William Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury" tells the story of the Compsons - a family that once held power, money, and influence in Jefferson, MissisWilliam Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury" tells the story of the Compsons - a family that once held power, money, and influence in Jefferson, Mississippi. The Compsons have fallen on hard times. One son was born mentally handicapped; another suffered from depression and committed suicide; a third son grew up to be a cynical, greedy, dishonest racist and the family has disowned their promiscuous daughter after the birth of her illegitimate child. An alcoholic father and a hypochondriac mother complete the picture of a family in despair. From southern aristocracy, the Compsons have deteriorated in wealth, social position, and morality.
The book tells the story of the family's fall from grace, but it does so in such a roundabout way that the reader is forced to work hard to understand their fate.
I almost did not finish this novel. There are four chapters and I had to read the first two at least twice before it made any sense to me. The narrative jumps rapidly between time periods - often with no warning other than a change in font, and often with no indication of which time is addressed. It is made more difficult by the fact it is narrated by the childlike Benji. Much of the book is written in first person and the stream of consciousness style makes for challenging reading.
Eventually, a story emerges. Faulkner tells the same events from different points of view and we get a vision of characters as they see themselves and as others see them.
If one can get past the obtuse first half of this novel, this is a satisfyingly dark story of people dealing with loss.
When the parents of Miles and Flora died, their uncle did not wish to raise them, so he hired a governess. The governess arrives at rural Bly Manor toWhen the parents of Miles and Flora died, their uncle did not wish to raise them, so he hired a governess. The governess arrives at rural Bly Manor to find two sweet children - one of whom has been recently expelled from boarding school. She also begins to see spectral characters wandering the estate. The specters appear to be the ghosts of Miss Jessel - the previous governess - and Peter Quint - another employee of the uncle. In life, Jessel and Quint had a close relationship with the children and this relationship seems to continue after their deaths.
Henry James's "The Turn of the Screw" is a gothic ghost story, told in a mostly straightforward narrative. The young woman arrives and experiences the haunting and tries to protect the children under her care, fearing that they were corrupted by the ghostly couple before and after their deaths. The story is told in the first person with the unnamed governess acting as narrator, so we never know for sure if the ghosts exist outside of her own mind.
The American James does a good job in creating an English story and we get a feel for the gothic atmosphere and the British dialogue.
The author's biggest problem is that he frequently uses ten words to express a thought when five would easily do. As a result, his writing comes across as pretentious. It was difficult for me to get past this and enjoy the story.
In March 1965, Alabama police attacked a group of peaceful protestors as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. John Lewis was amongIn March 1965, Alabama police attacked a group of peaceful protestors as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. John Lewis was among those participating in the Martin Luther King-led march protesting the state's racist unfair voting laws. Lewis was beaten and left bruised and bloodied that day.
Lewis's 2017 book "Across That Bridge" tells the story of that march; but it tells much more.
Lewis, who passed away last year at the age of 80, served over three decades as a US Congressman and spent and spent much of that time fighting for the rights of underrepresented and marginalized people. His place in the American Civil Rights movement is well-known and he provides insights from his experiences and from lives of Mahatma Ghandi, Bobby Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, and others.
Lewis relates key moments in the history of Civil Rights and places them in perspective. From these events, he draws his lessons about the effectiveness of nonviolent protests and a blueprint for this country going forward.
This book is part history; part autobiography; and part inspirational message. He divides it into short on the topics of faith, patience, study, act, peace, love, and reconciliation.
Here sampling of what Lewis has to say here:
"Freedom is not a state; it is an act."
"Nothing can stop the power of a committed and determined people to make a difference in our society. Why? Because human beings are the most dynamic link to the divine on this planet."
"Every generation leaves behind a legacy. What that legacy will be is determined by the people of that generation. What legacy do you want to leave behind?"
While not a comprehensive study, they complement one another well enough to make reading it worthwhile....more
Frank Herbert's 1965 novel "Dune" remains a classic more than a half century after its release.
"Dune The Graphic Novel Book 1" shows how hard it is tFrank Herbert's 1965 novel "Dune" remains a classic more than a half century after its release.
