Escape from Prague

 

Escape from Prague was written by Colin Knight and was published 26 February 2017.

“Krystyna’s life is brutal. It has always been.

Forced into prostitution by Edvard, a violent Prague criminal and pimp, Krystyna struggles to survive.

Worse, her younger sister, Anna, whom Krystyna has protected and loved since childhood, has naively followed Anna to Prague and into Edvard’s clutches.

Desperate and reckless, Krystyna gambles her life and her sister’s to become the concubine of four Englishmen.

A virtual prisoner in a remote house near Manchester, and powerless to help Anna, Krystyna becomes increasingly guilty about leaving Anna.

While Krystyna endures the men’s perverse demands, she undertakes a dangerous plan to free herself and Anna from Prague forever.

But for the plan to work, she needs Anna’s cooperation.

Can Anna make it to Manchester to help Krystyna?

Will Krystyna’s plan work, or will her captors discover what she is doing and make her pay the ultimate price?

As pimp and clients join forces to exact revenge, will Krystyna and Anna survive or, like so many other anonymous sex-trade victims, will they simply disappear?”*

I was provided a complementary copy of Escape from Prague to review. It in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion/review of the book.

It has been SO long since I’ve come across a book that I couldn’t put down. A book that was so intense my heart beat with it. A book so true in all aspects that it was like listening to a person tell me their life story.

Escape from Prague is all this and more.

It does not surprise me that this book has been either loved or hated by reviewers. Gritty, raw, intense books like this one tend to be polarizing. It is not for the faint of heart, and certainly not a book you would expect to fall in love with. Still, I can say only good things.

There is something to be said about the power of two sisters. Two women who are strong in different ways and can buoy each other up in times of hardship. In this case, Anna and Krystyna are a power duo. Perhaps what makes them so great is not their strengths, but their weaknesses. Anna is impulsive and emotional. Krystyna is cold and too pragmatic at times. Put these together and you have a bond between two women who balance each other out. When Anna screws up (and she does, big time), Krystyna is there to offer both Anna and the reader a sense of calm in the storm. When Krystyna is too calculating, Anna is there to add a moral voice to the mix. Both women are strong, capable, and flawed in a way that only humans can be.

The book itself is fast-paced and offers little in the form of breaks. When you finally expect to take a breather, another plot twist is thrown. It is this continual unfolding of drama that makes the novel one you can’t possibly put down. When you do put it down (reluctantly), you can’t stop thinking about it. As soon as I finished Escape from Prague, I told my mom to stop reading her own book and start reading this one. (She’s thoroughly enjoying it so far, and has similar thoughts). Certain parts had me gasping out loud (without revealing too much, an unexpected death had me reeling), and at certain times, I was afraid to turn the page because of what I might find. Honestly, I’m having a hard time reviewing this book for the fact that I was too engrossed to take notes!

If the two protagonists weren’t enough to keep me reading, the plot would have been. It is a thrilling chase of cat and mouse all the way from Prague to Manchester. There are just enough tiny connections to allow antagonists (such as Tyrion and Edvard) to piece together a puzzle that leads them within striking distance. Each time they found a clue or stopped to think like foreign prostitutes, I found myself tensing up as if they would find me as well. Stringer offers a nice curveball to the mix, and even though his fate is expected, I was still saddened. His side story of why he became a private investigator was a nice respite from the ever-growing tension between the sisters and their pursuers. Stringer himself added a layer of humanity to the plot, and helped it to ground itself into reality even more.

This is a shorter review than most because I have absolutely nothing bad to say. Drop whatever book you’re reading now and run to the store (or to your computer) to pick this book up. Add Knight’s other books to your cart while you’re at it – I’m sure they are just as fantastic as this one. Knight’s work in literature is unparalleled – Escape from Prague is just one example: the novel was masterful in all aspects. I look forward to hopefully reading his previous and future books soon.

5 out of 5 stars.

*Blurb by Goodreads.

