Recommendations of Classic Books
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Vogin
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It was actually one of the few books I had to go through on high school which I actually enjoyed.Fran wrote:I've been listening to it on my MP player during my walks for the last few days ... magnificent satire.Vogin wrote:Candide by Voltaire. Simply a great satiric novel.
We had to give resumé for each book we read and I was used to ridicule the "weirder" - like Madame Bovary (which is clearly inappropriate for 17 years old boys) - but couldn't really find anything about Candide.
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M.W.Armstrong
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My all-time favorite Classic is El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (aka Don Quixote), by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.
I definitely agree with the general opinion that it sits among the best works of fiction ever written.
From a literary standpoint alone, the Spanish original is flawless. Not a single cliché and an extraordinary penmanship. Grammatically it contains a single error: a comma improperly used when a semi-colon should have been used.
I've read very good English versions, particularly Burton Raffel's which, in my opinion captures the spirit of the novel very accurately.
Considered the first modern novel, it features very well developed characters, a serious conflict between doing the right thing and just being a bystander, its elements of intrigue and suspense make it a veritable thriller.
Parental guidance is suggested if given to anyone under 14, though.
I definitely agree with the general opinion that it sits among the best works of fiction ever written.
From a literary standpoint alone, the Spanish original is flawless. Not a single cliché and an extraordinary penmanship. Grammatically it contains a single error: a comma improperly used when a semi-colon should have been used.
I've read very good English versions, particularly Burton Raffel's which, in my opinion captures the spirit of the novel very accurately.
Considered the first modern novel, it features very well developed characters, a serious conflict between doing the right thing and just being a bystander, its elements of intrigue and suspense make it a veritable thriller.
Parental guidance is suggested if given to anyone under 14, though.
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MissMeggie2804
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- Joined: 01 Apr 2011, 10:28
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This is my new favorite book. Ever. i can't stop talking about it to my friends and family, even my teachers. I love it.
So, here is my review.
Some people go about blaming Lord Henry 'Harry' for all of Dorian's twisted outlooks on life, but that just cannot be the case- for Harry never killed a man, nor bardered his soul to stay young forever. I do, however agree that Harry formally introduced this way of life to Dorian. I think that the relationship between Dorian and the painting is so well played out, he can't stand the sight of it, yet he yearns to always be around it. I was quite sad when he murdered Basil, he was a well-shapened character. But my hatred really formed for Dorian when he treated Sybil in the way he did. I'm not sure how people treated eachother back then, but in any time it's mean to speak with somebody in such a way. It is quite unrealistic though. The relationship between Sybil and Dorian came on so fast it's just not probable, they were engaged before she even knew his name; another this unrealistic is how they will start to cry oh so often and fast, like when Dorian first sees the painting.
The story is moving and really makes you think about yourself. The ideals and advice from Harry is confusing and quite appalling.
This could (and should) classify as the best of gothic fiction ever, probably Oscar Wilde's best work ever.
So, here is my review.
Some people go about blaming Lord Henry 'Harry' for all of Dorian's twisted outlooks on life, but that just cannot be the case- for Harry never killed a man, nor bardered his soul to stay young forever. I do, however agree that Harry formally introduced this way of life to Dorian. I think that the relationship between Dorian and the painting is so well played out, he can't stand the sight of it, yet he yearns to always be around it. I was quite sad when he murdered Basil, he was a well-shapened character. But my hatred really formed for Dorian when he treated Sybil in the way he did. I'm not sure how people treated eachother back then, but in any time it's mean to speak with somebody in such a way. It is quite unrealistic though. The relationship between Sybil and Dorian came on so fast it's just not probable, they were engaged before she even knew his name; another this unrealistic is how they will start to cry oh so often and fast, like when Dorian first sees the painting.
The story is moving and really makes you think about yourself. The ideals and advice from Harry is confusing and quite appalling.
This could (and should) classify as the best of gothic fiction ever, probably Oscar Wilde's best work ever.
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Bighuey
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Chotamunda10
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M.W.Armstrong
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Yes, "All Quiet in the Western Front" is a powerful novel with a strong message about the enormous emotional toll War takes on soldiers.
