The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

"The storyline is absolutely amazing and rings true in some aspects of today's world." -Someone who's favorite book is The Picture of Dorian Gray

You can find the synopsis on goodreads.

First of all, I am torn about how to start this review. I have several starts in mind and can't decide on any one of them. So I will use them all. Thus the choppy review, and thus my ridiculously redundant and incorrect use of the phrase, "First of all."

First of all, anyone who claims that The Picture of Dorian Gray is their favorite novel has one of three things going for them. 1. They are incredibly educated and/ or philosophical. 2. They think they are incredibly educated and/ or philosophical. 3. They want other people to think they are incredibly educated and/ or philosophical.

Don't get me wrong, Dorian Gray was an incredibly enlightening read. But the long flowery passages philosophizing over the merits of beauty and innocence were dry enough to keep a water bottle on hand during reading.

First of all, The Picture of Dorian Gray is a book I have been wanting to get to for a long time. The premise is absolutely brilliant -- a man whose physical tells of age and sin are reserved for his portrait, while his body retains the perfection of a blessed youth. The possibilities are endless! Will he strive to keep his portrait as untainted as his own physical appearance? Or will he glory in sin and excess knowing that he will own no recrimination for his actions? Of course anyone who has read the book knows that Dorian glories in his own wickedness. That is, anyone who reads the book and understands Wilde's lengthy and often meandering paragraphs into his own personal philosophies of life and beauty and sin. I would most definitely have enjoyed the book more if Wilde had given me the opportunity to form my own opinions, but as I was too busy choking on the ideals Wilde was forcing down my throat I got quite lost. I finished the book feeling like I didn't quite agree with what Wilde was trying to say, but wildly happy that when Dorian had tried to destroy the portrait he transformed into the withered old evil man and ultimately killed himself. What an ending!

First of all, The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of those books you would like to quote without ever having to actually read. If this is the case for you, dear reader, feel free to skip the book, and enjoy and quoting any of the following.

“You know more than you think you know, just as you know less than you want to know.”

“Yes; she is a peacock in everything but beauty.”

“Laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship, and it is far the best ending for one.”

I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their good intellects.”

“She behaves as if she was beautiful. Most American women do. It is the secret of their charm.”

“It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But . . . it is better to be good than to be ugly.”

“To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable. "

As you can see Dorian has left me feeling a bit muddled. I suppose all I can really say is poor Sybil Vane. Poor poor Basil. Poor Alan Campbell. Poor Dorian. And shame on your Lord Henry Wotton, for being such a sweet talker and a terrible hypocrite.

4 stars. It is a classic after all, I can't help it that I didn't fully understand it. Or want to!

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

"I read this book every two years or so. I love it because no matter how old I am or what I am going through there is something in it that reaches out to me." -Someone whose favorite book is The Once and Future King

Read the synopsis on goodreads here.

If you have ever seen Disney's animated movie The Sword in the Stone then you are at least a little familiar with the first of 4 books that comprise T.H. White's The Once and Future King. The only major difference (that I can remember, I haven't seen the film in ages) is that Arthur (lovingly named Wart) was more than loved by Sir Ector and his household. He had a wonderfully happy boyhood where he and Kay were tutored by Merlin. It is a whimsical world where witches live in gingerbread houses, bumbling knights good naturedly joust (with tea planned afterwards) and being tutored by a magician is about as ordinary as apple pie. (mmmmm . . delicious apple pie) Everyone loved the Wart, an orphan they took straight to their heart and home. I also fell in love with the young King Arther, which makes the tragedy of his later life even more potent.
If you know the story of King Arthur you know that it ends badly. The most notable history of King Arthur, Le Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory actually means The Death of Arthur. It is inevitable that the Future King must eventually become the Once King. T.H. White will make you laugh and giggle and love the young Wart, and then in no time at all he turns it all around and you will find your heart breaking with your now beloved, aging King. I have to disagree with anyone who feels like White's writing in the light and whimsical Sword and the Stone does not reconcile with the last sorrowful 'book' The Candle in the wind. It is this contrast that most honestly reflects life. Where youth is young, hopeful and laughable, the end is often bleak, heartbreaking and full of regrets.
I had only two real issues with the book. The first being length. White doesn't ramble too often, but when he does ramble it takes the desire to trudge on right out of you. Press on! It is worth it. The other real issue was Guenevere. As much as I loved Arthur, and even the terribly ugly Lancelot, I hated the Queen. Someone who enjoyed the adoration of two of the most noble characters in history surely had to have one redeeming quality. I found her to be wretched and selfish.
Overall a beautiful, whimsical, sorrowful story. Absolutely classic.
4 and 1/2 stars

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

You can find the GoodReads synopsis here.