The Circle

The Circle is written by Dave Eggers and was published on 8 October 2013

“When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking, and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency.
As Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she is thrilled with the company’s modernity and activity. There are parties that last through the night, there are famous musicians playing on the lawn, there are athletic activities and clubs and brunches, and even an aquarium of rare fish retrieved from the Marianas Trench by the CEO.
Mae can’t believe her luck, her great fortune to work for the most influential company in America – even as life beyond the campus grows distant, even as a strange encounter with a colleague leaves her shaken, even as her role at the Circle becomes increasingly public. What begins as the captivating story of one woman’s ambition and idealism soon becomes a heart-racing novel of suspense, raising questions about memory, history, privacy, democracy, and the limits of human knowledge.”*

The Circle isn’t based on any new revelations – as a society, we have been collectively warned about the power of social media and the growing influence it has on our lives. Each and every day, someone is tweeting, updating their status, watching a video…it has become integrated in our lives the same way brushing our teeth is. This normalcy makes it easy to imagine a platform like Google taking over the world piece by piece, and this is what makes The Circle so terrifying; it very well could be true.

The book itself presents an issue in the form of Maebelline “Mae” Holland, the protagonist (and antagonist, depending on one’s POV). Unfortunately, Mae is simply not likable. From the beginning, she comes off as stuck up, narcissistic, and honestly, just plain mean. Mae’s ex-boyfriend Mercer is often the scapegoat for her ranting episodes, but the worst she can call him his condescending and a fat Sasquatch. It’s spiteful and not relevant to the story whatsoever. Mae also complains about working an office job, but has no problem transferring to another office job because yay! New phone! Kind of nice people!! The CIRCLE!!!

The Circle is another issue entirely. It seems as if Mercer is the only person who has an issue with the entire business, and that just isn’t realistic. There is never any mention of revolt or opposing parties from normal people. Where are the others like Mercer, or Mae’s parents? Also, why isn’t there any breech of privacy laws? They do exist in this world (as it’s played off to be the near future), so one can assume our laws today are still in place. Where is the issue with putting “SeeChange” cameras on private property? Surely if I wanted to go place a camera on a neighbor’s lawn, I’d have to answer for a multitude of offences – trespassing, destruction of property, etc. So why is this not addressed?

This is my first Eggers book (though I do believe I’ll be reading more), and it seems that characters aren’t his strong suit. I’ve covered Mae, but there are secondary characters that just seem inconsequential. Mae’s parents have no substance, and so when they essentially disappear, I went “meh”. When Annie had a nervous breakdown and lapsed into a coma, I went “meh”. When Francis came in and out of the picture (constantly), I went “meh”, then “please leave forever”. Francis has nothing going for him, and the fact that Mae always runs back to him only to part ways again is exhausting – also, it doesn’t enhance the story whatsoever. If Francis was scrapped completely, this book wouldn’t change at all, and that’s how you know something has to change. The characters aren’t developed properly, and even though the “twist” at the end is surprising, it ends up feeling like a cheap trick.

Of course there are always good points to the book. Any novel that can get me thinking after finishing it deserves a fair review. As we head into a digital world, there are so many ethical issues we have to face. While I think this novel is a dramatization, it’s not so far-fetched, and that’s where I think it is most successful. It is a world that forces you to examine your own, and for that, I commend it.

4 out of 5 stars.

*Blurb by Goodreads.

Mad About Men

Mad About Men is written by Madelyn Morgan and was published on 2 December 2016.

“MAD ABOUT MEN IS:
– A (mostly) true, laugh-out-loud account of a successful executive single mother’s search for love.
– -Racy, raw, sometimes vulgar, always hilarious, – according to a guy in Chapter 32 who actually read it.
– An account of dating and sex from a liberated, confident, unapologetic MILF in her 40s.
– A warmly relatable story, even though it sounds like a sordid, lustful tale of promiscuity (which it also is, the author admits).

MAD ABOUT MEN IS NOT:
– A self-help book about relationships.
– About a woman who finds herself after some extreme, soul-searching, incredible journey.
– A sticking-finger-in-throat sappy account of finding true love and living happily ever after.
– Only for women to read.

