thefussyreader's reviews
494 reviews

**EDIT - Having now seen the play live, I'm amending my rating from 4 stars to 5 stars. It needs to be seen to be fully appreciated, I think. This play was absolutely hysterical and was very visual, relying heavily on comedic timing that translates better on the stage than it does on the page. I think this is a new Shakespeare favourite for me.-**


My second choice in my Shakespeare quest. I intend to read one a month, and as I'll be watching a Much Ado performance at the weekend, this was the obvious choice for this month.

The plot of this play is like a Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet mash-up.

It reminds me of A Midsummer Night's Dream in so much as the characters and the circumstances that either bring them together or pull them apart. Four people - Two couples - one in love and set to be married, the other cynical and scornful towards each other, but all mixed up in the meddling of others, and so messing up the equilibrium of their relationships.

Claudio and Hero are betrothed and are due to be married. Benedick and Beatrice can't stand one another and despise the idea of marriage. This is Shakespeare; so naturally, something comes between the happy couple and breaks them apart, while at the same time bringing together the two that hate each other.

The Romeo and Juliet vibes come from Hero faking her death, leading Claudio to believe she is dead. Thankfully he has the good sense to not end his own life, and after he has seen the error of his way and shown remorse, Hero is then revealed to be alive after all and they are married as originally planned. Phew! That could've ended badly.

Going back to Midsummer Night's, the other couple, Bene and Bea reveal to the wedding party they are madly in love (while still trying to pretend they hate each other) and are also to marry. Yay, double wedding!

So far so good with my Shakespeare quest. I've really enjoyed what I've read so far, and hope I can keep up this winning streak with next month's pick. I've read four Shakespeare plays in my lifetime and I must say, his comedies are winning it for me. (sorry Macbeth) Can't decide if I like this more than Midsummer Night's. I'll have to watch it live to determine that.

Some of my favourite lines.

"His words are a very fantastical banquet, just so many strange dishes."

"When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think that I should live till I were married."

"I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap and be buried in thy eyes."

As you can probably guess, Benedick was my favourite. He and Beatrice together supplied the comic relief. Their quick wit and sharp tongues and monstrous pride made them the most interesting characters. The fact that they loved each other all along only made their insults and scorn all the more delicious in the end. I really enjoyed their characters.

And so I continue my Shakespeare Quest. My September choice was Twelfth Night and I've started to notice a pattern with Shakespeare's comedies. Clearly he's found a formula for success, cause yet again we have a light-hearted, amusing and entertaining play.

This reminded me of both A Midsummer Night's Dream and Much Ado About Nothing. They all have the vibe of people falling in love with the wrong people, people scheming behind the backs of others, and, naturally, double weddings.
I'm going to try to explain this plot as simply as I can so . . spoilers.

In this fun version of Shakespeare's forumla we find Viola separated from her twin brother Sebastian after their ship is destroyed in a storm. She washes up on the shores of Illyria and, thinking up the best way to preserve herself in this unknown land, dresses in some of her brother's clothes, calls herself Cessario, and masquerades as a boy. She finds employment with the Duke Orsino, who she quickly falls in love with. But the Duke is in love with Olivia.

The Duke sends Cessario to Olivia to profess his love for her and to bargain for her hand in marriage. But this is a Shakespeare play, after all, and nothing runs as smoothly as that. Olivia, upon seeing Cessario, is smitten. She refuses the Duke and throws herself at Cessario.

To add trouble to the mix, Sebastian shows up, looking exactly like Cessario (who is actually his twin sister of course) and he meets Olivia, who thinks he is Cessario. (Still with me? Not lost yet?)

So Olivia throws herself at Sebastian, asks him to marry her, he agrees and they are wed immediately. Later the Duke and Cessario go to Olivia, to which she throws herself at Cessario, thinking her to be her new husband Sebastian. The Duke is outraged that Cessario would go behind his back to marry the woman he loves, when, just in the nick of time, Sebastian enters and the truth is revealed. Olivia throws herself at Sebastian and Viola discards her disguise. Seeing Viola for the first time, the Duke falls in love with her and they are married. YAY!

So that's the basic idea. I really enjoyed this. Having only read it and not seen it live, I feel I can't give it an accurate rating yet, but I will rate it based on the story itself, which I found very entertaining.
This is a play I really hope to see on the stage one day, as I can imagine it being incredibly funny live.

