Animal Farm by George Orwell

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Title: Animal Farm

Author: George Orwell

Genre: Political Satire

Length: 141 pages

Published: 1945 (original) 1996 (version I read)

Publisher: Signet

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) As ferociously fresh as it was more than a half century ago, this remarkable allegory of a downtrodden society of overworked, mistreated animals and their quest to create a paradise of progress, justice, and equality is one of the most scathing satires ever published. As readers witness the rise and bloody fall of the revolutionary animals, they begin to recognize the seeds of totalitarianism in the most idealistic organization and in the most charismatic leaders, the souls of the cruelest oppressors.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

This was excellent! I am kicking myself for not reading it earlier in life. I could not stop reading it (which is a change from 1984 which took me forever to finish even though I was completely loving the plot). I found it amusing and terribly sad at the same time. It really shows how people (and animals) change when they are placed in positions of power. Definitely a must read for anyone who likes a good political satire.

You can purchase Animal Farm through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Animal Farm? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Casual Vacancy By J.K. Rowling

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Title: The Casual Vacancy

Author: J.K. Rowling

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Length: 503 pages

Published: 2012

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) A BIG NOVEL ABOUT A SMALL TOWN ...

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils ... Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

My Review:

I give this book a 4 out of 5. 

I'm a huge fan of the Harry Potter series, so when I saw that J.K. Rowling was publishing an adult non-fantasy novel, I was...intrigued.

The main plot centers around the political race in a small town after one of the council members dies unexpectedly. The author introduced a ton of characters very quickly. At first, I had trouble remembering who was who and what relationship they were to other people in the story. This truly is a small town, as everyone knows everyone else and their business. Rumors run rampant.

My favorite character was Krystal Weedon. Her whole situation was terribly sad, but she still tried to get through it all. She was probably the most tragic character (aside from her brother, Robbie) in the whole novel. 

The events that occur right near the end of the novel left me speechless. But it was refreshing to have the final pages be a reflection of the selfishness of most of the characters because of that horribly tragic event (I refuse to state what it is because it will spoil things). 

The Casual Vacancy is not a small book by any means. It took every ounce of willpower I had to power through the very beginning and get to know and understand the characters (34 of them!) and their complicated relationships. No one had a perfect life. Everyone had some sort of secret. That was the best part of the whole novel: knowing that the characters were real. Because it did take me awhile to really get into the novel, I had to mark this as a 4 out of 5. It was tedious in places, and confusing at the beginning. However, for the most part, it was a pretty good novel. It's more about the characters and their complicated relationships and lives than it is about the election.

You can purchase The Casual Vacancy through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Casual Vacancy? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti

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Title: The Almond Tree

Author: Michelle Cohen Corasanti

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Political Fiction

Length: 348 pages

Published: 2012

Publisher: Garnet Publishing

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Gifted with a mind that continues to impress the elders in his village, Ichmad Hamid struggles with the knowledge that he can do nothing to save his Palestinian friends and family. Ruled by the Israeli military government, the entire village operates in fear of losing homes, jobs, and belongings. But more importantly, they fear losing each other. On Ichmad's twelfth birthday, that fear becomes a reality. With his father imprisoned, his family's home and possessions confiscated, and his siblings quickly succumbing to the dangers of war, Ichmad begins the endless struggle to use his intellect to save his poor and dying family and reclaim a love for others that was lost when the bombs first hit."The Almond Tree" capitalizes on the reader's desire to be picked up and dropped off in another part of the world. It tackles issues that many Americans only hear about on World News or read about at The Huffington Post, such as the Israeli Palestinian conflict, the scholasticide that is being imposed upon the Palestinians in Gaza and the current Gaza blockade. But even more, it offers hope.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

Excellent. Heart-breaking. Absolutely amazing. I could not put this down. The author does an incredible job drawing you in right from the start. She weaves her tale around Ichmad, an almost twelve year old Palestinian boy who must grow up quicker than expected when his father is arrested as a terrorist. Through hard work and using his intelligence, Ichmad rises from a boy in a rural village to winning a full scholarship to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Through awful tragedy and the end of his relationship with his brother, Abbas, Ichmad continues to persevere and care for his family back home while making money abroad. He manages to win the respect of his bigoted physics professor and eventually his friendship.

The Almond Tree really takes a subtle look at racism, religious persecution, and the idea of rising above those beliefs to become who you were meant to be and to care for others despite who they are or what gods they claim as theirs. The Almond Tree bears a resemblance to Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abulhawa, as it follows along a similar path: following the story of a Palestinian family and how they persevere against the Israeli government. This was incredible and I definitely recommend it. 

You can purchase The Almond Tree through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Almond Tree? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.