Nos gloires secrètes de Tonino Benacquista Janvier 2018 3,25/5 Prix: Prix de la nouvelle de l’Académie française (2014) et Grand Prix SDGL de la nouvelle (2014) English: No English translation has been announced. Merci à KVN pour m’avoir offert ce livre. Résumé Un meurtrier anonyme, un poète vengeur, un parfumeur amoureux, un antiquaire combattant, un enfant silencieux, un milliardaire misanthrope. Les personnages de ces six histoires ont un point commun : leur vie intérieure est bien plus exaltante que leur vie quotidienne. Et leur part d’ombre n’est rien en comparaison de leur part lumineuse. Une vérité que l’on tait, un exploit que l’on cache, un passé inavouable. Lequel d’entre nous ne garde pas, enfouie au plus profond, sa gloire secrète ? – Goodreads Ma chronique Nos gloires secrètes n’était pas exactement ce à quoi je m’attendais. Le résumé semble insinuer que les six histoires vont éventuellement convergées dans une seule, mais il s’agit plutôt de récit distinct uni par le thème un peu vague des gloires secrètes. Déjà, ce thème ne m’a pas semblé parfaitement clair à travers l’œuvre. Dans certaines des nouvelles comme le « Meurtre dans la rue des cascades », la thématique était plus certaine, alors que dans d’autres comme celle sur l’enfant silencieux, je ne comprenais pas le lien. De ce que j’ai compris, des « gloires secrètes » sont une petite victoire qui émane d’une fierté liée à un événement malsain. Plutôt vague. Le style d’écriture demande une grande concentration, c’est un flux de conscience constant. Les personnages sont emprisonnés dans leur tête et nous lisons secondes par secondes leur pensée. C’est comme un journal intime, mais beaucoup plus naturaliste. Au début, il est difficile de s’adapter à un tel style, mais plus les histoires avancent, plus on s’habitue. De plus, particulièrement dans la première histoire, nous avons une narration entrecoupée de retour en arrière et des sauts en avant. Il ne faut pas manquer une ligne sinon l’histoire devient incompréhensible. Mon histoire préférée est la dernière, « L’aboyeur ». Elle mélange surréalisme avec la narration en continue qui créer un effet presque onirique chez le lecteur. Il y a une grande disparité de longueur entre les six histoires. Certaines sont une vingtaine de pages alors que d’autres une cinquantaine. Évidemment, les plus longues furent plus riches et plus intéressantes que les plus courtes dont j’avais de la difficulté à saisir la pleine portée. Outre le fait qu’il y avait quand même des incohérences, Nos gloires secrètes est très facile à lire. C’est le genre de livre qui se lit avec une tasse de thé lors d’un après-midi pluvieux. Il est macabre et tordu, parfois vengeur. Les personnages aux gloires secrètes semblent incroyablement seuls, tristes et avec des tendances sociopathes. Ils aiment voir leur propre vie ou celle des autres tombées en ruine. Les « glorieux » ne sont pas des bonnes personnes, mais des bons personnages. Nos gloires secrètes n’est pas le genre de lecture que l’on se souvient pour toujours, mais qui revient de temps en temps hanter notre mémoire en nous rappelant peut-être que chacun d’entre nous à une gloire secrète. Benacquista dirait probablement qu’elle est inévitable. Si vous avez aimé Nos gloires secrètes, vous allez adoré… Mercure de Amélie Nothomb Mektoub de Serge Lamothe La traversée du siècle #20 Un ange cornu avec des ailes de tôle de Michel Tremblay
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What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton December 2017 4/5 Award: Goodreads Choice Award for Memoir & Autobiography (2017) Français: Ça c’est passé comme ça Summary For the first time, Hillary Rodham Clinton reveals what she was thinking and feeling during one of the most controversial and unpredictable presidential elections in history. Now free from the constraints of running, Hillary takes you inside the intense personal experience of becoming the first woman nominated for president by a major party in an election marked by rage, sexism, exhilarating highs and infuriating lows, stranger-than-fiction twists, Russian interference, and an opponent who broke all the rules. This is her most personal memoir yet. … The election of 2016 was unprecedented and historic. What Happened is the story of that campaign and its aftermath—both a deeply intimate account and a cautionary tale for the nation. – Goodreads My review Disclaimer: I supported Hillary Clinton throughout her US presidential campaign against Donald Trump in 2016 and in the Democratic primaries. It is impossible to talk about this book without getting involved in politics, so get ready for some biased thoughts. Regardless of your political views, everyone can learn from Clinton’s resilience and strength. First, I would like to address the critics that said that Hillary is only damaging the Democratic party by publishing this book. Everyone had a theory on What Happened that fatal night, why she lost, why she couldn’t rally the votes and send people to the polls, why Trump’s populist politics won… Everyone gave their two-cents, so why not her? Clinton also happens to be in a unique position. She should be able to freely speak her mind like everyone else did. It was time to hear her story. Second, I thoroughly enjoyed What Happened. It was a gorgeous story of resilience and empowerment. Clinton recounts both the events leading up to her loss and her healing process. In that first part, she gets political. She recounts the hardships of running against a candidate that broke all the rules, the involvement of Russia through social media, the Democratic primaries (including