The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

RATING: ★★★★★

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The Handmaid's Tale has been high on my TBR for years. Ever since my gender studies class, I've seemed to be surrounded by people, online and in person, who have read and adored the novel. A staple of feminist literature, I always felt slightly embarrassed that I hadn't read it yet. With the release of the Hulu series this week, I literally had no excuse left: I HAD to make time to read this classic. And even though there has been years of build up, I was not ready for how amazing it was.

I purposely tried to start this novel without too many preconceptions of the story; no summaries read and I didn't even watch the series trailer. I can highly recommend going into the novel like this so my summary will be short and extremely spoiler-free, for your reading pleasure.

The Handmaid's Tale is the story of Offred, who lives in the Republic of Gilead. This is a dystopian society where the roles of women have tremendously changed. Offred is part of the first generation of women to go through this change and the novel chronics her experience with the new world versus her memories of her old life. Offred's role is to reproduce, to have a child with a man she is assigned to. This man is always married and his wife will play a role in the process too.

If you think that's too vague, that's the point. Margaret Atwood is such a talented writer and is really able to take her reader on a surprising journey. At so many points, I thought I knew what would happen in the story, or what was insinuated by a certain character, and I was always absolutely wrong.

The Handmaid's Tale strength lies in the fact that the whole plot seems so incredibly batshit crazy, yet also like it could happen to us tomorrow. Literally, in the current world with the current leaders, tomorrow. We could wake up and suddenly become Offred and part of that first generation of women that experiences a whole new world.

Which is why the book is so heart breaking. Atwood wrote this in the 1980s and today it rings as true as ever. Where is our progress? Why can't we just laugh at this insane view of a future world? Why is the book so painful in so many ways? The book never made me cry because I was hurting for one of the characters; the book made me cry because it made me hurt for our own world. This is extremely powerful and unlike any book I've ever read.

I have to give this book five stars, but honestly, a rating doesn't do it justice. This beautifully composed story with amazing characters on its own would be five stars. Reading it in the current climate and seeing how well Atwood has analysed and portrayed the human mentality is beyond any rating I could give it. All I can say is: don't be like me. Don't wait years to read this novel. Read it today.

The Secret History - Donna Tartt

Rating: ★★★☆☆

GOODREADS

FIVE MOST IMPORTANT POINTS

1. Amazing characters

2. Classics students in Vermont

3. Some REALLY messed up twists

4. Pretentious writing that put me off

5. I want to cuddle the twins and keep them safe

 

The Secret History has been haunting me for months. Years. Everyone has read this novel and it has been on my parents bookshelf for such a long time, that it seemed ridiculous that I haven't picked it up. But I never did. Until this summer, because if summer is for one thing, it's for long books.

It's hard to review this book and though I've said it before, this book might be the hardest one so far. Though I love the characters in this book (ESPECIALLY the twins!!), the writing was absolutely awful. I don't know why, but I felt like this was a Classics 101 class and was written in a way that was somehow pretentious and somehow for people who never read. It was a weird combination and I wasn't comfortable with Donna Tartt's constant need to show how she can describe things - something that is normally fine, but threw off the pacing of the 300 middle pages of this novel.

However, if you enjoy that kinda writing and are okay with severe pacing issues, there are some great characters in this novel. Our narrator, Richard, is new to his Vermont college and decides to join the classics students; a small group of five who only have one professor and meet in his office the whole time. Very early on, the reader notices something off about all the characters, though our narrator blissfully ignores this. 

Plot-wise, this book is one heck of a roller coaster. Many people have praised this novel for being crazy, yet plausible. I just found the whole story crazy. Nothing plausible about it. Yet enjoyable to read at times. Towards the end, I feel like it was one of those season finales where the writers know there won't be a next season anyway, so they just pull out every crazy trick they have. Donna Tartt wrapped this story up in a way that there will no re-introduction to these characters, so why not go crazy?

