Rapid Fire Review IV

Another instalment of rapid fire reviews of books that I read ages back.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Genre: Classic

Rating: 3.5 stars

After marrying the mysterious, Mr Maximillian de Winter, our unnamed narrator travels with him to his beautifully enchanting home, Manderley. Once there, however, she can feel the mystical presence of his first wife, the titular Rebecca, as she realises that married life is not going to be as much of a cakewalk as she had expected it to be. ‘Last night I dreamt that I went to Manderley again…’ The famous opening line by du Maurier was the reason I bought this book. And it definitely lives up to the hype surrounding it. While I did see the plot twist coming, it in no way reduced my enjoyment of the beautiful writing. Additionally, I loved that the main character was not given a name.

Edge of Eternity (Century Trilogy III) by Ken Follet

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 4 stars

The third book in Ken Follett’s Century trilogy, this book spans the Cold War years across America, Britain, the Societ Bloc and Germany. It encompasses the lives of multiple families and the connections they make over the years. This book is a 1000-page tome but totally worth the effort of holding it up. What I truly enjoy about all of Ken Follett’s books is how easily and smoothly he mixes reality and fiction. Fictional characters interacting with people like JFK, Carter, Nixon, Gorbachev, etc., were truly the most interesting scenes. My favourite parts had to be Plum Nellie and the parts in East Germany.

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Genre: Magical Realism

Rating: 3.5 stars

Spanning over decades, this is a story of enduring love set during the yellow plague. Florentino Ariza was in love with Fermina Daza when they were young, but after his advances were both encouraged and then consequently rebuffed, he vows to forever wait for her. On the night of Fermina Daza’s husband, Dr Juvenal Urbino’s funeral Florentino comes to her to declare his love for her. Unlike the previous book I read by Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude, the magical realism elements in this book were fewer. But where there were, they were stunningly written. The musing about old age, motherhood, fidelity class systems, and grief was thought-provoking yet not boring at all. Apart from the problematic part of America, this book was great.