[Edit: I want to mention that I was very sleep deprived when I wrote this review. So it's really not up to par, I am disappointed by my writing and I feel that I didn't portray these books correctly. So I jsut wanted to say that despite the poor writing I really and truly love this triology and I recommend them with all of my heart. They are some of the best books I've read.]
Tonight I think I am going to break from the norm a bit. It's 10pm and I am tired so I wanted to make this quick. I was looking through my book list trying to find a book that I knew well and could review quickly. I found a few that I made a note to review but I was running out of hope that I would find one that I felt I knew well enough to quickly review while still doing it justice. And then I found them. Yes I mean THEM because there are three of them hence the breaking from the norm.
I honestly don't remember when I first read "The Fionavar Tapestry" by Guy Gavriel Kay and published by ROC, but I remember that I somehow got ahold of the first one. I was a little skeptical at first because it wasn't really my type of book, I wasn't really into sci fi/fantasy but I thought I would give it a try. I ended up being unable to put it down and I made my mom go get me the next two the day I finished. Ever since the first time I read "The Summer Tree," "The Wandering Fire," and "The Darkest Road" I've been hooked. I have read the triology almost every year since.
The books begin with a lecture at a university where five friends join together to listen to the renowned lecturer and Professor Lorenzo Marcus. By a great twist of fate the five get invited by Lorenzo's 'assisstant' Matt to meet with the Professor after the lecture. The five agree and after the lecture the five find themselves in the hotel room of Loren Silvercloak a mage from another world called Fionavar. What he tells them, that he is a mage and that he comes to Earth occasionally and poses as Lorenzo Marcus and that he would like to take the five of them back to his world to celebrate the fifth decade of his king's reign, leaves the group stunned. And even a little frightened but thoughtful. All of them, Kevin Laine, Paul Schafer, Dave Martyniuk, Kimberly Ford and Jennifer Lowell, end up deciding to travel with the mage and his source. What happens when they get there is just the beginning of the greatest and most important adventure of their lives.
Each of the five have their own adventures and their own trials to endure. The things they see and the things they experience start changing them all in different ways. In each book the five find out new things about each other and about themselves. Along the way they meet all types of people with traditions that began when time did, they meet gods and goddesses and watch as evil fights itself free of the powers that bind it. Starting a war that puts all of them in danger. And that's just the beginning.
These books are some of my favorites and they are filled with magic and adventure. This is a fantastic triology that I read over and over again and it never gets old. I have been told that this is a pretty typical fantasy story, and the person who told me this reads a lot of fantasy and said that it wasn't great and kind of boring and played out. But I love it over and over again and my other friend that I lent it to loved it so I feel pretty good recommending it with everything I have. If you are look for a triology that has a little bit of everything then go grab the first book of the "Fionavar Tapestry," it's not something you will ever forget. And Guy Gavriel Kay creates a world that you won't want to miss.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
To Eyre is Human
I was torn about the book I wanted to review tonight, at first I thought that since I haven't reviewed very many non-fiction books I would do another non-fiction tonight. But then I started talking to one of my roommates about classic novels. She just got a Nook Simple Touch as a gift from her parents and she was excited because this meant that she could start reading some of the classics that she has always wanted to read. Some Dickens, Austen and "Jane Eyre." That is when my inspiration hit and I decided to write about "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte and, the version I read, published by Barnes & Noble Classics.
The story is simple at first glance, a young orphan girl has to go live with a hateful aunt and then from there is transferred to a horrible boarding school and finally becomes a governess. Through all of her trials she holds on to her integrity and beautiful spirit. In her new position as governess she finds herself falling in love with her surly but kind employer Mr. Rochester. As time goes on Mr. Rochester finds new ways to interact with Jane and before he knows it he finds himself in love with her as well. But a secret that shrouds the house and everyone in it, once discovered, forces Jane to decide between the man she loves and a life of poverty and solitude.
Beneath the 'simple' story though is something more. Something richer and more meaningful that made this novel one of my favorite reads. Jane's character is so ahead of the time that she was written full of an independence that is inspiring. Her ability to understand human nature is amazing and watching the way she cares for people, despite the way she was treated as she was growing up, is inspiring. Jane Eyre has become one of my all time favorite literary characters. This is a story that is so rich and complex and beautiful it is worth reading again and again.
