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E.M. Forster: A Room with a View

Mona — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:00:25 +0000

What�s more comforting than a good book for a cozy evening? Cuddle up and download E.M. Forster�s most celebrated classic, A Room with a View.

Edward Morgan Forster was an English novelist and short story writer best known for his works that examines class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th century British society. Through his lifetime, he had published five novels including Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905), The Longest Journey (1907), A Room with a View (1908), Howards End (1910), and A Passage to India (1924). Maurice (1971) was published shortly after the writer�s death.

A Room with a View talks about the story of Lucy Honeychurch, a young English middle-class girl who finds herself in the crossroads of social acceptance and true love. During a vacation in Italy, Lucy meets George Emerson and Cecil Vyse who will fall in love with her. She accepts Vyse�s marriage proposal but George protests upon hearing about their engagement. Now, the girl needs to choose between Vyse (a socially acceptable partner) or George (her true love).

Painting vivid images full of flavor, this is indeed a colorful novel that delves on the concepts of gender, passion, romance, and society. As the book progresses, Lucy�s character is awakened into an evolving woman with a voice of her own. The social commentary on the novel was clearly showcased. I love how the drama itself was conceived from the webbed social classes that the characters represent.

All in all, A Room with a View is a pure tale of romance foregrounded by a liberal message. It�s that kind of book that will stir your heart and mind.

Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice

Mona — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:00:02 +0000

Engross in classic romance stories with Jane Austen�s perennially popular novel, Pride and Prejudice.

Considered as one of the most popular author in English literature, Jane Austen�s stories of romantic fiction were widely spread and praised. She also gained historical importance with her realism and strong social commentaries.

Pride and Prejudice was first published in 1813. Set in the English countryside at the end of the 18th century, the novel tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet as she skillfully moves her way among issues on manners, morality, education and marriage in a tightly-knit and old-fashioned society.

Austen�s technique of free indirect speech invites the readers to follow Bennet�s life and see things through her point of view. Other strong features of the novel were the well-molded characters and vivid images of a class-bounded culture.

The book conveys the emotions of all of its characters. Austen has perfectly linked each character and tested their morals. Even though the novel was set in the olden days, people can still relate to them.
One thing I like about the book is Austen�s successful attempt to show the big role of environment and kind of upbringing to a child�s growth.

All in all, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a book full of wit and charm that�s sure to be a page-turner!

Geoffrey Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales

Mona — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 14:00:40 +0000

Before JK Rowling became one of the greatest storytellers of the world, there was a fellow from Great Britain named Geoffrey Chaucer who told a couple of tales and found his rightful place in the world of literature. Created in the 14th century, his tales gave a reflection of his times. So if you want to know what knights were really like, among many other things, join the travel to Canterbury!

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of 24 stories made by a group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury, England to honor St. Thomas Becket. This group agrees to tell two stories each on the way to Canterbury and then another two on their way back. The best storyteller earns a prize.

Chaucer wittingly finds his voice in two ways. The first one is through the narrator�also belonging to the group�who gives the readers a profile check of the other pilgrims through vivid descriptions�from their clothing and more. Judging a person by one�s appearance seems valid for the purpose of the story. The second way is through his characters, who Chaucer made to be interesting mix, telling their own stories. In these ways, Chaucer displays his keen and satirical observations of his times as well as his creativity�both of which are represented by the rich use of the language.

Whether chivalry and courtly romance are dead or not today, they sure were at their peak during Chaucer�s time. Read about what knights would do for their ladies and what they would encounter during their adventures. Know more about how a lady would use her sexuality to get what she wanted during the Middle Ages. Question the characters of the Monk, the Friar, the Pardoner, and their roles in the corrupt institution that is the Church.

Flying brooms and magical wands aren�t just the best products out of the United Kingdom.

Shel Silverstein: The Giving Tree

Mona — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 14:00:48 +0000

What will you give if you have nothing left in you? What can you share if you have nothing else to give? In one of his most notable children�s book, The Giving Tree, Shel Silverstein presents the classic story of giving and sacrificing oneself for the sake another.

Published in 1964, the story follows the friendship between a little boy and an apple tree. Theirs show a delicate pattern, a relationship that may seem ideal at first glance. The author created the illustrations in the book himself, and depicted a relationship that is borne out of love and all its sincerity. He began the story when the boy was still a young kid.

The boy would play with the tree� its leaves, its branches. The tree loved the boy�s company, and it found happiness in giving him what he wanted.

