The English Language Centre held its second reading club of 2023 on a young adult fantasy fiction entitled Six of Crows on 14th April 2023. Six of Crows, which receives good reviews from the New York Times and The Guardian, is a fantasy novel written by the Israeli-American author Leigh Bardugo. It was also recently adapted into a Netflix series. The story follows a thieving crew and is primarily set in the city of Ketterdam, which is loosely inspired by Dutch Republic–era Amsterdam.
As usual, the reading club was held online via Zoom from 7pm to 8.20pm, and was joined by 24 participants.
One of the presenters of the day, Tan Jo Vi from S3 Paris kicked off the session by introducing the author of the book. It was interesting to know that prior to publishing her first novel, Bardugo has worked in journalism, copywriting, makeup and special effects. Then, Too Hui Ching from S3 Melbourne continued explaining the terminology used in the novel as the story is set in a fictional universe called Grishaverse and has a vocabulary on its own before moving on to the synopsis.
After that, Jo Vi spent time talking about the characters and their backstories as well as their traits. She also presented a very detailed analysis of the dynamics of their relationships with one another. “It was interesting to see how the characters learn to trust, to sacrifice and love as the story goes,” shared Jo Vi.
On top of that, the presenters also covered the themes as well as some of the memorable quotes which they could relate to in life. One quote which relates to many is “brick by brick”. Hui Ching mentioned that she associated this phrase deeply during her hardships she had encountered during the pandemic. “As a Senior Two student, I had to climb the stairs every morning to get to my class on the seventh floor because we were not allowed to use the elevator then. I got over those mornings by telling myself one step at a time, brick by brick,” she said. From time to time, the presenters invited the audience to share their thoughts and opinions throughout the entire sharing session.
Through Jo Vi and Hui Ching’s sharing, the audience got to explore the book in depth, including the backstories of each of the characters, why they are what they are right now, what gives them that thirst for revenge to make them criminals, and what their life could have been like if they have not made certain decisions. All these are the reasons why Six of Crows is a success as it teaches people dozens of things about life, values, and the world as a whole in a relatable way.
Jo Vi and Hui Ching ended their sharing by recommending a few young adult fantasy for further reading which are Shadow and Bone, The Cruel Prince and The Lost Hero.
Khoon Xin En (S2 Canberra) This is my first time participating in a reading club, surprisingly it was a wonderful experience. Sadly, the books were already sold out by the time I went to see the teachers in charge at ELC but I still decided to participate in this reading club. Though I did not read the book, I could still enjoy the entire session. Both presenters did a great job on summarising the story, sharing fun facts all while keeping the atmosphere fun and exciting. I surely will be participating in future reading clubs.
This is the first time I joined the ELC Reading Club and I am pleased that the speakers spoke clearly about this book and their presentation sparked my reading interest. I think this book is interesting as it combines several elements such as mystery, adventure and romance. If I have the chance, I will buy this series as my collection. I am now watching the tv series, Shadow and Bone during my free time.
I didn't really understand the speaker though the speaker spoke clearly due to my English proficiency. However, I tried to listen more attentively and I gained a lot from the session. At first I thought the book club was to introduce the book, but it turned out to be a discussion about the book. The session was interesting and I have more interest in reading the book now.
《兴华月报》2023年5月号
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