I hope that everyone had a happy holiday!
This is the infamous sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer written by Mark Twain. I read it because I'm looking to read this retelling and I had not read this novel in a long time. The book starts with Huck living the good life - he's got money in the bank and is living with a widow with minimal expenses. But he's getting very antsy and misses adventure. Interestingly, his internal struggle over big moral questions - most notably helping Jim to freedom in the North - is at the heart of this novel. Huck ultimately decides to go on new adventures with Jim and Tom when his abusive father returns. When living with his father becomes unendurable, Huck fakes his own death and takes off with Jim. They start up the Mississippi with the hope of getting to Cairo, Illinois, so that Jim can resume life as a free man.
It is hard to put aside the fact that Twain uses the "n" word a lot - definitely at least a hundred times. It's very jarring. I wonder if Twain truly believed that language was appropriate or if he meant to shock his readers because I don't recall The Adventures of Tom Sawyer using this word so much. It actually turned me off to a book that might otherwise have been ok, albeit a slog, to get through. By contrast, the word "slave" or "slavery" is hardly used.
I appreciated that Twain tried to really humanize Jim and emphasize the friendship between Huck and Jim. I look forward to reading more about Jim in the telling of the Story from his perspective. Jim tells Huck about his life, wife and children and Huck listens.
In spite of this, I had a very hard time getting through the novel. The language was a slog and it is constantly jarring to read certain phrases. Luckily the chapters weren't too long, so I could put it down and come back to it without having to read through so much.
Happy holidays! This week is a big one and I hope that everyone enjoys! I've been slogging through The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and it's been more challenging then I thought it would be!
Christmas is coming up! I'm nearly done with my shopping and now I'm busy wrapping. We are going to see A Christmas Carol next weekend!
I re-read this book recently after learning that Dorothy Allison had recently passed away - it was her debut and most famous novel. The book is set in the 1950's Deep South and Bone, the narrator, is what the society called a bastard - her mother bore her out of wedlock. It details the lives of the Boatwright family and the abuse that Bone suffers at the hands of her stepfather - Daddy Glen. It explores themes of family, classism and yes, sometimes explicit abuse.
Bone is definitely a complex character. I think that we all know someone like her, whether we are aware of it or not, and Dorothy Allison does a masterful job writing from her perspective. Parts of the story were very hard to read, particularly where she was describing acts of abuse but I think that this sort of novel is important. It allows us to open up discussion about issues that are still taboo.
Definitely worth the re-read.
I hope that everyone had a pretty good week!
This is the first book in Ferrante's Neapolitan Quartet, a series of books that explores female rivalry and friendship. This novel is set in Naples in the 50's and introduces us to the friendship between Lila and Elena, two girls that live in a poorer neighborhood of the city.
I read the novel in English, although I have the Italian version that I will try to read at some point. The translation is phenomenal. While I enjoyed the story about the friendship between the two characters, the political climate at the time and the neighborhood itself also were big players in this novel. This is Italy post WW-II. Mussolini is barely out of office and the country is trying to figure out who it is post-fascism. There is a lot of normalized violence against all people and there is a crime syndicate that clearly runs things in the neighborhood, which people often fear. The neighborhood itself and its characters were colorful and entertaining. You can't help but adore them.
Lila and Elena were also well done. Lila is somehow particularly self aware and independent, regardless of her age. She is true to herself and that trueness exposes her to greater danger at the hands of people in the neighborhood. Elena was not nearly as self aware or confident. She lives in a state where she is constantly comparing herself to Lila and seeking gratification in her abilities relative to Lila. She consistently misreads most emotional situations, including those in her friendship with Lila, which places her at a marked disadvantage regardless of her book intelligence.
I look forward to re-reading the next three novels in the series and highly encourage you to as well.
Alexei Navalny was an opposition leader in Russia under Putin's government. He was poisoned (and survived!) but then imprisoned, and died in a Siberian prison in 2024 under what some say are mysterious circumstances. This memoir was published posthumously.
It's a memoir that begins very well with an engaging account of his childhood under USSR rule, but towards the end is an accumulation of his prison diaries and social media posts. It begins powerfully with his almost death by poisoning and his lengthy recovery in Germany. During his recovery, he finished the first two sections of this memoir. During the three years that follow, we learn of his increasing trials and transfers to increasingly strict prisons, which eventually end in his incarceration in Siberia. We learn of his health struggles and his 24 day (yes over three week long) hunger strike.
I think that this book is a powerful must read in the current political climate. In fact, I purchased it after the recent election here in the United States. Even in its "mish mashed" state, it is a powerful testament as to the strength of one man. I found it to be inspirational - he stuck to his belief system and led in spite of facing perhaps the most terrible thing that people could think of - a Siberian prison and a Russian dictator. He speaks in what I would describe as typical Eastern European tones - very direct, very to the point and somewhat rushed, so please don't expect flowery language. Sometimes it took a little bit for me to get through that because it's not my most favorite form of writing but it was still really effective.
Definitely a must read.
I hope that everyone celebrating had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This week I am looking to have two reviews up!
Happy Valentine's Day! I hope that everyone enjoyed the day and watching the Super Bowl. Ten Self Help books ranked. The best book...
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