The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A Christian allegory for man’s journey to heaven, The Pilgrim’s Progress follows Christian on his journey from the City of Destruction to Mount Zion and the Celestial City. Along the way he encounters many who will mislead him or do him harm as well as many terrors, such as the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He also meets friends along the way, chief of whom are Faithful and Hopeful.
Though I do not share the religious beliefs of the author, this was an interesting tale. Much of it is filled with the dangers a good Christian can expect to encounter in his walk with God and the text is liberally sprinkled with Biblical verses, parables, and sermons. Yet, despite that it was not difficult to read from that aspect. I actually had a harder time with the old fashioned language. As this was written in 1678, it was written in the language of the time and as such to a modern reader this slows down the narrative. I think that a person who is strong in their Christian faith would have much to gain from reading this tale, and it wouldn’t do anyone else much harm either as it’s a useful tool in learning about Christianity in the 1700s, during which time there was a lot of upheaval in the religious ranks.
Apparently there is a second half, which gives the details of the journey of Christian’s wife and children, which had stayed behind in the City of Destruction, thinking him mad. My edition only included Christian’s journey. If I can get a hold of the second half of the narrative I will update my review to include that portion.
Blindness by José Saramago
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“Then, as if he had just discovered something that he should have known a long time ago, he murmured sadly, This is the stuff we’re made of, half indifference and half malice.”
Imagine that you’re in your car, stopped at a traffic light; suddenly the whole world goes white and you’re blind. This is how Jose Saramago’s award-winning novel opens. With a single man struck by blindness. Eventually this blindness spreads to every person he has been in contact with, from the person who helped him home, to his wife, to the eye doctor he saw and all the patients in his office. It spreads rapidly, prompting the government to quarantine all of those who have been blinded and all of those whom have had contact with the blind. An abandoned mental asylum is chosen as the quarantine location. The internees are guarded by soldiers who are terrified that they too will go blind, treating the blind as little more than criminals, with orders to shoot if the sick and contaminated get too close. The rest of the novel tells the story of what happens within the wards of their confinement.
This novel surprised me. I had previously heard of it, and thought it was something I might like to read, so I was fairly pleased when my book club made it our August selection. What I had not expected was to be hooked from start to finish. I literally sat up until 2:30 in the morning finishing the book, unable to put it down to go to sleep. Even after I did go to sleep, I laid awake thinking of it. Saramago seems to have a very strong grasp upon human nature which made the book feel real. Given today’s society, if some medical crisis of this nature were to actually occur, I could easily see that our own collapse would happen in nearly the same fashion he described.
Saramago’s writing style is experimental. He uses almost no punctuation beyond commas and periods with miles of sentences in between. None of the characters are given names, instead referred to by defining characteristics such as the doctor, the first blind man, the car thief, the man with the black eye patch. For some this could be off-putting. For me it was perfect. I thought that the stylization only emphasized the bleak reality of the blind, their loss of identity and the breakdown of civilization into chaos. However, this could deter a lot of readers, which is unfortunate, because if you can past that into the real heart of the story, it is completely unforgettable.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
She loves me. She loves me not. She loves me.
When they were eight years old Snow Flower and Lily were bound to each other as laotong, old sames. This is a bond deeper and stronger than any a man or woman could share, even marriage. The communicated all their life’s joys and their sorrows in the private language of women, nu-shu, on the folds of a fan and swore that never would an untruth or a harsh word pass between them. This proved to be an impossible promise to keep, for both girls, as their life’s circumstances veered off in completely different directions. It is only at the end of her life, after having outlived almost everyone, even two of her sons, that Lily is able to speak freely and tell the story of the words written on the secret fan and of her life’s deepest regrets and shame.
