By way of introduction, please share some brief thoughts about what you read this summer. Include not only the literary novel you read for class, but also any other reading that you have done both literary and "commercial," both print and electronic. Please post your writing under "comments" by class time on Friday, August 19.
This summer I read Atonement by Ian McEwan and completely loved it. It was really a book that I got hooked into and read all the way through in one night and then again over the next several days. I love the character progression that Briony has, and I find the conclusion of the book, and the fate of Cecelia and Robbie to be both touching and a bit heartbreaking. For pure enjoyment, I read the next installment of The Alchemist series by Michael Scott. I started them several years ago, and am fascinated by the historical figures pulled into the text. It's not a very difficult read, but it's a series I highly recommend for pleasure. There are six books I believe in the series. Besides that, I've read a few Ted Dekker books, my favorite of which was Skin. I keep up on Us magazine as well as People, and poke now and then at Facebook. Oh! And I also picked up a book of a few compiled poems from T.S. Eliot and another containing the writings of Walt Whitman. The Tattered Cover is a wonderful store!
ReplyDeleteA Hundred Years of Solitude is a huge, long, and toughy of a book, but it was okay. The whole Buendia family is the main character in the novel which takes place during the time when the first generation establishes the town of Macondo, and ends when the family line dies out. It takes a little bit to get into Marquez's writing style because he repeately will interject a character's view points from the future into the present. Sorta like, if I were to say "Stew was playing a game of checkers, a game he would remember one day when he was being hunted by the Swis police" and then just move on without explaining. He also combines realistic fiction with elements of folk tales. He'll make some people exceptionally strong and others somewhat psychic without anyone noticing a difference. Or one cow wil produce twenty calfs over and over without the town folk batting an eye. Personally, I really enjoyed the twists that he could throw in from the looseness of reality in the novel. As a warning, the book is very graphic in regards to... sex, as well as a bit of violence. It's not a big deal though unless those things make you uncomfortable. Still, it was an interesting book and I'm happy to have read it. Other than that, I read a few other books this summer but at the moment I don't totally remember the titles. I know one was about a boy who could see everywhere anyone's ever been because he could see a trail they left in midair... so that was neat. I read Facebook a bit and other than that I don't think I read much else. Love ya Ferrill
ReplyDeleteThis summer I read The Magus, by John Fowles. It was a great book! As the reader I experienced the same psychological conundrums that the main character Nicholas Urfe is exposed to in the book. The book does make the reader think a ton and if one doesn’t enjoy not knowing what is going on or not having everything explained he/she might be disappointed. The book does focus a decent amount on Nicholas’ sexual desires, but I did not think it was over done. This summer I also started to re-read the Inheritance Cycle books since the final one is coming out in November! I also read a solid amount of the sports pages in newspapers, a little bit of Facebook, and a bunch of college information as well.
ReplyDeleteHello! This summer I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I found it to be very dark. At times it was tender; seeing the relationship between the father and son in such an insane post-apocalyptic world. However I felt that the darkness of the story and setting still outweighed the human element in the story. I wasn’t a huge fan of the way that even the text was so bare, but I understood that it helped to make the point of the author. I enjoyed it mostly, but it is definitely not my favorite book. I also read It Happened on the Way to War which is the biography of a marine who lived in an African slum during leave. It then follows him through his journey trying to be a marine, go to grad school, and create a charity for the slum where he stayed. I loved it. I did my share of Facebook reading and plenty of email reading. I did a ton of college reading .I also read several magazines poolside (Vogue, Glamour, Sports Illustrated anyone?) as well as several other “fluffy” novels which I loved. I had a book in my bag the whole summer!
