Raffles Reviews

Book Reviews, Opinion, Raffles Reviews

Raffles Reads: The Gate to China
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Anamika Ragu (23A01A)

Raffles Reads is a collaboration between Raffles Press and Times Reads which aims to promote a reading culture among Singaporean students.

Rating: 4/5 

One word: contention.

This is what surrounds any kind of history, especially that of global superpowers. So much of our yesteryears, nebulous and unembellished as they are, seem to exist as interpretive iterations by primary and secondary sources alike as time passes. 

Consequently, it is as if the past dares every curious mind that faces it to deconstruct this ruse of objectivity as it is dug up. It is an arduous, meticulous, and incredible process.

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Opinion, Raffles Reviews, Rank It!

Rank-it! The Hottest Nood(le)s in Town
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Lim Yong Le (22S03M)

From Mala Xiang Guo to the best Home-Based Learning Naps, Rank-It! has certainly dabbled into many different fields. The spiritual successor to the previous Mala article, this article sets off on a perilous journey of evaluating various brands of popular fiery instant noodles. All noodles reviewed here were cooked as per packet specifications.

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Book Reviews, Raffles Reviews

SingLit For When You Feel… 
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Claire Jow (23A01B), Faith Ho (22A01A), Lara Tan (22A01B) and Saara Katyal (23S05A)

Singaporean Literature – you know it, you (maybe) love it, you probably remember it from that one Sec 2 Lit lesson on poetry analysis when everyone still took all three Humanities subjects. 

Maybe you want to get back into it after all this time, like reconnecting with an old friend. Maybe you’re curious about it and want to diversify your library. Or maybe, just maybe, you happen to know an awful lot more about SingLit than us and are just here for sport. 

In any case, SingLit can come across as an intimidating genre; after all, there’s so much our local literary scene has to offer! But fret not: we have compiled our favourite short story anthologies, fiction novels, poetry collections and plays that we recommend (based on how you feel, of course). 

Without further ado, here is our list.

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Book Reviews, Commentary, Opinion, Raffles Reviews

Raffles Reads: Pony
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Raffles Reads is a collaboration between Raffles Press and Times Reads which aims to promote a reading culture among Singaporean students.

By Keiran Koh (22S06M)

Rating : 4.5/5

After her critically-acclaimed work  “Wonder” achieved stupendous success, R.J Palacio released her newest work outside the Wonder universe in 2021, titled ‘Pony’.

Set in the 1800s in Ohio, USA, Pony follows the story of a 12 year-old with odd talents, Silas Bird, who lives with his father, Martin Bird, a boot maker and brilliant inventor. Silas is also accompanied by Mittenwool, a ghost, whom he shares banters with. Their cloistered and tranquil lifestyle is soon upended, however, when Roscoe Ollerenshaw and his henchmen take Martin Bird away to conduct some dubious business, unbeknownst to Silas. The following morning, a pony with a shimmering black coat, white head and piercing blue eyes surprises him at Silas doorstep, probing him to embark on a treacherous journey to find his father. 

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Book Reviews, Commentary, Raffles Reviews

Raffles Reads: Instructions for Dancing
Reading Time: 2 minutes

By Shermaine Lim (22S03N)

Raffles Reads is a collaboration between Raffles Press and Times Reads which aims to promote a reading culture among Singaporean students.

Rating: 3.5/5  

“Not everybody can dance good, but everybody can dance.”

For Evie, the spirited protagonist of this story, love is a wasted concept. After a shocking revelation that left her family divided and her belief in love shaken, the once hopeless romantic finds herself forsaking her collection of romance novels at a nearby mobile library. There, she meets an enigmatic stranger who gifts her a mysterious book eponymously titled ‘Instructions for Dancing’ and an inexplicable gift: to see the past, present and future of any couple—including their inevitable end. 

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