18
February
2009
I wrote this before I had started the book.
When I first looked at the cover of My Brother Jack, I didn’t realise that it was an older story as a lot of the modern books coming out have similiar covers. When I picture an old book, I picture worn yellowing pages and a creased cover, though the black and white cover could be telling people that pick up the book that it is an old story. In the actual picture, there are two boys. One taller than the other, and standing back to back, leaning on each other, which could tell us the brothers are very close and support each other. Though it looks as though the taller boy has his head turned to see his younger brother, as in watching out for him, but you can not see his face.
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9
December
2008
A Rose for the ANZAC Boys, written by Jackie French and set during the era of World War 1, is a novel that opened my eyes and expanded my mind. Jackie French captured the pain and the heartbreak, the loss and every possible feeling of this time through her beautifully written words. Her novel tells of the brave soldiers fighting, but it also tells of the ‘forgotten army’; the women. When reading this book, readers experience such a large amount of emotion that it clenches your insides, and is almost unbearable.
This story follows a teenage girl nicknames Midge, whose brothers are both fighting in the war, and she can no longer stand to sit around and do nothing. Leaving her private school where she was learning to become a young lady, she and 2 of her friends set up a canteen for the soldiers in France at a railway station where all the wounded men come to be taken to hospital, and all the fresh young faces are heading to war, not realizing what they are walking into. Readers follow this young girls journey, as she learns that her twin is ‘missing’ and that helping with the war isn’t all romance, but blood, loss and heartbreak. Midge witnesses scenes she could have never imagined, these scenes described by Jackie French beautifully to make you feel as if you are standing at the canteen with Midge, watching ‘men with grey faces, white faces, faces cut by shrapnel. Men with closed eyes who might be dead or just blessedly unconscious. Men with strange hooped cradles where their arms or legs had been. They looked so still. So quiet. There were some groans and cries but strangely few. These were men who had seen hell.’
Amongst following Midges journey helping at the canteen, becoming an ambulance driver of the wounded and finding herself working at the casualty station, there are letters. These are letters to soldiers who need somebody to write to, letters to her brother, letters to her family and letters to her friend. Within these letters alone, Jackie captures a true feeling of war, with the loneliness and despair of the soldiers, where one letter can make living bearable for them and a smile can give them hope. The one thing keeping Midge going is the thoughts of after the war; returning to her New Zealand farm with her brothers and imagining the smells of her home. ‘…shut her eyes for a brief moment, so a small part of her was suddenly at peace in the eternal world of grass and mountains’.
A Rose for the ANZAC boys is a novel I would recommend every person to read. Author Jackie French captures the feeling and emotion of World War 1 in a way that no novel has ever done for me. She tells the tale of a teenage girl, wanting the romance of war and to make a difference, though not realizing the full extent of the meaning until stepping out into it. The novel contains stories of brave soldiers, but it also contains stories of the brave women.
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23
October
2008
Bye Beautiful, written by Julia Lawrinson and set in Western Australia during the 1960′s, is about two teenage girls and their overly controlling father. It weaves a story of heartbreak, secrets and the strength of family love. All during an era where times are changing.
When sisters Sandy and Marianne and their brother Laurences father, Frank Lansing, is transferred to a hot small country town in Western Australia, the children are devastated to leave their friends and life behind, as well as Mariannes fiance. Sandy, who has never been one for making friends, is not as worried as her popular older sister who is a natural at making friends and who has a fiance waiting for her in Perth. Nor her younger brother Laurence, who has charisma and confidence unnatural for any boy of 10. As Sandy predicts, Marianne and Laurence hit it off with kids on their second day in the small town. Sandy is used to being out shadowed by her smart younger brother and her beautiful, intelligent older sister, so when she meets the handsome, alluring Billy Read, she feels it is only fair that he should be hers.
Being a small town, Sandy soon learns more and more about Billy. She learns that the girl in her homeroom aspiring to become a lawyer, which is rarely heard of during this time era, is Billys sister, She also learns that Billys mother is a half-caste; aboriginal. Throught out the novel, the audience slowly learns bit by bit, more about Sandy’s father, Frank Lansing. At first it seems as though he is just a strict father, as a result of being a policeman, although you are given the impression that there is a deeper side to Frank than revealed. An example of this, is when Marianne and Sandy are fighting and Frank walks in asking if there is a problem. The girls immediately assure him there isn’t with “No Dad” and when told what to do, always reply with “Yes Dad”. The girls have to wear proper attire for meal times, something Sandy dreads, and always obey there father. They are not to fight amongst each other and are to be polite and respectful in public. Sandy reveals a story of her father hitting her once during a picnicm when she told a woman asking for her opinion, that her dress “makes you rummy stick out”, though she was very young at the time. When Frank sees Sandy talking to Billy one daym he tells her in a quite yet dangerous way to keep away from him, as according to Frank, he is bad news.
