Macbeth (William Shakespeare)

***

         When Macbeth, a Scottish thane, hears a prophecy that he will become Thane of Cawdor and then become king, he can't help but be intrigued, even if he doesn't believe it's true.  But when the first part of the prophecy falls into place, Macbeth wonders whether he could push things along in his favor.  With encouragement from his manipulative wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan in a quest for power. However, kingship doesn't turn out the way Macbeth had expected.  Haunted by his own wrongdoing and by Duncan's loyal subjects, Macbeth takes desperate action to cling to the only thing he has left - his crown.

         As far as school assignments go, this was pretty good.  It's the second Shakespeare play I've read (the first was Romeo and Juliet).  I liked it a lot.  I could go on for quite some time explaining all of the themes and character developments we discussed in class, but I doubt many people would want to hear it!  Personally, I wouldn't seek it out outside of a school assignment, but if you do happen to like plays or older literature, you would probably like it.

Rating: 3/5
Completed: May 2, 2013

The Theban Plays (Sophocles)

****

         I read two of the three plays for my English class: Oedipus Rex and Antigone.  The former is the tragedy of Oedipus, a Greek prince who unknowingly kills his father and marries his mother.  Oedipus Rex takes place years after this has occurred, when Oedipus must discover the truth about his identity in order to save the people of Thebes.  Antigone is the story of his daughter, a defiant young woman who has grown up as the daughter of a disgraced king.  

         I didn't expect to like these plays, probably because books on the school curriculum are hated by the general population.  You end up hearing a lot of bad things about school books whether they're bad or not.  However, I actually thought both plays were really interesting.  The language isn't too difficult all things considered, and there's a lot of action and drama.  Neither Oedipus Rex nor Antigone is very long, so if you were interested in reading a Greek play, this might be the way to go.  (I know that sounds like a long shot, but I think there may actually be some people out there who really are interested in reading Greek plays.  Just a few, but still.)

Rating: 4/5

Completed: March 14, 2013

The Collector (John Fowles)

***

         Clegg is a small-town man with a boring job who gets a lucky break and wins enough money that he will never have to work again.  With the power to do whatever he wants, Clegg hopes to improve his life and find real happiness.  At first, happiness means buying an isolated countryside home, which happens to have a very lovely large cellar.  Soon it means following Miranda, the beautiful girl he's fallen in love with, all around London.  But knowing Miranda from a distance is not enough for Clegg; he decides to kidnap her so that he can enjoy her company for as long as he wants.  The only trouble, of course, will be to get Miranda to love him back.

         Sorry, guys, but I just can't bring myself to go in-depth about this book after picking it apart in English class.  This is going to be a short review.  Basically, this book was very creepy.  How can a book about a guy who stalks a girl and then kidnaps her in his van - yes, van - not be creepy?  The Collector deals with some pretty heavy themes, including gender roles, class, and power, and John Fowles does a good job of playing them out in the story.  There's no denying that it's a great candidate for analysis and essay writing.  As we discussed in class, Fowles gets the reader confused about who they like and who they don't.  It's shockingly easy to feel sorry for Clegg at certain points.  In the end, though, I knew exactly how I felt about the characters.  Although I was not happy with the ending, it was fairly realistic.  I can't say that I exactly recommend this book, but it definitely has its merits.

Rating: 3/5
Completed: February 8, 2013

Sorry that I haven't posted much at all lately.  Junior year is really catching up with me - I have heard more than one person refer to this week as "hell week".  Spring break is on its way, which means college visits, but also hopefully more time to read.  In the meantime, I'm still a bit behind on posting, so I'll try to keep 'em coming for the rest of the month.  Have any fun plans for the spring?  Reading any great books?  Post it in the comments.