What a beautiful reflection on love and friendship this book turned out to be. Rarely does a book live up to the hype surrounding it. Snow Flower not only lives up to the hype, it surpasses it. Lisa See told a flawless story, sickening me with the descriptions of the torturous process of foot binding, making me cry weep when Lily and Snow Flower feel sorrow, and drawing the reader into the private world of the women’s chamber where everything was dictated by tradition. This is definitely a book written for women and though it takes place in pre-Mao China it could tell the story of all women if you strip away the cultural details – the cattiness that naturally erupts when too many women are forced to live in close quarters, the expectations and fears a mother has for her daughter, the rarity of a deep-abiding love between two girls as they mature into women, and the inevitable misunderstandings that can sever a previously close bond in an instant. I loved every word of this book, even those that made me cry, and read it in one-sitting, unable to put it down or go to sleep until I knew the whole story. I can only join the chorus of voices proclaiming it’s place as one of the most loved stories of the past decade.
Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In the last waning days of World War II, Germany was in chaos. Besieged on western front by the Americans and the British and on the eastern front by the Russians, the German people were forced to flee their homes. Cold, hungry, and pushed beyond exhaustion they struggled to keep ahead of the Russian front though and endless winter. What they faced if caught by the Russians, no matter that most were women and young children, was enough for many to craft suicide plans while others would just give up, long beyond caring.
Skeletons at the Feast weaves together four disparate stories during this tragic and violent time in history; the Emmerich family, a prosperous Prussian family forced to abandon their home; Callum, a Scottish POW who had been sent to help work the Emmerich’s sugar-beat farm and apple orchards; Uri Singer, a Jewish man who through courage and daring escaped a train headed towards certain death and for two years successfully disguised himself as a Nazi; and Cecile a French Jewess struggling to survive German work camps and forced marches.
This is a bleak and unrelenting portrayal of the Holocaust told through a completely unique perspective. Most of the story is viewed through the eyes of Anna Emmerich, eighteen years old and having lived her whole life in a remote corner of Germany that had for most of her life been ceded to Poland. It is unusual that Bohjalian chose to tell the story through the eyes of a German girl as so often novels regarding this horrific time in history are told through those who suffered the most. Yet the Jews, the Gypsies, and their fellow Nazi victims were not the only people to suffer. The privatizations suffered by Germany’s own people as they fled in advance of the Russian advance is an often overlooked piece of history. Their treatment was brutal and no quarter was given for being a civilian, a woman, or a child. The author does not hold back; there are many violent and bloody depictions of rape and murder throughout the novel. It was often difficult to read. Yet none of these scenes felt gratuitous. It was an honest account of what really happened. It serves as a reminder of the cruelty that we humans are capable of, no matter on which side we fight. The epilogue was the single bright source of hope at the end of the novel, a welcome relief after the bleakness of the previous 350 pages. This novel is not for the faint of heart, but it is a must read for any World War II buff.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
They all crossed into forbidden territory. They all tampered with the laws that lay down who should be loved and how. And how much.
This quote, more than anything I could write, tells the reader what they will find on the pages of this hauntingly tragic novel. I could tell you the plot points, and I will, but nothing I say will better describe The God of Small Things than those few words.
There is an innocence to childhood. Usually that innocence fades slowly, shed as the child grows into first adolescence and then into adulthood. Other times that innocence is ripped away, quick and painful – this is what happened to fraternal twins, Rahel and Estha. Their childhood was a lonely one, growing up in the southernmost province of India, the tip that juts into the sea. Their mother was divorced, bringing shame to her family. Their father was a violent drunkard, whom they knew nothing about, outside of a picture in which they clung to him, their mothering hovering just outside the frame to catch them should he suddenly drop them. The rest of the household was made up of their vitriolic grandaunt (who once loved a priest and nurtured her disappointment like a venomous snake), their communist Oxford-educated uncle (also divorced, but his of course bringing no shame), their blind grandmother (who delivered all her wifely baggage to her son’s care the day stopped his father from killing her), and the ghost of their grandfather (also trapped in disappointment and anger, though his was came from a moth with unusually dense dorsal tufts). There was another. An Untouchable. A man who had obtained an unusual importance within the family circle. Unthinkable. Echos of this allowance would be felt Later. Lay Ter.
