This is just poetry, isn't it! I appreciate the arbitrary simplicity of each importance, fundamentally non-definitive and therefore open to counter-deThis is just poetry, isn't it! I appreciate the arbitrary simplicity of each importance, fundamentally non-definitive and therefore open to counter-definition, to reader involvement. The bold art and emphasis on graphic design compliments this nicely; there's a poster vibe to each panel. Brown has a penchant for list-oriented, experimental work, and while this is no Goodnight Moon it's a fascinating alternate example of the same general approach....more
4.5 stars, rounded up for being very my thing. The chief citizens of an obscure village petition their king to put them on the map by sending the prin4.5 stars, rounded up for being very my thing. The chief citizens of an obscure village petition their king to put them on the map by sending the prince to fairyland, there to win the hand of a fairy princess and bring magic to the world. In a word, magical--which of course is the point, but magic is hard to write, magic which feels truly more-than-mundane, truly other. And this manages, primarily by inhabiting liminal spaces, boundaries crossed, worlds intermixing: bringing the alien beauty of fairyland into the fields we know is as crucial as the journey the other way, the vivacity and changeability of the moral world a necessary counterpoint to the danger and still beauty of fairyland. The plot rambles, wandering that borderland as it follows its two and a half plot threads, but it's as accessible as any modern mythic fiction/mythpunk. Transporting, funny, beautiful; more about premise than characters, but with memorable characters. This is on my reread list, bookmarked for spring or autumn or even winter: it has an indulgent, evocative voice that lends well to any seasonal setting and evokes many. ...more
4.5 stars. This is overlong, absolutely, and the epistolary format is to blame but it's also the book's great strength, as it roots a story of contriv4.5 stars. This is overlong, absolutely, and the epistolary format is to blame but it's also the book's great strength, as it roots a story of contrived schemes and mistaken identity firmly in the characters: what they know, which is often a step behind the reader's larger picture and trope awareness, a distance which is frustrating but abundant with gothic tension; what they record or omit, and for whom; what they feel and who they are. And they're remarkable characters, particularly Fosco and Marian (Marian, best beloved). ...more
This is no The Secret Garden, but of course the comparison is unfair, especially since I have nostalgia for one but not the other. This is bigger, witThis is no The Secret Garden, but of course the comparison is unfair, especially since I have nostalgia for one but not the other. This is bigger, with an almost campy contrivance and predictability, as the reader is let in on secrets far ahead of the protagonist. But that's just what grew on me: Burnett's willingness to intrude on the narrative, to explicate and to remove the veil of suspense just when it grows too thin, is great fun, the narrator almost a character itself, tamping down the sentimentality. I love a story of isolated-but-romanticized suffering, and self-romanticization certainly fulfills that niche; I probably would have liked this better as a young reader but, hey, better late than never. ...more
Stories about how the world falls apart are rarely "enjoyable," and appropriately I didn't enjoy this. Wyndham's read on the apocalypse runs into predStories about how the world falls apart are rarely "enjoyable," and appropriately I didn't enjoy this. Wyndham's read on the apocalypse runs into predictable pitfalls, namely ableism and sexism; Golden Age SF often manages to be forward thinking for its time and profoundly trapped in that time, and rejecting vs. preserving marriage is the locus of that conflict here.
But this is almost cozy in its apocalypse. Like The War of the Worlds, it's a devastatingly large event explored on a personal level (a necessary focus, as the triffids are pretty boring baddies); unlike almost any apocalypse narrative I can think of, it's about agriculture, about life after the grocery stores are looted, about the labor of rebuilding society. When I read this, it was an interesting touchstone in the genre but not my thing; but, in the months since then, I've thought about it with surprisingly regularity, every time I've encountered another apocalypse story utterly unconcerned with farming....more
I could have sworn I'd read this as a kid, but nothing beyond the premise feels familiar, so - maybe not. Is it good, now, as an adult reader without I could have sworn I'd read this as a kid, but nothing beyond the premise feels familiar, so - maybe not. Is it good, now, as an adult reader without the apparent benefit of nostalgia? It's fine. Clayburgh plays up Mrs. Frankweiler's crotchety-old-lady voice in the Simon & Schuster audio narration, and takes a conceit I'd love - intrusive narrators are delightful - and renders it a little overdone. The sense of potential of living at the museum, getting private access to an infinitely rich, infinitely wondrous, liminal space, is phenomenal; the rest of the plot kind of misses me. There are fun characters and clear arcs, but a sort of conservative bent: eldest female child rails against her social position and wants her life to have value and meaning (relatable!); returns to status quo with a petty, selfish secret (...do not want).
