Hiiiii! Okay so my sister ordered me this off Amazon for me and when it came in the mail I literally squealed. I have been waiting anxiously since the announced publication. Especially since I love Harper Lee. Enough to name one of my cats after her. (She's adorable btw.) Go Set a Watchman has been my long-awaited book for a long time now and I was so excited to read it. I had to bring it with me to band camp so I could finish it and I finished after lights out (I'm a hard-core rebel, I know) and it was so good. Except the ending I was a little let down about. Whatever.
Here's my overview:
Jean Louise "Scout" Finch is twenty-six years old and on her way back to Maycomb for a visit from New York. Things are starting to stir up and trouble is brewing in her beloved town. During her visit she discovers things about her past she never knew about and has revelations about people she holds dearly.
Sorry for the short description but I don't want to reveal to much and that's about as much what the book jacket gives you.
I really am kind of undecided on this one. I really love To Kill a Mockingbird and my sister loves it so much she named her first daughter after Scout. This took the characters I love and my preconceived notions about them and turned them on their heads. Remember this is set in the 1950s so the American Civil Rights movement is just starting to stir up trouble, especially the NAACP. *Just a note; the NAACP was and is an African-American special interest group. They helped Rosa Parks with her case and took several legal cases to the Supreme Court like Brown v. Board of Education which declared separate schools were not equal in quality and started to upend segregation's mentality of "separate but equal." (Forgive me for the brief history lesson, I took U. S. History last year and thought a little background into the story might help.)* Anyway, back to the book! So Scout discovers things about herself and we are kind of surprised at her naivety at some things but I still liked her. I wanted to smack her in the back half of the book but nevertheless she absolved herself in the end. Two new characters are introduced in this book too. Okay, Uncle Jack isn't new but he is a more developed character and I liked that. He was a really cool old guy. We also meet a love interest for Scout but throughout the novel she refuses to marry him. Which was interesting to me but I could see her reasoning a bit but she was really hard on him. I am not exactly where their relationship is at the end of the novel and wish there was little bit more specificity in the matter. We also get to see Atticus again but as an old man. I actually liked the new facet of Atticus's character because it shows that we can't idolize people. As John Green says in Paper Towns, "What a treacherous thing to believe a person is more than a person." Very powerful words I would say, don't you think?
Okay, okay, I'll get off my soap box now. Happy reading!
Sophie :)
Showing posts with label Classics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Classics. Show all posts
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Matchmaking Advice
Hello there!!
Today I will be writing about Emma by Jane Austen. I have recently just finished reading/listening to it (via my awesome Discman, I don't care what you think!). My favorite classic author, besides Harper Lee, is Jane Austen and the first book of hers I read was Pride and Prejudice, though I am determined to read it again because I didn't quite understand the whole thing.
Here is my summary of Emma:
Emma Woodhouse is 21 years-old and has determined never, ever to marry anyone and leave her father in a deplorable state because of his unease to change. After her governess-turned-friend, Miss Taylor, had recently been married to a neighbor and settled in Randalls, Emma was happy to have her companion so near, but found her world to be changing quite rapidly. In needing a confidante that could occupy her time that the new Mrs. Weston could not, Emma sought out Harriet Smith. By taking in Harriet, who had little claims to good society because of the mystery of her birth parents, Emma contrived to play matchmaker. Through this she encounters many miscommunications, hurt feelings, and good humor in it all. Yet in spite of her swearing off men, Emma accidentally finds herself in some quagmires herself with this thing called love.
Alright, all in all, it was a well written novel. I didn't quite like it at first. Emma was too narcissistic for my taste but as she evolved as the book progressed and I found myself kind of rooting for her. She sees her own faults and does her best to make up for her follies, especially where she unintentionally hurt her friends feelings. I loathed Mrs. Elton. She was very stuck up and vain and I abhorred her. Please note the story is set in 1800s rural England, so there's a reason that Emma and all the women characters are so confined to their homes and other things that are supposed to amuse them. Until I read the SparkNotes on this, I wasn't sure what to really make of the book. I now understand the main themes and it makes a lot more sense than it did before. It is tougher to read, for me, because classics are harder to digest for me. I really enjoy them, though, and it helps a lot for me to hear them to understand them better. (I read a little too fast I think.) Anywhoo! during the story, I could totally tell something was going on between Jane and Frank, but I wasn't quite sure the degree of their acquaintance. I will say that the foreshadowing of this is not terribly obvious but does indicate many things, so keep an eye out for that. OH! One last thing, I found Miss Bates a bit of a bore, but she is a sweet woman. Like wine, she is an acquired taste. It was a bit difficult to make up my own mind about the characters with the narrator spouting his/her own judgments, but it allowed for many multidimensional characters.
Okay, I'll stop blabbing. Happy reading!!
Sophie :)
Today I will be writing about Emma by Jane Austen. I have recently just finished reading/listening to it (via my awesome Discman, I don't care what you think!). My favorite classic author, besides Harper Lee, is Jane Austen and the first book of hers I read was Pride and Prejudice, though I am determined to read it again because I didn't quite understand the whole thing.