This novel beautiful, haunting, tragic. It is the story of childhood lost, it is the story of love, it is the story of death. The story unwinds slowly, with a deep sense of foreboding, the author leaving hints of what is to come. Despite the almost painfully slow telling of the story, the way it meanders back in forth in time, it is never plodding. The author, recreating language as it suits her, as she needs to, strings you along, inviting you to keep reading, to find out lies within the book’s Heart of Darkness. Dark of Heartness. I was captivated from the very first page, and even though the author leaves a trail of breadcrumbs for you to follow, even though you know what is going to happen, in the end, when it does, you’re still not prepared.
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Chronologically the third book in The Chronicles of Narnia, The Horse and His Boy is quite different from the first two books in the series. While the others have featured characters of this world, THAHB is purely a fantasy novel, the only intersection between purl world and Narnia being the presence of the four Pevensie siblings as the kings and queens of Narnia.
Shasta is the son of a poor fisherman in the country of Calormen, a desert far to the south of the Narnian mountains and forests. His life is not one of great joys, in reality he is little better than a slave. One evening his father’s hospitality is required of a great Tarkaan and a deal is struck between the two men to sell Shasta into slavery. With the aid of a Talking Horse from Narnia, also a slave of the Tarkann, Shasta escapes and they head north, to Narnia and freedom. The book tells the story of their grand and is quite enjoyable from start to finish.
Like the first two books, this is a re-read for me, as I am reading them aloud to my son. It was not as good, in my opinion as the most well beloved book of the series, but the adventure of the book was quite fun to read, especially with a young boy who reveled in the battles and worried for our protagonist in all the right places. I particularly enjoyed the introduction of the nations and cultures surrounding Narnia. I like that Mr. Lewis continues to expand the world instead of limiting himself to th small patch of land just past the Lamppost. I look forward to continuing the series and reminding myself of exactly why I loved these books so much as a child.
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
4.5 Stars
144 Pages
15 men on a dead man’s chest…Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum
Jim Hawkins is the young son of a poor innkeeper when he meets his first pirate, Billy Bones, who has holed up at the Admiral Benbow, trying to avoid his death at the hands of his fellow gentlemen o’ fortune. His fate has already been sealed though and the pirates set upon the inn with violence, seeking the map that leads to Cap’n Flint’s treasure. However, in an attempt to make good Billy’s debt, Jim has already stolen away with it, not knowing what it is. When he finally learns what he has, he along with Squire Trelawney, Doctor Livesey, Long John Silver, and a mutinous crew depart from the port of Bristol in search of treasure.
This is the classic pirate story from which all others follow. Without Treasure Island where would Pirates of the Caribbean be? I adored this story from start to finish. It was easy read, written as it was for a younger audience, but it was just so much fun that it didn’t matter. Having previously seen movie adaptations of the story, I already knew what to expect, or thought I did. I certainly didn’t expect to enjoy the adventure as much as I did. I read it in two sittings and went to bed dreaming of pirates and treasure. I can see exactly why it is such a favorite of young boys and why the pirate, cruel though most of these were, remains such a romantic figure in the collective psyche.
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Margaret Hale is a pretty young woman growing up in her aunt’s fashionable London household alongside her cousin, Edith. Due to the impending marriage of Edith to one Captain Lennox and subsequent move to Corfu, Margaret is to return to her father’s vicarage in the English countryside. She arrives there just in time for her father to draw her into his confidence regarding his inability to continue in his position. He takes a job as a tutor in the northern manufacturing town of Milton during a time of industrial unrest between the mill-owners on the one hand and the mill-hands on the other. The Hales find themselves in a curious position, befriended both by the powerful manufacturer, Mr. Thornton, and Nicholas Higgins, a Union leader. Coming from the South, they are ignorant of the adversarial relationship between the hands and the masters and find themselves in an interesting position of trying to make each side understand the other.
This is my first novel by Elizabeth Gaskell and I was quite favorably intrigued by her treatment of the industrial revolution and how it played out. I found the best parts of the book to be those that depicted the antagonism of the masters and the hands to be of particular interest, most especially the riot in the midst of the strike. I also thoroughly enjoyed the numerous discussions between Mr. Thornton, Mr. Hale, Mr. Higgins, and Margaret regarding the merits of their positions regarding industry and economy.
