Archive for November, 2007
« Previous Entries Friday, November 30th, 2007The Pearl - Book Review
Kino deftly slipped his knife into the edge of the shell. Through the knife he could feel the muscle tighten hard. He worked the blade lever-wise and the closing muscle parted and the shell fell apart. The lip-like flesh writhed up and then subsided. Kino lifted the flesh, and there it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon. it captured the light and refined it and gave it back in silver incandescence. It was as large as a sea-gull’s egg. It was the greatest pearl in the world. -From The Pearl, page 26-
Kino, his faithful wife Juana, and their young child Coyotito live in a small fishing village in Mexico. Their simple lives are transformed overnight when Kino finds “The Pearl of the World” in the sea one day.
Steinbeck has written a parable about how wealth may erase innocence and bring evil into our lives. With his lyrical and beautiful prose, he brings the story to life. Juana symbolizes wisdom and common sense - she is Kino’s partner and supports his dreams and idealism while being wary of the pearl’s lure. Kino’s brother is the voice of reason and caution - he represents the history of his people, recognizing that they will always be cheated and must not show too much ambition lest everything that is good will be torn from them. In less than 100 pages, Steinbeck pulls the reader in and makes her care deeply about the characters - we reluctantly turn the pages knowing that only disaster awaits Kino and his family as the pearl becomes Kino’s soul and desire. The tale is archetypal as it represents ideas common to all people - greed and desire for wealth. Steinbeck uses the idea of music (the song of family, the song of evil, the song of the pearl) to create a dreamlike story. His attention to detail adds complexity to his character, as when Kino and Juano prepare to go out to sell the pearl.
The Pearl is felt to be a deeply personal story for Steinbeck who wrote it soon after his overnight success with The Grapes of Wrath. Disillusioned and overwhelmed by the reaction to that novel, Steinbeck turned inward to examine his own motivations. The Pearl also reveals Steinbeck’s understanding of people of poverty, including the underlying discrimination he witnessed against the Mexican people in the 1940s.
The Pearl is another masterpiece by this Nobel Laureate.
Highly recommended.
Thursday, November 29th, 2007The Good Earth - Book Review
Moving together in perfect rhythm, without a word, hour after hour, he fell into a union with her which took the pain from his labor. He had no articulate thought of anything; there was only this perfect sympathy of movement, of turning this earth of theirs over and over to the sun, this earth which formed their home and fed their bodies and made their gods. The earth lay rich and dark, and fell apart lightly under the points of their hoes. Sometimes they turned up a bit of brick, a splinter of wood. It was nothing. Some time, in some age, bodies of men and women had been buried there, houses had stood there, had fallen, and gone back into the earth. So would also their house, some time, return to earth, their bodies also. Each had his turn at this earth. They worked on, moving together - together - producing the fruit of this earth - speechless in their movement together. -From The Good Earth, page 31-
Pearl Buck’s novel The Good Earth was published in 1931 and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1932. It has been surrounded by controversy (mostly in China where Buck’s work was banned for many years because of the perceived vilification of the Chinese people and their leaders). Having arrived in China as the child of missionaries, Buck grew to love the country. In 1935 she returned to the United States with hope of one day returning to the Orient…but this was never to be. She was denounced by the Chinese government in 1960 as “a proponent of American cultural imperialism.” Later, just nine months before her death, her visa to return to the country of her childhood was denied. In 1938 she became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize for literature. More about Buck’s life and work can be found in this excellent article published by Mike Meyer of the New York Times.
The Good Earth is the saga of Wang Lung, who is a poor farmer dependent on the land for his survival, and his extended family. The novel begins with this complex character as a young man when he marries a slave girl, and then follows him as he grows into a man with a family and wealth beyond his imaginings. Wang Lung is a man with a compassionate heart. I was touched by the love of his children, especially that of his developmentally delayed oldest daughter who he calls “the poor fool.” In one scene, the family is faced with starvation and Wang Lung gives up his own food for his daughter…something that would have been highly unusual at that time in China.
Only a few of the beans did Wang Lung hide in his own hand and these he put into his own mouth and he chewed them into a soft pulp and then putting his lips to the lips of his daughter he pushed into her mouth the food, and watching her small lips move, he felt himself fed. -From The Good Earth, page 85-
Later, as he gains wealth, Wang Lung loses his path - and his inner goodness is challenged.
