Book 16- "Anne of Green Gables" by Lucy Maud Montgomery

This blog entry has been a long time coming-- I read this book almost a month ago, but time constraints have rendered me unable to post a blog entry about it until now. Luckily I take notes as I read (yeah, I know... nerdy) so all the details are still pretty fresh in my mind.

"Anne of Green Gables" starts out with an older-but-not-really-old brother and sister living on a farm who decide to adopt an orphaned boy to help out with the chores. When the brother, Matthew, goes to pick up the boy they "ordered" from the train station, he is confronted by a super talkative, imaginative young redheaded girl named Anne. Unsure of what to do, he decides to bring her home and let his sister, Marilla, break the news that there's been a mistake and they need to send Anne back to the orphanage.

Anne is crushed when she receives the news, because she instantly fell in love with Green Gables and the surrounding town of Avonlea. Marilla's heart slowly warms toward Anne, however, and they decide to keep her after all. Anne is a slow learner when it comes to manners and housework, as her imagination makes her very easily distracted, but she becomes a help and a companion to both Matthew and Marilla. She becomes best friends with the nearest girl to her home, Diana Barry, and begins school in the fall.

"Anne of Green Gables" follows Anne through childhood into early adulthood, focusing on her relationships with her adoptive "parents", her friendships with other children, and her slow "coming of age" despite her reluctance to grow up. The story is easy to read (although sometimes reading Anne's rambling dialogue gave me a headache, because I "heard" it in the voice of my equally loquacious 4 year old daughter...) and I finished it pretty quickly. I then mourned the fact that if I ever want to get through this reading list, I couldn't immediately purchase and read all of the sequels to "Anne of Green Gables"-- I took the edge off of my anguish by looking them up on Wikipedia and reading summaries, so that I can take some comfort in knowing what happens to Anne until I have the time to sit down and read all the stories from front to back.

Though "Anne of Green Gables" is largely considered a children's book, it is a thoroughly enjoyable read for all ages (in my opinion) and is a book that I can't wait to share with my daughter. I think when all is said and done, it will end up toward the top of my "favorite classics" list.

Book 15- "The Time Machine" by H. G. Wells

I've been kind of skirting around this one... part of my process of mixing books I've read as a child/teenager in evenly with books I've never read, to keep things interesting. "The Time Machine" is one that I read in middle school, and was eager to revisit... mid-June with 100,000 things going on seemed like a good time to read this short book.

"The Time Machine" begins with a group of men and an inventor/scientist discussing the possibility of time travel. The inventor, as it turns out, has been at work on building a time machine, and shows a model of his invention "disappearing" from the room, as proof that it has actually traveled through time. His guests basically think he's a nut, as he kind of anticipates, but he tells them that he will be travelling through time soon.

The following week, 2 of the same guests present the previous week return with a few others that did not see the model demonstration, and are surprised to discover that the inventor is not yet home. They have been instructed to begin eating, etc. without him, which they do. When he finally arrives, he is dirty, injured, wearing torn clothing, and famished-- he eats, cleans himself up, and then they all settle in to hear his story.

He has, as he explains, travelled roughly 800,000 years into the future, where he was stranded for several days. Upon his arrival, he was distracted by the native (though seemingly unintelligent) humans, and did not notice until it was too late that someone had hidden his machine in the base of a large statue. He frantically tries to retrieve it until he basically passes out-- when he wakes up/comes to, he decides to make the most of his situation and try to get to know the people and the customs of the future.

Over the next several days he discovers that the human species has separated into two new groups; the Eloi, who live above ground in blissful ignorance of any responsibility or danger, and the Morlocks, who live underground and produce basically everything for the Eloi, right down to the clothing they wear. The Eloi, however, are afraid of the Morlocks (who only come out at night), and are right to be afraid, as the time traveler finds out. After nearly dying several times, he manages to get into his time machine and escapes back to his own time.

The story is a simple one, easy to read and pretty short. I remembered most of the plot and characters from the first time I read it, which was years ago. What I don't remember is being horrified when I read it previously; not just at the prospect of what the human race had become in the future, but in imagining what I would do if I were the time traveler, knowing what the destiny of man was to be and powerless to change the future. It would be beyond depressing; the sense of helplessness and hopelessness would overwhelm me for sure, if I was ever in his (fictional) shoes.

