The Last Unicorn - Peter S Beagle

Read for: Challenge with Rhinoa

Although considered by many to be one of the greatest classic children's fantasy novels of the last few decades, The Last Unicorn is largely unknown this side of the Atlantic. Now I will confess to having seen the animated film adaptation only once, as an adult, and really was not particularly impressed. But then, with many films, it is hard to appreciate them as an adult, when you didn't grow up with them, so I gave the book a chance.

The Last Unicorn is exactly that. A unicorn quite happily living her sheltered existence in her forest, until she overhears two hunters talking, and realises that she may indeed be the last living unicorn. She leaves the wood in search of her kin, only to be caught by Mommy Fortuna, and caged as part of her travelling menagerie. She is rescued by the mysterious Schmendrick the Magician who joins her on her journey. The two companions seek King Haggard and his Red Bull, en route encountering many hazardous situations and a new friend, Molly Grue.

Although based in fairy tale, with poetic prose and characters from myth and legend, The Last Unicorn feels somewhat conflicted. In places far more mature than a simple children's fairy tale, much of the story feels far too adult to be understood or appreciated by younger readers. At its heart, it is a tale of seeking what was lost, and accepting what can never be. A beautiful yet sad and bittersweet tale, and altogether a very pleasant surprise for this reader. And as with so many books I have recently read, it was the writing that I loved the most, here is a little taste.

"The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived alone. She was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless colour of sea foam but rather the colour of snow falling on a moonlit night. But her eyes were still clear and unwearied, and she still moved like a shadow on the sea."

Thoroughly recommended for lovers of fairy tale and fantasy alike. And hopefully the first of many Beagle novels for me.

The Uncommon Reader - Alan Bennett

Read for: Dewey's Books Reading Challenge

I am probably one of the last people to read and review this adorable little novella, but it was well worth it. Alan Bennett is one of Britain's most well loved playwrights, although I am not sure how well known he is outside our small Isle.

The Uncommon Reader is the short tale of a most unusual encounter and how it affects one person's life in particular. That person of course is the British Queen, who comes across a mobile library when she is persuing her corgis across the lawn of Buckingham Palace. After apologising profusely for the racket, she finds it only polite to borrow a book and takes her leave. Although she did not particularly enjoy the book, she persevered and borrowed another, awakening in herself a deep passion for literature. A passion that slowly begins to affect her everyday life and her very public job.

I most definitely had a smile on myself through this one! The Queen is very much a figurehead in my country. Although we acknowledge her presence and place in our history, most (save the royalists) are glad that she has so little authority, and as such, show very little interest in her private life, which she keeps under wraps. This book gave a little insight into an idea of a person, one who is so very public. That idea was amusing and warm, stern and responsible, but who hadn't truly lived in the way your average person has. Such a sheltered life, I almost pity the woman, though thinking back to the changes she must have witnessed over the years, I imagine she might be a very interesting person to have a cup of tea and a chat with.

Full of British politicians and quirky Palace employees, and of course, the Queen herself, The Uncommon Reader is a tale of one woman realising, it is never too late to discover a passion that can completely change your life. A highly enjoyable though very short read, and oh so worth it!

Other blog reviews:
1 More Chapter
A Striped Armchair
Just add books
Melody's Reading Corner
Rhinoa's Ramblings
Stuff as Dreams are Made on
Things mean a lot
The Written World

I am Morgan le Fay - Nancy Springer

Read for: Arthurian Challenge

"I am Morgan le Fay, and I will never die. I hover on the wind, and fate falls out of each slow beat of my wings. That is what my name means: Morgan the fate, Morgan the magical, fey Morgan of the otherworld, Morgan who must be feared. But I was not always Morgan le Fay. When they killed my father, I was only little Morgan. "

Quite faithful to the famous legend in places, all the familar faces are present, Morgause, Merlin, Uther, Igraine and Arthur himself. But this story is most certainly Morgan's, eschewing many events of the traditional tale in favour of following Morgan from childhood to her eventual rise as a woman of great power. This is the second of Springer's Arthurian tales, following but not necessarily linked to her first novel, I am Mordred.

