Frankenstein

So I read this in high school and I guess I was drunk because I don't really remember.  Ok, I probably wasn't actually drunk, but I still didn't recall the book well enough to felt like I'd read it.  Upon this second reading, I was entranced at first- the language was beautiful, the story captivating, and I enjoyed the connection between the characters.  As it progressed, however, I found my feelings oscillating between love and annoyance.  Why?  SOOOOOOOO much BITCHING.

Yeah, that's right.  Dr. Frankenstein was kind of a whiny little bitch.  Sure, he had a right to some melancholy, but geeeeeeeeeez.  After a while I wanted to choke him myself.  Now, to be fair, Mary Shelley did an incredible job with 7/8ths of the book (and she was only 19 at the time of its writing).  The story truly was lovely and my heart broke for "the fiend" that was so unloved and reviled, by all, and especially, by his creator.  His story, as told to Dr. Frankenstein, was so piteous.  I cried for him and yet, the vengeful evilness that was born from it?  I'm gonna go ahead and go with wowzers.

Was it worth my time?  Sure.  It was very good, but it brought back my remembrances of how I persistently felt about reading for myself (until the last 6 months or so, truly)- I ALMOST loved it, but not really.

Great Short Works of Leo Tolstoy

For about $10, you can own some of the greatest words ever written.  You, yes YOU, can own the best of Tolstoy's shorter works.

I have been meaning to write this for a while, but when there is almost too much to say, it is hard to say anything at all.  This collection contains so many diverse and wonderful pieces that I am intimidated at the thought of doing it any sort of justice.  So, maybe I'll just not bother with any attempt to really sum up what is so great about it with any sort of detail...  That I can do!

The first piece I read was The Kreutzer Sonata and I was struck.  There aren't really an admirable characters and the look at humanity is less than positive, but it dripped with insightful truth.  The way men and women see each other, the impact of physical beauty, true love (ba!), insane jealousy, and vengefulness.  Rather than try to explain to you the perfection of Tolstoy's words (which I admit, once again, that I "thought," having loved these short stories so much that I would feel the same about "War and Peace," but no, it felt embarrassingly tedious to me- so don't just NOT read Tolstoy because of "War and Peace" if you tried it and failed, as I did).

On the power of beauty...

"It seemed to me that evening that she understood all that I felt and thought, and that what I felt and thought was very lofty.  In reality it was only that the jersey and the curls were particularly becoming to her and that after a day spent near her I wanted to be still closer.

It is amazing how complete is the delusion that beauty is goodness.  A handsome woman talks nonsense, you listen and hear not nonsense but cleverness. She says and does horrid things, and you see only charm.  And if a handsome woman does not say stupid or horrid things, you at once persuade yourself that she is wonderfully clever and moral."

I can't begin to tell you the plot because once I begin, there will be no shutting me up, so I'll stop.

A few others that really impressed were Family Happiness (with some truly good, though flawed people- Tolstoy's characters are never perfect heroes, which I appreciate, since no real person is either), The Cossacks, and The Death of Ivan Ilych.  I read some others and found admiration for them, but not quite at the level as these 4, for me personally.

In all, the lack of a fairy tale ending, the failed realness of the characters, and Tolstoy's masterful command of language that includes deep insights to the nature of human thought and behavior, especially the ugly side, makes this a must read for me.  Truly, if I hadn't read them, I might not have truly ignited the passion for reading that I have now.

Burmese Days

By George Orwell

The last book I read by George Orwell was "Animal Farm" and I enjoyed it, both the content and the commentary on society, but I didn't recall feeling overwhelmed with the desire to read more Orwell.  However, a friend recommended, strongly, that I read "Burmese Days" saying it was one of Orwell's best, though underrated.  Actually, the recommender said it was one of the most underrated novels "period."  Valuing this person's taste in books, I dove in (after abandoning War and Peace out of boredom- that pains me as I love Tolstoy's shorter works and will review them soon).  It truly was a wonderful, even if depressing.  There is a perfection of writing in this novel.  I never found a word or sentence lacking.

Set in Burma during the time of the British Raj, one gets a clear impression of Orwell's distain for despotism, even when disguised as imperialism meant to "benefit" another nation.  It all ends up being a raping of the country taken over regardless of intention (which is stated as one thing, but of course IS another), and this is evident in the main character's opinions of this British invasion, that he happens to be a direct part of.  With nobody to share his bachelor life, Flory does his job, drinks away his life, keeps a Burmese woman, but is empty and disgusted by those life he lives and the people that surround him, except, perhaps, the Burmese themselves.  Viewed by all the other Brits as less-than-thou scum, the Burmese are of interest to read about and the characters painted richly.

Our bachelor is introduced to a visiting niece, Elizabeth, and Flory is ready to change his ways in order to share a life with her.  He shares his love of Burma- the people, the customs, the land, but the problem is that she isn't different than "the others" as he imagines she is.  His desperate loneliness causes him to see in her things that do not exist.  The plot that unfolds is heartbreaking on many levels, but it is a satisfying story.  Nobody escapes the cruelty of fate or humanity.  Perfectly written, almost awe-inspiring.

Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck

Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck

Here Lies the Librarian is the fourth book that we’ve read by Richard Peck, and it’s the only one that I didn’t really care for.  It’s not that I didn’t like the book, but rather that it didn’t meet my high expectations.  And perhaps the subject matter failed to entertain me to the extent that his other work has.

Although the book immediately grabbed our attention with a tornado in a graveyard, it seemed to fizzle for us after that first chapter.  It follows Peewee and her brother Jake during the summer of 1914, in Hendricks County, Indiana, as they try to establish a car repair garage, build their own car and race in the first ever automobile race at the county fair.  There’s a little bit of romance, a little bit of humor, but also a little bit of animal cruelty that I always have trouble getting past.

I think for kids or adults interested in cars, car history or car racing, the book would have been a fun, easy read.    But for three kids and a grown woman that don’t give a flying flip about any of those things, there just wasn’t enough humor or character development of the minor characters to keep us excited about each new chapter. 

Overall, I think Mr. Peck did an amazing job, as usual, representing small town Indiana life at the turn of the century.  It’s well written, well researched.   It’s good historical fiction for kids. But it’s still got a LOT of car stuff in there. 

The Teacher's Funeral by Richard Peck

The Teacher’s Funeral by Richard Peck

As much as I love reading, not many books make it to my list of all-time favorites.  But The Teacher’s Funeral delivered a little something for everybody in the family!  The story, set in a rural Indiana community in the year 1904, follows fifteen year old Russell Culver, his family, his classmates, his community, over the course of a year.

Mr. Peck captured both time period and place perfectly, with humor for both children and adults, and easy to connect to characters.  As I read aloud to my girls, complete with a Hoosier hayseed accent, I couldn’t help picturing my grandfather and my great-grandmother.  I recalled their stories, their memories, the way they spoke, the different words they used, so that each time I picked up the book, it felt like coming home.  Familiar, comfortable, safe.   Although both my papaw and my great-grandmother have been gone several years now, this book, these stories, brought them back for a little while, made me miss them more than I have in years.

My girls, particularly my middle child that struggles with reading and geography, loved hearing the names of local places she’s been to.  And my eldest loved looking each location up on the state map.  But most of all, we enjoyed the family stories that I tried to tie into the conversation when we’d finished reading for the day.  

While I’m sure not all readers will enjoy the setting and time period to the same extent, it’s definitely a worthwhile read, with heart, humor and history to boot!

The Lord of the Flies

By William Golding

This could be the simplest review ever.  How did I feel about "The Lord of the Flies?"  Well, one word sums it up...

Meh.

I felt nothing for this book.  While I appreciate the sentiment that we're all pretty darned closed to barbarianism if it comes to finding a way to forge civilization, I didn't find much interesting in the characters, the plot, and the ending left me annoyed.  Crinkle-nosed annoyed.

I typically am an underliner when I own a book.  I find interesting thoughts, passages, wording that I want to be sure to be able to find later.  I make notes in the margins.  This book has not one mark in it.  I considered underlining one section and then felt I was trying too hard to find something to like.

It sounds interesting enough- A plane crash with young boys stranded on an island without any adult supervision. There is struggle for power and control, with an extreme look at the folly in civilization and leadership.  But again...

Meh.

In the immortal words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."

The True Believer

by Eric Hoffer

Somehow, in the business of life (ha!), I got away from reading a while back.  I got caught up in busy and then, in finding my way in the world again, I realized how much I missed books.  I have now been reading again for a while and am so glad. I have a friend that is a gruff, cynical, intelligent soul, with a wisdom about him that makes him utterly unique.  He has been an avid reader for years and recommended that I read Eric Hoffer's "The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements" saying that it changed his world view.  Indeed, it did change mine.

A little background on Hoffer.  He was a self-educated longshoreman and wrote this in the 1940's.  President Eisenhower referenced this book in a televised press conference and it became a best seller.  It is an unbelievably insightful look at the nature of fanatical behavior, the causes of susceptibility to be swept up into a "holy cause," and the key components of inspiring a group of people to change, though not delivered with the desire to do so, but to understand the motivation behind it all.

Hoffer looks at the different types of people who are lost and looking for something to belong to, he examines the traits of a charismatic leader, the role of hope, individual accountability and the desire to sacrifice oneself for the good of belonging.  He turns his gaze to not only vilified groups, like the Nazis, but also to Christianity, and any other "group" enticing a mass of people, finding common threads.

His view of the different types of poor, and their common reaction to "holy causes" is nothing short of jaw dropping.  It is as applicable today as it was when it was written.  Consider this, in the wake of the current "Occupy" movements:

"It is usually those whose poverty is relatively recent, the 'new poor,' who throb with the ferment of frustration.  The memory of better things is as fire in their veins.  They are the disinherited and dispossessed who respond to every rising mass movement."

His view of the abjectly poor is just as interesting (they are less likely to be lit with fire for change):

"The poor on the borderline of starvation live purposeful lives.  To be engaged in a desperate struggle for food and shelter is to be wholly free from a sense of futility. The goals are concrete and immediate.  Every meal is a fulfillment; to go to sleep on a full stomach is a triumph; and every windfall a miracle.  What need could they have for 'an inspiring super-individual goal which would give meaning and dignity to their lives?'"

