Well, it's been a little while since I've updated this list. That isn't to say that I had given up on reading, just that other things got in the way. I actually read this novel quite some time ago, so I'll try to recall my sentiments here and now.
This novel centers on Jake Donaghue and his relative/friend Finn. Jake and Finn are both somewhat down and out and had been living off the kindness of Madge. The novel starts with Madge tossing them both out to make way for her new lover, Sammy. Jake tracks down an old lover of his, Anna, who sends him to Sadie. Sadie asks Jake to look after her place while she is hiding away from Hugo. Hugo, it turns out, is an old friend of Jake's with whom a book had been written that led to the dissolution of their friendship. The book introduced the idea that the "Net" under which they were trying to crawl under in the title was language in general. Hugo's belief that language was somehow corrupt implied that writing a book was a betrayal. An odd topic to cover in a novel.
The novel follows a bizarre path of depravity that ends with Hugo leaving, Finn back in Ireland, Sadie selling a dog to Jake and Anna, now just a disembodied voice, singing on the radio. In the end, Jake is broke, has Mr. Mars the dog and looks forward to a future of being a writer.
I remember thinking at almost every turn that things were finally starting to look up for Jake. Sadly, the next turn coming always pulled the rug out from under him. Every time he had the opportunity to do the right thing, he chose another option. When everyone leaves him in the end, it is hard not to feel sorry for Jake, but at the same time, one realizes that he deserves his lot. Whether his literary career is going to take off or not is hard to say, but he has certainly gone through the seemingly requisite suffering that artists claim they need.
All told, I rather enjoyed this novel. Murdoch was able to capture a character that you both love to hate and hate to love. Jake is a jerk. He is, however, a jerk that you root for as you flip through the pages.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Sunday, August 2, 2009
96. "Sophie's Choice," William Styron
Sometimes, you start reading a book and get so engrossed in it that you can't put it down until you're done. Other times, you care so little for a novel that you dare only read a small bit at a time and it takes forever to finish. For me, Sophie's Choice was neither of these. This book has taken me several weeks to read, but not from any dislike. In truth, my schedule just didn't allow for long stands of reading. Even if it had, however, I think I prefer the way this went. Having more time to ruminate on the events of the story allowed them to become all the more real. Being over 500 pages also makes it easy to stretch out the reading time!
The novel opens with a young Southerner, fresh out of service in World War II (though not having seen active duty) trying to find his way in the literary world of New York City. Things go poorly, he looses his job and has to find a cheaper rooming house. Here, he receives money from his father to allow him to live his dream of writing the last authentic Southern novel. He also meets the titular Sophie and her lover Nathan. The entirety of the novel rests on the love triangle formed by these three and the increasingly intimate details that get uncovered of each of them. Centrally, Sophie was a non-Jewish "Polack" interned at Auschwitz and has suffered loss on a level that few, if any, readers will be able to truly understand. Nathan is a truly unstable figure that is allowed to live a life of fantasy in an attempt to reign him in, albeit unsuccessfully. Stingo is the narrator and I'm not entirely sure whether it is also Styron or not. So much of his personal revelations seem to be so detailed that it is easy to assume the author is writing autobiographically.
This novel is an amazing work in character development. Every time you learn something new about a character, you're simply chomping at the bit to learn more. You come to love some characters and hate and fear others. I suppose it may have been different had I not allowed this story to simmer, thereby forming connections with characters that a quick read may not have spawned. Nonetheless, I am happy to have read this book. I've been curious as to how some of the previous titles made their way on to this list, but having read this one I'm confident that there will be some quality works to come...
