The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

Synopsis

During the fierce French and Indian wars, an adroit scout named Hawkeye and his companion Chingachgook weave through the spectacular and dangerous wilderness of upstate New York, fighting to save the beautiful Munro sisters from the Huron renegade Magua.

Okay I'm a few days late on updating this one. I don't have the excuse of saying I've been busy or anything. I just haven't done it yet. At least I'm honest. Anywho, I finished The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. I got through this book quicker than my most recent books. Its a relief when the good ole Randomizer falls on a book that is not about a star-crossed governess. After finishing the book, I watched a bit of the movie "based" on the novel. The one starring Daniel-Day Lewis and Madeleine Stowe. Other than having most of the characters there is really little in common between the book and the movie. Quite disappointing.

Next up is Villette by Charlotte Bronte.

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

Synopsis

The Year is 1327. Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate.. When his delicate mission is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William turns detecive. His tools are the logic of Aristotle, the theology of Aquinas, the empirical insights of Roger Bacon-all sharpened to a glistening edge by wry humor and a ferocious curiosity. He collects evidence, deciphers secret symbols and coded manuscripts, and digs into the eerie labyrinth of the abbey, where "the most interesting things happen at night."

I saw the film adaptation, starring Sean Connery as Brother William and also Christian Slater, F. Murray Abraham, and Ron Perlman, several years ago. Picture Sherlock Holmes as a monk during the Inquisition. Reading this book reminded me of the another detective monk which I remember watching on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre. That being Cadfael played by Derek Jacobi. I guess I'm just a sucker for a good mystery. 

Next up is James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans.

House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

Synopsis

Faced with an array of wealthy suitors, New York socialite Lily Bart falls in love with lawyer Lawrence Selden, whose lack of money spoils their chances for happiness together. Dubious business deals and accusations of liaisons with a married man diminish Lily’s social status, and as she makes one bad choice after another, she learns how venal and brutally unforgiving the upper crust of New York can be.

Lovely another book centered around the exploits of "society." These stories of snobbery are the toughest things about this quest. I guess I shouldn't cast it out so blightly. I mean it was well-written. I just can't tolerate people with aristocratic views and Wharton in no way glorifies these folks.

Up next is Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, which is ironic sense Edith Wharton's original title for The House of Mirth was The Year of the Rose.

Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ by Lew Wallace

Synopsis

Bestseller Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ combines the romance, melodrama, and spiritual piety common in the sentimental novels of the nineteenth century with the action, adventure, and intrigue found in the more lurid tales of the day. The story takes its Jewish hero, Judah Ben-Hur, across the Roman Empire of the first century, initially on a quest for revenge against the Roman childhood friend who betrayed him and then finally on a more spiritual quest to understand the nature of the new teacher Jesus Christ.

As odd as it may seem I've never watched the Charlton Heston classic which is based on this novel by Lew Wallace.

I found it interesting when I read up on some of Lew Wallace's background. He was a general during the Civil War. Later on he went on a secret mission in Mexico to support President Benito Juarez. He also convinced Billy the Kid to testify against other outlaws. 

Ben-Hur's spiritual journey goes along with Wallace's own journey. Before writing the novel Wallace claimed that he neither believed or disbelieved and was embarrassed by his lack of knowledge.   He created a fictional story set in the time of Christ so that the story would reach a more broad audience than just sermonizing.

Next up will be House of Mirth by Edith Wharton.

Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert

Synopsis

Set amid the violent social upheaval of the Revolution of 1848, the novel tells of young Frederic Moreau's idealistic attraction to a married woman some years his senior. Smitten by his first sight of Madame Arnoux, Frederic idolizes her for many years, despite her refusal to encourage him and his own indecision. He befriends her husband, an art dealer, in order to be near her, and soon finds himself drawn first into Jacques Arnoux's heady social circle and then into his disastrous financial speculations.

Moreau's infatuation with Madame Arnoux is based on Flaubert's real-life infatuation. Moreau's cadre of friends run a gambit of the political and social classes of Revolutionary France. I found the relationship between Moreau and Jacques Arnoux to be rather weird. Not only does Moreau carry out an infatuation with Jacques's wife but also has an on-again-off-again relationship with Jacques's mistress.

Next up is Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ. Strangely enough I've never seen the movie. I had no idea it was based on a novel.

The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis by Jose Saramago

Synopsis

The year: 1936. Europe dances while Spain edges toward civil war and an invidious homegrown dictator establishes himself in Portugal. The city: Lisbon--gray, colorless, chimerical.

