Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Caution, spoilers.

That's right, this is a book! I'd seen the animated film as a kid, and, while it was certainly not amongst my favorites, I couldn't pass up the book when I saw it the other day.

I really enjoyed the style and tone of this book. It was written in a very classic storyteller's voice, in my opinion, and I really enjoyed that. Plus, it just felt very turn-of-the-century / Edwardian era, and that's something everyone loves. The actual story was pretty close to the film version, though with decidedly more violence and death. I never cared for the movie as a child, so the book certainly isn't lighting my world on fire now, but I'm very glad to have read it, and I would recommend it just for that, even if you don't like Peter Pan. 

Bite Size Book Rec #2

Who: Fans of classic literature, social novels, England, E. M. Forster, or modernism.

What: Howards End by E. M. Forster

When: Now! And always! Go forth!

Where: Your favorite book reading spot...I like my bed, with some tea.

Why: Because it is awesome! The language, the study of human understanding, the everything! Ah, it might be the greatest book ever written!

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Caution, spoilers.

I read this for one of my English courses, and I loved it! I highly recommend this, both as an English major and purely for pleasure reading.

What I Liked:

• The language! It's so beautiful, really. Beautiful and terrible, but so eloquent and poignant. I find it especially interesting as English was apparently Conrad's third language. 
• Kurtz! I found Kurtz a fascinating character, really, something about the self and the darkness and his soul. I cannot even explain myself. 
• The message! I don't know what it is, but works with happy take-aways do not do it for me. Nothing like good old-fashioned "inherent darkness of humanity" to really get me going. 
• The resonance! I feel like this is one of those things to transcend time, you know? This message, of nightmares and darkness will always be relevant, and I feel like Conrad has so eloquently expressed it that his work will be read long after everyone has forgotten about places like the Congo and England and we all live on the moon or something. 

Final Thoughts:

• I loved reading this. It's so literary, and I feel like so much analysis can be done, but I also really enjoyed the plot and the language on a personal, pleasurable level. 
• Fair warning, I revel in the macabre, but if you are faint-hearted, be warned, this piece does contain graphic scenes. 
• Apocalypse Now does not do this work justice, in my opinion. Not to say that it was a bad movie, just that I feel like it doesn't capture the many layers of Conrad's piece. Basically, don't think that you don't need to read Heart of Darkness because you've seen the movie, and don't think that if you disliked that movie that you will necessarily dislike Conrad's original. 

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

*This review contains spoilers.*

I adore the Bronte sisters, so, in the tradition of reviewing classic literature for pleasure reading, I perused Charlotte's lesser known novel: Villette. If you don't know, Charlotte is my third favorite Bronte sister, but I was still expecting greatness because I did enjoy Jane Eyre, even if not as much as Wuthering Heights. 

I loved the character of Lucy Snowe very much. Her habit of being out of the way, the manner in which she never feels real, never feels like she partakes in life and instead sits aside and observes is so me it's scary. Believe me, I appreciate the passion and vivacity of Cathy and Heathcliff, or the pride and combattiveness of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, but I identify so much more with Lucy's character. For her alone, I recommend the book.

I also really enjoyed the  romance of John Graham Bretton and Paulina; it was adorable how it morphed from her childlike fascination to his adult infatuation.

Speaking of, how everyone kept turning up in each other's lives was marvelous and so beautifully done.

Also, the backstory and plotting around Paul Emmanuel, my God was that juicy! I mean, wow, I was floored at how intricate and mysterious it was.

I also found myself continually intrigued by the veins of Catholic vs. Protestant and French vs. English that came across in the novel, from a sociological standpoint. (Protestant and English came off the better, in case you're wondering.)

The love story. Oh, the love story. Honestly, I can't see it. I don't get it. One minute, Paul is a cantankerous blowhard who needs his ego stroked and his presence pandered too, and Lucy hates him (as I did), and then she finds herself in love with him and he with her...I just don't get this part of the book. That may be me, and you might enjoy the love story.

Also, the love story of Ginevra Fanshawe and Count Alfred de Hamal...priceless.

I enjoyed this book a lot, but then again I really love Victorian novels and the Brontes already, so I can't speak objectively on the merits of this book in particular. Nonetheless, I would recommend it.

The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson

*This review contains spoilers.*

In my tradition of reviewing classic literature for the casual reader, I read The Black Arrow Robert Louis Stevenson, who also wrote Treasure Island.

Essentially, it's the trials and tribulations of Richard Shelton, a young squire who is trying to avenge his father and rescue his love, Joanna, all while avoiding death at the hands of either Yorkists or Lancastrians during the tumultuous times of the Wars of the Roses.

The book had a decent pace, and I finished it fairly quickly for a non-contemporary novel. I really liked the Medieval feel the dialogue was given, though I could take or leave the author's habit of occasionally breaking the fourth wall to remind the reader of something.

