Summer Reading Review
This summer you had the pleasure of reading Beowulf and one other novel from the recommended list of titles in your AP Language acceptance letter. Since you must choose one more independent study novel to read this semester, you need feedback from your classmates assessing the novels they read. Out of five stars, how would you rate the book you read this summer (5=high, 1=low)? List the title you read, follow it with your rating, and explain why you would or would not recommend your choice to another reader. Your responses may be brief, but please be specific.
posted by mferrill | 9:11 AM
32 Comments:
This past summer I read Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, a novel I rate 4 out of 5 stars. Although the language can be slightly daunting to those accustomed to modern English, the story is absolutely captivating. I personally enjoyed the mysterious and ill-fated romances throughout the book. Many of the characters have intriguing backgrounds and the relationships between them are complex and exciting to follow. There are several plot twists that will catch you by surprise. If you have not read this book yet, read it.
Over the summer I read The Once and Future King, and I would give it a 5. It was a very interesting story with parts out of a fairy tale, but also romance, battle and the story of a King who truly put his counrty first. He relied on honor, truth and kindness to rule a country for numerous years. King Arthur united England when it was in years of chaos and a fuedel system. There is the excitement of fariytale creatures, love, and history with a story of one of the finest Kings in history. I would highly recommend it and although it is long, it is worth all the time reading it.
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Over the summer, I read Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein. I would rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars. It's framing narrative switches between letters and stories from three different narrators so you will never lose interest. The story revolves around Victor Frankenstein, who after discovering the secret of life, creates another human being. We follow the life of Victor as he struggles with his creation and family, never knowing who will be in danger. This novel covers the idea of the creator and the creation and their relationship. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes a good story and can read small details.
Over the summer I read Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. I would rate this novel a 4 out of 5 stars. It was an exciting story of strange and interesting travels that Gulliver keeps running into. However along with being a story of adventure it includes great satire with every inhabitance Gulliver meets. Behind the strange and wonderful fantasy the author gives his true opinion on greed, short-sightedness and many other aspects of human nature. I really enjoyed the combination of its mystical adventure and the humor within its satire.
During my wonderful summer experience I read George Orwell's, 1984. Rating this novel from 1 to 5 I would positively have to give it a 5 star rating. This book was constantly intriguing and made me think "outside the box"(which for us Honors kids can be difficult sometimes). As a member of the Party, the upper class strata of the social structure in the novel's society, Winston struggles to be completely uniform in thought and action as he is supposed to be. Winston wonders if the monotonous society that he lives in was always this way. However, he must always check-up on himself as the "Thought Police" could take him at any moment for thinking anything that could be seen portrayed as contrary to the loyalty of "Big Brother;" the leader, almost the god figure, of Winston's world. Winston also encounters what is thought to be "love" (although any sexual interaction is frowned upon except for the production of the next generation). What would it be like to live in a world where everything you do is seen, judged, and often time condemned without trial? How would it feel to be always living with this fear? Winston's story is disturbing but will keep you anxious to flip every page like it did me. Contradictory thoughts are rampant, but George Orwell's thought are ingenious such as..."WAR IS PEACE. FREEDOM IS SLAVERY. IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH"(Orwell, 16). Want a mind buster? I highly suggest 1984 because it truly is W-O-N-D-E-Rful.
This summer I read Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. I would give it a 4 out of 5. It was an interesting book about creation, as well as consequences of our actions and the way others influence us. The plot is fairly easy to follow and the story is given through several perspectives. The most important thing to remember is that the book is being told by the narrator and written down by the listener. This helps increase the understanding and appreciation of the book.
I read Frankenstein as well, and while I also give it 4 out of 5 stars I think the concept deserves 6 out of 5. While other authors delve into the mysteries of life’s shortcomings, this novel delves into the makeup of life itself. This topic should be addressed way more in the world of literature. The reason it only merits a four is because it is written by a teenage emo who has a tendency to ramble and go nowhere at times. With a little more editing and experience it could have been 5 out of 5. That is saying a lot as I am an extremely harsh critic. The other intriguing piece of this multidimensional work is mankind’s mysterious requirement of human companionship. This often gets overlooked do to creator-creation theme which is far more controversial.
Over the summer I read the novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
I would give the book a 3 out of 5 stars. It is first and foremost a love story. The first 50 pages were horribly long and slow. I thought that the book was not going anywhere. Once I plowed through these pages I found that the book was rich in historic detail and culture and was very quick paced. Dickens uses great symbols and motifs and although his language can be confusing sometimes I think that it is a good book, but give yourself a good bit of time to read it, because it is quite long.
Over the summer holiday I read Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, which I would give 4 stars. Although it is Emily’s only novel, it is a beautiful story of deeply webbed and intricate relationships following two generations of neighboring families and a character named Heathcliff. The emotions created by the story are extremely rich and intense, even creating contradictory feelings within the reader. Along with the clever structure of the novel (someone telling the story from their experiences, within the novel), Emily provided beautiful symbols and motifs. Some of the language is slightly difficult and the story, at times, becomes confusing between the many characters and the timeline of two generations, but the story is lovely and definitely worth reading.
