Completed 1 of 6 tasks – watched 1981 mini series Sense and Sensibility. It was a bit clunky in parts (like they’d forgotten their lines) and I really didn’t like Tracey Childs playing Marianne (too haughty) but the story is still wonderful. This version unlike the movie with Emma Thompson (which I love) ends a little more like the novel. Jane Austen’s endings can be a bit abrupt but Sense and Sensibility wraps up nicely. I loved the idea of Colonel Brandon and Edward being at the cottage at the same time at the end – the women surrounded by men that love them was satisfying. This version ends a little more like that.
Now on to task 2 – Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – should be a hoot.
Posted in Jane Austen & Austen Inspired | 2 Comments »
by Andre Dubus III
ISBN 0733618634(978-073-361863-5)
Pub: September 2008, First Pub: 1999
I couldn’t put this book down and read it in one sitting. The story was penetrating. So much so, that I read the book several years ago and am able now to recall most it. Unusual for me. I put off reading this because I knew it was going to be heavy going…. it was. Stories featuring self-destructive behaviour are my least favourite because I’m an emotional sponge and find it difficult to shake off the melancholies after. I’m glad I read House of Sand and Fog but Iwon’t read it again.
The story is a tragic one, tracing the misfortune of Kathy Nicolo. Kathy has dug herself into a deep ditch with addiction and is abandoned by her husband. This offers up an excuse to fall into a deep depression and she separates herself from the world. Blocking out the world includes not opening any mail from the tax office. Soon she is issued an eviction notice and will loose the house she inheriated from her father.
The house is put up for auction and is purchased by an Iranian former colonel Massoud Amir Behrani and he moves his family into the home.
Kathy feels she has lost the house unfairly and with the help of a deputy who befriends her, she hires a lawyer to try to reclaim her home.
I won’t spoil the rest of the story for you but suffice to say things get desperate for all involved.
The book is well worth reading and was selected by the Oprah Book Club in 2000.
Posted in Reviews | No Comments »
by Stephenie Meyer
- ISBN:9781904233657
No. of pages: 434
Published: 22/3/2007, First Published: 2006
Did I like it?… Yes, loved it.
Do I know why?… Not really sure. Could be the romantic in me or maybe the cover is laced with something addictive.
The story of Bella Swan, a freakishly rational teenager who moves from hot sunny Phoenix to a little rain soaked town called Forks, to live with her dad. That, in itself, should be fodder enough for a great teen angst story but throw in some sexy mythical beasties and you’ve got something special.
Bella’s first day at school introduces her to the Cullens. An unnaturally attractive family with a secret and Bella finds herself fascinated by the youngest Cullen, Edward. However, her compulsion to be with him puts her in mortal peril. Edward also is drawn to the new girl in school but for two very different reasons. One, being an intense curiosity and infatuation; the other would drain her of her blood and expose him as a vampire. The Cullens battle their true nature and do not hunt humans but Bella’s scent is so delicious to Edward it threatens to unravel the peaceful life they have made for themselves. How can they love each other and manage to keep Bella alive. We’ve all dreamt about being in a fairytale but what if the myths turned out to be true, the good and the evil?
Stephenie Meyer has created a beautiful compelling tale about teenage love and sexual discovery. Each book isn’t action packed throughout but holds you in suspense for something to come. The action does pick up dramatically toward the end and leaves you hungry for the next book. After finishing Twilight I madly scrambled to the book store to buy the 2nd book before closing time – made it as the grates were being pulled down and left with New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. I just had to know more about the strange couple and their families and friends.
Twilight deals with teenage sexual discovery in a lovely simple and moral manner. It certainly isn’t prudish but it is refreshing to not have too much rubbed in your face. In fact the series is quite sensual. Despite her frustrating and I’m sure deliberate technique of leaving all the action till the end, Stephenie Meyer converted me from reader to fan with one book.
