I hate to admit this about a Poe work but I was bored. I felt like I was reading for school rather than reading for pleasure. I just couldn't get throI hate to admit this about a Poe work but I was bored. I felt like I was reading for school rather than reading for pleasure. I just couldn't get through it. The story can be summed up in like three sentences: 1. The house is creepy. 2. Usher has gone mad. 3. They buried a woman alive because they thought she was dead. The rest of the story was just wordy and dense. I lost interest even with the audio book....more
The more that I read Poe, the more I decide that I just don't like him. It's sad really because he has produced The Tell-Tale Heart and Annabel Lee, wThe more that I read Poe, the more I decide that I just don't like him. It's sad really because he has produced The Tell-Tale Heart and Annabel Lee, which I loved as kid. But as I'm reading him now I'm seeing a different side. The Pit and the Pendulum was pretty good and kept my interest, but I absolutely hated this one. The Purloined Letter was above all, a detective story about a letter that was stolen and then miraculously recovered. Poe lost me in the explanation of how the letter was found- talking about mathematicians, logic, and poetry instead of getting on with the story.
Don't read this is you're looking for his usual gloomy stuff. I'm unsure as to why this is on the 1001 List and I'm certainly sorry that I wasted my time with it. Oh well, on to the next....more
This book was a true, "what did I just read" moment for me. Although very brief, it was still extremely dense and bit of a slog to get through. ThankfThis book was a true, "what did I just read" moment for me. Although very brief, it was still extremely dense and bit of a slog to get through. Thankfully I took a Shakespeare course in college, or I definitely would have struggled with the thees, thous, and thines.
This is the tale of Manfred, prince of Otranto. Manfred is terrified that a prophecy usurping his rule of Otranto will come true. He is preparing for the wedding of his son Conrad to Isabella, the daughter of Frederic of Vincenza, believing that this marriage will prevent the province of Otranto from falling out of his family. Unfortunately, Conrad mysteriously dies, crushed by a giant helmet, and he is soon forgotten. What was the cause of Conrad's death? Who is the mysterious young man who recognizes the helmet as the helmet of Alfonso, the last rightful heir of Otranto? In addition to these events, the castle begins acting "haunted" and all of the characters believe the Heavens are trying to communicate a message.
The large majority of the book involves Manfred running around the castle trying to have sex with Isabella, who of course, did not want to be within a ten foot radius of him. His son died, and rather than grieving, his first thought was... you know what, let me just save my kingdom and marry this child myself. Manfred supposedly was meant to be the tragic hero of the story, but I did not get that vibe from the guy at all. I thought he was pretentious at best, and a huge creeper at his worst.
Reading about Manfred's wife, Hippolita was pretty depressing too. This woman would have died for her husband, that's how loyal she was. Yet she was cast aside so cruelly just because her only son, Manfred's only heir died. I know many of my feelings come from reading this book almost 1,000 years after it was originally written. Back then, women couldn't read, couldn't write, and were mainly just placeholders to support their husbands. Maybe if I was born in the 1200s I would have sympathized with Manfred. But for now, I'm content with my dislike of him.
Two stars because I was able to finish, but there really wasn't any wow factor here that made me feel like I was reading a work of the ages. On to the next!...more
I'm finding it difficult to review this book. Did it keep my attention? Yes. Was it the most captivating story I've ever read? No. The novel started sI'm finding it difficult to review this book. Did it keep my attention? Yes. Was it the most captivating story I've ever read? No. The novel started slowly, then gradually picked up and became a page-turner while Marie Mitchell was in Africa. I liked the main character - an African American female FBI agent who worked twice as hard to get where she was than her male counterparts. She finds herself in an impossible situation - on a foreign continent with a mission she does not agree with. Lauren Wilkinson paints an extremely critical picture of American intelligence agencies here, one that makes the reader wonder what truly goes on behind the scenes of the American government.
However, there were several instances where the story just simply fell flat. I did not enjoy the first person narration style - Wilkinson wrote this book in the form of a journal Marie was writing to her two young sons, who she was forced to abandon so she could try to save her own life (as well as their lives). The ending left more to be desired. We finally have all the pieces of the puzzle together as to what happened to Marie, and to Sankara, but we do not know what happens after the journal ends. Was Marie able to return to Africa to kill Ross? Was she killed? Was she ever able to escape the watch of the CIA? Definitely more questions than answers here.
