Literary Books - Page 6

To Kill a Mockingbird

Harper Lee

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1766 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Race and Class in the Deep South 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.

It is perhaps appropriate that this was the first book I read after the election of America's first black President. My real reason for re-reading it, however, was for the purposes of comparison with Faulkner's "Intruder in the Dust", which deals with a similar theme. Indeed, I recently came across an allegation that Harper Lee's novel was essentially a plagiarism of Faulkner's.

The book is set in Maycomb County, Alabama, during the depression era of the 1930s. It is a first-person narrative told through the eyes of Jean Louise Finch who, for some reason, goes by the nickname Scout. Although she is only a child at the time of the events described, the narrative voice is that of the adult Jean Louise looking back at her childhood from some point in the future. The action of "Intruder in the Dust" is set over a few days and tells the story of one single incident, the murder of Vinson Gowrie; "To Kill a Mockingbird" is set over a period of about two years and essentially tells the story of Jean Louise's childhood between the ages of six and eight, although it concentrates on one crucial incident. The main characters, apart from Jean Louise herself, are her brother Jem and their friend Dill (another unexplained nickname; his real name is Charles).

Jean Louise and Jem are the children of Atticus Finch, a widowed lawyer. The book's central incident is the trial of a black man, Tom Robinson, for the alleged rape of a white woman, Mayella Ewell; Atticus is Robinson's defence attorney. Like Faulkner, Lee uses a classic thriller plot- the fight to prove the innocence of a man wrongly accused- to explore racism in America's Deep South. Although Robinson is clearly innocent of the charge, the all-white jury nevertheless vote to convict him, largely because to admit that a white woman, even one as sluttish as Mayella, was capable of making false accusations would force them to abandon their cherished ideas about the purity of Southern womanhood.

Harper Lee's concerns are wider than just the race issue. The book also has a lot to say about attitudes to social class among the white community, contrasting affluent middle-class families like the Finches with the likes of the Ewells, who can quite literally be classified as poor white trash. The family live in a shack next to the town's rubbish dump, where Mayella's father Bob earns his living as a scavenger. A favourite saying of the liberal, tolerant Atticus, who believes that most people, when you get to know them, are essentially kind, is that you should never judge a man until you have stood in his shoes and walked around in them. (At times the tone seemed quite preachy, as though Harper Lee were writing an extended sermon on tolerance).

Atticus applies this principle of non-judgementalism not only to racial issues but also to various acquaintances whom his children dislike or disapprove of for one reason or another. He applies it to Boo Radley, a simple-minded and reclusive, but inwardly kindly, neighbour, to the cantankerous old Mrs Dubose and to the Cunninghams, another poor white family but one who have retained a greater dignity and self-respect than the Ewells. The title of the book refers to a saying of Atticus that it is a sin to kill a mockingbird because they never do any harm, but it is a phrase which also refers to his philosophy of life. At various times several characters in the book- Robinson, Boo Radley, the children- can be seen as "mockingbirds", harmless creatures in need of protection.

One problem with the book is that Lee never really explores the tension between Atticus's liberal philosophy of life, and the problem of human evil as exemplified in the book by Bob Ewell, who is neither misjudged nor misunderstood but just plain wicked. Not only does he give perjured evidence in the hope of getting an innocent man sent to the gallows, and encourages his daughter to do the same, he also makes a vicious and cowardly attack on Atticus's children. Trying to stand in such a man's shoes would not, I feel, be a very productive exercise.

My other criticism of the book would be that it explores the question of racism from an exclusively white perspective, albeit a liberal one. For a number of reasons I think that "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a better book than "Intruder in the Dust", the most important being that Harper Lee's prose style is much more fluent and readable than Faulkner's often impenetrable sentences. Nevertheless, Faulkner creates, in Lucas Beauchamp, a black character who is much more well-rounded than any of those in Lee's book. Tom Robinson is little more than a plot device; the most prominent black character is Calpurnia, the Finch family's maid, who is that common literary stereotype, the faithful black servant. The book would have been better if Lee had given us a black perspective on the events she describes.

Those criticisms apart, I found this an excellent book, with a number vividly drawn characters, especially the spirited, loveable young Jean Louise and her father, who was memorably played by Gregory Peck in the brilliant film adaptation. Despite the limitations of his world view Atticus is an admirable character, who shows, in his defence of Robinson, not only great moral courage but also great physical courage as well. The immense improvement which has taken place in race relations in America since 1960 is owed, in part, to men like Atticus Finch, and also to women like Harper Lee who were prepared to confront the endemic racist attitudes of their society.