The book was a lot of action and scheming, but there was some humor at the end, in the character of Alicia Risingham. I think her character was there for the comedic element, but I didn't really get the joke, so I didn't care for her or her sections of the book at all. At the beginning the love story fell flat for me, but towards the end, I really liked Richard/Joanna, especially how bold he was in openly declaring his feelings for her.

I also liked the history of the time period, and the way Stevenson put in Richard III in the end. However, if you're unfamiliar with Shakespeare of English history, a lot of the ending may be confusing for you.

I don't want to say that I didn't like the book, but I don't want to say I liked it either...it was okay, I suppose. There wasn't enough character depth for me to really, truly be invested in the character...I wanted Richard to win and get back Joanna because he's our protagonist, not because I felt for his plight.

I recommend picking this up only if you have nothing else to read and want to read something, or you really, really enjoy English history.

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

I know I haven't done a book review in a while, but I want to review this because no one ever really reviews books outside of the contemporary timeline in a "just for fun" way as opposed to a way that assumes that you read it for a class of some kind. So, I'm going to! Yay!

I was hesitant to pick this up, only because I don't like to read long books if I don't know for certain that it's good, but I did, and it was amazing!

This was a very rich and complex narrative, written as an investigation of sorts, alternating between the narratives and diaries of the characters and reports by various minor person.

This is the kind of book read when you curl up under the covers with some tea and read for hours...very immersive, but still accessible.

This book was so great, and the writing and style were wonderful! I'm going to purchase the collected works of Wilkie Collins at the earliest possible opportunity!

The love story was so sweet, and Walter was so open about his feelings in his narrative that it made it all the better!

Not the kind of book you reread, but one that I am proud to own and have read!

Thanks for reading!

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

Recently, I purchased a bunch of classic novels from Half-Price Books, and this was among them. I was very excited to read it, and it did not disappoint.

My Thoughts

1. I absolutely love Sir Walter Scott's style - it's amazing! His language is simply enthralling, and I highly recommend this book just for that. 
2. I will allow my nerdy flag to fly high: Medieval England is very near and dear to me, so I liked that a lot. 
3. I mean, come on, Robin Hood was in it! Woo!
4. I'm not going to lie, everything Wilfred went through to marry Lady Rowena and even for Rebecca was just so touching, and I thought the relationships were wonderfully portrayed. 
5. I really can honestly say I cried while Cedric was in the dungeon waxing poetic on the degradation of his race (the Saxons), Scott is that good. 
6. Brian de Bois-Guilbert. I was rooting for him, too, licentious though he was. Something about him get niggling my brain, and I finally realized what it was when he approached Rebecca in her cell before her execution and told her he'd dishonor himself as a Templar, as a knight and as a man and not turn up at the trial by combat if she only promised to love him in return. She refuses, and he's hurt that death is preferable to life with him. Think on that for a bit, it should come to you.....Sir Guy of Gisborne to Marian in BBC's Robin Hood! When the people who laid siege to Nottingham Castle told Guy he could only take his wife with him, and he proposed to Marian and she refused him! Then, later in Ivanhoe, when the trial by combat is about to commence, Brian de Bois-Guilbert asks Rebecca to climb astride his horse and is prepared to sacrifice everything, most likely have to fight for their survival and ride pell-mell out of England all together, and Rebecca still refuses him! I wanted her to love him back, even though he had his vices, I just think it's horribly sad when that level of devotion is rejected. Back to the Robin Hood analogy, it does not hold true in that respect: Robin/Marian is my OTP and I will go down with that ship. However, I, personally, am somewhat co-dependent and have a thing for damaged men (and, you know, the appreciation for Richard Armitage in leather pants that I am sure is universal to the female population). 

Who Should Read It

• Fans of Medieval romances/epic quests/knights in shining armor/damsels in distress, that kind of thing. 
• Fans of literature. 

This was an amazing book that I really enjoyed reading and have placed on The Shelf...10/10 at least...really, really, really good. If you're contemplating reading it or just looking for a book, you will not be disappointed with Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe. 

The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne

*This review contains spoilers.*

It's time for another book review! You should expect a lot of classics from me, since I recently purchased a fairly abundant stack from a place called Half-Price Books, which I absolutely love, because they have such old, careworn copies of things - the Great Expectations I purchased even has someone's handwritten notes in it! I just love stuff like that!Anyway, I'm not reviewing this book for it's literary merit or syntactical elegance, so if you're looking for some kind of SparkNote like thing, go there, not here, this is just what I thought of the book.