I highly recommend "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte! It's a beautifully written moving, truly wonderful story that should be read by all. I don't think that I have any complaints about the book, it's one of those rare books that I give all my support to. It's a beautiful story and and beautiful book, and I love it. It's a book that is a great introduction to reading classics because it has a little bit of everything in it. I love it and I think that it's a book that many will love. So go out and find a copy and get swept away into the wonderful world of Jane Eyre.
The story is simple at first glance, a young orphan girl has to go live with a hateful aunt and then from there is transferred to a horrible boarding school and finally becomes a governess. Through all of her trials she holds on to her integrity and beautiful spirit. In her new position as governess she finds herself falling in love with her surly but kind employer Mr. Rochester. As time goes on Mr. Rochester finds new ways to interact with Jane and before he knows it he finds himself in love with her as well. But a secret that shrouds the house and everyone in it, once discovered, forces Jane to decide between the man she loves and a life of poverty and solitude.
Beneath the 'simple' story though is something more. Something richer and more meaningful that made this novel one of my favorite reads. Jane's character is so ahead of the time that she was written full of an independence that is inspiring. Her ability to understand human nature is amazing and watching the way she cares for people, despite the way she was treated as she was growing up, is inspiring. Jane Eyre has become one of my all time favorite literary characters. This is a story that is so rich and complex and beautiful it is worth reading again and again.
I highly recommend "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte! It's a beautifully written moving, truly wonderful story that should be read by all. I don't think that I have any complaints about the book, it's one of those rare books that I give all my support to. It's a beautiful story and and beautiful book, and I love it. It's a book that is a great introduction to reading classics because it has a little bit of everything in it. I love it and I think that it's a book that many will love. So go out and find a copy and get swept away into the wonderful world of Jane Eyre.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
A Small Slice of History
One of the things I am most proud of is that I really do try to read a little bit of everything. With that in mind I can't help but be a little bit picky when it comes to non-ficiton. My greatest dread is a dry, boring book, fiction or non. Now I have gotten rather lucky with the non-fiction and biographies that I have choosen. So far there has not been a non-fiction book that I haven't found fascinating. And I have taken a little bite out of a few different non-fiction sub-genres. Biography, autobiography, history from different times and all have been rather exceptional. My latest non-fiction book was "The Kennedy Detail" written by Gerald Blaine and Lisa McCubbin and published by Simon & Schuster. What it is, is the story of the Kennedy assassination told through the eyes of the secret service agents who were on President Kennedy's detail at the time. I read it mainly because I didn't really know anything about the Kennedy assassination and thought this might be a good introduction. I was right.
The book starts out a couple of weeks before the assassination, shows the assassination and the aftermath. For all those out there that were around and old enough remember what it was like when President Kennedy was shot, the world literally turned upside down. This book brought us civilians right into the middle of it. Every story that was told was filled with love and respect for John Kennedy and for Jackie. President Kennedy knew all the agents on his detail as well as the agents on his wife's and children's details. He became a friend to them all and all of them grew to love him. The day he was killed was traumatic to all the agents even those that were doing the advance work for the next leg of the trip, and therefore not even with him. Every one of them felt as if they had let the country and the agency down.
The book wasn't all that well written, the timelines sometimes jumped around too much but the story was well worth reading. Through reading this book I have grown to love the secret service. They are so focused and so hard working. They have one job and one job only, to protect the President. Or the first lady or the first family but their job is to protect the President from any kind of harm. The amount of work that goes into a Presidential motorcade is simply amazing. The agents that do the advance work for Presidential visits have so much work that they do. They have to be ready for every scenario, they have to think about every possible threat. This book really showed just how much work the secret service has to do and it gave me a very great respect for them.
"The Kennedy Detail" is the real deal, it's not full of guess work and conspiracies. It is the real story of what happened on Novemeber 22, 1963. And it is stunning to read. When they spoke of the assassination itself and everything that happened that day I was in tears. The emotion that was felt in those few seconds when the agents realized what was happening literally leapt off the page. And when the doctors pronounced President John F. Kennedy dead even the well trained agents were unable to hide their tears. It was heartwrenching to read, I can't imagine what it was like to live it.
