Like I have already mentioned in my review of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it is definitely noticeable that Rowling's writing style has iLike I have already mentioned in my review of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it is definitely noticeable that Rowling's writing style has improved massively compared to the first two books in the series. The amount of suspense and foreshadowing was incorporated very well and made the reading experience so much fun. I found myself constantly holding my breath towards the end, there were so many twists and turns! I have actually seen the movie version before, but I forgot much of it, so I was extremely surprised at some of the reveals. The build up towards those situations was just perfect!
I loved that we got to see a bit more interaction between muggles and wizards in the beginning, as well as more scenes outside of Hogwarts. It was a nice change and helped bring a bit more realism to the story (it was nice to see that wizards and witches get excited over such a normal thing as a sport event, too!).
One of my favorite things in the book was the portrayal of friendship. Harry, Ron and Hermione were depicted as normal teenagers, who sometimes just happen to fight over the stupidest little things. I feel like that really brought their friendship forward, in a way. I, in general, feel like there was a lot of progress and development in the book. I haven't read the following books yet, so I obviously can't say how much of what happened in this one will play a part later, but I still feel like I learned so many new things about the world this story takes place in and about the characters in it. And oh man, how much I just love those characters......more
This is definitely my favorite one in the series so far! The improvement of Rowling's writing style compared to the first two books (which were absoluThis is definitely my favorite one in the series so far! The improvement of Rowling's writing style compared to the first two books (which were absolutely amazing as well!) is very evident - there is a lot more build up and suspense in the tense and exciting scenes. The parts that included foreshadowing were carefully placed and not too obvious.
I have a deep love for the new characters (and the old ones were as lovely as always). They are just all so well developed and interesting and lovable, as well as a perfect mixture of strengths and flaws. I also, like with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), was surprised at the amount of humor that's included. I often found myself chuckling and even laughing out loud. I just had so much fun while reading!
During the end, where all the conclusions are laid out, Rowling was being very thorough. I don't think that any questions are left open. Everything was well thought through, so that every single little detail adds up and makes sense. That's definitely something I wish I would read more often in other books!...more
Man, I really hope no one ever tries to make me choose my favorite King-book, because I would never be able to make a decision. Every time I read one Man, I really hope no one ever tries to make me choose my favorite King-book, because I would never be able to make a decision. Every time I read one of his books, I'm absolutely blown away by the amazing writing style and by how fast the (sometimes massive amount of) pages fly by.
Even though this story was (once again) told in great detail, I never felt like scenes were unnecessarily drawn out. I thought the plot progressed at an appropriate speed with a fitting development. I would say that the story in general had many realistic aspects. The concept of a dome suddenly appearing over a town might sound outlandish and far-fetched, but the execution was done in a very believable way. The characters behaved in completely normal and humane ways (both good and bad, calm and agitated).
At first I was quite intimidated by the big number of different characters. I got to know them pretty well rather fast though, as they were all described in good and memorable ways. They all had several facades to them, which made them very authentic and (some more than others) lovable. I'm sure that you would find all these types of people in a real town. Stephen King just knows how many different character traits there are in the world and he never fails to include many of them. This helps immensely to paint a picture of a town and all the different people that live in it.
He also knows how to write out of the perspective of all those different kind of people. It doesn't matter if we see the viewpoint of a man or a woman, a child or a senior, an established wealthy person or a messy alcoholic, or even (in some instances) a dog. He manages to hit the nail on the head with every single perspective. Sometimes, the story was suddenly told by an outside-narrator and a different tense. I often find these sudden changes in the middle of a story confusing and rather annoying, but (of course) King knows how to do it in the right way and use it to his advantage. He only uses this "tactic" sparsely, which is what makes the story feel even more intense once past tense changes into present tense. It really helps to deliver the point the story is trying to make.
