When Nick Carraway, a young man from Minnesota, moves to New York in 1922, he discovers a story of Jay Gatsby, and how he came to be. Nick moves in next to the strange wealthy man, who hosts extravagant parties every Saturday night. Nick, who is now living in the West Egg district of Long Island, has connections with those leaving in the East Egg. One night, Nick drives out to the fashionable, high end district to have dinner with his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, and her husband Tom, whom Nick knows from education at the university of Yale. At dinner, Nick is introduced to Jordan Baker, with whom he begins a relationship with. Jordan tells Nick that Tom has been cheating on Daisy with a woman named Myrtle Wilson, who lives in an industrial ground between West Egg and New York City. Not long after, Tom takes Nick to the apartment he bought for the affair and they party with Myrtle. Myrtle then begins to tease Tom about Daisy and he responds by breaking her nose.

Time passes and Nick receives an invitation to Gatsby's next party. Nick meets Jordan at the party and the two actually meet Gatsby in the flesh. He is a man with a gorgeous smile and calls everyone "old sport".  Gatsby asks to speak to Jordan alone and Nick finds out after from her that Gatsby is in love with Daisy and he has met her before in 1917 and he spends many nights staring at the green light at the end of the dock by her house. Nick also finds out that Gatsby only hosts these extravagant parties in an attempt to impress Daisy. Gatsby asks Nick to help him and Daisy to reunite but to be careful in making sure Daisy doesn't reject Gatsby. So, Nick invites Daisy to tea without telling her that Gatsby will be joining them. The two meet and the previous love they felt is shared again and the two begin an affair.

At lunch at the Buchanan's house one afternoon, Tom catches Gatsby staring at Daisy with such passion he knows there is something going on. He immediately tells everyone to join him at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. The group drive there and Tom confronts Gatsby, outraged that Daisy could have an affair, (despite his own connections to Myrtle) and tells Daisy that Gatsby is a criminal.

Daisy then proceeds to realise she belongs with Tom which breaks Gatsby's heart. To prove that Tom knows Daisy will always choose him, she sends her back to East Egg with Gatsby. However on the way there, whilst driving through the industrial ground, Gatsby's car hits Myrtle, Tom's lover and she is killed. Nick however later learns from Gatsby that it was Daisy driving the car and Gatsby intends to take the blame. The next morning Tom drives to the industrial ground and tells Myrtle's husband, George, that Gatsby was the one driving the car. George then proceeds to assume he must have been the one having an affair with her. George travels to Gatsby's mansion, and shoots Gatsby dead whilst he is in the pool, George then kills himself. Nick proceeds to hold a small funeral and his shocked and disgusted by the people of the East and West Egg. Nick then moves away and realises that Gatsby's dream of being with Daisy was horrifically corrupted by social class and money, issues that he could not see, and Nick reflects Gatsby as "great" because of the way he could transform his dreams, into reality.

This is a very small book yet it holds some major themes that thicken the plot and really allow the reader to divulge into what the books true meaning is. The crash of the American Dreams fits nicely with the plot, as Fitzgerald describes wild parties with people not caring which is what happened in "the roaring twenties". The demise of Gatsby and the sad truth reflects nicely with the crash of the American Dream. Like Gatsby's dream to be with Daisy, the American Dreams also was corrupted.