Editorial Review:

One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has earned many distinctions since its original publication in 1960. It won the Pulitzer Prize, has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and been made into an enormously popular movie. Most recently, librarians across the country gave the book the highest of honors by voting it the best novel of the twentieth century.

Life of Pi

Yann Martel

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1849 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Worst book EVER! 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Save your bucks, people -- here's the theme: we should believe in God because...it's the prettier story. What the hell? Is this guy kidding? How incredibly naive!

Martel must be targeting an audience of children, because I can't see how a mature adult could take this nonsense seriously.

What a bunch of malarkey. What a waste of time. Hey Martel, you hack! Give me back my money!

Editorial Review:

The son of a zookeeper, Pi Patel has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior and a fervent love of stories. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes.

The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days while lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them "the truth." After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional--but is it more true?

Gilead: A Novel

Marilynne Robinson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 308 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Contemplative and Fulfilling 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

There are so many things that this book is "about." Fathers and sons, the desire to be remembered when you have left this World for the next, family histories (and skeletons), redemption, love, the transformations of Faith.

Marilynne Robinson expects her readers to rise to the occasion when they are reading GILEAD. There is no dumbing down of the text to make it accessible, and for this I am glad. Words as put together by Marilynne Robinson are meant to be savored rather than swallowed whole. I recently read an atrocious book which has as its premise a parent creating a memoir for their child, and that experience served as a counterpoint to what this story, which has a similar basis, can be when done well. It is done magnificently here.

Reverend John Ames knows that he will not be able to watch his little boy grow up, and he wants to leave him a story, something telling the little one what his father was like, and what kind of heritage he has. Woven throughout this narrative is Ames' own struggle with being a good Christian while having some uncharitable thoughts about others. Ames is a delightfully approachable and human character; just because he's a Reverend doesn't mean that he doesn't have faults and foibles. Discovering this about him is what makes GILEAD a five-star read.

Robinson writes about Faith as it would be if I practiced it as I wish to, and her lyrical prose, "nothing true about God was ever spoken from a position of defense," serves to help me structure my own thoughts about God in a manageable, peaceful way.

Many times, I read a novel and it washes over me and then it is gone. GILEAD is something like a delicious meal, in that it has stayed with me, and continues to expand and nourish, giving me continuous satisfaction and fulfillment.

Editorial Review:

Twenty-four years after her first novel, Housekeeping, Marilynne Robinson returns with an intimate tale of three generations from the Civil War to the twentieth century: a story about fathers and sons and the spiritual battles that still rage at America's heart. Writing in the tradition of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, Marilynne Robinson's beautiful, spare, and spiritual prose allows "even the faithless reader to feel the possibility of transcendent order" (Slate). In the luminous and unforgettable voice of Congregationalist minister John Ames, Gilead reveals the human condition and the often unbearable beauty of an ordinary life.

Fahrenheit 451

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1272 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Science Fiction Masked In A Glaze Of Poetic Impulse 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

If ever there is a formula for the perfect novel, 451 has the ingredients. It would be one part science fiction masked in a glaze of poetic impulse, settled on a bed of classic literature soaking up the juices of vast philosophical thought. The burning of books is a horror to any who love the written word and our freedom to dream. It would be our worst nightmare for society to regress to a state of anti-intellectualism so staunch that ideas themselves have become the enemy. Ray Bradbury not only captures our fears in this post nuclear world but also touches upon our often forgotten love for the stories that have captured our hearts. This is a must read for anyone who has ever loved a book.

Editorial Review:

Guy Montag was a fireman whose job it was to start fires...

The system was simple. Everyone understood it. Books were for burning...along with the houses in which they were hidden.

Guy Montag enjoyed his job. He had been a fireman for ten years, and he had never questioned the pleasure of the midnight runs nor the joy of watching pages consumed by flames...never questioned anything until he met a seventeen-year-old girl who told him of a past when people were not afraid.

Then he met a professor who told him of a future in which people could think...and Guy Montag suddenly realized what he had to do!

Run: A Novel

Ann Patchett

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 205 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Just couldn't get into this book 2 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I have read other works by Ann Patchett and enjoyed them, but Run left me as cold as the wintery environment in which it is set. It is the story of a Boston politician who has two adopted African American sons, and what happens after they inadvertently discover their birth mother and biological sister. The characters were well drawn but their story did not engage me as I had hoped it would and it was a real slog to get to the unsatisfying ending of the book. I would Patchett's prior novel Bel Canto or her very moving memoir, Truth and Beauty, over this novel.

