BOOK REPORT: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Title: One Hundred Years of Solitude 
Author:  Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Copyright Date:  1967

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars ( epic )

Probably Garcia Marquez's finest and most famous work, One Hundred Years of Solitude tells the story of the rise and fall, birth and death of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendia family.  Inventive, amusing, magnetic, sad, alive with unforgettable men and women, and with a truth and understanding that strike the soul.  One Hundred Years of Solitude is a masterpiece of the art of fiction.

My Thoughts
I started to read One Hundred Years of Solitude on a whim. I picked it up while I was waiting for an evening meeting to start and I was engaged in the Buendia family immediately.  It wasn't until about a week later that I could start reading it however and during this hiatus, I found myself thinking about the book and where it might take me.

What I quickly found out was that Marquez was placing me in an epic tale that doesn't leave Macondo.  But it's the small details in this large story that make it so rich.  It is also the small details which make this an unexpectedly odd story. One Hundred Years of Solitude doesn't start out odd; the oddness evolves and grows throughout the book along with the town.  Just little things in the beginning really, a girl eating dirt here, a ghost there, maybe some blood flowing up hills on occasion. By the time I met the third generation of Beundias, nothing surprised me.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the title. I usually associate solitude with loneliness and depression, but Marquez portrays solitude as a driving force in life. It is woven it into every character's life, whether they were happy, sad, popular or a wall-flower. Many seek solitude as a way to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life, while others do anything they can to avoid it.

One Hundred Years of Solitude is a deep and complex story. I enjoyed it on my first read, but I rated it four and a half stars because I know there are elements that I missed. It is very possible that I will be able to up the rating to five-stars on my next read. 

BOOK REPORT: Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Title:                          Cat's Cradle

Author:                       Kurt Vonnegut

Original Copyright :  1963

My Rating:     3.5 out of 5 stars  ( clever )

Back-Cover Description

Cat's Cradle is Kurt Vonnegut's satirical commentary on modern man and his madness.  An apocolyptic tale of this planet's ultimate fate, it features a midget as the protagonist, a complete, original theology created by a calypso singer, and a vision of the future that is at once blackly fatalistic and hilariously funny.  A book that left an indelible mark on the entire generation of readers, Cat's Cradle is one of the twentieth century's most important works -- and Vonnegut at his very best.

My Thoughts

Cat's Cradle is a story about the interesting ways people may naively affect the viability of their species long term existence told with the comic absurdity for which Vonnegut is known.

The story revolves around a free-lance writer who is researching the life of a scientist involved with the Manhattan project for a book he was writing about nuclear war.   Unbeknownst to all but a few members of his family, the scientist, before he died worked on one last, seemingly innocuous invention.  It was never intended as a weapon; the military just wanted a way to keep the marines from getting muddy in the field.  The project was never formally pursued, but the scientist, in his curiosity, worked on it during his spare time. This small insignificant invention it turned out, if mishandled, has the ability to destroy the world.  

When Cat's Cradle was published in 1963, the cold war was on everyone's mind.  It was all but certain that humans would destroy themselves at the hand of a large weapon (read: the Atomic bomb) which was developed solely for the intent of intimidation and destruction.  But Cat's Cradle puts forward the idea that the end could be brought on, not by a large explosion, but by something as small as a grain of sand which was developed more out of curiosity than malicious intent.  Adding to this plot line, Vonnegut weaves in a new religion called Bokonism which openly states that its canon is based in lies and a small banana republic in the Caribbean which changes governments more often than most people change their socks.  All of these layers complement each other very well and they build upon themselves in more and more outlandish ways throughout the book.

Cat's Cradle is a quick read that was extremely clever and  funny.  I didn't give it 4 stars just because it was such a short read and there were just a few ideas he could have expanded upon. On the whole, my  expectations were met and I would recommend this book to most anyone.

