If you haven't read it, you should. I never re-read this book, although I get it out & look at it occasionally. It's too heart breaking.
Charlie, the tIf you haven't read it, you should. I never re-read this book, although I get it out & look at it occasionally. It's too heart breaking.
Charlie, the title of the movie made from this book & the name of the hero, is retarded. Science gives him intelligence, along with Algernon, a lab rat. The story is told through Charlie's diary & feels very personal. Very well done.
*** Spoiler Alert *****
Charlie gains intelligence, love & yet no mastery of his fate. He becomes a genius & then watches Algernon's decline, knowing it was going to happen to him, but he continues to write in his diary. We follow his rise & then his fall - it's amazingly poignant. ...more
My library nailed me with the wrong edition. Rebecca Burns might have a nice voice for some stories, but not these. Yuck. Her voice doesn't carry the My library nailed me with the wrong edition. Rebecca Burns might have a nice voice for some stories, but not these. Yuck. Her voice doesn't carry the men who would be kings at all. :(
Find another version. Great stories, just not the right reader.
Merged review:
My library nailed me with the wrong edition. Rebecca Burns might have a nice voice for some stories, but not these. Yuck. Her voice doesn't carry the men who would be kings at all. :(
Find another version. Great stories, just not the right reader....more
I read this with the Evolution of SF group. It's our proto-SF read this month (Oct2020). https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... It's a satire with theI read this with the Evolution of SF group. It's our proto-SF read this month (Oct2020). https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... It's a satire with the conventions of his time & place (England, 1872) being flipped backward (The title is 'Nowhere' written backward.), his first book. It's a very quick sketch with very little characterization, but a lot of philosophy that should have been interesting or funny, but left me cold until almost the end. I kept feeling as if there was a joke in there somewhere, but I was just too stupid to see it. Maybe I am. Perhaps it was just indifference to the subject matter (Musical banks with currency that's worthless?) or English humor. Monty Python puts me to sleep. Whatever, I found it either boring or too ludicrous to care about it.
Chapters 23-26 were about "The Book of the Machines", part of the Erewhon heritage of giving up most technology & the reasons for doing so. I found the reasoning behind senses, vegetarianism, & evolution incredibly modern. I'm currently reading a Our Senses: An Immersive Experience, a nonfiction book, & I was floored to hear practically the same take on them in both books.
The book only has 29 chapters & they're all fairly short, so the last few flew by. I managed to finish it which I doubted I would at chapter 22. All told, I guess it was worth reading for the ideas in presented. Some have been used since, so it is definitely a foundational novel for SF. For that, I'm really tempted to give it 3 stars, but I didn't like it much, so it's only getting 2.
This is not the correct edition. I'm listening to the free Librivox edition here: https://librivox.org/erewhon-by-samue... There are half a dozen narrators & most are very good. Those that weren't only did a chapter or two. Well worth listening to. I don't think I would have made it through the text....more
One of the most influential books ever written, it was one assigned to me in 10th grade when I was 15 years old. It was ridiculous & I really didn't gOne of the most influential books ever written, it was one assigned to me in 10th grade when I was 15 years old. It was ridiculous & I really didn't get it. It wasn't as bad as some simply because it was short. Now in my 60s, it's fantastic. I get & feel a lot more of the references so I could appreciate the humor & tragedy a lot more. I was especially fond of Pangloss this time around. He's pretty much the perfect picture of a philosopher & is wonderfully contrasted by Martin. Most of all, I love the way the story winds around the world & finally ends with good advice: "All that is very well," answered Candide, "but let us cultivate our garden." IOW, shut up & do something constructive.
I highly recommend reading this at some point since it has spawned so many references throughout Western literature. For instance, one of my GR friends notes how influential it was on Douglas Adams. This audio version by Tantor was very well narrated, but the book is also available for free on Librivox & in various text formats on Gutenberg.org. The Wikipedia article is also a good reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candide ...more
This was fun to listen to. Whimsical & used for many references today, it's worth the 30 minutes. I didn't listen to this edition, but this one is freThis was fun to listen to. Whimsical & used for many references today, it's worth the 30 minutes. I didn't listen to this edition, but this one is free. Mine was too since it was from the library. Narrated by Pierre Moreau. I see there is one narrated by Boris Karloff. I'm going to look around & see what others I can find. Definitely recommended!