When Sandy learns that Marianne is no longer engaged (something that Marianne does not yet plan on telling her father), Sandy starts to panic that there is now nothing holding her sister back from Billy. Sandy is devastated to learn at the town dance, that her beautiful older sister is in fact romantically involved with Billy. In the toilets, overhearing the words “Bye, Beautiful” come from Billy’s mouth and meant for her sister, breaks Sandy’s heart. Although Sandy is only 13, Billy is the firt guy she has has real, overwhelming feelings for. Listening to her sister sneak out every night to meet Billy only hurts Sandy more, though over time she learns to ‘make the pain bearable’. Upon discovering her sister is pregnant with Billy Reads baby, Sandys’ top priority is to keep their father from finding out. Though as a policeman, it proves hard to keep it from him and he send Marianna away to Perth to a house for unmarried mothers. The next morning, Billy Read is found dead. This shows the full extent of their fathers controlling nature. The death is covered up as a fight with drunks, though only Billys sister and Sandy really know the truth.
I found this novel, Bye Beautiful by Julia Lawrinson, to be a truely geat story in the way that the words were used to create vivid images of heartbreak, love, secrets, pain and the strenght of family love. It told a story of a different era where times are changing, thought not for three children with a policeman as a father.
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16
July
2008
Before I started reading ‘The Host’, expectations were high having read and become obsessed with Meyers ‘Twilight’ saga, although, I never thought it would remotely compare. After I had read it, it was much better than I expected, not as corny as i expected, and although it doesn’t quite compare with Twilight, it did come close.
In ‘The Host’, Earth has been invaded by ‘aliens’. These ‘aliens’ are actually silver souls which can only survive inside a living being, whether it’s a plant on the planet ‘See Weeds’, a bear on the ‘Mists Planet’ or just a human on Earth. The souls are inserted into the being through a small cut at the back of the neck, and they wind themselves around the nerves system. The human hosts, whose body has been inhabited by a soul, cease to be for the time being, though all their former memories are left intact.
The souls are aware there is a resistance; a few remaining humans who noticed what had been going on and taken to hiding. So when they discover Melanie Stryder, the soul inserted into her body has a mission to unlock Melanie’s memories which could lead the souls to other ‘wild’ humans.
Wanderer is a soul who has lived on many different planets, earth being her 9th, which is unusual for a soul. Usually souls experience only 1 or 2 planets and then settle down on one planet for the rest of their life; eternity. As long as a soul is inside a living thing, they can live forever. When Wanderer is inserted into Melanie, it is known that she has a challenge ahead of her. The smallest hint at violence causes the souls to cringe in horror, and violence is something the Melanie’s challenge is sure to involve. Violence; which is the reason the souls took over Earth to begin with.
Seekers are just like human police; they keep the peace and track remaining humans. A seeker on Wanderers case is unusually determined for Wanderer to quickly help track down the resisting humans.
At first when Wanderer realizes Melanie is still alive inside the body, Wanderer is deeply ashamed and shocked, but continues to tell herself that eventually Melanie will fade. Her shame deepens when she realizes her host is in fact growing stronger. Melanie has put up ‘walls’ blocking the information Wanderer needs for the seeker; the whereabouts of other resisting humans.
Although Wanderer is shamed, shocked and discouraged that Melanie is growing stronger; she can’t help admire Mel’s loyalties. As Melanie’s guard starts to fall, Wanderer finds herself falling in love with a man she has never met, and loving a brother whom is not hers. Wanderer can’t even explain these feelings that are growing from memories that don’t belong to her.
Setting off to ask her healers (who inserted her) advice, she never arrives. Instead, she finds herself – with of course, Melanie – on a wild goose chase searching for the people they love. What they don’t expect to find, is a large settlement of humans, or rather the settlement finds them. Reunited with their love and brother, Wanderer starts referring to herself and Melanie as one person; ours, us and we.
In the settlement is where the story really begins. Family bonds, love and loyalties are tested. Humanity is seen through the eyes of an alien. The way we live today is questioned. Human emotions are explored physically and mentally, by someone who is not used to emotions let alone human ones, claimed to be stronger than any other. Melanie starts seeing humans the way soul Wanderer does; violent and unpredictable. Wanderer and Melanie’s bond strengthens through Wanderers strong love for Melanie’s brother, and tested because of Wanderers helpless love for Melanie’s man.
Although ‘The Host’ is quite different from the ‘Twilight’ saga, there are similarities. For example, one way to find if a human has been inhabited by a soul is to shine light in the eyes which would reveal a silver hazy ring around the pupil. In ‘Twilight’, the vampire’s giveaway is through their red or golden eyes, so in both books, difference is shown in the eyes. There are also love triangles and complicated immortality where love is involved. For example, one is immortal and the other is mortal in ‘Twilight’ and ‘The Host’. The same question too, is raised in both books; ‘Can love really conquer all’?
Overall, in ‘The Host’, love, life and humanity are explored through they eyes of a soul; an alien. A debatable question is raised but not for the first time; ‘Even if it may be what we know as ‘human’, is it normal’?
Posted under Stephenie Meyer