On a side note, I need to relay a story which happened whilst reading this book on a flight from Atlanta to San Francisco.  First, I read a chapter in Cat's Cradle  which chronicled the long twisting path a character follows to the small Caribbean island.  One step in his journey, during World War II, he was captured at sea by the Germans and forced to go fight the Partisans in Yugoslavia.  This was really weird in that I just finished reading  about the Partisan fighters in Yugoslavia in The Forgotten 500.  I wouldn't have known who the Partisans were unless I read that book.  I thought to myself, "This is neat, two books I've read are connected."  Then, about ten minutes later, I decided to take a break from reading and played the in-flight trivia game.  One of the questions was, "Which Author invented the religion 'Bokonism'."  Then I thought to myself, "Creepy..."

BOOK REPORT: This Earth of Mankind (The Buru Quartet Book #1) by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

Title:                                This Earth of Mankind

Author:                             Pramoedya Ananta Toer

Original Copyright :       1975

Translator :                     Max Lane

Translation Copyright:  1990

My Rating:     4 out of 5 stars  ( powerful )

Back Cover Description

Minke is a young Javanese student of great intelligence, sensitivity and ambition. Living equally among the colonists and colonized of late nineteen-century Java, he battles against the confines of colonial strictures.  The son of a noble Javanese, he moves easily among the Dutch and their ideas and language bu is prevented from enjoying their rights. He also falls desperately in love with the beautiful Indo-European Annelies, and it is through her and her extraordinary family that Minke finds the strength to embrace his world- the world of Indonesia -- and all its beauty and possibility , brutality and anger.

This remarkable tale, the first in the Buru Quartet, was originally recited orally by Indonesian political prisoner Pramoedya Ananta Toer to his fellow cellmates in daily installments.

My Thoughts

I always find books that provide a glimpse into other cultures interesting, especially non-European cultures, and This Earth of Mankind was no different.  I can't say I knew much about Indonesia beyond where it was on a map, that is made up of thousands of islands, and that it is predominantly Muslim.  I didn't even realize that Indonesia was under Dutch colonial rule for close to  three-hundred and fifty years, ending just AFTER World War II.  This Earth of Mankind is the first of four books in the "Buru Quartet" and takes place in the late 1890's when the age of Indonesian enlightenment as Toer called it was in its infancy.

Throughout the book, I was overwhelmed by the complexity of social rankings at play in Dutch Indies.  There were "pure-blood" Europeans who were at the top of the totem pole, "Indos" which are mixed race, then "Natives", then the Malay and Chinese immigrants at the bottom.  Just as I thought I would get a handle of the general social dynamics another layer would be added.   

Our main character, Minke, is a Native who is the grandson of  a high-level native government official.  This entitles Minke to be one of the few natives which may attend a European school to get a European education.  Minke is trying to be a progressive, forward thinking Javanese native caught between two worlds.  The European teachers see him has stepping stone to a self sustaining Indonesia, however, to the Dutch government officials he is no better than any other native.  To his own people he is an outcast as they see him abandoning their native culture to become one of "them".

P.A. Toer puts This Earth of Mankind's  foundation in Minke's alien social status and pairs him up with his love interest, an Indo girl named Annelies.  Toer glues together a wonderful story of the tangled web of a budding love between Minke and Annelies, the daughter of a strong-willed, self educated native concubine who is determined to make something of her life, and her drunken absentee Dutch official father.  Weave in her jealous sibling Robert, Minke's own strict family,  a french painter with one leg, and a man only known as "Fatso" and This Earth of Mankind becomes a great, readable, and eye-opening novel.

Even though this book didn't end on the highest of notes, it did end with hope.  I will definitely be picking up the remaining books of this series to follow Minke on his road to enlightenment.

BOOK REPORT: The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake

Title:                                           The Hot Rock

Author:                                       Donald E. Westlake

Original Copyright Date:          1970

My Rating:     4 out of 5 stars  ( fun )

Backcover Description

John Dortmunder left prison with the warm words of the warden ringing in his ears and not once chance of going straight. Soon Dortmunder was riding in a stolen Cadillac with venetian blinds, reuniting with old friends and scheming to heist a large emerald belonging to a small African nation. As always, his planning is meticulous. As always, the execution is not. Undaunted, Dortmunder is now chasing the gem by plane, train, and automobile. Because this hot rock has a way of getting stolen -- not just once but again and again and again and again....

