Reviewed: The Great Gatsby

 Reviewed by Toni from Cashmere Sunday

What it’s About:

Set in the 1920’s on Long Island – think mansions, millionaires and mayhem – The Great Gatsby tells the tale of Nick Carraway’s arrival to the New York seaboard and his subsequent emersion into its glitzy, superficial society. Nick befriends his cousin Daisy and soon also finds himself in the company of his dark and mysterious neighbour, Jay Gatsby. Little do they all realise that the interweaving of their lives will extort threads from the past, resulting in incomprehensible devastation.

Why Read it?

It’s a beautifully written book with descriptive passages that bring the characters and the Jazz Age to life. I recommend having a dictionary to hand though as it’s quite wordy in places- fortunately it’s a relatively short book (c. 100 pages) so it’s manageable and really worth the effort. Baz Luhrmann is releasing a movie version of the book in 2012, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, so now is a good time to read it!

   
Favourite Quotes:

"I married him because I thought he was a gentleman...I thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasn't fit to lick my shoe."

"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money of their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made."

Dark Poppy’s Demise by S.A Partridge

Reviewed by Bobby

What the books about:
Jenna often feels like those around her don’t “get her”. She is a perfect product of a broken home, with a father who would rather be at work than with his children and a younger brother who she can only just bear to be around. Besides that, she has a best friend who is her polar opposite and is hopelessly in love with a boy who just started dating the school’s It girl. The only place Jenna really feels like she belongs is online, where she goes by the name of Dark_Poppy. Jenna receives a Facebook invitation by a rather gorgeous stranger called Robert Rose who seems to be completely into her. Jenna quickly falls head over heels for this mysterious boy but things go horribly wrong and she learns the hard way that people are not always what they seem, especially not people you met on the internet.

What I thought:
I was transported back to teenagerdom from page one of this book. Jenna is like so many young girls who spend time obsessing over things that seem to matter so much during adolescence and who just want to belong and be loved, I definitely recognised my teenage self in some of her behaviours. She is also the perfect example of what might happen when a child is allowed unsupervised internet access, something which I’m vehemently against. I think this is a must-read for any young adult girl as the lesson that can be learnt from this book is definitely an invaluable one.

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

Reviewed by Bobby

Helen Hamilton has always known that she was different to the rest of the small town, Nantucket teens that surround her but has done her best to hide her strangeness for all her life. But when the Delos family move to town, things begin to change for her. The first time Helen lays eyes on the gorgeous Lucas Delos, she is overcome with the desire to kill him. The three weeping figures Helen sees when any of the Delos family are around do nothing to help her predicament. Once Helen shakes the wrath of the Three Furies she begins to learn about where she comes from and learns that what she always thought was myth and fantasy, is actually very much her reality. Helen also finds herself irrevocably in love with Lucas but quickly discovers why they can never be together…

This book should come with a disclaimer stating that you will be addicted. More often than I’d like, I find myself reading books just for the sake of finishing them and when a book comes along and casts a “can’t-put-it-down” spell, it’s just so wonderful. I adore Josephine Angelini’s beautiful, descriptive writing style and enjoyed the way she’s weaved a modern day story so rich in mythology. The love story (or none love story, whichever way you want to look at it) between Helen and Lucas was butterfly inducing and totally epic. The last page of the book left me utterly disappointed though, when the conflict in the story wasn’t revolved, so I quickly whipped out my laptop to discover that Starcrossed is the first part of a trilogy, which allowed me a sigh of relief (note: unfortunately, it seems like we have to wait until May next year for part two) 

Starcrossed fills the hole that Twilight left after Breaking Dawn, the novel, was released and I’m sensing we’ll see a movie coming along soon with a heck of a lot of hype (i.e. screaming teenage girls).

Summer in the City

Summer in the City - by Candace Bushnell

reviewed by Eeden

What's it about?

'Summer and the City' is a wonderfully written prequel to Sex and the City. In this follow-up book by Candace Bushnell -prior was The Carrie Diaries- we discover how Carrie found her lifelong friends, get into a mature relationship and also test the waters of serious journalism. She joins a writing school named, ‘The New School’ in which she meets new friends, gain confidence and most importantly, find love.
With only a few months in New York, Carrie needs to find a way that prevents her from going to Brown University in the fall. Follow her on a journey through the streets of the Big Apple as she fights her way back into society.

