A Bitter Booker Disappointment

Amsterdam - Ian McEwan

This was a novel I really wanted to read. I was still buzzing from the brilliance of Atonement when I found Amsterdam in a local charity shop - I couldn't wait to get stuck into something just as good, if not better. Thing is, when I did get stuck into it, I didn't really get stuck.

Amsterdam is the story of two old friends who meet outside a crematorium at the funeral of a mutual friend and lover. Molly Lane's death prompts Vernon Halliday and Clive Linley to rethink their lives and their friendship. In the following days, Vernon makes fatal decisions as editor of a quality broadsheet, The Judge, and Clive, a successful modern composer, searches for the perfect melody for the millennium. The blurb describes the book as "brimming with surprises", but it was about as surprising as the force of gravity.

This book was merely a journey through a troubled few weeks in the lives of a couple of ordinary men. I was expecting brilliant writing and a brilliant storyline, especially as Atonement was only shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2001 and Amsterdam actually won it in 1998. I suppose I ought not to raise my expectations too high, but I'm definitely not as keen on trusting the judges of these prizes.

To be fair to McEwan, his writing is evocative and skilled, but it doesn't have the familiar technique of using particular words, phrases and vocabulary to create an unmistakable atmosphere. There is nothing about the plot that keeps the reader hooked other than a mere curiosity to see if anything is actually ever going to happen. The ending is similar to the "and I woke up to find it was all a dream" ending and the characters were about as interesting as my big toe. To keep it short, Amsterdam was an utter disappointment. Alain de Botton, of the Daily Mail, called it, "A page-turner" - but I'm afraid the only thing that should turn these pages is the wind.

If you do feel compelled to read any of McEwan's novels, make sure it is Atonement. That is one novel that won't let you down.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of "Amsterdam".

Bissing Down in Beijing

In complete contrast to our first day out in Beijing, it bissed it down for the whole of our second day. Perfect weather for sightseeing.

We took a trip to the Forbidden City, home of the old Emperors. To be honest, it's the biggest home I've ever seen - one person would certainly rattle around quite a bit in it. The sheer size of the place is breathtaking. It's a series of courtyards joined with various temples and rooms, made with vast amounts of stone, brass and gold. Our guide directed us through each courtyard, explaining the various rooms we came across - the throne room, the wash room, the prayer room to name a few. We had to dart across a couple of the stone courtyards just to escape the heavy rain.

Rather fittingly, the swimmers were out. The boys (typically) spotted the Australian synchronised swimming team walking around the Forbidden City and of course nabbed a quick photo and interview.

When we finally reached the far side of the Forbidden City, we'd lost our teacher. But that's by-the-by. We soon found her and reassembled at the coach to journey a little further round Beijing to the Temple of Heaven.

The guide seemed to be walking the wild side of life in leading us to the highest point in Beijing during a thunder and lightning storm. The locals took more money than they'd probably seen all month as there was a sudden rush on umbrellas from our group. I had my rain mac, but it did sod all. Not only was I still wet through but I was also still hot and sticky - I seemed to have created my own greenhouse effect.

Despite the weather, the temple and its grounds were beautiful and within it was a small art school selling various paintings. I got one for myself - the picture represents spring with copious amounts of pink cherry blossom and white birds flocking around a lake. Unfortunately, our visit was swiftly over as the rain got too much to bear.

We were off again, sitting soggy on the coach. This time we pulled up outside a very posh looking hotel - it was dinnertime and we'd been brought to a special Peking duck restaurant. The food was unbelievably good, the best so far, but everything was duck - duck pate, duck pancakes, duck rolls, duck soup. The only thing that didn't have duck in it was the tea. We did all feel a bit trampy in our wet clothes surrounded by golden tapestries and traditional Chinese beauty, but it was worth it for a good meal!

After dinner we headed back to the university for a spot of badminton. Without even realising it, our day was already and all the fun and rain had certainly drained our English bodies, which were still plodding along to British summer time. So it was off to our rooms to settle down on our beds of wood and bean bags. Luxury.

Fallen Behind?

Yes. Is the simple and honest answer.