This is one of the few books that is worthy of reading once a decade throughout my life. The theme of what is real/true is especially of interest todaThis is one of the few books that is worthy of reading once a decade throughout my life. The theme of what is real/true is especially of interest today with 'fake news', weighted searches, & eminently editable text. A recent article Believing Without Evidence Is Always Wrong makes the point today based on The Ethics of Belief from 1877. Obviously, a perennial idea.
There are spoilers in this review, but I'm not hiding them as I doubt there is anyone who doesn't know the basic story of this classic. This isn't a thorough review, just the points that struck me this time.
It's intriguing from the first line. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. A famous (infamous?) line which lets me know we're not in my world any more. I use military time on about half my clocks, but I've never heard one strike 13. This is part of the alienation of the old days to the new is fostered by the adoption of the metric system & similar changes. When Winston & Julia get the room, the 12 hour clock is mentioned as ridiculous. Money has changed from using the pound to the dollar. An old man complains that he can't get a pint any more, but has to get a liter. It's just not the size he's comfortable with.
Throughout the book, I'm impressed by how well Orwell sets the stage. It's little things that lead the story logically along. Winston finds the journal & shop, visits again, sees the room, & it becomes the obvious place for their trysts. There's an inevitability about it that's impressive. At times it's subtle, but it is obviously a train wreck for poor Winston.
The setting was immediately both evocative & depressing. Victory Mansions reminds me of a poor tenement immediately. Not only is grit flying about in the air, but the hallway smells of boiled cabbage, a description I equate with poverty, too many people, & poor hygiene, all of which we find are true. Poor Winston has a 7th floor walk-up with no electric, so it shocked me that no damage or graffiti is mentioned on the posters. Apparently this was the norm in a totalitarian regime or so I've been informed by a GR friend who lives in a former Soviet satellite state & who is much better versed on such matters.
'The black moustachio'd face' evokes either Hitler or Stalin, but I'm assuming the latter since Orwell was a socialist who was really hurt by Stalin's actions. The tyranny of monarchy was bad & any change seemed to be for the better, but it was actually worse. I wonder how much they knew of Stalin's purges & policies that killed millions back in 1948? I guess they knew things were bad, but did they know just how bad? Again, I'm informed that Orwell did.
The description of the movie was disgusting & overdone. I find it hard to believe anyone could think that killing refugee children was entertaining. Sure, there are a lot of idiots, bigots, & terrorists in the world, but I doubt even they applaud a boat load of young kids being blown up with a slow shot of a kid's arm arcing across the sky. Most see blown up buildings, possibly soldiers/terrorist men, but not in detail. The stories with women & kids in them are against the killing, not for it. Perhaps I'm just soft-hearted.
The 2 minute Hate is a revolting example of mob psychology. Goldstein is another name for Trotsky who was also a Jew. The receptivity of the great masses is very limited, their intelligence is small, but their power of forgetting is enormous. In consequence of these facts, all effective propaganda must be limited to a very few points and must harp on these in slogans until the last member of the public understands what you want him to understand by your slogan. —Adolf Hitler
I had to stop the book for a while to contemplate the idea of not knowing the year. It's a really chilling idea living always in the present without any history. Later this is messed up somewhat by Winston's job as he does his bit to rewrite history. So, he knows the current date, but can't quite believe his memories since the new 'truth' is so pervasive. It makes me worry about our electronic media. It's so easily & invisibly changed. His world isn't certain & that bugs him. Interestingly, it doesn't bother Julia who was raised in it. She sheds the idea like a duck sheds water. Reminds me of privacy today. My kids don't have the same ideas, expectations, & fears about it that I do.
I find Stalin & Orwell's vision of parents breaking family ties by raising little spies grotesque. It really hits home. It's tough raising the little boogers & school plays an incredibly important & influential role in their lives. Here is a good, current article about it. Pavlik Morozov was an inspiration for this bit. He was a 13 year old boy who turned in his family for a crime against the state & was killed for it in 1932. He became an icon, martyr, & example for Soviet children after that. There were statues made of him. Pretty disgusting story & idea.
