**spoiler alert** I genuinely felt hollow after completing this. I now understand how privileged I am to be living in a loving home where my needs are**spoiler alert** I genuinely felt hollow after completing this. I now understand how privileged I am to be living in a loving home where my needs are facilitated without much wait. Art too is devastated by all that Vladek, his father tells him about the holocaust. It's much different from a survivor's point of view rather than from the perspective of a Nazi. A dead man can't really tell tales of the war. Vladek goes into much detail and Spiegelman is able to portray the horrors more accurately since he uses mice in his drawings to represent the Jews, Cats the Nazis, Pigs the Poles and Dogs the Americans. This hierarchy also represents the stereotype of who is the predator and who the prey is in this simple 'food chain'.
What perhaps terrified me the most was how dignity was entirely abandoned in the concentration camps and even news of family cost rations. Children were smashed against walls and ultimately killed to stop them from screaming, thousands of corpses were burned every single day after the Jews were gassed and the German soldiers would also beat them. Times were so desperate that Jews themselves would betray another for some bread or sugar and rat them out to the Germans. I enjoyed how, as the story is told we are also aware of what the artist is doing as he spends time with his father. Vladek became miserly and was brainwashed during the second world war as he learned to appreciate every little morsel of luck, be it food or knowledge, that came his way. His son never lived such a harsh life. It's a shame we don't learn more about Anya, Art's mother. We don't because in a fit of grief, the father tried to get rid of all the evidence.
This is a story that definitely gave me a lot of perspective regarding the horrors of war and how many innocent people were killed for trying to escape, bribe or stand up to the Nazis. Auschwitz is horrifying for even the simple fact that people would be worked until they dropped dead, stuffed in tiny spaces with not much food if any or air for that matter much like a Travis Scott concert and beaten for asking for clothes which actually fit them. Vladek was lucky and time and time again showed the reader how knowledge really is power. The more you know, the better conditions you are to expect. He knew how to mend shoes for instance, work with tin and speak English which all contributed towards his survival. He was nevertheless extremely lucky and could at any point be killed. The art bodes very well with the story as the horrors are depicted in very few lines. Spiegelman deserves the awards he received for this work!
One of my favourites this year and I'm certain that I'll be thinking about it time and time again. I was emotionally drained and don't recall ever feeling so empathetic towards a character, what makes it harder is that it's based on a true story and despite Vladek suffering from dementia in his later years the memories of the concentration camps are imprinted on his mind like a depressing metaphorical tattoo....more
Extremely pleasant to read. Very motivational, analogical, philosophical and captivating. It is also my first ever Murakami book. I am not a very passExtremely pleasant to read. Very motivational, analogical, philosophical and captivating. It is also my first ever Murakami book. I am not a very passionate runner although I do enjoy swimming very much and never really tried cycling as a sport. I found this book to be helpful and intriguing and made me enjoy all sports in general especially running. The little love I had for running increased while reading this book and I also thought that it is a sport that requires much time, effort and provokes a lot of different thoughts. Murakami trained every day for many years and he tells us that he only started running because he felt like it was something he wanted to do much like wanting to become a novelist. He sold his jazz bar to start writing novels and eventually became successful and passionate about writing. He trains for many marathons, an ultramarathon of 62 miles and a triathlon. He tells us that he ran in the scorching heat for a marathon from Athens to Marathon in Greece. He explains what he thinks about while he runs specifically how he's usually longing for a cold beer or how he always needs to know that there's some close source of water, a lake, a river or the ocean in the vicinity to be able to concentrate. I was astounded by how much stamina he has and how persistent he is. If there is something he finds that he is unable to do in the time he was planning to do it in he keeps trying till he manages to achieve that goal although since he grows old in this story, his physical abilities slowly start to decline. He never really complains about this but only accepts that it's an unfortunate fact of life and he simply realizes what changed in him. Overall, this book increased my love for sports in general, made me realize that I have to strive to be a better person every day and try to invest in myself as much as possible and although still focus on what really matters, I must try not to hurt myself or others physically or emotionally in the process.
25/07/2021, I finished reading it for a second time and I must say that although I found it as interesting and motivating as the first, it was slightly more boring hence why it perhaps took so long to complete despite it being a relatively quick read. Murakami does have a way with words but he tends to go into too much detail and spirals within his thoughts endlessly at times. I made a video considering my top ten favourite quotes from this book, if you're interested, make sure to check it out, here is the link, https://youtu.be/S5Ryn7eCo9g I intend on making a part 2 very soon since I took pictures of another handful of quotes I enjoyed! I have changed my mind regarding the rating and at this point it's a solid 4 stars rather than 5....more
SPOILERS AHEAD. Today is the 31/07/2020. I finished reading this on the 19/06/2020. It's been a while but I'm back trying to remember what I loved so SPOILERS AHEAD. Today is the 31/07/2020. I finished reading this on the 19/06/2020. It's been a while but I'm back trying to remember what I loved so much about this book. Having just read my summary and reliving the feelings I felt when I read it I can now understand. It is not the case that the book isn't memorable, in fact it sticks with you but there are some sad or enraging details that you'd much rather forget.