Surprise, surprise, it's set in New England and centers around the eponymous House of the Seven Gables and its resident Hepzibah and Clifford Pyncheon, the new addition of Pheobe Pyncheon and the daguerreotypist, Mr. Holgrave. Long story short, the first American Pyncheon accused Mathew Maule of witchcraft, resulting in his death and Pyncheon receiving the land, so Maule cursed the house and the whole Pyncheon family for eternity.

My Thoughts

1. Some people might be put off by the vocabulary of this book, but it's something I love. Once you read lots of older novels, it just comes naturally for you to read and even think (and occasionally speak, to the dismay of my friends) in language like this. I absolutely revel in additions to my vernacular, and I found two wonderful ones: obstreperous and eleemosynary, meaning noisy; difficult to control and relating to charity, respectively. Now, don't you just want to incorporate that into your quotidian conversations?
2. Also, I like the overall premise of the book; I'm very interested in mystical stuff, and the book's window into the mid-19th century perspective on "Mesmerism" was quite fascinating. And, I mean, who doesn't love a good family curse/haunted house?
3. I really felt for Clifford. I wouldn't have spent fifty pages describing his many idiosyncrasies, but this is Hawthorne after all, so I don't know what I expected. Wasted potential is something that always gets me, mainly because I hate how I'm eighteen years old and have no discernible way of achieving my purpose in life. 
4. I absolutely adored Phoebe. She's the kind of person I strive to be, you know? Pleasant, kind, cheerful, that sort of thing. She struck me as very genuine, I suppose. 
5. Clifford's speech to the random old gentleman during his and Hepzibah's train excursion was completely fascinating. He discussed how the entire course of human history was basically an upward spiral; we were nomadic before, so shall we be again. 
6. Phoebe/Holgrave. I loved them, truly. They're no Darcy and Elizabeth or Heathcliff and Cathy, but they're up there. I like that they complete each other: Phoebe soothes Holgrave's oddities, and he awakens Phoebe to a different world. I also swooned when Holgrave realized he had hypnotized Phoebe but chose not to irrevocably complete that action. Their declaration of love scene was precious. It was heartfelt and genuine, and the way that they did it as Judge Pyncheon's body sat in the parlor reminded me of Robin's proposal to Marian in the BBC version of Robin Hood (2006), which was my absolute favorite proposal scene in the history of literature, cinema and television. 

Who Should Read It: 

• Fans of supernatural/paranormal mysteries.
• Fans of mid-19th century American literature
• Fans of Hawthorne, or even if you're indifferent, I suggest you give this one a try. 
• Romance lovers!

Overall Rating: I give this an 8.5/10. At no point did I actually weep or feel my heart swell, and I'm generally fairly emotional while reading, but I certainly believe reading this book to be time well spent. 

The next book I will be reviewing is Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. 

You may be wondering what kind of teenager spends the last summer before college in this manner. This kind is all I can say, though I say it with assurances that I do leave the house and visit friends occasionally. 

Thank you for reading. 

Feel free to comment. 

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

So, this book is about King Arthur, and I saw it on sale at Barnes and Noble and I picked it up. I didn't get what I expected, but I wouldn't say I wasted the time I spent reading it.

My Thoughts:

1. This is divided into several books, and the first one is basically the plot of Disney's Sword and the Stone, which, all things considered, was most definitely not a bad thing. 
2. I was very upset as the book was drawing to a close. It had gone from this successful, glorious Camelot to these sad, worn-down, old people. I don't know why I thought it would be a happy ending. Then again, my previous knowledge of the topic would be the movie Arthur (the one with Kiera Knightley as Guinevere), which had an amazingly happy ending, the Showtime miniseries Camelot, which had too much sex and death to ever get truly tragic, and  the book Avalon High by Meg Cabot, which was about some teenagers in Maryland who were the reincarnations of important characters from Arthurian legend, and that was an amazing book, with a wonderful ending. I highly recommend it!
3.  I mean, the good guys prevailed, but I'd expected more of a ride off into the sunset type of ending. The ending of this reminded me of the ending of BBC's 2006 Robin Hood (which I'd been thinking about since I read that Lucy Griffiths (Marian from that show) will be in Season 5 of True Blood): tragic, but not wrong.
4. The writing style is like nothing I've ever read before, and I do read a fair amount. 
5. This book is very hard to describe. I'm not sure if I even liked it. I don't dislike it and I don't regret buying it and reading it. I enjoyed reading it, I suppose, and I'm glad I did...but I'm not sure if I liked it per se. I don't know how I feel about it, and I'm the type that I feel most truly my impression of a book right after I've read it, so if I don't know now, I'm not going to know.

Who Should Read It:

• I honestly can't say; this book really stumped me. 

Final Score: -/10 I'll leave this one open. 

Next, I'll either be reading Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell or Middlemarch by George Eliot. 

