A Room with a View

A Room with a View by E. M. Forster is a classic. I picked up the book because I liked the movie version with Helen Bonham Carter and Maggie Smith. The book and movie are quite similar, though the book has a bit more depth.

In the story Lucy and her older chaperone, Charlotte, are traveling Europe. In Italy they were expecting a room with a view of the river Arno but are disappointed on arrival that they did not. After much discussion another hotel guest agrees to switch rooms with them. That hotel guest is a very handsome young man that is also a bit of a free spirit. Lucy forms an attachment to him and a romance ensues. As their journey continues to Rome, Lucy meets Cecil, a person who is more serious in life and a more likely life partner.

The story is an allegory, from what I've read. I guess I didn't think all that deeply about it. On the surface the story is a love triangle. It is also a story about a young woman coming into her own as an independent woman who knows her own mind. Regardless, I liked the story and the movie.

Book Rating: 5 stars

Pollyanna and Pollyanna Grows Up

I've read these two books by Eleanor H. Porter a couple of times. The first book has been adapted into a few film adaptations and a musical, also adapted to film. The most well known is the Disney version starring Hayley Mills, which is actually well done.

The story is a about orphaned Pollyanna. Pollyanna grew up in humble circumstances by her minister father and mother. Her parents were very involved in helping the poor, but also were poor themselves. Pollyanna's father taught her game in which she had to find something to be glad about, especially in disappointing situations. This game gave Pollyanna a perpetually positive point of view about everything.

Pollyanna is sent to live with her spinster Aunt, a wealthy woman who does not put up with any nonsense. Over time the people that Pollyanna meets gradually soften and find things to be glad about. That is until a tragic accident tests even Pollyanna's usually sunny outlook.

In the second book, Pollyanna is grown up. She is sent to Boston where she teaches a new cast of characters about her glad game. Pollyanna also falls in love. The story is sweet and not unexpected.

Book Rating: 5 stars, these two books are great reads for girls.

The books I select for review are books which I personally select from my local library. I do not receive any reimbursement from authors or publishers or free books. I do provide links to Amazon as a convenience to the readers of this blog. I do earn a small referral pittance which is not even enough to buy a soda.

Watership Down

I was surprised by this book. I have heard various things over the years and I wasn't sure if I really wanted to read it. This book is known as "the bunny book" by the local high school kids who are required to read it for English class. Since the kids have to read it, I decided I better too.

Watership Down by Richard Adams is a story about rabbits. Hazel, Bigwig, Fiver and a few others escape their warren, or group, to find a new place to live. They do this just in time to escape their warren being destroyed and killed by construction workers. Their journeyings take them to a hilltop location with plenty of space and food for all. Once settled, they are left with the problem of finding doe rabbits. The rabbits bravely face farmers and another warren run by a dictator rabbit called Woundwort.

I had heard this story was an environmentalist and political statement. I think those messages are there, but not in a bad way. Most things are viewed from the perspective of rabbits. How would a rabbit view his environment? women? farmers? government? The answers are not so straight forward for humans, but for rabbits it's rather simple and maybe surprising. For example, farmers are not the enemies of rabbits because they produce food the rabbits enjoy stealing. And yet the farmers do pose a danger to the rabbits because they may kill them.

Adams does a good job helping the reader learn the rabbit vocabulary and mind. You see the rabbits as true rabbits because that is mostly how they behave. The heroes in the story could be considered super-rabbits because they do some things that rabbits don't ordinarily do. Even so, those human like tendencies help the reader relate to the story.

Book Rating: 4 stars

Emma by Jane Austen

I loved, loved the newest BBC version of Emma. I admit I fell asleep watching it twice, but it was very late at night. The costumes and acting was top notch. A true Austen-fest. So I decided to read the book to catch up on the parts that I had missed.

I tried. I really tried to read Emma. But I found it boring and tedious. Maybe because I had seen the movie, and various incarnations of it, that I already knew the story. I admit I had a hard time following the relationships of the characters. After all, there are two Mr. Knightly's and Mr. Churchill is really a Weston. At least I think Mr. Churchill is really a Weston, that had been adopted. I guess I am still a little lost.

