The Bell Jar is Sylvia Plath's only novel. Originally published under Plath's pseudonym Victoria Lucas, the novel is a roman à clef of Plath's college years.
Esther Greenwood is a talented writer interning at a prestigious New York magazine. During her time in NYC, Esther is surprisingly unexcited by the big city or its lifestyle. Instead, she just drifts along and is even frightened by some of the events that occur. She moves back to Massachusetts with the possibility of taking a writing course in the summer. When she doesn't get this opportunity, Esther plans on writing a novel but she can't - she is unable to write, sleep, or eat. Esther's mother becomes concerned and sends her to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist's efforts don't help and Esther attempts suicide. After this event, Esther hops from one asylum to another.
Sylvia Plath's own suicide was a genuine and tragic loss to literature because she was truly talented. In The Bell Jar, Plath compares the possibilities of Esther's life to figs on a tree. Esther is sitting in the low part of the tree starving because she can't decide which fig to pick. As time passes, the figs, representing opportunities, shrivel up and die. This is a beautiful and clever metaphor for life's possibilities. Perhaps the most poetic moment is Esther's feeling as if she is under a bell jar stewing in her own air and the bell jar follows her wherever she goes. This metaphor gives readers who have not experienced mental illness an insight into what it might actually feel like.
As for the plot, with the exception of Esther, the characters are all unlikable. Esther's mother is in denial about Esther's all too real issues. Esther's friends are shallow. Esther's ex-boyfriend is a hypocrite. Most of the psychiatrists and nurses seem useless. Esther, however, is funny and you feel for her because she is wildly talented.
Overall, I think that this book has great value for its important subject matter and poetic moments; five out of five stars.
The Bad Beginning is the first book in A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (the pen name of American author Daniel Handler).
The parents of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire have perished in the fire which also destroyed their home. The executor of the will, Mr. Poe, finds the orphans a new home and a guardian, Count Olaf. Count Olaf is a vicious villain after only one thing: the Baudelaire's inherited fortune.
I read this series when I was around ten years old and I thought it would be cool to revisit the first book because I enjoyed the series so much. This is a book meant for children: the writing is simple and clearly not for adults. Words like "aberrant" and "standoffish" are defined following their use. Since the characters themselves are kids, they are definitely relatable for young readers and all but two of the adults come off as mean and oppressive. I typically don't read kids' books unless they are classics, so this was out of the ordinary for me but the detour was worth it.
The Bad Beginning has a lot of what I look for in a book: an interesting and suspenseful plot, a varied cast of characters, and a villain who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. The main flaw is the book's poor writing. Even though this book is intended for children, the writing does not have to be subpar.
Overall, The Bad Beginning has a great plot but the writing holds it back. Three out of five stars.
Dear readers,
I have been extremely busy these past two weeks and I apologize for not reviewing anything last week. However, I am glad to say that I am now back.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is a graphic adaptation of Oscar Wilde's 1891 novel of the same title.
Dorian Gray is the gorgeous young subject of the painter Basil Hallward. On the day his portrait will be completed, Dorian has a pivotal conversation with Lord Henry Wotton. Wotton tells Dorian that the only things that matter in life are beauty and youth. Dorian knows that his beauty and youth will fade, so he sells his soul so that his portrait will age instead of him. Dorian will remain the same physically forever, but he becomes menacing and secretive towards everyone.
The original Dorian Gray uses many images to develop the plot and this makes it a great choice for a graphic adaptation. What really stood out for me was how well Culbard illustrated the aging portrait. He draws Dorian in the first painting as youthful, in the second as semi-wrinkled, and in the third as white-haired and repulsive. These illustrations give readers a great sense of how Dorian ages in his portrait.
As for the story, the characters are really unlikeable. Dorian is a raging narcissist and indirectly and directly kills people. Basil is simply hypnotized by and infatuated with Dorian's beauty and only thinks about Dorian. Lord Henry is rude to his wife and encourages Dorian to only pursue life-long beauty. Basil and Henry were just annoying.
Throughout the book, Dorian lives a double life. He is an upper-class socialite who goes to dinner parties and plays. At the same time, Dorian goes to a London opium den and commits crimes. Dorian's conscience eventually catches up with him. His story demonstrates that what goes around comes around.
Overall, this book did a good job of showing how Dorian's character grew malevolent, but it could have been done in fewer pages. For the unnecessary extra detail, I give the book three out of five stars.
Colum McCann won the National Book Award in 2009 for Let the Great World Spin. This Side of Brightness is one of the Irishman's lesser-known works.