In looking at this, Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs came to mind- unless and until those basic needs are met, how can one have the time or energy to care about much else?

In looking at the poor, Hoffer not only looks at monetary considerations, but also the "free poor,"of which I found myself relating to on a personal level: "Freedom aggravates at least as much as it alleviates frustration.  Freedom of choice places the whole blame of failure on the shoulders of the individual.... Unless a man has the talents to make something of himself, freedom is an irksome burden.  Of what avail is the freedom to choose if the self be ineffectual?"

He examines the "creative poor," the "unified poor" (we're all in the same situation and my poverty isn't my fault- look, everyone else is there too), the "misfits," the "inordinately selfish" and "the ambitious facing unlimited opportunities." All there for different reasons, but all in a weakened state.  "Minorities," the "bored," and the "sinners."  All frustrated.  All ripe for being swept up into a mass movement.  The belief in the cause stirs the need for self-sacrifice.  The desire to identify with the group can call us. The look to change "for the better," with hope... and a degradation of the current time/leadership work together to launch us.  When led by "men of words," we will believe.  To read as Hoffer shows the essence of a mass movement, from start to finish, is truly enlightening.  You can't imagine not seeing any longer.

Not all mass movements are bad, but it is important, as a human, to be aware.  To look, to SEE, to question.

The types of people susceptible and HOW mass movements happen is fascinating to read about.  I found myself only being able to read about 10 pages per day, sometimes only 4.  It is a blessing that the book is organized in such a way that the reader can take little bits to digest at a time, taking a break for a while and coming back to it (you really can read only 4 pages and have read a chapter, sometimes 2).  It is so hard hitting, so stark, so unlike the way most of us examine the world that it felt like I was reading something that everyone SHOULD read.  We should ALL be questioning like that.  Some of it, towards the end, feels a bit repetitive, but I must say, I have never read anything like it.  It made me feel like I was looking at humanity, and myself, through a really clear lens.

This quote hit me personally in a way that stunned me.  It summed up the way I have lived for a long, long time and it is what I will leave you with (not because it is the essence of the book, but yet another example of the way this man piercingly communicates what he sees):

"Those who fail in everyday affairs show a tendency to reach out for the impossible. It is a device to camouflage their shortcomings.  For when we fail in attempting the possible, the blame is solely ours; but when we fail in attempting the impossible, we are justified in attributing it to the magnitude of the task."

Obviously, I give my strongest of recommendations to pick up this 168 page gem, "The True Believer."

Charity Girl

I’ve always been a sucker for good historical fiction, even as a kid. And Charity Girl didn’t disappoint. It’s set in Boston during World War I, and we follow Frieda Mintz, a silly, immature, and reckless young woman. Frieda attempts to escape marriage to a much older man, a marriage arranged by her mother for her own financial benefit, by running away and working in a downtown department store. Like most 17 year olds, she’s impetuous and rarely thinks in terms of consequences. After a one night stand with a soldier, she finds herself sick with some sexually transmitted diseases, thus landing on the radar of the Committee on Prevention, tasked with “protecting” soldiers from infected and morally deviant young women. Frieda makes one bad choice after another, and after being sexually assaulted, finally lands in a quarantine detention camp with several other young women, mostly prostitutes, but all infected with some type of STD. All the while, Frieda desperately hangs on to the dream that her rich soldier will come rescue her, that they’ll live happily ever after, that she’ll finally find freedom with the man that she spent one day with.

Every time I tried putting the book down, I found myself reaching for it again and again. And I tried my best to dislike Frieda, with her silly, impulsive and naive ways. But I couldn’t stay angry with her. Sometimes I wanted to shout at her for her stupidity. I often wanted to hug her to help make the pain go away. A few times I wanted to slap some sense into her. But I always liked her. Perhaps because I recognized my own silly 17 year old self, full of unrealistic expectations and unaware that others might have ulterior motives. Or perhaps because it was easy to think of Frieda as a younger sibling, one that needs guidance and experience, but not the hell that she had to face at such a young age. Maybe it’s because I recognized so many friends, past and present, desperate for a man’s attention and willing to overlook even the most blatant lies. Whatever the reason, I fell under Frieda’s spell, wanted for her sake for everything to work out just as she hoped, even though I knew they wouldn’t.

The book ended with a glimpse of Frieda 20 years later, and I got the distinct feeling that I was supposed to think of grown up Frieda as a tragic figure, a woman who never sees her dreams come to fruition, a woman who’s given up hope that her life will be what she wanted it to be. But I fail to see the tragedy there. Frieda landed on her feet. She survived. No, her life doesn’t look like she thought it would, but whose life ever does? Heaven help us if we all fulfilled our 17 year old dreams! I’m sure we’d have lots of rock stars, actresses, models and sports players, but not much responsibility. Dreams change. And that’s a good thing. How sad if all still clung to our seventeen year old selves, never matured, never grew. The tragedy isn’t that Frieda’s life turned out differently than she wanted. The tragedy is that she couldn't let go of her childish vision of the perfect life long enough to recognize the beauty of the life she ended up with.

