”An’ whatta I got,”George went on furiously. “I got you! You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get. Jus’ keep me shoI’m on BookTube now! =)
”An’ whatta I got,”George went on furiously. “I got you! You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get. Jus’ keep me shovin’ all over the country all the time. An’ that ain’t the worst. You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out.”
The problem or the blessing (it depends on your point of view) of being a reader in the 21st century is that you are a critical thinker and question things. For me, personally, this makes it somewhat hard to enjoy the classics because whenever I read one I totally get what the author wanted to tell us, but I’m never happy with the way it’s done. I’m aware that this is mostly a “me-problem” because if I’d be able to shut down the feminist in me I might be able to enjoy a lot of the classics. I mean we all know how women were seen in the past and that they weren’t treated nicely. It’s a fact, it’s history, it shouldn’t grate on me the way it does whenever I read a classic, but it unfortunately does. So here I am, once again with an unpopular opinion about a classic that is beloved by many. But what can I say? I like to be a critical voice every once in a while so yeah #SorryNotSorry
”Look, Lennie. You try to keep away from him, will you? Don’t never speak to him. If he comes in here you move clear to the other side of the room. Will you do that, Lennie?” Curley
Anyway! Let’s get back to business and talk about what “Of Mice and Men” is about. For such a short story this one packs quite the punch and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for most of the characters involved. George and Lennie are two migratory workers in California that work on different farms to make a living. They never stay at a place for all too long because Lennie always seems to get them into trouble and the book starts right after one of those incidents that happened in a city named Weed. The two men are on the road again and make their way to another farm in order to get hired. So far so good. Or it would have been if trouble wouldn’t have sought them out again.
”Lennie was jus’ scairt,” he explained. “He didn’t know what to do. I told you nobody ought never to fight him. No, I guess it was Candy I told.”
Steinbeck didn’t only want to portray the life of migratory workers in California, no, he also described the American dream of wanting to have land or a place to call your own. The American Dream is something that’s mentioned throughout the entire book and Lennie and George constantly dream of a future on their own farm. It’s their dream that makes it possible to move on and to fight through all the obstacles, but sometimes dreams just aren’t enough. A lesson that is taught the hard way in this book.
Candy cried, “Sure they all want it. Everybody wants a little bit of land, not much. Jus’ som’thin’ that was his. Som’thin’ he could live on and there couldn’t nobody throw him off of it.”
The harsh reality is that George is taking care of Lennie in the best way he can. He promised his aunt to look after him before she died and he tried his best to keep that promise. At the time the book takes place in, they are already as close as brothers are and despite George’s harsh words, you can feel that he truly cares about Lennie. It’s obvious he grew on him and that part of why George wants to have his own farm is because he knows that Lennie and him would be set for life and not get into dangerous situations anymore. It’s never explicitly stated on the pages but I think it’s pretty obvious that Lennie has an intellectual disability and would have been a special education kid in modern times. The strength he isn’t able to control and the fact George always has to repeat everything for him because he can’t remember things is a sure sign Lennie would have needed more support than he actually got. But times were different back then and people didn’t think about keeping kids like him safe. Lennie is so innocent, yet at the same time he has the strength of a bear. He doesn’t understand the world he lives in and is extremely gullible. I think in his own way Steinbeck wrote a Greek tragedy here and you can’t help but feel so very sad about what happens.
Her face grew angry. “Wha’s the matter with me?” she cried. “Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways? You’re a nice guy. I don’t know why I can’t talk to you. I ain’t doin’ no harm to you.”
Speaking of which! Am I the only one who disliked the “Curley’s wife” aspect of the book? I know Steinbeck used this as a stylistic device to show how a character that didn’t even have its own name was able to set everything in motion. Curley’s wife seemingly has no character, yet her power over Lennie influences his future and turns out to be extremely detrimental for his well-being. I see what Steinbeck did there but I feel for poor Curley’s wife because she wasn’t only just used as a device but also done dirty. Literally every one of the men in this book curses her and speaks badly of her and the thing is, she didn’t do anything to justify this reaction. They all think she’s a harlot just because she wants to talk with the men on the farm. That woman was lonely and only wanted to talk to someone to feel less alone, but unfortunately for her she was pretty as well and apparently “lonely & pretty” equals harlot.
