Killing the Mockingbird

I’m still here! I haven’t blogged for far too long, mainly because I’ve been finishing off my year in France, doing exams and moving back to the UK. But now I’ve got a long summer ahead of me so expect many posts to come!

It was probably the recent news about Michael Gove’s proposed changes to the national English Literature curriculum that kick-started me back into action. If you’re from the UK and haven’t been living under a rock for the past week, you’ll have heard that the education secretary proposed to ban American classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men from the GCSE syllabus in an apparent attempt to promote British literature. On second thoughts, it’s probably the ensuing backlash that we’ve heard more about rather than the actual proposals.

I accept that many people may be ‘jumping on the bandwagon’ of criticising Gove for the sake of it, and stories of this kind relating to politicians have a tendency to completely blow up until something new comes and redirects our short-lived attention.

But while I try to understand these views and see through balanced lenses, I can’t help being critical of the suggestions. In fact, the more I reflect on it, the more it frustrates me. It’s far from an original argument, but I can’t leave it out: it is often the 20^th-century American classics that inspire sixteen-year-olds to study literature to a higher degree, or at least to take more of an interest in reading. Don’t get me wrong, I value the importance of studying classic novels by Dickens and Austen and consider it imperative that Shakespeare retains a central place in the study of English Literature (something for another time; I could talk for hours on Shakespeare!) but so many students say that it’s the more modern American (or British) writers dealing with new ideas that provoked an initial reaction in them. Look at the incredible tribute we’ve seen to the American author (and so much more) Maya Angelou over the last few days following her death.

If Harper Lee and co. encourage young people like me and so many more to pick up a book or even to pursue writing seriously, then she has succeeded in her aims and we should embrace it, not turn our backs on it.

The central themes of the works of these American authors are often colossal: racism; violence; poverty; injustice; the ‘American Dream’. It’s not only a question of literature but also of history, society and progression and it’s essential to educate students on these issues. I love Jane Austen as much as the next bookworm but much of her work is so highly idealised – we aren’t all going to find Mr Darcy and live happily ever after. So we need these grittier novels with their imperfect characters and their social challenges to give us a dose of real life and allow us to appreciate the often appalling situations of the past and indeed those that still exist today. Surely it is only with this understanding that we can continue to fight against the issues which these vital authors brought to light.

'The Help' | Kathryn Stockett

I’m very late to getting this book under my belt but if like me, you missed out on all the excitement around The Help when it first came out, let me tell you: you NEED this novel in your life. Whether your thing is suspense, humour, sociology, history, politics or anything else you can think of, Kathryn Stockett manages to draw everything together in a tale about the lives of African-American maids working for white families in the town of Jackson, Mississippi, which is as touching as it is page-turning.

Set in the 1960s, The Help alternates between first-person narration from the three main characters: Aibileen, a hard working maid, Minny, her outspoken friend, and Skeeter, the daughter of a wealthy white family with aspirations to become a journalist rather than following the other women of Jackson by marrying early and spending her time planning social events and playing bridge.

After Aibileen confides in Skeeter about her son Treelore’s dreams of writing and publishing a book about the lives of the black communities in the Deep South, Skeeter comes up with a radical and risky idea to compile, with the help of the maids who work for her own friends, a documentation of their experiences working for white families. It takes a while for Skeeter to convince the maids to share their experiences, for fear of being fired by the very employers they are describing – though eventually the will to tell their important stories brings them round to the idea. But in a town steeped in racism, prejudice and divide, it is vital that the contributors remain anonymous, not to mention the difficulties of getting such a controversial piece published.

The Help conveys an important message about the completely contrasting lives of the two worlds in Jackson, despite the fact that the two work and live alongside one another every day. As well as being beautifully and uniquely written, it tells you a lot about the history of prejudice and fear in the Southern American states.

PS. My contribution to the 'no make up selfie' campaign, also to be found on Facebook! I have to say I was a little sceptical of this at first but seeing how much money has been raised by this alone I'm impressed at it's impact - it's not to say that selfies alone are beating cancer but every little helps and why not make donating and raising awareness a little bit fun?! So if you're reading this I nominate YOU for a #nomakeupselfie and to donate to Cancer Research or a cancer charity of your choice (online or text BEAT to 70007).

'Big Brother' | Lionel Shriver

Mum brought this back from the library while I was at home for a two-week university holiday and I’m SO glad she chose it – this is probably the best book I’ve read in 2014 so far.

