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Siddhartha is the story of a man trying to find enlightenment. You follow him over his many stages in life. Today for the first time I am going to use a plot description from an outside source because I cannot for the life of me figure out how to summarize this book in language people will understand.
Born into wealth and privilege, Siddhartha renounces his place among India’s nobility to wander the countryside in search ofmeaning. He learns suffering and self-denial among a group of ascetics before meeting the Buddha and coming to realize that true peace cannot be taught: It must be experienced. Changing his path yet again, Siddhartha reenters human society and earns a great fortune. Yet over time this life leaves Siddhartha restless and empty. He achieves enlightenment only when he stops searching and surrenders to the oneness of all. ~http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Siddhartha/Hermann-Hesse/e/9781593083793/?itm=1.
I disliked this book. It was well written, but it moved so slowly for a book where one chapter (about 15 pages) is three years or more. The characters annoyed me, though they had depth. Technically there is very little wrong in this book, but it was one of the worst books I've ever read. I was forced to read the book for English class, so I couldn't put it down and walk away either. The way the characters talked, though not hard to follow, sounded so fake I almost laughed. Granted it is translated from its original German, but still it must also sound fake in German. I also am one of those who doubts that one can achieve Nirvana, so the entire plot of the book is lost on me. Avoid this book unless you like spiritual quests.
At last the new Jessica Darling book! I have absolutely adored this series, except the fourth book which I read the beginning and the end of and then stopped. This latest and last book is written in a completely different style than its predecessors which are written in diary form. This novel is written in third person, but the narrator knows what both Marcus and Jessica are thinking. Yes the focus of this novel is Jessica and Marcus. The story starts three years after the fourth book (for those who haven't gotten this far in the series stop here as spoilers from previous books will be included) where Jessica rejected Marcus's proposal. Jessica is on her way to Bridget and Perry's wedding on St. John and runs over Marcus. No that was not a typo, Jessica actually runs over Marcus in an attempt to make her flight. The rest of the novel fills in the blanks from the missing three years as Jessica and Marcus catch up with each other. The novel takes place in about 24 hours, but there is an attention to detail that has not been present in the previous books.
I absolutely loved this book. I wasn't sure because it was different than the previous Jessica books, but it really worked. It was well written and the banter between Jessica and Marcus is defiantly what was missing in the fourth book. Fans of Jessica and Marcus get the ending they wanted and they'll be happy to see both Marcus and Jessica have their lives together. The book is well written, interesting and has everything that fans of the series want. Go read it.
So, though it is only September I have signed up for NaNoWriMo again. This year however I have surprised myself and signed up for the regular one instead of the youth program. That means I will be writing 50,000 words in November. What have I gotten myself into? Just kidding, it'll be fun.
So for school we were given an assignment to read Persuasion or Master and Commander and watch the movie of the book we did not pick. Given that Jane Austen is one of my favorite 19th century British writers I chose Persuasion. I also thought that since I didn't have much time to read on my own this summer I would review my summer reading books. So here is Persuasion by Jane Austen.
At age 19 Anne Elliot was persuaded she was to young to marry Frederick Wentworth, a member of the British Navy of no fortune and no title. Eight years later they are thrown back into each other lives when his sister and her husband, the Admiral and Mrs. Croft, become the tenants of Kellynch Hall after the Elliot family is forced to move to Bath to save money to pay their debts. Frederick Wentworth is now a Captain and has made his fortune but still has not forgiven Anne for rejecting him eight years prior.
I quite enjoyed this book and finished it rather quickly compared to when I read Pride and Prejudice which took me awhile to get into. The story drew me in even though I knew what happened having watched the movie during Jane Austen Week on PBS a couple of years before and watching it on Netflix while reading the book. Also the style of writing did not throw me off as it has in the past. The character weren't perfect, they seemed human. Of course for this book to be considered a classic it has to be well written, so I will stop with technical pieces. At points the plot moved slowly, so be forewarned. If you are not used to the style of writing that Austen uses you may have trouble, but it does not take long to get used to it. I highly suggest this book if you are looking for a substantive read which one can actually enjoy. It is not my favorite Austen book, that slot still goes to Pride and Prejudice, but it is a very good book. Enjoy!
