Summer Reading Books Review

By Caitlin Scarpa

Almost everyone can agree that most schools have a tendency to choose terribly boring books for their students to read over the summer.  However, this year the choices of books were surprisingly interesting, and I enjoyed reading them.  The books I chose to read this summer were The Girl on the Train, Neverwhere, and The Nightingale.

The Girl on the Train was about three different women telling the same story through their own point of views.  The three main characters were Rachel, Megan, and Anna.  Rachel was an alcoholic who was struggling with her divorce with her husband Tom who cheated on her with Anna.  Every day she would pass Megan’s house while she was on a train to London; she would fantasize Megan's life with her husband Scott to be a perfect life, when in reality their life was far from it.  This book showed the struggle of these three women and how they affected each others lives.  It keeps the reader excited and in suspense throughout the entire story, especially when Megan mysteriously goes missing, and Rachel is too drunk to remember that night.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good murder mystery.

Neverwhere is about an average man named Richard Mayhew, who one day finds himself in a world of magic and mystery that was right under his feet the whole time.  After Richard decides to help a bleeding girl, named Door, one night, he woke up to be invisible to the world around him.  He makes his way into the Underground sewer system where he reunites with Door, and meets a group of wonderfully odd people.   Door is seeking answers to who killed her family, and Richard wants nothing more than to go home.  They embark on an adventure which takes them to magical and dangerous places.  The concept of this book was fascinating, but the execution could have been better.   The book would have been much better if it was written in a different format.  The book was based on a TV show, which explains why it was structured like it was.  If the story was told in first person by Richard, it would have made the book a lot better, in my opinion.  The book was still very interesting even of the format of it annoyed me.

The last book I read this summer was The Nightingale.  It was about occupied France during WWII.  The two main characters were Vianne and Isabelle, who both dealt with the war in a different way.  Isabelle was determined to make a difference and to help France in any way she could.  She was told countless times that she couldn’t do anything because she was a woman.  Even the Nazis didn't expect a woman to be one of the most wanted people in all of France.  Isabelle became known as the Nightingale; she would bring English and American airmen over the Pyrenees mountains to Spain so they could continue fighting.  She saved over 100 men  by making these treacherous journeys over the mountains and risking her own life as well as her family’s lives.  Vianne was a hero in her own way, she stayed home and took care of her family, making sure her daughter Sophie ate and was safe from the Nazis.  She saved her best friend Rachel’s son, Ari, by pretending he was her own son.  She was also able to help save about 19 other jewish children by hiding them in an orphanage until the war was over.  She was brave and strong and would do anything to make sure her family was safe.  Out of all of the books I have read this summer, this one was by far my favorite.  The book was extremely emotional, and heartwarming.  It showed the effect of woman on the war, and how women can make a difference even when everyone says they can't.  I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who has a sense of adventure and who enjoys reading about a hero's journey.

"Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman // book review by Sarah Dioneda

“I mean, maybe I am crazy. I mean, maybe. But if this is all there is, then I don't want to be sane.”

And how true that may be.

Going into Neverwhere, I honestly had no idea what to expect. All I knew is that I had to read this book for school, and the author made a cameo in Arthur once.

I didn't expect to think that this book was good.

The plot line was easy to follow, the writing was normal (to put it simply) and Richard was an annoying, but ultimately empathetic main character that kind of grows on you like a rash. The book is an interesting story of self-discovery and redemption that just so happens to take place in an alternate universe that moves below our feet. Trust me, it makes it that much more entertaining.

And it isn't just about Richard. You get strong female heroines like Door and Hunter, and an entire journey of self-discovery through the main character. His character development in this novel is impeccable. I would compare it to Vianne's development in the Nightingale. They were weaker, confused, and a bit wet behind the ears in the beginning, but did they grow. Neverwhere is a multi-layered book, and each person (or creature, per se) has a long way to go before they finally become who they were meant to be.

However, I can understand that it is not exactly for everyone. The alternating perspectives of people tend to throw off some readers--including some of my friends who had mentioned this dilemma and added that they thought the novel was pretty slow. Also, based off my own observation, I realized that romance appeals to the female teenage demographic, and when reading this book, there is absolutely none. It turned a lot of my friends off, and I suppose, they found it more unappealing without it.

But even with the alternating perspectives and lack of romance, it's still a great story--a redeeming one, really. Ultimately, it's a rewarding journey to go through if you're up for it, and if you are, I hope you enjoy because I certainly did.

“You've a good heart. Sometimes that's enough to see you safe wherever you go. But mostly, it's not.”