ReplyDeleteThis summer I read One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel García Márquez. The book is long, and takes a little while to get into, but is ultimately very interesting. I both liked, but also found hard to understand, Márquez's writing style, in which he intertwines the present with the past and the future while telling a story. He could be in the middle of describing Melquíades visiting Macondo, and then suddenly switch to a story about how the village was founded. However, despite the added difficulty, I found this to make the story more effective, because it provided a extraordinary amount of detail about Macondo and the Buendía's existence there. Another thing I noticed was that the novel had many mythological aspects to it, such the ability for people to live for over 120 years and for the sky to rain yellow flowers. I thought the book had a really good ending, but I won't go into too much detail. Also over the summer I read On Argentina, by Jorge Luis Borges and The Book of Tea, by Okakura Kakuzo. I also read Climbing magazine and Backpacker magazine, as well as various newspaper articles and college information. Can't forget Facebook, either.
ReplyDeleteI also read One Hundred Years of Solitude. This book is long and full of sex and war, with many characters sharing the same name and no definitive plot line or main character. It is a very complicated book. The author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, is considered by some to be the father of a contemporary literary genre known as “magical realism”. In this movement, the lines between truth and fantasy are severely distorted, time runs in circles rather than linearly, fact and memory are seen as equally truthful, and a strong social commentary is often worked into the story. It was incredible to me how much this novel was like watching a dream unfold; I kept envisioning a magical fog wrapping the jungle village of Macondo. At times Marquez’s writing borders prose, and there is a strong streak of beauty and humanity throughout the book. I really enjoyed this book, and recommend it to anyone willing to push past a tedious cast of characters to discover the beautiful themes, symbols, and view of human life Marquez has to offer. This summer I also read Joan Didion’s A Year of Magical Thinking, a lot of scripture, and began a book called The Furious Longing of God. I dabbled in many other books, but didn’t read them through to completion… It’s a terrible habit.
ReplyDeleteThis summer I read Atonement by Ian McEwan. I decided to read this book because the movie is one of my favorites and I wanted to see how the book compared to the movie. Although the movie touched on many of the main plots in the book, it lacked the book’s detailed description and depth that made characters more relatable. The book’s descriptions were excellent because a reader is able to mentally visualize the handle of a vase in a fountain as water engulfs the vase, or Robbie leaving the woman and child during the raid. In the novel’s conclusion, McEwan explains what actually happened to the characters and this produced a desire for a different ending for many of the characters because some deserved justice while others got off too easily for their actions. Some of the events and actions of the characters also led me to consider my own actions and this demonstrates literature going beyond the pages and gave additional meaning to the literary work.
ReplyDeleteSince I took two college classes this summer, I was not able to read as much as I would have liked and, thus, I turned to other forms of literature such as Tuenti (Spain’s version of Facebook). Tuenti allowed me to talk to my friend from Spain who was a foreign exchange student at Arapahoe two years ago and I learned what she was doing for the summer. However, contacting someone eight time zones later than you, is a bit harder to do than you would think.
I also went to the library and picked up various books for a quick read if the book looked interesting. However, I would not continue reading a book and would move on to another book if I did not get hooked on the plot and characters in the first 60 pages. For me, it is important to read escape literature that is a bit lighter during the summer because much of the reading during the school year is comprised of textbooks or literature where a book’s character dies. One example of my summer reading is Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. Though it is not light reading, this suspenseful novel was interesting to me as a Catholic and I learned some things about the Vatican that I did not know. Although some parts of the novel were obviously made up, other parts were historically accurate descriptions of religious events, people and places.