This one was a bit of an impulse buy for me, a what the hell, why not book. I don't normally go for murder mysteries but I love historical fiction, and I've never read a book set during the Protectorate, so it was an interesting change of pace for me. Luckily I really enjoyed this book.

Characters
One of my favourite character archetypes is the mystery man, the character we know very little about, and learn even less. Damian Seeker is one such character. He's an enigma. The only solid facts we know about him is that he is from the north and was a soldier, and little else is revealed. It didn't bother me at all to not uncover all the hidden truths about Seeker's past. I have lots of questions and received few answers but I'm not annoyed, I'm intrigued. All I want to do now is read the next book and see what else I can glean about his character.

He's a man of immense presence. Everyone is scared of him and no one wants to fuck with him. He doesn't care about showing his emotions of making friends. He's a get shit done kinda guy and loved that about him.

Other than the Seeker himself, there is a pretty amazing and well fleshed out cast around him. There are quite a few, so I won't mention them all, but the fact that there is so many and they all have their secrets only makes the story more interesting.
Who can we trust, who's telling the truth? This is a book that keeps us asking these questions right till the end.

Plot
Set in 1654 in Cromwell's Britain. Damian Seeker is the captain of Oliver Cromwell's guard. He handles all security issues while also acting as Cromwell's bodyguard, and he would protect the Lord Protector with his life.

Within the walls of Whitehall Palace where Cromwell resides, the dreadful murder of loyal soldier John Winter takes place. Seeker finds the body at the same moment lawyer and propagandist Elias Ellingworth does and he is immediately arrested, yet John Winter's widow is adamant it wasn't him.

In his grim quest for the truth and to bring justice to the real murderer, Seeker dives further into the dark underbelly of 17th century London. It is while trying to source the real killer that Seeker gets caught up in numerous other illegal activities around London and Oxford such as murder, slave trades and royalist conspiracies.

There were many bits that I never saw coming and wouldn't have guessed, such as the true murderer, the many connections between the characters, or even the dog. Reading this was like a puzzle. Each chapter revealed another piece but I never grasped the whole picture until just enough pieces fell in place.
Very cleverly done.

Writing Style
This story is told in Third Person Multiple. We jump between character perspectives but only ever learn as much as the character learns or reveals at that time, but given that we learn through multiple perspectives, we sometimes know more of what's happening than they do. On the odd occasion the characters know more than us and we have to wait for the big reveal.

I found this book really easy to read. It never felt bogged down by the language of the time, yet also still had a sense of the way people may have talked. The descriptions were vivid, never shying from the dark and gritty truth of what would have been a chaotic and poverty-stricken London. Every sight, every smell, every intrigue and every disgust, I was right there with these characters.

The pacing started out really well, slowed a little in the middle, but then kicked it up a gear towards the latter part of the book and I simply couldn't put it down.

Final Impression
On the whole I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the sequel. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to try historical fiction set in the Protectorate era for the first time or for anyone who just wants to gain a little understanding of what times were like during this period without having to pick up a stuffy non-fiction. It really gives a true sense of the times and was well researched.

The quest continues, this time with a tragedy. I chose Macbeth this month for two reasons. Firstly, it seemed appropriate to read this at Halloween time due to the content (witches, murder, treachery, slow descend into madness - all that good stuff) and secondly, I watched this month the 2015 movie adaptation starring Michael Fassbender (what a visually stunning film that is) So with the story fresh in my mind, it seemed the obvious choice.

I first read Macbeth over ten years ago in English class and remember it being the only compulsory reading that I actually enjoyed. Back then I was intrigued by the dark tones and the air of mystery surrounding the witches, and the ghost of Banquo at the banquet. I think back then I took it literally. I actually believed that Macbeth was seeing ghosts that nobody else could see. Reading this now as an adult and actually comprehending it, I understand that there was no ghost, Macbeth was simply losing his mind.

'Full of scorpions is my mind'

I love that line. It perfectly encapsulates Macbeth's state of being. He is living the burden of his guilt and it's eating away at his mind slowly driving him to madness.

