Happy Birthday to author A.A. Milne. Without him, we'd never have known Pooh and friends! I took this photo last fall when I visited the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston during a Winnie the Pooh exhibit.
Showing posts with label classic books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classic books. Show all posts
Friday, January 18, 2019
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Book Review
My Great American Read TBR quest continues with F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 classic "The Great Gatsby". This is a super short book and has certainly garnered much praise over the decades. Was I as impressed as many other readers have been? Below is my book review. As always, feel free to chime in with your comments!
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| My Half Price Books Version of The Great Gatsby |
Nick Carraway arrives in West Egg Village,
Long Island in the spring of 1922 from his hometown in the Midwest. He rents a modest
house that sits among extravagant mansions and soon becomes immersed in the lives
of several of the mansions’ inhabitants.
Through Nick’s eyes and POV, we meet
Jay Gatsby, who, for the past five years, has molded himself into the man he
thinks Daisy Buchanan desires. To Gatsby, Daisy is the one who got away and he’s
determined to get a second chance no matter the cost. Although Daisy is now a
mother, married to Tom Buchanan, Gatsby’s scheme to insert himself into the
lives of the Buchanans soon materializes, but with tragic consequences.
I read this book in high school,
which admittedly was a very long time ago and I had trouble recollecting much
of what I’d read way back then. Therefore, reading it this time was like reading
it for the first time and I’m afraid I wasn’t nearly as impressed with The
Great Gatsby as many people seem to be.
Raymond Chandler said of
Fitzgerald’s writing, “He had one of the
rarest qualities in all literature – charm.” And yes, I’d have to agree. I
did find the writing in The Great Gatsby to be charming with regards to prose,
setting, atmosphere and symbolism. I even enjoyed some of the dialogue. In
particular, I loved Daisy’s remembered words after the birth of her daughter, “All right… I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope
she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a
beautiful little fool.” That was page 16 and I immediately thought this is going to be insightful and deep.
This just might go somewhere great. But then I read on and was dismayed to
find that that one line pretty much summed up Daisy’s mindset throughout the book.
I found I had the same opinion that many other critics have had about The Great Gatsby: the main characters are incredibly
unlikeable. Tom Buchanan is a violent, racist, misogynist with not one single
redeeming quality. Daisy is a wishy-washy, rich, beautiful little fool of a girl without a conscience. As for Nick I
didn't think he functioned just as the story’s POV character. He was no innocent bystander.
In my opinion, he was a willing participant and collaborator who, although remained a faithful friend to Gatsby until the very end, was annoyingly complacent
in the face of violence and murder. Not only did I find the characters
unlikeable, I thought they were extremely one-dimensional. None of the characters change. They are exactly the same at the end as they were in the beginning. The book is short and
the events take place over just a three-month spam, which doesn’t leave much
room for character or plot development. Fitzgerald may or may not have designed things
this way. I certainly couldn’t figure it out.
In the end, The Great Gatsby was one
of those classic books I was glad I read simply so I could say that I did. I
honestly don’t feel any better or worse off for having done so.
2.5 of 5 Stars, Review by Susan Barton, DIY Mom Blog
Monday, February 5, 2018
Book Review of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
I haven't shared a book review in a while, so what better book to review than A Tree Grows in Brooklyn! This timeless classic is much more than a children's book. It's truly a book that will be enjoyed and loved by anyone at anytime!
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| Susan Barton, DIY Mom Blog |
Young Francie Nolan is growing up in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn at the beginning of the 20th century. Life isn’t easy
for the Nolan family. Francie’s father Johnny likes his liquor and has a
difficult time keeping a job. Francie’s mother Katie is a strong and determined
woman, who manages to take care of Francie and her brother Neeley as best she
can – working long hours scrubbing several neighborhood tenements, while
stressing to the children how much their success in life depends upon an
education. Through all the struggles, heartbreaks, laughter and pain, the Nolan
family moves forward and readers are witness to it all.
I read this book long ago while in
elementary school, and decided to re-read it as part of the #bucketlistbookclub
Instagram group. As I read, I realized that I have a much greater
appreciation for A Tree than I did at
the time of my initial reading years ago.
I wondered what I could possibly say
about this classic story, that hasn’t already been said. Then I realized that
talking about how the book affected me this go around would be the best
approach.
Although many people think of A Tree as a children’s book, it’s far
from a book that is meant only for children. The book deals with some very
adult topics, but does it in a delicate enough way to be appropriate for ages
12 and up (in my opinion, at least). There are so many wonderfully truthful
elements within the book that one can’t help but be almost certain that the
author is writing from true life.
A
Tree Grows in Brooklyn is full of quirky, glorious characters. The book is
endearing, touching, emotional and uplifting. It’s a timeless story of love,
family and coming of age. There were several chapters that truly pulled at my
heartstrings. There were parts where I actually laughed aloud. In a word, this
book is WONDERFUL and I can’t recommend it enough.
If you haven’t yet read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I urge you to
do so. If you read it as a child, I’d encourage you to revisit the book as an
adult. Absolute perfection!
5
of 5 Stars, Review by Susan Barton
Friday, January 15, 2016
Classic Children's Novel "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett Book Review - Mother/Daughter Book Club Choice
If you've read The Secret Garden as a child I'd suggest revisiting it as an adult. It's packed with lovely life lessons and encouraging messages for both children and adults. It'd be a wonderful book choice for a Mother/Daughter Book Club!
Mary Lennox is a sour, angry ten-year-old child who lives in India and spends her days alone and left to her own devices. Mary is a pale, thin and plain child who is so disagreeable that the family’s house servants have little to do with her. Even her socialite mother has little time for Mary, as she leaves her in the care of a string of Ayahs (nannies). When she’s orphaned after a cholera outbreak, Mary is sent to Yorkshire, England to live in a sprawling mansion with an uncle she’s never met. Once there, she makes friends with a friendly housemaid, Martha, her brother, Dickon, and then accidentally stumbles on her cousin – a purported invalid and equally disagreeable ten-year-old boy named Colin. The unlikely group of friends embark on a magical and life-changing journey.
There are several lovely, positive and powerful messages contained in The Secret Garden. The most important message being that we all have the ability to choose to be either happy and upbeat or angry and sad. As the children cultivate and revive the secret garden, they are also cultivating and reviving a brand new and happier feeling of well being within themselves. As they begin working together toward their mutual goal of developing the garden, they realize how important companionship is for their health and growth.
There are definite “religious”, spiritual and magical undertones going on in this book. It’s been reported that the author’s interest in metaphysics and the New Thought movement were likely the reason for this. Whatever the motivation, I thoroughly enjoyed the magical elements in The Secret Garden. I would highly recommend The Secret Garden for children and adults!
5 of 5 Stars, review by Susan Barton and originally posted to eBook Review Gal.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
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