This summer I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Although at times the writing style – primarily dark and gray, written into short, choppy sentences – could make the story drag, once I got past it and looked deeper at the story McCarthy tells I really began to enjoy it. The mix of narration styles, from 3rd person omnitient to 1st person narrative give you a rounded veiw of “Papa” and “the boy”, the story’s main characters, and the love that they have for each other despite a world devoid of hope.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to reading the road, I was able to read multiple travel books on Costa Rica, Time magazine – specifically Joel Stein’s column, as well as the comics in the Denver Post (heavy literature I know). I also re-read a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
Over the summer I read Plainsong by Kent Haruf and I absolutely loved it. Plainsong features four different stories and throughout the course of the book the characters of each story become involved in each other’s lives and the four stories intertwine to make one. The characters were lovable and very relatable. Haruf's writing style was eloquent yet simple at the same time so it was easy to fall right into the story line without any distractions. During the summer I also read several other books including Everything is Illuminated, Jane Eyre, The Stranger, and Eating Animals. I really enjoyed all these books though the most memorable would have to be Eating Animals by Jonathon Safran Foer, it is essentially a long essay analyzing the meat industry. I learned so many horrifying things about where our food comes from that I had no knowledge of before, such as the fact that 99% of meat comes from a factory farm and that there are very few, very lenient, rules about meat product labeling so although your meat may say "free range" chances are the animal still suffered greatly throughout its life. It really reaffirmed my choice I made to be vegetarian two years ago. Not only was Eating Animals very enlightening but every fact had a respectable source listed in the back of the book, I think it's a necessary read for everyone because ignorance really isn't bliss. Overall I read some really amazing books this summer.
ReplyDeleteThis summer I read Atonement by Ian McEwan. Robbie and Cecilia’s (the main characters) story of trying to beat the odds to be together will not be one that I will forget in the near future. Nor will I forget Briony's rapid imagination as she blends fact and fiction into a reality for herself. Atonement had me on the edge of my seat as I read how quickly Briony condemned Robbie for an act he didn't commit and I couldn't put it down until I read the end. I'll admit I was looking for the escape literature element of a “happily ever after”. Yet surprisingly I enjoyed McEwan's ending even more than I thought I would, even though there was no ride off into the sunset.
ReplyDeleteI also read a number of escape books this summer including Something Borrowed, Something Blue, the first installment of The Hunger Games and a few mystery books.
The one that will stick with me, though, is Along the Inca Road by Karin Muller. I read it in preparation for my time in Peru. It is a woman’s account of her experiences in Peru as she travelled along the old Inca roads. Her details inspired me and sparked a lot of interest. Her words also terrified me at some points, like when she discussed a woman getting hit on the head with a guinea pig (or cuy as they call it down there) until it was dead. The purpose of this was to inform the local shaman of the woman’s illnesses.
I also did my fair share of reading Facebook and a few colorful emails during my time in Costa Rica and Peru in attempt to keep up with life back home!
This summer I read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Although the setting was dark and dreary, I was captivated by the will of the boy and his father. Their bond along with the boy's eventual survival kept me hooked until the end. There were times when the story seemed to move slowly, but I like McCarthy's unconventional writing style and thought he did an exceptional job describing the different settings throughout the novel. I feel like I have an exact picture of what postapocalyptic America looks like.
ReplyDeleteI also read quite a few books by John Grisham and David Baldacci while working my job at the pool. It's pretty nice to get paid to read.
Hi! I read Plainsong by Kent Haruf. The book itself is more of a piece of art in the way that it was written. The author used no quotation marks and chose instead to list conversations. The vocabulary was very simple and every word was chosen for its specific meaning. The author utilized no exclamation points and all emotion was described by the author instead of felt through the conversations of the characters. Every chapter was written through a different character’s viewpoint and then twisted together to create an intricate quilt of emotions and understanding. Although the story was plain, as the title suggests, the characters were developed so well that it made me want to finish the book in one day. I lifeguarded all summer and people did not come to the pool every day; in fact I was left to read for hours at a time. Out of all the books I read this summer I liked Broken For You by Stephen Kallos and The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving. Broken for You was a very cool story. It was similar to Plainsong in that it wove characters together to create a mismatched family of people. The plot was very interesting and the characters were very creative (the book even included a fictional story surrounding the Holocaust). The Hotel New Hampshire was very funny and the characters were also very well developed. The story went into much detail; so much sometimes that the reader could visualize facial expressions. I liked how the author was able to transform a seemingly impossible family situation into a strong bond of unique relationships.
