Cannery Row

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

This book takes place in Monterey California during the Great Depression. Cannery Row is a small patch of town where there are fish canneries, a whore house, a lab, a small grocer and a flop house for the vagabonds.
Mack and the boys from the Palace Flophouse want to do something nice for Doc. Doc lives at the lab and collects specimen mostly from the near by ocean, which he sends to other labs to study. Mack is the kind of guy that even when he tries, everything he does flops. He borrows a truck from Lee Chong, the grocer. He and the boys take the truck, which needs fixin', and still promptly breaks down, to catch frogs. They want to sell the frogs to Doc for money, which they will use to throw him a party. Instead of giving the frogs to Doc, the boys trade them for good's at Lee Chong's. The frogs get away. The town finds out about the party and everyone shows up. The party gets out of hand and the lab is left in ruins when Doc shows up from a specimen gathering trip.
Mack knows he is a loser. He know that everything he touches turns to mud. But he still decides he wants to try again to give Doc a party. Everyone from The Row gets involved again........and Doc figures out what is up. Doc hides his valuables and buys food for his own party. The whore house girls make Doc a new blanket. They are so excited for the party that they take shifts at the whore house so that each girl has a turn at the party. Mack and the boys catch a bunch of tom cats to give Doc as a gift.......cats he will be able to sell to labs. Everyone from The Row comes, including strangers and sailors. The party is a success.
The story was very simple and at points I wondered what the point really was. It meanders and there are little points of interest. It's kind of like a slow Sunday drive. I liked the book enough. It was surely not one of my favorite Steinbeck's though.
Rating 3
Rating PG for crude language

The Good Earth

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
This novel is a Pulitzer Prize winner and the first in a trilogy. It is set in turn of the century China. Wang Lung is a poor farmer caring for his aged father. As the book opens he is on his way to the rich lord's house to basically buy one of the slaves to take as a wife. The story follows Wang Lung and O-lan and their land. They soon conceive a son and are extremely proud of their good fortune. Then because of the popularity of opium, the rich lord falls upon hard times and Wang Lung is able to purchase a piece of his land. The sun seems to be shining on the pair as they have two more children and their land produces richly.
A famine takes place one winter just as their fourth child, a girl is born. O-lan kills the baby and the family sets off for the southern city to beg for food and do what they can to make money. Wang Lung knows with certainty that though they are in the midst of hard times, the land waits for their return. The tide begins to turn for the family when a mob of people hardest hit by the dwindling economy raid the home of a rich lord. Wang Lung is able to make off with gold coins and return to his land and buy seed.
The land and the family prosper. O-lan gives birth to twins. At one point Wang Lung has so much money and too much time on his hands. He becomes obsessed with a prostitute in a tea house, buys her, or marries her and brings her home. O-lan and the aged father both die. Because Wang Lung has saved money and bounty from his harvests no longer is he at the mercy of the weather and he prospers no matter drought, flood or war. He also is able to buy the rest of the land from the rich lord and eventually the home that the rich lord lived in, where O-lan grew up and served as a slave.
I had my doubts about being able to enjoy this book since it has become an Oprah's Book Club choice. I truly did though. I loved Wang Lung and just when he was about to make me so mad I wanted to stomp on his foot, I would end up loving him again. He took great care of his 'poor fool'. (Their first daughter never progressed mentally probably from the famine and complete lack of food as an infant.) I did feel great sorrow for O-lan at times. I also feel liked I learned a lot about a culture which I am hardly familiar. I believe this book may have been used in the early part of the 1900's as a kind of propaganda, with which we were supposed to feel some kinship with the Chinese culture in order to see them as allies. By the end I can't stand Wang Lung's children. The land has been their whole lives. It has done everything for them, been everything to them and they plan to sell it off once Wang Lung dies. I know I'm probably not doing this book justice........it sounds pretty boring......but following these humble people from the beginning of their lives together at a young age, until their death, you really get to know and love them.
Rating 5
Rating PG The murder of the baby was HORRIBLE! Actually you just know it happens, it's not a play by play.

The Pupil

The Pupil by Henry James

Originally this was published in a magazine in the late 1800's as a short story. Pemberton has recently graduated from Oxford. He is looking for work in order to make some money. He finds the Moreen family is in need of a tutor for their 11 year old son Morgan. Morgan has a weak heart, which is one of the reasons he is schooled at home.

The Moreens are American but live in Europe. They spend all of their time, money and energy gallivanting around Europe wracking up hotel bills and trying to fit into popular society. Since all of their money is spent on extravagance, the Moreens never pay Pemberton.

Morgan, having a flaky family and spending all of his time with Pemberton, becomes quite attached. Eventually Pemberton needs some money (he and Morgan have devised a plan to run away from the Moreens) to live on. For a short time he takes another tutoring position. He returns to Morgan upon hearing that the boy's health is declining. When he reaches the newest hotel where the Moreen family has been staying, he finds the Moreens evicted and willing to hand over Morgan just to get him off of their hands. Morgan, in a state of euphoria over his good fortune..........has a heart attack and dies. Tragic!!