All of this leads us to Winston's inevitable capture & reeducation. The thoroughness & resources expended are unbelievable until the end where we see that he is the same as one of the old men from the photograph. He's a living, breathing example of what happens to revolutionaries. A sad, damning advertisement & icon. Wow. Powerful. Scary.
I reread this with The Evolution of SF group here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... My edition is by Recorded books, but I don't see one with the correct narrator, Frank Muller (sp?) with a publication date of 1986. Highly recommended in any format....more
This was very short, just an hour long, but a lot of fun. There's a lot packed into it. A great bedtime story. It's well worth reading the original, aThis was very short, just an hour long, but a lot of fun. There's a lot packed into it. A great bedtime story. It's well worth reading the original, although both the Disney cartoon & Hook were fantastic retellings. I especially liked the part where Nana, the dog, gets back her own while Mr. Darling stays in the dog kennel.
Well read by Phil Cherveneaux(sp?) so this isn't the correct edition, but I didn't see that one. Librivox.org has quite a few editions of this including one done by a cast. It's wonderful how many good audiobooks they have for free....more
Read with the Evolution of SF group here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... Audio edition from Librivox this time backed up by the ebook from GutRead with the Evolution of SF group here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... Audio edition from Librivox this time backed up by the ebook from Gutenberg.org. Both were excellent & free!
A lot of people were surprised by how much they liked this old story. The characters were well done, including women according to a self-proclaimed feminist. (I found that reassuring. As a guy, I often miss stuff.) The whole tone of the novel sets the tone for most comic book characters today & was very similar to the early Superman. if you want to read one of the roots, this is a good place to start. Highly recommended....more
This is a classic tale, so spoilers abound in this review.
I last listened to the BBC OTR version, but didn't care for it too much. We're reading it iThis is a classic tale, so spoilers abound in this review.
I last listened to the BBC OTR version, but didn't care for it too much. We're reading it in the Evolution of SF group, so I thought I'd try this version #5 from Librivox narrated by Phil Chenevert, a solid narrator. You can find it here: https://librivox.org/the-strange-case...
It's only 3 hours long, but that's about twice as long as it needs to be due to the wordy, stilted Victorian writing. Still, it's worth getting through because overall, it's a great story & it's told in such a neat format. It is told from the POV of Utterson, Jekyll's friend & attorney. Nine, the final chapter lays out everything from Jekyll's POV. By that time, we pretty much know or can guess the story, so there aren't any surprises, but it's a heart-rending account.
Hyde is a smaller, younger, & perverted version of Jekyll. (Smaller, not larger as he usually is in the movies.) He is the evil side that Jekyll has starved for so many years. No one can accurately describe what makes Hyde so hideous, but everyone finds him abhorrent. Once he figures out the chemical formula that releases him though, Hyde becomes stronger. Jekyll tries to quit, but things have gone too far. I was really impressed by his description. I wonder how much Bill Wilson swiped for his descriptions of alcoholism & relapse in the A.A. Big Book. The words probably weren't identical, but they elicited the same cycle of despair. Better living through chemistry is an illusion that will bite you in the behind.
Obviously this is a story about the duality of man's nature, perfect in its setting. The upstanding gentry liked to slum. They were often conflicted by their desires & society's expectations. It's similar to the theme of The Picture of Dorian Gray which was published a few years later.
Highly recommended for its historical importance, but don't expect a great book unless you like the style. I don't....more
I finished the book & found the end quite abrupt & unsatisfying. I guess I'm going to have to read The Mysterious Island now. I just have too many queI finished the book & found the end quite abrupt & unsatisfying. I guess I'm going to have to read The Mysterious Island now. I just have too many questions.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It does read more like a travelogue than a tale of adventure. I prefer the latter. Still, there was enough action to keep the story moving along & I'm glad I had the old memories of some of the movies as well as a little diving experience. Both made the vistas that Verne paints pop better in my imagination.