What a journey. Having just finished secondary school, I could relate to this book quite a lot. I love that the book is told in a sequence of letters, epistolary form, from the main character, Charlie to us, the readers. We also know that his name is not really Charlie because he does not want us to know who he is. He also uses alternate names for his friends including the person who killed himself in the beginning of the book. The letters are relatively short considering the gaps in between, making it easier to read and more of a page turner. It is about the life of Charlie who is shy and caring but also a bit introverted. This is why Chbosky calls him a wallflower after all.
Charlie is also very smart. He makes friends with Sam, played by Emma Watson in the movie, you should check that out too, and Patrick who are siblings although Charlie originally thought they were in a relationship since they were so close to each other. Well, that was weird. We find out that Patrick is gay and shares a kiss with Charlie at one point. Charlie is a great observer and he misses nothing. He used to be abused by his aunt every Saturday when he and his siblings used to watch television together. His aunt Helen died and Charlie missed her thoroughly as he used to love her very much. We learn this sad fact at the end and our feeling towards Helen as readers change completely. At the end of the book, just before Sam is about to leave for college she and Charlie are together in Sam's room and Sam puts her hand in Charlie's pants. This is when he remembers what his aunt used to do to him and he ends up in a psychiatric unit for a couple of weeks. Sam was actually slightly too old for Charlie but Charlie made it clear he had feelings for her more than once although she explained that it couldn't happen between them in a very kind manner. Hence, the action was quite strange yet great to read about. I suppose Sam wanted Charlie to have something to remember him by.
We, as the readers also learn that Charlie always changed his character to please his friends and was never true to himself. Being a wallflower, it was hard for him to be accepted unless he acted slightly differently. This book also covers topics such as drinking alcohol underage, masturbation, and problems with inclusion at school. I love the relationship Charlie manages to build with his English teacher, Bill. I love the way Charlie's favourite book is always the latest one he's read. I can kind of relate because even if the story ends on a bad note there's always a character who you'll end up loving regardless of whether he's the hero or the villain.
Needless to mention I hate Aunt Helen but I love Sam. I truly believe that if it weren't for Helen, Charlie wouldn't have been a wallflower and his relationship with Sam could have worked out. The way the book is written is great and it only took me a long time to get through due to the exam period. I hated when Charlie's friendship with his group of friends was also destroyed because of his so called breakup with Mary Elizabeth. I don't like her very much to be honest. Charlie's family is also very supportive and proud of Charlie especially after he makes it out of the psychiatric ward and for doing well in his exams. This book also details relationships between most of the characters.
This will go down as one of my favourite books so far! It is extremely well written due to the short chapters and the fact that it's written in letters which I find to be an original concept. The fact that it encapsulates so many teenage problems in such a short amount of pages is also admirable. Truly genius despite the fact that it was quite repetitive at some points and Charlie did come across as a pussy. For me this was somewhere in the middle, for instance, during the Christmas chapter which was a relatively lengthy letter.
05/09/2023, just finished reading this for a second time and I didn't enjoy it as much as the first time. This is basically an unhinged wimpy kid book with some paedophilia along the way to call it young adult. I can't believe Aunt Helen cock blocked Charlie all the way from heaven. A pretty fantastic read however Charlie does at points come across as a brat. He has several autistic traits and rather than understanding his own character, he alters it to fit in. Having watched the movie twice too, I can still say that the book is better, it makes me more emotional. A book hasn't made me feel emotional in quite some time. I am going to reduce my rating of this to 4 stars from 5 due to the fact that the main character, despite being academically gifted, is socially retarded, and that got on my nerves. I also don't understand why he is so transparent with his readers, and yet wouldn't even share his real name. Also, feeling the need to go to therapy should prevent you from wanting to use drugs or consume alcohol, that didn't sit right with me....more
**spoiler alert** Very enjoyable. The way the book is written is great. I did not rate it five stars because I was disappointed that we found out that**spoiler alert** Very enjoyable. The way the book is written is great. I did not rate it five stars because I was disappointed that we found out that Ari was in love with Dante and vice versa at the very end of the book and this was the answer to all the secrets of the universe. The story is about two teenagers called Aristotle and Dante who become very close friends when they meet at the public pool and Dante offers to teach Ari how to swim. Dante was Ari's first close friend as he did not really like or understand other boys. The children's parents become close friends as well and the two teenagers spend a lot of time together. Ari's brother is in jail for having killed two people with his bare hands as a prostitute he was looking for turned out to be a transvestite and he killed another person when he was in juvenile detention. He was never spoken about at home but he was thoroughly missed by both his young brother and his parents. We are not told a lot about him. Ari's father experienced the Vietnam war and also never really spoke about it until he had a family meeting with his family and he told them that he had