I believe that one of the true messages from symbolism here is that Daisy was Gatsby's American Dream, and it became broken. There are some goals, that are so overpowering. Whilst they are noble, the book is honest and true in displaying them. How everyone is different, and humans can be selfish, whilst others can be kind and generous. Daisy stayed with Tom because it was safer for her reputation, whilst Gatsby did everything he could to reignite her love. This novel is touching and honest about society in the 1920's, and many of the themes and reflected in issues in today's society also.
Although this is not one of the books suggested on the reading list i still wanted to review this book as i truly find it incredible. Before I Die by Jenny Downham follows the life of leukemia patient, sixteen year old, Tessa. Although Tessa has undergone chemotherapy for four years, she finds out that her cancer is terminal and has a limited time to live. The novel opens with Tessa laying in bed and her friend Zoey coaxing her into coming out to a club with her. Tessa eventually agrees and the layout of the story begins.
The novel, Emma, by Jane Austen, follows Emma Woodhouse, a beautiful, meddling twenty year old woman living in Highbury, and the love ties between her and her friends. Emma believes her self to be a little cupid and brilliant at love making and so she begins to try and find a love match for her friend, Harriet Smith. Emma believes she can do this as she previously finds Mr Weston, a village widower and matches him to her own governess. Emma thinks highly of Harriet, and presumes she is fit to be a gentleman's wife and therefore begins to seek Mr. Elton, the village vicar for Harriet to eventually wed. During this time, Emma convinces Harriet that she deserves Mr. Elton, and doesn't need to accept the proposal from Robert Martin, a farmer whom Harriet obviously likes.

Harriet begins to like Mr. Elton after Emma talks highly of him often to her. Although, Emma finds her self in a  mess when Mr. Elton confesses his feelings are for her, and not for Harriet. Emma's brother in law and true friend, Mr. Knightley, thinks that rather than Mr. Elton, Mr. Martin would be a better match for Harriet, after all he already likes her and it's obvious that Harriet was very attracted to him. Through this time, Emma and Mr Knightley argue over who Harriet should be with, and Emma still obsessed with matching her friend to a gentleman does not give in to believing Mr Martin would suit Harriet better. Mr. Elton, at this time is deeply offended by Emma's actions and leaves and marries a girl in Bath.

Mr Weston's son, Frank Churchill moves into town and Mr. Knightley is almost immediately suspicious of him. Particularly because he hasn't visited his father a lot recently, apparently due to his aunt's illness, and he rushes back to London just to have his hair cut. However, Emma, not knowing much about him, believes his charms are aimed at her and disregards his unusual behaviour. Another character, Jane Fairfax, moves into Highbury and Emma does not like her as much, due to the fact (as the narrator says) that Jane is beautiful and accomplished and that Emma is jealous of her.

Mr. Knightley, intrigued, defends Jane and tells Emma that Jane is worthy of compassion as she has no independent fortune and soon will have to leave to work as a governess, unlike Emma. Mrs Weston suspects Mr. Knightley has feelings for Jane, but Emma disagrees. Many people also assume Emma and Frank are forming a relationship but Emma actually wants to set Frank up with Harriet, after she realises she doesn't want him for a suitor. At a village ball, Mr Knightley offers to dance with Harriet after she is humiliated by Mr. Elton and his new wife. The next day Frank saves Harriet from beggars. Harriet then proceeds to tell Emma she has fallen in love with a man in a social standing higher than her own and Emma believes this to be Frank. Mr. Knightley begins to suspect, however, that Jane and Frank are in a relationship and he warns Emma. Emma however rudely laughs at him and loses his approval when she is rude to her aunt at a picnic and flirts with Frank despite Mr. Knightley's previous warning.

After Frank's aunt dies, the novel finally begins to unravel the mysterious ties between Emma and her friends. It is revealed that Frank and Jane are in fact, secretly engaged and Franks charm towards Emma were an attempt at hiding their relationship. After his aunt dies, Frank now has his uncle's approval and can marry the woman he loves, Jane. Emma thinks Harriet will be crushed at this but she learns that the man Harriet had fallen in love with was Mr. Knightley, not Frank. Emma is upset by this confession which forces her to realise that she too has feelings for Mr Knightley. Emma expects Knightley to confess his love for Harriet, but he actually declares his love for Emma. Harriet is comforted by a second proposal from Robert Martin, which she accepts. The novel ends with the weddings of both Harriet and Robert and Emma and Mr. Knightley, with the narrator saying, "...the wishes, the hopes, the confidence, the predictions of the small band of true friends who witnessed the ceremony, were fully answered in the perfect happiness of the union."

