So first of all, I was unaware beforehand that this was actually the rejected predecessor of To Kill a Mockingbird (I like to be as out of the loop asSo first of all, I was unaware beforehand that this was actually the rejected predecessor of To Kill a Mockingbird (I like to be as out of the loop as possible at all times, you see) but after learning that, the somewhat confounding book that is Go Set a Watchman makes a lot more sense. The characters feel like immature and much less developed versions of the ones we knew before despite them being 20 years older and it isn't nearly as well written as TKAM—it's less of a plotted novel than it is a clunky series of (really boring) reminiscences of Scout's childhood. The whole thing leads up to a fight between her and Atticus in which he asserts that the negroes are a backwards people and segregation is still necessary, lest the schools and public offices be overrun (hence the immaturity but maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part) and ends with her coming to terms with her disillusionment (although to be fair has idolizing your father ever turned out that well for anyone? I will admit though that it really is tough luck that one can't even get away with idolizing Atticus Finch) and realizing that only a few racists are actually ~bad people.
As a lot of other people have said, I'm not entirely convinced that this book should have ever been published. It's perhaps interesting to see the prototype of a beloved classic, and in all honesty you can easily get away with separating it from TKAM, not only as a completely different story, but also as having very different characters—it is a younger, less wise iteration and it doesn't seem to have been edited a whole lot, so it's fair to give Harper Lee some credit here and not let it ruin TKAM. That being said though, it's not a very good book. I didn't hate it but trees have been cut for nobler purposes.
But then again, the message of "Please don't idolize your dad, you're just gonna end up super bummed" is always a relevant one....more
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
I do believe that is quite possibly the best and most memorable opening line ever written. And t"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."
I do believe that is quite possibly the best and most memorable opening line ever written. And that Sydney Carton is undoubtedly one of the best literary characters I've ever read. And that Charles Dickens was certainly one of the best writers ever to be published. His ability to paint one thought in more than one colour. His empathy with the more abused members of the human race and his mockery of society. His sarcastic wit. He is, quite simply, timeless.
This book is brilliant, though at times tediously slow and difficult, with enough digression and use of metaphors to make you nod off, and complex trains of thought that are sometimes a bit tricky to hang on to. Even so, brilliant.
"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."...more
You really can't blame this book for neither surpassing or even equaling Code Name Verity. You just can't. CNV is one of those unrealistic standards, You really can't blame this book for neither surpassing or even equaling Code Name Verity. You just can't. CNV is one of those unrealistic standards, and if Unrealistic Standard's little sister can't quite measure up, we still applaud her valiant effort and tell her she's done a good job. Especially in this case, when little sister is really quite splendid. It's not her fault that her big sister is a modern literary masterpiece....more
"It's like being in love, discovering your best friend."
This book somehow managed to break my heart, and then make me want to go back to the beginning"It's like being in love, discovering your best friend."
This book somehow managed to break my heart, and then make me want to go back to the beginning and read it again and nothing else for a long while. Generally, if a book destroys me like that, I'll not want to be immediately destroyed again—I don't particularly like being made to sob like a child.
I'm almost sorry that I went through it as fast as I did. I should have taken more time to make sure I took in every word and soul-shattering moment, every bit of Maddie and Julie's story and friendship and courage... I love them so much.
But from the opening line, "I AM A COWARD", I was glued to the pages, even though I was intensely dreading the end, because how could it be anything other than crushingly sad?
The beautiful, sincere writing, and those two beautiful, brilliant characters—Maddie, the girl from Northern England who sells bikes to Jews and loves to fly, and Julie, the Scottish (remember that—she doesn't take kindly to you forgetting) aristocrat who make jokes and tells the truth—caught hold of me and wouldn't let go. It's all vivid enough to see and feel and hear and plausible enough to believe it's real.
It stays with you. It's been several days since I've finished it and it's still as fresh in my brain as if it was just last night when I turned the last page and wiped the tears off my face. So many fantastic books flit away right after you're done. This one stays put.
Code Name Verity is utterly brilliant and so very beautiful. The characters are amazing. It makes you laugh. And gasp. And sob. It shatters you like a glass ornament dropped on concrete, but it doesn't quite leave you desolate and empty. It's clever and it stays with you and makes you want to read it again. And again. It's quite unlike anything I've ever read.
Bravo, Elizabeth Wein.
"Kiss me, Hardy."
(Obligatory language warning: if you were being tortured by Nazis, your language might not be too pretty, either.)...more
jillian n.
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Books:
historical-fiction
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