The Queen of Attolia

by Megan Whalen Turner

超超超好看!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Queen of Attolia 是 The Thief 的續集, 但比第一集好看多了(是很多很多)!! 故事由頭到尾都異常精彩, 高潮片段貫徹全書, 絕無欺場!
故事的開始, Eugenides奉命潛入Attolia竊聽其機密, 但一件異常可怕, 叫人痛苦終生的事卻發生在Eugenides的身上!! (唉, 可憐的Eugenides, 老是被人折磨得半死….眼見他的處境還真叫人心痛….) 喪失重要的東西, Eugenide失去了生存的動力與小偷的尊嚴; 更甚的是, 所屬國家備受與強國Attolia戰爭的困擾. 面對如此劣勢, Eugenides還能施展其能力解開窘局嗎?

次Jane Austen 的 Pride and Prejudice 之後, 另一本令我不眠不休追看的小說. 兩日半看畢算是我最快的記錄了. 本身也頗喜歡看此類的兒童文學啦(比如是Diana Wynne Jones啦); 但這本的, 不論內容與故事編排都十分用心及精彩, 情節發展更叫人意外. 呀!!!!超正的一本書!!!

雖然(我個人認為)前著較這本遜色, 但我還是建議有興趣的朋友先看第一本. 第一部提及的人物, 地理描述, 世界觀及宗教觀, 對交代往後第二部的情節甚為重要; 特別是要了解各國的交戰情況及作戰行動時, 清楚知道其地理環境很重要呢. 儘管這故事的主線是戰爭, 但一點也不悶啊, 因為戰爭只是輕描, 對Eugenides的描述還是其主要內容.

看畢這部, 我相當喜歡主角Eugenides呢~ 有趣的傢伙, 可憐的遭遇也叫人憐愛啊~~~!! 唔唔, 巴不得馬上開始看第三部, The King of Attolia呢….

The Thief

by Megan Whalen Turner

故事由主角Gen第一人身出發, 講述Gen是一名甚麼也能偷到手的小偷, 為了換取自由, 答應國王到鄰國偷取傳說中的寶物(說是寶物只不過是塊爛石頭).
雖說這是小偷為題的故事, 但故事重點並不在描述Gen的偷竊本領, 反之絕大部份都在描述他們一行五人在馬背上旅行的經過, 內容倒是不斷吃喝睡吃喝睡的(並不停為吃的問題而嘈吵). 作者用了極大的編幅處理地理環境, 仔細地形容那些山巒河間, 對平時少看風景描述的我實在相當辛苦....很多地方輕輕地跳過便算了, 字典就更懶查啦…
小偷為題材的故事有很多, 不過我都是第一次看, 還算合我意. 雖說故事前半部有點平淡, 但後段倒是頗精彩的, 結尾更是叫人出人意表呢. 完全意想不到...但仔細回顧卻發現原來作者早就埋下伏筆了.

Mansfield Park

by Jane Austen

用了整整三個星期才看完, 看得好慢...
Mansfield Park嘛...感覺一般啦. 如之前所說, 內容比較灰暗, 但又不致於是黑暗格調....陰陰沈沈的....看得我也昏昏沈沈...
故事角色中, 沒特別討人喜歡的, 也沒特別惹人討厭的. Fanny及Edmund性格雖好(always agreeable), 但又過於內儉沉默, 老實說是悶蛋角色. 我亦感覺不到他們有多passionate, 感情交代也很薄弱啦. 令我無法代入啊!!!!
雖是Fanny和Edmund最終在一起, 但我也不覺得特別高興啦. 在故事前段的交代中, Fanny和Edmund只是一對感情要好的cousins, (雖然Fanny暗中是喜歡Edmund的)但卻看不出他倆有多愛對方. 反而Fanny要是和Mr. Crawford在一起我會比較高興.
一直看, 也不覺得Crawford兄妹有多壞. 無疑他們有很多缺點, 但我卻認為是可接受的. 所以在尾段中把他們描寫得這麼差, 令我有點不服.
總括而言是不錯的, 但不是我喜歡的類型(主要是角色問題吧!). 故事由part two中段開始好看, 尾段達到高潮. 但前半部卻叫人看得挺辛苦的.

