North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

So with my American-centric view of the world, I was expecting a novel about the American Civil War when I started this book.  I was quickly surprised to learn the title refers to the north and south regions of England.  (As Dr. Who says, "Every planet has a north," eh?)  It is a period novel, so the reading isn't easy if you're only used to contemporary writing.

Margaret Hale moves to northern England with her family after her parson father has a crisis of conscience and can no longer be a preacher.  They come to Milton, an industrial town based on the manufacture of cotton.  Margaret quickly sympathizes with the workers and their plight and in consequence she has frequent clashes with John Thornton, a newly rich factory owner.  Hale idealizes the agrarian south that she misses so much.  The workers strike and the situation in Milton deteriorates.  The political situation is never resolved in this book, although Thornton does make changes and works with one of the strike's instigators.  The personal situation is resolved in a satisfactory manner.

This book is completely clean.  There is some violence during the strike but it isn't particularly descriptive. 

As a side note, there is a BBC miniseries of this book that was shown in 2004 and is available on Netflix that is absolutely fabulous.  Its focus is entirely on the romance, though, and less on the other aspects of the book.  (The book is more balanced.)  It is still really great, especially if you're looking for a good, sweeping romance to watch!

North and South takes quite a bit of time.  It is long and somewhat challenging reading, but it is worth it.

Trader by Charles de Lint

I tend to always have the same problem with de Lint's book.  I enjoy the set-up and most of the story.  Then at the end there is usually something too fantastic for me that I wish wasn't there that almost ruins the book for me.  De Lint is an excellent writer, though, so I don't hate them.  I just wish they had different endings!

Trader is the story of Max Trader who wakes up one morning in the body of Johnny Devlin, a low-life loser who was wishing he could be someone else.  Trader finds himself evicted with no job and no money starting all over with a mind full of confusion and emotional upheaval, especially depression, impatience, and a bad temper that have all been "left behind" by Devlin.  He wants his old life back but doesn't no how to get it.

This book is very clean and appropriate.  Someone does die a violent death in it.

Trader is worth the time in spite of its wacky unbelievable ending sequence.  (I know, the whole concept is unbelievable; it is a fantasy book after all.  But it feels believable until the spirit world gets involved.)

Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding

In some ways this book is actually better than the original.  We know and love the characters already, so Fielding jumps right into the story.  Bridget Jones still smokes and drinks too much.  She is still obsessive about her weight and counting calories (and is heavier in this book also, although still not as chunky as she's portrayed in the second movie!).  Bridget continues to get into outlandish scrapes and to deal with them in lovable style.

This book has frank talk of sex and use of bad language, although there is much less usage of the f-word in this sequel.

This is an entertaining easy read and while it isn't at the top of my list, it is worth the time if you're looking for some light fluffy reading (brain candy).

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Conrad is a dark author, and this book is no exception.

It is told from the point of view of Marlow, an Englishman who is telling about an experience he had in Africa.  He was hired to be a steamboat captain on the Congo.  When he arrives, his steamboat requires repairs.  He needs to get it fixed to go check on Kurtz, a legendary stationmaster in the area.  I won't tell you what happens when they go to the station because I don't want to spoil the story, but it is unpleasant.

The story has some violence and Kurtz even recommends "exterminate all the brutes" when speaking of the native people. 

It is a good book and worth the time but a little slow and artistic.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

This is another great book from the youth department, even for adults.  It isn't really anything like the movie and is much better.  I understand more now why so many people were disappointed with the movie after reading the book.

Ella Enchanted tells the story of a young girl who is "blessed" with the gift of obedience at her birth by a careless fairy.  Whenever she is given an order, she is forced to obey it.  She of course hates the gift and as she grows older she is constantly trying to figure out how to have it taken away.  It has the usual elements of the Cinderella story--wicked stepmother and stepsisters, a charming prince, and even a lost glass slipper, but it is much more as well.

This book is squeaky clean, although it does have wicked ogres who talk pretty violently.  Fortunately, there is always someone to thwart their evil designs.

It is an easy read that reads quickly.  It is a bit longer than some kids' books.  It is definitely and easily worth the time to read.

Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery

This book isn't nearly as good as Anne of Green Gables.  It was nice to read more of Anne's story, though.  Anne has graduated from her teacher training and has been assigned to be the teacher at the Avonlea school.   She teaches there for two years in this book.  She and Marilla end up with two orphans to take care of at Green Gables.  She makes new friends, and we hear about some of her old ones.  As usual, Anne gets into a few funny situations.

The Anne books are wonderfully appropriate for all ages and don't have anything questionable.

If you enjoyed the first book and want to know what happens next, this book is worth the time (although you'll still want to know what happens next after you've finished).  Standing alone, though, it isn't worth it.

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

This is one of the "beat" novels, written for those who feel out of step with society or the world.  Those kind of novels aren't usually favorites of mine; maybe I'm too much of a conformist in spite of my desire to be a unique individual!

This book tells the story of Sal and his fun-loving friend Dean.  It largely deals with three big road trips that Sal takes.  It's interesting in that it seems to promote an alternative way to live without the domestic pressures and rewards but the people who live that way seem to be constantly struggling with their choices and changing their minds.  They don't seem very happy with the way of life they choose, even though they are always saying how much better it is.

This isn't a favorite of mine.  It is well-written and worth the time to experience the type, but it isn't an uplifting story and doesn't draw you in.  If you're looking to be intellectually challenged, read it.  If you want to be entertained, choose something else.

In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway

This is billed as a short story collection, but I think it is more like a series of vignettes.  It is interesting how they make a cohesive whole as they are mostly disjointed.  There are characters who reappear, and it is interesting to see them again.  The brief descriptions at the beginning of each chapter are my least favorite.

There is some violence in this book, particularly gory descriptions of bull fights at the beginning of many of the chapters.  That isn't my style and isn't something I would want my boys to read.

I like Hemingway's concise writing and short declarative style, which is very ably demonstrated in this collection.  It is a very short easy read that can be squeezed in here and there, which is handy.  It is easily worth the time.

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

I watched this movie (the edited version) some years ago and thought I should read the book, but I never got around to it until I had it on the Big Read.  Unusually I prefer the movie to the book.  All of the really funny stuff in the book is also in the movie, and some of the great stuff from the movie (the fight between Daniel and Mark, the line "I like you just the way you are") aren't in the book at all!  One very surprising thing to me--Bridget Jones is not fat!  She is obsessed with her weight and diets constantly and yo-yos up and down between 117 and 133 spending most of her time around 125, but unless she's extremely short, she is only the tiniest bit chubby at the peak and isn't usually heavy at all.

This book tells the story of Bridget Jones, a 30-something single living in London.  She is somewhat neurotic and scatterbrained and also very lovable.  She has a good set of friends, a quirky family, and a traumatic love life.  Fielding has a fun style and the whole story is very amusing.

Bridget Jones contains a lot of language, particularly the use of the f-word.  I know that's more common in Great Britain, but my puritanic American soul finds it somewhat shocking.  There is also a lot of frank discussion about sex.

It is an easy read and worth the time, although I would recommend spending the time watching the movie (the edited version) instead.  It is better.

Bad Girls by Jacqueline Wilson

This may seem like a strange book to be reviewing as it is written for young readers (about 10 I'd say), but it is on the Big Read, so that is why it is appearing in this blog.  It is obviously a quick easy read.  I zipped through it in one evening.

It tells the story of Mandy White, a young girl who is being teased and picked on at school by a group of three girls, one of whom used to be her best friend.  She is small for her age, shy, and has older parents, so she is a somewhat easy target.  An older foster girl moves in across the street and becomes her best ever friend and helps her learn to be braver and assert herself more.  In the end of the story, she has a new friend and a new teacher has fixed the bullying problem.

Some of the subject matter is a little mature, like a brief discussion of a mother committing suicide, so it may be a bit much for a particularly young reader or someone who is very sensitive.

I did find this book interesting and entertaining in spite of its being written for a younger audience.  It is well done and the characters are sympathetic.  As a parent, I'm not crazy over one aspect of the end, which is that the main bully no longer has any friends and has been isolated even in the classroom.  I'm sure that would feel like justice to many kids who read the book, but it isn't a solution I'm comfortable with, since she obviously needs friends, too! 

This book is easily worth the time and is a great book for younger readers as well.