ReplyDeleteHey everyone! This summer I read Atonement by Ian McEwan. I really enjoyed the book. At first it was hard to get into the story but once it got going I was hooked. I couldn’t help but be pulled in by the complexity of the relationship that develop throughout the novel. I was pulled into the struggle between Robbie and Cecilia to keep their love alive and strong while being apart for such a long period of time. Even with the ending I still highly enjoyed reading this book. I also read the book Juliet by Anne Fortier and really enjoyed the story. It was a fantastic blend of past and present that pulled you in. I finished the book in one day because I couldn’t put it down!
ReplyDeleteI began reading The Shipping News over the summer, but soon realized I would not be able to write passionately on the novel (which I really wanted to do.) Annie Proulx writes beautifully, but the story itself was melancholy and I continuously felt a heavy cloud of gray come over me every time I picked up the book. I read novels where the characters are isolated and have loved them, but The Shipping News made me feel so lonely I could hardly stand it. So I switched to The Cherry Orchard by Chekhov and soon put it down as well. It is rare for me to not finish a piece of literature and I am somewhat ashamed that I didn’t hold out. But during my persnickety reading mood, I picked up Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut and found it fascinating. I have never read a book so chronologically squirrely and dryly profound. Vonnegut writes for not only the Vietnam generation but gives insight and questions all wars and the strange effects of it on the individual. After reading Slaughterhouse-Five, I feel informed as a citizen and more sympathetic to the mental effects of war. This book is not particular to one gender. I think it is a poignant piece of modern literature that presents challenging issues rarely discussed in my education thus far.
ReplyDeleteThis summer I read a variety of material, but not nearly as many novels as I had planned/hoped to read. Most of my reading was devoted to college information pages and practice tests for the ACT and SAT subject tests. Honestly, most college sites tout the same information and vary in their formatting. The Facebook news feed was looked at every so often, as was the seemingly confusing AP US History website.
This summer I read The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, and I thoroughly enjoyed the unique personality and beauty of the story. I appreciated how the story is told through the character Stephen’s journal entries, which make his character very accessible and relatable. It was amazing to experience Stephen’s incredible emotional journey through his intimate journal entries. Like an intricate work of Japanese art, Tsukiyama uses her artistic writing style to paint a setting so beautiful and serene. Tsukiyama’s words are very emotional yet straightforward, creating a realistic and accurate portrayal of Japanese honor and tradition. The relationships Stephen creates during his stay in Tarumi are all so special, particularly with his new friend Sachi, who teaches Stephen to look beyond physical appearance and identify with every person’s individuality. This summer I also read The Children’s Hour, a play written by Lillian Hellman, after seeing the production in London last spring. The play explains how vicious words can ruin a person’s life. The script is bone chilling and kept me on the edge of my seat, particularly during the scenes involving Mary Tilford, a conniving schoolgirl with dangerous motives.
ReplyDeleteOne Hundred Years of Solitude is a potently poetic book, if you can tolerate the tedious plot and intricate web of occasionally scandalous relationships. Gabriel Garcia Marquez seamlessly weaves poetry and romance together with government and politics to create the village of Macondo, home of the Buendia family. Marquez writes with dual implication, so each member of the Buendia family symbolizes an ideal that the author holds in high regard, just as every event that occurs in Macondo directly relates to an event in Latin history. I found Marquez’s complex writing style both enthralling and informational, the novel is by no means an easy read, but it is unquestionably well written.
ReplyDeleteThe remainder of my summer was dedicated to reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Much like Marquez, Hugo’s intricate plot combines war and political criticism with vehement emotion and overwhelming compassion to create the beautiful story of convict, Jean Valjean. Although the length of Les Miserables is daunting, I found myself quickly engrossed in the story and actually wishing for even one subsequent chapter as I neared the conclusion. However, in the weeks that were not devoted to the completion of Les Mis, I read a fair amount of Time magazine articles and goofed around on Facebook a time or two.
