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dely, old and wise through 2014
This is one of my favorite Hardy novels.
Tracey wrote: "This is one of my favorite Hardy novels."It's the only book I have read by him till now. Perhaps one day I will try also his other books.
45)
Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov 4,5/5Oblomov is a young, Russian nobleman but he is also the incarnation of idleness. He isn't able to care about his estate, he doesn't like life in society, he doesn't like action and it's because of this that he stays always at home sleeping most of his time.
From this few words it could seem a boring book but it isn't because Goncharov is able to explain in details the state of mind of Oblomov and his life and there are also some happenings and twists in his life. Some parts are also funny, others very philosopical, and as usual it is always a pleasure to read a Russian author and to see how deep they can go in human mind and behavior.
This book explains so good Oblomov's philosophy of life that the word Oblomovism is now part of the common usage.
Mod
Smitha wrote: "dely, am reading Anna Karenina. Halfway through :)"Are you liking it? I have never read Anna Karenina. I don't know why but I don't like books with female names in the title and I read them rarely. I should stop it with this prejudices.
@Smitha di.. are you liking the book? I really got tired half way through! you should have some patience I guess..:)
Mod
46)
Jenny by Sigrid Undset 4/5This is a very interesting book, above all for women. The author is able to look deep in a woman's soul, to see her struggles, her problems and her thoughts.
The book talks about Jenny, a nearly 30 years old Norwegian painter, which is an independent woman, strong, brilliant, talented and intelligent. She is also strong in her moral values and her purpose in life is to do always the right thing in order to don't have regrets or something to be ashamed of and the other purpose is to never hurt anyone. She's good-hearted, pure, always ready to help and support others but she is also a very lonely person and severe in judging herself. Tired of being alone, and realizing that her job can't be the only realization in her life, she tries to open herself to love in order to experience these emotions giving meaning to her live. What she wants is true love, a spiritual and intellectual affinity that should connect two people. Unfortunately things don't go as she had imagined and Jenny starts an intense and deep introspection to try to understand herself and what she wants.
This book has a slow and peaceful pace but it is of deep impact for the reader.
Mod
Psmith wrote: "I have already added it, dely. when I saw you reading, I checked out the book and found it intriguing."I'm sure you will like it. Also the main theme is still actual in my opinion seen that it deals with a woman that must find her way to find fulfillment in life.
47)
3/5English edition: Behind the Forbidden Door by Tiziano Terzani
First of all, I love Terzani's writing style, the content of his books and I usually agree with his opinions; his books are never a disappointment.
In this one he talks about China when he could go there in 1980, soon after Mao's death when China opened again the doors for strangers (though it wasn't easy).
Terzani loved China and he had studied Chinese to go there some day. He was a journalist but he never behaved like a tourist, he wanted to live in China like a Chinese but this wasn't possible for a stranger. However he preferred to send his children to a Chinese school and not the internationl school for foreigners. He lived there 4 years but what he saw was a delusion for him: Mao had destroyed Chinese culture, communism didn't work that good as they believed. After 4 years he had to leave China because he wrote things that weren't liked by the authorities and he tried always to enter in contact with Chinese people in order to know really how they live.
In this book Terzani talks about different topics (politics, economy, history, religion, controlled birth policy, kung fu) but he talks also about the different Chinese regions (Tibet, Canton, Xinjiang and others near the borders and the ethnic minorities who live there).
It was a very interesting read though it is an "old" book, written in 1984 so I'm sure many things are changed.
Mod
I think my son has it, he has a lot of fiction and non-fiction about China.
48)
1/5English edition: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
It was my firt book by Ishiguro and I think it will be also the last. I had read so many good reviews about this book so I was curious to read it but it was a disappointment.
I didn't like the writing style and how the author dealt with the main theme of this book; for me it was really boring. The book is a first person narration by Mr. Stevens, a faultless butler, who works in the house of a distinguished English gentleman. After a life dedicated only to his work he takes a week vacation and so he talks about his life and work. At the end he becomes aware of something important in his life.