Verne spends a lot of time on science, calculating amounts of elements of seawater & all sorts of other things that I didn't have much interest in, but I was told this is why the public ate his work up. Science was the upcoming thing & Verne packed this like a text book. With that in mind, the information on science & history he chose to impart becomes more interesting.
I especially appreciated the strong environmental thread that runs through the book. Warning, it's not our environmentalism, but at least he is warning that we're extinguishing entire species. We wiped out the Passenger pigeon several decades after this book was published, so folks weren't in that frame of mind. They thought animals were in endless supply. Some still do.
I found the characters rather flat. Nemo is too remote & the Professor is an uninteresting putz. Conseil & Ned Land are OK, but more caricatures than characters. There weren't any others of note. I generally prefer a character I can relate to, but barely found that with the Professor. His thrill of discovery was well done & that's the main thread I clung to through his interminable lists.
I read this with the Evolution of SF group. That was very helpful since it turns out there are a lot of crappy translations out there. Be warned & get a good translation. The Wikipedia entry has a good rundown of them plus it has maps that are helpful. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty_...
Very melodramatic, as one of my GR friends put in her review. Almost sickeningly so at times, but it's still kind of a neat story & it's short. I recoVery melodramatic, as one of my GR friends put in her review. Almost sickeningly so at times, but it's still kind of a neat story & it's short. I recommend reading it for its influence on so many other books. The star-crossed lovers, subterfuge, & look at the excesses of the French Revolution are all interesting.
There's a lot of old attitudes that don't do the story any favors, but regularly show up in other books of the time. Specifically, a person's looks has a lot to do with their character. Quite a bit of character description is tied to this. While Marguerite's character grew over the course of the story, she had trouble with a decision because she's only or merely a woman. The choice was the devil's own - who should die. Of course, in this age a man would know his duty & choose the proper course without hesitation, right? Sigh. Still, she winds up being quite a heroine.
My edition was a no frills one. It was narrated by Karen(?) but no publishing info was available, so I'm guessing at this Librivox edition. I definitely recommend both it & the book. A gal narrating this only makes sense since it's told from Marguerite's POV.
Spoilers below!!!
Percy is the star of the show. His foppish ways hide his actually daring exploits. It doesn't really ring true since we know he's a favorite of the Prince as well as managing one of the greatest fortunes in England. That's finally used to out him to Marguerite, so can be forgiven.
An absolutely stunning play. This version by LA Theater Works had an all-star cast & was fabulous as an audiobook. Stacy Keach, Richard Dreyfus, MichaAn absolutely stunning play. This version by LA Theater Works had an all-star cast & was fabulous as an audiobook. Stacy Keach, Richard Dreyfus, Michael York, & others brought out the emotion in a clear & convincing fashion. There was no need of a stage & their distinctive voices meant there was no confusion.
It's not just a great answer to McCarthyism & fanaticism in general, but to gossip & social hysteria as well. In their times, the smallest accusation of being a witch, Commie, homosexual, or child molester have all been enough to damn a person in their society & often leads to hysterical reactions including false memories as an article in the Guardian points out. It was a review of Memory and Miscarriages of Justice. You can find it here: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2...
I detest seeing people who are simply accused of a crime being reported on, often with their names & pictures put into social media feeds. Lately, it's been child molesters & those who are found with child pornography. While I'm all for punishing the guilty, an accusation & arrest are a long way from that & even a guilty verdict isn't always right, as this play shows. It's a good reminder that this is a perennial problem.
This was an LA Theater Works edition. They did a really good job capturing the arguments, prejudices, & attitudes with voices that were easily distingThis was an LA Theater Works edition. They did a really good job capturing the arguments, prejudices, & attitudes with voices that were easily distinguished. The story is fantastic, of course. The only issue I had with this was the laugh tracks. Honest, they had laugh tracks! There's not a damn thing funny about any of this. I'm not particularly PC or easily offended by inappropriate laughter, but the laughter jarred me badly. I'm taking 2 stars off for it. Yes, this was a 5 star audiobook without them.