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ReplyDeleteThis summer I read the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. Although it had a melancholy and occasionally depressing plot (mostly due to the harshness of the oppression of women at the time), Buck surprised me with her ability to accurately and interestingly portray life in Pre-Communist China. After reading this novel, I feel so much more educated as to what I would have experienced as an ordinary person in Imperial China. Buck does a fantastic job of tracing the whole cycle of life, and capturing the reader’s attention to feel the same emotions that the characters do- their pains, accomplishments, sorrows, regrets, happiness, fears, and terrors. I thoroughly enjoyed Buck’s rich and simplistic writing style, and I was surprised to be continually entertained throughout the novel. I loved the fact the Buck starts with vivid imagery of the earth and brings the novel full circle by finishing with the same picture of the “good earth,” ultimately making the statement that when all else withers away, the earth remains. Although it wasn’t necessarily a happy ending, it did leave me completely satisfied and ponderous.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I also read Bill Bryson’s, A Short History of Nearly Everything, and I was pleasantly surprised. Ironically, it was just about 500 pages: not exactly “short”, but nonetheless, I really enjoyed diving into the world of science and learning about topics such as chemistry, geology, biology, astronomy, etc...(Sounds boring right? I thought so too until I read the first chapter!) Being a novelist and not a scientist himself, Bryson does an excellent job of explaining complicated scientific ideas in real terms and examples. I also read my fair share of Vogue magazine, People magazine, Facebook, and various bible studies and scripture verses.
After doing a little bit of research on the AP Lit reading list, I chose to read The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. I expected one long month of dreaded summer reading like most other years, finishing the day before school and hating the book for consuming my last week of summer. Instead I fell in love with the beautiful story that Kingsolver exquisitely writes. From the views of each of the 5 Price women in the jungles of the Congo, to the symbolism of the poisonwood tree (bängala), and the uniqueness of incorporating so much of the African culture, many times I too could picture myself in the Congo. What I thought was going to be a drawn-out story of a Baptist family’s mission trip to Congo in the 1960’s turned into a personal story in the eyes of each character, from the time they stepped on the red soil until they were grown and married, or prematurely taken. Although none compared to The Poisonwood Bible, I did do some “escape” reading this summer, Sarah Dessen books are great on the beach!! I also tried to keep up with current events online and when I could get my hands on a newspaper as well as lots of college websites/information and SAT and ACT books!
ReplyDeleteHedda Gabler, though short, was very deep in its message to stay true to yourself. The play was an interpretive piece of literature because it presented the character’s struggles, therefore relating to readers, and demonstrated the consequences of handling struggles negatively. I picked the play because I love to act! It’s fun to read and dissect as many plays as I can. I enjoyed Hedda Gabler because of the hidden romances, secrets and mysterious that lurked throughout the story. I also read my AP Biology book over the summer (which was HUGE) as well as Facebook, Seventeen magazine and I listened to NPR segments in my car (I count that as my newspaper reading ☺).
ReplyDeleteThis summer i read The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama and it was a fantastic book! It painted the colorful picture of Japanese culture and really dove into the beauty that was hidden in its lands. This was an amazing book because of the fact of how descriptive it was in yet it was not boring and droll like some of the other books that just ramble. I would recommend it for everyone because it is just a story about a young mans travel and the path that he unfolds even though he is a Chinese man in a Japanese world. It has romance and action and everything a book could ever have! I also read this summer The Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. This is a scientific book that may seem droll and boring, but actually is not! (Except for the last three chapters). This book was witty and full of humor that you had to catch while reading this thrilling book about...well everything! If you are not a science nerd like myself you may not like the book as much as I did, but it was really quite fascinating even though it was 500 pages long...