I have to admit to struggling with the characters at first. Being a 40+yo mum makes being in a drama filled teenage mind a hard place to be. So I found Bella and Edward really annoying. Before all you twilighters crucify me, let me explain further. They were supposed to be mature for their ages but there was still lots of teenage drama and it was wearing on me. I had trouble accepting a teenage character who is happy to cook, clean and do the laundry. Who has one of those teens? The obsessive nature of the relationship also set off alarms for me and Edward watching her at night was so uncomfortable. So after checking my 40yo response, I decided that a vampire would sneek around stalking beautiful damsels. I also decided that a book aimed at a young adult audience would contain ‘all consuming’ romance. That’s when I got past my discomfort and started to enjoy myself.
I now like Bella very much and after reading the part outlining her reading tastes, Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, I realise why I like her. She very much reminds me of some of Jane Austen’s women but with a little more drama thrown in. I’m not sure if Stephenie Meyer wrote her with them in mind but I definately see similar qualities. I’ve always thought that every young woman needs to be introduced to Jane Austen. She created the most glorious women, smart, strong but not without faults. They wouldn’t accept that they had to compromise themselves to achieve everything their hearts desired. These women lived in a time that oppressed them but Austen wrote characters that could achieve free thought, occupation, family and love without needing to think or act like men to achieve it. This is how I see Bella. Stephenie Meyer has created a lovely smart young woman, with a strong sense of right and wrong, frightened by her failings but unable to be anything other than who she is. She finds the strength to withstand the social barriers and dangers presented by her intense relationship with Edward.
Edward, what can I say about Edward. His strength to resist both her blood and her body just makes him all that more sexy. I’m sure Stephenie Meyer must have developed a crush on Edward while she was writing him – I’m sure I would have. What a wonderful character to create. Sorry to keep harping back to Jane Austen but Edward could easily be a wonderful Austen man. Mr Darcy with immortal life is almost too delicious to bear. Despite being a century old, Edward has to confront his 17 year old teen self for the first time. Delightfully, his journey into love and sexual discovery is just as new as Bella’s. Twilight is a love story, all be it complicated by marauding mythical creatures .
I discovered Twilight at a time when I was recovering from extended illness and I was quite out of touch with myself. I couldn’t trust my feelings or instincts and was really quite frightened about how long it was taking to recover. Twilight did something for me that I can’t quite put my finger on. This simple, innocent love story somehow helped me to feel human again. My copy of the series is now well on it’s way to becoming the most well read on our shelves.
Falling in love ages us all. You cannot feel intense love without exposing ourselves to intense pain but what a wonderful gift for growing up.
Thank you Stephenie Meyer for giving us…. Twilight.
Posted in Paranormal Fantasy, Reviews, SciFi/Fantasy, Young Adult | 1 Comment »
It’s a book you simply can’t put down at bedtime.
When I was a kid, I smuggled a torch into my bedroom so I could keep reading after my parents switched off the lights. I’m not sure if it was an original idea of my own or if I picked it up from a book or TV program but I certainly wasn’t the only one doing it. A survey of my adult aquaintances revealed many did the same thing as a child – sneaky lot aren’t we.
The discipline of being able to put down a good book still escapes me. I could easily start a good book and finish it in one sitting in my childless years. It was always a mistake to start a book on a school or work night. Now the responsibilities of family stop me from doing that and it drives me to distraction to have to put an enjoyable book down but hey I love my boys.
Book Reviews
I have created this site to share with you my opinion on books I have read. Don’t expect comments on the quality of writing, as I don’t feel I am qualified to comment on that. What I write might be more like a discussion than a traditional book review – you be the judge. The reason we like a book or how we relate to it is dependent on who we are now, who we were and who we want to be. We each take away something different from a book. Don’t be discouraged from reading a book just because you have read a bad review of it. Spending time in a book club will show you just how varied opinion can be. Keep in mind that we each have our preferred genres and reviews will reflect that. If the story interests you, then read it. What may send one person off to sleep, may be golden inspiration to another.
Keep reading folks and always be brave enough to try books from different genres…. treasures to be found!
Michelle
Posted in News About Me | No Comments »
My name is Michelle and I've been an avid reader since I was a kid. With my head stuck in a 'Famous Five' book, I was never hindered by bed time thanks to my trusty torch. I live in Australia with my beautiful family. My tastes cover many genres but I do have a passion for Jane Austen and Austen inspired works. My site is full of these works and I hope my collection is of use to fellow lovers of Austen.