"Dune The Graphic Novel Book 1" shows how hard it is to adapt this great novel visually. David Lynch failed miserably with his 1984 movie and the Syfy Channel had slight success with 2000 mini-series.
Herbert's son Brian Herbert teams with author Kevin J. Anderson to write the text for this adaptation and they do a good job. The pair have made their reputation with a series of respectable novels set in the Dune universe. They are assisted by artist Raul Allen and letterer Patricia Martin.
The graphic novel is good; The storytelling is faithful to the original; the art is attractive; the lettering is good (although I had an issue with some unnecessary low-contrast text on backgrounds), so overall I liked this graphic novel. The main issue comes with the lack of subtlety. While the elder Herbert infused his story with multiple layer and secreted hidden meanings within each line of dialogue, this story is much more straightforward. As such, it lacks the subtlety that made the original so great.
This graphic novel is good to read after finishing the "Dune" book. The novel can be intimidating, and it is easy to miss things the first time around. This comic helps to clarify them. But do yourself a favour and do not start with the graphic novel. You will miss the excitement of discovering the story layers as they are slowly unfolded within Frank Herbert's original prose....more
Liane Moriarty's 2014 novel "Big Little Lies" is about secrets in a small town. The story focuses on three friends in Pirriwee - a beach town north ofLiane Moriarty's 2014 novel "Big Little Lies" is about secrets in a small town. The story focuses on three friends in Pirriwee - a beach town north of Sydney, Australia.
Single mother Jane arrives in Pirriwee with her 5-year-old son Ziggy. At Ziggy's kindergarten, he is accused of choking one of his female classmates. Rumours about Ziggy continue throughout the school year and some of the Kindergarten parents pressure the school to remove the boy. The Parents take sides in this battle. Two mothers - Madeline and Celeste - befriend Jane and ally themselves with her.
At the novel's beginning, the reader learns that a murder will be committed. This murder is referenced throughout the story, but we must wait until the end to learn who is involved and why.
Moriarty slowly and masterfully peels away layers of her characters to reveal their flaws and the secrets they are hiding.
Madeline is jealous of the affection her daughter Abigail shows to her ex-husband and his new wife Bonnie. Abigail initiates a fundraising campaign that shocks her parents and stepparents.
Celeste is a beautiful woman with two beautiful twins. Her rich, handsome husband Perry is charming and generous; but he flies into a range every few months and beats his wife. Even her closest friends don't suspect the tragedy of her marriage.
And Jane is hiding a dark secret about Ziggy's father.
On one level, the book is a humorous tale of catty, desperate housewives in a suburban community. But Moriarty takes it far beyond that. It is a story of strong women trying to survive against real problems. It is filled with victim blaming, including self-blame by the victims themselves. It shines a light on spousal abuse, bullying, sexual assault, and gossip.
A few years ago, I sat in a cafe in Bergen on the west coast of Norway, sipping a coffee and enjoying a small pastry. It was sweet and satisfying by iA few years ago, I sat in a cafe in Bergen on the west coast of Norway, sipping a coffee and enjoying a small pastry. It was sweet and satisfying by itself; but I enjoyed it enough to order another; and then, another.
The stories within Neil Gaiman's "Norse Mythology" are like this. Each story is short and easily consumable (about 10-25 pages) and stands on its own; but together, they weave an epic of the gods of Scandinavia.
We hear the adventures of Odin, Thor, Loki, Balder, and the gods of Asgard, along with the giants, dwarves, creatures, and sentient rocks and plants that inhabit their universe. We hear of shape-shifting and battles, and treachery, and love. We learn about the families of the gods and their births and their deaths.
Gaiman has inserted pagan gods into his books in the past ("American Gods" and "Anansi Boys") and even written entire books around Thor, Loki, and Odin ("Odd and the Frost Giants"), but those books extended the legends of the deities, while this book pulls from the original source material - the oral stories recounting the adventures of these immortals, from the beginning of the world to Ragnarok - the final battle of the gods.
He does so with a voice that suggests these tales are told around a campfire at night.
Some of these stories were long familiar to me from the reading of my youth and some of them I had not heard. But all seemed fresh as told by Gaiman.
