Let The Great World Spin - Colum McCann

'Let The Great World Spin' is a wonderful, insightful book written by an extraordinarily talented Irish author living in New York, Colum McCann. The novel is based around the seventh of August, 1974, the day an either insane or brilliant man walked a tightrope between the World Trade Center, otherwise known as the Twin Towers. As this phenomenon occurs, high up above New York City and all its troubles and cares, the lives of several very different characters collide.

'Let The Great World Spin' unfolds through eight separate narratives. We hear from Ciarán Corrigan, who moves to the Bronx to live with his brother, Corrigan, a radical Irish monk whose life is a daily struggle as he grapples with his loss of faith in God and humanity, Claire, a woman from Park Avenue whose life is slowly falling apart due to the death of her son Joshua in Vietnam, Lara, a mediocre artist struggling with various addictions and the shadow her reckless marriage is casting over her young life, Fernando, a young Italian boy who passes his days trying to get the perfect photographs of graffiti tags in subway tunnels, The Kid, an eighteen year old computer nerd just trying to find out whether the lunatic on the tightrope has fallen or not, Tillie Henderson, a miserable yet courageous hooker whose biggest regret is that her beautiful daughter Jazzlyn was forced to follow in her footsteps and who lives only to ensure the same fate doesn't befall her grand daughters, Solomon, a weary judge and the husband of Claire, Adeline, the beautiful reason for Corrigan's crumbling faith and Gloria, a gutsy housewife mourning three sons. I genuinely found McCann's ability to portray this vast range of personalities and backgrounds with an almost spooky realism mindblowing.

'Let The Great World Spin' is up there with the best literary representations of New York City I have ever encountered. All the uncertainty of the age is also very cleverly woven through the novel, between the devastating results of the war in Vietnam, the oil crisis and the slow birth of the internet. This novel is poetic without being pretentious, touching without being overly sentimental and really quite haunting in its frankness. Another feature I loved was the origin of the title, a quote from Alfred Lord Tennysons' ''Locksley Hall'', a delicate and wistful poem by all accounts. Definitely a novel worth reading. 

Crybaby - John Waters

Not Johnny Depp's finest hour film wise, but damn, him as a greaser! Watching 'Crybaby' was quite a surreal experience actually. It took me about twenty minutes to realize that the unbelievable corniness and over dramatization was intentional. Once this minor fact dawned on me however, I settled into the style of the movie and began to enjoy it. The inimitable Mr. Depp plays the role of Wade 'Crybaby' Walker, the leader of a hood or 'drape' gang in Baltimore, Maryland. This gang consists of Wanda Woodward, a Lady Gaga lookalike with a hell of a lot of attitude, Mona Hatchet Face Malnorowski, the gargoyle faced girl who 'puts the ''T'' in tough', Milton Hackett, the extremely attractive and nervous son of two religious fanatics, and last but not least, Pepper Walker, Crybaby's pregnant sister. The Walkers' granny and her boyfriend (Iggy Pop) also play a pivotal role in the gang's running. Amy Locane plays good-girl (or 'square') Allison Vernon-Williams, granddaughter of an influential townswoman. The pair share a moment as they are getting injections at school ( the opening scene consisted mainly of teenagers being stuck with the biggest most painful looking needles I had ever seen- I nearly died!) when Crybaby shows off his ability to shed a single tear, a move that seems to melt all the girls' hearts. It's not long before Allison decides she's had quite enough of being good. She yields to temptation entirely when Wade shows up at a Square Talent Show and whisks her away on his brand new motorbike. The star-crossed couple bond over a love of singing and their shared status as orphans, (Allison's parents both perished in plane crashes and Crybaby's parents died at the hands of the electric chair, his father being the notorious Alphabet Bomber.)

Baldwin (Ricki Lake), Allison's square boyfriend, seeks revenge by crashing a drape dance with all his cronies and wreaking havoc. The police soon arrive and naturally lay all the blame on the drapes. Crybaby's gang are dispersed, his grandmother is fined heavily, Pepper's two children are sent to an orphanage in the hope that good Christian people will adopt them and Crybaby is carted off to a training school for juvenile delinquents. Despite Crybaby's earnest professions of adoration for Miss Vernon-Williams, she believes the worst when a  local news station reporting Crybaby's arrest broadcasts an interview with Lenora Frigid, a good for nothing tramp who insists that Crybaby has impregnated her and that they are engaged to be married. The rest of the film basically involves numerous rescue attempts, an ill fated concert at the opening of a theme park, a game of chicken and a final heartwarming scene.

 'Crybaby' is a ridiculous movie from start to finish but in a loveable kind of way. The 1950's setting is believable and kitsch, the costumes are fantastic and the frequent songs are well co-ordinated and cute. This film has just the right mixture of comedic value and Johnny Depp to make it highly enjoyable in a lighthearted way.

Franny and Zooey - J.D Salinger

I had read 'Franny and Zooey' before but I bought a second hand copy the other day in one of the most amazing bookshops in the world, Shakespeare and Company, in Paris. Wow, seriously it almost hurts to describe Shakespeare and Company...it's my idea of complete heaven! (Well that and the Bull Wall in Dublin.) Damn. Anyway, as previously stated, I'd read 'Franny and Zooey' before but I re-read it recently and decided to review it.

