Author: Jean Rhys
Original title: Wide Sargasso Sea
First published: 1966
Genre: Classic, Historical, Retelling
Series: --
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Format: Paperback
Pages: 266
Finished: 12/02/2023
Summary: Prequel to "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte. Born into an oppressive, colonialist society, Creole heiress Antoinette Cosway meets a young Englishman who is drawn to her innocent sensuality and beauty, but soon after their marriage, rumors of madness in her family poison his mind against her. He forces Antoinette to conform to his rigid Victorian ideals.
First published: 1966
Genre: Classic, Historical, Retelling
Series: --
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company
Format: Paperback
Pages: 266
Finished: 12/02/2023
Summary: Prequel to "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte. Born into an oppressive, colonialist society, Creole heiress Antoinette Cosway meets a young Englishman who is drawn to her innocent sensuality and beauty, but soon after their marriage, rumors of madness in her family poison his mind against her. He forces Antoinette to conform to his rigid Victorian ideals.
My thoughts: I read this for a uni course about literary theories. Naturally, we were assigned to read this for, among others, postcolonial theory. Wide Sargasso Sea tells the story of Jane Eyre's crazy woman in the attic, Bertha. Well, in this prequel, her name is Antoinette, and Bertha is only the name Rochester forces upon her in an attempt to morph her into the wife he wants her to be. Without having completed my read of Jane Eyre, I still find this book to be a powerful companion to the famous classic. It is a highly character driven story that portrays the climate of post-slavery abolishment in early 19th century Jamaica. It shows the heteroglossia between English and Jamaican culture, coloniser and colonised, masculinity and femininity. Antoinette is a creole, white but born in the Jamaican colony, caught between cultures and accepted by neither. Rochester represents the cruel but frightened coloniser, who sweeps into Antoinette's life and is paid to marry her by her relatives. Repulsed by the life and culture he encounters in Jamaica, Rochester attempts to force Antoinette into an identity that better suits English culture. I must say, the story is extremely gloomy and it left me with grave emotions. It is also a story that moves at a slow pace, really showing how both Antoinette and Rochester are slowly driven mad by each other. Still, some parts felt slightly rushed and unmotivated, especially in the development of said characters' relationship. Overall, I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and it's sure to influence what I think about Rochester and I eventually continue reading Jane Eyre.
Rating: 3.5/5
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My thoughts: Wow! I never in a million years expected to even like this novel, much less to be as blown away by it as this. Considering what I've heard about this book - that its protagonist is insufferable without any redeeming qualities - I was certain I'd hate it, too. That couldn't be further from the truth, though! The Catcher in the Rye is, to my great pleasure, a character driven book that follows Holden as he flees from yet another school he's been expelled from and tries to survive a few days alone in New York City before the day he's supposed to come home for Christmas. Really, this book is about Holden interacting with an array of different characters, both from his past and new encounters. Yes, Holden is a difficult character to root for, especially since every other character he meets seems to hate him to some degree. Everyone struggles with dealing with him. And that's no surprise, seeing as Holden is often misogynistic, selfish, and unpredictable. I see why other readers have a hard time relating to him. And yet, I found that I felt compassion for him. By no means would I defend his faults (he is often an asshole), but he is portrayed in such a vulnerable way that said faults were explained, or at least softened. Another thing I liked was the narration. It was so uniquely and expertly tailored to this kind of story. It really felt like a biography of sorts - so well adjusted was the text to the voice and personality of Holden. And the story, despite being character driven, felt exciting to read. What was going to happen next? Was he going to survive his days alone in New York? Who was he going to meet next, and would that person be the one to lose patience with him and try to kill him? It really kept me on my toes and kept me wanting to continue reading constantly. Wow, what a book. Hopefully, I'll reread it someday and like it just as much.
