The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Title: The Woman in White
Author: Wilkie Collins
Genre: Mystery, suspense, classic
Published: 1859
Source: Personal Copy
Read for: R.I.P. VII, A Classics Challenge, Back to the Classics Challenge, Chunkster Challenge, The Classics Club

On his way to a new job as a drawing master, Walter Hartright comes across a mysterious woman dressed only in white, in desperate need of his help. Little does he know that the mysterious woman is connected with his new situation for work, or how the circumstances will reveal to him a new life of love, conspiracy, and mystery.

I knew nothing about The Woman in White going into it except that it was some kind of thriller, and that most people who had read it thoroughly enjoyed it. After reading it, I think it is best to know very little about it because there are several plot twists and surprising revelations, so I am going to keep this review somewhat short and vague to avoid spoiling this book for anyone else.

The first thing I noticed was that Wilkie Collins is exceptionally good at painting the quirks and foibles of his characters. There is an air of sarcasm and wit in his writing, especially about his most ridiculous characters. The three I most enjoyed were Mr. Fairlie, a hypochondriac who can't bear to have his convenience disturbed, Count Fosco, a simpering, excessively sentimental man with many secrets, and Marian Halcombe, who is an extremely capable woman for literature of that time. I had to laugh at the first description of Marian, who is apparently the original "but-her-face" -- the narrator (at that point in the story -- it switches several times) describes her elegant, beautiful figure as he first meets her, and his shock when she turns around -- "the lady was ugly!" Despite her apparent lack of attractiveness, in her face at least, she is one of the strongest characters, and my only irritation was that her beautiful and weak-willed younger sister is more admired and loved than she is (although I detected an element of sarcasm in this from Collins as well). I also loved Mr. Fairlie's narrative voice -- he is so obnoxious and selfish, but in print it becomes hilarious. Here are his observations on tears, which made me laugh out loud (although I read it to my husband and he didn't find it nearly as humorous, so we'll see what you all think of it) --

Except when the refining process of Art judiciously removes from them all resemblance to Nature, I distinctly object to tears. Tears are scientifically described as a Secretion. I can understand that a secretion may be healthy or unhealthy, but I cannot see the interest of a secretion from a sentimental point of view. Perhaps my own secretions being all wrong together, I am a little prejudiced on the subject.

Priceless.

One thing I also appreciated about the novel was that every thing was spelled out in the end. We are led through several twists and turns of plot, but in the end, every question is satisfied. I am always so annoyed by loose ends being left at the end of a novel, and I loved that I could depend on Collins to answer all my questions.

There are several interesting plot turns in the novel. Because of the amount of detail, at times they can be guessed, simply because we are given so much evidence about everything, but for the most part I still found myself being surprised and enjoyed trying to put together the information on my own before the veil was lifted and everything was revealed.

The Woman in White was definitely a fun read. While it was certainly dated as far as women's rights are concerned, I loved the development of the characters and will be reading more of Collins' work.

4 stars

Warnings: Mild violence

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Title: Dracula
Author: Bram Stoker
Genre: Horror, classic
Published: 1897, originally
Source: Personal copy
Read for: A Classics Challenge, The Classics Club, Back to the Classics Challenge, Mixing it Up Challenge, R.I.P. VII

Does this book really need a summary? Nevertheless, I'll give you a tiny one. Jonathan Harker, solicitor, travels to Transylvania to work with a foreign client. While in the client's castle, he begins to notice many creepy and odd behaviors -- and the fact that the client doesn't want him to leave. Upon returning to London, disturbed and frightened, the mysterious client continues to appear in the lives of Harker and his friends, and they determine that he must be stopped.

I can't believe that I waited until now to read Dracula. I remember in elementary school reading a simplified version of it, but until now I'd never picked up the real book. I found it well-written, spooky, and creatively put together, with the inclusion of diary entries, telegrams, and newspaper articles.

