Bleak House

That's right.  I finished Bleak House.  It only took me a few months...but in my defense, I'm not a slow reader; I just got distracted by other reading while in the midst of Bleak House.  However, my distraction should not imply Bleak House wasn't a good novel because it was excellent.

I should admit the book was a bit intimidating at first; most books a few inches thick usually are (why is that, anyway?  I think one of my goals as a parent is to make sure my children don't miss out on great literature just because the length scares them away).  And as usual with Dickens, the first chapter or so left me yawning a bit and urging good ole' Charles to just get on with it and head straight to the meat of the book.  But once I actually allowed myself to simply read instead of rushing through the novel, I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

Bleak House constructed around three themes: that of the murkiness and almost unethical institutions in England in the nineteenth century (namely, the court system), misplaced children, and mystery.  Each theme is developed fully with different stories intertwining to address them as they unfold the surrounding story.

Jarndyce and Jarndyce- one of the oldest cases in endless litigation in English law- is where the novel begins, and in a sense, where the novel ends.  Two wards- Richard and Ada- have some stake in the case, which follows the dispute of a will of a very wealthy man, but after Richard and Ada's custody is transferred to a kind relation after both sets of their parents die, their guardian urges them to flee from involvement in legal case as it seems nothing is ever resolved, procuring bitterness for all parties involved.  Their ward is Mr. Jarndyce, who determined after watching his father battle through the courts in hope that he might obtain some of the inheritance from the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case, hires Esther to be Ada's companion when Richard and Ada move to Bleak House to live with their guardian.

Esther, a kind and gentle young woman, had been raised as an orphan by her aunt but was never told of her parental lineage.  Throughout the novel, Esther wonders at just who her parents might have been, and in a most unexpected moment, the truth is revealed to her.  She can have no cause for celebration, however, as her newly-found knowledge must remain a secret.  And when a a high-profile murder occurs, it is difficult not to assume that Esther's mother is indeed the murderess, and her mother's involvement with the victim could lead to the downfall of one of the greatest English families.

Bleak House is often touted as Dicken's most beloved masterpiece (although, really, I'm sure most of his works are referred to in the same manner), and indeed, Bleak House is now probably higher on my list than Great Expectations.  The character development, the integration of each an every one of the characters, the plot and subplots, the little intricacies throughout the novel- all of those aspects make the book a delightful read.  Several parts of the novel read more like a suspense-thriller while other points feel as though the entire novel is a stately romance.  Honestly, my thought at several times throughout my Bleak House experience: "Dickens is a genius".  My thought at the end of my Bleak House experience: "Dickens is a bloody genius".  Seriously, I'm pretty sure I said that aloud to Isaac as I put down the book for a final time.  So, do yourself a favor, go check out Bleak House from the library, refuse to be intimidated by its thickness and small font, and jump right in.  Trust me, you'll thank me for it...and so will that soddingly brilliant genius Dickens.

And oh yes, the BBC adaptation was fairly accurate and very well-played.

Wuthering Heights

Good Golly, Ms. Molly! How in heavens I made it through four years of intense English classes at good 'ole Booker T. and never read Emily Bronte's classic, I will never know. Seriously. I have half a mind to call up those teachers (uh...I still keep in contact with some of my high school teachers...yes, I am quite a dork) and chew them out about this...or rather not. They did a wonderful job of introducing me to some of the finest literature ever penned, and I am very grateful for them. Truly, I had awesome English teachers, and I can freely say that now without others assuming I'm just looking for brownie points.

And how in the world it has taken me this long to read this novel, I will never know either. Man, what is wrong with me? Seriously, Wuthering Heights is true literature. Before I began this classic, my friend Jess mentioned that the obsessive love between Cathy and Heathcliff may very well have been the basis for the relationship between Bella and Edward in the Twilight saga. You can read all those Twilight books all you want, but characters like Heathcliff never fade.

