Criticism & Theory Books

A Mercy

Toni Morrison

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 36 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Why I like Alice Walker so much more. 2 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

A friend and I were talking a few months back about Madame Nobel Laureate, Toni, and why we both shake our heads at the dismissal of a truly brave artist such as Alice Walker. So what am I doing on this page other than I couldn't help but give this new, slender novel a read?(--which is exactly what I did over the holidays). My complaint with Toni is her almost obsessive exploration of the slave wound. That's the first thing. Not that I think this subject isn't worthy, it clearly is. But Morrison here is stretching things a bit in this attempt to give us verisimilitude a la late 17th century. The inner spectrum on these characters or at least, these attempts to give us such does not work here. It really seems to me that Ms. Morrison feels a sense of obligation, post-Nobel, to continue to explore this mighty subject and the story reads as if she were, indeed, under a set of self-imposed obligations to do so.

That's the problem in a nutshell.

Glad I read this, but cannot really recommend. And as far as Alice Walker goes, I commend that author for truly being an original artist and exploring edgy subjects--which is what a real artist is supposed to do! (ie: POSSESSING THE SECRET OF JOY) I also admire her artistic integrity in not sentimentalizing Africa. So wish we would get more from that author, and yes, I recommend Walker's work any day over Toni's tired, over-touted oeuvre.

Editorial Review:

A powerful tragedy distilled into a small masterpiece by the Nobel Prize-winning author of Beloved and, almost like a prelude to that story, set two centuries earlier.

Jacob is an Anglo-Dutch trader in 1680s United States, when the slave trade is still in its infancy. Reluctantly he takes a small slave girl in part payment from a plantation owner for a bad debt. Feeling rejected by her slave mother, 14-year-old Florens can read and write and might be useful on his farm. Florens looks for love, first from Lina, an older servant woman at her new master's house, but later from the handsome blacksmith, an African, never enslaved, who comes riding into their lives . . .

At the novel's heart, like Beloved, it is the ambivalent, disturbing story of a mother and a daughter – a mother who casts off her daughter in order to save her, and a daughter who may never exorcise that abandonment.

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story

Diane Ackerman

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Total reviews: 97 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

the New York Times bestseller: a true story in which the keepers of the Warsaw zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands.

When Germany invaded poland, stuka bombers devastated warsaw—and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Another dozen "guests" hid inside the Zabinskis' villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socializing, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts. Jan, active in the polish resistance, kept ammunition buried in the elephant enclosure and stashed explosives in the animal hospital. Meanwhile, Antonina kept her unusual household afloat, caring for both its human and its animal inhabitants—otters, a badger, hyena pups, lynxes.

with her exuberant prose and exquisite sensitivity to the natural world, Diane Ackerman engages us viscerally in the lives of the zoo animals, their keepers, and their hidden visitors. She shows us how Antonina refused to give in to the penetrating fear of discovery, keeping alive an atmosphere of play and innocence even as Europe crumbled around her. 8 pages of illustrations.

John Adams (Barnes and Noble Reader's Companion) (Barnes & Noble Reader's Companion)

David McCullough

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Total reviews: 788 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Book That Will Affect Future Generations 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Growing up in Massachusetts I never felt a connection with John Adams until I read this book. McCullough describes the amazing life of this founding father with a writing style and attention to detail unimaginable for many others. What struck me as spectacular was that John Adams put as much value in his farm work and his family life as he did in writing the Massachusetts state constitution or being our second President. His example as opposed to Jeffersons, was that of a responsible father, grandfather, statesman, laywer and citizen always with an eye to how his actions would affect future generations. Anyone who enjoyed the HBO series must also read the book it was based on to truly appreciate the man, his times and the author who penned it all.

Editorial Review:

In 2001, David McCullough's Pulitzer prizewinning and bestselling biography John Adams rediscovered our second president and revealed fascinating aspects of his life that few had known before. Here is additional background and historical context that can help you better understand McCullough's brilliantly written and illuminating portrait:

• Why do some consider Adams to be the first "real" U.S. president?
• How might Adams fare if he were a candidate today?
• What are Adams's greatest political legacies?