We have always known that Neil Gaiman knows how to tell a story. But with "Norse Mythology", he proves that he can tell someone else's story. ...more
In "Wayne's World 2", Mike Meyers as the title character says of Peter Frampton's "Frampton Comes Alive" album: "If you lived in the suburbs you were In "Wayne's World 2", Mike Meyers as the title character says of Peter Frampton's "Frampton Comes Alive" album: "If you lived in the suburbs you were issued it. It came in the mail with samples of Tide".
He is not far from the truth. I was 14 years old in 1976 when my sister won this album by calling into a radio station and we played the heck out of it. Peter Frampton was only 26 years old at the time and that record went on to become the biggest selling album of all time!
To say that Peter Frampton peaked at a young age is to understate the obvious. At 12, he was performing publicly; At 14, he was in a band managed by Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones; at 16, he was in a band that was getting radio airplay in his native England; at 18, he joined the seminal band Humble Pay; at 21, he began his solo career; and at 26 he recorded his iconic "Comes Alive" album. Along the way, he was invited to play guitar with many of the best rock artists of the day. And as a teenager, he befriended major stars like Wyman, David Bowie, and Pete Townsend.
Through this period, Peter managed to keep his focus and avoid the common pitfalls of sex, drugs, and alcohol that tempt so many rock stars. Until, that is, the extreme fame that came with "Frampton Comes Alive" and the pressure to maintain that pinnacle. It was during this time, that he developed a drug addiction and his career waned - both commercially and artistically.
Yet, Frampton recovered and - although he never matched the commercial success of his mid-20s - he was able to write and perform some excellent music in later years - including winning a Grammy for his 2006 "Fingerprints" album.
Later in his career, Frampton siezed the opportunity to focus on his guitar work and was able to work with many of the best musicians of his time. This continued until a degenerative muscle disorder forced him to announce his final tour and retirement.
Peter Frampton's memoir "Do You Feel Like I Do?" recounts this meteoric rise, followed by a fall, followed by a recovery.
In between, he talks about his personal life and his relationships.
It does so in a relaxed and enjoyable way. The book's conversational tone makes it clear that Frampton was telling the story to writer Alan Light, rather than writing it himself. But it is light and enjoyable, and Peter comes across a sincere person that one would love to share a cup of tea with. Or a concert. Which I did when I took my 24-year-old son to see him on his final tour 2 years ago. ...more
Each of the novels in Madeleine L'Engle's "Time Quintet" contains allusions to religion, often including angelic and demonic beings that battle in a sEach of the novels in Madeleine L'Engle's "Time Quintet" contains allusions to religion, often including angelic and demonic beings that battle in a struggle of good versus evil; but, "Many Waters" - her fourth book in this series (third chronologically) - takes it a step farther. Here, L'Engle explicitly introduces angels and fallen angels and even the Old Testament prophet Noah and his family.
Throughout the series, Dennys and Sandy have been the forgotten siblings of the remarkable Murry family. These twins mostly stood in the background while older sister Meg and Charles Wallace went on adventures to save the universe.
But, in "Many Waters", the twins take the stage. After playing with one of their father's laboratory experiments, they find themselves thrust backward in time to encounter Noah and his family prior to the Great Flood. The boys find themselves in the middle of a struggle between Noah's family and others. Angels, fallen angels, and magical creatures play a part in the battle. The story is complicated when Noah receives instructions from God to begin building his ark in preparation for the coming flood.
It was fun to see some minor characters emphasized; and it was fun to read an adventure story with familiar characters. Madeleine L'Engle has made me care about the Murry family.
The galactic Emperor had a hidden agenda when he ordered House Atreides to move to the Arrakis, replacing House Harkonnen as the planet's ruling familThe galactic Emperor had a hidden agenda when he ordered House Atreides to move to the Arrakis, replacing House Harkonnen as the planet's ruling family. Arrakis is a desolate wasteland covered almost entirely in desert, earning it the nickname "Dune"; but Arrakis is the only source of the spice melange - the most valuable substance in the universe. Duke Leto Atreides's teenage son Paul is beginning to manifest mystical powers that will aid him in the coming battles and betrayals and in his fight for survival on a hostile planet.
