Charlotte Bronte vs. Jane Austen

I am now reading "The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte," a fiction by Syrie James written through the eyes of Charlotte Bronte as she and her sisters are embarking on their literary careers. A good part of the book also focuses on her romance (or lack of, so far) with Arthur Bell Nichols, the man she eventually married.

The part of the book I want to focus on now though is the appendix, which might seem strange but I have good reason for doing so. It includes several letters of Charlotte's which the author used to aid her research. The one that caught my eye was a letter Charlotte wrote about her opinion of Jane Austen's "Emma." Personally, I think it's amazing and would like to share some of it with you:

     "...what sees keenly, speaks aptly, moves flexibly, it suits her [Austen] to study, but what throbs fast and full, though hidden, what the blood rushes through... this Miss Austen ignores... if this is heresy- I cannot help it."

Earlier in the letter, Charlotte also says that "the Passions are perfectly unknown" to Austen and that "even to the Feelings she vouchsafes no more than an occasional graceful but distant recognition."

To clarify, I love Jane Austen and greatly admire her works. But I have to admit that I enjoy watching movies based on her novels more than actually reading them. Why? Because I can emotionally connect with the characters the way they are portrayed in the films better than I can on the page. Reading Austen, I can't feel Darcy's love for Elizabeth emanating from his entire being the way I can when Colin Firth's eyes burn a hole through my screen.

Despite the dramatic and far-fetched love story in Bronte's "Jane Eyre" (how many governesses actually married their employers in those days?), I can't put the book down. Jane and Mr. Rochester's quiet love for each other and desperation when they realize that they can't be together are so palpable that it brings tears to my eyes. That is the passion and feeling that are missing in Austen's work.

Comments?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson is one of the most compelling novels I've read. Now, I have to say that I am not usually one to jump on the bandwagon of international best-sellers. Not that I think best-sellers are bad, but sometimes I'm just too much of a book snob to resign myself to reading what everyone else is reading, too. But "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" deserves the widespread accolade it has been receiving. The plot moves at the perfect pace, the characters are well-developed (especially Lisbeth Salander) and the novel thrills while also bringing up gritty yet socially pertinent issues.

Since most of you have probably already read the book or had the plot explained to you dozens of times by enthusiastic friends (such as myself), I won't go into a full plot description. Instead, I am curious what you think about the book or movie if you saw the recent Swedish film version of the novel. After watching the movie with Eli, we talked for hours about justice, a theme brought up particularly in one scene. As disturbing as this scene was, it depicted a harsh reality that I had never really stopped to think about. It was sombering and horrifying at the same time.

What are your thoughts?

36 Arguments for the Existence of God

Yes, I am finally writing another review, and I'm really coming back with a bang this time! I recently finished "36 Arguments for the Existence of God" by Rebecca Goldstein and was that an interesting read or what.

First, to give a little background of the author-- Rebecca Goldstein got her Ph.D. in philosophy from Princeton University and is married to Steven Pinker, the well-known experimental psychologist/cognitive scientist/author of popular science. If you'd like to watch a video of Pinker interviewing his wife on her book, Amazon has it posted here under "Check Out Related Media." 

Now, to talk about the book itself-- "36 Arguments" is a work of fiction, not a non-fictional work trying to argue for or against the existence of God as the title may suggest. Goldstein's atheistic beliefs and Jewish upbringing clearly influenced the themes in the novel. "36 Arguments" contains many satirical elements referring to religion, science, and how people wrestle within these arenas. Since this is the sort of book I'm more interested in sharing my opinion about than summarizing the plot for, here is a snippet from the book's jacket just to give you an idea of what it's all about:

"At the center: Cass Seltzer, a professor of psychology whose book, The Varieties of Religious Illusion, has become a surprise best seller. He’s been dubbed 'the atheist with a soul,' and his sudden celebrity has upended his life. He wins over the stunning Lucinda Mandelbaum–'the goddess of game theory'–and loses himself in a spiritually expansive infatuation. A former girlfriend appears: an anthropologist who invites him to join in her quest for immortality through biochemistry. But he is haunted by reminders of the two people who ignited his passion to understand religion: his teacher Jonas Elijah Klapper, a renowned literary scholar with a suspicious obsession with messianism, and an angelic six-year-old mathematical genius, heir to the leadership of an exotic Hasidic sect. The rush of events in a single dramatic week plays out Cass’s conviction that the religious impulse spills out into life at large."

I felt empty after finishing "36 Arguments." It was well-written and had wonderfully developed characters, but the content was disappointing to me. The middle of the book lagged and there was a major inconsistency with the main character towards the end (who just forgets they're going to debate a Nobel Laureate at Harvard?!).

