The novel follows the life of Roland Baines, and the novel swaps between Roland’s formative years at an all boys boarding school in the U.K. and his adult life as a single father to his son Lawrence, after his wife disappears one day. Continue reading
Category Archives: British
A Review of “Isaac and the Egg”: Magic realism and grief
When I started to see this book around my local independent bookstores, I was intrigued but unsure. The blurb does not give much away so you might not think it is a book about grief, alien eggs, or magic realism. It wasn’t until a friend of mine read this book and told me about it, … Continue reading
What do “The Code Breaker” & “Klara and the Sun”Have In Common?: Two books about the science and the fiction of gene editing
These questions are large and complex and cannot easily be answered, but I loved that Isaacson, like Ishiguro, asks us to address and think about these questions. It seems that many can agree that there is a possibility for gene editing to be used for the good of humanity, but where should we draw the line? Continue reading
Lizzie the grateful servant in “The Dictionary of Lost Words”: why do authors keep getting class horribly wrong?
On the surface, this all seems good and well. Although, I want to take a closer look at the relationship Esme has with her servant, Lizzie. Esme is motherless, and Lizzie acts in many ways like an older sister and motherly figure all in one. This plot device of women who have lost their mothers and their fathers aren’t great at raising them is a bit tiring and overused for me. Although, I might just read too many books… Continue reading
A Review of Sally Vickers’ “The Gardener”: A novel about siblings, small country towns, and the power of gardening
After many twists and turns, two adult sisters, Margot and Halcyon also known as Hassie, find themselves living together in a rundown Jacobian house in Hope Wenlock – a small village in the Welsh marshes. The two sisters seem to be completely different. And their relationship is civil but also very cold at the beginning of the novel. The sisters, almost unbeknownst to themselves, want to reconnect. They just don’t know how to do it. Continue reading
Who Is Allowed Access to Education?: What Bri Lee’s “Who Gets To Be Smart” and Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Klara And the Sun” can tell us about equitable education
What does a nonfiction social commentary book from Australian writer Bri Lee have to do with a dystopian futuristic novel from Japanese-British author Kazuo Ishiguro? The short answer – A lot.
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The Endless Pursuit of Chasing Your Dreams: A book review of William Boyd’s “Trio”
Trio by William Boyd has been one of those books that has grown on me. It has been months since I read it, and sometimes I review things straight away and other times I like to wait. Trio has fallen in the latter camp. The book is centred on three characters – Anny, Talbot, and … Continue reading
Book Review of “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine” by Gail Honeyman: Loneliness, loss, and making friends
The opening of Gail Honeyman’s novel Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine has a quote from Olivia Laing’s book Lonely City, which I have reviewed on my blog here. I had talked about loneliness before the global crisis we find ourselves in today, and it feels like there are new levels of loneliness, loss, and struggles … Continue reading
Book Review of Emma Gannon’s “Olive”: Fiction about Being Childless
The pressure to have a child as a cis woman is REAL. It is all encompassing. It comes up with every person you meet – and the expectation is not if you will have kids, but when. So there is no nuance for those of use, who just really don’t think kids are for them for whatever personal reason that may be. Continue reading
Review of Dr. Joshua Wolrich’s “Food Isn’t Medicine”: Ask yourself the hard questions about your relationship with food
If you want to change your relationship with food then Wolrich’s book is not a bad place to start. He breaks down complex research practices to help you figure out how medical research is conducted and therefore what the results of each outcome mean. He also helps highlight some of the main misconceptions we have about diet and food. Continue reading
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