I found The Trial to be 100% weird and mostly confusing, occasionally sprinkled with humor and hints of a cohesive story. If you read the history of KI found The Trial to be 100% weird and mostly confusing, occasionally sprinkled with humor and hints of a cohesive story. If you read the history of Kafka's writing of The Trial and some other novels it makes sense that the plot would be all over the place. It did keep me entertained though, right up until the abrupt and shocking ending. I'm just not sure I knew what I listened to.
In The Trial a bank manager Josef K (referred to as "K" throughout the book) is arrested for an unknown crime by an unnamed organization. He has no knowledge of what he's done and is never informed by his accuser, and is pretty much left to live his life normally while he tries to figure out what is going on and who to deal with to address the charges. His uncle sets him up with an elderly lawyer who is no longer at the top of his game and K, through personal investigation, has meetings with people who have experience dealing with local courts (even the "court painter"!). He gets general information but never seems to understand what his charges are or what his future holds. All the while he continues to work at the bank everyday, although he is understandably distracted and his work suffers. This is a very odd tale.
I had no ideal of Kafka's interesting writing history until I started reading this book. And things even more interesting after he passed away.
The Trial and The Castle are currently both freebies on Audible so I'll probably eventually give the latter a try as long as it remains in my audio library. The themes in his writings appeal to me - understanding what is going on is what I need to work on I guess. ...more
Frankenstein is another classic (1818) novel that I'm late to the party for. I've seen a movie adaption or parts of one I think, watched The Munsters,Frankenstein is another classic (1818) novel that I'm late to the party for. I've seen a movie adaption or parts of one I think, watched The Munsters, and eaten Frankenberry cereal but Shelley's book is far superior to all which it has inspired.
I really liked how the novel with structured, with the changing narratives from three points of view with most of the novel told as a flashback by the young scientist Victor Frankenstein who uses human body parts from graves to create an eight-foot creature and reanimates it using electricity. I was surprised how little Shelley describes the process of the creature's construction and animation as the inspired movies spend a lot of time showing how this happens.
Of the three narratives, Captain Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the Creature, I found the Creature's most affecting. Captain Walton, who is sailing a ship to the North Pole, tells of his encounter with Victor Frankenstein in the form of letters to his sister back in England, and Victor Frankenstein tells his life story to Captain Walton while aboard Walton's ship, and also through letters from his father, cousin Elizabeth, and best friend Henry Clerval. Consisting of 24 short chapters and four letters, I found this to be a quick read. Even though I knew the basic outline to the Frankenstein tale I was pleasantly surprised to find I had no idea where any of this was going.
My copy, maybe all post-1818 editions do(?), contained a very interesting author's note which Shelley wrote in 1831 in which she explains her inspiration for the book and what alterations she made from the original 1818 edition.
Written in 1896, The Island of Dr. Moreau is an early science fiction treatment of what makes a human and the ethics of biological experimentation on Written in 1896, The Island of Dr. Moreau is an early science fiction treatment of what makes a human and the ethics of biological experimentation on sentient creatures. I found it it be sad and disturbing.
Our protagonist, Englishman Edward Prendick, is saved by a passing ship after the ship he's on wrecks in the south Pacific. The ship that saves him is unfortunately full of animals on its way to the infamous island. The man who saves Prendick, the doctor's assistant Montgomery, mentions that the labs of a Dr. Moreau are on the island and Prendick recalls the name as Moreau worked as a physiologist in London until his horrifying biological experiments were made public which caused him to flee from England to parts unknown. Prendick is taken care of on the island but is kept in a hut away from the labs.
While on the island Prendick eventually encounters Moreau's ghastly creations, some of which exhibit a subhuman intelligence, and hears the screams of the animals being experimented on. He eventually discovers exactly what horrors are taking place and confronts Montgomery and Moreau, and the plot picks up steam from that point on. Things do not go well for any of the characters, human and proto-human.
