Books: Last Book You Read and Rate It

[Spring in Fialta]

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Humbert Humbert is only attracted to nymphets, a work Nabokov actually created in 1955 to describe sexually precocious pre-pubescent girls. Lolita is his story of Humbert Humbert's relationship with a 12-year-old girl who he lusts after and eventually finds a way to make his sordid dreams come true. Obviously this is a hot-button topic, but Nabokov is not interested in the least in pornography or controversy but in creating a unique character and describing in beautifully written sentences and paragraphs what it is that makes him tick. In fact, when he gets to the first major seduction scene, Nabokov simply leaves it to his audience's imagination--cleverly implicating the reader in terms of what comes next. Nabokov averts the moral implications of Humbert's behaviour almost entirely, at least until the end where the still unrepentant Humbert can nonetheless grasp the damage that he has done to Lolita's childhood, a childhood which he stole from her. The novel is basically a character study of a perverse man from his own perspective, a study that is surprisingly filled with wit, humour, word play, and outrageous puns. Near the end when Humbert takes his revenge over his nemesis Claire Quilty, the situation brings forth some of the funniest moments in the book. What makes Lolita such a treat is the brilliant way Nabokov uses language to reveal Humbert's inner world. Repellent as he is, Humbert Humbert remains one of the most fully drawn and perfectly written characters in 20th century English literature.

How would you rank it amongst 20th century works? I always found the concept well-thought out, but inconsisent in its prose. More than in any of his other works, Nabokov gets caught up in his own literacy to suffocating effect, especially when he's got Lolita in tow and they're traveling cross-country. For that reason, I always found it a bit overrated, even within Nabokov's bibliography.

For my money, the most humorous moment in the book has always been Charlotte Haze's manipulative letter to Humbert Humbert. A masterclass in tackiness.

 

[kihei]

How would you rank it amongst 20th century works? I always found the concept well-thought out, but inconsisent in its prose. More than in any of his other works, Nabokov gets caught up in his own literacy to suffocating effect, especially when he's got Lolita in tow and they're traveling cross-country. For that reason, I always found it a bit overrated, even within Nabokov's bibliography.

For my money, the most humorous moment in the book has always been Charlotte Haze's manipulative letter to Humbert Humbert. A masterclass in tackiness.

I think the puns and wordlplay provide a lot of humour, but, as I said, the scene with Quilty in the end often had me smiling. As for caught up in his own literacy, I think he has worse examples of when he does that. For me, his playfulness and facility with the language is usually very enjoyable, as it was in Lolita.

As far as where I would rate it in terms of 20th century literature, that's a hard question. I'm just thinking of what I would rate ahead of it: In Search of Lost Time, Ulysses, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, The Stranger, Doctor Zhivago, The Sheltering Sky, The Trial, Journey to the End of the Night, The Tin Drum, Magic Mountain, Speak Memory, Sons and Lovers, The God of Small Things. One Hundred Years of Solitude, The Sound and the Fury, The Naked and the Dead, A Farewell to Arms, The Master and Margarita, Ravelstein, The Great Gatsby, maybe.....and I'm running dry So I guess I would rate Lolita not in the first tier of great 20th century lit, but probably right at or near the top of the second tier.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Jealousy by Alain Robbe-Grillet (1957) - An experimental novel by the leading author of the Nouveau Roman, a literary movement - similar to the cinematic french new wave - which tried to break away from what was perceived (especially by the author of this work) as an overreliance on format of 19th century novels, which he considered archaic. To make a long story short (and the french love to make a short story long ) the idea was to have the novel in constant evolution. Jealousy is certainly unique and well-crafted. Whatever little story there is, is simple: a sort of simulatenous first-person and third-person narrator observes the interactions of A...and Franck, a man and a woman who may or may not be having an affair. This is never explicitly stated. In fact, nothing is, psychologically. There are no inner-thoughts, motivations, character development, plot, nada. What are explicitly stated are the physical observations. The African plantation on which the novel is set...its banana trees...an insect on the wall...the rays of the sun...the shade...the house dimensions...angles...windows...plantation workers...A's movements...Franck's worries...their preparation for a trip to the city. These are described with an impersonal prose, which has the effect of removing the idea of a narrator as much as possible, likely to substitute him for the singular reader, but that is not possible, for you can never truly be the ogling eye which dedicates itself to the description of the self-contained world. You are still separate from it, a voyeur of the voyeur.

