“The Red And The Black” by Stendhal

“Much shall be forgiven thee for thou hast loved much”

I adore Stendhal for writing a literary masterpiece that “The Red And The Black” is. Despite being written in 1830, the book is still very applicable to modern society -it seems that the advances in science didn’t eradicate passions and ambitions common to our ancestors. I wonder if that is good and if that ever changes.
The book is about Julien, a plebeian, determined to reach success, – that for him is becoming a part of elite society,- while saving his pride. Along his journey, Julien falls in love with provincial Mme. de Renal and conquers haughty Mathilde. Moreover, with his hard work and brilliant mind, Julien manages to reach his goals only to realize that “simplest, modest virtue has been sacrificed to that which glitters.” And there, at the end of the book, comes the unexpected shocking climax! The book was written in one pace, with Stendhal‘s care for reader’s psychological state, until those explosive concluding untitled chapters.
It’s been a week now that I have finished reading this book but with each day I find more areas to apply Stendhal’s philosophy to. Grateful to Stendhal for sharing his wisdom. It is a very educating book. Even in terms of language and writing because the omniscient narrator of “The Red And The Black” captures scenes like a playwright and feelings like a poet.
Of course, there is so much more to add to this review and if you have read this book, I’d like to discuss it with you in comments!
Also important to note that the title “The Red And The Black” can be interpreted differently. For me, it seems like a description of Julien’s dual nature. But also critics explain that “red” is the color of soldier’s uniform and “black” is the color of priests’ cassocks – both clothings worn by elite whom Julien admired. How do you prefer to interpret the title?

 

“The Master And Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov

“The Master And Margarita” set a storm in my head. First element of the book I adored was the brilliant writing that grabs the attention from the first page, or, better to say, from the first line. Bulgakov creates vivid pictures by using original similes and metaphors and I wonder how much skill it takes to translate those native Russian phrases to other languages. Second, mysticism is tied into the story in such way that it seems truthful. It seems truthful that Satan comes to Moscow, black cat behaves like a human, people are sent miles away in a matter of seconds and, well, have to pause before I reveal too much about the plot. Obviously, this book was banned in USSR because of its religious content.
As I read, it was hard for me understand where the plot was going so I kept turning the pages (the story is so fast-paced) , eager to learn what exactly Bulgakov wants to say. And he says a lot. And, in my opinion, the messages of the book are up for different interpretations. For me, one of the main messages of the book is that our belief and imagination are powerful and “it will be given to each according to his faith.” And the book itself is a proof of these words in many ways. Especially, Margarita’s strong character demonstrates the reader what true faith and courage are. The relationship between Master and Margarita is the one to adore: “we had, of course, loved each other for a long, long time, without knowing each other.” And there is so much more I have to say so there may be more posts coming about this great book! It certainly is a must read! If you’ve read it, I’d like to discuss it with you in comments!

“The Stranger” by Albert Camus

I finished reading “The Stranger” on Sunday. Or on Monday maybe. That doesn’t mean anything. Maybe it was Sunday. (An attempt to write in Camus’ indifferent style)

Anyway, I read “The Stranger” and it was like reading a philosophical treatise in fictional form. I like how it makes complex situations look simple. What contributes to such effect is the writing style as the sentences are simple (I mean grammar and vocabulary) and concise, like Hemingway’s, despite the seriousness of most topics. This book is clearly an amazing example of how language shapes the plot of the story. In the beginning, it was hard to understand where the plot was going but now I realize that probably the purpose of the book is to show how the main hero Mr.Meursault is more like an observer of other people’s lives; he listens to people, he gives advice but in his own life he simply accepts the situations as they are. He looks at his own tragedies almost as if they were happening with anyone else but him.

.The book includes two parts: before the murder and after the murder. Almost like “Crime and Punishment” ( Dostoyevsky finds his way into my review for the 3rd time in a row – that’s how much I like him), the difference being that unlike Raskolnikov, Mr.Meursault commits unintended murder, gives honest indication to police when asked, goes to prison, does not feel guilty and is sentenced to death. Clearly, Meursault’s actions are more than just odd because there was no reason to commit a murder and there was a way to get out of the prison or at least not to get a death sentence, so, why?
Apparently, because Camus aimed to depict “absurdity”. The main hero has “it does not mean anything” attitude to the events that take place in his life. He questions his life and the meaning of his life because what if it was a product of his imagination? So, the themes discussed are mostly the ones majority of people have thought of and the book provides Camus’ view on those themes. I might not have agreed with him on some matters but I liked how Camus gave reader more freedom by using many metaphorical lines that allowed for numerous interpretations. Moreover, Camus put emphasis on the power of the imagination. For instance, to entertain himself in prison, Mr.Meursault dug out details about different days from his memory and got himself immersed in those memories. Mr.Meursault teaches how to “take it easy” by making complex situations simple. “The Stranger” also won a Nobel Prize for literature (just so if you haven’t got enough reasons already to read it).

If you have read it, please let’s discuss the book in the comments!

“The Crowns Of Crosswald” by D.E.Night

I’d like to let you know about a fantasy novel “Crowns Of Croswald” by D.E.Night. The book was published in July 2017 and sent to me by @jkscommunications for a review (Thank you!). Before sharing the synopsis, let me tell about design of the book itself, I mean, so much thought has been put into the design of each page and illustrations are well connected with the content. Moreover, with the book I also received a newspaper from the book’s fantasy world and a sparkling bottle which looks like a Christmas tree decoration so clearly D.E.Night endeavored to make her fictional novel be more than a story. Hence, if you are fond of fun-tastic fantasy novels, here is the goodreads synopsis of “Crowns Of Croswald”:
“For sixteen years Ivy Lovely has been hidden behind an enchanted boundary that separates the mundane from the magical. When Ivy crosses the border, her powers awaken. Curiosity leads her crashing through a series of adventures at the Halls of Ivy, a school where students learn to master their magical blood and the power of Croswald’s mysterious gems. When Ivy’s magic––and her life––is threatened by the Dark Queen, she scrambles to unearth her history and save Croswald before the truth is swept away forever”.

