This review was originally posted on my personal blog on February 16, 2007.

This was one of the books I treated myself to when we were away for the weekend and spent our evening out at Barnes & Noble. I had listened to a few of Kate Chopin’s short stories on the audiobook Great American Women’s Fiction and was intrigued by them. She writes very well, and her low opinion of marriage comes through in many of her stories. And yet, when she writes about what marriage was like during the late 1800s, you can hardly blame her.

Chopin was mostly forgotten about until the 1970s revived her work under the heading “feminist fiction.” This isn’t a categorization I’m quite sure she deserves. Feminist is a relative term, isn’t it? I agree with her that the marriages she writes about are completely disfunctional – and I have to imagine that her fictional marriages are based on true-life ones that she observed. The husbands are obsessed with work and earning money and going to the “club” and treat their wives as children to be patronized, at best, or property to be used, at worst.

The heroin in the novel The Awakening is a married woman with children who becomes awakened to her own intellectual and sexual needs, and because these needs aren’t being fulfilled by her husband, she seeks fulfillment elsewhere. Ms. Chopin’s writing is not explicit, so the adultery happens “off-stage,” so to speak.

I don’t want to give away the ending for those of you planning to read this, but I don’t see it as a great feminist manifesto. I saw it as a good example of what happens when we follow our selfish impulses, rather than make sacrifices for the people who love us.

The end-notes of the book include a review by Willa Cather, in which she compares The Awakening‘s main character Edna Pontellier with Flaubert’s Emma Bovary. I believe she gets exactly what this book made me feel:

“Edna Pontellier and Emma Bovary are studies in the same feminine type; one a finished and complete portrayal, the other a hasty sketch, but the theme is essentially the same. Both women belong to a class, not large, but forever clamoring in our ears, that demands more romance out of life than God put into it. Mr. G. Bernard Shaw would say that they are the victims of the over-idealization of love….These people really expect the passion of love to fill and gratify every need of life, whereas nature only intended that it should meet one of many demands.”

This volume also included many of Chopin’s short stories, Desiree’s Baby, A Pair of Silk Stockings, and The Story of an Hour being my favorites.

Aside from the fact that her topic choices make me think, I love the way her writing creates the mood of the Bayou. She was raised in Louisiana, and whether her characters are intellectuals from the French Quarter or plantation servants, you can see them and their surroundings.

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Post tags: classics

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This review was previously posted on my personal blog on April 25, 2008.

I finally finished Anna Karenina. All 754 pages of it. In the end, I liked it very much. I will say, however, that it was one of the more difficult classics to get through. (What helped was keeping a note card in the book on which I jotted down everyone’s names – first, last, nickname – and relationship to other characters. Those Russian diminutives can be confusing.)

After my friend Michelle read it, she said that it seemed the real story was Kitty and Levin, but that Tolstoy had to put the torrid, tragic love affair in there because no one wanted to read a book about a good man and a good woman making a marriage work and coming to faith. I think she’s right.

The thought that kept coming to mind as I read was this: no matter what era we live in, no matter what country we live in, human nature is the same.

Some people will choose to overcome their baser appetites to do what is right.

Some people will give in to their passions and lusts, and destroy their family as a result.

Some people will grow up with a childlike faith in God, and never question it.

Some people will have to overcome their intellect in order to believe.

Some people will never focus their attention on anything bigger than their own self.

Some people will love their children, worry about them, and do everything to raise them right.

Some people will see their children as a hindrance to their self-interests.

Some people will talk and talk about the horrible state of the world.

Some people will work to do something about the horrible state of the world.

Tolstoy is a remarkable writer. Russia is a place I’ve never had a desire to visit – until I read Tolstoy’s descriptions of St. Petersburg and Moscow. He made me want to visit these cities. He also made me want to live as a Russian peasant and sleep on a haystack, after eating a simple meal of bread and cheese. For a day, anyway.

I did find myself wishing that he hadn’t gone off on so many political and socio-economic rabbit trails. I wanted more of Kitty and Levin, more of Anna and Vronsky. I understand his motivation for writing that way – that he could get his political views across and actually read by people in a novel. It just wasn’t that interesting to me. The character, setting, and story – these I loved.