With that said, for a first novel, I am impressed with Lauren Wilkinson. It will be interesting to see how she develops her career as a writer....more
My favorite Poe story will forever be The Tell-Tale Heart, so I've always approached his work with the attitude that any other story will fall short oMy favorite Poe story will forever be The Tell-Tale Heart, so I've always approached his work with the attitude that any other story will fall short of the brilliance in that one. However, The Pit and the Pendulum surprised me. If you put yourself in the narrator's shoes, this story becomes horrifying. Picture lying bound and unable to move while an axe continues to swing closer and closer to your body. Picture a billion rats attacking you. Picture the walls closing in on you. Poe masterfully keeps the reader in the dark about what will happen, so we are as unprepared for disaster as the narrator. Definitely spooky, but at least it has a happy ending....more
This book was just okay. Leonard had a way of telling me everything, rather than showing it. The plot was supposed to be about the high-stakes, high-rThis book was just okay. Leonard had a way of telling me everything, rather than showing it. The plot was supposed to be about the high-stakes, high-risk movie business. Plus there were several mob-type characters that popped in and out trying to cause problems for Chili Palmer. All of that sounds wildly exciting, but the story-telling fell flat. I enjoyed the main character enough - he was confident and calm.. there was something sexy enough about him to keep me interested in finishing the story. The ending was really clever, I thought, because the reader is left to wonder whether Leonard planned it or if he got lazy and couldn't think of an ending, similar to how the characters in the book were debating over the ending to their fictional movie.
Clever as the ending was though, I can't rate this book as anything better than average. It needed more emotion and I found myself getting bored even though the plot was moving along. Interested to see if the sequel reads better....more
There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide myThere is an idea of a Patrick Bateman, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand, and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I am simply not there.
And there it is.... the essence of American Psycho. I put this book off for awhile because reading Less Than Zero actually made me physically nauseated in some parts. Of course, this was worse x1000. My conclusion? I like Brett Easton Ellis. I really do. But his graphic, leave-no-detail-out-no-matter-how-horrifying writing style will hopefully be a once a year experience thing for me at most.
But where to begin with his book? What can be said when so much has been said already? I UNDERSTOOD this book. Yes, the graphic rape, torture, and murder scenes (I have to put emphasis on graphic ... Really. Do not pick this book up if you have a queasy stomach), showed me that we were undoubtedly forced to view the inner thoughts of a very sick individual. But it was much more than that.
Patrick Bateman and his cronies are a walking satire of the Wall Street elite.
Case in point: After getting dressed and putting my Walkman on, clipping its body to the Lycra shorts and placing the phones over my ears, a Stephen Bishop/Christopher Cross compilation tape Todd Hunter made for me, I check myself in the mirror before entering the gym and dissatisfied, go back to my briefcase for some mousse to slick my hair back and then I use a moisturizer, and for a small blemish I notice under my lower lip, a dab of Clinique Touch-Stick.
Patrick lives in a world only defined by the brands one uses and the reservations one can get at the hottest, hippest restaurant. I found myself thinking while reading, wow... I must be f***ed up for thinking this book is funny, but I think that was the POINT. Some of my favorite scenes involved just Patrick and his friends talking to each other without really listening. No one has a real conversation- Patrick would come right out and say he murders people, but his friends never really process what he is saying. No one is able to correctly name one another either - each one of these guys is interchangeable with the next and it becomes apparent that their individual identities are meaningless in their world.
Of course, Patrick ultimately becomes more and more psychologically unraveled. The book, literally, from start to finish, is his journey from passing normal to completely insane. He starts seeing things, the Patty Winters Show becomes more ridiculous by the day, and his murders become more lethal.
In summary, this is the perfect definition of a four-star book. Captivating story, interesting character, but the gross factor kept it from a perfect score.
I would absolutely not recommend this book to anyone, unless you are a bibliophile looking to check it off your "to-read" list. Proceed at your own risk....more
They say the sequel is always the inferior to the original. I didn't think so with this book. Looking back at my review of Get Shorty, I found that myThey say the sequel is always the inferior to the original. I didn't think so with this book. Looking back at my review of Get Shorty, I found that my overall thoughts about it were that Leonard was all-tell-and-no-show and that there wasn't enough action. I thought the book had more potential. Be Cool has what Get Shorty was lacking. I enjoyed that there were three plot lines going on at the same time and how Leonard tied them all together at the end in a way that made sense. But what I liked most of all was the fact that Chili became involved in all of the plot's shenanigans solely for the story. He manipulated things to happen in certain ways because he thought that they would make a good scene in an upcoming movie. It made me wonder if real producers go through life like that - Thinking about the moment from the perspective of viewers instead of living in the moment itself.
