Book Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Genre: YA, Paranormal

Series: Miss Peregrine #1

Publisher: Quirk Books

Pub date: 7 June 2011

Source: PGUK

Synopsis

Jacob has grown up listing to his grandfather’s strange stories, but of late, he doesn’t believe them like he used to. Sixteen-year-old Jacob has suffered a horrific tragedy. But when Jacob’s grandfather is killed in a vicious attack by a creature out of his stories, Jacob starts to think there might have been some truth in them after all. Determined to find out the truth, Jacob travels to a remote island off the coast of Wales to look for answers.

Review

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is a quirky little story combining elements of YA adventure and supernatural horror. Right from the cover we can see that there is something rather spooky about these children. Jacob is very close to his grandfather who tells him strange tales about his own childhood. Initially, Jacob is taken in by stories of children with strange abilities, but as he grows up, he stops believing them. Until he sees one of the monsters from his grandfather’s story attack him. Haunted by his grandfather’s last words, Jacob is determined to find out the truth and follow the clues that have been left behind.

Jacob manages to convince his therapist and his parents that a holiday away from home in a remote island off the coast of Wales is just what he needs to clear his head. Once he’s there, however, he realises that all his grandfather’s stories were true. Peppered with creepy photographs, the story is one of adventure and fantasy. Jacob is a great narrator, one who’ll appeal to children and adults. On the island, he finally feels like he’s found a place where he belongs and a sense of purpose in his life. Despite the image on the cover, this is not a horror story. It is more a magical fantasy world that we enter when we go with Jacob into Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob finds out more about these children, Miss Peregrine and what makes them so peculiar, the adventure takes off, taking the reader into this quirky fantastical world. 

This is one of those books that needs to be read in physical copy. The layout of the book itself makes for a great experience and readers will want to flip back and forth between the images. I really enjoyed this strange, at times eerie adventure and look forward to the next instalment with Jacob and the children.

Verdict

Highly recommended for readers who like to be surprised.

Rating: 4.5*

Many thanks to PGUK for sending me the review copy. 

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Book Review: And Laughter Fell from the Sky by Jyotsna Sreenivasan

Genre: General fiction, Multicultural fiction

Publisher: Harper Collins (William Morrow)

Pub date:June 2012

Source: Publisher

Synopsis (From GoodReads)

Old family friends, Rasika and Abhay seem to have nothing in common, and yet when the two reconnect by chance, sparks immediately fly. Abhay loves Rasika, but he knows her family would never approve. Rasika knows she has feelings for Abhay, but can she turn her back on the family rules she has always tried so hard to live by? The search to find answers takes Abhay and Rasika out of their native Ohio to Oregon and India, where they find that what they have together might just be something worth fighting for.

Review

And Laughter Fell from the Sky is the story of Rasika and Abhay, young Indian-Americans who find themselves caught between two cultures. Rasika is a young professional whose parents are desperate to find her a good husband. An obedient daughter, she doesn’t want to disappoint her parents by objecting. She doesn’t seem to have an alternate plan for her life since she has accepted a long time ago that this is how it is in Indian families. But as her parents race to get her married before her twenty-sixth birthday, she hides her dalliances with men who would never be considered suitable by her family.

Abhay is an extremely intelligent young man who’s trying very hard to find himself and his place in the world. His angst-ridden search finds him living on a commune and half-heartedly working at various temporary jobs. His father is livid that Abhay isn’t able to decide on his own future and find himself a stable career. When these two people meet, they are just old childhood friends being polite to each other. They have nothing in common, but as they continue meeting and talking to each other, an attraction grows between them. As a good Indian girl who is about to get married, Rasika can’t be seen with other men lest it taint her reputation. But Abhay is convinced that Rasika is the girl for him and keeps trying to meet her.

One of the most telling points in the story is when Abhay says that Indians in the US are just there for the high-paying jobs and the things they can buy. Very few of them actually become members of the community, preferring to stay with other Indians. And many of that generation also refuse to take US citizenship, wanting to keep their link with home. They become more traditional and Indian in an attempt to hold onto their identity.

For me the part that didn’t work at all is what these two people saw in each other. For the most part, Rasika came across as rather shallow, thinking about home decor and being well-dressed. Abhay was rather different, trying hard to find freedom in everything he does and way of life that lets him do what he wants with no guilt.

What this story does well is show how much pressure young people find themselves under in Indian societies wherever they live. Especially young girls who feel the need to please their parents and understand the disappointment and humiliation they would feel if their daughters defied them. On the other hand, it seems to make them fake people, unsure of who they are and what they want from life. This is true not only of young Indian women who are living in the US or other parts of the world, increasingly it’s the same dilemma that Indian women in India also find themselves in.

And Laughter Fell from the Sky is Sreenivasan’s first novel and inspired by Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth. The saddest part is that society has hardly changed from that time. Traditional Indian parents frequently stress how much freedom they give their grown up children, never seeing the hypocrisy in it. Young women are “allowed” to have jobs, go out with friends and choose their own clothes. And once they get married, their husband “allow” them to work. But when it comes to the most important decisions of their lives, parents know best, even convincing themselves that by allowing their daughters to meet and talk to their prospective husbands, they are in a much better position than older generations where the girl often didn’t meet her husband until the wedding ceremony itself.