Lastly, I also would like to show my appreciation for the little ordinary things included throughout the book. Despite all the drama and all the things that happen, there is still time found for a mum wanting her son to clean his room, kids playing games and so on. This adds another layer of realism, which makes me love this book even more....more
It's been almost a year since I've read this book and I still haven't written a review. I wanted to wait until I find the proper words to describe thiIt's been almost a year since I've read this book and I still haven't written a review. I wanted to wait until I find the proper words to describe this beauty. But at this point I have given up. I won't be able to find words to describe how much I loved this story, how it made me laugh out loud and cry my heart out. It was perfect in every single way and I loved every second of it - that's all I've got to say. Please read it. ...more
This was, without a doubt, one of the (if not the) best books I have ever read! I simply do not have the words to put all my feelings and thoughts in aThis was, without a doubt, one of the (if not the) best books I have ever read! I simply do not have the words to put all my feelings and thoughts in a review. No review would be good enough and so the story justice. Everything was just perfect - the characters, the plot, the amount of suspense and horror, the writing style, the way the story was split into different parts,... There is not a single bad word I could say. Seriously, absolutely zero!
I found myself not wanting to continue reading, because I wanted to live in this world for longer - something that almost never happens to me. I really can't wait to read it for a second time!...more
Dieses Buch hat mich - kurz gesagt - komplett vom Hocker gehauen. Und genau begründen kann ich das eigentlich gar nicht.
Die ganze Geschichte ist einfaDieses Buch hat mich - kurz gesagt - komplett vom Hocker gehauen. Und genau begründen kann ich das eigentlich gar nicht.
Die ganze Geschichte ist einfach unglaublich schön geschrieben, melancholisch aber hoffnungsvoll zu gleich. Ich war teilweise schockiert. Allerdings nicht aufgrund von schrecklichen Dingen die passiert sind, sondern von dem Realismus und den ganz einfachen, alltäglichen Sachen.
Die Verbindung von Gegenwart und Vergangenheit wurde clever genutzt, und hat so etwas sehr poetisches geschaffen, das zeigt, wie spannend und vielseitig das Leben ist.
Der Text ist auf eine Art geschrieben, die zwar unaufgeregt ist, aber genau dadurch Spannung aufkommen lässt, da man nie weiß und nie einschätzen kann was als nächstes passieren wird.
Die Charaktere sind so ordinär, dass sie einzigartig sind. Ich weiß, dass sie mir alle noch lange im Gedächtnis bleiben werden.
Ich habe viele Textstellen mehrmals gelesen, damit ich sicher gehen kann, dass ich auch wirklich kein einziges Detail übersehen habe. Jedes Wort wurde von mir aufgesaugt, jeder Satz verinnerlicht. Zum Teil habe ich extra langsamer gelesen als normalerweise, damit ich noch länger in dieser wunderschönen Welt verweilen konnte....more
This was undoubtedly one of the best books I have ever read and I enjoyed it even more than I expected (and I had set the bar super high!). This was aThis was undoubtedly one of the best books I have ever read and I enjoyed it even more than I expected (and I had set the bar super high!). This was also the most horrible book I have ever read - but in the best possible way!
Not a single sentence was unneccessary; I enjoyed every scene and interaction. The main character was wonderfully developed - he really seemed like a real person and at times it was hard for me to forget that he's just fictional. It was easy to forget that all of this was just made up (and yes, even the fantastical aspects were written and presented in a way that made them seem realistic and believable!). Some might say that John Coffey's character development falls a bit on the short side as you do not find out too much about him and his life. But I thought this was perfect for him and for the role he plays in the story.
I found myself wanting to keep reading constantly. I wanted to find out so badly what would happen next, I forgot everything around me! But at the same time, I wanted to set the book aside and never pick it up again, because I just didn't want the story to end. I also want to mention that I have never seen the movie before (something I will now do as soon as possible!), so I absolutely had no idea what would happen. I'm really glad about this, because the events that unfolded in part 6 completely surprised me. Looking back to it, I have to say that the suspense and the buildup to it was done in a perfectly subtle way - something I would love to see more in other books! I often (correctly) guess what will happen in the end, but this time nothing prepared me and I was completely clueless throughout.