Book 14- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." The opening line to this novel, "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens, is arguably one of the best known lines in all of literature, ever. It is also a pretty accurate way to describe the way I felt about reading it. Some days were good, some days were rough... it took me nearly two weeks to complete, not out of difficulty with the actual reading, but due to frustration with my inability to get engaged. Once I did, however, the rest of the book went quickly, much to my enjoyment.

"A Tale of Two Cities" is set during the French Revolution, a period in history I (and probably most of the people I know) know little about. The "Two Cities" referenced in the title are London and Paris, and the story constantly shifts back and forth between the two. The entire novel is separated into three parts, and it took the entire first part (admittedly the shortest section) and probably about 1/4 of the second part until I finally stopped dreading picking it up every day.

In the beginning, we are introduced to Mr. Lorry, a man who works at a famous bank in London, who has been sent to meet a woman and take her with him to "retrieve" her father, a French doctor recently released from prison. Dr. Manette, the prisoner, had been incarcerated without charge or trial for about 18 years, and has never met his daughter, Lucie; she had been brought up believing he was dead, and upon meeting him, devotes herself completely to taking care of him. He's a bit insane at this point, but Lucie slowly brings him to his right mind, and they find refuge back in London.

Later, we are introduced to Charles Darnay, another Frenchman-in-London, accused of being a spy. At his trial, Lucie Manette (who had met him briefly on her return trip to London with her father) is called as a witness to supposedly uphold the charges that he is a spy; she tells her story quite unwillingly. Finally, a man who looks nearly identical to Mr. Darnay, a lawyer by the name of Sydney Carton, convinces the jury that there is no solid evidence that Mr. Darnay is involved in anything, and that his own similarity to Mr. Darnay is proof that there is no way to be 100% sure Mr. Darnay was ever involved in anything. The jury buys it and Darnay is released. He later marries Lucie Manette, and they continue to live in London with her father.

While this is all going on, the French Revolution is beginning, and the story bounces back and forth between the Manette/Darnay's in London and the Defarge family and their townspeople in France. A selfish, oppressive ruler, Marquis St. Evremonde, is murdered in the name of the Revolution, and the town of Saint Antoine becomes a kind of epicenter for the Revolution, with the Defarge's at the helm. Eventually, word reaches Charles Darnay that an old, loyal associate of his has been imprisoned wrongfully in Paris and begs that he return to France to clear his name; it comes out, then, that Darnay is actually the nephew of the murdered Marquis and the rightful new Marquis St. Evremonde; with the political climate the way that it is, he is imprisoned as soon as he returns to Paris, and the fight for his own life begins.

The book didn't get as interesting to me until the storylines in France and in London finally began interweaving... it was frustrating to flip and flop between cities each chapter and keep track of two story lines and tons of characters without any association between them. The number of characters in this book was difficult for me as well; keeping track of everybody was hard, and if I had known how it would be from the beginning, I'd have taken notes. However, once the storylines finally started coming together, everything got easier to follow, characters included, and I finished the last 300 or so pages (of 434 total) in about 3 days. The first 100 or so pages took almost two weeks.

I wouldn't say that I "love" this book, but it's one that I'm really, really glad I read... the story ended up being a really good one, once I got more engaged with it, and the ending was amazing. The last line of the book, not as popular as the first, but still famous, now gives me goosebumps because I understand the context: "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known." If you want to know what it really means, you should read the book ;)

Book 13- "The Scarlet Letter" by Nathaniel Hawthorne

This is the second Nathaniel Hawthorne book on my list, and the second time I've read this particular book-- the first, not unexpectedly, was in high school. I really didn't enjoy it in high school and I thought that if I reread it as an adult, I would enjoy it more and gain more from reading it than I did the first time. I'm disappointed to admit that I have not found that to be the case.

