Third Entry: Summer Reading

I read the Charles Dickens classic A Tale of Two Cities, which is, well, a tale of two cities, and yet so much more than just that. From the unforgettable introduction to my personal favorite scene of the spilling of the wine in the street, the book is full of many moments and sweeping statements that still stick with me since I finished, a little less than 3 months ago. As for why I chose the novel, my dad actually had a copy from when he was in high school (1960!) which was a nostalgic choice just from the start. In addition, my dad usually cites Dickens as one of his favorite authors and highly suggested reading it, and as I'd never read a Dickens novel before then. The novel itself is very descriptive and the environments feel real, two of our class's biggest necessities for a good story. However, the novel ultimately fails to align itself with what it implies as the main theme of the novel, i.e. a historical fiction study of Paris/London in the French Revolution, and instead turns into a tale of two men, specifically Carton who becomes the unlikely hero. Whether one sees this as a weakness is completely subjective, depending on what you wanted from the book, or whether you prefer a novel to be exactly what it implies it should be.

 To further analyze this, we must look at one of the main characters, and arguably the protagonist of the novel, Carton. Carton is depicted at first as a loser and a drunk who seemingly does nothing to help society in any way. By the end of the novel however, Carton becomes the unlikely hero, sacrificing his life for the ones he cared about. We see his character grow and develop, which helps build our connection to him and our care for him that culminates with his heroic act in the final chapter. This subplot/possible main plot is aligned by what one would expect to be the most identifiable plot line, that of Darbey, and his attempts to walk the line in France in secrecy from the Rebels. However, as I have stressed, Carton’s culminating heroism in the final chapter overshadows this plot line. We can see this even by studying how the book ends; following Carton's death there is no resolution of Darbey and his situation.

As for the storytelling style of the book itself, as I have already hinted to the best parts of the book may be the most obvious and stereotypical ones: the beginning and the end. The beginning is fantastic for its metaphors, its contradictions, and its doubles, already paralleling one of the main themes of the book, the two cities of London and Paris during the buildup/occurrence of the French Revolution. The ending is the ultimate culmination of everything in the book, from just the event of Carton's sacrifice to his inspirational speech at the end. The seeming weirdness in the book is also something that made it such an intriguing story, such as in either the first or second chapter of the novel where the man goes crazy yelling about the man buried for 18 years.

"He lowered the window, and looked out at the rising sun. There was a ridge of ploughed land, with a plough upon it where it had been left last night when the horses were unyoked; beyond, a quiet coppice-wood, in which many leaves of burning red and golden yellow still remained upon the trees. Though the earth was cold and wet, the sky was clear, and the sun rose bright, placid, and beautiful.

‘Eighteen years!’ said the passenger, looking at the sun. ‘Gracious Creator of day! To be buried alive for eighteen years!’"

 This passage is a great example of the Dickensian style of vivid imagery and emphasis on details. This to many is a strong strength of storytelling, but to others the seemingly redundant detail may come across as unnecessary and dull at times. In a way it is ironic, because the plot of the novel itself actually lacks in details and vivid, and ultimately doesn't capitalize on what it implies as the main theme, and instead winds up with a conclusion of a disjointed plot line. A book pictured to be a historical fiction study of a time when rebellion ruled all, and death was a treasonous muttering away, instead ending up being a story of love and heroism and the ultimate sacrifice.

Second Entry: Most Memorable Books

1. Unfortunately, I can't remember the exact name of the first Lee Child Jack Reacher novel I read (I think it may be Bad Luck and Trouble). But every time I read a knew one I can always picture the first time I read one: sifting through the modest library on a cruise ship off the coast of Alaska one summer, and finally landing on the first book of one of my most favorite series.
2. All Quiet On The Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque
This book left an impression on me much in the same way Angels and Demons did. I love war novels that give the "bad guys" the spotlight, and insight into the average joes of the evil empires.
3. Catcher In the Rye - J.D. Salinger
I'm sure everyone and their uncles are putting this one down, but not without reason. The first time through this novel leaves mostly all readers stunned or at least mystified, and for that reason it's a very memorable book.
4. The Bible (Not in it's entirety, but the bits and pieces I have read)
Whether your a religious man or woman or not, the stories of the Bible have some great messages. Now as a good little Catholic boy I remember reading passages from the Bible in church class after school. Then and when we studied it more advanced Freshmen year, the stories were always very relatable to me, and whether or not I believed them I always there was an interesting message behind each and every one.
5. The Odyssey - Homer
The story of the Odyssey may be oversold to some, but there is something appealing about reading something as old as the stories of Homer. The Odyssey is such a cool mythological tale that it's hard not to love and hold in your memory.

First Entry: Excellent Storytelling

Well, my two favorite books that I have read in the last couple months have also coincidentally been the ones with the best storytelling. One was a Lee Child novel (I don't know if you're familiar) which featured the lovable ex-MP Jack Reacher solving another murder/crime mystery, the other being Keith Richard's autobiography Life. Unfortunately my favorite storytelling was the Jack Reacher novel, which I happened to have left with my Grandpa in Iowa for him to read (he's also a big fan of Lee Child). So I choose a typical story from Keith Richards, who, after all the herione/cocaine/god-knows-what-else, can actually write a good novel (with some help I presume) and come across as an intellectual.
Excerpt from Keith Richard's Life, P. 270:

"It's strange, given the fact that we'd had to pull the plug on Brian in the studio three years earlier, when he was lying in a coma beside his buzzing amp, to be reminded that he was still playing on tracks early in 1969, the year of his death. Autoharp on "You Got The Silver," percussion on "Midnight Rambler." Where did that come from? A last flare from the shipwreck.
By May we were playing in his replacement, Mick Taylor, at Olympic Studios -- playing him in on "Honky Tonk Women," on which his overdub is there for posterity. No surprise to us, how good he was. Everybody was looking at me, because I was the older guitar player, but my position was I'd play with anybody. And we did the most brilliant stuff together, some of the most brilliant stuff the Stones ever did. Everything was there in his playing -- the melodic touch, a beautiful sustain and a way of reading a song. He'd get where I was going even before I did."

As you can tell from the passage, this kind of reading is music-lover material only, even more directed at the die-hard Rolling Stones fans such as myself. You gotta love the personal touch Keith adds in his writing, even if one would expect such from an autobiography. I guess what made the storytelling stand out to me was that my expectation weren't very high when I began the book. Even with his age, Keith can still bring that element of surprise out.