”You God damn tramp,” he said viciously. “You done it, di’n’t you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good. You ain’t no good now, you lousy tart.”
I feel so sorry for her because even after she’s dead it’s all her fault and Candy calls her a “lousy tart”. It wasn’t her fault that Curley was possessive and aggressive towards everyone who just dared to look her way. That was Curley’s problem, not hers. This woman was lonely and too young to be kept at home all day long. Between a rock and a hard place she chose a life with Curley because she hoped for a better future which makes her a dreamer just like all the other characters in this book. What makes this even more tragic is that once she actually gets her will and finally talks to someone it ends with her being dead. Talk about a nice message to the reader. If women are left to their own devices they do something stupid and die. Nice touch, Steinbeck. Thank you for that great reminder.
Lennie said, “I thought you was mad at me, George.” “No,” said George. “No, Lennie, I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know.”
But enough of me being a sarcastic little sh*t and back to the book. XD For Lennie it ends the only way it can end and I kinda anticipated this from the moment I started to read the book. I didn’t know how it would end, but it was clear as day that it wouldn’t end well. At least not for Lennie. I suppose also not for George because he truly cared about Lennie and loved him in his own way…
Conclusion:
I can see why so many people consider this book to be a classic and why it’s read in schools all over the world. It might be a short story but it packs a good punch. Plus “Of Mice and Men” is certainly one of those books that causes you to think. Unfortunately, those thoughts turned out to be rather disadvantageous for the book in my case. So what it comes down to is that I liked reading the book, that I see what Steinbeck wanted to do, but that I ultimately don’t like how the plot was executed. I know, I know. You’re allowed to get your pitchforks and to run after me. Just make sure to give me a little head start. *lol* Thanks! ;-P
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Oh wow, for such a short story this packed quite the punch. O_o To say it with the words of the Duke from Moulin Rouge: “I don’t like the ending.” Also, I have thoughts about a lot of the people and situations in this story. Not entirely sure I liked it?!
Full RTC soon! Stay tuned.
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Veni, vidi, vici and then I took the book with me. *lol* No, seriously, I wanted to read “Of Mice and Men” for the longest time and everyone said it’s amazing and a classic so here I am with my library copy and hope I’ll enjoy it too. I don’t even know what it is about but it’s such a short book I’m sure I’ll be done with it in no time.
What about you? Did you already read this book and if yes, did you enjoy it?
I honestly don’t even know where to start with my review of “The Three Musketeers” because the book I’m on BookTube now! =)
”All for one, one for all.”
I honestly don’t even know where to start with my review of “The Three Musketeers” because the book was so very different to what I expected it to be. When we watch the movies, the three musketeers and d’Artagnan are always made out to be those honourable and noble heroes that save the day and serve their country and whilst the latter description is true, I can’t really say that the former one is as well. Or more directly, there is barely anything noble or honourable about them aside of the fact that they always feel offended in their honour and therefore get into plenty of trouble and fights. There I said it. Am I already drawing a pack with pitchforks? Well, I’m sorry, but it won’t get any better. XD
”Never fear quarrels, but seek adventures. I have taught you how to handle a sword; you have thews of iron, a wrist of steel. Fight on all occasions. Fight the more for duels being forbidden, since consequently there is twice as much courage in fighting. I have nothing to give you, my son, but fifteen crowns, my horse, and the counsel you have just heard.”
Considering that’s the advice d’Artagnan’s father gave him before he went out to “seek adventures” I’m not surprised he spent about 75% of the book getting himself in life threatening situations and drew problems like a dungheap draws flies. Me being salty? Oh boy, I barely even started. You might continue to read my review or if you love this book with all your heart like about 76% of goodreads seems to do (I actually recalculated that, I’m nothing but thorough), just stop reading and abort this mission. Fair warning. I won’t blame you. ;-P
”People, in general,” he said, “only ask advice not to follow it; or if they do follow it, it is for the sake of having someone to blame for having given it.”
