Some have said that Richard Yates' books is an indictment of marriage, suburbia, or both. Yates himself said in an
interview
that it is actually more about aborted dreams.
Frank and April are young and successful suburbanites with two children. Well, successful to others, but not to themselves. Frank hates his job and finds it excruciatingly boring. April hates the suburbs and finds her life as a wife and mother excruciatingly boring. When the couple (mostly April) devise a plan to get out of their present circumstances, they seem to relax and enjoy each other again -- until a few glitches come their way.
My sisters and I read this together for our bookclub, and I have also seen the movie so it was interesting to compare the two. While the book was mostly from Frank's and their neighbor Shep's points of view, the movie had more of April and Mrs. Givings' perspective. Also the endings were a bit different.
I found the book to be well-written but depressing. It's definitely thought-provoking.
This is a wonderful book for children. Not only was it a Newbery Honor Book, it was also written by Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer and illustrated by the wonderful Maurice Sendak. With stories of fools, mixed-up feet, devils, and pet goats, this book can be enjoyed by both children and adults.
My favorite was definitely the title story, "Zlateh the Goat." Zlateh has been good to Aaron's family, but it is now Hanukkah and the family needs money for basic necessities. Aaron grudgingly leads her to the butcher, only to be caught in a snowstorm. The snow is so bad that no one can even search for the pair. Will Aaron be reunited with his family in time for Hanukkah? Will he even survive the storm?
Recommended for families with children and adults with a Jewish interest.
I'm a sci-fi nut, so of course a few years ago I just had to see the movie
Solaris
with George Clooney. I loved it. Loved it, loved it, loved it. I loved it so much that I not only have watched the film over 20 times, but I also own the
soundtrack
and the
Criterion Collection Russian version
. And now, I've read
the book
written by Polish author Stanislaw Lem in 1961.
I did love the book as well, but perhaps only because I love the movies so much. There is a lot more science involved in the novel, which I didn't mind (and even enjoyed) because I'm sort of a geek that way. It made me appreciate the movies even more and understand more of what the scientists were actually doing in their study of the planet Solaris. I relished the additional background story that the movies didn't have time to go into.
Soundtrack
I'm not going to say much of what the book and/or movie is about, because it would just spoil it too much for those who aren't familiar with them. Let me just say that it is a pschological romance in a sci-fi setting. The movies do concentrate more on the romance while the book is more sci-fi, but I loved all aspects of the both the book and movie versions. I also love the soundtrack by Cliff Martinez in the Clooney movie. I even listened to it while I read the novel!
The movie also introduced me to what is now one of my favorite poems:
DVD
And death shall have no dominion.
Dead men naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon;
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.
And death shall have no dominion.
Under the windings of the sea
They lying long shall not die windily;
Twisting on racks when sinews give way,
Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break;
Faith in their hands shall snap in two,
And the unicorn evils run them through;
Split all ends up they shan't crack;
And death shall have no dominion.
And death shall have no dominion.
No more may gulls cry at their ears
Or waves break loud on the seashores;
Where blew a flower may a flower no more
Lift its head to the blows of the rain;
Though they be mad and dead as nails,
Heads of the characters hammer through daisies;
Break in the sun till the sun breaks down,
And death shall have no dominion.
- Dylan Thomas
1961, 204 pp.
4.5/5
If you're still reading this review, you might be interested in some youtube videos of the movies. This first one is George Clooney reading the poem.
Note: Stop at 1:30 if you don't want to see spoilers!
This next one is one of my favorite scenes from the Russian DVD version:
And this last one is some scenes from the modern version highlighting the soundtrack:
This slim book by Lydia Chukovskaya is a must read if you're interested in Russian/Soviet history. It reminded me a bit of
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
, except that instead of the prisoner's point of view, we get the view of the mothers and wives of the falsely imprisoned.
At the beginning of the book, Sofia is happily working as the supervising typist for a government publishing house. Her son Kolya is deeply committed to the Soviet party and is studying engineering. Then everything slowly goes downhill and '
The Great Purge
' begins. People start disappearing. Masses of people. Multitudes of women stand in line each day in front of government offices to determine the fate of their loved ones. All are convinced it is only a big mistake, but then they themselves are deported.
