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Book Review: Look Back In Hunger by Jo Brand

By Books & Authors, History, ReviewsNo Comments
look-back-in-hunger-jo-brand Look Back in Hunger by Jo Brand was a Christmas gift to me from my friend Sye last year. As a big fan of Jo Brand I couldn’t wait to read it, finally finishing it about a month ago.

Jo’s use of witty chapter titles and writing as she would talk instantly engages the reader. Your hooked from page one, even though the subject is about motorways ones she loves and ones she doesn’t. The majority of the book focuses on her late teenage years and her early adult years before she became a TV comedian. Each chapter contains a truthful and witty story, including several about her time as a Psychiatric Nurse. It has several glossy photo pages, spaced throughout the book, so you can image what the then Jo would look like along with other important people in her life.

Although funny, cleaver and engaging I did feel that it was kept very superficial. Jo didn’t discuss life goals, or lovers or people and experiences that have helped shape her in the fabulous woman that she is. Indeed she states that there wasn’t one key reason she went in to stand up comedy. This was disappointing because all stand up comedians seem to have a reason, for acceptance from others through humour, because they were always that way – making people laugh, etc.

As I edged closer and closer to the end of the book, I started to realise that Jo wouldn’t be discussing how she got in to stand up and moved on in her TV career and I came to realise there would be another book. Overall I thought Look Back in Hunger by Jo Brand was good light witty reading, that you could dip in and out of. It’s a good introduction to were Jo Brand came from. Her latest book, the second part in this autobiography is available to buy on Amazon as well: Can’t Stand Up For Sitting Down by Jo Brand.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Friday 24 December 2010

Book Review: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
the-lovely-bones-alice-sebold The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold was a book I decided to read after hearing about it on The TV Book Club. The book starts off by introducing Susie Salmon (like the fish). Susie is a 14 year old who is brutally murdered on her way home from school by Mr. Harvey, the local neighbourhood weirdo. After her death she continues to tell her story: how her family cope with her death, their heartache as the police investigation goes nowhere and she describes what her heaven is like – as she explains that everyones heaven is different.

I found The Lovely Bones emotionally moving as Alice uses Susie in heaven to describe how the family move on over years after her death. From this book I got a warm feeling that came from the notion that when people die they do not cease to exist.

For me I found that the book could have been ended at an earlier point. Alice could have let the imagination of the reader to finish the story and it would have prevented me feeling that the book “dragged” towards the end.

You can buy The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold on Amazon.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Monday 20 September 2010

Book Review: The Rapture by Liz Jenson

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
The-Rapture-Liz-Jensen I bought The Rapture by Liz Jensen after hearing about it on The TV Book Club. The rapture is a story about the end of the world, yet it has more. The two main characters include Gabrielle a psychologist whose in a wheel chair following an accident and Bethany a psychotic child locked up in an institution after killing her mother.

Gabrielle comes to work at the institution where Bethany is locked up and starts to work with Bethany. After trying all other treatments they begin to try ECT (electric convulsive therapy) which Bethany loves as she claims it helps her see the future. After Bethany predicts several ecological disasters accurately Bethany predicts a big one that will change life for all of man kind. By this point Gabrielle is convinced Bethany can predict the future as is her scientist friend come lover Fraser. Gabrielle and Fraser try to tell people but they will not listen, after all who’d listen from a prediction with no scientific basis from a “crazy person”.

Liz the author does describes scenes and people in so much detail that you can picture them perfectly in this critics have dubbed a thriller. Whereas this detailed description makes reading the story like watching a film, it does at times hinder the stories progression. The most significant incidence of is when Liz goes in to much technical detail of how the ecological disaster Bethany has predicted will happen. Liz goes in to great scientific detail about how it will occur and although I do commend her on her research it felt like too much detail to me.

As the book draws to a conclusion you begin to care about the characters which comes from understanding were the characters have come from and why they are flawed. By the end of the book it makes you question what man kind are doing to the planet and it’s potential consequences. The book was a pleasure to read and gave me much to think about. You can buy The Rapture by Liz Jensen on Amazon.

I am currently reading I am What I am by John Barrowman, One Day by David Nicholls, Look Back in Hunger: The Autobiography by Jo Brand & Astral Travel for Beginners by Richard Webster so expect more book reviews soon.

Signing off for now,

Antony

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Friday 10 September 2010

Book Review: The Self-Preservation Society by Kate Harrison

By Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
The-Self-Preservation-Society-Kate-Harrison The Self-Preservation Society by Kate Harrison was a book I picked up because it was on offer.

In it you meet Jo Morgan who puts all her energy in to minimising the risk in her life. Accident prevention is part of her job as is planning for catastrophes that might happen. But it is not just a job to her, it´s a way of life. Her long term boyfriend Dennis her senior at work also shares this way of life and it seems to be their bond.

Then Jo is the victim of a hit and run accident and everything starts to change as Jo realises that she can´t avoid all risks in life. Jo goes on a inner journey to explore why she has a deep desire to prevent accidents and plan for catastrophes. With guidance from new found friends Jo starts to take risks and begins her outer transformation. Jo´s life with Dennis starts to fall apart as a new one is created through her inner soul searching and outer risk taking. The conclusion of the book is the transformation of Jo to a much happier well rounded individual.

Jo Morgans character feels some what false at times because Jo´s views on risk minimisation in life are too extreme, especially at the beginning of the book. The plot is far too predictable and I would find myself reading other books rather than finishing this one.

You can buy The Self-Preservation Society by Kate Harrison on Amazon.

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Friday 18 June 2010
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