In English - Eoin Colfer - Warp book 1

   Since I am now on holidays, I have a little more time to read... Here is a book I have just finished.

Title: WARP book 1

Subtitle: The reluctant Assassin

Author: Eoin Colfer

Genre: fantasy, adventure

Year: 2013

Country: Ireland

Summary

   Rieley is a fourteen-year old Victorian teenager who lives in London. He is an orphan and lives with Albert Garrick, an assassin who used to be a magician and wants Riley to be his assistant. Riley's life goes upside down when he is accidentally transported to the 21th century. He meets there Chevron Savano, the youngest FBI agent, who tells him she belongs to the WARP (Witness Anonymous Protection Programm). This federal programm sends witnesses back in time to protect them. Riley went to our time because of a fail of this programm. But the problem is that Garrick wants to get back Riley, and he soon manages to go to the 21th century to chase both Riley and Chevron, who decided to protect him. They will travel in time several times to escape him and save their lives.

My opinion

    First of all, I have to confess Eoin Colfer is one of my favorite authors. I read both the Artemis Fowl series and Airman, and I loved them. This is why I wanted to read his new series.

    Just like as in the Artemis Fowl series, the characters are awesome. The Victorian orphan is the real thing and is so, so cute... Garrick is chilling, a terrifying assassin. Chevie Savano made me think of Artemis Fowl because of her insolence and boldness, though she is more human than him. One more time, the characters are the good point in Eoin Colfer's novels.

    But good characters you get to love are not enough to consider this book as really good. The plot is important too. And... I personnally think it was unclear and difficult to understand. I didn't understand the FBI's motivations to make witnesses travel in time to protect them. To my mind, such a decision is much riskier than protecting them in our time. Since this is the basis of the plot, you will undestand why it didn't convince me.

   Last but not least, as far as the writing is concerned, I didn't find in this novel the humor I loved in the AF series or in Airman. The whole book isn't really funny, and I thought Eoin Colfer's writing lost a bit of its originality.

   This is why I didn't fall in love with this book the same way I did with other Eoin Colfer novels. Globally speaking, I was not really filled in enthusiasm when I finished this novel... 

To conclude
   3/5, wonderful characters but unconvincing plot

Slavomir Rawicz - A marche forcée

      Encore une fois je commence un billet en m'excusant de mon retard... c'est fâcheux. Je vous épargnerais les détails de mes empêchements dûs à ma vie passionnante, et vais "au fait", comme dirait le juge Perrin Dandin dans Les Plaideurs. 

Titre: A marche forcée

Auteur: Slavomir Rawicz

Genre: autobiographie/roman autobiographique (il existe une controverse à ce sujet)

Date de publication: 1956

Nationalité de l'auteur: polonaise

Langue de l'écriture: anglais

Résumé

   Après avoir été arrêté par les Soviétiques au moment du partage de la Pologne entre l'Allemagne et l'URSS en 1939, Slavomir Rawicz est condamné par un tribunal de la Loubianka à 25 ans de travaux forcés uniquement parce qu'il est officier polonais. Au terme d'un séjour atroce dans les pires geôles russes, le jeune homme est envoyé au camp 303, en pleine Sibérie. Cependant, malgré les conditions de vie très difficiles, Slavomir veut survivre dans cet enfer. Ayant pris la décision de s'évader, il prend ses dispositions, rassemble six camarades autour de lui et les voilà partis dans l'immensité glacée de la Sibérie. De la Lena au lac Baïkal, en passant par le désert de Gobi et l'Himalaya, les sept amis devront faire face à la faim, la soif, la fatigue, la maladie, le froid et la mort...

Mon avis

   Tout d'abord, j'ai trouvé ce livre passionant. En effet, il se lit comme un roman d'aventures, à la seule différence que ces aventures ont été vécues. A marche forcée tient réellement le lecteur en haleine, fasciné par l'épopée de ces hommes à travers l'Asie, les obstacles qu'ils parviennent à surmonter, leurs souffrances quotidiennes, les rencontres qu'ils font, leur soif de liberté, sans compter l'éclairage qu'il apporte sur le goulag.