Madelyn gains a new perspective on relationships after a series of major losses (some devastating, some not so much). Root for her as she entertains each potential suitor and laugh with her (or at her) as she tries to make sense of what she wants, what men want, and what to do next. Whether or not you’ve ever swiped right, Match’ed, or flirted with the flight attendant, you’ll relate to Madelyn’s search for love and (hot) sex–not necessarily in that order. Go ahead and judge her, she won’t mind.”*

I was given a complementary copy of Mad About Men to review. It in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion/review of the book.

This book is gorgeous. I’m not even talking about the content right now – I’m talking the book itself. The cover is vibrant, bold, funny, and was an incredible precursor of what was to come. Even the quote on the front – credited to “A Guy I Dated In Chapter 32” – is brilliantly satirical. Right away, this book pokes fun at your typical memoir. I could also go on and on about the quality – I swear that even if I wanted to rip the pages, they wouldn’t tear (please don’t try it though!). It’s a small book in size(roughly 250 pages) but huge in personality. I had multiple people come up to me and laugh at the cover during the week I read it. On its best day, Mad About Men is a conversation piece, and a hilarious one at that.

On to the actual book. This is my first time reviewing a memoir (or a “menmoir” as this book is marketed), and I’m still learning. There’s no real “story” here, so there’s no characters to review or plot to dissect. Morgan takes us on a hysterical journey of all her past lovers, with nicknames to keep them all in check (hello, HH and HDT!). Morgan writes with such a strong voice that it’s as if she’s sitting across from you, snarking about MD and the rest of her Taylor Swift amount of exes while sipping tea. The book flows as if a really talented storyteller is making it up off the top of their head. I’m not here to judge Morgan’s choices in life – she’s a woman who knows what she wants (and by that, I mean a black guy ten years her junior). She writes herself to be almost flat – we learn she loves wine (white, not red), sex, and her daughter (not particularly in that order). However, we never really get the chance to learn about her other interests. This is a book about her love life, yes – but I wanted to know and relate to Morgan a little bit more. That being said, if she’s got amazing friends like Chloe and Ascot, she must be a pretty fantastic person.

Unfortunately, I don’t really relate to Morgan. Sometimes I’d have fleeting moments of “I’m really having a hard time feeling sorry for you” simply because her taste in men in questionable.
I’m not saying this without proof:
Exhibit A: Zander, who “grabbed the skin folds on his stomach and started making fart noises”.
Exhibit B: Hector, who’s apartment was undergoing renovations for the entire time they dated.
Exhibit C: Literally everything about Dele.

One issue I have with this book is that it’s described as “a [mostly] true” account of Morgan’s life. I appreciate the honesty – don’t market your book as totally real if it’s not. The problem that presents itself is sometimes I’d find myself going “that’s really funny…if it’s true”. For some reason I just couldn’t get past wondering HOW much was fake. I’m going to assume most of it was true with some “embellishments” to make it funnier, along with name changes. That’s fine with me! I just struggled with that “what if” feeling. 

 There was also a few baby mistakes, like “time move on from the past” [43], and “Arty” (as opposed to artsy, I’m assuming). Definitely not enough mistakes to detract from the rest of the book though. 

The rest of the book is absolutely hilarious. I had a BLAST laughing at Dele’s best friend “Steve”. Seriously – it was barely half a page long and it had me rolling. It’s these little anecdotes that sets this book apart from the rest. Morgan isn’t afraid to really let loose, whether it be at the expense of an ex or herself. I also enjoyed the interactions between Morgan and her daughter, Imogen. It added another dimension to the book. Instead of being a memoir solely about a woman’s love life, Morgan tackles familial topics like her divorce and the possibility of her daughter being gay. This added much needed depth to the book. The relationship between Morgan and her daughter was very candid – as I stated above, I wasn’t sure what was real, but I KNOW those moments were true as true can be. It was both genuine and heartwarming. It was these parts where Morgan’s writing was the strongest.

Overall, I would return to this book again and again. If you need a good laugh after a breakup or need a book to bring to the beach, Mad About Men is the book for you. 

And Madelyn Morgan, I hope you find your Tyrone.

4 out of 5 stars.

*Blurb by Goodreads