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Post tags: classics, russian literature

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A little background on my experience with the Bronte sisters. I love Jane Eyre; I hate Wuthering Heights. (I’ve yet to read anything by Anne). Since Villette is written by the same sister who wrote my beloved Jane, I am expecting to enjoy it. Note the “expecting” – I can’t really say I’m enjoying it yet, because, even though I’ve read five chapters, the story hasn’t really started. Actually, something did happen in Lucy’s family that thrust her out into the world, penniless and alone, but the reader isn’t let in on the tragedy. I’m hoping that little mystery will be uncovered at some point.

On the other hand, I’m not “not enjoying” Villette – the writing is beautiful and I like the way Lucy observes the people and places around her. It’s entertaining, but I’m anxious to get to the story.

Have any of you read Villette? What did you think? (No spoilers, please!)

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2011. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: classics, read-alongs

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While it was a busy week compounded by yet another cold virus making the rounds of the household, I did manage to save a few links for all of you.

Author news:

~ The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet was one of my favorite reads of 2010. In this video, you can see a grade school boy interviewing author Jamie Ford about the book and his writing process – and upcoming projects.

~ Scott Westerfeld has completed Goliath, the final book in the Leviathan trilogy. The book will be released September 13th of this year.

~ I’m so jealous! Sandy’s book club got to have a speakerphone conversation with Tatjana Soli, author of The Lotus Eaters. Wish I could have been there!

Discussion starters:

~ Debbie’s World of Books: Do you write reviews on ‘meh’ books?

~ Bookalicious: Word to your mother – a reaction to some unflattering remarks about book bloggers in this week’s Twitter YA Lit Chat.

~ There’s a Book: What makes YA so appealing?

Reviews and blog posts that have me adding to my to-read list:

~ Winterland by Alan Glynn, reviewed by Bernadette at Reactions to Reading

~ This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson, reviewed by Vasilly at 1330v

~ The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu, reviewed by Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea

Other bookish links:

~ The New York Times: The problem with memoirs

~ The Guardian: Is speculative fiction poised to break into the literary canon?

Book blogger news:

~ The Story Siren‘s six-year-old cousin Kaylea is undergoing treatment for leukemia. Read Kaylea’s story and then do whatever you can to help, whether it is to send books to keep her occupied while in the hospital, or sending finances to help the family. The kids and I went through some books and sent a package earlier this week – Josiah was excited to share his beloved Littles series by John Peterson with her.

~ Presenting Lenore is hosting Dystopian February.

~ I’ve been meaning to read Charlotte Bronte’s Vilette for ages, and Wallace’s read-along at The Unputdownables is the perfect opportunity – especially since it’s spread out over two months. Very doable.

Other links of interest:

~ Tree octopus exposes internet illiteracy

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2011. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: author videos, classics, dystopian fiction, jamie ford, memoirs, read-alongs, scott westerfeld, TBR list, YA fiction

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Discussion starters:

~ The Book Lady’s Blog: A brief history of #pantyworthy and #Pantyworthy photos revealed. Rebecca is one brave – and photogenic – lady. Don’t worry, the photos are all flirty and fun – nothing scandalous. (My husband no longer thinks book blogging is boring. )

~ 5 Minutes for Books: On Reading and Kids – I don’t forbid, I discuss. This is a great post, and pretty much the same philosophy I adhere to when it comes to what my kids are reading.

~ Caribousmom: Book blogging in 2010 – good food for thought in this post.

~ Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books: What do we mean by “classic” anyway?

~ Jamie Ford: Mad Dogs and English Teachers – excellent post on a talk he gave to teachers about giving teens a love of reading. This is a must-read. I tried to look for a snippet to tease you with, but the whole thing is just so good – so click over and read it already.

Reviews and blog posts that have me adding to my to-read list:

~ 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison, reviewed by Michelle at Galleysmith.

~ The Memory Thief by Rachel Keener, reviewed by Sheri at A Novel Menagerie.

~ Between Friends by Kristy Kiernan, reviewed by Julie at Booking Mama.

