Les Misérables

Hugo, Victor. Les misérables. London : Penguin, 2012. 

 

Source: http://www.penguin.com.au

A peasant is imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread and he is releases after 19 years. As an ex-convict, Jean Valjean will struggle against many odds until he becomes a rich man and is made mayor. All this time he will have to deal with  police inspector Javert, who dedicates his life to recapture him. Beyond the particular story of Jean Valjean, Victor Hugo depicts the France of the first half of the 19th Century and its Revolution. This is a lyrical and long novel with a atmospheric and thought-provoking tone.

An acclaimed musical version of this story, starring Australian Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and directed by Tom Hooper, was released in 2012. Highlights of the movie are the impressive sets, the performances and the songs. More information about the movie can be found on IMDB.

  + Award winning musical, including three Oscars and several other awards.
         + Les Misérables in our library catalogue GO!



Sources: Penguin, IMDB, GoodReads, NoveList (through EBSCOhost), The Guardian Books 

Jane Eyre

Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York : Barnes &​ Noble, 2011.

Source: http://www.barnesandnoble.com

An English orphan takes up the post of governess in Mr. Rochester home. She soon falls in love with him and will find out the terrible secret that prevents them from getting married. Full of mystery and passion, this love story is told by Jane Eyre, the heroine that will endure the heart-breaking reality surrounding her. A descriptive writing style and focus on characters make this novel easy to read.

A movie based on this story, starring Mia Wasikowska and directed by Cary Fukunaga, was released in 2011 and won several awards. "Exquisitely shot in a style reminiscent of 17th-century Dutch painting [...] Jane Eyre is an exciting, uplifting story about a young woman making her way in an unkind world." (Tom Ryan, The Sydney Morning Herald).

+  The movie in IMDB
  + Jane Eyre in our library catalogue GO!

Sources: NoveList (through EBSCOhost), Trove, IMDB, FictionConnection, GoodReads, SMH

Never let me go

Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never let me go. London : Faber and Faber, 2005.

 

Source: www.bookworld.com.au

Never let me go  is set in a parallel universe where humans are cloned and prepared to donate their healthy organs. It tells the story of friends Kathy, Ruth and Tommy and their years at Hailsham, an isolated boarding school in the English countryside. An idyllic place where they are told nothing about the outside. Kathy's memories of those years at Hailsham will take her to confront the reality of her childhood and present. 

 "Never Let Me Go is not a perfect film, but it is the sort of film that - in spite of a few shortcomings - affects you on a profound level. It haunts you long after you have left the cinema" (The Vine Entertainment). Starring Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield, Carey Mulligan and directed by Mark Romanek.

+  Watch an interview with author Kazuo Ishiguro talking about this novel.

   + Similar books in FantasticFiction.

    + Never let me go in our library catalogue GO!

Sources: Bookworld, FictionConnection, IMDB, BBC Archive, Booklist (through MasterFILE Premier), The New York Times Books, FantasticFiction

Sherlock Holmes

Doyle, Arthur Conan. The complete Sherlock Holmes. London : Vintage Books, 2009.

Source: http://www.goodreads.com

A collection of all novellas and short stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. A classic in mystery stories. Detective Sherlock Holmes, the most famous resident of Baker Street, takes his assistant Watson and the readers through suspenseful adventures to reveal the most cold-blooded crimes. He is always one step ahead of Scotland Yard. A compelling writing style and the possibility of jumping from one story to another within the book as each story is autonomous, make the book a perfect choice for the eager reader.

A movie starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law was released in 2009. Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) takes the hunt of a serial killer, who mysteriously returned from the grave to resume his killing. The movie had two nominations to the Oscars and a sequel was released in 2011 starring the same actors.

+ Sherlock Holmes in Rotten Tomatoes 
  +  Here is a list of Sherlock Holmes Societies in Australia
    + Sherlock Holmes in our library catalogue GO!

Sources: GoodReads, RottenTomatoes, NoveList  (through EBSCOhost), Library Journal (through ProQuest), FictionConnection

 

The curious case of Benjamin Button

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The curious case of Benjamin Button : story to screenplay. New York: Scribner 2008.

Source: NoveList

This is a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who suffers from a very particular condition. Benjamin Button is born in his seventies and ages backwards. A theme that could easily become drama if not for the witty and amusing tone used by Fitzgerald to tell the story set in Baltimore in 1860. This particular edition contains the original story as well as Eric Roth's screenplay of the 2008 movie.

