In his own words
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The Illiad
Review: An eye opener for me, as like most people I assumed it was about the Siege of Troy. It’s not, or more accurately, it’s about one particular event in the Siege of Troy, near the end of the 10 years. Two things made this much easier to read. You can’t rush through this. Took…
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Carl Barks’ Library Set I Vol II
Review: “Volcano Valley” – wow, sleepy Mexicans. Could not get that published today. The essays, good Lord people these are comic books with ducks, not fucking Yeats. Still, learned a great deal and the comics themselves are brilliant and timeless. This book made me want to: own the originals Overall rating: Readability: Plot: n/a Other:…
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Gargantua and Pantagruel
Review: A gargantuan undertaking of Rabelaisian wit! First two books out of five were superb. Next one, not bad. Last two, worse than the last two seasons of MASH. It’s bawdy, gross in parts, but it’s also an extraordinary tour de force. Quotable often, hilarious frequently, and a good insight into the real motivations of…
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Watership Down
Review: A wonderful adventure tale. Could not put it down at times. Long, but not needlessly so. A lot of good sensible material mixed in with the adventure yarn. Charming, with glorious descriptions of the English countryside. 5 stars and earned every one of them. This book made me want to: eat rabbit Overall rating:…
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Carl Barks’ Library Set I Vol I
Review: Finally getting around to reading the complete set. Exhaustive research into every facet of the artist’s life and work. Which can be exhausting. If panel 2 on page 12 of four color 29 was based on plate II from National Geographic in 1940, that’s great. But I don’t really care. Still, I learned a…
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The Rivals
Review: An excellent light-hearted comedy, I can see why Dr. Johnson liked it. Mrs. Malaprop is hilarious. The characters all work well together to bring off a solid comedy. The writing itself is excellent, Mr. R.B. Sheridan was a member of Johnson’s literary club, and you had to be good just to get nominated for…
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The Heart of Midlothian
Review: A good adventure yarn, lots of daring escapes in the moonlight. Way too long. Waaaaaaay too long. Needed an editor. A good exposition of the Scottish religious fanaticism, the Covenanters, the Cameronians. A terrible waste of lives. Hard going with reading all the dialogues in Scots dialect. A classic, perhaps with flaws, but deservedly…
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Great Expectations
Review: The life and adventures of Pip the Orphan. It made me feel like it was always raining. Always grey, and dismal as can be imagined. Magwitch, Miss Havisham, Mr. Jaggers, Wemmick the Clerk, Pumplechook, the characters are so engaging, all slightly tragic and flawed. Loved this book. Would never read it in the summertime.…
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Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Review: Brilliant in every sense. This book sparkled from cover to cover. If I had read this first I would have been a little less confused when reading Ulysses. Which I will read again at some point. Ireland, politics, religion, alcohol, and the glorious countryside. Youth, education, and the ways of young men. A boy…
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The Adventures of Roderick Random
Review: A merry romp through 18th century England, France, South America, and the high seas. Good read, well written, solid prose. Needed an editor, but the novel was a new art from and readers craved this kind of long-winded adventure yarn. Like Tom Jones, but with more sailing and battles. This book made me want…