There were several points at which I thought I might really enjoy this book.
After returning to America from World War I, Larry becomes involved with IThere were several points at which I thought I might really enjoy this book.
After returning to America from World War I, Larry becomes involved with Isabel. While clearly in love with each other, Isabel determines that their relationship will never work. Larry, to her dismay, has decided that rather than getting a job and pursuing the American ideals of productivity and wealth, he would rather just "loaf."
This had me intrigued. I was down with Larry's loafing. It was amusing and subversive. I like the idea of a character rejecting modern life to pursue deeper meaning.
It's where Larry's journey took him that lost me. The Razor's Edge delves deep into eastern philosophy, which has never much interested me. I think a reader drawn to Hinduism, Buddhism and eastern thought would likely appreciate Larry much more than I did.
But it wasn't just Larry's foray into eastern philosophy that turned me off, it was all the extraneous characters. I enjoyed The Razor's Edge most when it focused on Larry and Isabel, on their lifelong connection to one another in spite of their lives going in different directions.
There were definitely nuggets of wisdom within these pages, but so much of it was filled out with uninteresting subplots....more
This groundbreaking novel about a gay teenage boy coming of age in the 1950s is full of nostalgia and the yearning to be comfortable with oneself. TheThis groundbreaking novel about a gay teenage boy coming of age in the 1950s is full of nostalgia and the yearning to be comfortable with oneself. The narrator recalls snippets of his formative years in which he struggles with his sexuality and the sense of shame that accompanies his then-forbidden desires. The writing is elegant and the story is an important one to tell, though I found certain sections to be far more affecting and compelling than others. This was an uneven read for me, though I'm glad I read it....more
A beautifully crafted, emotionally and intellectually charged plea to the American people during the nascent Civil Rights Movement. Baldwin writes witA beautifully crafted, emotionally and intellectually charged plea to the American people during the nascent Civil Rights Movement. Baldwin writes with passion, candor, desperation and hope, providing critical insight into the realities of being black in America. He conveys a clear sense of urgency, challenging Americans to reckon with the legacy of racism and reject the delusion that skin color determines value or worth.
Perhaps most surprising to me in reading Baldwin for the first time was discovering that in spite of his deep awareness of the horrors of being black and his cutting criticism of white Americans, he still insisted on unity and love. He had every reason not to, and yet he did. I plan to read some of his later work and will be interested to see if his cautious optimism changed at all—particularly after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
Sadly, much of what Baldwin wrote more than five decades ago is still relevant today. His hopeful plea for change and his urgent warning to America to end its racial nightmare are all the more devastating knowing that we still have so far to go....more
The Winter of Our Discontent is a brutally pessimistic commentary on the American Dream and the lengths to which one must go to attain success.
Ethan HThe Winter of Our Discontent is a brutally pessimistic commentary on the American Dream and the lengths to which one must go to attain success.
Ethan Hawley, a small-town grocery store clerk, is known for being a decent man of virtue. Under pressure from his family and those around him to gain wealth and status, he convinces himself to take a brief hiatus from his morals. As he rationalizes:
"In business and in politics a man must maul his way through men to get to be King of the Mountain. Once there he can be great and kind—but he must get there first."
Through Ethan, Steinbeck makes a deeply cynical case for moral consequentialism, suggesting that man must inevitably "tromp on each other" to get ahead and that ultimately it's worthwhile since western society values strength and success over virtue and decency.
Of course, the catch is that departing from one's morals is rarely a temporary break. Once one gives in to corruption, it's hard to go back—and there are always unintended consequences beyond one's control.
And as if this isn't pessimistic enough, there's also Steinbeck's dismal take on virtue itself:
"Suppose my humble and interminable clerkship was not for you at all but a moral laziness? For any success, boldness is required. Perhaps I was simply timid, fearful of consequences—in a word, lazy."