Set in the brooding moors of Yorkshire (that's in the north of England, for those of you who don't wish you were born a Brit, like Jess and I do), Bronte tells the story of a young orphan boy found on the streets and brought home by a wealthy father of two children, Hindley and Cathy. Cathy and Heathcliff form an unbreakable bond, while Hindley tortures Heathcliff at every opportunity. As Cathy and Heathcliff face the expectations of society, they find themselves being torn apart. As the events unfold, Heathcliff plans his revenge on the world, and the innocent are involved at their own price.

Interestingly enough, apparently the Bronte sisters did not enjoy Jane Austen's works (they both published after her). Their styles are very different from one another, but I do appreciate both. Authors don't seem to produce works like these anymore, so it's important to appreciate them to their fullest extent.  There are also several film adaptations of the book. I watched this one a few weeks ago; it's pretty well done, although the screenplay does not follow the novel precisely.

The Portrait of a Lady

Wow, folks. I never thought it would happen. I never thought I would actually finish this book. I probably started this novel way back in 2007. And then put it down for a few months. Eventually, I would pick it up, read for a while, and put it down again for another four or five months. But after officially placing it on my 2010 Reading List, I was determined to finish it before the year's end.

The Portrait of a Lady follows the story of Isabel Archer as she travels from America to Europe, courtesy of her eccentric aunt who wishes Isabel to fulfill her potential. During her time abroad, she captures the heart of her invalid cousin Ralph, as well as a brash American and a British aristocrat. But it is Isabel's innocence and vulnerability that lead her not to love, but to an entrapment of deception and betrayal.

In all honesty, it was not my favorite Henry James book. The plot sounds exciting and adventuresome, but the dialogue reads rather slowly in many parts. I could never quite make out Isabel's character either. However, James does achieve a rather significant goal in that the reader is able to identify with the characters and often finds herself "rooting" for her certain suitors while scolding Isabel for her choices. One of my friends saw I was reading the book a while back and commented, "Ugh, that girl was so stupid. I was actually yelling at the book and telling her not to be an idiot and to choose a different man than the jerk she was falling for. I mean, really how unrealistic can you be?" But in reality, James portrays a very real storyline in that his characters are not charming and perfect on all levels; they are real beings. They each have perfectly amiable qualities, but each suffers from their own particular imperfections...how more true to life can an author be?

I am glad I read the novel, and it did seem to pick up a good deal toward the latter half, but I much prefer Daisy Miller or Washington Square to Isabel's story.

My Antonia

My Antonia is the first Willa Cather novel I have read.  After finishing this delightful story, I can report that I am looking forward to reading more of this Pulitzer Prize-winning author.  Cather tells the story of a small Nebraska town and its inhabitants with ease.  The reader is transported back to seemingly simpler days on the prairie; My Antonia is narrated by Jim Burden, who we meet first as a young boy and then watch him grow into adulthood, and his friendship with an immigrant girl from Bohemia.  Jim becomes Antonia's first friend in the new country, and we follow the adventures of Jim and his Tony, as well as their other family and friends.  Though their lives are so very different from each other, there still remains a connection between the two, even after the complexities of life separates them from each other for extended periods. 

Cather's style of writing is simplistically beautiful; I found her neither long-winded nor non-descript, and I loved how she weaved dialogue easily with descriptive passages, creating a wonderfully flowing story.  I believe this novel from the list of 100 is definitely one of my favorite reads thus far; I think it is one which can easily garner interesting discussions and debates, and there is also value in terms of the historical nature.  I also believe that this is a book which many people would like to read more than once; there are not many stories which I would read more than once (um, except I read Jane Austen books once a year), but this is one which I know I would enjoy again- and would most likely learn a great deal more than I did the first time through it.