I listened to this on Chirp and Gordon Griffin did a fantastic job telling this chilling tale. This story is typical HG Wells - cutting edge science fiction for his time. While the subject matter was dark and more bizarre than what I'm used to for HG Wells I still really liked this despite the dreadful imagery it planted in my mind. ...more
The Invisible Man is another classic I should've read long ago. This is another novel ahead of its time (written in 1897) based on an interesting scieThe Invisible Man is another classic I should've read long ago. This is another novel ahead of its time (written in 1897) based on an interesting science fiction premise of altering the optics of matter to render oneself invisible. Actually, our antagonist and main character, scientist Jack Griffin, was partially successfully performing his experiment first on a cat. So for a while there was a partially visible cat roaming around the English countryside.
Jack Griffith was completely successful in changing his body so that it neither reflects nor absorbs light but could not turn it back to normal and so his adventure begins. Due to his condition, the only way to initially acquire clothes, food, and money was through nefarious means. But once he was found out and had to go back to stealth mode, he had to enlist the help of a down-and-out-fellow to transport his precious science diaries and stash of cash. Eventually word gets out about him throughout the countryside and life begins to get progressive bad for the invisible man, and he becomes increasing desperate.
Going in to this novel I thought I would have a lot of questions about how the whole premise would even be feasible but Wells does delve quite a bit in to the science and not just resort to hand waving. I questioned the way some of the villagers handled their encounters with the invisible man but then again I read this in 2024 and probably have a different take on due to more experience with wacky science fiction shenanigans than your average late 19th century reader.
All in all this was a short, disturbingly fun read. One really has to appreciate the science fiction ideas which came out the mind of a fellow born in 1866. ...more
H.G. Wells never disappoints. His science fiction was so ahead of its time. I bought The Dream for a pittance on the Chirp app and was happy to see thH.G. Wells never disappoints. His science fiction was so ahead of its time. I bought The Dream for a pittance on the Chirp app and was happy to see that it was narrated by Edoardo Ballerini whose voice I remember from Trust, War and Peace, and Stella Maris. He's fantastic.
The Dream is set around 4,000 AD. A biologist named Sarnac and his lady friend Sunray are on vacation in the mountains and with a group of other folks visit two-thousand year old ruins being excavated in the area.
After this visit Sarnac takes a nap and wakes up from a vivid dream which he recounts to Sunray and the others in the group they are with. What was this dream? It was experiencing the entire life of a young chap, Harry Mortimer Smith, born in the late 1800s in a small town in the south of England up until his death the 1920s. Pretty much the whole novel is Sarnac's telling of the dream with occasional interruptions from Sunray and the others, looking for an explanation of a particular life event or just wanting to discuss primitive life in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
I found this method of story telling fascinating - Harry's life wasn't anything out of the ordinary for the time but was never dull and really wonderfully told with a lot of emotion and feeling especially once Harry finds love and nears his end. What made this novel great to me were the reactions and commentary from the 41st Century folks - interesting points of view and really not that different than ones progressive modern 21st century have. Topics such as equality of the sexes, war (Harry fights in WWI), birth control, animal hunting/ abuse / extinction were all bantered about. And as an atheist, my favorite topic of discussion was regarding religion. As Harry's life goes on and the reader (and he) can see the end coming one is totally swallowed up in the drama.
In the interesting epilogue the 41st century people try to come to terms with the cause / reason for such a detailed dream to come out of Sarnac's head. Was this just something invented by his brain, or is reincarnation real? The end of Harry and the attempt of the 41st century people to make sense of what happened made for a poignant and fascinating end.
The snippets below are from my favorite part of the novel. Harry longed for information but education was considered unnecessary and even something to avoid to some, such as Mr. Moggeridge.
