Dette emne er markeret som "i hvile"—det seneste indlæg er mere end 90 dage gammel. Du kan vække emnet til live ved at poste et indlæg.
2anna_in_pdx
Still working on The Fatimid Empire by Michael Brett. Love these Edinburgh history series. My cat chewed on this book unfortunately.
3BookConcierge
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
Digital audiobook performed by Sissy Spacek
5***** and a ❤
Is this the quintessential American Novel? Will it stand the test of time as Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has done? Time will tell.
I do know this, however. This is a singularly powerful novel that had a great impact on me when I first read it at age 13 (shortly after it was first published) and has never failed to move and inspire me as I’ve re-read it over the years (at least 20 times by now). It has touched generations of readers in the 50-something years since it was first released and remains high on many “must be read” lists.
There are many reasons for this. It’s a well-paced novel, a fast read with elements of suspense, family drama, humor and moral lessons. Scout is a wonderful narrator, both as a child and as an adult looking back on her childhood; and the fact that Lee was able to seamlessly move between these two viewpoints is a testament to her skill as a writer.
Many people feel this is a book about racism. I don’t think that is the core theme of the book, though it is the central plot device Lee uses. I think the major theme of the novel is personal integrity and courage – doing what you know is right when all about you seemingly disagree and even when it may be dangerous to do so, being true to your own moral compass, and instilling those values in your children by example not just words.
In this respect Atticus Finch shines as the protagonist of this work. He is a man of strong moral fiber, a man who is “the same in his house as he is on the public street,” a man “who was born to do our unpleasant jobs for us.” He embodies the lessons he tries to impart to his children: that courage is not a man with a gun in his hands but rather, “It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.”
The novel aims a spotlight on a particular time and place in America’s history. Lee writes with clarity and colors this world for the reader with descriptions that put us squarely in Maycomb, Alabama circa 1935: Somehow it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum.”
The minor characters, especially the women, are as richly drawn as the major players. I was struck by what a wide range of personalities, strengths, weaknesses and ethics Lee was able to express using characters such as Calpurnia, Aunt Alexandra, Helen Robinson, Mrs Merriweather, Lula, Miss Maudie, Mrs Dubose, Miss Caroline and Mayella Ewell. Some of them appear for only a page or two, but they come alive on the page and remain in the reader’s memories.
The audio book is performed by Academy-Award-winning actress Sissy Spacek. She does an admirable job, though her accent is wrong. She is a Texan, and the Southern Alabama accent is softer than her twang. Still, by the second disc I had stopped noticing this, and allowed myself to be carried into the story by her expert reading.
Digital audiobook performed by Sissy Spacek
5***** and a ❤
Is this the quintessential American Novel? Will it stand the test of time as Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has done? Time will tell.
I do know this, however. This is a singularly powerful novel that had a great impact on me when I first read it at age 13 (shortly after it was first published) and has never failed to move and inspire me as I’ve re-read it over the years (at least 20 times by now). It has touched generations of readers in the 50-something years since it was first released and remains high on many “must be read” lists.
There are many reasons for this. It’s a well-paced novel, a fast read with elements of suspense, family drama, humor and moral lessons. Scout is a wonderful narrator, both as a child and as an adult looking back on her childhood; and the fact that Lee was able to seamlessly move between these two viewpoints is a testament to her skill as a writer.
Many people feel this is a book about racism. I don’t think that is the core theme of the book, though it is the central plot device Lee uses. I think the major theme of the novel is personal integrity and courage – doing what you know is right when all about you seemingly disagree and even when it may be dangerous to do so, being true to your own moral compass, and instilling those values in your children by example not just words.
In this respect Atticus Finch shines as the protagonist of this work. He is a man of strong moral fiber, a man who is “the same in his house as he is on the public street,” a man “who was born to do our unpleasant jobs for us.” He embodies the lessons he tries to impart to his children: that courage is not a man with a gun in his hands but rather, “It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.”
The novel aims a spotlight on a particular time and place in America’s history. Lee writes with clarity and colors this world for the reader with descriptions that put us squarely in Maycomb, Alabama circa 1935: Somehow it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum.”
