gdp's Comments

The Blue Bookcase : Literary Blog Hop: Oct 6-9

Thu, 6 Oct 2011 15:41:33 +0000

Oops, I forgot to add the Jane Austen link: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/austen/accessi...

The Blue Bookcase : Review: The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:22:26 +0000

You've hit on it exactly!

The Blue Bookcase : Review: The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:21:51 +0000

Ha ha. I do remember you mentioning how much you liked it before. Maybe you should write a counter review! I do agree that it is very understated and a sweet, smart story. In fact, I'm pretty sure I did give a little contented sigh as I closed the book. I think the problem is that it didn't have a lot of staying power and I am more in favor of books that stay with me long after I finish the story. If it makes you feel any better, I'm not a huge fan of her writing in general. It is, as you say, excellent, but the style is just not exactly my cup of tea.

The Blue Bookcase : Review: War on the Margins

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:16:35 +0000

If you're into doing the research than I'm almost positive you'll like this one. As a novel read it's not the best but the historical element is undeniably cool!

The Blue Bookcase : Review: War on the Margins

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:15:51 +0000

Oh, good! I hope you enjoy it!

The Blue Bookcase : Review: War on the Margins

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:15:21 +0000

Ha ha thanks. It's only been several months in the making (:

The Blue Bookcase : Review: War on the Margins

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 19:14:54 +0000

Ha ha oops, fixed that (:

The Blue Bookcase : Review: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:42:08 +0000

Ha ha good point! Good luck when you do get to it!

The Blue Bookcase : Review: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:41:40 +0000

Yeah, it's hard to commit to something so substantial not knowing if your particular intense reaction will be hating it (: Maybe try another of her books first? The Fountainhead has a lot of similar themes and is MUCH shorter!

The Blue Bookcase : Review: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:40:24 +0000

Yes, I was not a fan of the ending at all either (I'm specifically thinking of Eddie Willers) and the philosophy Rand has that tries to make that okay is total crap. I did think it was worth the read, but I'm totally with you that some of the prose was hard to get through. In fact, some of the descriptions of novels that don't say anything that are talked about in Mrs. Reardon's parties seem to fit really well, don't you think (:

The Blue Bookcase : Review: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:36:22 +0000

The exact same thing happened to my aunt but in reverse. She HATED it in high school, but now loves it. I find the polarization this book causes fascinating.

The Blue Bookcase : Review: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:33:26 +0000

Yeah I totally get the intimidation! But it was worth it! Good luck in biting the bullet!

The Blue Bookcase : Review: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Thu, 8 Sep 2011 00:40:22 +0000

Yes! The Frenchiness of this book is what immediately caught my attention! And I thought it was the best part of the whole book. I also had a SUPER hard time getting into it though and if not for being stuck on the tube for over an hour one night with nothing between me and dying of boredom but this book, I might have given up. I like how you said something like a story happens at the end. I felt exactly the same way. I read through the first two-thirds of the book thinking I was sitting on the edge of something profound and just not getting it, but once the action started moving, I discovered something special. I also closed the book liking the characters and feeling the read had been worth it in the end, but I like you idea of rereading it in a few years' time and seeing if the pretentiousness has worn off. This book also made me want to look out for other translated modern novels.

The Blue Bookcase : Review: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Wed, 7 Sep 2011 02:37:46 +0000

I LOVE The Historian. In fact, one of these days I'm going to do a post about how it changed my life. Literally!

The Blue Bookcase : Review: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Thu, 2 Jun 2011 16:55:44 +0000

I like to think of this book as Austen's "experimental phase". Thank goodness it was short and she moved on to much better things like Persuasion (my favorite)! George Eliot does a much better job with "sound judgment and morals" (: I love your coffee shop analogy. As a bibliophile, I always cringe when I say this, but this is Austen's one work that I much prefer to watch rather than read. As you say, when you listen to the plot through Fanny's ears so much is missing, at least when you watch it you can add your own opinions to the mix!

The Blue Bookcase : Review: God Dies by the Nile, by Nawal El Saadawi

Wed, 1 Jun 2011 18:20:58 +0000

Oh, also: "Misery Porn"? Such a perfect description. I'm totally using it.

The Blue Bookcase : Review: God Dies by the Nile, by Nawal El Saadawi

Wed, 1 Jun 2011 18:20:21 +0000

I think you explained yourself really well here! A lot of what I hate about angry books in general, and angry feminist books in general is that they ARE unrelenting. How can I have any faith in your agenda if you are so completely one sided in your treatment? A more realistic approach which includes some of the more positive aspects of the subject not only give me some relief to collect myself again, but I find the juxtaposition makes the message immensely powerful.

The Blue Bookcase : Review: A Room of One\'s Own by Virginia Woolf

Wed, 1 Jun 2011 18:11:49 +0000

Ha ha I was waiting to hear your opinion and I'd love a counter review! I knew my thoughts aren't in keeping with most lovers of Woolf, and I love to hear the counter arguments. I just want to address a few of your points: #1 - As you say, Feminism is such a broad field, and Woolf does address a lot of different aspects, and many of her opinions I agree with. In the interest of time and space, I just chose to focus on one I didn't as it bothered me enough to color my opinion of the work as a whole. And as I'm sure you know, the Bloomsbury set were Aestheticists, which be definition means they valued the appearance of works of art over social or moral considerations, so when Woolf states that in order for women to be successful in writing fiction they need space and money that is not earned, but handed to them, she automatically creates a subclass of women who don't have access to these luxuries. And that is what I find snobbish. #2 - I totally agree with you on Brontë. Her writing is scattered. But I like it. (Though I can't say I would as much after doing it three times in college -- ouch!) And though I think you're right that sacrificing the story to your own agenda isn't a good thing, it bothered me that Woolf discredits it so much when she does exactly the same thing. By introducing a fictional narrator to her critical essay, she straddles the line into fiction. She didn't want to be attacked by presenting her thoughts directly, so she encased them in a narrative that is rife with angst. Own it, Virginia (: #3-I LOVE Woolf's fiction. Love, love, love it. Her stream of consciousness IS fantastic, but it has no place in building a critical argument. Can you imagine the grade you'd get if you turned in a Feminist critique in stream of consciousness form? Arguments need to be build in a logical way, layer on layer, otherwise they are flawed. So while I appreciate her style in fiction, it was not appealing to me here. #4-I can't really say anything here other than I completely disagree with her theory. Androgyny doesn't do either sex any favors. I'll admit I'm not a feminist in the modern sense of the word, and that also informs my reading of "Feminist works", but while social constructs do play some role in gender identity, the fact of the matter is that men and women are different. And I'm more into owning and underlining those differences. Celebrating them even! Anyways, please do a counter review!

The Blue Bookcase : Review: A Room of One\'s Own by Virginia Woolf

Wed, 1 Jun 2011 17:44:40 +0000

Thanks Ingrid. I'm interested in your thoughts when you get to it!

The Blue Bookcase : Review: A Room of One\'s Own by Virginia Woolf

Wed, 1 Jun 2011 17:44:04 +0000

Thanks! I know I have a different opinion on this book than most, so I'm also interested to hear thoughts from the other side. I also love Woolf's fiction (Jacob's room is my favorite) but for me her style doesn't translate as well to a critical essay.