A Slow Fire Burning / Un Fuoco che Brucia Lento - Paula Hawkins

  

A Slow Fire Burning / Un Fuoco che Brucia Lento

- Paula Hawkins

🇬🇧 Hey, how have you been doing? Today I'm here with a mystery book from modern literature. 

Check out my last review about Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg.

---

Today's review will be about the book A Slow Fire Burning, by the British author Paula Hawkins. 

Published just last year in August 2021, this is her third major book. Her first two were The Girl on the Train which became a bestseller and was turned into a film, and Into the Water. 

---

The book talks about a young man, Daniel Sutherland, that has been gruesomely murdered in his boat house on Regent's Canal, London. We see different point of views of the characters that were connected with him somehow: Laura, a troubled girl that had a one night stand with the victim and was the last person to be seen exiting the house boat; Carla, the aunt of Daniel, already mourning the recent death of another family member; and Miriam, the neighbour that found the dead body that seems to be keeping secrets from the police, though.  

Because of these three women we also see other characters that are connected to the story: Theo, the ex husband of Carla and Irene, an old lady and neighbour of Angela, Carla's sister, the mother of Daniel.

The book sees the themes of revenge and peace seeking. It makes you understand that even by always have been a good person, you never know what someone could be capable of doing when they can get revenge for the wrongs they got in life. 

---

I must say that I liked it but it didn't make me enthusiastic. I had a bit of high expectations about it, since I've read her first book The Girl on the Train and I loved it. So I was a bit expecting another psychological thriller, but I was wrong. We could think of it more as a mystery than a thriller. 

The book was short, around 315 pages, so it didn't take me much to finish it, and it kept me hooked even though not as much as I wanted, but it left me speechless on some parts, and I must say, at the end, the killer was not someone I expected, so that was a positive point for it.

I really liked the setting since I'm obsessed with the UK and London in general, so I liked to explore it even just through a book. 

For finishing, I recommend it but as I wrote above, only if you like mysteries and you're not looking for a psychological thriller (: 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

🇮🇹 Ehi, come state? Oggi sono qui con un libro giallo della letteratura moderna.

Dai un'occhiata alla mia ultima recensione su Pomodori Verdi Fritti al Café di Whistle Stop di Fannie Flagg.

---

La recensione di oggi riguarderà il libro Un Fuoco che Brucia Lento, dell'autrice britannica Paula Hawkins.

---

Pubblicato l'anno scorso nell'agosto 2021, questo è il suo terzo libro. I primi due sono stati La Ragazza del Treno, che è diventato un bestseller ed è stato trasformato in un film, e Dentro l'Acqua.

Il libro parla di un giovane, Daniel Sutherland, che è stato orribilmente assassinato nella sua casa sull'acqua sul Regent's Canal, a Londra. Vediamo punti di vista diversi dei personaggi che in qualche modo erano collegati a lui: Laura, una ragazza problematica che ha avuto un'avventura di una notte con la vittima ed è stata l'ultima persona ad essere vista uscire dalla casa galleggiante; Carla, la zia di Daniel, già in lutto per la recente scomparsa di un altro familiare; e Miriam, la vicina che ha trovato il cadavere che sembra tenere segreti alla polizia, però.

Grazie a queste tre donne vediamo anche altri personaggi che sono legati alla storia: Theo, l'ex marito di Carla e Irene, una vecchia signora e vicina di casa di Angela, la sorella di Carla, la madre di Daniel.

Il libro vede i temi della vendetta e della ricerca della pace. Ti fa capire che anche se sei sempre stata una brava persona, non sai mai cosa potrebbe essere capace di fare qualcuno quando può vendicarsi per i torti che ha avuto nella vita.

---

Devo dire che mi è piaciuto ma non mi ha entusiasmata. Avevo un po' di grandi aspettative al riguardo, dato che ho letto il suo primo libro La Ragazza del Treno e l'ho adorato. Quindi mi aspettavo un po' un altro thriller psicologico, ma mi sbagliavo. Potremmo considerarlo più un giallo che un thriller.

Il libro era breve, circa 315 pagine, quindi non ci ho messo molto a finirlo, e mi ha tenuto attaccata anche se non quanto avrei voluto, ma mi ha lasciata senza parole in alcune parti, e devo dire, a alla fine, l'assassino non era qualcuno che mi aspettavo, quindi questo era un punto a favore.

Mi è piaciuta molto l'ambientazione poiché sono ossessionata dal Regno Unito e da Londra in generale, quindi mi è piaciuto esplorarla anche solo attraverso un libro.

Per finire ve lo consiglio ma come ho scritto sopra, solo se vi piacciono i gialli e non cercate un thriller psicologico (:

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

  

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe 

by Fannie Flagg

🇬🇧 Hello, how have you been doing? Today I'm here with a small book of American Literature. 

Check out my last review about The Count of Montecristo by Alexandre Dumas :)

---

Today's review will be about the book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, by the American actress, comedian and author Fannie Flagg. 

---

The book was published in 1987 and it's set mostly in the Alabama of the late 1920s-1930s.

The story moves back to the past and present through the friendship between Evelyn Couch, a middle-aged housewife, and Ninny Threadgoode, an elderly woman who lives in the nursing home of Rose Terrace, in Birmingham, Alabama. Every week Evelyn visits Ninny, who tells her stories about her youth in Whistle Stop, a small town close to there. There, her sister-in-law, Idgie, and her friend, Ruth Jamison, ran a café. 

These stories, along with Ninny's friendship, enable Evelyn to begin a new and satisfying life, while allowing the people and stories of Ninny's past to live on. 

In the past flashbacks we see the life of the Threadgoode family with their members: Mama and Papa Threadgoode, their many kids, like Buddy, Leona, Cleo, Idgie, and so on. We also see Sipsey Peavey's big family, the chef of the café, a strong black woman, and Idgie's friend Ruth and her hard past. 

The book treats all the possibile themes you could find: from family to ageing, from lesbianism to the dehumanising effects of racism on both black and white people. It explores also the themes of rape, domestic violence and feminism. 

It gained so much success that it was made into a movie in 1991 where you can find Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy, respectively as Evelyn and Ninny. 

Food is also an important theme of the book, in fact at the end of it you can find the famous recipe of Sipsey for the fried green tomatoes :) If you'll ever visit Alabama, here you can find the original cafe: Irondale Cafe

---

I bought this book because I've always been interested in watching the film and I was not disappointed in this story at all. 

I really liked the themes because sadly all of them, the bad and the good ones are still very present in our society, especially the bad ones which we are still not able to extirpate. I could not believe that some of those things actually happened, it seemed like a world of fantasy, which clearly and sadly it is not. 