This is a book that I recommend with high praise, not for the writing, but for the story. If you are at all interested in what happened the day the world changed forever you need to read "The Kennedy Detail." It really is an important part of history one that will live in the memories of every person that experienced it. This book gives us a look not only at the pain the country felt but an intimate look at what it was like for those who were closest to the President. It's a pain that the agents lived with for the rest of their careers, and for those that passed on, for the rest of their lives. But this book isn't only about that pain and that day. It is about the men that had the priviledge of protecting a man that they were able to call their friend, a man that they respected, and a man that they saw was maybe able to change the world for the better. That is something they remembered for the rest of their lives as well.
The book starts out a couple of weeks before the assassination, shows the assassination and the aftermath. For all those out there that were around and old enough remember what it was like when President Kennedy was shot, the world literally turned upside down. This book brought us civilians right into the middle of it. Every story that was told was filled with love and respect for John Kennedy and for Jackie. President Kennedy knew all the agents on his detail as well as the agents on his wife's and children's details. He became a friend to them all and all of them grew to love him. The day he was killed was traumatic to all the agents even those that were doing the advance work for the next leg of the trip, and therefore not even with him. Every one of them felt as if they had let the country and the agency down.
The book wasn't all that well written, the timelines sometimes jumped around too much but the story was well worth reading. Through reading this book I have grown to love the secret service. They are so focused and so hard working. They have one job and one job only, to protect the President. Or the first lady or the first family but their job is to protect the President from any kind of harm. The amount of work that goes into a Presidential motorcade is simply amazing. The agents that do the advance work for Presidential visits have so much work that they do. They have to be ready for every scenario, they have to think about every possible threat. This book really showed just how much work the secret service has to do and it gave me a very great respect for them.
"The Kennedy Detail" is the real deal, it's not full of guess work and conspiracies. It is the real story of what happened on Novemeber 22, 1963. And it is stunning to read. When they spoke of the assassination itself and everything that happened that day I was in tears. The emotion that was felt in those few seconds when the agents realized what was happening literally leapt off the page. And when the doctors pronounced President John F. Kennedy dead even the well trained agents were unable to hide their tears. It was heartwrenching to read, I can't imagine what it was like to live it.
This is a book that I recommend with high praise, not for the writing, but for the story. If you are at all interested in what happened the day the world changed forever you need to read "The Kennedy Detail." It really is an important part of history one that will live in the memories of every person that experienced it. This book gives us a look not only at the pain the country felt but an intimate look at what it was like for those who were closest to the President. It's a pain that the agents lived with for the rest of their careers, and for those that passed on, for the rest of their lives. But this book isn't only about that pain and that day. It is about the men that had the priviledge of protecting a man that they were able to call their friend, a man that they respected, and a man that they saw was maybe able to change the world for the better. That is something they remembered for the rest of their lives as well.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
"Life is the Most Spectacular Show on Earth"
The above is a quote from the novel "Water for Elephants" written by Sara Gruen and published by Algonquin Books. A book that I went into reading with some hesitation because of the popularity of the book and the movie. But I had a friend, someone who I trust when it comes to book recommendations, told me that it was actually a very good book. Well written and historically accurate (very important when it comes to historical fiction) and so I took her advice and picked up a copy of it.
The story starts off in a nursing home, a start that surprised me, where ninety-something-year-old Jacob Jankowski is currently 'living' for lack of a better word the way he sees it. Being in the home doesn't really offer a lot of entertainment and so Jacob begins to remember his life. His memories begin when he was a young man finishing up veterinary school at Cornell. He had nothing more to worry about then his final exams, and losing his virginity. When all of a sudden his world is shattered when he gets the news of his parents dying in a car crash. The news that he is now an orphan shocks him so much that he walks away from his final exams and goes home. After the funeral Jacob feels lost and has no idea what he wants to do. His aimless wondering lands him on a circus train, a circus train belonging the Benzini Brothers Circus.
