Reviews by Andrea (65)

Andrea 2024-01-29 Brief Answers to the Big Questions

Do I understand it? Only in the broadest terms. Did I love reading it? 1000 times yes!

Brief Answers to the Big Questions

When I got home after spending the "loot," I was eager to dive into this book, and at the same time, a little afraid of what I would find there. It turns out that Stephen Hawking is a gentle good-humoured soul who used simple language in an attempt to describe incredibly complex things. In this book, written shortly before his death, he answers the really big questions like "Can one predict the future?" and, in the gentlest most humble way possible: "Is there a God?" Each chapter features a really short answer and a longer explanation of how he arrived at his conclusions. I will have to read it at least six times and possibly more - and I will enjoy it every time even if I never fully understand it.

Andrea 2024-01-29 The Secret History

How does murder affect the murderers?

The Secret History

I devoured this book. It's beautifully written but covers some very dark subject matter. A small group of highly intelligent young people study ancient Greek under an eccentric lecturer - but they have a secret that must be protected at all costs - even if that cost is murder. The story follows what happens to them in the lead-up to the killing and after it has taken place, then builds up to a dramatic ending.

Andrea 2024-01-20 Animal Life

A Very Unusual and Deeply Thoughtful Book

Animal Life

This gentle book set in a harsh, Icelandic environment is written from the perspective of a midwife - the latest in a long family line of women who have followed this calling. She inherits an apartment from her great-aunt, a woman with a passion for both her calling as a midwife and her hobby as a writer. The protagonist initially leaves things just as she found them, but ultimately begins to sift through her great aunt's extensive writings on light, life, and nature. She finds drafts of several unpublished books, including Animal Life, an unstructured collection of musings and personal philosophies. There is a lot of down-to-earth wisdom in this book about a book. But there's also a type of poetry to it. Nothing much happens, but I found it engrossing all the same. There are touches of humour too- for example, the phone calls between the protagonist and her sister. In short, it's a very beautiful and unusual book that's well worth reading.

Andrea 2024-01-14 A Calling for Charlie Barnes

Hilarious? No. Touching? Yes

A Calling for Charlie Barnes

I really expected this to be a laugh-out-loud read. It isn't. At least, not in my opinion. It is funny, but only in the rather painful way that life can be a funny old thing. I suppose we sometimes laugh because things hurt. There's plenty of irony, and the occasional mildly amusing moment - and yes, I suppose one could say it is satirical. All the same, I found it rather sad. Poor Charlie wants so much to be a good person - when he remembers to - and he's not averse to creating false impressions for the sake of being liked. As a result, everyone sees him differently, and even he isn't too sure about who he really is. The book is written in a conversational tone and I found it easy to get into and enjoy. The tale has its twists and although Charlie is something of a loose cannon, I think many people would identify with him and like him as I did. I'd be interested to know whether anyone finds this "hilarious." Perhaps my sense of humour is at fault...

Andrea 2024-01-10 Shepherd's Hut

Gritty and Gripping

Shepherd's Hut

Not for the faint hearted! This story is told in the words of a teenage boy who is accustomed to brutality and who is running from terrible things. He isn't educated. He isn't "cultured." And he may not seem sensitive to the average reader. But he's doing his best trying to survive in the most desolate regions of the outback. He finds a friend - a very strange one, defeats the baddies, and we leave him headed for the fulfillment of a dream which he may or may not realize. It's gripping, so be ready for a late night or two as you gallop through this remarkable story.

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