Editorial Review:

Since their mother's death, Tip and Teddy Doyle have been raised by their loving, possessive, and ambitious father. As the former mayor of Boston, Bernard Doyle wants to see his sons in politics, a dream the boys have never shared. But when an argument in a blinding New England snowstorm inadvertently causes an accident that involves a stranger and her child, all Bernard cares about is his ability to keep his children—all his children—safe.

The Fountainhead

Ayn Rand

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 970 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Worth of money. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I bought a used book in good condition. This book arrived very fast and of course was in a better condition than my expectation. I am happy with my current purchase and would like to continue in future.

Poorly written, even for failed philosophy 1 out of 5 stars.
1 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Ok, to start off lets forget all about the B.S Philosophy of Ayn Rand and focus purely on the writing content of the story itself.

I give it one star, simply for the character development which seems to follow her philosophy fairly well. She seems to have developed the Protagonist and the antagonist very well, though it seems she did this by accident if only to fill her philosophical ideals. It's apparent because the supporting characters seem shallow and their interactions in no way resemble true human relationships.

Rand seems like she tries to make up for this with excruciating and painfully dull, redundant, and useless detail such as the one sentence that almost made me burn the damn thing. "They went on, to move, to feel the movement, to know the feeling of their own muscles moving"

If rand wanted to create a nice piece of literature and not just a semi creative philosophy book, she could have cut out the redundant details and focused more on tying in all the complex details and philosophy of the book itself with a viable and decent story line. If you cut out all the useless B.S the book itself would be about 1/3 shorter and easier to read.

This book is a good example of why many famous philosophers such as Aristotle and Cicero stuck to the non-fiction genre. Philosophy alone doesn't make a good story.

Editorial Review:

Arguably the century's most challenging novel of ideas, The Fountainhead is the story of a gifted young architect, his violent battle with conventional standards, and his explosive love affair with the beautiful woman who struggles to defeat him. In his fight for success, he first discovers then rejects the seductive power of fame and money, finding that, in the end, creative genius must triumph.

The Fountainhead is at once dramatic, poetic, and demanding. A statement of principles for its author, the novel champions the cause of individualism and remains one of the towering books on the contemporary intellectual scene.

Home to Holly Springs (Father Tim, Book 1)

Jan Karon

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 141 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Disappointing 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I loved the first four Mitford series books. However, I have to believe that this book is written by a different author. The writing style is amateur and difficult to follow. I found this book to be extremely aggravating. I was constantly trying to figure out who was speaking in the dialog and who was who. For example, there are TWO Peggys. Couldn't the author have simplified things by creating a different name? Flashbacks are poorly delineated leaving the reader to sort out orientation in time. Finally, the constant attempt at writing dialog in a dialect is tiring and poorly executed. I was so irritated by the book, that I was compelled to write this review; and I never take the time to write a review. I'd be very surprised if this is truly Jan Karon's work. Usually her writing is clear and inviting. This one missed by a long shot.

Editorial Review:

Readers of the nine bestselling Mitford novels have been captivated by Jan Karon’s “gift for illuminating the struggles that creep into everyday lives—along with a vividly imagined world” (People). Millions have relished the story of the bookish and big-hearted Episcopal priest and the fullness of his seemingly ordinary life. Now, in the first novels of a new series, Jan Karon enchants us with the story of the newly retired priest’s spur-of-the-moment adventure. For the first time in decades, Father Tim returns to his birthplace, Holly Springs, Mississippi, in response to a mysterious, unsigned note saying simply: “Come home.” A story of long-buried secrets, forgiveness, and the wonder of discovering new people, places, and depth of feeling, Home to Holly Springs will enthrall new readers and longtime fans alike.

The Hobbit

J. R. R. Tolkien

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1637 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Book Review: The Hobbit 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Most of us have seen or read the lord of the rings, but have you ever wondered what happened before this? Well, you can find out by reading The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. This story is about a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins and how an adventure changes him and the rest of middle earth.

In the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins is met by a wizard named Gandalf, who sends him on an adventure with thirteen dwarves: Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Dori, Nori, Fili, Kili, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifuf, Bofur, and finally, Bombur. These 14 companions are sent on a quest to travel to the Lonely Mountain for the purpose of regaining the dwarves' treasure from the evil dragon, Smaug. On this journey, they will travel across the Misty Mountains, through the Goblin Caves and into the Dark Forest of Mirkwood. They will encounter Elves, Men, Goblins and various creatures of all sorts as they travel across Middle Earth.

