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May 31
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Mary made a comment on Fiona's profile:
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April 05
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Mary
gave
 
to:
Theodore Rex (Modern Library Paperbacks)
by Edmund Morris
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in January, 2004
Mary said:
"The second of Morris' books on Theodore Roosevelt, this book was about his political rise and "reign." His powerful, often daunting personality pushed him places other men would never have tried to enter. His sense of social responsibili...more
The second of Morris' books on Theodore Roosevelt, this book was about his political rise and "reign." His powerful, often daunting personality pushed him places other men would never have tried to enter. His sense of social responsibility and his contempt for bullies (while he was one himself, often times) led the country in new social directions that had been completely vacant before his arrival on the political scene. He was raised in privilege but he was also committed to working hard and not sparing himself from the dirty work--literally.
His emotional strengths and weaknesses were so strongly a part of what he accomplished, it was sometimes stunning how he maneuvered through obstacles with such forcefulness. A really great read, though not as "emotional" as the first in the series, The Rise Of Theodore Roosevelt. One certainly feels the admiration and astonishment that Morris holds for this astonishing man....less
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Mary
gave
to:
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt (Modern Library Paperbacks)
by Edmund Morris
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in January, 2004
Mary said:
"I'm a fiction reader, mostly; this was one of the efforts I made at reading some non-fiction after hearing Edmund Morris in an interview on a talk radio station. He was immensely impressive--so well spoken, so literate, so knowledgeable about, it se...more
I'm a fiction reader, mostly; this was one of the efforts I made at reading some non-fiction after hearing Edmund Morris in an interview on a talk radio station. He was immensely impressive--so well spoken, so literate, so knowledgeable about, it seemed, nearly everything.
The book was as good as I had hoped, full of wonderful detail of Theodore Roosevelt's personal life. This first of (3?) books by Morris on Roosevelt was on his formative years--the love of his parents, the love of his family, the love of his life who died just after marriage, of his depression which took him West for much of his early life.
The development of his political policies becomes more understandable, but more than anything else, I was impressed by his great "vigor." It seemed utterly inexhaustible and was such a driving force in his view of life and things one could and should achieve.
The very satisfying story of a remarkable man written by a really gifted author....less
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Mary
gave
to:
Angle of Repose (Contemporary American Fiction)
by Wallace Stegner
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Mary said:
"This was Stegner's Pulitzer Prize winner and a marvelous book. His ability to surprise you with unexpected characters in even more unexpected settings is alway remarkable. This one, with its two story lines, one current and one half a century prece...more
This was Stegner's Pulitzer Prize winner and a marvelous book. His ability to surprise you with unexpected characters in even more unexpected settings is alway remarkable. This one, with its two story lines, one current and one half a century preceding, is full of beautiful, ugly, inventive, sturdy characters, and is always involving.
Like many of his books, his lead characters are crusty old men placed in situations that place them entirely outside their comfort zone. But the power to connect, both for the unlikely characters, and for you as the reader, is always present in Stegner's novels, none in greater strength than this book. The "angle of repose" is a geological term that refers to the stopping place of, say a pebble, falling from the top of a peak. It is a perfect, perfect title for this novel that explores lives past, present but almost past, and new life just moving.
I think about these characters at random moments even now, years after I read the book. That is one of Stegner's greatest gifts, to create new, real characters that speak to the heart as well as the mind. They become more than written words, but very real acquaintances....less
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Mary
gave
to:
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Book 1)
by Alexander McCall Smith
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in January, 2006
Mary said:
"I know Mr. Smith has taken the literary world by storm with this line of stories, but I have to say I am not one of his fans.
The story seemed so random and disconnected, nothing more than one vignette after another, that I never felt myself engaged...more
I know Mr. Smith has taken the literary world by storm with this line of stories, but I have to say I am not one of his fans.
The story seemed so random and disconnected, nothing more than one vignette after another, that I never felt myself engaged by either the story or the characters.
