Laura Besley's Blog, page 5
April 2, 2015
April 1, 2015
The Two of Us by Andy Jones
About the Book
Title: The two of Us
Author: Andy Jones
Publication: Simon & Schuster UK (12 Feb. 2015)
Summary: Falling in love is the easy part. What matters most is what happens next...
Fisher and Ivy have been an item for a whole nineteen days. And they just know they are meant to be together. The fact that they know little else about each other is a minor detail. Over the course of twelve months, in which their lives will change forever, Fisher and Ivy discover that falling in love is one thing, but staying there is an entirely different story. The Two of Us is a charming, honest and heart-breaking novel about life, love, and the importance of taking neither one for granted.
What I Think
William Fisher can be very annoying. Not only is he constantly trying to have sex with his pregnant girlfriend, but he flirts outrageously with a colleague and you keep hoping that he's not going to be an idiot. On the flip side he's wonderfully endearing too. He is kind and patient with his best friend, El, who is dying of Huntingdon's and El's partner as well as having a close relationship with his family.
The Two of Us reads a chick lit book for men (bloke lit - is that a thing?). However, it's not a flighty version of chick lit, but it's of the weightier end, like a Jojo Moyes (in fact it's not dissimilar in certain ways to Me Before You). As the book progresses it tackles increasingly heavier themes culminating in a true tragedy at the end which William struggles to deal with.
This book made me laugh, made me cringe and brought tears to my eyes. It is well-written and pacy with strong characters and heart-warming relationships.
About the Author
Andy Jones lives in London with his wife and two little girls. During the day he works in an advertising agency; at weekends and horribly early in the mornings, he writes fiction.
Follow Andy on Twitter & Facebook:
@andyjonesauthor
facebook.com/andyjonesauthor
Title: The two of Us
Author: Andy Jones
Publication: Simon & Schuster UK (12 Feb. 2015)
Summary: Falling in love is the easy part. What matters most is what happens next...
Fisher and Ivy have been an item for a whole nineteen days. And they just know they are meant to be together. The fact that they know little else about each other is a minor detail. Over the course of twelve months, in which their lives will change forever, Fisher and Ivy discover that falling in love is one thing, but staying there is an entirely different story. The Two of Us is a charming, honest and heart-breaking novel about life, love, and the importance of taking neither one for granted.
What I Think
William Fisher can be very annoying. Not only is he constantly trying to have sex with his pregnant girlfriend, but he flirts outrageously with a colleague and you keep hoping that he's not going to be an idiot. On the flip side he's wonderfully endearing too. He is kind and patient with his best friend, El, who is dying of Huntingdon's and El's partner as well as having a close relationship with his family.
The Two of Us reads a chick lit book for men (bloke lit - is that a thing?). However, it's not a flighty version of chick lit, but it's of the weightier end, like a Jojo Moyes (in fact it's not dissimilar in certain ways to Me Before You). As the book progresses it tackles increasingly heavier themes culminating in a true tragedy at the end which William struggles to deal with.
This book made me laugh, made me cringe and brought tears to my eyes. It is well-written and pacy with strong characters and heart-warming relationships.
About the Author
Andy Jones lives in London with his wife and two little girls. During the day he works in an advertising agency; at weekends and horribly early in the mornings, he writes fiction. Follow Andy on Twitter & Facebook:
@andyjonesauthor
facebook.com/andyjonesauthor
March 31, 2015
March 30, 2015
March 29, 2015
March 25, 2015
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
About the Book
Title: Wide Sargasso Sea
Author: Jean Rhys
Publication: Penguin Classics; New Edition (30 March 2000)
Summary: Born into the oppressive, colonialist society of 1930s Jamaica, white Creole heiress Antoinette Cosway meets a young Englishman who is drawn to her innocent beauty and sensuality. After their marriage, however, disturbing rumours begin to circulate which poison her husband against her. Caught between his demands and her own precarious sense of belonging, Antoinette is inexorably driven towards madness, and her husband into the arms of another novel's heroine. This classic study of betrayal, a seminal work of postcolonial literature, is Jean Rhys's brief, beautiful masterpiece.
What I Think
Wide Sargasso Sea is a prequel to Jane Eyre. However, it's written by a different author, in a different time and with (mainly) different characters. It (supposedly) tells the story of Mr Rochester and Bertha Mason, Mr Rochester's mad first wife who lives in the attic. I say 'supposedly' because I don't feel that this book really sheds any more light on the story and found a lot of the plot to be full of holes and confusing. I was disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but unfortunately I just didn't.
About the Author
Jean Rhys (1894-1979) was born in Dominica. Coming to England aged 16, she drifted into various jobs before moving to Paris, where she began writing and was 'discovered' by Ford Madox Ford. Her novels, often portraying women as underdogs out to exploit their sexualities, were ahead of their time and only modestly successful. From 1939 (when Good Morning, Midnight was written) onwards she lived reclusively, and was largely forgotten when she made a sensational comeback with her account of Jane Eyre's Bertha Rochester, Wide Sargasso Sea, in 1966.
Title: Wide Sargasso Sea
Author: Jean Rhys
Publication: Penguin Classics; New Edition (30 March 2000)
Summary: Born into the oppressive, colonialist society of 1930s Jamaica, white Creole heiress Antoinette Cosway meets a young Englishman who is drawn to her innocent beauty and sensuality. After their marriage, however, disturbing rumours begin to circulate which poison her husband against her. Caught between his demands and her own precarious sense of belonging, Antoinette is inexorably driven towards madness, and her husband into the arms of another novel's heroine. This classic study of betrayal, a seminal work of postcolonial literature, is Jean Rhys's brief, beautiful masterpiece.
What I Think
Wide Sargasso Sea is a prequel to Jane Eyre. However, it's written by a different author, in a different time and with (mainly) different characters. It (supposedly) tells the story of Mr Rochester and Bertha Mason, Mr Rochester's mad first wife who lives in the attic. I say 'supposedly' because I don't feel that this book really sheds any more light on the story and found a lot of the plot to be full of holes and confusing. I was disappointed that I didn't enjoy this more, but unfortunately I just didn't.
About the Author
Jean Rhys (1894-1979) was born in Dominica. Coming to England aged 16, she drifted into various jobs before moving to Paris, where she began writing and was 'discovered' by Ford Madox Ford. Her novels, often portraying women as underdogs out to exploit their sexualities, were ahead of their time and only modestly successful. From 1939 (when Good Morning, Midnight was written) onwards she lived reclusively, and was largely forgotten when she made a sensational comeback with her account of Jane Eyre's Bertha Rochester, Wide Sargasso Sea, in 1966.
March 24, 2015
Puppets
"'Freedom for the puppets,' they yelled."
March 23, 2015
Typewriter
"The typewriter mocked from the corner."
©2015 Laura Besley
©2015 Laura Besley
March 19, 2015
Maps
"The map's wrong."
"No, it isn't!"
©2015 Laura Besley
"No, it isn't!"
©2015 Laura Besley