I am always impressed when something written more than a hundred years ago manages to creep me out just as thoroughly as whatever horror trend has just recently come out. Dracula is written with disturbing details that continued in my memory after I had put the book down. Honestly, I think some of the best scenes are at the very beginning, during Harker's stay in the castle -- the wolves slavering around his carriage, the will of the wisp leading the carriage onward, and the strange, dark isolation of the castle not only provide a scary atmosphere, they also leave a little suspense to the imagination. I also found the lunatic character Renfield to be absolutely eerie, with his desire to consume as many lives as possible in order to build up his own power, thus making him particularly susceptible to Dracula. The images in this story are definitely poignant and creepy.

I also loved the epistolary style of the book. At times reading things from many perspectives can be disorienting, but in the case of Dracula, it was more illuminating. I especially enjoyed seeing all the "evidence," as the characters more than once mention that they are gathering all the evidence they have about Dracula and putting it in chronological order. Every bit of evidence that they have is present in the book, so that the reader feels they are discovering Dracula's secrets along with the characters.

I really enjoyed the characters as well, although a few of the outdated sentiments about women were highly irritating (although it seems that Stoker was probably aware of this, as indulging in those sentiments led to some poor outcomes). There was a ridiculous part of the story where all the men were saying, "We cannot tell Mina anything of what is happening to protect her poor fragile woman-soul," when the truth was that she was probably more capable of handling the situation than they were. However, I did really enjoy the way they all respected her and (eventually) took advantage of her capabilities to fight Dracula.

Dracula is a well-written book, full of adventure and thrills, as well as an interesting cast of characters. It is an excellent read for a chilly October night, and I am glad it was one of my choices for R.I.P. this year.

4 stars

Warnings: Violence, creepy images

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Title: East of Eden
Author: John Steinbeck
Genre: Classic
Originally published: 1952
Source: Personal copy
Read for: A Classics Challenge, Back to the Classics 2, The Classics Club, Banned Books Week, Chunkster challenge

John Steinbeck said of East of Eden, "Nearly everything I have is in it, and it is not full. Pain and excitement are in it, and feeling good or bad and evil thoughts and good thoughts -- the pleasure of design and some despair and the indescribable joy of creation."

What can be said to summarize East of Eden? In its simplest form, it is an allegory of the story of Cain and Abel -- but with a twist -- what if Cain had chosen to overcome his mistakes and his jealousy, had tried to rise above the fate he believed he had for himself and become a whole person?

There is so much more to the story than that, but I don't know how to summarize it without drawing everything in and writing pages and pages and pages about it. Honestly, I don't know how to write about East of Eden -- it is a book that means so much to me. I first read it my senior year of high school for a classics project, and I was absolutely drawn in (thank you to my awesome AP English teacher, Ms. Taylor, for recommending it in the first place). I loved the message, the depth of the story, and of course the writing. When we were talking about names for our son (who is due in 39 days, hooray!), my husband (who also had read and fallen in love with East of Eden) brought up Caleb, Cal for short, the name of the protagonist/anti-hero. It seemed to just fit, and we both decided to reread the book. We love the symbolism of the character, the journey he takes from an uncertain, jealous, struggling boy to a man who takes his destiny into his own hands and overcomes the forces of sin and circumstance pressing against him. I'm starting to ramble at this point, but perhaps this gives you a sense of my personal connection to East of Eden.

As for the book itself, it is so rich and vivid and multilayered. The cast of characters is vast but richly developed. I feel as if these characters are a part of my life. From Cal's inner struggle to the unbelievably evil acts of Cathy, from the philosophical journeyings of Lee and Samuel Hamilton to the muddled idealism of Adam and Aron, the characters fly off the pages.

While the characters give the book life, I think the greatest value of it is in the writing and the ideals behind it. The central idea of the book is the concept of timshel, a Hebrew word meaning "Thou mayest" that occurs in the Cain and Abel verses in Genesis. The main idea is that when God chastised Cain for his misplaced offering and killing his brother, he told him that "thou mayest" triumph over his sins. He had the choice to change his life and become more than he was in the current state. It is such a powerful idea, one that Lee, the philosopher-servant of the Trask family, calls man's "ladder to the stars."

