Artemis Fowl and the Time Paradox (#6) By Eoin Colfer

18 May 2013 1 Comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Artemis Fowl Series, General, Junior Fiction, Young Adult Tags: , , , , ,

Note: Minor spoilers regarding the ending of The Lost Colony and the outcome

Goodreads badgePublished: August 7 2008
Publisher: Puffin Books
Pages: 430
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction/Young Adult Fantasy
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

 After disappearing for three years, Artemis Fowl has returned to a life different from the one he left. Now he’s a big brother, and spends his days teaching his twin siblings the important things in life, such as how to properly summon a waiter at a French restaurant.

But now his mother is gravely ill and the only hope of a cure lies in the brain fluid of the extinct silky sifaka lemur. Artemis Fowl must travel back through time to steal the lemur. The rules of time travel are far from simple, but to save his mother, Artemis will have to break them all, and outsmart his most cunning adversary yet: Artemis Fowl, age ten.

  This was the book I was most eager to read I think to specifically see the story rather than just general excitement over the overall series. The ending of The Lost Colony opened up a range of questions and with an ending like the one Colfer gave us there was a need to see where the story was going to go or whether we’d be given a chance to see how it got there. So much had changed and Artemis’ world had changed so much that I was eager to see how Colfer handled it. Naturally, being Colfer, and with this entire thing planned to the letter, handled it brilliantly. The transition was seamless, there was no need to awkwardly explain anything, Colfer wove it through the narrative with a smooth fluidity that means as you read you just understood. It was all ok, and you found yourself being engaged and amazed in the new story before you could even think to question anything he had or hadn’t written. Hypnotic and distracting perfection, those are Colfer’s powers.

Thinking about it, new characters have always been welcomed, they added to the expanding world. I think the only question I had, certainly before starting it and not once I had, was about the introduction of the twins and how they would impacted on the Fowl family directly, new Fowl members that made a huge difference compared to the introduction of a new aspect of the Fairy world. But truly, making Artemis a big brother could have failed but it didn’t. Artemis’ character and the fact that the twins have such unique and very Fowl characteristics and unique personalities makes them both a little bit wonderful.

But despite this big change, it is not Artemis’ home life that is especially the focus, yes it is the base reason for the new adventure, but we do not spend the whole novel watching Artemis adjusting to being away for three years and having new siblings quite as directly. Colfer opens the novel in the middle of a situation where we instantly can gauge the relationship between the brothers and the Fowl Manor life. This simple action by Colfer shows us all we need to know, giving us comfortable acceptance over what is happening and what has happened with no need for us to see the missing scenes we know would have taken place. And once we have seen all is well, that is when he takes a sharp turn and sends us on our adventure, this time beginning with Artemis’ mother.

When Artemis’ mother becomes deathly ill and all attempts at curing only make things worse, Artemis enlists the help of the People to try and save his mother. We haven’t seen a lot of Artemis’ parents through the series, sporadically and often with a purpose mainly, and this is similar here but it did not really matter. Angela Fowl is a great character to add to the mix. She gets a little bit more of a role while not really doing anything to begin with, much like Artemis’ father in The Arctic Incident, with the focus more around the intent of healing Artemis’ mother and all the surrounding events, consequences and causalities.

Enlisting the help of Holly, No. 1, as well as Butler, and with no other option at his disposal, Artemis is determined to return to the past to procure the antidote for his mother. The trouble that is it to be retrieved not only in the past from a ruthless young Artemis, but from the Extinctionists he is planning on selling the lemur to. A group of people determined to capture and eat all the rare and endangered animals in the world certainly makes for a different kind of foe than in previous adventures, but naturally not all in as simple as it seems. Time travel soon becomes the least of their problems as new and old dangers appear around each corner.

The Extinctionists are definitely a group that I wasn’t expecting. The idea seems jovial at first but the way their organisation has been developed really can unsettle you if you think too much about it. And reading about these Extinctionists kind of makes you think about where the real ones are in the world, sneaking around with these grossly abused and ill gotten wares, but Colfer manages to raise the issue and bring it to point without harping on about it which is nice.

