The Lollipop Shoes

Title- The Lollipop Shoes

Author- Joanne Harris

Place- London

Publisher- Doubleday

Date- 2007

Edition- 1st

Pages- 459

ISBN- 978-0-385-60948-7

Price- £17.99

Précis

Recommend- Yes, definitely 

We find Yanne and Annie living in Paris, above a little chocolate shop.  But they are not the characters that we left in Chocolat. For a start they are now joined by Yanne’s second daughter Rosette. At four she is still hasn’t uttered her first word, the inference being that she is in some way disabled. The previous lively Anouk has become sullen and secretive, and Yanne, once so full of life, has become faded and grey, the result of the responsibilities of motherhood.

At its most basic level this is a story about magic, on a deeper level its about identity, and relationships between individuals. The three central characters, Yanne, Anouk, and Zozie, are believable, if a little polarized. Each follows their own path on a journey of re and self discovery. Like life, they run into numerous problems along the way. Yanne stands in her own way, Anouk struggles to define herself as she attmepts to rekindle the magic the family have lost since the days of Lansequent, and Zozie, motivated by revenge, is so full of hate that she fails in her quest, and cannot comprehend the notions of love and trust.    

Special features- Check out all the different cover designs. It’s so cool how each one reflects a totally different style. You can see them all here.

becoming for a second the tousled elder sister…the glamorous rebel, Gauloise in hand…in whose impractical shoes I know she secretly longs to be.  This was the first of many descriptions that really struck a cord with me. It encapsulates so much of what the book is about.

Identity, a key theme throughout the book, Yanne who has lost hers, Annie who is seeking hers, and Zozie who neither has, nor (appears) to want hers. The shoes too make an appearance here. Like Chocolate, in Chocolate, Zozie’s lollipop shoes are a character in their own right (but that’s another conversation altogether). Ultimately it shows how easy it is to assume an identity and the power of appearance in influencing peoples’ assumptions.

I have absolutely no idea how to categorize this one. Obviously it’s fiction, and its about magic, but its also about love; romantic love, parental love, friendship, self definition and self acceptance.

As the story unfolds we see the world from three different perspectives: Yanne, Annie, and Zozie, and each perspective offers something new and different to the story. As the reader we are placed in an odd position, on the one hand we are privy to more information than the individual characters alone. On the other they have secrets. There are the obvious secrets, concerning their pasts and what not, but the fact they none have a settled identity means they are capable of surprising you, and a sense of suspense is maintained.  

It terms of a message, well there are heaps of things you can take from this book, you’ll have to read it and decide for yourself what is pertinent to you. The character I found myself most drawn to was Anouk. It always has been, even in Chocolat. In The Lollipop Shoes she occupies a more central role, and I found that her journey of self discover was more convincing than Harris’ portrayal Yannes’s heart ache as she watches Anouk grow and become distant from her.

I was initially reluctant to read The Lollipop shoes, I loved Chocolat and thought the way it ended was too perfect to ruin by finding out what happened next. HOWEVER I couldn’t have been more wrong. TLS is less a sequel and more a continuation of the story. If you, like me, have been putting off reading it banish the thought and get a copy! It’s fantastic.

Lovers of Harris will enjoy this book. Its not as magical as Chocolat the magic in TLS is more practical, or perhaps more subtle.  The setting too makes this book seem more real. It is set in the modern era, there are mobile phones and talk of fashionable clothes and immigration. A lot of this is due to the fact that TLS is set in Paris, rather than the quiet backwaters of France. As a result TLS provides less escapism, it is a story about fairy tales, rather than a fairytale in its own right. There is more about magic as an occult practice, at points quite detailed. This brings to the forefront the concept of good vs evil, and the role of the wicked witch.

Best Bits

The eyes are the windows of the soul…and the display window should be the eyes of the shop, gleaming with promise and delight.

desire demands a sacrifice

wind means change; and without change, the world will die. Our old friend the wind puts in an appearance but we learn a little more about the background to all the magic stuff.

she lifted her foot in a way that managed to be adolescent-gawky and heartbreakingly beautiful all at the same time. This is a well-worn image; the young girl on the brink of womanhood ‘playing’ with the props of an adult. However in this instance the scene is describes, not through the eyes of her mother as one would expect, but through the eyes of Zozie who, for Anouk, represents something between a friend and an elder sister- though at this point the reader has strong suspicions that she is something else entirely.  

rich as Croesus, dark as death.