The novel opens with a young Southerner, fresh out of service in World War II (though not having seen active duty) trying to find his way in the literary world of New York City. Things go poorly, he looses his job and has to find a cheaper rooming house. Here, he receives money from his father to allow him to live his dream of writing the last authentic Southern novel. He also meets the titular Sophie and her lover Nathan. The entirety of the novel rests on the love triangle formed by these three and the increasingly intimate details that get uncovered of each of them. Centrally, Sophie was a non-Jewish "Polack" interned at Auschwitz and has suffered loss on a level that few, if any, readers will be able to truly understand. Nathan is a truly unstable figure that is allowed to live a life of fantasy in an attempt to reign him in, albeit unsuccessfully. Stingo is the narrator and I'm not entirely sure whether it is also Styron or not. So much of his personal revelations seem to be so detailed that it is easy to assume the author is writing autobiographically.
This novel is an amazing work in character development. Every time you learn something new about a character, you're simply chomping at the bit to learn more. You come to love some characters and hate and fear others. I suppose it may have been different had I not allowed this story to simmer, thereby forming connections with characters that a quick read may not have spawned. Nonetheless, I am happy to have read this book. I've been curious as to how some of the previous titles made their way on to this list, but having read this one I'm confident that there will be some quality works to come...
Monday, May 11, 2009
97. "The Sheltering Sky," Paul Bowles
I had no idea what to expect from this one, especially since John Malkovich starred in the movie adaptation. He's done some incredible films, but he's done some odd ones too. At any rate, the novel, written in 1949, follows Port and Kit Moresby, adventure travellers from New York, as they travel across the North African desert with their friend Tunner.
Somehow, Bowles manages to create character depth and yet not cause the reader, in my case, to become overly attached to any of them. No one seems to really like anyone. There is romance (at least attempted), intrigue, lots of travel, a secret affair and disease. When Port dies from his typhoid, Kit disappears. Tunner keeps faith that she'll turn up and, when she does, I thought that, while not the nicest method, Tunner and Kit could finally be together. Instead, Kit runs away again, presumably never to be found.
I'm starting to have mixed feelings about this list. Would it really kill these people to write a happy ending?
Somehow, Bowles manages to create character depth and yet not cause the reader, in my case, to become overly attached to any of them. No one seems to really like anyone. There is romance (at least attempted), intrigue, lots of travel, a secret affair and disease. When Port dies from his typhoid, Kit disappears. Tunner keeps faith that she'll turn up and, when she does, I thought that, while not the nicest method, Tunner and Kit could finally be together. Instead, Kit runs away again, presumably never to be found.
I'm starting to have mixed feelings about this list. Would it really kill these people to write a happy ending?
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
98. "The Postman Always Rings Twice," James M. Cain
A crime novel from the 30s? I was actually excited to read this one, though I did find it odd that the cover of my particular edition mentioned the fact that it was banned in Boston.
This novel follows the exploits of Frank Chambers. As the narrator of the book as well as the main star, the story is skewed to his point of view. Frank is a drifter with a questionable past. Things have gone wrong for him on many occasions, but he hopes for a new start. To that end, he hitches a ride to a roadside diner along the highway in California. Frank ends up working at the diner for Cora (who he falls for right away) and Nick "the Greek" Papadikis, her husband. Cora and Frank begin an affair which is characterized by Cora's initial request for Frank to bite her lip, which does, drawing blood. Just weird. The two then hatch a scheme to kill nick so Cora will inherit the diner and Frank will stay, happily ever after.
The first attempt on Nick's life fails, almost comically. A passing police office sees the power suddenly go out and comes up to check, eventually discovering, with Frank's help, that a cat killed itself on a bare wire. Cora manages to injure Nick severely, but he recovers - though with sufficient amnesia so as to have no memory of his attacker. A new plan is devised in which they'll go for a drive, get drunk and get into an accident, where they'll kill Nick and make it look like he died in the accident. Well, the accident plan sorta works, Nick dies, but Frank and Cora are both injured and the local DA smells a rat.