My Thoughts

The hot rock was an enjoyable book about a large emerald that just won't stay stolen.  This is the first book in a series of comedic crime capers based around John Dortmunder,  the aforementioned criminal mastermind who attempts to steal valuable items from difficult places as a hobby more than a source of income. The keyword is *try* in that previous sentence as things just don't always go as planned.  

The book starts off similar to "The Blues Brothers" or "Ocean's 12" where the main character walks out of jail, into a car, and plans the next job. In this case, a certain small African country wants to pay Dortmunder and his crew good money to steal an emerald from another small African country during an exhibit at a New York City museum. The first attempt goes awry which leads to successively more ridiculous attempts at snagging the stone.  Dortmunder could have called it quits several times, but he just won't let this one get away.

I would definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a fun and light read which will keep them entertained from beginning to end.

BOOK REPORT: Animal Farm by George Orwell

Title:                                           Animal Farm   

Author:                                       George Orwell

Original Copyright Date:          1946

My Rating:     3 out of 5 stars  ( interesting )

Backcover Description

This remarkable book has been described in many ways -- as a masterpiece...a fairy story.... a brilliant satire...a frightening view of the future. A devastating attack on the pig-headed, gluttonous and avaricious rulers in an imaginary totalitarian state, it illuminates the range of human experience from love to hate, from comedy to tragedy.  "A wise, compassionate and illuminating fable of our times...The steadiness and lucidity of Orwell's wit are reminiscent of Anatole France and even of Swift. 

My Thoughts

Animal farm is what it is:  a short political cautionary fairy tale of power, greed and corruption.  It is laid bare just like any other fairy tale from your childhood, down to the anthropomorphic farm animals who talk, each having a distinct role in a black and white world of innocence and corruption.   It is meant to scare you, in this case, into not trusting those in power.

But that's all it was to me, which is why I only gave it 3 stars.  Animal Farm didn't have any depth beyond the words on the page.  There were no lines to read between.  Just the one line, and it was the moral, and the moral is clear.  Don't trust those in power. Don't believe their propaganda.  

I'm glad I read Animal Farm, but it left me wanting more substance, more subtlety. 

In the end, this is a simple book report for a simple, but interesting book.

BOOK REPORT: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Title:                                          Never Let Me Go

Author:                                      Kazuo Ishiguro

Original Copyright Date:        2006

My Rating:      3.5 out of 5 stars  
             ( Not what I was expecting, but good )

Backcover Description
     From Booker Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro comes a devastating new novel of innocence, knowledge, and loss.
     As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were students at Halisham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules -- and teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were.
    Now, years later, Kathy is a young woman. Ruth and Tommy have reentered her life, and for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them so special -- and how that gift will shape the rest of their time together.  Suspenseful, moving, beautifully atmospheric, Never Let Me Go is another classic by the author of The Remains of the Day.

My Thoughts

If you read the above description you don't get the feeling that you'll step into an alternate version of England where things just aren't quite the same, a world which allows for places like Halisham.  The veil is slowly lifted as the story progresses as to the reasons Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth were "special" growing up and how being "special" will ultimately affect them. It was interesting being this ignorant of the general plot line going in, and I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much if I was on top of everything from page one.  If you do want a slight hint as to the setting and tone, the summary on the Time Magazines writeup in the
100 best novels I really don't want to say too much more about the story line, because, if someone reading this decides to read the book, I don't want to ruin the experience.