I've finished it in a little time, because it's of around 350 pages, so short for my standards, but I also was reading it fast because I was hooked since the first page. The stories, the people, the places, I felt connected, to each one of them. Whistle Stop felt like a safe place, a refuge where you could hide when you felt that everything else was going wrong. The people felt like a second family, someone that you would never want to separate from. 

I cried so much at the ending, not only because it's sad, but also because I felt like I didn't want to really let it go. I'm going to miss them all. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

🇮🇹 Ciao, come sta andando? Oggi sono qui con un piccolo libro della letteratura americana.

Date un'occhiata alla mia ultima recensione su Il Conte di Montecristo di Alexandre Dumas :)

---

La recensione di oggi riguarderà il libro Pomodori Verdi Fritta al Caffè di Whistle Stop, dell'attrice, comica e autrice americana Fannie Flagg.

---

Il libro è stato pubblicato nel 1987 ed è ambientato principalmente nell'Alabama tra la fine degli anni '20 e gli anni '30.

La storia torna nel passato e nel presente attraverso l'amicizia tra Evelyn Couch, una casalinga di mezza età, e Ninny Threadgoode, una donna anziana che vive nella casa di cura di Rose Terrace, a Birmingham, in Alabama. Ogni settimana Evelyn fa visita a Ninny, che racconta le sue storie sulla sua giovinezza a Whistle Stop, una piccola città lì vicino. Lì, sua cognata, Idgie, e la sua amica, Ruth Jamison, gestivano un caffè.

Queste storie, insieme all'amicizia di Ninny, consentono a Evelyn di iniziare una vita nuova e soddisfacente, consentendo al tempo stesso alle persone e alle storie del passato di Ninny di vivere.

Nei flashback passati vediamo la vita della famiglia Threadgoode con i suoi membri: mamma e papà Threadgoode, i loro tanti figli, come Buddy, Leona, Cleo, Idgie e così via. Vediamo anche la grande famiglia di Sipsey Peavey, la chef del bar, una forte donna di colore e l'amica di Idgie, Ruth e il suo duro passato.

Il libro tratta tutti i possibili temi che potresti trovare: dalla famiglia all'invecchiamento, dal lesbismo agli effetti disumanizzanti del razzismo sui bianchi e neri. Esplora anche i temi dello stupro, della violenza domestica e del femminismo.

Ha ottenuto così tanto successo che è stato trasformato in un film nel 1991 in cui puoi trovare Kathy Bates e Jessica Tandy, rispettivamente nei panni di Evelyn e Ninny.

Anche il cibo è un tema importante del libro, infatti alla fine potete trovare la famosa ricetta di Sipsey per i pomodori verdi fritti :) Se visiterete mai l'Alabama, qui potete trovare il caffè originale: Irondale Cafe

---

Ho comprato questo libro perché sono sempre stata interessata a guardare il film e questa storia non mi ha affatto deluso.

Mi sono piaciuti molto i temi perché purtroppo tutti, cattivi e buoni, sono ancora molto presenti nella nostra società, soprattutto quelli cattivi che non siamo ancora in grado di estirpare. Non potevo credere che alcune di queste cose fossero realmente accadute, sembrava un mondo di fantasia, che chiaramente e purtroppo non lo è.

L'ho finito in poco tempo, perché è di circa 350 pagine, quindi corto per i miei standard, ma l'ho letto anche velocemente perché mi sono appassionata sin dalla prima pagina. Le storie, le persone, i luoghi, mi sono sentita connessa, a ognuno di loro. Whistle Stop sembrava un posto sicuro, un rifugio dove nascondersi quando sentivi che tutto il resto stava andando storto. Le persone le sentivo come una seconda famiglia, qualcuno da cui non vorresti mai separarti.

Ho pianto così tanto alla fine, non solo perché è triste, ma anche perché mi sentivo come se non volessi lasciarli andare davvero. Mi mancheranno tutti.

The Count of Montecristo by Alexandre Dumas

 

The Count of Montecristo

by Alexandre Dumas

🇬🇧 Hi, hope you're all doing fine! Today I'm here with a big classic of the French Literature. 

Check out my last review about Le Vicende di Sinville - Denny Galati, my first ever IG Collaboration :)

---

Today's review will be about the book The Count of Montecristo, by the French author Alexandre Dumas (father). 

---

The book was published in 1844 and it's considered to be one of his most famous works, along with The Three Musketeers. 

It is divided into three main volumes, each focusing on the main character of the story and his vicissitudes. 

The story takes place in many places, especially France and Italy during the historical events of 1815-1839, which is the era of the Bourbon Restoration through the reign of the King Louis-Philippe of France. It begins though on the day that Napoleon left his first island of exile, Elba, an Italian island in the Tuscan archipelago. That's how the Hundred Days period when he goes back to power begins. 

The historical setting is an important part of the book, since it's a story about the themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness.

It focuses on a man, the 19 years old sailor, Edmond Dantès, who has soon as he returns to Marseille with the Pharaon, the ship he works on, he's ready to marry the girl of his dreams, his fiancée Mercédès. But Edmond is then falsely accused of treason, arrested, and imprisoned without trial in the Château d'If, a prison island off the shores of Marseille. 

A fellow prisoner, in the cell next to his, Abbé Faria, correctly deduces that the ones that turned him in were Fernand Mondego, the cousin of Mercédès, an envious crewmate Danglars, and double-face magistrate De Villefort. Faria will inspire Edmond to survive and escape from the prison, guiding him to a treasure that will enrich him.

As the powerful and mysterious Count of Montecristo (as the Italian island in the Tuscan archipelago), Dantès arrives from the Orient to enter the fashionable Parisian world of the 1830s and avenge himself on the men who destroyed him. 

The book concludes with a phrase that describes our world entirely: "All human wisdom is contained in these two words: Wait and Hope".

---

I received the book as a birthday gift from my mum, together with Anna Karenina. This time the book was a bit bigger, around 1000 pages, but it was totally worth it.

First of all, I've spent around a bit more than a month to finish it, so I'm impressed with myself; second of all, the book was actually so good that I've rooted for Edmond the whole time. 

The story was really intriguing, and it ran smoothly. I felt connected to some characters such as the Count, Valentine and Maximilien, while I despised some like the whole family Danglars and Villefort, and of course Fernand. 

I really liked how it showed the society of the time and the historical part too, because I've actually learned more of the things I've studied about it in school. 

Through the whole book I fell in love with the character of the Count, as he is one of the best written ones in the history of books. The ending made me cry of joy and sadness at the same time, which is why it was the perfect way of finishing it.

The book is totally recommended if you're into classics, and even if you're not, because you truly can't miss this one and I'm so glad my mum bought it for me :) Thanks mum! 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

🇮🇹 Ciao, spero che stiate tutti bene! Oggi sono qui con un grande classico della letteratura francese.

