Anna Begins Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 See, Alias Grace is my favourite Atwood. I also really liked The Blind Assassin. Maybe some else will have a suggestion that is more helpful. Do not pick Oryx and Crake! Anyone who sees this and has read Atwood, please suggest a starting title! I suggest The Heart Goes Last Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 :lol: Well aren't I glad to have posted in vain Hey I still appreciate the input.... means I know who to blame if I don't like your choice if/when I read it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 Hey I still appreciate the input.... means I know who to blame if I don't like your choice if/when I read it! Ya not like when I attempted The Alchemist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 (edited) Gone With the Wind- Margaret Mitchell (1,037 pages) Much has been made about Scarlett O’Hara’s selfishness and immaturity. However, I have yet to hear an argument about the differences between Melanie Wilkes and Scarlet, which should be the major discussion of this book. Instead we constantly hear of Scarlett’s egoism. I won’t waste much time on a synopsis, most have read or are familiar. Scarlett O’Hara is the belle of the South, beaus galore, and a simple 15 year old at the beginning of the book. Over the span of the book, some 15 years, Scarlett’s life is chronicled through the Civil War and Reconstruction. Seems kind of dry, put like that, but nothing about Scarlett’s life is dry. Tied to her home plantation, Tara, and her home in Atlanta, through trials and more trials, Scarlett thinks of no one but herself. Or so they say. Aiding a myriad of family and friends, Scarlett risks her life for them, unselfishly, while swearing she will never go hungry. Scandalous and the talk of Atlanta, Scarlett presses on to acquire the most important thing to her- money. But change does come to Scarlett, as she grows, sometimes slipping back into that immature way of viewing the world, sometimes meeting it head on. There is a reason this is my favorite book of all time, mostly because the changes Scarlett goes through in her life. Many, many, and I love all of Scarlett. Oh! Have I neglected Rhett Butler and Ashley *swoon* (not)? Nope, I haven’t. This is Scarlett’s stage and they are merely players. Edited November 17, 2015 by Anna Begins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woolf woolf Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 Are Scarlett, Melanie and Rhett different from their film versions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I'm so glad you enjoyed re-reading your favourite book of all time !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 Are Scarlett, Melanie and Rhett different from their film versions? I have only seen the movie one and a half times. The first time, I was very young and remember watching it with my mother (it came in 4 video cassettes ). The second time was after I had read the book and found the movie so far from the book, I turned it off! I hope to watch the movie next Thursday with new eyes (its just over 4 hours) on Thanksgiving and give a review of the book/movie adaptation. I'm so glad you enjoyed re-reading your favourite book of all time !! Thanks I really did! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 I just finished downloading from the library The Good Earth. Guess where I got the idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted November 18, 2015 Author Share Posted November 18, 2015 I just finished downloading from the library The Good Earth. Guess where I got the idea. Oh I do hope you like it! Glad to see you back around I read CRH's Chasing Windmills while you were away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 I think Scarlett O'Hara had to be selfish in order to survive in those times. The thing that took me by surprise when I read the book was how strong a character Scarlett was. I had a completely wrong impression of the book before I read it - I thought it would be a sugary lukewarm love story, but it was so much more complex than that, and Scarlett was a great character to read about. It's a book I need to read again at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted November 20, 2015 Author Share Posted November 20, 2015 I think Scarlett O'Hara had to be selfish in order to survive in those times. Well, I think that can be contrasted by Melanie Wilkes, then again, if it wasn't for Scarlett, would Melanie have been alive? The thing that took me by surprise when I read the book was how strong a character Scarlett was. I had a completely wrong impression of the book before I read it - I thought it would be a sugary lukewarm love story, but it was so much more complex than that, and Scarlett was a great character to read about. I think the movie has a lot to do with the perception of Scarlett as this self centered woman, only out for herself. Her character, IMO is one of the best characters