Expectations aside, this is a very well written story.  I told Maggie during the early chapters that I could see my self trying to write like this. A first person narrative where the lines of yesteryear and today are blurred and subtle.  Similar to listening to a close friend look back to a pivotal time in their lives when you were not a part of it. How they spend just a bit of time explaining who or what something was after they've realized you may not know, jumping around a bit as they go to follow where the memories take them.  A clarification: I have no notions of be successful at it, i could just see myself attempting it.  

Kazuo Ishiguro crafted Never Let Me Go; everything about it was deliberate and the perfect words were chosen for the sublte but powerful drama that plays out in this interesting world. The further I step away from this book, the more I admire what Ishiguro did with it. 

BOOK REPORT: Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Title:                           Picture of Dorian Gray

Author:                       Oscar Wilde

Original Copyright Date:          1891

My Rating:          4 out of 5 stars  ( well done )

Back-cover Description
Oscar Wilde brings his enormous gifts for astute social observation and sparkling prose to The Picture of Dorian Gray, his dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. This dandy, who remains forever unchanged—petulant, hedonistic, vain, and amoral—while a painting of him ages and grows increasingly hideous with the years, has been horrifying, enchanting, obsessing, even corrupting readers for more than a hundred years.

Taking the reader in and out of London drawing rooms, to the heights of aestheticism, and to the depths of decadence, The Picture of Dorian Gray is not only a melodrama about moral corruption. Laced with bon mots and vivid depictions of upper-class refinement, it is also a fascinating look at the milieu of Wilde’s fin-de-siècle world and a manifesto of the creed “Art for Art’s Sake.”

My Thoughts

Wilde's Picture of Dorian Gray is a gothic horror story which boils the entirety of the aesthetic movement, of which he was a proponent, into a nice and neat two-hundred pages.  

"It is silly of you , for there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about."

This was an enjoyable read;  Wilde's poignant witticisms and  social critique made me laugh out loud and thankful that I don't live during a time where I could possibly be on the wrong side of his pen.  

While the aesthetic movement rhetoric was, pun intended, shallow, it seemed a proper fit for those who, as Wilde states, practice the fine and noble aristocratic art of doing absolutely nothing.  

As a quick aside, I'm thinking of going back to school to get my Masters in Aristocratic Arts... Advanced Matchbook Arrangement looks intriguing, but I don't have the prerequisites yet ( Muted Gossip, and Theories of Understated Social Disapproval)

"But beauty, real beauty, ends where an intellectual expression begins. Intellect is in itself a mode of exaggeration, and destroys the harmony of any face. The moment on sits down to think, one becomes all nose , or all forehead, or something horrid" 

 It was very interesting to me to see how the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde theme of the duality of man was presented by Wilde.  In Robert Louis Stevenson's famous work, the duality was brought out by a drug,  and his "alter-ego" was responsible for all of the evil doings.  Dr. Jekyll had a sense of plausible deniability in his actions as he was physically transformed by the drug; Mr Hyde was a different persona.  Dorian's duality is more subtle; it arises out of the sole desire to stay beautiful.  Dorian has no Mr. Hyde, no alter-ego. The painting becomes Dorian's "Tell Tale Heart"; however, because he can keep it in the attic, as his little secret, watching the painting show his every evil while he stays the same beautiful Dorian becomes a thrill in itself.   In both stories, the main characters start to lose control over the evil outlet and their actions become more horrific and lead to a self-destructive and tragic end. 

I really liked this book and would recommend it for anyone wanting a short dark tale that is extremely well written.

BOOK REPORT: The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Title:                                           The Life of Pi

Author:                                        Yann Martel

Original Copyright Date:          2004

My Rating:                 3.5 out of 5 stars  ( good )

Backcover Description:

Pi Patel, a God-loving boy and the son of a zookeeper, has a fervent love of stories and practices not only his native Hinduism, but also Christianity and Islam.  When Pi is sixteen, his family and their zoo animals emigrate from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship.  Alas, the ship sinks-- and Pi finds himself in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and a 450-pound Bengel tiger.  Soon the tiger dispatched all by Pi. Can Pi and the tiger find their way to land? Can Pi's fear, knowledge, and cunning keep him alive until they do?