Dai un'occhiata alla mia ultima recensione su Le Vicende di Sinville - Denny Galati, la mia prima collaborazione IG in assoluto :)

---

La recensione di oggi riguarderà il libro Il Conte di Montecristo, dell'autore francese Alexandre Dumas (padre).

---

Il libro è stato pubblicato nel 1844 ed è considerato una delle sue opere più famose, insieme a I Tre Moschettieri.

È diviso in tre volumi principali, ciascuno incentrato sul personaggio principale della storia e sulle sue vicissitudini.

La storia si svolge in molti luoghi, in particolare in Francia e in Italia durante gli eventi storici del 1815-1839, che è l'era della Restaurazione borbonica durante il regno del re Luigi Filippo di Francia. Comincia però il giorno in cui Napoleone lasciò la sua prima isola d'esilio, l'Elba, un'isola italiana nell'arcipelago toscano. È così che inizia il periodo dei Cento giorni in cui torna al potere.

L'ambientazione storica è una parte importante del libro, poiché è una storia sui temi della speranza, della giustizia, della vendetta, della misericordia e del perdono.

È incentrato su un uomo, il marinaio diciannovenne, Edmond Dantès, che appena tornato a Marsiglia con il Pharaon, la nave su cui lavora, è pronto a sposare la ragazza dei suoi sogni, la sua fidanzata Mercédès. Ma Edmond viene poi falsamente accusato di tradimento, arrestato e imprigionato senza processo nel Castello d'If, un'isola carceraria al largo di Marsiglia.

Un compagno di prigionia, nella cella accanto alla sua, l'abate Faria, deduce correttamente che quelli che lo hanno consegnato erano Fernand Mondego, il cugino di Mercédès, un invidioso compagno di squadra Danglars, e il magistrato doppio-giochista Villefort. Faria ispirerà Edmond a sopravvivere e fuggire dalla prigione, guidandolo verso un tesoro che lo arricchirà.

Come il potente e misterioso Conte di Montecristo (come l'isola italiana nell'arcipelago toscano), Dantès arriva dall'Oriente per entrare nel mondo alla moda parigino degli anni Trenta dell'Ottocento e vendicarsi degli uomini che lo hanno distrutto.

Il libro si conclude con una frase che descrive interamente il nostro mondo: "Tutta la saggezza umana è racchiusa in queste due parole: Aspettare e Sperare".

---

Ho ricevuto il libro come regalo di compleanno da mia mamma, insieme ad Anna Karenina. Questa volta il libro era un po' più grande, circa 1000 pagine, ma ne è valsa la pena.

Prima di tutto, ho impiegato poco più di un mese per finirlo, quindi sono impressionata da me stessa; secondo, il libro era davvero così bello che ho fatto il tifo per Edmond per tutto il tempo.

La storia è stata davvero intrigante e si è svolta senza intoppi. Mi sentivo legata ad alcuni personaggi come il Conte, Valentine e Maximilien, mentre disprezzavo alcuni come l'intera famiglia Danglars e Villefort, e ovviamente Fernand.

Mi è piaciuto molto il modo in cui ha mostrato la società del tempo e anche la parte storica, perché in realtà ho imparato di più delle cose che ho studiato a scuola.

Per tutto il libro mi sono innamorata del personaggio del Conte, perché è uno degli scritti in modo migliore nella storia dei libri. Il finale mi ha fatto piangere di gioia e tristezza allo stesso tempo, motivo per cui è stato il modo perfetto per finirlo.

Il libro è assolutamente consigliato se ti piacciono i classici, e anche se non ti piacciono, perché non puoi davvero perderti questo e sono così felice che mia mamma l'abbia comprato per me :) Grazie mamma!

Le Vicende di SinVille - Denny Galati

 

Le Vicende di SinVille

di Denny Galati

🇮🇹 Ciao, spero che voi stiate bene. Oggi la recensione sarà in italiano in quanto ho avuto l'onore di ricevere la richiesta per una collaborazione su Instagram da un autore emergente (:

Date un'occhiata alla mia ultima recensione su Anna Karenina di Lev Tolstoj :)

---

La recensione di oggi riguarderà il libro Le Vicende di SinVille, dell'autore italiano Denny Galati.

---

Prima di tutto vorrei ringraziare l'autore dell'opportunità e della fiducia datami per recensire il suo libro, in quanto questo mi rende molto felice.

Il libro è una short story di circa 50 pagine, strutturata in capitoli ognuno con un titolo di anticipazione a ciò che ci aspetta in seguito.

La storia narra le vicende di un uomo, Daniel, che sperduto e affamato si ritrova in un paese all'apparenza di altri tempi lontani da noi, ma che ben presto si mostra come un luogo abbandonato da Dio e pieno di gente egoista e arrogante. 

Ma non tutti appaiono così. Fin dall'inizio del libro infatti abbiamo l'eccezione a questo peccato, tramutata nella figura gentile e altruista di un ragazzo, Lyston, che viene incontrato dal nostro protagonista al primo locale poco fuori dal paese di SinVille: il Boccanale. Lyston qui suona il pianoforte mentre i clienti si intrattengono con alcool e prostitute.

Ma la vita di Lyston non è tutta rosa e fiori, nel secondo capitolo della storia infatti capiamo un po' di più cosa deve subire e perché agisce diversamente da tutti gli altri.

La ragione per cui questa città e i suoi abitanti si comportano in modo strano è dovuta al Grande Circo di SinVille. Il proprietario del posto infatti, in combutta con il sindaco ha vietato ogni forma di arte al di fuori del tendone del circo, in quanto verrebbero considerati come concorrenza, il che non gioverebbe ai circensi.

Poco dopo viene presentato un altro personaggio importante della storia: Berry. Un anziano signore che viene pestato quasi a morte dai gendarmi per aver raccontato una storia al sacerdote della chiesa del posto. Raccontare una storia è considerata anch'essa una forma d'arte, e per questo illegale. Daniel aiuta Berry affrontando i gendarmi, e sembra esser l'unico veramente disponibile ad aiutare il prossimo, in quanto gli altri cittadini passavano senza degnar di uno sguardo la scena. Una scena che non sembra poi molto diversa dagli scenari in cui viviamo sinceramente. Il menefreghismo ci ha purtroppo avvolto. 

Berry porta Daniel al "Rifugio", un luogo speciale e importante per la storia, che ha così inizio. 

---

Il libro mi è molto piaciuto in quanto conteneva molti temi, quali il femminismo con la figura di Nadia, o le tematiche LGBT con Sasia e anche l'uguaglianza dei sessi con la figura gentile di Daniel. 