My dislike of the book, however, has very little to do with the story itself-- the plot is engaging, it's very easy to be sympathetic to the protagonist, and I think the overall story teaches a good lesson (more related to the baby-daddy and to the husband's behaviors, not the main character, but more on that later); my problem with it lies in the fact that the Puritan religious structure, laws, and beliefs, which are an enormous part of the story, bother me to no end. It's like trying to watch a really good movie in a room where the light bulb is constantly buzzing and flickering-- something that can't be ignored and ultimately ruins a lot of the enjoyment that might have been.

"The Scarlet Letter" is introduced with a rather lengthy essay, "The Custom-House." It is in this essay that the narrator talks about his life, his work as a custom house surveyor, and his discovery of a historical account of a woman named Hester Prynne, who was the wearer of a distinctly embroidered scarlet letter "A". Though the essay provides a solid, more "believable" base for the story, it also is much longer than I feel an introduction needs to be, and is a little boring to plod through.

The story itself begins with Hester Prynne, clutching a newborn to her chest, leaving prison. Prynne, a married woman whose husband did not yet accompany her to the colony, has been charged and convicted of adultery. The leaders decided that she would have to wear a bright red letter "A" on her chest, as a sign to everyone, the rest of her life, that she is an adulterer. She quietly endures hours of public scrutiny, criticism, and calls to repent; she is also repeatedly implored to reveal the name of the man with whom she sinned-- she refuses. Present in the audience, unbeknownst to the townspeople, is her newly-arrived husband; instead of acknowledging his wife publicly, he pretends to be a stranger seeking a new home. When Hester returns to the prison, he claims to be a doctor and asks to see her, at which point he tells her she must promise to never reveal his identity or her connection to him. Having never loved him in the first place, she agrees, though she does not really want to be pulled in to the lie. She and her baby move into a cottage on the outskirts of the town, shunned by the town's inhabitants.

As years pass, Hester makes a living for herself doing delicate and intricate embroidery for the wealthier and more distinguished townspeople; she uses as little of the money she makes and uses the rest for charity. She dresses her daughter, Pearl, in bright colors; thus, Pearl becomes the physical embodiment of the scarlet letter and the sin that resulted in her birth. Hester's husband, meanwhile, has sworn to uncover the secret of Pearl's father and indeed has, and resolves to make life miserable for the man, though without ever revealing who he is or why he's doing it. The husband's revenge-seeking turns him into a really ugly, unlikeable person, and Pearl's father is left as a shell of a man, due to his inability/unwillingness to confess his sin and ask forgiveness. Over the course of many years, Hester seems to redeem herself in the eyes of the townspeople, and there is even talk of allowing her to remove the letter "A"; Hester, however, has never forgiven herself and never will. The book doesn't end happily, but doesn't end unhappily either; the ending is appropriate to the story and its characters.

Because my own religious beliefs contrast so heavily with the Puritan beliefs of the time, it's very difficult for me to endure this story. I am a firm believer that if a person truly repents and asks forgiveness for their sins, their sins will be forgiven; Hester is a prime example of a woman who fully repents from what she has done and desires the forgiveness of the Lord, but kind of refuses to accept the forgiveness she seeks. Then there's the fact that the religious leaders have judged her and punished her by forcing her to wear the scarlet letter for the rest of her life, constantly stopping in the street when she is near to make her an example of evil to the townspeople, and shunning both her and her daughter (arguably an innocent victim) from the town. Instead of accepting her in the church, when she goes, they persecute her again and again with their sermons, making her the symbol not only of adultery, but of all sin in general. I realize that this is a historical fiction, and that Hawthorne (not a Puritan supporter himself) was just trying to base his story on the reality of Puritan society and make it believable, but it makes it a really distasteful bite to swallow. How can someone proclaiming to be a man of God insist on judging anyone, rather than leaving judgement to God? It would actually be easier for me to read the story if Hester never repents of her sin than it is for me to read about her punishing herself, and allowing herself to be punished, for the rest of her life. At least that would give me a reason to dislike her a little bit. Instead, I think Hester needs a hug, and perhaps a Gibbs-like slap on the back of the head (NCIS reference anyone?......anyone?... ok.)