Frank Herbert's classic novel "Dune" is the most complex science fiction novel I have read. In addition to an adventure story and a coming-of-age novel, the book includes insights into politics, sociology, ecology, economics, religion, philosophy, and language. Nearly every dialogue is layered with multiple meanings and nearly every action is a potential betrayal.
Herbert does an amazing job building the world of Arrakis and its people.
Among the creations of the book are:
-Sand Worms - giant tubular creatures that live beneath the surface of the desert sand, as sea dragons might swim in the ocean, breaching the surface from time to time to wreak havoc on protection of the spice.
-The Bene Gesserit - a cultlike group with impressive mental powers, who strive to produce a superhuman via their secret breeding program.
-The Fremen - a mysterious nomadic race that live in the deserts of Dune and have a special relationship with the sand worms.
-Mentats - humans with the ability to think like computers
Although "Dune" is set centuries in the future, technology has not advanced at the rate one would expect. Advancements have been stunted by humanity's distrust of artificial intelligence and a war fought centuries earlier. Things like interplanetary travel have been made possible by the powers of the Bene Gesserit and the Mentats and the mind-expanding abilities of melange.
The local water scarcity, the global spice monopoly, and the struggle for control between powerful factions serve as a metaphor for similar constrained resources and conflicts on the Earth of today and the effect on global politics. The vast sand oceans and the Fremen people are not far removed from the 20th and 21st century Middle East.
Through it all is Paul - son of a Duke and gifted with great powers that lead others to perceive him as a Messiah. How he uses those powers defines him and defines the power structure of the galaxy.
This was my third reading of this novel, which I first discovered in my late 20s. After all these years, it still holds my interest. ...more
British author Anthony Powell spent most of his life creating the 12-volume series "A Dance to the Music of Time". The story is semi-autobiographical British author Anthony Powell spent most of his life creating the 12-volume series "A Dance to the Music of Time". The story is semi-autobiographical with narrator Nicholas Jenkins standing in for Powell. But the story is not about Jenkins/Powell. Although he shares 50 years of his life - from the early 1920s to the early 1970s - he reveals very little about himself: We never even learn the names of his children. Instead, the story focuses on the people in the narrator's life during these decades.
We meet many characters. Some exit Nick's life forever; some exit and return in a later book; and some die. The lives of the characters often intertwine - sometimes via implausible coincidences (Nick often runs into friends on the streets of the enormous city of London and in small villages in the UK). The story is told mostly in chronological order, with each book consisting of 3-4 set pieces that provide insight into the characters and the time. The narrative seldom ventures outside of England - even when the Nicholas and his friends serve in World War II.
The novels tell a story of English society during each era. Because most of the characters are upper middle class, the story focuses on the lesser aristocrats and bohemians. History happens off-stage, reflected in the lives of the people in the story. We hear of the world outside through gossip and conversations at a plethora of dinners and cocktail parties.
In this richly layered work, Powell addresses themes of marriage, relationships, divorce; of the connectedness between people and events; and of the varying philosophies that people use to make sense of the world. But mostly, it is about the changes that time brings to individuals and to relationships.
Reading this series can be a challenge. Hundreds of characters are introduced, and the reader cannot always tell immediately which will be significant later. The most interesting character is Kenneth Widmerpool - other the narrator, the only one to appear in every book. Widmerpool is arrogant, ambitious, and decidedly unlikeable, but rises quickly in business, the military, and politics. Widmerpool exists also to introduce his wife - the beautiful femme fatale Pamela. Like a venomous creature, Pamela lures men to her; then attempts to destroy them.
Powell includes a lot of dialogue, but it is good dialogue because Nick surrounds himself with Clever people.
Each book stands alone; but this is much better read as a complete series. Keeping track of the characters is a challenge, but it is more meaningful when a character appears after an absence of many years.