Lionel Shriver provides an emotional and often shocking account of the obesity crisis in America through an autobiographical perspective.

Credit: Goodreads

Pandora, based loosely on Shriver herself, is a successful businesswoman meandering through an unremarkable routine and a middle-of-the-road marriage to obsessive, health-conscious Fletcher. When her brother Edison, a formerly successful jazz musician comes back into her Iowa life, hundreds of pounds heavier than when she last saw him, his obesity has an incredible and immediate impact on her marriage, family, household and state of mind. Pandora sacrifices all she has worked for to try and help her brother, implementing an extreme weight-loss regime and moving out of her marital home to give around-the-clock support.

But behind Edison’s obesity lies a cycle of depression and instability. Some reviews I’ve read have criticised Shriver’s characterisation and depiction of overeating and the problems attached to it, but personally I found the graphic and grotesque descriptions convincing and poignant. You feel like you need to find out whether Pandora and Edison are successful in their mission to get Edison back to his original size, and in that way Shriver held my attention for the duration of the novel.

Most importantly, reading this made me really think about our relationship with food – how we base our day to day lives around it, use it to celebrate and commemorate and enjoy, but on the other side of the coin, how the very thing that we depend on for sustenance can be wholly destructive. This is invoked from the outset when Shriver writes:

 "I have to wonder whether any of the true highlights of my forty some years have had to do with food. I don't mean celebratory dinners, good fellowship; I mean salivation, mastication and peristalsis." 

This sentence put the idea of obesity and why so many people overeat to an extreme degree in a new perspective and this idea is one that is emphasised throughout the rest of the novel.

Big Brother conveys an important message as obesity is undoubtedly one of the biggest problems for health and society of our time, particularly in the Western world. Shriver’s writing is nuanced, careful and gripping and in my opinion reveals something about why humans eat to excess and the rebounding consequences.

'Waiting for Sunrise' | William Boyd

Last week I mentioned my weekend in Brussels. A 400 mile trip across a massive section of France calls for a long train journey, and a long journey calls for a great book.

Luckily I had this gem in my bag waiting to be opened on the train. William Boyd is one of my favourite authors at the minute – his attention to historical, geographical and character detail, in particular, is second to none. On the subject, I’ve never read any of the James Bond books but was so excited to hear that Boyd has taken over the writing of the series and have been meaning to get my hands on Solo ever since. If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts on how this spy novel measures up to Fleming’s originals!

Back to Waiting for Sunrise, and I was gripped from the start. The novel opens in early 20^th-century Vienna, where Boyd’s protagonist Lysander is being treated for a personal psychological problem by a protégé of Freud. In the waiting room, he meets Hettie Bull, with whom he begins an intense and incredibly problematic affair. Later he is arrested but placed under the supervision of the British Embassy on bail and flees.

Indebted to the British government, the next year Lysander has gone from established theatre actor to a spy in the war. But his seemingly simple mission has more links, danger and consequences than he Lysander could have anticipated. In the midst of the intelligence events Hettie returns and Lysander becomes caught up in yet more trouble.

Boyd retains the unfailing momentum of the plot by weaving adeptly between family life, wartime events, sex and scandal. He has evidently taken inspiration from the events of the time, including scientific developments, and used them to deftly craft a work bringing together mystery, drama and love. Electricity and peril runs from beginning to end – a wholly satisfying and riveting read. I’m already looking forward to reading my next Boyd novel.

Lille & Brussels

Last weekend I took a wonderful little trip up to Brussels via an afternoon in Lille. Now that I’m nearly halfway through my second semester of university over here, I’ve started panicking that I’m not making the most of living in France, so have started trying to see more of what’s around me while I’ve got the chance!

Lille is one of my favourite places I’ve visited in France, if not the best so far. I went there for a day on the Eurostar about 10 years ago and was looking forward to checking it out again. If you’re short on time like me, I recommend heading for Vieille Lille (the old town) via the Grand Place and taking your time getting lost in the cute little streets in the area – there’s a vibrant market, as well as interesting shops and unique cafes and restaurants. The cathedral is definitely worth a nose around too, and if I’d been there longer, I’d head to the Musee des Beaux Arts too.

