Category:

"Dubliners" by James Joyce

12/3/2014

Title: Dubliners
Author: James Joyce
Genre: Fiction/Short Story
# Pages: 256
Date Published: 1914
5-Star Rating: 5
Would you recommend it?: Yes

Dubliners is a collection of fifteen short stories by James Joyce, each story describing the lives of different characters in Dublin. With the variety of characters and situations featured, one could argue that the central character of the work is the city itself. This is not a cold and impersonal Dublin; the city feels alive in this book, like I could walk the streets myself, because each story was built from personal experience. With its unpredictable, emotional air, Dubliners feels both natural and authentic. There is an honesty in each of the characters’ experiences that feels realistic, even to those who have never been to Dublin or experienced Joyce’s twentieth century.

The book also offers insight into Joyce’s other work. For instance, “The Dead”, the final short story in the collection, describes the conflict between an intellectual and an Irish identity, a struggle Joyce himself felt.

I highly recommend this collection. Each story unfolds beautifully. Reading through them is like looking at a Monet painting; nothing in it seems forced, everything is smooth and natural, though unique as well. Though complicated, these vignettes are also fun to read; the characters are very curious and I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. Each story is wonderful, honest and beautiful and definitely worth reading.

Review by Michael Solah, A&S '15

0 Comments

"The Country of the Blind and Other Selected Stories" by H. G. Wells

2/26/2014

0 Comments

Title: The Country of the Blind and Other Selected Stories
Author: H. G. Wells
Genre: Short Stories, Science Fiction
# pages: 432
Date published: 2007
5-star rating: 4.8 stars
Would you recommend it: Yes

H. G. Wells is most famous for writing The War of the Worlds, but to think that is the work that best describes him does the author a disservice. This collection of short stories, entitled The Country of the Blind and Other Selected Stories, is so diverse that it is surprising that their author is most well known for another work. There are definitely similar characteristics found among the stories, but the tales offer their own themes. General ideas seem to be more important than specific features in each story, and the overall focus of each one is usually philosophical. Although the stories are of varying quality, each offers an engaging message.

The Lord of the Dynamos,” for instance, is a nine-page story that comments on both religion and technological advancement. Short and powerful, it sticks with you. “A Slip under the Microscope” is an extraordinary piece that explores death and medical science.

Each story has something to say about the impact of human advancement and has much more depth than your average science fiction work. Technological themes in particular dominate the work, perhaps because Wells was born in the late 1800s, a time when technological advancements and speculation on what technology meant were at a high point.

Despite the aging science of the stories, Wells’s writing remains universal and explores the question of why humans change rather than how technology advances. My personal favorite out of the whole collection is “A Story of the Stone Age” which takes place, as the title suggests, in the Stone Age, and explores the relationship of two outcasts from their tribe. The story reveals how human nature has not changed all that much, regardless of our scientific feats.

Overall, I would highly recommend this collection to anybody who is interested in short stories. I also recommend it to anyone who likes science fiction, though it is very different from contemporary science fiction work. Although some of the stories are better than others, overall it is an excellent collection, and offers great insight into Wells beyond The War of the Worlds.

Review by Michael Solah, A&S '15

0 Comments

"East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

2/26/2014

0 Comments

Title: East of Eden
Author: John Steinbeck
Genre: General Fiction
# pages: 640
Date published: 1952
5-star rating: N/A
Would you recommend it: Yes

I recommend East of Eden it to whoever wants to be engrossed in a fascinating story. The book’s true strength, though, lies in its characters, some of the most interesting ever written. Each of John Steinbeck’s characters works as a symbol, though this idea is enacted almost in a postmodern manner; these individuals seem to know that they are symbols, and it is extremely interesting to discover how they handle this realization.

In addition, the book is relatable because the characters are human as well as symbolic. Many try to fight the symbolism attached to their name, and although their struggle between these identities reads almost like philosophy in places, sometimes to the point of being preachy, Steinbeck is able to pull it off without being in the readers’ face. I would argue that the philosophy is even one of the strongest aspects of the book.

In conclusion, I highly suggest this novel. Though many critics see it as an autobiography of sorts, I feel that it is more of an exploration on what it truly means to be free, and by extension, what it means to be human. I recommend it to anyone; Steinbeck is able to focus on a subject as broad as freedom in such a compelling way that it is something everyone can relate to.

Review by Michael Solah, A&S '15

0 Comments

"Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

12/2/2013

0 Comments

Title: Catch-22
Author: Joseph Heller
Genre: Satire
#Pages: 476
Rating: N/A
Date Published: 1961
Recommended?: Yes

Before the lack of a rating on this review leads you to believe I disliked this book, let me state that Catch-22 is a fantastic book, and one of the best that I have read. There is no rating because, if you are like me, you might only look at the number and not even bother to read the review. Furthermore, on a personal note I don’t believe a number is the best way to describe the art that is Joseph Heller’s masterwork.

Now let us get back to the review. Simply put, Catch-22 is superb. Yossarian, the novel’s protagonist, is human caught in the inane cycling of the novel’s bureaucracy. Often referred to as crazy, because he flies dangerous combat missions, Yossarian nonetheless cannot find a way to avoid the missions because doing so would indicate sanity, and therefore competence to fly. By so depicting the ridiculousness of those who make decisions that do not directly affect them, Heller’s work can be seen as a critique of bureaucracy and its potential to desensitize people. In this case, we can see firsthand how bureaucracy has desensitized all of the authorities in Yossarian’s camp.

I won’t talk about plot details, but I will say that Heller maintains an excellent balance, by accentuating certain moods in situations where there could be many. For instance, while some chapters that deal with corruption and hatred are quite comical and light, death is always extremely serious and personal in Catch-22. Although the novel is usually considered comical, one particular chapter stands out as heart wrenching; despite his satire elsewhere, here he forces the reader to experience viscerally a scenario in which somebody else is dying.

This balance between satire and visceral emotion is one the major reasons Catch 22 is such an excellent novel. But don’t take my word for it – read the book. I would argue that it does not matter if you like it or not; Catch-22 is the type of novel that you will never forget.

Review by Michael Solah, A&S '15

0 Comments

"Dubliners" by James Joyce

"The Country of the Blind and Other Selected Stories" by H. G. Wells

"East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

"Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Who are the authors?

Archives

Categories