49)
3/5English edition: So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ
This is a very short book, read on the beach, but it was interesting and well written. It is an epistolary novel, a long letter that Ramatoulaye, the main character, writes to her best friend Aissatou. The book is set in Senegal and deals with polygamy: Ramatoulaye is abandoned by her husband after roughly 30 years of marriage (and 12 children) because he marries a very young girl. Aissatou, on the contrary, decides to abandon her husband when he marries his second wife, done only to please his old mother.
In this letter we become aware of the female condition but not only this: also the culture, the tradition and the religion of a state where it is nearly impossible to a woman to emancipate because a lot of people are still too bound to old traditions though from the other side they want to progress and modernize.
The author deals with these themes in a peaceful way, without despairing or judging but hoping things can change.
50)
La catene di Gorée : dal Senegal all'America senza ritorno by Ndongo Diop and Giuseppe Cecconi 4/5There isn't an English translation; the title would be "The chains of Gorée, from Senegal to America with no return".
It is a very short book, only 70 pages, but it is however full of interesting notions. The book talks about the slave trade and racial discrimination. The author makes also a very interesting comparison with Nazism. The last pages are dedicated to "black music": jazz, blues and spiritual. It is also full of photos and images. I really like it, it was very touching though we already know about the inhumanity of slavery.
51)
La storia di Nelson Mandela 2/5It is a short book about the life of Nelson Mandela. Only two stars because it was too short and the book seemed only a long list with dates and names. There wasn't the human side of Nelson Mandela.
52)
3,5English edition: Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre
It wasn't an easy read but I like to read existentialist writers. This one is existentialism at its purest.
The book is written like a diary and the main character is Antoine Roquentin who writes down his thoughts related also to what happens in his life. He asks himself questions about existence, about the human being, about sense of living and so on. Some parts are a real delirium and I'm happy I could enter Roquentin's mind so it was easier to understand what he meant.
It was interesting but I'm sure I would have liked it much more when I was younger.
Mod
Mod
Someone else had highly recommended it. That person was an intellectual and I am not very comfortable with intellectual sort of books.:/
I don't think you may like. It's only philosophy, very difficult to enter the character's mind and it would be boring and difficult if you aren't fond of philosophy. It is about atheist existentialism so pretty depressing.
Mod
Psmith wrote: "Thanks a lot. I won't attempt it (at least for next few years)"If there is a way to read an excerpt you can have an idea of it. Amazon Italy gives this possibility to a lot of ebooks but I don't know if it is the same everywhere.
Mod
53)
3/5English edition: At the Sign of the Cat & Racket by Honoré de Balzac
This short story is part of "La Comédie Humaine" series and it deals with the family of a draper who has two daughters. The family lives in a small world made only by their business and the church and the parents are dreaming for their daughters the same life they had. But one daughter falls in love with an artist and though parents aren't happy they allow this wedding.
This way the reader knows about the life of the daughter that has chosen her husband and her sister that marries a man their parents decided (though she already loved him secretly).
It was a nice read and we have also a pretty good insight in the psychology of the characters. We see the difference between a love marriage and a marriage in which love comes after some years; the difference between a closed minded family and the intelligence of the artist, two completely different worlds and way of living.
54)
4/5English edition: Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev
Well, I like Russian literature so it is difficult that a Russian writer disappoints me.
In this book we have two friends, Bazarov and Arkadij: the first one is a nihilist and the second would like to be one too but he is too attached to some principles. It isn't only a book about nihilists and persons who believe in something because Turgenev, with all his characters, want's to show Russian society of his time: from one side the nobility close to decay and from the other side the new revolutionaries.
As usual there is a good insight in the thoughts and feelings of the characters and also a good insight in that time of Russia.
