Lily's First Review - 'Robin Hood'.

Robin Hood

‘Robin Hood’ is an old story, which is very popular in the U.K.
Robin Hood is a man who lived an heroic life.
In ancient England, the rich made the laws and the poor paid taxes. Robin Hood could have lived like most common people, and stayed quiet.
Fortunately he used his bravery, arrows, bow and sword to fight the laws and so he created his own life.
It suggests that if you think justice is important to you, you should fight for it, even if the result ends in failure.
Sometimes, only having determination is not enough to succeed in everything; we usually need friends’ assistance. If Robin Hood had not had the other outlaws, he would not have fought the rich men’s laws successfully.
Now, in the 21st century, we also need friends, though, you will say, sometimes friends will betray us. But if you find the true friends, you will also find that you help each other and so have more power.
‘Robin Hood’ became a popular story, because it tells us about the right ways to improve our lives.
If you read it, you will discover many positives for life.
I highly recommend that you read it.

Lily - 22nd May 2008

Li's second book review - 'A Kiss Before Dying'

A Kiss Before Dying.

I’ve read the book called ‘A Kiss Before Dying’. It’s a wonderful crime novel written by Ira Levin.
I think it’s very nice to try to figure out who the murderer in the story is. I like the way the writer hid the murderer to the last. He put Gant Gordon and Dwight Powell in the story to make you believe that it should be one of them. When the ultimate killer is disclosed you get a real surprise, and have to start thinking back to who Bud really is.
Dorothy, the youngest daughter of a copper tycoon, and Bud were the students of Stoddard College in Blue River. They loved each other, and their plans were going well until a slight problem happened. Dorothy fell pregnant. However, Bud didn’t want a baby, because that meant he had to quit school and get a job. Dorothy wanted to get married soon. But if they got married without Dorothy’s father’s permission, they would stop getting money from him, and Bud wouldn’t have the chance to inherit his father-in-law’s property. That was something much more important!
But everything went wrong. Bud decided that he had to kill Dorothy immediately and change his plans. Bud transferred from Stoddard to Caldwell and became Ellen’s boyfriend, the weird thing being that Ellen was Dorothy’s older sister. Ellen was very suspicious about her sister’s 'suicide'. But she didn’t realize that her boyfriend was the one. She decided to go to Blue River to investigate the case herself. On the way to Blue River Ellen wrote a letter to Bud in which she told him about her plan. In Blue River Ellen also encountered two people she suspected. After that time, the story began to get complicated and more urgent.
Not only is the plot marvellous, but also the description of all the characters in this story. Here are some of the main characters.

Dorothy:
The naive---She seems like a pleasant and nice girl, maybe a little too nice. She always thinks that getting married is important. She wants safety and love so much. She trusts the man who just loves her father’s money.
Ellen:
The foolhardy---She seems like a more active girl who likes adventures & modern stories. She went to investigate the murder. She never cares about what will happen. But she’d better watch her back, if suddenly it goes wrong.
Marion:
The highbrow--- She enjoys going to museums. She has particular tastes. She likes artwork, serious novels & classical music. I like Marion because I think she’s more intelligent and elegant than her sisters.

BUD:
The avaricious & cruel---A young, smart beautiful man that all young ladies fall for. But in his soul he can’t be a nice man. He likes to make his life brilliant through choosing the easiest solutions. He wants to make money in an easy way, like getting it from the father-in-law. He is also a sick man—has killed 3 people to smooth his way towards gaining money. Although he’s poor, he needn’t do that. He could earn money by his own hands, even from scratch, because he is smart enough and studies economics! He certainly has the talent to make himself wealthy as easily as being an excellent actor in front of women. I’m disgusted with him very much because of his notion of life as being a man. He’s dreamt too much about fortune. Greed, the biggest sin, causes so many crimes!

I didn’t think so much about the end. Maybe I had expected a shrewder ending. Of course, I enjoyed the novel very much. I’m going to see the famous film soon. And I’ll read the original one day in the future!