It's not often that I come across an author who summarizes my views on several trying quandaries in one teeny 230 page novel. It was, to me, life chanIt's not often that I come across an author who summarizes my views on several trying quandaries in one teeny 230 page novel. It was, to me, life changing. This is not a book you should approach without some sort of foreknowledge about the subject matter or about Coetzee himself. "A steely intellect" they say, and it is true. So steely that it can be trying at times. That is why some sort of mental preparation is required. It is written in almost an essay format, switching from internal points of view to external wherever Coetzee saw fit. Each chapter confronts one of the many innumerable issues that plague humanity: animal rights, the identity and functions of an author, evil (in the broad sense), divinity, and realism. I wish I could wax eloquent on these subjects but alas I would only detract from the beauty of what Coetzee has to say.
The truth of the matter is that writers are entertainers. It seems vain that the value of ones work should hinge on the yea or nay of another. Does it not matter more what your own opinion is? In the end beliefs prove inconsequential, faulty, and unreliable; they are not our only support system nor should they be our principle support system. Our heart, that is to say our conscience, should be the basis of our morality. This is at least the standpoint of Coetzee. A quote, perhaps, would clear this up: “Death to reason, death to talk! All that matters is doing the right thing, whether for the right reason or the wrong reason or for no reason at all.” Words to live by. ...more
[image] Well, well, well, Miss Undset has made it onto my 10-star list. She should be proud. She also won a Nobel Prize for her work, so there is that.[image] Well, well, well, Miss Undset has made it onto my 10-star list. She should be proud. She also won a Nobel Prize for her work, so there is that. Her Kristin Lavransdatter books are unquestionably works of massive scope on par with JRR Tolkien's Lord Of the Rings. A strange comparison, you say? Well I agree with you. The only thing that comes to mind immediately is the length of the two. But there is so much more. Where LOTR was preparation for battle with Sauron's forces, Kristin Lavransdatter was an intimate look into a Norwegian community. It's the attention to detail that struck me as similar. Tolkien and Undset both took such great care to imbue their work with eternal life. They captured that elusive something that can't be described, or rather could be described in many different ways. Undset obviously did massive research into 14th Century Norwegian customs before she put pen to paper. The community is not, like in so many other books, a static thing that serves as a canvas for the main character to travel across without resistance. In this sense the book displays Newtons Third Law. Each action Kristin makes is met with an equal and opposite reaction from her community. Such is reality. Sadly...
The great wisdom this book imparted on me is what made it unforgettable. It's so layered that it portrays almost all aspects of a woman's life during the 14th century.(I specify the era because many things have changed since then but I wish to stress that I noticed that the similarities between the times are more prominent than the differences) Talk about a woman's perspective! Every budding teenage boy wanting to understand the complexities of a woman's mind should read this. Never before did I realize how different men and women really are.
And the layers! How layered life actually is. Everything is like a circle within a circle within a circle with the inner most circle eventually becoming our intimate other. The second and third book are like a survival guide for the married couple. Erlend and Kristin are not always perfectly faithful - there are minor(well, you could call them major) mishaps between the two - but they never truly stop loving each other. They never stop caring for each other and their children, like most normal parents do. Now I can appreciate how remarkable my mom and pops really are, how truly magnificent women can be, and what it means to bring a life into this world. In fact, there is nothing that I didn't not not like about this book(double negatives included). There is magic, most who know me will attest to my love of all things magical. The prose are humble yet beautiful in there delivery. All in all the book was masterful. It taught me to appreciate life, not just my life but also the lives that are close to mine, more. And to quote Kurt Vonnegut 'If that isn't nice, I don't know what is.' ...more
Kurt Vonnegut is a national treasure. Period. It was my intention to expand upon my opinion of Kurt Vonnegut in this review but the above statement alKurt Vonnegut is a national treasure. Period. It was my intention to expand upon my opinion of Kurt Vonnegut in this review but the above statement alone seems sufficient. I love Kurt Vonnegut. Fuck Fox News. I hate Fox News because they hated Kurt Vonnegut. What did he do wrong? He spoke the truth. He spoke without flourish or innuendo, straightforwardly, about things that are taboo. Fox would rather lie to you and discredit an honest man after his death than risk you going out and reading his books. Well, I say, go out and get yourself an enormous, teetering tower of Kurt Vonnegut books. They'll pull the wool from your eyes. Education, ladies and gentleman, is the only key to a brighter future. Stop watching television, listening to the radio, and giving credence to major media sources. They'll lie to you till you don't know right from left. Instead, I urge you to expand your mind with the only thing us humble citizens still have at our disposal that remains untarnished: books, heaps and heaps of glooooooooooorious books. Good reading to you....more
I have been delaying this review for a while now. I wanted to do the Strugatsky's justice but I just haven't been able to come up with anything intellI have been delaying this review for a while now. I wanted to do the Strugatsky's justice but I just haven't been able to come up with anything intelligent or witty to relate to you in honor of their work. All I can say is read the book, you won't regret it.