Wang Lung’s pragmatic wife O-Lan represents the strength of the Chinese women during a time when women were considered to be a man’s possession and slave. Throughout the novel, the idea of the cyclical nature of life is repeated, establishing a natural rhythm for the story.
Buck writes in simple prose which reads more like the oral tradition of story telling than a novel. Her understanding of character is evident throughout - and no character is all good or all evil.
I immediately was captivated by Buck’s story; and even though at times the abuse and mistreatment of women was hard to read, I found I could not put the book down for long.
Buck wrote two sequels to The Good Earth: Sons (1931) and A House Divided (1935). I have put both on my wish list for future reading.
The Good Earth is a book I can highly recommend for its insight into Chinese culture during the early part of the 20th century, and for its high readability.
Monday, November 26th, 2007Keeping it Short - A Beneficiary, by Nadine Gordimer
Caches of old papers are like graves; you shouldn’t open them. -From A Beneficiary, by Nadine Gordimer-
I am a bit embarrassed that I have never read anything by Nadine Gordimer until now. This wonderful short story was published in the New Yorker earlier this year and I read it as part of the 21st Fiction Yahoo Group who are reading one on-line short story each month in addition to their regular schedule of novel reads.
The story opens by introducing the main character, Charlotte (aka Charlie) whose mother, an actress, has just died. While packing up her mother’s belongings, Charlie stumbles upon an old letter which becomes the catalyst for the rest of the story. The ending is immensely satisfying with a bigger message about what it means to be a parent.
Gordimer is an artist with words, painting her characters so lifelike that the reader forgets they are reading fiction. I was completely entranced by this story which I read in less than an hour.
After reading this little gem, I am motivated to pick up other works of this South African Nobel Laureate (Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991). Gordimer has written 14 novels and 11 short story collections.
I rate this one a 5/5 and highly recommend it!
Sunday, November 25th, 2007Doctor Zhivago - Book Review
Of February, and almost constantly
A candle burned on the table;
A candle burned
-From the poems of Yurii Zhivago-
The novel opens with the suicide of Zhivago’s father just before the Russian Revolution when Zhivago is still a young boy. Pasternak reveals early on that the novel will be about truth and sacrifice; about one man’s beliefs and how he lives with his choices.
As the story develops, the reader is pulled into the life of Zhivago, who matures into a young man, loses his wealth, marries his childhood sweetheart, becomes embroiled in the fast accelerating revolution and finds Lara, his true love. The overriding theme of the novel is the importance of the individual vs. the rules of the state and the terror inflicted on the masses in the name of a political ideal.
Pasternak writes prose like the poet he was - painting the chaos of the times on wide brush strokes of beautiful description.
Throughout the novel, the idea of fate - of being swept along with the tide of the times - is often repeated. Characters re-emerge in unusual ways, seemingly by coincidence - and yet we are left with the idea that some things cannot be chance and nothing is coincidental. The characters seem to be victims of the Soviet ideology.
Most people think of Doctor Zhivago as a love story. The love between Lara and Yurii spins throughout the novel, and reminds the reader again about the power of the individual even during tumult and upheaval. But, calling Doctor Zhivago merely a love story would be undervaluing its bigger messages. The novel is full of wonderful passages and beautiful prose; and defines a generation of Russians during a cataclysmic time in history.
Certainly a classic and one which will stand the test of time - Doctor Zhivago is a must read for anyone who strives to better understand the Russian Revolution and who has a love of great literature.
Highly Recommended.
Google Images Meme
Here is meme that is floating about the blog-o-sphere:
Go to Google Images and search for each question - choose an image and post it.
What is your age on your next birthday?
A place to which you’d like to travel:
Yes, that is Southern Italy!
A favorite object:
Okay, so it is more than one…what can I say?
What is your favorite food?
It used to be this:
Until I developed a life threatening allergy to shellfish. So now it is this:
What is your favorite animal?
What is your favorite color?
Where did you grow up?
No, not in the Concord, New Hampshire capital building…but close!
Where do you live now?
Name of a past pet?
I luckily never owned a grizzly bear…but I once had a dog named Kodiak.
Name of a past love?
He didn’t look exactly like this…he looked more like this:
Screen name?
First Name?
If I had been a boy, my parents would have named me Peter - does that surprise you?
Middle Name?
You figure it out!
Last name?
Do you have a bad habit?
What was your first job?
