Anna Karenina

Title: Anna Karenina

Author: Leo Tolstoy

Pages: 968

Genre: Fiction, Classic, Russian Classic

Grade: A+

Synopsis: Anna is a modern Russian woman married to Karenin, but unsatisfied in her marriage.  She has an affair with Count Vronsky and things begin to unravel.

My Review: I found this book to be absolutely fantastic. I especially enjoyed reading the book alongside with a summary and analysis that allowed me to better understand the intentions and symbolism behind the story. It's hard to believe that this book was first published way back in the 1870's as many of Tolstoy's astute observations regarding religion and politics still rang true today.

Where the Red Fern Grows

Title: Where the Red Fern Grows

Author: Wilson Rawls

Pages: 272

Genre: Fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Billy worked and saved for two years for enough money to buy Little Ann and Big Dan. They were the best hunting dogs and companions that a boy could wish for. Night after night Billy and his dogs would go out hunting for raccoons and adventure.

My Review: We listened to this book on a road trip from Pittsburgh, to Buffalo, to Toronto, to Detroit, to Cleveland and back to Pittsburgh.  Kate had read it with her class last year and was excited to listen to the book again.  We all looked forward to when we would be driving and listening.  A great family read/listen!

Beloved

Title: Beloved

Author: Toni Morrison

Pages: 324

Genre: Fiction, Classic

Grade: B

Synopsis: Sethe was a pregnant slave with 3 kids who escaped to Ohio. While on the run she gave birth to another baby and made it to her husband's mother's home in Cincinnati. The story talks about the demons of slavery, Sethe's demons that she is always fighting and her relationship with the ghost of her daughter who was killed soon after she arrived in Ohio.

My Review: I actually listened to the audiobook, which was read by the author herself. I really struggled through the first part of the book, I enjoyed the middle part and I started to quite like the book by the end. The writing style of the book makes it difficult to always know what is really happening and what is just flowery prose. Once I started reading the book alongside a detailed summary everything started to make more sense and I enjoyed the book more.

Mansfield Park

Title: Mansfield Park

Author: Jane Austen

Pages: 381

Genre: Classic, Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Fanny Price is invited to live with her rich aunt, uncle and Bertram cousins at Mansfield Park when she is 10.  Her own mother married a drunk below her level and has been living in poverty with loads of children ever since.  Fanny was invited to Mansfield Park to help out and to help convince Mr. and Mrs. Bertram that they are good people who do good things. While Mr. Bertram is away with business dealings in Antigua, Mary and Henry Crawford arrive in the area and bring with them a culture of flirting and sometimes questionable actions.

My Review: I'll be honest, this was one tedious book to complete.  I began reading more than 2 months ago and although the book was only 381 pages, it felt more like 700.  This was my first Jane Austen book and went pretty much like I expected.  Big estates, rich people who sit around gossiping, paragraphs that span 2 pages, dinners, balls, carriage rides and everybody judging each other.  Let's just say that I am so glad that we are more easily able to forgive mistakes in this modern day, and that we are not judged on the actions of our siblings, although most of mine are O.K...

From the Book: "(pg.359, the first paragraph of the last chapter) Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery. I quit such odious subjects as soon as I can, impatient to restore everybody, not greatly in fault themselves, to tolerable comfort, and to have done with all the rest."

The Grapes of Wrath

Title: The Grapes of Wrath

Author: John Steinbeck

Pages: 479

Genre: Fiction, Classic, Pulitzer Prize

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The title of the book is pulled form the first verse of the Battle Hymn of the Republic: "He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored." This classic book about the great migration to California was first published in 1939 at the tail end of the Great Depression. The book follows the Joad family as they move from their farm in the dust bowl of Oklahoma to the promised land of California.  Conditions aren't much better in California as they find out that thousands of migrants are in camps and can't find steady work.  Those who can find work are barely working for enough to live on.  If they won't work for these wages, there are always other people who will.

My Review: I loved this book, but be prepared because it can be awfully depressing. At times the descriptive language gets a little flowery, but at the same time the descriptions make it easy to visualize the story as it moves along.

King Solomon's Mines

Title: King Solomon's Mines

Author: H. Rider Haggard

Pages: 264

Genre: Adventure, Classic

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This book was written in the space of just a couple of months as a result of a 5 shilling wager between two brothers. Haggard had bragged to his brother that he could write a better novel than Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. At first rejected by a few publishers, it was finally published in 1885 and became the year's best selling book with the publisher unable to keep the shelves stocked. With that preface, I was fairly intrigued by this book that I had never even heard of (it was a random pickup from the library shelves).