Morgan herself is a feisty young girl, her father's "firebrand", and it understandably confused when her mother is bedded by a man resembling her father, at the same time of his death. Morgan's whole world is uprooted, and she and her sister Morgause are cared for by their nurse, while their mother Igraine is taken away and married to the High King, Uther Pendragon. Morgan's hatred for the King, (and his magical advisor Merlin) and his treatment of her mother, and the creation of their offspring, the boy who would be king, Arthur. All the while, her power, and the power of Avalon grows, and ultimately leads to the choice Morgan must make.

I am Morgan le Fay is a short book, with simple but effective storytelling that was surprisingly satisfying. Morgan is a great protagonist, with the reader deeply involved in her life from the start, although she is inevitably a bitter and confused young woman. It is Morgan's character flaws that make the story so readable, there is no black and white, good and evil. Springer acknowledges that human nature is far too complicated for that and her characters are very much shaped by their experiences and emotions. An interesting addition to this tale was the integration of True Thomas, Thomas the Rhymer, as Morgan's companion. This allowed us to see another side of Morgan, one that ultimately leads to its own destruction and takes Morgan down a far darker path.

A tale of love and loss, of war and grief, of power and betrayal. And a very pleasant read.

Other blog reviews:
Rhinoa's Ramblings
Things mean a lot

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

Read for: RIP IV Challenge

Few people need an introduction to Mary Shelley's classic monster novel, Frankenstein. Although I am very familar with the film adaptations of the novel, I had yet to read it.

Frankenstein is not what I expected. Far from the mad scientist films that have become popular myth, the novel begins by following Dr Frankenstein to the Arctic, in order to gain justice, to right a wrong. The story then returns to his youth, following Frankenstein's progression from young man to a university student, and ultimately to his foolish, arrogant experiments in cheating death. The being Frankenstein then creates follows him, causing him despair and pain as it tries to understand its place in the world and what has been done to it.

Sadly, because I was already familar with the premise, the novel held little shock value for me. Way ahead of its time, and controversially written by a very young woman, Frankenstein is still a ground-breaking work and deliciously gothic in its prose and atmosphere. However, several sections felt overly elaborate, with Shelley spending far too much time on building scenes, dialogue and describing her protagonist's state of mind. It felt to me like a young inexperienced author, with a wealth of imagination, but still growing into her skill as a novelist. I am not familar with Shelley's later work, but am curious as to how much she improved as an author!

Other blog reviews:
Becky's Book Reviews

Dewey - Vicki Myron

Some speed reviews now, as I'm so behind!

Dewey is the titular cat who was found one morning as a tiny scared and half frozen kitten who had been shoved into a library drop-box overnight. Nursed back to health by Vicki Myron and her staff, Dewey became a permanent addition to the library, bringing his own unique personality to the team. After endearing himself to the locals, Dewey soon brought in visitors from much further afield, ending up as one of many talented and special cats on a Japanese television documentary.

Myron's biography of Dewey is very entertaining and enjoyable, though she does completely anthropomorphise the cat, his personality and emotions, occasionally with overly cheesy gusto. Although straying well beyond the boundaries of sentimentality, it is still a heartfelt and utterly endearing book of a cat who truly touched a lot of lives. Packed with classic comedy moments, Dewey is a sweet enough tale that it may have brought a tear to the eye!

One for any cat lovers out there, and perhaps also those who enjoy reading about the impact a library can have on a community.

Other blog reviews:
Melody's Reading Corner

The Ask and the Answer - Patrick Ness

Read for: No other reason than being the sequel of a very good book, and finally being available in the library (and thus pipping Mr Beagle's book to my first of the year)!

Rarely does a sequel outdo its predecessor. Not necessarily because the writing is bad or the story less enjoyable. But because the feeling that the reader gets when reading the story for ths first time is incomparable...the original can rarely be replicated, and is even less likely to be bettered.

