Reviews
I have two book reviews to make up for last week. Figures once I say it's becoming a habit, I go off and break it.
First up is Persuasion by Jane Austin. It's her last complete novel, and the version I read has the original ending to it that she rewrote because they lacked suspension and depth.
This story follows Anne Elliot, the middle child of three and daughter of an once-wealthy lord. She is overlooked by her father and older sister, though very intelligent and in love with a man she had been unable to marry given their stations. The dashing Captain Wentworth. Yet, eight years later, they meet again. And things don't entirely go according to the way everyone wants them to.
This book is a very modern novel, and one that everyone can relate to today. It's very much a tale of romance, but a more realistic one. Courting is begun, then abandoned due to circumstances and the people surrounding them that should know best. Advice is given, but most of it bad though it's given with the best of intentions. Poverty and greed are rather understated, though debt plays a large role through the beginning of the book. Parents are often neglectful, and children are often disappointments and disappointed by the lives they live. There is a decided amount of admiration towards the British Navy but that could be because Anne is in love with someone who is a member of it.
The narrator is ultimately Anne, and she has a cold wit and a sharp humor about her that makes reading this book enjoyable. Much intrigue and greed and notes on society are provided with the same wit, and easy way which makes it easy to understand and figure out what is going on even if you have no prior knowledge about English society and norms.
Despite the title being Persuasion, very little of it takes place in the novel. Instead, it is all about people trying to persuade others and failing most of the time. And other times, it stands as a point that the character already knew, but just needed a little push to act on it or realize it. Instead, there is only one type of persuasion in this novel, that of true love -- rare and inimitable as it is.
It's a very well-written story with complex characters, and none of them are perfect in any way.
Silver Water is a short story by Amy Bloom, yet very powerful in its message.
The main character of this story is Rose, the sister of the first-person narrator, Violet. It follows Rose's descent into a mental disorder, possibly schizophrenia, and the impact it had not only on Rose, but on their family as well. It's told through, basically, a series of flashbacks about different times surrounding her sister. It opens on the note of a happier time Violet shared with her sister before she became ill, and brings it full circle about 2,500 words later, ending on the same note.
This short story relies on its imagery more than anything. Given that it's written from the memories of Violet, it makes sense since most memories are focused on images and emotions. Some of the most beautiful imagery is used to describe her sister's singing voice, and some of the people who tried their best to help her. Each character is very well-rounded and changing while staying the same, and through character nuances are brought to life.
The author and narrator both don't shy away from some of the harsher aspects of schizophrenia and what it can cause some people to do without realizing it. The descriptions are both simple and complex, telling it like it is and never sugar-coating the facts of the things Rose did. Each fact seemed to hold a sense of acceptance in it, as if all the bad memories from it had faded. Though I can say, in the beginning it seems as if those first memories are a bit romanticized, and then as the years drag on and Rose becomes worse, they become more and more real.
It is a very touching story, one that I am always unable to read without crying. There's so many emotions in this story and so much love that someone can have for an older sibling that it is very touching.
First up is Persuasion by Jane Austin. It's her last complete novel, and the version I read has the original ending to it that she rewrote because they lacked suspension and depth.
This story follows Anne Elliot, the middle child of three and daughter of an once-wealthy lord. She is overlooked by her father and older sister, though very intelligent and in love with a man she had been unable to marry given their stations. The dashing Captain Wentworth. Yet, eight years later, they meet again. And things don't entirely go according to the way everyone wants them to.
This book is a very modern novel, and one that everyone can relate to today. It's very much a tale of romance, but a more realistic one. Courting is begun, then abandoned due to circumstances and the people surrounding them that should know best. Advice is given, but most of it bad though it's given with the best of intentions. Poverty and greed are rather understated, though debt plays a large role through the beginning of the book. Parents are often neglectful, and children are often disappointments and disappointed by the lives they live. There is a decided amount of admiration towards the British Navy but that could be because Anne is in love with someone who is a member of it.
The narrator is ultimately Anne, and she has a cold wit and a sharp humor about her that makes reading this book enjoyable. Much intrigue and greed and notes on society are provided with the same wit, and easy way which makes it easy to understand and figure out what is going on even if you have no prior knowledge about English society and norms.
Despite the title being Persuasion, very little of it takes place in the novel. Instead, it is all about people trying to persuade others and failing most of the time. And other times, it stands as a point that the character already knew, but just needed a little push to act on it or realize it. Instead, there is only one type of persuasion in this novel, that of true love -- rare and inimitable as it is.
It's a very well-written story with complex characters, and none of them are perfect in any way.
Silver Water is a short story by Amy Bloom, yet very powerful in its message.
The main character of this story is Rose, the sister of the first-person narrator, Violet. It follows Rose's descent into a mental disorder, possibly schizophrenia, and the impact it had not only on Rose, but on their family as well. It's told through, basically, a series of flashbacks about different times surrounding her sister. It opens on the note of a happier time Violet shared with her sister before she became ill, and brings it full circle about 2,500 words later, ending on the same note.
This short story relies on its imagery more than anything. Given that it's written from the memories of Violet, it makes sense since most memories are focused on images and emotions. Some of the most beautiful imagery is used to describe her sister's singing voice, and some of the people who tried their best to help her. Each character is very well-rounded and changing while staying the same, and through character nuances are brought to life.
The author and narrator both don't shy away from some of the harsher aspects of schizophrenia and what it can cause some people to do without realizing it. The descriptions are both simple and complex, telling it like it is and never sugar-coating the facts of the things Rose did. Each fact seemed to hold a sense of acceptance in it, as if all the bad memories from it had faded. Though I can say, in the beginning it seems as if those first memories are a bit romanticized, and then as the years drag on and Rose becomes worse, they become more and more real.
It is a very touching story, one that I am always unable to read without crying. There's so many emotions in this story and so much love that someone can have for an older sibling that it is very touching.