As the boy grew to become a young adult, a family man, and a chap of old age, he would come visit the tree, most of the time feeling unsatisfied with what he had, and all the time asking the tree to give him something new to his life. Whether it was money or a house, he asked for it from the tree. For all those times, the tree would relentlessly give in to the wishes of the boy it had always loved dearly. It gave its fruits, its trunk, until it was left to nothing but a stump.

Through very simple sentences and dialogues crafted in tenderness, the author was able to mirror the kind of love a mother has for her child� one that incessantly gives without expecting anything in return. While telling its readers how a mother loves unconditionally, the author also quietly illustrates the child�s role in their relationship� one that only seeks and receives � and lets the readers empathize with the giving tree.

This gentle yet touching story is a timeless reminder to kids of all ages the most genuine act of love� giving.

John Milton: Paradise Lost

Mona — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:00:42 +0000

One of 17th century’s most notable pieces of literature, John Milton’s Paradise Lost takes on the story behind humankind’s first disobedience resulting in the banishment of Adam and Eve from paradise.

Throughout the epic poem, Satan is set in different positions that underline his constant efforts to be in battle with God in order to defeat Him eventually. At the beginning of the story, Satan, together with other fallen angels, creates Pandemonium in hell to serve somewhat like their home turf, their headquarters wherein they decide to destroy humankind as their assault.

All the back story Milton put into his poem are exceptionally remarkable. His character of Satan as a persistent sinister may actually be found interesting by the readers. Milton also draws attention to the roles of a number of angels in the delivery of God’s plans. They also serve as warriors and defenders of heaven that is in constant risk of being attacked by they own kind who betrayed them.

Through Satan’s shrewdness, however, he is able to trick Eve as he is in the form of a snake. This scene leads to what we know as the fall of Adam and Eve. And Milton gives the Son the part of giving out the punishments of God, putting Him in the light of His Father’s right hand.

The English poet’s power in storytelling does not end in the banishment of the pair though. He continues and brings Adam the vision of what to come in the generations after him.

In spite of its length, Milton’s Paradise Lost strongly mirrors the political and social milieu of his day. Both reflective and informative, it is a challenge to the mind and an assessment to one’s beliefs.

Prefer to listen vs read? Download an audio book

Dante Alighieri: The Divine Comedy

Mona — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 14:00:25 +0000

Hell might be an interesting place after all. It is filled with action and brewing with intensity, at the very least.

In Inferno, the third part of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, the author thoughtfully creates a vivid picture of what hell looks like. In this book and in the Italian writer’s mind, it is a place where his enemies deserve their rightful place and where people serve their punishments for what they did on earth.

The three day journey of Dante in the story begins on a Good Friday set in the 13th century. He wants to reach heaven to meet his great love, Beatrice; however, he gets lost in the thick woods. Virgil, a Roman poet, then appears in the scene to accompany Dante, but the way to heaven primarily calls for a journey to the middle of the earth – a trip around hell, that is.

With its publication in the early 14th century, Dante’s influence into writing his work largely stems from the then current political events in Florence, Italy. Prominent figures are subjected to the hell experience courtesy of Dante’s imagination.

More than the rather controversial weight of the book, Dante exudes the brilliance of his mind and the clarity of his language in presenting to his readers a surprisingly organized hell – one that has nine circles corresponding to the different types of sin. A few circles even include pouches and rings for a more detailed category of the sin.

Reading the novel the feels like you are taking a tour. Readers are given the impression that hell is not at all chaos. Aside from the differentiation of sins, there is also the system in which sins committed by the people on earth have their corresponding punishments to serve in hell.

Nearing the end of the journey, Virgil and Dante see Lucifer enveloped in ice at the center of the earth. This may not be the general public’s idea of hell; Dante shows he can make his own.

George Eliot: Daniel Deronda

Mona — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:00:47 +0000

Still controversial even in the modern age, George Eliot‘s victorian novel Daniel Deronda is a pleasurable read for that much awaited weekend.

First published in 1876, this was the last completed novel of English novelist, journalist, and translator Mary Anne Evans who was better known for her pen name George Eliot.

The novel begins in mid-story when Daniel Deronda meets and finds himself attracted to Gwendolyn Harleth, a beautiful, stubborn, and selfish lady who pawns her necklace to regain her fortune from gambling. As the two are tied in a loveless marriage, Gwendolyn seeks salvation from Deronda while the latter is too committed to his own cultural awakening of his newly-discovered Jewish ancestry.