The minor characters, especially the women, are as richly drawn as the major players. I was struck by what a wide range of personalities, strengths, weaknesses and ethics Lee was able to express using characters such as Calpurnia, Aunt Alexandra, Helen Robinson, Mrs Merriweather, Lula, Miss Maudie, Mrs Dubose, Miss Caroline and Mayella Ewell. Some of them appear for only a page or two, but they come alive on the page and remain in the reader’s memories.
The audio book is performed by Academy-Award-winning actress Sissy Spacek. She does an admirable job, though her accent is wrong. She is a Texan, and the Southern Alabama accent is softer than her twang. Still, by the second disc I had stopped noticing this, and allowed myself to be carried into the story by her expert reading.
5Cecrow
>3 BookConcierge:, any thoughts about Go Set a Watchman?
6RobertDay
I've started Patrick Leigh-Fermor's reminiscence of his walking pilgrimage through Europe in 1933, A time of gifts.
7BookConcierge
>5 Cecrow:
I don't know how (or if it's possible) to link to my review of Go Set a Watchman ... I wish it hadn't been published ... or had been published with the names of the characters changed. I can see the nugget of TKAM in GSAW. I can also see the kernel of talent that make Lee the writer she was when she finished TKAM.
I don't know how (or if it's possible) to link to my review of Go Set a Watchman ... I wish it hadn't been published ... or had been published with the names of the characters changed. I can see the nugget of TKAM in GSAW. I can also see the kernel of talent that make Lee the writer she was when she finished TKAM.
8BookConcierge
Ethan Frome – Edith Wharton
Digital audio narrated by C M Hebert
4****
From the book jacket: Ethan Frome works his unproductive farm and struggles to maintain a bearable existence with his difficult, suspicious, and hypochondriac wife, Zeena. But when Zeena’s vivacious cousin enters their household as a hired girl, Ethan finds himself obsessed with her and with the possibilities for happiness she comes to represent.
My reactions:
I love Edith Wharton’s writing. I love the way she explores relationships and unfulfilled desires. The tension is palpable, the yearning almost unendurable.
She’s a little heavy-handed with the allegory / metaphor in this case. The setting is Starkfield, Massachusetts, in winter; as if the reader needs a reminder of how depressing and lacking in color Ethan’s life is. Though I was reading in the midst of a summer heat wave, I felt chilled. And then I felt that spark of attraction between Ethan and Mattie. Felt Ethan’s heart soar with the possibilities, only to sink with the realization that he was trapped in a device of his own making.
C M Hebert does a fine job narrating the audio book. He reads at a fine pace, and his tone is suitable to the material. After listening, however, I also picked up the text and read through several passages. I think I prefer the text so that I can savor Wharton’s writing.
Digital audio narrated by C M Hebert
4****
From the book jacket: Ethan Frome works his unproductive farm and struggles to maintain a bearable existence with his difficult, suspicious, and hypochondriac wife, Zeena. But when Zeena’s vivacious cousin enters their household as a hired girl, Ethan finds himself obsessed with her and with the possibilities for happiness she comes to represent.
My reactions:
I love Edith Wharton’s writing. I love the way she explores relationships and unfulfilled desires. The tension is palpable, the yearning almost unendurable.
She’s a little heavy-handed with the allegory / metaphor in this case. The setting is Starkfield, Massachusetts, in winter; as if the reader needs a reminder of how depressing and lacking in color Ethan’s life is. Though I was reading in the midst of a summer heat wave, I felt chilled. And then I felt that spark of attraction between Ethan and Mattie. Felt Ethan’s heart soar with the possibilities, only to sink with the realization that he was trapped in a device of his own making.
C M Hebert does a fine job narrating the audio book. He reads at a fine pace, and his tone is suitable to the material. After listening, however, I also picked up the text and read through several passages. I think I prefer the text so that I can savor Wharton’s writing.
9anna_in_pdx
I just read The Underground Railroad, wow, it was terrific. I was so overwhelmed that I really can't do it justice. I will try to write a review once I stop thinking in mere superlatives.