The next day, it was round two of tourist fun in Belgium, the country that put me up for a couple of years back in the day! I took the tram into Brussels and jogged my memory by visiting the main square, the Mannekin-Pis, the museum, and naturally, one of the hundreds of incredible vendors selling Belgian waffles. Waffles are compulsory and I'm quite sad I didn't think to take a picture before scoffing mine down as they're an incentive to go in themselves, so I'm linking you instead to The Waffle Blog to make up for it. Don't click if you're on a diet! I think Brussels is a brilliant capital city as it’s just the right size without being too small or too daunting. It’s a city of fusions – buildings and park areas, French and Flemish, culture and fun. Definitely one to visit if you’re looking for a European weekend away!

'Emma' | Jane Austen

Having had it on my bookshelf for years, I have no idea why I’ve only just got round to reading Emma.

For me, no one writes quite like Jane Austen, capturing the individual characters in such a lifelike and sensitive way and turning the everyday into the eventful. This is one of those books that makes you want to curl up by the fire with a cup of tea and forget about all the things you have to do until you’ve finished reading.

Emma is the exuberant heroine and the combination of her wilfulness with her fallibility inevitably leads to the comedy-serious mixture for which the writer is renowned. Sometimes we are drawn to like and support her, at others Emma comes across as snobbish and naïve. Naturally, the plot is based around her search for suitors (for herself as well as on behalf of her friend Harriet) against a general backdrop of social hierarchy, family relationships and flirtation. The bachelor Emma scopes out for Harriet has reserved his affections for Emma, but Harriet has already fallen in love with him. Emma’s meddling leads to Mr Elton’s departure, followed by a string of new problems. Yes, it’s pretty much a 19^th-century Gossip Girl.

Admittedly, it’s not going to replace my all-time love for Pride and Prejudice but Emma is definitely a book I’ll be reading again and again. One of the standout points, though its been said countless times before, is how relevant the themes and ideas remain today. As you might expect from an Austen classic, it’s completely relatable and a total joy.

A quick update...

Bonjour and happy February to you all!

I don’t know about you, but so far 2014 has been very busy for me! I started off the New Year at home, and then went over to Northern Ireland for a few days to spend time with family. When we returned I had a lovely early birthday celebration with friends from home before heading back off to Poitiers.

Stranded at Daft Eddy's. There are worse places to be stuck for an afternoon.

It was straight back into lectures at uni and trying to revise for my last exam at the same time. Luckily I’m doing some very interesting and relevant political-based units this semester, such as international relations and methods of political science, so I’m enjoying the lectures, which always helps!

Last week marked my 21^st birthday, and after being very spoilt with a meal out and some gorgeous presents from the Poitiers group, off I went to Paris for the weekend to spend a fantastic couple of days with friends from home and Bristol (well, you do only turn 21 once!) We managed to pack loads into the weekend – naturally, all the tourist trips to the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Galeries Lafayette and Versailles as well as a hilarious birthday night out. I’d never visited the Palace of Versailles before and loved it – plus it’s free for EU residents under 26. If I was there in the summer I could easily while away a lazy afternoon wandering around the palace gardens. Another recommendation would definitely be the Le Marais area of the city, with its quirky streets, cute cafes, unusual art and, most importantly, the BEST falafel I’ve ever eaten.

Excited for falafel

From the Eiffel Tower

Versailles. Let us eat cake.

Sleep, of course, was sacrificed. You can’t have it all!

Back to books and the blog then, and I’m just getting through Austen’s Emma at the minute so will be blogging about it in the next few days. Next on my list will be something by William Boyd or Ian McEwan, both two of my favourite authors, so keep your eyes peeled!

I’ve also got a bit of exciting news (well, exciting if you’re into your poetry, anyway). I entered a poetry competition last year and just before Christmas was sent a compilation book called Between the Lines with my work in it, published by United Press. If you’re interested in this sort of thing, get in touch – I think competitions are a great way of getting your work noticed as well as motivating yourself to get writing!

'Little Face' | Sophie Hannah

Sophie Hannah is a bestselling thriller novelist but is equally recognised for her poetry. Thriller novels aren’t generally my go-to choice of reading but when they combine a brilliant idea with clever execution I do love them.

Little Face opens straight into the action and the plot of the novel – Alice Fancourt, a new mother, returns home from some errands and is convinced that the baby with her husband, David, isn’t hers. David is confused and shocked at first, reassuring her that it is the same baby and doing everything he can to prove it. But he quickly becomes a bully, turning against Alice and claiming she is psychotic and deranged.