Many themes are important in this novel, such as marriage and social status. The themes reflect the period in which the novel was written but also allows the mind to open imagination. The book allows readers to decide for themselves who they think the love ties are between. In some places, i was reminded of Oscar Wilde's play, the importance of being Earnest, probably because of the tie of marriage and the name Fairfax.

I also love how the characters not only have different traits, but as the plot and characters develop you can see what traits they share also. These connections allow for the plot to thicken and for the reader to understand why certain characters fell for other characters.

Overall, whilst this book is fairly long and again written in a period where the language is quite extensive, the book has a good story line and is a very enjoyable comedy to read.



I must say that the second volume of Brontë's novel intrigued me much more than the first. Within the first few lines on the next volume, Cathy is pronounced dead after giving birth to her and Edgar's daughter, Catherine. Isabella Linton also gives birth after running away from an abusive Heathcliff to a baby boy named Linton, after her family. However, after Nelly states she nursed and cared for the beautiful, headstrong Catherine for thirteen years, Isabella dies and Linton comes to live with his uncle Edgar and cousin Catherine. Although, this takes a nasty turn as Linton is a sickly boy and Heathcliff demands he come live with his father at Wuthering Heights where he treats Linton even worse than he did Isabella.

One day whilst wandering out on the moors, young Catherine encounters Hareton, Hindley's son. (Hindley is the brother of older Catherine, and during my reading of the first volume, i didn't realise how relevant he would be to the rest of the novel.) Young Catherine and Hareton play together. Heathcliff then introduces Catherine to Linton and the two begin a deep love mainly through letters until Nelly finds them and burns them as Edgar does not want his daughter to be associated with the Heathcliffs. Despite this, a now older Catherine begins to sneak out from the Grange to nurse and meet with Linton. They confess their love for each other however Catherine soon finds out that Linton is being abused by Heathcliff as well and is only pursuing her because Heathcliff has forced him to, in hopes that they will marry, Linton will die and therefore Heathcliff will own both the Heights and the Grange, taking true revenge on a dying Edgar for marrying his love. Nelly and Catherine are eventually kept prisoner at the heights until Catherine agrees to marry Linton. Realising she might not see her father before he dies she agrees and quickly escapes back to the Grange before he dies. Heathcliff then proceeds to keep Catherine at the Heights as a common slave, along with Hareton and Nelly's story to Mr Lockwood catches up to the present.

Lockwood, appalled by the story told by Nelly, finds Heathcliff and tells him he shall no longer rent Thrushcross Grange and moves back to London. Six months pass and Mr. Lockwood returns to the moors to speak to Nelly, who is at the Heights now, after being instructed by Heathcliff to come there, and finds out that Heathcliff has died. Nelly tells the story of what has happened since Lockwood's departure. Catherine, resembling her mother with her headstrong agression, yet with a gentler aspect thanks to her father, reminds Heathcliff a lot of his lover, and Heathcliff often leaves the house to go on ramblings. Catherine often makes fun of how Hareton is practically illterate, (due to Heathcliff cancelling his education after his father, Hindley, died) and Hareton is agrivated at this. Althought, eventually the two realise they like each other and begin a realtionship. Heathcliff confesses to Nelly that despite it being eighteen years since Cathy's death, he thinks of her always. That he is becoming obsessed with the memory of her and sees her face in the clouds, other people's faces and his own reflection. He becomes so obsessed he has to "remind himself to breathe, or for his heart to beat.". After four days without food or water, Heathcliff dies aswell. Hareton and Catherine plan to marry the next new years day in 1803, and move back into the Grange. The people living around the moors and nearby town of Gimmerton swear they sometimes see Heathcliff's ghost. After hearing the end of Nelly's story, Lockwood leaves to visit the graves of Cathy and Heathcliff.