During the summer I read George Orwell's novel 1984 and I would probably rate it 3 out of 5 stars. The beginning held my attention well and I was intrigued by the ideas that were presented about the control of government in society. It was obviously a work that moved me and kept me thinking because of how I often found myself frusterated by the inescapable consequenses that trapped the characters. However, the middle became very repetitive using similar ideas over and over. I found that the pace didn't change to anything interesting again till the last few chapters. Still, anyone who would enjoy a novel showing the twists to human nature would love this book.
Paul Bunyan's Pilgrim Progress was a very interestingly written book that I would rate a 4 out of 5 stars. It was unlike any book I have ever written, in that it seemed to be more of a parable than a novel. The characters are all named after characteristics (such as Hopeful or Ignorance)and the perspectives that Bunyan gives on such attributes is eye-opening to say the least. It is quite imaginative and at times is reads like fairy tale but is also sad and convicting. There are times when the book mellows out into a dull, preachy tone for a good ten pages, but the actions and the numerous moral teachings it offers makes it worth while to read.
This summer I read Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels. It is filled with fairy-tale like adventures that have a satirical tint around every corner. The character encounters crazy and unheard of adventures in a seemingly different world, which we are led to believe, actually exists in the corners of the very same world that we live in. With every exploration that Gulliver has, a peek of another possible world is taken, leading to questions of how different our lifestyles would be shaped if they were modeled after those civilizations. While describing these fantasy worlds, the author’s own satirical views are blended in with the story. Swift inconspicuously adds his own judgment in on debatable topics, including the nature of people and the system of government. Gulliver’s Travels is an entertaining novel with reality checks every so often through the clever use of Jonathan Swift’s satire. I would recommend and rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.
As Niccic I also read George Orwell's 1984. I however give it a 4 out 5. I feel that Orwell's ideas on governmental control and the constant surveillance of it's citizens is very much in tune with society. I may have been very beyond it's time but shows us social issues that exist today. The story line almost immediately grabs you and doesn't let go. The fear of this happening is what drives this book. However there are some parts that are just to slow. That is why I gave it a 4 out of 5. P.S. This is Sean Coyle.
This summer I read A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens. I would give the book 4 out of 5. The ideas and themes in the book are outstanding. Charles Dickens does an excellent job portraying themes such as light versus darkness, love, and reclamation to life during the French Revolution. As a reader, I could relate with many of his characters. Unfortunately, Dickens tends to be lengthy in his descriptions. It is difficult to enjoy such a rich work of literature when you keep stumbling upon long, dry sections. Altogether, I recommend the book if the reader is willing to push through the boring parts.
Over the duration of the summer, I read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. I would rate it a 3.5 out of 5 stars, for the content was fairly intriguing but had a sense of confusion. The book has many strong motifs including money and wealth but the abundance seems to create some confusion on the actual plot of the story. However, the basic story line is still intriguing to read as Daisy and her husband Tom come to a conclusion that to them, comfort is more important than love itself. Still a classic book, it is one worth the read.
Over summer break I read Jane Austen’s Emma. Emma is first described as “handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition.” She can also be classified as quirky and opinionated, somewhat sweet and extremely spoiled but even as unappealing as these characteristics are, she grows on you. The book centers around everyday life and human relationships, in Jane Austen’s time, but they are still relatable except for mandatory marriage. Now, in Austen’s time, marriage was mandatory and in this book that is clear. Emma is in her early twenties and has made a resolution to remain single. However, with this resolution in mind, she acts like a matchmaker for friends and other members of the community which produces unexpected results for Emma. Although the plot has been criticized for being a little dry, it is really interesting to read because of the way Austen explores the way we relate to one another in families, friendships and relationships. The downside was how complicated and confusing the text can be but that just makes the novel unique in language. I would give this book four out of five stars. I definitely recommend it!
This summer I read 1984 by George Orwell. I would rate this book 4 out of 5. The book was about a futuristic world where conformity and ignorance are vualued above anything else. It is fascinating to see qualities that both this world and ours share, and wonder what it would be like if our world became that of 1984. It is unnerving and grim, so the story isn't exactly fun. I would totally reccomend the book.
This summer I read 1984 by George Orwell. I would rate this a 5 because he paints such an extreme and unique view of the future through the main character, Winston, and the society he lives in. It is still very relevant today because the society is uniformed (not in the clothes like catholic school) and people have lost perspective and individuality. They follow the crowd and don’t ever question what the ‘government’ and especially what Big Brother says. It is very interesting what questions are brought up through out the book, and reflecting on our society now. What will the future be like? Is it in any way possible for a society like this to exist? In some ways this book reminds me of Anthem by Ayn Rand, if you liked that you would like 1984.
As the fourth reviewer of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, it is with great frustration that I also rate this book 4 out of 5. I agree with my peers that the novel rambles in places, as humans do, and I think the letter format is too far-spaced for people to follow all the storylines, but I strongly encourage readers to muscle through these rough spots and read this book anyway. Yes, the structure is bad, but the language is stunningly beautiful and the concept of unjust social alienation is universal. If any disbelieve me, I encourage them to go rent Edward Scissorhands. Mary Shelly is the author who immortalized this theme, so I believe she may be responsible for imprinting it onto our collective subconscious. Anyone care to prove me wrong? Go read Frankenstein, and then show me an earlier piece of writing that deals mainly with this theme.
