This is a book that I first read on my own when I was on vacation in Maine in about sixth grade. It's a classic children's book, and I wanted to read it again since this version is annotated with lots of different illustrations from a number of different versions of the story.
I enjoy reading annotated versions of stories that I know already because they provide lots of new and interesting information about different aspects of the story. The most interesting of these notes, to me, were the notes about Burnett's life in relation to what was happening in the story. Burnett was a strong believer in children playing outside in nature and breathing fresh air. This is how I grew up, so it was fun reading about how two of the main characters fall in love with the outside and are healed mentally, emotionally, and physically because of a secret garden that they discover. I also loved reading about the garden itself and the different plants that grew inside, since I garden as well. (It got me eager for spring time, even though winter hasn't even begun!)
Another aspect of this version that I found interesting were the illustrations that Gerzina chose to include. As we read stories, we all get pictures in our minds of the different characters. What was really cool to see were the different artists' representations of the same characters. Some versions were more developed illustrations with great detail and color, and some were in black and white and looked like sketches. The characters themselves all look very different, although they are, of course, described the same way in the text. And even though there were probably five or six different versions included in this book, none of them looked like what was in my head...
Since this story is a children's story, there is an element of magic throughout the book, and Gerzina's notes discuss this aspect in relation to the healing powers of nature. The garden itself is a wonderful, special secret, and the children are so excited by it that when I read the book, I feel like a kid again, and I can even feel some of their excitement. It makes me want to discover a garden of my own and make it a magical place. Maybe one day...
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
When I saw the poster for this book in Barnes and Noble this summer, I couldn't wait to read it...I will forever love the Harry Potter series, but I am so impressed with this novel and appreciate what Rowling is able to do with words, that I am sure that she is one of my favorite authors.
This book takes place in a small town, Pagford, in England. When a parish council member dies unexpectedly, his seat is left empty, and this changes the dinamic of the whole town. After reading this book, I realized that this story isn't about the town and how it deals with the death of Barry Fairbrother (yes, his name is representative of his character), the open parish council seat, and the politics of Pagford; instead, it is a story about people.
Rowling developes a number of characters throughout the book and tells the story in second person perspective, by the end, sometimes alternating between characters from one paragraph to the next. Not only are we let into each character's mind, we also witness how these characters are viewed by the others around them. While this kind of writing sounds very confusing, Rowling developes each character and their story so well in the beginning that by the end of the book, we have such a connection to them that it is easy to jump back and forth between them.
This book took me a while to read, but I enjoyed every single page of it. Rowling's characters are so rich, realistic, and unique that I felt by the end of the book that I was part of the story. While the ending is not surprising, I was amazed at the way that Rowling wove together all the different parts and perspectives to create a sad but perfect ending.
This book takes place in a small town, Pagford, in England. When a parish council member dies unexpectedly, his seat is left empty, and this changes the dinamic of the whole town. After reading this book, I realized that this story isn't about the town and how it deals with the death of Barry Fairbrother (yes, his name is representative of his character), the open parish council seat, and the politics of Pagford; instead, it is a story about people.
Rowling developes a number of characters throughout the book and tells the story in second person perspective, by the end, sometimes alternating between characters from one paragraph to the next. Not only are we let into each character's mind, we also witness how these characters are viewed by the others around them. While this kind of writing sounds very confusing, Rowling developes each character and their story so well in the beginning that by the end of the book, we have such a connection to them that it is easy to jump back and forth between them.
This book took me a while to read, but I enjoyed every single page of it. Rowling's characters are so rich, realistic, and unique that I felt by the end of the book that I was part of the story. While the ending is not surprising, I was amazed at the way that Rowling wove together all the different parts and perspectives to create a sad but perfect ending.
Rush Home Road by Lori Lansens
Another of Lansens's novels, The Girls is one of my favorite books. I enjoyed it so much that I purchased two more of Lansens's novels: A Wife's Tale and this one, Rush Home Road.
This novel combines two stories, one of Sharla, a five year old girl whose mother abandons her, and the other of Addy Shadd, the older black woman who takes Sharla in. Addy's relationship with Sharla brings memories of her past back to her. Often, she slips back into these memories, having conversations with her deceased relatives right in front of Sharla. While this may seem like an unhealthy environment for Sharla to live in, Addy offers the love and security that her own mother denied her. While Addy plays the part of the loving family that Sharla never had, Sharla is just what Addy needs so that she can find peace with her past and happiness for Sharla's future.