In addition, John Steinbeck's writing is unbelievable, which is no more than what I expect of him. The other day my husband and I decided that in our opinion John Steinbeck is the greatest of all American authors. Granted, we are both scientists with no literary training, but we are also reasonably well-read, and that is our opinion. :)

Obviously I can't be coherent or unbiased about this book, and this review is nothing but a rambling on and on of how much I love it. But honestly, pick it up. While I can't promise that it will affect you as much as it affected me, I do think it is worth a read. It will inspire a lot of thought whether or not you agree with what it professes to be true.

5 stars

Warnings: Brief strong profanity, prostitution, some innuendo

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Title: North and South
Author: Elizabeth Gaskell
Genre: Classic
Published: 1855, originally (I read the public domain version on my Kindle)
Source: Personal copy
Read for: A Classics Challenge, Back to the Classics 2, The Classics Club

When Margaret's father feels inspired to change his life's path, they are forced to leave their beautiful home in the southern countryside of England and instead relocate to the northern mill town of Milton. The smoky air, crowded streets, and different personalities of the people disturb and frustrate Margaret and her family. However, as they spend more time in Milton, despite the difficulties and trials that befall their family, Margaret learns that northern England also has something to offer. Part of this transformation is the character of Mr. Thornton, a man who Margaret initially does not understand but grows to respect as she spends more time in Milton.

In some ways, North and South was reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice for me. Boy meets girl, girl scorns boy, boy does some kind, loving things for her family in order to win her affection. However, the backdrop is utterly different. The Hale family is dealing with a complete upheaval of their lifestyle, resulting in poor health and disastrous consequences for some of the characters. North and South does not only focus on the interactions between the characters, but also larger issues such as the justness of strikes in the Industrial Revolution and what is owed to both the manufacturers and the men and women who operate their factories. While at times, North and South felt a bit heavy to me, overall I felt it was an enlightening read that caused me to think about issues that wouldn't have crossed my mind otherwise.

One prevalent aspect of North and South that I enjoyed was the fact that nearly all the characters, at some point, performed an action that was either wrong or was construed as wrong by society. These characters were not black and white idealistic constructions. Mr. Hale leaves the Church after a lifetime of service. Margaret's brother, Frederick, is in exile from England after participating in a mutiny in the Navy. Margaret is caught in a lie. Moral dilemmas abound in North and South, and it was a powerful experience to read how the different characters resolved those dilemmas. Each character certainly had a conscience, but the way they resolved their dilemmas was not necessarily the most heavily traveled path.

I also enjoyed the romance, although the slow burn that lasted throughout most of the novel's pages wrapped up a little too quickly for me. Initially, Margaret and Mr. Thornton do not understand each other -- she thinks, as a manufacturer, he is low class, and he thinks she is entirely too prideful (maybe a reverse Pride and Prejudice, then). However, despite the initial exposure to each others' less desirable qualities (in the mindset of the day, of course -- I still have never quite been able to understand class differences as they existed in previous times) they both act in certain situations in a way to gain the respect and admiration of the other. However, countless misunderstandings prevent them from confessing how they feel until the very end of the book. I would have liked more than a few sentences of resolution, after so much waiting and anguishing.

Elizabeth Gaskell is clearly an accomplished writer. Her words conveyed her images powerfully to me. Her writing wasn't flowery or descriptive like many authors I appreciate, but she wrote poignantly and with conviction, and her words had a lot of strength. Even in the sections that were not quite as interesting to me, such as all the talk about the strike (it was good, but there was quite a bit of it), while I was at times impatient to move on with the story, I could still appreciate that the writing was excellent.

North and South is a well-written, well-constructed book -- it is clear why it is a classic, and I enjoyed how much it made me think. While I didn't really emotionally connect with it, I think North and South is a worthwhile read for anyone hoping to expand their British literary horizons beyond the standard classic fare of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.

3.75 stars

Warnings: Some violence

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Title: Les Miserables
Author: Victor Hugo
Translator: Julie Rose
Genre: Classic
Publisher: Modern Library, 2008 (Original publication date: 1862)
Source: Gift from my husband
Read for: Back to the Classics Challenge, Chunkster Challenge, A Classics Challenge

I know that I've been posting extensively about Les Miserables, but for those of you who haven't been following along with the in-depth posts about each individual section of Les Miserables, I thought this book deserved a few words as an intro.