In a bizarre trial development, only Cora is tried for Nick's murder. The DA's ploy fails, and Cora's plea allows her to get off no time served. Things have been rough for Frank and Cora, and just as I was thinking that, finally, the two were finally going to find some happiness, Cora dies in a car accident! While completely not Frank's fault, the similarity to Nick's death and the fact that Frank now would own the diner serves as sufficient evidence to convict Frank.
The novel ends with the revelation that Frank is writing in jail while awaiting his execution.
Just as an interesting point, there are no postmen in the novel and no one ever rings anything! While the novel is well written, I can't say as how I was left with a feeling of enjoyment. I know that not every novel ends with a happy ending, but usually at least someone comes out for the better! In this case, all the main characters die off and the only one who ends up happy is the DA for finally getting Frank. I suppose, while Love Conquers All has been done before, does this novel imply Justice Conquers All?
This novel follows the exploits of Frank Chambers. As the narrator of the book as well as the main star, the story is skewed to his point of view. Frank is a drifter with a questionable past. Things have gone wrong for him on many occasions, but he hopes for a new start. To that end, he hitches a ride to a roadside diner along the highway in California. Frank ends up working at the diner for Cora (who he falls for right away) and Nick "the Greek" Papadikis, her husband. Cora and Frank begin an affair which is characterized by Cora's initial request for Frank to bite her lip, which does, drawing blood. Just weird. The two then hatch a scheme to kill nick so Cora will inherit the diner and Frank will stay, happily ever after.
The first attempt on Nick's life fails, almost comically. A passing police office sees the power suddenly go out and comes up to check, eventually discovering, with Frank's help, that a cat killed itself on a bare wire. Cora manages to injure Nick severely, but he recovers - though with sufficient amnesia so as to have no memory of his attacker. A new plan is devised in which they'll go for a drive, get drunk and get into an accident, where they'll kill Nick and make it look like he died in the accident. Well, the accident plan sorta works, Nick dies, but Frank and Cora are both injured and the local DA smells a rat.
In a bizarre trial development, only Cora is tried for Nick's murder. The DA's ploy fails, and Cora's plea allows her to get off no time served. Things have been rough for Frank and Cora, and just as I was thinking that, finally, the two were finally going to find some happiness, Cora dies in a car accident! While completely not Frank's fault, the similarity to Nick's death and the fact that Frank now would own the diner serves as sufficient evidence to convict Frank.
The novel ends with the revelation that Frank is writing in jail while awaiting his execution.
Just as an interesting point, there are no postmen in the novel and no one ever rings anything! While the novel is well written, I can't say as how I was left with a feeling of enjoyment. I know that not every novel ends with a happy ending, but usually at least someone comes out for the better! In this case, all the main characters die off and the only one who ends up happy is the DA for finally getting Frank. I suppose, while Love Conquers All has been done before, does this novel imply Justice Conquers All?
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
99. "The Ginger Man," J. P. Donleavy
While reading #100, The Magnificent Ambersons, I found that it took a long time before I really "got into" the book. With this one, it never really happened. Written in 1955, the book takes place in Ireland just after WWII and was considered sufficiently obscene to be banned in both Ireland and the US! As I read the book, I could understand why.
The novel centres on Sebastian Dangerfield, an American who fought in the war, his English wife and their infant daughter. Sebastian engages in one sexual escapade after another, never more than thinly hidden from his wife. The overall treatment of women and the institution of marriage seems to seems to imply an almost misogynistic view from at least the character, if not the author. The audacity of Sebastian caught my attention early as I thought I was going to follow him on a reperative journey in which he'd see the error of his ways and the dark cloud of his early behaviour would allow his new self to shine all the more brightly (a la Henry V). I was disappointed. Sebastian never seems to grow up, doesn't understand and in the end, is worse off than he was in the beginning.
I'm not entirely sure what Donleavy was shooting for with this novel, but to my eye, he seems to have missed. While I had questioned why the Ambersons were on the list, I eventually came to understand. I cannot say the same for the Ginger Man.