We follow these characters from Ohio to Oregon to India, and each of the places that they visit is lovingly described. After having a few close shaves, Rasika’s parents take her to India to meet and marry an eligible man that they’ve found for her. Weighed by guilt, she agrees and wants to do everything she can to make sure that this alliance becomes successful. Abhay also finds himself in India, on his spiritual quest, going to Auroville to see if that is a community where he fits in. It is in India that the two characters are forced to examine their lives and choices more closely.

Verdict

The ending is a little forced and rather too neat, but look beyond these two characters, and this is a powerful story of the lives that many young people lead and the pressures that they have to overcome to find happiness.

Rating: 3.5*

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Book Review: Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Genre: Literary fiction

Publisher: Pan Macmillan (Macmillan)

Pub date: June 2012

Source: Publisher via Lovereading.co.uk

Synopsis (From GoodReads)

There’s only one person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus, and that’s her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn’s company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June’s world is turned upside down. But Finn’s death brings a surprise acquaintance into June’s life—someone who will help her to heal, and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart.
 
At Finn’s funeral, June notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a package in the mail. Inside is a beautiful teapot she recognizes from Finn’s apartment, and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking for an opportunity to meet. As the two begin to spend time together, June realizes she’s not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring herself to trust this unexpected friend, he just might be the one she needs the most.

Review

14-year-old June Elbus is a strange young girl – she loves medieval times, plays dress up and spends a lot of time alone, in the woods, dreaming. Her sister Greta who was once her best friend has grown up and no longer wants to have anything to do with June and her childish games. The only person who understands June is her Uncle Finn. But he is now dying of AIDS, a disease that no one will even talk about. Finn indulges June’s flights of fancy and opens her world to music, art and life.

When he dies, June starts to realise that she was not the center of his world and there is a whole lot about Finn’s life that he kept from her. When she is approached by her uncle’s special friend Toby (the man that her family blames for Finn’s death) June starts to see that she is not the only one who misses him.

There is a point in the lives of sisters when they could become best friends or just drift apart without being able to find out what really happened between them. Finn dies at this point in the life of June and Greta. Before he dies, he insists on painting a special portrait of the sisters, which initially seems like a way for him to spend the time he has left with them. But it becomes the thing that drives them apart and also what helps them find their way back to each other.

The story deals with some difficult issues: AIDS in the eighties was unknown and June’s mother can’t even bear to talk about this. It also deals with forbidden love – the one between the two men and also June’s love for her uncle.

Tell the Wolves I’m Home is a gently told beautiful story of growing up and learning what love really means. Seeing June and her entire family grow, change, forgive and heal is an intensely satisfying journey. June is the kind of protagonist who is easy to love  – even in her innocence there is so much wisdom that it makes you stop and think about life, love, family, friendship and shed a tear or two for all things sad and everything beautiful.

Verdict

Highly recommended. A literary debut to look out for.

Rating: 5*

Many thanks to Macmillan and Lovereading for the review copy.

I received this book as a reviewer for Lovereading.co.uk. Read more exclusive pre-publication reviews on the site.

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Book Review: This Burns My Heart by Samuel Park

Genre: Literary fiction, Historical fiction

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Pub date:12 July 2011

Source: Publisher via Bookpleasures.com

(This is a short review of a book I read a while ago and made notes on. I don’t have this book with me now, so you’ll notice the review is a little thin on the details.)

Synopsis

Soo-Ja Choi is a beautiful and intelligent young woman in postwar South Korea. Her ambition is to become a diplomat, but there is no way that her parents will agree to this. She decides to marry Min, a weak, timid man believing that she can convince him to let her do what she wants. But once they get married, she realises that she is the one who has been fooled. Min insists that they live with his parents and Soo-Ja’s life is all about taking care of them and being treated like an unwanted servant. What makes this even more heartbreaking for her is that just before marrying Min, she met a young medical student, Yul whom she was attracted to. She turned down his proposal to continue with her plans, but regrets this the minute she finds out what her situation is really going to be.

Soo-Ja must pay the price for making the wrong choice, but can she better her life and provide for her daughter?

Review

I wish I had the book with me to refresh my memory and tell you some more about it, but here goes… What has stayed with me is the beautiful lyrical language in which This Burns My Heart is Written.

Soo-Ja is a character who makes an impact. Min has lied to her and her reality is completely at odds with what she hoped to make of her life. Her father-in-law loses all his money in the business, borrows from Soo-Ja’s father and flees to America leaving Min, Soo-Ja and their daughter behind. Soo-Ja finds a way to make money for her family while Min does nothing to help. Through all this Soo-Ja can’t help but think “what if”. She finds herself wondering about how her life would have been if she had accepted Yul’s proposal.

But the story is not all about regrets and tears. We see Soo-Ja’s strength and determination right from the beginning and bad luck and a loveless marriage doesn’t stop her. She finds ways to survive and all her energies are devoted to making sure that her daughter Hana has all the opportunities that she didn’t.

Soo-Ja is far from perfect, but the way she takes on life made me admire her. Min is not a straight “bad guy” either. Unable to break free of his duty as the oldest son and not having any personal drive or direction in life, he is pathetic, but someone you feel for at times.

Parks’ beautiful prose is what really made this book a delight for me to read. The story jumps forward months and years at a time, but the pacing was just right and the prose so enjoyable.

Verdict

Highly recommended for all fans of literary fiction and character driven stories. This was one of my favourite reads of the year.

Rating: 5*

I received this book as a reviewer for BookPleasures.com

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