Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare

'For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo'.

Over the half term, I read Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. I first came across this particular play whilst looking for one to use as inspiration for my art homework, and I already had a vague idea about the basic plot,so was interested to find out in more detail what the real story was about. For me, this was quite a change in my usual reading style, as I don't normally tend to read plays.

 This is just one of Shakespeare's most renowned pieces of work, and almost everybody is familiar with the story. Even those who haven't read it, describe this play as a tragedy, in particular the end when both young lovers take their lives. Personally, (although quite pessimistically) I think that the tragic tone of this story starts at the very beginning, when we learn that two households who are 'both alike in dignity' hold an ancient grudge against each other for an unapparent reason. We are also told at the beginning during the prologue that '...Doth with their death bury their parent's strife' which strongly suggests that both Montague and Capulet are so set in their ways that they would allow for their own family members to die, rather than break with tradition. 

Some might say that Romeo and Juliet were foolish; falling in love and marrying despite being from two of the biggest and longest rival families in Verona, which at the time would have been seen as a heinous crime. I have an opposing view to this, as I feel that they were brave to do what they did (marrying in secret), and were actually the only sensible people in their families, in that they were only young, but still didn't allow the ancient grudge of what their families may have been like centuries before to cloud their judgments of who they are now. I think that they are truly respectable, as they didn't just marry who their parent's wanted, but they were actually able to find good in who they were brought up to think was their enemy. It is frustrating and leaves quite a bitter lump in your throat when you learn that both lovers take their lives when they learn that they can no longer live without the other. Shakespeare calls this an 'untimely death' and rightly so, however it is in some ways a happy ending, as death never really parted them, but brought them together in happiness and love, rather than the judgement and hatred that would have awaited them had they lived.

Although this play was written around the year 1589-1595, it is still a timeless classic and can be read by anybody in the present day and still have the same amount of emotion and impact as was intended when it was first written. I would thoroughly recommend this to everybody, as when you finish the play, whether you are bubbling with anger or brimming with tears, this is a story that will remain with you forever. Most think that the title: The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet says everything, but after all 'What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.'   

Trailer: Romeo+Juliet (1996)

The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi

The Icarus Girl

Helen Oyeyemi

I chose to read The Icarus Girl, as I was looking for a challenging read, that was different to my habitual reading style. Throughout the book, I found that it was captivating on both an emotional level, as well as an interest one, as it was eerie and compelling, focusing mainly on the theme of twins, doubles and ghosts.

     The story is told in the third person, and is focused from the point of view of the protagonist, eight year old Jessamy Harrison. Despite being a playful, whimsical child with an extraordinary imagination, Jessamy is an extremely sensetive person, and by being half Nigerian and half English, her schoolmates feel that she dosen't belong. Her extreme sensetivity means that when situations become too tough, she can only cover her ears and scream and scream. Unaware of how to help their daughter, Jessamy's parents Sarah and Daniel decide to take her to her mother's family compound in Nigeria. Here, she meets all of her mother's family for the first time, as well as a little girl her own age, called TillyTilly. Although there is something odd about her, Jess befriends TillyTilly, as she is someone innocent and playful like herself, but more importantly - someone who understands her. As time goes on and the bond between the two girls grows stronger, Jess, now powerless, watches as the people around her begin to get hurt, and starts to question the innocence of Tilly, why nobody else can see her, and just what she is seeking in return for friendship....

    I found this book to be a thoroughly entertaining read; one that was phsycological, and slightly disturbing. I would gladly recommend it to anybody looking for a story to grip them from beginning to end.

I would rate this book 4/5 stars.

The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones

By Alice Sebold

'These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence : the connections-sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent- that happened after I was gone'.

This book is set in the suburbs of America in the 1970's , and is a thought-provoking story, about the death of a young teenager, Susie Salmon. However the interesting thing about this story, is that Susie's death is just a small part at the beginning; it's mainly about the aftermath of her murder, and how her family, friends, neighbours and her killer are dealing with her absence.

The book opens with this short epilogue: 'My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973. My murderer was a man from our neighbourhood. My mother liked his border flowers, and my father talked to him once about fertilizer.'

When we are introduced to Susie's character, she comes across as a lively, chatty and creative teenager; a young person who is keen to explore and live life to the full. Her story starts when her life ends, on December 6, on her way home from school. It was late and getting dark, as her parents and two younger siblings were beginning to wonder where she was. They had no idea that she had been taken underground and killed in the saddest way by a strange and peculiar man, yet more importantly, a chary neighbour of theirs - Mr Harvey.
Susie narrates the story, and informs the readers of her life before her death, and her family's life after her death. She is now in 'the inbetween', a place between Heaven and Earth. It seems like a paradise, however it is still full of her loneliness and anger, as she watches her family grow up, especially her sister Lindsay, as she experiences things that she herself will never be able to experience. It provokes sympathy from the audience towards Susie, as she expresses the sad truth that she is literally frozen as a person, unable to move forward or grow old.
Although she watches her family intently, and misses them dearly, she fails to understand that they can never fully move on until she fully moves on. For me, the most poignant part of the story, was when Susie finally 'leaves' her family, and goes on into Heaven. Here she meets those whom she had loved and lost years before, aswell as those poor young girls who had lost their lives under the hand of the phsycotic Mr Harvey. Here she is finally free.
I enjoyed reading this book, as it was something different to the genres that I usually read. It was a poignant and moving read, and I would recommend it to those looking for an emotionally-gripping and heart-rending story. Also, if anyone has seen the filmic version of this story, I would thoroughly recommend this book, as it gives you a much deeper understanding of the emotional journey that the characters go through whilst dealing with stress and grief , however if you are quite a sensetive reader, youmight not enjoy this book.

Star rating: 4/5 stars