Allan Quatermain was an adventurer living in Durban (now a part of South Africa), he is approached by another white man with a request to help him track down his brother who had left on an expedition to try and find the fabled ancient mines of King Solomon. The excursion requires a dangerous trek across a long desert (remember, this is long before motorized vehicles or other modern conveniences) and the travelers are required to defend themselves against the natives, many who have never seen white men before.

My Review: I was surprised by this 19th century gem. It was surprisingly good for being the first African adventure book published in English.  The book was very engaging and imaginative and fulfilled my need for a good adventure book.

Of Mice and Men

Title: Of Mice and Men

Author: John Steinbeck

Pages: 103

Genre: Classic

Grade: B+

Synopsis: George and his friend Lennie have nothing in the world besides each other. They find work on a ranch in California's Salinas Valley where they plan to work in order to save money to one day have a small farm of their own.  However, as always seems to happen, they get into trouble because Lennie doesn't understand his own strength and has a heart bigger than his brain.

My Review: I'm surprised that I had never read this book.  Had I realized that it was a book that would be easy to read in a day or two I probably would have read it sooner. It's a great story, and one that will leave you thinking about it long after you put the book down.

The Count of Monte Cristo

Title: The Count of Monte Cristo

Author: Alexandre Dumas

Pages: 35 dics

Genre: Classic, Fiction

Grade: A

Synopsis: Edmond Dantes is betrayed by his friends and falsely accused of trying to help Napoleon escape from Elba.  He is arrested and sent to prison by an unjust judge where he spends many years confined alone in a dungeon of the prison.  After many years he escapes and find a fortune which he believes God has provided to allow him to extract revenge upon those who have wronged him.

My Review: I was a little nervous getting into the book.  I wasn't interested in reading a book with long unnecessary tangents (ala Les Miserables).  This book was published in the same time period and was absolutely fantastic.  Sometimes you read a classic and think to yourself, "How in the world is this book considered a classic?" (Obviously because of English teachers who are out to get the students).  Other times, after reading a book, it is obvious why it has stood the test of time. This is one of the latter.  A fantastic book!

For Whom the Bell Tolls

Title: For Whom the Bell Tolls

Author: Ernest Hemingway

Pages: 16 discs

Genre: Classic

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Robert Jordan is an American in the International Brigades and is in the mountains of Spain working with an antifascist guerrilla unit during the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930's. Robert Jordan is an explosives technician and needs to put together a team of guerrilla fighters that he can trust to help him blow up a critical bridge at the start of a battle. While entrenched in the mountains, Jordan falls in love with the beautiful Maria, a young Spanish girl.

My Review: I love to be pleasantly surprised by a classic novel that I end up really enjoying. I love Hemingway's honest writing that seems to expose the characters. In this book, I really liked the Spanish phrases interspersed with the English writing, even though I don't speak Spanish.  It helped to remind me about where this book what set.

Les Miserables

Title: Les Miserables

Author: Victor Hugo

Pages: 48 discs

Genre: Classic

Grade: B

Synopsis: Jean Valjean is a convict working in the chain gang.  Upon his release he is shunned and treated poorly due to his low status as an ex-con.  A priest takes compassion on him and lets him stay the night in his house. Valjean seizes this opportunity to rob him, but is caught and returned to the priest for identification. The priest claims the items were s gift, which inspires Valjean to change his life and live honestly.

My Review: Most people know the story of Les Miserables (between the musical and the movie), which do a pretty good job of capturing the main points.  What I really enjoyed about the book was the extra depth that was included in the text (which is expected in a book of this length). The characters are so well developed and the story is so intricate, that I felt like I was really getting to know these characters.  I could have done without the lengthy diatribes and tangents. Typically I am staunchly in favor of only reading non-abridged books, but in this case, an abridgment might actually improve the book (i.e. removing Hugo's tangents). Generally the book was enjoyable.

The Great Gatsby

Title: The Great Gatsby

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Pages: 180

Genre: Classic, Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Jay Gatsby is fabulously wealthy, owns a home on Long Island and hosts huge parties nearly every weekend in the summer.  Gatsby is trying to catch the eye of Daisy Buchanan, his love and obsession, but who is married to the rich and snobbish Tom Buchanan. Imagine Gatsby's luck when her cousin moves into a small bungalow next to his mansion.  He befriends her cousin, Nick Carraway, in an effort to lure Daisy back into his life.

