The Old Man and the Sea

All alone....

It’s the story of Santiago, an old fisherman, who everyone thinks is unlucky because he doesn’t catch any fish. He has a little boy who is his best friend, and who believes that Santiago is the best fisherman there is. We find out for ourselves when Santiago finds himself far out to sea, alone, with a 1500 pound marlin on the end of the line...

FUNNNESS: X X X O O - X X X X O

GRIPPINGNESS: X X X O O - X X X X O

READABILITY: X X X O O - X X X X O        (THEY ALL DEPEND REALLY... ON CHAPTER, TASTES, PATIENCE...)

The clean, precise writing style.

Hemingway uses short, clipped sentences, and doesn’t drown the poor story in endless description, though there is description of course, of the effective, condensed type.

Hemingway does not waste time, if someone does something for a reason, Hemingway will tell you straight out. For example: “Once there had been a tinted photograph of his wife on the wall but he had taken it down because it made him too lonely to see it and it was on the shelf in the corner under his clean shirt.”

It's quite new, after a lifetime of detailed description, it's quite refreshing. Different writing styles are very interesting to discover - no one has the same writing style as someone else, everyone is unique.

yes.. clean writing style.....

The poignancy…

When the old man is fishing, or being towed away by a huge marlin, he had plenty of time to think and remember the past times. Once he remembers that once when fishing with the boy, they caught the female of a pair of marlin. All through the capture and the butchering the male marlin stayed with them, searching for his female.

           “Then, while the old man was clearing the lines and preparing the harpoon, the male fish jumped high into the air beside the boat to see where the female was and then went down deep, his lavender wings, that were his pectoral fins, spread wide and all his wide lavender stripes showing. He was beautiful, the old man remembered, and he had stayed.

           That was the saddest thing I ever saw with them, the old man thought.”

undying love!

The hidden emotion

With all that ‘short sentences’ and ‘clipped descriptions’ business, you could infer that perhaps, the book was devoid of emotion. You’re right – but only to an extent. Take for instance, this extract:

“He was asleep when the boy looked in at the door in the morning. It was blowing so hard that the drifting boats would not be going out and the boy had slept late and then come to the old man’s shack as he had come each morning. The boy saw that the old man was breathing and then he saw the old man’s hands and he started to cry. He went out very quietly to go to bring some coffee and all the way down the road he was crying.”

Hemingway doesn’t describe how the boy cries, or why. Perhaps to a person opening this for the first time at a random time wouldn’t know the reason. But we do – we’ve been through thick and thin with the old man, and his pain and exertion and bravery in catching the massive marlin. That is the reason why we too can cry with the boy. Relief that the old man is alive. Sympathetic tears for his terrible wounds. Regret that he had not been there with the old man to help him.

that night, the old man dreamt of the lions on the beach...

it is a book you should try, though many have mixed opinions on it. Tell me what you think of The Old Man and the Sea...

Why Holden Caulfield wanted to catch a body coming through the rye

The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye is the story of Holden Caulfield, who narrates the story from a mental hospital, from the day he was expelled from Pencey Prep. It spans over two days as a flashback. This book, originally written for adults, is also popular with teenagers who recognize the same themes of alienation, rebellion, teenage angst and confusion. Famous for confronting issues like identity, connection belonging. Notorious for its profanity (eg. swearing)...

FUNNESS:                 X X X O O / X X X X O

GRIPPINGNESS:  X X X O O / X X X X O

READABLITY:     X X O O O (UNDER AGE 12)

                                         X X X X X  (OVER AGE 12) (because the book contains material for slightly older readers)

READ IT FOR:

1.Holden Caulfield

Holden may seem like a coarse, rude and inconsiderate person on the outside, but as the narration goes on you get little glimpses of the gentle, sensitive, beautiful inside, the true Holden who tries to find sense, and good in the world, but sadly failing except in his little sister Phoebe.

he loves little children, finding in them the innocence he craves. That's the reason for his dream of saving the kids from falling over a cliff  - perhaps the cliff of adulthood, phoniness and the loss of innocence?