Wow! Fantastic reread!!! It was almost like a first read, though. This was an assigned school read when I was in 7th grade. As a 12 year old, I reallyWow! Fantastic reread!!! It was almost like a first read, though. This was an assigned school read when I was in 7th grade. As a 12 year old, I really didn't get it nor did I care for Greene's understated writing. I was into Edmond Hamilton & Warren Murphy, so I was bored by it. For decades, I pretty much hated the book & author. I normally don't cuss in reviews, but I want to post a big FUCK YOU to all the English teachers out there who ruin great books by forcing kids to read them too early.
I won't rehash the plot or symbolism as you'll find it in most other reviews. Greene did a fantastic job of making the reader experience the situation. I was sorry for the dog, but he was just a casualty of war, right? Wow!
In audio, this was fantastic. The narrator really captured the voices & yet wasn't overblown in the emotions. It was very British - understated & chilling. Short, too. Highly recommended, especially if you had to read it in school....more
It's been a long time since I first read this. It was a lot sketchier than I recalled. It was more of a bunch of quick stories without a lot of descriIt's been a long time since I first read this. It was a lot sketchier than I recalled. It was more of a bunch of quick stories without a lot of description in most places. A few surgeries were quite descriptive, though. You can tell the author was a surgeon, so the techniques were important to him. As for the rest... they were fun anecdotes & probably had a grain of truth. This takes place in a war zone of the 1950s so there's a lot of drinking & smoking in a male dominated world.
I really liked the book, but I remember the 1970 movie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MASH_(f... pretty well. It was great & follows the book pretty well, so a lot of it flashed back. I recommend watching the movie even over reading the book. Yeah, I'm surprised, too.
The TV series was good, but quite different. It had a real anti-war message & was more about Vietnam, the 'peace-keeping' non-war after this one. Hawkeye & Trapper weren't saints in the movie or the book. Duke & Spearchucker weren't even in the series. While Duke & Spearchucker are friends from the first (even earlier which is a great anecdote) Duke is a southern boy & refers to blacks as niggers a few times. It's not correct today, but was used accurately for back then. 'Colored' & 'nigra' are also used. If you have a problem with that, don't read the book, but you'll be missing a great story.
Well narrated & highly recommended. This truly is a classic....more
I vaguely remember watching & liking this movie. I thought I'd read the book, but couldn't remember it, so when my library had it available, I downloaI vaguely remember watching & liking this movie. I thought I'd read the book, but couldn't remember it, so when my library had it available, I downloaded the audiobook. It was well narrated, but pretty awful. I'm pretty sure I hadn't read it before. The basic idea is great & it starts off well, but devolves into scheming females & nasty romanticism. Perhaps it was the times, but I couldn't decide what Brodie really wanted. Kind of a mess. I can't say more without spoilers, though.
For all its faults overall, there are some great lines. Some were thoughtful & others made me burst out laughing: “Give me a girl at an impressionable age and she is mine for life.”
“Allow me, in conclusion, to congratulate you warmly upon your sexual intercourse, as well as your singing.”
"It's only possible to betray where loyalty is due."
“The word 'education' comes from the root e from ex, out, and duco, I lead. It means a leading out. To me education is a leading out of what is already there in the pupil's soul. To Miss Mackay it is a putting in of something that is not there, and that is not what I call education, I call it intrusion, from the Latin root prefix in meaning in and the stem trudo, I thrust.”
“I'd rather deal with a rogue than a fool.”
There were more. I liked her pointing out that safety shouldn't come first. It's a ludicrous idea that's ruining our society now. I didn't care for the way she ordered the importance of her subjects, though.
All told, it was worth it for some of the lines, but only barely....more
Currently reading with the Evolution of SF group. We picked it for the pre-1920 proto-SF read this month at my suggestion. The discussion is here: httpCurrently reading with the Evolution of SF group. We picked it for the pre-1920 proto-SF read this month at my suggestion. The discussion is here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
It's a shame, but I didn't enjoy this nearly as much this time. Even though the pictures were good, the text didn't flow as well as it did as an audiobook. I gave it a 5 star review in that format, but can only manage 3 stars this time. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I found the framing jarring again. I've never liked the ending. It would have been more satisfying if 'The Stranger' had just disappeared, I think. This one lends too much credence to Merlin's powers.