The Help By Kathryn Stockett

I found myself wanting a great read that was meaningful. I didn't feel like battling Victor Hugo. I tried to read him, because of my best friend's encouragement, but sorry, Dida, I am just not ready to fight so hard for my fill of worthy literature. Maybe when my head is itching for something meaty, but not during the school year while taking a master's class. It is just too much. On the other hand, I don't want to waste my time on drivel either. I'm too busy for fluff. Besides, that's what Facebook is for! :) My fluff quota is filled. So, I e-mailed Dan and asked for a recommendation. He gave me two and this one arrived first from my beloved mail-order library. Apparently his wife was a fan and when I posted about it on Facebook, it seems like lots of people have read it and enjoyed it. I am not surprised. It was wonderful.

Set in the south during the changing times of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., the reader is invited to view the story from 3 women's perspectives. 2 of those women are African-American maids and 1 is a society girl, having just graduated from college with dreams of being a journalist. She doesn't quite fit in, is a bit awkward, and hasn't landed her man yet, much to her mother's lament. She is challenged to notice the world around her by a New York editor when she applies for a job she is clearly under-qualified for and it seems that this is when she starts to wonder about the way the "colored" maid must feel...

What does the maid think about having a separate bathroom built for her out in the garage because the family and guests don't want to catch her diseases?

How does she feel about raising the white children, loving them completely and having them grow into adults that treat their caregivers like second class citizens?

The 2 maids that are featured in the book are wonderful characters. It was a delight to get to know them. They were full-bodied and well-developed with faults, flaws and humor, love, anger, and an understandable acceptance of their lot. There doesn't even seem to be a true hope that things will be different, just a swallowing, hard, of the injustice that is...

When our society girl decides to ask for insight because she'd like to write a book about what it is like to be "The Help" in these white families, it is rebuffed out of massive fear because those that speak out in this part of the country don't do so without significant consequences, but there is something about wanting to share the "real" story that just won't go away. And so it begins...

I won't say more about the plot, but I will say that the result is a witty, honest, delight of a story that helps you live in a time and place of importance. It is a worthwhile read and one that will linger with me. I highly recommend it!

Little Star- Children's Lit.

By Anthony DeStefano

This is an offering from Christian author Anthony DeStefano that explains how the star upon the Christmas Tree connects to the birth of Jesus. We begin with a young boy talking with his father about the Christmas Star. He explains, as we zoom out into the universe, that all of the stars are excited about the foretold birth of the King and begin getting ready for the big event and the promised "reward" from God for being the brightest shining star on the night of the King's birth. Our overlooked Little Star gets no dusting from the comets and is ignored, as usual, for being so very small. He has no chance of being noticed, or so he thinks.

When baby Jesus is born the other stars think there must be some mistake. This little baby, born in a manger, couldn't possibly be a king. Kings are born to power and riches. It is only Little Star that understands the true message of humility and connection with the poorest and smallest of humanity being the reason for his birth being as it was. The message is lovely and though the initial entry into this star world seems a bit contrived and "far out," forgive me, when the connection to the real message is made, it produces the warmth and glow one hopes for in a Christmas story. Of course, our Little Star burns the brightest, sadly burning himself out, but he is remembered on top of our Christmas trees each year.

I felt an affection for Little Star and most children will respond to him as well. We'll all felt overlooked and unimportant at times, so he is relatable. The story makes a meaningful connection for children to understand the symbolism of the Christmas Star to the birth of Jesus, which many Christian families will appreciate. I can see this being a read aloud that families and children's church ministries will turn to year after year.

In addition to the text, the illustrations play a very important role in this picture book. The muted colors of the illustrations, by Mark Elliot, show contrast and make the eventual bright glow of Little Star, as he warms the manger, even more powerful. I also appreciated the expression brought to both the stars and the humans in the story.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors

By Piers Paul Read

I remember seeing the movie "Alive" during the year I graduated from high school. It was one of those movies that I wouldn't forget- the story of surviving the plane crash on the Andes mountains was just too captivating. A couple of months ago I was flipping through the channels and caught the last third of it. I still remember the disheartening feeling once Parrado and his expeditionary friend Canessa crest that 13,000 foot peek and see before them a seemingly endless journey. It made me want to know more about the men that could survive this. How could they carry on under such terrible conditions with so little strength and only the tiniest hopes of making it?

I decided to order it from the library and what was delivered was a book older than I am, published a year before I was born. The green, 70's library binding complete with, uhm, well-loved pages didn't make a snuggly read to drag into bed with me, but still, my bed's seen worse! SOOOO just kidding on that... But into bed it has gone with me for a while now and though it has a documentary, non-fiction feel to it, I think that really was the most fitting style to retell a story like this.

The reason the book is always better than the movie is so much about the details and this book gave them to the reader- letters written to family members on the plane, the actual methods of survival including a more in-depth, though not gory, look at the cannibalism that took place from logistics to palatability to morale and spiritual rationals, and the resourcefulness of the group. The squabbles, the sleeping arrangements, the justifications for food rationing portions based on output for the group or lameness, the physical problems that each faced along with what others did or did not do to help. It really was an account that gave the reader a real look at what it meant to make it during that time.