Alice tries to convince the police that baby Florence has been abducted and to start a search, but for a long time they are adamant there’s not enough evidence in favour of Alice’s arguments. But as they look deeper into the Fancourt family background, they find disturbing issues going back several years, to David’s relationship with his ex-wife, who was killed long before Florence was born. To complicate the dynamic further, Alice’s immaculate but interfering mother-in-law, and Darren, the man charged with the murder of David’s ex-wife, are interrogated by the police yielding surprising results.

I have to say that I initially found Little Face – there’s no other way to put it – annoying. With a concept as chilling as Hannah’s is here, I thought there was far more potential for drama and terror – and that’s saying something, as I’m definitely not a big horror fan. Sadly the lack of rhythm and suspense, and a lack of awareness of the importance of timescale and pace, meant the novel wasn’t off to a good start in my book (no pun intended…)

But Hannah surprised me in the second half of the book where I felt much more drawn in by the events unfolding and started to feel that Hannah had finally got a good grasp of her own characters. The psychological torment becomes poignant and exciting, particularly as David grows ever more brutal and degrading. The ending has just the right mixture of fear, rush and resolution – but I couldn’t possibly give away the liar and spoil it!

I’d love to know your thoughts on this one if you’ve read I – are you a fan of thriller fiction?

'Starter for Ten' | David Nicholls

I picked this up on a charity shop book haul the other week over in Belfast, but I’ve been meaning to read it ever since finishing Nicholls’ One Day, which I loved. I'll admit that another reason I was looking forward to this is that I'm secretly  a bit of a University Challenge keeno myself!

Set in 1985, Starter for Ten begins at something of an end – as awkward, unpopular Brian Jackson is leaving school to go to university. On his first night away, two life-changing events happen. One, Brian meets the rich and glamorous Alice Harbinson, whom he falls hopelessly and unrequitedly in love with. Two, he makes the decision to try out for the Bristol University Challenge team, as a fan of the programme since childhood. At first he doesn’t make the team – though only because of giving answers to Alice – but joins when another member becomes ill.

The novel follows Brian’s uncomfortable and unsettled first year at university, flitting between cringe-inducing social/romantic encounters and Brian’s attempts to show off his academic prowess. Nicholls pulls this off superbly and often I felt like laughing, wincing and feeling sorry all at once in response to Brian’s embarrassing escapades. There’s a real sense of friction in the story, I think –image and reality; class difference; friends and enemies.

Nicholls’ depiction of Alice is equally vibrant, and of course she is a total contrast to Brian – beautiful, desirable, and wealthy. She is clearly not attracted to Brian but is happy to lead him on. For me one of the most important parts of the novel is the description of Brian’s birthday, where he takes Alice on a date, spending a huge chunk of his student grant he can’t afford to try and impress her, all the while ignoring foul-mouthed but likeable Rebecca Epstein, a socialist law student.

My brother accidentally told me the main twist in the tale, which I won’t repeat for you here (though you may well have seen the film)! But there’s so much more to the plot that it didn’t spoil it for me really – I was still absorbed by Nicholls. Starter for Ten is both hilarious and observant.

Find out about David Nicholls' latest projects here.

'The Universe versus Alex Woods' | Gavin Extence

A very (late) happy new year to you all! I hope you’ve all had a lovely holiday and that it’s not too much of a struggle settling back into the usual routine – I for one have a lot of work to undo the overindulgence of food and drink alone!

I have been a terrible blogger over the last month or so with exams and catching up with everyone over Christmas so intend to make more of an effort now to make up for it.

So, without further ado, I’ll move on to one of the books I read over the festive period. The Universe versus Alex Woods, winner of the Waterstones 11 literary prize, is Gavin Extence’s impressive and quirky debut novel. At a superficial level, I don’t think the little blurb on the back of the book gives enough credit to the novel itself:

“A tale of an unlikely friendship, an unexpected hero and an improbable journey, Alex’s story treads the fine line between light and dark, laughter and tears.”

For me this was all very clichéd and cringe worthy, but I assure you the novel is nothing like this when you start reading. Alex Woods, the young hero of the story, has had a very unconventional start in life, with a clairvoyant single mother, constant bullying and an extremely unlikely event marking his life and future. Sometimes naïve, sometimes perceptive, Extence’s depiction of Alex is warm and lifelike.