Ho trovato alcune citazioni bellissime e molte scene poetiche, quali quella al laghetto alla fine della Galleria del Rifugio, forse anche dovuto al fatto dell'utilizzo del salice piangente come separé. 

"Non sono buono, sono giusto. Mi hanno insegnato a rispettare tutti. Mi hanno insegnato che obbedire agli ordini di una donna è da uomo maturo ma che accettare le sue pretenziosità è da uomo codardo. Realizzare i suoi desideri è da uomo forte ma assecondare i suoi capricci è da uomo debole. Comprendere le sue esigenze è da uomo saggio ma subire le sue ingiustizie è da uomo stolto." 

Mi è dispiaciuto molto quanto Nadia e Sasia abbiano sofferto nel corso delle loro vite e anche ciò che è capitato a Berry. Il finale però è stato molto sensato, in quanto adesso Daniel porterà avanti il lavoro fatto e probabilmente inizierà a combattere la tirannia. 

Voi ci vivreste mai in un mondo senza arte? Un mondo in cui è vietato fare ciò che vi appassiona? 

"Esistono due tipi di artisti: chi fa arte per nascondersi dai riflettori, e chi fa arte per finire sotto i riflettori. Per me l'arte è un dovere morale dell'umanità di creare opere e metterle in circolo, non uno strumento per raggiungere la fame. Si crea per donare, non per vanità. L'arte è umiltà."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

🇬🇧 Hi, I hope you are well. Today the review will be in Italian firstly as I had the honor of receiving the request for a collaboration on Instagram from an emerging author (:

Check out my latest review on Anna Karenina by Lev Tolstoy :)

---

Today's review will cover the book Le Vicende di SinVille, by the Italian author Denny Galati.

---

First of all I would like to thank the author for the opportunity and the trust given to me to review his book, as this makes me very happy.

The book is a short story of about 50 pages, structured in chapters each with a title anticipating what awaits us next.

The story tells the events of a guy, Daniel, who, lost and hungry, finds himself in a town that appears to be distant in time from us, but which soon shows itself as a place abandoned by God and full of selfish and arrogant people.

But not everyone looks like this. In fact, from the beginning of the book we have the exception to this sin, transformed into the kind and altruistic figure of a boy, Lyston, who is met by our protagonist at the first place just outside the town of SinVille: the Boccanale. Lyston plays the piano here while customers indulge in booze and hookers.

But Lyston's life is not a bed of roses, in the second chapter of the story we understand a little more what he has to suffer and why he acts differently from everyone else.

The reason this city and its inhabitants behave strangely is due to the Great Circus of SinVille. In fact, the owner of the place, in league with the mayor, has banned all forms of art outside the circus tent, as they would be considered as competition, which would not benefit circus performers.

Soon after, another important character in the story is introduced: Berry. An elderly gentleman who is nearly beaten to death by gendarmes for telling a story to the local church priest. Telling a story is also considered an art form, and therefore illegal. Daniel helps Berry by facing the gendarmes, and he seems to be the only one really available to help others, as the other citizens passed the scene without noticing. A scene that does not seem very different from the scenarios in which we sincerely live. The indifference has unfortunately surrounded us.

Berry takes Daniel to the "Refuge", a special and important place for the story, which thus begins.

---

I liked the book very much as it contained many themes, such as feminism with the figure of Nadia, or LGBT themes with Sasia and also gender equality with the gentle figure of Daniel.

I found some beautiful quotes and many poetic scenes, such as the one at the pond at the end of the Galleria del Rifugio, perhaps also due to the use of the weeping willow as a booth.

"I'm not good, I'm fair. They taught me to respect everyone. They taught me that obeying a woman's orders is like being a mature man but that accepting her pretentiousness is like being a cowardly man. Realizing her desires is like being a strong man but indulging his whims is like that of a weak man. Understanding his needs is like a wise man, but to suffer his injustices is like being a foolish man. "

I was very sorry how much Nadia and Sasia have suffered over the course of their lives and also what happened to Berry. The ending made a lot of sense though, as Daniel will now carry on with the work he has done and will likely start fighting tyranny.

Would you ever live there in a world without art? A world where it is forbidden to do what you are passionate about?

"There are two types of artists: those who make art to hide from the spotlight, and those who make art to end up in the spotlight. For me, art is a moral duty of humanity to create works and put them in circulation, not a tool to achieve hunger. It is created to give, not out of vanity. Art is humility. "

Anna Karenina by Lev Tolstoj

Anna Karenina

by Lev Tolstoj

🇬🇧 Hello, hope you're all okay in this cold February :) Have you been watching the Olympics? What team are you rooting for? ;) Today I'm here with a big classic of the Russian Literature. 

Check out my last review about A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson :)

---

Today's review will be about the book Anna Karenina, by the Russian author Lev Tolstoj. 

---

The book was published in 1877 and appeared firstly in episodes on the magazine Russkij vestnik. 

The novel is divided into eight parts, but the length of each chapter is not so long. It is considered a masterpiece of realism and as all the writers during their times of living, the book was not appreciated until his after many years later. 

The first part of the book works as a sort of introduction to the protagonists of the novel. It introduces to us the first character of the story: Stepan Arkadyevich Oblonsky, also called "Stiva", that cheated on his wife Darya "Dolly" Alexandrovna Oblonskaya. He calls for help from his sister, Anna Arkadyevna Karenina, our main protagonist of the story. She arrives in Moscow where she tries to helps them to patch up their relationship. 

In the meantime, a childhood friend of Stiva comes to town as well, Konstantin "Kostya" Dmitrievich Levin/Lyovin. He's in fact infatuated of Dolly's younger sister, Ekaterina "Kitty" Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya. The young man proposes to her but she refuses him because she's more attracted by a young official: Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky, who will become the other main protagonist of the story, because here in Moscow that's where he meets Anna. The two will fall passionately in love, but Anna is married and has a child as well. 

In the other parts we will see how this will affect her life, her marriage, her spot in the society, and the relations she had with the other nobles. 

The book deals with the themes of betrayal, faith (especially connected to the sacrament of marriage), family, Imperial Russian society, desire, love, and rural vs city life. 

Trains are a motif through the whole book, with lots of important events and plot points taking place at the train station or on a train. 

The story has been so appreciated that has been turned into many films, opera ballets, theatre plays, and so on. 

---

I received the book as a birthday gift from my mum and I was a bit scared by the size of the book, since it's around 800 pages, and by the fact that I started it three years before but I wasn't feeling hooked by it. This time instead I really enjoyed it, I reached also my goal of reading it in less than one month, and I made it with three days of advance. 