some harsh words towards Bernie Sanders)... She paints a truly personal and touching picture of the modern American society while talking about gun control, access to education, employment in a globalized context etc. As a political fiend, nothing of that was new information, but she brought solutions to these problems. What Happened was her whole political program throughout the campaign. As a devoted public servant, Clinton has years of experience in the field which gives her a deep understanding of the issues and credibility. She also takes the time to back herself up and citing plenty of studies and surveys that prove her points. She is an adept debater and writes intelligently in an easy-to-digest matter that makes What Happened accessible to all. Eventually, she also talks about what went wrong throughout the campaign. To me, saying that she is “whining” or “acting like a child” is unjust. Many would disagree, but throughout What Happened she remained objective with the results. She talks about feeling destroyed and guilty after losing the election, but who wouldn’t? She is not complaining but merely teaching us a lesson about learning from our mistakes and getting back up. Yes, she had bad days, and she talks about them in her book, however, I never felt it was done to complain. It is a classic narrative technic, the protagonist hits rock bottom and slowly rises again. Her story is realistic. She is not whining, she is telling her tale. She explains intelligently why she lost, putting blame on herself and outside factors, calling it a “perfect storm”. While it is still too soon after the election to have a clear picture of exactly why Trump won (there have also been considerable developments in the Russia investigation since the publishing of the novel), she still talked about the most important issues such as gerrymandering, Russian interference, the rise of the alt-right, the famous emails… On that point particularly, many have pointed out that she says, “let’s not talk about my emails”, but then devotes a whole chapter to them. Once again, EVERYONE gave their opinion about her emails, so why not close the story with hers? She is particularly aggressive towards ex-FBI director James Comey who opened a new investigation into her emails so close to election day. In my opinion, she paints an accurate picture of the outside reasons for her loss. In some ways, she is right that there was a perfect storm around her. She also blames herself. She continuously says that she could’ve done more to win, visit more places, talk to more people. She describes her process for prepping for the three debates and town halls which was fascinating. She does talk a lot about her political past and how it would’ve prepared her for the White House. There is some resentment, however, it is balanced by the beautiful descriptions of her friends and family coming together. When she talks about her love for her family, we discover a totally different Hillary. Throughout her campaign, she was described as anti-charismatic, but after reading What Happened, you get to know her and understand why she looks like she is putting up a façade. What Happened truly humanizes her. I don’t pity her. Some feel sorry for her, but after reading her novel, you understand how strong she is. She picked herself up like a champion and inspires me to do the same in my life. What Happened was a true ode of perseverance and strength. Boys and girls can learn a lot from her failures, and numerous successes (popular vote, remember?). Even if she will be remembered as “the girl who lost to Trump”, I feel proud to live in a time where a woman dared to try and fought her mightiest. I am in awe of her perseverance and resilience. To me, she is a true role-model, and What Happened perfectly encapsulates her spirit, her career and the strength of the movement behind her. If you liked What Happened, you will love… Read my pins by Madeleine Albright Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield (Editor), Mark Victor Hansen (Editor) (or the spin-off Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul) Eldorado by Laurent Gaudé December 2017 4/5 *Read in the original French French (original): Eldorado Summary Captain Salvatore Piracci has sailed along the Italian coast for the last twenty years, intercepting boats with clandestine North African immigrants who have risked everything in the hope of reaching the new Eldorado. But when Piracci is confronted by a woman haunted by the death of her son, killed during an illegal crossing, he is forced to question the validity of his border-patrolling mission. Meanwhile, two brothers prepare to leave Sudan and make the dangerous passage to Europe. Separated mid-voyage, Suleiman, the youngest, vows to make it to the promised land and find the means to reunite with his ailing elder brother. -- Goodreads My review My friend does have good taste. He came up to school one day with Eldorado in hand and told me to just read and write about it. This one is for you TT even if I can’t stand that you write in your books. Eldorado offers us a different perspective on the refugee crisis. Although I have often talked about this sensible subject during Model UN, it is always good to be reminded of the story of the people travelling across the seas and, in Eldorado’s case, the story of the brave coastguards. As philosopher Martha Nussbaum suggests, literature develops our empathy. Eldorado reminds us of the lives that were lost or miraculously saved. The migrant crisis was a very trendy topic back in 2015 when the number of refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq went through the roof after years of repression from ISIS. Thankfully, the flow of refugees started to diminish after accords between the EU and Turkey, however, their conditions in camps were still horrendous. Unfortunately, the news cycle eventually got tired of the story until recently when a video of black men getting sold for a mear 400$ on a modern slave market in Libya emerged. Eldorado suddenly seemed very real again. Eldorado focuses mostly on the story of Captain Salvatore Piracci who works with the Italian coastguard. Some might say that Piracci is a hero: saving refugees from the violent waters of the Mediterranean, but, as he points out himself, he is also a villain. He is the one handing over the refugees to the local officials to be put in camps. Eldorado reminds us of the difficulties of the lives of refugees once they settle in Europe, if they are lucky enough to obtain asylum. Piracci struggles with guilt since he knows he is the one that will be handing them over to the authorities which will put them in badly maintained refugee camps. His perspective was profoundly interesting and original. Novels about refugees are not uncommon, but having the point of view of a government agent on this situation was refreshing and tragic. It restores your faith in humanity. Not everything is all white or all black. As for Suleiman, the South Sudanese runaway, I enjoyed his perspective, but not as much as Piracci’s. I would find myself expecting another chapter from Piracci and skimming over Suleiman’s. His story was touching. I admire his determination and his pragmatism. There is no “once I get to Europe, my life will be easy and I will stay on welfare until I die”. Suleiman anticipates the hard work. However, he appears later in the book, and I wish I could’ve seen more character development and background. My favourite type of stories is when two seemingly separate characters come together for a brief moment. The whole plot is planned in the build-up of that final meeting, and in Eldorado is was masterfully done. I will say that at the very beginning when Piracci meets the woman who’s son died crossing (it’s in the summary, I am not spoiling), I was expecting to see a conclusion on her story (maybe a potential spin-off). She seemed fascinating, perfectly consumed with a revenge that would make the Count of Monte Cristo proud. The ending was beautiful yet heart-wrenching, full of hope yet pragmatic. Eldorado remains very realist throughout the story. Both protagonists are real and candid about their job, their situation and their future. Eldorado illuminates a still very real situation for millions of people from Myanmar to Afghanistan to South Sudan. If Nussbaum’s theory is correct, then Eldorado takes the politics out of the migrant crisis to remind us of the stories of perseverance and poverty that provoked this human tragedy. If you liked Eldorado, you will love… Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende The Life Before Us (Madame Rosa) by Romain Gary (Émile Ajar) The Shadow Thief by Marc Levy Series review: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han I am sad to see this series end. It definitely took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. Overall, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before has amazing characters, particularly Lara Jean’s family members. It does have some substantive holes in the plot. The romance is believable, while maybe a little exaggerated at some points. This series gives you the gushy feelings x1000, especially in the first volume. The second instalment was a huge bust, yet it was partly redeemed by the last one. I am going to briefly talk about the first two novels in the series, and elaborate more on the conclusion. Obviously, I'll only put the summary for the first novel since I don't want to spoil anything. If you are interested in reading more of my thoughts on the first two, complete reviews are available on my Goodreads account. Enjoy reading! To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #1 To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before August 2015 5/5 Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2014), Pennsylvania Young Readers’ Choice Award Nominee for Young Adults (2016), Lincoln Award Nominee (2018) French: À tous les garçons que j’ai aimés Summary What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them… all at once? Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control. -- Goodreads I will vigorously force everybody in my entourage to read it for the next months. Lara Jean was relatable and charming, so was her whole family. I especially loved Kitty, she was funny and not one of those obnoxious little siblings. Often, in YA, parents are just ignored or portrayed as annoying or crazy, it was refreshing to see a dad that was invested and trying his best to raise 3 girls. I will say that there is some kind of a love triangle but it’s done in a believable way, not focused on the romantic gesture and more of the feelings and history behind Lara Jean’s attachment. It is so much more than just a regular contemporary and it definitely deserves all the hype there is around it, do not hesitate to read it. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #2 P. S. I Still Love You October 2015 2/5 Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2015), Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature for Young Adult (2015) French: P.S. Je t’aime toujours I am so mad at this book. I wanted to love this book, yet it disappointed me in so many ways. I know a lot of people really love this one maybe more than the first one so I’m the unpopular opinion in this sea of feels but hey, I’m owning up to it: P.S. I still love you was not my cup of tea. My main problem was the plot. It made no sense, it was full of holes and the ending felt very rushed and botched. It is quite hard to critic the plot without spoiling anything but I will say that the love triangle in this book was the big downfall. I hated it, which is ironic since it didn’t bother me in the first one. I feel like it was just thrown in there to make the conflict move forward, but it just didn’t make sense and something else could have done the job (something that didn’t repeat the same intrigue as the first one). I also didn’t like how much of the conflicts in this book revolved around romance, and less family. Jenny Han all charmed us with this wonderful family aspect, but in this one even the family is tainted with love affairs. One of my favourite parts of the first one was obviously Margot and all the sisterhood conflicts between her and Lara and it was totally lost in this one. The incoherence just ruined it for me. On the plus side, I will say kudos to Jenny Han for making great points about double standards and sex. Oh yes, dare I say it, every single girl out there has insecurities about sex and it is totally natural and I love that the author included that in a subtle way that empowered Lara Jean and not put her in this position where she is dominated by a guy who has more experience than her. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before #3 Always and Forever, Lara Jean January 2018 3,75/5 Awards: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2017) French: Pour toujours et à jamais, Lara Jean Always and forever, Lara Jean (AAFLJ) was a conflicting reading experience. The story starts from where the previous novel, P.S. I Still Love You, ends which means Lara Jean is entering senior year with her boyfriend. For me, it was a weird mix of nostalgia, and current struggles. Since the Quebec and American school systems are different, although I am entering university next year, I already had my prom and my high school graduation. (Basically, in Quebec, we graduate high school at 16/17, then there’s a two years interlude called CEGEP before getting into university). AAFLJ brought back some of the best memories of my “senior year”: promposals, first boyfriend, graduation, the senior trip, shopping for prom dresses with my family, prom… I was overwhelmed with nostalgia of a time that I often miss. It also brought back all the unpleasant memories like breaking up, fights, saying goodbyes… Since Lara Jean’s experience and mine are not exactly the same, I couldn’t help but ask “what if things had been different?” These last two years are the first time that I’m older or more advanced school-wise than most YA characters so I am bound to feel that nostalgia more often, but AAFLJ still caught me off-guard. At the same time that this wave of nostalgia was pulling all my heart strings, I also found myself relating to Lara Jean’s current struggles, particularly the college applications dilemma. Oh, how I understand the stress… Between the recommendations letters, letters of intent, curriculum vitae, the grades, there’s not much time to breath. I usually try not to think too much about it and just do my best, but Lara Jean’s overanalyzing triggered by hidden anxiety. We have all analyzed grades of past applicants and our own, scavenged the university website for little clues as to what they might want to read in the letter of intent, and continuously freak out before hearing back from whatever application website they are using these days. Between the nostalgia and the very real present it felt like AAFLJ was a utopia. It felt very close, yet very far. That being said, I would adore to have sequel for this series. I wish I could read about Lara Jean going through her first year of college. Han wrote in the Acknowledgements of AAFLJ that this third tome would be the last one, but since when does that actually apply in the YA world. The Wolves of Mercy Falls, The Selection, Magonia… all came out with another book or more after the supposed closure of the series… I am just throwing the thought into the universe. AAFLJ was a definite improvement from P.S. I Still Love you which was insanely disappointing. It was not as incredible as To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, but Han kept the best parts. You cannot discuss this series without talking about the family dynamics of the Song girls and their dad. It is such an organic and honest depiction of family life, the happy moments, the anger, the bickering… Kitty has way too much sass to be in middle school, but it makes her such a great character. As for boyfriend Peter, well he is definitely not my type of guy, but one cannot deny that he is charming and charismatic, and has been a good boyfriend since the beginning on the series and not some cheating, self-centered guy. Koodos to Peter. The biggest downfall with this book was the plot. Like in P.S. I Still Love You, it was too fast and needs to be more fleshed out. I get that Han was trying to pack a whole year into a tiny novel, but if it had been 100 pages longer, we could’ve seen much more of the crucial events like prom, graduation… It was brushed over, and felt very rushed at some points. The same goes for the ending. 20 pages from the end, the main conflict wasn’t resolved, and a plot twist was thrown in too. The resolution wasn’t really one either (which I partly why I want to have a sequel). Regardless, one can’t help but be charmed by Lara Jean and be overwhelmed with cuteness. Sure, it is a very teenage-like romance, but, as many would say, age doesn’t matter as long as the feelings are true. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is not the best romance series out there, but it is refreshing, adorable and deals with profound issues that touch every teenager. If you liked To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before you will love… The Wishes series by G. J. Walker-Smith Aristotle and Dante discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz The Mara Dyer series by Michelle Hodkin Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende August-December 2017 3,5/5 *Read in French (trans. from Spanish by Claude de Frayssinet) Award: Premio de traducción literaria Valle Inclán Nominee for Margaret Sayers Peden (2000) French translation: Fille du destin Summary Orphaned at birth, Eliza Sommers is raised in the British colony of Valparaíso, Chile, by the well-intentioned Victorian spinster Miss Rose and her more rigid brother Jeremy. Just as she meets and falls in love with the wildly inappropriate Joaquín Andieta, a lowly clerk who works for Jeremy, gold is discovered in the hills of northern California. By 1849, Chileans of every stripe have fallen prey to feverish dreams of wealth. Joaquín takes off for San Francisco to seek his fortune, and Eliza, pregnant with his child, decides to follow him. As we follow the spirited heroine on a perilous journey north in the hold of a ship to the rough-and-tumble world of San Francisco and northern California, we enter a world whose newly arrived inhabitants are driven mad by gold fever. A society of single men and prostitutes among whom Eliza moves -- with the help of her good friend and savior, the Chinese doctor Tao Chi’en -- California opens the door to a new life of freedom and independence for the young Chilean. Her search for the elusive Joaquín gradually turns into another kind of journey that transforms her over time, and what began as a search for love ends up as the conquest of personal freedom. -- Goodreads My review I picked up Daughter of Fortune by accident. Actually, it wasn’t really me who picked it. A friend chose it for me at one of those “blind date with a book” event organized by his school. The words used on the brown wrapping to describe it were “French, love, Pacific Ocean, and adventure”. To be honest, that’s a pretty bad description of the book. French obviously refers to the language. Love and adventure are alright, but the Pacific Ocean... I would’ve used “Gold rush, quest, friendship, and exodus”. A lot of Daughter of Fortune does focus on love, but not on the actual relationship. The main protagonist, Eliza, is on a quest to find her first love who fled to California to participate in the Goldrush of the 1850s. The character development was stunning. Seeing her grow up in colonial Chile all the way to being a grown woman was so rewarding. Admittedly, the beginning is slow and it takes a while for the action to start. The presentation of her adoptive family and her caretaker are relevant to the story, but, this might be just a personal preference, reading from the point of view of a young child does not fascinate or entertain me. She’s not a particularly interesting kid either. While I admire Eliza’s determination, at some point the plot just got unrealistic and overdramatized. I understand that if you are 16 and end up pregnant by your first love, you might do some unrealistic things, but she never loses her naïve spirit. The real fun begins when you are introduced to Tao Chi’en, her Chinese friend and doctor. First, I did not know a lot about the American Gold Rush, and especially not about the immense exodus of Chinese people to participate in it. The background is very well researched and Allende includes so many tiny details about the living conditions of woman, miners and immigrants in California. It’s the typical “cowboy” culture but from a different perspective. The historical factoids were my favorite part of the story no matter how nerdy that sounds. Second, Tao Chi’en is an amazing character. He is historically accurate (yes, that means he’s slightly sexist sometimes, but I can’t imagine 1800s Hong Kong as a very progressive place), gentle, and knows what he wants. Both him and Eliza are pledged with grief and find a way to see past their skin colors, since they both grew up so far from each other with no knowledge of either Chinese or Chilean people, to conquer the Wild West. Daughter of Fortune surprised me. It was occasionally dry, but it was not as bad as I anticipated! It is rare for me to give more than 3 stars to an adult historical novel, so 3,5 is pretty good. Even if it took me 5 months to finish it, it was an enjoyable read. Now, I really want a Tao Chi’en spin-off… If you liked Daughter of Fortune, you will love… Eldorado by Laurent Gaudé Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Repetys Hunting Houses by Fanny Britt Sept-Oct 2017 3/5 *Read for my IB level A English class Awards: Scotiabank Giller Prize (2000), Prix Médicis Étranger (2000), Kiriyama Prize for Fiction (2000), Irish Times International Fiction Prize (2001) French translation: Le fantôme d’Anil Summary Anil’s Ghost transports us to Sri Lanka, a country steeped in centuries of tradition, now forced into the late twentieth century by the ravages of civil war. Into this maelstrom steps Anil Tissera, a young woman born in Sri Lanka, educated in England and America, who returns to her homeland as a forensic anthropologist sent by an international human rights group to discover the source of the organized campaigns of