in literature. Certainly one that could be studied at length. And ew- that Ashley Wilkes He just messes up everything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted November 20, 2015 Author Share Posted November 20, 2015 The Good Earth trilogy Book 1- Pearl S. Buck (357 + Bio) The Good Earth is Buck’s classic story of Wang Lung, a Chinese peasant farmer, and his wife, O-lan, a former slave. With luck and hard work, the couple’s fortunes improve over the years: They are blessed with sons, and save steadily until one day they can afford to buy property in the House of Wang—the very house in which O-lan used to work. But success brings with it a new set of problems. Wang soon finds himself the target of jealousy, and as good harvests come and go, so does the social order. Will Wang’s family cherish the estate after he’s gone? And can his material success, the bedrock of his life, guarantee anything about his soul? Pulitzer Prize winning Pearl S. Buck writes of Wang Lung, a poor famer in rural China in the 1920’s. Told in her plain style, Buck keeps The Good Earth simple, skimming past banal everyday events and momentous ones in the same way… it is simply a tale of a poor famer who rises above his poverty. Despite this way of telling, Buck also slips in details of life in China at the time, what the characters wore, ate, the furniture they used, how they lived. In the opening scenes, Wang Lung is too poor even for tea leaves in his poor father’s hot water that stems his cough. Gathering his former slave bride O-lan, the couple struggle through the years for prosperity and enough food to fight starvation. The Good Earth follows Wang Lung and his three sons through his lucky life. Buck was born in West Virginia, but spent the first 40 years of her life in China, 13 of them with her husband, John Lossing Buck, in Nanking. Banned from China for writing about its’ poverty, Buck died of lung cancer in Vermont in 1973. Read right on the heels of Gone With the Wind, it is easy to compare these two books, that have been tied as my #1 favorite books of all time. The Good Earth remains on the list, but I didn’t find it as engaging as Gone With the Wind. That being said, I have read 11 of her novels and loved them all. I am continuing with Sons, Book 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 The premise sounds good. I'm glad you enjoyed re-reading The Good Earth. I hope you enjoy Sons too . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I am 30% into The Good Earth and enjoy it tremendously. I will undoubtedly read more of her books. Anna - off topic - what libraries are near you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 I am 30% into The Good Earth and enjoy it tremendously. I will undoubtedly read more of her books. Anna - off topic - what libraries are near you. So glad you are enjoying it! Will PM you about libraries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 Sons (The Good Earth Book 2)- Pearl S. Buck (320 Pages) In the second book of Pearl S. Buck’s Good Earth trilogy, Buck follows the three sons of Wang Lung and how they handle the enormous inheritance they now control. The book follows closely the third son, a war lord now called Wang the Tiger and his desire for a son to follow his ways. Meanwhile, the sons of the first son, called Wang the Landlord, languish in luxury, while the second son’s sons labor for their money. The individualistic ways these characters control their destinies, contrast each other and make for a very compelling story. This trilogy could be stopped here, but why?? This book follows so easily from the first and so smoothly to the third, it is a great “middle” in a trilogy, interesting and doesn’t lag. The naming of these characters is interesting as well. Until this book, the third son had only been referred to as Wang the Youngest or such. It is only until Yang the Youngest sets out to become his own person, that he gets the name Wang the Tiger. Still steeped in Chinese tradition, the book does begin to touch on the coming Communist Revolution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 I'm glad you enjoyed reading this second book . I hope you enjoy the third one too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted November 25, 2015 Author Share Posted November 25, 2015 I'm glad you enjoyed reading this second book . I hope you enjoy the third one too! It was fabulous, but I am glad to be on to something else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted November 25, 2015 Author Share Posted November 25, 2015 A House Divided (The Good Earth book 3)- Pearl S. Buck (348 pages) Nothing makes you want to jump into a book or Chapter more than when Amazon tells you it’s an hour and 37 minutes long. And perhaps A House Divided isn’t the strongest in the series, but there is more introspection of the main character in this book and it is a change from the other two books, where actions merely outlined the characters. Yuan is