The novel centres on Sebastian Dangerfield, an American who fought in the war, his English wife and their infant daughter. Sebastian engages in one sexual escapade after another, never more than thinly hidden from his wife. The overall treatment of women and the institution of marriage seems to seems to imply an almost misogynistic view from at least the character, if not the author. The audacity of Sebastian caught my attention early as I thought I was going to follow him on a reperative journey in which he'd see the error of his ways and the dark cloud of his early behaviour would allow his new self to shine all the more brightly (a la Henry V). I was disappointed. Sebastian never seems to grow up, doesn't understand and in the end, is worse off than he was in the beginning.
I'm not entirely sure what Donleavy was shooting for with this novel, but to my eye, he seems to have missed. While I had questioned why the Ambersons were on the list, I eventually came to understand. I cannot say the same for the Ginger Man.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
100. "The Magnificent Ambersons," Booth Tarkington
Nancy Pearl, librarian extraordinaire, espouses the Rule of 50: if you're under 50 years old, read the first 50 pages of a book. If you're not loving it, give it up and try something else. Well, if I had done this, I certainly would not have finished The Magnificent Ambersons, and I'm glad I did!
Written in 1918, this book took the 1919 Pulitzer Prize. It centers on a very wealthy family that spirals out of control during the Industrialization of the United States. It follows the growth of a small town of affluence into a large and dirty city full of perils. The rise of the automobile plays a huge part near the end of the novel, especially in the life of George Minafer, the young heir to the Amberson (mis)fortunes.
I was probably half way through this novel, reading maybe 10 pages at a go, before I finally became absorbed in the characters. I'm not sure if Tarkington intended this sort of evolution for the reader, but I found that it worked quite well. The reader's affections for characters has a natural shift as the events play out.
While I originally questioned how this novel could have possibly made the List, I find myself thankful that it did.
Written in 1918, this book took the 1919 Pulitzer Prize. It centers on a very wealthy family that spirals out of control during the Industrialization of the United States. It follows the growth of a small town of affluence into a large and dirty city full of perils. The rise of the automobile plays a huge part near the end of the novel, especially in the life of George Minafer, the young heir to the Amberson (mis)fortunes.
I was probably half way through this novel, reading maybe 10 pages at a go, before I finally became absorbed in the characters. I'm not sure if Tarkington intended this sort of evolution for the reader, but I found that it worked quite well. The reader's affections for characters has a natural shift as the events play out.
While I originally questioned how this novel could have possibly made the List, I find myself thankful that it did.
Lists, must have lists!
Hi!
My name is Lenard Lawless. I have a BA in English Lit. I have found, time and again, that people ask if I've read book X or Y when they hear this, and more often than not, the answer is no. To try to alleviate this, I am trying to read more now than ever before. Rather than just enter the foray blind, I have chosen a list that will serve as my guide. The list is the Modern Library's Choices top 100 Novels, available at http://www.nytimes.com/library/books/072098best-novels-list.html.
The plan is to start at #100 and work my up to what is apparently going to be the best novel of the 20th Century. At the time of starting this Blog, I've already read some of the novels, so I'll see if I can write up some entries for them based on what I remember of them.
I hope that I can inspire some people to go grab a book and do some reading on their own.
Cheers,
Len
My name is Lenard Lawless. I have a BA in English Lit. I have found, time and again, that people ask if I've read book X or Y when they hear this, and more often than not, the answer is no. To try to alleviate this, I am trying to read more now than ever before. Rather than just enter the foray blind, I have chosen a list that will serve as my guide. The list is the Modern Library's Choices top 100 Novels, available at http://www.nytimes.com/library/books/072098best-novels-list.html.
The plan is to start at #100 and work my up to what is apparently going to be the best novel of the 20th Century. At the time of starting this Blog, I've already read some of the novels, so I'll see if I can write up some entries for them based on what I remember of them.
I hope that I can inspire some people to go grab a book and do some reading on their own.
Cheers,
Len
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