“Gone With The Wind” by Margaret Mitchell

My Rating: 5/5

I’ve been so enchanted by this book’s greatness that it’s hard to write a review without every second sentence being: “ It is great”. In truth, before reading “Gone With The Wind”, I considered it to be a french romance (whatever french romance means) so I picked it up sure it would be light and funny read. How wrong I was! Honestly, Margaret Mitchell manages to tackle so many topics in one novel that once it got published, there was a debate about the novel’s genre: love story, historical fiction, adventurous novel or Bildungsroman. In truth, the novel combines elements of each genre mentioned so for me it’s hard to specify just one. I’d also like to tell that the first 200 pages (of this 1000 page novel) seemed to be a bit boring to me and at one point I even considered picking my dear Dostoyesky instead (this is fascinating how Dostoyevsky is mentioned in almost every review I write). I’m glad my Grandma talked me out of this, telling to read a little bit more before making any conclusions. And then, as if by magic, the book got significantly better! Hardships of civil war, refugees, Reconstruction era, Ku Klux Klan – at times the whole tragedy of the situation reminded me of “The Grapes Of Wrath”. What I liked even more is how the situation was presented from the South’s perspective and Ku Klux Klan’s perspective as opposed to what I’ve heard so often about the truthfulness of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. The book certainly broadens the view of the historical events mentioned. “Gone With The Wind” is such a real and honest and believable story!
And, of course, the love story in “Gone With The Wind” is very beautiful and vibrant. I realize there is so much I have to say about Scarlett’s bravery and strong character and Rhett’s charisma and pride and independence that if I continue writing further, I’m going to write an essay so better read the book yourself and share your thoughts with me!

Sharing one of my favourite quotes from the book:

“All wars are sacred to those who have to fight them. If the people who started wars didn’t make them sacred, who would be foolish enough to fight? But, no matter what rallying cries the orators give to the idiots who fight, no matter what noble purposes they assign to wars, there is never but one reason for a war. And that is money. All wars are in reality money squabbles. But so few people ever realize it. Their ears are too full of bugles and drums and the fine words from stay-at-home orators.”

 

“The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt

My rating: 5/5

Let me start the review with a couple of fascinating facts:
First, Donna Tartt had spent 11 years working on this novel and I guess this mere fact deserves ovation for Donna Tartt’s patience and perseverance.
Second, Warnes Bros is working on “The Goldfinch” film adaptation at the moment which is super exciting!

Now speaking of my own feelings towards this wonderful novel,
The book cover was the first to catch my interest: a painting of a golden-colored bird hidden in a torn newspaper – rather intriguing, right?
When I first picked up the copy of “The Goldfinch” this Spring, it was in Russian and after reading around 50 pages I put the book aside as, for me, it appeared to be quite boring: the plot was developing slowly and the writing seemed to be full of unnecessary details.
However, later in Spring, my friend just put the English edition of “The Goldfinch” in my hands,telling that reading “The Goldfinch” in its original language is a completely different experience. I decided to just give the book another try in order to test my friend’s statement and, to tell the truth, I was surprised! The book hooked up my attention from the first pages and it was not the plot, it was the writing! Honestly, Donna Tartt’s writing contains a certain magic that is hard to be translated into any other language. Moreover, despite Donna Tartt’s fondness of long sentences and punctuation and SAT vocabulary, the sentences simply flow and the book is easy to read. And of course, when the story picks up the pace, which happens around page 70, the book becomes simply great.

The story follows 12-year-old Theo Decker over a course of his life and all the incredible turns his life path takes.As one of the lines in the book says: “Moral of the story is, who knows where it all will take you” and that’s what I feel the moral of “The Goldfinch” is.It is hard to say what the book is about exactly as Donna Tartt manages to address so many different topics in one novel: terrorism, loss of parents,love for Dostoyevski and The Beatles,passion for art and antiques, drug abuse,unrequited love,tight bonds of friendship,obsession with paintings, absence and presence and presence of absence. I understand now why Donna Tartt is compared to Charles Dickens. It’s like both of them have this talent for engaging the reader with these amazing and hard-to-absorb plot twists and storylines which make you crave for yet another page. Furthermore, at a certain point I found a slight resemblance between Theo and Raskolnikov,if you’ve read the book,you probably know which part I’m talking about. Though, after giving some thought to what I’ve just written ,I realize that the similarity between Ms Tartt and Dostoyevsky is even bigger: in my point of view, both of them, despite writing about so many horrible things, encourage the reader to hope, to be kind and to believe.
I have to be honest and say that I spent a good while – more than three months – reading the book; partly because the events described are emotionally heavy to be taken in a gulp and partly because I kept writing down all the beautiful lines I encountered and partly because of the studying. But I guess that only made me receive more pleasure from reading since I had much time to analyse the story and “taste” the delicious writing.
And also, I may shed some light onto the origin of the cover: it’s Carel Fabritius’ painting “The Goldfinch”.
I highly encourage you to read “The Goldfinch” and share your thoughts with me upon reading! Writing this review has been harder than usual as the mere sight of this book arises so many emotions inside of me! I adore and am thankful to Donna Tartt for creating this piece of art! 😄