Overall, this was a wonderful reading experience and I already know that this story is going to stay with me for the rest of my life (and will be reread many, many times). I wish I could describe my feelings about the topics of this book better, but there a simply too many feelings I have. I tried telling my mum about my thoughts, but I just couldn't find the right words - nothing seemed to do this fantastic book justice. ...more
This honestly is one of the best books I have ever read and it certainly was the best non-fiction book I have ever read. I was utterly captivated by iThis honestly is one of the best books I have ever read and it certainly was the best non-fiction book I have ever read. I was utterly captivated by it, from start to finish. The way it was written was just so perfect and fitting - incredibly suspenseful and matter of fact, but still with a touch of emotion. I think the official term for this book is "non-fiction novel" and while I get why it gets this label, I personally wouldn't actually call it that. Sure, it has the quality of a novel and shares some of the characteristics, but there is something else there, something that makes this specific book unique. Even though it's as captivating as a novel, it doesn't exactly read like fiction. I was always painfully aware that this is NOT a made up story, that all of this has, in fact, really happened. The whole thing was told with so much intensity that you just KNOW that all of this HAS to come from real life. It was extremely easy for me to picture everything in my head, literally everything! There was an entire movie playing in my head while reading and I loved. every. single. second. of it.
Something I also very much appreciated was the fact that Capote didn't insert himself into the story. If you do some googling, you can find out how interesting his research journey was. To give you a short summary: He drove to the area of the crime shortly after it happened, accompanied by his childhood friend Harper Lee (yes, thatHarper Lee), they talked to residents and investigators and together they collected over 8.000 (!) notes; later Capote also talked to the perpetrators directly - altogether he worked six years on the book. I'm sure he would have had lots to tell about this whole journey and I'm sure it would have been interesting as well. HOWEVER, it would have been ill-fitting and inappropriate in a book about such a serious topic. Capote concentrated on what's important - why and how these murders were committed and who the killers and, more importantly, who the victims were. The whole thing just seemed really respectful, everyone got the amount of time and space they deserved. I make such a big deal out of this because I've seen it happen before, someone writing a non-fiction book and them making a lot of it about themselves and their own life, making the whole thing part-memoir. When I pick up a book about a certain topic I expect to read about this topic and not about the authors life! So yeah, I am very much thankful that Capote focused on the right things here.
All in all, this truly was just a magnificent book. Seriously, I could write down every single positive adjective in the English language and all of them would express what I feel. I recommend it to everyone, even to the people who aren't particularly interested in true crime, simply so you can experience some wonderful and well thought out writing....more
It's hard for me to put into words how much I loved this story. The pacing, the characters, the overall plot - everything was perfection. However, theIt's hard for me to put into words how much I loved this story. The pacing, the characters, the overall plot - everything was perfection. However, the most amazing thing for me was the writing style. So much eloquence and beauty, without ever being over the top. I've seen some people complaining about how "simple" some of the heavy plot points were treated. I do understand and respect those opinions, but I especially liked that aspect. Yes, this is a book about a murderer, but it isn't a crime novel. It's much more than that. To me, it was a wonderful exploration of a man I loved to hate and hated to love....more
It's been almost two months since I finished reading this book and I still haven't found the proper words for my review. How can I formulate what I feIt's been almost two months since I finished reading this book and I still haven't found the proper words for my review. How can I formulate what I feel about this piece of perfection? I don't think I will ever be able to give it the justice it deserves, but I might as well try to at least write something, because not writing a review at all doesn't seem right either.
Let me start off with saying that I read this while being in a major reading slump. Why did I pick such a long and heavy book while not feeling like reading in the first place? No idea. It doesn't matter now anyways, because in the end, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Turns out, I wasn't in an actual reading slump, I just wasn't reading the right books.