My Review: Alison and I watched the new Gatsby movie which inspired me to re-read this classic, which I had last read in High School.  The movie followed the book fairly well and did a good job for me of visualizing the excesses of the Jazz Age and Roaring 20's here in the US.  The book is great, some classics are hard to identify with, I don't think that this is one of them.

A Tale of Two Cities

Title: A Tale of Two Cities

Author: Charles Dickens

Pages: 382

Genre: Fiction, Classic

Grade: B

Synopsis: The book starts in the year 1775 leading up to the French Revolution, which began in 1789.  The book starts with Dr. Manette being released from the Bastille prison, where he was falsely held to cover up a rape and murder more than 18 year before.  His daughter comes to Paris to escort him home before the story turns to the gentlemen courting his daughters, the brutality of the French aristocrats and the frenzy of the revolution.

My Review: This is a hard book to summarize as there is a lot that goes on in this book.  At times it was hard to follow and at other times the story was exciting.  I think this is a book that I would enjoy more after a second reading.

East of Eden

Title: East of Eden

Author: John Steinbeck

Pages: 21 discs

Genre: Fiction, Classic

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Adam Trask moves into the Salinas valley in California with his pregnant wife where he buys a large plot of land and is looking forward to living out his days as a family man with his wife and twin sons.  Adam and his wife Cathy come from very different backgrounds.  Adam begrudgingly served for years in the army (to appease his father), while Cathy murdered her parents and had been a prostitute (neither fact of which Adam knew).  Adam becomes close friends with Sam Hamilton and others in the Salinas valley.  After Mr. Hamilton helps to deliver the twins, Cathy runs away from home to start another life.

My Review:  It is unfortunate to narrow down a book of this scope and magnitude to a single paragraph synopsis, because there is a whole lot that goes on in the book.  Steinbeck has a particular penchant for describing the characters hearts and desires, so that you feel like you are quite familiar with each of the characters in the book. I'm not terribly familiar with Steinbeck's books (having only previously read Tortilla Flat and The Pearl), but this book went into surprising places and unexpected stories.  I found myself really enjoying it.

Oliver Twist

Title: Oliver Twist

Author: Charlie Dicken

Pages: 496

Genre: Fiction, Classic

Grade: B

Synopsis: Little Oliver is abandoned at a young age and forced to live as an orphan.  The Orphanage keeps the kids on such meager rations that they are all nearly starving.  Oliver runs away from the orphanage and makes his way into London where he finds food and lodging with a group of pickpockets and swindlers.  Due to Oliver's exquisitely fair and honest complexion, Fagin and the artful Dodger are intent on corrupting Oliver and reeling him into the business, while Oliver, in his heart desires to be a good and honest lad.

My Review:  I enjoyed listening to this book and there were only a few times when I found my mind wandering while the narrator droned on during the dryer portions of the book.  When this book was published, it caused quite a stir as the book dives into some of London's dirty secrets. Sometimes when you read a classic you finish the book wondering why or how that particular book is a classic.  This story is interesting and engaging enough that that is not the case.

Silas Marner

Title: Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe

Author: George Eliot

Pages: 6 discs

Genre: Classic

Grade: B+

Synopsis: After being falsely accused of theft, the weaver Silas Marner moves to the town of Raveloe where he becomes known as a reclusive weaver.  He works hard and hordes his money, obsessing and counting his gold every evening.  As luck would have it his gold is stolen and not too long thereafter a young golden-haired toddler shows up in his cottage.  Silas believes the child is a replacement of his missing gold.

My Review:  The book starts a little slow and clumsily (I had to check sparknotes a couple of times to make sure that I was understanding the plot), but once the book enters the middle third, the story is very enjoyable and interesting.  I loved the insight into Marner's thoughts and feelings that Eliot gives in her narrative.  The book was more enjoyable than I expected for having been published 151 years ago.

The Pickwick Papers

Title: The Pickwick Papers

Author: Charles Dickens

Pages: 24 discs (Read 10 1/2)

Genre: Classic

Grade: D

Synopsis:  Mr. Samuel Pickwick is a retired businessman and bachelor that is ready to do a little traveling and have some adventures.  He forms the Pickwick Club and he and is fellow Pickwickians form a corresponding society to report back about their journeys and travels. 

My Review: Well,  this may not be fair because I actually didn't finish the book.  I don't remember the last time that I didn't finish a book, but this one was so long, it had been checked out from library for more than 2 months and I just didn't have it in me to keep trudging.  Generally, this book is well-liked, but I found it quite dry (with a little bit of humor here and there) and I had a hard time following along.  A few times I reviewed summaries of the chapters to get a better idea of the plot, but I was never sucked in to the stories.  If I make it through my current 'to-read' list, and once I've read a few of Dickens' other works then I'm willing to give this one another shot.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Title: Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Author: Thomas Hardy

Pages: 14 discs?