"I realize that our name, the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, is an unusual one and could easily be subjected to ridicule. Would you assure me that you will not be tempted to do so?" Unusual isn't totally accurate. The name of this society, and this book, is a mouthful, and daunting enough to turn away an avid reader. But certainly the old adage, "never judge a book by it's cover," can also be applied to the book's name. Don't let the title fool you -- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is one of the most interesting and engaging reads I have ever picked up.

The format, a series of letters from a journalist to members of the Guernsey...Society, can be just as daunting as the title implies. But read on! Sooner than you can imagine each characters' voice and personality assert themselves, and suddenly you are visually eavesdropping on a rich correspondence that will *almost* make you wish you had been there to experience the German Occupation of the island of Guernsey during World War II. And if this book doesn't transport you quite to that level, it will at least make you want to visit the island of Guernsey, and know the wonderful type of people that inhabit it.

I fell in love with Juliet (the journalist and main character) immediately. She is what every literary loving lady wants to be - clever, smart, fun, passionate and honest. She is also single which of course gives us the opportunity for a love story. A by-plot in the much more interesting story of the island and it's inhabitant's way of coping with a devastating war - literature.

Every character is unique and eccentric in their own way. Where else but Guernsey could you find a drunk-turned-Lord-turned-actor, a witch, an illegitimate child, a judge, and a proper lady all in one literary and potato peel pie society? Nowhere. And you will fall in love with each one as you get to know them through their letters and the books that define them. 5 stars.

A note from yon blogger

An apology might be more accurate! Disclaimer?

I started this blog several months after I started reading everyone's favorite books. This unfortunately means that some of my reviews are written months after I've actually read the book. This didn't particularly bother me until today, when I picked up The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

I am only a couple pages into the book, and already I like it. Of course, I may not like it by the end of the book (and I may like it more) but the point is, I don't remember quite how I felt at the beginning of some of these books I've read. It's just been too long. I am now realizing that makes a poor book review, for I can only write the last impression the book gave me.

I'm going to continue reviewing many of the books I've read already since many of them I will probably never read again (ie The Dogs of Babel. GAG.) and I like to update more often than I can finish books. But just know I do so feeling a little guilty that I'm not truly doing justice to the whole book. (I didn't start to hate the Dogs of Babel til near the end. But I don't remember why. and now the world may never know.)

From now on I'll warn you about how recently I've read the book. Of course the most recent books will probably prove to have more extensive reviews. So beware.

Soon to come: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows and The Once and Future King by T.H. White.

So . . . what's your favorite book?

The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst

There are so many things I could say about this book. The thing I must say is that it is not one of my favorites, although there were many things I liked. The book's premise is interesting: a woman falls out of a tree and dies - there is one witness. The family dog. Was it an accident? Was it a suicide? Only one living soul knows, and she won't talk . . . or will she? This is widower Paul Iverson's quest, to teach his dog to communicate and unravel the mystery of his wife's last day living.

Fascinating. Until you have to wallow through Paul's recollections of his relationship with his wife. The completely unbelievable relationship between this educated, sweet, sensitive man and his off-the-rocker wife ruins every beautifully written passage in this book. Carolyn Parkhurst effectively captures this man's deep feelings for his wife, his immense grief over her death, and his struggle with making sense of it all. And yet, these feelings don't really seem to coincide with his actual relationship with his volatile wife. The author works so hard to prove that Paul Iverson is no idiot, and yet he acts idiotically time and time again.

A harrowing, haunting, annoying tale.

I was relieved when this book was over.

2 stars.

Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund

If you want to read a story about Captain Ahab, read Moby Dick. The Role he plays in this novel is a small one. Una starts her narrative "Captain Ahab was neither my first husband nor my last," and from there goes on with the story of her life, which unsurprisingly has little of Captain Ahab in it. Often out of order, a little disjointed, but always poignant and vivid, Una's story of whaling, shipwreck, love, death and deceit does not disappoint. The writing is so rich, you want to hold it in both hands and take a delicious meaty bite. This is the double cheeseburger of literature. Yes it is 700 pages long, but not one word is wasted!

Whoosh, got a little carried away there. I loved this book. And if you are a serious reader, you will too. Be forewarned! This book cannot be taken lightly. It cannot be read in one day (maybe two, if you don't have kids!) and it cannot be plowed through. Rather than a "good read," reading Ahab's Wife is much like discovering a new friend, who then becomes a good friend, and then an old friend.

And much like an old friend, this book will leave you feeling happier, sadder and wiser.

5 stars.