We see a small part of the old Artemis personality return when he tries to convince the others to travel back through time; this is before we actually see the actual old Artemis of course. With the events following the jump back we are shown a bit more of ten year old Artemis and his life before the events in Book One. I must say ten year old Artemis is almost worse than twelve year of Artemis but only by a little. His childlike compassion is understandable more so than as a twelve year old though. The contrast between young Artemis and his older counterpart is drastic, but having said that we have been gradually seeing an improving Artemis through the series, you do not realise how far he has come until we are forced to see the boy we began the story with side by side. And while we get to see little Artemis and Butler which is fantastic, we also see older Artemis reflect more on who he was and who he is becoming. I always liked tough and no nonsense Artemis but there is room I suppose for caring Artemis as well.

There is a jump between time as we see the present and the past action occur side by side throughout the book, but it is not confusing, at least no more than any other Artemis Fowl novel.  The fact that Colfer is returning to the past is clever, and opens up for a lot of questions about what sparks an adventure, who influenced whom and as Artemis says, if it happened in the past then it has already affected the future.

Paradoxes are hard to manage but Colfer manages this superbly. Going back to the past creates its own issues but the way it links together is fantastic. When authors go back after establishing a certain reality, similar to C. S. Lewis in the Narnia books, there is an advantage to create things and do things that bring about an event or occurrence that’s to come as it were.

This is a terrific story that plays out and it makes you want to keep going if only to see how it could possibly be resolved. In addition there is a reappearance of old characters in large and small ways which is also excellently done. Colfer knows where to have people in a story and where not to. There are reasons people are included and whether they are excluded, no one is anywhere by mistake and nothing is mentioned by chance. There are Artemis’ schemes and sneakiness as per usual but we are also privy to more information, history, and detail about the Fowls than before which is an added bonus. There was even a truly wonderful heartfelt moment with Artemis towards the end which was moving and very brave I thought for him and for Colfer. But as I say, Colfer reveals everything to us marvellously and we are able to appreciate each moment no matter how action filled it is or the circumstance. I even detected an excellent Douglas Adams reference in there somewhere which I sincerely hope was intentional because it made me smile.

You seem to go through multiple adventures at once with this book, just when you think one is over another rises up, and while it seems like a jumbled mess of chaos it works oh so brilliantly you can’t imagine. There certainly seems like a lot of planning involved and I would love to have been there when Colfer realised he could make the connections he does, or even whether it was his plan all along, either way I applaud him.

As per usual there is just so much involved in an Artemis book that you cannot comment on it all, and even then you’d forget something or ruin a surprise so it is mainly emotion here because I am giving nothing else away. The joy is in the experience and unexpectedness as always, not to mention getting swept up in the characters, the chaos, and the pure admiration for the effort Colfer has put into not only each novel but the level of detail in the stories and the worlds in which they’re placed.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S King

17 May 2013 1 Comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, General, Young Adult Tags: , ,

Published: October 12 2010
Goodreads badgePublisher: Random House
Pages: 336
Format: Book
Genre: Young Adult
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

Vera’s spent her whole life secretly in love with her best friend, Charlie Kahn. And over the years she’s kept a lot of his secrets. Even after he betrayed her. Even after he ruined everything. 
So when Charlie dies in dark circumstances, Vera knows a lot more than anyone—the kids at school, his family, even the police. But will she emerge to clear his name? Does she even want to?

I am so glad I read this book, I had been trying to get my hands on a copy since about February and I am glad it was worth the wait. I knew early on this was going to be a phenomenal book; I was planning on giving this book five stars from the first few chapters, something that does not happen very often. It is excellently written and King manages to say so much in so few words, and speaks volumes with meanings hidden and woven into the life and thoughts of Vera wonderfully. It is an excellent look at society and how society sees things, ignores things, and treats the world around them.

King’s novel tells the story of Vera Dietz, a high schooler who is working full time at a pizza place, while also trying to recover from her friend’s death, be a teenager, and deal with life, her father, and her conscience. This seemingly vague plot is hard to describe without giving it away so I won’t say much, but I will say that we are given this plot in a less than chronological fashion, yet still seemingly so. Through the book we jump through time as well as perspectives to see the fractured sequence of events as we are slowly revealed and enlightened with the story of Vera and Charlie, and how growing up can be a tough time for everyone and that there are some things you cannot change.

I think the fact that the story is broken up and from many perspectives is what makes this story excellent. There are short single paragraph chapters that offer a quick snippet of information or detail; long chapters that follow Vera’s thoughts and life through her eyes; and there are others that are just for the reader, chapters from characters who want to explain their side to us, explain to us what Vera does not understand, or will not accept. If we want to start listing all the brilliant aspects of this book, just the fact that King has broken up the book in these chapter styles is wonderful enough, and the idea that as a reader we are being explained a story, but not always in a language that feels like we are being told is just adding to this wonderfulness.

