【Book Review】The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Characters: ★★★★★

Plot: ★★★★★

Writing：★★★★★

 First of all, I seriously doubt that this book needs a detailed introduction because everyone have clearly read it during their high school years or at some point in their lives. Since The Great Gatsby is such a well-known book, I believe it is unnecessary for me to describe the synopsis of this book. It was set in New York, during the Jazz Age; it depicts how the upper-classes is filled with extravagance and consumerism. Also, I won’t discuss the themes or any of the literary element in this book review, because everyone must have been tired of hearing their English teachers keep repeating these things. On this book review, all I want to discuss is how this book affects my life and how I fall in love it.

    Generally, I don’t have a passive opinion against required reading materials assigned by the school teacher. To be honest, I have actually loved many of the classic works that were assigned readings including To Kill a Mockingbird and A Separate Peace. Before I read the actual book, I watched the trailer of the movie The Great Gatsby, which is starred by Leonardo DiCaprio.

    The first thing that I want to mention about this book is its writing style. F Scott Fitzgerald was an extremely talented writer, especially when it comes to the choices of dictions and the descriptive languages. With his writing style, the scene in the book seems to be so much more vivid. Even though there were sometimes when I found difficulties figuring out his implied meanings in the text, I still highly appreciate how much he great he can write.

    The other thing that impresses me is the book’s characters and plot. The only character that I can attach to is Nick Caraway. Even though Nick, at some points in the novel, has apparently revealed some of his flaws in relation to his character, he is definitely more likable than any other characters in the book. Nick takes the place as a spectator; unlike Daisy or Gatsby, he never gets truly involved in the progression of the plot. However, it is because of the fact that he is not technically the center of the story, he can be a qualified and reliable narrator who remains his calmness throughout the novel, making a stark contrast to Holden, the narrator of the Catcher in the Rye. I don’t like Tom and Daisy because of their selfish and consumerism. I don’t like Gatsby because he is unbelievably stupid with all the issues of Daisy. Overall, Nick is the only character that I love in this book, but that doesn’t mean I cannot love the story and give it a five stars rating.

    The plot is quite shocking. I don’t know how I manage to do that, but I successfully avoided all the spoilers until I finish the book. That is an accomplishment considering almost everyone in my class have either watched the movie or read the book. I didn’t expect Gatsby to die in such a ridiculous way, though. Despite all of his wealth and handsomeness, he is such a douche bag. Let me tell you. There were millions of chances that he can choose and thus avoid the gun shooting, but he just didn’t have the luck.

    Overall, I have a high expectation before reading the book, and fortunately, this book doesn’t let me down like many other well-acclaimed books do. I am wondering whether I should go and pick up more works by F Scott Fitzgerald, but I heard that his other works have very different writing styles compare to The Great Gatsby. No matter what happens, this book deserves all of the attention, merit, and praise it receives. I am very glad that I have the chance to read it during my junior year in high school.

【Book Review】Me Before You

Me Before You

Overall Rating: ★★★★★

Characters: ★★★★★

Plot: ★★★★★

Writing：★★★★★

 Louisa Clark is a woman who just lost her job as a waitress in a coffee shop in her small town. Due to the poor financial situation her family is now struggling with, Louisa, the only source of income in her family, is desperate for a job to support her parents and her sister who re-attends college with her little son. Later on, Louisa is lucky to find a job that offers a satisfying amount of pay. And that is how she meets the quadriplegic former business men: Will Traynor. At first, Will’s sarcastic attitude seems to create discord between the two people. However, Louisa later finds herself falling for the emotions and minds of Will. She then realizes the terrible secret plan that Will has always kept in mind, and she is resolved to change his mind.

    I am one hundred percent sure that this book is going to make into the TOP 10 books that I read this year. It is such a fantastic heart-gripping story. This is the kind of book that will reshape how you view the world, and influence your life ever since. The story is never boring to read, and there is always little points of excitement or humor. It is truly amazing that I didn’t get tired of reading this book considering the fact that I nearly spent two weeks finishing it. Instead of feeling relieved to finally finish the book, I was even depressed to leave the world and will not be able to read more about those characters. (I later found out that there is a sequel, though.)

    I have heard a lot of good things about this book on booktube community, and also, the ratings on Goodreads are pretty amazing. At least most of the people who I trust with their taste of books are loving Me Before You. However, the thing that truly motivates me to pick up this book is the upcoming movie adaptation of Me Before You as well as its fabulous trailer. I am not going to lie with the fact that I literally watched the trailer first and then read the book. Please watch the trailer, but if you are really sensitive and cautious about spoilers and you haven’t read the book yet, I suggest you to read the book first then watch the trailer. I highly doubt some parts of the trailer is a little spoilery.

