Sunday 19 August 2012

Love for.... Books: old and older

A small round up of some of my favourite book, that I never grow tired of:



Shantaram~ 
A novel written by Gregory David Robert's and influenced by his real life events. It begins with his escape from an Australian prison and his subsequent journey to India and his life after. His accomplishments, friends everything that happened to him in Mumbai. I won't say anything more in case it ruins the story for any of you. Roberts claims it is a fictitious novel, however the lines between fact and fiction are blurred. It is an amazing story, a solid favourite of mine. One that's inspiring and leaves you in awe (and wanting to visit Mumbai!) when you've finished it.

Rebecca~
Considered Daphne du Maurier's masterpiece, published in 1938. It starts with the narrator (whose name we are never told), a rich American woman's companion who begins a 2 week courtship with the wealthy widower Maxim de Winter and then marries him. He takes her back to his West Country mansion; Maderley, where she is greeted by Mrs. Danvers a chilling housekeeper who continues to keep alive the ghost of Maxim's wife, Rebecca. There are paintings of her everywhere and the narrator can't escape her. The story is brilliantly written and twist and turns with a superb ending.

The Constant Gardener~
Written by one of my favourite authors; John le CarrĂ©. It revolves around the life of Justin Quayle (the one problem I have with the whole book- I don't like his name!) a British Diplomat working in Nairobi, Kenya, whose wife, Tessa, is murdered. It is all a huge conspiracy plot, from the murder supposedly committed by Tessa's friend, to the cover up of a huge scandal involving drug testing and medical experiments. Justin travels across to Europe to try to uncover why his wife was murdered and what she had found out.
It's one of le Carré's best works in my opinion, and not as slow as others, say Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

On the Road~
Written in 1951, by American writer Jack Kerouac. Mostly autobiographical, although fictitious and based on his journey across the country. The main character 'sal' (Kerouac) sets off on his journey after hearing of free spirited Dean Moriarty's advernutres. The novel is in five sections, some on the 'road', some not. It's a brilliant read and Kerouac portrays different parts of America and his journey wonderfully. I'm sure many of you will know it because of the film that's soon to be released (and has already premiered) starring Kristen Stewart.

Half a yellow Sun~
Set in 1960's Nigeria, over the period of the Nigerian-Biafran civil war. The writer Ngozi Adichie shows how the war affected many people's lifes in various ways. The story follows Odenigbo, a university professor  and intellectual who hires Ugwu, as his houseboy. Ugwu has his own story and becomes very attached to Odenigbo and his girlfriend who later moves in with them, Olanna. Olanna, too, has her story; she has a twin sister, Kainene, whose partner is Richard. An Englishman who had come to Nigeria to study. The war affects each of them and the way Ngozi Adichie has portrayed the war and turmoil of the country is superb. I'd wholly recommend this.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin~
I'm sure many of you will have heard of this, possibly from the film starring Nicholas Cage and Penelope Cruz. (which I personally didn't like, as it didn't 'feel' like the book). It is set in World War II on the Greek Island of Kefalonia, and tells the story of Antonio Corelli, an Italian captain and Pelagia, a local physician's daughter. In it's essence it's a love story, but also a portrayal of the war, and good/evil. Although the latter is more ambiguous; the lines are blurred between who is the hero and who is the villain. I love this book and have for many years.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, have you read any (or all) of these? Or I hope this post might have inspired you to read any of them?
Please comment/ subscribe if you like this post :)

28 comments :

  1. Cool post :) Out of these, I've only read On The Road. I'm really anxious to see how the film turns out!

    abundanceoferica.blogspot.ca

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    1. I love the book, so I just hope they do it justice in the film :)
      Daniella x

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  2. books are dreams with eyes wide open <3

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  3. wow ! thanks so much for sharing this post ! I read Shantaram and On the road, and I really want to read Rebecca now ! Thank you for posting this :)

    Have a lovely day !

    xxx
    S'LK

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    1. No problem, I really hope you enjoy reading Rebecca :)
      Daniella x

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  4. A bunch of interesting books that I want to read!! :)

    Hugs&Kisses,
    Cokie
    cut-a-dash.blogspot.com

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  5. I love Shantaram too! Glad you included it in a post, and I've got loads of other reading ideas as well!

    If you do have a chance to read I'd be really grateful, I'm very new to the whole blogging game, and would appreciate any feedback.

    http://livebathlove.blogspot.co.uk

    Laura X

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    1. Sure no problem, Ill have a look, I'm sure your blogs great, I've only been doing it myself 3 months now :) I'm hoping to make book reviews etc. a regular thing, so glad you enjoyed this post
      Daniella x

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  6. Great post, I love to read!

    sophie-said.blogspot.co.uk

    xxx

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    1. Thanks, me too, although I never seem to find the time anymore :s
      Daniella x

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  7. books are the best <3 i love reading :)
    http://coeursdefoxes.blogspot.com/
    http://www.facebook.com/CoeursDeFoxes

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  8. Aw thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the post, I hope to make it a more regular thing as I love reading :)
    Daniella x

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  9. I really loved this post - it came at the perfect time as I was looking for a few books to take with me on holidays! Please make this a regular thing and if you could include the genre in your description (ie fantasy, political, love, etc) that would be super helpful too! I've recently converted to a kindle (eeek I know I know books are still the best) and cant wait to try reading Shantaram even though I have a copy of it sitting on my bookshelf somewhere too!

    http://www.tstyledme.com
    Please like my FB: https://www.facebook.com/TStyledMe

    Tien xo

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    1. That's great, so glad you enjoyed it! Yes I really want to make it a regular thing as I love reading and have a bit too many books as it is :) I love Shantaram, hope you enjoy it! Ok I'll look to updating this post, the genres ( but I can tell you know, most are fiction/ thriller/ love)
      Thanks for stopping, I'll like your FB when I'm next on
      Daniella x

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  10. Love to read :)
    i´m a new Follower

    Lovely Greetings ,kisses :)

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    1. I love reading, just seems hard to find time at the moment
      Daniella x

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  11. i'd never read those books before but i might check that out sometime :)
    thanks for the love honey, I'm glad that you share my love for the same bracelet xoxo
    A
    xx
    http://epiquemoi.blogspot.com

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    1. No problem! Hope you enjoy the books :)
      Daniella x

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  12. Thank you, I'll check out your blog
    Daniella x

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  13. I love these books, I like how you are into the old classics like me ! I think it really portrays a lot of someones personality from the books they read! ♥

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    1. Ah that's a lovely way to put it, I've never thought of it that way before :) I love the classics!
      Daniella x

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  14. i really love this post!!the pics are amazing! my best congrats dear!!

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    1. Thank you! I hope I can do more posts like this soon
      Daniella x

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