Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro

"I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as fast as they can, but in the end it's just too much. The current's too strong. They've got to let go, drift apart. That's how I think it is with us. It's a shame, Kath, because we've loved each other all our lives. But in the end, we can't stay together forever."

I like this cover. It's vague and mysterious and doesn't really mean anything until you've read the book, but I like it. Annoyingly I read the film tie-in copy of the book, with Keira Knightley's face plastered all over the front of it (sorry, I am not a fan), but it was a gift, so I can't complain! But seeing this cover, after I have read the book, has brought back all kinds of memories of my time reading it and the feelings it evoked.

Kazuo Ishiguro's award-winning novel Never Let Me Go is the tale of Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, and the friendship between them as they grow up together at the quiet and idyllic Hailsham School. As many bloggers will tell you, there is a twist to this particular tale, which I will not spoil for you, despite the fact that I had it ruined for me in the trailer of the recent film (frustrating!) and it is not particularly hard to guess once you read the first couple of chapters.

As with all of Ishiguro's work, this is very much a character-driven piece, focusing very much on the three main characters as they move from childhood, to adolescence, and ultimately discovering themselves as adults. The novel is narrated by Kathy, the passive observer of the three, watching life unfold around her in the school and the romance that blossoms between Ruth and Tommy. Kathy is heartbreaking to listen to. What appears at first as disinterest, becomes painfully obvious as a lack of social awareness. She cannot understand or interpret her feelings and how they relate to the people around her. Ruth is the extrovert, desperate for attention and affection from those around, but is more vulnerable than she appears to be. Meanwhile Tommy, sweet sweet Tommy, is the child of the three. Despite obviously caring for Kathy who watches out after him at school, Tommy embarks on a romantic and sexual relationship with Ruth, becoming sucked into a somewhat destructive emotional rollercoaster that he often finds hard to comprehend. As the three move from school to the quiet countryside of Norfolk, they find it hard to accept their new-found independence and struggle to understand the world they have been born into. The reasons for this slowly come to light, helping us to understand more about the school life that originally shaped them.

Never Let Me Go is a story of friendship and love, but above all, it is a story of silence, of restraint, and ultimately, of regret. Events unfold slowly, as the characters come to terms with the events from their childhood and their feelings towards each other. Ironically the pervasive silence and lack of action that caused so many of my friends to find the novel boring, are exactly what I enjoyed most about it.

Last year's film adaptation is surprisingly good. The quicker pace of the film drives the story along, compensating for the lack of pace in the book, and allows the audience to become quick attached to Kathy and her feelings for Ruth and Tommy, as they begin to understand their place in the world and what that means for their relationships. Despite really not being a fan of Keira Knightley, I enjoyed her performance as Ruth, perhaps because we are not really destined to like Ruth's character as she manipulates those around her in an attempt to get what she wants, and ultimately to find happiness. However, Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield really stole the show as Kathy and Tommy, and I found myself quite moved by the end of the film, even shedding a tear or two that did not surface during my reading of the book. Perhaps that's the power of cinema...

Never Let Me Go is a gorgeous example of prolonged innocence. While intricately composed and wickedly clever as it develops into a dystopian novel, Ishiguro's expert hand has also brought us a gentle and touching story, full of quiet country lanes and long wistful gazes that mask the brutal complexity of hidden emotion and tumultuous relationships that pervade our brief glimpse into the characters life. Great stuff.

The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

"I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep."

Well that's a summary and a half right?! Despite the somewhat cheesy cover, this is a book that grabbed my attention from the shelf on numerous occasions. I didn't finally get around to reading it until a close friend had read and recommended it, and kindly lent me his copy. As you might imagine from the summary, this was a book that one can get sucked into very quickly and very easily.

The Name of the Wind is Book 1 of the Kingkiller Chronicles, a proposed trilogy, Book 2 of which, Wise Man's Fears, has just been published. This is Kvothe's story, as dictated to a scribe by the man himself, while he lives in hiding in a small backwater town with his assistant and friend, Bast, who has a story of his own. The arrival of the scribe prompts Kvothe to recount his life from childhood, as a record of his experiences - the truths, not the legends.

The story then takes us to Kvothe's childhood, recounting his life as he tells it, from happy memories as a child with his family, to shocking tragedy and finally to Kvothe's experiences at the famous University. Kvothe recounts these events, allowing the reader to become completely immersed in his life and the characters he meets along his journey, following his trials and tribulations as he attempts to survive the University and uncover the truth of his childhood tragedy. Kvothe's story is entirely gripping, as he makes both friends and enemies, finds romance, and narrowly escapes death on more than one occasion.