Genre: Classic, Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: This is the tragic story of Tess Durbeyfield, a young girl who was the virtuous victim of the rigid Victorian moral code from the time.  Once Tess' family finds out that they are of a noble lineage, Tess Durbeyfield is sent to make a plea for help to a wealthy family in the area with the ancestral name of D'Urberville. 

My Review:  It took me a bit of time to get into this book and understand what was going on.  I found myself checking SparkNotes to read a synopsis of the early chapters.  Oddly enough, once I understood what was happening, I found that I enjoyed this book more than I had expected to.  I found that the book helped me to examine my personal relationships and how I judge people. 

This Side of Paradise

Title: This Side of Paradise

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Pages: 6 discs

Genre: Classic

Grade: B-

Synopsis: F. Scott Fitzgerald's first novel was also his most popular during his life.  The book was published just a few years after the conclusion of World War I and quickly became a symbol of the excesses and restlessness of the young people during the Roaring Twenties.  The novel follows the rich, young Princeton student, Amory Blaine.  Amory is a self-absorbed egotist obsessed with his image and creating a name for himself.

My Review:  I found this book to be quite boring and simply uninteresting.  Not much happens and there didn't seem to be anything in the story that is meant to grab you and keep your interest. 

Crime and Punishment

Title: Crime and Punishment

Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky

Pages: 542

Genre: Russian Classic

Grade: B

Synopsis: Originally published in 1866, the story is about the law-student Raskolnikov who devises a theory about how great men may sometimes be above the law as the benefits they provide to society far outweigh any of their misdeeds. Raskolnikov, who is very poor, murders an old pawnbroker and her kinder sister. The remainder of the book focuses on the penetrating psychological analysis that Raskolnikov undertakes to try and clear his conscience.

My Review: While not exactly a page-turner, the book turns out to be a fascinating look inside the head of the young criminal. The entire story is extremely believable as we follow Raskonikov as he interacts with his family, friends and the police investigators. Can we ever find redemption of our own missteps through personal suffering?

From the Book: "(p. 288) We always imagine eternity as something beyond our conception, something vast, vast! But why must it be vast? Instead of all that, what if it's one little room, like a bath house in the country, black and grimy and spiders in every corner. and that's all eternity is? I sometimes fancy it like that."

"(p. 327) "That is all about the raising of Lazarus," she whispered severely and abruptly, and turning away she stood motionless, not daring to raise her eyes to him. She still trembled feverishly. The candle-end was flickering out in the battered candle-stick, dimly lighting up the poverty-stricken room the murderer and the harlot who had so strangely been reading together the eternal book. Five minutes or more passed."

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Title: One Hundred Years of Solitude

Author: Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Pages: 448

Genre: Latin, Classic

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The story is about 100 years in the small Latin American town of Macondo, founded by Jose Arcadio Buendia. For the next 100 years, his family lives in the town as it grows and changes. For six generations, the children are named after their ancestors and are blessed and cursed with the same passions, desires, strengths and weaknesses of those who have gone before them.

My Review: I quite enjoyed the book, but found it very difficult at first to distinguish between the main characters as all the boys are either named Arcadio or Aurelianos and all the women are named Remedios, Amaranta or Ursula. While the book covers a century, every chapter is a different story that is expertly woven into the fabric of the book as a whole, such as the visits of the gypsies, a town plagued with insomnia and one of the girls ascending to heaven while she hangs her laundry.

Disclaimer: As is often the case with the classics, this book does not shy away from sex or violence, although descriptions are never graphic (Although, apparently, the men of the Buendia family are distinguished by large members...).

From the Book: "A trickle of blood came out under the door, crossed the living room, went out into the street, continued on in a straight line across the uneven terraces, went down steps and climbed over curbs, passed along the Street of the Turks, turned a corner to the right and another to the left, made a right angle at the Buendía house, went in under the closed door, crossed through the parlor, hugging the walls so as not to stain the rugs, went on to the other living room, made a wide curve to avoid the dining-room table, went along the porch with the begonias, and passed without being seen under Amaranta's chair as she gave an arithmetic lesson to Aureliano José, and went through the pantry and came out in the kitchen, where Úrsula was getting ready to crack thirty-six eggs to make bread.

"Holy Mother of God!" Úrsula shouted."