O, Pioneers!

O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I think what I like about Cather's novels is their 19th century characters confronting the turn of the century and it's upcoming shift into "modernity." Changes in season that have always existed mirror changes in technology and values. How the characters interpret or confront those changes are really the interesting part in her stories. I also respect that while Cather admires the pioneer people (often, but not always Scandanavian immigrants) none are portrayed as perfect. All her characters are flawed in some way and even the "happy endings" are more accurately described "not as tragic as it could've been." It makes them hard to read because they bring out the pessimist in me & I am relieved at the end that few of the things that I imagine happening really do.

I think that with so many of the characteristics of modernist novels, that these are a good choice for introducing those concepts to high school readers since it does have an overall plot, chapters, punctuation, etc... that make others (Woolf, Joyce, among others) more difficult for teens to approach. That being said, these novels are not for everyone. I think having a Midwestern youth helps me a bit, but isn't necessary for appreciation.

And for my skeptical friends, she does kill several characters during the course of the novel.



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Manon Lescaut

Manon Lescaut by Abbé Prévost
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was all right. I found it a little difficult to sustain my disbelief that the narrator of the story, Chevalier, would stand by such a flighty, inconstant, gold-digger. She must've been really something, I guess - some kind of Helen of Troy. Anyway, though she never speaks for herself (her words always come through the filter of her lover, the narrator), she dies at the end while the narrator survives to become an upstanding guy again after having lived in sin so long. While I can appreciate the author not wanting to seem too scandalous in his day, the double standard of behavior is annoying. Unless you like reading classics/romances from the 18th century, this will probably only irritate you. :D

I like this kind of book and it irritated me. (Whiny main characters - especially male ones - irritate me). This would be a good book to explore in a course about transgressive women in the novel over the course of time. Otherwise, if you aren't a fan of 18th century (1700s) literature, I'd skip it and read something different.

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Princess de Cleves

The Princesse de Clèves by Marie-Madeleine de LaFayette

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


For the time it was written, it's a pretty racy story of passion and illicit love. By today's standards, it's not nearly so! All that being said, I enjoyed it after I got used to the style and the more stilted language than what I typically read.

Recommended to people interested in the time period - both in literature and history.



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Need

Need by Carrie Jones

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Not bad, but not terrific either. I might read the next one in the series to see how Zara resolves the situation she leaves hanging at the end. Overall a pretty fast read and not one that I needed a lot of concentration for (i.e. I was able to read it while in between playing with my 2 year old son if that's any indication).

The characters are fairly stereotypical, but the premise is interesting and the story moves along fast enough to forgive this flaw. As is usually the case, the heroine fairly readily accepts the supernatural goings-on around her while doing some minor protesting and briefly considers fainting. Overall, I'd recommend it to readers who really enjoyed the Twilight series or Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series who are looking to branch out into the larger supernatural realm.



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Pretty Face

Pretty Face by Mary Hogan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Pretty Face by Mary Hogan is a coming of age/romance novel for teens. Very well-done, I thought. And I also liked how the author didn't tie up things *too* neatly. I'd probably recommend it to fans of Meg Cabot. It's not as funny, but it's similar in that the main characters are female & learning to be themselves while finding their place in the world - with the romantic edge. I have to say that it was the descriptions of Italy (& the Italian boyfriend haha) that really made the book for me.



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The Lover

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up this play by Harold Pinter. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Even though it was written some time ago, but still feels very contemporary as far as the plot goes. I can't really describe the plot without giving away the interesting parts of the story. It's very short (around 50 pages), so go for it! There is no graphic sexual content, though intimate relationships are implied both by the title and the course of the play. It is a little weird, but in a way that is intellectually stimulating, rather than titillating.

Recommended. Highly recommended for film buffs or those into drama.

Bridget Jones

Last week I finished reading Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Both this and Bridget Jones' Diary are very lighthearted & can be very amusing. I think Bridget Jones' Diary was especially funny to me because at the time I was single and many of Bridget's neuroses were mine as well. The Edge of Reason was much better than I believe the movie is (though I haven't seen the movie) because it's not a waffling situation - it's more of a comedy of errors.

Recommended fluff. :D