Review of: Dead Until Dark – Charlaine Harris

Published: June 2009 – Gollancz

The story of Sookie, a cocktail waitress, with a peculiar "disability" in the form of reading minds. Reading all minds but Bill's - a vampire who does not have the best reputation.

My Rating: 2 out of 5

After True Blood was made into a TV series, I thought I would see what the books were like – I was severely disappointed. Whilst the characters are loveable and the plot is gripping, the writing style was not particularly amazing, but it was partially saved by the dark and exhilarating nature of the story. It combines humour with a serious undertone – it combines love with hatred – it combines reality with fantasy. However, at the end of the day, it addresses an issue that is often cast aside – prejudice and discrimination.


Whilst you are involved in the novel, I was left pondering and wanting more – to actually feel as if I was part of the novel, if that makes sense. In short, to me, it was just a grown up version of Twilight, with darker elements, but still simple and left more questions than were answered (I know that it is part of a series but it did not convince me enough to look at more – yet).

Review of: Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte

Published: May 1992 (Wordsworth Classics) - Wordsworth Editions Ltd

Wuthering Heights depicts the story of Heathcliff, an orphaned gypsy who falls love with a girl in a higher class, yet a girl who loves him back. Once he loses her, he seeks revenge on her family for the rest of his life.

My Rating: 5 out of 5

Wuthering Heights – the classic novel depicting true love, lost love and every love in between – the intelligence and power with which Emily Bronte writes makes this novel, allows the reader to feel the emotions and experience the love between Cathy and Heathcliff, after all as is said within the novel, “I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!'” The use of the dark and foreboding hero along with the stubborn heroine makes for a fiery mix of action and passion, with their similarly flawed characters making amazing fiction – unnatural perhaps for this era of writing. It may be because of these characters that it has become so successful; Bronte does not correct or empower them, she merely lets the reader make of them what they will, leaving the pair at the mercy of the reader. It moves away from the traditional romance stories, dragging the reader deeper and deeper into the story, yet instead of ruining it like has happened before, it merely intensifies the success and impact it has had on many generations gone and many generations still to come.


Of course, Wuthering Heights would not be Wuthering Heights without Joseph – the stubborn and cruel servant, who adds a slight humour to the novel through Bronte’s use of a strong Yorkshire accent, making him virtually impossible to understand unless read out loud. The wilderness of the Yorkshire Moors and the wilderness of the two main characters makes for a ageless classic that people will always love, even when they cannot see why they like Cathy and Heathcliff’s dark personas and why they truly make the story.

Review of: American Wife – Curtis Sittenfeld

Published: July 2009 – Black Swan

American Wife tells the story of Alice Blackwell, the husband of the US president – it documents her life, and what events made her who she is, including a childhood love and an adult courtship – the novel is helped tremendously by the dynamic and interesting character of Alice, a character whose actions are surprising and unpredictable.

My Rating: 2 out of 5

It takes many elements from the life of Laura Bush, yet explores them in such a way that you feel as if Alice is real and her full story did exist. This intricate use of history makes the novel more original and believable than ever, as it has a definitive structure upon which to base it. Also reinforcing this believability is heightened by the grounded life of Alice – a small town librarian who loves to see smiles on the children’s faces for whom she creates pieces of art, this element by Sittenfeld brings the reader closer to the plot as it is revealed that the First Lady of the story is just a small town girl, with a normal upbringing.


It may at times be long winded and stray from the point, but it is saved by the excellent craftsmanship within some of the chapters, as it demonstrates the true nature of humanity – that we all have flaws and we have all made mistakes, no matter how great we are. The character of Charlie Blackwell, despite depicting the president, left a lot to be desired – in my opinion, Sittenfeld failed to truly develop his character, leaving you wondering the true extent of his impact on Alice’s life, but also leaving him slightly worn and as if he never truly grows in character throughout the novel.

Review of: Dreams From My Father – Barack Obama

Published: June 2008 - Canongate Books Ltd

Demonstrating where the foundations are for his life and politics, this beautifully crafted memoir by Obama strikes many chords – an honest representation of growing up as an African-American, it shows the trials and tribulations that he faced, making him who he is today.

My Rating: 3 out of 5

The complaint that drags the rating down slightly is the pace of the novel – at some points, it can be quite dull and slow, yet those that I feel were more important were short and abrupt – granted it may be representative of what is more prominent in his own life, but for me, this reason is why the book felt, at times, to be more of a chore than a pleasurable experience.

It is definitely one of the best written pieces by a politician – giving you the opportunity to gain an understanding of the events that have carved their political ideas. Even if you do not necessarily like politics, this piece is more of the problems facing the African-American community in the US at the time, and even now.