F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby (The Cambridge Edition of the Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald)

F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Total reviews: 1124 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Since its publication in 1925, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's account of the American dream gone awry, has established itself as one of the most popular and widely read novels in the English language. Until now, however, no edition has printed the novel exactly as Fitzgerald intended. The first edition was marred by errors resulting from Fitzgerald's extensive rewriting in proof and the conditions under which the book was produced; moreover, the subsequent transmission of the text introduced proliferating departures from the author's words. This critical edition draws on the manuscript and surviving proofs of the novel, together with Fitzgerald's subsequent revisions to key passages, to provide the first authoritative text of The Great Gatsby. This volume also includes a detailed account of the genesis, composition, and publication of the novel; a full textual apparatus; crucial early draft material; helpful glosses on the peculiar geography and chronology of the book; and explanatory notes on topical allusions and historical references that contemporary readers might otherwise miss. Fitzgerald's masterpiece is thus brought closer to a cross-section of readers, more accessibly and more authentically than ever before. Matthew J. Bruccoli has published widely. He is the author of Some Sort of Epic Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald (1980) and editor of New Essays on The Great Gatsby (CUP, 1985).

The Catcher in the Rye

J. D. Salinger

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2795 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Book is very interesting and very easy to relate with... 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I read this book in 4 or 5 hours I think, and I can honestly say this is a great book. I always remember there being so much fuss about this book (although I am only 22), so I wanted to read it for myself and see how it was. To tell you the truth, I didn't think the language was very bad, and the sexual content was minimal. I have read books and seen movies that were much worse than this book. This story is all about a young teenage boy that does not know what to do with his life. It was a great book, because I was able to relate in so many ways. I was able to relate to Holden because I was once troubled.

I was unable to put this book down when I started reading it. The way the author writes is unique to me, although I have not read many books so that may not say much. I was able to paint very vivid pictures in my mind such as in the dorm room, in the hotels, at the bar talking to the 3 women... I was definately expecting this to be more vulgar, only because that is how it was portrayed to me. I guess the book could have possibly influenced people to act out in violence, however I find it hard to believe.

I thought it was interesting how Holden thought so many things were phony. That is something that I will always remember with this book. That and the word "goddam". Not even sure it is spelled like that any more... Seems like Salinger used that word preceding everything.

Editorial Review:

Ever since it was first published in 1951, this novel has been the coming-of-age story against which all others are judged. Read and cherished by generations, the story of Holden Caulfield is truly one of America's literary treasures.

The Prince (Mentor)

Machiavelli

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 284 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Poor Translation 2 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This review was submitted on the web page presenting Mansfield's translation.

I have been using Wootton's translation of The Prince in a university program where the texts are set by the faculty. This year we changed to the Mansfield translation and I've requested that we return to Wootton's.

In his attempt to provide an "accurate" translation of the Italian, Mansfield made the mistake of many translators in overlooking the clarity of his English prose.

For example, where Wootton writes, "he increased the strength of one of the most powerful Italian states," Mansfield writes, "he . . . increased the power of a power in Italy." (15) There are other odd uses of diction in Mansfield, for example, where Wootton speaks of a "founder," Mansfield uses the word "introducer." (23) And though concise in places, Mansfield has a tendency to write long sentences, perhaps in imitation of the Italian, where Wootton is more to the point.

If you're still not convinced, compare the following passages:

Wootton: "So, too, with those who, having been private citizens, were made emperors of Rome because they had corrupted the soldiers. Such rulers are entirely dependent on the goodwill and good fortune of whoever has given them power. Good will and good fortune are totally unreliable and capricious."

Mansfield: ". . . as also those emperors were made who from private individual [sic] attained the empire through corrupting soldiers. These persons rest simply on the will and fortune of whoever has given a state to them, which are two very inconstant and unstable things."

Editorial Review:

A classic treatise on the art of statecraft from the Italian Renaissance statesman and political philosopher. A new translation which also includes several related pieces.

Fight Club: A Novel

Chuck Palahniuk

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Total reviews: 647 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

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

The First rule of FIGHT CLUB IS You do not talk about FIGHT CLUB.
The Second rule of FIGHT CLUB IS You do not talk about FIGHT CLUB.

A sacred, unique snowflake of special unique specialness. 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Here's a word to describe the pervasive resonance this story has enjoyed.

Confrontational.

Fight Club is a pugnacious challenge to examine your life, in the form of a blunt instrument. If you want to get peoples attention these days, best be prepared to bludgeon them upside the head. We the ADD generations have no time for study and meditation. You have 5 seconds to deliver the message in an original and exciting way. Check and check.