Unfortunately, Beijing university only allowed us 1 hour per night on the Internet - after Day 3, I missed that hour every night. So, with a swift change of plan, I'm going to do a series of posts logging each memorable event, including a few photos - if that doesn't tempt you, I don't know what will.

I hope you're all following the Olympics on the TV. With Great Britain holding a comfortable 3rd on the medals tables, the games have got rather exciting. Stay logged on and I promise some posts packed with more excitement than you can shake a stick at.

Surely this proves it.

Day 3 - City Centre Olympics

And now the weather - the last few days have been stormy with heavy rain, thunder and lightning. So, the computers were out of bounds. That means that I'm about three days behind, so today's job is accounting for two of those days.

The opening ceremony - I hope you all watched it - was incredible! Unfortunately, I was watching it on a screen, a big one, in a park. The air was sweltering and I was cursing the number of countries there are in the world, purely because we had to wait longer for Team GB to come out. The evening got off to a bit of a bad start though - the park we were supposed to watch the ceremony in was shut due to security reasons and we ended up sitting on a stationary bus for over two hours. That meant we missed dinner - so the number of sore bums, rumbly tummies and hot faces equalled a group of slightly irritable people. Nevertheless, the ceremony was fantastic and definitely worth a watch.

The following day, we finally moved out of the school and into the city centre. We went to the gates of the forbidden city and watched the road cycling race. I was stunned by the number of competitors as they rode past, and the speed with which they race. Of course that lasted a maximum time of 30 seconds, so I passed the time by talking to a Chinese boy called Dragon. I don't actually remember his name but I remember it meant dragon. He was from an area of Beijing, watching the Olympics with his family. Like every Chinese person (except the ones trying to sell you umbrellas), he was friendly, constantly welcoming me to Beijing and telling me how pleased he was to have me in his country.

Of course, we had to move on soon after the cycling, having photos snapped of us along the way. The Chinese seem fascinated by Western culture and photograph us like celebrities. We went to a large street, with lots of restaurants and shops, and a few students and I went to the basement of a department store for lunch. With our slightly awkwardly ordered meal came a saucepan of hot stock, raw prawns, cabbage, mushrooms, an egg and noodles. You have to put all the bits of food into the stock and cook it yourself. I think it was more fun making it than eating it and I took a bite of a very suspicious bread roll that tasted similar to aniseed and salt.

The rest of the day saw a lot of walking, a little shopping and a long tube ride home. Overall, my first taste of Beijing was a good one, plus I got a good tan. Tomorrow we will be going to the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven, taking a break from the Olympics to taste the Chinese cultural history.

Happy blogging.

Day 1 - Sweaty

Day 1

Well, the first day has been good, though nothing Olympian just yet. I'd first like to thank everyone for their comments, and of course I will be trying to make some serious reports, whilst avoiding the eyes of the Communist government. I haven't actually been outside of the university yet so haven't seen the country in action. Nevertheless, I've indulged in a few Chinese activities.

First up was kung fu - lots of squatting, stretching and hi-yahing. It is not exactly like the movies, and it is most definitely more tiring! You have to master bent knees, with outstretched arms and a straight back (more difficult than it sounds) before you can even think of starting to learn positions and routines. But, we managed it, and the teacher taught us the routine of some monks. It's very slow and skilled and it really works your muscles - it certainly worked the boys who had never come anything near to the splits in their life! They were about as flexible as a broom handle, but they will be joining the class with some others and myself later on in the week.

The interview with Matthew Pinsent wasn't quite what I expected - as in I expected him to be there and he was not. But we enjoyed a performance of music and dance by some Chinese students, which was both beautiful and inspirational. There were traditional Chinese instruments as well as nunchucks, singing and dancing in traditional dress. The performances were filmed by the BBC and will be shown on the programme, 'Olympic Breakfast', which begins at 6.30 am on Sunday morning on BBC2. Watch out for The Homewood School crowd, who proved to be the best at cheering.