My Name Is Asher Lev (Chaim Potok)

****

         Hasidic Jew Asher Lev comes from a long line of very important religious people.  From his father, who establishes yeshivas (schools) in Europe, all the way back to his great-grandfather, Asher's family members have put religion before self.  But Asher Lev is different.  He is a Jew, but he is also an artist.  In such a strict religious community, Asher's attempts to capture an emotion can easily be interpreted as blasphemy.  Asher wants to embrace both aspects of his identity, but his family cannot do this.  He is forced to choose which side of his identity is most important to him.

         This was one of the best books I've ever read in school, and a great book in its own right.  There were so many likable characters.  No surprise here, but I've found that the more you like the characters, the more you like the book.  Asher is a really good person in a tough situation.  He loves his family and wants to be a devoted Jew, but also loves art and needs it to express himself.  Hard as he tries, Asher's father, Aryeh, can't understand his son.  From the outside, Asher and Aryeh would both seem terribly stubborn.  As the book goes on, however, you realize that neither one is at fault for their tense relationship.  They are both trying to do what they believe they're called to do, and their paths just don't line up.  Asher's mother, Rivkeh, desperately wants to bring the two together.  She sacrifices everything for her husband and son so they both can do the things that are important to them. Despite this, she can't force them to reconcile.  Amid this family tension, Asher struggles to find balance between his Jewish beliefs and artistic expression.  On one hand, My Name is Asher Lev is a great "literary" book and makes for some serious discussion.  But it's also a really enjoyable story without the analysis.  No matter what you're looking for, I'd recommend reading this book.

Rating: 4/5
Completed: November 21, 2012

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (James Joyce)

***

         This semi-autobiographical novel tells the coming-of-age story of Stephen Dedalus, a young man growing up amidst the conflict for Irish home rule.  Stephen is used to letting other people dictate how he thinks about the world.  Issues like religion and patriotism play a central role in the Irish identity.  Stephen willingly goes along with the beliefs of his family and his teachers.  As he gets older, he realizes that those people weren't as wise as he once thought they were.  Without guidance from the people he used to respect, Stephen has to figure out what he believes to be true and find his own voice.

         It's been a while since I've had to write a review on a book that I read for school.  You might remember that those reviews are pretty short.  This will probably be short also; I get pretty tired of talking about books after a point.  The good news is that I actually liked Portrait, and class discussions didn't completely ruin it for me.  In fact, this book lends itself to deep philosophical discussion and analysis.  This is a good book at surface level, but there are lots of deeper layers that are worth thinking about.  Stephen deals with some pretty heavy themes: religion, nationality, family, and eternity, to name a few.  We get to know Stephen from inside his head (Joyce was apparently famous for this stream of consciousness style).  Sometimes it can be confusing, but I found that it also helps you to understand Stephen's thoughts and experiences.  I liked Stephen as a person despite the many mistakes he made.  He is annoying at times, I guess, but his determination to find out who he is and then stick with it is admirable.  On the whole, I thought that Portrait was a pretty good book, especially for a school assignment.

Rating: 3/5
Completed: October 22, 2012

Hello, blog.  I have neglected you.
It's been a while.  I've finally made it through Portrait as well as The Casual Vacancy and am on to the next book.  Which is awesome, by the way.  I promise I will try to post again soon, just in case there are people who sometimes read this blog.  :)
Reading this book made me think it's been a while since I've read a properly old book.  When is the last time you read a classic for fun (if you've ever done that at all)?  Mine was Sense and Sensibility in June 2011.  Maybe I should pick up another sometime soon . . .

Our Town (Thornton Wilder)

***

         Our Town is a play set in Grover's Corners, a small and secluded town in Maine.  It follows the lives of the Webb and Gibbs families as they experience life, love, and death.  

         

         I read this in English class, which usually ends up ruining books for me.  Many of the themes in Our Town (such as the significance of time) would have been interesting except for the fact that we spent far too much time discussing the play.  In fact, I'm having a hard time bringing myself to talk about it at all.  However, I did enjoy it before breaking it down in class.  Try to read this only when you are in a particularly philosophical mood - it can be somewhat depressing.  On the whole, probably a good book in the right setting.

Rating: 3/5
Completed: Early March