My thoughts:

It was a very girly book, which I can never resist. I found it very easy to relate to and I love that I now know all the details about how the four girls met, etc. It is an easy to read book with loads of excitement and I can't wait for the next one (there simply has to be  a next one). I love how the four girls are so grounded and always entertaining. I can honestly say, there was never a dull moment in the book where I want to skip a few pages. The book is set in the summer time and the descriptions are exactly how I'd imagine summer in New York to be. Loved it.

 Who should read it?

‘Summer and the City’ is an exciting page turner for all the SATC lovers out there. It is a perfect read for the winter days, under the covers with a cup of coffee.

St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves

St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell

reviewed by Sally Partridge (writer)

I have a dedicated shelf of favourite reads that includes among others Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Sarah Lotz’ Pompidou Posse and Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, but St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves tops the list and is something I can pick up again and again and again. It’s haunting, and beautifully written and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

To say that someone was raised by wolves implies that they had little or no adult supervision growing up. In the nineties, we called them Latchkey Kids – literally meaning that after school unsupervised kids would have to let themselves in to the house with a spare key when there was no-one home. Being raised by wolves can have a profound effect on a person. You can develop a maturity not present in others your age, or seek parental nurturing elsewhere – in other adults, and more often than not, in older or more dominant children ready to steer you up the wrong path. It can also result in you having to learn some very hard lessons about life, much earlier than you need to.

Karen Russell’s St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves is an anthology of ten stories about children left to fend for themselves in an imagined fantastical America of an almost childish imagining.

It’s an indulgent, magically escapist read with a shadowy realism that transports the reader into the lives of the unfortunates living between its pages. Each story is deliciously imaginative, but comes with a sting in the tail that often ends the story on a bitter note.

• In Ava Wrestles the Alligator, two young girls are left alone in their grandfather’s bayou theme park, Swamplandia! surrounded by alligator infested swamps.. Ava believes in her mentally handicapped sister’s made-up stories wholeheartedly, and it’s this childish naïveté that sees her lose her childhood in the worst way possible.
• In Haunting Olivia, two brothers spend their days and nights riding giant sea turtle shells around an island, searching the dark haunted waters for the ghost of their little sister who died whilst under their care. It’s a tragic story of loss, made all the more poignant by the fact that the brothers use the imaginary maps that their sister drew of the island, to try and find her.
• In Z.Z’s Sleep Away Camp for Disordered Dreamers we meet Elijah who sees the past in his dreams. It was because of this that his parents sent him to a summer camp for children suffering from dream disorders. There he meets Ogilvy, the only other kid that shares his disorder and falls in love with Emma, the hopeless insomniac.
• In The Star-Gazer’s Log of Summer-Time Crime junior astrologist Oliver really wants to be part of the popular crowd. A chance encounter on the beach makes this dream a reality but Oliver soon discovers that being popular can sometimes mean being cruel to others, and breaking the law.
• From Children’s Reminiscences of the Western Migration is truly fantastical, yet provides the most chilling insight into the cruel nature of humanity. Set in the wild prospecting age of America, Jacob’s family decide to uproot and follow the wagon trail west to seek out greener pastures. The fantastical comes in the form of Jacob’s father, who is a mythical Minotaur, who as the journey progresses becomes the symbol for every prospector’s misfortune.
• In Lady Yeti and the Palace of the Artificial Snows a local ice rink becomes the focus of one boy’s hatred after he discovers that his father (and indeed most of the townspeople) uses the blizzard disco to mask their infidelity. Ice skating monkeys add an air of the impossible to this story of broken homes.
• The City of Shells is an Easter Island sort of place framed by eerie giant conch shells. During a school trip to the island best friends Lillith and Laramie look for affection in two different but equally disturbing places. Laramie takes her conquests into the giant shells as a way of getting back at her father while fatherless Lillith discovers a twisted camaraderie with the island’s janitor during a storm.
• In Out to Sea we meet Ava from the first story’s grandfather. It is years later, and grandpa Sawtooth is living out the rest of his days on a houseboat in the Out-to-Sea retirement community. He discovers a new lust for life after juvenile delinquent and kleptomaniac Augie has to visit him as part of her court ordered community service.
• Accident Brief, Occurrence #00/422 tells the tale of a boy descended from pirates. Tek is a member of the Waitiki Valley Boys Choir that makes the annual pilgrimage to the Aokeora Glacier to sing down an avalanche. He hates the ritual, his stepfather, his choirmaster, and forms an unlikely alliance with Rangi, a self-inflicted mute that hates the world more than he does.
• The title story St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves takes the old adage literally and deals with a nunnery devoted to the education and sophistication of girls born to werewolves. At St Lucy’s, were-children are taught to speak English, wear shoes and mind their manners. It’s a frightening allegory on the loss of childhood, and sums up neatly the theme of the anthology, in a way that will stay with the reader for days after.