Can J.D Salinger do any wrong? 'Franny and Zooey' truly is incredible. 'Franny' was originally published as one of the many short stories penned by Salinger concerning the Glass family and 'Zooey' as a novella. Basically, Franny's story tells that of a girl, the youngest of a family of eccentrics and geniuses, who has grown painfully sick and cynical of all her acquaintances, her college and mankind on the whole. Destructive is the adjective Franny uses to describe herself. As Franny's story unfolds we realise that she is trying to turn to religion for comfort via the utterance of a certain prayer known as 'The Jesus Prayer'. This method of ridding herself of lethargy and depression really starts to fail as Franny becomes progressively more obsessive and oppressed by the prayer. The story commences with the seemingly joyful reunion between Franny and her boyfriend Lane. We quickly learn of their plans to attend numerous cocktail parties and football games over a weekend. Subtle hints throughout divulge Franny's well hidden restlessness and discomfort, which culminates in her having a nervous breakdown over lunch.

On to Zooey, Franny's older brother. I much preferred Zooey to Franny actually. Admittedly, I do tend to warm towards male characters more so than female but Zooey is so intelligent, sarcastic and messed up that you want to mother him and marry him all at once! If I were to have a dinner party with fictional characters, Zooey Glass would undoubtedly be present, along with Salinger's other creation Holden Caulfield, Sodapop Curtis of 'The Outsiders', 'To Kill A Mockingbird's' Jem Finch, Charlie, protaganist of 'The Perks of Being A Wallflower' and many others. The majority of Zooey's story is set in the family bathroom. Zooey desperately attempts to wash, shave and generally prepare himself for the day while his mother worries aloud to him about Franny. Some of the quips Zooey makes, that his mother seems to wearily ignore, are just so snappy and hilarious...Salinger's easygoing yet near impossible to achieve style of writing makes the most mundane settings and occurrences unputdownable and his humour is flawless. Eventually Zooey decides to go down and talk to Franny himself. The ensuing conversation reveals both characters' flaws and admirable traits. I just think it shows all the cuteness and heartrending tragedy of a pair of siblings plagued by the legacy of the same unorthodox childhood, (they were both mentored from an early age in religion and philosophy by their elder brothers, Buddy and Seymour. The latter committed suicide years earlier, a tragedy that deeply affected both Franny and Zooey) and dealing with it on completely different levels. There's no huge climax in this story but I still don't want to give everything away so I'll just say that 'Franny and Zooey' is grossly underrated and unknown. It is just as worthy of the cult following 'The Catcher In The Rye' enjoys and I highly recommend it to all.

Dark Shadows - Tim Burton

After reading the less than complimentary reviews of 'Dark Shadows', the latest film by one of my all time favourite directors, Tim Burton, I felt very apprehensive going to see it last night. The critics all seem to feel that Tim Burton has become too comfortable and complacent in his style of film making. I understand where they're coming from but in my opinion, Burton's use of beautiful gothic cinematography and wicked humour, the casting of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter and the incredible music scores composed by Danny Elfman are what make his more recent films brilliant (Sweeney Todd, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland, Corpse Bride anyone?). I may be a little biased but that's just how I feel.

'Dark Shadows' is based on the 1960's television series of the same name and tells the story of the cursed Barnabas Collins (played by the ever consistent Johnny Depp) and his family. As a young boy, in the middle of the eighteenth century, Barnabas and his parents emigrate to America in order to begin a new life. Joshua Collins, his father, establishes an extremely successful fishing port in Maine, which he names Collinsport.  Over the next twenty years, Barnabas grows up to be a handsome and successful young man, with the world at his feet. He lives in a beautiful mansion with his loving parents and plans to marry the love of his life, Josette. Everything is going to plan until Barnabas makes the biggest mistake of his life in misusing one of the family servants, Angelique (Eva Green). She is a witch and an extremely resentful and bitter one at that. She stops at nothing to destroy Barnabas, killing first his parents and then forcing Josette to leap to her death from Widow's Hill. In a fit of despair, Barnabas plunges after Josette and is then turned into a vampire. Angelique leads an angry mob against him and buries him alive. In 1972, Barnabas is accidentally released by a team of construction workers. He returns to his family home only to find it in complete disrepair and decline. The four remaining members of the Collins family are quirky, dysfunctional and unsuccessful, as their fishing business has been overrun by Angelique's (now Angie). They include the age defying Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, Chloe Grace Moretz as Carolyn, her moody and rebellious teenage daughter,  Johnny Lee Miller as Elizabeth's idiotic and thoughtless brother, Roger, and the adorable Gulliver McGrath as Roger's disturbed son, David. Helena Bonham Carter plays Dr. Julia Hoffman, David's psychologist and Bella Heathcote plays Vicky, David's tutor, who bears an eerie resemblance to Josette. Barnabas' sense of familial pride is instantly wounded and he vows to restore the Collins' honour and wealth.