Still, there were a lot of memorable themes & moments. I really liked how out of place Arthur was when he wandered about with Hank incognito. That was the best section of the book for me. The knowledge Hank brought, how it was so thoroughly & quickly rejected due to superstition was the best theme. It reminds me of the knee-jerk reactions to GMOs, vaccines, & such today. Hank failing due to his own success & ego were also very well done.
I still think this is a great novel, but recommend listening to it. Skimming the Gutenberg ebook with illustrations for them is recommended. Daniel Carter Beard is the illustrator & they're pretty fantastic, full of interesting bits....more
I read this as a teen, so probably 45 years ago. I thought I remembered fairly well. Nope! Oh, I remembered the main points, but it was almost like a I read this as a teen, so probably 45 years ago. I thought I remembered fairly well. Nope! Oh, I remembered the main points, but it was almost like a new book & really worth reading. This is Twain's answer to nature versus nurture while satirizing race, religion, 'honor', & small town life. While the destination is wonderful, it's the trip that is best.
The story is so well known enough that there will be spoilers in this review.
Tom & Chambers are switched at birth by their nurse who had her baby the same day as her master's wife. She raises them both & doesn't want to see her son endure a life of slavery, so she swaps them since no one else can tell them apart. Tom is 'white' while Chambers is 1/32 black, thus is 'black' by the 'One Drop' rule & raised as a slave. (IIRC, this is about how much Indian blood Elizabeth Warren claimed.) The white child becomes a spoiled, cowardly, vicious despot while the black one becomes ignorant & servile, but good of heart & strong.
The other main character is David "Pudd'nhead" Wilson. He makes a joke when he first comes to town & it flies so high over the town folks' heads that they think he is serious, thus a pudd'nhead. It takes him 20 years (about 1830-50, the entire course of the novel) & one of his foibles (a hobby of collecting fingerprints) to reclaim his reputation despite the constant evidence of his character & intellect. He does so only through public spectacle.
The use of fingerprints as the crux of the story is long foreshadowed for us, but I'm not sure how obvious it was in 1893 when this was published. It wasn't until about 1860 that fingerprints were documented in our current civilization (Chinese used them in 300BC.) In 1892, an Argentinian cop first used them to nail a murder according to this quick history. I recommend reading it. Interesting.
One of the high points of the novel is each chapter beginning with an aphorism from Pudd'nhead Wilson's calendar, mimicking Poor Richard's. Many of Twain's best known come from this source.
The characters are well voiced by Norman Dietz. Highly recommended....more
One of my favorite set of books is a 2 volume set of the complete Sherlock Holmes that was given to me by my grandfather about 50 years ago. While theOne of my favorite set of books is a 2 volume set of the complete Sherlock Holmes that was given to me by my grandfather about 50 years ago. While they were very nice hardbacks at one time, the years & readings by myself & my kids have made them somewhat delicate. It's been a long time since I last read an entire collection of these stories, so when I found this audiobook I thought I'd see how the stories held up in this format. Very well! Well narrated & the flow of the stories was perfect to being read aloud. Highly recommended....more
A fun biography of Santa Claus from his abandonment as a babe at the edge of a woods where he is nurtured by various fay folk. He makes it his life's A fun biography of Santa Claus from his abandonment as a babe at the edge of a woods where he is nurtured by various fay folk. He makes it his life's mission to make children happy even to inventing toys & then to distributing them to kids around the world, no matter who they are or how inattentive their parents might be. He has some troubles, but always the good powers of the world help him out. The people turn him into a saint & the fay make him immortal, one of them. The deer aren't named the same, but otherwise this as good of an origin story as I've ever read. What else could I expect from the creator of "The Wizard of Oz" though?
I think this would be great for anyone to read, no matter their age. It even explains why parents help out & why he's so tough to see. Adults will find plenty of ideas for talking to their kids about Xmas & Claus no matter their age. It's also completely free of any religious stuff....more