King has managed to grasp not only the show not tell side of good storytelling, but also making us become involved and emotionally connected to each character, even the ones we probably don’t like very much, or those we take pity on. A lot of this comes through Vera herself, as a character she is highly understanding while still being confused herself and critical. The friendship and conflicts we are shown between her and Charlie as they grow up together is strong, and this relationship comes through Vera in everything she does and does not do. But not only that, her own imperfections make her a lot more powerful. Her own struggles and issues are something to commend her for because they not only shape what she does, but why she does it, who she tries to be, and where she wants to go. There really is so much to be taken from something that seems relatively straightforward at the first glance.

The dialogue within this story is very well done, King captures the friendship conversations and inner thoughts of Vera through all stages in her life, capturing the appropriate tone and reasoning a teenager would have. I especially thought that the conversations Vera has with her father were amazingly written and presented, their relationship is certainly not perfect, but there is a great connection between the two that we are able to see both sides of, and by the end of the novel I think Vera sees it as well.

A lot of the novel is Vera telling us her story and making insights about her life and those around her. She makes passing comments and assessments about the issues with American schooling and reading, college scholarships for football over intellect, as well as aspects of society, all managed with this dry, sarcastic, conversational tone of an observational teenager. These critiques and insights that Vera points out are slipped in so seamlessly that they do not appear to be an protruding social judgement, instead, with the way King has constructed Vera, it is an acceptable point to make, and with the tone of Vera placed upon it, then King can make these crucial remarks without them feeling out of place.

The cover of the book has a review by Ellen Hopkins, author of the Crank series. She says this book is really special, and it is. It tells a story like no other, but it does so by not necessarily with sweeping metaphors and imagery, nor obvious moralistic messages. But yet King has them. She uses Vera to say so much more, in simple language, little snippets of sentences and thrown away remarks to talk about fitting in, being a teenager, hiding secrets, school and education, drinking, life, parenthood, family, pagodas, pickles. All of these things get their say and they are all spoken about. It is truly exceptional to read, it has the ability to tell you it is ok to be yourself, but that doesn’t mean it is going to be easy, that is why it is fantastic. A small part of me wants to compare it to Looking For Alaska, just a small part though because King takes it in her own direction.

What this book does is show you that there are people behind the people. There are the public faces and the truth they are hiding behind it. There is something very powerful that King has done, she is showing us that life is not perfect for any one, and what you see may actually be something far from the truth, something instilled and created to hide a truth, not matter how big or small it may be. I adore it.

I don’t want to keep explaining the power this book has, but there are lessons learnt in this book by Vera and by the reader. Each chapter makes you understand the world better, makes you look at life, your life, other people’s lives and find perhaps, something in this story you can take and make your own life so much better.  My high school experience wasn’t like it is depicted in the American books and movies, but if I had this book in high school, it would have been an excellent escape, something to hold on to that would help when things got tough. And that is something I am not sure King ever intended to do, and if she did, then she succeeded spectacularly.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

13 May 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, General, Young Adult Tags: , ,

Published: October 16, 2008
Goodreads badgePublisher: Speak
Pages: 236
Format: Book
Genre: Young Adult
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton’s type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun – but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.

I liked this book, I really did. For me it was something so very different and peculiar, yet very emotional without possibly intending to be. This is the story of Colin Singleton, a former child prodigy who is now desperate to stop the pain of being dumped by Katherine XIX and to find a way to matter.

To try and recover from being dumped, Colin and his friend Hassan go on a road trip, which ends shortly after in Gutshot Tennessee after a quest to see the Archduke Franz Ferdinand leads them to Lindsey, Hollis, and a town intriguing enough to stay in. The story is in their time there, something I won’t delve too much in, you have to go on it yourself, there is too much and too little to actually describe to make it not just a simple plot breakdown. I know this book is not a favourite by a few people, but I see that as the same reasons why I loved it. There is a lot of judgement at face value, and either a misunderstanding, misinterpretation, or simple inability to understand Colin as a character that people couldn’t connect with.

