It was really hard to read, and I didn't enjoy most of the book. The main theme seems to be one needs money to survive in the world. I often found the story difficult to relate because it doesn't transcend the classes for the most part. The characters are upper class and so are their thoughts and concerns, and they rarely take a step beyond that to consider the rest of the world. However, I thought the ending was perfect and it speaks of a more transcending theme of familial love and sisterhood. Perhaps even maternal instinct, because Margaret is mothering both her sister and husband, as well as the new child and the house.
It seems hardly anyone knows about this book. Amazon only had a few entries, and most of them were Coles Notes type books.
I absolutely hated Catcher in the Rye. If there's anything that I hate, it's a book that's gotten more hype than it's worth. In my opinion there are oodles more books about coming of age that are better written and more entertaining(Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz being my personal favourite).
As it turns out, JD Salinger isn't a terrible writer after all! F&Z seems like a more complete piece that Catcher. The themes are similar, the period is similar, and of course the writing style is similar, but there's a more polished quality to F&Z. Not as in a commercial sense, but as if the author really knew what he was trying to say about his themes. He took several ideas (religion, knowledge vs wisdom, etc) and combined them into an intelligent argument. I could sympathize with Franny's frustrations with the world, where Holden just left me cold.
I liked the added dimension of Zooey, who was almost like the angel to Franny's devil. I felt the background history of the family made their behaviours more understandable.
I think this is a sorely underappreciated novel, the one that should have gotten the spotlight.
I liked how this novel had the feel of a short story. It was concise, it was meaningful, and it was portioned to be taken in small gulps. There were periods of action, background, and dialogue, and there were periods of reflection. The story felt very cohesive, which I like, but it still left loose ends and questions, which I like more.
Night was an outcry against the holocaust, a raw and brutal explaination. Dawn is the introspection afterwards. Despite being 18, he is still a child trying to find himself. You can hear the pain in his words, and the sense of loss is tangible. Night made me cry openly. Dawn makes me mourn inside.
Good Companions: Clearly, the two novels are a pair, and should always be together. These two are often published with a third book, The Accident, but I don't see how anything could further complete the pair.
The story itself is so fanstasic that it perfectly incorporates itself into a work of fiction. Men like Oskar Schindler do not live in the real world, they live only in the pages of a good novel. Or not, since this man was real, and however much the legend has been embossed and the memories of his actions softened, he really did a great thing. It sort of gives you hope, doesn't it? If such a man could exist in such a time, then perhaps anything is possible.
I really enjoyed Thomas Keneally's style of writing. He can turn a phrase to give you shivers!
"the oxygen which by rights belonged to the veins of his face had for years gone to feed the sharp blue flame of all that liquor." (19)
"he could sometimes be discovered wearing the smirk of his unexpected power like a childish jam stain in the corner of the mouth." (98)
I also think the ending was perfect. He could have left off with the end of the war, but we ended where we began, with Schindler. I think his grittiness and poverty at the end makes the story more real. The thing happening during the war were fantastic, and now the war is over things are normal again, and there is no more room for men like Oskar.
Good Companions: Anne Frank's diary, biography of Schindler
Was it a great book? Not really. Was it a terrible book? No. So this unfortunately popular book falls into the mediocre category (for me). I don't really have anything to say about it, except that it reminded me a lot of Catcher in the Rye. Is Nick poor Holden, all grown up? They both seem disconnected and lost.
Good Companion Reading: Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
Good grief! That book could have been about 400 pages shorter, and you still would have had all the good bits in there. Merely taking out half the descriptive euphamisms and speeches would have save innumerable pages!
I liked the story itself, but I'm not fond of Captain Prolific and his team of descriptive words.
A good quote: "trifles make the sum of life" 724
Good Companion Reading: Nothing, because you won't have a chance to sneak anything else in there. Personally, I was reading textbooks at the time, so I've been bored to tears for more than a month now!
So this is my second Dickens novel. The first, Great Expectations, is one of my all-time favourites. This one I could really do without. So far I'm a Dickens fence-sitter.
