Showing posts with label Book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book. Show all posts

23.3.13

Grapes

"Grapes are like men: they grow best, most strongly, when they are placed under stress. Too much stress, too much harsh treatment, and they will wilt and die. It is a balance we must observe, to bring out the best in the grapes and ourselves."

- Flesh and Fire, The Vineart War

11.7.08

Book: The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Author:
Robert Louis Stevenson

Plot:
The story of respectable Dr Henry Jekyll's association with Edward Hyde and the search for the killer in London which eventually leads to the revelation of Mr Hyde's identity. The shocking discovery of split personality which exposed human's innate evil self.

Review:
Fascinating and interesting to read. Though a short story, it brings the reader to the idea of split personality and one's fascination with evil which eventually led to a road of no return.

27.6.08

Book: The picture of Dorian Gray

Author:
Oscar Wilde

Plot:
"Enthralled by his own exquisite portrait, Dorian Gray exchanges his soul for eternal youth and beauty. Influenced by his friend Lord Henry Wotton, he is drawn into a corrupt double life, indulging his desires in secret while remaining a gentleman in the eyes of the polite society. Only his portrait bears the traces of his decadence" taken from Penguin Classics.

Review:
Definitely intriguing, as this was the only novel by Oscar Wilde. In addition, this novel was used as evidence against Oscar Wilde at his trial. That aside, an interesting read as one studies the character development, the influence of Lord Henry and the hidden meanings. I would not think of it as an easy read.

9.6.08

Book: To kill a mockingbird

Author:
Harper Lee

Plot:
In a society where the whites were deemed as superior and hardly any other races dare to go against them, a white lawyer aims to clear the crime of an innocent Negro.

Review:
With a light and innocent tone, I would have thought that it was a mere children's storybook with a catchy title. However, I was seriously wrong as the story progressed, involving issues of racial discrimination, one's sense of justice and courage. Through the innocent eyes of the narrator, her perception of justice was thoroughly challenged in one summer.

Definitely a masterpiece and no wonder a famous literature text.


"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens. don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." -To kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

22.4.08

Book: For one more day

Author:
Mitch Albom

Plot:
A man who have lost his career, his wife and his daughter decided to end his life. During his unconsciousness, he was back at his hometown. In his family home, he saw his mother whom he had no chance to see when she died eight years ago. Thus began a story of realisation and personal choices.

Review:
Similar to other Mitch Albom books (Tuesdays with Morrie, The five person you meet in heaven), Mitch Albom sure knows a way to touch the heart with his stories. The story could happen to anyone, which made it sincere. Personally, there were some parts which I could identify within myself. It is a good thing that it is not too sappy or over-optimistic. A good afternoon read.