One such event occurred soon after they left the Shirt. This encounter was with a group of three trolls. After hearing noises in the forest, the dwarves sent Bilbo to investigate. When he did, he found that the trolls were eating. So, he tried to steal from them while they were distracted, but was caught in the act. While a prisoner of the trolls, the dwarves, hearing the commotion, gave themselves away by trying to save Bilbo, causing them to be bagged and thrown by the fire. The trolls then started arguing on how to cook the dwarves and the hobbit. Little did the trolls know, Gandalf was hiding in the bushes where he kept the argument going by disguising his voice as their own. Gandalf kept them arguing until daybreak, knowing that trolls cannot survive sunlight and turn to stone. When daybreak arrived the trolls failed to seek cover from the sun and indeed turned into stone. After this, Bilbo and Gandalf freed the dwarves who were cranky, angry and upset from being in the sack all night. This was just one of many adventures in Professor Tolkien's book The Hobbit.

This story has many strengths. I believe the biggest is how Professor Tolkien paints a picture of the character's surroundings. An example is: "The lands opened wide about him, filled with the waters of the river which broke up and wandered in a hundred winding courses, or halted in marshes and pools dotted with isles on every side." Another strength is how he leads up to an action scene. An example of this is how he has the dwarves and Bilbo wandering around Mirkwood, chasing lights before they actually get to the spider colony where a battle follows. A third strength is how the author uses song to relate to scenes or stories written the book. An example is from the beginning of the story, when the dwarves are all gathered at Bilbo's house. During this time, Bilbo gets anxious about the dwarves no being gentle with his belongings. So Tolkien ha the dwarves sing a song about breaking his plates when they clean up after a meal. Evan though this is a great book, it does have some weaknesses. One weakness is how the book has more narration then dialogue. An example of this is how Tolkien focuses more upon Bilbo's thoughts during a conversation that he is having than the conversation itself.

This book is similar to other fairy tale/medieval novels. This is because of the creatures, weapons, and technologies used. Also, they have castles and every "kingdom" is for the most part independent and uncaring of one another. It is different from these types of novels because this story is used more as a prologue to The Lord of the Rings than a full story in and of itself.

I believe The Hobbit was written for all audiences. Although there can be big words and weird phrases, even young readers would enjoy this wonderful story. The genre of this book is fantasy. I know this because this book has many wonderful fictions characters and places in it. There is no other book in comparison to this one (with the exception of The Lord of the Rings).

Ultimately, I believe The Hobbit is one of the best books I've ever read. I think this is because it's written very descriptively and the storyline is amazing. If you enjoy adventure and action, you should read this book.

Editorial Review:

The original American full dramatization as broadcast on National Public Radio.

Bilbo Baggins, a gentle hobbit who loves the comforts of home, reluctantly joins a company of dwarves on a journey to recover plundered gold from a fierce dragon. It's a tale of high adventure and astonishing courage—and a magical prelude to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

War and Peace (Vintage Classics)

Leo Tolstoy

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Total reviews: 67 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the award-winning translators of Anna Karenina and The Brothers Karamazov comes this magnificent new translation of Tolstoy's masterwork.

War and Peace broadly focuses on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 and follows three of the most well-known characters in literature: Pierre Bezukhov, the illegitimate son of a count who is fighting for his inheritance and yearning for spiritual fulfillment; Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who leaves his family behind to fight in the war against Napoleon; and Natasha Rostov, the beautiful young daughter of a nobleman who intrigues both men.

A s Napoleon’s army invades, Tolstoy brilliantly follows characters from diverse backgrounds—peasants and nobility, civilians and soldiers—as they struggle with the problems unique to their era, their history, and their culture. And as the novel progresses, these characters transcend their specificity, becoming some of the most moving—and human—figures in world literature.

The Oxford Illustrated Jane Austen: Volume II: Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 906 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Worth paying for on the Kindle 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Kindle owners hopefully are aware of the wealth of free editions of the classics which are available through Feedbooks and other sources.

I obtained a copy of P&P from feedbooks originally and while it was easy to get and the price was right, the overall quality of the text is not great. I've found several typos, presumably the result of OCR errors and it's somewhat distracting.

Since P&P is one of my wife's favorite books, I was delighted to see
Penguin had released an electronic edition for $0.50 complete with the usual footnotes, essays and maps that one's used to
finding in textbook editions of the classics.

The table of contents is pretty minimal. The headings include the editor's material, and the three volume headings.

Editorial Review:

This is the first of the novels published in 'The Oxford Illustrated Jane Austen' series, illustrated with early nineteenth-century plates. From its famous opening sentence, the story of the Bennet family and of the novel's two protagonists, Elizabeth and Darcy, told with a wit that its author feared might prove 'rather too light and bright, and sparkling, ' delights its most familiar readers as thoroughly as it does those who encounter it for the first time. And while she entertains us, Jane Austen teaches us the wisdom of balance, the folly of 'pride' and 'prejudice.'