John Green - The Fault in Our Stars

I'm a bit late reviewing what has become the hottest YA book of the last few years. The fact is, I hardly ever read young adult novels - which means this might be an interesting review for those like me who are generally more drawn to adult fiction, classics, or things that are a bit more 'literary' in general. I downloaded the novel on my kindle, after all the hype, particularly now that the movie has come out in the States. I figured I would probably see the movie eventually (I haven't yet) and I wanted to read the novel first.

I know this will shock many people, but it took me a while to get into it. In the beginning I was turned off by the writing style and the overly self-analyzing first person narrator, as well as some of the characters. But, like I said, I'm not used to reading contemporary young adult fiction and I was looking at it very closely through my Literature-Ph.D.-candidate reading glasses (probably more than I would have another book, because it's ya and written by a youtuber). As the story went on, however, I was completely sucked in and read it in about two days, forgetting my stylistic qualms. I'm pretty sure everyone and their mother knows the plot of this novel, but I still don't want to spoil it for people who may not have read it. Hazel Grace Lancaster is a cancer patient who meets dreamy Augustus Waters at a support group meeting. The two develop a friendship and then something more, end up in Amsterdam to meet the reclusive author of Hazel's favorite book, in order to ask him what happens to the characters after the story ends. Things don't go exactly as planned - let's leave it at that. But the biggest plot twist is at the end. Suffice it to say that I finished it while on a train ride and was literally sobbing - mascara rolling down my cheeks, nose dripping and all that fun stuff, while the people around me looked concerned. I didn't see the ending coming and John Green built it up just perfectly. It was touching, but not sentimental or overly tragic.
I still have to say I'm not as obsessed with this book as a lot of people are. If I had read it 10 or 15 years ago, I'm sure I would be, though. I did really enjoy it at the end, and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for an easy-to-read, gripping story that deals with a touchy subject in a respectful but also lighthearted way (at times, at least). I like that it's not the typical cancer-book. The characters have lives aside from their illness, they're not saints, they have interests and hopes and fears. A lot of deeper questions are raised about life, the meaning of suffering etc., but John Green doesn't bang you over the head with them - or with the answers. Before I started the book I had read somewhere that the author is Episcolapian, so I was actually expecting a bit of a clearer message relating to salvation, life after death, grace or something. But thinking about the story later on, I actually appreciate the subtlety of the dealing of these topics, and the focus on the characters and the story more than their philosophical implications. Once again, I guess I just need to come to terms with the fact that this is a contemporary ya novel and it fits the genre.
Definitely pick it up if you're in your teens or enjoy YA in general. I did like it more than I was expecting and will probably watch the movie at some point, too. (I'll do a blog post about it, when that happens). I always like that good cry at the end of a book or film!

Markus Zusak: The Book Thief

So far, this has been one of the best books of 2012 for me (2012 as in the year I read it, this novel was published in 2006). It's more than 550 pages that go by in a couple of days - keeping you up at night because you just have to finish the story - and that also stay with you for a long time after you've reluctantly turned the last page. The Book Thief takes place in Nazi Germany, and is centered around a young girl, Liesel Meminger, who ends up in a foster home, after tragically losing her brother on the way to Molching, where their mother is forced to take her children, after her husband has been taken away because he is a "Kommunist". As World War II draws near and finally climaxes, we follow Liesel's growing relationship with her foster parents, Anna and Hans Hubermann, and the other Himmel Street neighbors. Hans is the most likeable and deeply moving character of the book. He works as a painter and plays an accordion whose story we come to know later in the novel, as his past is revealed to us. Anna's coarseness doesn't come near Hans's tenderness to the little girl, who won't even speak when she first arrives, but her affection towards her is equally strong. Another important character is Rudy Steiner, Liesel's friend at school, whose love for her is truly heroic. And finally Max Vandenburg - a Jew who the Hubermanns hide in their basement during the war - is a crucial figure, because the simplicity and tenderness of his relationship with Liesel make the backdrop of the holocaust all the more horrific. The story is well plotted, all the characters are intense and well-rounded, but the main strong points of the novel are the writing style and the narrative structure. The whole story is told by Death, an omniscient narrator, who stresses how busy its job is between 1939 and 1945. The Death we meet in these pages is quite different from the traditional image, since here it appears not menacing or cruel, but benevolent, deeply attached to the souls it carries lovingly away from the bloody earth and extremely tired of its task. This choice of narrator helps the author hold the story tightly together, as everything is orchestrated by an omniscient narrator (much like in 18th century fiction). This point of view helps human actions appear in all of their grotesqueness, when violence is concerned: ‘I guess humans like to watch a little destruction. Sandcastles, houses of cards, that’s where they begin. Their great skill is their capacity to escalate.’

At the same time, the peculiar device of such an abstract voice allows for the use of imagery and actual poetry that add poignancy to the story without being out of place. There are even illustrations (by Trudy White) and news-flash type, bold centered notes that anticipate what takes place in the following paragraphs, and that serve as epigrams along with the lists of "features" of each chapter. For example, this note is effective in its brevity in telling us the character's intention to help his friend: 

The contents of Rudy's bag: 

    six stale pieces of bread, 

  broken into quarters.

The beauty and power of words are also an underlying theme of the book, as the title points to. Many reviewers talk about Liesel saving books from Nazi campfires (referring to one episode in particular) and the Italian translation of the title, unfortunately, is La ragazza che salvava i libri, coherently with this interpretation. Liesel's status of thief, however, is very important to the story,  as is the fact that she is actually stealing the books. Her first motive is always to take something beautiful and important, and keep it for herself. The power and beauty of words, and of the people who use them, are the key to a haunting story about the tragedy of the holocaust and the War, that manages to be heart-warming and hopeful. The rarity of this combination is what will make The Book Thief a modern classic.

Susan Dunlap: The musician's daughter

One thing I'd like to make clear is that not all the books, music etc that I'm writing about I recommend or I consider favorites. Obviously most of my posts will be on likes - especially since if I knew I wasn't interested in something I wouldn't read, listen or watch it in the first place - but basically I plan to just write about things as I come across them and give my honest opinion.
That said - my latest read was The musician's daughter by Susan Dunlap, which falls into the category of books that are not going in my favorites. Not that I think it's bad, and depending on what you like to read it may be a good book for you, but it's certainly not great literature.
It's a historical novel about a young girl living in Haydn's Vienna whose father (a violinist at the court of prince Esterhazy) is murdered. The young protagonist, Theresa, starts investigating her father's death and finds that he was involved in political affairs aiding the Gypsies who live in a camp on the outskirts of town and their relations in Hungary, in an intrigue of blackmail, falsehood and music. Thus, a whirlwind adventure ensues involving the beginning of love, working as a copyist for her beloved godfather Haydn, her strict pregant mother and a powerful cruel uncle.
I have to say, the novel - which I believe is marketed towards young adults - is very well plotted and suspenseful. I personally bought it for a long plane ride and it was perfect, since I had trouble reading the better written and more interesting novel that I had taken, due to continuous interruptions and lack of sleep. Probably if I were still in my teens I would have enjoyed it more. I recommend it if you want a fast read and if you like historical novels, but don't expect well constructed and believable characters, deep reflections or true to fact history.
In that case, you may very well enjoy it.