She's an American Beauty and an American Psycho! - Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Book Review)

I jumped on the Gone Girl bandwagon very late, I have to admit. It's be incredibly difficult to avoid any and all spoilers about the plot, but thankfully I managed to do so! 

I will say this at the start; there will, most definitely, be spoilers about the book/film in this post, so if you're a late arrival, like I was, and don't want to spoil the plot for yourself then I'd suggest you don't read any further than this.

Okay, let's get into it.

Firstly, I want to say that it did take me quite a long time to read this book. Personally, I found it a little slow moving to begin with. Nothing gripped me immediately from the start, and since I had successfully avoided anything to do with the book as a whole I was walking into it pretty much blind. Obviously, the title did give me a massive hint towards what the book could potentially be about though, so I was waiting for that build up. 

All throughout part one, there were a few occasions where I put the book down and didn't return to it for a few weeks. Not to say I wasn't enjoying it, but simply that nothing had happened yet to really grab my attention. I think the thing that kept me coming back in the end was the fact that I liked Nick. I felt like I could relate to him a lot easier than I could to Amy, and the moment that fingers started pointing in his direction after Amy's disappearance had me sure that he couldn't have been the culprit. Trying to figure out just exactly what clever way Gillian Flynn was going to twist the plot into eventually had me hooked, and I'm so glad I didn't put the book down for good.

The moment Amy's narrative switched I remember just thinking "....wait, what?!" (I was on the train home from work at the time and I'm pretty sure my expression matched my thoughts). Going from sugary sweet, butter-wouldn't-melt Amy to this calculated, psychotic woman was honestly the last thing I was expecting! Reading the way her mind truly worked made me shudder. The amount of attention she paid to such tiny details and how she planned the perfect murder - her own perfect murder - I hated her, but then at the same time I loved her as a character. I remember reading some of her entries in the later chapters and just feeling so much anger towards her, which is a huge testament to Flynn's writing. Digging deep and affecting the way a reader reacts to a certain character or personality in such a strong way really is proof of excellent writing. 

It sort of reminded me of when I was younger and I read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (hear me out here). Voldemort is the villain, we all know that, but the character I felt the most intense hatred for in that book was Professor Umbridge. Her doilies and kittens and pink frills paired with her controlling nature made her such a detestable character, and I think this is the way I feel about Amy Elliot Dunne. 

I think the really fantastic thing about Gillian Flynn's novel is the presence of flawed characters, aka human characters. I've read books in the past where the protagonist is heroic and perfect and pure and can do absolutely no wrong, and I'll be honest, that's boring. In Gone Girl, there is no perfect character. Nick isn't perfect. He cheated on his wife and we know he should be chastised for that. Amy is far from perfect. Her parents aren't perfect, and so on. We aren't led to be on any one character's side and I really enjoyed that. It felt real and gritty and vivid in my imagination, and that was definitely something I loved about this book.

Now to the ending. Dear lord the ending frustrated me so much! But I mean this in a completely positive way. When reading a novel, you reach the end and you find the closure you need. Everyone is happy and the goodies win while the baddies suffer as they should do. I'm a little like Sheldon Cooper in the sense that I need closure. I like things to come to a harmonious end. Gone Girl does the exact opposite, but it works so well. Nick is trapped with absolutely no way out because Amy is so bloody clever. Always at least three steps of everyone else, she manages to trap Nick in their marriage after her return and gets away with absolutely everything. She's an absolute psycho, but part of me can't help but admire the way her mind works. I'd go as far as to call her an evil genius, I really would.

Despite my absolute frustration towards Nick's situation at the end of the book, I have to say that Gone Girl is one of the best books I've read in a long time. The fact it provoked such a strong reaction from me proves to me how brilliantly written it is. I've been told that Gillian Flynn is writing a follow up, which I really hope is true. 

Well, that's all for now! 

~ C xxx

P.S. Kudos if you get the Fall Out Boy reference in the title. I've had it stuck in my head all day and I feel like it's a song that really fits Amy Elliot Dunne xD

2015: The Year to Love Yourself!

It has taken me over 23 years to learn about one of the most important things I think any person should know. Loving yourself is vital if you want to be happy. And I mean this in all ways possible. Loving yourself for the way that you look. Loving any little quirks about your personality. Loving your body and the fact that, yes, you are different to everyone else and, no, it's definitely not a bad thing.

Taking care of myself is something I've never really put a great deal of thought into until recently. Little things like making sure you've drank plenty of water throughout the day, treating yourself to a nice relaxing bath and just allowing yourself time to lie there and enjoy it. Or sitting down comfortably on the sofa to read as many pages of a book as you like. I think what I'm trying to describe is setting time aside for yourself so that you can do the things you enjoy. So many of us are caught up in a daily routine, and I am definitely guilty of this, but I think that breaking that routing to do something that you've been putting off could be one of the healthiest things you can do.

I've been putting off trying to learn to play a musical instrument for years. In the past I've tried and given up so easily, but this Christmas I was given a piano (a keyboard really) and already I've managed to start teaching myself how to play. Even just putting half an hour aside when I get home from work is just right. I'm doing something that I enjoy and am picking up a new skill at the same time. The same goes for reading - I'm determined to read many, many more books this year, and really make an effort to put the time aside to do so. I'm currently carrying Gone Girl around with me to read on my train journeys to and from work. (It's great, by the way. Believe the hype!)

Of course, self-love is very subjective. People see it in many different ways, but in my opinion it's all about gauging the right balance in your life so that you feel like you're doing yourself justice. Even if you only have time to put five minutes aside one day, really make the most of that five minutes and enjoy them. So far, for me, this way of thinking is definitely shining a positive light into my life. I feel so much happier within myself. Simply enjoying the little things like allowing myself to escape into the world of a book, or going to a yoga class, or writing things down in my journal - all of these things are making my smile so much wider.

Anyway, enough of my late night ramblings now. I should probably go to sleep so I don't seriously regret it at 7am tomorrow morning!

Goodnight!

~ C xxx

Fresh Start!

So I'm not going to lie, I am deeply ashamed that I haven't updated my blog since July. JULY! I would usually fill a post with excuses and such about why I disappeared into nothingness, but I really have no excuses at all. 

As you can see I have revamped my blog theme and colours and fonts. I had a merry little time doing this the other day, especially the fonts - who doesn't love a good font? Just me? Okay. 

Currently, I'm writing this post while my eyes threaten to close on me, as my mum is doing yoga and making me feel even more tired. That's one of my resolutions - to start yoga. (Almost misspelt that as yoda then, see how tired I am?) I have a lot more resolutions for the year, and I've decided that 2015 is going to be my year. It's going to be the year that say yes to more things, I make the changes I want to make and I do everything possible in my power to be happy. Ultimately, that is the only thing I want in life. 

I'm going to start a diary too, which might make it easier to document things happening in my life. I'm hoping it will help me to keep a good lid on everything that I'm feeling and provide me with the release that I need. Plus it's writing, and there's nothing I love more than that :)

Less of an important post here, but I wanted to post an update to get the blogging wheels moving again. They're a little rusty but I'll get them rolling very soon. 

And now I'm going to flop into bed because I am exhausted! 

Goodnight. Sleep tight.

~ C xxx