That being said, The Ask and The Answer does all that, and more. The Knife of Never Letting Go was an excellent first novel; full of original ideas, excellent storytelling and characters who it was easy to care about. Left on a cliffhanger ending (to say the least!), it was hard not to rush out and read the sequel to Knife straight away. Hard that is because the library copies had been reserved for what seemed like eternity, and I couldn't justify buying it when I already had so many books on my shelf. So I waited, and low and behold, The Ask and The Answer became available and was subsequently devoured in a matter of days.

Gripping is an understatement. Ness has the ability to take your average characters, your far-from-extraordinary plot and turn it into an absolutely riveting read. With one emotional rollercoaster after another and a corker of a plot twist at the end (I'm sure some readers saw it coming but I certainly didn't!), Ness deftly navigates the somewhat busy field of young adult fantasy and created something truly special. Suffice to say, if you enjoyed the Knife of Never Letting Go, I guarantee that you will love the sequel. Oh yes.

Characters developed throughout the first novel have been fully fleshed out in the sequel. Without giving too much away, our protagonists, Todd and Viola, have been dragged through the most dire of circumstances and find themselves in deadly peril from the first page. Having suffered the most tragic of personal losses, and running from one danger to another, Todd and Viola are forced to face the darkest of situations and worse, the darkness inside themselves. What they each are willing and capable of doing...and sacrificing. It is this that makes the book so enjoyable and so gripping, better than any suspense film that I have seen over the past years. The Ask and The Answer is dark, darker than I expected and far darker than the covers of either book suggest.

It is Ness' expert handling of his characters' plight and the truly devastating effects of their decisions that make the book stand out from its contemporaries, especially in a time where run-of-the-mill YA fantasies seem to be churned out by the dozen. Understated, powerful, heartfelt yet sharp as a knife, Ness' writing really delivers. My only complaint is that we are yet again left with a cliffhanger. And this time, I do not have the next installment readily available to read at my leisure. I guess I'll have to wait with the rest of you! Mr Ness, you have certainly set the bar very high.

I was slightly concerned that a childrens fantasy would not live up to the standard of my first reads of the past three years...I need not have worried. Cracking stuff.

Other blog reviews:
Becky's Book Reviews
Things mean a lot

(have i missed yours?)

The Bride's Farewell - Meg Rosoff

Set in the 1850s, this is the story of Pell Ridley, who decides to run away on the morning of her wedding day. Fleeing the life she dreads, Pell leaves to start anew, heading for Salisbury Fair to find work, taking her horse Jack and her little brother, Bean. However, things do not go to plan and Pell finds herself alone and desperate after suffering a terrible loss.

This is perhaps not what one would expect from Meg Rosoff. Although filled with her trademark writing style and sensitive handling of coming-of-age issues, The Bride's Farewell is a historical romance, compared by many reviewers to the works of Thomas Hardy. Pell is struggling against the future expected of her, as an older child, wife and eventually, mother.

Rosoff has certainly made a name for herself in reinventing each story she writes, with a new setting (in this case a new time period) and new characters. This particular novel is very focused on the heroine Pell and her particular struggles, and certainly does not pull any punches. Pell is subject to terrible treatment and neglect, and at one point, a particularly vicious attack. The latter half of the book delves into a somewhat atypical romance with Pell and her unnamed companion beginning a very modern relationship and living situation.

The Bride's Farewell is about courage and independance, about not accepting your lot in life, but striving to overcome adversity and facing your challenges head on. Rosoff's writing is as graceful as ever. Although dark and at times quite hopeless, Pell is such a tough character and continues onwards, showing admirable determination and strength. Perhaps my only complaint is the speed with which the story comes to its conclusion, with all loose ends tied up in a matter of pages.

Certainly not everyone's cup of tea, and perhaps not as beautiful as her other work, but a good example of Rosoff's writing. I would recommend it to any fan.

Other blog reviews:
Fluttering Butterflies
Things mean a lot
The Written World