left a friend to die during the war. There are two tragic events in the story, one when Aristotle saves Dante from being hit by a car and ends up in a hospital with both his legs in a cast and the other when Dante is beaten up just because he was seen kissing another boy called Daniel. When Ari's legs become fully functional once more, he finds a dog and calls her Legs. She is very well behaved and provides great company. I also enjoyed reading about Ari's nightmares because I felt that at some moments I could relate to them myself in some way or another. I really wished that I knew about Ari being gay as well earlier in the story even though Ari himself might not realize it. I was also too hyped for this book and allowed my expectations to become to big!!...more
i recommend this book to anyone who is a book lover. it is about a girl (Matilda)who loves reading and borrows books from the library when her parentsi recommend this book to anyone who is a book lover. it is about a girl (Matilda)who loves reading and borrows books from the library when her parents are away (at the age of 4 !!!) she meets and helps her teacher miss honey from her abusive aunt and matilda s headmistress miss trunchbull . matilda punishes adults who treat her unfairly by using her power . i like how she executes her plans. she knows more than most children of her own age and at the end of the book she is sent to an elder class. miss trunchbull was scared away never to be seen again. her father was found that he was selling stolen cars and matilda is adopted by the kind and caring miss honey ! miss trunchbull pays miss honey very unfairly for her job and it is hinted that she had killed magnus (miss honey s father ) matilda is a genious and deserves a book called after her :))...more
What a fine story. I have never read anything as well written as this book. It is about an ordinary British man called Arthur Dent who prevents some wWhat a fine story. I have never read anything as well written as this book. It is about an ordinary British man called Arthur Dent who prevents some workers from the government to demolish his house to build a bypass. His best friend, Ford Prefect tells him that he(Ford) is an alien and saves him just a few minutes before the Earth is destroyed by the evil and nasty Vogons (who torture their victims by reciting terrible poetry) to build an interstellar bypass. The Earth was designed by a very smart computer called Deep Thought to figure out the ultimate question to life, the universe and everything. The destruction of the Earth led to a 10 million-year-old program to be ended. Two mice(who were previously Lunkwill and Fook) find Arthur and tell him that since he is the last human from Earth he must have the ultimate question and they try to steal his brain to figure it out. Thankfully Arthur manages to escape. Apart from this, the galactic president who is called Zaphod Beeblebrox stole a ship called Heart of Gold and saves Ford and Arthur with it and goes on an adventure to find Magrathea, which they do. Magrathea is a planet where the people who live there can design any kind of world. On the Heart of Gold, there is a depressed robot called Marvin(my favourite character) who at the end manages to kill the computer system of the Policemen who were trying to find and arrest Zaphod by making it commit suicide !!! I also love the thought of having a babel fish so that I could understand anyone in the universe without having to know the language ☺...more
This is definitely the best book i have ever read. Ransom Riggs knows how to write interestingly without repeating what he has already written. All thThis is definitely the best book i have ever read. Ransom Riggs knows how to write interestingly without repeating what he has already written. All the characters have powers which help them help each other out to save themselves from their enemies, the wights, and the hollows. Miss Peregrine protects them by preventing them to leave her time loop where the bad guys could not enter. She has the ability to manipulate time and turn into a bird unless she is injured. She thinks that turning into a bird is useless but I do not think it is as she can see what is happening from the sky too. I am currently reading Hollow City which is not bad but slightly more boring than the first one. I hope it becomes more intriguing. I recommend this book to anyone who likes old, vintage pictures and an interesting storyline. Teamwork is definitely the moral of the story. I recently watched the movie and I loved it as much as I loved the book but the ending was very different from the book which was quite disappointing !!! Unfortunately, I never logged when I began reading the book or when I finished it. I am planning to reread the book in a few days....more
This book was interesting and fun to read. Jemma being able to see the death dates of people but keeping them to herself was a fun idea to read about.This book was interesting and fun to read. Jemma being able to see the death dates of people but keeping them to herself was a fun idea to read about. I wished that Jemma died a similar death to Spider's other than disease. Jemma had a strong heart and with Spider she seemed to be even tougher. Them being suspected of exploding the London Eye and running away from their families was also an exciting thing to read about. Val, Spider's grandma was kind and always supported the 2 children throughout the whole story.
31/12/2022, I should really read this trilogy again, for the memories haha they were better times....more
The action and bloodthirsty competitors who are scared to be killed yet have to kill to survive was extreme and the plot was great. This book had me aThe action and bloodthirsty competitors who are scared to be killed yet have to kill to survive was extreme and the plot was great. This book had me absorbed for several days and hours of reading on end !!! Well done Suzanne Collins !!! This book is about a couple of characters who have to fight for their lives to amuse people from the capital city called Panem. I am going to read this book again in a few days....more
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