Brideshead Revisited and The Sound and the Fury

This story is actually one of the few where I watched the movie before reading the book (forgive me, Mom).  But I needed something to do on our 14-hour flight from Dubai to New York in January, and sleep was evading me like never before...something about the plane constantly being in daylight made a difference, I believe.  Evelyn Waugh referred to this novel as his magnum opus at one point, but apparently re-read the book years after he had finished the novel and was none-too-pleased with Brideshead Revisited.  I'm not really sure why he was disappointed, because I thoroughly enjoyed the story; Waugh's Catholic upbringing is evident throughout the book; the story is told through the eyes of the narrator Charles Ryder, who befriends Sebastian Flyte while studying at the University.  Their families could not have been more different, and we see Ryder coming to grips with the important role the Flyte family will play in his life.  While Ryder is not religious, the Flyte family is strictly Catholic, and each member of the family relates to Catholicism in their own unique way.  While the father leaves his wife for a new life in Italy, the matriarch of the family remains firmly rooted in her faith.  Of the four children, the eldest son Bridley and youngest daughter Cordelia remain the most 'faithful' to Catholicism throughout their lives, and yet their faiths seem so different from each other.  The two middle children, Sebastian and  Julia, seem to throw off the binds of Catholicism in their youth with Sebastian turning to alcohol in place of religion and Julia turning to marriage- but in the end, they both return to their family's faith in their own way.  Through it all, Ryder grapples with religion itself and how the Flyte family reacts to religion as a whole and individually.

It is a coming-of-age story filled with friendship, betrayal, love, and confusion.  Waugh addressed some of life's most pertinent questions and complexities, and the characters stay true to themselves.  Waugh's writing style is also easy reading; many people who are not avid readers of classic literature would definitely enjoy this novel.

Oh, Faulkner, why?  I know everyone thinks you're a genius, but most of the time, I just think you're on crack. 

My first encounter with William Faulkner was as a young, doe-eyed 16-year-old; I was taking AP English with Mrs. Massicotte at good 'ole Booker T.  We were assigned As I Lay Dying, and about three sentences into the novel, my thought was, "Huh?"  I mean, I got it- I got the symbolism (no way you could get out of that woman's class without hashing out every single piece of potential symbolism in each and every book), and I got the point of the book, but in my opinion the book was more annoying that anything else.  So it is with The Sound and the Fury...at least until the last two chapters (which is basically the second half of the book since Faulkner decided to pull a 'One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich' and give you very little stopping points throughout the book).  Of course, the only reason why I checked out this book from the library is because of its spot on the list of 100; I outwardly moaned when I saw not only one, but two Faulkner books on the list.  Still, I tried to keep an open mind as I cracked the cover of Faulkner's most well-known work.

Oh goodness.  Faulkner's writing style is by far one of the most unique (okay, and genius too) styles, but it always throws you for a loop.  He writes the four different chapters in a stream of consciousness method (although truly, not to the level of As I Lay Dying), but the reader has to use the contextual clues to figure out exactly whose version you are reading at that moment.  The subject material itself was a little difficult to read as well; Faulkner deals with incest and some of the ramifications of it, and though the material is not explicit, it's still rather disturbing to think about it.

Despite my general dislike of Faulker, I determined a new favorite line of his.  Yes, this one even beats out the one-sentenced chapter of "My mother is a fish" from As I Lay Dying.  The new winner is (drum roll, please): "Ever since then I have believed that God is not only a gentleman and a sport; he is a Kentuckian too."  It's a fairly famous statement, but reading this statement in context was even better.  Plus, we live in Kentucky now, so I can more fully identify with this belief.  Another line, more towards the end of the book, had me laughing out loud; I feel it should be applied to certain states' department of transportation: "Yet we spend money and spend money on roads and dam if it isn't like trying to drive over a sheet of corrugated iron roofing.  I'd like to know how a man could be expected to keep up even with a wheelbarrow."  Normally I would insert a snide remark here about MoDOT, but I'm trying to be a nicer individual, so I'll refrain.

In the end, Brideshead Revisited is a book I would, indeed, revisit (sorry, I couldn't resist), but I'm not sure about The Sound and the Fury; it's just one of those books that is better enjoyed in the classroom or reading club setting.

And now, blogger friends, I need some input.  Which book do think I should read next?  Visit the list of 100 here and let me know your opinion.

