kristin8881

It’s been a while since I posted commentary, and I’ve read a bunch in the interum, so I’ll try to be brief :-)

The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck (#10)
I thought that this book was really good. I can see why it’s #10 (which is a lot more than I can say for many books on this list!) I think that Ma Joad is one of my favorite literary characters!

1984, George Orwell (#13)
Ok, I didn’t think this was nearly as good as Animal Farm. Nor did I think it was as good as Darkness at Noon, which had some of the same main themes…as did Clockwork Orange, Brave New World, etc. The only thing that really intregued me in this book was the concept of betrayal between Julia and Winston, which was a really underdeveloped theme. I know that love wasn’t the central part of the book, but I feel that the betrayal was much more disturbing and moving and interesting and frightening, etc., than all the other themes. Yeah, ok, they’ll take away your freedom, doublethink, thought police, etc., but the idea that they – an external entity – could make you turn on someone you love in that way...that made me think. Again, too bad it wasn’t made a more prominent part of the book. But then again, if it had been made a more prominent part of the book, would it have been so powerful?

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers (#17)
I didn’t find this book really interesting. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t overly good.

Winesburg, Ohio, Sherwood Anderson (#24)
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz That’s all I have to say about that. Could someone please tell me what it is about this book that landed it on the top 100 of the 20th century? I just don’t get it.

Tropic of Cancer, Henry Miller (#50)
I don’t even know what to say about Tropic of Cancer. Again, I couldn’t really get into it.

The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett (#56)
I liked it. But then again, I loved the movie, which was exactly like the book.

Kim, Rudyard Kipling (#78)
For some reason, I had some difficulty with this book. I REALLY wanted to like it, but I just didn’t. Again, it was all right, but not great, IMO

I would LOVE to hear what everyone else’s opinions are on these books.

1. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald (#2)
2. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce (#3)
3. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov (#4)
4. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley (#5)
5. Darkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler (#8)
6. The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck (#10)
7. 1984, George Orwell (#13)
8. The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers (#17)
9. Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut (#18)
10. Native Son, Richard Wright (#20)
11. Appointment in Samarra, John O’Hara (#22)
12. Winesburg, Ohio, Sherwood Anderson (#24)
13. Tender Is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald (#28)
14. The Good Soldier, Ford Maddox Ford (#30)
15. Animal Farm, George Orwell (#31)
16. As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner (#35)
17. The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Thornton (#37)
18. Lord of the Flies, William Golding (#41)
19. Deliverance, James Dickey (#42)
20. The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway (#45)
21. Tropic of Cancer, Henry Miller (#50)
22. On The Road, Jack Kerouac (#55)
23. The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett (#56)
24. The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger (#64)
25. A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess (#65)
26. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad (#67)
27. A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway (#74)
28. Kim, Rudyard Kipling (#78)
29. The Postman Always Rings Twice, James M. Cain (#98)

Currently Reading:
The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner (#6)
Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie (#90)

Yet to be Read in 2006:
Catch-22, Joseph Heller (#7)
All the King’s Men, Robert Penn Warren (#36)

Favorites Thus Far:
The Great Gatsby
Lolita
On the Road
Lord of the Flies
Darkness at Noon

Least Favorites Thus Far:
Winesburg Ohio
The Bridge of San Luis Rey

I really enjoyed this book. I was a little worried, of course, because it’s known as quite as sensational book, and purportedly purposefully. I’ve had this book sitting on my shelf since high school (for those wondering, that was 7 years ago). I remember talking to my english teacher at the time about it, asking if she had read it. She told me that she didn’t read things that were written purely for the controversy they would cause. Whether that’s true or not about this book, I don’t know. I believe it was James Baldwin who wrote a damning piece about Wright’s novel, stating that he fed into stereotypes about black people that probably shouldn’t be perpetuated.

I have a tendency to read not so exciting books – not in the sense of “not good” but just not with a lot of action, so this book kept my attention, particuarly in the first half. I knew, however, starting out what Bigger Thomas was going to do, and the outcome of those actions is pretty predictable. But I often find that knowing the outcome of a story will make it more intreguing (and less annoying – I’m someone who hates surprises!) because rather than wondering what is going to happen, I’m wondering how. Anyhoo, I thought that it was good.

I particularly liked certain social commentaries that are added to the narrative: Mr. Dalton appears to be the wonderful philanthropist, giving money to black causes and hiring black labrorers, donating ping pong tables to boys clubs on the South Side of Chicago (where the novel takes place), etc. But what is the use of all that when we find that he is the owner of a major real estate company that not only refuses to rent apartments to blacks outside of the “designated area” so to speak, but he also charges ridiculous rents for the apartments in the south side which are basically rodent infested fire traps. Though Mr. Dalton and his wife are dedicated to having their “Negro” laborers get an education, they then do not hire them after they are educated. The second commentary that I enjoyed —wait, spoilers ahead – just warning you!—was at the inquest for Mary Dalton’s murder. They use Bessie’s body as evidence. Nobody cares that he killed Bessie (who was black), except for how they can use her body and death to show Bigger’s guilt in the murder of Mary (who was white). Sometimes, particular points or scenes from novels stay with you for a lifetime, and I feel that those will be two that will remain with me.

I thought the last part of the novel (“Fate”) was a little drawn out, but while that might bother me in other books, for some reason it didn’t bother me with this one. I suppose I felt that the speeches fit the narrative, and the action in the first two parts was balanced out by the lull in the end.

I did tear up a bit in the end when Bigger is sitting in his cell thinking about how he is going to die (this was before Max visited him). Even though Bigger really was despicable, it somehow made me a little sad. I was glad, though, that the story ended when Max left. I really didn’t want to read about Bigger being led to the electric chair (images of “The Green Mile” came to mind…along with how ill that movie made me).

All in all – good. I would say, A- :-)