Thursday, May 30, 2013

The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

We're reading 'The Great Gatsby' for June ahead of seeing the lavish new film. It's a romantic but world weary novel that's still  relevant in many ways today. 

The wealthy and mysterious Jay Gatsby holds legendary parties in his Long Island Mansion, and seems to live the perfect life. But his new neighbour, Nick Carraway, discovers that appearances can be so deceptive ...

I couldn't resist this new art deco style copy and bookmark with the legendary last lines:

'So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.'

Pam

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

How to describe this book? A young Indian boy named Piscine Patel (Pi) is brought up
within a loving family who decide to move, along with their zoo animals, to Canada. A storm blows up during the voyage and their ship sinks, leaving Pi, a hyena, a zebra, a monkey and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker stranded in a lifeboat. A bloodlust ensues and the animals slaughter each other leaving only the tiger and Pi to wander the sea, finally learning to at least co-habit with each other. Throw in a cannibal island and you have a wonderfully unique and magical tale, sometimes unbearably savage, sometimes delightfully beautiful and always memorable.

It sounds mad, but it works and has become one of my favourite novels. I didn’t know how it could possibly be made into a film, but Ang Lee succeeded brilliantly and certainly did the book justice.
Read the book,  then see the film!
Cath