As a character there is an awkwardness about Colin; he is slightly too quick to judge, but not necessarily in a harsh way, almost logically based on what is presented to him. Though he is not against changing his opinions, he just needs cause to do so. We see through the story histories and flashbacks that this is who Colin has always been, and the struggle Colin has in being who he is can be insightful. He apologises when he is called out on displaying knowledge, that is a bit depressing, but there is enough in Colin’s straightforward character to know he is not too worried. This is the starting point of his character, a place we get to see change begin, in all the right areas but also not too much.

There is a deep thread of intellect in this entire story, and especially through its characters, but not in a way that feels forced. The knowledge and intellect that are displayed fit perfectly with each character and with who they are as people, and as young adults. Whether this seems pretentious to some, I took as being an excellent addition of a story and new approach to characters.

Also the use of footnotes was a new thing I had not seen in a fiction book before and I thought they were an excellent addition, they didn’t distract from the flow of the story or reading at all, often they were additional thoughts regarding Colin, or an explanation of terms and translations, or simply extra commentary. Their role was to add a little bit extra to the story and do what footnotes are designed to do, hold important information but do not need to be in the main body of work. There are also graphs, but these are woven into the story a bit more than the footnotes, they have narrative purpose, but are nonetheless just as intriguing.

John Green as an author likes to give his characters uniqueness about them, whether it is loving an abundance of Katherines and making anagrams, or, like in Looking For Alaska, it is knowing famous people’s last words. What he puts into his characters gives them uniqueness, a quirk that is not something that is obvious and makes them stand out, but it is just like reality, we all have a strange thing we enjoy, and that is just who we are and what we do.

I often find it interesting about people’s relationships in books. Colin’s friend Hassan continuously tells Colin that what he says and knows is not interesting and no one wants to hear it, but the thing is, I actually do. I am interested that Niko Telsa’s hair stood on end for a week after 50000 currents went through his body. That is interesting to know. I do not understand why people do not like to know things. How is knowing things about the past and the world around you uninteresting, even if they are trivial? Why is it such a bad thing to find things interesting? Niko Telsa, the pigeon lover, is interesting.

The sad thing I found is that Colin listens to his friend Hassan where he shouldn’t, and other times he ignores him when he shouldn’t. Just because Hassan thinks Colin shouldn’t be something, doesn’t mean he should try and change it, however there are some aspects of Colin that need improving so it can be complicated. Hassan himself has his own flaws, everyone has their own flaws, this is not an ideal world with magic and perfection, it is a representation of life. Colin is a failed prodigy, unable to figure out what he is doing, what life is about, and what he should be doing with his time. Hassan on the other side is obsessed with Judge Judy, is one of those friends who seemingly bullies his friend and makes it seem like a joke, and he is too is looking for something to do with his life, even if it is in a less scientific way than Colin.

I’d almost say it is not exactly a coming of age story, in the same way that it is. Colin is essentially lost, he does the metaphorical and physical (albeit relatively short) road trip to find answers, and in doing so he learns about himself. The people Colin and Hassan meet influence them, as does the events they get embroiled in, but all the while Colin continues to find his way to matter. The idea of trying to prevent others from being in the same dumped situation he begins working on trying to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship by using the information from his failed relationships.

But despite being set up this way, there is a lot more to this story. Green has not made it the lifetime adventure or two friends who are off to see the world. They always seem to be wandering and looking for something, even when they are not travelling; and when opportunities come you can clearly see the cracks, and the desires to change who they are. The people they meet influence them and offer outside perspectives on who they think they are and perceive themselves to be, while offering a chance to step outside their comfort zones, whether it is for the better or not is almost irrelevant. That is part of a coming of age story, right?

As for the Katherine’s, we are given a less than chronological history of Colin’s past relationships with Katherine 1 through 19 in this story, and all the while we see how they all played out and how it affected Colin and his desire for the Theorem. What Green has done rather well is he introduces us to information, and either in footnotes or through dialogue he essentially tells us that it will all be explained in the end. We are given references and clues, or mentions of the Katherine’s past, and we must read on to see the connections, where these references originate, and why they are important. This is the case not just for the Katherines, but for other information as well.

The characters certainly drive this story, you see how they grow and interact with their surroundings, and with not a lot going on in Gutshot, there is a lot of value placed in the people within the town. This helps because you really get to see the characters as they are, who they are around other people, and who they are desperately trying to be without the weight of an intense and dramatic scene overshadowing those involved. Surely that is the magical part in this story, no matter who you are, everyone tries to be somebody else at some stage before realising that being who they are is just fine.

