This one's only for people who have watched it or absolutely don't care about spoiler!
So there are some parts and mysteries which I like best about Conjuring 2:
1. the intro music and animation. The scene where they just showed 'THE CONJURING 2' in the beginning, black background and text in yellow, taking the whole space of the screen and the screeching music which just put you on the very edge of your seat. Damn it.
2. the fact that Valak, the nun ghost, showed up in the middle of the comfort of Ed & Lorraine's home, under daylight sun. like, seriously. they can't stop, can they?
3. I like that they added some mysteries in the story. the fact that the ghost which haunted Janet is only a pawn, used by Valak, disabling him from moving to the other side, and that Valak scared Ed and Lorraine so they won't want to send any more devils back to hell in addition taking the vision as a nun which is like a holy symbol for Lorraine, so it's like an extra abomination. nice touch.
4. I like the scene when Lorraine imitated Ronald DeFeo Jr when he was killing his family. The way she pretended to shoot using the big gun! Nice scenes!!
Monday, June 20, 2016
Movie review: The Conjuring 2
Movie review: The Conjuring 2 (dir. James Wan)
Here's the spoiler discussion
I was very cautious when I was about to watch this movie. My sister and I avoided any rumors and spoilers and only see other reviewers' reactions to know more or less what to expect in the movie. We were so worried that it's gonna be so scary that we can't sleep or anything. It got even scarier in the cinema as we realized that there weren't that many people watching it, damn it! (if it's crowded, when it got scary, at least there are plenty of people that can dilute the creepy atmosphere)
So I love watching (1) horror movie (2) ghost movie (3) exorcist movie, well you get the idea. But it's so hard to find a good one. It's not enough to have scare jumps, you have to built an atmosphere, have interesting characters, a good story, and most of all, a good mystery. That's why I like all Insidious series, and It Follows, but disliked Annabelle. And boy oh boy, The Conjuring 2 is certainly one of the best horror movies out there.
The story takes us back a few years after the Amityville incident, where we're back with our duo exorcists/psychic, Ed and Lorraine Warren, this time investigating a case of a haunted house of Hodgson's family in Enfield, England. Despite the many incidents that happened, especially centered around one of the kid in the family, Janet, they were still unsure whether they actually do have a case of a haunted house. Why? Well, you should watch it yourself. In any case, how the case was disentangled were more complicated as you'd think a horror movie should be, and it's just good that they've decided to do it like that. One of the best scary character would be the haunting nun. Ugh she/he freaked me out. Especially when it came unto you while you're simply enjoying your daily bliss.
The movie was also made in such a way that you were given moments of brief relief just to drag you back into anxiousness, damn it. I screamed twice and held my sister's hand too hard (sorry). But, like my friend said in his facebook post (Jombang), the movie was ultimately a romantic story. And it's really partly true. It is also a very well executed horror movie, and I'd love to re-watch it.
*still, the ultimate source of really really scary horror movies, you gotta give it to The Ring and all those good Japanese horror/ghost stories.
Here's the spoiler discussion
I was very cautious when I was about to watch this movie. My sister and I avoided any rumors and spoilers and only see other reviewers' reactions to know more or less what to expect in the movie. We were so worried that it's gonna be so scary that we can't sleep or anything. It got even scarier in the cinema as we realized that there weren't that many people watching it, damn it! (if it's crowded, when it got scary, at least there are plenty of people that can dilute the creepy atmosphere)
So I love watching (1) horror movie (2) ghost movie (3) exorcist movie, well you get the idea. But it's so hard to find a good one. It's not enough to have scare jumps, you have to built an atmosphere, have interesting characters, a good story, and most of all, a good mystery. That's why I like all Insidious series, and It Follows, but disliked Annabelle. And boy oh boy, The Conjuring 2 is certainly one of the best horror movies out there.
pic from here
The story takes us back a few years after the Amityville incident, where we're back with our duo exorcists/psychic, Ed and Lorraine Warren, this time investigating a case of a haunted house of Hodgson's family in Enfield, England. Despite the many incidents that happened, especially centered around one of the kid in the family, Janet, they were still unsure whether they actually do have a case of a haunted house. Why? Well, you should watch it yourself. In any case, how the case was disentangled were more complicated as you'd think a horror movie should be, and it's just good that they've decided to do it like that. One of the best scary character would be the haunting nun. Ugh she/he freaked me out. Especially when it came unto you while you're simply enjoying your daily bliss.
The movie was also made in such a way that you were given moments of brief relief just to drag you back into anxiousness, damn it. I screamed twice and held my sister's hand too hard (sorry). But, like my friend said in his facebook post (Jombang), the movie was ultimately a romantic story. And it's really partly true. It is also a very well executed horror movie, and I'd love to re-watch it.
*still, the ultimate source of really really scary horror movies, you gotta give it to The Ring and all those good Japanese horror/ghost stories.
Book Review: A Strangeness in My Mind
Book Review: A Strangeness in My Mind, 2014, Orhan Pamuk
As posted in goodreads
After being traumatized reading the Museum of Innocence, I still somehow want to indulge myself to read Orhan Pamuk's work again. There's just a sense of magnetism to keep on coming back to his home city Istanbul. And when I read the general plot of the story, I was simply hooked. Hoping, please, don't let it be too hurtful this time.
And oh boy.
I have to write back a little on Museum of Innocence to be able to put my thoughts properly here. Museum of Innocence tells a story about a rich Istanbul man who fell in love with his distant, somewhat poor cousin, Füsun. Throughout their relationship, he grew obsessive, following and setting her up for his advantage and by the end of the book, I was so mad and stressed, and I can't figure out why some people can say that this is a romantic love story. Ugh.
So I was slightly worried, but curious at the same time, when I found out that the central theme of A Strangeness in My Mind is a love story as well. But it turns out that it has have an opposite atmosphere compare to Museum of Innocence.
The two books have some similarities, though. In addition for both being set up in Istanbul, the story tells about the changes the characters experienced in relation to the development of politics within the decades when they lived in Istanbul. Funny enough, while Museum of Innocence delved inside the life of Istanbul's upper class where it's more 'Western' dominated, A Strangeness in My Mind is being told from the eyes of the more poor (very very poor), traditional, lower classes, migrants from villages part of Istanbul. I have to check, but maybe the two books are actually set in the West (Museum of Innocence) and the East (A Strangeness in My Mind) sides of the city?
So the book tells about a boza seller, Mevlut, who came from a village near Istanbul trying to make a living in the big city, starting when he was a young 12 years old boy. It further described about Mevlut and the dynamics of his family - dad, cousins, uncle, aunt, best friend - and later on his wife, his in-laws, children, nieces, nephews, as they struggle to survive, and how Istanbul's landscape changes from the 1950s towards 2012. There's of course the whole political situation, both within the country and outside, used as a background or sometimes directly affecting the characters. The book described (mostly in a fun way) of the life and culture of Turkish people, and the different people who lived there, and how they clashed, or get together.
Anyways, as I've mentioned about the atmosphere of the book, I couldn't help myself to be so comforted along the reading experience. Sure, it's so stressful to see the main character, honest boyish looking, Boza selling, Mevlut, working throughout his whole life trying to make ends meet by working various jobs with such optimism and earnestness. Or the people around his life who are simply ordinary people with the greatness and complexity of human beings. But while Museum of Innocence left me feeling depressed, this book comforts me about the reality of a changing life, of being young, falling in love, growing older, the relativeness of success, of happiness, of what home means, of how changes are unavoidable, and the fleeting lives of our species, and how time waits for no man. This book have so many ways to make the readers sad and depressed, but through Mevlut's heart and his soft feelings, you'd be comforted knowing that kindness and love can cure your heart.
The nights when Mevlut walks down the old small streets in Istanbul, carrying his boza drink, knocking peoples' doors, listening to their story and peeking on their lives; the comfort of knowing that you have loved and shared blissful years with your beloved, going home to a place where your heart can rest; when you can be comforted by the quiteness of the night, taking a refuge from the craziness of the world under daylight; for all that, I just need to say, thank you Mr Pamuk for writing such a wonderful story. Thank you for letting us know about Mevlut's life and the amazing people around him. Especially, Rayiha. It's always been her.