It's 1916 and Nathan Walker works as a sandhog digging tunnels under New York City. His current project is a tunnel under the East River that will carry trains between Brooklyn and Manhattan. Under the ground, the sandhogs - black, Irish, white, and Italian - dig together in the darkness, making them all equal. Above ground, they couldn't be more different. Everything changes when a sandhog dies in an accident and Walker bonds with the two remaining sandhogs, a bond that will last for three generations.
The plot twists in this book are subtle and, if you aren't reading closely enough, you will miss crucial moments in the story. The author uses a minimum of words to convey plot details which leaves it up to the reader to interpret, and I prefer this style of writing.
Before I read this book, I was not familiar with tunnel digging. Now, I can tell you all about the methods and health hazards that accompanied it at the time. I was never interested in tunnel digging before, but the way the author describes it is genuinely intriguing. However, the most important thing I learned from this book was about the extreme racism that existed. As an African-American, Nathan Walker was treated disgustingly in New York City. He couldn't walk into certain shops and was constantly called names on the streets. I felt uncomfortable and sad when reading this but I'm glad I did.
The story takes place in New York City over the course of 75 years. McCann is very talented at aging the city and the characters. The descriptions of the city are accurate and detailed and this added a sense of genuineness to the novel.
I really enjoyed this story. It was interesting and different. Five out of five stars.
When it was originally published in 1954, Lord of the Flies sold fewer than 3,000 copies in the United States. Today, it is required reading in many US high school and college English classes.
The story centers on British schoolboys stranded on an island after their plane crashes. The boys are quick to realize that there are no adults and that they need to fend for themselves. Two leaders emerge: Ralph and Jack. Ralph's priority is keeping a fire lit in order to be spotted by a passing ship, while Jack is more focused on hunting pigs to obtain meat. Their different concerns cause a schism between them and, from that point on, they lose all interest in cooperating and havoc results.
This novel asks the reader if humans, as portrayed by the children, are inherently good or evil. Golding wants us to believe the latter. He has created a story about innocent young boys who, when there are no rules, do unforgivable things to each other. I agree with Golding, because it's easier to do the wrong thing than the right thing.
Golding peppers his novel with symbolism and detail. The symbols were enjoyable to spot and their meanings developed over time. The details which described the island gave the novel a more realistic character.
My only negative criticism would be of the dull moments in the plot. In the middle of the book, there's a repeated cycle of back-and-forth conflict between Ralph and Jack. I found this boring.
Overall, I really enjoyed this work. It spelled out very well the theme of man's intrinsic evil and, for that, I give it four and a half out of five stars.
Lucy Knisley is an American comic artist and musician. Relish is her second book of three.
Lucy Knisley has spent all of her 29 years around chefs and gourmet food. Relish is the memoir of all her food experiences, written in her hand and illustrated in comic-book style.
This book has much to offer the reader. First, it offers recipes, not just plain old recipes but ones with a story. Knisley must have written and illustrated at least twenty different recipes, all of which I plan to try out (I've already tried the excellent chai tea).
The second gift of this book is the sources of the amazing foods that Lucy describes. This is really useful because, like Lucy, I travel a lot and I am looking forward to trying the places she has visited.
Thirdly, this memoir contains the greatest descriptions of food I have ever read. They're sense-provoking and accompany the illustrations perfectly.
Finally, at the back of the book, there is an entertaining miniature photo album with pictures of her and her family in the kitchen. This gave the book a sense of genuineness and it was interesting to see the influences behind her culinary adventures.
Lucy's illustrations of New York, Chicago, Italy, Japan, and Mexico are accurate and creative. Her descriptions of international foods are the best parts of the memoir.
This book is a great read for the cook or the passionate eater because it will inspire ambitious cooking, eating, and traveling. Five out of five stars.
I would like to wish all my readers a very happy and healthy new year.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is perhaps F. Scott Fitzgerald's most famous short story. It was adapted into a 2008 film starring Brad Pitt.
Benjamin Button is born an old man in 1860 and ages in reverse from then on. Over time, Benjamin gets married, has a child, goes to college, and fights in a war -- while his mind slowly regresses. By the end of the book, he returns as a baby to the care of a nurse.
This book was rich for its length. In fifty-two pages, Fitzgerald portrays an impossible situation while making the themes of youth and age seem relatable. He uses a depressing tone to describe aging which is still relevant today.
Fitzgerald's writing is the perfect mix of being concise yet still infused with richness and meaning. This novella is short but enjoyable. Five out of five stars.
I would like to wish all my readers from around the world happy holidays and a happy new year.
