Whoosh
8 years ago
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
The penultimate book for my classics challenge is 'Little Women'. A funny incident made me select this book. I was watching an episode of the popular TV series 'Friends' where Rachael asks Joey to read a classic named 'Little Women'. Joey immediately springs up with the question ' Rach, how little were they" .
Jokes apart, when I picked this book , the first thing that struck me was its size -it was nearly the size of my pillow ...infact thicker. After reading 'Animal Farm' just a few weeks earlier which hardly spanned to 100 pages, this book was my 'Everest'. However reading a classic is always wonderful no matter how long it takes and so I went ahead with it.
The book clearly stands for all that Louisa Alcott was - a feminist , an abolitionist and a bread winner for the family .The book is set in the American Civil war period and revolves around the lives of four young sisters and the triumphs and hardships faced by them. The book is so simple , refreshing and a delight to read. The first few chapters of the book characterizes the March sisters (namely Meg,Jo, Beth and Amy) to perfection that you would feel like you've known them forever.
Jokes apart, when I picked this book , the first thing that struck me was its size -it was nearly the size of my pillow ...infact thicker. After reading 'Animal Farm' just a few weeks earlier which hardly spanned to 100 pages, this book was my 'Everest'. However reading a classic is always wonderful no matter how long it takes and so I went ahead with it.
The book clearly stands for all that Louisa Alcott was - a feminist , an abolitionist and a bread winner for the family .The book is set in the American Civil war period and revolves around the lives of four young sisters and the triumphs and hardships faced by them. The book is so simple , refreshing and a delight to read. The first few chapters of the book characterizes the March sisters (namely Meg,Jo, Beth and Amy) to perfection that you would feel like you've known them forever.
The central theme of this book is the importance of family in a person's life. In every other page the author would have stressed the need of family and the comfort that a family brings to you. In this book , the March sisters are portrayed to be truly altruistic beings. They are so selfless that they are willing to sacrifice anythin for their parents'or sibling's happiness.
The book begins when the girls are barely in their teens and are brought up by their caring,practical and strong willed mom. The story unfurls into how each of them go their different ways, pursue the profession they want and ultimately find the man of their dreams.However the setting is not always merry and jubilant. The girls are made to face testing times with their dad hurt in the war , with a sibling in her death bed and poverty. However through all this they find comfort and support in each other.
This book is one of the best classics i have read. Louisa wrote this book for 'girls' based on the experiences of her childhood. It might not be very romantic or flowery as other classics , however it carries a strong theme that makes it worthwhile.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Classics have always been my personal favourite and in my 'growing up' years I remember being totally intrigued by Jane Austen's works. There was a time when I was engulfing so many classics as it transported me to a world so different than mine. However after a while the number of classics read started dwindling to a point where I forgot how it feels to read one . To re kindle my love for classics I have joined the Classics Challenge hosted by Trish .
I have opted for the 'Classics Snack' where I need to read 4 classics by the end of the year .
My list so far (subject to change) :
1. Animal Farm - George Orwell
2. Anne of Green Gables - L.M.Montgomery
3. Little Women -Alcott
4. (Thinking which one to choose ...suggestions are welcome )
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Animal Farm by George Orwell is a novel which provides an unique insight into the Russian Revolution of 1917. Orwell in a very creative manner analogizes human traits and raw animal characteristics. He conveys that how greed , ignorance and all the negative factors can prevent us from creating an Utopian World.
The book starts off with how all the animals in 'Manor Farm' decide to drive out their master because they felt they were being treated cruelly. The animals got together and framed 7 commandments that they would follow once they ruled the farm themselves. After successfully de -throning the master , the pig named Napoleon takes full charge of the farm. Napolean the pig actually depicts the traits of Joseph Stalin.
Napoleon becomes a total tyrant and he becomes a self proclaimed leader. He disillusions the other animals into thinking that their lives were much more relaxed , while in reality they were actually stressed . In a very tricky manner he amends the 7 commandments and fools the gullible animals. The highlight is when he amends the commandment 'All animals are equal' to 'All animals are equal but some animals are more in equal' . He uses this commandment to his complete advantage and all the pigs start misusing their power and start behaving like humans.
The book amazes me because of the fact that in 150 pages, Orwell communicates such a heavy topic in a light herated manner using animals that talk . It is indeed ingenious. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes classics. This book would be my second entry for the Classics challenge hosted by Trish .
Thursday, June 04, 2009
My next stop for the orbis terrarum challenge would be in the land of the maple leaf - Canada! I read the book "Anne of Green Gables" based on the rave reviews that I have been reading about it. I was quite surprised that in my school years I had not come across this series.
Anne of Green Gables is the first book of this series and Maud's style of writing is indeed laudable
The book revolves around the life of Anne Shirley who is an orphaned child and comes to live with the brother sister duo ,Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. Within the first few pages of the book, I fell in love with the extremely affable and gregarious Anne. Anne is so full of life, our typical day dreamer and a person you could not resist liking. Anne was adopted by the Cuthberts by accident since they were looking for a helper boy and not a chatty , dreamy girl. However Anne being her usual amicable self , found a place in the Cuthbert's home. The rest of the book is about how well Anne fits in the Green gables household.
There are parts of the book that made me want to go back to the secure comfort of being a 11 year old child. A phase where you could dream about anything and everything without wondering if they would ever come true. Maud brings to life the desires, whims and fancies of a child. She amuses you with Anne's antics and quirks.Apparently , Mark Twain wrote to Montgometry that in Anne Shirley she had created " the dearest and most lovable child in fiction since the immortal Alice"
This book is definitely very 'Enid Blytonish' and for all those who grew up reading her books, am sure you'll like this book too. I regret to have not read this book at a younger age where would have related to it more. However better late than never ...this book definitely wins my 2 cents :)
;;
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
