Last year, I stumbled upon this little gem on Amazon, priced at the princely sum of 23p. Naturally, I couldn’t resist - who could, at such a bargain? It brought back a flood of memories from years ago when an English teacher handed me a tattered old copy, its pages barely holding together. Where that … Continue reading The Agonising Genius of Blaise Pascal: A Personal Ramble Through Pensées
To the Devil a Disappointment: Wheatley’s Satanic Soap Opera
Dennis Wheatley’s To the Devil a Daughter was supposed to be a spine-tingling foray into occult horror, but I found myself laughing more often than shivering. From the first page, I was ready for a clever, suspenseful narrative, only to be greeted by a clunky mix of melodrama, cardboard characters, and a plot that wobbled like an … Continue reading To the Devil a Disappointment: Wheatley’s Satanic Soap Opera
Frozen Lives: A Starkfield Symphony of Misery
Prepare yourself, because we’re in for a bit of a journey here - one that’s as layered and compelling as a Starkfield winter storm. I find myself utterly fascinated by the characters in this novel, each of them a study in human frailty and resilience, so after this initial critique, I’ll be diving deeper into … Continue reading Frozen Lives: A Starkfield Symphony of Misery
Death by Drapery: Tolstoy’s Morbid Masterpiece and the Mediocrity of Ivan Ilyich
The Death of Ivan Ilyich, or as I like to call it, 'How to Have a Midlife Crisis While Actively Dying.' This novella by Tolstoy is less a story and more a literary post-mortem of a man who spends his life climbing the social ladder only to realise, with the grim clarity of impending death, … Continue reading Death by Drapery: Tolstoy’s Morbid Masterpiece and the Mediocrity of Ivan Ilyich
Petals, Politics, and Pointless Pining: A Dig at Dumas’ The Black Tulip
The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas – a novel that dares to ask the pressing, existential question: 'What if horticulture were as riveting as a murder mystery?' Set amidst the whirling chaos of 17th-century Dutch politics and the delirium of Tulip Mania, (fascinating part of history, you must look into this) one might expect a gripping … Continue reading Petals, Politics, and Pointless Pining: A Dig at Dumas’ The Black Tulip