The Hound of the Baskervilles

What a delightful little read!  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous adventure of the one and only Sherlock Holmes is probably one of the shortest novels of the list of 100, but it was rather fun to read.  To be honest, I have not read any other Holmes adventures, but I did take a class about Sherlock Holmes in middle school.  Here's the scoop: when we moved to Florida, I was placed in a gifted program called PATS (Program for Academically Talented Students), which sadly now no longer exists.  Now, this particular program was different than other gifted/enrichment programs in which I had been enrolled because the classes weren't before or after school or even on Saturdays...no, you took a day off from school and went to this entire other building with an entire other staff.  It was cool because you got to meet students from other schools, and you got to take some interesting classes.  The only negative was making up the work you missed during the regular school day, but for the most part, that wasn't a big deal.

PATS offered some great classes that were designed to help the students expand their horizons, learn new skills, and develop productive hobbies.  Some of the subjects included drama, creative writing, physics, music, law and one in which we formed our own town by role playing.  I owned the construction company, and I made boo-coos of money (fake money, that is) off of my classmates, by the way.  In one drama class, we wrote our own script and then cast our classmates in our plays and presented them to the rest of the PATS students.  Our play was called 'Hypnotic State' and was stinkin' hilarious.  Oh yes, imagine a big black basketball player wearing a tutu and dancing around on stage...because that is what Willy did.  Funniest thing I have ever seen.  In another class, we learned more about the law and famous cases.  This class is where Laina and I learned more about the role Jell-O played in the Lindbergh kidnapping.  To this day, we believe the flavor was lemon-lime...

I relate all of these memories to you because 1) it's simply fun to take trips down memory lane and 2) one of the most memorable classes I took at PATS was Mrs. Kerr's Sherlock Holmes class.  One of my dearest friends Laina and I took this class together and had a ridiculously good time throughout the course.  Mrs. Kerr had these set of Sherlock Holmes mystery cards; you read the scenario and tried to solve the case somehow.  I can't remember how it all worked because Laina and I spent the vast majority of the class under one of the tables reading magazines, listening to music, and eating contraband food.  We solved the bare minimum of cases to pass the class and then pretty much took the rest of the class off.  And we also witnessed one of the funniest moments in PATS history; our classmate Marshawn absolutely freaking out because he couldn't solve the very last case.  During his entire tirade, Mrs. Kerr simply sat and listened to Marshawn complain about the unfairness of it all while Laina and I remained under the table, wondering how in the heck he got to the last case to begin with (note: Marshawn never joined us under the table; perhaps that is the reason for his success).

Sherlock Holmes is forever linked in my brain to Laina, Mrs. Kerr, and Marshawn.  Be that what it may, perhaps I did an injustice to Doyle and his characters by not reading any of the mysteries until now.  I must say, the experience was quite enjoyable.  Doyle does an excellent job of producing a sensational mystery that does not have to rely on blood, guts, and gore or even the supernatural.  That's talent, my friends.  The atmosphere of mystery and suspense was only heightened by the fact that I read the book at night...alone...while it was raining.  I was almost as scared as when I read Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher in high school...at night...alone...while it was storming.  *Shudder*

Regardless, I highly recommend The Hound of the Baskervilles by Doyle.  It is rather short, so you can finish it pretty quickly and then move on to enjoy other wonderful Holmes mysteries.  I fully intend to do the same.      

Great Expectations

Great Expectations= my new favorite Dickens book.  Why was this masterpiece not on my reading list for my AP English classes in high school?  Come to think of it, I don't think we read any Dickens in either of those classes...how is this accomplished?  I am seriously debating on sending an email to both Mrs. Massicotte and Mr. Bishop to discuss the matter. 

Dickens, you are my hero for writing this book.  I love when authors are able to so beautifully develop characters and so intricate a plot.  Great Expectations reads like a mystery- not one of those annoying modern and often crappy mysteries, filled with blood and gore and guts, mind you- but one in which the reader believes so certainly they have it all figured out...and then they turn the page, their eyes get wide, and the murmur, "Oh no!  Not him!  What will Pip do?"  Throughout the novel, you notice a good portion of the characters connect to one another through certain relationships, but by the end of the story, you've come to understand their real connections.  It really is quite genius how well Dickens tied every character, every scene, every bit of information to the final pages; the development of the story was so well thought out- it truly is amazing. 

