The Man In The High Castle

The Man In The High Castle - Philip K Dick

I had such high hopes for this book. The idea of a dystopian / science fiction novel that is looking at What Could Have Happened was something I was super invested in but instead.. it just seemed like a guessing game.

I am completely honest with myself here and fully accept that I may just not be intellectual enough for this book. I don't doubt that it is a great piece of work and has some really good messages and themes but it's one of the few books that I personally think would be better on screen.

And I have no shame in admitting it - I read the plot summary on Wikipedia once I'd finished and suddenly the book made sense.

Set in a world where Germany and Japan won the war, the US has been split into 4 territories, Africa has been destroyed and the Mediterranean Sea has been drained to become farming land. There are multiple stories running throughout the book with a little overlap, but the common theme is always something to do with a book - The Grasshopper Lies Heavy - a book that is written by a reclusive author about what could have happened is the British and Americans won the war.

The only characters I really enjoyed reading about were Juliana and Joe. Their story seemed to be the most explicitly written, and by that I mean - there was no underlying sub-context. But the rest involved a bit a of guessing work.

I've rated this as a 3 star across my book sites because whilst I didn't get it - I don't think I'm the target market. I can definitely see why people love it but I and now pinning my hope on Fatherland instead.

Comments

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens

It’s a story we all know and love. I think you’d be hard pushed to find anyone who doesn’t know the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge and the ghosts of past, present and future, yet I would bet that not many appreciate the true story. The main adaptations I know of, consist of The Muppets Christmas Carol and most recently - Spirited, the 2022 release with Ryan Reynolds and Will Farrell (a fun new take on the classic) so my comparisons between the book and films will be quite basic. The first thing I’ll say is that A Christmas Carol is a tiny 80 page read. I got through it in one evening (90 mins) in fact and would be a perfect addition to someone’s end of her reading goal. Secondly, the book does now take long to get into it. I can see why it’s heralded as a classic - easy to read and a basic but resonating moral, this is great for a reader of any age. The fact that it jumps straight in so soon will keep younger readers hooked. The original text is slightly darker that is expected...

DNF - The Final Revival of Opal & Nev - Dawnie Walton

I've been looking forward to this book so long but I'm just not in the right headspace for it. If you loved the writing style of Daisy Jones & The Six , you'll love this. In a similar vein, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev visits the history of these two performers in the 70s through interviews and accounts of the people that knew them. Everything about it is fantastic, the imagery, the tone - everything. I'm about 100 pages in and it's just not grabbing me at the moment. Could be something to do with the excessive weather we're having. So for now, I'm going to put it back on my TBR and try again another time.

Murder on the Orient Express - Agatha Christie

Started: Saturday 2nd July 2022 Finished: Saturday 2nd July 2022 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ On Saturday I travelled up to London to see Beauty and The Beast at the London Palladium and with a four hours on a train, I wanted something I could really get stuck into. I need a book small enough to fit in my bang, fast paced enough to lose myself in and lighthearted enough not to impact my mood and Murder On The Orient Express was perfect. My second delve into the Agatha Christie catalogue, I’ve already labelled her books as “filler” books - perfect for one sitting and clever enough to keep me guessing without the dreaded Book Hangover. Murder On The Orient Express sees the infamous Monsieur Hercule Poirot have an urgent recall to England, cutting his leisure time short. But oddly, the sleeper train is full, a strange and unexplained circumstance given the time of year. Through his years of connections, a temporary cabin is found to be shared with McQueen - the travel companion for Ratchett; and ...

The Little Library Project

Search This Blog