2.Jane Gallagher

he’s Holden’s love interest and the way he talks about her makes you really want to know her. You get the feeling that she’s the only girl Holden will ever love… and he’s never even properly kissed her on the lips. She is a stark contrast to Sally Hayes, and all the rest of the fluttering fickle girls around Holden, she almost seems the most real…. Even though we never meet her in the book. Oh bother…

3.The complete believability of it all!

It sounded completely in character. The vocabulary, the tone, the pace, the italics, the swearing…

Holden would repeat a phrase over and over again in a passage, like when talking about his ‘kid-sister’ Phoebe he would say ‘I swear to God you’d like her.’

It's incredibly well written. Incredibly. I've read many good books, but none with the same style as Catcher. The tone, the pacing, the vocab... Read it, will you!!!

"Are you sure, Terribly Sorry?"

4. If you're one of those rebellious frustrated types and need someone in the same situation... even if he's in a book

It was the perfect book. I read it and I was like, "Holden? You too?" It felt great to find someone who understood so perfectly. You have to read it to find out.

5. What he writes is SO TRUE.

Check out this excerpt about holding hands with girls ( about Jane Gallagher) :

"I don't want you to get the idea that she was a goddam icicle or something, just because we never necked or horsed around much. She wasn't. I held hands with her all the time, for instance. That doesn't sound like much, I realize, but she was terrific to hold hands with. Most girls if you hold hands with them, their goddam hand dies on you, or else they think they have to keep moving their hand all the time, as if they were afraid they'd bore you or something. Jane was different. We'd get into a goddam movie or something, and right away we'd start holding hands, and we wouldn't quit till the movie was over. And without changing the position or making a big deal out of it. You never even worried with Jane, whether your hand was sweaty or not. All you knew was, you were happy. You really were."

aw!!! And it's definitely what I can relate to (fine, ok, I admit that I'm one of those girls who think they have to move their hand a bit to keep you interested. Ahem.)

So please. Read it. You'll get what I'm talking about once you do.

oh my. A batman themed remake of The Catcher in the Rye... whatever next..

Why Brad Pitt's body will not bring you closer to the Iliad. Read the real thing

"Hmm... the Iliad? Oh, I know! Him!!" you say. And I know exactly who 'him' is.

It's this person...

... and you know what? I can't blame you. Not only is  'Troy' a major blockbuster, but Mr. Pitt is not at all bad to look at. Neither is the film.

But there's a slight problem...

THERE ARE LOADS OF THINGS IN THE FILM THAT ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE ORIGINAL STORY.

ahem. Of course, the poor directors want a really smashing film (so adding in squabbling gods might spoil the whole thing), and perhaps they want to portray the story of the Iliad as it really might've happened...

But whatever their excuses, the plot of the film is different.

so without further ado -

THE ILIAD

FUNNESS:

(IF YOU'RE ME)    X X X X O

(IF YOU'RE MY ANNOYING LITTLE BROTHER)          X X O O O

GRIPPINGNESS:

(IF YOU'RE ME)        X X X O O       (OR)       X X X X O      (DEPENDS ON THE CHAPTER)

(IF YOU'RE MY INSENSITIVE BROTHER)      X X O O O 

READABILITY:

(DIE-HARD GREEKY GEEKS)                           X X X X X

(MORE NORMAL PEOPLE)                                   X X X O O 

 (PEOPLE WHO JUST WANT A BREAK)       O O O O O

WHY READ THE BOOK?

1. ACHILLES

theres no illustrations of Brad Pitt, I'm afraid, but who needs him?! Use your imagination...

I mean he's just so brilliant!!! Read all those descriptions of him!

2. THE DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS HEROISM OF IT ALL!!!

It's so glorious and majestic... Fates, Aristeia, honour, kudos, ransoms, libations... this here epic has got 'em all.

3. YOU WILL SEEM INCREDIBLY ATTRACTIVE AND INTELLIGENT 

Once word goes round saying you've read the Iliad, you're going to be a hot issue.. Who cares if it was the English translation and not the ancient greek!!