The story was really intriguing and the fact that the chapters were really short helped me probably to read it faster. I felt connected to some characters while despised some, which I guess made it even better, because you realise how much a book is well written when you empathise with some of the characters and realise how realistic they are all of them even after centuries that they have been written. 

I really liked how it portrayed the society and how much it was so similar to ours now, even after so much time has passed. Especially about the behaviour of others against Anna while against the other men who cheated everyone was acting the same way around them. 

Through the whole book I didn't like the way Anna acted, especially against her husband and son, but at the end (not going to spoil what happens) I understood her, understood her pain and why she acted that way, which made the ending even better. 

The book is totally recommended if you're into classics, and even if you're not, because you truly can't miss this one and I'm so glad my mum bought it for me :) Thanks mum! 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

🇮🇹 Ciao, spero che voi stiate bene durante questo freddo febbraio :) State guardando le Olimpiadi? Per quale team fate il tifo? ;) Oggi sono qui con un grande classico della letteratura russa.

Date un'occhiata alla mia ultima recensione su Come Uccidono le Brave Ragazze di Holly Jackson :)

---

La recensione di oggi riguarderà il libro Anna Karenina, dell'autore russo Lev Tolstoj.

---

Il libro è stato pubblicato nel 1877 ed è apparso per la prima volta in episodi sulla rivista Russkij vestnik.

Il romanzo è diviso in otto parti, ma la lunghezza di ogni capitolo non è così lunga. È considerato un capolavoro di realismo e come tutti gli scrittori durante i loro tempi di vita, il libro non fu apprezzato fino a molti anni dopo.

La prima parte del libro funziona come una sorta di introduzione ai protagonisti del romanzo. Ci presenta il primo personaggio della storia: Stepàn Arkad'ič Oblonskij, chiamato anche "Stiva", che ha tradito sua moglie Dar'ja "Dolly" Aleksàndrovna Oblonskaja. Chiede aiuto a sua sorella, Anna Arkàd'evna Karenina, la nostra protagonista principale della storia. Arriva a Mosca dove cerca di aiutarli a ricucire la loro relazione.

Nel frattempo, arriva in città anche un amico d'infanzia di Stiva, Konstantin "Kostya" Dmìtrič Lèvin. È infatti infatuato della sorella minore di Dolly, Ekaterina "Kitty" Aleksàndrovna Ščerbàckaja. Il giovane le fa la proposta ma lei rifiuta perché più attratta da un giovane ufficiale: Aleksèj Kirìllovič Vrònskij, che diventerà l'altro protagonista principale della storia, perché qui a Mosca è lì che incontra Anna. I due si innamoreranno appassionatamente, ma Anna è sposata e ha anche un figlio.

Nelle altre parti vedremo come questo influenzerà la sua vita, il suo matrimonio, il suo posto nella società e le relazioni che aveva con gli altri nobili.

Il libro affronta i temi del tradimento, della fede (in particolare legata al sacramento del matrimonio), della famiglia, della società imperiale russa, del desiderio, dell'amore e della vita rurale contro quella di città.

I treni sono un tema ricorrente in tutto il libro, con molti eventi importanti e punti della trama che si svolgono alla stazione ferroviaria o su un treno.

La storia è stata così apprezzata che è stata trasformata in molti film, balletti d'opera, spettacoli teatrali e così via.

---

Ho ricevuto il libro come regalo di compleanno da mia mamma ed ero un po' spaventata dalle dimensioni del libro, dato che è di circa 800 pagine, e dal fatto che l'ho iniziai tre anni prima ma non mi prese moltissimo. Questa volta invece mi è piaciuto molto, ho raggiunto anche il mio obiettivo di leggerlo in meno di un mese, e ce l'ho fatta con tre giorni di anticipo.

La storia era davvero intrigante e il fatto che i capitoli fossero molto brevi mi ha probabilmente aiutato a leggerla più velocemente. Mi sono sentita legato ad alcuni personaggi mentre ne disprezzavo alcuni, il che immagino lo abbia reso ancora migliore, perché ti rendi conto di quanto un libro sia ben scritto quando entri in empatia con alcuni personaggi e capisci quanto siano realistici tutti loro anche dopo secoli che sono stati scritti.

Mi è piaciuto molto il modo in cui ritraeva la società e quanto fosse così simile alla nostra ora, anche dopo che è passato così tanto tempo. Soprattutto sul comportamento degli altri contro Anna mentre contro gli altri uomini che tradivano tutti si comportavano allo stesso modo intorno a loro.

Attraverso tutto il libro non mi è piaciuto il modo in cui Anna ha agito, soprattutto nei confronti di suo marito e suo figlio, ma alla fine (senza rovinare ciò che accade) l'ho capita, capito il suo dolore e perché si è comportata in quel modo, il che ha reso il finale ancora meglio.

Il libro è assolutamente consigliato se ti piacciono i classici, e anche se non ti piacciono, perché non puoi davvero perderti questo e sono così felice che mia madre me l'abbia comprato :) Grazie mamma!

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

by Holly Jackson

🇬🇧 Hi, hope you're all doing okay :) Today I'm here with a mystery thriller for young adults. 

Check out my last review about The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett :)

---

Today's review will be about the book A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, by the British author Holly Jackson. 

---

The book was published in 2019 and is followed by three other books: Good Girl, Bad Blood (2020); As Good as Dead (2021) and the new one Kill Joy (2021). 

The story revolves around Pippa "Pip" Fitz-Amobi, a student at the last year of high school that for her final exam decides to take an intriguing but dangerous topic: a murder that happened five years before in her town, Little Kilton. 

After the disappearance of Andrea "Andie" Bell, the most popular girl in school, her boyfriend Salil "Sal" Singh is being accused of having murdered her. Soon after that, he will be found dead in the woods after he killed himself. 

Pip's researches will uncover terrifying things and dark secrets that people kept to themselves. Nothing is as it seems. 

And most important, not everyone seems available to help her. Someone doesn't want her to find the truth and threatens to endanger her and her family. 

But what did really happen in Little Kilton? Was Sal really the killer? Is Andie really dead? 

The novel is revolved to young adults and includes pages with photos of emails and diaries as proves of her researches, but can be read by anyone. It's really easily written and goes smoothly. 

---

I bought it because the plot really attracted me and I've seen that everyone loved it so I decided to go through with it and I wasn't disappointed. 

I literally devoured it in 3 days because I couldn't keep myself from not reading it. 

The story was so intriguing that I felt connected to the characters and I wanted to uncover the truth with them. 

The ending was just perfect and made justice to the happenings of the book. 

I've found also really good that the author put the proves that Pip was collecting as prints, photos, and so on, so you could really study the case along with her. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

🇮🇹 Ciao, spero che stiate tutti bene :) Oggi sono qui con un thriller misterioso per giovani adulti.

