“Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.”
Well said Mark Twain, well said. Today marks World Book Day, so in an online love letter to the magic of a novel, we at Team Her.ie decided to list our favourite reads, and attempt to explain why it is we love them so much…
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Rebecca’s Choice
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby is one of those classics that should and will never age. It is regarded as the Great American Novel and quite rightly so. F Scott Fitzgerald captures the essence of the Roaring Twenties (which is the era and wardrobe I would love to have lived through) in a way that’s both engaging and tragic. As well as the time in which the story is set, I also fell head-over-heels in love with Jay Gatsby, played on the big screen by the equally loveable Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s handsome and heroic yet completely flawed and heart-warmingly idealistic, something which makes him easy to relate to and root for. Ultimately he is a character striving for something which isn’t real which I think is true to everyone at some point or another in their lives. I don’t want to sound too philosophical or clichéd here but there’s a little bit of Gatsby in all of us and for that reason his story will always have a special place in my heart.
Sue’s Choice
The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
Although originally written for adults, The Catcher in the Rye is now hugely popular with teenagers who identify with the main themes of confusion, angst and rebellion. Seventeen year old Holden Caulfield, the hero of the piece, following an argument with his roommate at his private school, he takes off with the intention of never returning. Holden makes his way to New York City where he plans to wait until his parents return from their Christmas vacation. Salinger’s Caulfield seems like a typical brash young teenager, rebellious and hormonal but the outspoken nature and dry wit of Holden paint over a damaged and lost young soul. The revelation of what causes his deep pain is truly heartbreaking. A modern classic, The Catcher in the Rye continues to sell about a quarter of a million copies every year, has total sales of over 65 million books and is continuously named on best novels lists worldwide.
Michelle’s Choice
Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?” Quite. For this child, who possessed a most vivid imagination, there was no dream greater than a world in which everyday inanimate objects came to life in front of your eyes and drew you into a completely bonkers adventure of epic proportions. Tea parties with mad hatters, white rabbits in waistcoats in a terrible rush, and croquet with a Queen – what’s not to love? Besides the fact that said Queen wants your head chopped off, that it.
Úna’s Choice
A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khalid Hosseini
This is an incredible moving story about two women set in Afghanistan. It’s filled with emotional turmoil and physical brutality in a harsh reality that I couldn’t even imagine but yet the compassion shown by the two women at various stages of their lives is so compelling and ultimately uplifting.
Beautifully written, it not only captures the essence of what their world is like but it’s a story that really touched my heart and there are moments when you become overwhelmed by emotions.
Marie’s Choice
In Cold Blood – Truman Capote
This masterpiece is based on the true story of the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas in the 1950s and has been my favourite book from the moment I read it, almost eight years ago. The book explores the motivations of the two killers, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, and took over six years to complete. While it is factually based, In Cold Blood is written as a novel and, in my humble opinion, everything from the writing style to the character development is flawless. I’ve read this novel several times and bullied most of my friends into doing the same so trust me, you won’t regret checking this one out!
