Real, Not Ideal

Hello again, dear friends! It has taken me way too long to write about this. A while ago, I had a few days off from school, so I took the opportunity to pop over to France and visit some friends. Pause for a second to realise how cool it is that I can “pop over to France.” They are currently studying abroad in Lille, and although it was quite a long trip by bus, I can’t complain. The first night I got there, I was already in awe of the fabulous corner buildings that are quintessentially French. Danielle took me to a great burger place that evening. The next day, we took a trip to Dunkirk. We wenr on the rainiest, coldest day possible. Our first stop was the Port Museum. They had an audio tour which was completely free. The museum itself was all about Dunkirk’s role over the years as a main port in France. It touched on its role in both World Wars including the big rescue mission we all know it for. I liked all the different artefacts and titbits of information ...

Hello dear friends! Thanks for bearing with me as I continue to sort my life out a little bit. I’m back with another book review, and I’m excited. I finished this novel a while ago, and I’m currently on the third in the series. It is My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. This novel sets us up with a frame narrative that stretches over the course of the series. It starts with Lenu writing as an adult looking back at her childhood growing up with her friend Lina. There is an instant intrigue about Lila because she always seems to go against the grain. Lenu is in awe of her, proud of her, and also competes with her on an intellectual level. They are truly foils for each other. Their world is complicated, dark, and they are accustomed to death and feuds. Every anecdote centres around violence which makes me uncomfortable in some instances. Lila is deeply affected by the stirring of turmoil, whereas Lenu sees things in black and white. The friendship itself is set up as one full of tens...