10CliffBurns
Great Colson Whitehead book, Anna. The man is a genius. Have you read his first novel, THE INTUITIONIST? It's one of the best debuts ever.
11anna_in_pdx
I have not read another of his, am looking forward to doing so now that I've started. That's a great title, Intuitionist.
12CliffBurns
You'll love it. He hasn't written a bad book.
I am wildly jealous of him.
I am wildly jealous of him.
13BookConcierge
Days Without End– Sebastian Barry
4****
Two young immigrants – Thomas from Ireland, and John from England – meet under a shrub during a sudden downpour and become fast friends, and more. The time is the mid-19th century in America, and the boys go from working in a frontier saloon as “dancers” dressed as girls, to joining the Army and serving in both the Indian and Civil Wars. They take on an orphaned Indian girl as their servant and treat her as if she were their own child, forming a family of sorts.
This is a very atmospheric novel. Barry makes the landscape practically come alive, from the wide vistas of the western plains, to the bloody battlefields of the Civil War, and the horrendous conditions of Andersonville Prison.
The narration is done by Thomas, a poorly educated young man, who speaks in a unique dialect (which is made that much more challenging to read by Barry’s lack of quotation marks). Yet I feel privileged to have heard his story in his own words … of love, war, regret, pride, adventure, death and peace. He may have had a very limited education, but he told his story in words that were at times sheer poetry.
I found myself jotting notes and quotes, and reading aloud to my husband passage after passage:
We see a country whose beauty penetrates our bones … the the far distance, we see a land begin to be suggested as if maybe a man was out there painting it with a huge brush.
A man that only got noughts to count, can’t get 1 for an answer.
Words so black they were blacker than dried blood. Remorse not a whit. Killing hurts the heart and soils the soul.
The train moves like a giant dancer for all its bulk.
The palms of her hands like two maps of home, the lines leading homeward like old trails.
Several people in my F2F book club questioned the relationship between John and Thomas, feeling that it was gratuitous and unnecessary. And yet, I found it loving and tender and genuine. Clearly, they meant the world to one another, and felt strongly that Winona was “our daughter.” I was touched by their affection and loyalty. That they could find some joy in their relationship amidst all the horrific experiences of war … well, how could I possibly object to that?
All in all, this is beautiful, poetic, powerful writing that tugs at my heart and alternately disturbs me and cradles me in a loving embrace.
4****
Two young immigrants – Thomas from Ireland, and John from England – meet under a shrub during a sudden downpour and become fast friends, and more. The time is the mid-19th century in America, and the boys go from working in a frontier saloon as “dancers” dressed as girls, to joining the Army and serving in both the Indian and Civil Wars. They take on an orphaned Indian girl as their servant and treat her as if she were their own child, forming a family of sorts.
This is a very atmospheric novel. Barry makes the landscape practically come alive, from the wide vistas of the western plains, to the bloody battlefields of the Civil War, and the horrendous conditions of Andersonville Prison.
The narration is done by Thomas, a poorly educated young man, who speaks in a unique dialect (which is made that much more challenging to read by Barry’s lack of quotation marks). Yet I feel privileged to have heard his story in his own words … of love, war, regret, pride, adventure, death and peace. He may have had a very limited education, but he told his story in words that were at times sheer poetry.
I found myself jotting notes and quotes, and reading aloud to my husband passage after passage:
We see a country whose beauty penetrates our bones … the the far distance, we see a land begin to be suggested as if maybe a man was out there painting it with a huge brush.
A man that only got noughts to count, can’t get 1 for an answer.
Words so black they were blacker than dried blood. Remorse not a whit. Killing hurts the heart and soils the soul.
The train moves like a giant dancer for all its bulk.
The palms of her hands like two maps of home, the lines leading homeward like old trails.
Several people in my F2F book club questioned the relationship between John and Thomas, feeling that it was gratuitous and unnecessary. And yet, I found it loving and tender and genuine. Clearly, they meant the world to one another, and felt strongly that Winona was “our daughter.” I was touched by their affection and loyalty. That they could find some joy in their relationship amidst all the horrific experiences of war … well, how could I possibly object to that?
