![Book review: I am Ella. Buy Me]()
Drama, review |
What would you do when nothing goes right in your life? What would you to keep your finance trouble at bay? No, I am not talking about my own life, but the life of Ella from the book I am Ella. Buy Me.
Book: I am Ella. Buy Me
Author: Joan Ellis
Genre: Fiction – Historical, Drama
Main Characters: Ella David , Peter Richards, Tom Tyler, Adam Hart, Jan
Setting: 1980s, The UK
Disclaimer: I received this book from the publicist free of cost in return for an honest review.
I am Ella. Buy Me is set in the 80s in which Ella struggles against the inequality between men and women in the advertising world.
Ella is a copywriter in the mad Adland, who is determined to fight her way among her lecherous boss Peter Richards, too cool and handsome Alan, schmoozing Josh and other weirdos at work and keep her and her mother away from evictions. And her reckless sarcastic behavior doesn’t help either. Her boss is horrible and often passing her ideas as his own. Her only solace seems to be eating cake at the right and new places, with her best friend Adam, and the company of Wally their watchman.
She is almost fired and exactly at the time of dire need Tom arrives in her life. He is gorgeous, funny, lightens up her world and is in love with her. He even writes a song for her and offers to move in with her and share her mortgages. Does being with Tom gives her what she needs in her life? Does her office life every get better? You have to go through Ella’s life to know more from I am Ella. Buy Me
I loved that anyone who had(s) a horrible boss could resonate with Ella and her getting caught up into one mess after another would hit quite close to home to few (me included). She wants to better herself but ill luck seems to follow her. But the happy ending was quite expected and appreciated – she deserves it.
The setting did remind me of ‘Mad Men’ with Ella as Peggy and Jill as Joan. Ella as the one who has it to fight up the corporate ladder while Jill knows to give in and get what she wants, as in take up what she deserves. Jill actually grew up after a while on me.
But why 3 stars only? I couldn’t love Ella, though I could justify her actions with reasons of my own but still.. I could not see the integrity and strength that Ella is supposedly portraying. I tried to see her strength but failed.
I also wish I had seen more of Adam for he was the most like-able character in the novel and the part about his relationship with Jan was too short to understand how they survived so long and why they did break up. Maybe I am asking too much. But I simply didn’t get enough of Adam.
I liked the writing style and I would look forward to reading more from the writer. You should pick this book if you like period novels with corporate background.
Do you like books that have too many unlikable characters? What makes you continue the reading the book?
Drama, review |
Sea Glass is a historical fiction set during the periods of Great Depression of 1930s at the USA and it is effect on the villagers of Ely Falls. I finished the book only when I was travelling in train – so took not more than 6 hours. I no longer remember where I picked the book from even and was avoiding reading as the blurb was little “boring” *am hiding away*
Genre: Fiction – Periodical
Main Characters: Honora Beecher, Sexton Beecher, Vivian Burton, McDermott,Alphonse
The lives of Honora Willard, Sexton Beecher, Alphonse, McDermott, Vivian Burton and Alicia Williard are intertwined by circumstances and actions. The novel begins with Honora, who was a teller at a bank and Sexton settling into a new house they on their wedding day. Sexton a salesman of typewriter with strong career aspirations settles into married life without a problem. Honora learns to love him, her way into marriage and making ends meet with help of her mother Alicia Williard through her letters. Vivian a rich and independent woman, buys a house in the neighborhood just to help her friend out during the Wall Street crash. McDermott, 21 and Alphonse, 11 are loom workers where the working conditions and pay are poor leading to unsatisfactory labourers and McDermott takes Alphonse under his wings as one would do with a younger brother. Honora slowly comes to know about her husband’s habit of lying for the business and hiding things from her as a general and Sexton eventually joins the loom industry as he is thrown out of his job due to his dishonest loan appropriation.
The impending strike makes the central characters get close to each other as they troop plan the strike strategy from Sexton’s house and using his typewriter, under the leadership of Louis – a communist and monetary and mental strength from Vivian. Alphonse quits his work and joins as a page boy and he gets attached to Honora as well, while McDermott and Honora fall for each other. The team works well together and in spite of the bleak future they have fun together. Sexton starts getting restless being at the back end away from action and proposes the group to use guns which gets instantly dismissed with his wife voting against it as well. The same day she finds out her husband has been cheating her. At the end Sexton shoots at a cop and then gets shot. The group assemble at Alphonse’s house trying to save dying Sexton instead everyone gets shot by gunmen except the ladies and Alphonse.
