book review

"Where Angels Fear to Tread" by E.M. Forster

Anais' Annotations Real talk: getting along with your in-laws can be really hard. You may love them, but sometimes, you just wish they would do literally anything else than what they are doing. It is in-law relationships that spark the events of E. M. Forster’s “Where Angels Fear to Tread” (1905). This novel is a whiplash of drama, tragedy and romance, so buckle up. I have heard some mixed opinions on this work, but for myself, I quite like it, and one reason for my approval

TROJAN LIVING

Anais Shelley

Nov 20

"How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Most people know the immigrant journey is one filled with ups and downs. However, it is one thing to be aware of and entirely another thing to come face to face with the emotions of such a process. “How the García Girls Lost Their Accents” (1991) is a novel by Julia Alvarez that has a clear focus on this subject. My favorite thing about this work is the subtle portrayal of traumatic repression. The story is told in reverse, following the four García sisters from adulthood to

TROJAN LIVING

Anais Shelley

Nov 13

"The Green Mile" by Stephen King

Anais' Annotations Stephen King is widely considered to be a literal king of the horror genre. Some of his best-known works include “It” (1986), “Carrie” (1974) and “The Shining” (1977). These are books with a lot of classic horror elements, including terrifying characters and copious amounts of death. Not all of King’s work is like big-screen scares, though. His 1996 novel “The Green Mile” is one of his less grotesque but more thought-provoking pieces, and it is a great re

Anais Shelley

Oct 30

“The Optimist’s Daughter” by Eudora Welty

Anais' Annotations If you like a flair for Southern drama, I have a story that may interest you. Eudora Welty’s “The Optimist’s Daughter” (1972) is a novel that the author developed based on an existing short story, and it is packed with family drama, crazy coincidences and never-ending plot twists. This is not a book that I would call action-packed, as all of the conflicts are truly interpersonal. It moves at a much slower pace than readers may be used to, but unlike most s

TROJAN LIVING

Anais Shelley

Oct 23

"Poor Things" by Alasdair Gray

Anais' Annotations For readers and fans of “Frankenstein” (1818) by Mary Shelley, Alasdair Gray has a twist for you in his 1992 novel, “Poor Things.” This may be a familiar title, as it was recently adapted into a film in 2023 starring Emma Stone. The movie is great, but as always, the book is better. This novel is a collection of letters, diary entries and medical notes. All of these elements come together to create a collage of different perspectives. Overall, it creates a

TROJAN LIVING

Anais Shelley

Oct 16