4. THE OTHER CHARACTERS!!! (U KNOW, THE OTHERS APART FROM ACHILLES..)

The 'others' are pretty hot issues themselves...

Agamemnon, Menelaus (two king-brother hotties... never imagined them to be the grandpa's from the film, you know what I mean?),

Nestor (the nice old king),

Odysseus (one wily cunning king (he's the guy who blinds the cyclops later on in the Odyssey))

Diomedes (HOT ISSUE!!!) a very brave daring young warrior,

Patroclus (Achilles' veryveryvery nice friend who gets killed by Hector and starts Achilles' bloody rampage of revenge),

Briseis (Achilles' (HOT) girlfriend who was the cause of his big sulk and squabble with Agamemnon),

Hector (HOT ISSUE!!!!!) 'breaker of horses' :') (the one who gets dragged around by the ankles behind a chariot),

Paris (the HOT but extremely annoying young pest who causes the whole business by running off with...)

Helen (the face that launched a thousand ships) the most beautiful woman in the world...

...and many, many more!! Discover them all...they're all really exciting and unique...

...AND all those hot gods who direct the whole thing (haha - got you there!! the film didnt include the gods... can't think why...)

Menelaus, Paris, Diomedes, Odysseus, Nestor, Achilles, Agamemnon (from left)... but use your imagination!!

5. IT'S SO ICONIC... HOW CAN YOU NOT READ IT??!!!

Nah, that's a shallow reason...

you should read it for discovering the finer details of the character (both heroes and gods), and the iliad is not just a story of lust, fighting and war... The scene when Priam ransoms Hector's body near the end of the epic is considered one of the most finest parts of the iliad, where the two men realise their similarities. its full of the meaningless of things!! the meaningless of war!! the childlike gods and the godlike heroes!!!! how can you not read it??!!

OH ...LOL!!!

(in case you never feel like reading it without illustrations....)

the marvel comics adaptation!!!

so, please, for the sake of your inner warlord, give the Iliad a go!

The Lark Ascending: A dreamy journey through the sky

ooooh look its a lark ascending!

KUDOS: X X X X O

MOVINGNESS: X X X X O

ENJOYABILITY: (CLASSICAL FANS) X X X X X

(NEUTRAL TASTES) X X X O O

(HARD ROCK ENTHUSIASTS) X O O O O                 (BUT YOU NEVER KNOW)

BY: RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS

VERSIONS: VIOLIN

PIANO

                            VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRAL (MOST HEARD VERSION)

LISTEN FOR:
- The soft waves of sound at the beginning
- The solo wavering unpredictable 'Lark'
- Pure excellent high notes on the violin
- The idyllic feeling of undefined bliss...
- ... and the odd feeling of sadness and nostalgia!
- For some reason it reminded me of Ben-Hur... something wasn't entirely 'english' about it... It had a touch of the ethereal and 'out-there-ness'...

WARNINGS:

- This music can't be listened to with impunity.
- Really stop what you are doing and LISTEN.
- For me this song doesn't reveal much of the english countryside... too heavenly and ethereal for that...
- For my 12 year old little brother, he said he felt sleepy, and then he said he wanted to go to Korea - after overexposure to the music. It's incredible because he isn't the most sensitive thing in the world... music brings out things in people most things can't...
- This also reminds me of 'The Lord of the Rings'. Hmm. Of Hobbiton and the Shire... so is that 'english countryside feeling'? Perhaps not. I told you it was musical fantasia.                                                                                                                                       - my dad said it reminded him of an oriental mountain (he said that vaughan williams had studied chinese music or something so that explains that)

argh! restrain me: I love it so much!!!

MAKE SURE YOU:

- have fun listening to it... and if stirs up the wanderlust within you then go for it!  its a chance in a lifetime.

- see the korean gold medalist figure skater Kim Yuna skate to this piece of music somewhere in youtube

- watch the Lord of the Rings and Ben-Hur. You must. I order you

- do a full scale wall mural of the imagery and emotions the Lark Ascending arouse in you. In fresco.

