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"The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

10/23/2012

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Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Author: John Green
Genre: General Fiction, Young Adult Fiction
Number of pages: 313
Date published: January 2012
Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)
Recommended? Yes


Oftentimes, young adult fiction is full of books that are pure entertainment: novels about teens and partying, high school romantic affairs, and, of course, an abundance of drama. What’s more rare is a teen novel with substance; a book with both an entertaining story and meaning. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is one of those unique stories. We get a look into the life of Hazel Lancaster, a 16-year-old girl with thyroid cancer, which has unfortunately spread into her lungs. Hazel is surviving and able to live her life to some extent, yet she realizes that her disease will soon finish her off.

While the book is told from the perspective of a cancer patient, it is not the typical “cancer novel.” Hazel attends a weekly support group, which she usually dreads, until she meets a 17-year-old osteosarcoma survivor named Augustus Waters. Hazel and Augustus immediately form a bond, growing close through their witty personalities, life experiences, and An Imperial Affliction, Hazel’s favorite book by Peter Van Houten.

The Fault in Our Stars is a beautiful, funny, heartwarming, and upsetting book that will leave readers laughing and crying in equal measure. The aftermath consists of thinking about life in a much deeper way. The characters are vivid, lifelike, and instantly relatable. Readers will form bonds with them, rejoicing in their triumphs and worrying along with them in the toughest moments. The language itself is easy to read and understand, yet it is simultaneously witty and elegant. Particularly special to The Fault in Our Stars is that it can be read for literary value as well as entertainment, containing many popular references and powerful meanings to uncover, as well as important life questions to consider. People of all ages, though particularly teens and young adults, will love this beautiful book, which will leave an enormous impact on whomever chooses to read it.

Review by Caitlin Mason, A&S '16


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"Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

10/23/2012

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Title:  Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
Author:
Ransom Riggs
Genre(s):
Thrillers/Suspense, Action
Number of pages:  352
Year published
: 2011
Rating: 
4 Stars (out of 5)
Recommended?
  Yes

When I picked up Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, the vintage photographs interlaced throughout the book immediately caught my attention. Ransom Riggs spent years collecting these old, haunting photographs before he decided to publish them with a book. These photographs add another dimension to make this novel unique and they complement the story perfectly. The images add rich details that help the reader visualize the setting, but still leave room for imagination.

The story kicks off when the grandfather of the main character, Jacob Portman, is mysteriously attacked and dies while going for a walk. Jacob suspects that this is no ordinary wildlife attack – he believes monsters murdered his grandfather. To investigate further, Jacob convinces his parents to let him go to Wales for the summer, where he encounters an orphanage full of children with rare and strange talents and qualities. Jacob is trying to find out what this place had to do with his grandfather when he discovers what he thought was the impossible. The plot is interesting from the prologue on and the action keeps the reader on his toes.

One downside to this novel is the character dynamic. Frankly, they are not as developed as I would have liked.  Jacob is a moderately relatable character who is adventurous, brave, and curious. The people he meets are interesting and different, but throughout the book I always wanted to know more about the grandfather and the children. If the characters were more deeply developed, I think I would have gotten more out of this book.

I would recommend Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children because it’s one of those books that you really can’t put down – I read it in two days. It was a very easy read that is meant for younger readers, but possesses qualities that make it enjoyable for any age. It was suspenseful, mysterious, and thought provoking with a plot that is complex, surprising, and intriguing. Ransom Riggs is actually an old college friend of novelist John Green, so if you are a fan of Green’s novels, definitely check this one out. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is haunting and mysterious – a relevant and quick read for the Halloween season!

Review by Colleen Brady,  A&S '16

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"The Secret Scripture" by Sebastian Barry

10/15/2012

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Title: The Secret Scripture
Author: Sebastian Barry
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of pages: 300
Year Published: Great Britain – 2006; United States – 2008
Rating (out of 5): 4

If one considers the mark of a good character the extent to which he or she inhabits the reader’s head, Sebastian Barry does the reverse with the characters in his novel, The Secret Scripture. Rather than conforming to our minds, his protagonists beckon us to enter theirs.

And what richness they offer. The novel’s heroine, the enigmatic and ironically named Roseanne Clear, opens with the revelation that she, at 99, has decided to pen her own “secret scripture” hidden away on scraps of paper, detailing the upheavals of her life en route to her present existence at Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital, including the distraught the nation of Ireland faced in the 1900’s. Paralleling her story is that of William Grene, the senior psychiatrist coping with a personal tragedy of his own.

The book’s structure is a unique one. It doesn’t begin with the early part of Roseanne’s life, but instead starts with the end and then proceeds to recall the characters’ histories in an erratic fashion, akin to a series of journal entries. The effect of this style, though potentially limiting in that the reader knows from the beginning where both Roseanne and Dr. Grene will end up, is one of greater intimacy. Although the novel does offer some revelation, its chief satisfaction is not in the disclosure itself, as the reader realizes far in advance what the “twist” is going to be. Our enjoyment derives from the effect this information will have on the characters, who the reader easily comes to admire.

Yet Barry manages not merely to depict the inner lives of his protagonists. It is through their struggles that he broadens the novel’s scope to include the struggles of Ireland throughout the twentieth century. The intensely personal nature of The Secret Scripture only serves to focus the overwhelming subject matter: an entire nation boiling down to two individuals filled with adversity in their lives but still surviving. Much of her life will remain uncertain, caught between the contradictory testimonies of her own memory and Dr. Grene’s discoveries, but the one omnipresent certainty for the reader is Roseanne’s endurance. Just as Ireland emerged from the twentieth century battered but not beaten, this personification of its century perseveres to share her story.

Review by: Jennifer Heine, A&S '16

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