By some twist of fate he gets hired on as the show's vet which starts an adventure which is both terrifying and the most wonderful thing that ever happens to him. There he meets not only the beautiful Marlena but also her slightly psychotic husband August. And though he tries not to he finds himself falling in love with her and then, to his detriment, becomes protective of her. The novel takes place at the beginning of the Great Depression and circuses are having a hard time keeping afloat. Whenever a show closes the Benzini Brothers swoop in and pick up what they think will draw a crowd. When the ring leader, Uncle Al, picks up an elephant by the name of Rosie he lets August take charge of her. The more Rosie doesn't perform the way they want her to the more August gets rough with her. Jacob finds out the Rosie only understands Polish commands and as he spends time with her he finds himself growing fond of her. And a strange friendship begins. Through show after show and adventure after adventure Jacob does his best to ignore his feelings for Marlena and she does her best to ignore hers for him. It's a battle that they lose again and again.
The book is beautifully written and well researched. Sara Gruen really captures the Depression era circus feel. There were moments that made me laugh out loud, moments that made me want to cry. And quite a few moments that made me cringe. I found that, despite my hesitation, I really enjoyed this book. I don't think that it's going to be one that I read again and again but I throughly enjoyed it. All the characters were so 3d that for me they practically stepped off the page, a quality that I love, and visiting the world of behind the scene circus life was a thrill. I would recommend the book to someone who is looking for something a little different, historical, and with the added bonus of having an elephant in it.
The story starts off in a nursing home, a start that surprised me, where ninety-something-year-old Jacob Jankowski is currently 'living' for lack of a better word the way he sees it. Being in the home doesn't really offer a lot of entertainment and so Jacob begins to remember his life. His memories begin when he was a young man finishing up veterinary school at Cornell. He had nothing more to worry about then his final exams, and losing his virginity. When all of a sudden his world is shattered when he gets the news of his parents dying in a car crash. The news that he is now an orphan shocks him so much that he walks away from his final exams and goes home. After the funeral Jacob feels lost and has no idea what he wants to do. His aimless wondering lands him on a circus train, a circus train belonging the Benzini Brothers Circus.
By some twist of fate he gets hired on as the show's vet which starts an adventure which is both terrifying and the most wonderful thing that ever happens to him. There he meets not only the beautiful Marlena but also her slightly psychotic husband August. And though he tries not to he finds himself falling in love with her and then, to his detriment, becomes protective of her. The novel takes place at the beginning of the Great Depression and circuses are having a hard time keeping afloat. Whenever a show closes the Benzini Brothers swoop in and pick up what they think will draw a crowd. When the ring leader, Uncle Al, picks up an elephant by the name of Rosie he lets August take charge of her. The more Rosie doesn't perform the way they want her to the more August gets rough with her. Jacob finds out the Rosie only understands Polish commands and as he spends time with her he finds himself growing fond of her. And a strange friendship begins. Through show after show and adventure after adventure Jacob does his best to ignore his feelings for Marlena and she does her best to ignore hers for him. It's a battle that they lose again and again.
The book is beautifully written and well researched. Sara Gruen really captures the Depression era circus feel. There were moments that made me laugh out loud, moments that made me want to cry. And quite a few moments that made me cringe. I found that, despite my hesitation, I really enjoyed this book. I don't think that it's going to be one that I read again and again but I throughly enjoyed it. All the characters were so 3d that for me they practically stepped off the page, a quality that I love, and visiting the world of behind the scene circus life was a thrill. I would recommend the book to someone who is looking for something a little different, historical, and with the added bonus of having an elephant in it.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Speaking the Truth
Many months ago, not even sure how long ago now, a friend and I went to see "The Help" in theaters. Both of us really enjoyed the film and after when we were standing outside talking about it we both commented that we wanted to read the book. I was slightly reluctant mainly because I had so many other books to read. And the months passed. When I moved to New York I, miraculously, got a job at Barnes & Noble. And because of my love of books I was given an unusual opportunity. They offered me a job in the 'new release' department rather then just another cashier for the holiday season. Basically what I do is deal with new books and the best seller walls. Anyway I am around the actual books a lot and I am in contact with customers and hear what they request. To make a long story short I started to notice how there were certain titles that were more popular then others. "The Help" was definitely one of the more popular titles. I realized that in order to do my job to the best of my ability I would have to start reading some of the more popular titles. When I bought my Nook tablet (don't worry I still buy physical books obsessively) the first book I bought on it was "The Help." Due to a few different circumstances I didn't read it right away but I just recently finished it. I would like to review it now.
