Red Room Book Reviews

Genre - Fantasy. Children's/young adult.  Published by - Bloomsbury  Purchased at - Asda Themes - Magic. Family. Friendship. School. Death. Good/evil. Right/wrong. Rules and rebellion. Secrets. Bullies. Plot - Harry lives with his cruel aunt, uncle and cousin, where his bedroom is the under stairs cupboard. On his 11th birthday he receives an invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, because, as he discovers, he is no ordinary boy. We follow Harry on his journey of magical adventures as he learns about himself, his family history and the secrets surrounding Hogwarts.  My reflections - I read this with my 7 year old, who gives it 9/10. I think a lot of it went over his head, but what he absorbed he enjoyed. I think he is a little too young for HP.  For me, it was overall an enjoyable read. I felt a little underwhelmed after the years of hype. I've seen the film, and, this is a rarity - I like it better. There are parts of the book that stand out...

Genre - Biography Due to be published - June 6th 2024 Reading Time - Approximately 9 hours, 30 minutes Arc received from The History Press May 2024 Blurb - A detailed biography regarding the events and occurrences of Charlotte Bronte's life which influenced the creation of Elizabeth's Gaskell's The Life of Charlotte Bronte. The troubles and tragedies of Charlotte's life are told through factual accounts and letters of Charlotte herself and those she knew and met, including Elizabeth Gaskell herself.  My Reflections - The attention to detail in this work is admirable. Watson manages to provide a careful and painstaking record of facts in relation to Charlotte Bronte's relationships, her personal life and her time as a published author. In turn, the actualities, with shrewd observation, enable an impression of Charlotte's character to form.  Those who have not read Elizabeth Gaskell's The Life of Charlotte Bronte will most likely wish to do so following on fro...

  GENRE  Literary fiction FIRST PUBLISHED May 2024 ARC RECEIVED FROM Oldcastle Books THEMES Life. Death. Parenthood. Family. Culture.  READING TIME Approximately 6 hours PLOT The book begins with an arranged marriage between Bedi and Sushma, who we follow into their future together and learn what has become of the hopes and dreams they had when they first met. The story goes further into the future, following the lives of their children, and their hopes and dreams. Their  thoughts and feelings about themselves and about life, echo those of their parent's and there are apparent ripples and repetitions of family history.  MY REFLECTIONS Oh this book. It is beautiful and I love it. I urge you to read it. I will do my best to express what an absolute masterpiece of a debut novel this is. This is a moving novel that conveys how beautiful, fragile and bittersweet life is, and about how our choices and actions influence our own lives and the lives of others. It is a se...

GENRE  Modernist fiction FIRST PUBLISHED  1925 PUBLISHED BY The Hogarth Press (1925) My copy, Vintage (2000) THEMES Disillusionment, society, high society, post war London, post traumatic stress, communication/lack of communication, inner thoughts vs action, being in love, parties, flowers, suicide READING TIME (audio, BBC Sounds) Approximately 7 hours (read just under half, listened to the rest) PURCHASED FROM The Works. Listened via BBC Sounds.  PLOT   Set over a day in  London, in the summer of 1923, Mrs Dalloway prepares for a party. A friend returns from India and Clarissa Dalloway reflects on the past. The novel follows the thoughts of several characters through the style of a stream of consciousness - their inner worlds are the plot. MY REFLECTIONS  The style of writing immediately had me gripped. It's so unique. It took some getting used to though. I could easily understand someone giving up on it. I first kept re-reading parts to make sure I'd...

GENRE: Contemporary fiction. Japanese literature.  FIRST PUBLISHED: Shogakukan Inc, 2010. My copy - Manilla Press, 2023. READING TIME: Approximately 3 hours, 45 minutes.  THEMES: Family. Books/reading. Bookshops. Love. Loss. Healing from heartbreak. Trauma. Relationships.  PURCHASED FROM:  Waterstones PLOT: Takako is a young, heartbroken woman who unwillingly goes to live with her uncle Satoru in a secondhand bookshop, Jimbocho, Tokyo. She comes to love the bookshop and reconnects with her uncle, whilst forming friendships with the locals, all of which lead her to healing, maturity, and a fresh start. MY REFLECTIONS:  The overall atmosphere of the book is one of heartwarming cosiness. Sadly I couldn't connect with Takako or the other characters. I found them all very bland and lacking in personality. Takako is in her twenties but seems more like a teenager, and due to this the story has coming of age vibes about it. Despite some of the heavy themes it's a light ...

GENRE: Psychological thriller. Novella. FIRST PUBLISHED:  2018 by Flammarion. My copy, 2021 by Scribner. THEMES:  Suicide. Adolescence. Holidaying. Family. Making friends. Lust. Society. Fitting in. Coming of age. Morality.  READING TIME:  Approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes. PURCHASED FROM:  Waterstones PLOT:  Leonard is seventeen and an outsider. Whilst holidaying with his family during a heatwave in France, Leonard witnesses another teenager, apparently committing suicide. He then decides to bury the body. The story follows Leonard's inner thoughts about the what he has done, what he hasn't done, and about how he sees himself and the'others' in a society he clearly struggles with.  MY REFLECTIONS: If the song 'Psycho Killer' by Talking Heads was a book, this would be it. It is a short story about a boy who does not fit in and his awareness of this. It's fuelled with sexual tension, inner conflict and clever contrasts. The writing is intelligently d...

GENRE  Ghost story. Gothic fiction. Novella. FIRST PUBLISHED 1983, Hamish Hamilton. My copy, 1998, Vintage. THEMES Ghosts. Haunting. Graveyards. Houses. Weather. Death. Child loss. The past. Family tragedy. Fear. Food. READING TIME  Approx 4 hours 30 minutes PLOT Arthur Kipp, a young solicitor, is sent from London to the village of Crythin Gifford, to attend the funeral of the mysterious Mrs Drablow, and to attain relevant papers from her home at Eel Marsh House.There he encounters chilling supernatural experiences that will impact the rest of his life.  MY REFLECTIONS Although written in the 1980's, the style of writing echoes the classic Gothic, Victorian ghost story. I love to read some good old pathetic fallacy, and this novella is packed with it, setting and keeping up the foreboding, haunting tone and atmosphere consistently from beginning to end. It's the traditional, old fashioned ghost story that many of us know and love - haunted house, eerie location, paranorma...