All in all, this is beautiful, poetic, powerful writing that tugs at my heart and alternately disturbs me and cradles me in a loving embrace.
14BookConcierge
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter – Erika L Sánchez
Book on CD performed by Kayla Garcia.
4****
Fifteen-year-old Julia narrates this coming-of-age story set in Chicago. The novel opens shortly after her older sister, Olga, has died in a tragic traffic accident. Her mother and father are absorbed in their grief, and Julia feels smothered by their over-protectiveness. She worries her dreams and desires to go to college in New York and become a writer will never come true. And feels that if she can just uncover the truth of her “perfect” sister’s last months on earth, she’ll be able to move on with her life. Though Julia and her sister were born in the U.S., the fact that her parents are undocumented makes her all the more reticent to seek professional help for her growing depression.
I really like Julia as a main character. I cheered for her as she uncovered bits of her sister’s life with the help of her friends. I worried about her as she withdrew from those friends and struggled to connect with her parents. I wanted to take her aside and counsel her when she kept refusing to acknowledge her troubles to concerned teachers. I applauded her efforts to pursue her goals of a college education. She’s a tough girl and I think in similar circumstances I would have broken far sooner. I wanted to shake her mother and father into acknowledging the real, talented, bright, obedient daughter they had, rather than continue to idolize (and practically canonize) their deceased “perfect” daughter.
Kayla Garcia does a marvelous job narrating the audio book. She has great pacing, perfect pronunciation of Spanish, and enough skill as a voice artist to differentiate the characters. I love the way she voices Julia’s friends Lorena and Juanga.
Book on CD performed by Kayla Garcia.
4****
Fifteen-year-old Julia narrates this coming-of-age story set in Chicago. The novel opens shortly after her older sister, Olga, has died in a tragic traffic accident. Her mother and father are absorbed in their grief, and Julia feels smothered by their over-protectiveness. She worries her dreams and desires to go to college in New York and become a writer will never come true. And feels that if she can just uncover the truth of her “perfect” sister’s last months on earth, she’ll be able to move on with her life. Though Julia and her sister were born in the U.S., the fact that her parents are undocumented makes her all the more reticent to seek professional help for her growing depression.
I really like Julia as a main character. I cheered for her as she uncovered bits of her sister’s life with the help of her friends. I worried about her as she withdrew from those friends and struggled to connect with her parents. I wanted to take her aside and counsel her when she kept refusing to acknowledge her troubles to concerned teachers. I applauded her efforts to pursue her goals of a college education. She’s a tough girl and I think in similar circumstances I would have broken far sooner. I wanted to shake her mother and father into acknowledging the real, talented, bright, obedient daughter they had, rather than continue to idolize (and practically canonize) their deceased “perfect” daughter.
Kayla Garcia does a marvelous job narrating the audio book. She has great pacing, perfect pronunciation of Spanish, and enough skill as a voice artist to differentiate the characters. I love the way she voices Julia’s friends Lorena and Juanga.
15mejix
Currently reading Recollections of a Picture Dealer by Ambrose Vollard and Nazi Literature in the Americas by Bolaño.
The Vollard book is either oddly written or oddly translated. The syntax is a bit off. Not really a memoir but a collection of gossip and anecdotes. Not pretentious, just very charming. Gives a very vivid sense of the art world in turn of the century Paris.
The Bolaño is a very early book but the Bolaño voice is very clear. It is a collection of fictional biographies of right wing authors in Latin America. Some read like short stories, other like prose poems. The main intention of the book seems to have been to prove that he is a badass. Fun reading though.
The Vollard book is either oddly written or oddly translated. The syntax is a bit off. Not really a memoir but a collection of gossip and anecdotes. Not pretentious, just very charming. Gives a very vivid sense of the art world in turn of the century Paris.
The Bolaño is a very early book but the Bolaño voice is very clear. It is a collection of fictional biographies of right wing authors in Latin America. Some read like short stories, other like prose poems. The main intention of the book seems to have been to prove that he is a badass. Fun reading though.