This novel, of course, is on the list of 100, and such is the reason why I checked it out from the library in the first place.  But this is a book I would not hesitate in purchasing; I most definitely would enjoy reading about Pip's transformation from a poor village boy into a tried and true gentleman after a wealthy and anonymous benefactor provides for his education and finances.  Pip learns valuable lessons during his transformation, not only about the proper attire and attitude of a gentleman, but about himself, his past, and even his future.  Dickens does an excellent job of demonstrating how great changes in our life circumstances can so clearly reveal our personal nature and true self.

And since I am not doing this beautiful novel justice with this brief and un-exemplary review, I beg you to go here and read a review which was first published in September 1861, written shortly after the book form of Great Expectations was published.

Madame Bovary

I admit it. I didn't want to read this book; I had started it years and years ago and for some reason never got through the first few chapters. But since the computer system at the Louisville library wasn't working indefinitely due to the monsoon (read: massive flood at the main library) that graced the city a few weeks ago, obtaining a library card wasn't an option until just recently. So, I had to scour through the books we owned in search of something new to read. And then I saw it. Madame Bovary. 'No,' I thought, shrinking back in horror. 'I'll never make it through that book. I already tried.' But then I remembered it was on my list of 100, and I cringed. Sooner or later, I was going to have to make it through Flaubert's oft-controversial masterpiece. I tried to avoid it for a few days, but I finally realized that if I didn't buck up and read it now, I wouldn't have a fair shot at completing the list of 100. And friends, not completing that list is simply not an option. So I settled down one afternoon and began reading.

I don't know why I had such a difficult time making it through the first few chapters during previous attempts at completing this novel because this time, the pages seemed to fly by. Oh yes, there were moments when I thought (or even mentioned out-loud), 'Dang it, Flaubert, I don't speak French! For Pete’s sake, would you please translate what the heck you just wrote there? Just what do you think you're doing- trying to be like Charlotte Bronte in writing Jane Eyre but keeping half of the direct quotations in French? I think not!" Okay, I realize that the whole some-phrases-left-untranslated is not from a direct command given by the author, but rather rests in the hands of the translators and editors... but it still irks me somewhat. I can handle a word or two or even a well-known phrase, but the languages I speak don't exactly help me so much with the 19th century French dialect.  Just throwing that out there.

Regardless, this novel was well worth reading. I found myself thanking good 'ole Gustave for creating such realistic characters for his work. Because neither a dramatic heroine nor a dashing hero makes an appearance in this story, some readers may feel slightly...deprived. But I loved this approach and design because it best aligns with real life. Sure, we all may think we're some sought-after beauty who is going to overcome disaster or some swashbuckling debonair who will rescue the damsel in distress and save the world, but quite honestly, it's just not true. We're flawed, annoying little jerks who sometimes exhibit endearing moments of tenderness...and sometimes treat others with contempt, no matter what the circumstances.

It's similar to the understanding of the typical chick flick as 'girl porn'. Sounds harsh, I know. But if you think about it, women (and let's face it- men as well) begin watching these chick flicks from a young age and continue to watch them throughout their lifetime. And what happens in virtually every romantic comedy? The nice guy gets the girl, the girl gets her Prince Charming, and all is right with the world. But any woman who has experienced life with our Y-chromosomed buddies knows that this isn't always the case. Nice guys don't always finish first, and girls aren't guaranteed a Prince Charming (or any man for that matter). Films such as these give us false hope and misguided expectations by poisoning our minds with the belief that everything works out exactly according to our desires (as in you catching that dream boat or sweeping the lovely lady off her feet), seducing us into believing that life is all about living out the romantic comedy. And when we finally discover that we're not the lead character in that romantic comedy, we are bitterly disappointed with our life.