Like I said, I really enjoyed the characters of this novel, though I can't really discuss them without spoiling the book for everyone. I kinda wish someone else would take the twins and put them in their own, still very messed up, world with better writing. When it comes to creating characters, it's clear that not many people can do it better than Donna Tartt.

So many things about this book annoyed me while reading it, yet I can't give it less than three stars. I won't ever forget these characters and if you know me, you'll know that I love love love an amazing, well-rounded character. Donna Tarrt gave me more than five of them, which is a rare feat in one novel. But I also know I won't try to read any other books by her, because the writing is just so not my style. All I can say, try reading this yourself and figure out if the writing works for you.

The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway

RATING: ★★★★☆

Publication Date: 1926 (First edition)
Publisher: Scribner
Genre: Classics
Pages: 256 pages
Goodreads

The Sun Also Rises is Ernest Hemingway's first novel, written in Paris in the 1920s, showing the live of the now famous Lost Generation as they tried to find themselves. It is one of those novels that is a must-read for many people. The Guardian placed in on number 53 in their top 100 books and praise it as Hemingway's finest work, while the Independent disagrees and sees it as a clear work in progress of a writer's development. Since it's only my second Hemingway novel, I did quite a lot of internet research about the story and meaning of the book. I included this in my review, since I thought it might be helpful for other people and put my opinions in a better context.

The Sun Also Rises is the story of Jake Barnes, who lives in Paris and is friends with writers. We start the story by seeing his day to day in Paris and how the appearance of Lady Ashley interferes with it. It is clear Jake has some history with her and though most of it is left unsaid, the reader gets a good sense on their relationship. Then the whole group decides to travel to Spain to go fishing and to see a bullfighting event. Once they're away from Paris, the whole group starts to fall apart and the term 'Lost Generation' seems to be shouted from every action of every character.

Hemingway was a journalist with only short story experience before this novel, and that's something that is immediately clear from this book. While the New York Times calls his narrative "lean, hard, athletic narrative prose that puts more literary English to shame," I often felt like I was reading a really long news article. There's an immense amount of detail in the story about the environment, most specifically the bars and beverages drank in said bars, but very little on the emotions of people. What does Jake feel? What does Lady Ashley want? It's all for the reader to interpret (- or to look at the version of the book that connects earlier drafts together and which does give a full picture of the story).

This means that though on the surface a quick read, this novel is quite hard work. The sentences are short and easy to understand, but the reader constantly has to look behind the words to see what Hemingway really means. I struggled with this because I always thought Hemingway was easy and not a modernist writer at all. Straight-forward, manly language with a lot of details. Easy. Only after about 100 pages in did I realise this book requires more thought to be fully appreciated. I'm sure seasoned Hemingway readers will know this, but it's an adjustment for someone like me. 

This also means that it's hard to relate to the characters, since we get so little real information about them. I'm always iffy to say whether a work of fiction is autobiographical for an author, but The Sun Also Rises is easier to read if we do make that leap. I think that's why so many people do see it as Hemingway's most autobiographical work - the timeline matches, the places are places he had been and the little information we do know about Jake does seem to match Hemingway. While I used it to make it easier for myself while reading, I'm still cautious to jump to big conclusions about Jake and Hemingway. Mainly I just wish I knew more about Jake so I didn't have to bring in elements of the author.

Overall, this book is fascinating to read. It is the first major book writing by a Lost Generation author during the 1920s in Paris and the story is also set in Paris. It gives us great insight into their day to day activities, though we do often have to piece their thoughts and ideas together ourselves, since Hemingway won't give us very much explicitly. I didn't love this book, but I enjoyed it a lot more than For Whom the Bell Tolls and thought Hemingway's journalistic narrative worked better in this story. Would I have preferred more insight into the characters and less in the environment? Yes. But I think this book also showcases how Hemingway became the famous writer he did - and it made me very eager to travel to Paris some time soon!