"Old Mr. Moggeridge waved his hand in front of himself with an expression of face as though it was I who emitted an evil odor. 'Geology!' he said. 'French—the language of Voltaire. Let me tell you one thing plainly, my boy, your mother is quite right in objecting to these classes. Geology—geology is—All Wrong. It has done more harm in the last fifty years than any other single influence whatever. It undermines faith. It sows doubt. I do not speak ignorantly, Mortimer. I have seen lives wrecked and destroyed and souls lost by this same geology. I am an old learned man, and I have examined the work of many of these so-called geologists—Huxley, Darwin and the like; I have examined it very, very carefully and very, very tolerantly, and I tell you they are all, all of them, hopelessly mistaken men.... And what good will such knowledge do you? Will it make you happier? Will it make you better? No, my lad. But I know of something that will. Something older than geology. Older and better. Sarah dear, give me that book there, please. Yes'—reverentially—'the Book.'
"His wife handed him a black-bound Bible, with its cover protected against rough usage by a metal edge. 'Now, my boy,' he said, 'let me give you this—this old familiar book, with an old man's blessing. In that is all the knowledge worth having, all the knowledge you will ever need. You will always find something fresh in it and always something beautiful.' He held it out to me.
"'Thank you, Mam,' I said, made shift to stow her gift in my pocket, and with the Bible in one hand and the empty coal-scuttle-lining in the other, escaped.
"I returned wrathfully to the basement and deposited my presents on the window-sill. Some impulse made me open the Bible, and inside the cover I found, imperfectly erased, the shadowy outlines of these words, printed in violet ink: 'Not to be Removed from the Waiting-Room.' I puzzled over the significance of this for some time."
I prefer prose to poetry and have read very little poetry in my life but this collection of Poe's poems is excellent. I remember reading "The Bells" aI prefer prose to poetry and have read very little poetry in my life but this collection of Poe's poems is excellent. I remember reading "The Bells" and "The Raven" in high school and I figured going in to this collection that I would be reading more of the same but the poems really run the gamut. In fact, two of my favorite poems were the touching and sad poems "To My Mother" and "Annabel Lee".
There were some wonderfully strange and creepy poems to be sure but I was surprised by the variety of subjects and moods Poe covered.
I bought this collection for cheap on sale on Chirp and the narrator Peter Noble was very good. I went back and read some of them on the internet and I think reading the words and seeing how the poems are structured added to the experience. This would be a fun listen on a night walk in the fall. 4.5 stars....more
I really liked It Can't Happen Here but felt it bogged down a bit as it neared its conclusion. I wanted to read this before the US election because I I really liked It Can't Happen Here but felt it bogged down a bit as it neared its conclusion. I wanted to read this before the US election because I heard that, even though it was written almost 90 years ago, some of the plot was still relatable today. And I agree.
Local guy (Sauk Centre, MN) Sinclair Lewis penned this American political dystopian novel as fascism was rising in Europe in the mid-1930s and showed us how the United States could also succumb to a fascist regime.
There are two main characters: politician "Buzz" Windrip and journalist Doremus Jessup. Buzz defeats FDR for the Democratic nomination and ends beating the Republican candidate in the 1936 presidential election. Buzz runs on a platform of patriotism, fighting for the common man, and promoting traditional values; and, and he promises to pay every citizen $5,000 per year if he won!
Buzz does win the 1936 election and immediately establishes his own private military force via high pay and good benefits and he then takes complete control of the government and enforces new laws he puts in to place. He eliminates the states and sets up eight districts instead and appoints his loyal cronies as district leaders. Certain books are banned and burned, certain subjects are no longer taught and curriculums are changed in schools, some colleges are closed and repurposed, concentration camps are established. Anyone found to be against Buzz's regime, or even speak negatively in public about it are incarcerated in the camps or are outright killed at the whim of Buzz's military force. He even has his military patrolling the Canadian border to stop those fleeing from this new America.
The second main character is journalist Doremus Jessup who is opposed to what's going on and is part of a rebellion which is mostly underground but still is able to disseminate information to pockets of resistance throughout the country while Buzz's state press pumps out propaganda to the citizenry.