   Cependant, une fois noté cet aspect, je constate que cet ouvrage m'a tout de même laissée sur ma faim. En effet, en plus de l'aventure physique, c'est une narration de l'aventure humaine que j'attendais, celle de l'expérience commune vécue par ces hommes, leur amitié, leurs espérances, leurs moments de découragements, leurs souvenirs, ne serait-ce qu'en ce qui concerne le narrateur. Malheureusement, et c'est dommage, l'introspection est peu ou pas poussée dans ce livre, ce qui, encore une fois, m'a beaucoup déçue, puisque ce manque cantonne cette épopée à une suite d'évènements et d'épreuves, certes peu communs, certes intéressants, mais survenant à des personnages sans intériorité et auxquels on peine à s'attacher. Fait significatif, j'ai eu du mal jusqu'à la fin du récit à identifier les personnages, tant leurs traits de caractère étaient peu marqués.

    Secundo, -mais il s'agit plus d'une simple opinion personnelle- l'emploi du passé simple tout au long du récit à la première personne du pluriel est un choix de traduction à mon sens peu judicieux car pas très esthétique ni harmonieux.

   Pour faire court, je n'ai pas été spécialement emballée par ce livre, malgré sa thématique prometteuse.

Mon verdict

   2,5/5; une aventure physique plus qu'humaine

Veronica Roth - Insurgent (Divergent 2)

    So here is my article about Divergent 2. (The one about Divergent is here ).

Title : Insurgent

Author : Veronica Roth

Genre : Young Adult, sci-fi, adventure

Year : 2012

Country : USA

Summary

   Tris stopped the simulation that made the Dauntless kill the Abnegation. Now she is fleeing the Erudites with Four. She tries to take refuge by the Amity, but she is still in danger and manages to flee again. She is tracked by the new Dauntless police and has to be careful. She also has to deal with her memoris of her friend Will she was forced to kill. Tris is literally eaten up by remorse. But factionless found a leader, and now they have a goal: they want to abolish the factions system. Will Tris survive and make the good decision ?

My opinion

   First of all, I liked Divergent. I couldn't help reading further ! But Insurgent was for me a big disappointment.

   First, and that's not a good point, I barely can remember the plot. By the way, maybe you have noticed that my summary is very short. The only thing I remember from this book is that there are some fights. And more fights. And even more fights. I mean, I think it is fascinating when there is some adventure in a book. But, to my mind, an overdose of adventure can mean the book is boring. There is a point where you are completely lost. What does look like a fight the most than another fight ?

   Second, I thought psychology could have been much better. Remorse is an interesting theme. Tris does often feel remorse, but that's it: she just "feels", there is no analysis. Four (also known as Tobias)  is no important character anymore, to my mind.

   Last but not least, I found the final betrayal predictable.
   Besides, the writing is still awful.
   You might have understood that I didn't like this novel at all. I advise you not to read it, unless you really don't mind to waste your time.

To conclude 
   1/5, bad from all points of view.

Divergente (film) - Neil Burger avec Shailen Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet

   Comme j'ai écrit le billet sur  Divergente(le livre) en français, je déroge pour une fois à la règle en écrivant ce billet sur le film correspondant en français.

Titre: Divergente
Réalisateur: Neil Burger
Principaux acteurs: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet
Genre: Science-fiction, action, dystopie, romance
Pays: États-Unis
Année: 2014

Résumé

   Dans un monde post-apocalyptique, la société en la ville de Chicago est divisée en cinq factions: les Audacieux, libres et volontaires, constituent l'armée et la police; les Sincères rendent la justice avec honnêteté; les Fraternels, toujours en paix, cultivent la terre, les Érudits sont chargés de la recherche et de l'innovation technologique, tandis que les Altruistes, pleins d'abnégation, s'occuppent des pauvres et dirigent le gouvernement. Beatrice a 16 ans et est la fille d'un leader Altruiste. Or, c'est â l'âge de 16 ans que tous les jeunes gens doivent choisir leur faction, selon leur personnalité et un test de discernement. Mais Beatrice se découvre Divergente lors du test, ce qui signifie qu'elle présente des aptitudes pour plusieurs factions à la fois. Or les leaders traquent les divergents, considérés comme une menace pour le système. Après avoir finalement choisi les Audacieux, Beatrice, toujours en danger à cause de sa divergence, sera confrontée à un entraînement très difficile dans une ambiance de méfiance et de compétition poussée à l'extrême, alors même que les Érudits tentent de reverser le gouvernement Altruiste...