Another thing I found interesting having read it again; I noticed this time what a scheming, ambitious woman Lady Macbeth is. She's a forceful character, controlling, manipulative even. When Macbeth decides he can't possibly kill Duncan because the gracious king did him great honour by making him thane of Cawdor, Lady Macbeth - in so many word - tells him to man up and just do it, attempting to shame him into committing murder. Once the deed is then done she simply washes their hands of both blood and the situation.

'A little water clears us of this deed: How easy is it then?

In a way I pity Macbeth. He was once tempted by the prospect of being king but after some thought was content with what he had. He would not have done all that he had done if not for his wife. He is the one they call tyrant and is painted as a villain but in truth it is Lady Macbeth. He returned from a harsh battlefront and in her own ambition to make him king and herself queen, Lady M took advantage of his moment of weakness. She is absolutely to blame for everything that happened within this play, and what's more, she doesn't even care.

'My hands are of your colour; but I shame to wear a heart so white.'

It isn't until the end of the play when she does start to feel the weight of her crimes and this is shown through her sleep walking, so is she even consciously aware of her guilt? Does she feel the same level of shame when she's awake? She did kill herself, but whether this was from the guilt of her action or her grief at not having mothered a child (was she even able?) I really couldn't say.

Sure, Macbeth isn't innocent in this, but in a strange way I feel he is the victim of his wife's influence. Recalling some of the themes from the movie, I also believe Macbeth could have been suffering from post-traumatic stress, but of course back in Shakespeare's era there wasn't a name for such a disorder; it mostly likely was considered madness to them.
The atrocities of war can affect a man. Perhaps he simply didn't want the confrontation with his wife; found it easier to kill a man than defy Lady M? After all, he was well accustomed with killing by this point. Perhaps after all the fighting he did, he simply didn't have the will or strength of mind to fight Lady M as well, and instead crumbled to her every wicked whim?

When I factor in this possibility, I feel bloody sorry for Macbeth. I feel he is definitely a man badly affected by war and because of it, made some bad choices and allowed power to get the better of him.

Furthermore, my English teacher had always insisted that Lady M threw herself out the castle window. So strong was her belief that she even fondly referred to Lady M as a 'Pavement Artist.' For years I believed Lady M died jumping from a window but learn now that isn't the case. Her death isn't actually shown and so, I guess, left open to interpretation. Funny how differently people interpret things.

But that's what I enjoy most about Shakespeare's work; it can be dissected every which way and still there will be more to learn from it, more to consider, more to analyse; and every analysis will be different.

Review may contain spoilers.

Whenever I'm in a book slump, or simply cannot decide what I feel like reading, I always turn to this series. This is probably the one series I own that I know I will enjoy before I even start reading. Even though I've only read three of these, they are consistently good, and consistently worthy of 5 stars.
It's a little slice of life and the most perfect way to describe it is 'charming.' Utterly charming and endearing.

Characters
Ross and Demelza are still one of my favourite book couples ever. I love how they grow with each other; Demelza especially. I feel like her character gets stronger with each book, as she becomes surer of herself and her position within society. She really gets some balls in this book as she forces herself out into grander circles in a desperate attempt to sway opinions and save Ross's skin. It shows what she's willing to do for him, and I find her generally to be a really underestimated character in the literary world.

Ross is more difficult. He's like an emotional Rubix cube. In this book, as he grows more anxious about the results of his trial, we discover that he will sacrifice his pride for the stability of his wife's future. His innermost thoughts and feelings are revealed as he considers all the things he could have and should have said to Demelza while he had the chance. Yet after the trial, when he now has ample opportunity to air these thoughts, he withdraws within himself; and he knows he does too. He loves and admires her greatly, but sadly, he can't make himself say it out loud.

There is a serious lack of communication between them. Demelza thinks Ross has fallen out of love with her and is seeing Elizabeth, Ross thinks Demelza has lost interest and might be seeing someone else. I just wanted to bang their heads together. Talk to each other, damn it. I like happy Romelza.

We learn a lot more of good old Dr Enys, who also finds love in this book, with the pretentious, upstart Caroline Penvenen, who initially doesn't portray herself in a very affable light. She comes across quite narcissistic and capricious and, though, Enys has fallen hopelessly in love with her, he won't allow himself to fall down the rabbit hole. He won't be used by her, nor charmed. Vying for his attention, she eventually changes her tactics and shows kindness, which he responds to almost immediately. I really enjoyed the Dwight/Caroline romance and look forward to reading more of them.

