MADCON BOOK CORNER
ARTICULATED BY:
COMMENTS
By Connor Howlett and Maddie Hanson
MADDIE HANSON
Firstly, I am the least “out-doorsy” kind of person EVER! This is why, at the beginning of the book, I was put off by Aron’s stories of past climbing experiences, as it didn’t really interest me. However, I was fascinated by his story of what happened when he was stuck “between a rock and a hard place”.
Aron tells his story right from the very start, including stories from other adventures he has faced. His story is truly inspiring; I was addicted and still can’t believe how he managed to stay so strong throughout his terrifying experience. What I really admired about Aron’s story is his honesty. I felt he was brutally honest and didn’t try and make himself seem more “manly” by saying he wasn’t petrified.
Aron is an admirable man, his perseverance and determination is something that everyone should read about. He wanted to live, so he did - yes he lost his arm in the process - but he survived and didn’t give up: an admirable trait.
RECOMMENDED
127 Hours by Aron Raslton (2004)
MADDIE HANSON
CONNOR HOWLETT
July’s books were certainly a good selection. I had wanted to see 127 Hours, the film, for a long time, but as usual I wanted to read the book first. Through this I discovered that Aron was not only an inspirational survival story of mortal anguish, but also an incredibly good writer.
While reflecting on previous experiences, we embark on the journey Aron went on, leading up to his horrific accident, which is something not really seen in the film. Readers will also find very poignant moral messages that came to Aron during his entrapment, and can be very relevantly used into our every day lives.
The book is better than the film, which is saying something as the film is already so highly regarded critically.
MADDIE HANSON
At first, the concept seems ridiculous: a man (Henry) time travelling back and forth into past and present, however the novel is captivating, presenting what would be the real problems of time travel, and the dangers it would face. Henry meets Clare when she is 6 and he is 38, and later she is 20 and Henry 28; throughout the book their relationship grows into something unique and special.
Niffenegger’s writing is of pure excellence. At the beginning of the novel she presents the reader with small details which may seem insignificant at first, but later becomes important in finding out what happens to Henry and Clare. She keeps you engaged with the book by jumping back and forth into different time periods of Henry’s life, which will keep you intrigued from the start.
I simply cannot praise this book enough. It is not your typical love story: it’s a magical romance, which will break your heart and linger in your mind for a very long time.
Having read The Time Traveler’s Wife before a few years back, I was still more than mesmerised with Niffenegger’s debut novel.
MADDIE HANSON
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (2003)
You enjoy every sip and slurp, chapter and paragraph, mouthful and swallow, sentence and word. You bathe in the beauty of what has just entered your mouth, or eyes.
The novel is a journey into believable bizarre: a symphony of genre: sci-fi, romance, contemporary. Its slick lines breathe elegance of modern literature, as you become a part of these two characters’ lives.
My copy was Vintage Future Classics, and rightly so. This book will be celebrated as one of my favourites for years to come.
Reading The Time Traveler’s Wife was like drinking your first enjoyable cup of coffee, or first enjoyable swig of alcohol. You dive in as normal, expecting the same disgust and disappointment you’ve tasted with so many others before, until suddenly a light switches on inside of you. Heaven.