As posted in goodreads
After being traumatized reading the Museum of Innocence, I still somehow want to indulge myself to read Orhan Pamuk's work again. There's just a sense of magnetism to keep on coming back to his home city Istanbul. And when I read the general plot of the story, I was simply hooked. Hoping, please, don't let it be too hurtful this time.
And oh boy.
I have to write back a little on Museum of Innocence to be able to put my thoughts properly here. Museum of Innocence tells a story about a rich Istanbul man who fell in love with his distant, somewhat poor cousin, Füsun. Throughout their relationship, he grew obsessive, following and setting her up for his advantage and by the end of the book, I was so mad and stressed, and I can't figure out why some people can say that this is a romantic love story. Ugh.
YOĞURTÇU (yoghurt street seller). Cihangir neighbourhood, Istanbul, 1950s.
(https://de.pinterest.com/jeancriel/street-vendors-in-turkey-former-ottoman-territorie/)
So I was slightly worried, but curious at the same time, when I found out that the central theme of A Strangeness in My Mind is a love story as well. But it turns out that it has have an opposite atmosphere compare to Museum of Innocence.
The two books have some similarities, though. In addition for both being set up in Istanbul, the story tells about the changes the characters experienced in relation to the development of politics within the decades when they lived in Istanbul. Funny enough, while Museum of Innocence delved inside the life of Istanbul's upper class where it's more 'Western' dominated, A Strangeness in My Mind is being told from the eyes of the more poor (very very poor), traditional, lower classes, migrants from villages part of Istanbul. I have to check, but maybe the two books are actually set in the West (Museum of Innocence) and the East (A Strangeness in My Mind) sides of the city?
So the book tells about a boza seller, Mevlut, who came from a village near Istanbul trying to make a living in the big city, starting when he was a young 12 years old boy. It further described about Mevlut and the dynamics of his family - dad, cousins, uncle, aunt, best friend - and later on his wife, his in-laws, children, nieces, nephews, as they struggle to survive, and how Istanbul's landscape changes from the 1950s towards 2012. There's of course the whole political situation, both within the country and outside, used as a background or sometimes directly affecting the characters. The book described (mostly in a fun way) of the life and culture of Turkish people, and the different people who lived there, and how they clashed, or get together.
Anyways, as I've mentioned about the atmosphere of the book, I couldn't help myself to be so comforted along the reading experience. Sure, it's so stressful to see the main character, honest boyish looking, Boza selling, Mevlut, working throughout his whole life trying to make ends meet by working various jobs with such optimism and earnestness. Or the people around his life who are simply ordinary people with the greatness and complexity of human beings. But while Museum of Innocence left me feeling depressed, this book comforts me about the reality of a changing life, of being young, falling in love, growing older, the relativeness of success, of happiness, of what home means, of how changes are unavoidable, and the fleeting lives of our species, and how time waits for no man. This book have so many ways to make the readers sad and depressed, but through Mevlut's heart and his soft feelings, you'd be comforted knowing that kindness and love can cure your heart.
The nights when Mevlut walks down the old small streets in Istanbul, carrying his boza drink, knocking peoples' doors, listening to their story and peeking on their lives; the comfort of knowing that you have loved and shared blissful years with your beloved, going home to a place where your heart can rest; when you can be comforted by the quiteness of the night, taking a refuge from the craziness of the world under daylight; for all that, I just need to say, thank you Mr Pamuk for writing such a wonderful story. Thank you for letting us know about Mevlut's life and the amazing people around him. Especially, Rayiha. It's always been her.
Friday, June 10, 2016
Kindle AND Printed Books
So what is the purpose of this particular blog post? Me, using my bragging right that, 'Hey, I have a kindle y'all!'. Or is it some sort of bragging under the disguise of being humble? Hahaha. Well, I hope that this is purely my sincere writing about one of the thing I love the most, which is reading. And this time, it's about the medium which I used for reading.
Let's start with a story. When I was planning to go home, back to Indonesia, I thought to myself, a. I'm not earning money myself; b. For books that I want, access to a printed version would be difficult. So sad we're not on the level of Singapore or Malaysia when it comes to literacy; c. I've collected during the last 6.5 years almost all books which for me would be the 'required' reading - so far LOL -; what can I do about it?
My friend Roshni, has long suggested that I should get myself a Kindle. The one from Amazon was the obvious option, because I have been used to use my amazon account to get books, etc. And hey, there's an incorporated built-in light for the KindlePaperWhite version. Which means I can read in the dark (good for when travelling, etc). I checked Roshni's copy, and she's right, the surface of the Kindle isn't like a computer screen with its strong light, but it's simply looked like a page of a book. Plus, the coolest thing for me is, this thing only has internet connection so you can have your books sent to your Kindle address. You can't browse the internet, or waste your precious reading time doing anything else. So I thought, it is pretty awesome. It will solve my a-b-c problems.
And the other funny thing was this. So I was being super cheeky on money before going back home, it's just there are plenty of expenses that I need to pay, etc. That's another reason why I was a bit resisting on getting one, because a Kindle Paper White costs 120 Euros, holy cow, I can't spend money like that. But THANK GOD, one day I was finishing some lab work, during the weekend, and I found a 50 Euros bill on the way out. I thought holy cow this is a lot of money. So I took it, and when I opened, there were two 50 EUROS BILL! THIS IS CRAZY! POOR PERSON MUST BE GOING CRAZY!
So I thought, well, if it's an outsider's money, than that person is screwed (sometimes, people came in and out through the garden because it's usually unlocked; and I've seen a couple of times people got lost coming inside the green house garden). If it's someone who's working here, students most likely, there's still a possibility to give this money back. So I sent an email to the group where most of the people who works here belong to, and it took another week before the email was posted, but I still hoped someone would contact me to get this money back.
A month passed and no one contacted me. Oh well, I guess I can use this money. Don't worry, my fellow muslim friends, I paid out 25% of the money for charity (it's an obligatory rule in Islam, if you found treasure who no one claims to, you should pay out 25% off it as zakat).
Now, when I checked Amazon to see the Kindle Paper White's price, it was strangely discounted for 40 Euros (Easter holiday discount!). So now the price was 80 Euros. It was just 10 Euros higher compare to Roshni's Kindle, the one without the built in light, but I still have my doubts because come on, 80 Euros is a lot. Maybe I can it the usual way, using the Kindle I got in my Smartphone? (with the small screen and runny battery) But I thought to myself, there might not be any better chance, and if I postpone it even later, it might be too late for delivery because I have to fly home.
SO I FREAKIN' ORDERED IT! along with a black cover so I wouldn't scratch the surface too much. All and all costs exactly 100 Euros (I found the money one or two weeks after I bought the Kindle).
When I got the Kindle, I was soo happy. I rarely buy new electronics, but looking at the super light, rechargeable, version of a book, made me soo freaking happy. I packed it in my bag and it's small enough and light enough to carry around (just a few weeks before, I ruined my bag because I carried 2-3 books at the same time. poor thing).
The Kindle Paper White's battery lasts for weeks. I can just finish one book, and there'll be enough battery for at least 10 more books or something like that. I learned to use only MOBI extension, because pdf or other format would not be comfortable for browsing. Roshni and I once took the u-bahn and saw a guy reading a Kindle (maybe other brand) and we both looked at it while giggling, wondering which version that is.
Now to the Kindle vs Printed book thing!
So during the last few months, I've finished three books in my Kindle. The first one is a book I wasn't sure would be worthy for collection as a printed version. And I was right. The book wasn't as good as I expected, so I was left wondering, is it the book that makes the Kindle experience feel lesser, or is it just the Kindle? Next was Room which for me was also not that very good of a book. So still, an unfortunate Kindle experience.
But then, there was Santonius's Twelve Caesars. This book started off awkward, it felt a bit like a wikipedia page. But as I move on deeper, I found it very enjoyable. I just couldn't take myself off the Kindle and just rowing through and through.
I also finally was able to use the built in light function when my husband and I were traveling to Bandung, and the night falls, and the trip was long and it has a weird tinted windows so everything outside looks so much darker and sinister. Kindle saved the trip by letting me going back to the world of pages. Comforted me as books always do.