My Thoughts

I can see how it would be a great book-club book as it is full of discussions on religion, zoology and is full of symbolism.  Of course, most of that symbolism is lost on me.  I've never been one to follow or read deeply into a lot of that unless I am in an academic setting where someone can guide the conversation.  There are even book club discussion questions in the back, most of which seemed to me to apply to a different book... oh, well.  I still enjoyed the book. 

The book is divided into three main sections. Pi's religious life leading up to the ship sinking, the ark of a life boat, and the recovery.  Let's look at each one individually.

The first section follows "Pi" from a small child until sixteen when his family emigrates to Canada.  The bulk of this is detailing Pi's spiritual life as he becomes a full fledged Hindu, Catholic, and Muslim.  I really don't know what this adds to the story other than articulating that each of the major religions has beautiful elements in which Pi can take comfort.  The author even has the three spiritual leaders of each religion meet at one point to heatedly debate the pros and cons of each religion.   As he is growing spiritually, Pi is also living amongst the animals in a zoo; his father being the zookeeper.  Here the author outlines some of the basics of animal behavior and the human element imposed upon the animals. "Look behind the curtain to see the most dangerous animal in the zoo", only to have the patron see a mirror behind the curtain.  

The second section details the sinking cargo ship and the after deadly aftermath.  This was by far the most engaging part in the book and could have stood alone with just a brief introduction and conclusion as an excellent novella, ala Gabriel Garcia Marquez's The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor with a tiger added for more "ummph"  (Funny, I read that novella on my trip to India, the read this novel on my way to Oregon, which is closer to Canada than I currently am, which was Pi's destination.... wow....that's deep.. ;) )  The author does a good job keeping the story believable that a teenager and tiger could coexist without too much of a stretch of the imagination.  I do find it odd that the emphasis placed in the first section on religion/spirituality was basically absent in this part.  Every now and then, it would be mentioned that  Pi would pray or mix the major figures of each on in an amusing yet non-offensive exclamation.  

The third section wraps up the story, albeit a bit flatly.  Once on land again, Pi recounts the story to some Japanese representatives of the shipping company who are looking into the cause of the sinking ship.  Here, the main point seemed to be that the Japanese representatives don't believe such a fantastical story and the philosophical discussion which followed. 

I really did like this book; it was an entertaining quick read which was great on my flight to Portland.  I think a group discussion would have been helpful to get some of the deeper meanings from the book but it was still enjoyable from the level I read it.  
   

BOOK REPORT: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson

Title:       The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories

Author:                      Robert Louis Stevenson 

Original Copyright Date:             various

Original Publishing Date:  2009 (for this collection)

My Rating:             3.5 out of 5 stars  ( good )


Back Cover Description:
Idealistic young scientist Henry Jekyll struggles to unlock the secrets of the soul. Testing chemicals in his lab, he drinks a mixture he hopes will isolate—and eliminate—human evil. Instead it unleashes the dark forces within him, transforming him into the hideous and murderous Mr. Hyde.

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde dramatically brings to life a science-fiction case study of the nature of good and evil and the duality that can exist within one person. Resonant with psychological perception and ethical insight, the book has literary roots in Dostoevsky’s “The Double” and Crime and Punishment. Today Stevenson’s novella is recognized as an incisive study of Victorian morality and sexual repression, as well as a great thriller.

This collection also includes some of the author’s grimmest short fiction: “Lodging for the Night,” “The Suicide Club,” “Thrawn Janet,” “The Body Snatcher,” and “Markheim.”

My Thoughts

This was an interesting collection of stories by Robert Louis Stevenson.  I should have read this before Halloween as all of them are macabre tales. 

"Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is a novella which I've heard about all my life, but had never read.  I guess a topic so well known  can easily lead to hyped expectations.  It was a good story, although, not as good as Stevenson's other works.  I can see the parallels to Crime and Punishment alluded to in the back cover descriptions, and Stevenson even makes reference to Dostoevsky's works in the work. 

