MUST READ if you're Canadian (or really anyone). This should be introduced into our schools as required reading material.MUST READ if you're Canadian (or really anyone). This should be introduced into our schools as required reading material....more
Not only is this a thrilling true-crime novel, it's also an honest and informative indictment on our system of law enforcemeAmazing book, a must read!
Not only is this a thrilling true-crime novel, it's also an honest and informative indictment on our system of law enforcement into why the queer community continues to die at much higher rates than other portions of society, and into why the police continually ignore this issue.
I learned a lot about the horrendous crimes in this novel - things that I didn't know from the bits and pieces I caught on television. But this book is more than just a rehashing of the details of the crimes committed; it's also a dive into the historical injustices against the gay community, and a look at why these injustices continue to this day. It's an examination of the lives taken, and of how it became possible for one man to take advantage of so many people before taking their lives.
A book like this deserves accolade and attention. I'd go so far as to say it should be required reading for any person in politics, and certainly any person in policing.
And though the central focus in this book revolves around Toronto's policing, it's equally relevant to residents of any city in the world. Because all over the world, the gay community is still largely ignored, their concerns brushed aside, their lives considered less valuable.
Making change takes a village. But it can start with individuals educating themselves. This book would be a good place to start.
“Why do old men wake so early? Is it to have one longer day?”
I’m not sure how to review this...what hasn’t already been said about Hemingway?
Starting “Why do old men wake so early? Is it to have one longer day?”
I’m not sure how to review this...what hasn’t already been said about Hemingway?
Starting with the obvious: Hemingway writes uniquely, no doubt about that. There is an easiness to his words that works on an almost subconscious level. I found myself flying through this fable unaware of just how quickly the pages were being turned.
This was my first ever Hemingway. However, I’ve heard and read a great amount about the man himself and his work, so my review into this will be altered by what I already know.
Part of me thinks Hemingway was a rare genius of his craft; the other part of me thinks he was so awful at writing that it somehow worked. The latter is hard to explain. Regardless, his prose is different than much of anything I’ve ever read, and that’s what truly set him apart. It was his uniqueness that was celebrated rather than ridiculed and I think it deserved to be that way.
I noticed a few technical things that were interesting to me, because most present-day authors don’t employ these techniques. One, he uses “and” a lot to spread out his sentences. They run on past the point most authors would stop and put a period, yet it works and there is a fluidity that is kind of magical. Two, I don’t recall an instance in this novella where Hemingway employs contractions during exposition; hadn’t is always had not, can’t is always cannot, etc. He only contracts during internal and external soliloquies. This too adds to the fluidity of the prose.
Regarding the novella itself, Hemingway had said that there is no symbolism here. The old man is just an old man, the sea just the sea, the fish just the fish. But he added that he would understand if a reader attached symbolism from their own experiences. For me, symbolism appears in the back and forth dialogue the old man has with himself while out in the sea. Hemingway uses internal and external dialogue throughout to portray a lot of how the old man feels which, for me, symbolizes that internal struggle and strife each of has - our internal versus external image of ourselves, how we appear verses how we really feel. And so on. It’s not hard to wonder if Hemingway was subconsciously telling his readers of his own battles, which ultimately led to his suicide. The fish is the thing all of us are reaching for, such as our dreams, yet it is always out of our clutch even when we come close to fully grasping it. And the old man is all of us, grasping at dreams and never able to accomplish them fully.
I’m moved by this novella. I will read Hemingway again. But I’m not fully convinced he was very good or very bad at writing. In the end, I suppose it doesn’t matter – what works for some will not work for others, and that’s the beautiful thing about this art form. ...more
Oh wow, what a novel! It's really no accident when novels become international bestsellers.
I'm at risk of soun"The heart of a man is like deep water."
Oh wow, what a novel! It's really no accident when novels become international bestsellers.