Don't read the afterword unless you want more social conservationism and some irrelevant minutiae....more
A collection of short stories, the longest of which, the novella "The Beckoning Fair One," is the most famous and most successful: after moving into nA collection of short stories, the longest of which, the novella "The Beckoning Fair One," is the most famous and most successful: after moving into new lodgings, the narrator finds himself courting the jealous spirit who inhabits it; it has that perfect, seductive claustrophobia of a haunted house, pushing away the outside world, drawing the protagonist into an obsession which is toxic but irresistible. The other stories are shorter and more gimmicky, not in a negative way; it reminds me, weirdly, of the Twilight Zone, a sort of "wouldn't it be fucked up if that happened" vibe - to live a life in an instant, to be pursued by one's shadow-self, to sacrifice sanity for art, which is the most consistently recurring theme in this collection. Only the novella is particularly good, but the whole collection is very readable....more
The journals slash fantastical experiences of one Harry Haller a.k.a. the Steppenwolf, whose divided human/wolf nature renders him disaffected and perThe journals slash fantastical experiences of one Harry Haller a.k.a. the Steppenwolf, whose divided human/wolf nature renders him disaffected and perpetually unsatisfied until a sex worker pulls him into her world of love and jazz. Parts of this I adore, parts of this are indescribably tedious, and those parts often sit side by side. Of the various novels of men navel-gazing the existential crises of their times, this one lands square in "not bad." It evokes the anxieties of the rapidly changing culture of the 1920s and the complex human/animal duality is an effective conceit. But the parts that probably felt revolutionary and shocking at the time, namely the extended allegorical drug trip, now feel like a tired trope; it's always interesting to see early examples of a trope rendered less satisfying in view of the trope's evolution. The more subtle uncanny elements, particularly the provenance of the Treatise on the Steppenwolf and the central friendship/relationship dynamic, now feel more nuanced and engaging.
(Sidenote: Apparently German has different rules re: comma splices, but the abundance of them in the Beals translation sure does feel jarring in English.)...more
A motley cast is drawn together by their shared involvement with the workings of a dangerous, uncanny entity, an "Oriental" man with the ability to trA motley cast is drawn together by their shared involvement with the workings of a dangerous, uncanny entity, an "Oriental" man with the ability to transform into a beetle. Which, yes, deserves the scare quotes and is frequently as silly as it sounds: vast swathes of this are ridiculous and have aged poorly. It's also surprisingly readable, a classic text with dated racist depictions but an incredibly accessible voice.
And it shares numerous similarities with Dracula: the release date, the horror of Orientalism (particularly as it dangerous respectable British society, particularity white women of a certain class), and many more superficial similarities in style and plot which feel remarkable when viewed in the context of Dracula. It's a fascinating coincidence that made me think of and the fact that similar works released at the same time point more to contemporary cultural anxieties than they do to each other.
I don't know that I "liked" this, but it's so dang readable and it's a fascinating reading experience - particularly the (obviously super problematic~ but perpetually interesting) handling of gender....more
DNF at 50%. This is actually very readable, and I was probably getting to the good bits just when I stopped, but Hawthorne is a very funny writer, fulDNF at 50%. This is actually very readable, and I was probably getting to the good bits just when I stopped, but Hawthorne is a very funny writer, full of charming anecdotes; and I had my funny bone excised at birth. This just didn't work for me. ...more
I tried reading this in the Miquênia Litz English translation (the most readily available via my library) and it's atrocious, effectively unreadable, I tried reading this in the Miquênia Litz English translation (the most readily available via my library) and it's atrocious, effectively unreadable, like it's never seen a copy editor.
Children's literature is often a little icky; the humor is problematic and mean. That's true here too. But its flaws are relatively limited, and no woChildren's literature is often a little icky; the humor is problematic and mean. That's true here too. But its flaws are relatively limited, and no worse than other beloved kidlit like Winnie the Pooh. Frog and Toad are friends--a little mean, a lot silly, but motivated foremost by love. Loving in silly and flawed ways makes them feel real and makes this kid's book feel adult and universal. Endearing! A quick and engaging read.
