Possession

Possession by A. S. Byatt

"Possession" is about a literary mystery. Roland Michell is researching a Victorian poet named Randolph Henry Ash when he discovers old letters that suggests a romance with another poet, Christabel LaMotte. His search leads him to a LaMotte scholar named Maud Bailey. Roland and Maud search through old letters and diaries trying to find the truth.

I found it hard to get into this book. Along with the third person narrative, it's told through diary entries, letters and poems. It's full of references of people I've never heard of and am not sure if they really exist or not. You have to read this book with a dictionary and thesaurus. The only other book I've read like that was "Humbolt's Gift."

The Stranger

The Stranger by Albert Camus

1957 Nobel

Meursault is a young man living in Algiers. Learning of his mother's death he travels to her funeral where his behavior is less than grief-stricken. He decides not to view his mother. And he naps during the vigil.

Upon returning home afterwards, he befriends his neighbor, Raymond. Raymond asks Meursault to write a letter to his girlfriend asking her to come back to him. Once she does, Raymond beats the crap out of her. So her brother is out to get Raymond. On a trip to the beach Meursault, his girlfriend Marie and Raymond are followed by the brother and an Arab friend. On a walk on the beach Meursault runs across the Arab and winds up killing him.

Meursault is arrested and put on trial. But the trial soon veers away from the murder and focuses on Meursault's attitude. The court decides his attitude is a threat to society.

Mrs. Dalloway

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

This book is one woman's inspection of her life. It's set in one day as Mrs. Dalloway prepares for a party. As she goes about her arrangements she ponders on the past and the future. It's a calm little book and well worth reading.

A lucid review at Time which named it one of the All Time 100 Novels.

Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

"Heart of Darkness" follows an Englishman, Marlowe, on his travels into the Congo. He has been hired to ferry ivory from upriver, and bring back an ill station manager, Kurtz. He becomes fascinated with Kurtz' reputation. Kurtz is seen as a highly able man who is extremely successful at supplying ivory.

Marlowe is forced to spend several weeks at the port awaiting supplies to repair his boat. He's horrified to see the way the natives are treated. They're disposable. Barely fed, and badlly mistreated. Disposable. They're considered subhuman.

Marlowe is horrified with everything around him and events on the trip are no better. But when he finally meets Kurtz, he truly sees the heart of darkness.

Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Anna Karenina is the story of a woman's affair in the late 19th century. She is the wife of a government official and lives in the upper echelon of society. Upon arriving in Moscow to mediate between her brother and sister-in-law, she meets a military officer named Vronsky. Vronsky had led Kitty to believe he would be "making her an offer" but upon meeting Anna he forgot Kitty completely. And Kitty had just refused an offer from Lenin. Anna Karenina is a long book that tells the story of many people. And they are all well defined characters. It's hard to leave one character for a couple of pages, but then you get wrapped up in the next character.

Anna Karenina is a story of love gone bad and love gone right. Tolstoy uses his characters to explore Russian society, from the aristocrats to the peasants who work for them. Religion, agriculture, politics, society, culture, the list goes on.

Anna Karenina is a Great Book. One of the best I've ever read.FirstCrime and Punishment and now this. I can't believe I was ever scared of Russian literature. I'm ready to take on War and Peace.

Madame Bovary

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Madame Bovary is a bored housewife. A farmers daughter educated in a convent, Emma married the first man she met whim she returned home. Charles Bovary is an uninspiring, unambitious health official for the village/

After Charles assists the Marquis d'Andervilliers, the Bovary's are invited to a ball. Emma thinks they've "arrived". But there is no invitation the next year and Emma becomes depressed. Charles moves her to another town thinking she needs a change of scenery. She meets a law student, Léon Dupris, and the two are attracted but nothing happens. So Léon leaves to continue his studies.

Rich landowner Rodolphe Boulanger meets Emma and decides to seduce her. They carry on an affair for several years, but slowly Emma decides this is not enough.She and Rodolphe decide to run away together. But Rodolphe sends her a Dear John at the last minute. Depression and illness hit Emma again.

After her recovery, she meets Léon again. They begin the affair they missed the first time they met. But, as usual with Emma, this is eventually not enough.

First published in 1857, Madame Bovary caused quite a stir. Considered obscene, it was put on trial the following year. With all the publicity, the book went on to be a bestseller.

There are few likable characters in the book but it's still a great read.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Uncle Tom's Cabin was and anti-slavery novel written before the Civil War. As the book opens, Kentucky farmer Arthur Shelby has been forced to sell two of his slaves because of debt.

The first, Uncle Tom, has a wife and children. He's sent to market down the Mississippi, but on the way he is befriended by a child named Eva St. Clare. After Tom saves her from drowning her father buys Tom. But circumstances eventually led Tom to be sold to Simon Legree. Simon Legree is one of the worst villains in literature. He beats his slaves, uses the women as sex slaves and fosters mistrust among the slaves. He's pure monster.

The second slave sold was a small boy named Harry. After his mother, Eliza, overhears the Shelbys discussing the sale she decides to run away with her son. She heads north to Canada in hopes of finding her husband. She finds them but by now they are being hunted by slave hunters. But the Underground Railroad is helping them along.

Uncle Tom's Cabin was a very influential book for a very short time.

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre is a young orphan being reluctantly raised by her aunt, Mrs. Reed. After fighting with her cousin John, Jane is sent to a charity school. But the headmaster is underfunding the school while providing a luxurious lifestyle for his own family. Cold housing and poor nutrition finally causes a typhus outbreak. Many of the students die and conditions at the school bring in new donors and overseers.