Much of the dialogue in this book is tiresome and borderline obnoxious, but the ethical analysis that Ethan takes himself through to justify his actions is brilliant and, frankly, pretty damning of American ideals. I recommend this for anyone who likes to see philosophical concepts integrated in fiction....more
I have a confession to make: this is my first time ever reading a Kurt Vonnegut novel in its entirety. I started a few in high school, couldn't make iI have a confession to make: this is my first time ever reading a Kurt Vonnegut novel in its entirety. I started a few in high school, couldn't make it through, and am evidently just now getting around to rectifying that as an adult.
Slaughterhouse-Five is an anti-war satire that depressed the hell out of me. (I like depressing things, so I don't mean this in a bad way.) Billy Pilgrim's (and really Vonnegut's) method of coping with the trauma of war by resigning himself to escapism and fatalism is devastating yet perfectly sensible: what better way to deal with life's meaninglessness and one's perceived helplessness in the face of its worst atrocities?
Of course, the irony here is that fatalism is a lie. While I had immense sympathy for Pilgrim's reactionary adoption of this mindset, I appreciated the larger takeaway that we (humans) do indeed have a choice when it comes to war, and that it's absurd to delude ourselves into thinking that we can or should ever let ourselves off the hook for the destruction that it causes....more
The concept is fascinating: In the year 1976, Dana, a black woman, is suddenly transported to the antebelOh, I so wanted to like this more than I did.
The concept is fascinating: In the year 1976, Dana, a black woman, is suddenly transported to the antebellum south. She has been summoned there to save the life of Rufus, the son of a white plantation owner. As it turns out, Rufus is one of her ancestors.
While in Rufus's world, Dana experiences the horrors of slavery, but finds that she can get back to 1976 by having a near-death experience. Unfortunately, Rufus continues to summon her back in time over the years, and the two of them develop a strange relationship—bound together somehow in spite of the circumstances.
Applying the concept of time travel to the topic of slavery is so interesting, but I was completely underwhelmed by Butler's writing and never fully engaged with the story.
One of my biggest pet peeves as a reader is when a book tells me a story as though it's merely a recollection of events, rather than allowing me to feel like I'm actually experiencing it. This is the approach that Butler took. We rarely ever gain insights into any of her characters' internal thought processes. Events just happen, the story quickly becomes repetitive...and that's pretty much it.
There was so much potential here to explore some really interesting themes and dynamics, and while there is a little of that, it just didn't dig deep enough to ever captivate me....more
What makes this modern classic so interesting isn’t the story itself — a love affair between an aimless young American and a beautiful French woman — What makes this modern classic so interesting isn’t the story itself — a love affair between an aimless young American and a beautiful French woman — but Salter’s interesting narrative choices.
The love affair is recounted by a nameless narrator who was once acquainted with the couple, Philip and Anne-Marie. But within the first 10 pages, we’re given a subtle warning: What we’re reading may not be wholly true. Of course, this completely alters the reader’s approach to the novel.
We know that the narrator is somewhat of a timid, solitary man; although he admires many beautiful women from afar, he never finds the courage to approach them. Inevitably, he becomes somewhat infatuated with Philip, who is in many ways his opposite: confident, charming, sexually experienced.
The narrator recalls the love affair between Philip and Anne-Marie with such explicit detail that the reality of it is entirely unclear. Did he simply observe the couple from afar throughout the course of their relationship and fill in all the details himself? Did Philip tell him about his and Anne-Marie’s passionate private life? Or is it possible that Philip doesn’t even exist at all — that he was conjured in the narrator’s imagination as a product of his deepest insecurities and fantasies?
It’s undoubtedly a fascinating approach, and it’s always interesting to encounter an unreliable narrator who is so self-aware and forthcoming of his delusions. I can understand why this book is so critically acclaimed, with its unique narrative and crisp, simple prose. However, coming at this from a purely subjective perspective, I wasn’t all that interested in the story itself, and never felt fully engaged. In stories like this, I prefer getting deep into the heads of the characters, but that’s just not what Salter was going for here....more
"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." - Thoreau
Stoner is a quiet novel about an ordinary man named William Stoner, and his ordinary life"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." - Thoreau
Stoner is a quiet novel about an ordinary man named William Stoner, and his ordinary life in early 20th century America. Stoner is a stoic man who tries consistently to do the right thing, and in doing so comes to learn that pursuing one's own meaning and purpose almost always results in collateral damage. Throughout his life, he endures a series of failures and disappointments -- a doomed marriage, a damaging professional rivalry, a scandalous affair -- and yet with dogged determination he perseveres.