16BookConcierge
The Terra-Cotta Dog – Andrea Camilleri
Digital audio narrated by Grover Gardner
3.5***
Book two in the Inspector Montalbano series has him solving a 50-year-old crime. The dying words of one man lead the detective to a secret grotto in the mountains, where the remains of two young lovers lie in an embrace, watched over by a large terra-cotta dog. As he works to solve this old mystery, which has him delving into the island’s past and the horrors of World War II, he also has to deal with modern crime wave, shoot-outs, betrayals, a complicated love life and the politics of the police department.
Camilleri populates the novel with an assortment of colorful characters, from mafioso crime bosses, to intimidated shop owners, to faithful partners on the police force and a bevy of beauties that complicate Montalbano’s life.
Montalbano himself is a wonderful lead character. He doesn’t suffer fools gladly, nor sweat the small stuff. He’s intelligent, a loyal friend and is always ready to find the humor in a situation, no matter how dire.
This particular plot had me somewhat confused given the historical nature of the central mystery. But it was interesting, engaging and entertaining. I’ll keep reading the series.
Grover Gardner does a fine job performing the audios. He really brings these characters to life, and even does a passable job of voicing the female characters.
A few pages of notes at the end of the text version explain the various references, historical and modern, the Italian police / military / political system as well as the exchange rate of lira to US dollars (at least at the time the novel is written). Very helpful to this reader! This is not included in the audio version.
Digital audio narrated by Grover Gardner
3.5***
Book two in the Inspector Montalbano series has him solving a 50-year-old crime. The dying words of one man lead the detective to a secret grotto in the mountains, where the remains of two young lovers lie in an embrace, watched over by a large terra-cotta dog. As he works to solve this old mystery, which has him delving into the island’s past and the horrors of World War II, he also has to deal with modern crime wave, shoot-outs, betrayals, a complicated love life and the politics of the police department.
Camilleri populates the novel with an assortment of colorful characters, from mafioso crime bosses, to intimidated shop owners, to faithful partners on the police force and a bevy of beauties that complicate Montalbano’s life.
Montalbano himself is a wonderful lead character. He doesn’t suffer fools gladly, nor sweat the small stuff. He’s intelligent, a loyal friend and is always ready to find the humor in a situation, no matter how dire.
This particular plot had me somewhat confused given the historical nature of the central mystery. But it was interesting, engaging and entertaining. I’ll keep reading the series.
Grover Gardner does a fine job performing the audios. He really brings these characters to life, and even does a passable job of voicing the female characters.
A few pages of notes at the end of the text version explain the various references, historical and modern, the Italian police / military / political system as well as the exchange rate of lira to US dollars (at least at the time the novel is written). Very helpful to this reader! This is not included in the audio version.
17RobertDay
Finished A Time of Gifts; I think I have a new favourite book, as so much of it echoes my reactions on first visiting central Europe, especially my architectural epiphany on first seeing the stupendously monumental monastery of Melk on the Danube.
18anna_in_pdx
Hi all are we still using this one? I don't see a July thread.
Anyhow, I finally am reading The Yiddish Policemen's Union which is very funny. Am enjoying a lot.
Anyhow, I finally am reading The Yiddish Policemen's Union which is very funny. Am enjoying a lot.
19justifiedsinner
>18 anna_in_pdx: Great book. My favorite Chabon.
20cindydavid4
>17 RobertDay: probably my favorite travel narrative of all time for me. along with its its second volumn Read between woods and water next!
21RobertDay
>20 cindydavid4: Oh, I am doing. I kicked off the July thread with it.
23PZR
I read two of Svetlana Alexievich's documentary narratives - Chernobyl Prayer and Boys in Zinc. Both are accounts of the horrific events leading up to the fall of the Soviet Union and both are deeply moving.
24mejix
>23 PZR: Secondhand Time is one of the best books I've read in a years.
25PZR
>24 mejix: mejix: Thanks for the tip - that's been added to my 'to-read' list. Her books are genuinely powerful, a genuinely immersive experience.