The Story
It starts off very symbolically with some kids playing on a one way street; this mirrors evolution and history. All these things flow in one direction and travel along with their own unalterable velocities. Now lets suppose that evolution follows a linear course. Every planet capable of housing life develops similar lifeforms as our Earth with the primates ultimately adapting into primitive versions of the human race. We superior humans, who have attained the pinnacle of perfection, ship some of our own off to these developing planets to observe and indirectly help speed along the progress of the various indigenous peoples.
And so the story begins. Anton is covertly trying to further the medieval age humans with his fellow comrades. They quickly discover that evolution does not come as easily to a people who aren't ready for it. If fact the social evolution of these alien civilizations worked in the opposite direction than they had initially thought. The ignorance and prejudices of the day work against them while the effects of culture shock begin mounting. After several years spent in vain Anton begins seeing the people as little more than savages fit for being abandoned or destroyed. His mental condition gently starts to deteriorate as he spends time in a vastly different environment than he is accustomed to. He yearns for his home planet but must fulfill his responsibility to the people. It truly is hard to be a god, he realizes.
The Writing
One word. Seamless. The Strugatsky combo of Boris and Arkady is so dynamic and well-meshed that I had no idea when I made the transition from one writers work to then next. I have read many works written by dual authors and it has always been relatively simple to spot the parts where one author passed the pen to the other. Not so with Boris and Arkady! (Maybe it's solely a brother/sister thing) Another thing that I always find pleasing is the structure of the sentences in stories originally written in Russian. There was something distinct added to the story when long flowing sentences were used to depict the thoughts of the author. I find this to generally be the sign of talented Russians writers.
Final Summation: I promise you'll like this book. If you don't it's short so you won't hate me too much.
The primary premise of the book is that nearly all of the education system (govt. based, religious based, private) fail our children. These systems edThe primary premise of the book is that nearly all of the education system (govt. based, religious based, private) fail our children. These systems educate children to be good at techniques or skills, but do not educate them to know themselves.
Without knowledge of oneself, children will grow to be conflicted between the reality of their true nature, and the constrictions of conforming to civil society or religious doctrine.
An educational system that truly sought to benefit the children would be staffed by adults who were continually studying themselves, and striving to deepen their own awareness, not just conformists seeking the safety of job, income and leisure. Only when open-minded, self-aware adults teach with true love can children learn to know themselves, and so lead dignified, effective lives.
We are far from this vision, but it is worth it for each of us to walk along this path. ...more
Alright, so after some thought I'm finally ready to consolidate my thoughts on this novel.
This books follows the character Meursault and shows us his Alright, so after some thought I'm finally ready to consolidate my thoughts on this novel.
This books follows the character Meursault and shows us his perverse and somehow refreshing outlook on life. He is completely disinterested in things that social life revolves around like marriage, elevations of status, etc... in essence he is the ultimate nonchalant bum. His life is hollow but he is utterly unconcerned with this and goes on quietly existing in the most comfortable way possible. His is a nihilist outlook on life and he has lost the innate sense for humanity necessary for co-existence. This is to say he concerns himself with only primal pleasures and other worldly necessities; he not only ignores the people around him but is oblivious to their needs. The ending was the most powerful part of the book and while Meursault's frenzied thoughts reel inside his head he is finally revealed to be a person who not only doesn't cares for others but ceases to care for himself.
I left this book extremely impressed with Camus's commentary on nihilism. It appears that humanity still has its sense of meaning intact and can even appreciate a bleak portrait for its beauty....more
After having finished this book mere minutes ago I am left feeling enlightened. Herman Hesse's literary prowess and philosophical points resonate withAfter having finished this book mere minutes ago I am left feeling enlightened. Herman Hesse's literary prowess and philosophical points resonate within me. This book exudes worldly knowledge that, being of a younger age, I couldn't fully appreciate yet. Nonetheless, like all of us, I have been frustrated with life. I have suffered, felt hate, sought peace, and I too fear the end of this life. Hesse's work has served to quiet my soul and at the moment all I feel is quiet contentment, much like Siddhartha. This book just became one of my all time favorites....more
It certainly takes a powerful kind of magic to propel me through a tome like Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell at the pace that I went. It had the cap It certainly takes a powerful kind of magic to propel me through a tome like Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell at the pace that I went. It had the captivating air of a refreshing new world full of fun insights that kept me interested as I read it. I slowly burned away my free time after school and work with my nose buried in this book. Generally I appreciate the quick and dirty reads that start fast and end fast with lots of nonsensical fluff to keep my brain preoccupied, but Susanna Clarke proved an entirely different breed of writer than the ones I'm accustomed to. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell had a slow beginning but immediately upon opening the book I was amazed at the language Clarke employed to tell her story. She is a master of the English language. I genuinely believe my IQ went up after reading this book!