Dai un'occhiata alla mia ultima recensione su La Metà Scomparsa di Brit Bennett :)

---

La recensione di oggi riguarderà il libro Come Uccidono le Brave Ragazze, dell'autrice britannica Holly Jackson.

---

Il libro è stato pubblicato nel 2019 ed è seguito da altri tre libri: Good Girl, Bad Blood (2020); As Good as Dead (2021) e il nuovo Kill Joy (2021).

La storia ruota attorno a Pippa "Pip" Fitz-Amobi, una studentessa dell'ultimo anno di liceo che per il suo esame finale decide di affrontare un argomento intrigante ma pericoloso: un omicidio avvenuto cinque anni prima nella sua città, Little Kilton.

Dopo la scomparsa di Andrea "Andie" Bell, la ragazza più popolare della scuola, il suo fidanzato Salil "Sal" Singh viene accusato di averla uccisa. Subito dopo, verrà trovato morto nel bosco dopo essersi ucciso.

Le ricerche di Pip scopriranno cose terrificanti e oscuri segreti che le persone si tengono per sé. Niente è come sembra.

E, soprattutto, non tutti sembrano disponibili ad aiutarla. Qualcuno non vuole che trovi la verità e minaccia di mettere in pericolo lei e la sua famiglia.

Ma cosa è successo davvero a Little Kilton? Sal era davvero l'assassino? Andie è davvero morta?

Il romanzo è rivolto ai giovani adulti e include pagine con foto di e-mail e diari a testimonianza delle sue ricerche, ma può essere letto da chiunque. È davvero facile da leggere e scorre velocemente.

---

L'ho comprato perché la trama mi ha davvero attratto e ho visto che tutti lo adoravano, quindi ho deciso di andare fino in fondo e non sono rimasta delusa.

L'ho letteralmente divorato in 3 giorni perché non potevo trattenermi dal non leggerlo.

La storia era così intrigante che mi sentivo in contatto con i personaggi e volevo scoprire la verità con loro.

Il finale è stato semplicemente perfetto e ha reso giustizia agli avvenimenti del libro.

Ho anche trovato molto positivo che l'autrice abbia messo le prove che Pip stava raccogliendo come stampe, foto e così via, così da sentirti come se stessi davvero studiando il caso insieme a lei.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

 A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR)

by Sarah J. Maas

Hello there :) Here I am with another review of the first book of a saga that has been populating the bookstagram. 

Check out my last review about One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez :)

---

Today's review will be about the book A Court of Thorns and Roses, known also with the acronym ACOTAR, by the American author Sarah J. Maas. 

---

It is a pretty recent young adult fantasy novel, written in 2015 and followed by other five books: A Court of Mist and Fury; A Court of Wings and Ruins; A Court of Frost and Starlight; A Court of Silver Flames. 

The story follows the journey of the human girl, Feyre Archeron, beginning with her struggled life with her father and her two sisters, Nesta and Elain. Their survival rests upon Feyre's ability to hunt and kill. The forest where she lives is a cold place with long winter months. So when she finally spots a deer after a long time of starvation, this animal gets followed by a wolf, and she can't resist hunting it for the flesh and the fur. But by doing so, she kills the predator and killing something so precious always comes at a price. 

Turns out, this wolf was Andras, a faerie from an ancient magical kingdom behind the wall that separates Prythian from the mortal realm. 

She is then being dragged into Prythian for the murder of a magical being, which goes against the treaty between faeries and humans, according to Tamlin, her new captor. His face, obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than piercing green eyes. 

Her presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, she will have to deal with an evil blight and curses that are not going to only threaten Prythian, but the human world as well. Her feelings for Tamlin turn from hostility to passion as the lands become even more dangerous. 

Feyre must break an ancient curse to fight the blight that is going to change things forever. Will she able to? Will things change? 

---

I started this book because everyone on Bookstagram seems to be obsessed with it, but I've heard lots of reviews, either good and bad, some of them saying that the book was really boring, and to be honest, that's exactly how I felt through the whole book. 

While I was reading it, I was leaving small thoughts about it on Goodreads and Instagram as I do with all the book I read, and some people commented to me that yes, sadly the first part is a bit slow but from the half of the book it becomes more interesting. To be fair, though, I didn't get to the interesting part at all. Once I finished it, I was really glad it was over :/

So my vote is 2/5.

If you like faeries and young adult fantasy, though, you should give it a try. This is just my opinion, maybe you'll enjoy it ;)

Mr Mercedes by Stephen King

  Mr Mercedes

by Stephen King

Hello :) Today I will be reviewing another book from Mr King.  

Check out my last review about the Misérables by Victor Hugo :)

---

The review of today is of the book Mr Mercedes by the American author Stephen King. 

---

The book is the first one of a trilogy that concentrates around the stories of Bill Hodges, an ex detective now in retirement and Holly Gibney, a woman that suffers from multiple tics. 

Mr Mercedes focuses on the still opened case of the homonymous killer, known as Brady, afterwards in the story, that killed lots of people standing in front of the Auditorium where a job fair would have been taking place later in the morning for unemployed people. 

Hodges is going in retirement right after this case happens and Brady, is somehow obsessed with him that he starts spying on him daily and then risks to send him an anonymous letter telling him he's the one that did it. 

Thanks to the help of Janey Patterson, the sister of Olivia Trelawney, the girl whose Mercedes has been stolen, and later on of Holly Gibney, Janey's cousin, will try to resolve the case, not letting the police know. 

Will everything go according to plan? Will they manage to catch the bad guy? Or is it going to be too hard since Brady will show his true colours of being a complete deviant. 

---

I actually liked it a lot but if I need to be honest, I wouldn't pick it as my favourite of his. I preferred way much The Outsider, but we also need to consider that they're two different genres. 

Mr Mercedes is crime while The Outsider is supernatural. 

Anyway, it was a really enjoyable reading even though the guy was a complete psychopath and lots of time I felt like I just wanted to smack the book away haha

At then end I would rate it 4/5 :)

Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe

Short Stories

by Edgar Allan Poe

Hello :) Today's review is about the famous horror novelist par excellence.

Check out my last review about The Picture of Dorian Gray :)

---

The book I'm reviewing today is about a group of short stories by the American writer Edgar Allan Poe. 

---

The stories were pretty easy to read and it was going fluently because it's not so full of harsh words. Just sometimes there are some foreigner words, but thankfully I'm polyglot :)

It's a collection of ten short stories, including: 

The Fall of The House of Usher; The Murders in the Rue Morgue; The Pit and the Pendulum; The Masque of the Red Death; The Black Cat; The Tell-Tale Heart; The Premature Burial; The Facts in the Case of M. Valdermar; The Cask of Amontillado and Hop-Frog. 

