Showing posts with label novel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label novel. Show all posts

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Aku, Dia dan Pinky Promise oleh Anna Lee




Tajuk: Aku, Dia dan Pinky Promise
Penulis: Anna Lee/ +Zuliana Abuas 
Terbitan: Fajar Pakeer
Tahun: Julai 2014 
Tarikh baca: 23/07/2014

Ulasan GR
Saliha 33 tahun. Belum berkahwin. Kerjaya yang tak kemana. Tunang yang asyik menangguhkan perkahwinan. Disimpulkan, hidupnya tak bahagia. Semasa di bukit St. John Melaka,selepas Saliha membuat permintaan di 'wishing well'. Dia tiba-tiba tergelincir dan pengsan. Apabila bangun, dia kembali ke zaman persekolahan tingkatan 5. Kejutan demi kejutan dia alami, ayah yang dirindui masih hidup, Sara yang tiba-tiba jadi budak kecil, kawan-kawan dan kisah cinta monyetnya yang tak pernah dia ingat.

Dengan pemikiran 33 tahun, Saliha berazam agar dapat mengubah dirinya pada masa depan.Maka, bermula misi menukar aliran dari sains ke sastera. Di mana dia bertemu dengan budak samseng kelas hujung, Azri. Penulis membawa kisah zaman persekolahan tahun 1998 dengan pelbagai memori lucu dan penuh warna-warni.

# Saliha bertemu kembali dengan Cikgu Hazam aka abang iparnya masa depan dan berbuat baik dengannya
# konflik rakan sekelas, sehingga membawa pada Azri yang dijadikan 'guardian angel'
# misi menukar kerjaya 'bakal' tunangnya pada masa depan, Daniel.
# # Bertemu dengan Syah Asnan, cinta monyet yang dilupakan (Asnan seseorang yang 'tak handsome' pada masa depan)-sangat kebudak-budakan
# Terlibat dalam konspirasi pecah tabung koperasi sekolah
# ABC bawah pokok Mak Limah yang dirindui sejak Mak Limah berpindah selepas anaknya kemalangan.

Segala-gala kisah lampau yang berkait dengan hidupnya pada tahun 2014.

Tertarik dengan ideanya yang merentas masa untuk memperbetulkan kisah hidupnya. Tapi benarkah Saliha benar-benar merentas masa? Persoalan yang terjawab apabila Saliha bangun dari koma mendapati hidupnya berubah. Hampir sama seperti yang dia harapkan. Namun, Azri kawan/guardian angel/ cinta monyetnya yang berjanji untuk meminangnya 16 tahun kemudian benar-benar hilang dari sejarah hidupnya.

Banyak teknik flashback digunakan. Membongkar satu persatu misteri hidup Saliha yang tak pernah dia ketahui. Kemunculan Ray, pelukis buta yang muncul tiba-tiba persis Azri menambahkan kekeliruan Saliha. Tak mungkin dia curang pada Daniel sedang mereka bakal kahwin 2 bulan lagi.

Kisah ini membawa kita mencari makna hidup, mengimbau kenangan zaman persekolahan yang manis dan mengajarkan erti menghargai insan yang disayangi sebelum mereka 'pergi' (ayah Saliha dan Azri).

Please read ;)
This is super awesomeness.

Coret-coret
Aku pernah cerita pasal karya ini tahun lepas. Akhirnya terbit juga kan. Btw, Anna Lee itu bukan orang Russia dan tak ada kaitan dengan Lee Min Ho/ Bruce Lee. Secara individu ini adalah karya terbaik dari Anna Lee yang pernahku baca. Tau je buku dah terbit, cepat-cepat order dari penerbit , punya nak baca cepat sangat tak kisah pun kalau tak datang dengan souvernir/ autograph. Malangnya kecewa jugak... Buku ini hanya sampai pada tarikh 23 Julai. Servis mereka teruk! Atau mungkin ini konspirasi supaya aku tak dapat awal2 sebab dorang takut aku review tak best. haha, perasan lebih aku ni!

First time order and never again next time.
But then, #mh17 or #Gaza are more devastatingly sad so nevermind.

Sehari sebelumnya, aku join reunion sekolah kecil-kecilan dekat PJ. Jadi mungkin mood itu selari dengan buku ni dan mempengaruhi review aku sikit. Memang sebagai insan dewasa *uhuk2x* memori sekolah bagi aku sesuatu yang sangat jauh...jauh...jauh... (dengan gema sebalik bukit)

Dalam sarung kacang=in a nutshell, aku tak tau gosip, tak ingat individu dalam cerita  pelupa dan tak reti sembang anti-sosial. Total noobs. Mengimbau kenangan bukan titik kekuatanku =not my strong point. Sehinggakan masa sembang2 itu aku boleh terfikir yang masa balik raya ni aku perlu *kategori wajib* buka dan studi balik majalah sekolah.