The relationship that Lansens builds between these characters is very powerful and gives the reader hope that they will both find happiness in their friendship. What I appreicate about Lansens is the amount of research that she puts into her novels; I find that this makes her stories richer and more interesting for the reader. I also appreciated the back section, which is "A conversation with Lori Lansens". When I find an author I really enjoy reading, it is fascinating to read about their experience with writing the story and how they come up with their ideas and shape their characters.
This book is a very emotional journey; Lansens will have you laughing, crying, and feeling horrified by the experiences Addy Shadd travels through, but the journey is such an amazing one that you will love every page of it.
This novel combines two stories, one of Sharla, a five year old girl whose mother abandons her, and the other of Addy Shadd, the older black woman who takes Sharla in. Addy's relationship with Sharla brings memories of her past back to her. Often, she slips back into these memories, having conversations with her deceased relatives right in front of Sharla. While this may seem like an unhealthy environment for Sharla to live in, Addy offers the love and security that her own mother denied her. While Addy plays the part of the loving family that Sharla never had, Sharla is just what Addy needs so that she can find peace with her past and happiness for Sharla's future.
The relationship that Lansens builds between these characters is very powerful and gives the reader hope that they will both find happiness in their friendship. What I appreicate about Lansens is the amount of research that she puts into her novels; I find that this makes her stories richer and more interesting for the reader. I also appreciated the back section, which is "A conversation with Lori Lansens". When I find an author I really enjoy reading, it is fascinating to read about their experience with writing the story and how they come up with their ideas and shape their characters.
This book is a very emotional journey; Lansens will have you laughing, crying, and feeling horrified by the experiences Addy Shadd travels through, but the journey is such an amazing one that you will love every page of it.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Holy cow! This is my new favorite book! I dare say that this text was the first multi-genre novel ever written because this book included journal entries, newspaper articles, memos, doctors notes, letters to others, captains logs, etc. It was really exciting to see what would happen next and in what context I would gain information.
One thing I found to be so intriguing was the fact that this type of writing really allowed me as a reader to identify with and understand the characters. And because the author seems to switch back and forth between characters rapidly, I never lost that connection to characters.
One small criticism that I may have for this text is Stoker's description of women. I am no feminist, but at times I even got offended by the way Stoker portrayed women as being weak, helpless, and dainty. I found that the women seemed to lack a sense of agency as a whole. In fact, when Mina would rise to the occasion and organize work, discover the plans of Dracula, or even speak of something that must be done, Stoker always seemed to follow that up with a comment from a character in which she was described as "having the brain and wit of a man". Also, did she only have to do secretarial work? Like I said before, I'm no feminist and I totally understand that this is a text that was written in a time period where women were deemed inferior, but I was shocked by this revelation nonetheless.
The plot of the story seemed to drag on and on in some parts, like when Lucy was sick after being bitten by a vampire. Others caught and kept my attention so rapidly that I forgot where I was, like when they finally started to hunt Dracula. As a result, I would recommend this book to any reader, with modern or classic interests in literature, as it was truly an enjoyable read.
One thing I found to be so intriguing was the fact that this type of writing really allowed me as a reader to identify with and understand the characters. And because the author seems to switch back and forth between characters rapidly, I never lost that connection to characters.
One small criticism that I may have for this text is Stoker's description of women. I am no feminist, but at times I even got offended by the way Stoker portrayed women as being weak, helpless, and dainty. I found that the women seemed to lack a sense of agency as a whole. In fact, when Mina would rise to the occasion and organize work, discover the plans of Dracula, or even speak of something that must be done, Stoker always seemed to follow that up with a comment from a character in which she was described as "having the brain and wit of a man". Also, did she only have to do secretarial work? Like I said before, I'm no feminist and I totally understand that this is a text that was written in a time period where women were deemed inferior, but I was shocked by this revelation nonetheless.
The plot of the story seemed to drag on and on in some parts, like when Lucy was sick after being bitten by a vampire. Others caught and kept my attention so rapidly that I forgot where I was, like when they finally started to hunt Dracula. As a result, I would recommend this book to any reader, with modern or classic interests in literature, as it was truly an enjoyable read.
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