Alex, by chance, befriends an elderly neighbour and the two share their different stories, learn from one another and form an unlikely bond. Mr Peterson is an American war veteran and Kurt Vonnegut enthusiast who helps Alex start a rather philosophical book club and introduces him to new ideas about morality and values. But Mr Peterson starts to suffer from ill health and the two outsiders help each other in the riskiest of ways. *SPOILER ALERT* It is at this late point in Extence’s narrative that we realise the primary theme is not bullying, friendship or innocence, but assisted suicide.

Of course from here the writing adopts a much more sombre tone, but is still characterised by light-hearted moments and amusing dialogue – my favourite part is where Alex essentially kidnaps Mr Peterson from hospital in order to drive him to Switzerland.

Look past the lukewarm blurb on the cover on this book and you will be rewarded – The Universe versus Alex Woods is charming, dark, eccentric and profound all at once.

'Dear Lucy' | Julie Sarkissian

Now that we’re well and truly into winter, you can’t avoid hearing “I can’t believe how cold/dark/close to Christmas it’s getting”, as if it doesn’t get cold/dark/close to Christmas every year. Not that I’m exempt from this; in true British style I find it impossible not to comment on the weather on a daily basis. Well, you can take the girl out of Britain…

All the more reason to curl up with a book when it’s gloomy outside!

I just finished reading “Dear Lucy”, the debut novel from Julie Sarkissian. Coincidentally this novel deals with similar themes to “Grace Williams Says It Loud” (read my review here), such as disability, abuse and relationships. Like Henderson’s writing style, the chapters narrated by the protagonist Lucy come across with a charming innocence and naivety. However what I found most striking was the way Sarkissian intermittently contrasted these sections with short chapters in the voices of other characters.

Lucy lives on a seemingly idyllic farm with an elderly couple known as Mister and Missus. Samantha, a pregnant teenager also taken in by the couple on the agreement that they will raise the child as their own, also lives there and has an unlikely but profound friendship with Lucy. As Samantha gets closer to giving birth, she has second thoughts about giving the child up and relies on Lucy to help her keep her baby.

The pace is rather slow and wandering up until this point, though not frustratingly so. But at this point shocking events that happened on the farm in the past become apparent and put Lucy, Samantha and the baby in danger. Lucy promises to save them all and the novel picks up speed with Sarkissian building up lots of tension, particularly when Samantha is locked in a room separated from her child.

One niggle I had was that there’s no real clue as to the setting of the novel – the author doesn’t give us much of an idea of the era in which the action is taking place, or even the location. However on further thought I think this could be down to her intention to make it seem like the issues in “Dear Lucy” could happen now, or anytime, and the lack of setting description any further than the house itself is because the idyll of the farm is central to the plot development and the notion that Lucy is in a bizarre and twisted bubble with no concept or experience of anything outside.

I started off feeling ambivalent towards the novel, but as I read on it grew on me and I was willing Lucy to succeed in carrying out the promise she’d made to Samantha. By the end I was inspired and impressed by “Dear Lucy”.

Find out more about this author on the Julie Sarkissian website.

'Sweet Tooth' | Ian McEwan

Last week while I was back home I was pleased to see that my mum had taken out Sweet Tooth from the library (yep, my family are just as geeky as me when it comes to books). Of course she couldn’t read it then as I wasted no time in snapping it up!

As a fan of McEwan’s novels since reading Enduring Love at school, I had skyscraper expectations for his foray into espionage writing – and he didn’t fail to deliver. Sweet Tooth is set in 1970s England, primarily London, and is narrated by a well-educated and flighty bishop’s daughter, Serena Frome, who is in her final year of maths at Cambridge at the start of the novel. An affair with a history tutor, Tony Canning, has further-reaching effects than it initially seems, as he recruits Serena as an MI5 spy, sculpting and disciplining her before abandoning her in a lay-by and disappearing, never to be seen again by Serena. Naturally, that’s not to say he doesn’t remain a key figure in the plot.

McEwan maps out Serena’s life – new friends, work, and feelings – before revealing the secret mission that provides the novel’s title. Every detail of kisses, lunches and relationships kept me captivated as the mission is hidden from us in typical McEwan style until much later. We are constantly kept guessing as to who is really being spied on – there appear to be some covert affairs among Serena’s co-workers, and there is a suggestion that someone has broken into her flat looking for something too.

When we find out about the mission the pace quickens – Serena meets Tom Haley, the subject of her mission, and according to some reviews I’ve seen, an incarnation of the author himself. The development of the two characters’ relationship alongside Serena’s mission is thrilling and mysterious. Personally I always seem to find that it is McEwan’s ability to create shockingly realistic and mesmerising relationships between characters, conjuring up the intensity of jealousy, lust and hedonism that sets him apart from others.

