i find it hard to review this Russian classic by
Mikhail Bulgakov because i don't have a fundamental
knowledge of communism and how it affects society,
that being said this is an awesome example of the
imagination run wild and what is possible within
the written arts. Firstly let me say that The Master
And Margarita was written in the early 1930's but
was banned under Stalin's rule and wasn't published
until 1967, the premise is brilliant! Satan makes an
appearance in Moscow with a few of his best buddies
and causes all sorts of mayhem. I love seeing the
devil as a trickster and not the all evil figurehead
of doom the western society believes him to be, and
his sidekicks are hilarious particularly Behemoth, a
six foot tall black tom cat that drinks, totes tommy
guns and rides public transport. sounds interesting
doesn't it, well it is. Probably the closest thing i
can relate it to is Alice In Wonderland (written around
the same period).
Blasphemous, challenging, sensual, sexual, hilarious,
devastating are some of the words that spring to mind
when thinking back upon the book, i won't tell you about
the plot because my feeble mind is still trying to sort
it out, but read The Master And Margarita i promise
you that Behemoth is destined to become your favourite
fictional character...
i think I'm the only person on the face of the Earth
that wasn't aware of the plight of Truman Capote, he
sacrificed six years of his life for the research of
this book, which probably ended up destroying him
because after its release he really only wrote fluff
for magazines such as Harpers Bazaar. Anyway back to
In Cold Blood, this little piece of non-fiction follows
the interweaving life story of the near perfect Cutter
family and their destroyers, two petty criminals by the
names of Perry Smith and Dick Hitchcock, and what a
story it is.
Everything about the murders is covered by Capote, from
the childhood lives of the killers, the K.B.I agents
assigned to the case, the towns aftermath, the Cutter
family, it is a piece of journalistic brilliance.
Rightfully considered a modern masterpiece i personally
think everybody should read In Cold Blood if only to
understand what terrible evils man is capable of.
This is a novel about loneliness and isolation. A man like
being crashes in the Kentucky countryside and so begins
the American dream, to make lots and lots of money!
The plot is simple and elegant, make money by patenting
technology that doesn't exist and then build a ship to
get home.
Thomas J. Newton, the main character lives an isolated life
never revealing who or what he is or what his intentions are
and if by chance if you the reader have ever felt outcast by
society even remotely then you will instantly feel deeply
about Newton's plight.
Walter Tevis has woven a beautiful yet disturbing tale about
one alien's existence on our planet. It's hard to classify
this novel in the sci-fi genre because it is so utterly
believable and realistic.
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time
is indeed a curious novel. Written from the view
point of a fifteen year old boy named Christopher
who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome.
This novel at its basic level is a murder mystery
about the death of a neighbors pet dog but the
depth lies in Christopher's day to day struggles,
he loves maths, making lists and patterns.
He hates being touched and the colours red and brown.
I won't ruin the rest because it's a relatively short
read except to say that by the time you've finished
you will believe that this is a diary written in
Christopher's hand.
Well done Mark Haddon for being able to get into the
mind of a teenage boy dealing with Asperger's.
A strangely disturbing novel about the trials
of the German people during World War Two.
Nothing new you might say except the fact
that the tale is narrated by none other than
Death himself.
This novel is a highly recommended read: sad,
joyful, disturbing and interesting until the
last line. Do yourself a favour and curl up to
this modern classic and lose a few nights
sleep.
