I read Rebecca, a favorite classic written in 1938, for the third time for an upcoming library bookgroup. The book is narrated by an unnamed young womI read Rebecca, a favorite classic written in 1938, for the third time for an upcoming library bookgroup. The book is narrated by an unnamed young woman who becomes Maxim de Winter's second wife. She is very inexperienced, shy, and unsure of herself, and compares herself to Rebecca, Maxim's first wife who drowned. Although the beautiful, talented Rebecca is dead, her presence fills the pages and she becomes a major character. Mrs. Danvers, the scary manager of the mansion at Manderley, keeps Rebecca's memory alive.
The author uses wonderful atmospheric descriptions, sinister dreams, and probes into the characters' inner feelings to set the stage for an investigation into Rebecca's death. The book is very well written and builds to a climax which I won't spoil for future readers....more
"They cannot take the land from me. The labor of my body and the fruits of the fields I have put into that which cannot be taken away. If I had the si"They cannot take the land from me. The labor of my body and the fruits of the fields I have put into that which cannot be taken away. If I had the silver, they would have taken it. If I had bought with the silver to store it, they would have taken it all. I have the land still, and it is mine."
"The Good Earth" tells of the importance of the land to Wang Lung, a Chinese peasant farmer with a small farm. The book opens on his wedding day to O-Lan, a humble and resourceful woman who had been a slave. O-Lan works side by side with her husband on the land, and they have five living children. Wang Lung puts his profits into buying more land, but they almost starve without any savings during a famine.
Eventually Wang Lung becomes a wealthy man, but his sons do not have his traditional values. Wang Lung no longer appreciates the plain, hardworking O-Lan, and he becomes obsessed with another's beauty. While his wealth had given him security and social position, a more decadent lifestyle has not brought happiness to his family.
As Wang Lung grows older, he still retains his love of the land and the early simple home that was made of the earth. He feels like he is part of the cycle of nature where the land nourishes man, and man eventually returns to the earth.
Published in 1931, "The Good Earth" portrays the culture of a traditional Chinese family in the early 1900s before the Revolution. The role of women is an important aspect of the book. "The Good Earth" is a well-written book that still retains its power over ninety years later....more
Catch-22 is a satirical book about the bureaucracy in the military in World War II, with many situations that also could be applied to civilian life. Catch-22 is a satirical book about the bureaucracy in the military in World War II, with many situations that also could be applied to civilian life. The novel's main character is Captain Yossarian, a bombardier in the U.S. Air Force. He is in a squadron on a small island off the west coast of Italy. Every time the airmen fulfill the number of combat flights needed before they can be sent home, their commanding officer increases the number of flights. Yossarian sees his friends die in combat missions one by one. In order to survive, Yossarian tries to come up with a plan to be sent home.
Catch-22 is a self-contradictory circular rule that is used to keep the airmen from being released from combat flights. If an airman is crazy, he can ask to avoid bombing missions. But if he asks to be released from combat missions, that proves that he is sane. It's a no-win situation.
The book uses humor to examine ideas of sanity and insanity, the misuse of power by the military superiors, patriotism, survival, disregard for human life, exploitation of individuals by bureaucrats, greed, and profiteering. Behind the absurb humor of the novel, Heller has created some very tortured characters trying to survive, and others trying to grab power and get promoted by any means. Heller may have also been influenced by the excesses of McCarthyism in the early 1950s when this book was written.
I first read this book in the 1970s as a college student, when it was very popular during the Vietnam War. On rereading it now, Catch-22 is still a wonderful satirical novel that has withstood the test of time....more
Reverand Nathan Price brought his woefully unprepared family to a small village in the former Belgian Congo to do missionary work in 1959. The people Reverand Nathan Price brought his woefully unprepared family to a small village in the former Belgian Congo to do missionary work in 1959. The people speak Kikongo, a language where a word has multiple meanings, depending on its intonation. When the Reverand Price thunders, "Tata Jesus is bangala", meaning "precious", his intonation changes the word into "the poisonwood tree", a poisonous plant that causes skin eruptions. That is just one of many mistakes this arrogant preacher makes in The Poisonwood Bible. He is also clueless about why the villagers refuse to have their children baptized by immersion in a river full of crocodiles.
The story is told through narrations by his wife, Orleanna, and their four daughters. Orleanna helps us understand the source of Nathan's problems, their history back in Georgia, and the role of mothers in the Congo. The oldest daughter is Rachel, a self-absorbed, materialistic teen, whose malapropisms are a source of amusement. The youngest is Ruth May who befriends the village children, but who is in the most danger from diseases and other threats. In the middle are the twins, Leah and Adah. Leah is the social conscience of the novel. Adah limps and very rarely speaks, but writes her feelings in her diary. She has an intelligent, sarcastic wit, and often records events in palindromic phrases.
The author lived in the Belgian Congo as a child, and has woven political and cultural problems into the story. Colonial governments were paternalistic, and worked the Africans in rubber plantations and mines as indentured laborers. After the Congo declared independence, foreign governments played a part in the assassination of the Congo's elected leader. Barbara Kingsolver was a great storyteller, while also showing social injustice, cultural divisions, and religious differences in the Congo....more
Told through the eyes of Atticus Finch's children, To Kill a Mockingbird is a story set in a small Alabama town in the 1930s. Atticus is a lawyer defeTold through the eyes of Atticus Finch's children, To Kill a Mockingbird is a story set in a small Alabama town in the 1930s. Atticus is a lawyer defending a black man charged with the rape of a white woman. The book explores the themes of prejudice, class, and that life is often unfair.
There are also humorous and tender elements in the book since Scout is an outspoken tomboy and Jem is changing from a boy to an aware young man. Atticus is a caring, wise man that showed his children how to live by his good example. This book deserves its place as a well-loved classic....more
Although it was published in 1847, the classic Jane Eyre features a heroine that people can admire today. Jane spent her childhood as an orphan in theAlthough it was published in 1847, the classic Jane Eyre features a heroine that people can admire today. Jane spent her childhood as an orphan in the home of cruel relatives and in a charity school. But she maintained her dignity and spirit, learned from her experiences, and became a governess.
Mr Rochester, a brooding, intelligent man with a family secret, is her employer. He's tired of superficial society women, and enjoys sparring with the inexperienced Jane in a flirty battle of wits. She has to make a decision whether to stay with this passionate, but flawed, man. Jane also meets another man--ambitious but cold--who is interested in her. Jane weighs what she considers important in a marriage--honor, some independence, a meaningful life, an intellectual equal, love, and passion. She truly was a strong woman who wanted control over her own destiny.
The book has a delightfully dark Gothic atmosphere. Rochester's dark secret, strange noises in the night, unexplained fires, a gypsy telling fortunes, desperate walks in the pouring rain, and a bit of the supernatural all contribute to the Gothic mood.
This was my second time reading Jane Eyre, and I was even more impressed with how Charlotte Brontë was ahead of her time in her portrayal of a courageous woman. In addition to Jane's story, the book also showed the sharp divisions in social class. The religious figures in the book ranged from the hypocritical to the charitable. The book gave me a look into Victorian society in an engaging story....more
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