Be With You by Takuji Ichikawa
I haven`t written a real review yet since I`m busy and stressed out (when I have time I’ll write one!). I loved this book! (4/5) Just as other reviewers say, it is very sentimental…but I love it that way…and it made me cry. D:
It`s nice to read something without violence or evil, as the author describes it…it may not make the reader think about big pictures/issues, but it reminds the reader to appreciate simple pleasures and the beauty of being able to love others. And that`s important, too.
Oct 22, 09:43PM PDT | 0 comments
The Old Man and the Sea
Author: Ernest Hemingway
Review: October 01, 2009
Edition: 1995 printing (0-684-80122-1)
Pages: 127
Overall Rating: 4/5 [Good]
Synopsis: An old fisherman having gone an unlucky amount of time without catching anything decides to pursue a fortune; thus he goes out to sea, further than any of the other fisherman, to make his greatest catch.
Strengths: Consistent writing, thoughtful.
Weaknesses: N/A.
Further Review: I’ve always loved the flavor of this story; it’s different from many of the other classics introduced in high school English, which made it stick out for me when I was younger. It’s a very introverted novel rather than a story of society, and this makes the experience valuable to me, personally. The prose is accessible; it’s very clean and very precise, but somehow still pretty with a comfortable rhythm, and despite the use of ordinary words there is something poignant in the presentation. Even though it’s been six or seven years since I last read this book, I very vividly remember the old man Santiago’s dreams of the African coast and the lions. Although there are more intensely or more beautifully written scenes, these few paragraphs have stayed with me for quite a long time (although I cannot pinpoint why!). Perhaps it’s just that he remembers the coast so clearly himself, or perhaps while I could never understand any symbolic meaning behind Africa (perhaps there is nothing more to it than a sentimental attachment?).
He was asleep in a short time and he dreamed of Africa when he was a boy and the long golden beaches and the white beaches, so white they hurt your eyes, and the high capes and the great brown mountains. He lived along that coast now every night and in his dreams he heard the surf roar and saw the native boats come riding through. He smelled the tar and oakum of the deck as he slept and he smelled the smell of Africa that the land breeze brought at morning.
Even in its simplicity, there is clearly a strong, underlying theme going on that is applicable to respectfully doing one’s work—-that we must succeed and do well because we must be as noble as the work we are performing, because it’s what we’re born to do, because it is just what we do. The old man does not necessarily understand why he feels so connected with his fish, whether or not he has sinned in killing it, and his thoughts shift from these unanswerable questions back to the act of his work.I do somewhat prefer Hemingway’s short stories overall; in some ways this book feels like an over-extended short story itself, primarily in the execution of its focus; although
The Old Man and the Sea does qualify as a novella (a format I’m ill-apt to judge, to be honest…), so perhaps this plays in some. Overall, this is a beautiful, bittersweet story the emphasizes the journey over the destination, the importance of being present in each moment rather than giving in to defeat, which I will probably revisit a few more times in my life!
... I am glad we do not have to try to kill the stars.
Oct 01, 02:13AM PDT | 1 cheer | 0 comments
Kairos: A Wind in the Door
Author: Madeleine L’Engle
Review: September 30, 2009
Edition: Copyright 1973 (0-374-38443-6)
Pages: 211
Overall Rating: 3/5 [Average-Good]
Synopsis: Meg’s youngest brother Charles Wallace struggles to be himself at school without finding trouble, and to make things worse he is now also deathly sick. Meg and her friends Calvin, “Progo” the cherubim, and Sporos the “farandola” now must discover the source of the illness.
Strengths: Interesting concepts, consistent characters.
Weaknesses: Occasional writing quality problems.
Further Review: A Wind in the Door was, when I was younger, always my favorite of this series because at that time it always seemed somewhat surreal to me; unfortunately, I did not like it quite as much on this read-through. In re-reading this, I did get a little frustrated with Meg’s persistent and repetitious questions since she comes across as so obstinately wanting to make the worst of things that it ends up making the reading drag a bit, but she as well as the other characters of the book remain consistently themselves. The writing occasionally slips, not in description because Madeleine L’Engle’s ideas for the story are always presented very clearly, but in dialogue; for example, there are times when the character Calvin will be present but not interacting at all, almost as if he’s been forgotten. Also, this book tends to be very [for want of a better word] sappy, almost annoyingly so. Otherwise, the story is smoothly expressed and L’Engle has a very clear idea of every scene, of every character, in the book, and that is conveyed well to the reader.
Yes. Charles Wallace’s drive of dragons was a single creature, although Meg was not at all surprised that Charles Wallace had confused this fierce, wild being with dragons. She had the feeling that she never saw all of it at once, and which of all the eyes could she meet? merry eyes, wise eyes, ferocious eyes, kitten eyes, dragon eyes, opening and closing, looking at her, looking at Charles Wallace and Calvin and the strange tall man. And wings, wings in constant motion, covering and uncovering the eyes. When the wings were spread out they had a span of at least ten feet, and when they were all folded in, the creature resembled a misty, feathery sphere. Little spurts of flame and smoke spouted up between the wings; it could certainly start a grass fire if it weren’t careful. Meg did not wonder that Charles Wallace had not approached it.
Again the tall stranger reassure them. “He won’t hurt you.” The stranger was dark, dark as night and tall as a tree, and there was something in the repose of his body, the quiet of his voice, which drove away fear.
The themes of this book, like
A Wrinkle in Time, are ones that benefit young adults as well as grown-ups. While the major moral is to stay true to oneself and to know and accept oneself while learning to adapt to new situations, there are other messages as well including leadership and community/connection. There is encouragement to take control and have faith in oneself (a theme also present in the former book); as well as the importance of being together, expressed here via “kything,” which allows characters to communicate without words and despite proximity. One of my favorite themes, however, is the reminder to remain optimistic despite how bad things are—-that is, one should not allow the enormity of terrible things overwhelm one’s basic sense of goodness.
“There are still stars which move in ordered and beautiful rhythm. There are still people in this world who keep promises. Even little ones, like your cooking stew over your Bunsen burner. You may be in the middle of an experiment, but you still remember to feed your family. That’s enough to keep my heart optimistic, no matter how pessimistic my mind. ...”
There is an interesting article (
located here) that discusses the state of the science behind this book at the time it was written, showing how much L’Engle speculated and how much was actually known at the time. I find it interesting, too, that it wasn’t until twenty years after the publication of this book that the first diseases in mitochondria were proven to exist, according to the article!
Sep 30, 01:44PM PDT | 1 cheer | 0 comments
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