ReplyDeletePost-apocalyptic fiction, as done in any form of media, has become a largely overdone and cliché genre. There are seemingly very little ideas left to run with; however, people continue to create more and more of this type of story. While there is often a lack of creativity, that is not the motivation for their creation. Instead it is the human fascination with the morbidity of not only one’s own death, but the end of all things. Unlike many other post-apocalyptic works, The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, was one of the most unique and interesting works of fiction that I have ever come across, even greater in comparison to many other pieces of the genre. McCarthy makes such a fantastic piece with his absolute mastery over human emotion and simplistic existence in the darkest of worlds. He needs not explain the cause of the apocalypse or get into detail about anything else except for the life of a man and his child, both nameless to the reader, as their names are now arbitrary. One of the most fantastically intriguing aspect of the novel was the way in which dialogue was show, in that he never uses quotation marks, rarely designates the speaker, as it is implied, and has such true and simple conversation that meets perfectly with the bleak environment. The novel was short and terribly compelling, even at points in which very little was happening, it was still entertaining and beautiful. There is not true happiness in the book, but there is still a remainder of hope as the characters struggle on.
ReplyDeleteAs I am both an avid reader and extremely interested in current events, I read the average of five to ten news articles each day. While on the internet I would read facebook, tumblr, and my email correspondence with a close friend spending two months in Vermont. In terms of books, I read Earth: A Guide and America, both by John Stewart, a large amount of Marvel comic books, various poems of Poe and Wilde, Between the Bridge and the River, a wonderful novel by Craig Ferguson, and the first three Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy books. I am currently halfway through A Picture of Dorian Gray, as I did not read it in Lang last year, as well as beginning to read the bibliographies of Gaiman, Hornby, Fitzgerald, McCarthy, and a few other select authors.
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ReplyDeleteFor my summer reading book I read the Poisonwood Bible by Barbra Kingsolver. I loved it! She is one of my favorite authors (I’ve read almost all of her books) so I wasn’t really surprised with the fact I enjoyed PWB. It is about a Baptist missionary and his family in the early 60’s in the Congo (around the time Congo gained independence from Belgium). Narrated by his four daughters and his wife, the book is beautifully written, I found myself sitting in my backyard reading aloud just to give Kingsolver’s lyrical voice justice. It is also incredibly impressive that each of the five narrators have a distinct voice. I really enjoyed the themes of power, greed, bigotry, justice and spirituality throughout the novel (many of these appear in her other novels as well). Kingsolver does tend to hit readers over the head with her views, especially at the end of the novel, and this agenda is a bit belabored in some parts, but nonetheless this is a delightful novel that forces you to consider hard topics.
ReplyDeleteI had a really busy summer so I did not get around to as much reading as I would have liked. I did read a bunch of children’s books by Mo Willems as bed time stories to my campers at summer camp. All of his books are hilarious and adorable. I found time for all the wonderful letters friends sent while I was at camp, hit up the Magic Tree House books while babysitting, started the daunting task of reading the whole bible (alphabetically by book name), and listened to a bunch of spoken word poetry on youtube (check out Andrea Gibson, so good!).
"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy is set in post-apocalyptic America and describes the trials of a father and son as they discover the depths of the wasteland they now live in, as well as their own commitment to each other. Although its choppy sentences, repetitive dialogue and lack of quotation marks can make it hard to read at times, the relationship McCarthy is able to mould is one hardened in fire and yet still growing. This connection between father and son reveals itself not only in their words but also in the interactions with others, which always leaves them side by side.
ReplyDeleteThis summer I reread Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, who paints a story of despair and forgiveness, rebellion and communion; all centered on the ex-convict turned philanthropist Jean Valjean. Hugo's accurate depiction of early 19th century France as well as his interludes into the human psyche turn it into an invaluable book to read. I also read the Denver Post occasionally and wasted some time on Facebook.