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice十分好看啊~

Mr Darcy實在是太好太好喇, 是好男人中的好男人. 他只不過不懂向別人表達自己罷, 及有一點點的驕傲, 但所有人都因此誤會他討厭他.... 看到其他人老是說他的壞話, 我便替他不值喇!!!
Elizabeth嘛, 很討人喜愛呢~~ 尤其是她的活力和率真. 很稱職的女主角, 令人滿意.
比起卑鄙的Wickham, 我更討厭被人寵壞的Lydia, 她那任性, 目中無人, 自以為是的態度實在令我很反感....面對這副德性的人, 真想一把打過去的說....
Pride and Prejudice真的十分十分好看, 要打分我會給5個半星吧~~ 它令我對classic書改觀了, 今天還在PageOne多入了一本Jane Austen 的Mansfield Park 呢!! 希望好看吧~~

The Unexpected Guest

Story by Agatha Christie, Adapted as novel by Charles Osborne

實在跟agatha chrisite 太有緣了. 這本unexpected guest可是我在中三or中四年代買的(確實時間已經不記得了, 總之是很久遠之前), 書已發黃了....要說巧的是, 當年買的時候我是隨意挑的, 對agatha chrisite一丁點認識都沒有. 倒是最近上AC的website 知道有這樣的一本書, 才記起自己多年前已買過了. 上星期從櫃中找出來, 這本書才得以重見天日.
當年買書時只為迫自己多看英文, 最後只看過兩個chapter罷了. 十分可惜的是, 當年為了做book report, 竟挑了結局來看!!!結果知道誰是兇手啦!!!!! 以至現在重看時失去不少驚喜和樂趣了....可惜可惜.....
說說這個故事吧. 它原本是一部話劇的script, AC用四個星期便寫好了, 勁!!!! 現在看的是charles osborne 翻寫的小說, 但內容還是一樣的吸引.

Story DescriptionThe unlucky Michael Starkwedder runs his car into a ditch in dense fog. When he makes his way to an isolated house seeking for help, he discovers a woman standing over the dead body of her wheelchair-bound husband, and with a gun in her hand. She admits to the stranger that she murdered her husband. But after hearing the poor lady's story, the unexpected guest decides to help her concoct a cover story...... But is it Laura, the poor wife, who commit the murder? Or is she shielding someone? Everybody in the house seems to have incentive to commit the murder. But who did it?
And about the murderer, the answer has already been revealed in the title: the unexpected guest. It is really surprising that when everybody believed that the murderer is among the family, but it was the stranger who commited the crime.

Death Comes As the End

by Agatha Christie
也沒想到這麼快便看完呢~~但實在很吸引啊!!!!劇情算不上是緊湊, 但我就是看得很肉緊啊~~
Death Comes As the End 亦是agatha christie 的著作, 但並不屬於任何一個series, 是獨立故事來的. background是2000bc的埃及, 埃及啊....是埃及啊!!!!! 可能這亦是我喜歡的理由之一吧...
寫作手法方面, 書中是以當時人的角度出發, 去了解身邊所發生的事. 比起由不相關的人作故事交代, 有更多更深入的感情流露, 也別具吸引呢.
最重要的是.....我亦有在故事中出現啦~hahaha~~正確的說, 是當中的一個角色也叫作Hori呢!!!!好巧啊!!!!在買書前我也沒發現啊!!從未想過Hori這個名字是真有其名, 我是胡亂改的. 但書中的這個Hori可是個男的......但是個善良的角色呢~heehee....
一如既往, 結果是情理之內, 意料之外, 再一次被agatha christie 騙倒了......人心難測, 我真不願相信那人會是兇手. As Hori said " a rottenness that breeds from within", 這句套在現今社會也不為過. 每個人物都十分真實, 有如現實生活的映照, AC對人性透徹的了解及描繪實在令人佩服萬分. 也許agatha christie故事吸引我的 正是這份真實感吧.

§The Big Four§ by Agatha Christie

剛看完The Big Four, 唔...怎樣說好呢....跟之前看的很不同.與其說它是一個故事, 倒不如說是由很多小事件組合而成, 而言這些都是圍繞住同一個敵人--the big four, 一個龐大的國際犯罪集團.
我想這算是agatha christie另類的創作吧....有別於之前獨立的謀殺事件, 這次的是說Poirot如何與那邪惡的犯罪集團交手對抗. 可能內容是由多個事件組成, 感覺有點鬆散,不像其他單元故事般有張力, 我看得頗慢呢....故事佈局不算精心細密, 有些地方沒交代清楚或是有漏洞, 比如說......
一開頭的unexpected guest是何許人, 為什麼他偏要走去向Poirot求助, 雖說他是名偵探, 但這種事不是向政府報告來得適合嗎?
最後要是countess rossakoff不在場, Poirot他們的計劃不就行不成, 逃不掉要 慘死當場!!??
為何在big four 的大本營內, big four 的成員會逃不出去, 慘被炸死呢?
不過number 4會不會還未死掉, 於其他故事回來復仇呢....?
總括而言一般般 啦, 總覺得失去了ac平時那叫人拍案叫絕的精彩.....