"The Help," by Kathryn Stockett published by Penguin Group, is told through the eyes of three very different women all living in Mississippi in the 1960's. Skeeter Phelan, a young, ambitious white woman coming home to Mississippi after graduating college, Abileen, an older black maid who raises the white children of white women trying to overcome the pain she feels from losing her own child and Minny, a feisty, back-talking black maid who is known for her cooking and back talk.
It tells the story of what life was really like for black maids in Mississippi in the 1960's. How because of the small minded thinking of one woman who for some reason has power over everyone in her 'set' all the houses that have maids have seperate bathrooms for them. The way people see "negro/as" as unclean and slightly barbaric. How blacks have seperate movie theaters and drinking fountains then whites. In each section, for each chapter we see a little bit about what each of these women go through and how they deal with the challenges they face. Skeeter finds herself trying to deal with a sick mother, friends who are stuck in the past, a changing view of the way the world works, and a love life that just can't seem to get itself off the ground. Abileen is dealing with trying to make sure the little girl she is basically rasing grows up feeling loved and that she is a good, kind girl despite the way her mother treats her, helping her friend get another job despite the lies that have been spread about her, and trying desperately to get over the death of her son. Minny, fast talking, sassy Minny, is trying to find a new job despite the lies her former boss's daughter spread about her, five kids, and a drunk husband who has a tendancy to beat her, on top of all that when she finally does get a job she has to deal with her new boss a woman who is an outcast and what appears to be a little strange.
Their stories intertwine and they find themselves searching for a way to tell the truth. As Skeeter offers to write their stories and be the voice they so desperately need more and more maids start coming forward. They all have tales to tell some are filled with pain and humiliation, some are filled with unbelievable kindnesses, but all of them are the truth. Through it all Abileen, Minny and Skeeter are the pillars that the others lean against and without realizing it these three different women find themselves learning to trust and even care for each other.
The book is well written and the characters are genuine and most are loveable, and the others you end up loving to hate. It was tough at times for me to read, I always seem to have trouble reading books that have small minded people in them. Or books about parents who just don't care about their kids. I guess what makes it difficult for me is that there really were towns like that in the world, still are, that there are people that are so small minded and ignorant that they really believe that blacks are barbaric or homosexuals need saving. I just get so angry and upset so this was hard for me to read at time. But it was worth pushing through that. I really enjoyed reading the book and I feel that this deserves the hype it gets and the obvious popularity. I recommend "The Help" highly and with no hesitation, simply a heads up that it is a bit of a tough read.
"The Help," by Kathryn Stockett published by Penguin Group, is told through the eyes of three very different women all living in Mississippi in the 1960's. Skeeter Phelan, a young, ambitious white woman coming home to Mississippi after graduating college, Abileen, an older black maid who raises the white children of white women trying to overcome the pain she feels from losing her own child and Minny, a feisty, back-talking black maid who is known for her cooking and back talk.
It tells the story of what life was really like for black maids in Mississippi in the 1960's. How because of the small minded thinking of one woman who for some reason has power over everyone in her 'set' all the houses that have maids have seperate bathrooms for them. The way people see "negro/as" as unclean and slightly barbaric. How blacks have seperate movie theaters and drinking fountains then whites. In each section, for each chapter we see a little bit about what each of these women go through and how they deal with the challenges they face. Skeeter finds herself trying to deal with a sick mother, friends who are stuck in the past, a changing view of the way the world works, and a love life that just can't seem to get itself off the ground. Abileen is dealing with trying to make sure the little girl she is basically rasing grows up feeling loved and that she is a good, kind girl despite the way her mother treats her, helping her friend get another job despite the lies that have been spread about her, and trying desperately to get over the death of her son. Minny, fast talking, sassy Minny, is trying to find a new job despite the lies her former boss's daughter spread about her, five kids, and a drunk husband who has a tendancy to beat her, on top of all that when she finally does get a job she has to deal with her new boss a woman who is an outcast and what appears to be a little strange.
Their stories intertwine and they find themselves searching for a way to tell the truth. As Skeeter offers to write their stories and be the voice they so desperately need more and more maids start coming forward. They all have tales to tell some are filled with pain and humiliation, some are filled with unbelievable kindnesses, but all of them are the truth. Through it all Abileen, Minny and Skeeter are the pillars that the others lean against and without realizing it these three different women find themselves learning to trust and even care for each other.