Lastly, we played some sport in the blazing afternoon heat, to bond with our new Chinese friends. We did many things, including skipping and a game of touch rugby. The rules were slightly difficult to explain (especially the offside rule) as the language barrier has proved to be quite tough to break down, but the game was good fun and certainly set us up for a good dinner and a good sleep. Preferring the policy of 'play now - sleep later', at least we got one of the two.

Happy blogging.

Journeying to Beijing 2008

The Beijing Olympics 2008 - a sporting event that has caused much controversy and excitement. Now, over the next couple of weeks, I'm going to bring a daily report of my own to My Telegraph, giving everyone a taste of the Beijing experience.

I'm very fortunate to be able to go to the Beijing Olympics as a spectator and as a school reporter for the BBC - my last school trip. Not only do I get to talk to athletes, spectate, see the sights and mingle with people from across the world, I also turn 18 and pick up my A Level results - it's a pretty jam packed couple of weeks! But I can't keep it all to myself, so I thought I'd log the progress of myself and my friends online.

Well, we've finally arrived! 25 and a half hours of travelling and approximately 2 minutes and 38 seconds of sleep. We took off from Heathrow at 6.20 pm on 5th August and landed in Hong Kong on 6th August at 1.20 pm. A 12 hour flight, that believe it or not was entirely bearable thanks to The Chroncicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Eva Longoria, The Emperor's New Groove and Flight of the Conchords. It was a bit of a rough landing though as the pilot attempted to land us in a typhoon - he actually got us down on the 2nd attempt, so hats off to him.

We then flew again from Hong Kong to Beijing. A much shorter flight that saw us safely landed in the evening and we were at our accommodation by 9.30 pm.

We are staying at the Beijing Foreign Language School, complete with holes for pooping in, communal showers and a jolly comfy wooden bed (hmm.) But, I have absolutely no complaints, because I'm in Beijing - plus, yesterday I was so tired I would have slept comfortably on a porcupine.

Now it is 7th August - not sure where the 6th went - and in a few moments time I'll be off to indulge in an hour or so of martial arts. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but the Beijing heat is starting to make me re-think my decision. At 12 pm today, we will be introduced to our BBC team and Olympic gold medallist, Matthew Pinsent and I'll be back soon to give you a full and more exciting report on the day's events.

Happy blogging.

McEwan Magnificence

Atonement - Ian McEwan

Before writing about Atonement, I looked back over my review of On Chesil Beach, also by McEwan. I'd titled it 'A Moment in Time Can Change a Lifetime', and I've found that Atonement focuses very much on the same idea - one moment, one single action altering the course of many lives.

Atonement has become incredibly well known, since being released as a film, starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, in 2007. The Novel itself, however, was published in 2001, and shortlisted for the booker prize in the same year. Fortunately, I have not seen the film and can praise Atonement purely as a literary masterpiece without my comments being soiled by impressions from the film.

The story begins on one very hot summer's day in 1935, during which thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses her older sister, Cecilia, plunging into the garden fountain in her underwear. Robbie Turner watches as she undresses and sinks into the water and soon Briony allows her creative imagination to explore ideas suspended between childhood and adulthood. Her mind eventually leads to her "crime", causing unforgivable shame and irreparable rifts amongst her family.

I mentioned in reviewing On Chesil Beach that McEwan has a remarkable talent for creating atmosphere with language. Of course every good author should be able to create scenes through subtle descriptions and well chosen vocabulary but McEwan is different - every word, every syllable echoes the story and the events to come. The beginning of the story evokes the erotic - from the "sticky" afternoon heat to the description of a fifteen-year-old girl indulging in chocolate. There is something vulgar about McEwan's language making the intimacy between characters seem gross and perverse - and so it should. Everything about McEwan's language is pitched perfectly to the story.

The second part of the novel takes Robbie through Dunkirk in 1940 and is a satisfying account of the war, carefully avoiding cliche. Here the writing is gripping and painful but Robbie's likable character is enough to keep us reading. Erotica is gone from McEwan's writing as the need to portray the reality of horrific history takes hold. But, enough about the plot.