55)
4/5English edition: The Good Life Elsewhere by Vladimir Lorchenkov
I have laughed from the start to the end though the theme isn't a happy one. The author has managed to talk about a serious issue like illegal immigration with humor, often a dark humor, grotesque characters and tragicomic situations.
The story is set in a little village of Moldova where the inhabitants want to go away from poverty and misery. Their dreamland is Italy, they are sure that they will have a good job, a lot of money and everything is beautiful, clean and people kind. They are willing to do everything to go to Italy as illegal immigrants: they sell all they have to pay fraudsters who promise a job and a residence permit, they sell also a kidney to have money, others want to reach Italy with a crusade or with a flying tractor. They are really dreamers because the Italy they dream about isn't the real one. Also, in the real world a lot of people die during the trip, others are found and expelled from Italy, others do "black work" it means they haven't an employment contract so they are exploited and underpaid, women and young girls are involved in exploitation of prostitution and so on. They don't find a happy life in Italy if they come as illegal immigrants. It is also sad to know that these people must pay a lot of money to fraudsters for something they won't find.
We know how the situation really is (and it is very sad) but the author was really good to talk about it with irony.
Mod
Psmith wrote: "Looks good, dely. I like it when sadness is masked by irony. It allays the depression and destitution to some extent."Sometimes I felt guilty laughing while reading the book because the situation is really tragic but however I couldn't stop laughing!
56)
5/5English edition: Walden by Henry David Thoreau
It was a very slow read but Thoreau's philosophy is something wonderful! I'm sure that we could have a better and fuller and richer life if we were able to live like he did for two years in the woods near the Walden lake.
The book talks about his experiment to live in the woods with only the things he could find in nature: he has build his little house with the wood of trees he has cut down; he ate only what he found in nature making by himself everthing, he cultivated beans and so on.
His message is that people could live much better if they would stop being slaves of materialism and social conditionings; people should start living a simple life only with the essential in order to find again values like simplicity, honesty, truth.
I like such a philosophy of life and I'm sure Thoreau is right. He had been influenced by Eastern philosophy, in fact he nominates often the Veda and the Bhagavad Gita. Tolstoj and Gandhi took a lot of inspiration from Thoreau for their non-violent lifes.
57)
4/5English edition: Mother Earth by Mario Pacchiarotti
I have won this book with the giveaways on GR.
In the book are 3 short stories and they were really good. I liked the writing style, the language is simple, essential and concise and also if the stories are very short, the author was able to make a good characterization of the characters and the reader is able to feel their feelings or fears.
All the three stories deal with a change in life: sometimes a change happens suddenly and it can be a positive change. Fate helps to decide for us if we aren't brave enough to take a decision or it makes us find a different path.
58)
4/5English edition: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Krakauer talks about the story of Chris McCandless who decided to go away from home living like a tramp because he wanted to live in the most simple and natural way. During his weeks in Alaska he gets sick and dies at only 24.
I liked how Krakauer talked about Chris' life and motivations that lead him to the decision to flee from his previous life. Krakauer doesn't judge and he tries to take everything in consideration so the reader can decide by his own. I also liked how Krakauer was able to follow Chris' life after he left home; he gathered the testimonies of who met Chris during his life as a tramp so we can know a little bit more about his personality.
At the beginning of the book I was curious to find out why Chris took such an extreme decision but at the end I was aware that we will never know all the truth because only he could have told it. So, at the end of the book, we still have a lot of questions but perhaps it isn't important to know all the details and to enter Chris' mind; it was however a thought provoking book.
Mod
Found the first 50 pages boring..
Psmith wrote: "dely, I did not like Into the wild at all :/Found the first 50 pages boring.."
It's a pity. Did you already know the story of Chris McCandless? I picked up the book because I was curious to find out the reasons that lead him to live like a tramp and to try the extreme adventure in Alaska. In my opinion the book is much better than the movie and we can understand better the personality of this guy though at the end we can't find answers but we are able to draw our own opinions.