So it is with Emma, one of the main characters in the novel. Of course she never watched a chick flick, owing to the lack of television in her era, but she read books- books that spoke of love so perfect and true, books that describe love as passionate and breathtaking...and also point out the simplicity of normality. After Emma's marriage, she yearns to feel the passionate and earth-shattering love about which she so often read and anticipated in her own life. And when she experienced the 'chick flick' letdown (that is, that real life is not like the movies/stories and is actually rather hard at times), her life spirals out of control, affecting not only herself but her family, friends, and even her entire town. Friends, our lives are so much bigger than just ourselves! It may not be what we anticipated or what we were told to expect; we can't compare our lives to others (yes, even to Sandra Bullock's character in her latest romantic comedy); we're bound to be disappointed (because we can't live up to that fairy tale notion), and perhaps we might just feel a little cheated in life (because we didn't get the prince, after all).  This is exactly what happened to Madame Bovary.  She felt cheated in life because she didn't get what the storybooks said.  How many young girls alreay feel cheated because they're not dating the Taylor Lautner of their school?  How many young boys feel shamed because they can't come up with the witty responses and gestures Zac Efron always seems to have ready?  How many grown women and men are distressed because their relationships aren't playing out like the ones on the big screen?  Far too many, my friends.  Far too many.  

Flaubert was well ahead of his time when he penned Madame Bovary.  The book received much criticism from his contemporaries (mainly due to moral objections, but I assure you there is no questionable content within the pages), but his work has stood the test of time, offering a deeper insight into human nature, relationships, and desire than one might expect. I agree wholeheartedly with its place among the top ten novels on the list.

Side note: please don't take offense to my appraisal of chick flicks. Typically, I don't watch a lot of chick flicks, but I have watched my fair share. I believe this lends credence to my assessment because I have experienced the 'oh-my-life-is-not-like-the-movies' letdown. True, there are many typical romantic comedies/romantic dramas (aka chick flicks) that I've enjoyed and continue to enjoy, but I try to limit my chick flick (among other specific genres of film, television, and literature) intake simply because of how this medium can affect me mentally, spiritually, and even physically. I hope you will also be aware of how the media (yes, even including classic literature) can affect you.

Gone With the Wind

How is it possible that I've never read Gone With the Wind? In case you didn't know, I am slightly obsessed with studying and learning about the Civil War. I have always enjoyed history and have found this time period especially fascinating. I love reading books about the period (including purely historical accounts and fiction works set during the time), watching movies set in the Civil War (Gettysburg is my favorite, Glory is amazing, and I even sat through every single minute of the 24-hour miniseries North & South- the music is playing over and over again in my head now), and learning about the era in general. One of my favorite high school memories? When one of our regular substitute teachers Mr. Mulvaney, who already had bonafide mutton chops, came to our AP American History class to do a presentation on the Civil War. Apparently, some of his ancestors fought in the war for the Confederacy, so he did his whole presentation in a true-to-life Confederate uniform and even gave us a sample of hardtack. In the future, I'll definitely pass on the hardtack, but the presentation itself was awesome.

So it came as a quite a surprise to me when I realized that not only did Margaret Mitchell's classic make it to the list of the 100 greatest novels, but that I had never read it before. I promise you, if my cousin's wife ever finds out I just finished the book and still haven't seen the movie, she might just have a heart attack. So, for the health of Erica and my future 'niece' Vivien (yes, to be named after Vivien Leigh from the film Gone with the Wind), I deemed a quick trip to our library (which I will miss incredibly once I move this weekend) would be necessary.

Don't be fooled, ladies and gentleman, because this is one whopper of a book. The original manuscript was well over 1,000 pages, but my version had close to 1,500. I had no idea completing this novel would be such an endeavor, but I nonetheless cracked it open and pushed on. It was a little difficult to dig into the book at first (a good portion of that probably came from the fact that I kept dropping it because it's rather hard to hold due to its larger size), but after the first few chapters, I very much enjoyed the story and characters throughout the entire novel. I'm sure most of you already know the storyline, so I won't hash it out here, but I really felt the character development was excellent. Scarlett is one of the most brutally and beautifully honest characters in literature; she's not the typical damsel in distress or the kind-hearted and gentle princess. No, she is the privileged and spoiled girl who thinks of nothing but herself and her happiness. But we have the enjoyment of seeing her transform- not quickly and superficially- but through several years and a series of events that mold her and affect her greatly, but that do not change the essence of Scarlett O'Hara. I think many readers would get frustrated because it takes her longer to learn from her mistakes (perhaps we want resolution sooner), but I feel this book best portrays real life- and real people- in that sense.