This is one of those times that Harris hits the nail on the head and manages to put into words s universal truth that is so frequently ignored. Being sensible is no excuse not to have fun and live your life fully.

She lost a shoe. Fairy tales and folklore are rife throughout. This has the effect of making some scenes appear predictable. Far from detracting from the narrative it enriches it; like a secret language that knits everything together. Its comforting  and allows for things to be said without actually saying them. Anouk’s red riding hood cape is a hint that she will see through disguises, Zozie’s abandoned shoe, left in the snow Cinderella style, becomes solid evidence that everything she appeared to be was a fantasy. The Pied Piper of Hamlin makes various appearances throughout. Harris’ genius is in allowing each of her central characters to share their interpretations of these stories and in doing so we come to understand them more.

So... If you can get your hands on a copy definitely give it a read, its a brilliant book.

Books & Boots

Against my better judgement (ish) I splashed out and purchased a pair of winter boots. Annoyingly I was out when they were delivered, so now they are being REdelivered, with any luck they will arrive today and one of the many students who live near by will be in (fingers crossed).

I went for these. Low heel, but enough to give you a little lift. They are a tad bikery so I got them in suede, which tones it down a bit. I am a bit worried they will be too small, I read a couple for reviews that said they come up small, but the next size up was sold out so I'm just hoping. 

In other news, check out these beautiful books my boss leant me. They are genuine 1950s editions. Her Mother bought them whilst she was living in France. They have all been signed by owners past, and one has some notes written on the sleeve (I think who ever they were, must have been studying it). 

I had been banging on about how much I love reading, so she brought in a couple of hefty tomes too, these should keep me busy. 

Had a quick peek at Dr. Zhivago, it looks promising can't wait to get started, but I want to finish Barbara Pym's Excellent Women first. It's not a book I would have chosen for myself, but my Grandma gave it to me and she generally has pretty good taste. The best way I can describe it is Just William for adults. Pym is bang on the money in her portrayal of society, and quite humorous with it. 

Last time she visited she bought me Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey. Again I probably wouldn't have picked this one out, but I'm quite looking forward to getting my nose between the leaves.  

    

She also gave me The Mabinogion, a nod to our Welsh heritage, which I'm looking forward to reading. The edition I have only has 2 stories, and a picture of a rather insipid looking damsel on the cover. The complete Mabinogion is a collection of 12, all taken from two older sources: The Red Book of Hergest, and The White Book of Rhydderch. As its so small it will make perfect lunchtime reading. 

I joined GoodReads a couple of months ago, and so far it has been great. I got sent a couple of books to review (free books!). One of the authors, Derek Murphy, sent me Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, as a thank you. I was really touched by this as it was a book I had mentioned wanting to read.

At soem point I will get round to putting up reviews of all of these books, though it may take a while to get through them all! 

xXx

Beautifully Bookish

Manny being a Bookworm. This is screen still taken from Black Books, a comedy dear to my heart. If you haven't heard of it/ seen it, do it now. you wont regret it.

Anyway I have been sent some books in exchange for writing reviews of them. Pretty sweet deal all things considered. Just a quick heads up- This is a slight departure from my usual posts and will, almost definitely, be a tad longer.

So the First book, Blood of the Rose by Kate Pearce, wasn't really my cup of tea. I feel bad saying this as it was so sweet of her to send me a copy, she even signed it.

The cover, and the bookmarks that came with it give you an impression of the sort of book it is. Its sort of Romeo and Juliet meets Twilight meet Mills and Boon meets Philippa Gregory.


Blood of the Rose is the second book in the Tudor Vampire Chronicles. Set during the reign of Henry VIII, it tells the story of a female vampire slayer, Rosalind Llwellyn, who belongs to a family of Druids sworn to defend the English monarchy. Long story short, she gets together with a bloke sworn to defend vampire interests. Cue cringe worthy soft porn moments, with a smattering of historical 'facts' to keep it off the top self.

Here are a couple of comedy quotes that pretty much sum the book up:

"His soft laughter made her want to lean into him and just surrender to his strength"

"Having Christopher in her mind and in her arm made her feel alive again"

"He wanted to breath in her scent, cover her naked flesh with kisses, thrust his aching prick into her warm, wet tightness..."

also, as expected, a healthy does of forsooths, mayhaps, perchances, and verilys.