I'm at risk of sounding like a clichéd critic, but screw it:
Hey Nostradamus! is at times wickedly hilarious, stunningly poignant, and utterly tragic. And I don't use those words lightly. I don't say something is hilarious unless I've laughed, and I often laughed aloud while reading this. If you enjoy a witty and sarcastic (sometimes dark) humour, then you'd enjoy this book. On being poignant and tragic, I shed a few tears, especially at the end. Books rarely draw tears out of me.
Coupland was inspired to write this in part due to the tragedy that was Columbine. I think he wrote this brilliantly and in no way compromised the memory of the real massacre that happened in that school. And today, as regular mass shootings happen, this book is as relevant as ever.
This book is fantastic literature. But for anyone who is intimidated by literature, this book should be a must read. Coupland is a great writer and his style is smooth. This novel reads like a thriller at times; there are twists (and one big surprise in there...) that kept the pages turning.
I think Coupland also really tapped into a nerve here. He really understands the human condition. In all of these characters he shows that every person has varying degrees of cynicism. I enjoyed the honesty. I enjoyed that Coupland showed humans don't always have that happy redeeming quality we like to think exists, but that sometimes there are plights that are unbearable, and which we never truly overcome. The mind is fragile, and sometimes when it breaks into a million pieces, it's impossible to put back together wholly.
He explores the role of religion in our lives, especially in the aftermath of tragedy. I'm personally not religious, but I can well understand how it might be comforting to turn to outside comfort during unbearable situations, or even in everyday life. I can also understand turning against religion when it seems not to provide the right answers. Coupland shows both angles here. I liked this because you never get the impression that the author has a particular agenda.
I've got only one criticism. This book was written in first person, which is fine (Coupland does this brilliantly, which few can do, I feel). What I think Coupland might have benefited from would have been changing the tone and vocabulary of the individual characters. The book is split into the narratives of four different people, yet they all sounded the same. In particular, Reg's voice could have been altered a bit. Reg himself admits that he doesn't have a large vocab, but he sounds as intelligent and verbose as the others. Oh well, this is really a minor thing. It's easy enough to overlook if you are reading without the intention of reviewing afterwards.
5 stars. Great literature, thrilling read. As good a fictional account of the human condition as you'll ever read. I'd recommend this to you. I'm also looking forward to reading another Coupland novel....more
I really hope more people pick this book up and read it. What a journey it took me on. It even managed to '"Carol, do they think we're all monsters?"'
I really hope more people pick this book up and read it. What a journey it took me on. It even managed to elicit a tear out of me at the end.
I can't believe I haven't heard more about this book. More shockingly, I can't believe I haven't heard more about these prison book clubs, which are in dozens of prisons throughout Canada and are spreading in popularity around the world (USA, Japan, etc). It goes to show that the science behind reading really has powerful effects on improving empathy in people.
For me, the most powerful part of this novel was in learning about the prisoners themselves. Walmsley sat down monthly with bank robbers, drug dealers, even murderers. We are given insight that the regular person never has into the lives of a prisoner, how they've gotten to where they are, and how they cope with and accept their crimes. It is easy for anyone on the outside to assume these men are bad seeds, evil. What isn't easy is choosing to remember that there have been circumstances, sometimes unimaginable to us in our own safe lives, that have landed these men in prison. These aren't evil men, they aren't even monsters; they're men. They're men who have done something bad, and who are (for the most part) entirely conscious and aware of their wrongdoing. Reading this book has given me an entirely new appreciation for the delicacy of human nature and just how fragile our own freedom is.
Throughout, we see these men evolve; they become men of great empathy, men with deep insight, men who love reading for the escape. We get brief clippings from their personal journal entries and see how heartbreaking and tragic incarceration is on their lives. We see how hard it is for them to adapt in the world after release. Imagine being enclosed inside walls, with literally no view of the outside, only the sounds of the animals and vehicles beyond the wall enclosing you. And then imagine having to get on with your life in a world that has advanced decades without you. It warms me to read that most of these men continue to read after release, having created their own book clubs, to spread the pleasures and joys of literature. Many of them move on to become invaluable parts of society.
