Cecily's book reviews
In general I've written reviews of every book I've read since I joined GoodReads (RIP) in May 08, along with one or two I read prior to that. More recent reviews tend to be longer (sometimes a tad too long?).
I always carry a book, though I don't get as much time as I'd like to get engrossed - life is busy, but in a good way.
Too many of my favourite authors died without writing enough!
Apart from reading, and writing about reading, I enjoy Scrabble, good restaurants, woodland, and attending the theatre.
Kafka's Monkey
The script of the Old Vic's adaptation of Report to the Academy (from the collection, A Country Doctor).It is a first person/ape account of how a chimp was captured in Africa, brought to Europe in a crate and gradually humanised his behaviour as a means of freedom, eventually becoming a variety performer. He is rich and famous and has a female chimp companion, but he has no love for humans, yet is no longer an ape. Like most good stories, it raises more questions than it answers, particularly about what it is that makes us human and separates us from the apes - still a hot topic in many circles.
Kathryn Hunter's performance (illustrated on the cover) was stunning in its skill and variety: capturing the pain and humour perfectly of Red Peter's story.
It is a very good and faithful adaptation in its own right, but for reading, I still (just) prefer Kafka's original.
See my Kafka-related bookshelf for other works by and about Kafka (http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1199525-cecily?format=html&order=a&shelf=kafka).
