The Mayor of Casterbridge

I enjoy the writing style of Thomas Hardy, but I did not enjoy this novel. What a sad and terribly distorted life these people were created to lead in The Mayor of Casterbridge! I truly enjoyed Tess of the D'Ubervilles but cannot recommend this one to others. The bottom line: lies have a way of resurfacing and haunting an individual no matter the efforts to conceal. I understand that, but it is almost as if there is no mercy involved in the plot.

The Mysteries of Udolpho

I enjoyed reading this book and, looking at the format, believe it truly follows the "definition" of a traditional novel. The version I read keep the divisions of the book in the volumes with which it was originally distributed. The first volume gives basic introductions and development of such a serene scene interrupted by the deaths of Emily's parents. However, the reader isn't exposed to much in the way of "gothic" or "ghosts" but perhaps some dark movements upon the background. Nothing frightening. However, as Radcliffe continues on in the remaining volumes, the pace of the tale increases. I found myself riveted at points and awaiting the denouement! I knew, from her biographical information, that Radcliffe was going to, at some point, reveal the way all the supernatural occurrences actually had tangible and true reasons behind them. Although the novel may have terrified readers at the time, in our current society, it may not seem nearly as horrifying as we have become somewhat desensitized due to our media. It is common place for us to hear about death, deceit, destruction, and even murder due to the media in our homes and lives. Television, movies, and even the Internet bring these images into our minds and make us less susceptible to the "fainting" and "swooning" catalogued in The Mysteries of Udolpho.
As a writer, Ann Radcliffe does a good job of blending depictions of scenery as well as development of plot. I am curious to know if she knew the end from the beginning and how she wrote as it seems very systematic and there are no open-ended questions left regarding any mystery presented in the book.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

I could have sworn I read this book before. There are moments that I still think I have, but it really lies in the familiarity of word pattern. So, perhaps I have read something else by Thomas Hardy.
I want to put this book on the book list for the GWBC. There isn't anything explicit in it, so I think it would be fine for those with "sensitive" natures. However, there is SO much that could be discussed due to the nature of the book. The duplicity of man and this injustice women have suffered due to this! Wow. Although there has been some "softening" of women's...well, expectations/restrictions, I think there continues to be an influence in our society of guilt on the woman's part.
I've heard so many times that this dates back to early Christianity and before. However, it's sad to realize the twists to truth that have occurred due to man's (in this way both "man" and "human") manipulation of real truths. God didn't just create Eve for Adam's pleasure. She was THE final creation and holds a special place in God's eye for that reason. How, then, has woman been so oppressed throughout time?
Although I do view the necessity of certain roles, I also recognize that not everyone fits into those specified "assignments" for a variety of reasons and circumstances. I am grateful to have experienced not just the good, but have also suffered the bad in my relationships with men, so that I am MORE grateful in my recognizing of my husband's honor and protection of me. I do experience all the good now and am amazed at the guidance I received through my youth not to make a mistake in marriage to another.
Oh, Tess...I still haven't finished this novel, but my heart goes out to you! How unfair your troubles have been due to the selfishness of men!

Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey

I like Jane Austen for the development of her characters. I am not disappointed in this in Northanger Abbey, either. Though a quick-read, I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek approach to the gothic tale. I find it refreshing to have her a bit more assured of her discourse than I find in other novels she has graced us with. The tone is immensely different as the author has a strong voice and is allowed to conjecture throughout on the actions and those events leading up to certain actions in the characters.
I find it interesting that so many of my acquaintances have disliked this particular novel but perhaps it is due to misunderstanding the genre which Austen both mocks and upholds. I felt that Catherine was very believable, having grown up in small communities and from a large family. I feel that I was, at once time, just as unaware of the social maneuvering one encounters in the social realm. I have been persuaded to make judgments of my surroundings and encounters based on the literature in which I have immersed myself. Who am I to deny wanting to find my own version of Rhett Butler (although, he was somewhat of a jerk, too...thank goodness I found a different version of man in my own husband!) or Mr. Knightly? In like manner, Catherine finds herself disposed to finding certain mysterious and intriguing possibilities in her surroundings during her stay in the Abbey.
Believable characters with a subtle agenda is why I feel Jane Austen has captivated such an audience over such a lengthy period of time. Northanger Abbey, being no lesser of a novel!