Book number 2: Derek Murphy's Jesus Potter Harry Christ.

Gosh where to start?... An impressively heavy tome, it reads like an academic paper. Its divided into three parts, then subdivided. The subdivisions work as part of a cohesive narrative, but also allow you to pick and choose the parts you're most interested in. As a result it is easy to follow Murphy's logic and makes for fuss free reading.

A lot of research and effort have obviously been expended in writing this book, but at no point does it feel laboured or like Murphy has an axe to grind (an impressive achievement considering the subject matter). In fact Murphy presents the evidence and leaves the conclusions to the reader. Having said this there are points at which you do hear Murphy's own voice, in little asides to the main narrative. I should add however that these are delivered with such brilliant sarcastic wit that they only add to the experience, rather than detracting from his academic credibility. For example:

In response to the Biblical story of Genesis (1:1-31) "Everything was made perfectly in accordance to [God's] plan, and he announced that it was all very good. In the world He created, there was no death and no suffering, which suggests that the time and the basic laws of physics hadn't yet been installed" (226)

This was not the book I was expecting. From the title I thought there would be more about the similarities between Jesus and Harry, with some interesting facts about both thrown in for good measure. It is not, although the first chapter Sacrificial Half Breed Warlocks: Harry Potter as a Christ Figure does (obviously) focus on the two characters similarities, the rest of the book is a fairly detailed look at the roots, and development, of Christianity.

There are some fascinating tit-bits to be gleaned, and Murphy makes much of the pre christian ear and its belief systems, in particular Sun-myths which, is Murphy is to be believed, forms the basis of all alter religions, not to mention literature. He makes a very persuasive argument.

The titles of each chapter allude to popular culture enough that you can join the dots up yourself, without having to have things spelled out (Jesus, the Lion King: Astrological Foundations). This also allows you to muse on things uninterrupted, and go off in your own direction of thought. Conversely the subject matter of  some, Meeting Satan Again: Draco and Creation Myth,  appear predictable and yet will totally surprise you (although there are some familiar names that Potter fans will pick up on).

An understanding of classical culture helps whilst reading some of the more academically meaty bits, or maybe its just that those who have an understanding of Classics clearly have an interest in the subject, and will get more enjoyment from these bits... who knows?! Either way I thought it was a brilliant book, and highly recommend it.

If you like the sound of Jesus Potter Harry Christ, you can read it for yourself here.

If nothing else it makes for interesting dinner table debating, and is most certainly thought provoking.

Love to all

xXx

Sunny Delight

Hello, what a wonderful Sunny day! and hello to my new followers. Much as I love Phee, its nice to know that someone other than the person I live with (and who therefore is privy to my life first hand) is reading my blog.


Due to a bit of a mix up at work, I ended up enjoying an unexpected day off. After an uneventful excursion into town, in search of a Tangerine cardigan (if you know where I can get one please let me know), and a Green pencil skirt, I wended my way home.


On the way back I popped into a couple of charity shops (hoping to discover the aforementioned items). No joy- but I did find Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex for 99p. So I snapped it up and couldn't resist starting to read it on the walk home (bit of an error). I have only read a tiny bit so far but its fascinating. I don't think Im going to read it cover to cover, just dip in and out of it (haha)- I'll let you know how it goes.


If you want to find out a bit more about Simone de Beauvoir go here, and a little bit about The Second Sex here
I wish I still had access to JSTOR, but sadly my student days are a thing of the past and journals are no longer free.  


The weather was so glorious that I decided to take my new book to the park for a picnic.

The Perfect Picnic Package: Sunnies, Good Book, a Blanket, and some Elderflower Cordial. 

(I was going to go for Cider, but seeing as I was picnicking alone thought that might be a tad on the alcoholic side).

Made some 'friends'

I decided that sun glasses, Red Lippy, and a Silk Scarf
was a touch on the pretentious side, even for Brighton

Just before I go here are a couple of Snaps of me in work attire. We have to wear black but I added coloured tights and a peter pan collar to jazz it up a bit.

The Collar was a birthday gift from Phee, she made a blue one too,
both from some velvet she got from her grandfather's tailors shop.

Apologies for the 'saultry' face.
 I'm getting fed up of taking photos on my bed but its the only way to get a whole outfit in.