Bon's Book Club March - Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Oh Bonnie, I said it last month and I need to say it again "we need a decent book, I book I can love, a book that ignites my love of reading" and NONE of the choices so far have done it for me. They are just so Blah. Maybe how they are picked next year needs to change. Its frustrating me a little..... but still the majority voted and the majority chose this book - I'd say Thanks but I wouldn't mean it. On a similar note to Divergent last month (read my scathing review here)  this became a real toil for me to finish. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it but I didn't particularly like it either it was just so "meh". 

not gonna lie it was neither Dazzling or Enchanting

The novel's plot is fairly straightforward: two magicians of indefinite but certainly magically long lifespan – one a public performer named Prospero the Enchanter, aka Hector Bowen; the other known only as "the man in the grey suit" or "Mr. A. H---" – are engaged in a profound rivalry, played out over many generations by appointed pupils. But this simple plot becomes so complex because Morgenstern massively overstyles her writing.  I just found it really over pretentious; very "whimsy" which I think just left me all frustrated.  I always feel like that sort of style is really contrived and I think it definitely was in this novel. 

What made me so cross in this instance was that she would rattle away for ages about the imagery and didn't focus on perfecting her plot. Because it was a weak plot and it just made everything so long and drawn out. I'm not a long and drawn out kind of girl. Urgh it was annoying. and to be honest just meant that I whizzed through much of the book. And for someone who loved to go into so much detail, things in the book were never really explained and so I was left wondering why certain things had happened. 

To be fair this sort of stuff just isn't my genre. I love Narnia and I'm ok with Harry Potter but I'm just not into fantasy or science fiction. Its not what I ever choose to read and while I'm open to trying new things Divergent and Night Circus have proved to me that it's not my cup of tea.  I finished this book as a big confused mess. I literally have no idea what went on or why or how. 

FAIL

So please do tell me, am I missing something? Did everyone else love this? 

As I did last month may I suggest an alternative? My recommendation is that instead of this book we should have read "The Magic Toyshop" by Angela Carter. An amazing amazing book where imagery and excellent writing supporting a really strong plot. Read it and forget this book because it is instantly forgettable. 

I’m going to stick with the book club as I really believe that you have to stretch yourself when it comes to reading, but my oh my I hope I like the next one -  The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman. Fingers crossed right?!

Bon's Book Club March - Divergent by Veronica Roth.

Oh Bonnie, I do so love the book club (even if I’m rubbish at updating every month), I do everso much, but why, why oh why did this book have to be on the list? Reading is a joy to me and this book became a chore. It also became a lesson in determination as I made myself finish it even though it literally had my teeth on edge with its horrendous writing and poor plot.

 

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Maybe I’m being a bit harsh

One of the beauties of this life is that we are all different and we all have different tastes, its why I love cooking for people – making dishes that suit their tastes even if it isn’t quite mine (hence why I end up cooking Pork Belly for the family). Reading is no different, heck if everyone had my impeccable taste then publishers would never have let 50 shades of grey and the Twilight series ever see the light of day. Ever. But it is clear to me that there is an audience for these kind of books – that audience being young teenagers.

I’m not a young teenager. I’m not even a young adult anymore. Sigh.
 

And before you say it, I love Narnia, I love Roald Dahl. There are numerous books from when I was a teenager that every now and again I take of the shelf, brush it down and reread. Usually it only take a couple of hours and I enjoy that time and the nostalgia that comes with it.

But I just couldn’t deal with this book. To be fair maybe my use of the word horrendous is a bit harsh as I’m sure kids will respond well to Veronica Roth’s  style of prose well. Did I mention that I’m not a kid? It was just excruciating to read. The language is so basic I found no joy. No joy. The plot is flawed disjointed with deaths left right and centre. Don't get me wrong death is OK in books but here I just felt there were just there to sensationalise. For example when Tris' parents die - i didn't even care mainly because I was totally uninvested in this book at that point.

I give up it just wasn’t for me, hence why I am not going to waste everyones time with "meh" answers to Bon's questions. I think if we wanted something in this sort of genre we should have read The Handmaids Tale as it might have actually stretched us and given us some grown up discussion. My apologies if you love this book, like I said everyone is different and I’m looking forward to understanding why you love it. And then moving on.

I’m off to get cracking on the next book “Night Circus”, I’m already worried that it seems to be marketed alongside the words “Twilight” shoot.me.now and “Harry Potter” Not quite so bad but doesn’t actually inspire me to start. However others have said that this isn’t giving the book the kudos it deserves. I’ll report back, honest as ever.