Starring Brad Pitt and Australian Cate Blanchett, and directed by David Fincher, the movie has won three Oscars as well as the AFI Award for Movie of the Year. "An epic, melancholic romance that employs a multi-generational cast and groundbreaking visual effects" (Tom Huddlestone in TimeOut London)

+  Listen the full story here
  + The curious case of Benjamin Button in our library catalogue GO!

Sources: NoveList (trough EBSCOhost), Literature Resource Center (Gale), Amazon, Internet Archive, IMDB, TimeOut London

Atonement

McEwan, Ian. Atonement. New York: Doubleday/Talese, 2002.

 

Source: NoveList

The innocent mistake of a 13-year-old English girl changes the life of her whole family, when she accuses her sister's lover of a crime he did not commit. A leisurely paced novel with a reflective tone and a haunting plot, which also depicts very well the times that headed to the World War II. "Every lustrously rendered, commanding scene is charged with both despair and diabolical wit, and McEwan’s Jamesian prose covers the emotional spectrum from searing eroticism to toxic guilt" (Booklist review in NoveList).

An adaptation of this story to the big screen was directed by Joe Wright and released in 2007. Starring Keira Knigthley and James McAvoy, this movie was entirely filmed in the UK and won an Oscar for Original Music Score.

+ The movie in IMDB
  +  Watch an interview with Ian McEwan just after the publication of his first novel The Cement Garden in 1979.
      + Atonement in our library catalogue GO!

Sources: NoveList, PublishersWeekly, IMDB, BBC Archive, The Guardian (Australia)

 

Perfume: the story of a murderer

Süskind, Patrick. Perfume : the story of a murderer. New York: Penguin, 2010.

Source: http://www.bookdepository.com

An incredible power of smell will take Jean-Baptiste Grenouille through an obsessive quest to capture the scent of a young virgin. Using the methods and art he learned as an apprentice, he will try to make the "ultimate perfume". A brilliantly written horror story set in France in the 18th Century, leisurely paced and richly detailed. "A hauntingly powerful tale of murder and sensual depravity" (GoodReads). 

Starring Ben Whishaw and Dustin Hoffman, and directed by Tom Tykwer, the movie was released in 2006 attracting good and bad criticisms.

+  Winner of the 1987 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, over other nominees such as It by Stephen King and Strangers by Dean Koontz.
  + Perfume: the story of a murderer in our library catalogue GO!

Sources: Book Depository, IMDB, ChamberFour, GoodReads Whichbook

Pride and Prejudice

Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Melbourne : Brolga, 2010.

 

Source: http://www.abebooks.co.uk

This is the story of four young women from a low social class but respectable family who are in the age to get married. Elizabeth, one of these young women, meets Mr. Darcy, a man from a higher social level and they become involved in a relationship that will take them closer to each other environment. Through their story we see two social classes  that leave pride and prejudice aside and start to understand each other. 

An engaging and romantic story that take us to the England of the 19th Century through a critical thinking of its social conditions.

The last adaptation of this novel, released in 2005, starred Keira Knightley and was directed by Joe Wright. The film was nominated to the Oscars in four categories.

+ This year marks the 200th anniversary of the publishing of Pride and Prejudice and many events were held around the world to celebrate it.
+ Pride and Prejudice in our library catalogue GO!

Sources: Trove, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (Reader's Club),  IMDB, NoveList

                                                          

The Great Gatsby

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. London : Pan-MacMillan, 2013. 

 

Source: http://www.bookdepository.com

   In this lyrical classic story, a bond-seller moves to Long Island where he meets Jay Gatsby, a mysteriously wealthy man with a shady past and passionately in love with a married woman. He’ll follow eccentric ways to get closer to her. Beyond this apparent simple love story, there’s a cynical description and critique of the habits and wealth of the new rich in New York during the 1920s.

This story was brought to the big screen several times since 1926, being the latest the 2013 version directed by Australian Baz Luhrmann and casting Leonardo di Caprio. More information about this movie, including full cast, trailer and pictures can be found on IMDB.

+  This official film paperback edition includes an interview with Australian director Baz Luhrmann.
  + The Great Gatsby in our library catalogue GO!

Sources: Book Depository, IMDB, The Independent, MagillOnLiterature Plus (through EBSCOhost)

Secret window, secret garden

King, Stephen. "Secret window, secret garden" in Four past midnight. New York : Viking, 1990.

Source: http://www.worldcat.org

"Secret window, secret garden" is one of the four novellas in this book by Stephen King. It is the story of a successful writer, Mort Rainey, who is suddenly confronted by a man claiming Mort plagiarized his story.  Chased by this man, Mort will try to find the truth about the story and will end finding a thrilling one about himself. Full of suspense and horror, this fast-paced and compelling story will take us to the deep complexity of the human mind.