    Now it comes to the actual content of the book. I find the protagonist Louisa extremely relatable. She is independent, brave, and potentially talented. She doesn’t realize how great achievements she can be able to accomplish at first; instead, she just wants to live her little life in her small hometown. Louisa is not the typical contemporary heroine who is always whining and hesitant to do anything. Louisa knows what she is doing, and she possess this strong determination to achieve her plan. She is willing to make self-transformations and devote her time and energy to the work she focuses on. She is probably one of my favorite female characters in the contemporary genre. In many contemporary romances, I find the female protagonist to be intolerable due to their annoying personalities. I am so glad to find a clever and self-motivated character like Louisa. As for Will, he initially appears to be a cynic person who is tired of living what he believes to be a dreadful life. I didn’t find him as agreeable as Louisa at the beginning, though his comments on Louisa always make me laugh. Through the progression of the story, I see how he suffers from his disability, and how he needs to face his terrible life after the accident that causes him to be a quadriplegic. How his relationship with Louisa changes throughout the book is definitely one of my favorite element of the story. It is wonderful that this relationship is not an instant love; it not only makes me feel the realness and truthfulness of the plot, but also adds the power to the storytelling aspect.

    The writing is very easy to comprehend. The reason for me to read this book for two weeks is not that it is long or difficult to read, it lies under the fact that I can only spend approximately half an hour per day to read during the past several weeks. I was busy with all my school work and the test preparation, and I am obviously stressed out. I manage to squeeze my time schedule so that I can write this book review. I realize I am a little stray from the point. Overall, the writing is not difficult, if you can spend an hour or two each day to read this book, you will definitely fly through it.

    By the way, I have heard about the sequel of Me Before You, which is called After You. I notice that it doesn’t get a high rating (about 3.7 stars) on Goodreads, so I am hesitant to pick up the next book even I thoroughly enjoy the first one.

    -Spoiler Discussion!-

    Me Before You is definitely not a simple romance; it touches several very serious topics, especially the issue of assistant death. I have to admit that I have never truly paid attention to the whole idea of assistant death until I read this book. I was shocked to see Will choose to die even with the presence of Louisa. Even I do not fully agree with this decision, I have to respect what he chooses to become. If that is what Will wants to be, and if he has gone through careful consideration, then maybe we shouldn’t prohibit him from doing this just for the sake of our own comfort. I have been thought about this idea for the past weeks or so. What if I get involved in a terrible accident and lose nearly everything that I own, including my friends, my dreams, and my life. What will I do? Will I make the same decision just like what Will does in the book? I have no idea what the answer will be.

    The debate surrounding the issue of assistant death is always a hot topic in the global news. Some believe it is people’s own right to decide whether they want to give up living or not; Others condemn assistant death to be a morally wrong approach. I don’t have a clear opinion in my mind. After reading the book, I accidently stumbled across a documentary filmed by BBC (I am not sure about the real company). It is hosted by Terry Pratchett, the great author who created the epic fantasy series the Discworld. This documentary was filmed four or five years ago, and it deals with assistant death. Terry Pratchett explores some of the reasons people give when it comes to why they choose to take the assistant death. The documentary also brings the viewers to Switzerland where we actually witness the process of the assistant death together with Terry Pratchett. It is a depressing documentary, and I know that Terry Pratchett died two years ago. Me Before You really makes me think more deeply which is extremely rare in the area of chick-lit or contemporary romances. It is a life-altering book, and in my opinion, it deserves every merit it gains from the readers.

    Me Before You blows my mind and changes my life ever since.

2016 March Wrap-up

2016 March Wrap-up

       This month is definitely an extremely busy month. I have started my second semester in Grade 11, and the New SAT test is on the way. I spent a great proportion of my life practicing for that exam. However, I still managed to start and finish nine books, which is quite impressive. I don’t believe I will read as much books in the following two or three months. Let’s just wish for the best.

       I will briefly mention the rating of the book and how I feel about them.

       1. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

              Intro: Streetwise George and his big, childlike friend Lennie are drifters, searching for work in the fields and valleys of California. They have nothing except the clothes on their back, and a hope that one day they’ll find a place of their own and live the American dream. But dreams come at a price. Gentle giant Lennie doesn’t know his own strength, and when they find work at a ranch he gets into trouble with the boss’s daughter-in-law. Trouble so bad that even his protector George may not be able to save him…

              Rating: ★★★★

              Comments：I am not a big fun of the writing style, but the plot twist is amazing. I have a detailed book review here in my blog.

              http://ivysbookblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/book-reviewof-mice-and-men.html

        2. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

              Intro：A beautiful and distinguished family.

A private island.

A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.

A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.

A revolution. An accident. A secret.

Lies upon lies.

True love.

The truth.

             We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.

