November 20, 2007
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, 3 1/2
Book description: Obsessed with his own mortality, young Victor Von Frankenstein discovers a means to imbue dead tissue with life. In a fit of pride, he creates an unnatural monster from fresh corpses and sets events in motion which will cost the gifted doctor his loved ones, his sanity and maybe ultimately, his life.
Review: Frankenstein is another book I had to read for college and I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had read it for pleasure. The prose was beautifully written and the portion told from the monster’s point of view was my favorite part of the book. The rest of the book I didn’t enjoy quite as much because I kept waiting for Victor to grow up but it never quite happened.
Category, Classic|
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November 05, 2007
Pudd'nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins by Mark Twain, 3
Book description: Switched at birth by a female slave who fears for her infant son's life, a light-skinned child changes places with the master's white son. This simple premise underlies Twain's engrossing 19th-century tale of reversed identities, an eccentric detective, a horrible crime, and a tense courtroom scene.
Review: I had to read this for college and I’m sick to death of discussing it. I suppose it’s a good book but it doesn’t suit my tastes.
Category, Classic|
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December 20, 2006
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, 4 1/2
Book description: `She tried to settle that most difficult problem for women, how much was to be utterly merged in obedience to authority, and how much might be set apart for freedom in working.' North and South is a novel about rebellion. Moving from the industrial riots of discontented millworkers through to the unsought passions of a middle-class woman, and from religious crises of conscience to the ethics of naval mutiny, it poses fundamental questions about the nature of social authority and obedience. Through the story of Margaret Hale, the middle-class southerner who moves to the northern industrial town of Milton, Gaskell skilfully explores issues of class and gender in the conflict between Margaret's ready sympathy with the workers and her growing attraction to the charismatic mill ownder, John Thornton. This new revised and expanded edition sets the novel in the context of Victorian social and medical debate.
Review: I read North and South because I love the BBC mini series based on it. The book is different from the TV adaption in many ways but it offers greater insight into the characters. The romance is very similar to the one in Pride and Prejudice. Two people who don’t understand each other very well slowly falling in love. If you like Jane Austen then you’ll probably like this. While the romance does resemble something Austen would write, that’s where the similarities end. Gaskell writes about far more serious issues. I liked almost everything about North and South but the end was very abrupt. This book is a must read for classic romance fans.
Category, Classic|
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March 29, 2006
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, 5
Book description: The story concerns two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood (Elinor representing ''sense'' and Marianne ''sensibility''). Along with their mother and younger sister Margaret, they are left impoverished after the death of their father, and the family is forced to move to a country cottage, offered to them by a generous relative.
Review: I loved this book. It has everything I love about Jane Austen all in one book. The story is about two sisters who share almost equal time in the book. I love both their stories for different reasons. I loved watching Marianne change through out the book and Colonel Brandon is one of my favorite romance heros. Elinor is one of my favorite Austin heroines and I was very satisfied with the way things turned out for her. Perhaps the best part of the book is the relationship between the sisters themselves. I loved how Austen explored their differences and similarities. I loved this book every bit as much as Pride and Prejudice. I used the word “love” seven times in this review so I’m gonna stop before I turn into a gushing idiot.
Category, Classic|
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January 11, 2006
The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle, 
Yellow fog is swirling through the streets of London, and Sherlock Holmes himself is sitting in a cocaine-induced haze until the arrival of a distressed and beautiful young lady forces the great detective into action. Each year following the strange disappearance of her father, Miss Morstan has received a present of a rare and lustrous pearl. Now, on the day she is summoned to meet her anonymous benefactor, she consults Holmes and Watson.
The Sign of Four is the second Sherlock Holmes novel. I didn’t like it quite as much as the first. The mystery is initially interesting but the overly long explanation near the end is boring. Some interesting character development occurs but I found Watson’s romance too underdeveloped to be believable. Oh well, I’m moving on to the next in the series.
Category, Classic|
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January 10, 2006
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle, 
In the first of all the Sherlock Holmes stories, Dr. John Watson, discharged from military service after suffering severe wounds, is at a loose end until a chance encounter leads him to take rooms with a remarkable young man. The arrogant, irracible Sherlock Holmes is a master chemist, a talented musician and an expert on all aspects of crime. And when Watson is drawn into the investigation of a bizarre murder in which Holmes is involved, he is unaware that it is the beginning of the most famous partnership in the history of criminal detection.
The first half of this book was great. Loved the introduction of the characters. Holmes is an interesting character and watching his thought process got me hooked on this series. However, the second half of the book got bogged down in a long flash back which throws off the book’s pacing. Still, I’m interested enough in the characters to read more.