Athos was a clever one, you might head his advice or blame me for not taking my warning seriously. Whatever floats your boat. I’ll just continue saying my piece. I know this book is beloved by so many and I’d be lying if I’d say I didn’t enjoy some parts of it. I did. It wasn’t all bad, but it wasn’t all good either and I’m too much of a 21st century person to let some things slide. So this said let’s get down to business.
”What have I to fear,” replied d’Artagnan, “as long as I shall have the luck to enjoy the favour of their Majesties?” “Everything, believe me. The cardinal is not the man to forget a mystification until he has settled account with the mystifier; and the mystifier appears to me to have the air of being a certain young Gascon of my acquaintance.”
I think by now everyone knows about the main plot of “The Three Musketeers”. A young Gascon named d’Artagnan arrives in Paris to become a Musketeer in the King’s service. But right after he arrives he already offends 3 musketeers and challenges all of them to a duel that is interrupted by the Cardinal’s men. The four men bond over their mutual adversaries and become friends that help the Queen regain her diamond ear studs she gave to her English lover Buckingham before she has to wear them on a ball. Another one of the Cardinals malicious schemes against the queen is thwarted and the three musketeers saved the day. So far so good. What’s interesting is that this only makes about 200 pages of this 560+ pages book. Where all the movies usually end the actual book continues for 350 more pages. So what happens in those pages?!
”Capital! Adieu, Chevalier.” “Adieu, Countess.” “Commend me to the cardinal.” “Commend me to Satan.” Milady and Rochefort exchanged a smile and separated.
Enter Milady one of the Cardinal’s most trusted and valuable assets. Truth be told, for me Milady was probably the most interesting character in the entire book because she was multi-layered, cunning, as beautiful as resourceful and had absolutely no scruples to do what she had to do in order to get what she wanted. We love a woman that is manipulative af. *lol* Honestly, the way she cheated her way through this book was really admirable and I had to grin when she spent about 6 chapters seducing a man by claiming she was a Protestant only to “convert” to being a Catholic as soon as it served her purpose.
”Who - - I?” cried Milady; “I a Protestant? Oh, no! I call to witness the God who hears us, that on the contrary I am a fervent Catholic!”
Fervent Catholic? Yeah, bet Felton turned in his gave when he heard that coming from her lips. *shakes head* Yet despite being one of the most intelligent pieces on the board she still seemed to be very naïve when it came to certain things. I mean how did she even mistake d’Artagnan for her lover? (Not one of d’Artagnan’s best moments btw. He basically raped an unknowing and averse woman. If she’d known it was d’Artagnan she would have never even considered to sleep with him. But it was dark. Oh what a plot device. Seriously, Dumas, are you kidding me?!) Which brings me right to d’Artagnan and the three musketeers.
”D’Artagnan and Athos put themselves into saddle with their companions, and all four set forward; Athos upon a horse he owed to a woman, Aramis on a horse he owed to his mistress, Porthos on a horse he owed his procurator’s wife, and d’Artagnan on a horse he owed to his good fortune – the best mistress possible.”
I think that sentence and short description is the “four musketeers” in a nutshell and I can’t really say that I’m a huge fan of them. I used to love Aramis the most and I think of all of them he’s still my favourite because he might have the same flaws as the others but he is more or less tame in comparison to them. Yes, he has an affair with a woman even though he wants to become a priest but him yielding to this temptation only makes him more human. Plus he isn’t as hot-headed as the others. Still, when it comes down to it I can’t really be a fan of either of them because I just can’t condone their actions.
I mean they basically only drink, gamble and fight their way through the entire book. They have affairs with married women, can’t seem to be able to hold on to a single coin and treat their hosts as well as their servants poorly. I honestly don’t get why their servants stuck with them because they didn’t get paid for most of the book. Either the musketeers were too stupid to keep money and gave it away like it was nothing (and this even though they were always broke) or they gambled with the little they had and lost it again. Well, and if their servants demanded pay they just hit them and the thing was settled. Talk about real role-models right there. I stopped counting the moments I rolled my eyes or facepalmed myself. Also d’Artagnan literally falls in love with every woman that’s pretty and talks to him and they all suffer because of it. One way or another giving d’Artagnan their affection never ends well. XD If you’re a woman you better stay away from that young Gascon, he’s trouble. ;-)
”Take my wealth, my fortune, my glory, all the days I have to live, for such an instant, for a night like that. For that night, madame, that night you loved me, I will swear it.”