If you have the time to dedicate to reading the 3000 pages of this series, the rewards are great. ...more
"A Swiftly Tilting Planet" is the third book in Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quintet, which follows the adventures of the Murray family. Ten years have pa"A Swiftly Tilting Planet" is the third book in Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quintet, which follows the adventures of the Murray family. Ten years have passed since book 2's events and Meg is now married to Calvin and expecting their first child. Calvin's mother Branwen visits the Murray family for Thanksgiving, which is interrupted when the US president phones Meg's scientist father to inform him of an impending nuclear war threatened by the South American dictator "Mad Dog" Branzillo.
As in the previous two novels, the family seeks to avert the coming disaster and is assisted by an angelic figure - a winged unicorn named Gaudior in this story. But, while "A Wrinkle in Time" and "A Wind in the Door" dealt with time as a separate dimension, rather than a forward-only vector, this book introduces actual time travel. Meg's genius brother Charles Wallace and Gaudior travel back in time to discover the origins of Mad Dog and attempt to alter history and avert war.
This is a clever adventure story that kept me enthralled. It was nice to see Charles Wallace take a more active role, rather than being the child who must be rescued. Meg remains in the present but communicates telepathically with her brother across the centuries. The story spans hundreds of years, but is tied together by the familial relationship between the characters encountered by Gaudior and CW. The only weakness was the transparent name games that the author played, which were too easy for the reader to figure out, even though it took genius Charles Wallace more than half the book to get it.
The Founding Fathers of the United States hold a special place in my country's history. Centuries after they lived, people still speak with reverence The Founding Fathers of the United States hold a special place in my country's history. Centuries after they lived, people still speak with reverence of men like Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. Yet one man of this era stands above even these giants. George Washington cemented his place in history by leading the American army that defeated the British in the Revolution War; then, serving as the first President of the United States.
Ron Chernow's biography "Washington: A Life" details the General/President's rise and how handled the power he was given.
Washington was born into an upper-middle class family; but rose to become one of the landed gentry by a series of fortuitous events: his widowed mother married a wealthy farmer and George inherited the large estate at Mount Vernon by outliving all other possible heirs; then, George married wealthy widow Martha Custis.
When the American Revolution began, Washington led a poorly-equipped, ill-trained army to victory over one of the great powers in the world. He did so despite infighting among his officers and the young country's lawmakers.
After the war, Washington was the most popular man in America and the logical choice to serve as its first leader. He won the Presidency unanimously and served two terms despite his desire to return to his Virginia estate and manage the farms there.
In his first term, George Washington attempted to unite the factions of the young country - surrounding himself with people of varying opinions. His cabinet and advisors included Northerners and southerners; slaveholders and abolitionists; those who favored a centralized government and those suspicious of concentrated power. Fierce debates arose as to whether the US should align itself more closely with England or France - two countries at war with one another. By his second term, Washington had tired of the infighting among his advisors and those that criticized him publicly. Quarrels between Jefferson, Adams, Hamilton, and Madison left him weary and disillusioned, so he retained a more homogeneous cabinet for his final four years in office.
As with Chernow's earlier biography of Alexander Hamilton, "Washington: A Life" goes beyond the historical facts and gives the reader a taste for Washington's character and personality. Washington was arrogant, stoic, and aloof; he was not given to long speeches, but he was eloquent in his writing; he rejected the idea of a British-style monarchy for America and was hurt that some thought he had ambitions of becoming king; he desperately wanted to leave public life and return to managing Mount Vernon (during the War, he corresponded frequently with the managers of his estate); he was unwavering in his honesty and integrity; he was highly conscious of his public image; he enjoyed the luxuries that came with wealth; he had a difficult relationship with his overly-demanding mother.
In this book, we see a complex man, who held together a nation during arguably its most vulnerable time. Few people had the universal respect to pull off this miracle.
Washington had a strong sense of duty that drove him to server in public office, despite his cash flow problems, which could have been better addressed by staying home and managing his estate. Ultimately, he was the unifying force that the young republic needed. His actions strengthened the central government and the country and defined the office of presidency.
But Washington had his faults.
As a general, he was not a great strategist - he lost more battles than he won - but held together a ragtag, underfunded army for years until the British forces committed a blunder he could exploit.
