Joseph Sciuto's Blog: A Curious View: A Compilation of Short Stories by Joseph Sciuto, page 47

Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”

After reading the first few chapters (The chapters are very short) of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” I wondered how anyone could be interested in such pompous, egotistical, aloof and self serving characters?

After reading on I said, “Wow! How could I be so interested in such characters?”

Getting toward the middle of the book, I was hoping that it would never end.

By the end of the book, I fully realized what a magnificent piece of writing I had just read.

“Pride and Prejudice” is one of the best sociological studies about early nineteen century British loyalty and society I have ever read – where title, rank, fortune, and good looks are in many ways the requirements of an approved marriage, much, much more than love. In fact, this wonderful book might not be as relevant today as two hundred years ago, but there are still many traces of such societies throughout the world, today. It was not all that long ago in America, where marrying outside of your religion, or ethnicity, was looked down upon.

The book is full of wonderful characters, but Elizabeth (Lizzy) Bennet is, in my opinion, the star. Her character is so wonderfully and fully realized that at times I felt her jumping off the page and directly into my life.

Liza, a fellow member and friend on Goodreads, informed me that she had read the book twice and still was not sure if the ending was ‘sad’ or ‘funny.’ To me, it was funny and exceptionally rewarding but sad to think that a lady’s livelihood depended more on the wealth and rank of your partner than love.

Quite an amazing book.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Jazz Age”

Many years ago, I was talking to a gentleman who, like myself, took great pleasure in reading amazing authors. I mentioned that, in my opinion, F. Scott Fitzgerald never fully reached the total potential he was capable of achieving. To me, despite the brilliance of “Gatsby,” I always found something lacking in his works, a tragic flaw, a missing something that would have made so many more of his works comparable to Gatsby. Maybe, he should have practiced more self control, a little less partying and a greater dedication to his work.

The gentleman looked up at me and replied, “Most writers are lucky if they are able to write one great paragraph during their lifetimes. Fitzgerald wrote two great books, ‘Gatsby and Tender is the Night.’

Maybe more writers, should do a little more partying and not take themselves so serious.”

“The Jazz Age” was given to me as a gift quite a few years ago. I remember looking through it, but never reading the entire book. In a sense, I now wish I never picked it up again and read the entire book. It is a collection of autobiographical pieces that is poorly put together, like a disorganized diary, and it left me feeling empty and sorry for Mr Fitzgerald. It taught me nothing about “The Jazz Age” that I didn’t already know and it sadly re-enforced my notion of Fitzgerald as a tragic figure.

Yet, like always there was a touch of genius in the collection, that reminded me of “The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night.” In closing this amazingly gifted artist writes, “It was not Monte Carlo I was looking at. It was back into the mind of the young man with cardboard soles who had walked the streets of New York. I was him again-for an instant I had the good fortune to share his dreams, I who had no more dreams of my own.” (less)

 

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Truman Capote’s “Music For Chameleons”

Going back and re-reading the works of Truman Capote is like visiting an old and trusted and extremely wise friend. Mr Capote as much as any writer I have read, knew the difference between good writing and very good writing and between very good writing and brilliant writing. And for most of his career, his writing was brilliant.

He could write as descriptively and beautifully as F. Scott Fitzgerald or as descriptively and brutally realistic as Joseph Conrad, but as much as any writer he knew the correct balance when it came to his writing, his subjects, and his characters.

“Music For Chameleons” includes a wonderful collection of short stories and a brilliant and gripping short, non-fiction, novel called “Handcarved Coffins.”

The stories are quite a diversified collection of Americana and the locations include New York City, Los Angeles, New Orleans, the Midwest, and Alabama…and a little bit of Italy, Russia, and Switzland. Mr Capote feels as much at home writing about Hollywood stars, as he does about cleaning ladies working in Manhattan, or as he does about writing about murderers and a member of the Manson clan.

The one thing all the stories and the novel have in common is a vivid, undeniable “honesty.”

“Honesty,” the most important quality that only the greatest of writers have ever achieved.

Graham Greene’s “The End of the Affair”

After recently finishing Mr. Greene’s, “The Quiet American” and “Our Man in Havana” I have to admit that I was disappointed in “The End of the Affair.” That is not to say, that there weren’t parts of the book that I found engrossing and superbly written, but overall I found this novel to be quite tedious and, except for the minor characters, I found the main characters to be quite bothersome, egotistical, and not very likeable. They reminded me more of self-absorbed adolescents than of adults living in London through World War 11 and its aftermath.

Nevertheless, I plan on reading much more of Mr. Greene’s works. My negative reaction to this book has in no way discouraged me from exploring all of this marvelous writer’s work.

Graham Greene “Our Man in Havana”

Graham Greene’s “Our Man in Havana” is wildly entertaining, beautifully structured, with a cast of characters that I will not forget for a long time. They are so amazingly developed.

The book is funny, suspenseful, and all too real as it unmask some of the Cold War insanity that occurred in Cuba in the late 1950’s.

Simply wonderful and brilliant.

Graham Greene’s “The Quiet American”

Graham Greene’s, “The Quiet American” is a wonderfully entertaining, beautifully crafted novel, about the French military involvement in Vietnam in the 1950’s and the earlier, secretive involvement of the United States. The characters are richly developed and the moral and ethical questions they pose could be debated until the end of time.