I know a lot of people would disagree with my opinion of this book; it wouldn't be taught in schools and hailed as Hawthorne's greatest work if everyone thought the way that I do. But I think that's a part of this exercise for me; discovering what I like and what I don't like, giving my opinion as fairly but as honestly as possible, and letting everyone make of it what they will. I don't endeavor to speak for everyone; just myself.

Book 12- "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" by Anne Bronte

So I have accomplished my goal of reading at least one book by each of the Bronte sisters, and am thoroughly impressed with all of them. "Jane Eyre" was the subject of my last blog, "Wuthering Heights" was discussed earlier in the year, and now I bring you "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" by Anne Bronte.

This book is basically presented in three unofficial "parts"-- the first third of the book is written as a letter from Gilbert Markham to his brother-in-law, the second third is the diary of a woman introduced in the first part, and the third third (hehe) is back to the letter by Markham. I thought it was a clever way to present the story, but have to admit that I thought the middle part was the easiest to read; perhaps because, presented in the voice of a woman, it was the most naturally written by Bronte.

The story is yet another love story (I apparently chose several 19th century English love stories... and I'm not hating it.) It begins with Mr. Markham's acquaintance with Mrs. Graham, the tenant of the abandoned Wildfell Hall. No one knows anything about her, and she is largely desirous to leave it that way; she does eventually open up to Markham as their relationship develops. The story that everyone believes when she moves to town is that she is a widow; you early on discover that this is not the case-- her husband is very much alive, and she has left him, taking their young son Arthur with her. Her real name is Helen Huntington, and she has assumed her mother's maiden name and kept her whereabouts secret in order to remain out of her husband's sight.

Eventually, a jealous former love interest of Markham's starts a rumor that Mrs. Graham's landlord is in fact the father of her child (when he is actually her brother, but no one knows that) and the increasing gossip forces Mrs. Graham (Huntington) to decide to leave. She gives Markham her diary in an effort to explain everything to him, imploring him to come back the next day.

The diary (the second third of the book) explains how she came to be Mrs. Huntington, despite the warnings of a few friends and her aunt who suggest that Mr. Huntington has a reputation for being a bit of a scoundrel. A year into their marriage, son Arthur has been born and Helen is realizing that people may have been right about her husband. He leaves for months at a time, comes home in bad shape physically and mentally, and has a tendency to be emotionally abusive toward his wife. Over several years, he develops a serious problem with alcohol and begins an affair with the wife of a close friend; when the affair is discovered by Helen, she does almost nothing, only declaring to her husband that he is free to do as he wishes, she doesn't love him anymore, she is only staying in his home for the sake of their son. However, when the husband of his mistress finds out about the affair two years later, the affair is ended, and Mr. Huntington leaves to spend several months in London. When he returns, he informs his wife that he has hired a governess for their son-- it is, in fact, his new mistress. This is the final straw for Helen, and with the help of her servant Rachel, she flees the home with Rachel and Arthur, moving in to the empty home formerly owned by her estranged and now deceased father, now owned by her brother, Frederick Lawrence.

The last third of the book returns to the present-- Markham has finished with the diary and returns it to Helen. He now realizes why she has refused his romantic advances, despite her love for him, and sees why she says she cannot marry anyone. She promises to send him a letter in six months, but tells him not to contact her until that time, and after a few weeks pass she leaves.

I won't give away the ending, but I was satisfied with the turn-out, I will give you that much. Another really good story by another Bronte sister.

I found her writing style to be slightly drier than that of her sisters, and a little more rambling in her descriptions; however, this being a pretty common writing "style" of the time, I don't hold it against her.

It's funny to me, however, that the book starts with an introduction by Bronte, in answer to the critics of the first edition of "Tenant"... apparently it was considered a pretty scandalous book at the time. Writing about drinking, affairs, and a wife leaving her husband was considered pretty incendiary, I suppose. It's just strange to think of now, when if a woman was subjected to the things Helen Huntington was subjected to by her husband, the general public would think her an idiot NOT to leave and take her son with her, and the law would very likely be on her side. I'm not generally very feministic in my views, but the difference between a woman's rights in the 19th century and now makes me want to high five all the key players in the Women's Rights movement (of which I wrote a lengthy research paper in 11th grade.)