murder engulfing the island. What follows is a story about love, about family, about identity, about the unknown enemy, about the quest to unlock the hidden past–a story propelled by a riveting mystery. Unfolding against the deeply evocative background of Sri Lanka’s landscape and ancient civilization, Anil’s Ghost is a literary spellbinder–Michael Ondaatje’s most powerful novel yet. -- Goodreads My review Do not let the summary fool you. Anil’s Ghost is not an action-heavy thriller with gangsters, stakeouts and break-ins. It is a quiet novel, and therefore probably much more historically accurate. Anil’s Ghost is all about the people of Sri Lanka. The novel focuses much more on the past lives of Anil and her acolytes than on the denunciation of government or of the Tigers of Eelam. Through the various characters, the scientists, the husband, the brother, the artist, the miner… you experience the impact of war on every social class. I would’ve loved more backstory on the conflict in Sri Lanka which remains fairly unheard of, in North America at least. The reader also dives deep in pre-war memories from some characters, partly to show the massive change of personality and mentalities once the war starts, but most of the characters were already broken from the start. Sri Lanka is portrayed as a beautiful country with rich resources, but its beauty was corrupted by humans. The characters are fleshed out and complex. The plot is predictable and slow. One might argue that it was Ondaatje’s intention to make it so (and they would be right). However, in a book that presents itself as a murder-mystery, it was underwhelming. There is so much foreshadowing throughout the novel, and it is not subtle at all. Ondaatje’s writing style is reminiscent of the French naturalists. Miss one line, and you will get lost. He writes almost minute by minute, movement by movement of not only the characters but also of the surrounding nature. He describes with such casualty the cruelties of war. I remember reading a line about a doctor staying awake for days on end, covered in blood, high on drugs, just to keep up with the flow of victims coming in the hospital. It was so banal that it almost wasn’t shocking to read. If there is one thing that this novel does amazingly is portrayed the horrors of war. Overall, it was not a terrible read, but it had the potential to go so much further than it did. A little less description, more action and the same character development would’ve given this book another full star. If you liked Anil’s Ghost, then you will love… The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne To Kill A Mockingbird #1 To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen Every book I read in 2017!
As requested, here is a list of the 33 books I read this year! I suggest you go follow my Goodreads account where I post my rating immediately after finishing the novel. (Scoop alert!) There’s also a bunch of reviews for my pre-November 2017 reads that will not be posted on Libellus. Most of the books listed below have a review up on Goodreads. For those that don’t, I will post one soon here and on Goodreads if I deem it worthy enough. I will also not go into details on this list since it would be an insanely long post, for more details just Google it or add me on Goodreads. Goodreads account: Lucie Belzile 1. 3 fois par jour : Deuxième tome par Marilou Champagne Genre: Cookbook Rating: 4/5 2. 3 fois par jour : Premier tome par Marilou Champagne Genre: Cookbook Rating: 4/5 3. Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler (for a History paper) Genre: Propaganda/autobiography Rating: 1,5/5 4. Mektoub by Serge LamotheGenre: Adult fiction Rating: 4/5 5. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Genre: Adult historical fiction Rating: 2,5/5 6. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad Genre: Adult historical fiction Rating: 2,5/5 7. Les maisons de Fanny Britt Genre: Adult contemporary fiction Rating: 4/5 8. Des femmes savantes de Chloé Savoie-Bernard Genre: Short stories Rating: 5/5 9. Père Goriot by Honoré de Balzac Genre: French classic Rating: 2,75/5 10. Tales from Firozsha Baag by Rohinton Mistry Genre: Short stories Rating: 2,75/5 11. The Lumatere Chronicles #2 Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta Genre: Young Adult high fantasy Rating: 4/5 12. A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen Genre: Theater Rating: 3/5 13. The Seagull by Anton Chekhov Genre: Theater Rating: 4/5 14. Miss Julie and Other Plays by August Strindberg Genre: Theater Rating: 3/5 15. The News by Alain de Botton Genre: Non-fiction Rating: 2,5/5 16. The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #1 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón Genre: Adult historical fiction/mystery Rating: 5/5 17. Tolstoy, Rasputin, Others, and Me by Teffi Genre: Short stories Rating: 5/5 18. The Raven Cycle #3 Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater Genre: Young Adult urban fantasy Rating: 4/5 19. The Lumatere Chronicles #3 Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta Genre: Young Adult high fantasy Rating: 4/5 20. Wishes #6 Shiloh by G. J. Walker-Smith Genre: Adult contemporary romance Rating: 3/5 21. Read My Pins by Madeleine Albright Genre: Coffee table book/autobiography Rating: 3,5/5 22. The Romanovs by Simon Sebag Montefiore Genre: Non-fiction (History) Rating: 3/5 23. Rue Deschambault par Gabrielle Roy Genre: Adult historical fiction/autobiography Rating: 2/5 24. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie Genre: Non-fiction (History) Rating: 4,25/5 25. La femme qui fuit by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette Genre: Adult historical fiction/biography Rating: 5/5 26. Tom à la ferme par Michel Marc Bouchard Genre: Theater Rating: 3/5 27. Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje Genre: Adult historical fiction Rating: 3/5 28. Poèmes par Marie Uguay Genre: Poetry Rating: 2/5 29. Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende Genre: Adult historical fiction Rating: 3,5/5 30. What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton Genre: Non-fiction Rating: 4/5 31. Eldorado by Laurent Gaudé Genre: Adult contemporary fiction Rating: 4/5 32. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald Genre: Adult fiction/classic Rating: 3,5/5 33. Every Day #1 Every Day by David Levithan Genre: Young Adult contemporary romance Rating: 3,75/5 2017 was a tumultuous year. Unfortunately, reading-wise, it was also a very mediocre year for me. I only read 33 books instead of my usual 52+. That is probably due to a perfect storm between personal issues, school work and my addiction to Netflix. Furthermore, 18/33 books I read were not chosen by me, meaning that they were either for school, for book club (Prix littéraire des collégiens) or for my IB memoir. Those books often a hit-or-miss, with mostly misses. It is simply not the same level of enjoyment when you have to read for class or just for pleasure, as I am sure most of you are aware. Also, true to my reading resolutions of 2017, I challenged myself to read more adult books which are is usually not my favorite genre. Nonetheless, I figured that since I am now 18 I should veer away from Young Adult novels. However, I often still cannot relate to the problems of adult novels like marriage or raising children. So for 2017, I just want to read more of the things that I love, and cut down my use of Netflix to return to my reading roots. That being said, I managed to find 4 incredible books that marked my reading year. Most of these were already in my Holiday Gift Guide because they are just so good. Without further ado, let’s get into it! 4. The Cemetery of Forgotten Books #1 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón Summary Barcelona, 1945 - just after the war, a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel awakes on his eleventh birthday to find that he can no longer remember his mother’s face. To console his only child, Daniel’s widowed father, an antiquarian book dealer, initiates him into the secret of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library tended by Barcelona’s guild of rare-book dealers as a repository for books forgotten by the world, waiting for someone who will care about them again. Daniel’s father coaxes him to choose a volume from the spiraling labyrinth of shelves, one that, it is said, will have a special meaning for him. And Daniel so loves the novel he selects, The Shadow of the Wind by one Julian Carax, that he sets out to find the rest of Carax’s work. To his shock, he discovers that someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book this author has written. In fact, he may have the last one in existence. Before Daniel knows it his seemingly innocent quest has opened a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets, an epic story of murder, magic, madness and doomed love. And before long he realizes that if he doesn’t find out the truth about Julian Carax, he and those closest to him will suffer horribly. My review A couple years ago I read Marina by Zafón and absolutely fell in love with his writing. It is rich, eerie and a little bit magical. I kept being recommend The Shadow of the Wind but I kept pushing it away, scared that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations and therefore ruining Marina with it. However, even if it took me around two months to finish it, The Shadow of the Wind only reinforces Zafón’s reputation as a modern literary genius. You experience Daniel’s life with him, from his first love, to the hardships of being a teenager and the harsh reality of a post-civil war conflict. As usual, Zafón includes an odd element, the disappearance of Carax's books, and transforms it into a multigenerational mystery. Bit by bit, the dots start connecting to create an intricate web of lies and secrets. Even the mundane details become important plot points. Zafón really is the master of suspense. The Shadow of the Wind is the perfect mix between more traditional themes like love and family, and mystery and creepiness. Unfortunately for us, the second novel in the series is hard to find in stores since it did not have the same success as the first volume, but it can be ordered online on most platforms. 3. Suzanne by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette Summary Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette never knew her mother’s mother. Curious to understand why her grandmother, Suzanne, a sometime painter and poet associated with Les Automatistes, a movement of dissident artists that included Paul-Émile Borduas, abandoned her husband and young family, Barbeau-Lavalette hired a private detective to piece together Suzanne’s life. Suzanne, winner of the Prix des libraires du Québec and a bestseller in French, is a fictionalized account of Suzanne’s life over eighty-five years, from Montreal to New York to Brussels, from lover to lover, through an abortion, alcoholism, Buddhism, and an asylum. It takes readers through the Great Depression, Québec's Quiet Revolution, women’s liberation, and the American civil rights movement, offering a portrait of a volatile, fascinating woman on the margins of history. And it’s a