If you are a fan of near-future American dystopian novels like The Handmaid's Tale some of this novel will seem familiar. And issues taking place in the modern day United States and allegations against certain contemporary politicians are not far off from what Lewis dreamt up and put on paper in the mid-1930s. I was constantly comparing the narrative with what happened in Germany shortly after this book was published and what extremist political groups on both sides are currently trying to do in the United States. For that reason I found much of this to be eerily fascinating. Generally, I'm not a fan of politics but Lewis held my full interest all the way to the end with this novel. ...more
Emma just didn't hold my attention. I couldn't relate to any of the characters and the long stretches of dialogue didn't appeal to me. The plot was thEmma just didn't hold my attention. I couldn't relate to any of the characters and the long stretches of dialogue didn't appeal to me. The plot was thin and plodding.
The narration of the audiobook was really good but the sound effects were too prominent in the mix and downright irritating at times. Ticking clocks, goo-goo babies, silverware clanging on and scraping on plates, microphones that seemed to be place in the heels of shoes during walks - it was distracting and hard to listen to at times. The ending was fine. I was glad when it came.
Merged review:
Emma just didn't hold my attention. I couldn't relate to any of the characters and the long stretches of dialogue didn't appeal to me. The plot was thin and plodding.
The narration of the audiobook was really good but the sound effects were too prominent in the mix and downright irritating at times. Ticking clocks, goo-goo babies, silverware clanging on and scraping on plates, microphones that seemed to be place in the heels of shoes during walks - it was distracting and hard to listen to at times. The ending was fine. I was glad when it came....more
This book didn't age well. Written in 1951 probably for a teen to 20-something male audience, it maybe reflects how genders behaved towards one anotheThis book didn't age well. Written in 1951 probably for a teen to 20-something male audience, it maybe reflects how genders behaved towards one another but not very appealing 73 years later. And I thought the 70s were gross. I understand books are often a product of when they were written but the sexism in this is over the top compared to other Golden Age science fiction I've read.
Heinlein presents a really neat concept: some extraterrestrial slugs (nicknamed the Masters) first land in Iowa and begin taking over humans by crawling up their backs and taking over their brain functions, and also have access to that person's knowledge. Tricksy! Our three main characters show up to investigate the spacecraft and the plot proceeds with our heroes spearheading a full on battle against the Masters. The group is lead by the Old Man, a super-smart former military guy who always seems to be one step ahead of the other two. Next is his prized agent Sam, a dashing tough guy who also narrates the book and never misses and opportunity to describe the physical attributes of the women he meets. Lastly is Mary, also a top secret agent, who is always packing several weapons and who we are initially lead to believe is physically and mentally tough.
About two-thirds of the way through the plot started getting weirder. For instance, in the US it is determined that everyone must walk around naked so it can be determined whether or not they are wearing a slug. And then Mary finally succumbs to Sam's advances and becomes his puppet as well. She goes from a kick-ass secret agent to a quivering subservient sex object. And look out if Sam gets mad
So to sum it up - cool idea, pretty well told tale, but some of what went on took me out of the story at times.
This was a freebie on Audible and the narration by Bronson Pinchot was pretty good except Mary's voice became a bit too breathy and meek by the end....more
I was looking for something free in Audible to tide me over while I waited for my next credit when I saw this. Free Tolstoy? Yes.
This novella recountI was looking for something free in Audible to tide me over while I waited for my next credit when I saw this. Free Tolstoy? Yes.
This novella recounts the end of the life of Ivan Ilych who is a judge in 19th-century Russia. Ivan is married with two children and living a comfortable life with the typical day-to-day family and job issues. I don't recall if Tolstoy writes what city this takes place in.
One day Ivan falls down while hanging curtains and hurts his side. Thinking it’s s just a bruise which will heal, he puts off going to the doctor until the pain continually worsens. The doctor diagnoses him with a terminal illness but can't be sure if the malady is based in his appendix or pancreas.