This is the kind of novel whose poignancy slowly creeps up on you, until you come to see Stoner as the quintessential existential hero, and a sobering reminder that each person's life is more than just the sum of its parts.
There's so much aching beauty in Williams' prose, that there's no wonder everyone from Tom Hanks to Bret Easton Ellis has sung the praises of this simple, historically overlooked novel. Stoner is a character I won't soon forget. ...more
I’ve been reading this one slowly over the past few months and I’m finally finished!
I’ll be honest with you, I probably wouldn’t have pushed through I’ve been reading this one slowly over the past few months and I’m finally finished!
I’ll be honest with you, I probably wouldn’t have pushed through this if I wasn’t already a big DeLillo fan. The prologue and parts of the epilogue are beautiful and memorable. And then there’s the seven hundred or so pages in between. Of course, since it’s DeLillo, the dialogue is excellent and many of the passages can stand alone on their own as master works of fiction. But there’s just so much else there, and much of it winds up feeling bloated and superfluous.
Yes, I feel stupid saying all of this about a modern classic. But approaching this subjectively, I didn’t love reading this book. Last year when I read Infinite Jest — an equally challenging monster of a post-modern novel — I felt immensely fulfilled in spite of the challenging nature of the book. But it pains me to say that I just didn’t feel that way with Underworld. I liked Nick Shay’s coming-of-age-story told in reverse. I liked a lot of the themes and metaphors. I liked that DeLillo tied it all in with the cultural history of the United States during the Cold War. There was just too much of the last part.
I’m still glad I read it. As I said, I love DeLillo. I owed it to him to read this. If you consider yourself a DeLillo fan like I do, it’s hard to avoid tackling this behemoth. And in the end, I have to admit: there’s something undeniably special about experiencing a work of fiction like this from a master like DeLillo....more
"Laing knew that he was far happier now than ever before, despite all the hazards of his life, the likelihood that he would die any time from hunger o"Laing knew that he was far happier now than ever before, despite all the hazards of his life, the likelihood that he would die any time from hunger or assault. He was satisfied by his self-reliance, his ability to cope with the tasks of survival -- foraging, keeping his wits about him, guarding his two women from any marauder who might want to use them for similar purposes."
There is so much substance packed into this 207-page book.
The entire story takes place inside a 40-story luxury high-rise that houses about 2,000 people -- an ostensibly homogenous group of high-income individuals. But as tensions begin to arise between the wealthy dog owners on the top floors and the families on the bottom floors, the residents of the high-rise divide into three groups, driven by power and self-interest. The hostilities gradually increase as they assimilate into their self-imposed hierarchies within the building and devolve into chaos and anarchy.
Ballard cleverly positions the high-rise as both a literal structure and a social structure. But as the characters devolve into a Hobbesian state of nature, the most disturbing thing of all is that they admit to feeling happier. Finally able to exercise their most devious impulses, they slowly reveal more genuine versions of themselves.
Clearly lots of fascinating themes to unpack here -- and no surprise coming from J.G. Ballard. Like a Lord of the Flies for adults, this was a dark and twisted read....more
How fitting that I waited until a time when the content of this book feels especially prescient and urgent to finally read it. It’s a scary day indeedHow fitting that I waited until a time when the content of this book feels especially prescient and urgent to finally read it. It’s a scary day indeed when our reality begins to mirror our dystopian fiction.
The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in a totalitarian theocracy where men rule everything. In this new version of America, Offred, the story’s protagonist, is a slave with one purpose and one purpose alone: she must bear children for the Commanders. Throughout the novel, which Offred narrates in first-person, we gradually learn about her own personal past and some of the circumstances that led to this new society.
Okay, so things aren’t that bad for us quite yet, you say. Fair enough. But the themes remain eerily timely.