Other bookish links:

~ Jill at Fizzy Thoughts has given us another reworked song: Books – I love it!

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2010. | Permalink | 12 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: blogging, classics, reading, TBR list

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Since I didn’t do a links post last week, I have a ton of links to share with you. I didn’t get to them on time for Saturday, though, so the Sunday Salon it is.

Author links:

~ Serena at Savvy Verse & Wit has a guest post from Jamie Ford, author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: Writing Spaces and Other Forms of Solitary Confinement.

~ Patrick Ness, author of The Knife of Never Letting Go, appeared on Good Morning, New Zealand.

Discussion starters:

~ Booklust: What Makes You Unsubscribe?

~ A Striped Armchair: How I Read

~ Book Chick City: Reviews – Long or Short?

~ Michelle at My Books. My Life asks for your thoughts on memes.

~ Devourer of Books: Say Yes to the Book

~ A Striped Armchair: On the Validity of Audiobooks

~ Michelle’s Masterful Musings: Why Blog?

~ My Friend Amy: Literary Identity and the Weight of Recommendations

Reviews and blog posts that have me adding to my to-read list:

~ The Disappeared by Kim Echlin, reviewed by Jill at Fizzy Thoughts.

~ Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, reviewed by Jenn at Jenn’s Bookshelves.

~ When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, reviewed by Tim Challies.

~ Postcards from a Dead Girl by Kirk Farber, reviewed by Amy at Steele on Entertainment.

~ Merlin’s Harp by Anne Crompton, reviewed by Pam at Bookalicious.

~ Castle in the Air by Judy Corbett, reviewed by Cathy at Kittling Books.

~ Bellfield Hall by Anna Dean, reviewed by Aarti at Booklust.

~ Angelology by Danielle Trussoni, reviewed by Swapna at S. Krishna’s Books.

~ The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow, reviewed by Amy at Steele on Entertainment.

~ The Well and the Mine by Gin Phillips, reviewed by Jane at Fleur Fisher Reads.

Book lists:

~ Robin at My Two Blessings posts a list of 50 of the best Irish books.

Book to movie news:

~ There will be a film version of one of my favorite books: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. It will star Christoph Waltz as August, Reese Witherspoon as Marlena, and Robert Pattinson as Jacob Jankowski. Discuss amongst yourselves.

Giveaways:

~ Win The Fiddler’s Gun by A.S. Peterson at Escape in a Book.

Other bookish links:

~ Persnickety Snark: Top 100 YA Titles Poll

~ Truth, Beauty, Freedom and Books: Suggestions for Reading Classics.

~ Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon returns April 10th. Volunteers are needed, if you’re interested in doing more than reading.

~ Serena at Savvy Verse & Wit is calling for bloggers to help celebrate National Poetry Month in April.

~ L.A. Times: Young adult lit comes of age

~ EW has a first look at the cover of Cassandra Clare’s next novel, Clockwork Angel.

~ I have a guest post up at Po(sey) Sessions: James Dashner and the Male Reader

~ A video that every reader, teacher, and parent will love:

~ And just because he’s gorgeous, here’s Hugh Jackman dancing in a Lipton Iced Tea commercial.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2010. | Permalink | 24 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: audiobooks, authors, blogging, book to film, classics, TBR list

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Cameron Smith is dying of Mad Cow disease. Instead of wasting away in the hospital, he heads out on a road trip with his new dwarf friend Gonzo to find the mysterious Dr. X, save the world, and find a cure. This book defies description. Coming-of age, road trip, paranormal fantasy, buddy story, ode to Don Quixote, celebration of life. This book made me both laugh harder and cry harder than any book has done in a long time. I LOVED the characters, loved the writing style – and Erik Davies, the actor who read the audiobook edition, does a perfect job. I could have done with a little less of the main character describing the reactions of “Mr. Happy” to the girls he meets, but I suppose that was realistic for a seventeen-year-old boy. Highly recommended. (Definitely on the upper age spectrum of YA)

Title: Down the Long Hills
Author: Louis L’Amour
Genre: Western fiction, historical fiction
Publisher: Bantam
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Source: Print copy borrowed from my dad.
First line: When Hardy Collins woke up, Big Red was gone.