Back to McEwan, there are two things I want to mention. Firstly, there is a moment of truly brilliant writing in the final fifty pages of the novel. I read about ten pages with my nose getting closer and closer to the paper - soon I to realised the words were losing their focus. I was desperate to be included more as my heart raced along with Briony's narrative. The writer is truly magnificent in his writing, describing everything down to the smallest subconscious gestures of the human being.

The second thing is not so good. There is one sex scene which seems utterly unreal to me. Without giving too much away, two virgins realise within one afternoon that they are in love and start having rampant, violent sex against a book case. Biting each other and making love without words, it seems like a very unlikely type of intimacy between two first time lovers. Especially as their love unfolds as everlasting, based upon this first discovery of their feelings for each other.

Despite this, I can safely say that Atonement is definitely worth reading. It is the best book I have read in some time and, whereas McEwan thoroughly disappointed me with On Chesil Beach, with Atonement he blew me away. I'm even looking out for a copy of Amsterdam, a novel that went on to win the 1998 booker prize, to read more of this talented writer. Ultimately, Atonement is a fantastic exploration of guilt and innocence, betrayal and forgiveness, love and hatred - pick up a copy and let it blow your mind.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of "Atonement".

Things To Do Before You Die.

I am trying to get together a list of things to do before I die. Sounds a bit odd, but at 17, I figured that the earlier I start, the more likely I am to complete the list! Life is just a big waiting game and I'd like some things to pass the time - especially as I've just finished my A Levels and have found myself with a heck of a lot of time on my hands.

Now I don't want any of you grumps out there telling me to get a job to fill the time - I already have four. Nothing wimpy like babysitting in four different houses - 1 in a pub, 1 doing generally slave work for my parents' business, 1 on a farm and another cleaning for a nice lady nearby. So, what I really want from you all is all the things that you've already done and why it is worthwhile that I should do the same!

Come on, give me the best you've got and if I get enough, I'll post the list on my blog.

Then, provided I survive the ordeal, I publish accounts of what I've done.

It can be as trivial as eat oysters (I've already done that) or something a bit more reckless if you prefer!

I look forward to the responses.

A Simple Issue of Right and Wrong

To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Ok, so perhaps the issue in this book is not that simple. It tells the tale of Atticus Finch - lawyer, well-respected gentleman, widow and father of two. Through the eyes of his young daughter, Scout, you witness Atticus' unwinnable fight against the racism that raged through America in the 1930s, as he tries to defend a young black man accused of rape.

Racism continues to be a sensitive issue and has a history as old as the world. However, Lee's book approaches it in a completely unique way - from a child's point of view. Ok, so there have been other books that approach racism from a child's perspective, Noughts and Crosses, by Malorie Blackman for example, but they don't tell it in quite the same way. The narrator is 6 years old at the beginning of the book and by the end of it, only 9. I'm sure many of us can still remember the weightless, carefree life we led, where the most stressful thing was how many sweets you could get for 10p and for how long you could make them last. That same lifestyle is applied to Scout.

Scout, her brother, Jem and best friend, Dill all share the same fantasy - 'Boo' Radley. The man next door that hasn't been seen or spoken about for years by the Finches or anyone else in the town. They think up endless games and ways to tempt him from his house, despite warnings not to, and Scout, despite her private fears of her invisible neighbour, plays along to keep up with the two older boys. She is reckless, scrappy and determined and her life revolves around her father, reading and 'Boo' Radley. Therefore, when the trial of Tom Robinson enters her life, she does not consider it any different from any other trial fought by Atticus.

It is this stance that makes the book so touching - Scout does not consider the 'coloured' people any different. There was a time when none of us considered each other any different - whether it was the girl in the wheelchair, the boy with the ginger hair or the man with one arm, no one was different to you. As children, everyone is equal.

With this childlike perspective, To Kill a Mockingbird allows you to make your own mind up, not only about the issue of racism, but also about all the prejudices often faced by people everyday. Whether you're the bitter, old woman who insults people to hide her own problems, or the lonely Mayella Ewell, people often judge others before they know the full story - most people that is, excepting children.