Read this book and gain an appreciation for just how difficult it is so survive in a life that has been set up for your failure. This is how it is for prisoners to incorporate themselves back into society, yet often they do. Credit must be given where due. This is a book that is about everything readers know to be true, but put to use in a real life scenario where it can help improve lives.
A pocketbook worth reading; there is some kind of power in there on those pages. It is a quiet and poignant blend of reality and lore from the first pA pocketbook worth reading; there is some kind of power in there on those pages. It is a quiet and poignant blend of reality and lore from the first people of what would become known as Canada, raped of their culture by the white man and forced to assimilate. The little boy in this story is a hero and should be regarded as such. His is one of thousands of similar stories of the toll it took on the men and women who'd been ripped from their families.
If I have one criticism, it's that it wasn't long enough. I wish Boyden would have written this into a full length novel to really delve into those tragedies, bring them up to the surface for a thorough re-examination, it's certainly overdue. Credit to Boyden for going somewhere it seems a lot of people are afraid to go and are too quick to forget about. Boyden is saying to the world, Canada looks very good, and it is, but it also has wounds, still not yet healed into a scar. The goal is to turn that wound into a scar, to bring forth the truth so it can be reconciled. This is a story about culture, it's about family bonds, it's about language and art, and all those beautiful things that were stripped of an entire people.
Bold as it may be to say this, but if there is an author in Canada paving himself a path toward a Nobel Prize for Literature, it's Boyden. I look forward to seeing where he goes next....more
This is easily the best biography I've ever read. And it's been a long time coming. Ever since I heard of this I've wanted to reMy heart, it bleeds...
This is easily the best biography I've ever read. And it's been a long time coming. Ever since I heard of this I've wanted to read it. It just so happens that I was recently in St John's and stopped to browse a local used bookshop, inside which I found a pristine copy of the book. It is also fitting that I read it during the summer that is the 20th anniversary of her death.
There is so much about this woman that I did not know. Or, if I knew it, I didn't know the extent to which it affected her life.
Her relationship with Charles. I learned so much about how it began, how it evolved, and how it ended. I was horrified to hear just how involved Camilla Parker-Bowles was from the very beginning. I always thought Parker-Bowles was introduced into the love triangle much later. I was mistaken. I felt the sadness, frustration, anger, resentment, and all other feelings that Diana felt as she watched her husband carry on an affair with Parker-Bowles during their marriage. There were dozens of meetings behind closed doors, romantic letters exchanged, phone calls had, all to knowledge of the tortured Lady Diana who had no other option but to sit idly by and allow this to go on.
I, myself, am clinically diagnosed with anxiety. So, when I read about her eating disorder, I couldn't help but empathise with her, because I know what it's like to be at the complete mercy of your own brain. But, the book is written well enough that you don't need to personally have been affected by a mental disorder to understand that it is painful and tortuous. And it certainly doesn't help when you're being dragged through a troubled marriage in front of billions of watchful eyes. We all have our down days. Now, amplify it to the size of the entire planet; Diana's survival shows the triumph of an incredible woman and human. I think it's the love she shared, and received, from complete strangers that saved her. And a little love here and there might just be what saves us all.
Andrew Morton brilliantly captured the mood of Diana's tenure as Princess of Wales. I understood just how lonely and isolating it was for Diana, and I found myself just wanting to jump into the pages, back in time, to grab her hand and take her with me somewhere safe. Imagine having your every move followed, literally photographed, every second of every day of your life. I am not sure there is a person alive today who understands what she went through (perhaps Monica Lewinsky). Her rise to infamy played out during a time when technology was just beginning to flourish into a mass media-instant communication frenzy.
In this story I felt the real Diana, the woman who just wanted to be loved, and yet had so much love to give. She famously said, "Someone's got to go out there and love those people and show it." For me this captures the essence of this incredible figure in our history. And isn't it true, that often the people who are most loving and happy on the outside, are often the most unhappy inside. It's the mark of a true heroine to have been able to get on with each day spreading the love she felt the world deserved, regardless of her own internal conflicts. It takes courage to put on a smile when every muscle in your body is telling you to frown.
