Women's position in society has been a long-debated topic, starting from women's rights to wage inequality and discrimination. It is also the leitmotif of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, a dystopian novel about a society where fertility is a major issue and fertile women, called handmaids, are obliged to give birth for rich families. WanderBook in … Continue reading The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (book & TV series review) – dystopian spotlight on women
Tag: fiction-story
East of Eden is the second book written by the Nobel and Pulitzer winner John Steinbeck that I read, after previously reading the short story The Pearl. Considered by Steinbeck his magnum opus*, East of Eden is a book about family and brotherhood, about good and evil, about jealousy and pride, and about the way history repeats … Continue reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck (book review) – about good, evil, and free will
The " Book of mirrors" was a hyped book when it was published, receiving a lot of media attention worldwide. However, most of my curiosity arose from the fact that the author is Romanian, and it intrigued me that the book was originally written in English. "Let's see what's all this fuss is about!" I … Continue reading The Book of Mirrors by E.O. Chirovici (book review) – to trust or not to trust
What comes to mind when you think about Italy? La vita è bella, pizza, Vespa, Romeo & Juliet? After reading My Brilliant Friend, you can add something else to the list: Naples and the Neapolitan novels. Neapolitan Novels - the quartet "My Brilliant Friend" is the first book of the four Neapolitan novels (where Neapolitan … Continue reading My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (book review) – a coming-of-age story in Naples, Italy
Most times I venture myself into reading fairly long books, with many characters and complex plots. At one point I was asking myself: why don't I read smaller books? Is it because I don't hear much about them? Or maybe I just avoid buying them, thinking they're not interesting enough? With these questions in mind, … Continue reading The Pearl by John Steinbeck (book review) – exploring human nature and greed
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1961, To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic of the modern American literature. Having heard only good things about it, I made a wish to receive it as a present from Saint Nicholas ... and my wish came true ♥ More than depicting children's feelings toward unfair attitudes they do not … Continue reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (book review) – the importance of fighting for equality against all odds
When a novel gracefully combines facts and fiction about a famous person whose life is very little documented, you may end up not knowing where to draw the line between reality and fantasy. That's what I experienced while reading Girl with a Pearl Earring, a book that fell into my hands by chance at the … Continue reading Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (book review) – a servant’s life and a master’s obsession
A few months ago a friend sparked my interest in this book by recommending it as one of the best books he's ever read, so I decided to try it out. The story in a tiny nutshell: communism, amorous relations, censorship, sex, and lightness/heaviness of being, all under an umbrella of philosophical reflections. The Unbearable … Continue reading The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (book review)
During my teenage years I've read three of John Fowles' books (The Magus, The Collector, and The French Lieutenant’s Woman), but recently I've realized that for the book I remember I liked the most (The Magus) I couldn't really remember the plot ... So I decided to read it again, to see whether after almost … Continue reading The Magus by John Fowles (book review) – the Godgame
This book fell into my hands while wandering through the second-hand section of a bookshop in The Netherlands. I’d heard about Umberto Eco before, so when seeing “The name of the Rose” and its beautiful cover, I could not resist buying it. I started reading it that very afternoon. Image from librarything.com In a nutshell … Continue reading The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (book review) – murder mystery in the abbey
Readers' High Tea 