Nobody is painted as a perfect hero like the movie tended to do, but many had moments of heroism, some more grand than others and almost all had failings, as would be expected. Failings physically, mentally and spiritually. And yet, the overwhelming feeling I was left with was how profound God had been in their lives, well, at least for most. The miracle of their survival was incredible and it was not lost on most of them.

I also found myself wondering about the story after the rescue and the book did not disappoint. From coping with the press to recovering from the mental and physical tole, the reunions with family members to the piercing horror of the dead's families at what had happened to their loved ones. The saddest stories were the ones that had survived the initial crash, suffered terribly and then had later been killed in the avalanche. Cap that off with knowing that they'd then been eaten for survival (though they understood why) and you've got a pretty disturbing picture of how your loved one ended his time on this planet. But, still so much beauty and grace even in that understanding...

"The mothers showed similar courage. Some saw their dead sons in the survivors, for it was not difficult to understand that if their children had stayed alive and the others had died, the same thing would have happened; and that if all forty-five had survived the accident and avalanche, all forty-five would now be dead. They could imagine, too, the mental and physical anguish suffered by the survivors. All they wished now was that they should forget what they had been through. After all, it was not the sons or brothers or parents of their friends that they had eaten to survive. They had been already in heaven."

70 days. They survived for 70 days in the Andes mountains. And 2 men walked out to save them all. That is a miracle and it is no less awe-inspiring nearly 40 years after it happened.

Don't Die Little Blog!

So, I have started several books lately and have put them all down. A change in jobs will do that to you. I began "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "A Clockwork Orange" and "The Education of Little Tree" and they all sit, but the book I'm reviewing I read in one sitting. I realize that the typical books reviewed here are pleasure reading books, but since nobody has been posting for ages, I figured I'd just go ahead and throw something out there. I don't want this little blog to shrivel away. Not sure why, so much, except maybe that the changes in life over the last month have been so surprising and life-altering that I still want to feel connected to something above letter sounds and beginning reading strategies with rhyming words, calendars and patterning. Oh, I love this stuff, but I also mourn a bit, leaving the library. So, anyway...

"The Daily 5" by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser is almost biblical in it's use in the school district I work in, if you happen to be a classroom teacher. I've heard amazing things and I was eager to read it so I could start envisioning how I would implement this practice into my Kindergarten classroom. My class is an interesting group behaviorally and academically. They are challenging, though they've made significant progress in the past 2 weeks. As I read this book, I felt hopeful and also intimidated. Baby steps, I suppose.

Basically I am going to be teaching the kids exactly what each step of the Daily 5 will look like- we'll be creating anchor charts to show what read to self, read to someone, listening to reading, writing, and word work will look like, what the expectations should be, and building stamina in making these things happen so we can become excellent readers. Mini lessons, independent practice and coming together to review, then repeat with the next section (which the kids get to chose the order of things they'll do once it is rolling). Sounds doable-ish. I appreciate that the sequence is broken down in the back with what, and how, to teach to get things started. I like that the charts we'll make together will show what the students should be doing and what I, the teacher, will be doing. I think having the students know my purpose will be most beneficial. My job will be to work with students, not to manage behavior (that is their job, God help me!).

Though I am feeling, as a new job always feels, overwhelmed, I am hopeful. I LOVE teaching early literacy. I mean, I seriously love it. I knew I was where I belonged when I nestled up next to the students in our bitchin' reading nook during our work station rotations (which will be sectioned up as read to self and word work in the future when I implement the Daily 5) and they were reading to me from the class mini-book we made and had worked with, tracking the words correctly (not really reading, but approximating), looking up at the illustrations to get help with what those words might be and seeing them finish, beaming with joy that they had done it. They don't have their sounds mastered yet, but they were really trying. Even my most challenging student was successful and he was brave in his attempt. It filled me with a sense of fulfillment and comfort that I am supposed to be in the classroom. I just wish I could know it all NOW and be the teacher I know I can be NOW, but I have to give myself time. I'll get there and I WILL get the Daily 5 going in the next few weeks. It's some good stuff.

A Pure Clear Light

Meh. That pretty much sums up how I felt about this book. I am not even sure exactly why I picked it, but I did. I had hope, in the beginning, that I would find this witty throughout, but what started as playful conversations started to feel forced and false. Maybe it because this is British literature and the conversations were light and polite, so foreign to my own experience? The characters, a wife and husband with a happy enough marriage, never fully developed into anything. The husband starts an affair and the wife explores religion. She doesn't really find it or any truth, just pokes around for what seems more like a place to belong, not something to believe in. Not much else to mention, I am sad to say. There is not even any sort of climax to the plot. It just ends with things as they are- carry on.

This is a book I should have just quit. Normally I would have, but somehow I feel a certain obligation to this little blog and want to finish something and write about it. But I am giving that up. If I get a few chapters in and I feel bored and have no connection I am going to put the thing down and walk away. Life is too short, there are too many GREAT books to read to waste time on something that gives me nothing.