I know some people say that this is the least impressive John Green book, but I don’t think this is so, the books are all so separate from one another, and trying to compare them is not going to work. These are not works in the same world with the same characters, they are their own stories, and I would certainly not expect to compare a story against another simply because the other was better. Why would Katherines be worse just because it is not like Alaska? This is flawed thinking. As its own book it is what it is, and I enjoyed it. Comparisons are inevitable of course, but see it for what it is, not because of what it isn’t.

I think you should read this book, and even if you don’t like it, dislike it for what is it, not for what it isn’t. Though if you get nothing else from this book, something it does do is make Pi look easy enough to remember if you’re committed enough; I have only been able to get to six decimals, that’s my achievement, it seems I should be able to do more.

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

09 May 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Birthdays, Classic, General, Junior Fiction Tags: , , , ,

Birthday

A huge happy birthday to James Matthew Barrie, author of the wonderful Peter Pan! I loved this book, I love that Barrie creates this world and these characters that are wondrous and engaging, but he also writes the story with heart and sometimes blunt truths, there is no real romanticising about life, Neverland is the wonder away from the rest of the world and that is why it is marvellous.

In Kensington Gardens in London there is a status of Peter Pan honouring Barrie. Peter is playing his pipes and has animals at the base; it certainly lends itself to the theory that Peter Pan has a connection somehow to the Greek god Pan. I know him best for the novel Peter Pan, but J. M. Barrie had dozens of others works before and after of both stories and plays, right up until his death in 1937. He was knighted in 1913 for his literary work and in the same year became Rector of St Andrews University. His other successes include becoming the President of the Society of Authors, a title which he took from Thomas Hardy which is cool.

I never knew he was knighted, but I do remember that when I was studying Barrie and Peter Pan at university, it became very clear that he was certainly peculiar, or at least lived a strange life, one that no doubt impacted on him. He was not all strange though, he knew some excellent writers of the time including Robert Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells, and Robert Louis Stevenson.

He was the ninth child out of ten, two having died before he was born, and as an adult he was only 5″ 1′ (about 155 cm). When he was young his brother David, who was the next eldest and his mother’s favourite, died just before his 14th birthday. It devastated his mother and Barrie then it seems devoted himself to trying to fill David’s place, to the extent that he even dressed in his clothing. Barrie wrote a biography of his mother called Margaret Ogilvy, and in it he discusses his mother’s reaction to David’s death, as well as his attempts to please her afterwards. If you want to read it it is available from Project Guttenberg for free.

There was a wonderful theory that we heard in class that Barrie wanted so badly to be David and be the “son who never grew up” for his mother that he developed psychological problems and even managed to stunt his growth and proper adolescent development. This does not seem to have any grounds in fact I think he was just short, but he was no doubt strange enough that he probably tried. His innocence that he held until adulthood made him the perfect candidate to write a story like Peter Pan, he never properly grew up, and loving to write and tell stories probably helped this, he could stay young and innocent forever through words. He was initially discouraged from becoming a writer, I for one am very glad he chose to write, where would we be without Peter Pan to fill our dreams and fantasies and to fly us to Neverland in the middle of the night?

Peter Pan has many influences, but the main ones that inspired the play and the characters of the Darlings was the connected to Mr and Mrs Llewelyn-Davies and their boys George, John, Peter, Michael, and Nicholas. And before the legends and did you know facts appear, no he did not create Wendy, it was a name prior to the first appearance of Peter Pan, Barrie simply popularised the name.

There is truly so much going on with Barrie, his relationship to the Llewelyn-Davies family that helped create this Peter Pan world, not to mention the sad fate that many of them had. The entire history and environment and life of Peter Pan is absolutely fascinating I could write forever on, but I won’t, I will however review Peter Pan, one of the greatest books, certainly became established in society and popular culture, and definitely a classic for all ages.


Published: January 1st 2002
Goodreads badgePublisher: Puffin
Pages: 242
Format: Book
Genre: Junior Fiction
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

The boy who refuses to grow up teaches Wendy and her younger brothers how to fly. Then it’s off to magical Neverneverland for adventures with mermaids, Indians, and wicked Captain Hook and his pirate crew.