The author, Erich Maria Remarque, clearly shows how what is now known as PTSD steadily destroys a soldier's mind in the front-lines. Even if that soldier survives the physical carnage.
The novel speaks to the difficulty, even to the impossibility, of a young mind to readjust to civilian life after being destroyed by war.
It describes war as it is: A hellish nightmare where killing to remain alive is all there is. Patriotism and idealism don't have any part on it; it is pure animalistic instinct to survive paired with a complete sense of betrayal by the politicians who start wars without ever participating in one.
Set in WWI. It applies to all wars after that. Wars where killing or being killed is all that matters and goes on, non-stop, for years on end.
This is a timeless description of the horrors of war, not the sanitized CNN version.
My favorite quotes:
"You take it from me, we are losing the war because we can salute too well."
Talking about generals and politicians:
"Give 'em all the same grub and all the same pay (as privates get) and the war would be over and done in a day."
"...a declaration of war should be a kind of popular festival with entrance-tickets and bands, like a bull fight. Then in the arena the ministers and generals of the two countries, dressed in bathing-drawers and armed with clubs, can have it out among themselves. Whoever survives, his country wins. That would be much simpler and more just than this arrangement, where the wrong people do the fighting."
The author, Erich Maria Remarque, clearly shows how what is now known as PTSD steadily destroys a soldier's mind in the front-lines. Even if that soldier survives the physical carnage.
The novel speaks to the difficulty, even to the impossibility, of a young mind to readjust to civilian life after being destroyed by war.
It describes war as it is: A hellish nightmare where killing to remain alive is all there is. Patriotism and idealism don't have any part on it; it is pure animalistic instinct to survive paired with a complete sense of betrayal by the politicians who start wars without ever participating in one.
Set in WWI. It applies to all wars after that. Wars where killing or being killed is all that matters and goes on, non-stop, for years on end.
This is a timeless description of the horrors of war, not the sanitized CNN version.
My favorite quotes:
"You take it from me, we are losing the war because we can salute too well."
Talking about generals and politicians:
"Give 'em all the same grub and all the same pay (as privates get) and the war would be over and done in a day."
"...a declaration of war should be a kind of popular festival with entrance-tickets and bands, like a bull fight. Then in the arena the ministers and generals of the two countries, dressed in bathing-drawers and armed with clubs, can have it out among themselves. Whoever survives, his country wins. That would be much simpler and more just than this arrangement, where the wrong people do the fighting."
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Bighuey
- Previous Member of the Month
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M.W.Armstrong
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Another great author who masterfully contrasts personal tragedy against the impersonal destruction inflicted by War, capturing the cynicism of soldiers, the futility of war, and the suffering of civilians in war zones, is Ernest Hemingway in "A Farewell to Arms".
Not as powerfully as Remarque on "All Quiet in the Western Front", in my opinion.
The brainwashing (I can't think of any other term) performed on young soldiers and idealists by their puppeteers, is deftly explored by George Orwell in his "Animal Farm" and "Nineteen Eighty-Four".
As Isaac Asimov, other of my favorite authors, had Salvor Harding declaring in "Foundation": Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.
Not as powerfully as Remarque on "All Quiet in the Western Front", in my opinion.
The brainwashing (I can't think of any other term) performed on young soldiers and idealists by their puppeteers, is deftly explored by George Orwell in his "Animal Farm" and "Nineteen Eighty-Four".
As Isaac Asimov, other of my favorite authors, had Salvor Harding declaring in "Foundation": Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.
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StephenKingman
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- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-stephenkingman.html
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Eric Tolevsky
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Sophius
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Eric Tolevsky
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- Joined: 31 May 2011, 12:19
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^
I am going to reinforce my earlier statement, read War and Peace. It is long enough to develop characters and mini plots, it will provide you with a good amount of reading, and it will also help you enjoy Woody Allen's Love and Death, just a bonus. I am interested in those others that you mentioned. I am going to the used bookstore this weekend, I am excited!
I am going to reinforce my earlier statement, read War and Peace. It is long enough to develop characters and mini plots, it will provide you with a good amount of reading, and it will also help you enjoy Woody Allen's Love and Death, just a bonus. I am interested in those others that you mentioned. I am going to the used bookstore this weekend, I am excited!