Take a massively concentrated answer to the existential dilemma, throw in a couple themes of timely relevence, a sense of urgency, twisted humor and wrap up the whole enchilada in a transgressional tortilla and voila! A quintessential 90's literary masterpiece. Fight Club is the successor to Clockwork Orange.

"This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time"

Consider yourself challenged.

Editorial Review:

The first rule about fight club is you don't talk about fight club.

Chuck Palahniuk's outrageous and startling debut novel that exploded American literature and spawned a movement. Every weekend, in the basements and parking lots of bars across the country, young men with white-collar jobs and failed lives take off their shoes and shirts and fight each other barehanded just as long as they have to. Then they go back to those jobs with blackened eyes and loosened teeth and the sense that they can handle anything. Fight club is the invention of Tyler Durden, projectionist, waiter, and dark, anarchic genius, and it's only the beginning of his plans for violent revenge on an empty consumer-culture world.

Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon

Melissa Anelli

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Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Product Description:
***Featuring a Foreword by J.K. Rowling***

The Harry Potter Books Were Just the Beginning of the Story. . .

During the brief span of just one decade, hundreds of millions of perfectly ordinary people made history: they became the only ones who would remember what it was like when the Harry Potter saga was still unfinished. What it was like to seek out friends, families, online forums, fan fiction, and podcasts to get a fix between novels. When the death of a character was a hotter bet than the World Series. When the unfolding story of a boy wizard changed the way books are read for all time.

And as webmistress of The Leaky Cauldron, one of the most popular Harry Potter sites on the Internet, Melissa Anelli had a front row seat to it all. Whether it was helping Scholastic stop leaks and track down counterfeiters, hosting live PotterCasts at bookstores across the country, touring with the wizard rock band Harry and the Potters, or traveling to Edinburgh to interview J. K. Rowling personally, Melissa was at the center of the Harry Potter tornado, and nothing about her life would ever be the same.

The Harry Potter books are a triumph of the imagination that did far more than break sales records for all time. They restored the world’s sense of wonder, and took on a magical life of their own. Now the series has ended, but the story is not over. With remembrances from J. K. Rowling’s editors, agents, publicists, fans, and Rowling herself, Melissa Anelli takes us on a personal journey through every aspect of the Harry Potter phenomenon—from his very first spell to his lasting impact on the way we live and dream.

Fahrenheit 451 (Cliffs Notes)

Kristi Hiner

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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:

This is Bradbury's best-known novel. The science fiction tale concerns censorship and anti-intellectualism, carried on in an alternate society that conducts huge book burnings as part of the social agenda. It is a spooky and yet uplifting book.

This concise supplement to Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 helps students understand the overall structure of the novel, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author.

Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried (Bloom's Guides)

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Total reviews: 712 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Absolutely a number 10 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Of all the books published on the Vietnam War, this is the grandaddy. O'Brien's ability to capture the mood and setting of grunts sent to fight an unjust war is amazing and heartrending. While surviving with your buddy was the most important task in 'Nam, the ways to make that happen differed dramatically. If it meant fragging your Lieutenant, it was often done. If it meant shooting yourself in the foot, lots of soldiers didn't hesitate. O'Brien shows us the insanity of the times, putting the reader in the middle of firefights and boredom. His writing is above the genre' and even develops a style of its own, often copied. O'Brien is the master.
Ron Lealos author of Don't Mean Nuthin'

An Entertaining and Enlightening Introduction to Story Telling 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Sections of this book were assigned to me as coursework. What I read was so entertaining that I immediately purchased the book and had read and reread it within a weekend. I admit that I'd not have seen the depth of O'Brien's true literary genius had my professor not shed light on some of the subtle issues addressed herein (i.e. the retelling of The Lemon Tree story as a portrait of literary progression through history, etc.). Still, even without an appreciation of or interest in top quality literature, the interested reader will find great insight into character and plot development within this literary masterpeice.
Be warned though that this story is not a historical account of a soldier's horrific experience in Vietnam. Instead, the author's experience in Vietnam is used to illustrate the true purpose of the piece: how a story teller accurately transmits a message to the audience. To all of those who criticize this book as being poorly written because of its historical inaccuracies, I kindly paraphrase the author's own words: you obviously weren't listening.

Editorial Review:

This collection of stories from Vietnam War writer Tim O'Briens paints a thorough picture of the soldiers' life during the war. The book also gives a brief biographical sketch to provide insight on the author's life.