Les Miserables is the story of Jean Valjean, a convict who reforms after a saintly bishop rewards his thieving behavior with an unbelievable gift and forgiveness. Trying to escape his past while building a worthwhile future, Valjean saves a town, rescues a young girl from poverty, and plays a heroic part in the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris. Woven into his story are the very heights and depths of the human character, from the most beautiful romance and stirring heroism to the lowest levels of despicableness.

There is so much to say about Les Miserables (and I know I've had a lot to say already) that I hardly know where to begin, so I'll just start with the translation. I was extremely impressed with Julie Rose's rendering of Les Miserables. I don't speak French well enough to judge how accurate or idiomatic it was, but I do know that I read an earlier translation several years ago and found the  book extremely difficult. While the Julie Rose translation was by no means an easy read (wade through those Waterloo chapters and see how you feel afterwards), I found it much clearer. In addition, the imagery was beautiful.

Speaking of the imagery, while I'm sure some of it was related to Julie Rose's skill as translator, it is clear that the majority is Victor Hugo's exquisite skill as a writer. He has a way of taking a simple emotion or experience and translating it into sheer poetry. I was constantly awed by the power and loveliness of the images conveyed in the words.

The characters were also extremely powerful, going through the entire range of human emotion and capability. I won't go into details here, because they are available in all the other posts I've written about this book, but I found so much to love and respect in so many of the characters (and so much to despise in others). I feel attached to these characters as if they are living beings -- in those 1200+ pages there is quite a bit of time to get to know them.

The plot of Les Miserables is difficult at times because the action is interspersed with pages of historical and political commentary. It is rendered skillfully and interestingly, but it can get a little dense. I think these sections are the biggest reason Les Miserables is a challenge to readers. However, the more plot-driven sections move very quickly. I tried to learn a lot from the historical sections, but I will confess at times they still went over my head. However, I think they are worth the effort in order to enjoy the book as a whole.

Les Miserables is a masterpiece, and I don't really feel up to the task of finding appropriate words to truly express that. I think anyone who takes the time and effort to read it will be duly rewarded.

5 stars

Warnings: Violence, some language, prostitution

Henry VIII by William Shakespeare

'Tis the season for hurried blog posts, I'm afraid -- also known as finals week. In all honesty, it isn't finals week for me, just for my husband. It is the last week of classes, though, also known as the week of everything being due and many extra projects on top of normal programming. I should probably just take a blogging break and post reviews starting next week, when my spare time is abundant; however, I am so far behind that I just want to keep up. Overall this blog is not a place to be perfectly polished -- it is a place to record my reading excursions. So. This one will be short and sweet.

Henry VIII by William Shakespeare follows Henry VIII during his falling out with Cardinal Wolsey, his growing closeness with Oliver Cromwell, and his marriage to and coronation of Anne Boleyn (known as Anne Bullen in my version). I read it because after reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, I was completely enthralled with every aspect of that era (anyone excited for Bring Up the Bodies? It comes out in like two weeks!). I had never read a Shakespeare history and thought that this one, placed in an era I am already familiar with and already enjoy reading about, would be perfect.

I was somewhat wrong. Don't get me wrong -- Shakespeare's writing always makes me happy. There is something very satisfying in any phrase he pens. However, for an era that has inspired so much excellent literature, the play itself was somewhat bland. I liked it, but it didn't offer me anything that I didn't already have. Which, I suppose, isn't really fair, because it came along before anything else did.

One thing I do appreciate is the fact that it is about Elizabeth I's family -- it ends with her birth. It is interesting that the play was written in her time and therefore really had to be presentable before her. If Wikipedia steers me correctly, it was written for Princess Elizabeth's (not the queen) marriage celebrations.

So -- to sum up, it is Shakespeare, so it's good, but as far as Shakespeare and Tudor England tales go, it is only mediocre. It was interesting to me in a historical sense but the actual reading experience wasn't stellar.

3 stars

Warnings: Dirty Shakespeare jokes that you have to be smart to get.

