That Face by Polly Stenham

Title: That Face
Author: Polly Stenham
Pages: 96
Genre: Play, Drama,
Book Description: 
Mia is at boarding school. She has access to drugs. They are Martha's. Henry is preparing for art college. He has access to alcohol from Martha. Martha controls their lives. Martha is their mother. 
"That Face" won the TMA Award 2007 for Best New Play. Polly Stenham received both the Charles Wintour Award 2007 and the Critics' Circle Award 2008 for Most Promising Playwright.

 Get it here | Good reads 

 My Opinion: 
This genre isn't something I would usually pick up but I'm always looking to expand my reading! This play focuses on dysfunctional family relationships and follows the lives of 2 teenagers and their mother.

I read through this really quickly because of it's form. It took a while for me to get into it but that's probably since I've rarely read plays in my free time. Thanks to this, I'm going to look out for more!

I think the most enticing  part was the characters. Due to their age and attitude, I felt I could really relate to them and their stories. Henry and Mia both have their similarities and differences, and Martha is so intriguing. There are some scenes involving her and Henry which are kind of twisted and this was something I liked due to their unexpectancy.

The intricate plot line is really easy to get into, with many twists and turns. It's realistic and gripping and perfect for a large variety of audiences. If you're interested in reading more plays or other forms of fiction, this is definitely a good place to start!

[Since this is a play, there's a theatre performance! I haven't watched it yet but the trailer looks awesome so it's something I'm going to look into. Plus it seems to have a great cast :') Links below]

 Rating ★★★★ 

4 out of 5 stars 

 Next book I'm going to review:

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger

Title: The Catcher in the Rye
Author: J.D Salinger
Pages: 198
Genre: Classic
Book Description:
 It begins,
"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them."

His constant wry observations about what he encounters, from teachers to phonies (the two of course are not mutually exclusive) capture the essence of the eternal teenage experience of alienation.

Get it here | Good reads

My Opinion:
I have so much to say about this book so I'll try and keep it short and sweet. It's amazing. Even the word amazing doesn't describe how awesome it is. This is definitely in my top 10 favourite books of all time.

In this timeless classic, we follow the story of Holden Caufield, a teenager who is just trying to find his way in life. This is one of the most relatable books I've read in a long time, so I certainly recommend reading it as a teenager, and even if you're not a teenager read it anyway. I feel like this book tells me all the things no one ever told me as a teenager.

I believe this protagonist to be one of my favourite characters in literary history. He's very to the point and factual about how he feels and I love that. And depending on his environment, he can be confident/ careless or shy, so we get to see all sides of him, making him so much more real.

Inside this book, there are lots of little stories that the protagonist tells about his younger life and some of these are quite humorous. I enjoyed these a lot as well as the main story line. It's also a very easy read.

I don't have any faults to mention about this book. Overall, it's fantastic and I urge everyone to read it. It's funny and sad and very, very well written. And despite it's publication being years ago, it's still talked about now, which I think says it all! There's so much more I could say about this book, but I think I'll leave it down to you to find out:)


Favourite Quotes:

What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though

~~~~

Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody

~~~~

The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one

~~~~

And I have one of those very loud, stupid laughs. I mean if I ever sat behind myself in a movie or something, I'd probably lean over and tell myself to please shut up

~~~~

People never notice anything

Rating ★★★★★ 

5 out of 5 stars 

 Next book I'm going to review:
That Face by Polly Stenham

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Title: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Author: Robert Louis Stevenson
Pages: 144
Genre: Classic, Mystery
Book Description: 
In this harrowing tale of good and evil, the mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll develops a potion that unleashes his secret, inner persona—the loathsome, twisted Mr. Hyde


Get it here | Good reads


My Opinion:
This is a classical novel about Multiple Personality Disorder in which one character is good and the other is evil. This is a psychological topic that really fascinates me so it was great to read about this!

I was actually surprised by the length and how short it is. From what I'd previously heard, it sounded like it'd be a longer book but it's actually very short, meaning I was able to whiz through it in a day!

I really enjoyed reading this. There was an interesting mystery, although slightly predictable, that's understandable due to the time period it was written. I also liked the fact that we, as an audience, knew about the event (I'm trying so hard not to say spoilers hahaha!) but the characters didn't, so it was good to watch them unravel it.

The characters were well-written and I really enjoyed the differences in their personalities. The writing in this novel is fantastic. Because it's a classical novel and written in the late 1800s, I assumed that the writing would be old-fashioned and difficult to understand but it really isn't.

I certainly recommend this to anyone interested in psychological disorders as well as those that enjoy classics, short stories and mystery novels!


