So hi, I've decided to start writing a blog about all the different books I read as I tend to read a lot and thought it was time to start sharing the good bad and the ugly with the world!
Everything I write is completely my own opinion, however please feel free to comment and you'll never find any spoilers in my posts, I just want to give an overview of the books and hopefully enough to pique your interest and make you want to pick up the book.
I read lots of different genres of books, so hopefully there's something here for everyone!
I'm going to start with a book that I finished just yesterday, so it's nice and fresh in my mind.
The Secret Scripture-Sebastian Barry
I bought this book as it won a Costa book award in 2008- it is told from the point of view of an old Irish lady who has been institutionalised for many years and her psychiatrist, Dr Grene.
It tells the story of Roseanne and her doctor, told in the first person in the form of diary entries from the main characters. In this way we have the memories of Roseanne and Dr Grene interwoven with the present day and through these journals we learn the histories and thoughts of both characters.
The book is set in the Republic of Ireland during the years of the fight for Irish home rule and the years after the Great war. The book deals with the themes of Irish nationality, the turbulent politics of the time and the misogyny faced by women in that era.
Initially, I didn't find the characters likable but as the story progressed and I learnt more about Roseanne I became vested in the outcome and truly felt like i was immersed in her life. I then felt as though I had a real reason for learning the truth about her story and in many ways she became my favorite character.
The author has created only a few characters, so he is able to spend time building each one and the personalities of each come through in every page and we are taken into a world that feels as real as can be - As i mentioned all the action is set in Ireland - a place I am not familiar with however the author does a fantastic job of describing the area that it becomes easy to imagine living in that world. His descriptions of the time and era are thought provoking and moving and you get a real sense of the way in which people lived.
Roseanne's story is full of twists and turns and I was certainly guessing all the way to the end - a real page turner, I needed to know what happened!
The only thing that I can say I disliked is that I wish there was more of it - the ending had me wanting to know more - where did the characters go after this book? How did everything that had happened affect them?
All in all this story was gripping, it had me wanting more and more - i'd certainly recommend this book to any type of reader - although if jumping between past and present isn't your thing then i'd avoid it!
The author has published many more books, plays and poems.
To find out more about Sebastian Barry please see the link below to the Man Booker website where you can read a bit more about him.
http://www.themanbookerprize.com/people/sebastian-barry
This book gets a 7 out of ten from me!!
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