Overall, I think it's an absolutely wonderful read. You get frustrated with the characters, you feel their pain and heartache, you get nervous reading the frightening scenes. Mitchell draws you into the story- and after all, isn't that exactly what a good book is supposed to do?

Sarah's Key, Beloved, The Alchemist, and a Little Colbert

What's this? Not one, not two, but three reviews today (and a bonus video from our friend, Stephen Colbert)! I apologize for the book overload, but I think you'll enjoy a least one or two of these reviews. And yes, I'm aware that Henry James' The Portrait of a Lady has been sitting atop my 'Currently Reading' list for some time...but I own that book, and all these library books are just begging to be finished so I can avoid late charges...

I saw this book while meandering Target one day, and since it looked interesting, I asked my hubby to pick it up from the library (seriously, I ask him to do that a lot- thanks, honey!). Sarah's Key is a fictional story based on historical events, intertwining the stories of a young Jewish girl living in Paris during World War II and a modern-day American journalist residing in Paris with her family. Sarah and her family were arrested with thousands of other Jewish individuals and families during an infamous round up by the French government ceding to German demands. The families were held at the Velodrome d'Hiver, a famous indoor cycle track, outside of Paris for several days; parents were separated from their children before all were sent to concentration camps within France; eventually all the fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters were transported to Auschwitz and executed. Though this story is fictional, I learned a great deal of history through reading this book. The 'Vel d'Hiv', which happened on July 16 and 17, 1942, was the greatest mass arrest of Jewish individuals in France. Over ten thousand Jewish men, women, and children were rounded up that evening- not all of the Jews were born in France, but many of them were- French citizens by birth, sent across border lines to die in a concentration camp; this event is not something the French like to remember, as this mass arrest was not conducted by SS officers or the Gestapo, but by French officers under direct orders by the Vichy government. I was very interested in learning more about the Vel d'Hiv, since I had never learned about it in school or even in any of my other readings I have completed. While I was in Paris, I had no idea that such a thing had happened sixty years before, and that though there was no famous museum or monument to remind us of what is possible for humans to do to one another, there is a small plaque and museum near the Vel d'Hiv. One day when I got back to Paris, I will make sure to visit that location. Though it is often difficult to do so, it is good to be reminded of atrocities we have allowed to be committed; we must never forget so that we do not allow such things to happen again. "Always remember. Never forget."

Beloved by Toni Morrison is on my list of 100 novels, so I checked it out from our local library a few weeks ago. I understand the historical value and cultural significance of this novel, but honestly, it was a bit out there. I felt like I should have been sitting in Mrs. Massicotte's AP English class my junior year of high school, discussing all the symbolism and what Morrison meant by the number of individuals in Sethe's family or why Baby Suggs asked about orange or what was real versus surreal. I am an avid reader, but there are some novels which are best read in a classroom setting, where it's possible to delve into the complexities of the book's symbolism. Isaac asked me at one point, "Was the ending a surprise?" to which I responded, "I mean, the whole flippin' book, I had no idea what was going on. So yeah, I guess you could say it was a surprise." If you really want to read this book, I suggest reading it in a classroom setting or with a reading discussion group.

I really, really enjoyed The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Full of allegorical significance and well-written, you can read this book very quickly just because it's so enjoyable. I started and finished it during the drive back from Colorado, and let me tell you- this novel made the trek across Kansas bearable. It is the story of Santiago, a young shepherd who wants nothing more than to travel and see the world. Soon, Santiago begins having a dream about a child pointing him to a great treasure near the Great Pyramids of Egypt. Unsure of what the dream means, Santiago searches for help in interpreting the dream. Eventually, an old man approaches him, advising Santiago to sell his herd and set out on the quest to fulfill his Personal Legend. Santiago soon begins a journey that will change his life; he sails to Africa, looses all of his money, learns about crystal and the Arabic language, voyages across the Sahara, and meets a young woman named Fatima, as well as a world-famous alchemist. Through all of these events, Santiago struggles with the decision to give up his Personal Legend and settle for a mundane life of mediocrity or to carry on through life's trials and surprises in order to fulfill his Personal Legend so that he will be able to look back on life without regret. The story makes you excited about life, about traveling and seeing the world, about learning new things and experience different cultures, and about the chance to make the most of what we've been given so that, like Santiago, we will be able to look back on our life without regret, realizing we lived this blessed life to the fullest. This book has been translated from the original Portuguese into numerous languages, and I believe the beauty of the story and the language remains intact. Please, enjoy this read and let me know what you think.