The book is well written and the characters are genuine and most are loveable, and the others you end up loving to hate. It was tough at times for me to read, I always seem to have trouble reading books that have small minded people in them. Or books about parents who just don't care about their kids. I guess what makes it difficult for me is that there really were towns like that in the world, still are, that there are people that are so small minded and ignorant that they really believe that blacks are barbaric or homosexuals need saving. I just get so angry and upset so this was hard for me to read at time. But it was worth pushing through that. I really enjoyed reading the book and I feel that this deserves the hype it gets and the obvious popularity. I recommend "The Help" highly and with no hesitation, simply a heads up that it is a bit of a tough read.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
All Things Jane Austen
I know that it has been awhile since I have posted a review. I got discouraged when I realized not many people read this and because of that I was not helping many people find their next great book or movie. Part of it was my fault I did not advertise as much as I should have. But I have recently moved to New York where I seem to fit and I was reminded by a friend how much I was helping her with my reviews and so I thought I would give it another try. Also I realized that what I want to do with my life is something having to do with books and reading. With that in mind my dad came up with the idea that I should make a book list entitled "books I've read so far...and I'm just getting started." With that in hand and a possible lead on a maybe contact in the publishing world my dad thought it would be good to beef up my book reviews on here. And so here I am about to embark on a new era of reviewing. Mostly books because I am doing a lot more reading these days then watching new movies, but I'll sneak a movie in every now and again.
I have decided, as a warm up, to talk about Jane Austen. I mentioned quite awhile ago that I wanted to read more of her before I dived into a review. I have now read all of her fully finished novels. Although I didn't love them all with the same passion as I felt for "Sense & Sensibility" I don't think there was one that I actually disliked. Although "Northanger Abbey" leaves something to be desired and "Mansfield Park" was one of the weaker stories, I found myself falling more and more in love with Jane Austen as an author. She has become one of my favorites and one that I greatly respect.
Jane Austen was very controversial for her time as we all know. She believed in making her own path, and strong women believing what they want to believe. Her writing was fresh and witty and had a certain flair to it. Every time I opened one of her novels I got excited about what world she was going to draw me into this time. I found myself, at times, wishing I lived in Jane Austen's world she made it seem romantic and even fun at times. The more I read her the more I discovered that she had this ability to take simple stories of everyday life and pull them and twist them until they bloomed into amazing tales.
My favorites were "Sense & Sensibility" and "Pride & Prejudice" which when read are extremely similar. That may get a lot of negative comments but it's true. They are both beautifully constructed love stories that after many twists and turns end as happily ever after as Jane Austen lets things. Each novel is well written tinged with drama and tragedy that just makes the characters that much more real and loveable. Something that I think Jane Austen was a wiz at. Both great books and both worth reading, just maybe not back to back.
My two least favorites were "Northanger Abbey" and "Mansfield Park." I think that with "Northanger Abbey" it was just a matter of it being her first novel she hadn't found her voice quite yet. It was a little flat but it hinted at the greatness she had within her. In "Mansfield Park" the character of Fanny Price was weak and a little pathetic. I didn't enjoy that she just let everyone walk all over her. And maybe it was because I didn't really like the story or any of the characters but I felt as if the book went on for forever.
Now I think that my all time favorite book of hers, as much as I consider "Sense & Sensibility" and "Pride & Prejudice" my favorites as well, is "Persuasion." There is something about the simplicity of it and the reality of the whole thing that just makes it undeniably loveable. It's one of those books that if I can find a really gorgeous copy I'll buy it and have it to read again and again. If you have never read an Austen this is a great one to start with because it is one of her shorter ones but it shows how amazing she truly is.
That just leaves "Emma" Austen's 'comedy' in my opinion. I know that this isn't her most popular novel but I actually enjoyed it. I found it amusing and sweet and I thought that the quirky characters were refreshing and lively. Emma herself got to be a little annoying at times but I'm not entirely sure Austen didn't intend that to be the case. And as much as I enjoyed it, it was a little difficult for me to read because I have seen the movie "Clueless" enough times that I can pretty much play the movie in my head from the opening credits to the last kiss. "Clueless" is the modern day retelling of "Emma." So reading the book the movie started playing in my head. For the first half of the novel I kept seeing Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd running through my mind acting everything out. But once I got into the story I was able to enjoy the book for the book.
