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February 09
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Carol
gave
 
to:
Washington Square (Paperback)
by Henry James
bookshelves:
fiction--literature
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in February, 2008
Carol said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
The story is a melancholic one. It revolves around a young but rich daughter, Catherine, wh...more
It was rather hard for me to read further after finishing hte first thirty-something pages. Quite a long plot for the story with little twist in between.
The story is a melancholic one. It revolves around a young but rich daughter, Catherine, who has a lifelong devotion to a young man, Morris Townshed, who has no position and his character is morally questionable. Their marriage is strongly opposed by the daughter's father, who is a doctor and possesses a fortune.
Social status is not a barrier to their marriage. The crux is that the young man shows no real affection to the girl and he's idling after years of intentional separation. The innocent daughter enjoys the romantic love and is blind to the situation until late in the story. She turns into a wise, rational and mature female figure, with her confession to her father towards her determination to Morris Townshed - "If I live with you, I ought to obey you... But if I don't obey you, I ought not to live with you - to enjoy your kindness and protection'.
Henry James deals with the theme of love pessimistically which is reflected in the portrayal of doctor's daughter. Time proves everything when Catherine re-encounters Morris thirteen years later. The wound was so deep that Catherine thinks 'she felt it for years'. The feeling of hurt and pain, memories of sweetiness and bitterness of devotion are 'everything' to Catherine's life, and they are 'dead and buried'. On one hand, Catherine is a heroine as she stands against his father to fight for herself and she takes the courage to refuse Morris Townshed , who is not a true love. On the other hand, Catherine is a coward who ends up spend the rest of her life in needlework rather than choosing another man and living her life to the fullest.
Another important theme in the story, which is the struggle between 'moral comfort', or in Morris wording, 'intellectual satisfaction', and 'material comfort', is narrated and discussed in depth. For a man of no position and paying no apparent effort in making one is detined to be in subordination. For a woman who has a great deal of fortune and possesses wisdom in words of reasoning is never the one to be despised....less
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December 29
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Carol
gave
to:
A World of Poetry (Paperback)
by Chris Gilvan-Cartwright
bookshelves:
currently-reading,
fiction--poetry
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in November, 2007
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Carol
gave
to:
The Kingfisher Book of Children's Poetry (Paperback)
by Michael J. Rosen
bookshelves:
currently-reading,
fiction--poetry
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in December, 2007
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December 28
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Carol
marked as to-read:
POETRY LIVE! : AN ANTHOLOGY OF HONG KONG POETRY FOR TEENS (paperback)
by MCKIRDY, DAVID
bookshelves:
fiction--poetry,
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Carol
gave
to:
The Day I Fell Down the Toilet and Other Poems (paperback)
by Steve Turner
bookshelves:
fiction--poetry
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in November, 2007
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Carol
marked as to-read:
The Works Key Stage 1: Every kind of a poem you will ever need for the Literacy Hour (paperback)
by Chosen by Pie Corbett
bookshelves:
fiction--poetry,
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Carol
gave
to:
The Poetry Store (paperback)
by Edited by Paul Cookson
bookshelves:
fiction--poetry
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in November, 2007
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Carol
gave
to:
Read Me Out Aloud! A Poem to Rap, Chant, Whisper Or Shout For Every Day of the Year (paperback)
by chosen by Nick Toczek and Paul Cookson
bookshelves:
currently-reading,
fiction--poetry
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in October, 2007
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Carol
gave
to:
Wisdom of the Buddha: The Unabridged Dhammapada (Dover Thrift Editions)
by F. Max Müller
bookshelves:
non-fiction--religions
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in February, 2005
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Carol
marked as to-read:
No-Sweat Science: Space & Flight Experiments (No-Sweat Science)
by Louis V. Loeschnig
bookshelves:
non-fiction--hands-on-science,
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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