Category: Review
You need these reviews in your life.
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The Mill on the Floss
Review: The remarkable Maggie Tulliver. The unremarkable family from an unremarkable village who have an extraordinary story. Or at least, a story made more remarkable by it being an experience that to varying degrees we all experience: interfamily squabble, intrafamily disputes with our extended relations, money worries, frustrated goals and having to adapt or present… Read more
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Prisoners of the North
Review: A collection of 5 stories of 5 unique lives, all of whom were shaped and changed by the Canadian north. It was Berton’s 50th and final book, and is an excellent and very readable narrative. I always love when I place I have lived or visited gets mentioned. Like Edmonton, or Athabasca (best burger… Read more
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Time Regained (Volume 6)
Review: Out of all the volumes, this was the easiest to read. But not easy reading by any means. And World War I was happening in it, so there was some action, something beyond the interminable drawing rooms and endless reflecting and analyzing and… I did it! Done! 4300 pages and it’s “in the books”!… Read more
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The Captive and the Fugitive (Volume 5)
Review: Proust. Sometimes he writes himself into a corner and then laboriously extricates himself. Leaving the reader puzzling over quadruple negatives and peculiar phrasing. Protagonist finally revealed as “Marcel”. He is still a bone idle pussy, but as always the descriptions of light and sunshine and landscapes and architecture are exquisite. Overall rating: How I… Read more
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The Secret Agent
Review: Conrad is credited with his introduction of true realism to English literature, and this is a great example of that. Dirty, poverty stricken violent anarchists. Unlikeable protagonists, and everybody dies or wants to by the end. Loved this. Overall rating: How I discovered or acquired this book: Read a quote from it somewhere Noteworthy… Read more
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The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loanna
Review: An investigation of memory and how our lives and events are largely our own. A beautiful exposition of nostalgia and how it shapes our memories. Very interesting to see war-time memories from an Axis country. Overall rating: How I discovered or acquired this book: Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: Discovering that Kindle illustrations… Read more
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The Catalogue of Shipwrecked Books
Review: Hernando Columbus and his quest to build a universal library. Extraordinary research into an extraordinary man and an extraordinary project. Highly interesting and informative, both historically and scientifically. Books are our memories and need to be preserved and accessible to all. Overall rating: How I discovered or acquired this book: Libby suggestion Noteworthy experiences… Read more
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Electra
Review: An excellent treatment of the Clytaemnestra/Electra myth. Justice prevails, but at a cost. Or rather, revenge versus justice is shown as a dichotomy. Overall rating: How I discovered or acquired this book: RNG4LRP Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: Check out author’s other books? Y Recommend this book? To whom? Ratings (1-10, 10 being… Read more
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100 Years of Solitude
Review: Very well written but needed an editor. It just went on too long. Really exquisite prose, but it felt tedious near the last third of the book. Overall rating: How I discovered or acquired this book: RNG4LRP Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: World spiraling into chaos from Covid-19 Check out author’s other books?… Read more
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The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea
Review: A very, very good book. Almost poetic in its tone and descriptions without being forced or contrived. A short, sad, glorious tale of a man, a boy, a woman, and the timeless eternity of the ocean. Overall rating: How I discovered or acquired this book: RNG4LRP Noteworthy experiences while reading this book: Coronavirus scare… Read more