I also read some printed books, in between: The Nuns of Sant'Ambrogio. Which was in addition for being a pretty awesome book, I realized what's unique in a printed version, and no matter how efficient a Kindle might be, it won't replace this experience. Well, I guess it's just not meant to replace it in the first place. But there's the essence of turning pages, the feel of the book weight in your hand, or when you had to turn back some pages back, putting your finger in the current page while skimming back. Or yeah, the sentimental 'smell of a book'.
So here's my verdict. If you don't have to, just get printed books. But if you know that you need to be efficient (like myself, I ended up sending in total 12 boxes standard IKEA box, mostly filled with books. Plus all the other books I brought along on the in between trips to home), and you're truly an avid reader, then own both of them. Give yourself the printed version when it's truly your special writer (Jane Austen, Orhan Pamuk) (like I can't help myself to get A Strangeness in My Mind on a printed version. It's just the magic of the book is in both the written text and the way you can skim it through under your fingers!), or a book you know will lasts in your heart (Steinbecks', Baldwins'), keep them in your cupboards, and hold them to remind you of their stories. Have copies of books you love in your Kindle so in case you don't bring them along, or you feel the urge to return, there it is your old pal Kindle ready to take you home (I sometimes put it back in my cupboard along with my other books).
But I guess, most importantly, if you can, and if you know you'd really love to do it, read more and more books. They'd take you to places you wouldn't have expected. I'm currently in the streets of Istanbul in early 90s, walking together with a boza seller, and I keep on hoping he'll get enough boza sold before going home (on a side note, geez, Orhan Pamuk must love Istanbul A LOT). The book is weird and funny, but enjoyable and at least the tone isn't depressing like *cough-cough* Museum of Innocence.
And well, thank you for reading my rant and jumbled notes! Till next time :D
Oh and happy fasting!
Let's start with a story. When I was planning to go home, back to Indonesia, I thought to myself, a. I'm not earning money myself; b. For books that I want, access to a printed version would be difficult. So sad we're not on the level of Singapore or Malaysia when it comes to literacy; c. I've collected during the last 6.5 years almost all books which for me would be the 'required' reading - so far LOL -; what can I do about it?
An illustration by my sister, original can be seen here
See more of her work here
My friend Roshni, has long suggested that I should get myself a Kindle. The one from Amazon was the obvious option, because I have been used to use my amazon account to get books, etc. And hey, there's an incorporated built-in light for the KindlePaperWhite version. Which means I can read in the dark (good for when travelling, etc). I checked Roshni's copy, and she's right, the surface of the Kindle isn't like a computer screen with its strong light, but it's simply looked like a page of a book. Plus, the coolest thing for me is, this thing only has internet connection so you can have your books sent to your Kindle address. You can't browse the internet, or waste your precious reading time doing anything else. So I thought, it is pretty awesome. It will solve my a-b-c problems.
And the other funny thing was this. So I was being super cheeky on money before going back home, it's just there are plenty of expenses that I need to pay, etc. That's another reason why I was a bit resisting on getting one, because a Kindle Paper White costs 120 Euros, holy cow, I can't spend money like that. But THANK GOD, one day I was finishing some lab work, during the weekend, and I found a 50 Euros bill on the way out. I thought holy cow this is a lot of money. So I took it, and when I opened, there were two 50 EUROS BILL! THIS IS CRAZY! POOR PERSON MUST BE GOING CRAZY!
So I thought, well, if it's an outsider's money, than that person is screwed (sometimes, people came in and out through the garden because it's usually unlocked; and I've seen a couple of times people got lost coming inside the green house garden). If it's someone who's working here, students most likely, there's still a possibility to give this money back. So I sent an email to the group where most of the people who works here belong to, and it took another week before the email was posted, but I still hoped someone would contact me to get this money back.
A month passed and no one contacted me. Oh well, I guess I can use this money. Don't worry, my fellow muslim friends, I paid out 25% of the money for charity (it's an obligatory rule in Islam, if you found treasure who no one claims to, you should pay out 25% off it as zakat).
Now, when I checked Amazon to see the Kindle Paper White's price, it was strangely discounted for 40 Euros (Easter holiday discount!). So now the price was 80 Euros. It was just 10 Euros higher compare to Roshni's Kindle, the one without the built in light, but I still have my doubts because come on, 80 Euros is a lot. Maybe I can it the usual way, using the Kindle I got in my Smartphone? (with the small screen and runny battery) But I thought to myself, there might not be any better chance, and if I postpone it even later, it might be too late for delivery because I have to fly home.
SO I FREAKIN' ORDERED IT! along with a black cover so I wouldn't scratch the surface too much. All and all costs exactly 100 Euros (I found the money one or two weeks after I bought the Kindle).
When I got the Kindle, I was soo happy. I rarely buy new electronics, but looking at the super light, rechargeable, version of a book, made me soo freaking happy. I packed it in my bag and it's small enough and light enough to carry around (just a few weeks before, I ruined my bag because I carried 2-3 books at the same time. poor thing).
The Kindle Paper White's battery lasts for weeks. I can just finish one book, and there'll be enough battery for at least 10 more books or something like that. I learned to use only MOBI extension, because pdf or other format would not be comfortable for browsing. Roshni and I once took the u-bahn and saw a guy reading a Kindle (maybe other brand) and we both looked at it while giggling, wondering which version that is.
Now to the Kindle vs Printed book thing!
So during the last few months, I've finished three books in my Kindle. The first one is a book I wasn't sure would be worthy for collection as a printed version. And I was right. The book wasn't as good as I expected, so I was left wondering, is it the book that makes the Kindle experience feel lesser, or is it just the Kindle? Next was Room which for me was also not that very good of a book. So still, an unfortunate Kindle experience.
But then, there was Santonius's Twelve Caesars. This book started off awkward, it felt a bit like a wikipedia page. But as I move on deeper, I found it very enjoyable. I just couldn't take myself off the Kindle and just rowing through and through.
I also finally was able to use the built in light function when my husband and I were traveling to Bandung, and the night falls, and the trip was long and it has a weird tinted windows so everything outside looks so much darker and sinister. Kindle saved the trip by letting me going back to the world of pages. Comforted me as books always do.
I also read some printed books, in between: The Nuns of Sant'Ambrogio. Which was in addition for being a pretty awesome book, I realized what's unique in a printed version, and no matter how efficient a Kindle might be, it won't replace this experience. Well, I guess it's just not meant to replace it in the first place. But there's the essence of turning pages, the feel of the book weight in your hand, or when you had to turn back some pages back, putting your finger in the current page while skimming back. Or yeah, the sentimental 'smell of a book'.
So here's my verdict. If you don't have to, just get printed books. But if you know that you need to be efficient (like myself, I ended up sending in total 12 boxes standard IKEA box, mostly filled with books. Plus all the other books I brought along on the in between trips to home), and you're truly an avid reader, then own both of them. Give yourself the printed version when it's truly your special writer (Jane Austen, Orhan Pamuk) (like I can't help myself to get A Strangeness in My Mind on a printed version. It's just the magic of the book is in both the written text and the way you can skim it through under your fingers!), or a book you know will lasts in your heart (Steinbecks', Baldwins'), keep them in your cupboards, and hold them to remind you of their stories. Have copies of books you love in your Kindle so in case you don't bring them along, or you feel the urge to return, there it is your old pal Kindle ready to take you home (I sometimes put it back in my cupboard along with my other books).
But I guess, most importantly, if you can, and if you know you'd really love to do it, read more and more books. They'd take you to places you wouldn't have expected. I'm currently in the streets of Istanbul in early 90s, walking together with a boza seller, and I keep on hoping he'll get enough boza sold before going home (on a side note, geez, Orhan Pamuk must love Istanbul A LOT). The book is weird and funny, but enjoyable and at least the tone isn't depressing like *cough-cough* Museum of Innocence.
And well, thank you for reading my rant and jumbled notes! Till next time :D
Oh and happy fasting!
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Book Review: The Spirit of Venice
Book review: The Spirit of Venice: From Marco Polo to Casanova, 2012, Paul Strathern
As posted in Goodreads
Oh gosh. According Goodreads, I started reading the book in 2014 and finished in 2016. Haha. What can I say, I wasn't so much inclined towards history books at that time. I guess the details and the many characters within is quite overwhelming for me. But I have to thank the Romans for igniting in me love for historical books!