The novel was first recommended to me by a friend with an individual taste for off-beat and unconventional literature. But I only picked it up years after, while waiting to meet a friend in a bookstore. As a child raised by wolves myself, I was immediately drawn to the title, and after the first line I was hooked. Russell attacks her theme with an expert grasp of language and a flair for the fantastic. Its small wonder the author was picked as one of Granta’s best young American novelists and New York Magazine’s 25 people to watch under 25.

Get it, and devour it.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

A review by Kelly
(She can also be found  here and here)

A bit about the book:

Witty, entertaining and provocative, this is a unique and important memoir that will transform your perspective of parenting forever.

A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what Chinese parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it’s like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I’ve done it…

Amy Chua’s daughters, Sophia and Louisa (Lulu) were polite, interesting and helpful, they had perfect school marks and exceptional musical abilities. The Chinese-parenting model certainly seemed to produce results. But what happens when you do not tolerate disobedience and are confronted by a screaming child who would sooner freeze outside in the cold than be forced to play the piano?

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is a story about a mother, two daughters, and two dogs. It was supposed to be a story of how Chinese parents are better at raising kids than Western ones. But instead, it’s about a bitter clash of cultures, a fleeting taste of glory, and how you can be humbled by a thirteen-year-old.

Read an Excerpt from Amy Chau's  book over here

My Review:

How great is this book’s cover treatment? Simple, Clean and Bright. It stands out on the shelf and definitely on my list of Things to Read. I am not a mother, nor do I have the urge start learning parenting skills just yet (Yes Dad you can wipe your brow). I picked this book up purely because of its cover (ok and because I was hearing such wonderful things about it), the wonder of this book lies purely in Amy’s writing. She displays her family out for you to see and do with what you please (well make assumptions, pass judgement & marvel at). You can see Amy loves her family with every fiber, bone, piece of skin & nerve of her body and soul. She before you situations of any family, but the catch is that she is telling you how she raised her children the ‘Chinese way’. The Chinese way? Yup! The musical-talent-mathematician-hard-worker-self-disciplined-genius baby maker model of parenting. A no nonsense way to allowing your children to be who they want to and discover their talents.

I have to admit Amy’s methods seem a tad extreme and, in some parts, flawed. I didn’t say it – she did. That is what is so great about this story – everything is a learning curve. Amy did what she, the Chinese mother, could do for her children and accepted the hardships and cuddles that came with it. Hard lessons are learnt in this book; lessons that encourage Western parents to accept only mediocre from their kids because of the fear of damaging them. Amy also points that it sometimes doesn’t work, but only once out of twice.

I loved this book, filled with wit, laughter, tradition, excruciating fights (I am all too familiar with) and family.

Review: Murder is as easy as clockwork

A review by Sally Partridge (writer)

Margie Orford's Like Clockwork is a gritty crime novel set in the Cape Town most tourists don't get to see: the underground.

A serial killer is murdering young girls and arranging their bodies publicly in grotesque poses meant to shock. The police call on the expertise of part-time profiler and journalist Dr Clare Hart, but she's already way ahead of them, and is about to crack the lid on a human trafficking ring that could be the answer to the whole mystery.

