at the time, but recently Carrie Hope Fletcher mentioned in a live stream or vlog that 'Every Day' was a good book, and I remembered that I had a copy so decided to put it next on my list.

I knew that I liked David Levithan as an author from reading 'Will Grayson, Will Grayson' which was a collaborative effort between him and John Green, but I wasn't expecting to get so hooked so quickly!

Brief Summary: A wakes up each morning in a different body. It's always someone the same age and in the same rough area, but it's someone knew every day. Then, in the body of a 16 year old named Justin, A spends a day with Justin's girlfriend Rhiannon, and suddenly has a reason to want to end this strange lifestyle. As A juggles these new feelings, A must simultaneously deal with the fact that someone may have caught on to this big secret.

While the initial concept seems to simple, there are so many wee details that could have created major plot flaws in the novel, but David Levithan brilliantly addresses just about every question. In addition, I wondered to begin with how he would manage to make this one concept span an entire book, but he does!

In order to do so, two or more very major moments in the life of A, which appears to otherwise have been rather uneventful (apart from the causal swapping of lives on a daily basis, of course!) had to occur  all of a sudden and at the same time. It did cross my mind that this was just a little too coincidental, but to be honest it was so skilfully done that some artistic license can be afforded!

Thanks to the set up of the characters and plotline, Levithan created the flexibility for himself to deal with a number of big issues, particularly sexuality and gender and to what extent these things define our lives. I knew Levithan to be the type of YA author to address such issues from previous experience, which was why I also wasn't surprised at how well he did so. Without it being to forced, without to much cliché or cringe, without sounding preachy, he brought to the light the normality of diversity and I imagine brought  lot of confidence to many young readers.

This book reinforces the notion that we can love someone just for being them and (no spoilers!) that we won't always get the fairy-tale ending, but we can learn to prioritise in order to make the best of a situation. It also touched on a broader theme I've often written about on here recently: labels. When I began the book, I immediately assumed the A was male (I even struggled not to use 'he' and 'him' in this post). Why? I don't know, A's gender is never explicitly stated and that soon became clear to me. But that fact struck a chord with me in the sense that I was reminded of the human obsession with labelling.

My only other small criticism of this book was that, while I liked that each chapter was a new day of A's life, Levithan talks at length about some days and barely scrapes the surface of others which means that the chapters vary drastically in length and its therefore hard to know how long I'd need to keep reading to get ton the end of one (I preferably like to read books in chapters, as in not stop mid-chapter if I can help it!). However, this really is just a tiny thing, and to have even-lengthed chapters would have totally ruined the effect of the narrative structure.

Overall, a brilliant book that is highly addictive! My friend, who also loved this book, informed me that there is a second one which is the same story but from Rhiannon's perspective, and so guess what I ordered this afternoon, since it's pay day?!

Right, I need to stop distracting myself from revision with fiction, no matter how good it is!

Catriona x


Reading Challenge: 4/21

Book Review: 'The Versions of Us' by Laura Barnett

My Mum was given this book as a gift last summer. It was a best seller and listed by Waterstones as one of their top picks, and a quick read of the blurb persuaded me that it was right up my street ...

Brief Summary: Eva and Jim are both students in Cambridge. One day, they bump into each other in the street. What happens after that could completely change their life paths and the books goes onto to follow the pair in three different versions of their lives.

The concept was quite intriguing ... can a single moment or event that we occur on a day to day basis totally change our futures? Possibly. The setting, the fact that it was about 19 year old students, and the fact that Eva is an aspiring author all drew me in. However, because the book follows the pair through their lives, those elements on feature a little.

I must admit I didn't love this book overall, for a few reasons. One tell-tale sign of this was that it took me AGES to read, and I kept leaving it for a while and coming back to it, whereas if I had been engrossed I would have devoured it haha.

This probably also didn't help with my second point - confusion! Each chapter was simply entitled Version 1, 2, or 3, but it didn't alternate between them evenly, rather flipped between the three in a rather random order, and so I quickly found it impossible to fully keep up with which version I was reading about, and got so tired of trying that I gave up and just muddled through, hoping to catch up a few pages into each chapter! This confusion was exacerbated by the fact that all the version were fairly similar and covered similar events, but just slightly differently.