So I was lucky enough, that on my second trip to this city, I get to spend a whole day all by myself. I think I've written and re-written this in so many different blog posts/writing, but it was on a very fine spring day, dew falling from the leaves, birds chirping, fresh wind blowing, and you get to get lost in the small streets next to the small canals, passing the bridges, dropping by a supermarket to get some cheese, see university kids going to school, a simple pleasure to just walking around the city. Gosh that time was so lovely.
Anyways, as one of the city I've enjoyed traveling the most, I felt obliged and well, simply curious, to know more about it. The book was a good gateway towards it. It tells about the history of the city as an independent republic especially through the eyes of its many interesting characters. It's such a fun thing that when I get the chance to go again to the city, I was able to pinpoint towards the Bridge of Spies (Ponte dei Sospiri) 'Hey, you see that tiny window on the enclosed bridge? That's where convicts were taken down to their cell, and they got this one last chance to see the beautiful city. Cruel, eh?'. Or passing by Piazza san Marco and pointed out, where traitors of the city were hanged. Or simply understanding that the massive Doge's palace interior used to be filled by people from the government, running this expansive city. Or, having known the history, sat down to contemplate how time has passed, and the once so called great republic is now a city simply for tourists (really. I went another time with my husband, and we stayed a little late in the city and saw most workers in the city head back to the mainland. It seems mostly only tourists stayed).
See, now I'm just reminiscing my memories there!
Back to the book! After I started to finish the book earlier this year, I was easily engrossed in it, by how prostitutes lived and make a living there, of the conflict between competing countries around Venice and how a Venetian princess had to be married of to Cyprus and later on identified herself more as a Cpyress rather than Venetian and how life became so difficult for her because people tried to take advantage or on the contrary closed her access to any luxury of life so people can take away Cyprus from her, how the minorities lived in the city, ah, so interesting and full of exciting details! It is in fact a very readable history book, and surely helps to enjoy your trip to Venice or simply just to know the history of this once great city!
As posted in Goodreads
Oh gosh. According Goodreads, I started reading the book in 2014 and finished in 2016. Haha. What can I say, I wasn't so much inclined towards history books at that time. I guess the details and the many characters within is quite overwhelming for me. But I have to thank the Romans for igniting in me love for historical books!
So I was lucky enough, that on my second trip to this city, I get to spend a whole day all by myself. I think I've written and re-written this in so many different blog posts/writing, but it was on a very fine spring day, dew falling from the leaves, birds chirping, fresh wind blowing, and you get to get lost in the small streets next to the small canals, passing the bridges, dropping by a supermarket to get some cheese, see university kids going to school, a simple pleasure to just walking around the city. Gosh that time was so lovely.
Anyways, as one of the city I've enjoyed traveling the most, I felt obliged and well, simply curious, to know more about it. The book was a good gateway towards it. It tells about the history of the city as an independent republic especially through the eyes of its many interesting characters. It's such a fun thing that when I get the chance to go again to the city, I was able to pinpoint towards the Bridge of Spies (Ponte dei Sospiri) 'Hey, you see that tiny window on the enclosed bridge? That's where convicts were taken down to their cell, and they got this one last chance to see the beautiful city. Cruel, eh?'. Or passing by Piazza san Marco and pointed out, where traitors of the city were hanged. Or simply understanding that the massive Doge's palace interior used to be filled by people from the government, running this expansive city. Or, having known the history, sat down to contemplate how time has passed, and the once so called great republic is now a city simply for tourists (really. I went another time with my husband, and we stayed a little late in the city and saw most workers in the city head back to the mainland. It seems mostly only tourists stayed).
See, now I'm just reminiscing my memories there!
Back to the book! After I started to finish the book earlier this year, I was easily engrossed in it, by how prostitutes lived and make a living there, of the conflict between competing countries around Venice and how a Venetian princess had to be married of to Cyprus and later on identified herself more as a Cpyress rather than Venetian and how life became so difficult for her because people tried to take advantage or on the contrary closed her access to any luxury of life so people can take away Cyprus from her, how the minorities lived in the city, ah, so interesting and full of exciting details! It is in fact a very readable history book, and surely helps to enjoy your trip to Venice or simply just to know the history of this once great city!
Book Review: The Grapes of Wrath
Book review: the Grapes of Wrath, 1939, John Steinbeck
As posted in Goodreads
I shouldn't have taken this long to write my review on the Grapes of Wrath. It was such a moving book, and I should've written what I felt right on the spot. But, I'll do it now, hoping that there'll still some sparks left from the experience.
So I was on the mood to check on Great American novels, and John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath is one of the books on my top list. It's also my first reading on Steinbeck's work. The book was published in 1939, so I assume that most people have read it, and knew the storyline. But, I'll write a bit about it.
So the book was set in the Great Depression in the 1930s. I've heard about it in some movies, but never really understood the effect. The main characters of the book are the Joads family, poor farmers who used to live in Oklahoma but had to move to California, not just because of the economic depression but also because of the Dust Bowl, a period of time where several prairies in the US and Canada endured severe dust storms which made growing plants for agriculture purposes impossible.
So they, with very very little that they had, head for their long journey in their old truck to California. The Joads were not alone. Hundreds of other families also migrated along. They were promised jobs in California where people can make money and feed their family. Little that they knew, the jobs in California was of seasonal nature, plus there's a huge influx of people coming trying to find jobs. So if they were lucky enough to find a job, they will earn very little. And not far better then the place they've left. Gosh it's such a sad, impossible story!
The Joads family started of as a complete set. Ma, Pa, their pregnant daughter, Rose of Sharon, and her husband Connie River; Tom Joad, Ma's favorite son who just recently released from jail, the somewhat mentally challenged Noah, the hot blooded younger Al Joad, the two youngers, Ruthie and Winfield, Granma and Granpa, Uncle John, and a former preacher Tom met on his way home, Jim Casy. It is so heartbreaking... - I'll be all out on spoiler now! - to see as they journeyed the long dusty road, the family started to be separated. Granpa died in the first night during the trip, partly due to (literally) a broken heart leaving the only place he'd known to be home. Granma lost her will to live and also died just before the family reaches California. Connie left his wife and the baby in her belly out of overwhelming mixed emotion? Noah decided to just live off fishing when they stopped near a river during their trip.
Tom tried his best to kept the family together, along with Ma. Pa's role in the book diminishes from the head of a family to a broken man because he failed again and again to support his family. Ma's role became stronger and stronger as the story moves along. She was like the strong pillar which enables the family to move on. Tom fills in Pa's role until he too had to leave the family.
The book shows how people in the lowest economy level are so helpless against the giant economy power, that a person is only regarded as numbers and a source of profit. If else, they're simply abandoned and pushed away. Their humanity wouldn't matter. The Joads and all the other families who decided to become migrants, didn't leave everything they had in their homes just to be rich and make a lot of money. They just didn't have anything left. LITERALLY NOTHING. And if there's hope, however bogus it sounds, they will definitely go for it. So that their children wouldn't die from starving. I mean, can't you understand it, their driving force is something as simple as to feed their stomach for another day!
I also found it interesting how the Oklahomans people who moved to California were prejudiced by the locals, being called with a derogatory term, 'Okies'. Looked down by people who knew that they were poor, and to assume that, because of that they are more likely to steal or have no manners, etc. It's like, being poor was simply their fault and therefore, you can steal the only thing left from them, their dignity! One of the greatest scene in the book is when Ma talked to a grocer who was selling his products at a much higher cost. Ma had only enough to get some sugar, salt and after long weeks of eating off whatever's left from their home, a bit of meat. And the boys had worked so hard to get this little money they finally got only to face the over pricing. Ma stood still, I mean, she was like a wall of wave, brazing herself so powerfully and with so much compassion, bargaining to the grocer to have a little more of heart not to do this harshly to her family.
"I'm learning one thing good," she said. "Learnin' it all the time, ever' day. If you're in trouble or hurt or need – go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help – the only ones."
And it was the very thing that the book highlights. How despite being pretty much troubled and overwhelmed themselves, the Joads took another family of two whose car broke down to travel with them. The scene at the very last page was also such a description of how you can find humanity even at the most desperate situation.