the only son of one of China’s main warlords, Wang the Tiger. The Tiger was Wang Lung’s youngest son, Wang Lung is the father and grandfather (and great grandfather) of the family and A House Divided continues the story of Wang the Tiger and his other two brothers. The main focus is Yuan, who struggles between the old traditions of China and the new western ways coming to his country. Views that allow women to marry who they wish, makes it fashionable to study abroad and starts a revolution. I really enjoyed re reading this series and The Good Earth is definitely in place solidly as my second favorite book. I really love the clash between the rural beginnings of this family and the wealthy ways they end up living. It makes one wonder- what is to befall the next generation of this family, as Wang Lung’s grandsons live lavish lifestyles and the good earth he bought is slowly sold off for more silver. It is also a good example of old China’s ways and customs, the way the people lived and strived for better- or stayed deep in their poverty. Buck paints a vivid picture of all of this in her simplistic way, which complements this epic story of a large and wealthy family from humble beginnings. The way the story is told goes with the culture of the people in the book and this was probably deliberate, as Buck lived in China for 40 years before returning to the United States. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Woohoo, I'm glad you enjoyed re-reading this trilogy ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 (edited) I finished reading The Good Earth and give it a 10 / 10. What a wonderful read. I checked our library and they have A House Divided on kindle but not Sons. So, I requested them to get Sons (doesn't make any sense). Hopefully, they will get it for the library but in the meantime I will have to wait as I don't want to read the 3rd book in the Trilogy before the 2nd. I felt bad for O-lan. She was a strong person to live the way she did and a husband couldn't ask for more from a wife. I also liked "Blossom" and I dis-liked Lotus. The book really gave a strong understanding of the way of life in China during those times. Edited November 28, 2015 by muggle not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted November 28, 2015 Author Share Posted November 28, 2015 I finished reading The Good Earth and give it a 10 / 10. What a wonderful read. I checked our library and they have A House Divided on kindle but not Sons. So, I requested them to get Sons (doesn't make any sense). Hopefully, they will get it for the library but in the meantime I will have to wait as I don't want to read the 3rd book in the Trilogy before the 2nd. I felt bad for O-lan. She was a strong person to live the way she did and a husband couldn't ask for more from a wife. I also liked "Blossom" and I dis-liked Lotus. The book really gave a strong understanding of the way of life in China during those times. Ya that is strange the library would have the third, but not the second! I hope they get it, so you can finish "the saga" I loved the character of O-lan! The books span so much time, lots of changes come to China during the trilogy. I am glad you liked such a favorite book of mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted November 29, 2015 Author Share Posted November 29, 2015 The Martian- Andy Weir (369 pages + interview and essay by author) I’ve been waiting to read this book for a while now, and after a four re reads in a row, I was eager to read something new and The Martian seemed refreshing. Gaia and I decided to read it together and it was a great experience, I even kept up with her (maybe she read a little slow)! Well, everyone knows basically the story of this book, American astronaut Mark Watney is stranded alone on Mars, after his crew leave him, believing him dead. With no way to contact Earth or tell his crew he is still alive, Watney struggles with a desperate situation. Unfortunately, the end of the book was spoiled for me, I’m sure it wasn’t intentional, but still it took some of the thrill out of the book. I found all the science and chemistry to be understandable, not all of it, but enough. What I didn’t understand was explained well in the book. The biggest problem I had was with the metric measurements. I really liked this book a lot, the back and forth between Watney’s journals are mixed with technical aspects and Watley’s (Weir’s) own humor. I highly recommend the interview and essay by Weir at the end of the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 I'm glad you enjoyed The Martian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 I'm so glad you enjoyed The Martian . It is a shame about being spoiled . I really dislike it when that happens. It was such a great book . I can understand the metric annoyed you, that makes a lot of sense. I really liked the book, I've put it on my favourites list. Nice review ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.