The movie "Secret window", adapted and directed by David Koepp, was released in 2004. Johnny Depp performs as Mort Rainey and he was nominated as Best Actor for the Chainsaw Award for this movie.

+  "The Langoliers", the first novella of this book, was also adapted to movie in 1995. Check it out here
  + Request the book in our webpage here

Sources: WorldCat, FictionConnection, RottenTomatoes, IMDB, Kirkus Reviews

The human stain

Roth, Philip. The human stain. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000.

Source: NoveList

Nathan Zuckerman is a decaying writer trying to write the story of Silk, a Jewish college professor accused of racism and left behind by his academic fellows. But Zuckerman will find some secrets in Silk's life that will turn around his perspective. "Zuckerman nonetheless–in the search for this slippery, human truth–continues to violate decorum, to drive down the dangerous back roads, to do things no sane person would dream of doing in real life" (Partisan Review). This is a very descriptive and stylistically complex novel that will make the reader reflect about the true meaning  of identity.

The movie, starring Australian Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris, was released in 2003 and won three prizes, including the USA AFI Award for Movie of the Year.

+  Click here to see the controversial mistake made by Wikipedia on this book entry and the author's reaction.

  + Here is a reading by Philip Roth from the first chapter of The Human Stain
    + Request the book in our webpage here

Sources: New York Times, Partisan Review (Boston University), NoveList, IMDB

The Count of Monte Cristo

Dumas, Alexandre. The Count of Monte Cristo. New York: Penguin, 2003.

 

Source: http://www.goodreads.com

This is the story of Edmond Dantès, a mistakenly convicted young sailor, who will come back after fifteen years looking for revenge. Helped by a treasure only he knows about and by a loyal friend he met in prison, Dantès will become the wealthy Count of Monte Cristo. Mostly set in France in the first half of the 19th Century, this novel is loaded with adventure and historical events. 

An adaptation of this classic was released in 2002, starring Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, and directed by Kevin Reynolds.

+  The movie in IMDB
  + The Count of Monte Cristo in our library catalogue GO!

Sources: Good Reads, IMDB, Feedbooks, LibraryThing

The lord of the rings

Tolkien, J. R. R. The lord of the rings. London : HarperCollins, 2001.

 

Source: http://library.sl.nsw.gov.au

The lord of the rings is a classic epic trilogy set up in a fantasy world "rich and real, complete with civilizations of men, orcs, trolls, dwarfs, elves, and hobbits, all fully imagined" (Magill). In the first book of the series, "The fellowship of the ring", Frodo Baggins finds himself with an overwhelming mission: fight against Evil and destroy the ring that makes it stronger. Accompanied by his best friends, he will begin his journey to Mount Doom to destroy the ring. Full of magic, fantasy and adventure, this epic novel takes the reader through a whole created world where Good and Evil will try to prevail over each other.

The second book of the trilogy is titled "The two towers" and the third, "The return of the king". The hobbit, a previous book by J. R. R. Tolkien, introduces us to this fantasy world and narrates the first journey of the ring.

The trilogy first, and The hobbit recently, were adapted to the big screen with an outstanding success. The lord of the rings: The fellowship of the ring was released in 2001 and won four Oscars, including Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup and Best Original Score.

  +  The movie in Rotten Tomatoes
   +  Check this amazing Wiki about the book. It's full of information about the story and characters, plus some videos and pictures.
     + The Lord of the Rings in our library catalogue GO!

Sources: State Library of NSW, Fiction Connection, Rotten Tomatoes, Fantasy Fiction

American Psycho

Ellis, Bret Easton. American Psycho. New York: Vintage, 1991.

Source: http://www.goodreads.com/

In this highly controversial novel, Bret Easton Ellis gives life to a disturbing character who not happy with his success in Wall Street, will find in murder a tool to fulfill his thirsty of power. Beyond the story, it lies a whole depiction of the American society in the eighties. "The horror does not lie in the novel itself, but in the society it reflects" (Library Journal).

A violent and transgressive story that was adapted to film in 2000, starring Christian Bale and directed by Mary Harron.

+ The movie in IMDB

  +  Did you know? This novel was classified as CAT1 (not available to persons under 18 years) in Australia in 1991 and even banned in some states.
    + American Psycho in our library catalogue GO!

Source: Library Journal, NoveList, IMDB, Australian Classification