As for the other players in the game. I think there wasn’t enough of the cardinal and we barely found out anything about him. Lord de Winter was okay, I suppose? Buckingham was probably the only truly honourable man in the entire story which is almost comical because him being an English man automatically makes him the enemy of France and therefore of the musketeers. Yet his love and devotion to the Queen was unyielding and he didn’t even think of another woman like a certain someone *cough* d’Artagnan *cough* who changed them like his underwear. Yes, I just said that. You can quote me if you want to. I stand by it. *lol*
I personally think that Milady was the most intriguing character of the entire book, yet at the same time, she was limited by being a woman. No matter how cunning or cruel she was, she could only move in certain patterns and the fact she even got arrested speaks volumes about how women were treated back then. This is a theme that’s running like a thread through the entire book, while the men have all the opportunity in the world and never have to fear any consequences, the same can’t be said for the women in the story. Well, and the way it all ends? Let’s just say the only woman that comes out of it in a good way is actually the Queen and she’s the Queen so I think that says A LOT.
All told, I came out of “The Three Musketeers” feeling quite disenchanted. The heroes I loved as a kid aren’t the heroes I read about. In the movies they were honourable and courageous, fighting against everything that was thrown their way and charmed their way into the beds of their love interests. In the book we get to see an entirely different side of them and I guess that only proves that Hollywood knew what it was doing when it adapted the book into a movie. XD I never thought I’d say this but I think I’ll stick with the movies this time around. I know “The Three Musketeers” is a classic and beloved by many. It has its merits and interesting, whimsical and funny parts, I’ll give you that, but it ultimately wasn’t for me. ____________________________
Ha! I said I’d finish this book until the end of March and I did it! I mean, okay it’s the 31.st of March but it’s still March! ;-P I can’t believe I finally made it through “The Three Musketeers”! I’ve been reading this book since the beginning of February and it was HUGE. *lol* As for my opinion? Well, I’ll have to think about it.
Full RTC soon! ;-) _____________________________
I dunno about you but I’ve never read “The Three Musketeers” as a book. I watched countless movie adaptations but the book, nope. Never read it. So when Beki @ Teacup the Storyteller decided to go for a readalong on her BookTube channel in February 2023 my immediate answer was: “Yes, I’m down for it!” It’s been a while I last read a classic so this is going to be fun! *lol*
Have you read “The Three Musketeers” as a book or did you only watch the movies too? =)
P.S: I bought this version for my kindle and it only cost EUR 0,49. So that’s a very good deal right there. Just in case you’re interested to read it too. Even to borrow it from my library would have been more expensive because I’d have had to preorder it and that always comes with a fee. XD
”They accepted the pleasures of morning, the bright sun, the whelming sea and sweet air, as a time when play was good and life so full that hope was n”They accepted the pleasures of morning, the bright sun, the whelming sea and sweet air, as a time when play was good and life so full that hope was not necessary and therefore forgotten.”
So this was a book many people had to read when they went to school and in some way this already says a lot about “Lord of the Flies”. Like so many of the books that are required to be read during people’s educational careers this one wasn’t only full of serious topics but also dealt with ethical values.
I mean we have boys between the ages of 6 and 12 who are stranded on an island after they had a plane crash. There is no adult who would force them to stay in line; there is no authority that would tell them what's right or wrong. They are left to their own devices and even though they were doing as good as you would expect schoolboys to do, they still were fairly decent at the beginning of the book.
“I agree with Ralph. We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages. We’re English; and the English are the best at everything. So we’ve got to do the right things.”
Oh, how often I thought back to this quote when I read on with horror, every new chapter revealing another aspect of the dark abyss of human kind. The morale dilemma of Ralph and Piggy was so intense that I couldn’t help but feel with them whenever something bad and terrible happened. They were the only ones that tried to get order into the chaos but on an island without any rules only the strongest remain.