It wouldn’t be a McEwan novel without a revelatory and cathartic twist at the end that changes everything and makes you see the whole story in a different way – but I’ll leave it there so I don’t ruin it for you! This is one of those books that once you’ve finished reading, you immediately want to discuss with someone else to talk about the surprising ending (I had the same feeling with Life of Pi). One of the best books I’ve read this year – I’m already looking forward to the next offering.

Rough Guide: "More Women Travel" | Miranda Davies and Natalia Jansz

Like a lot of people, I seem to have an ever-growing list of dream holiday/travelling destinations. At the minute though, my student budget is hardly accommodating! Next on my must-visit list include Croatia, Barcelona and Hong Kong.

As I'm living abroad this year too, Mum gave me a Rough Guide book called “More Women Travel”, a comprehensive collection of women’s accounts of their travels to different places across the globe. I love hearing about other people’s experiences of different countries, where they’d recommend and things to see so this was right up my street as a bit of a change from my usual reading!

Obviously some accounts are better written and more vivid and detailed than others, but on the whole I liked the balance between cultural insights and hilarious or sometimes shocking anecdotes. It’s a little out of date now, but ladies, if you want to travel and find out more first-hand about different destinations, this is great - I particularly enjoyed the accounts of Thailand and Canada. It’s got me itching to go travelling next year!

I’d love to hear your opinions on travel writing! Which destinations are top of your list?

Plitvice Lakes, Croatia www.justthetravel.com

Hong Kong www.discoverhongkong.com

Barcelona www.travelwithscott.com

Paris and some home comforts...

So I’m now back at home in Bucks for the French uni half term – it’s so lovely to be back enjoying home comforts like bubble baths and OVENS (yes really, apparently it’s normal to not have ovens in France at home, so bizarre). Looking forward to spending time with the family and catching up with some pals!

The last month has just flown by and I can’t believe we’re nearly into November! Poitiers has been its usual sleepy self but I’ve been loving the Erasmus year so far. It’s getting much easier to understand French (though speaking it is still another matter), and we’ve spent many hilarious nights at either the student bars in town or friends’ houses. There’s not as much of a ‘clubbing’ scene in Poitiers – most of them are a little bit out of the centre and the French don’t get to the club until about 2 or 3am, which is hardly conducive with our 8am lectures! We’ve only been out to clubs a couple of times, and have made it our business to try out some more after the holidays. Instead everyone goes to the main student bars in town which are open fairly late, or house parties.

Last week a few of us made a very last-minute decision to buy Jay-Z tickets and head to Paris on Thursday after lectures – it was the most manic plan ever but we had the BEST time! Two of the boys drove us all up in their cars, and we had literally organised nothing so we were calling hostels on our way up and found a great one, very central, for 30 euros each for the night. After checking in there was time for a quick change before heading to the metro station to get to the Bercy stadium, via a quick detour to the Eiffel Tower. Jay-Z was of course INSANE and we were all loving life as you can imagine! He had just the right mix of Magna Carta and older stuff, and the crowd was absolutely buzzing.

After the concert we went in search of junk food and a bar, and eventually wandered back to the hostel at about half 3. The next day we got up relatively early to cram in as much sightseeing as possible – the Sacre Coeur and Montmartre, Moulin Rouge, the Eiffel Tower and the Jardin des Tuileries. I’ve wanted to go to the Louvre for ages but by the time we got there it was mid-afternoon and I’ll definitely be making another trip there next semester so it’s something else to look forward to!

This week, I’m glad to be chilling at home – I’ve got a couple of days’ work experience lined up and some uni work to get on with too. I was meant to include lots of Paris pictures in this post but forgot to upload them before I flew home, so I’ll be doing a photo post when I’m back in France! For now I'll leave you with this one I've nabbed courtesy of Milly...

 I haven’t forgotten my book reviews either and I’ve got a couple up my sleeve so watch this space!

'Grace Williams Says It Loud' | Emma Henderson

 Grace is put into the Briar Mental Institute aged 11. The doctors told her family there was no hope for Grace’s future. On her first day she meets another patient, Daniel, who brings out unforeseen life in Grace. Emma Henderson takes us through the following years of Grace’s life with refreshing honesty on mental illness - still a surprisingly taboo subject.