The reading isn't always joyful, but despite its minimalist prose, is extremely vivid. The images the novel sometimes conjure up are absolutely first-rate. Sometimes, they are extremely difficult to picture. The reason for that is the author describes them with such minute detail and technical language that it becomes hard not to get lost in his labyrinths. Still, it was difficult for me to stay away from the book. Through gorgeously crafted, minuscule interactions between A...and Franck as well as surroundings (such as the placement of lounge chairs, or the sun/shade's interactivity with their person), Robbe-Grillet creates an atmosphere of tension, anticipation and obsessiveness that display unique artistic sensibilities. He imbues objects and nature with a suffocating quality and who despite their inanimate essence, participate in the novel's mood and atmosphere as much, if not more, than its removed characters. Repetition and time also play a major role in the art's aesthetic. Certain passages and interactions are reproduced throughout the entire story, sometimes with added details, sometimes not, which distorts the reader's perception of time (it is impossible to deduce how much time has passed or when the events have happened) and brings the reader into a loop, where the story is played and re-played, demanding the reader's active engagement while intensifying the aforementioned themes. I found it a fantastic little trick. The narrative structure of the book tells a story just as much as the words themselves.

The book's definitely an acquired taste, and if I was lazy, I'd recommend it largely as a curiosity piece. But it's much more than that. While I didn't always have fun reading it, I always kept coming back for more. So I was certainly stimulated. While this might not be it - or maybe it is - I'm fairly certain Robbe-Grillet has a masterpiece or two in him. In fact, I've already purchased another one of his novels, La Maison de rendez-vous.

 

[Puck]

Reality is Not What it Seems, by Carlo Rovelli

It's a fairly easy book to read, you don't have to be a physics major to understand. He takes you from the scientific theories of early Greek writers to Einstein and the latest theories on quantum mechanics. I expected a lot to be over my head but every so often I learned something. Not sure I completely understand the nuances between Einstein's concept of spacetime and that of proponents of quantum mechanics but physicists are still hashing out the details themselves. Perception is not reality. The universe is a strange place, more strange than we can imagine.

https://www.amazon.ca/Reality-Not-W...s=carlo+rovelli&qid=1564004077&s=books&sr=1-3

 

[Thucydides]

Recently finished this. Very informative book about the Columbine school shooting. I had always assumed that the boys were bullied, and lashed out, but according to this book it doesn’t seem that way at all. Eric Harris was a psychopath and Dylan was a follower, a sheep, desperate to fit in.

The book is very haunting at the part where he goes into great detail about the shooting. Interesting at the end of the shooting they were walking by classrooms filled with kids, but had grown bored of killing so just fired pipe bombs into empty rooms.

I would say this is the book to read if you want to know more about Columbine. Crazy how fast time flies, I still remember this happening like it was yesterday .

8.8/10

 

[peate]

I'm halfway through "Fire and Blood" It's slow going but man those Targaryans were a crazy bunch.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Queer by William Burroughs (1985) - A short novel, similar in tone to Junky, which I preferred. I've never been a tremendous fan of the beats, but from my experience, Burroughs looks to have been the most interesting writer of the lot (Ginsberg the worst) - I should give another shot to Naked Lunch someday. There isn't much to say about this one...it feels rushed. There's some interesting sketches, some funny, others that don't really achieve anything. It's approach to homosexuality is dissonant, which is diverting. It doesn't attempt to justify it, but also seems to, at least at times, openly resent it. That gives way to some entertaining fodder. The pace isn't great, mostly because it reads a draft skeleton than anything else. It portrays the root of a good writer, but it doesn't really stand on its own. No regrets about reading it though, it's breezy.

 

[mariopepper]

Arch of Tirumph. I suppose it's 8/10. REALLY liked it. I had to read this book as additional for my hobbie - I used to write novels on my free time but it wasn't good enough so I asked EssayShark for some help to do my assignment and I was really pleased with it. I got really nice paperwork and also improved some skills of mine. This book expands your mind's borders and it doesn't matter what are you reading for: improving skills, interest or homework - you will be overjoyed

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Factotum by Charles Bukowski (1975) - Reliable, crass and funny which is the usual for Bukowski. He'll have the odd moment with the knockout line, but I tend to enjoy him for his approach to writing and aimless, humorous stories more than anything else. The sheer amount of jobs this guy has had is ridiculous, all of them crap. Still, they allow him to both simultaneously portray the unjustifiable rottenness which his situation helps create and the genuine companionship that can grow from two individuals being stuck in the mud together.

 

[Thucydides]

7.4/10

8.5/10

One of the best suspense novels I’ve read in a long time . Great book.

 

[Chili]

First half of the book there was some tough sledding, a lot of political buildup to the Russian revolution in 1917 and then his eventual ascension to being 'The Boss' but found the second half through the purges, WWII and beyond very informative. Like he mentioned on the cover, he had access to secret files, there are many first accounts (in their own words) from the inner circle which may have been the most dangerous place of all to be. The author has a nice sense of humour which helps with some dark material.