Another scene which I liked and lasted for so long in my mind, was on one of the chapters of the 'general narrative'. So in the book, there are two types of''sub-chapter', the story of the Joads and the 'general narrative'. In this sub-chapter, Steinbeck usually described the Oklahoman people as a group of people having to deal with their difficulties and their journey migrating to California. One of the scene was about one of these dusty farmers who were moving along the road, and had to stop to get some food (if I recall properly) in one of these diners. They were so desparately poor, but still couldn't bear their wide eyed children hoping for some candies, so despite all that, they get the kids some. The waitress in the diner knew how helpless these people were, but still she tried to make extra money to the disgust of another costumer there. I mean, how could you? How dare one take advantage out of that? What if you're the one in their shoes? What if you were the one who desperately needed help?
Despite the sad theme, the book left me with such a proud feeling of how great humanity can be. It disgusted me how people can do wrong to others, but I can't help to feel sympathy towards the Joads. Especially Tom and Ma. I sure do hope that Ma can get, a little peace and comfort after all this ordeal...
Beautifully written book, Mr. Steinbeck. Thank you.
As posted in Goodreads
I shouldn't have taken this long to write my review on the Grapes of Wrath. It was such a moving book, and I should've written what I felt right on the spot. But, I'll do it now, hoping that there'll still some sparks left from the experience.
So I was on the mood to check on Great American novels, and John Steinbeck's the Grapes of Wrath is one of the books on my top list. It's also my first reading on Steinbeck's work. The book was published in 1939, so I assume that most people have read it, and knew the storyline. But, I'll write a bit about it.
So the book was set in the Great Depression in the 1930s. I've heard about it in some movies, but never really understood the effect. The main characters of the book are the Joads family, poor farmers who used to live in Oklahoma but had to move to California, not just because of the economic depression but also because of the Dust Bowl, a period of time where several prairies in the US and Canada endured severe dust storms which made growing plants for agriculture purposes impossible.
So they, with very very little that they had, head for their long journey in their old truck to California. The Joads were not alone. Hundreds of other families also migrated along. They were promised jobs in California where people can make money and feed their family. Little that they knew, the jobs in California was of seasonal nature, plus there's a huge influx of people coming trying to find jobs. So if they were lucky enough to find a job, they will earn very little. And not far better then the place they've left. Gosh it's such a sad, impossible story!
The Joads family started of as a complete set. Ma, Pa, their pregnant daughter, Rose of Sharon, and her husband Connie River; Tom Joad, Ma's favorite son who just recently released from jail, the somewhat mentally challenged Noah, the hot blooded younger Al Joad, the two youngers, Ruthie and Winfield, Granma and Granpa, Uncle John, and a former preacher Tom met on his way home, Jim Casy. It is so heartbreaking... - I'll be all out on spoiler now! - to see as they journeyed the long dusty road, the family started to be separated. Granpa died in the first night during the trip, partly due to (literally) a broken heart leaving the only place he'd known to be home. Granma lost her will to live and also died just before the family reaches California. Connie left his wife and the baby in her belly out of overwhelming mixed emotion? Noah decided to just live off fishing when they stopped near a river during their trip.
Tom tried his best to kept the family together, along with Ma. Pa's role in the book diminishes from the head of a family to a broken man because he failed again and again to support his family. Ma's role became stronger and stronger as the story moves along. She was like the strong pillar which enables the family to move on. Tom fills in Pa's role until he too had to leave the family.
The book shows how people in the lowest economy level are so helpless against the giant economy power, that a person is only regarded as numbers and a source of profit. If else, they're simply abandoned and pushed away. Their humanity wouldn't matter. The Joads and all the other families who decided to become migrants, didn't leave everything they had in their homes just to be rich and make a lot of money. They just didn't have anything left. LITERALLY NOTHING. And if there's hope, however bogus it sounds, they will definitely go for it. So that their children wouldn't die from starving. I mean, can't you understand it, their driving force is something as simple as to feed their stomach for another day!
I also found it interesting how the Oklahomans people who moved to California were prejudiced by the locals, being called with a derogatory term, 'Okies'. Looked down by people who knew that they were poor, and to assume that, because of that they are more likely to steal or have no manners, etc. It's like, being poor was simply their fault and therefore, you can steal the only thing left from them, their dignity! One of the greatest scene in the book is when Ma talked to a grocer who was selling his products at a much higher cost. Ma had only enough to get some sugar, salt and after long weeks of eating off whatever's left from their home, a bit of meat. And the boys had worked so hard to get this little money they finally got only to face the over pricing. Ma stood still, I mean, she was like a wall of wave, brazing herself so powerfully and with so much compassion, bargaining to the grocer to have a little more of heart not to do this harshly to her family.
"I'm learning one thing good," she said. "Learnin' it all the time, ever' day. If you're in trouble or hurt or need – go to poor people. They're the only ones that'll help – the only ones."
And it was the very thing that the book highlights. How despite being pretty much troubled and overwhelmed themselves, the Joads took another family of two whose car broke down to travel with them. The scene at the very last page was also such a description of how you can find humanity even at the most desperate situation.
Another scene which I liked and lasted for so long in my mind, was on one of the chapters of the 'general narrative'. So in the book, there are two types of''sub-chapter', the story of the Joads and the 'general narrative'. In this sub-chapter, Steinbeck usually described the Oklahoman people as a group of people having to deal with their difficulties and their journey migrating to California. One of the scene was about one of these dusty farmers who were moving along the road, and had to stop to get some food (if I recall properly) in one of these diners. They were so desparately poor, but still couldn't bear their wide eyed children hoping for some candies, so despite all that, they get the kids some. The waitress in the diner knew how helpless these people were, but still she tried to make extra money to the disgust of another costumer there. I mean, how could you? How dare one take advantage out of that? What if you're the one in their shoes? What if you were the one who desperately needed help?
Despite the sad theme, the book left me with such a proud feeling of how great humanity can be. It disgusted me how people can do wrong to others, but I can't help to feel sympathy towards the Joads. Especially Tom and Ma. I sure do hope that Ma can get, a little peace and comfort after all this ordeal...
Beautifully written book, Mr. Steinbeck. Thank you.
Book Review: The Portrait of A Lady
Book review: The Portrait of A Lady, 1881, Henry James
As posted in Goodreads
Okay, now I think I'm ready. How do I start (again)? I read this book, at first because I have to for our third bookclub book. And although I weren't so enthusiastic about it, I have to say, Vera, I'm sorry, but in the end, I really really liked it. I guess this is also an old classic book, so people would've known the story line. I didn't, at least not in details. I knew it's about a tragic woman's life, but I didn't know how it'll end. Plus, when I checked in youtube if anyone has turn this into a movie, I saw a trailer, and then I remembered I've watched it years ago. But thankfully I only remember the bits, and most of the things were shocking for me as I read through the book.
Anyways, at the beginning, it was rather difficult to me to understand Isabel Archer's personality. Okay, it seems like she's so pretty that every guy around her fall for her, she doesn't seem to be in want of marriage, which is rather unusual for her time, I guess. But she wasn't a striking character as when I read P&P or Persuasion for example. Anyways, when she said no to the two guys' proposals, who in balance of her being not rich, and the offer came from two wealthy guys, I thought, well, that's pretty cool of you to say no. I guess, she was also unsure about what she wants at that point, and she was just going with the flow when her aunt took her to England and plan to have her going around Europe together. But then her uncle died, and her cousin, Ralph, who was very ill and didn't have plenty of things of interest, thought it might be an interesting 'project' to see what Isabel would do if she got plenty of money. She just intrigued his curiosity. And so he made his dad changed his inheritance, so Isabel will get half of his part.
But too bad there were two people who ended up taking an advantage of her situation. Isabel was immediately attached to this Madame Merle, an exotic American who seems to be getting on so well living in Europe, with tons of friends here and there, so elegant, so mature, and so full of life experience which Isabel seems to yearn for. Madame Merle introduced her to an old friend of hers, Gilbert Osmond, who together, they manipulated Isabel to marry him. At first I was so shocked by her choice. I guess she was proud of herself to be able to finance the life of this guy, who seems to not having a care about money, status, wealth, and so on. She thought he was so out of it, so different from the men she knew before, and well, he seems to be a puzzle unsolved, and so she agreed on marrying him. Almost everybody around her smelled something fishy and told her against it, but Isabel was firm about her choice.