Even though I am not an atheist, I was intrigued to read a book from the perspective of a fictional character called "the atheist with a soul." Cass is a somewhat relatable guy to read about, but I didn't find him as likable as he may portrayed to be. To me, he came off as a man still searching for the answers in the wrong places (case in point: his infatuation with the self-obsessed Lucinda). And when towards the end of the book he debates someone on the existence of God, he uses an argument against Christianity that really irks me. From my perspective, it portrayed his own selfishness in a whole new light. 

But I would love to hear what you think! This book invites reflection and spurs discussion on realms central to human existence. Read the book and it's appendix, and you'll see why. 

Where is... Lauren?

Today I realized that it has been more than a month since my last post! I'm not sure who's reading this or if anyone really cares about my absence from the world of blogging, but I care. I love being able to get my thoughts out somewhere instead of keeping them jumbled in my brain. Thus my reasoning for almost daily reciting out loud my to-do list to my husband (sorry, honey!).

My lack of presence in the blogosphere can be attributed to the fact that I'm now working two jobs as well as volunteering pretty regularly at my local Ten Thousand Villages. All good stuff just not the best as far as allowing me time to read and blog!

So, to give a quick update, I am currently almost halfway through "Germinal" by Emile Zola. That might not sound like a lot but this is thick literature in both the intellectual and physical senses (my paperback version is 497 pages). I won't give a synopsis yet but I will say that this book has begun to open my eyes to the horrible working conditions of the lower class in mines during the Industrial Revolution. You always hear about how horrendous the factories and mines were during that age, but I do not think you can completely grasp that concept until you read a detailed account of it.

"Germinal" is fictional but based on Zola's keen observations of the conditions of mining workers. Over and over I find myself cringing as I read, blown away by what these people put up with. All you unhappy employees, read this book and you'll be feeling much happier about your job. I guarantee it.

Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter

This was one of the fastest and most fun reads I've had in awhile. In "Service Included," Phoebe Damrosch writes about her life as one of the only female captains (a.k.a. waitresses) at the posh restaurant Per Se in New York City. Her knowledge of food was impressive and it was obvious that she's passionate about serving people some of the best food they will ever have in their lifetimes. As a former waitress, this book was very relatable. I've read a few memoirs by women who at one point in their lives claimed this underappreciated profession as their own, but I think that "Service Included" was my favorite for its brutal honesty and peek into a world so unlike my own.

Per Se is only one of renowned chef Thomas Keller's dining ventures. He also owns The French Laundry in California as well as Bouchon Bistro and Bouchon Bakery with locations in Las Vegas, New York and California. To say the least, Keller has been very successful.

Honestly, I don't know how Phoebe was hired to work at Per Se with her only experience being two stints working in smaller bistros in Brooklyn. I'm guessing that her wit and smooth talking had something to do with it. Some may think her narration is annoying because of her strong liberal leanings and heavy sarcasm, but I enjoyed it. Granted I don't agree with all of her opinions, but I can appreciate her sincerity and passion. 

"Service Included" is not only career-related to Phoebe's life. It also follows her love life as a single 20-something in New York City. Eventually, she starts going out with Andre, a sommelier (if you don't know what that is, it's the resident wine expert of a restaurant). Since they both work at Per Se, they have a lot in common and seem to have chemistry. You'd have to read the book to find out what happens between them, but I will say that I didn't really like his character despite Phoebe's obvious love for him.

"Service Included" made me miss the restaurant business. When Phoebe described the pumping adrenaline her job brought her and the satisfaction of finishing a shift at two in the morning, it reminded me of my walks home after working at my town's local cafe with my hard-earned tips snug in my pocket. Despite the daily demanding customers and usually thankless work, there is still nothing like working as a waitress and the rush it brings.

Cheerful Weather for the Wedding

"Cheerful Weather for the Wedding" by little-known Julia Strachey was originally published in 1932 but has been sorely overlooked until it was reprinted last year as a Persephone Classics paperback. I honestly had never heard of Strachey but after reading the following snippet of a description of the novel, I was intrigued:

"Waylaid by the sulking admirer who lost his chance with her, an astonishingly oblivious mother, and her own sinking dread, the bride-to-be struggles to reach the altar with the help of a bottle of rum" (taken from the back cover of the 2009 print).

This bride-to-be is Dolly, a privileged young woman preparing to marry the Hon. Owen Bigham and follow him to South America where he is in the diplomatic service. The novel takes place all in one day, Dolly's wedding day.

"Cheerful Weather" is in turns amusing and somber. Dolly's family are ridiculous characters that produce quite a few laughs with their silly antics. The somber part is that Dolly obviously is not in love with the man that she's about to marry and must drink almost a full bottle of rum before she can bring herself to walk down the aisle.