- Misguided Christians twisting the words of their savior and using their religion as a guise for hatred and control? Check. - Powerful men imposing on women’s bodily autonomy and agency? Check. - The ones at the top benefiting while everyone else suffers? Check. - A totalitarian government replacing American democracy? Well, hey, we’re one week away from Trump taking office, so let’s put an old checkmark in this column, too.
Atwood’s prose, as always, is impeccable. She writes with urgency, purpose, and humanity—and delivers an ending more brilliant and deliberate than I ever could have imagined. (Seriously…THAT ENDING.)
As we prepare to inaugurate a dangerous demagogue to lead the most powerful country in the world, we must be ready to resist him every step away. We must fight for the rights and the agency of all people—especially those who he and his administration have put at risk. As we do this, we can all bear in mind Atwood’s words, which repeat throughout The Handmaid’s Tale in their Latin form, to fuel our resistance:
I hadn't read this since high school, so figured it was time for a re-read. Plath's beautiful, semi-autobiographical prose provide raw insight into heI hadn't read this since high school, so figured it was time for a re-read. Plath's beautiful, semi-autobiographical prose provide raw insight into her struggle with mental illness. A brave, candid, important novel. ...more
You ever read one of those books that makes you wonder what the hell you've been doing with your life that you've somehow overlooked it all this time?You ever read one of those books that makes you wonder what the hell you've been doing with your life that you've somehow overlooked it all this time?
That's White Noise for me. First, there's all the writers I've enjoyed over the years who have clearly been influenced by him (David Foster Wallace, Jonathan Franzen, Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis...even Miranda July). But more importantly, this is a book that focuses explicitly on the one issue that plagues me every single day of my atheist life: a crushing fear of death.
I've yet to come across a work of fiction that breaches this fundamental existential dread so deliberately. In DeLillo's world, our attempts to quell the fear of death with consumerism, television and other forms of white noise ultimately prove fruitless. The fear is always there, and in their desperation to overcome it, the irony is that his characters can barely manage to live meaningful lives.
I'm only scratching the surface of everything this surreal, hilarious, eerie satire has to offer. There's so much more about the duality of technology (which creates an appetite for immortality while simultaneously threatening extinction), the regenerative nature of destruction, and the fate of the modern man willing to go to any means possible to assuage his most primal fears. White Noise easily joins the ranks of my favorite books of all time.
"A person spends his life saying goodbye to other people. How does he say goodbye to himself?"...more
Are you a big Kundera fan? If so, you'll appreciate this - more so as a bookend to his career and an evolution of his personal philosophies than as a Are you a big Kundera fan? If so, you'll appreciate this - more so as a bookend to his career and an evolution of his personal philosophies than as a stand alone novel. It's essentially the antithesis of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and it makes one wonder what caused this drastic shift in Kundera.
Haven't read any Kundera? Skip this one for now and read The Unbearable Lightness of Being instead. 3/5 Stars....more
What can I even say about one of the most important post-modern novels by one of the most important literary figures in decades? Hilarious, devastatinWhat can I even say about one of the most important post-modern novels by one of the most important literary figures in decades? Hilarious, devastating, horrifying, poignant...it's everything. This is a demanding book, but there are rewards on every page. I read somewhere that reading Infinite Jest is like entering a months-long irony-detox program, and this is one of my favorite descriptions of it. It's the kind of book that makes you want to be a better person, while at the same time reassuring you that you're not alone. I'll be thinking about this one for a long, long time. ...more
Strangely enough, this was a joy to read. Cioran balances his extreme nihilism and pessimism with wicked humor and irony. Kind of like if Rust Cohle hStrangely enough, this was a joy to read. Cioran balances his extreme nihilism and pessimism with wicked humor and irony. Kind of like if Rust Cohle had more self-doubt and a better sense of humor. To paraphrase an Amazon review I came across, there's something oddly life-affirming about his gleefully pessimistic meditations on death, decay, nihilism, and Buddhism. Also worth mentioning: he writes beautifully. ...more
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