And then we jumped into 3 years after the marriage, and here she was actually displayed with more depth to her character. Life is more tragic for her, but I have to say, I liked her better now. She understood life better. And it was because finally she saw how wide was the expectation from the reality (again! *I just finished reading Madame Bovary), and slowly she understood the wickedness of her husband, his greed for money and wealth and social status, his ability to control her actions, to make her feel rather worthless, and then the thing happened between him and Madame Merle (they had an affair, and Gilbert's naive daughter Pansy is actually Merle's), blew up in her face, and she swallowed hard the bitter pill which she consciously took by herself. Oh gosh.
*It was also amazing how this book understood the characters so well, that you see how Gilbert, in fact, didn't just manipulated Isabel. He manipulated MERLE to satisfy his needs, and after all that she's done, he disregarded her just like that, and Merle can't do anything, because she knows she brought this as well to herself. When she said, more or less, 'So I did all this vile thing for nothing?' it struck you how ruined she was. Worse than she was before.
Ralph was dying, and so despite finally confronting her husband and go AGAINST HIS WILL (I really despise Gilbert for trying to control her like that. Ugh), she went back to England and pour her heart out to her cousin, met all the people who truly cared for her, and after Ralph's death, was unsure on what she have to do next. Until one of her previous suitor, I think it's more of a possessive trait rather than love, tried to convince her to be his (because he said that Ralph also told him to take care of her after Ralph's death), for he will SAVE her. It was a really tempting offer, for sure. He kissed her, and Isabel, who just couldn't get to like this man, felt like her floating self, finally opened up a door, and there she saw, a straight path (gosh, I really loved this passage!!).
A few days after, the guy tried to find her, but she already went back to Italy. And the book... ENDS. THE BOOK ENDS. I WAS SO TRIPPED, tried to look up online what does this mean, and found no factual answer. There are only speculations. I don't know, I hope she just went to Italy to end all of this, to maybe, maybe take her stepdaughter with her back to England, and settle. She has enough money, I don't think she needs to be re-married. Just stay as far away as possible from the horrible Gilbert. I think, that's why she still thought that after all this, she can still be happy, she was young, but at least now she's wiser than before.
So anyways, I really really like the style on how this book was written. It was 700 ish page long, but after a few first chapters, it became a page turner! I just need to finish it! There are plenty of long passages, but that's where all the good and juicy thing came from. The exploration of the characters' minds, the way the character replied to each other, you see, I read Madame Bovary right after this, and it's true what other reviewer of The Portrait of a Lady said, that despite not having a vivid detail of how the dress look like etc etc, you can feel that all the characters in this book was so so much alive. REALLY. I keep on having Charlie Hunnam in my head playing Ralph, Jessica Lange as Madame Merle, and keeping John Malkovich and Nicole Kidman as Gilbert and Isabel. This book just gave me the strength to give a try on Moby Dick! And oh boy oh boy, I really really liked it! I'm so happy that I've found this gem! :)
As posted in Goodreads
Okay, now I think I'm ready. How do I start (again)? I read this book, at first because I have to for our third bookclub book. And although I weren't so enthusiastic about it, I have to say, Vera, I'm sorry, but in the end, I really really liked it. I guess this is also an old classic book, so people would've known the story line. I didn't, at least not in details. I knew it's about a tragic woman's life, but I didn't know how it'll end. Plus, when I checked in youtube if anyone has turn this into a movie, I saw a trailer, and then I remembered I've watched it years ago. But thankfully I only remember the bits, and most of the things were shocking for me as I read through the book.
Anyways, at the beginning, it was rather difficult to me to understand Isabel Archer's personality. Okay, it seems like she's so pretty that every guy around her fall for her, she doesn't seem to be in want of marriage, which is rather unusual for her time, I guess. But she wasn't a striking character as when I read P&P or Persuasion for example. Anyways, when she said no to the two guys' proposals, who in balance of her being not rich, and the offer came from two wealthy guys, I thought, well, that's pretty cool of you to say no. I guess, she was also unsure about what she wants at that point, and she was just going with the flow when her aunt took her to England and plan to have her going around Europe together. But then her uncle died, and her cousin, Ralph, who was very ill and didn't have plenty of things of interest, thought it might be an interesting 'project' to see what Isabel would do if she got plenty of money. She just intrigued his curiosity. And so he made his dad changed his inheritance, so Isabel will get half of his part.
But too bad there were two people who ended up taking an advantage of her situation. Isabel was immediately attached to this Madame Merle, an exotic American who seems to be getting on so well living in Europe, with tons of friends here and there, so elegant, so mature, and so full of life experience which Isabel seems to yearn for. Madame Merle introduced her to an old friend of hers, Gilbert Osmond, who together, they manipulated Isabel to marry him. At first I was so shocked by her choice. I guess she was proud of herself to be able to finance the life of this guy, who seems to not having a care about money, status, wealth, and so on. She thought he was so out of it, so different from the men she knew before, and well, he seems to be a puzzle unsolved, and so she agreed on marrying him. Almost everybody around her smelled something fishy and told her against it, but Isabel was firm about her choice.
And then we jumped into 3 years after the marriage, and here she was actually displayed with more depth to her character. Life is more tragic for her, but I have to say, I liked her better now. She understood life better. And it was because finally she saw how wide was the expectation from the reality (again! *I just finished reading Madame Bovary), and slowly she understood the wickedness of her husband, his greed for money and wealth and social status, his ability to control her actions, to make her feel rather worthless, and then the thing happened between him and Madame Merle (they had an affair, and Gilbert's naive daughter Pansy is actually Merle's), blew up in her face, and she swallowed hard the bitter pill which she consciously took by herself. Oh gosh.
*It was also amazing how this book understood the characters so well, that you see how Gilbert, in fact, didn't just manipulated Isabel. He manipulated MERLE to satisfy his needs, and after all that she's done, he disregarded her just like that, and Merle can't do anything, because she knows she brought this as well to herself. When she said, more or less, 'So I did all this vile thing for nothing?' it struck you how ruined she was. Worse than she was before.
Ralph was dying, and so despite finally confronting her husband and go AGAINST HIS WILL (I really despise Gilbert for trying to control her like that. Ugh), she went back to England and pour her heart out to her cousin, met all the people who truly cared for her, and after Ralph's death, was unsure on what she have to do next. Until one of her previous suitor, I think it's more of a possessive trait rather than love, tried to convince her to be his (because he said that Ralph also told him to take care of her after Ralph's death), for he will SAVE her. It was a really tempting offer, for sure. He kissed her, and Isabel, who just couldn't get to like this man, felt like her floating self, finally opened up a door, and there she saw, a straight path (gosh, I really loved this passage!!).
A few days after, the guy tried to find her, but she already went back to Italy. And the book... ENDS. THE BOOK ENDS. I WAS SO TRIPPED, tried to look up online what does this mean, and found no factual answer. There are only speculations. I don't know, I hope she just went to Italy to end all of this, to maybe, maybe take her stepdaughter with her back to England, and settle. She has enough money, I don't think she needs to be re-married. Just stay as far away as possible from the horrible Gilbert. I think, that's why she still thought that after all this, she can still be happy, she was young, but at least now she's wiser than before.
So anyways, I really really like the style on how this book was written. It was 700 ish page long, but after a few first chapters, it became a page turner! I just need to finish it! There are plenty of long passages, but that's where all the good and juicy thing came from. The exploration of the characters' minds, the way the character replied to each other, you see, I read Madame Bovary right after this, and it's true what other reviewer of The Portrait of a Lady said, that despite not having a vivid detail of how the dress look like etc etc, you can feel that all the characters in this book was so so much alive. REALLY. I keep on having Charlie Hunnam in my head playing Ralph, Jessica Lange as Madame Merle, and keeping John Malkovich and Nicole Kidman as Gilbert and Isabel. This book just gave me the strength to give a try on Moby Dick! And oh boy oh boy, I really really liked it! I'm so happy that I've found this gem! :)
Book Review: Madame Bovary
Book review: Madame Bovary, 1856, Gustave Flaubert
As posted in Goodreads
Ah what a tragic book. I guess because it's a very old book, no one would care about spoiler, right? Anyways, I would just spill any thoughts about this book. So, in terms of writing style, I just finished reading The Portrait of A Lady by Henry James which was, for me personally, more engaging. This book was rather difficult at first to get into, but as one hawks further into the life of Emma Bovary, and the people around her, OOH THE PEOPLE!!, it kept your attention to keep on going.