The most controversial aspect of Washington's life is his status as a slave owner. : or note that he appeared to treat his slaves better than his peers (Washington forbade beatings and refused to separate families).
Arguably the most conflicted aspect Washington was his dealings with slavery and Chernow covers this topic considerably. Washington and his wife owned hundreds of slaves and made almost no public effort to promote abolition. Yet he spoke privately of his desire to end slavery and thought the practice would eventually die out on its own. He showed less cruelty to his slaves than most other Virginia farmers, establishing rules against physical beatings and separating families; but he sometimes broke these rules when he felt it was necessary. One can take into account that nearly every wealthy Virginia landowner owned slaves and one can note that he freed his slaves in his will. But he remained publicly silent on the political hot topic, despite being in a position of great influence. Washington's position on slavery evolved throughout his lifetime, but he seems to have never fully grasped the inhumanity and cruelty inherent in one human being owning another
These are the kinds of things that Chernow presents to the reader to show the humanity and complexity of or first President. He praises Washington's achievements, while stripping away his legendary status, showing him as a great, but flawed human, not a demi-god or saint
If you are looking for a comprehensive biography of one of the most influential men in American history - a book that covers his entire life, this one is for you. ...more
"A Swiftly Tilting Planet" is the third book in Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quintet, which follows the adventures of the Murray family. Ten years have pa"A Swiftly Tilting Planet" is the third book in Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quintet, which follows the adventures of the Murray family. Ten years have passed since book 2's events and Meg is now married to Calvin and expecting their first child. Calvin's mother Branwen visits the Murray family for Thanksgiving, which is interrupted when the US president phones Meg's scientist father to inform him of an impending nuclear war threatened by the South American dictator "Mad Dog" Branzillo.
As in the previous two novels, the family seeks to avert the coming disaster and is assisted by an angelic figure - a winged unicorn named Gaudior in this story. But, while "A Wrinkle in Time" and "A Wind in the Door" dealt with time as a separate dimension, rather than a forward-only vector, this book introduces actual time travel. Meg's genius brother Charles Wallace and Gaudior travel back in time to discover the origins of Mad Dog and attempt to alter history and avert war.
This is a clever adventure story that kept me enthralled. It was nice to see Charles Wallace take a more active role, rather than being the child who must be rescued. Meg remains in the present but communicates telepathically with her brother across the centuries. The story spans hundreds of years, but is tied together by the familial relationship between the characters encountered by Gaudior and CW. The only weakness was the transparent name games that the author played, which were too easy for the reader to figure out, even though it took genius Charles Wallace more than half the book to get it.
"A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle was one of my favourite books when I was a boy; and I enjoyed re-reading it a couple years ago. But I had no "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle was one of my favourite books when I was a boy; and I enjoyed re-reading it a couple years ago. But I had no idea that L'Engle wrote a sequel. In fact, she wrote a total of five books featuring this family, which are collectively known as the "Time Quintet".
"A Wind in the Door" is the second book in the series. Meg is in high school and her brother Charles Wallace - a child prodigy whose intelligence borders on superhuman capabilities - is bullied at school because he is so different from his small-town classmates.
Meg and Charles's mother is studying farandolae - theoretical components of the mitochondria of human cells that are too small to be seen by any microscope. Charles Wallace is losing his farandolae and Meg shrinks down to go inside Charles's body and battle the evil forces that are attacking him in an effort to destroy everything in the universe. Meg is accompanied by her high school principal and assisted by an alien creature. During their ordeal, the team discovers that the farandolae are sentient creatures and that their destruction is engineered by the evil Echthroi, who are determined to bring chaos to the universe.
As with "Wrinkle", this book features an angelic creature who aids the children and a malevolent force bent on destroying the universe. In this case, the angelic creature is a many-eyed, many-winged monstrosity that resembles a group of dragons and the demonic race is the Echthroi.
While lacking the scope of the series’ first novel, this book does an excellent job of relating cosmic turmoil with personal struggles. The potential destruction of everything is reflected in the battle to save Charles. L'Engle combines the excitement of fantasy and science fiction with the normalcy of family life and the power of love in both contexts. ...more
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