I am not going to review the other one I recently read "The Lady of the Lake," by Mavis Amundson, as it was more of a true crime leaflet than a book. I only read it because it was at the cabin of the lake we were staying at and the dead body had been found in that very lake. Ooooooo, spooky.

My next adventure is going to be some Victor Hugo. My best friend gave me a beautiful book featuring Hunchback and Les Mis, which I just unpacked, so it seems like a great choice. I need some ol' reliable quality literature right now. I am disenchanted.

Disgrace

I picked this book out of a huge pile I ordered from the library. It won the Booker Prize in 1999, which was the same prize "Possession: A Romance," by A.S. Byatt, won earlier, which piqued my interest. The plot sounded promising- an aging college professor in South Africa becomes involved with one of his students and, through his refusal to defend himself properly (out of a sense of pride), David is discharged from his post in disgrace.

He then goes out into the country to stay with his lesbian daughter Lucy where she is trying to make a life for herself on a farm. It is a dangerous prospect, being a woman, alone, in this environment. Her neighbor, Petrus, claims the land beside her and they work Lucy's plot together. David, our professor, volunteers to help Bev, Lucy's friend, in a make-shift animal hospital, which is a place people bring their animals at the end- whether sick or simply unwanted, to be humanely ushered onto the next life. In this post-apartheid environment, there is still much resentment and anger to be satiated. In a robbery of her home, Lucy is violated horrifically while her father is helpless to save her. In the aftermath, he struggles to understand Lucy's decision to stay in this unsafe environment. She decides to pay whatever tax she must to stay in this place that she feels she belongs.

So, how did I like it? Well, honestly, I felt a bit underwhelmed, though it touched on many topics of importance and had valuable things to say. It was an easy read, with language and a cadence in a simplistic flow that made the pages turn. There were moments of poignancy, but so much in this book felt muted. It grazed on topics, but did not delve into the depth that they seemed to warrant. Is it because the English sensibility is so much more reserved than the American one? Is it because the story is told by a character of little depth himself, which caused the story to feel flatter than it might if told from another character's perspective?

The thread that had the biggest impact on me was the vulnerability of women and their dependence on men, men that can protect them or harm them, which ran throughout the book. Often we are desperate to be "equal" and while I do believe we have the same WORTH as men, that does not mean we are the same or that the balance of power is even. We see the imbalance when the professor presses himself onto a young student (not physical force, but an abuse of his position as a teacher), when Lucy is violated, and when she accepts the protection of her neighbor as a necessity (though this is her decision, to accept it, so, in some ways, she claims her power in that at least). The physical strength men possess and the natural violence that simmers in some, put our Lucy in her place and it hurts. The powerlessness hurts.

There were other aspects of this book that had meaning and I do consider it to have merit, but would I recommend it? Probably not. There are so many books, limited time, and I don't think this one will sit with me beyond the first pages of my next book.

Finishing Possession

By A.S. Byatt

Well, I said I would do my own review when I finished (why did I say that?). Anything I might say would be inadequate to express what this book made me feel. Hope, tragedy, complexity, love, regret, sadness, relief- all such commonplace words for an extraordinary book with so many layers of human understanding and characters that lived for me in their gradiated honesty.

I find myself thinking of countless things I could say, but it is almost like writing anything would warrant writing everything and I just can't. I will say that I loved it. I am gratefully for the ending- sweet, but not saccharine. Satisfying and whole.

This book, as Dan said, was an experience, a powerful one. I am so glad to have read it and it won't leave me anytime soon.

