Friday, May 25, 2012

Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens


 


Book Title: Great Expectations
Author: Charles Dickens
Published By: Signet Classics
Date Published: February 3, 2009 (first published 1861)
Genre: Classics, Mystery, Fiction
Pages: 528
Recommended Age: Young Adults, Adults
Read and Reviewed By: Me
Rating: A/5





I borrowed this book from the library.

Summary:
Pip is an orphan living with his sister and her kind husband. Pip is hired by Miss. Havisham as a companion for her and her adopted daughter, Estella. During his time with Miss Havisham creates a desire in Pip to rise above his station in life and to become a Gentleman.  Pip gets his wish fulfilled when a mysterious benefactor provides him with "great expectations" and the means to be schooled as a gentleman.


My Thoughts:
I enjoyed the book very much.  It was well written and the characters were well developed.  Pip was a cute adorable child being raised “by hand” by his mean and abusive sister, who was only known as Mrs. Joe Gargery.  It really irked me the way Mrs. Joe Gargery would be verbally, emotionally, and physically abusive to her little brother and her husband.  She would even beat them with a device she called The Tickler.  What kind of name is “The Tickler” for something used to bring pain to someone?  I can only imagine that she got pleasure from dishing out the abuse.  I know she enjoyed causing that fight between her husband and their employee.

Pip disappointed me deeply as he settled into the life as a gentleman. He enjoyed the life of leisure and luxury so much that he spent his money foolishly, as if there was no end to it. Pip also turned into a snob and threw away everything he once loved and valued to pursue his own selfish wants.  As my mother would say, he “forgot where he came from.” When Pip discovers the identity of his benefactor he is highly disappointed and filled with shame.  All he can think about is what Society would think instead of being grateful.  I grew to be ashamed of Pip.

As for Mrs. Havisham, I felt sorry for her. I kept thinking if she lived during this time she wouldn’t let one man ruin her life and drive her inside.  She would think her the best revenge would be to live her life to fullest and let the man see what a good thing he gave up.  Instead she let her run away groom send her down into madness and train her adopted daughter to not to love.  She realizes to late the damage she has caused her beloved daughter and the hell she has sentenced her to. It is truly sad.

I also noticed how Charles Dickens used shades of the color Yellow a lot throughout the book, and not in a flattery sense.  For example, when he first introduced the color it was to describe Miss. Havisham’s wedding gown. He described it as  white-yellow. Dickens did that to show the reader how old the gown was and that it was losing its whiteness.  I made the reader actually see how sad Miss Havisham and her environment were.  The color Yellow came to represent something old and ugly.

I enjoyed Great Expectations so much I gave it 5 stars and a grade of an A.  Charles Dickens did a fantastic job weaving a tale of mystery and morale values.  If you enjoy reading the Classics or clean, wholesome stories about morality and human weaknesses, I recommend Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations.



Parents:
Language: None
Adult Content: None
Violence: None


Monday, May 14, 2012

Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte


 

Book Title: Wuthering Heights
Author: Emily Bronte
Published By:  Signet Classics
Date Published: March 1, 2011
Genre:  Classics, British Literature, Gothic, Romance
Pages: 322
Recommended Age: Young Adults, Adults
Read & Reviewed By:  Me
Rating: B/4






I borrowed this book from the library.

Summary:
Heathcliff, an abused orphan falls in love with Lady Catherine Earnshaw, the daughter of his benefactor. She loves him just the same, but because he is not a rich educated gentleman she marries her neighbor Mr. Linton. Heathcliff vows to avenge his broken heart at all means possible. He makes sure all her family suffers the misery he feels that is equal to his pain.


My Thoughts:
I quite enjoyed this tale about unrequited love. Emily Bronte did a fantastic job of holding the reader’s interest, and she had the right amount of characters that there was never any confusion about who was who.  Bronte had written her characters well enough that the reader actually dislikes and pities Heathcliff at the same time and feels nothing but disgust for the selfish and cruel Catherine Earnshaw. The reader also feels completely and utterly sorry for each of their children because they ended up being pawns in Heathcliff’s diabolical plan.

I gave Wuthering Heights four stars and a grade of B, because it held my attention within the first three chapters, and I was as eager to hear Mrs. Dean’s tale of Heathcliff and Catherine as much as Mr. Lockwood did. Bronte is a great story teller, and sadly, this is the only book she had written before she passed away. The world has missed out on many terrific tales woven by Bronte.  If you enjoy the Classics, I recommend Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.



Parents:
Language: Just the word “hell” occasionally.
Adult Content: Mr. Hindley Earnshaw is a drunkard.
Violence: Heathcliff is a violent man.  He is mean to animals and strikes Catherine Earnshaw’s daughter, Cathy.


Saturday, May 12, 2012

A Little Note

I've decided that my summer's reading list will consist of the Classics, since I have read very few of them and the ones I have read were long ago in high school. I will be reading a variety of the classic authors, but I have always favored Charles Dickens so I will be reading a lot of Charles Dickens' works starting with my favorite of his, Great Expectations. I hope that I will be able to have my concentration in Charles Dickens when I enter the grad program at CSU for English.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen


 

Book Title:  Pride and Prejudice
Author: Jane Austen
Published By: Public Domain Books
Date Published: June 1st 1998
Genre: Classics, British Literature,  Romance
Pages: 333
Recommended Age: Young Adult, Adult
Read & Reviewed By: Me
Rating: C/3

One of the true classics.




It is one of my Kindle books.

Summary:
When Elizabeth Bennet first meets Fitzwilliam Darcy she finds him arrogant and conceited, and he tries not to be persuaded by her good looks and intelligent mind. Elizabeth begins to believe the lies she is told about Darcy because they match her first impression of him, and when she finds out that he has planted himself in the middle of her favorite sister, Jane and Bingley’s complicated relationship she is determined to dislike him even more.


My Thoughts:
I liked the story very much because it is a realistic tale. Who has not misjudged people or held prejudices against someone for one reason or another?  What shy person hasn’t been called proud and conceited by people who don’t really know them? Jane Austen did an excellent job of telling a tale involving these two flaws that some, if not all people have had at one time or another.

I gave Pride and Prejudice three stars and a grad of C because there are too many characters to keep up with.  It took me several chapters to sort the characters out and to figure out that this story was mainly about Elizabeth and Darcy.  The story also has a slow start.  Pride and Prejudice does not begin to get interesting until the reader is almost half way through the story, then it starts flowing. This is why it took me a bit longer to read this book than it usually takes me to read.  If you enjoy the great classics, I recommend Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.



Parents:
Language: none
Adult Content: None
Violence: None


Thursday, May 3, 2012

Giant George: Life with World's Biggest Dog, by Dave Nasser


 
Giant George: Life with the World’s Biggest Dog
Author: Dave Nasser with Lynne Barrett-Lee
Published By:  Grand Central Publishing
Date Published:  April 10, 2012
Genre:  Biography, Non-fiction
Pages: 252
Recommended Age:  Young Adults, Adults
Read & Reviewed By: Me
Rating: B/4

 "When two hundred and forty-five pounds of dog gets a twinkle in his eyes, size matters.  Boy, does size matter!!!"--From Giant George



 I got the book from the library.

Summary:
This is a humorous story of George, a Great Dane who won the title the World’s Tallest Dog-ever. George was the runt of his litter and Dave and Christie Nasser chose him because not only was he cute but they believed he we wouldn’t get very big. Surprising everyone, even the vet, George became almost five feet tall, seven feet long, and 245 pounds.  Being such a playful dog he brought joy to the Nasser’s lives and showing them that even huge dogs has their fears. George is scared of water, dogs littler than him and, of being left alone. He even has a bladder that every dog and human would envy.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed ready about Giant George.  Dave Nassir did a fantastic job of writing this book about his beloved pet. He told the story of Giant George so well that the reader can actually see Giant George enjoying Christmas so much that takes down the tree by accident. 

I gave Giant George four stars and a grade of B because this book has caused be to laugh quite often throughout the chapters.  The reader is able to see the tremendous amount of love the Nassers have for their giant pooch just by the sacrifices they make for him at every turn. If you are a dog lover or have read the book A Dog’s Purpose and enjoyed it then I recommend Giant George: Life with the World’s Biggest Dog by Dave Nasser.  This is one reader who can’t wait for the sequel.



Parents:
Language: very little
Adult Content: None
Violence: None



Forever Knight: Intimations of Morality, by Susan M. Garrett


Book Title: Forever Knight: Intimations of Morality
Author: Susan M. Garrett
Published By: The Berkley Publishing Group.
Date Published:  November 1, 1997
Genre: Fan Fiction, Paranormal, Vampires
Pages: 284
Recommended Age: Adults
Read & Reviewed By:  Me


Rating: B/4
I got the book from the library.


Summary:
Nick Knight is a 800 year old vampire who is a homicide detective on the night shift in Toronto.  Nick is constantly searching for his way back to mortality. He has come across a strange doll that was given to him by a mysterious woman.  She says the doll will grant him is heart’s desire. Nick ends up having a series of dreams that leave him baffled.  In the dreams he is a mortal, while everyone else in the police department are vampires, even his dear friend Dr. Natalie Lambert is a vampire and she wants to be the one to bring him over.  Even more surprisingly, LaCroix is a mortal as well and a leader of an underground group of humans who are fighting their morality.

Nick can’t tell what is real and what the dream is anymore.  What is the price he is willing to pay to be human once again?


My Thoughts:
I truly enjoyed this book.  I believe it to be the best out of the Forever Knight books.  It had just the right amount of fantasy to keep my attention.  I love how Susan M. Garrett used the subject of dreams as the main plot.  Dreaming is something everyone can relate to.  Everyone dreams even if they do not recall their dreams. (That is if they get the proper amount of sleep.)  Intimations of Morality gives us an insight of what if Nick’s reality was inversed.  The character of LaCroix was kept true to himself.  Even as a human, he will still sacrifice anyone for his cause.

I gave Forever Knight: Intimations of Morality four stars and a grade of B because I really liked it. Garrett is a fantastic storyteller and is quite sad that we will not be seeing anymore of her work.  I had just found out recently she passed away from cancer so unless she has many unpublished writers her family has yet to get published for her, her talent for storytelling is lost to us, the reader.  If you enjoyed the TV show Forever Knight or just like stories of vampires, I recommend reading Intimations of Mortality, the second book in a line of three books that was written based on the TV series.



Parents:
Language: No
Adult Content: Adult Subject Matter, Heavy topics
Violence: violent scenes or acts and their intensity