Francis also proved himself a changed man in this book. After his initial depression, he turned his life around and made a conscious effort to try and fix things, rather than give up on them, and eventually wins the forgiveness of his cousin and makes amends with him. Frances Poldark is proof how money (or the lack of it) changes a person.

Plot
After the events of the last book with the two shipwrecks and the scavenging of all its cargo which Ross encouraged, he's now in big trouble with the law for rioting and even assault of an exciseman. He stands on trial at the Bodmin assizes and argues his case, despite the evidence stacking against him. Naturally, George Warleggan is being his usual dick self and has been paying locals to speak against Ross. But due to the evidence not being quite as sufficient as to be certain, Ross is acquitted and released.

With that issue settled, he now has the issue of his debt to deal with. Ross and Demelza are put under terrible strains as they try and scrape together the money to pay the debts, while also endeavouring to reopen an old mine. But it's a struggle, especially with a baby on the way that she's too scared to tell him about.

Setting
After reading these books and watching the TV series, I really feel a love towards Cornwall. I've never been there, of course, but it all looks and sounds so idyllic with its peaceful expanses of open land and dramatic cliff fronts and quaint little coves. It's a place after my own heart and somewhere I could imagine myself living one day. With so many books in this series, I think by the time I'm done, Cornwall will already feel like home.

Writing Style
Although this is the smallest book in the series, it doesn't lack for drama and interest. Winston Graham has great pacing. The book never feels slow, or even particularly fast for that matter. It's just the natural progression of life. Things happen but life continues, and the lives of others continue. I love how he involves other, more trivial characters and makes their stories feel every bit as important as the protagonists'.

He is also an expert head-hopper. They say writers should never head hop, but Winston Graham has mastered the art and it's never once confusing whose head we're in and whose thoughts we're privy to at any given time. It's just so fluid and so easy to read.

Final Impression
I love these books. I think it's safe to say I will love all of them. Normally I save them to help me out of reading slumps, but as this one was so little, I think I'm going to dive straight into the next one.
Cornwall, here I come.

The best book I've read so far in 2017. A very easy 5 stars and the very definition of a page-turner.
Original, gripping, and downright clever.

V.E. Schwab is one of the most skilled writers I've ever read. She is consistently good. Her stories are creative and gripping, her characters detailed and realistic, the plots are well planned and fleshed out, and don't even get me started on her writing style!

Let's just agree that she is one talented lady. And I'm not just talking about this novel, this extends to everything I've read so far by her. I haven't read all her books yet, but damn, I think I will simply because she's proven to be a reliably engaging storyteller.

Setting
I loved how this story jumped between the past and the present, blending the story nicely and revealing as much as is needed to create tension and excitement with each chapter, yet never revealing too much as to spoil the rest of the story. I can honestly tell you, I never once could guess what would happen, or how it would end. I had many theories, but nothing was ever certain; and for this reason, I binged the book whenever I could.

Characters
Victor and Eli.
Oh my god. What wonderfully fleshed-out characters. I felt for them, I cared for them, I disagreed with them, I sympathised, I loved their friendship but also understood their hate towards each other too. I felt a cocktail of every kind of emotion for these two dudes and I regret nothing; know why? Because this, ladies and gentlemen, is how you write interesting, believable, three-dimensional characters, ram-packed full of depth and real-life feeling and flaws.

Because they're not perfect. I'll repeat that. Victor and Eli are far from perfect and that's what makes them so real and, at times, even relatable. They are so complex and have so many sides to them, not all of them pleasant either. To use a cliche, they are very much two sides of the same coin, which makes it difficult to guess their motives.

But Victor, I have to say, is now one of my all time favourite anti-heroes. And I honestly can't say I'd have him any other way. He really surprised me. I loved Sydney and Mitch too, and I didn't even hate Serena; she was strong and just as flawed as the rest of them. She had her own motives for doing things. Not one character felt useless, there for the sake of it. They all played a key role in the climax of the story.

Plot
I do love a good plot twist, especially one I don't see coming from miles off. This twist I didn't see at all, so certain I knew who the heroes and villains would be; but this isn't your average superhero novel.

