Modern Fiction Books

Every man women and child must read "The Curious Incident..."

Advantages: Easy to read, facinating and funny
Disadvantages: Having dinner too late because you couldn't stop reading until you finish it!

...can roll of an all the countries of the world and their capitals as well as very prime number up to 7057 without a second thought. Christopher has a very strict regime, and stange habits, likes and dislikes. He loves maths, small spaces and the truth while detesting yellow, brown and being touched. Upon finding a neighbour's dog murdered in it's back yard, Christopher is determined to resolve the mystery, unaware what else he will unravel in the ...
...by the way he numbered the chapters- using only prime numbers (numbers only divisble by itself and one, eg. 2,3,5,7,11). Every second chapter digresses from the narrative, to seemingly unrelated topics such as what happens when you die (you rot) and fairies. However this digression lets the reader futher into the way Christopher's mind works, making the reader really warm to him as a person. The plot is very engaging, and I read it all in one sitting. ...

alk144 11.08.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

Lord of the flies..Is it for me.?

Advantages: Cleverly written
Disadvantages: Sometimes hard to follow, need good understanding

LOrd of the flies, an award winning book, aknowledged by many, is a book a very few teenagers like. You start to appreciate the book, once when you have read it and start comparing the style of writing and the actual story. The characters involved are boys aged 7 -12 stranded on a desert island,, during the war, but the book is a microcosm of what happens in the real world, with adults and Golding expertly demonstrates the problem of power in the ...

Shelly..x 29.03.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Lord of the flies - William Golding

Can Langdon find the Lost Symbol?

Advantages: Fast paced
Disadvantages: last 50 or so pages

'The Lost Symbol is the latest offering from Dan Brown featuring Harvard Symbologist Robert Langdon and like all avid readers of his work I was looking forward to reading the book. - At 6am on a Sunday morning Robert Langdon receives a message from his mentor and friend, prominent 33rd Degree Mason Peter Solomon, to conduct a lecture in Washington’s Capitol Building and not wanting to let his friend down Langdon agrees to go and sets off for ...
...However on arrival at the Rotunda area within the Capitol Building, something strikes Langdon as odd, there is nobody waiting there for the lecture. Believing he is in the wrong building Langdon is set to walk about but is interrupted by a commotion, on looking on what the problem is, it seems that somebody has left a strategically placed hand on the floor, however on closer looks Langdon receives a shock, he recognises the Masonic ring on a finger ...

paulpry118 09.11.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown

Pornographically good

Advantages: Great insight to what these characters we love to hate have been doing
Disadvantages: you'll be up all night not being able to put this down

I brought this book after watching Trainspotting, I love the dialogue at the end, The Choose life one, when it suddenly occured to me that Irvine himself but be an alright sort of writer. After trawling all the bookshops for Trainspotting and not being patient enough for it to be delivered I decided to buy Porno, the sequel. I can honestly say this book changed my life, Welsh's depiction of how different personalities work, what makes them tick, ...
...and really hit home. The way we know Spud who really just hasnt a clue or the confidence to be himself, his need to be liked and loved by others leads to exactly the opposite. My favourite character though is Sick Boy who's always scheming, and ever growing coke habit lead to him being stupidly over confident and therefore eventually lead to his loss of money, girlfriend and anything else he ever had. I love the way his overconfidence and constant ...

deenie80 12.08.2008 · Read full review
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Review of Porno - Irvine Welsh

The Island is not worth it's hype

Advantages: Good escapism
Disadvantages: hackneyed plot, not believable

...this book in desparartion at the library having run out of books to read. A friend recommended it so while it isn't normally what I would choose I thought I would give it a go. The story is that of A young woman, Alexis who seeks to discover what her mother has hidden about her family for all her life. While on holiday in Crete with her boyfriend who she is unsure about continuing the relationship with Alexis visits on old friend of her mother's ...
...to reveal, and this is the majority of the book's content. The story begins in the 1930s with the generation of Alexis' great grandparents. Plaka is a town in a unique position - it lies opposite the leper colony of Spinalonga. As Fotini unfurls the story of Alexis' family the connection between her and the eponymous island becomes ever clearer. I could go on but don't want to spoil the story for anyone wanting to read this immensely popular novel. ...

laukez88 26.10.2009 · Read full review
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Review of The Island - Victoria Hislop