While I appreciated that Barnett was a very good writer, and enjoyed her style, I began to find the book kind of boring because nothing exciting really happened, it literally just went through their lives, picking out events.

Furthermore, and probably my biggest criticism in terms of plot, was that basically all of the major relationships introduced in this novel not only ended, but ended due to infidelity. Like, literally every couple split up because one of them cheated! While I have no problem with reading about infidelity, it was definitely overused here in my opinion, and served little purpose other than to create a very pessimistic view of marriage!

Despite all I have said, Barnett did create characters the reader cared for, empathised with, and wanted the best for. You find yourself rooting for certain scenarios, and upset when things go wrong. She successfully describes the joys and heartbreaks of a number of different types of relationships- not only romantic, but between children and their parents, between friends and colleagues, etc.

In my opinion, this book is quite flawed, but is not badly written and so, while I won't personally be in a rush to recommend it to friends (and I am honestly just glad to have reached the end!) I wouldn't be put off reading more of Laura Barnett's work in the future.

Catriona x



Reading Challenge: 3/21

Film Review: Their Finest

I am currently at home for the weekend, and my friend and I had planned last week that we would try and catch the new Anna Kendrick film 'Table 19' while I was here. However, I don't think it can have done that well, because it is already out of the cinemas, so that plan fell through a bit!

Anyway, although I had made the decision to have a totally chilled, work-free weekend, my friend was working and busy, so it didn't seem likely I'd see her after all, until she texted me on Saturday night to say that her Dad had leant her the car, and did I want to take a trip to Cineworld.

So we decided to spontaneously catch a showing of 'Their Finest' and both agreed on the trip home that it was well worth it!


Brief Summary: In London in 1940, as WW2 rages on and the Blitz is in full swing, Catrin takes a job at a  government controlled film production company who need to produce a film which will act as propaganda, raising the people's morale while simultaneously convincing the Americans that they really need to get involved in the war effort. Alongside Buckley, the process of creating this film begins, and leads Catrin to question many things, her own abilities, the position of women, her relationship, her desires, and what life is truly worth.

I knew that this film sounded right up my street from the moment I read the official blurb. It had history, romance, and the trials and tribulations of a young writer! It also featured a cast jam-packed full of stars.

We showed up and were like little kids- hyper over the pick and mix and Tango ice blast slushies haha! It was just so nice for us both to take an evening together away from uni stress.

I hadn't been to the cinema on a Saturday night in a while and couldn't believe how busy it was! I must admit, the majority of others in the cinema were middle aged couples.. at 20, we were probably the youngest there. But I think this film is Pretty suitable for all adults to be honest!

Sam Claflin, who played Buckley, was excellent. I've now seen him in a few things and he seems to be in a lot coming out this year .. he's like a new Eddie Redmayne .. just really good and at the age where he suits so many leading parts! When he delivers his lines they just don't sound like lines, they sound like words that are naturally coming out of his mouth, and that's pretty special.

This was a little less so, the case, in my opinion, with Gemma Arterton, who was nevertheless very good as Catrin too, and the pair certainly had chemistry. I didn't recognise Arterton from anything previously, but a quick IMDb search tells me she has been in quite a bit, just not much that I've seen, apart from St Trinian's and its sequel- her character in that, Kelly, couldn't be more different!

The comedy element of the film was mostly provided by Bill Nighy's character, and he really did a very good job! He's just naturally amusing, but seems like such a nice guy too!

One of the main themes I took from this film was the treatment of women back pre-WW2 and the suffragette movement. It was just disgusting, but not overplayed in this film, just subtly and colloquially referenced and disputed.

The story is mostly quite feel-good, and lulls you into quite a false sense of security, where you begin to predict things that happen and wonder if its all that good a film after all, and then BAM a twist, and then BAM another twist!

Without spoiling, I'm not totally convinced I liked the ending, but I can totally understand why it was done the way it was. As my friend and I discussed after, it was important that we knew little about the film beforehand to fully appreciate it, so you'll just have to go and watch it to see what I mean by that ...