I read this on audio to help me fall asleep when going through a difficult time, and kitlit is always the best choice for that: it's intended to be reI read this on audio to help me fall asleep when going through a difficult time, and kitlit is always the best choice for that: it's intended to be read aloud, it's escapist, it's probably familiar, and who cares if you miss the end of a chapter (which here operate as short stories--even better!). The Bother! La Production audiobook is overproduced; the sound effects and music don't work for me, especially sped up, but they're harmless. The text hasn't aged perfectly: some of the humor (particularly Piglet's bath) gets mean and I'll never not be weirded out by little boys with toy guns. But it's aged more gracefully than most classic kidlit and is in all other ways a delight. I prefer my kidlit on the creepy-/weird-in-hindsight end of the spectrum, but treasure this for being quirky, silly, and achingly, sincerely kind: no matter your flaws someone will love you; love you despite, love you when you overcome, love you because of your flaws....more
It's difficult enough to review classics; harder to pretend to have anything of interest to say about a thousand year old text. But! I'm glad to've reIt's difficult enough to review classics; harder to pretend to have anything of interest to say about a thousand year old text. But! I'm glad to've read it. The Heaney translation is a great entry point, melodic but unstrained, accessible, with a touch of hyperspecific regional language to evoke the text's history. The first and second battles are evocative, particularly the loose sketches of the antagonists, and I see why they've spawned retellings from the monsters' perspectives. I let the historical asides breeze past me, but they come back again in the final battle, where the larger political landscape gives consequence to Beowulf's death. It's a fascinating subversion of the hero-worship/great man elements, and I wasn't familiar with it via cultural osmosis, so that alone makes it worth the read. Not a new favorite, I don't anticipate doing a deep dive into other translations, but: glad to've read it. ...more
I'm surprised it took me so long pick this up, and surprised that the iconic quotes and concepts--particularly the conversation with the Skin Horse--cI'm surprised it took me so long pick this up, and surprised that the iconic quotes and concepts--particularly the conversation with the Skin Horse--come so early. The second half isn't what I expected and I find it less fulfilling, particularly the idea that "realness" is the transformation into one's "real" form. It's not what the velveteen rabbit has loved or been good at, and it's disconnected from his path to realness; it's becoming what he was loosely styled after and has known only through longing and social rejection. It's not one of those children's books which is horrifying in retrospect, but it doesn't sit easy.
But I'm reminded of the mention of Fahrenheit 451 in , and the argument that sometimes a text's premise and cultural impact are so iconic that the text itself, with all its flaws, is somehow secondary. This reads beautifully, even in the second half, but it almost loses its own point; but that point--that realness is a process, is a becoming; that it hurts, but matters; that "once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand"--is nuanced and resonant, and larger than the text. It was true to me (in life, and in my stuffed animals) through cultural osmosis, but finally reading the book intensifies that feeling....more
I'm sure I read this as a kid but it wasn't a formative part of my childhood, so reading it now is like encountering it new. Nostalgia would have helpI'm sure I read this as a kid but it wasn't a formative part of my childhood, so reading it now is like encountering it new. Nostalgia would have helped me love it, and the narrative switch from "happily living as king of monsters" to "bored now" is too sudden & unexplored, even for a picture book. But the atmosphere of wish-fulfillment and threat, the oversized monsters and Max's expressions, the texture in the inkwork are all superb and make me wish I had grown up with this in my childhood library--that concept of a monster-child coming safely home would have appealed to me. ...more
To put the iconic murder at the center of the play rather the climax changes everything. Some of the final battle is lost in a script--this would beneTo put the iconic murder at the center of the play rather the climax changes everything. Some of the final battle is lost in a script--this would benefit from the energy of production--so the ending somewhat falters. But to explore the absence of Caesar, to shift the focus to Brutus and to consequences, makes for significantly more interesting structure and themes. But I confess this feels something like a dress rehearsal for Othello, insofar as both plays concerns manipulation, motivation, and consequence, and this play can't but pale in comparison. I found it more interesting than personally effecting--but the best of the language is very good....more
This is the first play in my chronological readthrough which feels like Shakespeare as I know him--the first which is truly phenomenal. (Is this influThis is the first play in my chronological readthrough which feels like Shakespeare as I know him--the first which is truly phenomenal. (Is this influenced by my having studied it previously? probably, but I don't care.) Richard is fantastic, particularly his use of language and his rapport with the audience, but also the humor of his shortcomings; he's a compelling study of an antihero, and of the complicated relationship between antihero and audience. But it's the women that push this play above and beyond: the seduction of Lady Anne is keenly unsettling, and set in effective counterpoint to the less successful persuasion of Queen Elizabeth; Margaret is dynamic, and her conversation with the Duchess of York and Queen Elizabeth is a rare moment of centralizing women--imperfectly, but effectively, especially as their conversation functions as a reflection of the entire tetralogy. It's a complex, vibrant, coherent play, and it's those exact elements that draw me to Shakespeare's work....more
The link this makes between personal, selfish, revenge-driven motives and the futility and pain of a civil war creates a solid, well-rounded thematic The link this makes between personal, selfish, revenge-driven motives and the futility and pain of a civil war creates a solid, well-rounded thematic center which is echoed in the best scenes, including Rutland's murder, the King with the father/son murders, and Richard's fantastic speeches. I wonder if I would have enjoyed this so much if I weren't familiar with & looking forward to Richard III, because he was absolutely my favorite thing about this play, but he's a great character regardless. The momentum, language, and thematic consistency in this play reminds me of the better, later Shakespeare plays with which I'm more familiar; a solidly enjoyable experience. ...more
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