And because this nice weather lends itself beautifully to sitting on my deck while my kids nap, reading and ignoring my housework, I will be writing a blog very shortly on my next book, "The Scarlet Letter." Likely in owl-print fleece pajama capris and a dirty t-shirt, since I'm actively avoiding doing the laundry.

Book 11- "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte

So I have to admit that the reason I jumped from "The Jungle Book" to "Jane Eyre" was twofold-- I felt like I didn't want to cop-out and read another short book to get "caught up" on my list, and I am interested in seeing the new movie adaptation of "Jane Eyre" starring Mia Wasikowska (who played Alice in the live action adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland.") I generally like to read a book before I see a movie based on the book (yeah, I'm one of those) so I chose this one next.

What I didn't expect was to finish this 593 page book in 2 1/2 days, staying up until at least 2 a.m. both nights. I shouldn't keep being surprised by how good some of these books are (they are, after all, classics) but this one drew me in from the beginning, and I enjoyed it immensely.

It reminded me a bit of "Rebecca" in certain ways-- mousy young girl falls in love with older man in a higher class than herself, only to discover he has a mysterious past. The only way I can think to describe the difference in the two books, though, is to say that in my opinion, "Rebecca" revolves more around the romantic relationship, whereas "Jane Eyre" revolves chiefly around Jane herself. The romance doesn't even surface until close to halfway through the book.

Jane Eyre was orphaned almost at birth and taken in by her mother's brother. Her mother's family had opposed her marriage to Jane's father due to the fact that he was of a lower class, so when Jane's uncle takes her in, his wife is none to pleased. The uncle then dies, after making his wife promise to raise Jane as her own child.

Jane spends 10 years in the care of her aunt, who does not, in fact, treat her as her own child, but instead treats her the same as she would a servant, without actually making her do work. She lets her own three children abuse Jane, and abuses her herself, until Jane finally fights back one day and is then locked in a dark, "haunted" room for hours. She has a panic attack and is ill for days, and the doctor suggests to Jane's aunt that she be sent away to school.

Jane is then transferred to the Lowood Institution, which is basically a boarding school/home for orphaned or abandoned girls. She lives there until she is 18, and after a rough start, learns to love the school, even teaching there for 2 years. When she is 18, though, she realizes that she wants to explore more of the outside world, and advertises for a position as a teacher. Her advertisement is answered by a woman looking for a governess for a 10 year old girl, and Jane is hired.

The girl is the ward of a rich man (he is supposedly the father, but doesn't really believe he is... the mother was a bit of a floozy. But she abandoned the girl in his care, and he took pity.) Jane loves her new home and her job, and eventually falls in love with the master/owner of the home, Mr. Rochester. He, too, falls in love with her (despite their 20 year age difference) and they decide to marry... which is where things go a bit awry.

Though there are about 200 pages of story left at this point, I'll end my summary there... I always have a hard time determining which bits of information are OK to share and which cross the line into "spoiler" territory. What I will say is that it is very worth reading the book, as it is pretty easy to read and is endlessly entertaining.

And if I do get the opportunity to see the latest adaptation of the book, I will try to remember to post a blog on that as well... if it follows closely enough to the book, you non-readers might save yourself hours of reading. (Bonus--the movie includes an actress named "Imogen Poots." Which is a giggle-fest.) But if you're a reader, I'd highly recommend "Jane Eyre." It drew me in and kept me interested, did not disappoint with the ending, and cemented my loyal adoration of the Bronte sisters (though I have yet to read a book by Anne-- perhaps that's next!)

Book 10- "The Jungle Book" by Rudyard Kipling

Apologies for my absence to my loyal readers-- Owen's illness has (*hopefully*) been resolved by having tubes put in his ears, but immediately after that I had to prepare for a trip to VA and Addison's 4th birthday party, so though I started reading this weeks ago, I only finished it yesterday.

Because I grew up with Disney, I assumed "The Jungle Book" was a story about a boy who grew up in the jungle, raised by singing animals. Imagine my surprise when I found out that Mowgli is only the main character in half of the short stories in this book (I didn't even know it was a book of short stories!!). Of the other stories, only one of them was familiar to me-- "Rikki-tikki-tavi."