Miss Lonelyhearts - Nathanael West

As a “professional reader”, I should be able to read books and review them objectively. Leave out my personal life and ideas and look at how the book is written. Even though reviews are always biased, we should strive to make it as unbiased as possible.

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This week, I didn’t succeed at this – sometimes I read a book that parallels with my life so much at the time, that the lines become blurred. Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathanael West was one of those books that seemed to perfectly describe someone in my life this week, which made me possibly dislike the book more than is justified. This served as a fair warning, so that you know why I hated the character of Miss Lonelyhearts.

The book trails the life of a man who works as Miss Lonelyhearts in the 1930s. He works at a newspaper and answers letters from people who are desperate. This is an era for pain and suffering in New York City and the column is widely popular with these people. They believe that they can be saved if they follow the advice of Miss Lonelyhearts. He always writes general responses in his column that discuss how belief in God would save them, without much care to any specific letter or person. Just general God talk.

However, for someone who was hired to write letters that are supposed to comfort people, Miss Lonelyhearts is a pretty insensitive, rude and egotistic person. The book is written from the point of view of Miss Lonelyhearts, which usually helps the reader relate to the character. Often, the main narrator is also the character we relate to the most. In this case, I found every single other character, which were all very minor due to the short length of the story, more likeable than the narrator. Miss Lonelyhearts is depressed because he hates his job. He hates reading about people’s problems, he hates communicating with people, he hates life and should be the one writing letters to someone else.

So the story is basically him moaning about his job and life, yet not being able to quit his job. If I would summarize him, I would call him lazy and without backbone (which is why he reminded me so much of someone I know).

However, besides my clear irritation of the personality of the main character, the writing in this book is amazing. Nathanael West was a buddy of F.S. Fitzgerald and they are very similar in their way of writing. West uses original comparisons and knows how to push a story forward without making it feel rushed. The story is short, yet there seems to be a lifetime of information about Miss Lonelyhearts in it.

Furthermore, the story is original. I was waiting for the moment Miss Lonelyhearts would see the light and marry his sweetheart and find his happiness. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but Nathanael West makes the story more interesting than that and the ending took me by complete surprise – which is always a plus in my book.

Maybe West’s most important strength is that he can write a character as irritating as Miss Lonelyhearts and have people still finish the book. No one deals willingly with those people in real life, however the beauty of the writing keeps readers willing to deal with Miss Lonelyhearts.

Travels With Charley - John Steinbeck

Give me any book with a dog on the cover and I’ll read it (except for Marley and Me, because I actually like my heart in one piece, thank you very much).

So when my travel writing teacher asked the class to read a travelogue, I couldn’t resist picking upTravels with Charley by John Steinbeck. I’m a fervent Steinbeck fan and the combination of his amazing writing talent with a dog is what drew me in. Added to that, I dislike travelogues and just wanted something that I knew I could at least admire for the writing.

Life is not a fairy tale and Travels with Charleydid not make me fall in love with the travel-writing genre. It is a great read, but that’s because Steinbeck is so ridiculously talented with story telling. No one can tell a story like that man and that’s what made the book great.

The plot is fairly simply; a man and his dog take a home on wheels and drive around America to satisfy the wanderlust of the man. Highlights are the first few chapters, where Steinbeck explains not just his love for travel, but the need he feels for travel. As a traveller myself, those chapters felt like he had looked inside my soul and put my thoughts into words that are far beyond my talent.

The journey is described by landscapes and people and the reaction of his dog Charley to both of those. That makes this travelogue original – it’s not just what Steinbeck is feeling, but it’s about what the dog is feeling and what this might mean. It also makes it an amazing read for dog owners, like myself, because you can recognize the reactions of Charley and it makes you want to grab your pet and cuddle him. Without giving too much of the plot away, the journey throws Steinbeck several curveballs and he experiences things that were unexpected for him – and thus are also unexpected for the reader.

Is it a life-changing journey? No, it’s not. So is the book life-changing? No, it’s not. But it’s a fun, easy read and it will help future writers develop their use of language and the building blocks of a good story.