I wanted to read the book especially because people kept on saying that it was so hard to adapt the book into a movie. I've watched the one with Mia Wasikowska as Emma Bovary, and came into a conclusion that Emma was displayed as a little girl who cannot grasp reality. I thought to myself, well, maybe there's more to it, but apparently, that's how it actually displayed in the book. Poor Emma grew up dreaming of happiness which can only be fulfilled by passionate burning love which will last forever. She loved everything fancy and elegant with no means to reach any of it, she barely had a sense of how the economy works, and she couldn't understand the meaning of being grateful for what you got. But then again, I guess, the very first mistake, that both Charles and Emma took was for not understanding truly who each other was before getting married. But of course, it's also not the time when people can get to know each other by dating each other and so on and so on before deciding on a marriage! (and still, really, how many of us still made such mistakes when we enter a marriage?).
Sometimes I thought, maybe, Emma's problem is being born at the wrong time. Maybe if she was born in a modern time, she would be able to be happy. But then I remember reading things, listening to stories of friends, of failed marriages, that their problem starts when they were disappointed with the person they got married to, because they turn out to be someone else who they didn't recognize. It's such a creepy thought, really. And all the other things, like thinking that finding your true love or getting married to the man of your dreams, it means that you have got your ultimate happiness! Fairy tale endings! Unstoppable floating romantic words and passion! And it crushed you when reality is the opposite.
I guess this book is a great reminder of how one should put one step on the air, to keep the magic around, while putting the other step on solid ground, that marriage requires for the couple to work on getting through life together. And also, maybe, don't force yourself to marry the first guy/girl you are crazy about if that person's done nothing but breaking your heart, move on, be more realistic, be grateful, take care of the people you love because nothing lasts for forever. If you can, date before you got married! Don't marry when you're too young! And because women no longer live in the time when the only occupation they got is TO BE MARRIED TO A GUY, find out your interest, go to school, do things you like most, and find a person who share your vision, and maybe if you love him or her, spend a life together! Don't get married because of peer pressure! Be happy for yourself before you enter to a marriage! Not everyone needs the same thing in life!!
Other notes, I mean, poor Charles really. He was so kind, and so in love with Emma that her betrayal broke him completely. I can imagine if he's married to a more down to earth person, he would have a sufficiently happy live, a practical woman who can help him with their life! And not even his kindness can help him to understand even a little about his wife when she was still alive! It's just crazy! For Emma, I don't know, I first thought, maybe it's best if she read Jane Austen's books, maybe she'll see herself in Marianne Dashwood and how foolish she was at the beginning! Maybe Marianne will bring her to her senses! But oh well, if not we won't be reading any of this story.
One other thing that creeps me out was about Monsieur Homais. Somehow he reminded me of today's social media. When Emma is upstairs painfully losing the bits of her soul, little by little, he cared only to lick the ass of the famous doctor, and even DARE to ask him to make a check up on himself and his family! I don't know, I guess it reminds me of how social media seems to make us all care, when truly, do we even bother? When we read news about children killed in war, cities bombed in pieces, and we say our pity etc, etc, tweet it, re-share it, do we really care, or are we just doing it because it's the popular thing to do, and then we go on living our life as if nothing wrong just happened. Oh God this book made me depressed. Maybe I should read an Austen again.
As posted in Goodreads
Ah what a tragic book. I guess because it's a very old book, no one would care about spoiler, right? Anyways, I would just spill any thoughts about this book. So, in terms of writing style, I just finished reading The Portrait of A Lady by Henry James which was, for me personally, more engaging. This book was rather difficult at first to get into, but as one hawks further into the life of Emma Bovary, and the people around her, OOH THE PEOPLE!!, it kept your attention to keep on going.
I wanted to read the book especially because people kept on saying that it was so hard to adapt the book into a movie. I've watched the one with Mia Wasikowska as Emma Bovary, and came into a conclusion that Emma was displayed as a little girl who cannot grasp reality. I thought to myself, well, maybe there's more to it, but apparently, that's how it actually displayed in the book. Poor Emma grew up dreaming of happiness which can only be fulfilled by passionate burning love which will last forever. She loved everything fancy and elegant with no means to reach any of it, she barely had a sense of how the economy works, and she couldn't understand the meaning of being grateful for what you got. But then again, I guess, the very first mistake, that both Charles and Emma took was for not understanding truly who each other was before getting married. But of course, it's also not the time when people can get to know each other by dating each other and so on and so on before deciding on a marriage! (and still, really, how many of us still made such mistakes when we enter a marriage?).
Sometimes I thought, maybe, Emma's problem is being born at the wrong time. Maybe if she was born in a modern time, she would be able to be happy. But then I remember reading things, listening to stories of friends, of failed marriages, that their problem starts when they were disappointed with the person they got married to, because they turn out to be someone else who they didn't recognize. It's such a creepy thought, really. And all the other things, like thinking that finding your true love or getting married to the man of your dreams, it means that you have got your ultimate happiness! Fairy tale endings! Unstoppable floating romantic words and passion! And it crushed you when reality is the opposite.
I guess this book is a great reminder of how one should put one step on the air, to keep the magic around, while putting the other step on solid ground, that marriage requires for the couple to work on getting through life together. And also, maybe, don't force yourself to marry the first guy/girl you are crazy about if that person's done nothing but breaking your heart, move on, be more realistic, be grateful, take care of the people you love because nothing lasts for forever. If you can, date before you got married! Don't marry when you're too young! And because women no longer live in the time when the only occupation they got is TO BE MARRIED TO A GUY, find out your interest, go to school, do things you like most, and find a person who share your vision, and maybe if you love him or her, spend a life together! Don't get married because of peer pressure! Be happy for yourself before you enter to a marriage! Not everyone needs the same thing in life!!
Other notes, I mean, poor Charles really. He was so kind, and so in love with Emma that her betrayal broke him completely. I can imagine if he's married to a more down to earth person, he would have a sufficiently happy live, a practical woman who can help him with their life! And not even his kindness can help him to understand even a little about his wife when she was still alive! It's just crazy! For Emma, I don't know, I first thought, maybe it's best if she read Jane Austen's books, maybe she'll see herself in Marianne Dashwood and how foolish she was at the beginning! Maybe Marianne will bring her to her senses! But oh well, if not we won't be reading any of this story.
One other thing that creeps me out was about Monsieur Homais. Somehow he reminded me of today's social media. When Emma is upstairs painfully losing the bits of her soul, little by little, he cared only to lick the ass of the famous doctor, and even DARE to ask him to make a check up on himself and his family! I don't know, I guess it reminds me of how social media seems to make us all care, when truly, do we even bother? When we read news about children killed in war, cities bombed in pieces, and we say our pity etc, etc, tweet it, re-share it, do we really care, or are we just doing it because it's the popular thing to do, and then we go on living our life as if nothing wrong just happened. Oh God this book made me depressed. Maybe I should read an Austen again.
Book Review: Carrie
Book Review: Carrie, 1974, Stephen King
As posted in Goodreads
I haven't been reading Stephen King's book, I'm not really sure why. I guess I was never into ghost stories? But to think about it, I think I almost read all Goosebumps and Fear Street books during my teenage years. So maybe I just didn't have the luck to be able to access Mr. King's books all these years. I've watched some movies adapted from his book, The Shining (my sister read it), The Shawshank Redemption, and Secret Window. And as a moviegoer I felt guilty for not having watched Carrie, but if I don't read the book first, I know I'll spoil the reading experience. I guess I still am more inclined towards books than movies.
Anyways, my office mate at that time borrowed me her copy. It was a couple of weeks before I was flying back to Jakarta. It was not so thick, so I thought I could finish it before going home. The funny thing, I kept on leaving the copy of this book in some public places, and I don't know, reading this feels a bit like a guilty pleasure? Snobbish me, only wanted to be known to be reading serious books only! So one of the other office mate saw this copy and teased me with her eyes. Hahaha.
