The Partner and The Testament

John Grisham has written many book but, until last month, I hadn’t read none of those books. I’ve seen a lot of movies based on Grisham’s books, but that’s all.

One day I was looking for something to read from my bookshelf and I noticed that I had two Grisham’s book there, The Partner and The Testament. I have no idea where I’d gotten them, but there they where.

I started with The Testament and then grabbed on to The Partner.

Both books dealt with somehow similar subject. Rich lawyers undergo a life-chancing experience and they start to re-evaluate their lives and motives. They start to have a guilty conscience and they want to change their lives. Remorse, repent and a desire to do the right thing, those are the main things in these books. A will to make a change in one’s  life live in their heart of hearts. I guess that the main message was that money can’t make you happy. If you’re lonely and you don’t have purpose in your life, you’re unhappy. But, I must say, I don’t underestimate the value of money, if you don’t have enough money, your life can be very hard.

I liked both books. These two book may not be the most well-known books of Grisham, at least I had’t head from them (although I had them, maybe for many years… my bookshelf is quite big and full of books). They were not the best books I’ve ever read but they interested me so that I will definitely will read more books written by Grisham.

The Murder Room

P. D. James has written for years and she is the author of twenty books. Nevertheless I haven’t read her books, not since this month. I bought the paperback version of The Murder Room (written in 2004) and started to read.

The Murder Room was a pleasant surprise. It was long, the paperback version had over 500 pages. I liked the clear and somehow calm writing style. It’s funny to say calm when you’re reading a murder story, but that’s how I felt.

At the beginning I was just a little bit frustrated because the story moved on a little slowly. There was sufficiently portrayals of things and situations, maybe just a little too much. Still, I liked the story and it was interesting. The only disappointment was those last few chapters of the book. The main character, Commander Adam Dalgliesh, wants to see his dearest, a woman called Emma. He’s uncertain, he doesn’t know if Emma still wants to be with him. The chapters are almost like from a very sugary romance novel and they don’t suit at all to the general atmosphere of the book. Well, it was nice that those too got together, but still…

The Murder Room was not the most brilliant thriller, but it was well worth the read. I will surely read more books written by P. D. James.

Non-Stop

Last week, when I was on holiday, I went to see Non-Stop with my son. We’ve seen many movies starring Liam Neeson and we expected Non-Stop to be entertaining. It was, so it didn’t disappoint us.

The plot is simple, but it works. Liam Neeson makes a solid performance and, at the age of 61, is still believable as an action hero. I like his rough looks and he is still very eloquent. Over the past years he has played characters that are somehow broken, they’ve had alcoholism and other problems, so I see some repetition here. He has also made several action roles. Before I didn’t think of his as an action hero, now I do. His tall and melancholic presence is somehow intriguing.

Then there was Julianne Moore. She was pretty and she was okay, that’s all.

I can’t help it, but Non-Stop reminded me a little of Taken-movies, also starring Liam Neeson. In a good way, because I also like those movies.

Non-Stop was entertaining, straightforward action movie and it didn’t try to be anything else. It entertained us wonderfully and that was just what we were looking for.

The Railway Man

I’ve made an observation. When the movie people have watched is somehow emotive, sad, moving, shocking or something else, people in the movie theatre stay quietly in their seats even if the movie has ended. No hasty egress, no loud talking. Just stillness. This is what happened yesterday, when I went to see The Railway Man.

The movie was emotive. It touched me. And what makes it even more touching is that it is a true story. An incredible story about love, courage and forgiveness. Some people may find Colin Firth’s performance too quiet or too stiff. In my eyes it was just what it needed to be. A man who has experienced such horrible things as Eric Lomax, can’t be an archetype of happiness. Jeremy Irvine played the young Lomax. I didn’t know him before but he did a good jog.

As an actor, I love Colin Firth. There’s something very real and honest about everything he does. And, of course, there was Nicole Kidman as Lomax’s wife Patti (my husband loves Nicole Kidman, so he was happy). Nicole Kidman did a solid performance but it was an average one, I’ve seen better ones from her.

And the story. Unbelievable cruelty and unbelievable forgiveness. Eric Lomax must have a great heart because he was able to forgive all the horrible things that he had to go thru and even become friends with one of his torturers. An amazing thing, I say. I’ve heard someone say that you have to forgive the bad things that someone has done to you. Not because of the other person but because of yourself. That is the only way you can find peace. That’s what happened to Eric Lomax. All the many years of suffering after those horrible experiences. I’m happy that he found peace, at least I hope he did.

The movie woke up some thoughts in my head. If Eric Lomax was able to forgive such terrible acts, why aren’t we able to forgive smaller things? We carry grudges for years and years for so small reasons. Is it possible to forgive if the other person doesn’t regret? If the other person doesn’t realise that he or she has hurt you? Can you forgive just for the sake of yourself and let go? Big questions. I know I can’t, not yet.

Gone Girl

When I started Gone Girl, a book by Gillian Flynn, I wasn’t very impressed. The first half of the book was ordinary, it had nothing special and there’s not much to say about it.

Then something happened. The second half of the book turned the story in to a completely new direction. The second half twisted the plot to a devious, troubled and brutal direction. The main characters Nick and Amy are both very unpleasant and disturbing people. It seems that their life is based on a lie and is maintained with more lies. Both, especially Amy, has a sick and twisted mind. So disturbed that it made me a little uncomfortable. I had no sympathy for these characters, not in any way. And when I thought of the marriage of these two people… toxic, abnormal and depraved game. Utmost dependency. Lies.

Gone Girl has some surprising elements that I haven’t read in another books. A well woven tale that gets better in the middle. The end was not a surprise. I’m a little dissapointed, because somehow I knew what was going to happen. The end is not what I wanted it to be, it’s as sick as the whole story. At the same time it’s very convenient. It’s suitable for Nick and Amy.

Weird book, with good and bad elements. Gone Girl doesn’t rise to the level of the best thrillers I’ve read, but it was a good read and entertaining, in a twisted way.

The story made me think. When does a person really is who he or she genuinely is? We all have different roles and mask that we choose to use. At work, with friends, with strangers… When I’m really me, just me? Is it when I’m alone?