On the other hand, the the romance aspect of the novel, felt thrown in, as if she felt she had to include it in an attempt to emulate other well-known women authors of her time and those that came before, particularly the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen. I don’t feel that it really added much to the story and it seemed completely unnecessary.
Interestingly enough, it seems to me that Ms. Gaskell gave far better depth and personality to her male characters, particularly Mr. Thornton and Mr. Higgins than she was able to give to the women. The women read to me as cookie-cutter characters while the men seemed to fairly leap off the page.
I think her treatment of the Industrial Revolution and the interaction between the workers and the masters and it’s treatment of social issues of the time is a unique one and what earned the book it’s place on the list of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. If it weren’t for the romance and uninspired female characters I would certainly have rated this book higher.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Women walk down the street in pairs, their vision and faces obscured by white wings, otherwise dressed from head to toe in red, speaking only to each other, and little more than idle greetings at that. They enter a store identified only by a picture on a sign, pay for their items with a token depicting exactly what it is then intend to purchase. They return home, passing through heavily guarded checkpoints where they must present identification. Once at their homes, they must face the jealousy, anger, and hatred of the Wives. They are the Handmaid’s, women of childbearing years who have been confirmed to be fertile, valuable only for that fertility so that they may bear a child for the Commander’s, the government officials who have charge of the Republic of Gilead, a mono-theocracy that exists within the boundaries of the former United States .
I found this novel to be frightfully disturbing. At first what Atwood describes here seems to be an absurd, paranoid notion. But as you continue to read, the story told in alternating vignettes of the present and flashbacks to the time before the Reconstruction, she inserts just enough of reality to make you think that yes, it could happen. It was written in the mid-80s at a time when many second wave-feminists were worried about loosing all the rights for which they fought. Given that Gilead is controlled by an extremely fundamentalist sect of Christians, based upon the Biblical story of Rachel and Jacob, when infertile herself, she tells him to beget her a child upon her handmaiden, and the fact that there has been a recent upsurge in the political involvement of the Religious Right, this book seems to have gained a new relevance that had been previously lost. It is terrifying to think that anything like this could happen, but at the same time with the political environment of today and the complacency of many throughout the nation, there is just enough to make it seem possible.
One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
7 July 2011
I have just completed reading a most intriguing compilation of notebooks, written by one May Dodd, and presented by Mr. Jim Fergus. Purportedly Miss Dodd was part of a secret program on the part of the US government to present 1,000 white women as brides to the Cheyenne to assist in their assimilation in the white culture. The savages apparently have some belief that children belong to the mother’s tribe and that any children born of these unions would allow a peaceful merging of the two cultures. In exchange, the Cheyenne were to give the Great White Father 1,000 horses.
May Dodd, along with several other women, many drawn from prisons and insane asylums, were sent to the Nebraska territory in March of 1875, as the vanguard of the promised brides. The further West they moved, out of the bosom of civilization, more and more women reconsidered, though a few hardy souls kept their promise. They were to live among the savages for a period of two years, during which time they were to intermarry, bear children, Christianize, and civilize the savages. May Dodd, alone among the women recorded her experience, filling several notebooks with journal entries and letters home to her family in Chicago. These journals have been handed down through generations amongst the Cheyenne as part of a sacred treasure.
Upon completion of my own reading of her journals, I found the idea a unique way to tell the story of the West. The period of time when United States expanded ever westward, displacing and destroying the tribes of the indigenous people has long fascinated and horrified me in equal measure. While it is clear that knowledge of the Cheyenne and their customs was impressive, the journals were full of modern anachronisms not suited to the era in which these journal entries were supposed to have been recorded. Additionally, while I can accept that there were women during the late 19th century who flouted convention, it is unlikely that one, let alone several, women were as cavalier towards societal rules as May and her companions were, especially in a foreign culture as that of the Cheyenne. I also find it unlikely that the Cheyenne would have allowed them to get away with it and merely laugh at the white women’s antics as depicted. This alone, confirmed by the note at the end, made it quite clear that this was a fictional account, though it was intended to be read as factual. Despite these large flaws, the story itself was interesting and made for enjoyable reading. I look forward to exploring some of the books included in the bibliography.