Good book 4/5

 

[ORRFForever]

No Exit by Taylor Adams [2017] :

When I'm with friends, I'm droll. Clever. But, even with my sharp sense of humour, I don't think I'd be able to think of something witty to say if someone was trying to kill me. I'm sure I'd have other things on my mind but, apparently, I'm alone because there are a LOT of people whose last words are lively banter with their killer - based on No Exit and many other suspense novels.

No Exit is about a young woman who gets stuck at a truck stop with a bunch of scummy strangers during a snow storm. There she discovers a kidnapped girl in the parking lot. What should she do? Who can she trust? Will the police arrive in time to save the day? Does she and the kidnapped girl have enough "one liners" to keep the killer(s), and us, entertained?

There are more twists and turns in No Exit than a Rubik's Cube - see, I told you I was clever . Some make sense. Most don't.

Still, No Exit is a quick read and the final 40 pages are quite suspenseful.

6/10

 

[ORRFForever]

First half of the book there was some tough sledding, a lot of political buildup to the Russian revolution in 1917 and then his eventual ascension to being 'The Boss' but found the second half through the purges, WWII and beyond very informative. Like he mentioned on the cover, he had access to secret files, there are many first accounts (in their own words) from the inner circle which may have been the most dangerous place of all to be. The author has a nice sense of humour which helps with some dark material.

Good book 4/5

Could you see this being made into a mini-series?

Is there enough NEW info to make it worth while / interesting?

I've always been fascinated with the Soviet Union during the "good old days" and I loved to see something like that.

 

[Chili]

Could you see this being made into a mini-series?

Is there enough NEW info to make it worth while / interesting?

I've always been fascinated with the Soviet Union during the "good old days" and I loved to see something like that.

Believe the book was written in 1996, so the revelations have probably been covered several times since then. I know there are other recent biographies of Stalin (I have a couple which I have yet to read).

I'm also into reading up on Russian history (the Royal Family, wars, Gulag, etc.).

Wouldn't say this book is comprehensive, i.e. only a couple of chapters on WWII but there was plenty to keep me interested in the second half. The author had access to some secret archives. The book did leave me with questions about his youth, final days and plans, which I'm hoping to read more about.

 

[mariopepper]

No Exit by Taylor Adams [2017] :

When I'm with friends, I'm droll. Clever. But, even with my sharp sense of humour, I don't think I'd be able to think of something witty to say if someone was trying to kill me. I'm sure I'd have other things on my mind but, apparently, I'm alone because there are a LOT of people whose last words are lively banter with their killer - based on No Exit and many other suspense novels.

No Exit is about a young woman who gets stuck at a truck stop with a bunch of scummy strangers during a snow storm. There, she discovers a kidnapped girl in the parking lot. What should she do? Who can she trust? Will the police arrive in time to save the day? Does she and the kidnapped girl have enough "one liners" to keep the killer(s), and us, entertained?

There are more twists and turns in No Exit than a Rubik's Cube - see, I told you I was clever . Some make sense. Most don't.

Still, No Exit is a quick read and the final 40 pages are quite suspenseful.

6/10

Taylor Adams is awesome. What books of his have you read too?

 

[ORRFForever]

Taylor Adams is awesome. What books of his have you read too?

My first. It was fine but way too many twists and turns.

 

[ORRFForever]

Believe the book was written in 1996, so the revelations have probably been covered several times since then. I know there are other recent biographies of Stalin (I have a couple which I have yet to read).

I'm also into reading up on Russian history (the Royal Family, wars, Gulag, etc.).

Wouldn't say this book is comprehensive, i.e. only a couple of chapters on WWII but there was plenty to keep me interested in the second half. The author had access to some secret archives. The book did leave me with questions about his youth, final days and plans, which I'm hoping to read more about.

Sincere question : Why the fascination with Stalin?

 

[Chili]

Sincere question : Why the fascination with Stalin?

My fascination is with history, so I read a lot of books. Russian history is just one of those topics.

 

[ORRFForever]

My fascination is with history, so I read a lot of books. Russian history is just one of those topics.

Fair enough. I always found that part of history fascinating as well. So shockingly dreary.

 

[kihei]

Men Without Women, by Haruki Murakami

Murakami returns to the short story form with decent to mixed results. The central focus is on the loneliness of men who for one reason or another find themselves alone. Two of the stories, one about a man who has a relationship with a woman who believes she was a lamprey in her former life and one that has a melancholy jolt of a surprise ending that fits its story perfectly, are gems while the other five stories are at least readable if not especially memorable. I don't think this collection displays the author at the top of his form, but Men Without Women certainly provides sufficient reward to merit a recommendation.

 

[mariopepper]

My first. It was fine but way too many twists and turns.

