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My take on “THE IDIOT” a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky
THE IDIOT by Fyodor Dostoevsky: Compared to other Fyodor Dostoevsky books, I could say THE IDIOT is my least favorite. Although the narrative itself is extremely compelling, I did not, however, like the central character of the novel named Prince Myshkin. His character seems to be too good to be true if not overly exaggerated, which is probably why he has been described as the “holy fool”. On a personal note, I’m glad to be able to yet again explore the world of Dostoevsky through his books. #read a book challenge
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The Master and Margarita: by Mikhael Bulgakov
The Master and Margarita by Mikhael Bulgakov, for me, was a difficult novel to read. I had to challenge myself and stretch my willpower considering that is it the first book that I chose to read beginning the New Year of 2023. It required intense focus, and oftentimes I had to re-read the entire chapter so as not to miss the flow of the story. It is the kind of book that covers a wide range of genres. It presents complex ideas and some strangely weird elements combined into a novel. I was enthralled by the satirical side of it. One of which is about Yeshua Ha-Notsri (Jesus of Nazareth)…
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SONS AND LOVERS – D.H. LAWRENCE
Book Title: Sons and Lovers Author: D. H. Lawrence I have just finished reading the book “Sons and Lovers”, my third of D.H. Lawrence. The plot is not at all exciting. I found it tedious and definitely not the type of easy-read book to recommend to people who might look for something to read for enjoyment. Well, I assume this book is intended this way, complex and sad. What do you think? ***
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“Three Men in a Boat” by Jerome K. Jerome
Book Title: THREE MEN IN A BOAT Author: Jerome K. Jerome I truly enjoyed reading this humorous and so witty book that certain lines and stories still make me chuckle just thinking about them. I recommend this book to someone who is looking for a light read material. Besides, it is not a very big book, only of 204 pages. ***
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“AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED” by Khaled Hosseini
Book Title: AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOED Author: KHALED HOSSEINI This is the third novel by Khaled Hosseini which is quite distinct from THE KITE RUNNER and A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS. It has many characters which is sometimes confusing to follow, but actually make sense in the end. I enjoyed the short stories in between though. ***
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“The Surgeon of Crowthorne” by Simon Winchester
Book Title: THE SURGEON OF CROWTHORNE Author: Simon Winchester THE SURGEON OF CROWTHORNE is a riveting story of the meeting of great minds that were instrumental in compiling words and tracing the historical development of the English language, which then led to the production of the great Oxford English Dictionary. A huge ‘Thank you’ to everyone who recommended this book to me. I truly enjoyed it. I hope you will too! ***
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Women in Love – by D.H. Lawrence
Book Title: WOMEN IN LOVE Author: D. H. LAWRENCE After reading this book my first reaction was, should the title have been “MEN IN LOVE” instead of “WOMEN IN LOVE”? Are you curious now? Then go check this out, read the book and you will find out what I mean. ***
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Thomas Hardy – The Return of the Native
I have been reading Classic books these months and thankfully have finished Thomas Hardy’s THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE. At times I found this book so boring that I had to skip some words. But my view changed after watching the movie adaptation featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Clive Owen. Hmm, shall I read The Return of the Native again? ***
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“The Dictionary of Lost Words” by Pip Williams
THE DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS is a book by Pip Williams. It is one of the books that I enjoyed reading. To me, the plot is not really that exciting, but it helped me a lot to appreciate the value of “words”. I utterly admire the people behind the production of Dictionaries, those who started the task, especially on the Oxford English Dictionary. Hats off to the men and women who painstakingly devoted their lives to recording and compiling both spoken and written words. Kudos!
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“CIRCE” by Madeline Miller
“A golden cage is still a cage.” CIRCE, a book by Madeline Miller is an enticing tale of Circe, a goddess and a witch where we as mere mortals can empathize with some of her experiences.
