3.5 Quite a bit darker than A Christmas Carol. Seems to me Dickens wants to force the moral on his audience. But I don’t think he should not have in t3.5 Quite a bit darker than A Christmas Carol. Seems to me Dickens wants to force the moral on his audience. But I don’t think he should not have in this case. ...more
I have finished all 12 books in The Dance to the Music of Time. I am not sure if I have read 12 books, 4 books, or 1. It has been a unique literary exI have finished all 12 books in The Dance to the Music of Time. I am not sure if I have read 12 books, 4 books, or 1. It has been a unique literary experience. The books are a lifetime dance of different characters moving in and out of each others lives. It is very much an English manners book but with a level of farce underlying the scenes.
First, I am impressed with Anthony Powells ability to remind us throughout of the connections to the characters, because this book has some 300 characters over the course of the 'dance.' About halfway through I quit reading the series but after listening to Simon Vance narrating the entire Sherlock Holmes series, I wanted to hear more of his voice. English literature, accents, and ways of talking seem uplifting to me and Vance is the master. So I picked up the last two movements after a year or so break.
It did not take me long to remember the characters although there were times I was scrambling around to recall old episodes. I think Powell hit his stride in books 9-11. I also like the way he brings the book full circle with some instances from the first book having their final say in the last chapter of the last book.
I did not like the final volume so much. After having very little sex in the books, he seems intrigued by it in the final volume. This may, in fact, be genius because the last volume takes place in the 1960s but it is often repelling. He is never gratuitous but perhaps voyeuristic, a theme he seems to explore too frequently for my understanding.
The central character of the book is Nick Jenkins but we see out through his eyes. The real main character is Widmerpool whose ability to brush off setback is exceptional. In the first scene of the book we find ourselves pitying him so much that we excuse much of his behavior in the rest of the books.
I give the books 4 stars for the great feat they accomplish. If you are an anglophile these books will plop you right smack in England for almost the entire last century. To spend so much time in a series such as this reminds me of reading War and Peace. After a while you are just living in the book. I make the case here for reading long books over many years. ...more
Cymbeline, is not one of Shakespeare's best known plays but it certainly one of the easiest to read.
It mostly takes place in Roman-ruled Britain. It Cymbeline, is not one of Shakespeare's best known plays but it certainly one of the easiest to read.
It mostly takes place in Roman-ruled Britain. It has an evil stepmother and her unworthy son, a princess, and prince and two lost princes. It has weird medicine, intrigue, and battles. It is full of interesting characters and happenings.
But most of all it is satisfying in the way it handles sin and repentance. Where there is repentance there is forgiveness for even the most heinous crimes. Where there is lack of repentance there is death and agony. Many of the characters make mistakes and most of them acknowledge them.
We are nearing the end of Shakespeare's plays as we reach this play. It comes on the heels of that terror of a play King Lear. I like to think Cymbeline shows a depth of understanding of the wages of sin and the availability of forgiveness in Shakespeare's own life.
It would be fun to translate all the Roman names. I am sure they are all purposefully named beginning with the orphan Posthumous....more
I have this friend, this enabler named Renee, and she told me about a blog I had been purposely ignoring because it was all about the books. The blog I have this friend, this enabler named Renee, and she told me about a blog I had been purposely ignoring because it was all about the books. The blog is Modern Mrs. Darcy and she sends out Kindle deals daily and they are usually the better Kindle deals for literary sorts.
All that to say that I bought this for no reason except it was on sale and I call myself a writer sometimes.
This is not a profound book but it is very helpful for the writer and the artist. I enjoyed the peek into Mr. Pressfield's writing life and hearing about his failures. In that respect it was a hopeful book. I also agree with him on some levels about how "the muse" actually works. It rang true and gave me courage.
I did not expect to love this. Up until now I have not loved Flannery O'Connor's writing. Now I love her writing and herself. I have spent almost the I did not expect to love this. Up until now I have not loved Flannery O'Connor's writing. Now I love her writing and herself. I have spent almost the entire year reading these letters. At first it was slow going, I pictured myself getting through them quickly and that was not happening.
Eventually reading a few letters a day became a habit for me and now I am forlorn. I have finished my conversations with Flannery. She is silent. Her life was short. Her wit, skill, and friendliness remains.
All there is left for me to do is to reread her stories with fresh eyes. I will now be like one of her friends whom she sent manuscripts to. I will relish reading what she wrote in light of her own thoughts about why she wrote. Never one to navel gaze, her letters are a haven of maturity and common sense.
The letters were pulled together by Robert Fitzgerald's wife Sally. There are almost 600 pages of them. If only there were more. Thanks, Sally.
I very much enjoyed reading Flannery's take on authors and issues of the times.
Highly recommended for anyone thinking of writing a book or those looking for a mature way of looking at the world. Art is the habit of being. ...more
Absolutely delightful English mystery. Halfway through I looked up the author guessing her to have written in the 1960s and I was surprised to find shAbsolutely delightful English mystery. Halfway through I looked up the author guessing her to have written in the 1960s and I was surprised to find she is a modern author.
This was a Kindle deal book recommended by Modern Mrs. Darcy. I am so happy I bought this book and plan to look for others by the author. It was thoroughly English with a bit of cold war flair that I also enjoy.
Nice to know there are still really good English mysteries being written....more
This is the classic Christian devotional on suffering for good reason. We suffer. My sister suggested I read this 2 years ago when the props fell out This is the classic Christian devotional on suffering for good reason. We suffer. My sister suggested I read this 2 years ago when the props fell out from under me. I read it almost daily for a year on a Kindle App. It was sustaining. This and the Psalms and coffee became the staples of my mornings. One day I realized I could check off the ones I had read already in the app so I began doing that last November and now I am quite sure I have read all the devotions and will read them again I am sure.