With a contemporary Victorian setting, the work is a brilliant mixture of social satire and moral searching. Eliot tried to explore two important landmarks in English society- the antisemitism in the late 19th century and the emergence of the Zionist movement.

Style wise, Eliot’s most powerful ace is her characterization and insight to human nature. Gwendolen’s interesting and fascinating character is really appealing. While Daniel Deronda, though quite annoying and morally superior, contains a feminine quality that’s contrasting with Gwendolen’s strong desire for power.

Even if you’re passing hours over coffee or taking a quick break from a stressful day, Daniel Deronda is truly a wonderful book that’s worth reading.

F. Scott Fitzgerald: This Side of Paradise

Mona — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 13:00:16 +0000

Enjoy a classical read with This Side of Paradise, an enjoyable novel who established F. Scott Fitzgerald as the golden boy of Jazz Age.

Written when he was only twenty three, this is a semiautobiographical tale of Amory Blaine, a handsome and optimistic Princeton University student who slowly undergoes an adolescent indirection. This was portrayed by his sudden disillusionment, his war experience, and his failed relationship with a New York debutante who then breaks his heart for a wealthier man.

Upon reading, what’s interesting with this novel is how the writer created a realistic portrayal of the story, devoid from the usual Victorian coming-of-age resolutions. Also, Fitzgerald’s manner of writing and language never fails to capture the readers while offering a portrait of the “Lost Generation”.

Overall, this might be Fitzgerald’s most personal novel as he draws most of its major plot elements from his life. It’s quite relatable especially on how we grew up thinking that we are everything, only to find that we are not what we think we are and life is just one complete puzzle that nobody has figured out yet.

Oscar Wilde: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Mona — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:00:32 +0000

It’s eloquent. It’s beautiful. It’s rich. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is a must-read for any book lover.

Celebrated for his epigrams, plays, and other groundbreaking works, Oscar Wilde is an Irish writer and poet who became one of the most popular playwrights during the early 1890s. The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only published novel by Wilde, which first appeared as a lead story in Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine on June 1890. An amended version was published in April 1891 through Ward, Lock and Company. The most recent adaptation of this work was a film entitled Dorian Gray, directed by Oliver Parker and stars Ben Barnes.

The novel tells the story of Dorian Gray, a fashionable yet corrupt young man who invests his worth on external beauty but is essentially empty inside. After being enthralled with a painted portrait of him, he sells his soul for everlasting youth descending to a long journey of moral disintegration.

In this literary masterpiece, Wilde talks about art and beauty and explores the concept of “art for art’s sake”. Dorian Gray as a model of eternal youth and beauty is separated from the real Dorian who is rotting in a painting hidden in his house. The separation between the “work” and the “artist” itself makes the piece empty beyond the flawlessness it reflects.

Wilde’s playwright nature was also evident in the novel as witty and flowery dialogues serve as the backbone of the story rather than the description to the details and setting. His ability to play and toss words breathes life to the work, making the readers grasp the environment and the story through conversations.

This said, The Picture of Dorian Gray is something you’d want to sit and spend time with. It will surely engross your mind and senses, while of course, entertaining you with some cleverly witty lines.

L. Frank Baum: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Mona — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 13:00:27 +0000

Treat yourself to a quick read with one of the handful classics that almost everyone is familiar with, L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Lyman “L.” Frank Baum is an American author of children’s book who wrote over 55 novels (plus 4 missing ones) , 82 short stories, over 200 poems, and a lot of scripts. His most famous work and the first book in his sequel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was originally published on May 17, 1900 and had been reprinted a dozen of times under the title Wizard of Oz. The story has already been re-envisioned through stage plays, musicals, and a well-known film version starring the amazing Judy Garland.

The book follows the adventure of Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto as their home in Kansas was swooped away by a cyclone to the Land of Oz. Here she meets the Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman, and the Cowardly Lion who will join her journey to the Emerald City where the powerful wizard lives.

It is incredibly difficult not to love this story. Baum has created a book that cascades in a million colors and enchanting landscapes. His writing style is vivid, it’s poetic with a lot of powerful and detailed imagery. His innovative story-telling paved the way to the evolution of children’s literature.

It is always refreshing to return to stories that you grew up, but with all new perspectives. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz gives you the chance to rekindle your childhood and take on a new literary adventure in big splendor.