Diana brought world attention to major causes, namely HIV/Aids awareness and abolishing landmines globally. She had an uncanny gift with comforting the ill and dying. Yet, as it so often happens today with successful women, Diana's accomplishments were often overshadowed by trivial and meaningless things such as what she was wearing, or something Charles did or said, no matter how minor. Her work was important. Her simply being present with a person with Aids, or a with a person who lost their limbs to a landmine, woke up the masses to very real and serious issues. It's why I believe famous figures should more often yield their power for good. Whether we like it or not, people revere the famous, and they stand up and pay attention when a famous person draws eyes to an issue.
What I found peculiar and awesome was that Diana seemed sometimes to have premonitions of events which would then take place. In a few instances, people even thought she was psychic. Perhaps the most significant and heartbreaking premonition is when she felt quite strongly that the Establishment was trying to kill her (more specifically, by means of causing a vehicle accident, which gives me shivers). Not that I'm on one side or the other on the conspiracy of her death (I remain agnostic on this matter still), but coming from a woman who accurately predicted other things in her life - well, it makes you wonder...
I've shelved this on my memoir shelf, because most of the material comes from Diana's very lips, and it's the closest thing we will ever have to a memoir for her. In this commemorative edition, Morton has included the real transcripts from some of the interview tapes on which she answered his questions during the writing of the biography. I was glued to the pages.
And now for my chief complaint, which is minor, but something that irritated me to no end. The dreaded MISSING oxford comma! Grrrrr! It should be illegal to publish a book without first making sure all oxford commas are in place.
I wrap up this review with a direct quote from the book. Andrew Morton wrote:
As historians reflect on her renown and her legacy, they will come to judge Diana, Princess of Wales as one of the most influential figures of this, or any other, age. For as long as there are poets, playwrights and men with hearts to break, tales will be told of the princess who died across the water and returned home to be crowned a queen, the queen of all our hearts. Diana, Princess of Wales. She wrote poetry in our souls. And made us wonder.
(Side note, the actually speech is all over YouTube, check it out!)
Once in a while I sit and read this throTiny little review for a tiny little book.
(Side note, the actually speech is all over YouTube, check it out!)
Once in a while I sit and read this through. You can get through it in the period it takes to drink one cup of coffee. Rowling's words are a powerful reminder to all of us that it is okay and it is important to dream up a good life. But it's equally important to march ahead and work hard.
Rowling is my hero, and she has proven that literacy is a great magic because it brings people from all over the world together over this one shared love of reading. Rich or poor, we can all benefit from a good story. Rowling's life experience is in itself a story worth listening to. Treat yourself to this little gem! :)
Reading this is like seeing a friend you haven't seen in years; you know them well, but you learn something new about them after all this time apart. Reading this is like seeing a friend you haven't seen in years; you know them well, but you learn something new about them after all this time apart. On Writing teaches me something new every time I read it. At the very least, it serves well as a reminder to some of the rules I already (or ought to already) know.
For me, this is the most important non-fiction book I have ever read. I am biased because writing is my passion, so it is unsurprising that I'd give a lot of weight to a book on writing. I love the parts about Stephen King's life, but the real heart of this book is the back half of it. In the back half, King examines what every writer should have in his or her "toolbox" and then goes on to talk about some simple and basic writing tips. The most beneficial tip I ever learned from this book was regarding adverbs; it seems as though King is always somewhere in my head, whispering, "...the road to hell is paved with adverbs." So it is, so it is.
This book is brilliantly written - it feels like having a one-on-one with the master storyteller himself. What's cool about it is the realization that even the most successful authors are fallible (even King sometimes can't part ways with the odd adverb).
I would love to see King revisit this book, perhaps add a new forward or afterword. Why? Why not....more
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