For those of you who don't know, Carrie is a book which tells about a teenage girl with a superkinetic powers. She was bullied by her classmates, had an uber religious mother who forced her beliefs to this fragile young girl, and all this pressure, plus her coming of age, somehow released her superkinetic powers to an unprecedented level. <spoiler> I was so shocked how nobody was saved by the end of the book, not even Carrie herself. Some people, you can say, deserved it, but some people have tried to help her out, and still ended up dead. Anyway, the prom chapters is really chaotic and just full frontal out there. I can imagine why people like this book a lot. </spoiler> The book was a combination of third person narrative of Carrie and the people who were involved in the incident. But it also partly a collection of reports, newspaper clippings, interviews, etc, which made the book quite interesting for me. The language wasn't really complicated, and in the end, I think I liked both the book and the movie. I'm just a wee bit disappointed that there's a scene which wasn't filmed. <spoiler> The scene where Carrie caused chaos to the whole city. In the movie, it was cut rather short to show Carrie killed the two main antagonists of the story </spoiler>
I should read more of Mr. King's books! Sometimes, after reading heavier themed books, I always crave for these "in between" books. My favorite is Agatha Christie's, really able to take my mind off from a book which has heavier (depressing) mood. So happy to get to know his work.
*Oh, and despite my initial assumption, I found Carrie to be such a sweet nice girl who is just so unlucky having to deal with all these people. I really wish that... <spoiler> she'd get a happy ending. Graduate from high school and go into the world, kick ass and all. It's such a shame that she also ended up dead :( </spoiler>
As posted in Goodreads
I haven't been reading Stephen King's book, I'm not really sure why. I guess I was never into ghost stories? But to think about it, I think I almost read all Goosebumps and Fear Street books during my teenage years. So maybe I just didn't have the luck to be able to access Mr. King's books all these years. I've watched some movies adapted from his book, The Shining (my sister read it), The Shawshank Redemption, and Secret Window. And as a moviegoer I felt guilty for not having watched Carrie, but if I don't read the book first, I know I'll spoil the reading experience. I guess I still am more inclined towards books than movies.
Anyways, my office mate at that time borrowed me her copy. It was a couple of weeks before I was flying back to Jakarta. It was not so thick, so I thought I could finish it before going home. The funny thing, I kept on leaving the copy of this book in some public places, and I don't know, reading this feels a bit like a guilty pleasure? Snobbish me, only wanted to be known to be reading serious books only! So one of the other office mate saw this copy and teased me with her eyes. Hahaha.
For those of you who don't know, Carrie is a book which tells about a teenage girl with a superkinetic powers. She was bullied by her classmates, had an uber religious mother who forced her beliefs to this fragile young girl, and all this pressure, plus her coming of age, somehow released her superkinetic powers to an unprecedented level. <spoiler> I was so shocked how nobody was saved by the end of the book, not even Carrie herself. Some people, you can say, deserved it, but some people have tried to help her out, and still ended up dead. Anyway, the prom chapters is really chaotic and just full frontal out there. I can imagine why people like this book a lot. </spoiler> The book was a combination of third person narrative of Carrie and the people who were involved in the incident. But it also partly a collection of reports, newspaper clippings, interviews, etc, which made the book quite interesting for me. The language wasn't really complicated, and in the end, I think I liked both the book and the movie. I'm just a wee bit disappointed that there's a scene which wasn't filmed. <spoiler> The scene where Carrie caused chaos to the whole city. In the movie, it was cut rather short to show Carrie killed the two main antagonists of the story </spoiler>
I should read more of Mr. King's books! Sometimes, after reading heavier themed books, I always crave for these "in between" books. My favorite is Agatha Christie's, really able to take my mind off from a book which has heavier (depressing) mood. So happy to get to know his work.
*Oh, and despite my initial assumption, I found Carrie to be such a sweet nice girl who is just so unlucky having to deal with all these people. I really wish that... <spoiler> she'd get a happy ending. Graduate from high school and go into the world, kick ass and all. It's such a shame that she also ended up dead :( </spoiler>
Book Review: Decline and Fall
Book review: Decline and Fall, 1928, Evelyn Waugh
As posted in Goodreads
So I needed a 'buffer' book, something lighter before I move on to another saga-ish book (next on the line is the Grapes of Wrath!). After reading Vile Bodies, I thought Decline and Fall would be fitting, and oh boy, it is funny. I'm not British, so I might not have captured all the jokes, but in addition with the strange strings of events that the characters went through throughout the book, I did have some very good laugh (in the morning trip to the office, I laughed because of how Paul Pennyfeather got arrested; in the afternoon I laughed because Paul Pennyfeather felt total freedom by living in a prison).
I think Vile Bodies offer sharper satires, but nevertheless, this is such an awesome ride for a first novel!!
As posted in Goodreads
So I needed a 'buffer' book, something lighter before I move on to another saga-ish book (next on the line is the Grapes of Wrath!). After reading Vile Bodies, I thought Decline and Fall would be fitting, and oh boy, it is funny. I'm not British, so I might not have captured all the jokes, but in addition with the strange strings of events that the characters went through throughout the book, I did have some very good laugh (in the morning trip to the office, I laughed because of how Paul Pennyfeather got arrested; in the afternoon I laughed because Paul Pennyfeather felt total freedom by living in a prison).
I think Vile Bodies offer sharper satires, but nevertheless, this is such an awesome ride for a first novel!!
Book Review: Shutter Island
Book review: Shutter Island, 2003, Dennis Lehanne
As posted in Goodreads
Oh, I really shouldn't be reading a book right after I finished watching the movie. A couple of days ago, my husband and I decided to re-watch Shutter Island. And it's funny to re-watch the movie, especially for a story with a twisted ending like this one. On the second viewing, you lose the suspense, and you started to collect proof which support the conclusion of the book.
For those of you who might not know about this yet, the book is about a US Marshal, Teddy Daniels, who was ordered to investigate a missing person case in a mental institution for very dangerous criminals. The place is staged in a windy island, secluded from everything else, and a storm was also approaching, making it impossible to leave. <spoiler> In the end, it was revealed that the whole case was a professionally staged situation by the lead psychiatrist, Dr. John Cawley along with the rest of the staff, to bring Teddy to reality, which is the fact that he's been staying at the very institute during the last two years after killing his wife who killed their three children. </spoiler>.
I think the book would be more interesting if I haven't watched the movie. Although there are some added details, most of the script used in the movie was taken from the book, so there was no major surprises as I read the book. The ending was slightly different from the movie, implying different consequences. I wonder why they decided to change it for the movie, but I think it's actually a good move. Makes you more devastated at the end. Hahaha.
I still have an un-read yet Mystic River and although I've watched the movie it was so long time ago, I forgot exactly what happened. So I might be able to give a more objective review on Dennis Lehane's work.
As posted in Goodreads
Oh, I really shouldn't be reading a book right after I finished watching the movie. A couple of days ago, my husband and I decided to re-watch Shutter Island. And it's funny to re-watch the movie, especially for a story with a twisted ending like this one. On the second viewing, you lose the suspense, and you started to collect proof which support the conclusion of the book.
For those of you who might not know about this yet, the book is about a US Marshal, Teddy Daniels, who was ordered to investigate a missing person case in a mental institution for very dangerous criminals. The place is staged in a windy island, secluded from everything else, and a storm was also approaching, making it impossible to leave. <spoiler> In the end, it was revealed that the whole case was a professionally staged situation by the lead psychiatrist, Dr. John Cawley along with the rest of the staff, to bring Teddy to reality, which is the fact that he's been staying at the very institute during the last two years after killing his wife who killed their three children. </spoiler>.
I think the book would be more interesting if I haven't watched the movie. Although there are some added details, most of the script used in the movie was taken from the book, so there was no major surprises as I read the book. The ending was slightly different from the movie, implying different consequences. I wonder why they decided to change it for the movie, but I think it's actually a good move. Makes you more devastated at the end. Hahaha.
I still have an un-read yet Mystic River and although I've watched the movie it was so long time ago, I forgot exactly what happened. So I might be able to give a more objective review on Dennis Lehane's work.
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