Finally finished The Princess Bride by William Golding today. I began reading this book because I really like the movie. While the movie and book are different in some ways, they follow each other relatively closely. The basics in the movie are accurate, but the book provides much more, both good and bad. William Golding is rather cynical and satirical in this book, and he is not shy about telling you that. He often breaks up the reading by adding his own personal comments to the text. While this is at times entertaining, there are points where it gets to be a bit overwhelming. So if you like your adventure to be unbroken, beware of Golding's occasional rants. I did, however, like the background information that you get on characters in the book that you don't get with the movie. Inigo's revenge and Fezzik's unassuming demeanor become even more compelling with this personal background information. To be honest, Buttercup is very much downplayed in the book, almost becoming a "dumb-blonde" type of character throughout. So if you like strong female characters, this may not be a book for you. Overall, there are pluses and minuses to this book. I got what I wanted out of the book, even if I had to skip through some of Golding's rants. Good for reliving the movie, even if a bit long. :) Overall rating: 3 Paws (Satisfying Read) |
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I wish that I could say that I am excited to write a review about Dan Brown's latest book, Inferno, but I cannot say that is true. I found many issues with this book, which I will outline below, but in order to provide peace of mind to those still wishing to read this book, I have identified the spoilers section below and provided my conclusion above the spoilers. The Issues: I have major issues with the length and breath of this book. Seriously, the amount of repetition was overkill. I felt the entire story could have been told in fifty chapters or less. What normally draws me to the Langdon books is the symbology aspect. Taking a symbol and showing how it is used at different times in different contexts among different cultures. But this book clearly deviates from this formula, becoming nothing more than a travelogue and art history book. Besides the narration problems, including the over complication of events, I have real issues with the antagonist solution and the protagonist response. I do respect Dan Brown's research abilities in putting the art history and Italian history portion of this book together even if overdone. However, with the above mentioned internal problems and fallacies I have little respect for this book as a complete package. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Spoiler Alert* Ok, so I really like Robert Langdon in the previous books as a well traveled academic with some interesting perspectives, but this book makes me really doubt Robert Langdon as a narrator. While I am guessing that this was intentional, it does not bode well for any upcoming Langdon novels as I no longer trust our protagonist. My guess is that this also was intentional by Dan Brown, since he likes to make his readers think about the issues brought up by his books. But I would think about it a lot more if I didn't see so many fallacies with his reasoning, unanswered questions as to the real affect of his solution, and ethical arguments therein. 1. Is it men and women who are infertile? If both, then how can one guarantee that 2 fertile people are coupled? This has the potential of setting up a "has vs has not" scenario and further decreasing the gene pool. 2. Does the virus also affect the desire to procreate? If not, there could be added angst to the situation as well as increasing the black market for children. Many people do not know the extent to which others will go to to raise a child. I have known many adoptive parents whose desire to parent has few bounds including waiting years on a waiting list, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and traveling all over the world. This desire has also created a market where people sell their children, or worse where children are kidnapped, and sold to wealthy adoptive parents. 3. No guaranteed population regulation is apparent in this plan. It actually means a smaller gene pool. Just because fewer people can populate doesn't mean that they won't also overpopulate by having more than the average amount of children. I have known families that have 10+ children just because they can. This ratio negates the population control theory. The only solution to this is if the gene marker also had a limitation effect (limited number of viable eggs).
Christmas has arrived!!!
Thank you so much for the wonderful presents, Ginny!! Yes, they were wrapped, but I just couldn't wait!!!! It was above and beyond what I expected! I hope you like yours! You should be receiving it by Wednesday! Thank you, Kate and Kristin for organizing this! I can't wait for the next one! I recently finished reading Leven Thumps and The Gateway to Foo (Leven Thumps #1) by Obert Skye.
Synopsis: "Fourteen-year-old Leven Thumps (a.k.a. "Lev") lives a wretched life in Burnt Culvert, Oklahoma. But his life is about to change and his destiny be fulfilled as he learns about a secret gateway that bridges two worlds -- the real world and Foo, a place created at the beginning of time in the folds of the mind that makes it possible for mankind to dream and hope, aspire and imagine. But Foo is in chaos, and three transplants from that dreamworld have been sent to retrieve Lev, who alone has the power to save Foo.Enter Clover, a wisecracking, foot-high sidekick; Winter, a girl with a special power of her own; and Geth, the rightful heir to Foo. Their mission: to convince Lev that he has the power to save Foo. Can this unique band of travelers help Lev overcome his doubt? Will Lev find the gateway in time? Or will Sabine and his dark shadows find the gateway first and destroy mankind?" Goodreads. I was excited to get into another fantasy novel, especially one set so close to home. I have to say that I really liked this book, which was apparent by how quickly I finished it. Leven is a believable character as is his female sidekick. The hardship of their early lives gives them grounding for their adventure. The development of Geth's character and the laughable Clover was believable and comical at times. It would have been nice to have more background on Sabine and the trouble in Foo, but this is most likely resolved throughout the rest of the series. Book 2: Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret is taunting me on my bookshelf! I am forcing myself to finish the books I am already working on before beginning Book 2, but boy is it hard! Final Score: 5 Paws-So good, I would read it again! So I recently finished Disney After Dark (The Kingdom Keepers #1) by Ridley Pearson.
Synopsis: "In this fantastical thriller, five young teens tapped as models for theme park "guides" find themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls." Book insert. This was recommended to me by one of my good friends and I have to say it was definitely a surprising read. I am an admitted Disney fan, but I was a bit weary of a book that took me into the park after dark. That, added with the fact that it is published by Disney, led me to believe that it might be a bit too Disney positive and soft for a thriller. But the villains are surprisingly well written, adding incredible reality to the thriller aspect, especially for those who have actually ridden the rides! I don't think I could ever experience these rides in the same way again. The technology aspects of the book also added a bit of modernity to the park and helped to drive the story along nicely. Sure, there were parts that lagged a bit, but for the most part I was kept reading and wondering what the final solution to the puzzle might be. Some surprising revelations at the end has me biting my fingers to read the next one! Final Score: 4 Paws-Awesome Read |