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ReplyDeleteFor my summer reading assignment, I read "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Johnathan Safran Foer. I really enjoyed this novel; it is modern and relatable because it focuses on nine-year old Oskar Schell, who lost his father in the World Trade Center on 9/11. Finally, I found an independent study that is challenging and unique due to multiple points of view, somewhat difficult diction, and random pages filled with symbolic pictures. The story was hard to put down because of loose ends created by the multiple points of view. Slowly, I was able to put the pieces of the puzzle together, which was half of the fun. The two tragic stories developed by various characters throughout the novel were closely related to each other due to the fact that they both occur to Oskar’s family, and both carry themes of death, emotional trauma, and recovery. The two stories eventually came together to reveal the main theme of the novel, love conquers fear. Also, the diction allows the novel a unique edge and displays the authors writing style. It also gives the book a hint of humor, because the elaborate diction is mostly exercised by Oskar, the nine-year old boy who appears much to mature for his age. Furthermore, the novel is filled with unsystematic pictures of objects, which have symbolic meanings to the main characters. Foer also decided to end his book in this manner, with a sequence of photographs printed in reverse order. The “flip book” depicts a man rising from the World Trade Center, instead of falling, another symbol which demonstrates Oskar’s healing and acceptance of his father’s death. One of the flaws of this book, though, is the main character Oskar is somewhat un-relatable. Oskar seems unrealistic in his abilities, such as walking the streets of New York alone or inventing unbelievable contraptions. His grief, however, is very real and is the reason the reader may identify with him.
ReplyDeleteI can honestly say I have never read anything like Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. At first glimpse, it seems somewhat, cold and standoffish, even boring. However, the detail and overwhelmingly clear picture of the Civil War stricken South Frazier paints in the reader’s head leaves a mark of deepened understanding for life in the U.S. at the time. This is a beautifully written novel. Every detail is carried through with preciseness correlating perfectly with Inman’s attitude towards life. I could feel his emptiness and pain in result of seeing such bloody scenes as the Civil War. Ada’s strife in learning the works of independence and survival seemed to be personally experienced. Every detail is thoroughly described in a way readers can imagine in their mind and either be horrified by the bloody scenes of the Civil War or be in awe of the blast of colors on the face of Cold Mountain in the approach of autumn. Frazier uses a building technique, line upon line, precept upon precept, as each thought leads to the next effortlessly, and though it may seem rambling and random, it ends up supporting the events perfectly. Its unique love story of Inman and Ada is heart-wrenching, fragile because of circumstance, yet bold because of hope. The tone is dominantly melancholy, but is rightly so considering it is the realistic emotion of such a gloomy time. I can say that my appreciation and knowledge of this time has been significantly increased after reading this book.
ReplyDeleteI also had the pleasure of re-reading The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, one of my personal favorites. Goodness, I love that book. What can I say? I’m a sucker for the cliché of love prevailing over all. That’s basically the sum of my summer reading, unfortunately, unless reading an entire ACT book counts. I don’t recommend it.
For class, I read Plainsong this summer. I loved the story, it was unlike anything I have ever read for a class. There are five or so people that the book focuses on as all of their stories intertwine. It wasn't too long, and ended up providing a really sweet message. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for an enjoyable read. For fun, I read The Hunger Games series. I absolutely adored this series. When I heard about them, they sounded violent and boring. When I finally cracked it open and started to read, I couldn't put them down. I read them all in a week, and cant wait for the movies!
ReplyDeleteFor my summer reading book, I read Atonement by Ian McEwan. It had a story structure that I was not used to; it changed the point of view between characters while remaining in third person. It was a really powerful book, revealing the hidden workings of human emotions and psyche through simple and unexpected means. I really enjoyed the book overall, the ending especially is a shock. Among my favorite books to read this summer were The Help, The Count of Monte Cristo and The Handmaids Tale. All these books are profoundly different, but each left me feeling smarter and were difficult to put down. I would recommend The Help to anyone who loves a good book, while the Count of Monte Cristo involves a little more perseverance and The Handmaids Tale is geared more toward women. All in all I had fun with books this summer.
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