”I got you meat!” Numberless and inexpressible frustrations combined to make his rage elemental and awe-inspiring. “I painted my face – I stole up. Now you eat – all of you – and I –“
The fight of savageness vs. civilisation was so tangible it hurt and I constantly found myself sitting at the edge of my seat hoping against all hope, that civilisation would actually win. It doesn’t take a genius to know that it didn’t. Why hold on to moral standards? Why listen to reason if you can have a kingdom of your own? Why should you accept someone else’s opinion if you’re stronger and can force them to obey your own rules? You know it better than the others, right?!
”If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; then we’ve had it. We shan’t keep the fire going. We’ll be like animals. We’ll never be rescued.”
I know I’m being provocative here but it is how it is. The strongest will always try to rule the weak. It’s been done for centuries and I doubt that it will ever stop. It’s as much a part of human nature as breathing and let’s face the bitter truth: There’s darkness in all of us. We can only decide if we fight it or let it in. ;-)
”Look, Ralph. We got to forget this. We can’t do no good thinking about it, see?” “I’m frightened. Of us. I want to go home. O god I want to go home.”
”The thing is – fear can’t hurt you any more than a dream. There aren’t any beasts to be afraid of on this island.”
If you ask me there certainly was a monster on the island or should I rather say that there were monsters? Plural. It weren’t monsters that had been there all along though. No, it were the monsters that had fallen from the sky, claiming the island as their own, doing as they pleased because they could do so without anyone to stop them. The monsters on the island came from the outside and despite their claims to want to get off of the island they all knew that they actually wanted to stay.
”I’m scared of him,” said Piggy, “and that’s why I know him. If you’re scared of someone you hate him but you can’t stop thinking about him. You kid yourself he’s all right really, an’ then when you see him again; it’s like asthma an’ you can’t breathe.”
So in the end things took their natural course and got worse and worse. The descent into savageness was inexorable and the book ended on a heavy note. I can only speak for myself but the ending was brilliant. Brilliant and shocking and so very, very realistic that it caused me to ache even more. Those stupid boys... those stupid, stupid little boys. *shakes head*
Anyway, if you want to read a really good book which will haunt you days after you finished it, this should be your choice. *lol* After all I finished “Lord of the Flies” almost a week ago and I’m still thinking about it. ;-)
Happy Reading! I hope you’ll enjoy it as well!
(view spoiler)[Those are two quotes that were perfect and moved me so damn much when I read the book. Because they would spoil too much and would give away some crucial parts of the plot I didn’t write them down in the actual review though. Anyway if you read the book already you might as well enjoy them now:
”Piggy.” “Uh?” “That was Simon.” “You said that before.” “Piggy.” “Uh?” “That was murder.”
”And in the middle of them, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy.”(hide spoiler)]...more
”People who cease to believe in God or goodness altogether still believe in the devil. I don’t know why. No, I do indeed know why. Evil is always poss”People who cease to believe in God or goodness altogether still believe in the devil. I don’t know why. No, I do indeed know why. Evil is always possible. And goodness is eternally difficult.”
It’s been ages I first saw the movie but I still remember how much I enjoyed it. How sorry I felt for Louis when he told his story and how much I loved Lestat for being the evil manipulator that he is. *lol* By now I even have “Interview with the Vampire” on DVD and every once in a while I re-watch it and glory in the amazingness of this film! They did a great job with the film adaption, that’s for sure, but to be entirely honest Anne Rice did an even greater job writing the book. XD
”I’d like to meet the devil some night,” he said once with a malignant smile. “I’d chase him from here to the wilds of the Pacific. I am the devil.”
I don’t know why it took me so many years to read this, especially because I already read “Queen of the Damned” and “The Vampire Armand” and loved them both, but sometimes it just takes a little longer until the inevitable happens and as it seems to read “Interview with the Vampire” was one of those special cases. ;-) So what can I say about this book that hasn’t been said already? I loved Louis! He’ll always have a special place in my heart because he’s the embodiment of the fight of good against evil. No matter which vampire you encounter throughout the course of this book, they all lost their humanity, their compassion for their victims and their sense of justice.
”I saw you in the theatre, your suffering, your sympathy with that girl. I saw your sympathy for Denis when I offered him to you; you die when you kill, as if you feel that you deserve to die, and you stint on nothing. But why, with this passion and this sense of justice, do you wish to call yourself the child of Satan!”