Possession by A.S. Byatt

Boy. This is one of those tough reviews to write because there is just too much and not enough to say, all at the same time. I've played with words in my head but it's hard to not have the whole review just be thirty different ways to say "this is a great book." Those kind of glowing, vague, hyperbole-laden reviews are uninteresting and unhelpful, but with a book like "Possession" its hard to go beyond that without going over the 20 page mark. But a blog must be written, so - with the clear caveat that this is certainly a book that must be read to be appreciated, and with full apologies that this review is bound to be general, effusive, and glowingly unclear - here it goes.
"Possession" is a stunning book. It is a bit wordy, very British, a little rambling, a tad over-intellectual...but perfect in all those "flaws," and probably because of them. I will not bother with any sort of plot summary, as it could never be done justice. The book's plots (it has several plots that run parallel to one another) are those kind of plots that seem unremarkable and even dull when they are simply rehashed...there are no car chases (though, almost), no flaming nights of passion (though, almost), no shipwrecks (though, again, almost...this is actually getting kind of weird); they are literary plots, internal, subtle - but brilliant, and alive, and character-driven in the best possible way. They are the kind of plots that carry you along not with a hook and jerk, but with the steady and irresistible pull of the human heart toward truth and understanding.
The author - who, if I ever met her, I would not be able to think of thing to say to out of sheer intimidation - pulls off such a feat of writing, storytelling and character development that it nearly drives this aspiring writer to despair. She writes in numerous voices, styles and eras and pulls it all off absolutely convincingly. And her thematic content is profound, delicate, intangible...but she gets it across, both her questions and her answers, with the closest thing to true clarity that one could hope for.
This is the kind of book that resonates in your mind and quiet places, the kind that lives in the back of your thoughts on the days you are reading it and, I'm sure, intends to stay there long after. It says so much about love, and life, and identity and possession (the title is very apt), so much about our limits and how we can strive for something beautiful despite them. It has romance, tragedy, resolution, despair, redemption...but it is all done quietly, with great care, and it leaves behind both quiet golden places of peace and hard, unequivocal stones of sadness.
This is just the worst, most unsatisfying review. It is already too long, and yet it says almost nothing. Sigh.
I'll take a couple more stabs. Reading this book - and I've only read a few books I'd say this about - was very much an experience. The slow unfolding of the story, the living and breathing and losing and loving of the characters, the stumble toward truth and understanding...it was something felt as a reader, something almost lived through, rather than merely observed and noted. It is a true, bleeding slice of the human experience, in all its failures. It does not take, I think, a hopeful view of people, or even of love (again, reference the title); there is, arguably, not a single functional, healthy relationship in the book. But there is truth in that dark view, and even human hope in the constant struggle for something better. We are all broken, in our own ways, the author seems to say...but just calling something broken implies that there is such a thing as "whole," and that therefore we can find redemption, perhaps, in seeking that wholeness together. We may fail...but there is the trying. An excerpt, from near the end, that sums this up well (and gives a taste of the author's power of language): "In the morning, the whole world had a strange new smell. It was the smell of the aftermath, a green smell, a smell of shredded leaves and oozing resin, of crushed wood and splashed sap, a tart smell, which bore some relation to the smell of bitten apples. It was the smell of death and destruction and it smelled fresh and lively and hopeful."
Will everyone like this book? No. Some will yawn and think it boring. Some will actually hate it, I'm sure. Its heavy and thick and has absolutely no gunpowder. It is not for a Da Vinci Code reader (and I don't mean that to be critical...any reading is good reading). But for lovers of literature, this is the book...both because it IS literature, and because it deals so much with literature as a topic and a passion and a human expression. This book is about how we define ourselves, our world, and each other. It is a book for thoughtful grown-ups.
I have far too many books to read, whole shelves full of books waiting for my attention...but as much as I hate to say it, "Possession" might be one I have to take the time to read again.

Possession- up to Pg. 360

I can't quite contain myself any longer. MUST TALK about this book!!! Now please, please, if you've not read this far in yet, don't read what I am going to say here until you have because I am going to spoil you rotten and that would be such a travesty to steal the joy from you that this book has to offer.

This doesn't happen to me all that often that I start to feel consumed by a story, where I am stealing away as many extra minutes as I can because I am so anxious to find out more. But "Possession" has taken hold of me!

First, I relished the trip that Roland and Maud took to retrace the steps of Ash's journey, reading the writing of our 2 masters to find glimpses of evidence to show if Christabel might have been there too. What an exciting journey- the brooch in itself felt like a revelation, but to have the author melt us into the real life time of Randolph and Christabel was such a surprise that, at first, I didn't even realize what was happening. Brilliant! Both Roland and Maud have an other-timeliness about them that the train ride seemed that it could be those 2 contemporaries, riding together, but no, it wasn't. It was Christabel and Randolph! It almost seemed like we were cheating, getting to be there with them when our Maud and Roland would never share the same privilege, but what a gift for the readers.

I honestly was so moved by the pain and duplicity of emotions the coming together of Christabel and Randolph brought. It seemed so sad and honest- not a celebration of love at all, but a resigning to the destiny of it, it seemed, with each knowing they were for each other, but that circumstances would never grant them a true life together. It felt tragic, with no true bliss in their time together for the end was always looming. It was just as inevitable as the beginning.

Then, we're back in the present world where Wolff, Cropper and Blackadder (what a great name) become key players, sucking the trail laid by Roland and Maud. Of course, the mighty dollar (or pound in this case) becomes a key player as well, as the letters, revealing so much are now to be purchased. And here I have left off, with Roland and Maud about to escape to France. I have so much hope for them.

I am so very eager to get back to it, but I just had to spurt my excitement somewhere and what place is more perfect that our little blog? :)

The Truth About Horses, Friends, & My Life as a Coward

Another Sasquatch nominee for 2011.

"Amy," you say, "aren't you supposed to be packing?"

My response is simply, shove it. And yes, I am. I am procrastinating people. Everybody does it. I also did laundry, finished this book, played swords with the boys, went to the store, read some of "Possession" (which is getting SOOOO good, btw), and am baking a delicious dinner, all in the name of procrastination. I HATE packing and I don't want to move. Pbbbbttt!

On to the review! I have to say, I really enjoyed this one (I think I say that a lot after I've I read something). Written by a fearful, math-hating librarian, this book is plain ol' fun. Hilarious, with stories that feel alive, we come to learn that horses have distinct personalities, just like people. They can be fun and frustrating, sweet and crotchety, again, just like people!

Our Sophie, first person narrator, is forced into horse ownership by an artistic mother with fantasies of the perfect girlhood horse riding experience for her 2 daughters. Too bad they start off with a nasty little pony named Really, which they decide is short for "Really Mean" after she shows her true colors. She won't be ridden and attaching her to a cart results in quite a hilarious story for our fearful Sophie.

