Review A Book

Yesterday, I completed One Hundred Years Of Solitude by Gabriel Garcìa Màrquez, and surely, to say it most simply, fell in love. I mainly decided to read this novel, having read Love In The Time Of Cholera by the same author; and, though One Hundred Years Of Solitude does not quite dominate the latter, I still found the tale amazing!
Based partially on the author's own life, the story tells of a small town struggling through generations with superstition and gypsy-like magic, and eventually leading to the revolutions that all nations endure - madness, war, domination of political groups, etc. Few authors, however, write with the passion that Gabriel Garcìa Màrquez writes in - saturated with emotion.
For anyone interested in the author, I would highly recommend both One Hundred Years Of Solitude and Love In The Time Of Cholera.
My rating: 10/10.

The day before yesterday, I completed Mind of my mind by Octavia E. Butler

The story revolves around Doro and Mary. Doro, who crossed time effortlessly slipping in and out of host bodies and pausing only to breed, hoping always to father an empire and with his daughter, Mary, the empire was born and Mary became the magnetic mistress of human destiny.

The novel is suspenseful and interesting but it's only draw back is that it is not written very well, I mean use of language is not very good but it contains a very good plot.

I like this book very much and it has gotten me into Science-Fiction. I am looking forward to read other works by Butler.

I just read Blindness by Jose Saramago. The punctuation in the book is sometimes confusing, the use of commas instead of periods, but that makes the book read fast. Also the story is good, a realistic view on what happens when a disease will struck a country. It's worked out in a way which is suprising, I didn't expect the things that were happening and on the other side, the things that happen are realisitic and you could wait for it. After all, it's a very good read, sometimes that good written that you can imagine what happens (the most disgusting parts).
Rating: 9/10

I completed Constant Friends by Angela Doherty last night. I believe that it is a very good read. It is mainly about love, hatred, war, abortion, Catholic believes in Ireland from 1940-1965 and poverty. In the start, it was quite an enjoyable read. In the middle, it seemed even more interesting but in the end, it got poignant, sick and complex mainly because of wars and killings but still I liked it quite a lot.

I will rate it 8/10. Everyone who is interested in Irish Literature should read it.

"Owen Noone And The Marauder" by Douglas Cowie wants to be a rock'n'roll novel, thinks it says something about the role of rock music in society, "Hope I die before I get old" and yada yada yada.

It's actually "Wayne's World - The Novel", except without the jokes, without the babes, and without anyone even as remotely rock'n'roll as Alice Cooper.

So clichéd I can't even hate it. 2/5.

I read Of Mice and Men last weend, and I thought it was a very good read. Quick and easy to read, as well as having a great story and a powerful message. The one criticism that I had, however, was that the majority of the characters, particularly Lennie and Curley, were far too 2-dimensional. Lennie is just an absolutely pure, innocent, simple being who has no flaws whatsoever: he is eternally well-meaning and simple and does not have the capability to be anything else other than well-meaning and simple. Even with the greatest heroes like Odysseus they still have that one flaw (Odysseus' flaw being the fact that he's a pompous, self-obsessed twat), so that we can believe that he is stronger and smarter than everyone else and all-around godlike because he still has that flaw that gives him a touch of humanity. Lennie, however, has nothing of that and as a result you don't really feel that he's a human at all, just some weird freak creature. Maybe you could argue that he's not so much a human as a symbol, but still...

(Spoilers)
And I wasn't really sure whether it was fair enough to sympathize with him in the end. He definitely didn't deserve to get killed, but really, he was a very dangerous person, well-meaning or not, and I certainly would not like to hang around him. I mean, he killed someone, for God's sake. And in the end it was better that George did it, mercifully and together with him at the last moment, than Curley, who would have probably lynched and tortured Lennie.

I just finished reading The Catcher in the Rye // Sharon Kay Penman: Dragon's Lair // Mark Twain: The Prince and the Pauper. I enjoyed reading all of them, most so The Catcher in the Rye. If you haven't read it, do so.