The novel enticed me not for it's plot but actually the character development. All the characters play a vital part in helping the reader understand the true meaning. They also contribute into how everything is revealed at the end. There are many themes presented in this novel. Love, betrayal, passion, hope and religion are just some of them.

What i truly loved about this novel (and at some points hated) was how evil Heathcliff was. It showed that the course of events in someone's life can change and affect anyone. Again the vocabulary i found was very rich and most of the time the events within the novel could be told within three pages rather than thirty, and this annoyed me. I could have loved this novel for the characters, their developments, the themes and plot lines more, if it were not for the extensive vocabulary and Brontë's need to elaborate every minor detail. Apart from that, and despite my constant moaning for wanting to finally finish the novel, i did enjoy it, and it is a classic i am sure to remember for a while.
Let me start by explaining that this novel is split into two volumes, and i figured it best to review the first volume and compare my thoughts to the second once i had finished it. (Also i apologise for any spoilers listed - so maybe you should read it before viewing this.)

Brontë writes a novel following the lives of Heathcliff and Cathy Earnshaw told from servant, Ellen Dean's point of view to her current master, Mr Lockwood who is currently the tenant of Thrushcross Grange.
Heathcliff is adopted by Cathy's father, Mr Earnshaw, after a trip to Liverpool. The relationship between Heathcliff and Cathy and Cathy's older brother Hindley starts at a rough, as the children expected presents from their father rather than a grimy child. Although, after time, Cathy begins to appreciate him, and Mr Earnshaw admits to liking Heathcliff more than Hindley, however this doesn't stop Mr Earnshaw leaving the house named, Wuthering Heights, to Hindley after he dies. Hindley clearly doesn't appreciate Heathcliff and their relationship worsens as their lives progress. When Heathcliff and Cathy are around the age of 12, they venture towards the home of the Linton's, Thrushcross Grange, where Catherine is caught and brought into the home to reside there for 5 weeks after misbehaving outside. Cathy returns to Wuthering Heights a new girl with a pleasant attitude and Heathcliff is not too happy about this. Heathcliff quarrels with Hindley and doesn't appreciate that Cathy would rather spend time with the Linton's children (Edgar and Isabella) than him.

Time progresses on further and Cathy agrees to marry Edgar at 22, and move into Thrushcross Grange, bringing Ellen 'Nelly' Dean, one of her servants with her. Heathcliff also dissappears for 3 years. When Heathcliff returns he is a new man, well held and very attractive. He marries Isabella, to which seems to be just to anger Cathy. Time passes and Isabella and Heathcliff return to Wuthering Heights to find Hindley, a widowed old man with a horrible young child. Cathy has been gravely ill after fighting with Edgar and refused food for three days. She longs to be in Wuthering Heights once again. Nelly travels to Wuthering Heights after receiving a letter from Isabella Linton, which states that Isabella wants to see Nelly desperately.  During Nelly's visit it proves that Heathcliff and Isabella no longer love each other, and Heathcliff forms a plan to meet with Cathy, persuading Nelly to help him achieve this.

The novel is written with a deep descriptive nature and I admit i had to flick back the pages every now and again to fully comprehend what was happening, as it can be very confusing. However what kept me reading was Brontë's intense, complicated characters. Cathy is a spoilt, angry lady who's blood just seems to bubble through her veins. She is selfish and cruel yet her connection to Heathcliff is what makes you interested in her. Heathcliff's nature at heart is destructive and messy and even as a proper gentleman, despite him being kind to Nelly, his friend, he is ridiculously uncaring and rude toward Isabella, which allows the reader to realise that Cathy and Heathcliff are very similar, and to quote the book; "Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same." (Cathy is talking about Heathcliff). The way Brontë allows Cathy in particular to shift from a undesirable, selfish woman into a longing girl, sending her heart out to Heathcliff is beautiful. She does this in the same way how she shows Heathcliff will do anything to be with Cathy. The passion created between these two is intense and wonderful and if you can really get between the lines you can really appreciate the novel, despite the sometimes complicated vocabulary.