Everyone seems to know the story of Peter Pan, the boy who wouldn’t grow up, Tinkerbell and Wendy, and the mystical world of Neverland. I first knew of this story through the Disney version, but I also had a video of an Australian cartoon version which I also loved. Many of the versions of this story keep a lot of the same elements in it, there is no Peter Pan without pirates, Indians, or mermaids, but there are certainly some varying elements compared to the book.

The story of Peter Pan first appears in The Little White bird, a story written in 1902 by Barrie and was intended for adults, not children. The first real sighting of Peter is in the stage play in 1904 where it was titles Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up. The novel version, which is probably the most well known version (aside from the movie interpretations), was extended from the original play and published in 1911 as a novel.

With the extended novel there is a chance to expand on character and ideas. There is also a lot more story within the book compared to what people know from the popularised Disney film. There is a lot more involvement of Mr and Mrs Darling in the book, and they come home as their children are flying out the window and know that their children are missing. Wendy, John, and Michael’s visit to Neverland happens in real time, and the time they spend there with the Lost Boys, Peter and Tinkerbell is time passing back in London. We get to see the reaction and life Mr and Mrs Darling have while their children are gone.

Barrie actually opens Peter Pan telling us the story of Mr and Mrs Darling, it is all very sweet. This also helps you understand them as people and parents, they are not just the parents with the story focusing solely on the children and their adventure, it is about the whole story sequence, not just the characters, but in the same wonderful way it is also so much about the characters.

I remember when I first read this story and realising that having a dog as your nanny was not a Disney invention of movie quaintness, it is actually in the book. Nanna it seems gets to have opinions about things and is a very good nanny. There is no first person narration for any of the characters, but Barrie does tell us what everyone thinks when it is required. Though this is not the only strange thing, there are other peculiarities, Mr Darling literally spends time in the doghouse out of guilt for his missing children, neighbours walking by and judging and everything. That was rather strange, but it has its humorous sides as well. It isn’t so much an absurd, only very strange at times.

There are many great moments in this book, even just reading about flying, the journey to Neverland and the adventures that await them. There is a little violence in this book regarding pirates and fairies, but it isn’t described in great detail, but it is still there. Peter helps this a little, in his own childlike way, brushes over things and quickly moves on to the next thing, always chasing another adventure as we are told. Tinkerbell speaks in the book, and there are additional characters and variations of scenes which make it that much better. A lot of Peter’s character is seen in his actions and his leadership. He can change from being proud and selfish to being rather noble and sweet very quickly.

Peter Pan is certainly not the exact character that the movies portray him as; in the book Peter Pan has much more selfish childishness as well as the naivety and cockiness. It is actually mentioned one of the reason Hook hates Peter so much is that he is always so cocky.

Peter is not the only bunt one, Barrie does enough of his own in his narration and explaining, it is very matter of fact, but Barrie expands on what needs to be told and what does not. The voice Barrie uses is one of a storyteller, you get the feeling he is speaking to readers as he recounts the lives and adventures of Peter and Wendy, this certainly adds to the magical nature, like a tale of times that once were.

Barrie definitely brings us some memorable characters in this book, not to mention quotes like “Second star to the right, and straight on till morning” and particularly “To die will be an awfully big adventure”, which is one that has stayed in my mind for years. It is rather telling of Peter’s mind when he says this. He has such a carefree attitude, never worrying and is not typically one to fret over anything. He definitely has a child’s mind, he moves from one thing to another, and quickly forgets things if they are over or no longer concern him. Though the connection and relationship he has with Wendy is sweet, you can feel that he loves the idea of having a mother and being cared for, but he wants things his way in his land, being the child forever.

The ending of Peter Pan and the events in the final chapter I found to be some of the most heartbreaking moments in this book, and certainly was not something I was expecting. I think it is a brilliant ending, but I felt such a pain as I read because it was so innocent, but also so sad at the same time; Barrie did an excellent job. There are entire moments of brilliance in this book, heartfelt, magical, and all round beautiful. You take the abruptness and the selfish Peter and you see him and others in so many other lights that it is all part of the magic and wonder that is Barrie’s story. There is so much to gain from reading this over a movie, the movie can bring you to the book, but the book can give you the soul of the story.

The Bloody Chamber & other Stories by Angela Carter

07 May 2013 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, Birthdays, General Tags: , , , ,

Birthday

Today is the birthday of author Angela Carter and in honour of that I am looking at her collection of short stories in The Bloody Chamber. It is an excellent collection, if you are a fan of fairytales, or love seeing fairytales reinvented in amazing ways, then I suggest you read these stories.