What follows is Ivan's slow physically and mentally painful journey through all the stages of death acceptance to his last breath. Spending time in Ivan's head as he looks back on his life and tries to make sense of his dire situation was a poignant experience, and it was not an easy listen. The Audible narration was done by Simon Prebble who adds a lot of feeling and emotion to Tolstoy's words. This is story telling at its best by a master....more
I burned through my Audible credit so I hit LibriVox in search of something in the public domain to listen to. I had heard of Notes from the UndergrouI burned through my Audible credit so I hit LibriVox in search of something in the public domain to listen to. I had heard of Notes from the Underground and was looking for something dark so I thought this would fit the bill, and I rather liked it. LibriVox narrators are hit and miss but Bob Neufeld was excellent narrating this one, his voice matched what I would think main character's, the Underground Man's, would sound like. Bravo.
This is an odd little Russian novella. It is essentially a two-part first-person rant by an unnamed Russian fellow referred to as the Underground Man. The Man is a bitter and crabby retired civil servant living in St. Petersburg Russia around the same time as the author Dostoevsky.
The first part is essentially just a long litany of complaints about big high-level societal issues such as morality, determinism, and suffering and pain. Some of this was funny, some depressing, and some of it reminded me of The Simpsons' cartoon "old man yelling at the cloud".
The second part was structured more conventionally, and consisted of the Man recounting several of his life experiences. Spoiler alert: the experiences were unsurprisingly pretty dour. He tells us about getting revenge on a fellow who insulted him at a pub, arguing with friends, and a an odd short relationship he had with a prostitute. The Man just can't seem to get out of his own way.
I did like it but there were times I tuned out as you would in real life if you were listening to long rants from an unpleasant person. In my opinion the first half warranted two stars, the second half four stars....more
I can't believe I haven't read this before today. I had heard of it and seen the book cover a million times but never got around to reading this littlI can't believe I haven't read this before today. I had heard of it and seen the book cover a million times but never got around to reading this little classic. I saw it on sale on the Chirp app and took the plunge.
I knew the main plot - the narrator pilot crashes in a desert and while he's repairing his plane he encounters a strange little man - the Little Prince from a far away asteroid. While the pilot fixes his plane the Little Prince tells the pilot about his tiny home and some experiences he's had visiting other worlds. His encounters with other folks and animals make for interesting reading and all contain some sort of lesson.
It's surprisingly sad and the end is kind of left for the reader's own interpretation. I think I missed out by not seeing any of the illustrations, which apparently add much to the experience. But I really liked it and it makes one think about life and society in general. And it makes me happy that I can be the red-faced man all day and yet get out in nature regularly and get on an aeroplane and see different parts of the world. It can be easy to get caught up on things and achievements.
I'll have to check out a paper copy of this book someday. ...more
What an interesting little book this was. I enjoyed it but was not able to pick up what make many consider it a great book, I couldn't grasp it's inneWhat an interesting little book this was. I enjoyed it but was not able to pick up what make many consider it a great book, I couldn't grasp it's inner meaning and greater message. Maybe I'll read it again some day.
It was a quick read. Basically the story of a fellow, Meursault, in Algiers who finds himself in a tough spot, makes a deadly mistake, and is tried for it. The story was pretty straightforward for the most part until the end where the main character has a couple of deep conversations steeped in philosophy, most notably with a priest. This was the highlight of the book for me - watching a priest unravel as he could not understand the mind of an atheist.
Bottom line: I liked it, and someday maybe I'll understand what it was truly about. ...more
This is a wonderful short story about an aspiring painter Mr. Niggle who lives in a town in which the leaders and his closest friend and neighbor Mr. This is a wonderful short story about an aspiring painter Mr. Niggle who lives in a town in which the leaders and his closest friend and neighbor Mr. Parrish do not appreciate art. Mr. Niggle is working on a large canvas painting of a tree but when he is drawn away from his project to help Mr. Parrish and his life takes a turn. At its start I thought this would be a light hearted tale but it turned out to be rather deep and affecting. Mr. Niggle's experience is an allegory for something but I won't say as I don't want to give any spoilers.