Favourite Quotes:

"If he be Mr. Hyde" he had thought, "I shall be Mr. Seek"

~~~~

There comes an end to all things; the most capacious measure is filled at last; and this brief condescension to evil finally destroyed the balance of my soul

~~~~

Some day...after I am dead, you may perhaps come to learn the right and wrong of this. I cannot tell you

Rating ★★★★★ 

5 out of 5 stars 

Next book I'm going to review:
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Title: The Help
Author: Kathryn Stockett
Pages: 444
Genre: Contemporary, History
Book Description:

Enter a vanished and unjust world: Jackson, Mississippi, 1962. Where black maids raise white children, but aren't trusted not to steal the silver . . .

There's Aibileen, raising her seventeenth white child and nursing the hurt caused by her own son's tragic death; Minny, whose cooking is nearly as sassy as her tongue; and white Miss Skeeter, home from College, who wants to know why her beloved maid has disappeared.

Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny. No one would believe they'd be friends; fewer still would tolerate it. But as each woman finds the courage to cross boundaries, they come to depend and rely upon one another. Each is in a search of a truth. And together they have an extraordinary story to tell...

Get it here | Good reads

My Opinion:
This book focuses on the treatment of black women in the 1960s, zooming in on maids of white, rich families especially. The issues raised in this novel are very important and I strongly believe everyone should read this at least once!

It's narrated by many of the different characters, which is a powerful attribute to the novel since we get to hear everyone's point of views. Also, the writing changes for each character because it's written how they speak, so the educated narrators have been written differently to those that are from other areas of Mississippi. This is a unique, linguistic feature that really helps bring the characters to life.
My favourite character was Aibileen because she's such so strong and willful, despite the hardships she's suffered. She's such an inspiration.

When I began the book, I found it to be a little slow. I stopped and started it a lot but when I had the chance to just sit down and read it, I found it very enjoyable. I read it quickly after the struggle at the beginning and would suggest that when starting this you need to be able to concentrate and have the time.

I would recommend this to perhaps an older audience, not due to the content, but so that you can fully appreciate the message. This was such an important historical event to write about and I feel that it needs to be recognised more.


Favourite Quotes:

A bitter seed was planted inside me. And I didn't feel so accepting anymore

~~~~

She like one of them baby chickens that get confused and follow the ducks around instead

~~~~

You is kind. You is smart. You is important

Rating ★★★★

4 out of 5 stars

There's also a movie based on this novel. It's a fantastic film that I saw it before I read the book. I think the film was amazing and their cast was really well chosen. I definitely recommend seeing this if you haven't already!

Next book I'm going to review:

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

More Than This by Patrick Ness

Title: More Than This
Author: Patrick Ness
Pages: 480
Genre: Young Adult, Science-Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery
Book Description: 
A boy drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments. He dies.

Then he wakes, naked and bruised and thirsty, but alive.

How can this be? And what is this strange deserted place?

As he struggles to understand what is happening, the boy dares to hope. Might this not be the end? Might there be more to this life, or perhaps this afterlife?

Get it here | Good reads

My Opinion:
I've heard many fantastic things about Patrick Ness so I decided to pick up this book. Especially when I saw John Green, one of my favourite authors, had recommended it I knew it had to be good! And it was!

Straight away I was hooked. It's about a boy that dies but wakes up in another world. Here he meets some other people and together they try to discover where they are and what's going on. The constant mystery running through this book is so gripping, I couldn't put it down. Just as one mystery is revealed, another is discovered. In fact, I think I read this in almost 1 day, it's that good!

Dystopians are one of my favourite book genres, so when I saw that this had elements of that, I was over the moon. The deserted landscape, lack of civilisation and over-advanced technology are just some of the features described.

Another reason this book is amazing is due to characters. I really felt like they came off the page with their realistic personalities and deep pasts. Discovering the characters bit by bit was an interesting technique used by Ness and I feel this worked really well with the theme of the book.

Although I didn't want the book to finish, the ending was amazing. It's ambiguous and leaves the decision to the reader, which is something I really enjoy. There is definitely the potential for a series to form here ;)

This is a serious recommend from me. It's perfect for any audience, especially young adults. I loved every aspect of this and definitely indent to read more novels by him!


Favourite Quotes:

A book… it’s a world all on its own too. A world made of words, where you live for a while

~~~~

Know yourself and go in swinging

~~~~

There's always beauty, if you know where to look

~~~~

It was solitude, but it was solitude that wasn't lonely. Solitude that could sort things out. And he hadn't had that in ages.

Rating ★★★★★

5 out of 5 stars

Next book I'm going to review:
The Help by Katherine Stockett