The success of this book for me was that although there were enough characters to keep the story interesting and drive the narrative along, I never felt overwhelmed or confused by the number of names and personalities introduced during the story, unlike others I have read recently. Kvothe is an intriguing character, both passionate and reckless, while struggling with his own ambition and desires, yet always seeking answers to his past. Definitely a character you can root for, though also be frustrated with when he makes a rash decision. I was also particularly taken by the mysterious, powerful yet somewhat odd Master Namer Elodin, and his riddles and strange sense of humour, and Kvothe's loyal yet mysterious assistant Bast. I look forward to unravelling their stories in the next instalment of the trilogy.

Although this tale had elements of your usual fantasy series, with its magics and musics, at no point did the tale feel clichéd or overly familiar. A truly excellent début Mr Rothfuss!

The Complete Plays of Shakespeare - Eric Kim

A gift from Rhinoa following her visit to the New York comic-con, this collection of very brief summaries of Shakespeare's plays is a pure delight! Definitely a book for fans.

Each play is covered in only two sides, with the most magical, witty, often risqué, and downright hilarious drawings. Kim's style is very short and to the point, focusing on one of the most important or amusing aspects of each play, but his sketches imbue each summary with humour, while honouring the spirit of Shakespeare's work.

Here are two examples...

Rhinoa kindly purchased this for me, knowing my love for the Bard, and the book comes with a wonderful dedication from the author, and of course centred on my favourite play, that continually makes me smile!

The Dark Horse - Marcus Sedgwick

The Dark Horse was not the book I was expecting, though I'm not entirely sure what that would have been. A short novel, typical of Sedgwick, The Dark Horse maintains an unsettling and tense atmosphere throughout.

The Dark Horse follows the Storn, a coastal northern tribe, in their struggle to weather the harsh conditions and prepare themselves for the arrival of the titular Dark Horse, a terrifying, relentless warrior tribe. The story revolves around a single family, with the young boy Sig and his adopted sister Mouse, found in a wolves lair while the Storn were on a hunt. Sig loves his family, would do anything for them, but there is far more to Mouse than it seems.

I was completely absorbed by the relationship between Sig and Mouse. Love, trust, respect, fear...Sig battles an array of emotions when dealing with his sister and the events that transpire following the arrival of the Dark Horse. Drama, tension and excitement I was prepared for. What I was not expecting was the dark and entirely creepy nature of the book. I was honestly not expecting anyone to survive the events it contained, and was continually surprised by its twists and turns. Knowing who to trust is not immediately obvious, as events unfold slowly and danger lurks in unexpected places. As always, I was utterly gripped by Sedgwick's storytelling. Highly recommended!

The Mortal Instruments - Cassandra Clare

The Mortal Instruments is a six-part series written by the infamous and apparently prolific author Cassandra Clare. The first four books in the series are already available, with City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire due for release in 2012 and 2013.

As mentioned in my review of Clockwork Angel, the Mortal Instruments series was imagined first, although set in present day New York. In City of Bones we meet our main protagonist, a young teenager named Clary Fray, at a club with her best friend Simon. Clary encounters a group of teenagers whom no-one else can apparently see, while she witnesses them murder another young man. Clary returns home to find the apartment wrecked and her mother missing, shortly before she is attacked by a demon. She is rescued by one of the mysterious teenagers, Jace, who takes her to his home and reveals that he is a demon hunter, known as a a Shadowhunter. Clary soon learns that her mother was also a Shadowhunter, who had apparently been trying to protect Clary from the same fate.

The Mortal Instruments is an ongoing saga revolving around Clary, Jace and their family and friends, in a tale of demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves, faeries, magic and romance. Nothing new there you might say. And while the typical stories in this series are generally similar to much of the fantasy fiction that is available for young adult readers at present, Cassandra Clare has certainly proved herself to be a highly entertaining storyteller. Indeed this series delves into some of the more darker aspects of the genre, with gruesome murders, tragic loss and forbidden (and inappropriate!) love between two central characters.

Although somewhat predictable, the Mortal Instruments series is enjoyable, with humour and heart where it is needed. I may have fallen more for the world created in Clare's Infernal Devices, but I shall certainly be seeing this series through to the end.

(I've recently heard that Clare is working on a set of sequels called The Dark Artifices...watch this space!)

Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare

The Infernal Devices is a trilogy of prequels to the bestselling Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. While the Mortal Instruments series is set in modern day New York, the Infernal Devices is firmly set in Victorian England.

Although a prequel, Clockwork Angel was my first foray into Clare's world of Shadowhunters and Downworlders, demons and warlocks. The titular Clockwork Angel is a necklace that belongs to Tessa, a young orphaned American girl who travels to England in search of her missing older brother Nate. However, when she arrives at Southampton, instead of her brother she finds the Dark Sisters, who take her prisoner, subjecting her to experiments and preparing her for marriage to the "Magister". Tessa soon discovers she is a shape-changer, able to take the shape of any person whose belongings she can touch.

Tessa is rescued from captivity by Will Herondale, a handsome and arrogant Shadowhunter, who introduces her to the Institute, his "family" and the world of demon-hunting. The Institute members utilise Tessa's unusual skill to find Nate and find the Magister and reveal his sinister plot. Of course there must be a sinister plot!