Mon avis

   Je ne voudrais pas me répéter, c'est pourquoi je ne parlerai pas du scénario, qui est à proprement parler l'intrigue du livre. En effet, et c'est une bonne chose, le film est globalement fidèle au roman, que j'avais d'ailleurs plutôt apprécié. Il correspond à peu près à ce que je m'étais imaginé.

   On y remarque de bons effets spéciaux, un jeu d'acteurs correct.

   En revanche, j'ai trouvé (mais le détail est minime) que le passage de l'entraînement de Tris et son ambiance de suspicion et de peur que j'avais trouvée intéressante dans le roman avait  été plutôt délaissé au profit de scènes d'action certes spectaculaires, et de la romance de Beatrice avec son entraîneur Quatre (Theo James), vraiment cliché et gnan-gnan.

   La scène de la tyrolienne est particulièrement réussie, je trouve.
   En bref, j'ai passé un assez bon moment devant ce film divertissant et somme toute sympathique. Je ne saurais trop recommander de lire le livre avant de le voir.

Mon verdict
   4/5, divertissant.


   Je ne résiste pas à l'envie de poster, en plus de l'habituelle affiche du film, une parodie de celle-ci assez facile mais plutôt amusante:

In English - Veronica Roth - Divergent

   So I am back from holidays... That is why from now on I will post an article once a week during the week-end. Here is an article about the last book I read during the holidays, and since the original language is English, I am writing the article in English. I hope my English is correct...

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Young Adult book - Dystopia - Adventure
Year: 2011
Country: USA

Plot

   Beatrice Prior lives in Chicago in a dystopian world where society is divided into five factions. Erudite are the researchers, the scientists, the doctors, they ard the most intelligent people. Amity are the farmers, they are the most peaceful. Dauntless, the brave, are the police; Abnegation, the selfless, take care of the poor and rule the city, while Candor, the honest, are the judges. Each faction has its leaders, values, neighborhoods and citizens who stay in their faction during their whole life. Some people aren't in any faction, they are factionless, poor and rejected. Every year, all sixteen-year-old boys and girls must have a test which determines their their faction, based on their personality. Tris is an Abnegation leader's daughter. She is sixteen and when she has the test, she is told to be Divergent, that is to say she is all the factions at the same time, and that the police hounds Divergents. She must be careful. She chooses to be Dauntless because their passionate and free life has always appealed to her. But before she can become a Dauntless, she has to pass some other tests, learn how to fight, and live during monthes in a very hard competition atmosphere, while Erudite are stiring up a plot against Abnegation to rule the town. Will she be able to become an Dauntless without anybody discovers she is a Divergent ? Will she manage to thwart Erudite's plot ? Read the book and you will know !

My opinion

    First of all, I find the plot quite good, even though I personnally think that dividing society into personnality-based factions is a bad idea: nobody on earth can fit into a predefined personnality. Each person is unique and this is what makes this world's richnesss. And I didn't understood why leaders hounded Divergents: they are so powerful, why don't they use them ? To my mind, the dystopia is not really logic. And something bothered me: at a certain point in the storyline, she comes into a building. She is said to wear a skirt. But when she comes out, she is wearing jeans ? Maybe I seem pernickety, but I still don't understand.

  Nevertheless, the story is compelling and the characters are quite endearing. I really couldn't stop reading ! There is not too much action, there is also a bit of psychology in this novel. The romance between Beatrice and Four, her trainer, is clumsily, but still touchingly told.

   There comes the most important point, to my mind: the style. And the style is not good. This book is not what I call litterature. Litterature involves a certain kind of suggestion power, stylistic devices, beautiful sentences. I personnally think that Beauty, and I wrote it with a capital letter, is the most important. I read because I am particularly sensitive to the beauty of writing. And the writing is not beautiful in this book. This is why, if, by reading you are searching shudder, if you like captivating adventure novels, read it. It is a good adventure novel. But if, like me, writing is what matters to you, avoid this book. It would be a waste of time. After all, each reader has his favorite kind of books. Thank goodness !

To conclude
   3,5/5, rather good

   Don't hold it against me if I criticized the number one bestseller... I tried to give honestly my opinion about this novel. I also read Insurgent and saw the Divergent movie. I will try to write an article about both because there is a lot to say.

   Anyway, I miss litterature's immortal classics, now that I am not on holiday anymore,  this is why I have planned to read Sentimental Education by Flaubert.
   Please don't forget to leave a comment down below, let me know if you agree or not.
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