In the midst of this surreal setting is Ricardo Reis, a middle-aged doctor and poet who has returned to his native country after sixteen years in Brazil. Instead of receiving patients in an office, he spends hours walking steep, rain-filled streets. He has a love affair with the hotel chambermaid who slips into his bed at night. He is haunted by a young woman with a mysterious paralysis of her left hand. And he is visited by the ghostly presence of a celebrated Portuguese poet, recently deceased. Can Ricardo Reis live in a world bent on destroying itself?

In this novel, Jose Saramago, follows the exploits of Ricardo Reis who has returned to Portugal from Brazil. Ricardo Reis is actually a heteronym or secondary identity of Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa. I found the narration interesting. It seems more voyeuristic than most novels that I can remember. All through the story the struggle between Communism and Fascism is playing out. Reis a monarchist and is torn in the struggle. As the General Franco's army is advancing upon the Leftist government of Spain he cannot decide whether he takes pleasure in the victories of the Fascists or the defeat of the Lefists. His feelings are summed up by the line, "To be pleased that my enemy is beset doesn't mean that I applaud the besetter."

This morning I woke up with about fifty pages of this book left to read and I found myself distracted time after time. For instance, I had to eat breakfast, I'll finish that program I was watching, I need to order a ticket for the Braves game that I'm going to during vacation, I wonder who is pitching in the Braves game, etc. etc. But finally I finished.

So next up is Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert.

 

Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

Cue "Ode to Joy" please!

I've finally finished Portrait of a Lady by Henry James. There were times when I honestly thought I would not finish this book. I don't know why this book was so hard but it took me the better part of two months to finish. I mean the story (heroine rejects several honorable suitors, heroine marries a buffoon, heroine realizes she's married a buffoon, and heroine becomes unhappy with said buffoon husband) isn't exactly in my wheelhouse as it were. But I've read a couple of Jane Austen books and they didn't give me this much trouble. I recently got promoted at work so maybe that took away from reading time I had to use a great deal of discipline not to put the book away and go to different book, but I persevered and here I sit finished. 

Next up is The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis by Jose Saramago. Incidentally I'm going to have to decide since this is a Portugeuse novel whether in my head I should pronounce the title character's name as Hicardo Heis as I believe many Brazilians at least pronounce R's as H's.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

Finished Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. I expected a book about a drug-fueled romp through Vegas to be more fun. It did not seem like the characters were having a good time.

Next up will be Portrait of a Lady by Henry James.

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

Finished War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells. This book has been adapted into many movies and the infamous radio broadcast by Orson Welles. It's hard for me to imagine that people actually fell for that. I mean the broadcast had a disclaimer that there was not really an Martian invasion taking place and yet a surprising number of people really believed Martians were invading.

Next up is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson.

Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks

Finished Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks. It's a fictionalized account of abolitionist John Brown's exploits as told by Brown's son Owen to Brown biographer Oswald Garrison Villard's assistant Miss Mayo. The narrator recounts Brown's exploits from his failed business ventures to his settling in upstate New York (where the title derives as a mountain overlooking the Brown homestead was called the Cloudsplitter) to his actions in Kansas and ultimately the failed siege of Harper's Ferry in Virginia (now West Virginia). Throughout the saga Owen acts as his father's right-hand man and at times serves as the prod to marauders' violence.

Next up is War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells.

Main Street by Sinclair Lewis

Just finished Mainstreet by Sinclair Lewis. Its the story of a woman from the city who marries and moves to a small prairie town in Minnesota. The hum-drum country live and the towns unwillingness to modernize quickly annoys her. She begins to constantly plan to leave for a more sophisticated venue.

Next up is Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks.

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

Finished The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. I'd heard of this book before I read it, but I thought it was about World War II when in fact it was about Vietnam. It is labeled as a work of fiction which is drawn from O'Brien's service during Vietnam.

Next up is Main Street by Sinclair Lewis.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Finished Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. I can't say I really liked this book. Matter of fact it took me about a month to get through it which is way longer than the length of the book would necessitate. I can draw comparisons between the decent and honorable Colonel Brandon and myself. For instance, here is a description of Colonel Brandon that would also pertain to me:

"Brandon is just the kind of man," said Willoughby one day, when they were talking of him together, "whom everybody speaks well of, and nobody cares about, whom all are delighted to see,and nobody remembers to talk to."

Next up is The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.

Oops!

Well I lost my copy of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency before I could finish so I'm moving on to the next book which is Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.

