Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, John Tenniel (Illustrator) REVIEW

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I didn’t really appreciate this book. It was weird nonsense to me that never delivered anything exceptional.

I did like the writing and the way Alice never took any of it very seriously. Alice gave the reader a pass to just enjoy. If she could roll with the punches, so could you, as the reader. I felt in on the joke, but it went on too long. Each chapter had some interesting aspect to it, but at the end of each chapter, I didn’t care. I knew that nothing would end up meaning anything.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland has appealed to generations of children. My son told me that, when he read it as a child, he loved it. It is a whacky adventure that I think most kids would enjoy, but it was a miss for me personally.


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The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter REVIEW

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's a cute, quick read with a message that all parents can support. Children should do what their Moms tell them, or they might end up in a stew pot. There is just enough angst for a disobedient little rabbit. Mom's can't go wrong with this one.

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I have abandoned answering the W questions, but, in this case, I will answer the "why" question. I am thinking about reading Lost in a Good Book.  Characters from several classics are written into the plot of that book and it would certainly act as a spoiler for the classic mentioned.  Consequently, I am trying to read any book mentioned in Lost in a Good Book before I actually read it.

The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands, by Mary Seacole REVIEW

The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands by Mary Seacole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thank you public domain for another excellent, free book. The most interesting part of this book was Mrs. Seacole’s observations during her travels and her notions about race and discrimination. She was very proud of being Jamaican, but she was also proud of her “yellow” complexion. She loved the English, but knew that they were a conquering power. The writing has a sense of flirtation and hominess, but Mary Seacole was complicated. Her attitudes were an amalgamation of contradictions that were just down right interesting.

The biggest problem that I had with the book was that so much was left out about Mrs. Seacole’ financial dealings. Mary Seacole engaged in capitalist activities everywhere she went, but where did she get the seed money? Who paid for her first trip to England? What did she do there? Why was she there? How much of her services did she deny to men who couldn’t pay. The complete lack of disclosure left me with a feeling of impropriety. Also, the book contained absolutely nothing about Mrs. Seacole’s personal life. She told us that her first husband died, but, after that, she mentions absolutely nothing about romantic interests. Who was Sarah, a young woman who is documented to have joined her in Balaclava? Sara is rumored to be Seacole’s daughter, but there is no mention in the autobiography of Sarah at all, which is weird no matter who she was. Like I said before, Mary Seacole was a complicated woman. She wrote this book to make money, not to unburden her soul, but mostly everything that is known about Mary Seacole comes from this book. I wish that she would have left us with more.

In 2004, Mary Seacole was voted the ‘Greatest Black Briton’ in history, and I’d never heard of her. This book is worth at least four stars to me for introducing me to a person that I should have been teaching about right alongside Florence Nightingale. I would recommend this book to anyone who is unfamiliar with Mary Seacole. We should all have learned about her in World History. Shame on public education.


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Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier REVIEW

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sometimes when you read a book, there is something so special about one conversation or one bit of writing that even if the book, in its entirety, isn’t good that piece makes it worth your effort. In this case, the entire book is fabulous, but there are a couple of parts that are extraordinary. To me, the first chapter is a gothic masterpiece. You know that you are in for a treat right from the beginning. As a whole, the book is superbly written, but there are several sections of pros that stand out. There is a bit about growing older in chapter 15 that is particularly poignant. I loved the confrontation at the window’s ledge in chapter 18.

There is something about this book that reminds me of Dostoyevsky. Du Maurier’s and Dostoyevsky’s styles are completely different. The similarity is probably in the way that the narrator, in Rebecca,has longwinded conversations with herself and that everyone is a little crazy and self-absorbed, but they are completely clueless to their narcissism.

The comparison with this book to Jane Eyre is obvious. In my opinion, du Maurier is a better writer than Bronte, but Jane Eyre is a superior book. I love Jane. Rebecca’s narrator is weak and pitiful most of the time. I was attracted to the superb writing, the plot and the mystery in Rebecca, but I didn’t care about the main character. She was appealing to me at first, in Monte Carlo, but after she became Mrs. De Winter, she was just mostly pathetic; so that limited my emotional connection to her. (view spoiler)[When the narrator began her life at Manderley, after an adjustment period, I wanted to see her comb her hair, claim her man, fire her housekeeper, and get on with it. She was content to sit around and ponder her misery—boring. Even during Max’s confession to our narrator, Mrs. De Winter was portrayed as narcissistic to the point of ridiculousness. Max confessed to the cold blooded murder of his wife and her unborn child, and all that she could think of was the state of her love affair. (hide spoiler)] All of her whining and obsessions with herself and Rebecca was uninteresting and unrealistic. This is easily a five star book, but I think it could have been even better with a stronger protagonist.

What I love about this book is that it painstakingly follows the gothic formula. There is a castle, a mystery to be solved and portents of doom. There is heroine overwrought with emotional destress. It seems like it would be “over the top” or even silly, but du Maurier pulls it off perfectly. I was fully engaged, telling off Mrs. Danvers and wanting to slap some sense into Mrs. De Winter.

I was really obsessed with this book. I couldn’t put it down, and I didn’t want it to end. Reading this kind of book is what the classics challenge is all about.

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Murder on the Orient Express - REVIEW & The Ws

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Without a doubt, I saw the movie adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express as child, but it never occurred to me that I would remember anything about the book. Although I didn’t recall anything specific, I knew, without a doubt, “whodunit.” My knowledge of the ending, pretty much, ruined the experience of the book. I kept reading for two reasons: 1) to make sure that I wasn’t crazy and that I really did know the outcome, and 2) to get a feel for Agatha Christie’s writing.

I don’t know if this book is reflective of Christie’s overall style or not. I loved the main character, but I didn’t think that I got enough of his investigative process. There were many interviews and an elucidation at the end. I don’t read many mysteries, so I don’t know how common that style is, but personally, I think that I would enjoyed the book more if I were given more access to Poirot’s thought process before the big reveal.

Given the circumstances, it is difficult for me to give this book a fair rating. If I hadn’t known the ending, I might have rated it four stars. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to read another of Agatha Chrisite’s book.


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The Ws

WHEN I Discovered This Classic

I can’t remember a time of not knowing that this book existed.  I, probably, saw a movie adaptation before the age of ten.

WHAT Makes It A Classic

Agatha Christie books have sold over 3 billion copies.  Christie took the lead from authors like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but she has been influential in her own right.  Murder on the Orient Express is her most famous dealing with the universal themes of justice and judgment.

WHY I Chose to Read It

It was chosen as group read in a group that I’m in on Goodreads.

WILL It Stay A Classic

It was written in 1934 and has never been out of print.  That is a pretty good start. 

WHO I’d Recommend It To

I’d recommend this to anyone who expressed interest in reading a mystery.