New Again

I feel this will be long.

I'm listening to For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her- Simon & Garfunkel
Dance Anthem Of The 80's- Regina Spektor
We Can Work It Out- The Beatles

I finished reading The Time Traveler's Wife & now I feel like reading Her Fearful Symmetry


Review
Okay, so this isn't going to be very critical.
First and foremost I loved the novel. Audrey Niffenegger is a great writer.


The major themes of the novel are loss, identity & love, which are explored originally though Niffenegger's incorporation of a science-fiction element and distinct characters, (albeit Gomez. I didn’t like him very much.) in a non linear narrative. Much of it was discontinuous, I think. Ha very post modern.

However more importantly the novel is structured so that the we are given insight into the perspectives of the two protagonists, Henry and Clare. This structure makes evident the dichotomy between men and women, in particular the differences in the way we cope with loss and love.

There were a lot allusion to music and literature. (Stuff I knew, Stuff I didn't know, I love learning!)Also the conversations that occurred between Henry and Clare were intellectual and witty. I liked how through a conversation at the Meadow, Neffenegger was able to explore the the concepts of Determinism and Chaos. These concepts manifested itself within Henry (He's a firm believer in a universe that is not Deterministic)and Clare- who was ambivalent on her take.

However, most of the surprises and the things that were meant to draw us in, in the novel became antitheses to the actual element of surprise. This is because Henry DeTamble could time travel and hence he knew what was going to happen in the future, so often he’d communicate what he knew to others.
He'd tell Clare or Charisse what would happen in the future, this would often be portrayed as a reluctant exchange. But despite that, the whole revealing the future thing- spoiled the ending.

And the thing I disliked most about the novel was the fact that I felt it dragged on for far too long. I told my big sister it reminded me of Twilight and she agreed but she said ‘the writing is much better’
And I couldn’t agree more.
I said it reminded me of Twlight (namely New Moon) because of the whole ‘waiting for boy to come back-crying/being sad because boy isn’t home-happy/sex when boy is back’ feel to it.
I don’t know, it just pains me to see women portrayed so helplessly without men. But I guess I could say for sure that the relationship between Henry & Clare (though fictitious all together) is much more genuine.

Other Things

• I finished watching Stardust. Neil Gaiman is brilliant. I want to read all of his works now! (Why did I not pick Stardust up when I saw it at Kinokunya?!)
• I do not feel like reading Junk- Melvin Burgess, The Mediator- Meg Cabot (I’ve had this book for ages now- I just feel that the writing is so juvenile)
• Other things I must read – LOTR series (It’s impossible to read without becoming antisocial- so I won’t be available all next week), The Big Sleep- Raymond Chandler, Anna Karenina- Leo Tolstoy
• There are so many other novels that are in my bookshelf that I haven’t read & there is honestly no time to read it
• I did however finish Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist- In one night may I add (I loved it !)
• My sleeping pattern is screwed up so there’s not point sleeping right now.( I’ve converted to noctournalism and sociopathism) –Veganism can wait
• My immune system is being bitch. I’m sick (thanks phagocytes and lysosomes- I know you’re working hard) It’s like I have this constant headache & I can’t get a restraining order or a divorce because it is so deeply in love with my uncanny sleeping pattern


It's 2 am. No sleep for me.