Weekly Book Stock-up

Tomorrow is our weekly stop at the library to replenish our supply of books. I look forward to this day every week and love that my whole family gets to go on this excursion.
I do have to put my foot down. Eric is bent on supplying me with so much other reading that I haven't even picked up Atlas Shrugged in over a week! What's with that? I really want to finish this book and am getting so anxious to find out the resolutions the characters will have to make and the sacrifices that come with those decisions! So, tomorrow, there will be no "supplementary readings" picked up for me. With a book over 1000 pages, I need to just sit down and read it.
So, hopefully in the next few weeks, I will have more to say about my "favorite" book...since it is currently leading on any list I may have.
Oh, and I didn't particularly care for Avi's Something Upstairs. It was very predictable and was too quick of a read to have any anticipation of the plot. On the other hand, I did enjoy Winnie's War by Jenny Moss. I think, as an author, I'd probably have something similar to give the world: a little history between the made-up parts.

Juvenile Literature

In between "bigger" reads, I am supplementing with books from the juvenile section at the library. I came home with three Tuesday and have read two of them.
Weasel by Cynthia DeFelice is a story of a boy who faces some terrible encounters with a killer. He is haunted by his decision to let this man live and it wracks his conscience that he "could have" done more. This feeling is very human and every individual seems to experience this type of dilemma at some point in their life. He begins to fixate on an outcome he believes will make all the horrors go away, yet when the same outcome happens by another force, he realizes that life has a way of going on no matter the turmoil of any person. I enjoyed her take on the language of the time period and the essential essence of the plot, but it did not fulfill any other satisfaction within me.
The other book I have completed this week is Eva Wiseman's Puppet. The terrible trial of innocent Jews is pushed forward as a young Jewish boy is forced to testify that several Jewish men are responsible for the death of a Christian servant girl. I respect Wiseman's writing as she focused on a historical fiction story of such a tragedy. I found myself hurrying through the book to discover if yet another travesty had befallen such a persecuted religious group. I had never heard of this trial or the implications of it. However, I feel enlightened to more of the ever present hate that tends to follow this poor group of God-fearers. It amazes me at the way these people have triumphed over such great odds through the years.
I look forward to the reading of Winnie's War by Jenny Moss, especially as I am an aspiring author and this is her first book.

On the Favorites List

Upon realizing my major, many people then ask me the golden question: "What, then, is your favorite book?" I never have an answer. I've read many books and have liked them. However, I don't know how to classify THE favorite with so many different styles and genres available.
However, I am beginning to recognize that perhaps I should have a list of books that could be contenders for THE favorite. Dracula is on that list.
I just finished this great book this evening. I've had many epiphanies and have been excited to turn the next page and discover what perils the characters find themselves in and especially as all things are interrelated. I found myself feeling a bit of triumph at the last. Good wins over evil! However, it isn't in an over exorbitant manner. The end comes as a plausible and realistic culmination of events.
I also find each character interesting as well as the relationships between each person. I also enjoy a writer who, though at times portrays a woman to be softer and more prone to "shock", it feels as it is done gallantly. Mina is a very capable woman and is largely tied to the triumph in the defeat of her predator-master.

Dracula

In an effort to provide real information for members of my book club, I am reading the selections available for next month's reading. I'm at the half-way point with Dracula by Bram Stoker. I am pleasantly surprised with this novel. I admit, I picked it up thinking that I would have to just plug along until I finished it. However, it has been a page-turner for me. I love the way Stoker writes and entwines myth and faith. I have had many epiphanies through my reading and am excited to see what develops as I continue.
In comparison with Frankenstein, I feel that this novel is better able to mix reality with the implied science of medicine. Frankenstein had a lot of missing information because it couldn't make sense whereas Dracula takes you purposefully through the study of the human brain to acknowledge certain issues.