Here is my summary of Emma:
Emma Woodhouse is 21 years-old and has determined never, ever to marry anyone and leave her father in a deplorable state because of his unease to change. After her governess-turned-friend, Miss Taylor, had recently been married to a neighbor and settled in Randalls, Emma was happy to have her companion so near, but found her world to be changing quite rapidly. In needing a confidante that could occupy her time that the new Mrs. Weston could not, Emma sought out Harriet Smith. By taking in Harriet, who had little claims to good society because of the mystery of her birth parents, Emma contrived to play matchmaker. Through this she encounters many miscommunications, hurt feelings, and good humor in it all. Yet in spite of her swearing off men, Emma accidentally finds herself in some quagmires herself with this thing called love.
Alright, all in all, it was a well written novel. I didn't quite like it at first. Emma was too narcissistic for my taste but as she evolved as the book progressed and I found myself kind of rooting for her. She sees her own faults and does her best to make up for her follies, especially where she unintentionally hurt her friends feelings. I loathed Mrs. Elton. She was very stuck up and vain and I abhorred her. Please note the story is set in 1800s rural England, so there's a reason that Emma and all the women characters are so confined to their homes and other things that are supposed to amuse them. Until I read the SparkNotes on this, I wasn't sure what to really make of the book. I now understand the main themes and it makes a lot more sense than it did before. It is tougher to read, for me, because classics are harder to digest for me. I really enjoy them, though, and it helps a lot for me to hear them to understand them better. (I read a little too fast I think.) Anywhoo! during the story, I could totally tell something was going on between Jane and Frank, but I wasn't quite sure the degree of their acquaintance. I will say that the foreshadowing of this is not terribly obvious but does indicate many things, so keep an eye out for that. OH! One last thing, I found Miss Bates a bit of a bore, but she is a sweet woman. Like wine, she is an acquired taste. It was a bit difficult to make up my own mind about the characters with the narrator spouting his/her own judgments, but it allowed for many multidimensional characters.
Okay, I'll stop blabbing. Happy reading!!
Sophie :)
Thursday, May 28, 2015
A Breath of Fresh Eyre
HI!! So here it is - the first review/recommendation! I will be writing on Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It's quite a wonderful novel in my humble opinion.
Okay, so here's an overview:
Jane Eyre is both the protagonist and narrator in her life story. Orphaned and cast off from her Aunt Reed's home at Gateshead after an incident involving her merciless cousins, a ghost, and a red room, Jane is sent to Lowood School to be rid of her faults. At Lowood, Jane is treated harshly by Mr. Brocklehurst - the owner of the establishment. She befriends a girl there, and after completing her education and teaching for a few years, Jane leaves to be a governess at Thornfield Hall. There she meets the austere and direct Rochester as her master. When Jane feels herself falling for her master, the sentiment is returned, but a carefully guarded secret tears them apart, sending them on separate paths.
How was that??
I really loved this after I finished reading it. While I read it, I felt myself losing interest at some points but really just keep reading and it'll get super juicy. I love Jane's independence and her need to be herself before committing to anyone long-term, especially since that was a radical idea when Bronte wrote this. Sometimes I just wanted to slap Jane with her own book though because of how she views herself in some aspects but then again considering the time period in which it was written it makes a lot sense. I definitely recommend this to those who like classic Brit lit like Jane Austen and Emily Bronte. Even if you don't think you like this type of writing it's a great read that will totally make you laugh in the end. I fell in love, then again, I fall in love with almost everything I read, so take it as you will.
Until next time!
Sophie :)
Okay, so here's an overview:
Jane Eyre is both the protagonist and narrator in her life story. Orphaned and cast off from her Aunt Reed's home at Gateshead after an incident involving her merciless cousins, a ghost, and a red room, Jane is sent to Lowood School to be rid of her faults. At Lowood, Jane is treated harshly by Mr. Brocklehurst - the owner of the establishment. She befriends a girl there, and after completing her education and teaching for a few years, Jane leaves to be a governess at Thornfield Hall. There she meets the austere and direct Rochester as her master. When Jane feels herself falling for her master, the sentiment is returned, but a carefully guarded secret tears them apart, sending them on separate paths.
How was that??
I really loved this after I finished reading it. While I read it, I felt myself losing interest at some points but really just keep reading and it'll get super juicy. I love Jane's independence and her need to be herself before committing to anyone long-term, especially since that was a radical idea when Bronte wrote this. Sometimes I just wanted to slap Jane with her own book though because of how she views herself in some aspects but then again considering the time period in which it was written it makes a lot sense. I definitely recommend this to those who like classic Brit lit like Jane Austen and Emily Bronte. Even if you don't think you like this type of writing it's a great read that will totally make you laugh in the end. I fell in love, then again, I fall in love with almost everything I read, so take it as you will.
Until next time!
Sophie :)
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