Next, I'd like to mention that English is not my native tongue, and about 75% of the English I know is self-thought. I'd say that I'm quite confident in my knowledge of the language overall, but still: I'm nervous every time I start reading a long book in English. Nevertheless, I chose to read this one in English, because a) back when I added it to my wishlist, it wasn't even translated into German yet; b) most people I heard talking about it positively read it in English and c) I simply prefer reading a book in its original language. And boy, I am so incredibly glad I didn't get intimidated! The writing style was just pure magnificence! I found it surprisingly easy to read, and it was absolutely fitting for a story of this size. Not too overly complicated, but also not too simplistic. There were a couple of words I had to look up as I had never heard/read them before, but every time it turned out that there were just synonyms for rather simple activities or descriptions. There wasn't a bombardment of foreign or uncommon words though, so the text never started to feel "pretentious" or "swanky". For me, this shows that the author clearly worked through several drafts and chose every word carefully, until she found the perfect balance.
I don't want to talk about the actual plot too much. I went into this novel without knowing anything about it, and I definitely think that this is the right way to experience it. I think this story can only have its full effects without any spoilers whatsoever. While reading, I definitely got tempted to go online and get some quick answers, because I got so invested, but I'm glad I persisted and didn't do it. So let's talk about the characters instead, because they are what made me get so invested. I fell completely in love with them. (Yes, I had to write this in bold. Considering how much I loved them, it feels appropriate.) They were just so wonderful and real and if someone told me that -surprise- they aren't fictional after all, I would totally believe them. They had their talents and flaws, fortunes and mishaps, good days and bad days, gains and losses, surprises and disappointments, hopes and doubts. And I loved them for all of those. Those four men are still so present in my mind, like no other characters ever before, and I'm a hundred percent sure that they will stay there forever.
I said that I didn't know anything about A Little Life before I started reading it, but guess what: I lied. I did know one thing: I would cry. I was assured of that every single time I heard someone talk about this novel. And well, they were absolutely right. I cried a bunch. I've never felt so emotional while reading a book before, and I certainly never felt emotional while writing a review. But that's exactly what's happening right now. I'm feeling torn up just thinking about everything that happened in this astonishing piece of work. And even though it completely destroyed me, I still feel the constant need to reread it. In fact, I wanted to start anew as soon as I finished reading the last page.
So yeah, this might just be the most perfect book I have ever read. I went into the story without knowing anything about it, but I go out with something that's undoubtedly obvious to me: This is my new favorite book of all time!...more
Because this is non-fiction that deals with a very serious topic, I can't and won't judge the things this book covers. I'm not in the position to do tBecause this is non-fiction that deals with a very serious topic, I can't and won't judge the things this book covers. I'm not in the position to do that.
I thought it was definitely very interesting and gave a lot of background information.
It was easy to read, thanks to a fluent writing style.
I liked that the book included some photographs.
It's an emotional journey to take, but it's worth it every second. After reading Anne Frank's diary, this is a good book to learn more....more
This is a wonderful collection of letters and beautiful drawings! Because this is a non-fiction book (in some way or another), I don't feel like I'm inThis is a wonderful collection of letters and beautiful drawings! Because this is a non-fiction book (in some way or another), I don't feel like I'm in the position to judge every aspect of the letters, but I definitely enjoyed reading every single one of them. The little stories that are told are simply lovely and also a lot of fun. I laughed quite a bit throughout the book. ...more
One of my new favorites! I had absolutely no idea what this book is about when I started started reading it, so I am more than pleasantly surprised atOne of my new favorites! I had absolutely no idea what this book is about when I started started reading it, so I am more than pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed and loved it. However, it is also one of those books where I totally understand when someone hates everything about it.
I found the writing unexpectedly contemporary. If I wouldn't have known when the story was written, I would have guessed it only came out in the past couple of decades. So if the reason you haven't picked up this book is that you're afraid of having trouble with the obsolete words that are generally used in classics - don't worry, you'll be fine!
There are many repetitive phrases, and I can totally understand why someone might find this annoying, but I personally really like things like that in books. I actually made it my mission to highlight every single line where the main character Holden mentions that "something killed him", he's feeling depressed/nervous/etc, something/someone is mad/a madman, something is (according to him) only "sort of" happening, something is relating to death in some way, and a couple of other little things...Boy, was I busy! There is something marked on every.single.page! So if you're someone that doesn't like repetition...yeah, it's save to say this book probably isn't for you.