It needn't be said but this book is a brilliantly written, brilliantly constructed account of a single issue of prejudice that embodies every picture. What Lee is teaching us is to view the people with the innocent mind of a child every once in a while, rather than make judgements formed by years of heartache, sterotypes and experience. Whilst sometimes our experience can come in handy, by judging people before we know them we may be missing some of the best experiences of our lives. There will be some experiences we should avoid and others that we should embrace, but in both cases we should put ourselves more freely in other people's shoes. Maybe then we will even get a better view of ourselves.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'To Kill a Mockingbird'.

A State of Mind

Regeneration - Pat Barker

There's something I like about Pat Barker - she is linked to two other women I'm quite fond of. First there's Angela Carter - she actually encouraged Barker to concentrate on her writing when she was in her early twenties. The second is Sarah Daniels, a playwright who adapted Barker's novel, Blow Your House Down, for the stage in 1994. Both of these writers have been introduced to me through my A Level studies and I have come to admire the way in which they approach feminist issues.

Regeneration, however, is not a feminist novel. Quite the opposite, it focuses on the experiences of young men during the First World War. The scene is Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh, a hosptial for soldiers suffering from mental trauma owing to the war. Rivers is the psychiatrist there and through him the reader gathers an insight into the shattering effects that the Western Front has on soldiers' minds. There are also other viewpoints - Billy Prior, a patient in the hospital and Siegfried Sassoon, the renowned war poet.

The insight to Sassoon's time at Craiglockhart is fictional, though based on true events. Sassoon was sent to Craiglockhart after having written a declaration against the continuation of the war in 1917 - although he was not mad, his acquaintance and fellow poet, Robert Graves, claimed he was mentally unstable to avoid him being Court Martialled. Through Barker's portrayal, it is interesting to see how a mentally fit man copes with being surrounded by the mentally ill.

Interestingly, this is not a war novel of battlefront - there is little gore, little rattle of the guns but much more comfort with clean sheets and a basic bedroom. Nevertheless, Barker does not omit the fear and terror from her novel. Some men constantly envisage the blood and perverse dismemberment of friends, others are reminded of the taste of rotting flesh and vomit uncontrolably. Some can't speak, others can't move but rather than focus on the immediate horror of war, Barker looks at the broader picture. The effects of war were often permanent - even those not admitted to a psychiatric hospital were scarred for life by the things they had witnessed. And that is the true horror of war.

Typically, Barker includes the corruption of innocence, the destruction of youth and her disapproval of the Home Front and authorities - Prior's parents lack support and gratitude for their son's sacrifice, Prior also embarks on some uncomfortable sexual journeys with a girl from outside the hospital. Most shocking of all is that, despite the traumatising emotional journey these soldiers go on, the "Board" sends them right back to the source of their troubles once they have sufficiently "recovered". Barker constantly wants the reader to ask 'Why?' The same question we've been asking ourselves since it happened. Why did they have to go? Why did they have to endure those conditions? Why did war turn to slaughter?

This book does not have a complex storyline and the beginning and end rest on Sassoon's stay in the hospital. It is mainly a portrayal of the horror of war through its characters - the character of Rivers enables us to see more deeply into the minds of soldiers in such a way that one hardly dares imagine what it was really like. So, if you're interested in the First World War and particularly its literature, this book (plus the next two in the series) is definitely one to try.
Ultimately, we should all simply seek to learn from writers such as Barker, Sassoon and Graves. But, what a shame - we haven't.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of "Regeneration".

It's a Hard Knock Life.

The Mayor of Casterbridge - Thomas Hardy

Another classic to add to my reviews, and again it's difficult to review something written over a hundred years ago. Nevertheless, I shall say a few words.

I chose to read Thomas Hardy having studied some of his poetry for an A/S Level exam last year - you'll be pleased to know I got an A. If there's one thing I found about Hardy's writing, it's that it is extremely depressing. He obviously disagreed with the popular 'happily-ever-after's and went for something a bit different. However, it definitely does not make his writing bad - if anything, it's bit more interesting (and realistic) to see things not always going right. The Mayor of Casterbridge is the perfect example.