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

*This Review May Contain SPOILERS*

This is a bit divergent from my usual type, but I loved it nonetheless. It's set during the French Revolution, the Reign of Terror specifically, and centers on the Blakeneys. Sir Percy Blakeney is an utter fop - shallow, vain, insipid etc. Lady Blakeney, previously Marguerite St. Just,  is gorgeous, charming, and hailed as the most intelligent woman in Europe. During this time, an Englishman known only as the Scarlet Pimpernel is rescuing French aristocrats and smuggling them from the country. He is pursued by an agent of the Revolutionary government, Chauvelin, and aided by nineteen others. Chauvelin captures Marguerite's brother Armand (who is a counterrevolutionary) and uses him to blackmail her into helping him discover the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel....her husband!

My Thoughts:

1. The romance between Marguerite and Percy is just amazing. At first he worshiped her openly, but her contempt for his "idiocy" led her to spurn him. Once he heard that she denounced someone to the Committee of Public Safety, he couldn't trust her, so he withdrew his love (also because of his wounded pride) and now they ignore one another. However, as the novel progresses, and Marguerite realizes that Percy has been wearing a mask and is in fact this daring hero that everyone is enamored with and totally, passionately in love with her, she realizes that she loves him too and has to save him. When she comes to his aide, he realizes that she loves him and they reunite! Yay! Happy ending!
2. The overall plot of this was good. I read the Wikipedia summary before I purchased this book, so I knew who the Scarlet Pimpernel was, and I have to say, that only enhanced my experience of this book. There was still plenty of adventure/intrigue/suspense, and the book was not wanting for adrenaline. 
3. I was a little hesitant to pick this up, since it was written in 1905. I generally peruse either contemporary fiction, or stuff of the seventeen and eighteen hundreds, like Austen, the Brontes, Dickens etc. However, I found this book to be very readable. The style was very sincere and earnest in its manner, if that makes any sense. I did have to Google two words, but I hope that each book I read gives me at least one new word. 

Who Should Read It:

• Fans of well-rounded books. This has romance, adventure, intrigue, espionage etc. 
• People interested in the French Revolution. 

Overall Score: 9/10 

This was a really good book that had everything - likable characters, an intriguing plot, a good pace, and, of course, romance! I recommend you check it out! I also watched the 1982 made for TV movie of the same name, which I also recommend!

I'm currently reading A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin and I'll be starting something else as well, so stay tuned for more reviews!

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

This novel, written in 1855, is about Margaret Hale (from the South of England), who travels to the northern town of Milton after father splits from the church. There she meets John Thornton, who she finds uncouth, ill-mannered and ungentlemanly. Mr. Thornton thinks she is beautiful and charming, but also haughty, proud and standoffish. You can see where this is going :)

My Thoughts:

1. I ordered this book online, so I was reading the reviews on Barnes and Noble's website; I was shocked to discover that some people said this book ousted Pride and Prejudice as their favorite book of all time, and John Thornton, Mr. Darcy! Of course, I thought they were just being ridiculous. Then I read the book. I wouldn't go that far, but it certainly takes a close second. 
2. First off, Margaret is a wonderful heroine. She's sweet, charming, caring etc. but she is also strong-willed, conscientious and stubborn. She is flawed, but lovable - she's someone I would think I could be friends with.
3. Second, the way the book interweaves the love story of Margaret Hale and John Thornton with the class struggles of the industrial age is very well done and enjoyable to read. 
4. All the minor characters - Bessy, Mr. Higgins, Mrs. Hale, Edith, even Dixon - are well done. There are believable people, not just means to an end for the main characters.
5. The book is wonderfully written! Some might be put off by the elevated diction, complex syntax and genuinely different manner of writing, but if you read a lot of novels from the 18th and 19th century, you really will come to understand it all. 
6. Finally, Mr. Thornton. He is such an amazing character! I love him! He's romantic without being too unrealistic and he's self-deprecating without being pathetic and he's strong without being cocky and he's just wonderful! The way he cares for Margaret (even when she is awful to him) is the sweetest thing ever. I love him! Truly! And you will too if you read this book!

Who Should Read It:

• Romance fans!
• Fans of novels of this era!
• Fans of the 2004 BBC movie version with Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe - which, by the way, was amazing! I recommend you watch it before you read the book, actually. Normally, I don't do that but I find that I am so far removed from the language of books this old that sometimes I miss things (I had to read Pride and Prejudice twice, then watch the movie, then read it again until I finally realized how amazing it is) and I don't understand that something is actually a passionate speech because the diction is so formal. So, watch the movie first if you don't normally peruse Victorian novels. 

Overall Score: Infinity and beyond/10 

I loved this book! It is going on The Shelf, I plan to re-read it and buy another copy for a friend and re-read and re-read and re-read it. This is an amazing book that is definitely worth checking out!

I have over two dozen unread books, so I have no idea what I'll be reviewing next.