A heartwarming tale ensues, filled with snappy one liners, a great soundtrack (including Nights In White Satin by The Moody Blues, good choice, Elfman, good choice) and cameos from the likes of Alice Cooper, Christopher Lee and Skins' Hannah Murray. The gothic atmosphere isn't altogether as strong and forceful as it could be (although Josette's ghost was delightfully spooky and haunting), the romance between Barnabas and Vicky is a tad to Twilightesque and though I can't really fault her acting, Chloe Moretz just irritates me. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed Dark Shadows, as perhaps, I was always determined to! Seriously though, if like me you can't get enough of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp you'll love it and I can certainly see this film becoming a Halloween classic.

Tess Of The d'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy

Also known as 'Tess Of The d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented' or 'Tess Of The d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman', Thomas Hardy's ninth and most well known novel is certainly not everyone's cup of tea. 'Tess' was published first in 1891, at the end of an extremely conservative century when censorship was rife. Thomas Hardy was first and foremost a poet. It was never going to be a fast moving book. In my opinion, the real beauty of classic English literature is that there is absolutely no sense of instant gratification. In order to appreciate it properly, you have to understand and love the aesthetic side of literature. 

Hardy's use of language is both beautifully poetic and subtle. There are pages and pages of pure description of landscapes and menial farming tasks and yet, unlike other novels I could mention..*ahem* Moby Dick..., I never once found reading 'Tess' tedious. The novel relates the tragic story of a virtuous and simple farm girl, Tess Durbeyfield. Tess' troubles begin when her idle and flippant father discovers that he is a descendant of the ancient fallen family of d'Urberville. This discovery forces Tess to enter into a society she is still too innocent for, resulting in gross ill-use and ultimate tragedy. 

Personally, though I understood how dreadful the situations Tess was plunged into were, I thought she was rather irritating as a character. My God, if I have any criticisms of classic English literature, it would have to be the roles of female characters. Well, at least the roles of female characters in novels written by male authors. Dear Lord, they're so whiny and dependant! Different times, I suppose. I was much more fond of Tess' lover, Angel Clare. He seemed ahead of his time, if slightly hypocritical and dramatic. 

I enjoyed 'Tess' because I love the style of British Victorian literature, and because of my interest and understanding of the era, I know the barriers Hardy pushed in publishing such a 'racy' and 'scandalous' novel. If you have no such interests, you won't enjoy it. Simple as.

Garden State - Zach Braff

Garden State proves that aside from being an exceptional and versatile actor, Zach Braff, star of popular television series 'Scrubs', is also incredibly talented as both a writer and director. Co-starring a radiant Natalie Portman, this film is substantial without being overly heavy, and cute without being shallow. Andrew Largeman, Braff's character, is forced to return to his home in New Jersey, following a nine year absence, in order to attend the funeral of his mother. It's made very clear from the start that Andrew is  both exceedingly uncomfortable and quite depressed by the fact that he no longer seems to belong in his childhood home, due to his old friends' and classmates' boring society and his father's hostility. 

A chance encounter with compulsive liar Sam (Portman) at the hospital, proves to be the turning point in a life tainted with lethargy and numbed by unnecessary medication prescribed by Andrew's father. As Sam's quirks and Andrew's problems unfold themselves to us, we can't help falling in love with them as quickly and as softly as they fall in love with each other. I find it very difficult to truly emphasize all the clever dialogue and plot twists without ruining the story, all I can say is that this truly is a memorable and poignant film.

Complimented by an outstanding soundtrack, also compiled by Braff and including the likes of Coldplay and The Shins, Garden State shines as a film that leaves you warm and fuzzy but also makes you think. I can tell that this is a film that will stay with me for a long time. 

Decline and Fall - Evelyn Waugh

'Decline and Fall' is the third novel I've read by Evelyn Waugh and I think it's fair to say that though his story lines are never extraordinarily exciting or memorable even, his masterful usage of the English language is both beautiful and soothing. You almost feel like it needs to be read aloud! Waugh's humour is fantastically subtle, enough to make you giggle out loud without dominating the story. 

Paul Pennyfeather, a luckless student of Oxford, is cast out of his university and disowned by his guardian, due to no fault of his own except perhaps, insignificance. He is employed at a boys' school in Wales, only to find the systems of education and discipline used there completely ridiculous and halfhearted. While there, he meets some extraordinary characters. These include Captain Grimes, a carefree rogue who constantly lands himself 'in the soup', Mr. Prendergast (or 'Prendy'), a mournful ex-clergyman with 'doubts', Philbrick, a butler with an enigmatic background, Dr. Fagan, the headmaster and his two daughters Flossie and Dingy, and last but not least, the love of Paul's life, Margot Beste-Chetwynde, the wealthy mother of one of Paul's students. This romance soon becomes the linchpin of the novel, as it flings Paul back and forwards between the realms of good fortune and bad. 

I really enjoyed 'Decline and Fall', and I think it's ideal reading for lazy days as there is no huge depth to it. Waugh's writing is also always worth admiring.