What was your grandmother’s name?
What was your major in college?
First it was this:
Later I got my degree in physical therapy:
Crafting
The days are getting shorter and the nights leave behind frost on the ground. About this time every year I feel the pull of my craft projects…the desire to curl up in front of the fire with a cup of tea and a needle; to surround myself with bits of fabric and colored threads; to make tiny stitches and watch a picture develop.
This is one of my current projects:
I started this at least 15 years ago! But, I’m slowly getting it done. It’s counted cross stitch and stitched on tan 18 count Aida.
Lest you think I never complete anything, here are some of my finished projects from years ago:
Pattern is by Barbara Bourgeau-Richards - Counted Cross Stitch stitched on 18 count Aida (finished 1991).
New England Sampler - Counted Cross Stitch stitched on 18 count Aida (finished 1993)
Victorian House - Counted Cross Stitch stitched on 18 count Aida (finished 1990).
I’ve made a lot of counted cross stitch projects, and also done some Hardanger - but, these I’ve given away to various friends and family and unfortunately did not take photos of them!
Saturday, November 17th, 2007Toppling TBR Pile
TBR for 2007
‘Tis The Season …
Kailana at The Written Word and Marg at Reading Adventures are hosting a fun event beginning December 1st. The Blog Advent Calendar is a chance for bloggers to share their holiday traditions, stories and recipes with other bloggers. Here is what Kailana and Marg say:
We will create a list of links so that as people express interest we will add them to the list, and then we will post a link directing visitors to the appropriate blog.“
I’ve signed up for December 7th. Won’t you join us? Pop over here OR here and leave a comment if you want to play!
To-Be-Read (TBR) Challenge 2008
January 1, 2008 - December 31, 2008
Mizbooks is once again hosting this wonderful challenge which helps readers knock off books lingering on their TBR shelves. All the guidelines and rules can be found here. I also highly recommend joining the TBR Yahoo Group (new members may join beginning December 15, 2007) as it is very motivating to do this challenge as part of a group.
I’ve established my final list:
1. What Was Lost, by Catherine Flynn
2. Stones From The River, by Ursula Hegi
3. Acts of Faith, by Philip Caputo
4. We Need To Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver
5. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
6. The Lizard Cage, by Karen Connelly
7. A Woman in Jerusalem, by A.B. Yehoshua
8. Hope Rising, by Kim Meeder
9. The Secret River, by Kate Grenville
10.The World Below, by Sue Miller (finished April 26, 2008; rated 3.5/5; read my review)
11.Lisey’s Story, by Stephen King
12.Embers, by Sandor Marai (finished March 30, 2008; rated 4.5/5; read my review)
Alternates and Extras:
1. I, Elizabeth, by Rosalind Miles
2. Rebecca, by Daphne Du Maurier
3. Minaret, by Leila Aboulela
4. The Last Time They Met, by Anita Shreve
5. My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
6. She’s Come Undone, by Wally Lamb
7. Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte
8. Good Grief, by Lolly Winston
9. The Mermaid Chair, by Sue Monk Kidd
10.The Reading Group, by Elizabeth Noble
11.The Last Kingdom, by Bernard Cornwell
12.The Birth of Venus, by Sarah Dunant
The Blackwater Lightship - Book Review
The Blackwater Lightship. I thought it would always be there. -From The Blackwater Lightship, page 192-
Colm Toibin’s novel The Blackwater Lightship was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1999. Set on the coast of Ireland near Dublin, the novel centers around Declan, a young homosexual man dying of AIDS whose sister, mother and grandmother come together to care for him. Declan’s sister Helen narrates this tale of heartache, loss, redemption and healing.
Toibin’s simple, luminous prose captures the discomfort and estrangement between the family members. Helen’s voice is at once sad, angry and contemplative as current events bring up memories she has worked hard to forget. After years of estrangement, her brother’s impending death brings them back together and forces them to deal with the past.
Toibin’s slowly evolving novel looks at the fragility of family relationships and the desire to return “home” when we are most vulnerable. Lighthouses are commonly symbolic as beacons of safety or, in dreams, as beacons of truth - and so it is no surprise that The Blackwater Lightship is about both finding a safe haven and uncovering the truth.
This novel is melancholy and moody, but in the end I felt a sense of satisfaction and hope; the feeling that even in the face of death, healing and redemption are possible.
Recommended.
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