 The book is structured like a cat and mouse chase, with Clare and her on-again-off-again squeeze Captain Riedwaan Faizal racing after a killer before he murders someone else. There's a also a juicy back story between the pair that's hinted at throughout the novel, as well as Clare's own mysterious past that is inextricably linked to the case. Ms Orford is a terrible tease. These tasty titbits are designed to make the reader reach for the next in the series to find out more.

The book delivers a glimpse into the inner workings of the local sex trade which is nothing like the glitzy billboards you see on national roads. Even the V&A Waterfront is shown to have a shady side, and whether its fact or fiction is anyone’s guess. It also offers a unique insight on the challenges faced by the South African police force on a daily basis which I’m sure will challenge many preconceptions.

Like Clockwork is definitely recommended as a holiday guilty-pleasure read, especially if you're in Cape Town and want to read more about the places you're seeing, whether a murder took place there or not.

Five reasons to read Margie Orford

1. She's South Africa's queen of crime
Margie Orford is something of a legend. She's a Cape Town local cum crime writer extraordinaire with international book deals coming out of her ears. She's also fabulous, never attending a function without dressing the part.

2. It’s not overly gratuitous
Any fan of crime novels will know that serial killers do some nasty things to their female victims. Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is testament to this fact. Orford's murders are just as violent, but they're not as grisly as the more established crime novels out there, which read like they’re extensions of the movie Saw.

3. Its like a tour of Cape Town
Like Clockwork is set in Cape Town and if you look past all the crime scenes and gangsters, there's some lovely descriptions of the Mother City. Look out for the V&A Waterfront, Sea Point Promenade and even Century City.

4. Because chicks rule
Dr Clare Hart is an awesome. She's a tough-as-nails hardened journalist and criminal profiler, but she's also sexy. She keeps her body toned with morning runs and never hesitates to show it off when the rugged Riedwaan is around.

5. It's the first of three
If you hate that depressed slump that comes after finishing a good book, fear not. Like Clockwork is only the first in a series of crime novels featuring Dr Clare Hart. When you're done with this one, get straight into Blood Rose and then Daddy's Girl.

Book review: Cutting for Stone

Cutting for Stone By Abraham Verghese

reviewed by JHB Princess

I loved this book. I have no idea how exactly to start this review except to say - I loved it! It was the kind of book which left me bookless for a good few weeks after I’d read it, in book mourning really*.

The story is set in Ethiopia around the 1950’s, at a mission hospital called Missing (actually Mission, but the name was confused by one of the locals and became Missing), and centers around Marion and Shiva Stone. The story is told by Marion, and starts before they were born, with their mother as a young woman and her voyage to Ethiopia.

Although complex and full of many different relationships, between the boys, their parents, the dead and other characters, the one underlining question remains - who is the boy’s father and how did they come to be.

Naturally there’s a little love triangle, a few moments which may leave you close to tears, a little suspense and a slight twist or two.

Abraham Verghese’s fantastic use of the English language as well as the gorgeous way he describes Ethiopia, human emotions, the complex and diverse relationships truly has one bonding with the characters and not wanting the book to end!

I highly recommend this book.

*The reluctance to start a new book, in fear it just won’t match up to the last.

Book review: The Alchemist

The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo

Reviewed by Rox

After hearing so much about The Alchemist, I was expecting something very different. I expected a long, intense and involved book, with endless pages and sophisticated prose. What I finally realised once I was a few pages in however, is that the real power of The Alchemist is its pure simplicity... it doesn't need to be anything more than what it is, and that is a story for anyone who has ever had a dream.

The Alchemist follows the journey of Santiago, a shepherd boy from Spain. After having a mysterious dream, Santiago begins an epic trip across the sea to Egypt in search of a treasure beneath the pyramids. Along the way, he learns the secret of the Language of the World, and discovers how to listen to his heart.

Hope, dreams, courage and faith are just some of the key themes that this book delivers... in a sense it has a similar message to The Little Prince, and as a fable it is more than the simple story of a boy in search of a treasure - it is also a reminder about following our paths, our hearts and hopes, and finding our destiny in life, whatever it may be.

It is no wonder that The Alchemist is one of the most translated book in the world - regardless of language, country or religion, this is one book that everyone should read in their life!