Born in England in 1940, Angela Carter wrote many books in her lifetime, sadly she only lived until she was 51 years old. However in that time she managed to write a large collection of stories, poems, radio plays, as well as children’s books and much more. What I found interesting was that before she died, Carter was planning on writing a sequel to Jane Eyre. I think this would have been fantastic, it was supposedly going to be told from the perspective of Jane’s step-daughter Adele, that would have been interesting to see.

Carter was listed on The Times “50 greatest British writers since 1945” in 2008, at tenth place it is a position I agree with immensely, what I didn’t agree was that Terry Pratchett didn’t make that list at all, but we can only just forgive that because of the others that were included.

Published: July 13th 2006
Goodreads badgePublisher: Vintage
Pages: 176
Format: Book
Genre: Fairy Tales/Fantasy
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

The Bloody Chamber & Other Stories is an anthology of short fiction by Angela Carter. All of the stories share a common theme of being closely based upon fairy tales or folk tales. However, she’s stated: “My intention was not to do ‘versions’ or, as the American edition of the book said, horribly, ‘adult’ fairy tales, but to extract the latent content from the traditional stories.”

The Bloody Chamber was published in 1979 and is a collection of short stories that are dark, sinister, and marvellous all at once. What Carter manages to do is turn the fairytales we know on their head, and she makes us look at them in a new light completely. The book comprises of ten stories, The Bloody Chamber; The Courtship of Mr Lyon; The Tiger’s Bride; Puss-in-Boots; The Erl-King; The Snow Child; The Lady of the House of Love; The Werewolf; The Company of Wolves; and Wolf-Alice.

Carter looks at stories such as Beauty and the Beast, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Bluebeard, as well as folklore tales, and what she has come up with are so unique, and so amazing that it is very hard to think of them as their original stories sometimes. There is definitely so much that that can be read into these stories, I know there are hundreds of references alluded to and mentioned in short story The Bloody Chamber that have scholars running about trying to interpret, but what references that are there does not distract from the story, nor does typically knowing the originals, they are easily enjoyed without understanding the origins, but for well known stories such as Little Red Riding Hood, Beauty and the Beast, or Puss in Boots, then it creates an eye opener for readers.

What is wonderful about these stories is that it isn’t just another version of the traditional telling, Carter brings so much more into these stories, she alternates points of view, and she brings in strong powerful women with highly emotional and intellectual insights that create meaning and force in these tales.

Her story The Werewolf, based on Little Red Riding Hood, had a huge impact on me. Very much like the novels of John Marsden’s when I realised stories did not have to be simple and straight forward; what Carter showed me in this story was that fairytales can be complex and may not be as they appear. From this simple story I suddenly looked at other fairytales like Hansel and Gretel in a whole new light, I realised and embraced that even the simplest stories of the Gingerbread man or Snow White could be recreated in an entirely new light, changing everything it was meant to be.

I already had a huge love for fairytales, and when I read Carter’s reinventions it opened my eyes to a world of interpretation, mixing and transforming these classics into something that is powerful and magical, while still showing signs of the history of the fairytales I knew. Personal favourites would have to be Company of Wolves, Wolf-Alice, and The Werewolf, definitely interesting since they are all variations on Little Red Riding Hood, a story that I didn’t like as a child, and yet has become one that I have enjoyed most in adapted form.

 Company of Wolves was turned into a very good film in 1984. It is classified as a British Gothic fantasy-horror film and director Neil Jordon co-wrote the screenplay with Carter. It is another variation on the Little Red Riding Hood story and is set in the modern day. It is a little gruesome at times, but it is an excellent film all the same.

There is something for everyone with Carter’s works and her writing makes you reconsider writing and storytelling, especially for fairytales. They hark back to the originals where it was more truthful and realistic, certainly told as cautionary tales, but also as a representation of powerful women. To steal from Wikipedia a wonderful synopsis: “By contrasting the barren and horrific atmosphere found typically within the Gothic to the strong heroines of her story, Carter is able to create sexually liberated female characters that are set against the more traditional backdrop of the fairy tale.”

A truly wonderful set of stories that stay with you long after you finish them, I wish Angela Carter a happy birthday and I want to thank her for the influence she has had on my own writing, as well as my ideas about fairytales and the power and possibilities they possess, no matter what the form.

Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries