The Brothers Karamazov: Part 4

I'm done! TBK has been conquered! Yay!! As far as this last part is concerned - why, Dostoevsky, why? How could you build up the speed of the book with such gusto in part 3 and then let the final part just lay flat? I must say I'm disappointed. I was expecting something that would just make that final part POP, but alas, there was no POP, just a poof.  Reminds me of that Eliot poem, The Hollow Men, when he wrote,  "not with a bang, but with a whimper". That is exactly how TBK ended.

Alright, so we have Ilyusha on his deathbed (his illness has progressed), Koyla (who all the schoolboys look up to and who Ilyusha had a falling out with) and Alyosha (who meets Koyla and influences him to the point that Koyla is beginning to rethink his atheist and socialist beliefs).  From here we move on to Ivan and his descent into madness, followed by Dmitri's trial where Katerina's testimony pretty much seals his fate (she introduces a letter that was written by Dmitri and that basically says he would kill his father).  The verdict is guilty ( twenty years of hard labor in Siberia).  We end with Katerina visiting Dmitri and both of them telling each other they will promise to love each other forever.  And we have Alyosha attending Ilyusha's funeral, where he tells the schoolboys in attendance to always keep Ilyusha in their hearts and to love each other - which all the boys promise to do. "Hurrah for Karamazov" the boys chant! The end.

The end indeed. Truthfully, I could not wait to finish this book and was happy to turn the last page. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading about these maddening characters and I thought Doestoevsky's writing was definitely great, but there were just times when I felt he went on and on and on and on.  Overall, this was not one of my favorite reads and I'm not sure when I'll be reading more of his work in the future. However, I am really glad that I joined in on Bellezza's read along of this behemoth of a book, because it inspired me to pick up a book by a Russian author that I had been rather intimidated by.  Thanks, Bellezza!! And now I'm off to continue reading a frivolous book titled, The Lost Symbol.

The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith

I just finished reading the latest installment of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith - and I loved it!! This series is one of my favorites and every time a new book gets released I immediately rush out and buy it. I can't help but dive straight into the world of Botswana and the latest adventures of Mma Ramotswe and her assistant Mma Makutsi.   This time round we have a mean aunt to contend with, an unhappy set of spouses accusing each other of infidelity, the theft of a house and an American woman's request to bestow a monetary inheritance to her safari guide.  All in all, another day's work at the office of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.  The writing is familiar and easy to fall in step with.  The cast of characters are old friends and easy to reconnect with.  The descriptions of Botswana are vivid and lush, thereby making it possible to simply close one's eyes and envision it clearly.  The wisdom and wit expressed by Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi is tried and true.  And just like that I was once again swept away, only to be brought back to reality when the final page was turned.  Now I have to wait and see if Alexander McCall Smith will pen another book of mysteries for Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi to solve. (I'm thinking he will, because Mma Makutsi and Phuti still need to be married off).   Anyhow, I didn't really want to review the book, but merely mention how happy I was to read it. Sometimes, a light and simple text is all one needs to enjoy an afternoon - and The Double Comfort Safari Club was just that text.  Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend full of bookish experiences. Cheers!!

Random Monday

Today's number was 53.  The book selected was Woman Hollering Creek: And Other Stories by Sandra Cisneros. 

I read this book years ago when I researching texts for my MA thesis and absolutely wound up loving it. I knew I would, considering that I fell in love with Cisneros' writing after reading her debut novel, The House on Mango Street.  Cisneros' books are filled with vivid descriptions, colorful characters, and intriguing story lines.  For me, relating to the stories on a personal level was so easy, because of the fact that I'm Latina (just like Cisneros and her characters).  It felt comfortable reading her works, because what she described was so familiar to what I had experienced growing up that I finally connected with an author's work on a personal level based on my ethnicity; which was both surreal and awesome.  I had never really read any works by Chicana authors before, which was crazy to me. How could I not have read books about my own culture? Instead I just read about everyone else's.  Oh well, I had finally come home and that was just icing!  Once I read Cisneros, I moved on to Anzaldua, Moraga, Chavez, Lopez and so many others. Cisneros definitely opened the door for me to a new batch of writers and worlds that were both familiar and different.  Makes me smile just thinking about it. Also makes me realize how long its been since I've read anything by these writers lately - too long!  Hmmm. I'm going to have to rectify that.  Perhaps a re-read of something old and wonderful or the purchase of something new and exciting will do the trick. 

As for this book in particular. Well, it is a wonderful group of short stories focused on the social role of women, specifically within relationships.  Cisneros utilizes the stereotypical archetypes of men and women in order to examines the ways in which these social roles affect and influence womens' issues (identity, sexuality, race, class, etc.).  Her writing is powerful and mesmerizing and takes you on a journey through these women's lives via their personal struggles to achieve their dreams of freedom and love.  The book is divided into three sections: childhood, adolescence, adulthood.  Her tone and style is poetic and easily captures the readers' attention.  She also integrates the Spanish language into her text in order to demonstrate the fluidity and combination of both cultures within each other.  All I can write is that Cisneros is an author that should be read and whose work is an important part of contemporary literature because of its ability to cross borders creatively, linguistically and intellectually.  Her feminist passions are evident throughout the book, which for me was not a problem (of course I'm a feminist who studied Chicana feminism) - I think it just demonstrates how Cisneros utilizes her writing as a way to not only describe her culture, but also as a means of presenting important women's issues to a broader audience.  All in all, a great piece of fiction.

Happy Reading!!!

The Brothers Karamazov: Part 3

Part 3 of TBK definitely picked up steam. Finally, something I could get into. This section begins right after the death of elder Zosima.  It is a an established belief that holy men's bodies do not decompose; so when Zosima's body begins to decay, several people begin to question Zosima's holiness.  Of course this gossip devastates Alyosha and leaves him feeling vulnerable about his faith.  However, after a meeting with Grushenka, his faith is restored and a friendship between the two deepens.  As for Dmitri and Fyodor, they are both still lusting after Grushenka.  Worried that his father will wind up marrying his love, Dmitri is desperate to come up with the monies needed to run away with Grushenka.   So he makes a trip to a neighboring town in order to make a business deal which falls through, leaving Dmitri to return home empty handed.  As the story progresses we find Dmitri outside his father's home with a brass pestle in hand and then we find him wandering around town covered in blood and full of rubles.  He spends the rubles and plans to kill himself at dawn.  Of course, Dmitri finds out that Gruneshka is in love with him and just as he and she are about to be together, the police come and arrest him for the murder of his father, Fyodor.  Details of the murder are revealed, Dmitri is interrogated and declarations of innocence are made.  However, without solid proof and no witnesses, Dmitri is carted off to prison to await trial.  And I am eager to find out what happens next.  So, all I am going to write for now is that I am glad to have carried on with this book, because truthfully I was about to give up.  Dostoevsky suckered me in and here I am ready for part 4.  I want to finish it off this weekend so that I can mull over this book that is filled with discussions on faith and redemption; a book that focuses on the dysfunctional father/son relationships that do exist; a book that is disjointed, well written and filled with characters that do leave a lasting impression.  Until the next post, Happy Reading!!!



Alright, well I'm off to continue with TBK. Next week is the last post, so I need to finish it off so that I can gather my thoughts about this great book which questions faith and redemption and the father/son relationship.

The Brothers Karamazov: Part 2

Okay, so I really enjoyed the first part of this book, but this second part was not as amusing as I had hoped it would be. Don't get me wrong, its still interesting. We have a kid who bites Alyosha and then we have Ivan declaring his personal ideologies regarding God to his brother Alyosha and then we learn about the elder Zosima and how he found his faith. All in all, some fascinating events, diatribes, etc - however, as far as trying to get through these pages, well that was a bit difficult. I found myself not as immersed in the text during this part, which made me wonder how the upcoming Part 3 would fare - hopefully better. I'm off to try and read a bit more. Fingers crossed that I get more engaged with this text, because I'm seriously considering putting it on pause.

By the by, I know that this wasn't an actual review of Part 2 and more of a whinge about reading Part 2, but I couldn't help it. However, if you want a review to find out about Part 2, then check out this site or this one.

Happy reading!!

Random Monday

Its another Random Monday! (Using the random number generator I select a book from my GoodsReads library and write about it). The number today was 70 and the book selected was Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel.

This is truly a magical book that embraces culture, language, food and emotions. Each chapter contains a recipe at the beginning; which is in reference to Tita's (main character) special connection with food. From birth, Tita was literally swept away by food and provided with a gift for cooking. Her culinary skills are legendary, because of her ability to manipulate the flavors to reflect her emotions. For example, if Tita were to weep into the soup she was making, her family would feel Tita's sorrow and cry their own tears as they ate the soup. It is through her cooking that Tita is able to entice her beloved Pedro, manipulate people's emotions and express herself fully.

Tita de la Garza is in love with Pedro and he is in love with her. Her mother Elena rejects Pedro's request for Tita's hand in marriage, because she subscribes to the following tradition: the youngest daughter must remain unmarried and stay at home caring for her mother (until the mother passes away). In a bid to remain close to Tita, Pedro reluctantly marries her older sister, Rosaura. Devastated by this marriage, Tita buries herself in her cooking and longs for Pedro (who is still in love with Tita). Elena gets Pedro and Rosaura to move away, which results in the death of their son Robert. Tita blames her mother for her nephew's death and Elena beats Tita in return. Unable to deal with her mother, Tita holes herself up away from her family. She eventually winds up living with Dr. Brown, who takes care of her and loves her. The two make plans to marry. However, her love for Pedro remains alive. In fact, Tita and Pedro do finally get together. They have one wonderful night together - so full of passion that it literally consumes and kills Pedro. Filled with grief and sadness, Tita manipulates a fire into engulfing the entire De La Garza homestead, including herself. At last reunited in death, Tita and Pedro are finally able to spend an eternity together.

Talk about a love story that spans a lifetime. Esquivel has created a book so charming and original that it is truly a must read. Her writing is full of emotion and dripping with meaning. The characters are representative of all types of women and their capabilities. And the magical realism used within the text adds an extra punch to the book that truly brings it to life.  Definitely one of my favorite reads. 

Hope everyone has a fantastic week filled with lots of wonderfully, interesting reads. Cheers!!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Oh my. I don't even know what to write about this excellent book. I am still in awe of what I just finished reading. I laughed, cringed, winced, and cried (cried, cried, cried). I was completely mesmerized with Liesel's story. I was blown away at how talented a writer Zusak (whose work I had never read until now) is. He created a novel that was so engaging I couldn't even concentrate on anything else. I just wanted to read and read and do nothing else. I hadn't read a book this good in such a long time and this one really knocked me over. I absolutely am in love with The Book Thief and will be telling all of my family and friends about it. In fact, I am sure that I will be gifting this book to quite a few people this year. Just thinking about this book brings a smile to my face because it awakened something in me that had been dormant for quite some time now. It awakened my hunger for literature. Don't get me wrong, I love to read and am always looking for new reads wherever books are sold, but lately I hadn't really been impressed or inspired by anything that I'd been reading. I mean truly inspired, to the point where all I want to do is read and be intellectually and emotionally stimulated by literature (like when I was in grad school). Like when you discover something new to you and all you want is that one thing, because you need to satisfy your craving. Well, I guess the books I had been reading lately weren't up to scratch and well, The Book Thief showed me that great books are out there, I just need to find them. So, now I am on the look out for new reads that will inspire me to read even more. If you have any recommendations for some amazing reads, leave me a comment and let me know!

By the by, here is a synopsis of the book for those of you who have yet to read it (taken from the back of The Book Thief):

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. By her brother's graveside, Liesel Meminger's life is changed when she picks up a single object, partially hidden in the snow. It is The Grave Digger's Handbook, left there by accident, and it is her first act of book thievery. So begins a love affair with books and words, as Liesel, with the help of her accordion-playing foster father , learns to read. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever there are books to be found. But these are dangerous times. When Liesel's foster family hides a Jew in their basement, Liesel's world is both opened up and closed down.

I'm not going to write a review, but just urge everyone to pick up a copy and read this wonderful book. Enjoy the excellent writing, memorable characters, and captivating story for yourself.

And as for me, I'm back to reading TBK. Happy Reading!!!

The Brothers Karamazov: Part 1

I made a big mistake. I started to read TBK and was starting to get into it, when I decided to also begin reading The Book Thief. My mistake was not realizing that The Book Thief would steal all of my interest and attention and leave me with barely any patience to get through Part 1 of TBK. Drat! I'm tempted to just finish reading The Book Thief and put off TBK until then. However, I did read Part 1, so here goes.

The tone of the book is actually engaging - its like having a chat with a rather chatty friend (you know the type - the one who does all of the talking for you) who is filling you in on all of the gossip concerning the family down the street. And I must admit I quite liked it, which I wasn't expecting. Truth be told I was rather apprehensive about reading this text because I had heard so much about its brilliance that I was worried I wouldn't be able to get a handle on it. Well, that is most certainly not the case. I actually found myself laughing out loud a bit and enjoying the descriptions of the characters and their follies. And there are several themes already peeking out of the pages: religion (faith/doubt), family (father/son), hysteria and women, etc.. And the use of language is wonderful - the ways in which Dostoevsky provides each character with their own specific speech mannerisms which reflect their personalities so clearly is wonderful. In fact from this first part alone, I can already tell that TBK is going to be a very good read. However, I am still wondering about Liesel the book thief and will be putting TBK aside for a day or two so that I can find out what happens to the poor child. I can't believe how quickly The Book Thief drew me in - love it! Anyhow, I will post about Part 2 of TBK next Thursday.

Cheers! Happy Reading!!

RANDOM MONDAY

Hello everyone and welcome to Random Monday (an idea I stole from Kirsty of Other Stories - Thank you, Kirsty!!). Basically, you go to random.org and the number it comes up with you match to one of your bookish cataloging sites, like LibraryThing or GoodReads, and write a post about the book that's been randomly selected. The number I got today was 69.

Lunar Park by Bret Easton Ellis

Alright, so I read this book a few years ago when I was living in England and for some reason had fallen into a Bret Easton Ellis kick. I had just gotten two films via LOVEFiLM : Less Than Zero and American Psycho - and became really interested in reading the books that these two films had been based on. So, I went off to Waterstones and bought several of Bret Easton Ellis' works, and Lunar Park was one of them.

From what I recall, the book creeped me out. There was a toy in the book that the main character was convinced had come to life and he described it as one of those Firby-like toys - the furry little alien looking pet-like toys with big eyes and I think they made noises. Anyhow, that image alone freaked me out - don't know why, because I have seen Child's Play and that didn't spook me. I suppose it was the hysterical, frantic-ness of the character's tone that really jolted me with a touch of fright.

Basically, the book is about the character, Bret Easton Ellis (aka the author), as he tries to regroup after having dealt with the excesses of fame/celebrity at such a young age. He is now married to an actress and has a son and is living in the suburbs, where he is trying to write his new book. Things begin to go terribly awry. Ellis is convinced he sees the character, Patrick Bateman from his novel American Psycho, at a Halloween Party; he is convinced that the Firby-like doll is trying to kill him and that there evil spirits in his house; a string of kidnappings of young boys catches his attention as it reminds him of his young son; the plot of American Psycho seems to be coming to life; and Ellis appears to becoming mentally unglued. All in all, a tale of how Ellis' own personal demons are besting him once again and ruining the life he has tried to build for himself.

What I remember enjoying about this book, (because though it spooked me, I simply couldn't put it down) was the writing. It reminded me of Ellis' earlier work, Less Than Zero - which I have always considered to be a must read book - for the ways it captures the affluent, drug addled culture of the 80s so astutely. I found Lunar Park to be a refreshing piece of work that truly engages with the reader, especially fans of Ellis. The way he inserts himself into the book is done so fluidly that you truly begin to believe that these events in the book were happening to Ellis as you read about them, because they feet urgent and very recent. Definitely another great book by a truly talented writer.

Alright, well, I must get back to my current reads: The Brothers Karamazov and The Book Thief. Hope everyone has a terrific Monday. Happy Reading!!

The Brothers Karamazov Read Along

Today marks the beginning of The Brothers Karamazov Read Along hosted by Dolce Bellezza. For the entire month of April we will be reading this much lauded novel and posting reviews. The book is divided into four parts, so basically we will read one part a week.

Part 1: April 8, 2010
Part 2: April 15, 2010
Part 3: April 22, 2010
Part 4: April 29, 2010

If anyone is still interested in joining in, then head on over to Dolce Bellezza and sign up. Of course, if you just want to participate in the discussions, then please do. Happy reading!