This book was actually written during the time of the purges (1937-1938), but it was hidden for several years for obvious reasons and then almost published in the Soviet Union in the early sixties. Political change occurred again, and it wasn't published in Chukovskaya's home country, but it was published in France and in the United States. The book was finally published in the Soviet Union in 1988.
I almost never read forewords, author's notes, or afterwords, but I did in this case because I was fascinated by the author's own struggle to get the book published. As I said, a must read for Russian history enthusiasts.
"There's only one thing I want, just one thing I'm waiting for: to see my book published in the Soviet Union. In my own country. In Sofia Petrovna's country. I have been waiting patiently for thirty-four years.
There is but one tribunal to which I wish to offer my novella: that of my countrymen, young and old, particularly the old, those who lived through the same thing which befell me and that woman so different from me whom I chose as the heroine of my narrative -- Sofia Petrovna, one of thousands I saw all about me.
"
1967 for the English translation, 120 pp.
Rating: 5/5
I read this title for Banned Books Week and also because I needed a 'Z' author. It's an older book, written in 1968, so the content may have been a little more shocking back then, but really, I'm as conservative as they come, and I don't have a problem with it at all. Yes, there is defiance of authority and alcohol reference, but with what our kids have to deal with in today's world, this book is very mild in comparison. It's actually a very poignant book.
I always like stories that show how strong bonds can be made with those you don't expect -- especially if you don't have those strong bonds in your own family life. After John and Lorraine meet 50-ish Mr. Pignati, the three of them start spending more and more time together. At first the teenagers are a little embarassed by Mr. Pignati, who has a childlikeness to him, but soon the threesome are fast friends. Sadly, it's the teenagers' own immaturity that ends up threatening the friendship. Recommended.
I have always thought that the human heart is a little like the ocean, subject to tides, that joy rises in it in a steady flow, singing of waves, good fortune, and bliss; but afterward, when the high sea withdraws, it leaves an utter desolation in our sight. So it was with me that day.
Written in French by Gabrielle Roy and translated by Joyce Marshall,
The Road Past Altamont
captures a sweet young girl's thoughts and feelings perfectly. I also enjoyed Roy's descriptions of the vastness of the Manitoba prairie.
The book is really four interconnected stories more than a novel. The first story, "My Almighty Grandmother," tells of Christine's love and awe of her matriarch. The second story, "The Old Man and the Child," is about Christine's relationship with an elderly neighbor and their visit to Lake Winnipeg. This one was my favorite as I found so much sweetness in the pair's friendship. In "The Move," Christine discovers that not everyone lives as she does, and in "The Road Past Altamont," an adult Christine deals with her mother's increasing age and unrealized dreams.
I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy Willa Cather or L.M. Montgomery. I would definitely read another book by Gabrielle Roy.
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (
John 13:34-35
,
ESV
)
Some have said that Richard Yates' books is an indictment of marriage, suburbia, or both. Yates himself said in an
interview
that it is actually more about aborted dreams.
This is a wonderful book for children. Not only was it a Newbery Honor Book, it was also written by Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer and illustrated by the wonderful Maurice Sendak. With stories of fools, mixed-up feet, devils, and pet goats, this book can be enjoyed by both children and adults.
This slim book by Lydia Chukovskaya is a must read if you're interested in Russian/Soviet history. It reminded me a bit of
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
, except that instead of the prisoner's point of view, we get the view of the mothers and wives of the falsely imprisoned.
I read this title for Banned Books Week and also because I needed a 'Z' author. It's an older book, written in 1968, so the content may have been a little more shocking back then, but really, I'm as conservative as they come, and I don't have a problem with it at all. Yes, there is defiance of authority and alcohol reference, but with what our kids have to deal with in today's world, this book is very mild in comparison. It's actually a very poignant book.
I have always thought that the human heart is a little like the ocean, subject to tides, that joy rises in it in a steady flow, singing of waves, good fortune, and bliss; but afterward, when the high sea withdraws, it leaves an utter desolation in our sight. So it was with me that day.