The first one hasn't really been the most scariest of them all in my opinion, but it's still pretty enjoyable to read. They probably put it as the first to prepare you for the gruesome ones that will follow :)

The second is definitely one of the most disturbing ones, especially when he's describing the two cadavers of the ladies in Rue Morgue. This short story presents some French words, since it's set in Paris, so be ready with a dictionary if you haven't study French ;)

The third was a bit creepy considering that he's trapped in a cell with rats trying to devouring him, but otherwise it was a pretty interesting one too. 

The fourth started a bit slow and I was really scared I would have been disappointed by it but the finale was just amazing, if we can say that about a horror. 

The fifth, the Black Cat, is, by far, the one I enjoyed the most, I liked how the cruelty of the human against the little creature then backfired him. 

The sixth was quite creepy as well, especially because the old man in it had a scary eye that tormented also the protagonist. 

The seventh, well, I think I speak for all of us when I say that that's probably one of the main nightmares of everyone, being buried alive. Who isn't scared of that? 

The last three were full of death and violence as well, especially the last one, it had a finale that I would have never expected. 

---

So to conclude this, I loved it. 

I didn't have many expectations about it, because it was the first time I've read any of his stories, except his poem The Raven. 

I need to say that one story after the other I was captured into this poetic style of writing and right now I can't even choose my favourite one anymore, I adored them all :)

Ten Days in a Madhouse by Nellie Bly

Ten Days in a Madhouse

by Nellie Bly

Hi everyone :) Here I am with another review. This book has been recommended by the same friend that gave me Purple Hibiscus in the previous  review :)

---

The short novel I'll talk about today is Ten Days in a Madhouse by the American journalist Nellie Bly.

---

The novel was really easy to read because there weren't any hard words that could have been used in the old English of those times, or maybe I'm just to used to read classic book from those days :'D

It was published as a series of articles from the personal experience of the writer that played to be insane to show the people how the patients were really treated in those facilities and what they had to go through on a daily basis. 

She investigated the brutality on women in the Women Asylum of Blackwell's Island. 

---

I must say that so far it has been my favourite of this year, also thanks to the fact that I already knew her story that was drew in the graphic novel book Brazen (Culottées in French) by the French illustrator Pénélope Bagieu, which I already did my review about. (Go check it out if you'd like to know more ;) )

Some of the scenes portrayed were, of course, disturbing, because you never realise how much can people be cruel to others until it's not shown. 

The cruelty of the doctors and nurses on the patient, which most of them weren't even really insane, was just too much too handle. 

A particularly memorable scene were the baths that the patients received. The water was way too cold for them to stay healthy, and buckets of water were literally poured over their heads while the other patients were rubbing and washed the other in the tub. The bath water was almost never changed, with many patients bathing in the same dirty water. When the water was changed, rarely, the staff didn't even take care to wash off the bathtub, but just throwing the next patient right into the filthy tub. The most disturbing part was, for sure, the fact that they all shared towels and healthy patients were forced to dry themselves with the ones previously used by others with skin inflammations, boils, or open sores.

The ending part was what I liked the least, because it made me really annoyed by how the facility acted when Nellie finally got the court to investigate into it, but I'm not going to spoil you more, so if you're interested go check this little masterpiece out :)

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Purple Hibiscus

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Hello everyone ;) I'm back again with another review. I've received this book from my ex-roommate and now friend that I've met during my European Volunteering Service experience in Slovenia. 

---

The book I'll talk about today is The Purple Hibiscus by the Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. 

---

The book was quite tough to read, and not because of the language, since, even if it was written in French, it was quite easy to understand, except, of course, for the Nigerian words, which thankfully there was a "small dictionary" for them at the end, which I found helpful. 

The book is set in a postcolonial Nigeria and it revolves around the main character Kambili, of 15 years old, at least for most of the book, the last part will be "the present time" when she's young adult. She's part of a wealthy family, where the Catholic-leading figure is played by the father, Eugene, an abusive man against both the wife and their kids, Kambili and Jaja. 

The story is told through her eyes and will be full of events, all revolving on faith and violence.

---

I must admit that I liked the book, but it wasn't my all time favourites I've read this year so far. I've found some parts a bit boring, especially the beginning parts. The ones with violence were a bit disturbing and I had to stop few times, especially on the miscarriage one. 

But anyways it was an enjoyable book that had a sort of happy ending that I wasn't expecting at all, so it managed to surprise me for good. 

I'm planning to read other books from her, so this one was a total yes that made me discover an amazing writer of our modern times :)

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoul

                                                      Small Great Things

by Jodi Picoult

Hello everyone ;) For this month my review will be about a book that I received as a surprise gift for a giveaway on which I choose the book The Colour Purple. The girl was so nice to gift me also another book, which happened to be this one above :)

---

I'm going to do a review of Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. I had really no expectations because I didn't know the writer before and never heard of the book either. As soon as I read the plot though, I was already intrigued. 

---

The book surprised me for good. I like the topic of racism but I was never so into modern novels. Still haven't found so many to actually like. But this one was amazing, and I didn't expect it. 

The main character, Ruth, is a nurse that lose her jobs because of Naziskin Turk, whose newborn baby died of suffocation. The blame was, of course, set on Ruth, because she was the last one that tried to make the kid breathe again, even if she was not supposed to because the parents of the baby didn't want any African-American to touch or get close to them and their baby. 

The book is the experience of a brave woman that tries to get back her job and get justice through the help of the advocate Kennedy.

---

The part I've found most interesting, though, is that you have different points of views. You have the chapters through Ruth's pov, or Turk and even the lawyer Kennedy. 

That's what intrigued me the most, because you could see all their thoughts and different aspects of everyone's life that were leading to the same goal, to have justice. 

So it's totally recommended if you like modern novels, a bit of medical and legal terms too and racism topics. 

The Witches by Roald Dahl

The Witches

by Roald Dahl

Hi, sorry it's been a while I've written here, but I've been terribly busy and well, also not okay due to the current situation. Here's my new review for the new year :) Hopefully this one will bring more joy than the latest.

---

Today I'm going to talk about the novel for kids The Witches, written by Roald Dahl. I have been wanting to read this book since a long time and finally had the chance when my boyfriend gifted it to me for Christmas. I literally devoured it in one week or less, because well, it's short and it was really interesting. 

---

The book really surprised me in a good way. I've never read Roald Dahl's books before, so this was my first and I must say that I love his way of writings and how he described the events, especially the aspect of the witches.

The Grand High Witch was the scariest thing I've ever read so far. The description of her looks was so precise and accurate, you actually believe that you're in front of her at the moment you're reading.