Now, while we're on the topic of Holden: I'm sure he is one of the most hated characters of all time, because I see and hear countless of people talking about how pretentious and irritating he is. I also understand those opinions, but I just absolutely fell in love with him! The reason for that is easy to find: I relate to him. I understand this anger and frustration at everything and everyone. I understand feeling like no matter what good happens to you, it just isn't enough and you still end up feeling lost and alone. If I had read this book a couple of years ago, I would have thought that Holden is pretty much a male version of me, and I would have thrown it in the faces of everybody who was helplessly trying to understand me. Thankfully, I have now moved passed this stage, and I can look at him and his (or more so: our previously shared) view of the world a bit more critically. But reading the book at the stage of my life were I am now, it also showed me that it's still far to easy for me to relate to and sympathize with characters like Holden. It made me realize that I've still got a long way to go. My ambition is to reread this book in ten years or so and only feel connected to Holden in a distant and long-passed way.
Lastly, I'd like to mention that is a 100% character-driven book. There is only a very small amount of plot (and that small amount is rather generic). This is more of a character study, so if you're looking for a exciting tale filled with action and adventure - this is not the book for you....more
Gosh, this is one of my new all time favorite books! It's just a shame that I will never be able to fully express how and why it affected me as much aGosh, this is one of my new all time favorite books! It's just a shame that I will never be able to fully express how and why it affected me as much as it did. But I can try my best to at least write a few words to let you know what things I enjoyed (spoiler: I enjoyed every single word).
This story deals with the very important and sensitive topic of racism and is told from the point of five of a little girl. I had my doubts if this combination would work out. But somehow, Harper Lee was able to create an incredibly compelling character, who understands and misunderstands just the right amounts to be realistic, and to get all the major points the novel is trying to make across. It would have been easy to write from the perspective of Atticus, the 'hero' of the story. But I think this wouldn't have been the right thing to do; it would have seemed far too self-indulgent and conceited.
The characters themselves are all incredibly lovely. They just warmed up my heart. I'd love to give those three little kids, Scout and Jem and Dill, a giant hug. I'd like to shake the hand of Atticus and pay him my respects. I would go to Church with Calpurnia and find out more about her life. I would smile at Boo, to let him know that I accept him just the way he is, and while a simple smile might seem like a typical interaction to others, I'm sure it would mean a lot to Boo. So yeah, all of those characters have found a place in my heart, and I know that they will definitely stay in my mind for a long time to come as well.
It surprised me how easy to read I found the writing style. It's hard to believe this was written in the 60's! I think the fact the topic is (unfortunately) a timeless one plays a part in that. I'm currently still in a bit of a reading slump, but this book grabbed my attention from the first page and kept me smiling and laughing and crying. No wonder it's such a well-loved classic! I definitely agree that it's one of those books everyone should read at least once. Personally, I already know that I will read it many more times in the future....more
Because this is a non-fiction book that deals with a very serious topic, I can't and also don't want to write too much about it. I'm not in the positiBecause this is a non-fiction book that deals with a very serious topic, I can't and also don't want to write too much about it. I'm not in the position to judge a diary.
This book was extremely interesting and gave me many new perspectives about the time period it takes place in.
It's a story that should be read by everyone, it holds so much importance to it....more
Sebastian Fitzek ist mein absoluter deutscher Lieblingsautor. Für mich gibt es niemanden der bessere Thriller schreibt. Jedes seiner Bücher ist auf seiSebastian Fitzek ist mein absoluter deutscher Lieblingsautor. Für mich gibt es niemanden der bessere Thriller schreibt. Jedes seiner Bücher ist auf seine eigene Art und Weise genial. Der Schreibstil haut mich immer wieder um. Es gibt keine anderen Bücher die ich schneller lesen kann. Jede einzelne Zeile ist Spannung pur.
Alles von ihm ist eine definitive Empfehlung von mir! Falsch machen kann man mit seinen Büchern nichts....more
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