The 'past' is set ten years ago while Victor and Eli are best friends and roommates at university. They study science and it's while working on their theses that they begin to wonder if the body, under the right circumstances, can develop inhuman powers. Then they think they've figured out exactly what would trigger 'super powers' and begin to test these theories. Along the course of their journey, their friendship turns sour and they become firm enemies.

That's when we begin to understand the glimpses of the 'present' as it slowly builds up to the final moment of truth. This book is like a puzzle; each chapter is a new piece. It doesn't make sense at first, but the more pieces you put together, the more you start to figure out the bigger picture. But it's clever; it keeps you guessing right until the end.

Writing Style
Once again V.E. Schwab proves herself to be a total wordsmith. She knows how to use words to create the intricately detailed scenes she does. She can toy with the emotions of a reader in such a fantastic way that there were moments I simply couldn't put it down.

I seems like, when the characters talk, they don't say things because it will sound pretty or add dramatic effect, they just talk, like people do; or say nothing at all where ordinarily some useless, flouncy line could be inserted. Schwab's dialogue works so well and reads like real life conversations. Another of the many reasons why Schwab is one of my go-to authors.
And I loved how short most of the chapters were. It really drew me in and enticed me to read 'just one more chapter - just one more chapter.'

Final Impression
Wonderfully executed. My first 5 star rating of 2017 and very well deserved. I discovered just the other day there will be a sequel. I don't remember a time I was happier to learn of a sequel. Very unexpected, seeing as this could easily be a standalone, but very eagerly anticipated. I may even have to pre-order. ;)

The Lord of the Rings. What can I say?
I am a huge lover of both the book series and film series and absolutely everything to do with it. Tolkien is an undeniable genius. The world he has created is so fleshed out, one could actually believe it exists. He is the god-father of the fantasy genre and I would read any of his works, Middle-Earth related or otherwise.

The entire Lord of the Rings trilogy is so wonderful from start to finish and I invested so much into both the storyline and the Characters. I believed every word and truly felt like I was on an adventure.

I believe Lord of the Rings to be one of those books that everybody should read, like kids in school are forced to read Shakespeare or An Inspector Calls, Lord of the Rings should be one of those books encouraged on young people. It's such a breathtaking story.
It has everything anyone could want from a book trilogy, good, evil, love, hate, friendship, loyalty, betrayal, bravery, battles, and ultimately the good guys coming out on top.

I am very much obsessed with Lord of the Rings, the way many people are with Harry Potter. When I mention Lord of the Rings, I know a lot of people who say, 'Oh yeah, I like those films' but very few who would say 'I like those books.'
It saddens me to think there are people who don't know the wonder of these books, or people who simply aren't interested. They are truly missing out on something magical.

There's a difference between 'my favorite book' and 'the best book I've read' and though this isn't actually my favorite book (though it's certainly up there) this is without a doubt the best book I've ever read and I full heartedly encourage anyone who hasn't read this to do so.
It's a journey you won't regret.

The Lord of the Rings. What can I say?
I am a huge lover of both the book series and film series and absolutely everything to do with it. Tolkien is an undeniable genius. The world he has created is so fleshed out, one could actually believe it exists. He is the god-father of the fantasy genre and I would read any of his works, Middle-Earth related or otherwise.

The entire Lord of the Rings trilogy is so wonderful from start to finish and I invested so much into both the storyline and the Characters. I believed every word and truly felt like I was on an adventure.

I believe Lord of the Rings to be one of those books that everybody should read, like kids in school are forced to read Shakespeare or An Inspector Calls, Lord of the Rings should be one of those books encouraged on young people. It's such a breathtaking story.
It has everything anyone could want from a book trilogy, good, evil, love, hate, friendship, loyalty, betrayal, bravery, battles, and ultimately the good guys coming out on top.

I am very much obsessed with Lord of the Rings, the way many people are with Harry Potter. When I mention Lord of the Rings, I know a lot of people who say, 'Oh yeah, I like those films' but very few who would say 'I like those books.'
It saddens me to think there are people who don't know the wonder of these books, or people who simply aren't interested. They are truly missing out on something magical.

There's a difference between 'my favorite book' and 'the best book I've read' and though this isn't actually my favorite book (though it's certainly up there) this is without a doubt the best book I've ever read and I full heartedly encourage anyone who hasn't read this to do so.
It's a journey you won't regret.