Mod
Psmith wrote: "I didn't. I just picked it up because I liked the blurb. Perhaps I will reread it sometime in future."Perhaps seeing the movie can encourage you to read it. I liked more the book but I arrived to it thanks to the movie. Oh well, I don't think it is a must-read but it's interesting if you want to dig in the reasons that lead such young people to try such extreme adventures.
59)
La vita perfetta di William Sidis by Morten Brask 5/5Sorry, but the book hasn't been translated into English. It is a fictional work about the life of William Sidis a child prodigy born in 1898. The author has done a good work because though it is fiction, everything written in it is true (at least the most important events). William Sidis' parents were psychiatrists and they have tried with William a new learning experiment to develop all the existing potentials in children. William was a genius (though forgotten after his death) and he made a lot of important contributions to mathematics, geometry and a lot more. But growing he hadn't a good relation with his parents and he had enough of journalists and of fame; he wanted to conduce a normal life like any other.
It was very well written, the chapters jumped from childhood to adulthood and at the end they are always shorter. I was completely absorbed by it because I wanted to know what happened in the past but also what was happening when he was grown. Really an enthralling and interesting read and also thought provoking.
I have looked for William Sidis also on the internet after finished the book and it seems that the author has really added his true life; the only thing I couldn't understand if was right if he really had such a sad life or if the author has exaggerated a little bit. Sidis had no friends, only one, was shy and had a lot of problems to socialize. I couldn't find anything about this on the internet.
Psmith wrote: "I never knew of him."Me neither. Some weeks ago it was a daily deal by amazon; I liked the plot and bought it. It was really worth!
60)
5/5English edition: Job by Joseph Roth.
The book talks about a Jewish family living in Russia. The father, Mendel, is a strong believer and he is sure that suffering must be accepted and God would have rewarded who suffered a lot. He endured everything with his faith. He had two sons and a daughter and the fourth son borns with an illness and from this moment he thinks to have been punished by God for something. They decide to go to the USA and things go always worse. Of course I won't spoil the end!
I loved this book, it has a wonderful language, everything was so vivid: the characters, their home, their emotions, the landscape...The characters are real and human. We could say it is a retelling of the parable of Job. I was involved from the first page till the end. Of course the leitmotif is faith and religion and in my opinion a lot of people can relate to the doubts and feelings of the characters.
61)
1/5English edition: Diary of a Mad Old Man by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki.
The book is a diary of an old and sick man that falls in love with his daughter-in-law. To tell the truth it isn't love but he is excited by her and has always erotic and fetishists desires for her. She sometimes agrees to this toughts and allows her father-in-law to touch or kiss but for money.
There was no psychological in depth of the characters and so if the author wanted to talk about an old man and his last erotic desires, he didn't succeed; if he wanted to talk about the madness of this old man, he didn't succeed; if he wanted to write an erotica, he didn't succeed.
Both the characters seem vulgar and rude, there are no erotic elements (just a couple) and, above all, no psychological insight that could have "saved" the disgusting desires of the old man.
Mod
PSmith wrote: "Yucky read? I never shall add it, then."No, not that much. I have read also Marquis de Sade and liked it.
More than yucky I would say it hasn't a deep psychological insight. It would have been interesting to see why such an old man and next to die starts to dream a sexual affair with his daughter-in-law.
Mod
An idle mind being the devil's workshop and all that :P
PSmith wrote: "Perhaps he's got too much free time.An idle mind being the devil's workshop and all that :P"
Lol, perhaps! :D
62)
1/5English edition: Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
It was a torture to finish this book but I held on because I was reading it as a readalong with other members but also because by the same author I had read Jenny and liked it though the start was a little bit slow.
My edition of Kristin Lavransdatter has the whole trilogy and the story deals with Kristin's life from childhood to death and it is set in medieval Norway.