The first three stories in the book, "Mowgli's Brothers," "Kaa's Hunting," and "Tiger! Tiger!" revolve around Mowgli. Mowgli is found wandering the jungle by a pack of wolves, who adopt him as one of their own cubs. Shere Khan, local lazy tiger, considered the boy his dinner and demanded his return; the wolves left the matter up to the wolf pack, who decide that the boy can be raised as a wolf. Shere Khan vows to kill Mowgli someday, and Mowgli's new wolf-mom vows that someday Mowgli will kill Khan (Seriously? Disney definitely left all the murder-y subtext out of the movie.) Throughout the three stories, Mowgli learns the laws of the jungle from Baloo the bear (although with significantly less "bear necessities" singing) and Bagheera the panther, is saved from monkeys by Kaa the snake, and is sent to live with humans. He is sent to live with humans because the new generation of the wolf pack have decided to reject the teenaged Mowgli, and the humans, though they accept him for awhile, eventually kick him out because they believe he is evil. He still manages to kill Shere Khan at long last, and returns to live in the jungle, although still as an outcast from the wolf pack.

After these 3 stories is "The White Seal," a story about a (you guessed it) white seal who is not content with his ancestral practice of beating the snot out of each other for beach "space" while a whole bunch of the young seals are herded off and slaughtered by men. The men are afraid of the white seal (Kotick) and do not want to kill him; however, he follows them and witnesses the slaughter and skinning of his friends, and vows to find a place without men where the seals can live peacefully. He embarks on his journey and eventually finds a place, but then has to convince all of the stubborn seals who actually like fighting over beach space and don't care about the massacres to follow him to the new beach. How does he do this? By beating the snot out of each and every one of the adult seals until they agree to follow him. Not sure why Disney didn't jump at this story.

Next is "Rikki Tikki Tavi," about a mongoose who takes up living with a colonial English family in the middle of nowhere. He saves the young boy in the family from a snake, which angers the cobras that live outside the house... they decide to kill the family to drive Rikki-Tikki away (seems like kind of a drastic measure to me.) Rikki fights the male cobra in the middle of the night, keeping him at bay until the man of the house gets his gun and shoots the cobra. This (obviously) angers the cobra's widow, who is then determined to kill everyone. Rikki smashes all of her eggs but one, and uses the one remaining egg as leverage to get her away from the family... his diversion works, but she escapes with the egg down into her hole. Rikki goes right down with her and after a few minutes, emerges and declares that she is gone and won't be coming back. No details are given as to what happened in the snake hole, but my guess isn't that he reasoned with her and convinced her to find a new place to live.

So far we've had a man raised by wolves, a bear, a panther, monkeys, several snakes, seals, and a mongoose... next we finally have elephants! "Toomai of the Elephants" is about a boy whose father is an elephant handler of sorts. Toomai wants to be an elephant handler/hunter himself, but is told that he can't be an elephant handler until he sees the elephants dance (which is the sarcastic-jerkface way of telling him "never".) One night, Toomai's elephant escapes from his pen, and allows Toomai to ride on his back as he goes miles and miles out into the jungle. Toomai realizes after awhile that hundreds of elephants have all gathered and are stomping around, "dancing." Toomai is basically too terrified for his life to pay much attention, but when he returns home and tells his story to all the adults, a ceremony is held in his honor and he is called "Toomai of the Elephants," and is told that he will have control/brotherhood with all the elephants in the jungle from that day on.

The last story is called "Her Majesty's Servants." Bored me to tears, so not much to report. Basically, a soldier overhears a conversation between a whole bunch of animals.

Overall, I thought the book was interesting. I was glad that it was broken into short stories, because I'm not sure how I'd have stayed as interested in novel-length versions of any of these stories by themselves. I can see why the children's versions of these stories are so different from this book-- almost every single story has some kind of murder/slaughter, which isn't exactly kid-friendly. My only complaint is that a lot of the stories lacked a little depth-- particularly the "White Seal" story. It just felt a little too narrative to me... I'm not sure how to describe it. I liked the stories about Mowgli the best, and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi... the others were just kind of "OK."