I have decided to re-rate this book, and place it as number one on my list of books that will never again enter my home. I find the story disturbing on multiple levels, from physical disgust at the images, to anger at the false pathway he's trying to lead other recovering addicts down, and most importantly disbelief of everything written in this book.
This is an example of what Oprah and bestsellers can lead the world into (not that I have a problem with Oprah or her bookclub, no one is infallable in their judgement or tastes)
My boyfriend is gone for a week, so I have nothing to do but work and read.
I liked this story; it gave me insight into the Jewish world (assuming the information was accurate). I was right in there with the plotline; wanting what Reuven wanted, feeling what Reuven felt. Very well written!
Good Companions: The Making of the Modern Jew by Milton Steinberg and The Nineteen Letters of Ben Uzziel by Samson Raphael Hirsch, as both were mentioned in the text as good Jewish histories.
I suppose this was a bildungsroman, because it was about a young girl and her struggles with the community, her father, her mother, her boyfriend, and herself. The book is a lot of Nomi thinking to herself, which is sad. She seems like one of the loneliest people, and everyone she reaches out to ignore her.
I liked how there were periodical jabs at the Menonnite religion, because it showed how she was developing. I also liked that it was based in Manitoba, because there aren't many books from that neck of the woods.
Note to Self: Find more Manitoba-based stories.
Finished Tess on August 6 (in the middle of my camping vacation!!)
I really liked this book. It was like a less tragic Bronte piece, because everything sort of turned out in the end. Things weren't perfect, but at least they weren't terrible.
I found the ending anticlimatic, but I've noticed a lot of works from the Victorian period have that type of ending. I thought that the rest of the story was so strong, a quiet ending worked.
I seriously couldn't put it down.
Good Companion Reading: Wuthering Heights, because it has many similar aspects. Also perhaps A Time to Kill, for a modern perspective.
Finished Howard's End sometime in Nov.
It was really hard to read, and I didn't enjoy most of the book. The main theme seems to be one needs money to survive in the world. I often found the story difficult to relate because it doesn't transcend the classes for the most part. The characters are upper class and so are their thoughts and concerns, and they rarely take a step beyond that to consider the rest of the world. However, I thought the ending was perfect and it speaks of a more transcending theme of familial love and sisterhood. Perhaps even maternal instinct, because Margaret is mothering both her sister and husband, as well as the new child and the house.
It seems hardly anyone knows about this book. Amazon only had a few entries, and most of them were Coles Notes type books.
Finished Franny and Zooey on Oct 17.
I absolutely hated Catcher in the Rye. If there's anything that I hate, it's a book that's gotten more hype than it's worth. In my opinion there are oodles more books about coming of age that are better written and more entertaining(Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz being my personal favourite).
As it turns out, JD Salinger isn't a terrible writer after all! F&Z seems like a more complete piece that Catcher. The themes are similar, the period is similar, and of course the writing style is similar, but there's a more polished quality to F&Z. Not as in a commercial sense, but as if the author really knew what he was trying to say about his themes. He took several ideas (religion, knowledge vs wisdom, etc) and combined them into an intelligent argument. I could sympathize with Franny's frustrations with the world, where Holden just left me cold.
I liked the added dimension of Zooey, who was almost like the angel to Franny's devil. I felt the background history of the family made their behaviours more understandable.
I think this is a sorely underappreciated novel, the one that should have gotten the spotlight.
Finished Dawn on Oct 18
I liked how this novel had the feel of a short story. It was concise, it was meaningful, and it was portioned to be taken in small gulps. There were periods of action, background, and dialogue, and there were periods of reflection. The story felt very cohesive, which I like, but it still left loose ends and questions, which I like more.
Night was an outcry against the holocaust, a raw and brutal explaination. Dawn is the introspection afterwards. Despite being 18, he is still a child trying to find himself. You can hear the pain in his words, and the sense of loss is tangible. Night made me cry openly. Dawn makes me mourn inside.
Good Companions: Clearly, the two novels are a pair, and should always be together. These two are often published with a third book, The Accident, but I don't see how anything could further complete the pair.
Finished Schindler's List on Oct 9.