Stories are only as strong as their main characters and I think I enjoyed this series because I liked Chili. A new kind of gangster, one that instills fear not through violence, but through smooth words and quick thinking. I gave this book 4 stars because sometimes the language dragged and I got characters confused. But overall, it was a more suspenseful read than Get Shorty and I'd recommend those who were iffy about Shorty to read it. Leonard might grow on you....more
Whenever I start a new book, I'll read some reviews from people who liked the book and from people who disliked the book. It seems like most people whWhenever I start a new book, I'll read some reviews from people who liked the book and from people who disliked the book. It seems like most people who dislike The Godfather are put off by the blatant sexism that proliferates throughout. Obviously as a woman some of those scenes made me cringe, but I couldn't let that distract me from the beautiful writing here. I thought Puzo was a captivating storyteller. Although the book was long, I found myself turning page after page because I was sucked into the flow of the language and the painting of the characters. I especially liked the theme of stepping outside of normal societal roles, where the characters did not care for the rules, so they created their own hierarchy and ways to survive in it.
Yes, there is a woman character whose sole purpose is to get vaginal surgery. Yes, there is another woman character who gets physically beat by her husband but is expected to stay. But no, you won't find such a brilliant portrayal of the mafia underworld anywhere else. Try to get past the sexism and violence and you will find a literary masterpiece, filled with men who are seduced by power and how to get more of it....more
Imagine living in a town, population 270. Everyone knows everything about everybody. A local diner is the hubbub of gossip. The barista knows everyoneImagine living in a town, population 270. Everyone knows everything about everybody. A local diner is the hubbub of gossip. The barista knows everyone's favorite order. Not too much happens in this small town. Everyone is full of trust, in fact - most people don't even bother to lock their doors. It sounds like a wonderful place to bring up your children. Until a prominent family in the community is brutally murdered. Over the course of one hour, the town population became 266. Everyone is scared. Which one among us is the murderer? Is it the milkman? Is it the local boy who delivers the newspaper? Is it the barista who knew the family's order at the diner?
This was the very real environment that existed in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959 after the murder of the Clutter family. In Cold Blood documents the events surrounding the murder and introduces us (very early on) to the men that committed the heinous crime. Every now and then when I'm reading the 1001 list I stop to applaud after I finish a book. This was one of those times. But the book also got me thinking a lot about capital punishment. By telling the story from the killers point of view, the killers were humanized in a way that made capital punishment a stinging reality. I'm not really sure how I feel about it still, but I think that was the point that Capote was trying to make.
Go read this brilliant masterpiece of a book. That is all.
This book absolutely knocked my socks off. I really do not know what to say in this review because I do not think I would be able to do it justice. Tom This book absolutely knocked my socks off. I really do not know what to say in this review because I do not think I would be able to do it justice. Tom Ripley is the protagonist, and obviously an anti-hero, someone who we are rooting really hard against and for at exactly the same time. I got some vibes that Tom was unhappy with the person he was, so he becomes inclined to tell lies and pretend to be other people in order to avoid depression. He is not proud of who he is, living in a run-down apartment in New York, with no real job or destiny. That is - until he is approached by Herbert Greenleaf, the father of an old acquaintance, Dickie Greenleaf. Acquaintance is even a stretch - it is not clear whether Tom even knows Dickie at all. Mr. Greenleaf requests Tom go to Mongibello, Italy to persuade Dickie to come home to New York.
It is in Mongibello where the true Tom Ripley comes out. He is a sociopath, who becomes obsessed with Dickie in a way that becomes dangerous for everyone Tom meets. However, we are only told the story from Tom's point of view, so we become entangled in the web of lies just like everyone else. He manipulates everyone around him in order to get what he wants, and in the end, is successful in getting away with everything.
Patricia Highsmith masterfully creates a character that you wish to learn more about deeply, delving into the darkest parts of what makes him who he is. I look forward to finishing the series, which I was not planning on doing when I picked up this book at first. A rare five star find....more
Highsmith knocked my socks off again! I found the second installment of the Ripley series to be just as engaging as the first. Tom truly is a characterHighsmith knocked my socks off again! I found the second installment of the Ripley series to be just as engaging as the first. Tom truly is a character that you don't want to like, but you find yourself rooting for him to get away with his schemes anyway. It was horrifying to see him have no remorse for the things he does, and maybe equally as horrifying to see him manipulate everyone around him to fit into what he is planning.
I am interested to see how Tom's story continues. I wonder if Highsmith will run out of steam and new material....more
I think I am addicted to Tom Ripley. Why? Because the series is truly a psychological mindf***. Tom is obviously a sociopath, with no care in the worlI think I am addicted to Tom Ripley. Why? Because the series is truly a psychological mindf***. Tom is obviously a sociopath, with no care in the world for anyone around him. But at the same time, you root for him to get away with his schemes.
This time.... just wow. Jonathan Trevanny, a thirty-something with a terminal illness, rubbed Tom the wrong way at a party, and Tom got him dragged into a scheme that resulted in his death. Ripley's Game is just Tom's slow, drawn-out murder of Jonathan Trevanny. And that is all I will say.