I really loved the boy and Grandma characters, especially their connection. It made me remember of my nonna (Grandma in Italian), which I miss every day since she has been gone. Their special bond and the way how she taught him about witches made me appreciate the story even more.

The book I got even has illustration, which made the story more realistic, like you were actually there with them, hiding with the boy behind the curtains, spying on the witches' council :)

---

So, to sum up, I give it a 10/10, because it's seriously not just for kids. If you want a good scare, this is what's good for you. 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

The Color Purple

by Alice Walker

Spoiler alert: If you've already watched the film with Whoopi Goldberg,

then there are no spoilers.

Hi, here I am with another review.

Today I'm going to talk about the novel The Color Purple written by the American author Alice Walker. I wanted to read this book because I loved the film and I've seen that a lot of people on Bookstagram were reading it also, so I got curious to see if it was different from the film or not.

The book is composed by letters written by Celie, the main protagonist, and by her sister, Nettie, from which she is divided. The book focuses on the life of African-American women during the 1930s, addressing their low position in the American social life.

Celie is a 14 years old girl at the beginning, she writes her story through letters addressed to God. Almost immediately she gets married to an older man that she calls Mr. -, because she doesn't even know her name. Her life changes when she is divided from her sister Nettie, and then meet a friend of Mr., Shug Avery, a female singer, with whom she becomes friend and lover, and thanks to whom she experience her sexuality. 

---

I mean, what else can I say except the fact that I loved it? It's really enjoyable, short and fast to read. It is exactly as the film, but the thing I enjoyed the most, is the fact that they actually showed Celie discovering that she's attracted to Shug and not to men, something that you can't clearly understand from the film. It's a really short book though, and I wished it was lasting a bit longer.

This month's recommended books

Hi everyone I'm back with the monthly recommended books:

«Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli» 
  
Simon is a 16 years old guy, who has a secret that hasn't confessed to anyone. He's gay. No one knows, not even his friends because he's not ready to do his coming out yet. But then he starts to exchange emails with someone calling himself Blue, who seems to be attracted by him. These emails though falls into the wrong hands and Simon starts to be blackmailed by Martin, the class clown. If he doesn't help him win the attention of Simon's friend, his sexual identity will become everyone's business, and the privacy of Blue will be compromised. 

The book is really short and light and part, of course, of the LGBTQ+ community, as am I. A film was also based on it, called Love, Simon. It's not the typical teenage drama, because it shows you the point of view of Simon's family as well, making you see how hard it is to be stereotyped in this world.

✧༺♥༻∞　　∞༺♥༻✧

«Emma by Jane Austen» 

Emma Woodhouse is one of Austen's heroine, not as popular as Elizabeth Bennet or the Dashwood's sisters, but is also considered as the most captivating and vivid character of them all. She's beautiful, spoiled, vain and witty. She organises the lives of the inhabitants of the invented village of Highbury and plays to be a matchmaker, but with, of course, devastating effect. 

I must admit, I liked it, but I still prefer Pride&Prejudice and Sense&Sensibilty. In my opinion, nothing can still beat them. Anyway, this novel is enjoyable, because it's more comic and full of lovely characters as Emma, Harriet and Mrs. Weston.

✧༺♥༻∞　　∞༺♥༻✧

«The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger»

The narrator of this book is a born old 16 years old guy, Holden Caulfield, whose native of New York. He leaves his prep school in Pennsylvania and goes underground in NYC for 3 days. There are many feelings going on in him, but as most of the people, he keeps almost all of them inside himself. The book talks about his experience alone in NY. 

I must admit, I loved this book when I was in middle school. I know it's not probably so not easy to understand, because it's a bit confusing sometimes, but I think that's actually the point of it. That's a totally recommended book that will help you understand what is going on inside a teenager's mind. 

Brazen by Pénélope Bagieu

Brazen

by Pénélope Bagieu

Spoiler alert: No spoilers this time, it's just a really enjoyable reading,
full of characters that you probably never heard of before or
knew their stories but not their names.

Hello everyone, here there is another review.

Today I'm going to talk about the graphic novel Brazen (originally called in French Les Culottées), written by the French illustrator and comic designer Pénélope Bagieu. I've came across this book because a friend of mine brought me one of the tomes in French when she went back to Paris for holidays and since then I wanted to pay the full version of it, which you can find in different languages such as English, French, Spanish, Italian and so on.

The graphic novel goes across history and the whole globe to describe to us indomitable women, who fought for their rights and to give a better life to their selves and the other generations. These are the stories of women that fought against adversity by raising their voices to be heard and change the course of history.

With her drawings, Bagieu shows the lives of these female role models, some more famous as the Witch of Oz and some less known as Agnodice, the first female gynecologist. These stories are meant to inspire the next generations of brazen and couragous women.

---

I mean, what else can I say except the fact that I loved it? It's really enjoyable, because it's made as a comic, so easier to read, even though in some parts approaches some important and cruel topics. My favourite stories are the one about: Agnodice, the first gynecologist in Ancient Greece; Josephine Baker, who was mostly known as a French dancer but was also a French Resistance fighter and a matriarch; and Jesselyn Radack, a lawyer who fought for the rights of whistle-blowers.

This month's recommended books:

Hi everyone, the books recommended for this month are:

«Milk And Honey by Rupi Kaur» 
  
Milk And Honey is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. About the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss and femininity. It's divided into four chapters, each one of them serves a different purpose, because it deals with a different pain and heals different heartaches. 

The book will take you through a journey of the most bitter moments in life to find sweetness in them as well, because sweetness is everywhere if you're just willing to look. 

If you're into poetry, this book is totally recommended as well as her other book The Sun And Her Flowers.

✧༺♥༻∞　　∞༺♥༻✧

«To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee»

To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel published in 1961 by Harper Lee. It approaches the theme of racism and acceptance for the people that are considered different from us. 
The novel is told by the point of view of Scout, the youngest daughter of Atticus Finch, a lawyer that will need to defend a black young man, Tom Robinson, who has been accused of assaulting a white young woman. 
The book is full of compassion, drama and is deeply moving and touching. It will take you to the roots of human behaviour, through innocence, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Today it is considered to be a masterpiece of American literature. 

✧༺♥༻∞　　∞༺♥༻✧

«Frankenstein: or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley»

This novel written by Mary Shelley narrates through an epistolary form the story of Victor Frankenstein, the scientist and his creation that it's defined by him as a monster, a fiend. 
Through the book, though, and the point of view of both characters, it will be possible to understand that the real monster is indeed the human, Victor, while the creature, or Adam, as he will be referred to after, is just an imagine of how we treat who's different from us, who's not accepted, and for this we're afraid of. 
I must admit this is one of my favourite classics ever and I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did.