Rating: 5/5
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Title: The Catcher in the Rye
Author: J.D. Salinger
Author: J.D. Salinger
Original title: The Catcher in the Rye
First published: 1951
Genre: Classic, YA
Series: --
Publisher: Penguin
Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Finished: 01/04/2023
Summary: It's Christmas time and Holden Caulfield has just been expelled from yet another school... Fleeing the crooks at Pencey Prep, he pinballs around New York City seeking solace in fleeting encounters—shooting the bull with strangers in dive hotels, wandering alone round Central Park, getting beaten up by pimps and cut down by erstwhile girlfriends. The city is beautiful and terrible, in all its neon loneliness and seedy glamour, its mingled sense of possibility and emptiness. Holden passes through it like a ghost, thinking always of his kid sister Phoebe, the only person who really understands him, and his determination to escape the phonies and find a life of true meaning.
First published: 1951
Genre: Classic, YA
Series: --
Publisher: Penguin
Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Finished: 01/04/2023
Summary: It's Christmas time and Holden Caulfield has just been expelled from yet another school... Fleeing the crooks at Pencey Prep, he pinballs around New York City seeking solace in fleeting encounters—shooting the bull with strangers in dive hotels, wandering alone round Central Park, getting beaten up by pimps and cut down by erstwhile girlfriends. The city is beautiful and terrible, in all its neon loneliness and seedy glamour, its mingled sense of possibility and emptiness. Holden passes through it like a ghost, thinking always of his kid sister Phoebe, the only person who really understands him, and his determination to escape the phonies and find a life of true meaning.
My thoughts: Wow! I never in a million years expected to even like this novel, much less to be as blown away by it as this. Considering what I've heard about this book - that its protagonist is insufferable without any redeeming qualities - I was certain I'd hate it, too. That couldn't be further from the truth, though! The Catcher in the Rye is, to my great pleasure, a character driven book that follows Holden as he flees from yet another school he's been expelled from and tries to survive a few days alone in New York City before the day he's supposed to come home for Christmas. Really, this book is about Holden interacting with an array of different characters, both from his past and new encounters. Yes, Holden is a difficult character to root for, especially since every other character he meets seems to hate him to some degree. Everyone struggles with dealing with him. And that's no surprise, seeing as Holden is often misogynistic, selfish, and unpredictable. I see why other readers have a hard time relating to him. And yet, I found that I felt compassion for him. By no means would I defend his faults (he is often an asshole), but he is portrayed in such a vulnerable way that said faults were explained, or at least softened. Another thing I liked was the narration. It was so uniquely and expertly tailored to this kind of story. It really felt like a biography of sorts - so well adjusted was the text to the voice and personality of Holden. And the story, despite being character driven, felt exciting to read. What was going to happen next? Was he going to survive his days alone in New York? Who was he going to meet next, and would that person be the one to lose patience with him and try to kill him? It really kept me on my toes and kept me wanting to continue reading constantly. Wow, what a book. Hopefully, I'll reread it someday and like it just as much.
Rating: 5/5
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Title: Fahrenheit 451
Author: Ray Bradbury
Author: Ray Bradbury
Original title: Fahrenheit 451
First published: 1953
Genre: Classic, Dystopian
Series: --
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 190
Finished: 09/04/2023
Summary: Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.
First published: 1953
Genre: Classic, Dystopian
Series: --
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 190
Finished: 09/04/2023
Summary: Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television “family.” But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known.
My thoughts: I had the opportunity to read Fahrenheit 451 for a uni course about American 1950's literature. I found it quite easy and quick to read, even though I decided not to rush through it. To me, this is a book that builds more on a concept or an idea than on characters or plot. For what it is, I enjoyed it well enough. For sure, it can be thought provoking, and that's one of the novel's good sides. I also enjoyed some of the more exciting parts, where the stakes rose high. Character wise, I wasn't blown away, but neither was I particularly let down. I thought Montag was an alright vessel to observe this vision of a dystopian world through. I liked Clarisse and Faver even more, and even Mildred for what she is meant to represent. They were all interesting characters. I did get a bit annoyed with Montag at times. I thought some of his reactions to things were exaggerated, his actions were at times unmotivated, and he was often unnecessarily rude to his wife. To some extent, I understand all this, but it got to the point where I was a little bit too frustrated. The prose itself I'd call effective and sometimes beautiful, with plenty of nature metaphors that quite pleased me.
Rating: 4/5
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