A Reader's reviews
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-15 05:58:58 for A Christmas Carol.
(Language: English)
 
Charles Dickens's ghostly tale of Ebenezer Scrooge has become as much a part of Christmas as trees and stockings, Santa Claus and mistletoe. It is a timeless classic! This extraordinary novel contains something for almost everyone: love, hate, death, ghosts, a miser, and a cute little boy. The story is interesting, as it jumps back and forth in time, reminding the old miser Ebenezer Scrooge about the misery and joy he had once enjoyed, before his vision was clouded by greed. A Christmas Carol is powerful in the lesson that even the worst of individuals can be transformed, with a new self awareness and understanding of the past and present. I find that perspective more uplifting than the idea that nothing I do makes any difference in the end.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-11-15 03:09:14 for Hugo Victor : Les Miserables (Sc) (Signet classics).
(Language: English)
Sensational, dramatic, packed with rich excitement and filled with the sweep and violence of human passions, Les Miserables is not only superb adventure but a powerful social document. The story of how the convict Jean-Valjean struggled to escape his past and reaffirm his humanity, in a world brutalized by poverty and ignorance, became the gospel of the poor and the oppressed. Hugo examines the nature of good, evil, and the law, in a sweeping story that expounds upon the history of France, architecture of Paris, politics, moral philosophy, law, justice, religion, and the types and nature of romantic and familial love. Rather than settle for a tale of one man's salvation, readers should strive to experience the novel's full scope as a social and historical drama and a vast mirror of the human race, of societal norms that may very well be beyond redemption. This is, without a single doubt, my favourite book of all time!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-02-08 06:38:35 for Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power.
(Language: English)
The Western way of war is so lethal precisely because it is so amoral shackled rarely by concerns of ritual, tradition, religion, ethics, or by anything other than military necessity. Ranging from Salamis in 480 B.C. to the Tet offensive in Vietnam, Hanson, a California State at Fresno classics professor, offers a provocative look at occidental aggression as illustrated by nine important battles between Western and non-Western armies. Though technological advances and superior weapons have certainly played a role in Western military dominance, Hanson argues that cultural distinctions are the most significant factors. By bringing personal freedom, discipline, and organization to the battlefield, powerful, marching democracies were more apt to defeat non-Western nations hampered by unstable governments, limited funding, and intolerance of open discussion. This is a riveting book from start to finish!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-02-08 06:31:39 for Hamlet (The New Folger Library Shakespeare).
(Language: English)
Certainly the most studied play in world literature, William Shakespeare's quintessential drama Hamlet goes beyond comparison. More has been written about the character Hamlet than any other figure in history, except Christ, so little can be added some four hundred years after it was written! Shakespeare follows the standard rules for tragedies: The hero has a basic human failure that brings about his downfall and death, but before he dies, he learns an important lesson about his failure and how it destroyed his life (and the lives of those he loved). Shakespeare did not write Hamlet in order to deliver a moral message, but that does not stop us from learning from his play. He fills it with ordinary people, and we can see ourselves in their situations. When the heroes face their tragic ends, we can learn from their mistakes. Hamlet is a classic masterpiece!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-02-08 06:31:05 for The Name of the Rose: including the Author's Postscript.
(Language: English)
The novel works on many levels. It is a compelling murder mystery, as young narrator Adso of Elk accompanies the wise William of Baskerville as he uses logic and semiotics to not only solve a murder mystery, but to decipher labrynths and hidden secrets of the vast monastery library. Interwoven with the murder mystery is a virtual course on philosophy and late Middle Ages religion, as Eco provides detailed accounts of the histories of various sects, includes scholarly debate on topics such as the poverty of Christ, and a history of the Catholic Church leading to the establishment of a papacy in Avignon, France. This is a demanding and very exciting novel!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-02-08 06:27:34 for Animal Farm A Fairy Story.
(Language: English)
Fueled by Orwell's intense disillusionment with Soviet Communism, Animal Farm is a nearly perfect piece of writing, both an engaging story and an allegory that actually works. The book is greatly inspired by real events that went down during the era of communism in Russia, using animals as the actual people. While it helps to know about that time period, the book is written so well that it is easily understood even if you only know a little about what happened during that time. Orwell's view of Communism is bleak indeed, but given the history of the Russian people since 1917, his pessimism has an air of prophecy. Animal Farm is a genuine masterpiece that quickly hooks the reader from the very beginning.
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