The story itself is so fanstasic that it perfectly incorporates itself into a work of fiction. Men like Oskar Schindler do not live in the real world, they live only in the pages of a good novel. Or not, since this man was real, and however much the legend has been embossed and the memories of his actions softened, he really did a great thing. It sort of gives you hope, doesn't it? If such a man could exist in such a time, then perhaps anything is possible.
I really enjoyed Thomas Keneally's style of writing. He can turn a phrase to give you shivers!
"the oxygen which by rights belonged to the veins of his face had for years gone to feed the sharp blue flame of all that liquor." (19)
"he could sometimes be discovered wearing the smirk of his unexpected power like a childish jam stain in the corner of the mouth." (98)
I also think the ending was perfect. He could have left off with the end of the war, but we ended where we began, with Schindler. I think his grittiness and poverty at the end makes the story more real. The thing happening during the war were fantastic, and now the war is over things are normal again, and there is no more room for men like Oskar.
Good Companions: Anne Frank's diary, biography of Schindler
Hey you haven't posted in two months! Have you given up on being well-read?
Finished Gatsby on Sept 27.
Was it a great book? Not really. Was it a terrible book? No. So this unfortunately popular book falls into the mediocre category (for me). I don't really have anything to say about it, except that it reminded me a lot of Catcher in the Rye. Is Nick poor Holden, all grown up? They both seem disconnected and lost.
Good Companion Reading: Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
Finished David Copperfield on Sept 25.
Good grief! That book could have been about 400 pages shorter, and you still would have had all the good bits in there. Merely taking out half the descriptive euphamisms and speeches would have save innumerable pages!
I liked the story itself, but I'm not fond of Captain Prolific and his team of descriptive words.
A good quote: "trifles make the sum of life" 724
Good Companion Reading: Nothing, because you won't have a chance to sneak anything else in there. Personally, I was reading textbooks at the time, so I've been bored to tears for more than a month now!
So this is my second Dickens novel. The first, Great Expectations, is one of my all-time favourites. This one I could really do without. So far I'm a Dickens fence-sitter.
Today I'm at #70 of 425 with Heart of Darkness. Yay!
Finished Heart of Darkness on August 24.
My thoughts to come... but... did they steal some of this for Apocalypse Now?
I have decided to re-rate this book, and place it as number one on my list of books that will never again enter my home. I find the story disturbing on multiple levels, from physical disgust at the images, to anger at the false pathway he's trying to lead other recovering addicts down, and most importantly disbelief of everything written in this book.
This is an example of what Oprah and bestsellers can lead the world into (not that I have a problem with Oprah or her bookclub, no one is infallable in their judgement or tastes)
Kudos for publishing your work and accepting criticism openly!
Finished The Chosen on August 13.
My boyfriend is gone for a week, so I have nothing to do but work and read.
I liked this story; it gave me insight into the Jewish world (assuming the information was accurate). I was right in there with the plotline; wanting what Reuven wanted, feeling what Reuven felt. Very well written!
Good Companions: The Making of the Modern Jew by Milton Steinberg and The Nineteen Letters of Ben Uzziel by Samson Raphael Hirsch, as both were mentioned in the text as good Jewish histories.
Finished A Complicated Kindness on August 8.
I suppose this was a bildungsroman, because it was about a young girl and her struggles with the community, her father, her mother, her boyfriend, and herself. The book is a lot of Nomi thinking to herself, which is sad. She seems like one of the loneliest people, and everyone she reaches out to ignore her.
I liked how there were periodical jabs at the Menonnite religion, because it showed how she was developing. I also liked that it was based in Manitoba, because there aren't many books from that neck of the woods.
Note to Self: Find more Manitoba-based stories.
Good Companion Reading: Are you There God? It's Me, Margaret
Finished Tess on August 6 (in the middle of my camping vacation!!)
I really liked this book. It was like a less tragic Bronte piece, because everything sort of turned out in the end. Things weren't perfect, but at least they weren't terrible.
I found the ending anticlimatic, but I've noticed a lot of works from the Victorian period have that type of ending. I thought that the rest of the story was so strong, a quiet ending worked.
I seriously couldn't put it down.
Good Companion Reading: Wuthering Heights, because it has many similar aspects. Also perhaps A Time to Kill, for a modern perspective.