- don't fall through a window trying to 'fly' to the music. like my little brother almost did.

- have some Sky-lark pie while you're at it. That was a joke.

- get your family to shut up at dinner time and ask them to listen to the music while they eat and then force them to tell you what they thought. Like I did.

the incredible kim yuna

Why the Hunger Games leaves me Hungry for More

FUNNESS: X X X X O

GRIPPINGNESS: X X X X X

RECOMMENDABILTY: X X X X O

As I sat there reading that fateful book, I was actually, literally frozen to the spot. My hands were trembling ever so slightly, and I’m not sure my heartbeat hadn’t risen a little. It’s that gripping.

I’d wanted to read the Hunger Games ever since people have gone crazy over it, and as it killed the box office. At first, I’d been horrified at the story line of brutal killings in an arena televised to the public, but then, at all the fuss, I thought that there must have been something special about it, right? So I was a little excited when (having entered Blackwells, the excellent one on Broad St.) I was sitting in a seat with my Dad and my little brother with a hot chocolate at my elbow, with The Hunger Games in my hands. I’d heard so much about it that I kind of already knew the story line (e.g., she enters instead of her wee little sister, she wins with a guy called Peeta, blah blah blah) but the experience of reading it for myself is unbeaten. I could finally get stuck in.

REASONS TO READ THE HUNGER GAMES:

1. GRIPS YOU SO HARD YOU STOP BREATHING

And I did. It seemed oh-so real. And it happened so fast. We got from her hunting with Gale in the forest, and suddenly it’s the day before the games. I didn’t get any long heartrending monologues from Katniss, except in good, short snappy bits, and I got the feeling that this feeling, that it wasn’t really happening, 

was exactly what the author wanted. I couldn’t believe she was actually gonna be in the games, myself…

hmm... they look cheeful

2. DOESN'T STOP THERE! IT'LL MAKE YOU CRY

At one point I was actually close to tears! It’s probably a good thing I got my emotions under control (bursting into tears in the middle of the café in Blackwell’s isn’t the most comfortable situation in the world (especially when you’ve got the Hunger Games in your hands)). It was the (really really really) well written bit when District 12 stays silent and doesn’t clap… and all simultaneously give Katniss the 3-fingered salute. That bit was – was - - so cool!! I could just picture it in my light-headed, fluttering mind… (But maybe that’s just me. I cry like… well… I cried watching the Lion King. There I said it.) I almost started bawling again when she wreathes poor little Rue in wildflowers and gives her that salute --- (what is it with me and salutes?! I blame the trailer for the Hunger Games. Grrrr).

ARGH!!! ITS THAT SALUTE!!!!!!!!

3. IT'LL GET YOUR BLOOD UP!

Reading about the actual games was physically tiring and pumped me full of adrenaline I didn’t need (except maybe if I wanted to flee from my dad who doesn’t regard the Hunger Games as the most wholesome book in the world), I think this was the part where my muscles started to go numb (I had trouble standing up to leave. I was so tense, you know?!) and I literally couldn’t stop reading. I had to devour every page, savouring every word! I was in the middle of page 313 where Katniss has just found Peeta pretending to be a log and was washing him clean, when my Dad ordered me TO STOP. And stop I did (because Dad was looking at me dangerously…). I had to meekly look through some Greek vocab which danced about my head and which didn’t mean a thing to me. I was still buzzing, buzzing, buzzing…

4. IT'LL BOTHER THE PARENTS!

Dad obviously thinks the Hunger Games is detrimental (must’ve heard of the arena killing, then?) so I doubt I’ll be allowed to finish it off in another Blackwells sitting. Sigh…

But I’m comforting myself with the thought that one day I WILL finish it. And so therefore finish the rest 

of this ‘half’ review.

5. IT SUPPLIES YOU WITH PLENTY OF ANNOYING QUOTES THAT'LL MEAN NOTHING TO OTHERS BUT EVERYTHING TO OTHER HUNGER GAMES FANS!!!

“And may the odds be ever in your favour!” (the annoying Effie Trinket... seen below)