The boy in the striped pyjamas

CRISTINA'S BOOK REVIEW

Historical

SUNDAY, MARCH 11, 2018

Winter afternoon: Reading The boy in the striped pyjamas.

The boy in the striped pyjamas. John Boyne. 2007.

David Fickling Books. 206 pages.

Hi book lovers! I am back with a book I just love. I hope you find my review inspiring and get down to reading the story I am presenting this month, that I STRONGLY recommend!

First encounter

With this touching story, I met a young boy named Bruno. He was a really naughty and curious boy. When he moved with his family to Auschwitz leaving everything he had in Berlin, he felt lonely and bored. There was something under the surface of Bruno that made him a good choice for me. I can say that I felt a genuine affection for him.

Plot

The story of Bruno is simple and straightforward. Through the eyes of an eight-year-old boy largely shielded from the reality of World War II, we witness a forbidden friendship that grows between Bruno, the son of a Nazi commandant, and Shmuel, a Jewish boy held captive in a concentration camp. Though both are separated physically by a barbed wire fence, their lives become inescapably intertwined. One day, Bruno puts on the clothes of the prisoners and the camp guards take him for another Jew, forcing the two friends to enter a crowd in a place, in a gas chamber.

My mind

The boy in the striped pyjamas is a powerful fictional story that offers a unique perspective on how prejudice, hatred and violence affect innocent people, particularly children, during wartime.

Thanks!

Thanks to my niece, Iris, who told me about this book, which is fantastic both for children and adults. Together, Bruno and Shmuel recall the importance of friendship and generosity, something that this materialistic and individualistic society usually forgets.

Posted by Cristina at 17:30 PM

Mieko and the Fith Treasure

Monday 18^th, December, 2017


“Mieko and the fifth treasure” Eleanor Coerr
Penguin Books, 2003. Pages: 115

Hello my readers! I am back with a thrilling book I just loved. I found it very interesting so as to learn about historical events through the eyes of a child.

First encounter               

When I found this book what struck me most was the title. What might the fifth treasure be? Apart from that, I realized that Mieko is a girl, so I started to wonder what kind of thoughts crossed her mind after a huge catastrophe.

Plot

This gripping, involving and thought-provoking little novel tells the story of Mieko a Japanese girl injured by the atomic bombing of Nagasaki who is struggling to heal herself, both physically and emotionally. Calligraphy was what she liked to do more than anything else in the world. Nevertheless her hand was badly injured in the bombing and Mieko was sent to stay with her grandparents in the country to recover. There she felt frustrated that she was not able to paint word-pictures like she used to. Besides she was taunted by some cruel classmates. In time the encouragement of her elders and especially of her new friend Yoshi, helped draw Mieko out of her pain and isolation and she began to paint again recovering the fifth treasure.

What is the fifth treasure?

The Japanese calligrapher's four treasures are brush, paper, inkstick, and inkstone. The fifth is the beauty of heart informing the brushstrokes and bringing word-pictures to life.

My mind

This heart-warming story of friendship, creative confidence and growth made me feel through the Japanese culture that harbouring anger is not productive, but learning to accept changes could help to heal emotional wounds.

Exit west

"BOOKS THAT I LOVE"

LUCIA'S BLOG

December 19th 2017

Exit west

Moshin Hamid. 2017

"When we migrate we murder from our lives those we leave behind"

"We are all migrants through time"

With his last novel the Pakistani Moshin Hamid deals again with the most universal and current issue, migration. As usual, his view is absolutely original because from the subjectivity of a personal story we get to understand and specially to feel very close to this global subject ...

PLOT

A young couple meet in a more and more violent city where a civil war soon breaks out. In this situation fleeing while it is posible is the only solution for them. The reader will walk with Saed and Nadia in Mikonos, London and San Francisco and he makes it possible for us to witness a trip both through the world and in the characters' soul.

MY MIND AND RECOMMENDATION

It is not by chance that I chose this book. Last course I read "The reluctant fundamentalist" by the same author and when I knew that Moshin Hamid had published a new book I could not wait to thumb it. I guarantee that "Exit West" will not disappoint you. The writer is a very good story teller and his novels capture the reader from the beginning. Furthermore, his narrative is always unconventional and you will enjoy yourself a lot with his creativity. As you can see, it is well worth reading Moshin Hamid's last work.

PILI'S BLOG: AMAZING READING TO TRY RIGHT NOW

Comedy
December 11th, 2017
Looking for a classic tale for modern times

Skipping Christmas: Christmas with the Kranks. John Grisham. Random house ebooks. 203 pages.

Hi readers!

Imagine a year with no crowded shops, no Christmas tree, no Christmas cards, without giving or receiving gifts or going to office parties. Can you really skip Christmas? Today's book offers a hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that has replaced part of our holiday tradition.

The story takes place in the Kranks's neighbourhood and it is about the couple's decision to skip the year's festivities when their daughter departs for Peru for a year. The mother, Nora, is devastated so the father, Luther, thinks about how much money they spend on this season of the year and he decides to surprise her with a cruise to celebrate the holidays. But this couple will discover that skipping Christmas brings about enormous consequences.

Christmas is not always about the presents and decorations. You spend time with the people you love and have a good time. Christmas time is about giving and making others happy and in this book you can see how one day can change your whole perspective of life. It does not really talk about the true meaning of Christmas but it still tells a good story.

I highly recommend reading this book because it has clever dialogue. It is not very long but it is an inspirational story. I am not a very big fan of reading but this book made me realize how fun it can be. It is well worth reading.