Macbeth

By William Shakespeare

[Fresh from victory on the battlefield, the
celebrated general and nobleman Macbeth
receives a prophecy from three witches that he
will one day become king of Scotland. Driven by
his own ambition and that of his power-hungry
wife, he murders King Duncan and seizes the
throne for himself. Forced to commit murder
again and again to maintain their grip on power,
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth become haunted by
guilt and paranoia, spiralling into madness and,
eventually, death.]

Can I just start by saying - I READ A SHAKESPEARE PLAY FOR FUN.

If you'd have known me back in secondary school or even college you would know how much I loathed Shakespeare. Annotating every single blasted word drove me up the wall.

But I found myself, a few months ago, wanting to attempt a reading of his darkest play out of pure curiosity. As a writer, he is worshipped. So what is all the fuss about?

Funnily enough, I rather enjoyed reading Macbeth.

The version I read had a sort of translation page opposite the actual Shakespearian play which was very handy indeed. I don't think I would've enjoyed it half as much if it wasn't for that because I still probably wouldn't have understood at least 60% of it.

But it was good. I enjoyed the story and the characters. I seemed to prefer scenes with Macbeth or Lady Macbeth in them, or the witches, because they were the scenes that were a lot more dramatic. I was always wondering who they'd kill next or what prophecy the witches would come up with next.

The only thing I wasn't particularly happy about were the sudden write-offs of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. I think I would've liked to see what actually happened to them both as their deaths were off-stage.

However, saying that, the way it was written might've been very effective in play format, so who knows?

Maybe I'll try Romeo and Juliet soon...



➴

The Miniaturist

By Jessie Burton.

[There is 

nothing hidden 

that will not be revealed...

On an autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old 

Nella Oortman knocks at the door of a grand 

house in the wealthiest quarter of Amsterdam. 

She has come from the country to begin a 

new life as the wife of illustrious merchant 

trader Johannes Brandt, but instead she is met 

by his sharp-tongued sister, Marin. Only later 

does Johannes appear and present her with 

an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized 

replica of their home. It is to be furnished by 

an elusive miniaturist, whose tiny creations 

mirror their real-life counterparts in 

unexpected ways...

Nella is at first mystified by the closed world of 

the Brandt household, but as she uncovers its 

secrets she realises the escalating dangers that 

await them all. Does the miniaturist hold their 

fate in her hands? And will she be the key to their 

salvation or the architect of their downfall?

Beautiful, intoxicating and filled with 

heart-pounding suspense, The Miniaturist is 

a magnificent story of love and obsession, 

betrayal and retribution, appearance 

and truth.]

I was really rather confused by this whole book.

Not confused as in I didn't know what was going on, because I did. 

But confused because the title is The Miniaturist, and, yes, a miniaturist did feature in the book but not nearly as much as I thought she would do. 

I kind of didn't see the point in her even being in the book, she had no impact whatsoever really and it was all left in the air as to what or who she really was. 

In fact, she had completely disappeared by the end, crucial moments of the plot, so I'm baffled.

I enjoyed the setting. Amsterdam sounds like such a beautiful and enchanting place and the style this was written in was perfect.

I loved Burton's character development as well. She really knows how to show all of their underlying flaws even among their more boisterous traits.

I was a little unhappy overall about the plot. It didn't seem to go anywhere at all for quite a while and then everything suddenly happened at once and it all seemed quite random.

The ending also left me feeling a little deflated and lost with two of the characters being killed off so suddenly (one more so than the other). 

I don't know why, but I presumed at least one of those two characters would survive, that the other characters would find a way to save them, but maybe that would be me hoping for a happy-ever-after ending when you don't always get them!

Another comment I would like to make, unrelated to the plot or characters, is about the actual bound print of this book. It is absolutely stunning. A friend bought me it as a present and I love the whole blue lining of each page and the floral endpapers. It's beautiful.

I wish I could have enjoyed this a bit more to be honest.



✌︎

Goodbye Smudge

So, I've missed a few of my regular posting times/days and the last post I did was hastily done. It's been a rough few weeks with intermittent health issues, internet problems and the death of my cat.

It may seem silly to some for me to be so distraught over a cat dying, but he really was a part of the family. Like, I used to hate that saying, but I really can see it now. The pets are as good a part of us as our parents or siblings. I mean, it tends to be the animals I'm really looking forward to on a visit home. 

Sad, I know.

He was always there since I was about ten or eleven years old, doing stupid things, making us laugh. When he was a kitten, he would get into the christmas tree and sit in there until he decided to pull it down instead or tear up bits of baubles and tinsel. And even last christmas he got into the box of tinsel with eyes the size of saucers. He was so mischievous and a pain in the ass, but we loved him anyway.

It's not just that he's gone, it's more that he's left such a big empty space behind, and that's not because he was such a fat cat. I don't even live at home anymore with all of our family pets, but it's still weird to think that he's not there anymore. I've kind of even been putting off going home because, although I know he's gone, it confirms it, in a way, if I go back.

Who would have thought it would take a cat dying to make me feel more appreciative of the time I do spend with people? It's just so weird, I was at home three days before he got hit by that car and crawled his way back to our garden, where my sister fortunately found him.

I just can't stop thinking about what my sister said when I asked her if she was okay. She said the worst bit of it all was that his meowing was so sad. Reading that text broke my heart.

Who's going to drink the milk from my cereal bowl when I've eaten the rest now? Who's going to flop onto the carpet on a sunny day with his flab splaying everywhere? Who's going to purr ridiculously loudly even when we sit down on the opposite side of the bed without looking at him?

Rest in peace my poor poor baby, you didn't deserve the hand you were dealt in the end ❤

✝