Kisah ini hampir separuh menceritakan pengalaman sekolah yang lama ditinggalkan. Sesuatu yang kita boleh kaitkan.

Itu sebab aku suka sangat novel ini.

Banyak benda terlintas masa baca contohnya:
# Azri - teringat pasangan schoolmate yang bercinta& kahwin, dan satu lagi Azri dalam Untuk Semua Dosaku. Jadi, Azri itu sudah klise sangat sbg watak cerita macam nama Adam, Roy, Hariz dll
#18 vs 29
# Remember me?/ Sophie Kinsella
# Aku, Dia dan Pinky Promise  jadi drama


--ps: novel pertama habis bulan ramadan ;) Azam xmahu baca novel bulan ni sudah ke laut. wakakaka


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Thursday, June 5, 2014

Review: One Fine Day/ RodieR

One Fine Day/ RodieR
the book on my lap, sitting in car back from Penang! bwahaha--I like the green cover match with my Kurung


Author: RodieR [Rodhiah Rahman]
Publisher: JStory, Jemari Seni Sdn Bhd
ISBN: 978-967-0508-60-3
Price: SEM: RM24.00 Sabah/Sarawak: RM27.00.

One fine day,
I lost my way,
 I stumbled and fell,
To place where it seem bottomless,
 A place where pain seemed to have no cure...

One fine day,
You saw me,
As I stared into nothingness,
And what felt like emptiness,
Slowly filled up again,
As you showed me the way,
Back where I should be,
And one fine day, 
We became friends...

But, one fine day,
My heart broke,
But I was stronger,
For you thought me what happiness means,
Sorry not, my dear,
Through my tears,
I'll find my joy again...

One fine day,
We started as friends, 
Dare I hope, 
We end as friends too?
Because one fine day,
I found you,
And that was the day,
I found my way again,
Thanks to you,
And I really don't want to lose you...

Some roads are meant to be untraveled, Aryan. - Zahra Alias,p. 268.


The first debut of English novel from RodieR has all elements of lost, love, friendship and family value. Simple touch on Islamic version of love between two couples met in foreign land, Australia, at beautiful summer garden in one fine day. Clashes of two different nationalities, Malaysian lady, Zahra Alias and Pakistani handsome lad, Aryan Yusof Khan. 

This love story started with the incident where Zahra lost both of her parents in car crash back in Malaysia on their way to pick her  from holiday after graduation day. Taken back by the lost, Zahra couldn't let go her grief after months and migrated to Australia with her only close family left-her brother, Adam and his wife, Nurin.

Treasury Garden, Melbourne. cr to google.

It was summer, she went to Treasury Garden almost everyday sitting on bench for hours staring a static three until evening. That's where Aryan comes into her life- pulled by instinctive force and motivate her to live her life. She gave him the unique impression from the day he saw wearing her sad face in pink, wool, long coat.

Other interesting characters include Aryan's younger sister, Regina Yusof Khan who accompanied their journey to all interesting places in Australia. The writer does a very good job describing places that unknown to foreigners. Protective brother, Adam and supportive sister-in-law, Nurin took a big part in the second-half of the storyline. Ismail Yusof Khan, though his appearance only in the last chapter and the appearance woman named Maryam, later dicovered quite shockingly (not quite as we could've guess).

Plus point, this story able to represent the kind relationship of two strangers in sense of man and woman, based on her belief as Muslim. Regarding the pathway to regain back Zahra's spirit to life, she also mentioning a small verse from the Holy Quran to remind us, readers. 

One Fine Day includes a twist that makes this two couples doesn't belong to each other anymore. Aryan was insisted back by his father, Ismail Yusof Khan to marry a girl known as close friend. Zahra let Aryan go, unconditionally for the sake of being loyal to family. Just like that Aryan disappear from Zahra's life. Holding secret plan-It breaks my heart that time. After just regaining her strength to live and ready to accept Aryan in her life. 

This story doesn't involve hateful antagonist. It's a story that let we learn about life, acceptance and being rational in Allah's plans but in the sense we also need to take effort towards it.

Will their fate meet again?
What is the secret story after Aryan disappearance?
Can they gain blessing from the two families?
____
ps: becoz of Aryan and kak Hamidah review, I keep recalling the movies Mujse Dosti Karoge! and Kal Ho Na Ho feel gitu haha ;)


The English can be improved but the message is clear and simple enough to be understand by a mere reader, like me.It kept bugging (if this the correct word) me that the writer insist on mentioning Muslim-kind of person all the way in the beginning. I know its good ~I just felt it could be rephrase without  forcing the intention. Being a Muslim for me, is a normal thing, of course for the writer too...Somewhat, it felt that she is forced by obligation to make readers from different background to have the same understanding. This makes me feel the sentences quite awkward at first and the story keep on going; then it get better in the middle until they happily married. Truth is when there's family bond involve, my heart melts. More cheerful characters can create more lively surrounding.

xoxo
Soleh
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