Kristin is the most hateful character I've ever met; she wants to behave like a devout person, chaste and pious but she is proud, arrogant and self-centered.
The characters' behavior suddenly change and the reader doesn't know what happened in their mind and why they acted that way; they seem contradictory and hysterical. I don't know if it's the translator's fault or if the author isn't able to see deep in a person's behavior and talk about it. I hadn't a good translation and sometimes it seemed to me that some pieces were missing in the story; but also this, I don't know if it's fault of the translator or if it's the author who doesn't have the skill to deepen some psychological aspects of the characters.
I didn't like the Christian religious theme of this book and it is the main theme. I usually like books with religious or spiritual theme but this one seems to be a Catholic propaganda. Not being Catholic I was struggling to keep up with Kristin that every five pages is convinced that she has sinned and runs to the priest for confession thinking to solve her problems born from her personality. In Kristin's behavior I saw all the hypocrisy of many believers that instead of changing the negative aspects of their personality making an introspection, they continue to make mistakes and then expect to find a solution, solace and peace with the confession. This is just an example but there are many other Christian themes that irritated me. At the beginning I had the impression that Kristin was a strong and brave woman but as I went on reading I realized that she was selfish and stubborn.
There were many other things I didn't like:
- in the book we haven't dates but everything happens following the days of the Saints. Everytime I had to look on the internet to know when something was happening otherwise it was confusing.
- I had a hard time with Norwegian names mostly because each character was listed as "son of XYZ" so we have Lavrans son of Borgulf but also Lavrans son of Erlend; there was also a Borgulf son of Erlend and an Erlend son of Nicholas. Every now and then there was a typo so Borgulf became suddenly Biorgulfn and I didn't know if it was a new character or a mistake of the publisher. Perhaps I had this problem of the names because of the Italian translation, I don't know how they are written in English but in Italian it was really annoying and confusing.
- there are no notes. These would have been much appreciated in order to understand even better the historical references of medieval Norway. There were a couple of kings, a queen who had children from a second marriage and cospiracies but everything was written assuming that the reader knew perfectly the historical characters and events.
- some of the prayers are written in Latin and there is no translation; I studied Latin more than twenty years ago and unfortunately I don't remember it well enough to understand whole sentences. Also in this case the notes would have been useful.
- every time an interesting part began, such as a psychological introspection, this is cut short and was not deepened; other parts were lengthy and filled with unnecessary and boring details.
The only things I liked were the descriptions of the landscapes and of the customs of Norway during the Middle Ages; unfortunately these descriptions are lost among the many other things I didn't like.
Indian Readers
Books mentioned in this topic
Job (other topics)Il sangue di san Gennaro (other topics)
Walden or, Life in the Woods (other topics)
The Life Before Us (other topics)
Kristin Lavransdatter (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Romain Gary (other topics)Joseph Roth (other topics)
Henry David Thoreau (other topics)
Ágota Kristóf (other topics)
Sándor Márai (other topics)
More...
English edition: Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
I didn't know if rating it with 3 or 4 stars but seen that I give a lot of importance to the emotions I feel reading a book, I gave it 3 stars because I wasn't emotionally involved and I couldn't relate to any of the characters.
In my opinion the characters were only symbols of the many themes Hardy dealt with and so they lost, in my opinion, a little bit of credibility and were less human.
The book talks about Tess, a young paesant woman, who must deal with a sad fate. She is good, kind, full of life but also unlucky; but her misfortune was due also because of the believes of that time and so she had to face a hard life because of that mentality.
There are a lot of themes in this book: uselessness of religion, adverse fate, social conventions, difficulty of living, the world of peasant...
Her first obstacle were her parents: ignorant paesants; the second one Alec d'Urbervilles: a slimy and selfish character of the new bourgeoisie; the third one Angel Clare: a character who said to be open minded but was still bound to social and religious conventions. Also Nature is a character of this book: sometimes gentle but also very hard.