Sadly, Trevanny was tempted by money in a time of need, and Tom was able to successfully manipulate him just like every other person who ends up making Tom's acquaintance.
"He had no intention of getting in touch with Wister, though the idea was curiously exciting and disturbing, a bolt of blue, a shaft of color in his uneventful existence, and Jonathan wanted to observe it, to enjoy it in a sense." Trevanny felt he had nothing to lose by getting involved with Tom, but unfortunately, he lost the most....more
I don't even know what to say - this whole book was a mind-numbing shock and I'm still stuck in my thoughts about it.
The book follows four characters I don't even know what to say - this whole book was a mind-numbing shock and I'm still stuck in my thoughts about it.
The book follows four characters - Harry, Tyrone, Marion, and Sara. Sara is a sad old woman, a widow still grieving for her husband Seymour, who spends hours on end in front of the television dreaming of herself on a game show. In the process, she becomes addicted to diet pills and Valium, her life slowly crumbling around her as she is stuck in a dreamland. Soon, she is sent to a hospital that treats her like a psych patient, instead of giving her the medical help that she needs. Harry is Sara's son and the other two characters are Harry's girlfriend and best friend. They are addicted to heroin. At first it was just a party habit, but when the supply became low, the three did anything they could to "survive," even though that survival was leading them down the path of self destruction.
I think what makes it so shocking is that I watched the lives of the four characters begin to deterioriate around them, but the characters themselves don't realize what is happening. It gave me an uncomfortable feeling, like there was some impending doom that was unavoidable. And then when the book finally ended, I couldn't believe each character's fate, despite the fact that I was expecting something bad to happen! Selby tells these terrible stories through the lens of the American Dream and tears it apart by emphasizing that sometimes the dream will fail.
"Their disease made it possible for them to believe whatever lies it was necessary for them to continue to pursue and indulge it, even to the point of them believing they were not enslaved by it, but were actually free."
Addiction is a scary thing. But it's not like the monster under your bed, which will go away as soon as you turn your night light on. It's real....more
I am surprised at all of the mixed reviews of this Ripley installment. I was intrigued immediately by the opening scene. A strange boy takes an intereI am surprised at all of the mixed reviews of this Ripley installment. I was intrigued immediately by the opening scene. A strange boy takes an interest in Tom and they spend a night drinking a beer together. At first, we are unsure if the boy is a criminal too, or if Tom will drag him against his will into one of his schemes. Fortunately, it is neither.
It turns out the boy is Frank Pierson, the son of a very wealthy American food magnate, who has run away from home after killing his father. It is revealed that Frank sought out Tom because he believed it possible that Tom also killed someone and therefore would understand him. But the truth is, Tom did not understand Frank because there was a core difference between them.
Every mistake in life, Tom thought, had to be met by an attitude, either the right attitude or the wrong one, a constructive or a self-destructive attitude. What was a tragedy for one man was not for another, if he could assume the right attitude toward it. Frank felt guilt, which is why he had looked up Tom Ripley, and curiously Tom had never felt such guilt, never let it seriously trouble him. In this, Tom realized that he was odd.
This book had all of the magic of the last three Ripleys, which of course, includes Tom taking matters into his own hands to solve problems, rather than calling the police. One of the main things that does distinguish the book from the others is Highsmith's blatant in-your-face hints regarding Tom's sexuality. Tom and Frank's whole relationship, while not sexual, was described using language which was romantically charged. They shared a bed. Tom even dresses in drag as part of his scheme to rescue Frank from some amateur kidnappers. But just like Ripley's Game, the object of Tom's "affections" ends up dying.
I am interested to see how the series ends. Tom Ripley is an enigma - one of the most interest characters I have ever met through reading....more
And with that, the Ripliad is over. Unlike many of the other reviewers here, I thought the entire series was fantastic. A sociopath's story is portrayAnd with that, the Ripliad is over. Unlike many of the other reviewers here, I thought the entire series was fantastic. A sociopath's story is portrayed as a regular guy, with regular tastes, such as art and music. This book especially made me anxious, as Tom's past crimes come back to haunt him in the form of villain David Pritchard, an American who will stop at nothing to see Tom arrested.
I thought Pritchard was the perfect nemesis for Tom-someone equally as motivated to capture him as Tom is motivated to evade capture. Tom is always in control and in this book he must step outside his comfort zone as someone tries to manipulate him for a change.
I thought Highsmith tied all of the books together in a way that made sense. As a word of advice for those considering the series- I do not believe that these books should be read as stand alone novels. I got way more out of the experience by reading all of them in a row. I felt like I understood Tom Ripley and all these events better than I would have if I just picked this book up off the street. Overall, I was extremely satisfied and entertained by Mr. Ripley. I am sad that this journey is over....more
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