Lockdown Recommended

Holly’s Recommended Lockdown Reads l

Property by Valerie Martin

Property was a short novel that I was introduced to by my Year 10 English teacher. Eagar to explore new themes and genres, I thoroughly enjoyed this engaging read to such an extent, that when I came to pick a text for my A-Level English NEA, there was no other book that came into close consideration. I deemed that the lockdown would be the perfect time to begin re-reading this old favourite.

From the perspective of Manon Gaudet, Valerie Martin creates an intense plot involving the events of a wife who is intelligent, yet unhappily married and incredibly bitter. Property is a short novel set in 1828 discussing the life revolving around a sugar plantation owned by Manon’s husband. Gradually, tension builds with the possibility of a slave rebellion. Martin is ungenerous and provides readers with small sections of detail through the fi rst parts of the novel, however this particular narrative strand grows increasingly more threatening, building up to the climax. The events of the novel successfully interweave themes of marriage, racism and oppression, culture, infi delity, violence, murder, feminism and class structure. The infusion of these contrasting topics throughout the narrative ultimately creates an atmosphere of deliberate chaos as well as strife for Manon. However, although the protagonist, she is not created to be a likable character overall so readers are not necessarily routing for her success.

With so many different elements, this is a novel that has given me huge insight into many different aspects that can affect people in life, as well as being a thoroughly interesting read.

     5/5

Feminists Don’t Wear Pink and other lies curated by Scarlett Curtis

A book that celebrates feminism, FEMINISTS DON’T WEAR PINK and other lies is both intriguing and informative. Expressing the harsh, humorous and truthful reality of the life of a female, this is a book that I believe should be on everyone’s bookshelf. Incorporating a mixture of real-life experiences, poetry and detailed information, readers are invited to not only form opinion, but also to explore further (particularly in the section titled “our shared shelf”). There is a varied mixture that grants representation to many different women with inputs from famous females, female businesses owners and everyday women such as single mums. A section that particularly struck me as of importance was “My Feminism” written by Saoirse Ronan as I found it specifi cally relatable to my own life.     4/5

A Tale of Two Cities curated by Charles Dickens

Revolving around the events occurring within London and Paris in the late 18th century, A Tale of Two Cities is a classic Dickins novel that talks about life before and during the French revolution. It is a novel full of unforgiving description in true Dickins style and from this, a tone of relentless misery is achieved. With strong, dominant male leads, this novel is one that allowed me to consider different aspects of masculine differences. With Darnay being honourable there is a direct contrast and full inverse when considering the rude and unfi ltered Carton. With intense language and structure, this novel is one that requires a perseverance, however the overall plot and the surprising yet satisfactory outcome makes it a worthwhile read. Finishing this novel drove me to discover more about the events occurring in France during this time.

   3/5

Gifted to me during lockdown by a close friend, Call Me By Your Name is a novel that explores the deep tension and romance between a young man named Elio, and Oliver who is a house guest for the summer. With a beautiful setting of the Italian Riviera, Aciman is intelligent when creating an intense and heavy atmosphere that parallels with the humidity experienced by the characters. The narrative involves topics of literature, desire, a struggle of expression, intimacy and self-discovery. It is a novel that is crafted to easily but unsuspectedly pounce on readers emotions. The obvious themes of this genre are explored with aspects of poetry, obsession and hidden love all taking prominent narrative strands. By stripping an idyllic relationship down to raw and untarnished emotions, readers become immersed into a world of hope, love and despair which produces an incentive to continuously turn the page.

The events that the characters endure are bold and this romance novel is one that successfully interweaves genre conventions and adventurous subversions. I would label this as the perfect summer read due to the gripping content as well as the stunning syntax present from cover to cover.     4/5

The Green Mile by Stephen King

An author that does not appear in huge quantities on my book shelf, King writes this novel to involve itself with horror, fantasy, mystery and crime. When reading I was presented with an exciting opportunity to consider themes of race, violence and institutional expectations in 1935.

An element I enjoyed was the fact that the story is told in the style of a ‘fl ashback’ by Paul Edgecomb, who is elderly and living within a nursing home. He expresses the events so vividly that readers are effectively transported to live alongside the drama. The parallel between the characters of Percy Wetmore and Brad Dolan struck me as signifi cant as they are both men who are ignorant, corrupt and power hungry. These men, although immensely unlikable, are incredibly interesting, as King places them in positions of care and also power. Their constant maltreatment of others includes an eery and concerning atmosphere full of tension. It is through this, King is able to make readers aware of the pace of the novel, and also inject a fear of ‘time running out’ as we expect them to cause harm through their radical actions.

Another section to note, is the suffering Paul endures from the loss of his wife which is tainted with the unanswered narrative strand of whether it really was John Coffey’s silhouette in the distance. This leads to an emotion of pain for Paul as he remains behind in a world where unanswered questions are all he has left.

For me, this book is now one of my favourites, mainly due to its truthful and savage storytelling which is interwoven with suffering and misery.     4/5

Dancing by the Light of the Moon by Gyles Brandreth

The style that Brandreth writes creates an informative and riveting text. The fi rst chapter opens with the poem “The Owl and the Pussy-cat” by Edward Lear, and the childhood memories that resurfaced whilst reading pushed me into a page turning frensy. With poems littered throughout the sections, the combination of analysis and opinions invites a sense of debate and creates opportunity to form personal judgement. It is a book that I found questioned some of my own initial interpretations of poems, and the challenge of fi nding an answer was captivating. The regular inserts of information surrounding the positive impacts of consuming and learning poetry is something that not only informed me, but also inspired me to widen my breadth of poetry knowledge.    3/5

Me by Elton John

An autobiography which is hilarious yet sincere, this text enlightened me into understanding the life of one of my idols. A relatively simple read that saw me through the end of the summer holidays, Me discusses elements of Elton John’s life that are unrestrained to any boundary. Moving in a chronological order from childhood to old age, all of the great events of his life are interestingly described from an insider point of view. Stemming from my reading, I moved on to watch the 2019 fi lm ‘Rocketman’, which was a true delight.    3/5