The "sulking admirer" is Joseph who Dolly spent a euphoric summer with on his private boat. Joseph never declared his love for Dolly though and struggles with this fact throughout the book. If you have ever liked someone but not had the guts to tell them so, you will easily relate to Joseph's troubles.

Strachey wrote only two novels, "Cheerful Weather" and "The Man on the Pier." She led a very interesting life, working as a model, photographer and writer. She married two times, each one ending badly. Besides her novels, Strachey also wrote an autobiography with her best friend Frances Partridge.

I fairly enjoyed this small novel at 119 pages. There were Virginia Woolf-esque descriptions, laugh-out-loud sections and romantic intrigue, enough to keep me turning the pages. The one thing that just didn't fit was a surprise thrown in towards the end that in some ways shed more light on the main character but with such blurry details that it was more of a shock than anything else.

Although this was by no means my favorite novel, it was well worth reading for its excellent character studies and apt descriptions of the time. I may even have to check out Strachey's autobiography "Julia: A Portrait of Julia Strachey" to find out more about the eccentric woman behind the novel.

Beg, Borrow, Steal: A Writer's Life

 

Michael Greenberg, a columnist for the Times Literary Supplement, produced a very entertaining and at times poignant book when he compiled stories from his Freelance column to create "Beg, Borrow, Steal: A Writer's Life." Each of the 44 chapters is a short story approximately 4 pages long, making this book quite a fast read.

The title and artistic rendering of a book on the cover are what first caught my eye and convinced me to pick this book up. I was led to believe from the description on its jacket that it had more to do with Greenberg's life as a writer as opposed to his personal life. After reading a few stories though, I found this to be incorrect. "Beg, Borrow, Steal" are the writings of someone who is inspired by the occurrences in a New York City resident's life as well as by the Big Apple itself. Only a handful of the chapters actually pertain to his life as a writer, which includes the at times hilarious "Everything I Hate in Fiction," a relatable tale for every writer of being utterly rejected by an editor.

Even though the stories didn't have as much to say about the technicalities of writing as I expected, I still enjoyed them thoroughly. One of my favorites was "Dachshund" about Greenberg's dog named Eli (a name I have a particular affinity for). The story follows Greenberg day by day as he tries to find a new home for his furry friend due to Eli's dislike of children, which does not exclude Greenberg's 4-year-old son.

Another funny story was "The Importance of Pronouns," a story about the night Greenberg's wife brings home a transexual coworker for dinner. Greenberg sets about taking vigorous notes on their visitor in order to "get his language right" and is promptly told that it is "her" not "his" (thus the title). 

There is the occasional poignant story as well including accounts of his difficult relationships with his father and brothers, his divorce, new marriage and daughter's manic breakdown. After reading "Beg, Borrow, Steal," you feel like you've really come to know the author as not only a writer but also as a father, husband, brother, son and friend. Greenberg is a writer to take note of for his honestly portrayed compelling tales.

The Elephant Keeper

I just finished another one of the many books I received for Christmas called "The Elephant Keeper" by Christopher Nicholson. Of its 298 pages, I enjoyed maybe 294 of them. I will explain.

The book is about a stable boy, Tom Page, who begins raising two elephants for his master when they are bought for the family estate. Tom forms a special bond with the elephants and names them Jenny and Timothy. For reasons later revealed, Timothy does not stay in the picture for long but Jenny becomes an inseparable friend to Tom.

I read a great Amazon customer review that compared "The Elephant Keeper" to "Black Beauty" by Anne Sewell, one of my favorite books growing up. Both novels follow an animal's life closely as it moves from place to place and the hardships that come in its way. The big difference between the two though is that "Black Beauty" is told from the animal's point of view while "The Elephant Keeper" is from the perspective of the animal's trainer. "Black Beauty" rings so thoroughly with sincerity that the reader easily forgets it is a horse who is narrating. "The Elephant Keeper," however, is harder to believe even though it's from a human's point of view.

Despite some inconsistencies in Tom's character and a rather slow-moving plot, I really enjoyed this book. That is until the last chapter. In this chapter, the author proceeds to try to wrap up the tale in a bizarrely confusing way. I reread it just to make sure I hadn't missed something, but no, I hadn't. It really just didn't make sense.

One of the most frustrating things to me as a reader is when the author doesn't finish a novel well. It's as if they just gave up despite all the hard work they put into writing the book in the first place. I groaned with despair and threw "The Elephant Keeper" onto the ground after finishing it. And I then began to unload on my husband everything Nicholson and his editor had done wrong with the ending. It's my opinion they could have cut out the entire last chapter and it would have been a much better book. But maybe that's just me.

If you want some other opinions on "The Elephant Keeper," check out these reviews by the Washington Post and The Independent.