The Sunday Salon: Events coming up

Hello readers! How has your week been? For some reason I have been absolutely exhausted and not especially effective, which is always disappointing but a fact of life I suppose as the year winds down. I got started with my NaNoWriMo project. Unfortunately, I am already extremely behind. However, this week looks as if it might be slightly less stressful, so hopefully I can play catch up a little bit and stay in the running.

I've been blogging since September of 2010, and while I have learned quite a bit about blogging since my baby blogger days, I am still trying to figure out certain aspects of book blogging. I think the biggest struggle for me is structuring my reading vs. going with whatever I want. Yesterday I went to the library with every intention of only picking up the book that had come in for me on hold (Lola and the Boy Next Door! !!!), but instead I came home with four books, and the other three certainly were not on my TBR or any challenge lists for this year. I've come to terms with the fact that I am not going to finish all the challenges I signed up for this year; however, there are a few that I am still hoping to complete. In addition, I add books to my TBR every day -- It is 227 books long on Goodreads, and there are also several books on my shelves that aren't "officially" added to my TBR, but which I am hoping to read as well. Earlier this year I declared that I wouldn't care about challenges, and that I didn't want to add stress to my reading. However, I didn't delete any of my challenges, and as the new challenges for 2012 are popping up, I am urged to join so many of them! I am even planning on hosting a challenge next year (more information about that next Sunday).

I guess my question to all of you (one that is asked frequently in the book blogging world, but one I nevertheless still feel as if I have no satisfying answer to) is, do you prefer to set goals and have lists about your reading, or not? I think the answer for me is that I love making those lists and goals -- I don't think I can help it, with the way my mind is set up. I think the thing I need to get over is forgiving myself for not completing those lists. It is fun to set goals for reading, but they should be flexible. This isn't earning a PhD. This isn't really going to affect anyone but myself, so if it isn't working for me, if it is making me stressed, it needs to be released.

This post is going on much longer than I intended. I actually planned on listing some of the events coming up in the next few weeks that I am excited to join. So, after all of that metaphysical pondering about the nature of such things, here are some events that I am excited about and that you may want to participate in as well (if, of course, you've resolved the extremely important matter of deciding whether or not participating in such things is wise for you).

First of all, I just wanted to remind everyone that the Indie Lit Awards are still accepting nominations for the best books published in 2011. Any reader can nominate this year (unless you were involved with the publication in the book. You know, ulterior motives), and if you are reading this blog I can only assume that you are in fact a reader, so get over there and nominate. Pleaseandthankyou.

Secondly, Tea with Transcendentalists is coming up. Reading Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay, "Self Reliance," was a pivotal moment in my education and I am excited (and a bit intimidated) to read more of his essays. Please join us in learning more about Emerson and his colleagues from November 15-December 15.

Thirdly, Yvann is hosting an event called Advent with Austen. I had never thought of this before, but Jane Austen really does seem like a cozy, Christmas-y friend for Advent. I am hoping to reread Persuasion and possibly Sense and Sensiblity as well. Part of me feels silly for doing so much rereading when there are so many other books to read out there, clamoring for my attention on the TBR list, but honestly, if we don't have time to revisit the books we love, what is the point of adding more to the list?

Finally, Sarah is hosting a second incarnation of the Back to the Classics Challenge. This is one of the challenges I am kinda stressed about finishing this year... but I love it. I want to do it again. And I really want to finish it this time, so I can feel justified in pushing myself to do it again next year. The categories this year are:

1. 19th century classic
2. 20th century classic
3. Reread a classic of your choice (Oh joy. I can do this one!)
4. Classic play
5. Classic murder/horror/crime novel
6. Classic romance
7. A classic that has been translated from another language into your language
8. A classic award-winner
9. A classic set in a country you will probably never visit.

I don't have too many ideas at this point, but I will figure it out as I go.

And while we're going over this, I'll probably participate in the Chunkster challenge again and the one I am hosting. I should probably keep it to that, but I doubt if I will be able to. There are two other challenges as well that look lovely to me -- a Shakespeare reading challenge and a medieval literature challenge -- but I am trying to suck it up, put them on my TBR and release the pressure.

Are you still here? You are amazing for putting up with my ramblings for that long. Go enjoy your Sunday!

PS: Daylight Savings. Of course you put up with me that long. You have an entire extra hour of life today.