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel.

Many of you will be familiar with this book. I had heard of the title, and a fortnight ago, I saw it in a second-hand bookshop. I found that it hadn't been reviewed in this thread, and since I'm going to have an English exam in a couple of weeks featuring a "write a review"-assignment, I thought I'd give it a go! :)

The book begins with an Author's Note, wherein Martel tells us how he was inspired to write this story, and how he met and interviewed the protagonist, Piscine Patel. The Note is reminiscent of the preface of a 19th century novel that informs you about the curious circumstances under which the author came into possession of the 'manuscript', and assures you of the authenticity of the events and characters. Even though Martel's preface might be tongue-in-cheek, it adds an interesting additional layer to the narrative, and the art of storytelling is a key concern in this book.

The rest of the story -- comprising exactly 100 chapters on 400 pages -- is narrated from the point of view of Pi (and occasionaly interrupted by the voice of the author describing his meeting with Pi and his family). Pi is one of two sons of an Indian family; the father is a zookeeper in Pondecherry, a former French colony in the South of India. In the first part of the book, we learn about the two great passions of Pi: zoology and theology. As a young boy, Pi becomes fascinated with and devoted to Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. Unbeknownst to his spiritual guides and his family, Pi worships at the Christian church, the Mosque and the Hindu temple. Pi's musings on the three religions and zoology (and the combination of the two) are beautifully written in a settled, yet passionate voice, and deliver much food for thought. They also set the tone for the spiritual (and zoological) journey Pi is about to embark on.

In the second part of the story, we are told how Pi's father was forced to shut down the zoo, planning to travel to Canada and sell his animals. The family -- Pi is only a teenager -- travels on a Japanese cargo ship. Then, tragedy strikes: a storm sinks the boat. Nobody survives except Pi, who manages to pull himself unto a rescue boat. Soon, he realises he is not alone: to his horror, he discovers that underneath the tarpaulin lurks Richard Parker -- the zoo's Bengal tiger. Pi's journey on the sea lasts for more than 200 days. He tells us how he managed to survive and, most importantly, how he managed to stay alive in the face of the tiger. Pi does not kill it (he considers it, but the plan strikes him as too risky); instead, he decides to subdue the tiger, to mark his territory and assert his role as the dominant animal. The story thrives on many strange encounters: a school of flying fish and other sea creatures, a mysterious island, another ship, and the enduring struggle to keep Richard Parker under control. At last, the boat arrives safely on a beach; Richard Parker trots into the jungle, never to be seen again. The epilogue tells us about an interview between Pi and a Japanese insurance company inquiring into the circumstances of the disaster. Martel adds an interesting twist to Pi's account of the events, which I won't give away, of course -- suffice it to say that this book is full of choices (not the least of which are the choices of the reader) :)

The theme of the book is an intruigingly crafted, and seriously playful mixture of the spirit of animals, the spirit of faith and the spirit of literature and narrative. It is at once a good piece of sailor's yarn and an allegory; readers are immersed in and sympathise with Pi's fate, but might still detect a more sinister, and more profound outlook on his thoughts. There is an ambiguity in Martel's story which reminded me instantly of the most famous tiger-piece in English literature, "The Tyger" by William Blake:

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare sieze the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art.
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And watered heaven with their tears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

If The Life of Pi does not, as promised in the preface, "make you believe in God", at least it will make you believe in the power of storytelling! :)

Regards,

Raven.

Yesterday, I just finished reading Dubliners by James Joyce, a collection of numerous short stories, though I had to read them very slowly, unfortunately, keeping quite busy with final exams in school.
Despite the challenge of reading a lot of Irish slang, I still found some of the short stories slightly difficult to read without placing a lot of thought and meditation into his writing; James Joyce, of all writers, seems very psychological, always deep in thought, and whimsical. Of the short stories, I would probably consider A Little Cloud, Grace, and A Painful Case.
My rating: 9/10.