And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

              Rating：★★

              Comments：I hate this book so much that I want to throw this book out of my window. With rage, I wrote one of my longest book reviews on my blog.

              http://ivysbookblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/book-reviewwe-were-liars.html

       3. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Intro: "...the hand at the back of my neck was strong. I'm drowning, I thought..."
The Socs' idea of having a good time of beating up Greasers like Ponyboy. Ponyboy knows what to expect and knows he can count on his brothers and friends - until the night someone takes things too far.

Rating: ★★★★★

Comments: Stunning book! I absolutely love it way more than I love The Cater in the Rye.
http://ivysbookblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/book-reviewthe-outsiders.html

4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - The World of Hobbits by Paddy Kempshall

Intro: Enter the amazing World of Hobbits. Packed with photos from the new film, this book will tell you all you need to know about these amazing creatures – their appearance, appetites, homes, friends, deadly foes and much more.

From Bilbo Baggins and Bag End to the Shire and the world beyond Hobbiton, The World of the Hobbits takes young readers behind the scenes, to reveal the characters and locations of the film.  With fascinating details on set-building, the challenges of using scale doubles for the tiny Hobbits, and the visual effects behind the world they inhabit.

Rating:★★★★

Comments: I love Bilbo Baggins, and that’s why I give it four stars. However, I don’t recommend buying it because it is not worth it, unless you are a hard core hobbit fan and you want to collect every single book that mentions hobbits.

       5. Flights and Chimes and Mysterious Times by Emma Trevayne

Intro:Ten-year-old Jack Foster has stepped through a doorway and into quite a different London.
       Londinium is a smoky, dark, and dangerous place, home to mischievous metal fairies and fearsome clockwork dragons that breathe scalding steam. The people wear goggles to protect their eyes, brass grill insets in their nostrils to filter air, or mechanical limbs to replace missing ones.
      Over it all rules the Lady, and the Lady has demanded a new son—a perfect flesh-and-blood child. She has chosen Jack.
Jack’s wonder at the magic and steam-powered marvels in Londinium lasts until he learns he is the pawn in a very dangerous game. The consequences are deadly, and his only hope of escape, of returning home, lies with a legendary clockwork bird.
The Gearwing grants wishes—or it did, before it was broken—before it was killed. But some things don’t stay dead forever.

Rating：★★★★

Comments: I think the story is fine. I like the steampunk elements and the gorgeous cover.

       6. Raining Down Rules by B.K. Rivers

Intro: Jemma Bowers hasn’t kissed anyone in over a thousand days. She knows—she’s counted.

For twenty-year-old Jemma, rules are not meant to be broken…even if she’s the one who created them. Friendships have boundaries, relationships mean trouble, and don’t even get her started on sex. Haunted by the death of her mother and her father’s abandonment, Jemma finds herself hungry for something meaningful and permanent, but is afraid of what may happen if she pursues it.

Jordan Capshaw can’t fight his addiction. Not even if it will cost him his career…

When Jemma finds Jordan drunk and barefoot in the street, she convinces him to get in her car. Aside from the fact he’s the lead singer of her favorite band and pretty much the rock star of her dreams, she quickly realizes his addiction is a monster neither of them can control.

Who knew choosing between a rock star and a fireman could be so difficult?

Emotions run high as Jemma soon finds herself caught between the troubled rock star and her growing affections for Vic Harper, a swoon-worthy firefighter from her past. But when her grandmother passes away, leaving her with no other family, Jemma’s world falls apart.

To save herself from further heartbreak, she risks it all by breaking her own rules, and putting her heart on the line.

After all, the heart just might be the biggest rule breaker of them all.

Rating: ★★★★

Comments: I received the electronic version of this book in exchange of an honest opinion. I won’t discuss what I feel about this book right here since I have already written one full-length book review.

http://ivysbookblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/book-reviewraining-down-rules.html

       7. The Fountain by Suzy Vadori

Intro: Careful what you wish for. It just might come true.
In the forbidden West Woods, Ava stumbles on the secret fountain that has granted wishes to St. Augustus students for generations. Unknowingly, she watches the coin she tosses disappear and with it the world around her as she knows it.
In a quest to undo the damage she’s done, she and alumni kid Ethan break every campus rule unravelling a tangled web of history. Ava discovers that what’s right isn’t always clear and finds herself torn between a love she’s always known and one she has yet to explore.

Rating:★★★★

Comments：I also received an electronic version of this book to write an honest review.

http://ivysbookblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/book-reviewthe-fountain.html

       8. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

              Intro: The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth.

Rating:★★★★★

Comments：I like this book，and I think it deserves all of its compliments.

http://ivysbookblog.blogspot.com/2016/03/book-reviewa-monster-calls.html

       9. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Intro: For use in schools and libraries only. A young man newly rich tries to recapture the past and win back his former love, despite the fact that she has married.

Rating:★★★★★

Comments：I know a lot of people who dislike this book, but I also know many people love this book. I, fortunately, am in the positive side. The writing is spectacular, and sooner or later, I will finish writing my book review.