"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing." -Scout Finch

One of my all time favorite books To Kill A Mockingbird turns 50 this year and, according to a recent New York Times article 'A Classic Turns 50, and Parties Are Planned', there are celebrations going on around the country this summer. We'll be reviewing this fantastic book at a later date (when I get around to rereading it for the gizillionth time, I'll probably cry again too) but until then if you haven't read it yet get out there and do it! This is the time, you won't regret it I swear. I'll even loan you a copy (I have three). And if anyone wants to head down to Alabama to read it on the steps of a courthouse, while we fan ourselves in the hot sun, I'm in.

The 100 Best Books: Movie Edition #1--The Quiet American

After reading The Quiet American by Graham Greene we decided to watch the 2002 movie based upon the book. Now, first of all, I love Michael Caine who plays Thomas Fowler and, second of all, I'm not a huuuuge fan of Brendan Frasier who plays Alden Pyle (for those of you who are lost refer to our reviews of The Quiet American below). Does this really pose a problem though? I liked the character of Fowler in the book and disliked Pyle so it should actually be beneficial that I felt the same about the actors playing them. Michael Caine rocked it (although I personally think he should have smoked more opium) and Brendan Frasier actually did a decent job, even though he didn't get across the naivety perfectly.

Overall, we felt that this was a decent adaptation of the book. It changed details here and there, like all adaptations must do, but with a few exceptions they were not harmful to the overall feel of the original content. One thing we did have a problem with was in the movie Fowler does not speak French. This cut down on the awkwardness of some key scenes. The combination of two characters from the book into one in the movie was also unsettling (for reasons I can't divulge, you'll just have to read the book to find out why...).

One way in which the movie actually improved upon the book was in the character of Phuong. She actually seemed to have a say in what happened to her in the movie, even if Pyle did try to turn her into an America. Some sort of affect of modern girl power? Maybe. It also had amazing scenery. Kinda makes you want to go to war torn Vietnam. Almost.

Finially, I would like to leave you with one of my favorite Michael Caine quotes:
"There's only two things I hate in this world. People who are intolerant of other people's cultures, and the Dutch."

Sons and Bummers

"Paul loved to sleep with his mother. Sleep is still most perfect, inspite of hygienists, when it is shared with a beloved."
Sons and Lovers; the story of one man's (Paul's) strangely possessive relationship with his mother and how that leads to the ruin of the lives around him. Since he cannot be with his mother he treats the other women in his life horribly because they are not her.

Readability: Prose wise this book is readable enough. It's a pretty quick read also, if the subject matter doesn't keep putting you to sleep like it did to me. It's long though, ooh god, so very long.

Enjoyability (is that a word?): I wanted to enjoy this book, I really did. I'd never read any D.H. Lawrence and this book had been sitting on my shelf for years (I believe the result of one of my frequent Goodwill book binges). It started out promising enough, seeming similar to many turn-of-the-century British novels about working, family, changing society etc. etc., and I was secretly hoping for a few Victorian style naughty passages, but alas this was not to be! Soon I became slightly concerned because nothing much seemed to be happening and eventually this concern turned into despair when I realized I still had hundreds of pages of this book left to read. Characters are introduced willy nilly and then are, just as suddenly, dropped, only to reappear hundreds of pages later, giving you no time to form an emotional attachment to them, the narrative just wanders with no sense of purpose, everything takes longer than it should and few of the characters have positive qualities. To sum it up...I did not enjoy this book.

Favorite quote(s): "To be rid of our individuality, which is our will, which is our effort-to live effortless, a kind of curious sleep-that is very beautiful, I think; that is our after-life-our immortality."--Not 100 % sure what that means but I kinda like it.

"Whatever spot he stood on, there he stood alone. From his breast, from his mouth, sprang the endless space, and it was there behind him, everywhere. The people hurrying along the streets offered no obstruction to the void in which he found himself. They were small shadows whose footsteps and voices could be heard, but in each of them the same night, the same silence. He got off the car. In the country all was dead still. Little stars shone high up; little stars spread far away in the flood-waters, a firmament below. Everywhere the vastness and terror of the immense night which is roused and stirred for a brief while by the day, but which returns, and will remain at last eternal holding everything in its silence and its living gloom. There was no Time, only Space."

Favorite character: No one. Seriously, all of the main characters are horrible.

Least favorite character: Paul, the main character, and Mariam, one of his love interests. They are horrible for/to each other, they know it and yet they keep torturing each other for years in a crazy love-hate relationship. Neither of them ends up with what they want (if they even knew) and neither of them ends up happy. It's just depressing.

Social impact: The back of my copy claims this book is, "the most widely-read English novel of the twentieth century." I don't know the accuracy of this statement, but I feel sorry for all those twentieth century readers if that's the case, because there are sooooo many better books out there. The greatest social impact I can see from this book is the way in which it deals with domestic abuse and the long lasting affects that can have on a family. All these characters are unlikeable and some of them can blame it on the way abuse manifests itself upon them. I suppose this is also a relatively confessional semi-autobiographical book. But what really happened and what was made up? And why do autobiographies often suck so very much?

Greatest impact: How much I disliked it. D.H. Lawrence wrote many 'classic' novels and this makes me question if I'll ever want to read any of them. Maybe Lady Chatterley's Lover is better eh? Anyone? Opinions?

Recommended for: People who enjoy well written narratives where nothing really ever happens and none of the characters are particularly likeable. It's like the movie Closer, on all accounts a well made movie with good acting, but I hated all of the characters and their actions and so I hated the movie.

Overall: This book is getting booted off of the list. I won't say I'm heartbroken because I'm sure there are far better contenders out there, bring 'em on!

PS. This picture of D.H. Lawrence looks creepily like I pictured Paul.