Many years later, Jane begins to teach at the school but the marriage of another teacher causes Jane to yearn for something else. So she advertises for, and receives, a position as governess. Her student is the ward of Mr. Rochester.

Jane and Rochester fall in love and plan to marry. But at the alter the wedding is stopped. Turns out Mr. Rochester already has a Mrs. Rochester. And she's locked up in the attic.

"Jane Eyre" is the story of a woman who keeps the faith. It's equal parts romance and suspense. It's a thoroughly delightful book.

Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Bennets live on Longbourn estate. It is entailed to a male heir. But the Bennets have 5 daughters who must all marry rich to live comfortably after Mr. Bennet dies.

As the book opens, neighboring estate Netherfield is soon to be occupied by rich, young unmarried Charles Bingley. He brings along sisters, a brother-in-law and his friend Fitzwilliam Darcy.

Bingley is attracted to the eldest sister, Jane. Mr. Darcy, when asked to dance with Elizabeth at a ball, states she is not attractive enough. Overhearing this, Elizabeth decides Mr. Darcy is too prideful.

"Pride and Prejudice" was almost named First Impressions. Both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy size each other up and immediately let their first impressions color their judgement of the other. It takes a lot of work and time for them to see each others true character.

Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Oliver was born in a workhouse orphanage. His mother died at childbirth without revealing her identity. At age 9, after being transferred to the workhouse proper, Oliver draws the short straw and has to ask for more gruel. ("Please, sir, I want some more.") This gets him branded a troublemaker. He's put in solitary and notice is placed offering 5 pounds to anyone who will take him.

Oliver is soon placed as an apprentice to an undertaker. But after several months of abuse from his coworkers and the undertakers wife he runs away. On the outskirts of London he meets the Artful Dodger who takes him to Fagin, who trains boys to be thieves and pickpockets.

But Oliver hasn't got the heart to be a criminal. He finds a benefactor but is kidnapped and returned to Fagin. Eventually assigned to help with a burglary, he is wounded and left for dead when he cries out and warns the occupants of the house. He winds up living in the house with a new benefactor.

"Oliver Twist" is a sentimental novel. Dickens paints a harsh, but accurate picture of living conditions for the poor. Oliver is just a poor little boy trying to get by but it seems the entire English system is against him.

This is my third Dickens novel and I have to say they all exceed "great." And for some reason I really liked the photograph on the cover of the B&N edition I have.

The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Hester Prynne lives in colonial New England. In 1642, she has in illegitimate child. Hester refuses to tell who the father is. She had come to America to await her husband. When he does join her, she is standing on the court steps with an "A" emblazoned on her chest as punishment for her crime.

Her husband begins calling himself Roger Chillingworth. He is now practicing medicine and moves in with the sickly Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. He suspects a connection between Dimmesdale and Hester and sets out to discover what it is.

Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

Gulliver is a ship's doctor. The book covers 16 years of his adventures at sea. He has gone to the end of the earth and keeps finding strange new countries. There's Lilliput where the people are six inches tall. Next is Brobdignag, where the inhabitants are giants. He finds the flying city of Laputa. And finally the country of Houyhnhnms which is run by a race of intelligent horses who are served by the savage humanoid Yahoos.

Swift writes a satire that covers religion, politics and human nature. It's amusing and thought provoking at the same time. And it was banned. It is critical of the politics of the time. It also critical of the different religions. It was considered wicked and obscene.

Don Quixote

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

Don Quixote is a middle-aged Spanish gentleman who has been obsessed with books of knightly chivalry. He has sold land so he could afford more books. He has let his property go to seed. Finally, he armors up and hits the road. His armor is old and battered. He creates a make shift helmet. And he takes his old work horse which he renames Rocinante. He hires Sancho Panza as his squire. Sancho is a bit slow but he knows every proverb ever uttered.

The book is a series of adventures. Quixote sees what he wants to see in the world around him. Anything he sees can be explained in the language of chivalry. He believes there are enchanters that either aid or hinder knights.

"Don Quixote" is a wonderful book. It's funny. When it was published it was so popular another author of the time took it upon himself to write a sequel. Cervantes was not pleased and wrote his own. He then ridicules the other in his version.

Being two books added together it turns out to 890 pages. But the stories break it into sections. The familiar "tilting at windmills" is short. But my favorite was the puppet show. Quixote thought the puppets needed assistance so jumped to the stage with his sword and attacked the Moor puppets, demolishing the show. I laughed out loud.

It's really a great book. There's a reason people have been reading it for 400 years.

Crime and Punishment

"Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky

"Crime and Punishment" is the story of a murder committed by a young student. Raskolnikov has developed a theory that exceptional intelligence places a man above ordinary people. He puts this theory to the test by murdering an old woman. She was a greatly disliked pawnbroker. During the murder the victim's sister returns home and becomes another victim.

The novel then begins to explore a man's conscience. The people in Raskolnilov's life enable him to view his actions from several different aspects. It is a profoundly astute psychological probe of one man's journey from crime to redemption.

I read this with my Yahoo book club and I must admit I was intimidated in the beginning. Just the name Dostoevsky sounded overwhelming. But the book was easy to read. There were some slow sections, but not many. I think my next Russian book will be much easier to pick up. I've got "Anna Karenina" sitting on the shelf. Not feeling quite so intimidated by it.