Grace barely speaks a word as she has severe speech problems. For me, this makes Henderson’s achievement of the compelling character all the more impressive, as she builds it up by depicting how others see Grace – doctors, family, strangers – and Grace’s own candid thoughts in the first person narrative. Grace notes everything about life at the Briar, from mundane activities, to her relationship with Daniel, to an account of sexual abuse at the hands of the dentist employed there.

There’s something quite Cuckoo’s Nest about the novel in some of the frank and honest sections of dialogue and scenes narrating the subject of mental illness, but Henderson still manages to keep her style and plot admirably original. It’s well thought out, creating a complex web of responses and judgements – about the institution, the friendship, and perhaps most of all, Grace’s parents. Henderson writes with sensitivity, integrity and thought; and I finished the book with the satisfying feeling of having learned things from it.

A law student abroad

It’s Sunday night and as a way of putting off my work for droit constitutionnel, I decided it’s about time I wrote another update about my year abroad. I’ve been in Poitiers for about seven weeks now – it seems to have gone by quickly and we’ve all settled into French life now, though of course there are still days where I miss home and need to call my mum! But most of the time it’s just a lot of fun, meeting new people every day and doing things you would have the opportunity to back home.

I was initially going to write a little bit about different aspects of French life that are really different, but I ended up writing so much about the university that I’ll have to put off the other ones until next time. A thousand words later and you’d all be bored to death! So here we go…

Uni is the most obvious thing to start with. On the first day we filled in a mountain of paperwork (France living up to its stereotypes from the get-go) and picked up the generic timetables, then it’s down to you to pick your modules and make sure nothing clashes. A few days later when proper lectures started we went to what we thought was European Organisations. Obviously nobody had told us that the timetables change a bit and you need to check every few days. So we ended up sitting through 90 minutes of indescribably dull public finance until a fire alarm went off and we made our escape. Saved by the bell!

At Bristol we’re so used to the routine of literally seven or eight hours of teaching a week, that coming here and having about 25 hours a week was a shock to the system! Lectures start at 8 most days; never again will I complain about one 9am lecture a week back home… On Tuesdays we have lectures 8am – 6pm with a break for lunch, more hours in one day than I’d have in a week at Bristol! No excuse for not picking up the language quickly then.

The other main thing is that the lecturers speak so fast and once you get behind you’re pretty much stuck there (as if it’s not already hard enough in another language). Some are alright and the lecturers repeat every sentence, but others just speak as if in conversation and you don’t stand a chance! Our tactic is to sit behind French students on laptops and copy them when we fall behind on the dictation – and it really is a matter of dictation. Another Bristol Erasmus student pointed out that we were including phrases like quoi qu’il en soit in our lecture notes (which translates roughly to ‘be that as it may’). Don’t think I’ve ever started a sentence with ‘Be that as it may’ in English, but here it is apparently the conjunction of choice, if there can possibly be such a thing

What I find very weird is that all our exams except one will be oral rather than written; this seems an odd way of doing things but hoping it will all work out when it comes to exam time! To get the diplôme from the uni we have to do one TD (tutorial) and even these are totally different – each week we have a test, but instead of understanding case law etc, you have the questions (like ‘what is the Magna Carta’) in advance and basically Wikipedia and memorise them. Not a case reading in sight...

So many things to experience and get used to and that’s only with the uni; I wanted to write about clubs, friends, food etc but that will have to wait till next time – probably more interesting than me rambling on about law lectures! A bientôt xx

'Delirium' by Lauren Oliver

This little gem was another gift from Hodder & Stoughton. I’d heard about it before; there are a lot of reviews comparing it to the Hunger Games and Twilight series. I can say with little doubt that Delirium is much, much better than Twilight! As for the Hunger Games books, I haven’t read them – I keep meaning to, but to be honest I think I’d rather keep girl crushing on Jennifer Lawrence on screen…

Back to the point, dystopian fiction isn’t usually my first port of call; I’m always a bit cynical of it for some reason. But Lauren Oliver actually had me enthralled early on – I finished this within a few days, and that’s with 25 hours of uni a week! Delirium is about Lena Haloway of Portland, Oregon who lives in a post-apocalyptic world where love is a disease – those with it are shunned and teenagers undergo a procedure to prevent ‘catching’ it. Oliver constructs this clinical and harsh world with brilliant precision and description, juxtaposed with the rebellious personalities of Lena and Alex.