I bought this on Audible for a buck and some change. A fine investment, I listened to it twice. The narration by Derek Jacobi was perfect. All the stars!...more
I picked up a couple of Tolkien's short stories for a song on Audible. Mr. Bliss was written for Tolkien's children and unfortunately the audiobook doI picked up a couple of Tolkien's short stories for a song on Audible. Mr. Bliss was written for Tolkien's children and unfortunately the audiobook doesn't include a pdf as apparently Tolkien added some neat drawings in this book.
This is the cute story of Mr. Bliss, who one day puts on his fancy green hat and goes out and buys a fancy yellow car with red wheels. He forgot to bring his pocketbook to the dealer so he leave his fancy silver bicycle there for the dealer to hold until he comes back. Unfortunately, accidents and nonstop hijinks ensue and his first trip turns out to be a physical and financial disaster.
I first read this in the last century, in a high school American Lit class. I didn't remember much of it, except the famous last line, but I recall itI first read this in the last century, in a high school American Lit class. I didn't remember much of it, except the famous last line, but I recall it was about a disgruntled office worker which I couldn't relate to at the time. Now, in this new shiny future, I work in an office and it all seemed more interesting to me. Although I never had coworkers with as colorful as names as Nippers, Ginger Nut, and Turkey.
I listened to the free Librivox version and the narration by Bob Neufeld as the old business owner / office manager was absolutely perfect. His performance added a lot to my enjoyment of this story.
This was a better read for me the second time around. Melville addresses all kinds of subjects in his book, among them: office dynamics, mental issues, isolation, capitalism. I found it to be rather amusing at the start only to get increasingly darker and sad right up until the last line. I'm glad I revisited it, and I appreciate that Librivox makes these public domain classics available in audio for free. ...more
Babel-17 is a classic science fiction novel about a secret language used in an interplanetary war by the Invaders who are the enemy of the good guys, Babel-17 is a classic science fiction novel about a secret language used in an interplanetary war by the Invaders who are the enemy of the good guys, the Earth Alliance. The Earth Alliance general hires a young lady poet / linguist to crack Babel-17 and she ends up with her own ship and hires a diverse, interesting crew to head out and track down the saboteurs after some analysis of the mystery language.
I got this for free from Audible and it was narrated by Stefan Rudnicki whose voice is as smooth as butter and is very pleasing to the ears. He's done a number of science fiction books I've listened to.
I thought the book started out strong. The central mystery was interesting and so was the protagonist, Rydra Wong. As it went on I gradually lost interest and felt like I was drowning in word salad. The last two-thirds of the book I found to be boring and had a hard time with the long stretches of dialog which felt like mumbo jumbo after a time. I couldn't wait for the ending and mystery reveal, which was OK.
This book won the Nebula Award in 1967 (tying one of my favorite books of all-time, Flowers for Algernon, for crying out loud) so my take is certainly of the minority opinion....more
This is my second dip in to LeGuin's Hainish cycle of books, having read and enjoyed The Dispossessed previously. City of Illusions is the third book This is my second dip in to LeGuin's Hainish cycle of books, having read and enjoyed The Dispossessed previously. City of Illusions is the third book in the cycle and The Dispossessed is the sixth book, so apparently I am struggling with counting, but I am under the impression that it is not critical the cycle be read in order.
City of Illusions is set in the far future on an Earth conquered by menacing aliens, the Shing. The story is set in a sparsely populated United States which has been returned to nature and pre-industrial technology for the most part, with the exception of the Slings' technologically advanced city, Es Toch, located near the west coast. The plot centers around our protagonist, Falk, who wanders out of the woods some where in the east-central United States with no clothes or memory. He is taken in, named, and cared for by a band of people who inhabit a large house in the woods. Falk is human in every way except for his eyes which are a strange yellow color.