In completely non-literary related news, one of my friends posted this video to her Facebook page:



For heaven's sake. Because I know when I'm hungry, I am more focused and perform better...riiiiiiiiight.

Dracula

Well, I can check off another book from my list of the 100 greatest novels. I'm not so sure how I feel about Dracula- the book actually took me a rather long time to read, and I'm not exactly sure why. The entire story is told through journal entries of various characters and through letters written between said characters. Count Dracula himself is ever-present in the sense that the entire story is about his actions and plans, but of course there are no letters or journals from his perspective. Though this is admittedly not a favorite literary technique of mine, the suspense is heightened somewhat because of the elusive quality of the Count. Stoker is excellent at presenting a very visual image; in fact, I was reading one of the first chapters of the book while in the waiting room of a doctor's office. The specific scene was so intense and realistic that I found myself breathing faster and jumping at virtually every sound. Yes, I was frightened...while sitting in the very-bright waiting room in the middle of the day. Now, if that's not literary ability- to scare someone out of their wits (without spewing gore and guts all over the page), I'm not sure what is. Eventually, I tried not to read the book before going to bed because I realized just how much my dreams were affected by the characters' plights.

I appreciated the story for what it's worth and for its significant role on other literary and film works, as well as a significant impact on pop culture. Also enjoyable to myself and other lovers of Latin are the numerous Latin phrases dispersed throughout the entire novel. But in the end, it's not necessarily a book I would read twice.

The Awakening

If you've been following my blog for any amount of time, you know that I've been working through a list of the hundred greatest novels of all time. Of course, determining which books belong on such a list is a very subjective process. I found this list in college and liked how it defined novel in a stricter sense and so have been using it as my guide in this reading adventure. The Awakening by Kate Chopin ranked as number sixty-three on the list, and I hadn't given it a second thought until Jen's roommate Paige saw the list and exclaimed, "The Awakening?!? That's one of my favorite books ever!" So Paige, I decided to read this book because of you.

The Awakening was first published in 1899 and was met with public criticism and private applause. The novel and the responses to the novel itself depict the general social construct of the time. The Awakening is the story of a young married woman, Edna Pontellier, living in New Orleans. Throughout the novel, she becomes frustrated with her identity as a mother, as a wife, as a woman; through a series of events, Edna performs actions which challenge societal expectations at the time. The end of the novel is rather open-ended and the reader is left to determine whether or not Edna finally did discover her ideal identity, or at least come to terms with her identity as it was.

The novel is written beautifully; I found it easy to get wrapped up in the storyline and characters and often found myself reading several chapters at a time without realizing how much time I spent with the book. It is a shorter novel, so if you're looking for a good, short read, this one is an excellent choice. And once you've read it, we can discuss the morality of the characters ad naseum if you like.

My current choice from the list is: Dracula.

One of my goals...

...is to read the 100 greatest novels of all time. I believe I casually thought about this idea sometime in high school, but it's only now that I'm seriously pursuing this goal. Though reading students' papers every weekend definitely takes a chunk out of my available classic literature reading time, I am still determined. I haven't set a specific time-limit for this goal; rather, I want to enjoy reading these works- I most definitely do not want to be rushed and feeling as though it's an assignment for school I must complete.

As you can imagine, there are many different lists of the greatest novels compiled by various individuals, organizations, and publications. I came across this one a while back, and I'm currently using it as my guide. I was actually fairly surprised to see how few on this list I've completed; I say this only because we read about 30 books in my AP English class my senior year in high school and thought that more of those would have made the cut. On the brighter side, that just means there's more classic literature I get to enjoy! If any of you know me very well, you know about my love/borderline obsession with classic literature. I'm a nerd in the truest sense.

I'll let you know how the reading goes...