Bon's Book Club - January "The Husbands Secret"

 

 

I followed all of Bon's reads last year and enjoyed quite a few of them, but I never really participated on my blog as such. So today I'm going to give my first review and get properly involved. I'm really excited about this book as I had read it before Bon announced it as January's book and re-reading it over the last couple of days has been a joy..... so on with my review.

The Husbands Secret - Liane Mortiary

The Husband's Secret is a novel of multiple stories and lives that all entwine in one way or another. This also made for it to be a little confusing especially at the beginning as its  hard to understand why certain things are happening and there are a lot of secondary characters introduced - but stick with it! The author helps you figure it all out through her writing.

This novel really got moving for me about chapter three and four and once that had happened I found I finished it quite quickly. I liked the flawed but interesting characters and the way the story takes twist and turns and then folds back into itself.

Despite the complexities,  it was still a relatively easy read to finish in a short time, a great holiday read methinks! As the tale grows, it becomes more and more interesting  leaving you keen to know what happens in the end. You know sometimes when you get to the end and you can be really disappointed? I was a bit disappointed, i felt the ending didn't do it justice and there were elements like the car accident that I just kind of felt were unnecessary.

Overall, I quite enjoyed it and in a "chick lit" capacity it's a book that I would certainly recommend to others. Once you get in to it, it's relatively easy to get into it and for that reason. I would recommend it as a above average holiday read. Overall I give it a 7/10

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

(Spoilers in answers. Or at least hints of spoilers.)

+ The book is told from the viewpoint of three women. Which women did you like the most and why? Whom did you dislike the most and why?

Well I am completely different to Bon in this instance! Tess was my favourite and I see a bit of me in her; hopelessly flawed. I get the whole staying and fighting for your marriage but if your husband had said he was in love with your best friend I kind of think that's beyond repair. And yes she may have had a child that could possibly be her flings but hey that's the price of betrayal both hers and her husbands. life is messy. It was quite easy to dislike the other two to be honest, one was the "queen bee" the other a sour old lady but you learn to like them in the end. Kind of. Rachel "The sour old lady" was just a nightmare. Completely agree with Bon here, I just wanted to shake her and say"focus on your son who is alive and loves you!" and at the end I just wanted to punch her in the face for being such an idiot, confession or no confession. Now Celia "the queen bee" I liked the way her life slowly unravelled and her reaction to everything that happened. But I don't know I just couldn't warm to her enough, I couldn't really warm to any of the characters that much although I did want to know what happened to them if that makes sense!

 

+ What would you have done if you had found out the secret that Celia did? Did you agree with the way she handled it? What is the "right" thing to do in a situation like that?

Gosh, what is the right thing to do in a situation like this? I think that Celia's reaction was very true to her character and it felt like she reacted how she should have. Me?! I would have packed his stuff and kicked him straight to the curve but I'm a girl with no husband and no children and so i can make half hearted comments like that. I love my man a lot and through most things I would be by his side, his biggest fan. But some things are unforgivable.

+ What was the point of the side story with Tess? Do you excuse the way she acted during that week because of the uncertainty in her marriage?

Marriage is sacred, its also a complicated hot mess a lot of the time and everyone is human and everyone makes mistakes. The thing is even though she did something wrong I understood why it happened and how her actions were an accumulation of both her past and the way she had been treated recently by the people she loved the most. I loved Tess, that's all. I think her story was to juxtaposition that of Celia's marriage which seemed so "perfect". Her life was a mess but it was more honest than Celia's mess. Apart from the really dishonest bit at the end when she fails to tell her husband about her fling and subsequent child. But as I said before that's a repercussion of BOTH of their actions and her husband was a bit of a spineless douche!

+ Do you believe the bike accident was adequate "penance" for what John Paul had done?

No because it was not his daughters fault and why should she carry the burden of his penance for rest of her life. I didn't like this twist in the book. It got to me somewhat and it was just a bit annoying if I'm honest.

+ Did you like the resolution of the book? Did you feel there was enough closure?
I did not like the ending, it did not work for me. It just made me think that it was a bit of a cop out and everyones lives could have been so much better! Saying that  It gave me enough closure to finish the book and think "hmmmm what shall I read next" so whilst I liked it, it didn't linger like my favourite books do.

 

Have you read the book, how did you like it? I'm looking forward to linking up with Bon and seeing whether my opinion is the same or differs to others! Can't wait until next month!