After living with his tribe in the woods for several years he decides he needs to find out who he is and where he came from, and believes the answers lie in the mythical advanced city in the west, Es Toch. He decides to make the journey west and about half of the book is devoted to his travels through the changing terrain and seasons of central North America. On the way west he encounters a number of other interesting human settlements, some friendlier than others.
The last half of the book is set in Es Toch, the City of Illusions, where Falk learns of his past and the true nature of Es Toch and the Shing.
I thought this book was excellent. LeGuin is a great storyteller and she packs a lot of story in 217 pages. The plot moved along at a swift pace and I was unsure of what Falk's fate would be right up until the last page.
I'm looking forward to reading more of LeGuin's Hainish books. I think I would've got a bit more out of this book had I known more of the universe this series is set in....more
I loved this book from start to finish. It was an absolute delight, and the perfect companion on my commute home from stressful days at work. I'm addiI loved this book from start to finish. It was an absolute delight, and the perfect companion on my commute home from stressful days at work. I'm adding this to my favorites, it is one of the best books I've read. Another classic which I wish I would've read years ago.
I got the audiobook FREE from Audible, it is an Audible Original with Rachel McAdams narrating. Her narration was perfect. Her voice acting added so much to the novel. There is a neat, short video on Audible of her narrating a bit of it and talking about how she loved the novel and felt emotionally connected to it. It really comes through in her reading.
Anne's story was complimented with rich descriptions of all the characters, their emotions and motivations, and the novel's settings on Prince Edward Island, Canada.
I won't waste any more words to this review as I'm one of the last people on earth to have read this but I will share one of my favorites of the many quotes I bookmarked. This short quote gives one a glimpse in the personalities of Anne and the Cuthberts:
"Anne laid her fresh young cheek against Marilla's faded one, and reached out a hand to pat Matthew's shoulder. Marilla would have given much just then to have possessed Anne's power of putting her feelings into words; but nature and habit had willed it otherwise, and she could only put her arms close about her girl and hold her tenderly to her heart, wishing that she need never let her go.
Matthew, with a suspicious moisture in his eyes, got up and went out-of-doors. Under the stars of the blue summer night he walked agitatedly across the yard to the gate under the poplars."
I'm going to avoid any movie adaptations of this novel as I don't want what is in my head tainted by another's interpretation.
I loved this collection of eleven short stories by local lad F. Scott Fitzgerald (well, he spent part of his childhood in St. Paul and attended high sI loved this collection of eleven short stories by local lad F. Scott Fitzgerald (well, he spent part of his childhood in St. Paul and attended high school at St. Paul Academy (where I played Sunday basketball for close to 30 years -so we roamed the same hallways and gymnasiums!)). My only complaint is that the 2006 Walking Lion Press edition I own contained many spelling errors. I was really surprised by this. How did these errors get past proofreading?! I've forgiven Walking Lion Press, though, as I admire the book cover which features a mesmerizing painting of Edith Bradin from May Day.
Not only are the stories excellent, so is the table of contents which includes a paragraph or two about the origins of each story. Great stuff. Fitzgerald divides the collection in to three parts: "My Last Flappers", "Fantasies", and "Unclassified Masterpieces". I'm not big on fantasy but the stories were all so well written and well told that there was no drop off in interest for me. I rarely give short story collections five stars but am going to for Tales of the Jazz Age as I really enjoyed all the stories and some were just fantastic.
My favorites of the bunch were:
May Day: an episodic tale set on May Day some time after WWI. Sad and unpleasant, this was hard to forget. Would make a great movie. One of the best short stories I've read in a long time.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: I think everyone knows of this odd fantasy story - it was made in to a film in 2008 directed by David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. I really liked the film as well.
The Camel's Back: a hilarious lost love story centered around a costume party and a two-person camel costume.
Ratings for each story:
The Jelly-Bean ***** The Camel's Back ***** May Day ***** Porcelain and Pink **** The Diamond as Big as the Ritz *** The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ***** Tarquin of Cheapside **** "O Russet Witch! **** The Lees of Happiness ***** Icky **** Jemina, the Mountain Girl ****...more
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