Double book review

As the previous two books I read were done in one night nd were both relatively short, it seems logical to just put them in one blog. Let's begin.

The first book I read was Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" - a book I'd wanted to read for a long time and thanks to a 3-story library at uni, I managed to get my hands on it. And what better time when you have to write an essay on the representation of class in literature?

I'm not really sure about how I'd praise and dis-praise (is that a word?) this book but I can say it was enjoyable, although possibly not as enjoyable as it would have been, had I not been noting down the points of show and tell. Moving on...

It's easy to see why this book has become such a classic which pretty much everyone has heard of - the storyline is fresh with a new concept to the time, it managed to fit in with the current 'scene' of Victorian gothic and could be read by both adults and children alike due to it's simple language lack of vulgarness.

Most of us know the story of a certain scientist creating a mixture of long-named drugs which, when consumed, turned him into an ugly and angry man-thing. Simple enough concept and a good read.

Seeing as this is a critical writing I suppose I'll throw in what I disliked about the book. Now, call me boring etc but throughout the book I remained curious about the characters' backgrounds, although this may have caused the book to drag on. Who knows?

I can't really say this is a book I'll be taking out next month, nor can I be sure that I'll never read it again.

Rting: 3/5

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Moving on to book 2 of the night, we have "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck. Although shortter than Jekyll and Hyde, this book was (in my opinion) better and although this was also for some research, it was also an excellent read and possibly as good as "To Kill a Mockingbird", previously reviewed.

I'm not aware of knowing anyone who has read this book and for that, I'm slightly surprised. Our protagonists here are George and Lennie, two men who constantly travel around wroking odd-jobs here and there.

We have George, a somewhat angry man who, from time to time, manages to show a soft side and we then have Lennie, a large man who seems to suffer from mild autism with his repeating of what George has to say and his obsession with soft fabric which often lands him in trouble.

As the book moves on, the reader may begin to feel more and more sorry for the misunderstood Lennie. Frequently called "dumb" and "crazy" he has no idea of what this all means and is forced to go along with George's orders. This therefore creates a depression for the reader also.

However, despite the characters being on and off towards Lennie, one can't help but keep reading. Steinbeck's writing is a constant movement which, although somwhat short and lacking some description at times, still makes a good read.

What can I say to conclude this review? Well, I can't say I'd recommend this book to someone who happens to be extremely emotionally unstable, however, anyone else, have a read. Alike Jekyll nd Hyde, this book could potentially be read by young adults rather than just adults. If you can get your hands on this book, do so.

Rating: 3.8/5