Plagued by girls at school with moon-eyed dreams of horses wanting to befriend her only for the chance to ride, Sophie does her best to scare them off with stories of horror at the hands of Really the pony and manages to take care of most of them, but not Melissa, a brave, bold young lady that becomes the perfect friend for Sophie. She has courage enough for both of them. As 2 other horses are added to the family, and Sophie takes riding lessons, we start to see her emerge from a self-declared scaredy cat into a horse rider with a little confidence. She works on developing meaningful friendships throughout the story and we get a peek into her relationships with family (both sane and nutty).

And boy, are there a lot of GREAT horse stories in here. This author knows how to make the stories appear in your mind like you're sitting right there, watching it happen. They are so descriptive and funny that you really wish you could be there! This one is going to be a hit with the girls, no doubt about it. I think the stories hold up enough to entertain the boys too, but the subject matter and almost all girl cast will likely be a turn-off for many of the male crew.

I am excited to book talk this one to the kids. Many a girl has had equestrian dreams and this book will give them a little more realistic view of horse ownership, in addition to being a book about developing friendships.

He-he! I just got to use the word "equestrian."

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

I picked this book up for an inauspicious reason: I wasn't interested in it, and didn't care if I ruined it. I was heading into the mountains for a backpacking trip and wanted a book that was light, small, paperback, and expendable. "Good Omens," by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, was the perfect candidate; it was lent to me years ago by a now-disgraced and reviled ex-boyfriend of my sister-in-law...I would be perfectly happy using it as toilet paper if the need arose (and on a backpacking trip, it just might).
It is a happy surprise that the book turned out to be one of the more fun, entertaining, original and clever stories I've read in quite some time.
The authors are both famous in their own right (Neil Gaiman as a fantasy/comic book/modern myth writer - including Newbery Award winner "The Graveyard Book," which I've already reviewed - and Terry Pratchett as a Science Fiction author) who wrote this book collaboratively on somewhat of a whim. As they explain in the lengthy afterword, it was written before email, so they would literally talk on the phone, take turns writing the next few passages, and then send the manuscript back and forth to each other in the mail...pretty remarkable. What they miraculously came up with has turned into something of a cult favorite and commercially/critically successful modern classic of sorts.
The premise, boiled clumsily down, goes something like this: the Angel who originally guarded the Garden of Eden (Aziraphale) and the demon who tempted Eve (Crowley) have lived on Earth among men ever since, casually doing their respective evil and good duties; they've developed, over the thousands of years, two things: a friendly camaraderie and mutual appreciation, and a grudging love for the planet and us flawed beings who live here. So when they discover that the Antichrist has been born and Armageddon is approaching, they decide to band together to derail the plans and save the world so they can continue to enjoy it. Its a fun premise, and it is executed perfectly. The book is a rollicking, irreverent, non-stop comedic adventure full of wit, hilarity, memorable characters, and a surprising amount of heart and sensitivity. Although it drips with satire and sarcasm, the book has a beating heart; it is actually, in its amusing and charming way, quite thought-provoking, articulate and intelligent in the questions it raises about morality, ethics, religion, and humanity.
It was, in short, a great read, and one I'd enthusiastically recommend. In one fell swoop it upgraded that erstwhile ex-boyfriend from "useless ass, best forgotten" to "useless ass, best forgotten, who once lent me a pretty great book."
I'm keeping the book.

Possession by A.S. Byatt : 200 Pages In

Since this is one that we are all reading, I thought it might be good for us to share some impressions and reflections as we go along. This post...written as I reach the 200 page mark...is an effort in that direction. Some of you may not be as far as I am yet (or all you all already done?), so I'll be sure to avoid any "spoilers" or detailed plot points.
Now...if you haven't started yet, don't get put off by how I begin this review; it will seem to start negative, but I promise it ends well.
As I began this book and worked through the first 30-50 pages, I began to remember exactly why I don't generally like contemporary British fiction. In my experience, it seems to be overly wordy, unconscionably lengthy, and intolerably loaded with obscure references and allusions. This book, in the beginning, was no exception. Byatt's guiding premise seemed to be, "why say something with 100 words when I could use 1,000?" He packed references to classical literature and art in cheek-to-jowl, and I found myself sighing and eyeing the clock as I read. Honestly, that first 30 pages felt like they could've been accomplished in under 10.
That being said...I'm very glad I soldiered on. I soon found myself utterly absorbed in the two parallel plots (one contemporary, one historical) and their gradual coming together, and was also surprisingly taken with and interested in the four main characters (Roland, Maud, Christabel, and Randolph Ash). I was also, considering my biases, increasingly impressed with the author's skill in weaving the four characters and two plots together so convincingly and compellingly together, and in his ability to make a fairly sedate and cerebral plot seem so vibrant and intriguing. In short, I got hooked. Between pages 50 and 200 "Possession" transformed from a book that was a bit of a chore to read to one that I didn't want to put down.
So, well done, A.S. Byatt. You got me. I'll deal with the extraneously detailed descriptions in order to uncover the plot, and I'll fight through the deluge of archaic allusions to spend more time with those characters. I'm really and truly looking forward to the next 350 pages.