My dad is a huge Louis L’Amour fan. I mean huge – he owns all of his works in the expensive leather-bound editions. When the boys and I started studying westward expansion, I asked him for a read-aloud idea that would give the boys a good idea of what life was like during the days of the wagon trains. He suggested the absolute perfect book: the story of a seven-year-old boy and four-year-old girl who are the only survivors when their wagon train is attacked by Indians. Hardy and Betty Sue set out on Big Red, Hardy’s father’s stallion, heading toward Fort Bridger, where Hardy’s father is waiting. Relying on the wilderness and survival training he has learned from his father, Hardy must protect Betty Sue from the wildlife and the Indian tracking them. I admit that the western isn’t my favorite genre to read, but any book that keeps the boys engrossed and teaches them a bit about stepping up to responsibility is a positive.

Title: Wives and Daughters
Author: Elizabeth Gaskell
Genre: Classic fiction
Publisher: Various
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: Read online through DailyLit
First line: To begin with the old rigmarole of childhood.

I’ve been wanting to read a Gaskell for a while now, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Molly Gibson is perfectly happy being raised by her widowed doctor father, but as she reaches her teens, he is convinced she needs a woman’s touch. He marries the thoroughly selfish and manipulative Widow Kirkpatrick. The new Mrs. Gibson comes with a daughter, Cynthia. The story tells of Molly’s adjustment to her stepmother, her friendship with Cynthia, and the two girls’ experiences with courtship and romance. Gaskell is a bit like a wordier Austen, and I enjoyed the characters in this book. It was not finished before she died, but is only missing a few chapters. Her editor had her notes for how the book would end, and so he wrote an epilogue that filled the rest of us in on her plans, none of which were surprises to me – it ended the way I thought it would, and the way I wanted it to. This will definitely not be my last Gaskell.

Title: The Game
Author: Laurie R. King
Genre: Historical fiction, mystery
Publisher: Bantam
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Source: Audiobook from the public library
Audiobook reader: Jenny Sterlin
First line: Travel broadens, they say.

This is the seventh novel in Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell-Sherlock Holmes series, and the series shows no signs of slowing down. King is a master of writing not only an intriguing mystery, but is a fantastic painter of setting and character as well. This time the setting is India, as Holmes and Mary head out to find Kimball O’Hara, the famed Kim of Rudyard Kipling’s novel. O’Hara was working as a member of the British Survey in India, which is a polite way of saying he is a spy. When he goes missing, Holmes’ brother Mycroft tasks the couple with locating O’Hara. Along the way, Mary and Holmes pose as itinerant magicians, meet up with an American marxist, and get held captive by a mad Maharaja. This Russell novel is the first one I’ve listened to on audio since the first, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, and it reminded me how much I loved Jenny Sterlin’s reading. I wish our library had the rest of the series on audio!

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2010. | Permalink | 22 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: audiobooks, classics, fantasy, historical fiction, laurie r. king, magical realism, mary russell, mysteries, read-alouds, sherlock holmes, speculative fiction, westerns, YA fiction

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Discussion starters:

~ FleurFisher wants to know which Dickens she should read this year.

~ Tasha at Heidenkind’s Hideaway asks Who is the new Dickens?

~ Rebecca at Book Lady’s Blog talks about her addiction to reading all of the introductory and end matter in her books.

~ So many discussions this week about the latest white-washing disaster at Bloomsbury and the issue of racism in publishing in a broader sense. I have read many beautifully written and eloquent posts on the matter – written by bloggers who say it much better than I ever could. Be sure and check out the posts from Eva, Bookshelves of Doom, Vasilly, Doret, Susan, Amy, The Book Smugglers, Rebecca, and Salon.com. Bloomsbury has since released a very brief statement that they will be changing the cover. Let’s hope that this is the last time this comes up from this particular publisher. But just because Bloomsbury is trying to fix their “mistake,” don’t skip the posts I just linked to. They all have important things to say about diversity issues, things that we should be reading and hearing and understanding.

Reviews that have me adding to my to-read list:

~ Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson, reviewed at Rhapsody in Books.

~ Genesis by Bernard Beckett, reviewed at Beth Fish Reads.

~ Small Wars by Sadie Jones, reviewed at S. Krishna’s Books.

~ The Espressologist by Kristina Springer, reviewed at One Literature Nut.

Reading challenges:

~ The Clover, Bee, and Reverie Poetry Challenge is really tempting me…..

~ And here’s another one I will definitely be joining: the Persons of Color Reading Challenge. And be sure and check out the interview there with author Claudia Mair Burney about the issue of diversity in publishing.

Giveaways:

~ Win The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran at Lost in Books.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: classics, dickens, diversity, giveaways, reading challenges, TBR list

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Brave New World was written by Aldous Huxley in 1932. That in itself is amazing because of how modern it seems. In Huxley’s world, science is god. Science has perfected everything, eliminating the need for pain, aging, unhappiness – and also happiness, love, sadness, and everything that makes us human.

People are no longer born; they are decanted. During the process of embryo incubation, various chemicals are introduced to determine the aptitudes – and therefore class – of the future human. Alphas are the academics and intellectuals. Deltas and Epsilons are purposely stunted and damaged during development so that they will be suited to – and not desire anything but – common, physical labor.

Sex has become pure recreation, with everyone belonging to everyone else. The characters talk about “having” someone, as if they are talking about what they ate for dinner. Children are encouraged to explore any and all sexual feelings during childhood. When grown to adulthood, people are encouraged to spend their recreation hours doing whatever will give them pleasure and will keep them from thinking or being alone. Religion is no longer necessary because the ideas of sin and conscience have been obliterated.

Into this world comes John Savage, a man whose mother was a part of this brave new world but ended up on a reservation of savages (people living outside the system) and gave birth to John. He is raised with his mother’s memories of this “perfect” society contrasted with the civilization he sees in front of him on the reservation. The “savages” display monogamy, religious faith, and morals. These qualities are directly opposed to the values espoused in the “civilized” world. When Bernard Marks brings John into civil society, he is confused and horrified by what he sees. The results are tragic.

This book is written in a detached, scientific manner, as if the narrator is simply the observer of an experiment. The matter-of-fact way he talks about some of the most horrifying aspects of this society is chilling. Even more chilling is how close our world has become to the world Huxley was trying to warn us against – the world of science as god, of truth being relative, of the “if it feels good, do it” mantra.

I can’t say I enjoyed this book, although it is extremely well written. The ending leaves you without hope that anything will ever change. I think that’s why I enjoyed two other adult dystopian novels, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and The Children of Men by P.D. James, so much more – they both ended with at least a hint of hope.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2010. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: classics, dystopian fiction, science fiction

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Alden Pyle is the title character of The Quiet American, and we are told in the first chapter that he has been murdered. Thomas Fowler, a British journalist living and working in Vietnam, tells us the story of his strange relationship with Pyle. Pyle was an American, and his exact business in Vietnam is not truly understood until the end of his tragic story. He and Fowler meet, and Pyle falls in love with Phuong, the young Vietnamese woman that Fowler is living with. The story of their love triangle plays out against a background of international intrigue and horrific violence.

This novel takes place in the ’50s, the years before the Americans enter the Vietnam War. The French are fighting the Communists, and the Vietnamese peasants are caught in the cross-fire. Greene demonstrates how naive idealism can be, how a black-and-white view of the world can lead to abuses and tragedies. Pyle truly believes that what he is doing in Vietnam is right, that the “collateral damages” are worth it in the end. His self-righteous determination to stick to his mission forces Fowler to choose sides, even though he had determined to remain disengaged, an impartial journalist. The fact that his choice also gives him the benefit of Phuong’s companionship only adds to his guilt and despair.

From the outside, The Quiet American looks like a small, simple book, but the powerful feelings it creates in the reader are anything but simple. This would be a perfect book for this year’s War Through the Generations Challenge.

© CarrieK for BOOKS AND MOVIES, 2010. | Permalink | 25 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: classics, historical fiction, vietnam war fiction

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