Clockwork Angel is a world of supernatural beings, magic and mystery, but had such intriguing characters that I was completely hooked within a matter of pages. Tessa herself is a mystery, her nature as a shape-changer - is she a demon or some other kind of creature? Will Herondale is reckless and self-destructive, drinking, gambling and womanising, while demonstrating unnatural skill as a demon hunter and moments of barely hidden tenderness to his loved ones. Will's best friend and fighting partner Jem is an even more interesting character, with a mysterious illness and dark secret.

Clare's Victorian London is dark and gloomy, with sinister organisations, dark magics and flesh-covered automatons. With seedy drinking establishments and glamorous parties, dark alleys and gothic buildings, I can well believe this London may have existed. With the pre-requisite revelations, betrayals and romantic triangles, Clockwork Angel is a gripping and enjoyable story, with a very intriguing ending! The next two books in the series, Clockwork Prince and Princess will be released at the end of 2011 and 2012, and I for one am very excited to read them.

Tumbling down the rabbit hole...

So far it has been another slow year of both reading and blogging. In my defence, my normally busy life has become even more so with the advent of my new training regime (fitness here we come!), my flourishing vegetable garden (small yet ever so enticing), the new feline additions to my household, my stuttering attempts at fundraising ahead of our charity skydive (this coming weekend eek!) and my participation in an ambitious theatre project.

Each year, May hosts for us the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, over two weeks of dance, music, theatre, literature, comedy and general oddness...With ambitions of soon becoming the country's second biggest arts festival, each year the Festival appears to outdo the preceding event, by bringing even more weird and wonderful artistic creations to this small city, somewhat removed from much of the country. This year I was unable to enjoy most of the festival's offerings (aside from an ingenious circus routine and some late night mechanical wolf shenanigans) as I had signed myself up as an extra in order to renew my love of the theatre.

And so, shedding my inhibitions and in the hope of meeting some unusual characters, I joined a theatre project called Dining with Alice. Originally created by Hilary Westlake for the Salisbury Festival a few years ago, the venture has been reimagined by Artichoke a creative company renowned for their ambitious and artistic "invasion of public spaces". Over three weeks of intense rehearsal and performance time (while also working full-time!), our band of extras were fortunate enough to share in the latest Artichoke experience, in all its glory! I for one have come away with the certain knowledge that I wish to remain working in theatre, if only part time, and have made some good new friends. I have described this project to many of my friends and complete strangers, some of whom have responded with blank stares, but others who became quite enthused and urged me to share the experience. So please indulge me, and do forgive me for this long and rather enthused post...

At Dining with Alice, guests were invited to take part in a magical evening of food and song, hosted by an array of Wonderland characters, in the grounds of the beautiful Elsing Hall, a private stately home dating back to the thirteenth century. With 20 acres of picturesque gardens including a walled garden, an arboretum, a moat and a bog (!), the Hall was the perfect setting for such an unusual event.

Guests were ushered in past high hedges and mysterious doorways, catching rare glimpses of the house.

Beautiful and elegant statues and stonework were nestled amongst the English roses and romantic borders.

Upon arriving at the welcome tent, guests were offered delicious Hendrick's Gin cocktails and nibbles, before the characters descended in a whirl of music and laughter.

The guests were then surprised by a throng of turbaned waiters who regaled them with colour, wit and song, but who do not engage in repartee.

Guests were then separated from their friends and taken to their tables by their waiters. Individual tables....for every single person.

Tables were spread out amongst the beautiful gardens, where guests could bask in the evening light and watch their fellow diners sitting around them.

Tables were decorated with jars containing weird and wonderful delights, and riddles to test the mind...

and confuse the senses...

Unusual Victorian dishes with a twist were served, such as this mock turtle soup and a vial containing amber liquid and a label saying..."drink me".

While diners ate, Alices large and small flitted through the gardens..

Characters regale diners with amusing riddles and ridiculous arguments.

Diners were in fear of losing their head when the Queen of Hearts was around.

While her King of Hearts and the Mad Hatter debated the food and stimulated the conversation.

After a three course meal, diners were reunited with their friends and brought to a floating pontoon on the moat, where the evening's entertaining reached its finale with a flourish of song.

But wait...who was this mysterious waiter?!

Thank you so much to Artichoke for putting on such a wonderful production and allowing us to take part in it! And thanks to all the other extras for making my time so enjoyable!

Anyone interested in the Norfolk and Norwich Festival or Dining with Alice can experience a little themselves in a short behind-the-scenes film on Sky Arts in June.

Reviews in the press:

The Guardian preview article

The Guardian - 13th May

The Guardian - 15th May

The Independent

The Norwich Evening News

The Brideswell Press

BBC News - spot yours truly at 28 seconds!

Other reviews and articles:

Winkypedia