'Redemption' by Wayne Sharrocks

'Redemption' is a no-holds-barred psychological thriller that captivates from the start.
This absorbing tale is a tasty confection of love lost, betrayal and vendettas. The author exhibits a unique blend of dark horror, sharp wit and flawless storytelling. It's truly a sublime read-an appealing mixure of dark psychology and sensual gothic prose.
Betrayal, intrigue and menace lie within every page to create an amazing tale. It's compulsively readable-a strikingly original work with dazzling scenes, vivid personalities
and a well crafted plot. With twists and turns galore this dark tale kept me hooked until the very last page.

This morning, I finished reading The Gift, a collection of poetry by Hafiz, translated by Daniel Ladinsky.
Feeling very reminiscent of Rumi, both categorizing as Sufi poets, I found much of Hafiz's poetry deeply philosophical, introspective, some humorous, and very reflective; needless to say, he also inspired me greatly with an immense writing binge to compose lots of poetry, while getting that creativity flowing. Some of his poetry seemed a little too religious for me at times, but I can certainly perceive his attempt at objectivity, especially while referring to God/Allah/Yahweh and co. as multiple alternative terms, such as Friend, Beloved, Generous Merchant, etc. Regardless, I could not but offer my highest reverence for his thoughtful, metaphysical poetry.

My rating: 9.5/10.

Hey mono. Tomorrow is Friday and time for a new poem of the week. Would you want to post a poem from the collection you just read for the week's discussion?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Virgil

Hey mono. Tomorrow is Friday and time for a new poem of the week. Would you want to post a poem from the collection you just read for the week's discussion?

---

Possibly, yes. I would have great difficulty choosing a favorite out of the collection of poetry, but will certainly attempt finding one.
Thanks for the offer, regardless. ;)

2004 by fs

So, one acting group of our school made a poetry programme on the book and won a special prize for the most sincere weltschmerz. We had the fortune of hearing the programme some time ago and so, we took the book of poetry from the library and started with it. It is in estonian and hasn't been translated to english, so we take the freedom of translating some lines.
Fs starts with quite a long and ironic vers libre about estonians and who they are. All of his poems are in vers libre and *gasp* without capital letters.
He wirtes about how passionate estonians are, like italians, but inwards. It doesn't show out. The poem ironically stresses on keeping ones feelings in and not opening up to the world.

Quote:

---

and therefore one must
make small windows to a house
what good is there anyway
in outside
and walls must be thick
slate is our wealth
heavy, faceless and grey
we are single-minded and laborious
if you still didn't understand
then i'll repeat
hard liquors and culture
they keep alive
otherwise we would freeze to death
or go insane
passionate as we are

---

The motto of the collection is an exerpt from "1984".
We don't know how it is exactly in english, but it is the part where O'Brien tells Winston how they have defeated and broken him and destroyed hisself-esteem and made him betray everything and asks if there is anything he hasn't betrayed.
Winston replies that he hasn't betrayed Julia and O'Brien agrees.

It fits exactly. The collection is heavy on painful irony and existential jokes, dealing on the darkness city life (death is carried with big cars/day is dim/stone is grey/electricity gives no love) and depression and of death and evil luring behind the door, of disgrace and vulgarity, of the painfulness and heavyness of seasons, but there is a lightbeam, a hope and remembrance of woman(s) he loved/loves (both physical and spiritual love) In the strongest and most powerful poem of the collection that culminates the whole book, he says finally out the only thing that matters despite all. The poem is called "And only one question remains" and i think that after mono, we would like to try to translate it and post it as the poem of the week.

10/10. Honestly.

Hello! I am writing an essay on Neil Ferguson's "Spinach". The problem is that I cannot find any critical essays on this particular short story. Can you help me with a useful link? Thank you!