Wonder / R.J. Palacio / Review

Spoiler free -


Hello! My first post of my summer is going to be a positive one; Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

Around the year 2012, Palacio rewarded us all with the release of this book. It exploded all over social media as a book that everyone must read, and I can now say that I agree. 
Wonder would never be a book that I would be drawn to. Firstly because it doesn't have fairies fighting or star-crossed lovers or demons. Secondly because I usually read books that allow me to escape from the world that I have issues with everyday, and I had a feeling this book would hold all those issues. 

August Pullman is a 10 year old boy who was born with a disease that resulted in him having a deformed face. The book follows quick-witted August on his first year at school after being home-schooled by his mother all his life. Everything to August is a brand new experience; learning, friends, and unfortunately, bullies. Therefore, I was very nervous and sceptical when going into this book, worried that it'd make me really depressed and hateful toward the universe. But I was proven wrong.

The majority of the book is written in the perspective of August. This may be off-putting (I hadn't realised how young he was before I picked up the book), but August is a very intelligent, intuitive and humorous 10 year old and reading his thoughts and opinions made it impossible for the reader not to fall in love with him and care for him so deeply. I think Palacio made August so bright and fascinating so that the readers can see him as being special on a deeper level, emphasising the importance of personality and the message of the book. 

The book is also written in the perspective of many other people; August's friends, his sister and even his sister's friends to present how August and his life affects everybody and show the significance of one young boy. I particularly enjoyed the alterations Palacio made to the writing in each individual's point of view. However, I did find it super frustrating when one character had a chapter with no capital letters...none. AH! The variety of perspectives really made the book feel more real and again emphasised the message of the book. Palacia wrote this book in order for people to be kind, be considerate and understanding of other people's feelings. Therefore, for me, the range of characters that the reader gets to experience amplified this as we truly understood each characters decisions and actions on a personal level.

This book tells the story of life. Specifically the story of one boy's year. Consequently this book doesn't have a complex story line, or an important plot point. But I don't really think that this is necessary as the author managed to create ordinary events become extraordinary through the eyes of an extraordinary individual, August; who manages to stay positive and unbroken through whatever is thrown at him. I think that's what makes this book so special and inspirational. R. J. Palacio manages to write a story that's so simplistic and normal to emphasise that although August's face is deformed, he is still a normal boy. She also manages to present August as such a special individual who manages to influence so many people with his charming and kind personality. 

I think that this is a book that you should read, no matter your age, gender, or genre preferences. This book is not one that I would ever pick up but now that I have I don't regret it and will be more optimistic towards similar books in the future. My favourite quote from the book (though is quoted in the book from another book!) is

"...try to be a little kinder than is necessary"

I believe that this book will inspire those who read it and if everyone reads it, the world may become a happier place...

View and add my Goodreads HERE

Instagram is @abibliotopia

Hannah

 ♥

The Rest of Us Just Live Here Book Review!

Spoiler Free

The Rest Of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness was a very popular book last year from its release date of August 27th 2015. It sparked many people's interest with such a unique and innovative idea of the question we must all ask; what if we're not the chosen one?

Well, Ness wrote a book answering this question. The Rest of Us Just Live Here focusses on Mike and his friends (Mel, Henna, Jared) in a world where zombie apocalypses and vampire heart throbs are the norm and though us normal guys aren't the victims of it all, we have to just survive it. 

This book is very different and is nothing what I expected it to be. I think that may be why I didn't enjoy it as much. I was expecting a sci-fi/fantasy/survival novel that would be relatable somehow, woven with charm and sophistication. However, instead it was more of a book dealing with personal and self issues (still relatable) woven with awkwardness and humour. Oh and a little bit of alien freakiness. But only about 5%. 

An element of this book that I did enjoy were the characters. So so different but also relatable at the same time which is weird. But this book was weird. It was refreshing to have a male narrator but also have a sensitive male protagonist who got frustrated and upset and had a little cry. I really appreciated the honesty and depth that Patrick Ness explored with all the characters; each having self-doubt and flaws. But I think the thing that made this book worth reading was the friendship between all the characters that truly did feel real. For that alone I'd pick up this book. There are seriously bizarre elements such as Holy powers and what not but its so cleverly done that it still feels...normal and okay. The fact that the book is written from Mike's point of view makes the story all the more personal and as if we're in the world with them and the craziness and would-be stupidness is great, wanted and funny. 

This book was a read of mine for a couple of months (shameful, I know) because I've had many exams going on at school so instead boycotting reading I went for a lighter approach. I think this kind of book is perfect for anyone who wants a light read that they can put down and pick up whenever as this book didn't have a very complex storyline at all. This may be great for some people as a kind of reading cleanse (perhaps to get out of a slump) but for me, I kept thinking it was all going to build up and go somewhere but it didn't. It wasn't unsatisfactory it was simply unexpected and that's probably my own fault.

A very short review as there's little more to comment on really. I hope this review was useful to you in some way and if you've read the book, feel free to comment below your thoughts! Sorry for the huge lack of commitment to this blog. I have this week off and then back to exams so hopefully I will get to write another post!


View and add my Goodreads HERE

Instagram is @abibliotopia

Hannah

 ♥