Anyway, the story is about Emma, a middle-class young woman, that attempts in her young naivete to meddle in matchmaking. She quickly learns that her meddling causes some broken hearts and delayed romances, including her own. As I said again, I loved the lavish BBC production. The book was tedious. The characters spend pages talking about someone's complexion and whether they should go out or not. There are some true literary gems within the text, but I had a hard time focusing and had to finally give it up. I know this is one of Austen's most popular stories, but I think I will stick with the screen versions.

Fahrenheit 451

I just re-read Fahrenheit 451 in light of the passage of the CPSIA. But it's more than that. Congress and Obama are churning out so many oppressive, big brother rules and laws that it makes Ray Bradbury look like a prophet.

I don't want to write a complete overview or review of this novel because it is used by many high school English Lit classes. I have seen one too many teenagers write their papers with the good old "copy and paste" method. Suffice to say Bradbury accurately describes Big Brother censoring and controlling the media and in turn daily life. The conflict Guy Montag faced between the desire for freedom and knowledge versus obeying the law is something we are all facing now.

As an example, the CPSIA takes too much control (crushing regulations) over businesses that want to obey the law. It's either obey the law or go out of business. There are so many federal regulations and laws now that it is nearly impossible to obey the law and still live a free life. You are probably breaking a law right now and not even know it.

Anyway, it may take someone like Guy Montag to break the chains and fight (or run) for freedom. This book should be on your bookshelf.

Book Rating: 5 Stars

Howard's End

I listened to Howard's End on audio clear back in October right before the CPSIA implosion and so I am trying to catch up with my book reviews.

I loved, loved, loved listening to this audio book. It is available for free from Project Gutenberg courtesy of Librivox because the book is in the public domain. The reader was extremely talented and did an excellent job. Well worth the download!

Howard's End by E. M. Forster was originally published in 1910. The novel exams the differences between three classes of society by intertwining the stories of three families. The lowest and middle class families want to better themselves and the highest class wants to maintain their position. The interplay between the three makes for an excellent examination of how individuals treat each other based merely on their social position and how one's choices can cause one to move up and down the social ladder.

Even though the book was published in the height of the Victorian Era, there is plenty of fodder for contemporary readers. The novel is more modern than I expected in its themes - adultery, social injustice, murder, feminism, etc. Even so there is no gratuitous descriptions of those things, which is a relief compared to modern novels.

This book deserves a 5 star rating, IMO. (Link to free audiobook above).

The Lost World

There is more than one book with this title. In this case I read the original Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle, the same author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. The story follows four adventurers who travel to a hidden and protected world. This world is populated by dinosaurs, pterodactyls, ape men, Indians, and other strange plant life. The leader of the expedition is Professor Challenger, a man of stature in the academic world out to prove that this world really does exist. The story is told from the point of view of a young reporter out to seek adventure to win the heart of his girl.

The story is a fun and fast read. Even though it was published in 1916, it still has relevance today. It is unlikely that such a world truly exists, but there is much about the earth left to discover. There is a lot of life-threatening encounters, amazing descriptions, and high adventure. In some ways this is a modern novel because of the pace and adventure - something truly unique for the time.

This book would be a great read for teenagers - especially ones with an interest in dinosaurs and adventure.

Book Rating: 5 stars

Arrowsmith and Disputed Passage

I don't know why I picked up these two books in succession. I listened to Arrowsmith, by Sinclair Lewis, on audio and read Disputed Passage, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Both books are fictional stories about doctors - each with a slightly different point of view. I am reviewing both because of their similarities.

Arrowsmith came first. It is considered a classic now, but back in the day I could see how it would have been shocking. Lewis portrays doctors as rather ordinary people out to make a buck. The public has a certain belief that doctors have received a certain calling to their work and a close relationship to the divine. Perhaps that is true of some doctors, but maybe not for the rest. Lewis attempted to shatter this myth with his story, co-written with the aid of an actual physician.