Also, the novel does have a slow way of working it's way around the storyline. At one point when Nelly is telling her story to Mr Lockwood, she explains how Heathcliff's tale could be told in "a dozen words" and it leaves you wondering, why she didn't tell it in a dozen words? The rich Victorian vocabulary can also be slightly confusing, and not to mention the way Brontë writes Joseph (a religious servant's) dialect. Now that really is hard to decipher.

Now, despite the vocabulary, and the slow starts, overall i did enjoy the first volume of Wuthering Heights, yet i only really am intrigued to read more by getting to the end of this first volume, as i believe this is where the passion really begins to blossom. It was obvious before that Cathy and Heathcliff were fond of each other. But around this point is where i in particular began to see how dramatic this novel will become. The story itself is wonderfully crafted along these creepy mores in England, which in someways seem to reflect Heathcliff's character, and is a nice story to read and follow.

Please do not be put off by the extravagance of some of the language in this book, and the slightly dull areas for there are certain parts of this novel that really do intrigue the reader and do show the passion beginning to unfold. Overall, it is a beautiful story so far, and the characters created really do intertwine beautifully with the story.

Lets hope the second volume intrigues me more!


(Also i apologise if i got any of that wrong, as i said, the story can be slightly confusing sometimes!)
In this victorian novel we follow the life of main protagonist, Phillip Pirrip, or "Pip" as he calls himself after not being able to pronounce his first or his last name. Pip lives with his abusive older sister and her husband, Joe. After encountering a scary convict, Abel Magwitch on the marshes when Pip is around six years of age, his life is changed forever. Pip befriends many characters including Biddy, a sensible school girl and Herbert, a boy with whom he once quarrlled. Pip discovers the pressures of your past and understanding your path in life. To know that substance over style will always prevail.

Many themes are present in this novel, especially conflict towards self improvement on Pip's part. Pip, born into lower social class strives to be a gentleman after being sent by Pumblechook to Miss Havisham's manor, Statis House to play. To accompany this theme, confusion also plays a huge part, in Pip's journey to discover who he is. Pip experiences guilt when becoming a gentleman as he becomes snobby and begins to view Joe as common, whilst falling deeply in love with cold hearted Estella.

As the novel progresses, Pip begins to understand more about how he came to be, and that somethings are not meant to be. Dickens beautifully explains how the fortune that enabled Pip to become a gentleman was not given to him by Miss Havisham, but rather by Abel Magwitch, the convict he met all those years ago. This thereby proves Pip was never intended to marry Estella, much to his dismay. This outlines themes of what is meant to be and what was never intended. This plot twist truly contributes to where Pip goes from there in his life.

From here the links all fall out, how characters are tied together in Pip's world, and how they all contribute into Pip's journey through life. By the end of the novel Pip knows who meant most to him, and how he should love the ones who love him most. He learns to be happy for a newly wedded Joe and Biddy, before encountering Estella once more, to find they should never part again. The plot really gives the novel pace, and allows further intrigument from the readers, brilliant.

Dickens outlines many life altering themes within the novel including despair, morality, sudden change, ambition and discovery. Along with beautiful settings to outline pathetic falacy, and contrastic characters such as Biddy being a representative opposite of Estella.

However, Miss Havisham's death was one that angered me quite a bit. How Pip saves her when she goes up in flames, but later claims he can do nothing for her when she is ill and leaves her to her servants.

The plot in a whole is very well thought out, especially with specific detials such as clocks set at 20 to 9 to exaggerate Miss Havisham's desire for revenge on her fiance. I particularly love how the characters develop and they intrigued me a great deal.

Also the first few chapters do make a bit of a slow read until the plot further develops, but overall, a well thought out novel with extensive intriguing character developments.

Hello!