There’s not a lot I can say about The Great Gatsby that you won’t hear from an English teacher, if I’m honest. I’m not a great Fitzgerald scholar – I’m not a great scholar, end of point – and there’s not a lot I can do apart from yell into the Great Internet Void. Which is precisely… Read More The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I’m going to produce my metaphorical megaphone and yell into the internet void/echo chamber/cavern of Liberal Feminist Ideals. Look (listen?): NOVEL WITH FASCINATING FEMALE PROTAGONIST. The premise of this novel (by the late, great, Jenny Diski) is a tad weird, admittedly. It’s even weirder when you begin reading it at 5 am, hungover, after 3… Read More Like Mother by Jenny Diski
The man himself describes La Belle Sauvage as an ‘equel’, designed to stand alongside His Dark Materials in all its magnificent glory. But does it really? YES. Yes! YES! (Notice how I’m trying to think about this book critically, rather than screaming ‘OH MY GOD THIS IS NEW PHILIP PULLMAN YES YES YES YES YES’. Like a good cheese,… Read More La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman
I’m wrong about lots of things. The brilliance of Wuthering Heights, although I adore it now. The amount of time it takes to get from one train platform to another. And now, this novel, which is glorious. (warning: this post will contain spoilers.) In the first chapter, I had a niggling doubt that this could turn out to… Read More Mantissa by John Fowles
When I announced in English today that I’d read this novel – describing The Master and Margarita as ‘Satan causes havoc in Russia’ – I was met with the kind of look that said ‘You need to step away from the books and go outside’. Although I acknowledge there is an element of truth in… Read More The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
A regular sleep pattern was worth sacrificing for this baby. This is a beautiful, ground-breaking novel that also broke my heart whilst at it. Will (possibly) change how you think about the Victorian novel, because the narrator apparently takes great pleasure in screwing with your mind. It’s like a Victorian, romantic Kafka. The basic premise… Read More The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles
I think I’ve found my new favourite book. I bet you weren’t expecting that. I know that I wasn’t, certainly – I haven’t even finished it yet. Into the Wild is tragically beautiful, and alternately will screw with and linger upon your mind. I’ve got the feeling that it will continue to linger with me… Read More CR: Into the Wild by Jon Krakaeur
