"Marley and Me" Book Review

"Marley and Me" Book Review

John and Jenny were a couple who just married and are looking for some new challenges in life. They were young, deeply in love, owned a great house, had great careers and did not have a care in the world. Little did they know that after their trip to the petshop their lives would never be the same again.

As a Labrador retriever with more energy than one has ever seen, Marley's entry into John and Jenny's life was a disaster, especially when his normal routine consisted of crashing through screen doors, destroying carpets, eating jewellery and more. He is even scared of thunder and lightning, making him uncontrollable during them, leading to destruction of the house. Yet through it all, the book still points out the unconditional love Marley has for his family and they have for him in return. Just as his ruinous powers appear endless, his love and loyalty has no boundaries. Overall, Marley & Me is an excellent book that can be enjoyed by all sorts of people (even people who don't like dogs). The stories are funny and meaningful and the drama itself is heartwarming and sincere. In the end, Marley reminds us all that life should be lived to its fullest and that we should love people unconditionally.

The Four Concerned

The Four Concerned

The Man
He lies forgotten 'neath the watching skies,
The blood upon his bayonet scarlet bright;
The red moon shining in his glazed eyes,
The 'Last Post' crying, crying in the night.

The Woman
She proudly sits within her home of gloom,
And reads and reads his line with wistful smile,
Then, eyes aglisten, seeks the empty room.
(And he within his bloody grave the while.)

The Child
His wooden war-horse stands beside his bed.
His tiny pillow holds a head of gold.
He dreams of all the things his father said,
He dreams of all the tales his father told.

The Officer
He slowly trudges up the stairs.
With a heavy heart to knock on the door,
To pay his respects of the event so un-rare,
By delivering the news, the bitterness of war.

"Peeling the Onion" Review

"Peeling the Onion" Review

"Peeling the Onion" by Wendy Orr is a novel about a seventeen year old girl named Anna. The story begins with Anna driving home with her boyfriend, Hayden after winning a karate championship.

On that fateful night, Anna's life changes dramatically when another car crashes into theirs, leaving her with multiple injuries. To everybody Anna seems to be coping with the trauma of her suddenly-ruined life pretty well. However, on the inside, she tells a different story. Anna accuses and blames many people for her accident. Most of all though, Anna is devastated by the enormous amount of pain her injuries bring.

Quote from Book: "Nobody tells you that real pain is more than something in your body, it's a black vortex that engulfs your mind, leaving you wondering if there's a border between life and death and what side you're on."

My role in the literature circles was the "Word Wizard". In this role I had to identify at least five words from the novel which I either did not know the meaning of or which I thought were used particularly effectively in the text.

The theme of this novel is about stripping back the superficial layers of Anna's self to reach a better knowledge of who she really is, but it is also about the loss of the different "roles" in her life. Each of us plays many roles in life. In Anna's example her roles are: a daughter, sister, friend, student, karate champion etc. Her behaviour in each role varies. Anna's disabilities have either prevented her from carrying out these roles, or have made her feel unable to do so. For instance she is still Matt and Bronwyn's sister, but her position as the older caring sister has been altered.

Overall I would rate this book with four stars out of five. I really liked the realistic portrayal of Anna as she goes through her ups and downs during the one year period. The reader can feel Anna's emotions, her desperate struggle to find her true self and her determination to recover from her injuries as the reader travels with Anna through her journey of recovery, shaping Anna's final inspirational character.