It was so weird. It reminded me how crazy memory is. Last Monday when I left work I was going to drive to a concert in Atlanta. So I stepped into the bathroom to change out of my work clothes and into something more appropriate to the situation. The next day I go to my truck to get the book and when I couldn't find it I assumed that I left it in my locker at work. Being off the next two days I didn't think much of it but then on Thursday morning while I was getting ready for work, I went to my truck to get my lunch kit to prepare my lunch. And it all came flowing back to me. When I popped into the bathroom I sat my lunch kit and book down beside the bench in the layaway area and when I came out of the bathroom I was in such a rush that I did not pick them back up. Funny how thinking of the book didn't trigger my memory.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Just finished The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I gotta say I was really turned off by the negativity of the main character Holden Caulfield. Thats ironic because on one or two occasions in my life I've actually been accused of being a wee bit morose myself. Caulfield hates everything. The clerk at Barnes and Noble went I bought the book (shocking I actually bought a book at a brick and mortar bookstore) told me that Caulfield was definitely a pre-Hippie. I could tell that from reading. Everybody was a phony in Caulfield's eyes. It was kinda annoying how when referring to a person he seemed to always use the term "old" before the name. Old Pheobe. Old Sally. Old Jane. etc. etc. etc.

Next up is Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams (no relation, that I know of).

Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Just finished Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs. This is another classic character that I found out I know very little about. We all think of Tarzan as the Johnny Weissmuller. The "Me Tarzan, you Jane." I found it kinda ridiculous that Tarzan who was I think around 18 having been raised by apes came upon his parents' cabin. He quickly taught himself how to read. Then within a few months he is taught how to speak French. Then he routinely learns to speak English. I don't think that its that easy to pick that up at that age.

Next up is Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I'm excited about this. I can only imagine this book is about a baseball team that is struggling with a talented yet troubled catcher. Its been kind of a slow go the past few months but now school is out and I'm expecting to knock out a few in rapid succession.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

Just finished Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. It's been a long time since I've watched the movie, (other than the recent version) so I didn't recognize much from the stories. Through the Looking Glass seemed like random words.

Next up is Tarzan of the Apes by William Burroughs.

The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett

In The Thin Man, Dashiell Hammett introduces Nick and Nora Charles, a hard drinking retired private detective and his wife. The book was later made into an Oscar-nominated movie starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Interesting enough, this story takes place during the year of Prohibition, however the characters are practically constantly drinking. Hammett also created the iconic detective, Sam Spade.

Dashiell Hammett lived a rather interesting life.

He was a detective in the Pinkerton Detective Agency.
He served in World War I where he contracted tuberculosis which plagued him the rest of his life.
He joined the American Communist Party.
He spoke out against American involvement in World War II.
He pulled strings in order to serve in World War II and was stationed in the Aleutian Islands where he became stricken with emphysema.
He testified before Congress as part of Senator Joseph McCarthy's "witchhunt." He refused to cooperate and ended up getting blacklisted.

Next up is a doubleheader of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. There may be some delay in these stories as I'll be rather busy with assigned school reading for the next eight weeks.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Preconceived notions and status are at the heart of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Throughout the story there are numerous examples of where characters let either what they have heard about or the social standing of the characters bias their opinions of that character. Take for example the protaganist, Elizabeth Bennet, her opinion of Mr. Darcy is initially painted by the fact that when they met he wasn't practically falling all over her. Meanwhile she and most everyone else is enamored by the dubious George Wickham. These preconceived notions are hard to shake as the story goes on and Darcy's goodness shines through and Wickham is exposed as the n'r-do-well that he is, many of he opinions do not change. For his part, Darcy initially believes that he the Bennets are beneath himself and his friend. So pride and prejudice. See what she did there.

I won't pretend that this is amongst my favorites. That'd be a lie. However, I did like the story much more than I believed I would. Even when I sat in the crowded breakroom I eventually had no qualms about answering people's inquires as to what I was reading by saying "Pride and Prejudice." See what I did there.

Next up is The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

I was quite surprised by Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. First of all the description tells you that the story revolves around three students who went to an exclusive boarding school in England. The story turned out to be much more. During the first section of the story the characters are young but you get the distinct feeling that there is more to this school than meets the eye.

Now a few years back I saw an interview with the cast and Ishiguro for the movie based on the book. Ishiguro was born in Japan but grew up in England and get this he speaks with a British accent! I was not expecting that.

Next up is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Yay!