Book review: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Reviewed by Liesbeth

There are some books you read, where you just think, yes, that’s exactly how it is for me, that’s exactly what life is like. The Elegance of the Hedgehog is one of those books, and this is a testament to not only the author Muriel Barbery, but also to Alison Anderson who translated the book so perfectly from its original French.

For me the best parts of the book were those that described the friendship between the heroine and her closest friend. At one stage, they meet for tea, and Barbery writes: “We sit and converse a while longer, in the calm space of an old friendship.” I just love that phrase. The calm space of an old friendship is often where I am at my happiest, knowing I can be 100% myself with my dearest old friends. Barbery really knows how to capture these little life moments without being clichéd or dull.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog to me was kind of like a big sister book – it challenges you to think, but it rewards you for it as well. Some chapters dabble in philosophy, and they ask you to think in new ways, or get your head around what might at first seem like a tricky concept. But if you persevere it really is worth it.

These philosophical chapters are interspersed with intriguing plot development and charming quirky characters who really make the book come alive, and at times made me laugh out loud. Overall it is a lovely warm book, that makes you laugh and think in equal measures. It deserves to be read on sunny Saturday mornings at a Parisian style coffee shop.

Book review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson.

Written by Cat

I really enjoy a good crime novel and love intrigue and drama in a story (off course my addiction to CSI speaks of the same love). This book is exceptionally brilliant within it's genre.

The plot is interesting in the hidden layers of motives and actions keeps it filled with tension throughout the book. I would have never guessed the final outcome and the plot eventually almost becomes two separate mysteries rolled into one storyline.

At times the book is very graphic about sex and violence - after all the story line leads to such type of material, but never unjustified. It is also interesting to gain an insight in the Swedish way of life and society as well as short descriptions of the lifestyle that never bores you.

I feel that the strongest element to the book is not the excellent story line, but the great characterization. Each and every character, even very minor ones, are drawn full rounded with enough information to let your imagination fill out the person, without becoming long winded and overly descriptive. The main characters deploy themselves to you as the book progresses and grow to involve you to form your opinion regarding them. They are rich and developing and hold your attention right to the end.

I will certainly recommend this book to anyone that is not an overly sensitive reader. I can not wait to read the second book in the series.

Book review: A Year on Ladybug Farm

A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball

Review by Walking on Sunshine

3 women + 1 mansion + 1 year = an incredibly sweet story about finding out that change is always a good thing.

Lindsay, Cici and Bridget are women who have raised families, cared for their husbands and worked for the majority of their adult lives. But now their husbands are gone (either deceased or have run off with other women), their children are grown and these three best friends have decided that purchasing a run-down mansion together is the solution to all their problems. As the friends view the house, which they name “Ladybug Farm” they anticipate making a profit in one years time, a profit which they hope will allow them to live a life filled with worry free problems and ultimate happiness surrounded by one another. But as we all know, keeping your eye on the prize can be difficult when you run into problem after problem.

When I first started reading Donna Ball’s “A Year on Ladybug Farm”, I thought it was a little too sugar coated, meaning there were lots of “I love you” and “I couldn’t do anything without you” moments, but as the plot thickened so did the characters and I grew to care for each of them separately. I found the novel to have a lot of similarities with Frances Mayes’ novel, “Under the Tuscan Sun”, which was a great novel (and a great movie). Lindsay, Cici and Bridget were charming, sweet and always had each other’s best interest in mind. The story grew into a charming novel about rediscovering who you are and what your friends really mean to you.

I’d highly recommend this book to people who have an afternoon of nothing planned, but this book and a cup of coffee.

* to submit your own review click HERE

Book review: Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

review by Prixie
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If there is not a soul familiar with this story, then they were probably stuck in the bowels of Hades.

Much to my surprise, the Walt Disney movie version remained very true to this classic story. It is such an outright quirky yet delightful tale, it makes you wonder if the author was under any sort of, er, influence. I mean caterpillars that smoke the sheesha, Alice arguing with herself, cards painting white roses red and a Queen of Hearts with a sadistic penchant to say "Off with their heads!" Really, it makes you want to crawl into Carroll’s mind to be a bystander!

Overall, this classic comes highly recommended for anyone at any age. Now I cannot wait for the Tim Burton interpretation of the book into a movie. And I am sure many of you cannot wait to see Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter too!