Reading Bingo!

I found this awesome little reading challenge, made by the wonderful people at Random House!

There is also a YA Bingo game!

You can find both of them at the Random House Blog, Retreat:

http://www.retreatbyrandomhouse.ca/2014/01/reading-bingo-challenge-2014/

Movie Review: 12 Years a Slave

Asking me if I liked 12 Years a Slave is like asking someone if they enjoyed Lolita. No, I do not enjoy reading about a pedophile’s love for a young girl, and no I did not enjoy watching the incredibly graphic physical, mental and emotional torture of the slaves in this movie. Yet Lolita is an incredible work of fiction. But does 12 Years a Slave bring the same kind of shocking yet undeniable artistic value? I’m not sure.

It is not the first, nor will it be the last movie to deal with the topic of the slave trade in America. In the last year alone, movies like Lincoln and Django Unchained tackled the same issue, although undoubtedly from a different perspective. The shocking difference between all of its predecessors is that the main character, Solomon Northup, was a free man. He was successful and educated, therefore he has the crippling hope of a better life instilled in him. As he says, in what is arguably the most quotable line of the movie:  “I don’t want to survive, I want to live”. For the other slaves in his surroundings, even death is better than the hell on earth that their lives have been since birth, but they have never known any better.

The movie exposes the harsh truths about slavery in disturbing detail. In one scene, Solomon is hung inches from the ground and is shown for what feels like several minutes, desperately reaching for footing in order not to choke. The apathy of the other slaves going about their work in the background is disconcerting. This is one of many similarly painful scenes, and although they undoubtedly achieve a certain emotional effect, I felt that the movie walked a fine line between powerful images and pointlessly graphic violence.

However, 12 Years a Slave did carry one exceptionally important message; when it comes to civil rights, there is no midway and there are no half-truths. Throughout the movie, there are several characters who sympathize with Solomon; he is after all an intelligent, likeable man with a considerable gift for music. Yet every step he takes forward, through various favors from plantation owners, eventually sets him back two steps. To those who do not  have freedom no act of kindness great or small is good enough. The only act that matters is giving their freedom back. The Canadian laborer Samuel Bass, played by Brad Pitt, is one of the few characters in the movie, who does not excuse racial inequality, and is not afraid to stand up for his beliefs. Therefore he is the only one that can help Solomon.

IMDB

The superb acting and cinematography of the movie ensures its 

position in this year’s Oscar race, but whether it will stand the test 

of time as a true classic, is questionable.

Book Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

The first book of 2014 was chosen rather unceremoniously. I received Divergent by Veronica Roth as a Christmas gift, and by New Year's Eve I was engrossed in the third installment of the trilogy, Allegiant. With that Allegiant became the first book I finished in 2014.

I usually catch on to book hypes quite late, and this was no exception. By the time I read it, this dystopian young adult novel was a spectacular success, with the movie adaptation of the first book on its way. The upside to my literary trend oblivion is that I got to read all three books in one go, which undoubtedly creates a different effect.

As a whole I enjoyed the series. Like many other books in its genre, Roth’s novels were fast-paced and exciting page-turners. The page turning was also helped by the slightly simplistic language of these books; though well plotted, I found them a bit lacking in rhetorical flourish.

Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins

The premise of the book (a society where people are divided into factions based on their most prominent personality traits) indulges people’s need for taxonomies and compartmentalization. Just like young Harry Potter fans love to ponder which house they would be in (I’m a Ravenclaw…just saying), fans of the Divergent trilogy discuss which faction they would be in; Dauntless, Amity, Erudite, Abnegation or Candor. While this is a fun exercise, I don’t agree with the oversimplification of human personalities. But thankfully, neither does Veronica Roth, and the novels show how this contrived society unravels in the hands of those who don’t quite fit in.

The third installment ventured into slightly different narrative territory, as it was written from the dual perspective of Tris and Tobias, the alliterative lovebirds we met in the first two books. The basic concept was a good one. The two characters, though connected by many things, have very different goals and personalities, so it seems plausible that their separate perspectives would enrich the story. However, I found that the distinction between their respective narrative voices was not clear enough, making the story confusing at times. Although we gain more insight into the main characters motivations, the secondary characters often felt slightly one-dimensional and dispensable. 

The revelations of the third book and the ending of the trilogy have shocked many readers, but I agree with Roth’s choices. The moral message may be didactic at times and the language simple, but there is no denying that she has plotted her novels masterfully.