If I have to pick out a criticism it’s only that at times it was slightly too lovey and mushy for me! I don’t generally go in for all that though so generally I doubt readers would find it too over the top. Other than that, you’ve got an original storyline, believable and warm characters and a series of exciting events. Without giving away the end, Oliver ends the book on the most tense cliffhanger that I just can’t wait to get my hands on the next in the series!

'A Street Cat Named Bob' by James Bowen

The other day I was pleasantly surprised to receive a message asking me when I was next going to write about a book ! I’ve been pretty useless lately with the whole blogging thing what with settling into life in Poitiers and trying to cope with so many more hours of lectures than I’m used to in Bristol.

But as a bit of a break I was looking for something really light and easy to read. Over the easter holidays earlier this year I worked at a London publishing house for a couple of weeks and got to take home as many free books as I could carry – a book lover’s dream ! A Street Cat Named Bob was one of these, and although it didn’t appeal to me the most out of the ones I took home, it’s received raving reviews so I thought I’d give it a go.

Credits: Amazon

The reviews on the cover describe James Bowen’s real-life story as heart-warming, and yes, the tale of Bowen’s struggle with homelessness and drug addiction and finding an unlikely friend and beacon of hope in Bob the cat is definitely uplifting and admirable. However, in terms of reading a 300-page book I lost interest ; I found there was just too much mundane description of things like travelling on the bus and I got pretty bored…

Also I’d have liked to know more about the drug addiction and psychological issues – I didn’t really get the emotion and grit that I was expecting, considering that the book is about how a drug addict turned his life around. My favourite parts were where Bowen explained about his family upbringing that led to his downward spiral, and the ins and outs of how the Big Issue works (which I hadn’t had any idea about before). But these sections weren’t sufficiently long or detailed for me.

On a positive note, I have to say that while I didn’t feel a connection with the author, I did warm to Bob – he comes across as a real and funny character. And I’m not even a cat person. My verdict ? Read if you’re in the mood for an uplifting real-life story, but give it a miss if you’re looking for a proper page-turner.

Poitiers

This year I’m studying law in French at the Université de Poitiers with Erasmus. I’ve been in France for nearly two weeks now – though it’s still weird to think that this is going to be my home until next summer!

There has been a LOT of admin stuff to do, first of all. The French love a good form or twelve, which makes things like registering at uni, bank accounts, insurance etc. quite a bit of hassle! I was glad I was warned about this in advance so I knew to bring every possible document or certificate that I’d ever obtained, basically. Fantastique.

Chauvigny

Luckily my parents drove over with me and stayed for a while to help me organise everything and drive me around. This had the extra bonus of not needing to worry about the amount of stuff I was taking to France, but it is a bit cramped in my little room! Or cosy, as I prefer to call it. We also had some time to check out the area – getting to know the city and exploring the pretty nearby towns of Chauvigny, Parthenay and Saint-Savin – and absorb lots of the culture (read: wine). One day we took a trip up to Tours, a city about an hour away, which was a vibrant place set on the Loire with lots going on. We also drove over to Île de Ré, off the coast of La Rochelle for a day of relaxing and sunbathing in the incredible weather we’ve been having over here so far!

Perfect weather in Ile de Re

Sunset on Ile de Re

Back in Poitiers, after moving in it’s just been settling in, deciding what courses to do and rendezvous-ing at bars in the city centre, which are fun but expensive! We anglais from Bristol managed a three-hour introductory lecture this morning. Better get used to it as we found out lectures start at 8am here… It’s hard enough making it to the 9am ones at home… I’ll keep you posted!

And one that won't be appearing on there any time soon....

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

When I was about 7 I read 'The Witches' by Roald Dahl and it freaked me out so much that I couldn't even have the book in the same room as me at night. True. Now I have similar sentiments towards this controversial book.

OK, I get that it's meant to be a 'modern classic' with insights and warnings about modern captalism and I definitely can see that. But mainly it just creeped me out. 

Patrick Bateman is a high-flying young investment banker, shallow, superficial and rich. When he's not sealing deals and attending events, he's indulging his id by torturing, raping and murdering.

You want to know what's going to happen next but at the same time you dread the inevitable horrific depictions of violence and abuse - so much so that I could only read the first two-thirds before admitting defeat getting my dad to tell me how it ended. And even after all that, I can't say I'm not intrigued to watch the Christian Bale film. I'm just working up to it.