Louis? Nope, never! He’d been turned into a vampire decades and centuries ago, but he still managed to preserve his humanity and to some degree even his innocence. He has to drink blood in order to stay alive but he certainly doesn’t enjoy it. In fact he condemns himself for being too weak to go without it, he despises the weakness of his nature and he most definitely loathes the creature that lives within him. In short: I’m pretty certain he’s the worst vampire ever. *lol*
”He loves you. He loves you. He would have you, and he would not have me stand in the way.”
And because of this he attacks Claudia and makes her a vampire in the end (Well, actually Lestat turns her but those are just semantics. ;-P) Maybe it was her innocence that drew him, maybe it was her young blood, her strong will to survive but whatever it was, it caused him to drink from a child and Lestat in his endless cruelty and cunning persuaded him to kill her only to take it from there and to make her a vampire instead.
”Monsters! To give me immortality in this hopeless guise, this helpless form!”
Oh, how I felt with Claudia! Just imagine being imprisoned in a body that is so young and frail! I mean in the book she’s only five(!!!) when she’s turned and her mind grows but her body never changes. A 65 year old woman, living an eternal life in the body of a five year old!? How cruel, how horrible this existence must have been. Alone to feel sexual desire but never to act on it, to be trapped in a body that isn’t made for anything of it. Poor Claudia! >_< It’s no surprise she despised them both for it. Lestat she hated with a passion, but Louis? How could she hate him? She was torn because she loved him but also detested him for what he had done. For how he treated her: As a child even though she was already a grown up woman.
”For you see,” I said to her in that same calm voice, “what died tonight in this room was not that woman. It will take her many nights to die, perhaps years. What has died in this room tonight is the last vestige in me of what was human.”
And so the story unfolds and the repercussions their actions entail eventually catch up on them. *sighs* By the end of the book I actually felt sorry for all of them. Not only Louis and Claudia but also Lestat and Armand. It made me sad to see what happened to them and I’m really sorry that Armand and Louis never got a chance to work out.
”I want you. I want you more than anything in the world.”
They had such a great chemistry, but the price to be together was just too high. To destroy the one thing Louis loved the most sort of destroyed Louis as well. So basically everything Armand loved about him was snuffed out the moment he set things into motion. The irony isn’t lost on me. >_<
Conclusion:
I really enjoyed reading “Interview with the Vampire”! Sometimes it felt like watching the movie and at other times I appreciated the additional info that always seems to get lost in film adaptions, no matter how decent they are. *lol* Some things you can only glean when you read the book and for me this alone was enough reason to give it a try. XD
P.S: I think I’ll have another movie date with Louis, Lestat and Armand tonight. ;-P _______________________
Did anyone say vampires are out? Nope, they are definitely not, because this little gem existed way before “Twilight” was even a thought. ;-P
I wanted to read this ever since my young and innocent me watched “Interview with the Vampire” on TV. (That rhyme wasn’t intended I swear. *lol*) Well, anyway! I always loved the movie! A sexy and broody Brad Pitt, a wicked and cunning Tom Cruise, what’s not to love? XD Plus they are so beautiful that it hurts. <3
*coughs* Okay, back on track: I saw this at the library, I snatched it from the shelf, I giggled gleefully (and rather maliciously) and now I’m going to read it!
End of the story! Let’s hope it’s a good one! *fingers crossed* XD...more
”It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”
It rarely happens t”It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”
It rarely happens that a quote from a book haunts me but this one, well, this one does. I finished “A Tale of Two Cities” about two weeks ago, yet I’m still not over the ending. But how could I? After all, this is one of those rare books that keep you thinking even after you finished the last page and already closed the cover of the book.
The most intriguing thing about this all is the following though: I had a really, really tough time getting into “A Tale of Two Cities” when I first started to read it. XD The sentences were too long and complicated and Dickens writing style is lengthy and so full of superfluous words that every editor, no matter the century she/he lives in, would have had a field day crossing them out. *lol*
”O Miss Manette, when the little picture of a happy father’s face looks up in yours, when you see your own bright beauty springing up anew at your feet, think now and then that there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you!”