Rating 3 Great short read, felt for the position of Morgan against his rat fink family..........but not my favorite thing I have ever picked up.

Rating G

Animal Farm

Animal Farm by George Orwell

The Manor Farm is taken over by the animals after the old pig Major has something of a prophetic dream. Farmer Jones is run out and the animals have a dream of taking over the world. They want the animals to be free. Soon enough the pigs emerge as leaders of this small budding nation, because they are the smartest. They have an anthem which they sing and try to spread as propaganda to other farms. The Seven Commandments of Animalism are painted on the barn wall and eventually they even have their very own (somewhat suspicious) flag with a horn and hoof I believe.

The pigs, in a place of power, eventually abuse it. The animals are taught to be fearful, suspicious and many of their previous rights are gradually taken away, supplanted by the pigs power over them. The pigs even begin to erase memories and change thoughts, all the while breaking the Seven Commandments themselves and finding ways to justify their actions.

Truly a political satire easily read and understood. Puts a great spin on historical events and helps you see what to look for in the future.

I found this little gem at a book sale and thought that for 50 cents I couldn't pass up the opportunity to own such a great classic. Orwell is possibly better know for his book 1984 and having read that multiple times I knew it was time to pick this one up. Also, this is one of the only books that my dad mentions that he read while he was younger. I can't believe it took me this long to read it!

Rating 4.5

Rating PG..........the animals are pretty cruel but I don't want to spoil any surprises.

The Turn of the Screw

The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James

An unnamed narrator listens to a male friend reading a manuscript written by a former governess whom the latter claims to have known and who is now dead. The manuscript tells the story of how the young governess is hired by a man who has found himself responsible for his niece and nephew after the death of their parents. He lives in London and has no interest in raising the children. The boy, Miles, is attending a boarding school whilst his sister, Flora, is living at the country home in Essex. She is currently being cared for by the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose. The governess' new employer gives her full charge of the children and explicitly states that she is not to bother him with communications of any sort. The governess travels to her new employer's country house and begins her duties.
Miles soon returns from school for the summer with a letter from the headmaster stating that he has been expelled. Miles never speaks of the matter, and the governess is hesitant to raise the issue. She fears that there is some horrid secret behind the expulsion, but is too charmed by the adorable young boy to want to press the issue. Shortly thereafter, the governess begins to see around the grounds of the estate the figures of a man and woman whom she does not recognize. These figures come and go at will without ever being seen or challenged by other members of the household, and they seem to the governess to be supernatural in nature. She learns from Mrs. Grose that her predecessor, Miss Jessel, and Miss Jessel's illicit lover Peter Quint both died under curious circumstances. Prior to their death, they spent most of their time with Flora and Miles, and this fact takes on grim significance for the governess when she becomes convinced that the two children are secretly aware of the presence of the ghosts. (Plot taken from Wikepedia. Sorry for the copycatting........I wanted to have a clearer recollection when I come back and read this later.)
At first I was convinced of the realness of the ghosts and the danger of the children. As time went on I began to think the governess was a bit hysterical. I never thought she was completely bonkers, but by the end I did think she was at the least, the only one seeing the beings. The story went from scary to weird. By the end I was ready for it to be over.
Henry James has an elaborate writing manner. He is very wordy and tends to digress and use copious amounts of synoymns in just about every sentence. It is beautiful writing, but at times I felt like it began to detract from the story. Nevertheless I will press on..........and continue to read the rest of the collection that I just bought.
Rating 3.5 Scary to weird depending on how you take the story.......do you believe the governess or do you think she is bonkers? I would like to see it on stage. I bet it would be much more thirilling.
Rating G

Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Well the front of the book pretty much says it all..........bleak, bleak, bleak. The first time I read Wuthering Heights was a long time ago and I hated it. This time I loved it. It was easier to get into the characters. I think that came with age. They were all nearly unredeemable, yet I could better understand how they came to be the way they were.
Most of this book is a flash back. It is told to a newcomer to the area by the servant Ellen or Nelly. It is a sordid, evil tale. It speaks of jealous love and the wicked lengths people will go to, to get what they want or die trying. The characters are mean, black hearted people. The love story is wretched. Not a one of them is ever happy.
The wrtiting style is lovely and very descriptive. I did have a hard time reading the parts of Joseph, the wretched old religious man. He spoke in broken cockney or something, with a tough accent to follow unless I read it outloud to myself. Though if you do not like English Literature you won't enjoy the writing style. Very wordy, yet beautiful.
I give the book a 4.5. I really enjoyed it this time. It truly stirs feels and emotions, although they usually aren't good ones.
The book is rated PG. The characters are mean, manipulative and violent.