§Howl’s Moving Castle§ by Diana Wynne Jones

In Ingary, people believe that the eldest child is born to fail. Sophie Hatter, as the eldest sister of the three, has accepted this “fate” and believed that she will never succeed to seek her fortunes.
Sophie was tired of the boring life in her father’s hat shop; however, she has no courage to seek changes. But this unadventurous living was changed until the visit of the Witch of Waste. With an excuse of being unpleased with the bonnet, the wicked witch turned Sophie into an old woman.
Now Sophie has to seek for her own fortune. Has no way to go, she went to the moving castle and hoped the notorious Wizard Howl could help her. Meeting a blue demon Calcifer and bargaining with him, Sophie has to find out the wizard’s secret and breaks his contact with the demon in the exchange of breaking her spell.
Living with a heartless wizard with horrible tantrum, a cunning demon who never stop grumbling, and a sheep liked wizard apprentice with sweetheart, Sophie found her life no more boring but adventurous and eventful.


感想還是用中文寫得親切一點吧
Howl’s Moving Castle確實是一本好書, 能令人看得心情愉快. 比較電影, 我覺得原著故事更加有趣和吸引. 當中有不少令人發笑既劇情啦~~比如…
Calcifer被Sophie欺壓;
Howl跟Sophie不停鬥嘴 (原文中的Howl可是相當毒舌的);
可憐的Michael及Calcifer終日要應付那些被Howl拋棄的女子的家人上門尋仇;
面對揮霍無度的Howl, Michael還要悄悄把錢收起來. (有次家中糧食盡銷, Calcifer也沒柴可吃的情況下, Howl竟用糧食錢買了一具骷髏擺設及吉他回家, 原因是 “it looks good” -_-)
還有很多有趣的地方不能盡錄. Diana Wynne Jones的確很有幽默感.

比較電影中的Howl, 我更愛原著的他, 因為原文的Howl實在太太太有趣了!! 貪靚, 揮霍無度, 膽小, 狡猾, 毒舌又輕佻, 實在沒有像電影中那般的正直. 但他對別人卻十分溫柔, 某些情況下也很可靠啦. 故事中更被露了Howl的身世呢!! 老婆婆Sophie也十分有趣, 是非一般的老人. 而Calcifer也十分可愛, 總是不斷碎碎念, 但面對Howl及Sophie的欺負卻老是無力反抗.

這本書讓我看得很開心啦~~到尾段更有一種“不要這麼快完”的心情. 也是它讓我開始閱讀的習慣. 喜歡電影 “哈爾移動城堡”的人, 一定要看呀!! Howl’s Moving Castle確實值得一看再看,看完後又再看.

§ The Murder of Roger Ackroyd§

King Abbot, a village full of gossip and rumors. There is rumor that it was widow Mrs Ferrar murdered her own husband, a rumor that her secret lover was Roger Ackroyd, and rumor that she was blackmailed.
No sooner of Mrs Ferrar’s suicide, Mr Roger Ackroyd has received a late delivered letter from Mrs Ferrar, and soon he was found being stabbed to death in his study. Who is the murderer of this millionaire? His sister-in-law and niece who tight with money? His suddenly disappearing stepson? His good friends or the reliable secretary? Or just an outsider? It is the time for Hercule Poirot to unhide the secret concealed by everyone and discovers the truth.

It is a MASTERPIECE!!! The thing I admired so much for AC novels is that they are so realistic and reasonable. Everybody has concealed sth with personal reason, though it may or may not relate to the murder. But the truth would only be displayed after puzzling these little pieces of fact together.

The most admirable thing of this story is not the trick to murder, but the way to describe the story in AC’s writing. AC is such a brilliant and I believe that her IQ must be very very high!! Who can think of each an innovative way to describe a detective story?

Be honest, I never thought of that guy would the murderer. Would you even think that the storyteller (this story is written from first person view of Dr Sheppard) is the murderer?? That you know this incident from his view; however, it was the “Murderer” who tells you!! It gave me a great stock after reading this book and this stocked feeling has hovered for long time. I respect for her creativity and intelligence so much! If you were a detective story fan, “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” would be my best recommend to you.

我決定用盈菇之家黎放我d讀書報告同畫.
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菇毒之年初三

嗚嗚......尋晚得自己一個食飯, 爸爸媽咪返左中山, 瑤瑤又返左南丫島, bb去左朋友屋企拜年, 小志強重返埋鄉下. 要自己食自己, 今晚都係咁呀... 嗚嗚....菇毒菇毒...
但尋晚竟然好有心情煮野食. 煮左意粉同焗薯仔片兩樣tim!!雖然賣相一般, 但係好好食呀~

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