Jane Austen was a truly amazing writer and what she left behind is a set of novels that can truly be called classics. Books that I feel everyone should get at least an introduction to. I truly believe that you can't call yourself well read unless you have read at least one Jane Austen novel. I think that they are that good and that important.
Well there we go, my first review in quite a long time. I don't really have my stride back just yet and I was a little unfocused tonight. Also I still haven't found quite the right formula for reviewing more then one book at a time. But at least I did it. And I'm going to try and review at least one book from my list a day. Maybe more then once a day if I have the energy. I really am looking forward to this project and I intend to put the same energy and enthusiasm into it as I did the Academy Award project. Wish me luck and keep reading.
I have decided, as a warm up, to talk about Jane Austen. I mentioned quite awhile ago that I wanted to read more of her before I dived into a review. I have now read all of her fully finished novels. Although I didn't love them all with the same passion as I felt for "Sense & Sensibility" I don't think there was one that I actually disliked. Although "Northanger Abbey" leaves something to be desired and "Mansfield Park" was one of the weaker stories, I found myself falling more and more in love with Jane Austen as an author. She has become one of my favorites and one that I greatly respect.
Jane Austen was very controversial for her time as we all know. She believed in making her own path, and strong women believing what they want to believe. Her writing was fresh and witty and had a certain flair to it. Every time I opened one of her novels I got excited about what world she was going to draw me into this time. I found myself, at times, wishing I lived in Jane Austen's world she made it seem romantic and even fun at times. The more I read her the more I discovered that she had this ability to take simple stories of everyday life and pull them and twist them until they bloomed into amazing tales.
My favorites were "Sense & Sensibility" and "Pride & Prejudice" which when read are extremely similar. That may get a lot of negative comments but it's true. They are both beautifully constructed love stories that after many twists and turns end as happily ever after as Jane Austen lets things. Each novel is well written tinged with drama and tragedy that just makes the characters that much more real and loveable. Something that I think Jane Austen was a wiz at. Both great books and both worth reading, just maybe not back to back.
My two least favorites were "Northanger Abbey" and "Mansfield Park." I think that with "Northanger Abbey" it was just a matter of it being her first novel she hadn't found her voice quite yet. It was a little flat but it hinted at the greatness she had within her. In "Mansfield Park" the character of Fanny Price was weak and a little pathetic. I didn't enjoy that she just let everyone walk all over her. And maybe it was because I didn't really like the story or any of the characters but I felt as if the book went on for forever.
Now I think that my all time favorite book of hers, as much as I consider "Sense & Sensibility" and "Pride & Prejudice" my favorites as well, is "Persuasion." There is something about the simplicity of it and the reality of the whole thing that just makes it undeniably loveable. It's one of those books that if I can find a really gorgeous copy I'll buy it and have it to read again and again. If you have never read an Austen this is a great one to start with because it is one of her shorter ones but it shows how amazing she truly is.
That just leaves "Emma" Austen's 'comedy' in my opinion. I know that this isn't her most popular novel but I actually enjoyed it. I found it amusing and sweet and I thought that the quirky characters were refreshing and lively. Emma herself got to be a little annoying at times but I'm not entirely sure Austen didn't intend that to be the case. And as much as I enjoyed it, it was a little difficult for me to read because I have seen the movie "Clueless" enough times that I can pretty much play the movie in my head from the opening credits to the last kiss. "Clueless" is the modern day retelling of "Emma." So reading the book the movie started playing in my head. For the first half of the novel I kept seeing Alicia Silverstone, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd running through my mind acting everything out. But once I got into the story I was able to enjoy the book for the book.
Jane Austen was a truly amazing writer and what she left behind is a set of novels that can truly be called classics. Books that I feel everyone should get at least an introduction to. I truly believe that you can't call yourself well read unless you have read at least one Jane Austen novel. I think that they are that good and that important.
Well there we go, my first review in quite a long time. I don't really have my stride back just yet and I was a little unfocused tonight. Also I still haven't found quite the right formula for reviewing more then one book at a time. But at least I did it. And I'm going to try and review at least one book from my list a day. Maybe more then once a day if I have the energy. I really am looking forward to this project and I intend to put the same energy and enthusiasm into it as I did the Academy Award project. Wish me luck and keep reading.
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