I supposeI would read this book soon. Thanks for reminding

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov (1967) - A great achievement. Recounting two wonderful stories - one about the Devil and his mischievous posse wreaking havoc on Moscow and the other about Pontius Pilate's role in the execution of Jesus Christ - the book is a highly effective mix of comedy, magic realism, satire and philosophical musing that somehow ends up delivering a perfect love story. There's something to say about its quirkiness and how the quality is executed today in modern, commercial art - forced, overly self-aware, pandering, narcissistically, tasteless. These sorts of poor practicioners should be forced to read The Master and Margarita for a thousand years and have their brains scrubbed with its pages. This book is how you do it - without constantly winking at your audience and letting it breath instead of calling attention to it. Bulgakov's assortment of characters, whether demons or humans, are the fruit of a fanciful imagination that unites the sensibility of a fine prosist and the great comedian to produce an array of memorable scoundrels, with the troublesome Behemoth leading the way. A phenomenal trip with a lucidity that never betrays its intentions. Bulgakov knew where he was going and how to get there the entire time. I can only be impressed. I'm excited to read Heart of a Dog soon.

 

[kihei]

Machines Like Me, by Ian McEwan

Charlie has hit his '30s and he still hasn't decided what exactly to do with his life. Miranda is the slightly weird girl upstairs with whom he is beginning to fall madly in love. Adam is the "synthetic" human, one of the first, that Charlie has just purchased. When Charlie finally gets Adam set up, nearly the first words out of his mouth inform Charlie that Miranda may not be trustworthy. Thus, starts one of the strangest three-way relationships in contemporary fiction. While the book is not a thriller, it is a marvelous page turner. I could not put it down. McEwan explores a whole boatload of complex ethical and moral questions about what it means to be conscious which he does with wit and intelligence. Some of the contradictions of human nature are like gnarly knots that even know-it-all Adam can't unravel. Our tendency toward moral relativism in support of our own comfortable transgressions gets a solid drubbing. McEwan has always had a vain streak in that he likes to tackle characters with highly specialized occupations such as physicists, academic researchers and brain surgeons and his last book was written from the point of view of a fetus. He does copious research, and he always likes to show it off, sometime to the point of distraction. But in this regard he is way less annoying than usual. As far as I am concerned, Machines Like Me is the best novel of 2019 so far.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The Lover by Marguerite Duras (1984) - Finished this days ago and let it sit. Like Hiroshima mon amour, the work is deceptively challenging in its prose and even more fluid with its présentation time and eras. The title can refer to many things - the girl's Relationship with an older, wealthier Chinese man, her love for her difficult, manic and depressed mother, a brother who died in the war...all presented with the reflection and matured grace that looks to come from a clear, talented elder in their later years, as if writing the story of her childhood earlier may gave diminished its significance...depth of thought and émotion are described solemnly and without artifice and its artistry owes a lot to the structure and pacing of the book which dors not feed its place and time to the reader, therefore it is important to follow along attentively to eras and character interaction for the pack of context dors not forgive the reader...some thoughts are a bit obscure, but never self-satisfied or smug. Duras is too removed for that. Its simple plot never feels trite but are explored differently despite their common quality (youthful, restricted affair, rotten family dynamics, WWII). In fact, might be one of the works I have read about the breakdown of a family that never was...bad habits betray a distance that will never be reached, caught or shortened. A fairly short work that navigates its multiple themes with immediate and constant impact. Loved it.

Now currently reading Flannery O'Connor's final collection...cannot stay away from it.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor (1965) - Flawless. There isn't a weak story in there and through an accessible format, the stories are all an great mix of humorous, reflective and morbid. After the first couple of stories I was starting to become a little suspicious that the collection would follow a shtick of each story ending with an abrupt left that led to death but I was glad it wasn't so. And while these stories aren't purely stylistic works and concern themselves with issues of race, class and morality. O'Connor never diverts away from the pace and fun of her stories for the sake of her point. They're perfectly weaved in, without annoying distraction. Especially when it comes to the issue of race. I also think it's very a propos considering the latest events in comedy in regard to race and the idiotic concept of cancel culture. Here is actually an artist who genuinely is edgy (especially considering the time in which these works were written and published) and racial slurs are plenty. Yet a more profound point is always present and its use combined with the background/intentions/wordliness of the various characters who use them - and for various reasons - makes for excellent comedy. One of the best collection I've ever read. Some great imagery as well.

Favorite stories: Greenleaf, Revelation, Judgement Day, The Enduring Chill. They're all great though. Tough to make some cuts.

Favorite passage: She did not hear the shots but she felt the quake in the huge body as it sank, pulling her forward on its head, so that she seemed, when Mr. Greenleaf reached her, to be bent over whispering some last discovery into the animal's ear. (From the story Greenleaf)

Currently reading Bulgakov's Heart of a Dog...hilarious stuff too.