Some readings are better than others in this book. Most days we are reminded that suffering is normal and if not good, at least fruitful for Christians. Every once in a while one of the readings is too cheesy and almost always the poetry is pretty bad but in spite of those caveats this book has felt like a gift from my sister and a gift from God.
I just ordered Tim Keller's new devotional on the Psalms so I will say goodbye to Streams for a while but I highly recommend it for those of you who are in the midst of suffering....more
I am trying to read through Lewis's Canon which is extremely fluid in places, not quite as canonized as Shakespeare. This book is pure Lewis. He takesI am trying to read through Lewis's Canon which is extremely fluid in places, not quite as canonized as Shakespeare. This book is pure Lewis. He takes a subject and logically works his way through it. We do not always understand what he is saying but he says it so well we do not care.
I always feel sad while reading Lewis that he is dead and not sitting across from me at the Bird and the Baby. ...more
This was a lovely reading by Edoardo Ballerini of the Clive James translation. I am not in a position to critique translations. Ballerini's voice was This was a lovely reading by Edoardo Ballerini of the Clive James translation. I am not in a position to critique translations. Ballerini's voice was beautiful if sometimes too soothing to keep me paying attention.
Inferno is obviously the most compelling part of the book. I do not think this is because Hell is a more interesting place than Heaven, it is just the whole rubber-necking thing. Could that be me? Morbid introspection?
OR perhaps none of us, Dante included, can imagine what God has prepared for His people....more
Escapist literature for the thinking Christian? Nothing truly great going on here but then why did I the tears come to my eyes several times while reaEscapist literature for the thinking Christian? Nothing truly great going on here but then why did I the tears come to my eyes several times while reading? These books make me feel like I am having a deep conversation with an old friend and they help me learn a little about small talk too.
I was greatly moved by Pauline's attempts to apologize to her children. Just "I'm sorry," with no expectation of forgiveness. Very moving without the easy out which would have done us all a disservice. Kudos to Karon for avoiding that trap. ...more
This was a reread for me so I knew what I was getting into. In my efforts to read the whole of Shakespeare's cannon I made the mistake of trying to reThis was a reread for me so I knew what I was getting into. In my efforts to read the whole of Shakespeare's cannon I made the mistake of trying to read this out loud to the kids several years ago. The first scene put an end to that as it is about incest. The rest of the play reads more like a lesser Winter's Tale. I often wonder how these things came about in Shakespeare's mind. It appears he only collaborated on this one so maybe A Winter's Tale was his own improvement minus the incest.
As to the incest-It is not dealt with gratuitously at all. It is told with a blatant moral underpinning. Certainly not something to be read aloud to children but not entirely without merit if you don't count that it is not that great of a play altogether.
2018: This play has grown on me as I age. I am moving my rating from 2 to 3.5. There is the possibility that this play may be the most moral of all Shakespeare’s plays, after all he was aging when he wrote it late in his career....more
Hmmm. A virtuous maid falls for a rogue and manipulates a marriage. The rogue continues to behave abominably until the maid tricks him into getting heHmmm. A virtuous maid falls for a rogue and manipulates a marriage. The rogue continues to behave abominably until the maid tricks him into getting her pregnant and somehow through all this he falls in love with her. The ever faithful Helena says several times during the play, "All's well that ends well." Truly she has remarkable, if misplaced, faith.
A couple of social comments. The mores of this play are interesting. It is pro-marriage. It is pro-chastity. It is negative towards youthful indiscretion. The only answer to the title is that the preservation of marriage trumps all.
While it is hard to fathom how Helena could find this satisfying, Shakespeare seems to imply that marriage is the foundation of society and I am sure he was on to something :)
I skimmed a study yesterday that claimed 50% of divorced people regret getting a divorce. Maybe Helena was right after all. ...more
Fun audiobook with the lovely voice of Kathryn Kellgren. This is not great literature but it is a good light novel which did have me Googling a few thFun audiobook with the lovely voice of Kathryn Kellgren. This is not great literature but it is a good light novel which did have me Googling a few things which redeems some of the silliness. Not sure how these would translate from audio to print because the audio is so well done. I suspect the print version might be more of a 2-star....more
After listening to Hartley and Hewson's Hamlet, I thought I would give this one a try too. This book was their first attempt at novelizing ShakespeareAfter listening to Hartley and Hewson's Hamlet, I thought I would give this one a try too. This book was their first attempt at novelizing Shakespeare. As with Hamlet I think they did a wonderful job and Alan Cumming adds the perfect voice to the production.
It is amazing how a little fleshing out of characters and viewpoints, changes the perceptions we have of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. I like how vividly their childlessness plays into the story. So true to life. I will go for a 3rd volume if Hartley and Hewson do. ...more
Shakespeare's longest play and it shows. He seems to get caught up in the history in the early acts. The history happens to be very confusing and we dShakespeare's longest play and it shows. He seems to get caught up in the history in the early acts. The history happens to be very confusing and we do not come to it with a lot of background. We have to scramble around figuring out that there are two Caesars mentioned-Octavius or Augustus and Julius Caesar the father of Cleopatra's children. To add to the confusion there is Octavia, Augustus's sister who marries Mark Antony after his first wife dies. Add in the fact that it is hard to figure out if the triumvirate is fighting Pompey or each other. I suppose it is as confusing as real history sometimes.
The play does end well. I mean it is exciting in the end. Will Cleopatra die or be carried off to Rome to be humiliated? So many characters in Shakespeare kill themselves, it is interesting to watch Marc Antony botch the act and fear it.
Marc Antony so brave and faithful in Julius Caesar appears to be made entirely of clay here. Alas, he is only a man who will not resist the idea of having a woman Julius Caesar had....more
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