In all seriousness I had very little time on my hands to tackle a book of this caliber; yet I found myself staying up into ungodly hours slowly savoring Susanna's mastery over words, losing myself in her storytelling, and discovering myself laying asleep in several of my favorite reading haunts; all the while cradling this book to my chest. Though the book's story doesn't completely fit into my favorite genre of literature I enjoyed it immensely nonetheless and finished it in record time. Now every time I walk by my bookcase after a long days toil I gaze upon it fondly, flipping through the pages to relive the story that I so cherished. ...more
WARNING If you are reading this then this warning is for you. Every word you read of this useless fine print is another second off your life. Don't youWARNING If you are reading this then this warning is for you. Every word you read of this useless fine print is another second off your life. Don't you have other things to do? Is your life so empty that you honestly can't think of a better way to spend these moments? Or are you so impressed with authority that you give respect and credence to all who claim it? Do you read everything you're supposed to read? Do you think everything you're supposed to think? Buy what you're told you should want? Get out of your apartment. Meet a member of the opposite sex. Stop the excessive shopping and masturbation. Quit your job. Start a fight. Prove you're alive. If you don't claim your humanity you will become a statistic. You have been warned....more
This is one of my favorite fantasy trilogy's of all time. These books are in the small category that have ever utilized something as simple as footnotThis is one of my favorite fantasy trilogy's of all time. These books are in the small category that have ever utilized something as simple as footnotes to add so some much more depth and personality to the story. This epic tale is about an ambitious boy magician named Nathaniel and Bartimaeus, his wise mouth demon. Stroud's depiction of London, and its more sinister and secretive underside are perfect; while reading it you can clearly see the plot unfold in your minds eye. The connections you will develop with the character's are astonishing;(I almost cried man!) and I found myself actually being emotionally invested in these books.
In summary I highly suggest these books to anyone who loves fantasy and a darker kind of humor. Hell! I'd even recommend The Bartimeaus Trilogy to people who don't like fantasy or humor. These book are THAT good....more
This book is my favorite. Read it if you like adventure, searches for treasure, dwarves, elves, spiders, and dragons! The riddles with Smeagol and theThis book is my favorite. Read it if you like adventure, searches for treasure, dwarves, elves, spiders, and dragons! The riddles with Smeagol and the way the dragon was portrayed made this book one of the best for me. The riddles were fiendishly clever and I still can't believe Tolkien came up with those on his own. The dragon Smaug was so powerfully delineated and so intelligent it was incredible. Truly a force of nature. Read it and when you're done read it again! ...more
The Chronicles of Narnia is one of those series you can read over and over again and always get something more out of it. The story changes as you matThe Chronicles of Narnia is one of those series you can read over and over again and always get something more out of it. The story changes as you mature and as a child I remember reading it and enjoying it merely because of the beautiful imagery. Now as a young adult I realize it's about more than that. Lewis's journey into Narnia is a journey into himself, a spiritual journey. The books are so well written that they are timeless classics with great character development, plot line, world building, and deeper meanings that can appeal to people of all ages. This Series is definitely reread worthy. ...more
It's Harry Potter. What more needs to be said? For pure, unadulterated escapism there's nothing better.It's Harry Potter. What more needs to be said? For pure, unadulterated escapism there's nothing better....more
This has got to be one of the darkest books I have every read. It's scary and disturbing but don't let that dissuade you from reading it. Dostoyevsky This has got to be one of the darkest books I have every read. It's scary and disturbing but don't let that dissuade you from reading it. Dostoyevsky is one of those authors who flawlessly captures the characters thoughts and mental state on paper. Dostoyevsky easily ranks among the titan's of Russian literature for the simple way the suspense is allowed to build up and how Raskolnikov changes throughout the story. Raskolnikov's moral state is akin to ethical nihilism; the effect of his over-reasoning the situation. Moral's hold no ground when put up against soulless reason and so he commits crimes he knows are wrong but cannot understand why. This is not a light read but I would recommend it to anyone over fifteen years of age who is mature enough to handle some pretty graphic content....more