So the woman has pluck. Great. ...less
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Mary
gave
to:
The Big Rock Candy Mountain (Contemporary American Fiction)
by Wallace Stegner
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Mary said:
"This is one of Stegner's more biographical novels. It takes place in the Canada and the Western States, Utah playing a central role in the book.
Stegner loves the land; his ability to reveal it with freshness and adoration is demonstrated in all ...more
This is one of Stegner's more biographical novels. It takes place in the Canada and the Western States, Utah playing a central role in the book.
Stegner loves the land; his ability to reveal it with freshness and adoration is demonstrated in all his books, but even moreso in this one. He tells of the stuggles and rewards of a life lived in poverty and insecurity but made beautiful by the land in which it is placed. Family members are loved (and hated), there are disappointments and wondrous adventures, but always the land is there, its own character, really.
Stegner's ability with language, the pictures he is able to bring to life are energized with his gift of word, are inspiring to me. The characters he brings to life in settings that are as important in many ways as the people themselves, are a wonderful revelation--book after book. ...less
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Mary
gave
to:
Crossing to Safety (Modern Library Classics)
by Wallace Stegner
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Mary said:
"This book was my introduction to Wallace Stegner. Since then, I have read all of his novels with the expception of his first, Lucky Star (I think). I am forever grateful to the women of the Reading Group I was then a member of for bringing me to Mr...more
This book was my introduction to Wallace Stegner. Since then, I have read all of his novels with the expception of his first, Lucky Star (I think). I am forever grateful to the women of the Reading Group I was then a member of for bringing me to Mr. Stegner, one of the finest writers I've read.
A wonderful story of friendship and the power and suprises it can bring you. Stegner's amazing ability to present things in new ways never disappoints me. I was quite surprised by the twists at the end that changes almost everything that preceded it; it made you want to read it again immediately to see if you could/should have interpreted events and characters in a different way than you did the first time around. Although, maybe others would have a more insightful mind than mine is and discerned the truth of things to a greater degree.
All the same, it was a wonderful, satisfying story of people who loved each other in the most basic ways....less
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Mary
gave
to:
The Cider House Rules (Hardcover)
by John Irving
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Mary said:
"This is certainly my favorite of John Irving's books after Prayer For Owen Meany. Irving has a great capacity to make his readers see issues in new ways, not necessarily producing new conclusions, but ones with a wider, more open perspective than be...more
This is certainly my favorite of John Irving's books after Prayer For Owen Meany. Irving has a great capacity to make his readers see issues in new ways, not necessarily producing new conclusions, but ones with a wider, more open perspective than before.
This book, like all of Irving's novels to one degree or another, deals with thorny social issues. This one presents the topic of abortion. Set in an orphanage, it views life thorugh the eyes of our hero was born and raised there, left by, one presumes, a young woman "in trouble." He is raised with great love by the director of the orphanage, a doctor who extends his nonjudgmental care to all--including young women who are "in trouble." Bright, capable, compassionate, intelligent, the boy is trained in medicine by his mentor and finds himself in places and situations he certainly never hoped to be. The characters are complex and generous, filled with compassion on so many levels.
A wonderful story about powerful, dynamic, empathetic characters who show you things you maybe hadn't looked at before....less
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Mary
gave
to:
A Prayer for Owen Meany (Paperback)
by John Irving
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Mary said:
"Without question one of the best contemporary books I've every read. I can't think of many, if any, other books that can evoke so great an emotional connection with its characters.
Owen Meany, a quirky boy who grew into a remarkable man with an unk...more
Without question one of the best contemporary books I've every read. I can't think of many, if any, other books that can evoke so great an emotional connection with its characters.
Owen Meany, a quirky boy who grew into a remarkable man with an unknown purpose that molded his life from birth, was an unflinching, unwavering friend to a boy whose mother he accidentally kills. The episodes in their lives which bring them both to a completely devastating end is a story that is always compelling, always intriguing, and certainly is replete with John Irving's special look on life and his remarkable ability to tell a tale in a fresh way. Nobody writes like Irving did in his "earlier" years, and this is by far, to me, his most impressive.
Be prepared. You'll need a full box of Kleenex for the last 50 pages....less
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