"Lodging for the Night"  tells the story of a cold night turned bad in a small hut where a game of cards leads to a stabbing and the main character venturing out into the night to get away from the scene and tries to find shelter.

"The Suicide Club" is actually three related short stories which follows Prince Florizel of Bohemia and his adventures infiltrating a suicide club.  a place, where for 40 pounds, you play russian roulette. but instead of a bullet, you pull cards.  Whomever pulls the ace of spades is the target, if you pull the ace of clubs, you must be one who kills.  I thought these stories were great.  According to the preface, Robert Louis Stevenson wanted to recreate the "Thousand and One Arabian Nights" and created a collection of short stories in that vein. The Suicide Club is part of that collection.

"Thrawn Janet" was a difficult story to read.  It is essentially a campfire horror story told by a drunk scotsman in the 1700's in his native dialect.  I never had to look so many words up, including "Thrawn" which means crooked or twisted. 

"The Body Snatcher" is a story of a young doctor's apprentice who's main task is to collect bodies for the anatomist.  Most of the bodies brought to him are in the middle of the night in suspicious circumstances.  This story did lead to a new personal goal.  Not only do I need "Gentleman Adventurer and Philanthropist" on my future business cards, but "Bon Vivant" needs to be added.  It means, "A person with refined taste, especially one who enjoys superb food and drink."

"Markheim" is a short story about a man who kills a pawn shop owner on Christmas morning to rob him and his personal crisis which comes thereafter.  This story is very similar to Crime and Punishment, on 400 pages shorter. 

All in all, it was a good set of stories, but it took me longer to read than expected.  

Now, in the style of Robert Louis Stevenson, " Let me profit my idleness, and make haste on my next verse"

BOOK REPORT: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Title:                    The Shadow of the Wind 

Author:                Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Original Copyright Date:        2001

Translation to english:          Lucia Graves 2004

My Rating:    4 out of 5 stars  (highly enjoyable)

Would Recommend to a friend?: Yes

Back Cover Description: 

"Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'Cemetery of Forgotten Books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles. To this library, a man brings his ten-year-old son, Daniel, one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book and from the dusty shelves he pulls The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. But as Daniel grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind."

My Thoughts:

Maggie read this book a few years ago after receiving it as a present from my sister Tina.  While she was reading it, she couldn't put it down and she instantly recommend that I read it next.  I admit that it took me a while to get around to it, but once I did, I was hooked.

The book is very well written, with a twisting/turning plot full of intrigue, suspense, murder, and love with a few "DON"T GO IN THERE GIRL!" moments for good measure.  It reminded me of a more literary version of a Dan Brown novel.  The characters were complex and interesting; Barcelona provides a mysterious and rich backdrop for the story. 

At the core of the The Shadow of the Wind is a book, called, The Shadow of the Wind, by Julian Carax.  As I read the novel, one of the major recurring themes I noticed was about the power and importance of books and storytelling.  The books themselves are revered by the main characters, especially the ones which are rare or forgotten.  

Television is severely panned only once and rarely mentioned again.  This was the dawning of the age of the television, but the characters in the novel had no use for it.  In my own life, television has fallen far down on my priority list, mainly because I want to spend more time with Sims.  I find I don't miss it that much.  I think the following quote from the book, given the current state of television, (Jersey Shore anyone?) is quite fitting:

"Television, my dear Daniel, is the Antichrist, and I can assure you that after only three or four generations, people will no longer even know how to fart on their own. Humans will return to living in caves, to medieval savagery, and to the general state of imbecility that slugs overcame back in the Pleistocene era. Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say -- it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke of everything, and a lousy joke at that"   -- Fermin Romera de Torres, upon the television set becoming more common in Barcelona in 1954. 

Contrast that statement with this:

"Bea says the art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day."

Now that I think about it, maybe it was this book which subconsciously inspired me to start the Olio-Scholar Project in the first place.