Dr. Arrowsmith is a conflicted doctor. He is drawn to the science of medicine preferring to spend time in his laboratory than with actual patients. And yet, he attempts to satisfy the demands and meet the needs of patients as a general practitioner. He must deal with local politics, patient psychology, bill collection, etc. His personal life was revealing. He liked to drink, swear, smoke, and even was tempted into adultery. In 1925, the public was not ready for such revelations about their doctors.

The book is full of description and dialog that reflects the time it was published. Some of the medical terminology and descriptions is very dated. Still, the essential story of a doctor torn between science and patient care, real life and a physician's facade is timeless. The story is very long and it is easily discernible when Lewis defers to his physician consultant during his medical descriptives. Some sections are choppy for this very reason. Still, it is an interesting book.

Disputed Passage by Lloyd C. Douglas must have been influenced by Arrowsmith. It was published not much after Arrowsmith in 1938. In fact, Douglas even mentions one of his doctor character's reading Arrowsmith. There are many similarities between the characters in the two books which cannot be ignored. This may make an interesting literary thesis if an graduate student was in need of a paper topic.

Disputed Passage centers around the story of Dr. Beavin. I suppose the disputed passage refers to Dr. Beavins inner conflict between being a doctor and a scientist. There many other points of conflict for Dr. Beavin. Religion vs. science, love vs. science, having a life vs. science. This story has a happier ending than Arrowsmith, but it is a weighty journey. The author takes a lot of time to explain the characters internal thought processes and motivations, which I found tedious and boring. I finally had to skim/skip those sections.

Lloyd C. Douglas was an ordained minister and perhaps he felt the need to be philosophical in his writing. It worked well in his well known novel, The Robe. It didn't work as well with this one. Of the two, I think Arrowsmith had superior writing. Disputed Passage was more hopeful. Both stories were wearing - Arrowsmith was too long and Disputed Passage was slow.

Stories about doctors and medicine fascinate me. Not that I wish to pursue either profession, but I want to understand it better. Doctors are a mystery to me. Their training, thinking, decision making. I will probably pursue more reading on the subject. For now though, time for a break.

Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist, and Charles Dickens in particular, get a bad rap for being difficult reads. Surprisingly, Oliver Twist was a much easier read than I expected. I can't say the same for Dickens other stories since I haven't read them. Oliver Twist was published in 1838 and the language was not at all difficult. A modern teen would have no problem reading the story - that is if they don't get bored.

The story does bog down in a few places. It is interesting to see how Dickens is able to tie so many irrelevant chapters to the resolution. The story was originally published a chapter at a time, or so, in a magazine/newspaper. On the surface it would be difficult for an author to write a story in such a fashion. Today an author rewrites and edits many times before publishing. Dickens didn't have that luxury, but created the story as he went along. (from wikipedia).

Oliver Twist chronicles the story of an innocent, naive orphan who experiences much as he tries to find a safe and secure place. He naturally chooses good over evil despite his circumstances. Throw in some organized crime, class warfare, and Victorian ideals and you have an interesting story that is still relevant today. Today, some people would question Oliver's innocence and naivete. I just see him as a victim of circumstance and when given the opportunity he chooses good.

A classic worth reading. There have been many film adaptations. I have only seen the 1960s musical, so can't comment on any of the others. The story is darker than the musical, though I still get the Food song stuck in my head when I set out to make dinner.

Book Rating: 5 stars

Plato - Apology and Crito

I read Plato with the hopes of expanding my reading of the classics. It was not something I read in high school or college, and yet they are some of the most important of the classics. I was very confused during my reading of Apology on who these essays were about. At first I thought they were about Plato but later guessed they were about Socrates. After looking up related articles in Wikipedia I finally understood that these essays were about Socrates' last days, his trial, judgment, and imprisonment. The version of the essays I was reading did not have introductory material, commentary or background information. I knew Plato was a philosopher and that he was either a teacher or student of Socrates - I didn't know the possible relationship of the two. The reading was easier than I expected, especially after I knew the essays were written by Plato about his teacher Socrates. The ease of reading probably depends on the translation and supplementary information.

These essays are not something that can be read once and then forgotten. Perhaps I will try them again. This is one quote I gleaned from Apology:

A man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong - acting the part of a good man or a bad.