Each of her character made a difference and were portrayed typical to their period. Be it Sexton who was considered it was not important to inform his financial status or the reason he lost the job or the possibility of the strike to his wife. Or Honora who felt never once share her difficulties in making their ends meet or even let him feel the pinch of the pain. She did whatever she was supposed to, be a woman behind her husband support his decision – whatever it be. Her mother’s letters were on the same lines, offering matronly advises and filled with warmth and love. Vivian (I liked her more than others) being the rich and independent lady of class and wit, took a sharp turn from the spoilt, tantrum throwing girl to the one provided for her friends, the group and anyone else she could even she was not personally affected as others. She did what she could and took upon her to guide and support Honora after Sexton dumps his pregnant wife at the end after the death of his comrades. She was one among the men and even helped them create posters and slogans better than the men who were on the line – the feminist, my kinda woman.
I loved the friendship between the women from two different worlds and ideals. Vivian dominates the men in the crew when need be while Honora cooks and types for them but never joins them in decision making not even when solicited by the other men (she says it would be his decision). While one talks about free love, the other could not even confront her cheating husband. In conclusion, It is a pretty straight forward story with slightly disappointing end. It is Anita Shreve’s simple yet poignant words that made be continue the book even during some boring parts.
![Book review: I am Ella. Buy Me]()
review, Romance, YA |
So there is this book. You hear rad reviews about the author. His quotes are everywhere. And you pick it with all high hopes. Just to be sorely disappointed. Still you read on hoping it would get better. You are bored. You start doubting if it was you. You continue reading as you don’t usually quit books halfway. You now hope it will end soon. Then it does. We are talking about An Abundance of Katherines!
About the book
Book: An Abundance of Katherines
Author: John Green
Genre: Fiction – Drama, Young Adults
Main Characters: Colin Singleton, Lindsey, Hassan
Setting: Gutshot, The USA
The plot
The story starts with Colin, a prodigy being dumped by his 19th girlfriend named Katherine. Yes you heard it right. He dates only girls named Katherine, with that exact spelling.
He is heart broken and decides he is completely useless, ie, he doesn’t matter. His superpowers are he could anagram any word, can speak in several languages and socially awkward.
His only friend, Hassan takes him on a roadtrip to nowhere specific. And ends up seeing the place where Archduke Franz Ferdiand is buried (yes the guy from WW I) at Gutshot, Tennessee. Ok long story short, he makes friends with Lindsey and Hassan ends up kissing the hot girl Katrina.
After 100 pages, Colin finds a theorem that could predict the life span of any relationship and dates Lindsey. End of the story and sorry for the spoiler. Colin learns to narrate a story!
My thoughts
There you have my review about in just few sentences. I know I can’t live without talking more about it, because that is all was motivating me to finish the book.
Ok seriously, nothing ever happens in the book at all. I really tired liking it though. I particularly wasn’t liking any character at all – neither whiny, self obsessed, self absorbed so called child prodigy Colin nor the self absorbed and nothing to offer to the story female lead Lindsey. Not even the other insufferable smaller characters.
And hope you will forgive my generalizing of John Green’s books (I have read three now), but I still have to find any person, let alone teens, being so nerdy (again forgive me using the most over used word in the past few years). Seriously I am yet to meet even one single person who actually speaks like any of these characters
And if you knew where ever they were hiding, please please let me know – I really need to make friends with them. But these characters in all of his stories seem to have the best of friends – equally nerdy ones. Come on, it is killing me. Be it Hazel and Augustus from The Fault in Our Stars, or Alaska and Sam from Looking for Alaska, or every one (Collin, Hassan and Lindsey) from AOK.
If I hate him creating too good to be true, ‘unique’ characters and making my normal life miserable, I wish him hell for making socially dysfunctional to be cool. We have had enough off the same churn. Dear Mr Green show us real life characters, I understand it is a book of fiction but I am not interested in old wine in new bottle, even if we had liked the old wine.
I tried really hard to like the book and went to the extent of bookmarking favorite quotes and stuff – but after a while I felt I was doing the same thing Colin / Green did – searching for something that would matter when there was absolutely no other sense at all.
I am actually frightened to say this aloud, is John Green the western version of Chetan Bhagat? His characters are smarter, I get it. But there are too many of clichés thar keep repeating and making me feel so.
Quotes that worked for me
Ok now for some of those over hyped quotes:
“Books are the ultimate Dumpees: put them down and they’ll wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you back.”
“If people could see me the way I see myself – if they could live in my memories – would anyone love me?”
“He liked the mere act of reading, the magic of turning scratches on a page into words inside his head.”
“You don’t remember what happened. What you remember becomes what happened.”
Bottom-line
In conclusion, AOK was an ok read, but yet another book that let me down mainly because of the hype around.
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Have you read this one? Did this review ended up being too much rant-y? Let us talk.