So what happened? I can’t explain it, but I think Dickens’s magic happened. At least that’s the only thing I can come up with while I’m trying to explain my sudden love for this book. I mean we have a little bit of comedy in here when three different suitors attempt to ask for Lucy Manettes hand, yet at the same time Doctor Manette’s mental condition is making the situation as serious as it could possibly be.
”What can I do for my friend? No man ever can have been more desirious in his heart to serve a friend, than I am to serve mine, if I knew how.”
Every character in here is either an angel (Miss Manette) or a precious snowflake (Mr. Lorry & Charles Darnay) or it’s bloodthirsty and evil. (Madame Defarge & The Marquis) There is no grey area, well not unless you count Sydney Carton who is by far the most intriguing character in the entire book! I loved him! <3 Yes, he might have been a drunkard (and I’m pretty sure he suffered from depression) but of all the characters that made an appearance in “A Tale of Two Cities” he’s certainly the most honourable and pure soul!
”It is too late for that. I shall never be better than I am. I shall sink lower, and be worse.”
And this, Ladies and Gentleman, is the true tragedy of this book! That Sydney thinks he’s worth nothing even though he DESERVES THE FREAKING WORLD!!!! Excuse my screaming but ADKFASKDFKASDFKSDFKASD! I get all emotional just thinking about this lovable man! He is worthy, he is wantable, to hell with it, I’m actually going to compare him to my precious boy Adam Parrish now! *LOL* Both of them deserve so much and they are always trying to fit in, to make their life better, yet there’s always something that holds them back. That makes their lives difficult.
”You are a good man and a true friend,” said Carton, in an altered voice. “Forgive me if I notice that you are affected. I could not see my father weep, and sit by, careless. And I could not respect your sorrow more, if you were my father. You are free from that misfortune, however.”
No one notices the struggle he’s going through and a lot of people judge him for his actions. Not outright into his face but behind his back. Truth be told, I think Miss Manette might have been the only person who ever got a decent glimpse at his true character and nature. And this only because he let her see it! Because he loved her and because he wanted her to know that there was a part of him, the part that loved her, that actually was worthy of her love as well. T_T
”I would ask you, dearest, to be very generous with him always, and very lenient on his faults when he is not by. I would ask you to believe that he has a heart he very, very seldom reveals, and that there are deep wounds in it. My dear, I have seen it bleeding.”
But we’re in the time of the guillotine, the time of change, of liberté, égalité et fraternité! And forgiveness and compassion, let alone justice aren’t truly on the agenda. People like the Marquis had no mercy with their subjects and their former servants pay them back in kind. Unfortunately this also means that innocent people, regardless of their actions and their lack of involvement are sentenced to death as well. Casualties in a war that gained momentum way too fast.
And so it happens that the storyline swells to a crescendo that ends in a climax I didn’t expect!
Boy, did that ending throw me! O_o It was a beautiful ending, tragic, but beautiful, hopeful and sad. And it taught me that Dickens was indeed a great writer. ;-)
(view spoiler)[”Are you dying for him?” she whispered. “And his wife and child. Hush! Yes.” “O you will let me hold your brave hand, stranger?” “Hush! Yes, my poor sister; to the last.”
I cried an ocean reading this scene!!! Sydney Carton deserved so much better than that!!! What a noble and gentle and compassionate soul!! What a brave man that gives comfort while he’s going to his death as well!!! I can’t even!!! T_T I just can’t… *cries and ocean again* (hide spoiler)]
Conclusion:
I really loved this book! Dickens might write long sentences, he might take his time until everything gets into motion but damn, he certainly knows how to deliver a punch line! If you like classics and don’t mind books with a lengthy build-up you definitely should go for this! It was so worth it! XD
”It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”
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3 Things:
1.) I’m finally doing this and I got myself some backup! XD This book always kind of intimidated me but I think with the help of this awesome boy I’ll eventually manage to read it!
Thank you so much for doing this buddy read with me! =))
2.) Yesh!!! I can’t wait to know what Will and Tessa meant when they compared themselves to characters from “A Tale of Two Cities”!!! I’m sure my reread of “Clockwork Angel” later on this year will make so much more sense after reading this. *lol*
3.) It’s Charles Dickens, AND it’s about time I finally read one of his books!!!...more
Virginia Ronan
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Books:
classics
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