Mr. Greene’s writing is crisp and, at times, breathtaking. His depictions of the war might not be as intimate as those in “All Quiet on the Western Front” but they are highly effective and the tension and fear for the characters are quite palpable.

I highly recommend this book.

Mark Twain’s “A Connecticut Yankee At King Arthur’s Court”

The name Mark Twain, along with Hemingway, is the most recognizable name in American Literature for people who read…and even more amazing for people who do not. Twain’s life, like Hemingway’s, very often eclipsed their literary brilliance, but hopefully their writing genius will out live the myths they left behind.

Mark Twain’s “A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur’s Court” is one of the most imaginative, satirical, political, and brilliant novels that I have ever had the pleasure to read. It’s a precursor to Mel Brooks’ films, a precursor to many of Woody Allen’s brilliant films and amazing screenplays. It’s a blueprint for “1984” and nearly a century ahead of Gabriel Garcia’s “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” I was so moved by this book on so many levels that it is almost impossible for me to categorize it in any way without diminishing its scope and grandeur.

The transportation of Hank Morgan of the late nineteenth century back to the sixth century is an odyssey like no other and Mr. Twain’s ability to draw parallels between the thirteen centuries that separate the two planes of existence is nothing short of pure genius. The writing is sublime, at times reminding me of Joyce, and at other times reminding me of William Faulkner…two men I have no doubt were in some ways influenced by Mr. Twain.

Any student of literature will at some point be introduced to Mark Twain’s works, but not necessarily to this book. I would strongly suggest to all students, and book lovers, to read this amazing work for it is as relevant today as the day it was published and as magical as the characters of Merlin and King Arthur which Mr. Twain so wonderfully envisions. (less)

Ivan Turgenev’s “First Love”

The name Ivan Turgenev might not be as recognizable as his Russian counterparts, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, but make no mistake about it, he was just as great a writer as those two masters. His novels are not nearly as large as Tolstoy’s and Dostoevsky’s, but the universal nature…worldliness…of his works are much more in touch with the everyday experiences and feelings that are all common among us human beings. In short, he is not so Russian and it should come as no surprise that his novels, during his lifetime, were more popular in Europe than any Russian writer.

“First Love” is a perfect example of the universal flavor mentioned above. It is less than a hundred pages, and yet within those pages I recollected, and recalled, so many of the same memories that the main character in the book experienced as a sixteen year old boy. Either from afar, or up close and personal, most of us have all experienced and never forgotten our first love … Regardless of how many flaws or how perfect he/ she might have been and Turgenev brings this feeling home with astonishing clarity and brilliance. Simply amazing!

Caroline England’s “Beneath the Skin”

Caroline England’s “Beneath the Skin” is like a daytime soap opera which you forcible deny that you like, but nevertheless turn it on religiously every day. After reading the first forty pages, I put it down and thought to myself do I really want to pick up this book  again? An hour later, I read another forty pages, put it down and thought to myself do I really want to read this book? An hour later, I once again, picked it up and read the entire book in one sitting.

Ms England cleverly connects four married couples to each other, either through school, work, dinner parties, or childhood friendships. The characters are literally laden with doubts, secrets, denials, and lies.

Ms. England’s writing is clear, and crisp, not overly descriptive, but just descriptive enough. Her ability to keep your attention and interest in so many characters is quite a feat, especially since the four couples are in a sense all main characters, with lesser characters thrown in… But even the lesser characters, the children, barmaid, mothers and fathers are fully developed and also quite interesting.

The writer is quite adept at creating suspense and there are a number of turns and twists in this book that are seriously unexpected but add so much to the story.

The one thing I would suggest to the author is the need to add more humor because even under the most intense situations humor plays a very important role.

In the end, this book seriously held my interest and I greatly enjoyed the writing, the plots, and especially the characters. I strongly recommend.

 

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

Erich Maria Remarque’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” is an unabridged, in-your-face, brutally gripping war story that shines brightly alongside Hemingway’s “Farewell to Arms” and Norman Mailer’s “The Naked and the Dead.”

I do not use the word “masterpiece” loosely when describing literary works, but I can say, without any reservation that “All Quiet on the Western Front” is a literary masterpiece. If “honesty” is the true ingredient, the one essential mix, that is the foundation for any piece of literature to be considered great, well, then Mr. Remarque’s novel about World War 1 meets and surpasses that test like very few novels have ever done.

Only a person who has lived through the nightmare of World War 1, could have written such an amazing and uncompromising novel about the horrors of that war. The enemy in this novel is WAR itself. Humanity, the earth with its streams and gardens, animals, and innocence are the real victims of war. Mr Remarque served during World War 1 and was wounded five times.

I decided to re-read this book, after nearly forty years, because I read a review by a young lady, Maureen”about the book in which she sums up her review with these beautiful words of poetry which she wrote in relation to this marvelous piece of literature. She wrote:

Bright red poppies in bloodied fields

Where death stalked its victims.

It cared not for age, creed, or nationality

What would they have achieved in life,

These young men, with so much yet to experience,

So many dreams to fulfil

If duty hadn’t called, and they hadn’t answered

When the sun set for one final time

It set on the lives they never lived

Maureen (a reviewer on Goodreads)