The period of the novel is supposedly the late 1820s, so a lot of the agricultural activity and the vocabulary is native to that time. The storyline is one of deceit, death and mistakes, and if there's one thing to learn from this novel it's, always speak up when you have the chance and never lie! Valuable lessons, but here the characters suffer sometimes to the extreme. Yet, Hardy is clearly a very intelligent writer - he includes elements of mythology, foreign languages and other famous literature, obviously owing to a good Victorian education.

Another clever feature of Hardy's novel is to write speech in such as a way as to emphasise the accent of each character. Farfrae, the Scottish character, says "cannet" rather than "cannot" and "weel" instead of "well" - it is a nice touch to add to the reality and individuality of the characters, who are all well described and consistent in behaviour and attitude throughout the novel. However, there are quite a lot of characters and there is a lot of action, so the characters feel quite distant from the reader - I didn't feel particularly sympathetic or upset or even happy at certain pivotal moments in the story. Yet, this isn't necessarily a negative element of a novel - I believe Hardy uses this particular technique so as not to lead the reader on an emotional rollercoaster. He simply doesn't want to depress them!

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed reading The Mayor of Casterbridge, the first I've read of Hardy's novels. It was exciting because it is not a classic that is raved about, so I didn't already know the storyline or the outcome of each character's strife. Perhaps the only slight downfall is that almost too much happens throughout the text - time seems to move on almost too swiftly, not leaving enough time to take in one event and prepare for the next. However, this novel has encouraged me to read more of Hardy's novels, my next choice being the popular Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Finally, I'd like to leave you with the final words of the book, just to illustrate the general tone of the novel - "happiness [is] but the occassional episode in a general drama of pain."

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of "The Mayor of Casterbridge".

A Moment in Time Can Change a Lifetime

On Chesil Beach - Ian McEwan

I've read the first of my stocking fillers and I'm not entirely sure what to say about it. Was it well written? Yes. Easy to read? Yes. Did it keep me hooked? Yes. But - and there's always a but - there was something just not quite right about this story.

Obviously it's a modern piece of literature, being shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2007, and everything about the book is modern - the language, the setting, the issue. The time that the book was set in (1962) is particularly interesting - it seems England is on the verge of social change and the young couple of the novel (Edward and Florence) are caught between the old and the new regime. This is central to McEwan's book as he looks back and forward in the lives of the newlyweds.

His technique is a good one, switching subtly back and forward and changing from Edward's perspective to that of Florence. However, personally I find it distracting. I'm reading on, eager to know what's to come, when all of a sudden it's five years previous and I have to read about a little more background. It does build vivid character profiles and the reader soon understands that the rift between Edward and Florence is the result of their diverse childhoods and their burdens. McEwan suggests that perhaps the little details from our childhood, the decisions and the attitudes of our parents might make the difference between success and failure in one moment of our later lives.

That leads me to another aspect of this novel - although the storyline jumps in time, the main event only takes place in the space of a few hours, a moment. This event seems something small, but it is actually a part of a huge factor in any relationship - the physical side. Personally, I believe it comes hand in hand with the emotional side - if you can connect with someone emotionally, you can connect with them physically. However, the difficulty with McEwan's couple is just that - they cannot connect.

Is there not anything more to it? Of course there is. However, I find the blurb a bit misleading - I was ready for a mind-blowing divide between two young people caused by some devastating event or hideous past. Neither came - it is merely an issue between two people who think they are in love but who together, represent discomfort. Here McEwan is impressive - everything about the descriptions and the lovely language he uses expresses this discomfort. The author's descriptions of the two young people alone on their wedding night are my favourite aspect of the book, McEwan deserves to be highly praised for them.

However, although I can acknowledge that On Chesil Beach is a very well written, well structured novel, it does not satisfy me as a reader. It is a book that tells you 'what not to do' but, as a person who likes a good story, I don't find one in this. It is a modern book conveying an everyday issue but the few hours in which the issue surfaces for Edward and Florence feels very drawn out. It is definitely a matter of personal opinion but I do not feel that this book is very touching or insightful - there is nothing particularly unique about it. But if there's one thing this book does convey, it is that one moment in time can change an entire lifetime.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'On Chesil Beach'.