granddaughter’s search for a past for herself, for understanding and forgiveness. My review Surprisingly enough, I had to read Suzanne for my Quebec literature class. I would never have expected to enjoy so much a book I had to read for school. For those of you who are not from Quebec, I would not recommend this book since I feel that you need to already know a lot about our culture to have a full picture. The author briefly mentions many important historical events that need further researching to fully comprehend the depth of the story and the consequences of such events on Suzanne’s life. However, for the rest of you, Suzanne will tear you apart, there is truly no better way to describe it. When I was reading it, a ball of disgust, anger and anxiety formed in my stomach. Obviously, it is the story of a woman leaving her family to pursue her own happiness, it is bound to make you feel emotions. While I may not agree with the principles behind Suzanne’s actions, I couldn't stop reading. If literature is about making you feel something to the deepest part of your soul, Suzanne triggers something in all of us: the family instinct. Suzanne is maddening, frightening and incredibly sad. Personally, I found no happiness reading this novel, but it touched me so deeply that I cannot silence its power. A good book does not mean it is a happy book, and Suzanne is a masterpiece piece that hopefully will transcend both generational and geographic barriers. 2. Tolstoy, Rasputin, Others, and Me by Teffi Summary Early in her literary career Nadezhda Lokhvitskaya, born in St. Petersburg in 1872, adopted the pen-name of Teffi, and it is as Teffi that she is remembered. In pre-revolutionary Russia she was a literary star, known for her humorous satirical pieces; in the 1920s and 1930s, she wrote some of her finest stories in exile in Paris, recalling her unforgettable encounters with Rasputin, and her hopeful visit at age thirteen to Tolstoy after reading War and Peace. In this selection of her best autobiographical stories, she covers a wide range of subjects, from family life to revolution and emigration, writers and writing. Like Nabokov, Platonov, and other great Russian prose writers, Teffi was a poet who turned to prose but continued to write with a poet’s sensitivity to tone and rhythm. Like Chekhov, she fuses wit, tragedy, and a remarkable capacity for observation; there are few human weaknesses she did not relate to with compassion and understanding. My review Tolstoy, Rasputin, Others, and Me (TROM) was the only book in this list that I did not put in my Holiday Gift Guide. Honestly, I cannot explain why. Maybe it’s because it could be in so many categories. I picked this one up by pure chance. I asked the book seller from Hullabaloo Books (Brooklyn, NYC) what I should read that was “Russian, but not 1000 pages long”, and that’s what he recommended. There is something about Russian literature that just grabs me and pulls me deep in its complex and rich history. The overwhelming sadness, the somber writing style, the deep irony and sarcasm… are all traits of Russian lit that naturally draw me to it. However, Teffi’s writing style makes you feel right at home. TROM is incredibly sarcastic and ironic, but it doesn’t have all the typical Russian drama. The reader dives right into her life in the form of various short stories. It feels somewhat comforting to know that a highly regarded poet like Teffi is just a normal person with relatable struggles. TROM is refreshing and incredibly funny which contrasts with Teffi's hardships of living in exile. I highly recommend this to anyone who’s scared to dive into the menacing-looking Russian literature world (which is, turns out, really not that scary).
Sorry English folks, still no translation announced for this one. Therefore, the rest of the review will be in French. Bon, j’ai déjà énormément parlé de ce livre sur Libellus, alors je vais faire bref. Si vous voulez une chronique plus en détail, cliquez ici : http://libellus.weebly.com/blog/november-21st-2017 Résumé Ces femmes ont bien appris la leçon. Les règles, elles les connaissent. Est-ce donc leur faute si, au dernier moment, ça coince? La ligne de khôl, les vœux du Nouvel An, un coiffeur qui vous prend pour Courtney Love, une fin de soirée sans condom, ce plan si simple pour faire renvoyer la vendeuse détestée de toutes… Prises entre désir de plaire et souci d’authenticité, les femmes et les filles mises en scène par Chloé Savoie-Bernard se délectent de leur solitude jusqu'à l'écoeurement. Quelles parts de soi faut-il enjamber pour atteindre l’autre? Certaines arriveront à faire le grand écart, d’autres non. Habitées par les sons et les langues de Montréal, par la musique pop et la poésie, ces nouvelles sont portées par un souffle aussi lyrique qu’impur. La contamination est amorcée. Ma chronique Comme j’ai dit dans ma chronique pour Suzanne (La femme qui fuit en français), le but de la littérature est de nous faire vivre des émotions fortes. Des femmes savantes est un recueil brutal et cru. Il externalise et amplifie toutes les petites injustices et insécurités vécues par les femmes. Chloé Savoie-Bernard ne mâche pas les mots, elle est brutalement honnête et parfois violente. C’est l’histoire de la jeune adulte moderne : fatiguée, tannée et brûlée de vivre et de se conformer. Je peux comprendre les gens qui disent que c’est trop étrange ou trop intense comme recueil, mais je crois fermement que c’est en choquant et en exposant les gens à la vérité que les mœurs peuvent changer. Des femmes savantes fait exactement cela. |
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