Hedy's Folly

Hedy's Folly: The Life and Breakthrough Inventions of Hedy Lamarr, the Most Beautiful Woman in the World by Richard Rhodes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked that the book had a lot of information about George Antheil. I've seen Ballet Mechanique (the film) several times, but hadn't realized that the composer for that music had been Hedy Lamar's co-inventor! :D Not in-depth on either Lamar or Antheil, it's a good overview of the basics of their lives and how they happened to intersect and invent together.

Recommended for people interested in World War II-era inventing, or in Lamar/Antheil's work.

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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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Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights by Maggie Berg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book gave me a lot of insight into Wuthering Heights' enduring status as a classic. I think the reason I disliked Wuthering Heights so violently was because I'd always heard it was a love story & that isn't the case at all. Heathcliff is pretty much a psycho and Catherine is a drama queen. Both are definitely narcissistic. Passionate, yes, but still damaged goods (I mean seriously, who'd dig up the corpse of their beloved - twice?). I liked this analysis of the book because it discussed the fact that all the action in the book is interpreted through at least one filter (Lockwood) and mostly through 2 - Lockwood telling us what Nelly told him what she observed and what the other characters told her. I can appreciate the unreliable narrator aspect and I think I can more fully appreciate the text - even though I still find it disturbing.

I would definitely recommend the book - with the caveat that I think the readers should read something else *about* the book also (doesn't have to be this particular work of criticism). I definitely got a lot more out of it that way.

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The Awakening

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I dislike books with whiny protagonists for the most part. I can sympathize for Edna, though. To have nothing that you can call your own is very difficult. The Awakening in some ways reminds me of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own in the need to carve out a piece of one's life just for one's self without all the demands & expectations of friends, family, etc... Having a toddler at home, I understand the innately selfish demands of children and that they're not allayed just by having someone else around to help with the kids. Having a nanny (or a great daycare provider) & knowing the kids are in good hands doesn't remove the feelings of guilt for not being there yourself, for losing your temper over something small, etc... It is extremely difficult to feel like one is "enough" for this task alone.

And yet.

And yet, I think many women dream about who they might be if they stood on their own. "Who is this woman who is mother, wife, daughter? Who would I be if I really wasn't afraid of what they'd think or say." Though I think Edna overreacted to her situation, I can understand the despair that compels her actions (and having a husband who's considering the nuthatch doesn't help either). This book makes me grateful I live at a time where it's common for women to have a career and a family because it does give us time during the day and a place to be someone other than "Mama."

I'd recommend this book to most mothers of young children - though probably not to one who's depressed or really short on sleep. I think that A Room of One's Own would be a terrific follow-up to this book if reading for school (or pleasure).



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A Room of One's Own: Women Writers and the Politics of Creativity

After reading A Room of One's Own, I wanted to delve a little further into how the text came to be and how it's influenced both the women's movement as well as late-20th Century literary criticism. This book by Ellen B. Rosenman is well-written for the educated reader interested in exploring Woolf's essay. Though a literary study/critique, the book does not use a lot of jargon and is easy to follow. For more serious readers, Room of One's Own: Women Writers and the Politics of Creativity will only be a point of departure from which to dig deeper into other critical essays. While not a waste of time, it may not have the depth in each category to keep an academic reader satisfied.

Recommended only for those wishing to find out more about Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own (who have already read that book).

A Room of One's Own

I have wanted to read this non-fiction work by Virginia Woolf for about 10-15 years now, but finally just did it! I wish I'd read it earlier, as I think it would have really appealled to my emerging womanhood psyche. However, reading it as an early thirty-something, I find it still hits its mark, reminding me that I need to take time for things that are only important to me, things that are essential to my personal renewal and growth. Also, not to forget my friends and to do things without my husband-to-be. Having outside interests keeps us sane in relationships - and helps said relationships from getting stale.

Must read - especially for young women. I'm not sure it'd have the same effect for men, but I suspect it'd still be worthwhile and thought-provoking.