Book Review

"Waiting for Godot: A Tragicomedy in Two Acts" by Samuel Beckett

My grade: A+

This is a really short play that can be read in one hour, and is definitely worth your time. I'm not fully sure what it's about, as it's definitely not as straightforward as it might seem. In fact, I have many more questions now than at the start of the play, but I guess that's the point. If you want to be confused, and have something to think about, try this play.

Book Review

"Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

My grade: A

It actually took me a relatively long time to understand the full brilliance of this book (more than half way in), but I suppose that is just another part of its genius. This is quite a straightforward story about some pretty normal people living in France some time after WWI, although the war has nothing to do with it (mostly). Through this book, Hemingway makes quite a statement about society in general, and more specifically, about the different groups of people that are encountered in the book.

My only criticism of the book is the 'Brett' character, who reminds me entirely of Dostoevsky's 'Nastasia Filipovna' (from "The Idiot"). As these things always go, though, Nastasia was a much more sympathetic character, despite all of her many flaws and being a woman of low morality, and this served a huge (and vital) purpose in the climax of the book. With Brett, the reader never fully understands her and only sees that she is largely liked by people around her, but the reasons for that are not fully clear. I think this book could have been that much stronger if Brett's character were more developed.

I recommend this book only to people who truly like fine literature. If you are just out for a good story, this book is not for you.

Book Review

"The Maltese Falcon" by Dashiell Hammett

My grade: B-/C+

This is a classic detective story. It takes place in America of the 1920s, and does a pretty good job in portraying the San Francisco of that time. This part I found to be pretty interesting. The story itself, however, is too twisted for my taste. New details arise at every step of the way, but almost in a forced manner. The final twist is also not enough of a climax, as it is firstly partially predictable and secondly, implicates a character that the reader is not particularly sympathetic with. It's possible that this book has simply outlived its time. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it.

Book Review

"The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka

My grade: A-

Hmmm....I'm not really sure what to say about this book, and where to begin. The story itself is so absurd, it automatically makes for a fantastic read. On top of that, the story is told in such a nonchalant matter, you begin to wonder if something like that has ever happened to you.

I don't want to say too much about it, in order to not ruin it for you. I will just say that it's definitely worth it!

Book Review

"Hurry Down Sunshine" by Michael Greenberg

My grade: B

This is definitely an interesting book. It is a memoir, written by a man whose teenage daughter suddenly goes bipolar (literally). Although this is partially her story, mostly it is his. It is written well, and as a parent myself, I can definitely relate to a lot of his fears and feelings. I couldn't help but feel, however, a sense of detachment while reading this book. Partially to blame for that is, in my opinion, my belief that this story would sound very differently if it was written by a mother rather than father (but not this girl's mother, who's quite detached from the girl herself). Also, what definitely played an undeniable role in this was my general lack of big interest in the subject material itself. In fact, I'm not really sure how or why I bought this book in the first place.

Having said that, I do think that Greenberg paints a good picture of what happens when a person goes crazy, and the effects it has on the people around him. If this subject is of interest to you, this is a good book to read.

Book Review

"If I Told You Once" by Judy Budnitz

My grade: A

This was really an excellent book, which I can only recommend to everyone. In the beginning, parts of it reminded me of "The Road", due to its gloom and creeping heaviness. At some point, however, it started to bear an uncanny resemblance to "One Hundred Years of Solitude", with its many generations living together, no one ever dying, and the stories repeating themselves. But I mean that in a good way; I'm a fan of Marquez.

It's hard to say what this book is about exactly. It's kind of an immigrant story, but not exactly. It's a story about mothers and daughters, but it's really much more than that. It reads like a fast read, but it's much more profound than that characterization suggests. It made me cry (a lot) and it definitely gave me something (a lot) to think about. Special thanks to Anna for recommending this book.

Book Review

"Mrs Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf

My grade: didn't finish

I cannot grade this book, as I feel that would be an unfair thing to do, seeing as how I didn't finish it. It should say something, however, that I couldn't force myself to continue through the 141 pages. There is definitely talent there; I certainly won't be the one to argue otherwise. But, it's simply boring and doesn't draw one in. This is the kind of book that hasn't outlived its time, figuratively speaking. It also forces one to draw comparisons to other English family sagas from the 19th and 20th centuries, which I believe do a better job at being able to entertain today. I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, I believe it doesn't hold up to par in its genre.