Category, Classic|
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January 07, 2006
Persuasion by Jane Austen, 
Anne Elliot seems to have given up on present happiness and has resigned herself to living off her memories. More than seven years earlier she complied with duty: persuaded to view the match as imprudent and improper, she broke off her engagement to a naval captain with neither fortune, ancestry, nor prospects. However, when peacetime arrives and brings the Navy home, and Anne encounters Captain Wentworth once more, she starts to believe in second chances.
Persuasion is a more subtle novel than any of the other Austens I’ve read. It’s not as exciting but it’s still very enjoyable. Anne is more mature than Austen’s other heroines. She certainly regrets her past decisions but she doesn’t wallow in self pity or blame others for her choices. She’s an all around good person stuck with a family that don’t appreciate her and she is very relatable. I found myself genuinely wanting things to work out for her and that made the ending satisfying. I don’t know if I’d recommend this as your first exposure to Austen but it should not be overlooked.
Category, Classic|
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October 13, 2005
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, 
Book description: For over 150 years, Pride And Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen herself called this brilliant work her "own darling child." Pride And Prejudice, the story of Mrs. Bennet's attempts to marry off her five daughters is one of the best-loved and most enduring classics in English literature. Excitement fizzes through the Bennet household at Longbourn in Hertfordshire when young, eligible Mr. Charles Bingley rents the fine house nearby. He may have sisters, but he also has male friends, and one of these -- the haughty, and even wealthier, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy -- irks the vivacious Elizabeth Bennet, the second of the Bennet girls. She annoys him. Which is how we know they must one day marry. The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and Darcy is a splendid rendition of civilized sparring. As the characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, Jane Austen's radiantly caustic wit and keen observation sparkle.
Review: I figured it was about time I got around to reading this since I?ve been borderline obsessed with the BBC mini-series for years. I adore Austen?s writing. Her comedic social observations never fail to amuse me. I think what I love most about this book is Elizabeth?s gradual transition from hate to love for Mr. Darcy. The love/hate plot line has never been done better.
Category, Classic|
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January 14, 2005
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, 7
Book Description: Filled with the color and theatrical spectacle of the Paris Opera House in the nineteenth century, and the ageless fascination of love transformed into murderous obsession, this classic work of mystery and suspense remains a riveting journey into the dark regions of the human heart. The tale begins as an investigation into the strange stories of an opera ghost, legendary for making the performers at this great Paris art emporium apprehensive when they sit alone in their dressing rooms or walk alone in the buildings labyrinthine corridors. Some even think theyve seen the ghost in evening clothes moving in the shadows. But it isnt until the triumphant performance of sensual Christine Daaeand her startling disappearancethat a sense of dread begins to pervade the dim backstage areas and subterranean passages of the glorious opera house. In an ever-increasing pattern of fear and violence, the Phantom of the Opera begins to strike, but always with the beautiful young singer at the center of his macabre desires.
Review:There were some things I liked about this book and a whole lot I didnt. I enjoyed the overall plot and the character of the Phantom in particular. However, large parts of this book were very dull and, in the end, had very little to do with the rest of the book. I also could have done without some of the melodrama. Except for the Phantom, the characters ranged from boring to annoying. Ill most likely be reading some retellings of this tale in the hope that they expand upon the parts of this book that I enjoyed.
Category, Classic|
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September 30, 2003
Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw, ****
Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle's life changes the night she meets arrogant professor of linguistics, Henry Higgins. Eliza wants Henry to teach her to speak more like a lady so she can get a nice job. Henry only decides to teach her after making a bet with his pal, Col. Pickering, that in six months he'll be able to pass Eliza off as a duchess.
If that plot seems familiar to you then you've seen the movie "My fair Lady" which is based on this book. I think it's pretty safe to say that if you liked that movie you'll like this book. This book's witty dialogue and cracks at England's social structure had me giggling out loud on more than a few occasions. Actually the whole book is a quick, fun read that I'd recommend to pretty much everyone.
Category, Classic|
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September 20, 2003
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, *****
Jane Eyre was orphaned into the care of her cruel Aunt Reed as a baby. After years of being emotionally and physically abused by her aunt and cousins she was finally allowed to go to school. However going to school didn't improve her standard of living much. Jane began to feel that there was something else out there for her so she took a job as governess at Thornfield Hall. Everything was going well until she fell in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester.
Jane Eyre is one of my absolute favorite books. I just really love all the characters and the dramatic plot twists. A lot of people who read this book just think it's a romance novel. While it is true that Romance plays a large part, the book is much more than just your run of the mill romance. People who are able to get the just a romance novel' idea out of their heads will see that the book is more about a woman trying to find a better life against great odds.
Category, Classic|
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