Over the summer I read George Orwell's 1984 which I rate 4 out of 5 stars. I would highly recommend this book to all who enjoy looking at the outer limits, and testing authority. I thought that it was so captivating to read about what life might be like without emotion, and it even got me frustrated at some points in the book where characters so blindly and robotically followed "big Brother" instead of their intuition and passion. This book truly shows that mob mentality and fear can overpower an individuals thoughts and emotion, and that is what makes this book so interesting.
Over the summer, I read Gulliver's Travels by Johnathan Swift. Because it was written in a travel log format, it dragged on at times and paid attention to tedious detail. Even though it had its droning stages, its satire was brilliant and cut to the core of mankind. It showed me corruption I had never before noticed in man, and revealed to me shortcomings of my own. I give it four out of five stars for showing me the way a society should act, as well as the ways it shouldn't.
In addition, I agree with Jessica K. in that Swift's humor is wonderfully done.
This summer I read Mark Twain's Huckleberryfinn. I would rate this book as a three out of five. It was interesting and I loved the language, but it was boring at times and for people not familiar with southern expressions, it would be very difficult at first. I loved to read all about his adventures and liked the book and all its funny stories right up until the end. I would recommend this book for everyone who wants a little piece of the south during this era, or just wants to dissapear to a world not so far away from ours, on an adventure that we secretly all wish we could take.
Over the summer i read George Orwell's 1984. I rate this book at five starts due to the fact that it made me question and breach the normal boundaries in which i tend to think. This book takes place in a world where government has total control and even a thought against this "all powerful" government is crime. As Winston challenges the Party's power, he faces many challenges and realizations. His diminishing loyalty to "Big Brother" is risky business and must be hidden from this all restraining world in which he lives. This book kept me on my toes, excited for what came next. It was unpredictable and unique which is what i love about this book. I would recommend this book to all. I enjoyed it thoroughly and i feel you would as well.
I read 1984 by George Orwell. I would definetly rate this a 10 of 10. Wow, everything from the flow of the prose to the subject matter to the vividness of the descriptions and the emotions was just so powerful. I think that a lot of the themes in the book (oppression, death, sorrow, loss) are so valid today and that's what make the book pertinent. I also liked how it gave the reader an opportunity to think about what was being proposed by the party, and gave the reader the possiblitly to draw there own conclusions.
This summer, I read George Orwell's 1984 and would give it 5 stars. While this novel is deep and rather heavy in some parts, it was well worth the extra work it demanded. The descriptions and ideas contained within the novel kept me interested the whole way through. There is some more challenging material, though, and it will require a good deal of thought and work to fully grasp some of the ideas. It was also very interesting to read about the "Big Brother" concepts, especially after the new school rule that cameras, phones, and other such devices can be searched!
I reccomend this novel to anyone with a little more time on their hands to make reading it worthwhile.
During the summer I read two american literature novels, the first was the Things They Carried, and I would rate it 5 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel for it's writing, which was somewhat essay, somewhat poetry, as well as for it's views not just on war but on life and emotion. The other novel was the infamous, Great Gatsby, which I would rate a 4 out of five stars and note that it is one of my favorite novels. At first I thought Gatsby was one of those Jane Austin pointless conversation novels, and then I met Gatsby. I found myself reading faster as I got further into the novel, I actually cared about the fate of these fictional people! To me Gatsby became similar to my moms soaps, so I watched Die Hard before finishing it. I would recommend Gatsby to everyone, but would not recommend Things They Carried to those who are not familiar with war novels.
This past summer I read "The Once and Future King" by T.H. White. In my opinion it was a very good novel and I would have to give it a 4.5 star rating out of 5. The book did a good job making you think and was truly one of the best books I have ever read. It is all about King Arthur, how he came to power, and his role as the leader including all of the less desireable parts of being king. I can see how it is a basis for many other fantasy books and it had very few flaws. The only bad part was that some chapters seemed rather tedious and drawn on, but other than that it was a grand old tale.
During the summer, I read Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. While I give the book 5 stars, I also found this work extremely unsettling. The novel is suberbly written--while I was reading it, I could hardly bring myself to put it down. The characters are morbidly fascinating, and the love triangle between Cathy, Heathcliff, and Linton is captivating. However, the characters also continuously demonstrate the worst possible sides of human nature, (jealousy, hate, and revenge, to name a few) and many times the constant exposure to such unpleasantries made me want to put the book down and never pick it up again. I think the reason Wuthering Heights deserves 5 stars is because Bronte is able to accomplish something that very few writers do well. She does not emotionally identify with any of her characters, and she remains nothing more than a scribe throughout the book. The characters appeal to the reader through their own personalities, words, and actions; Bronte never forces her like or dislike of a particular character on her readers. Thus, the readers becomes involved with the plot of their own accord, and nothing seems falsified.
Wuthering Heights is a book that grips you in an unpleasant, yet tantalizing way. The characters are people I love to hate, yet their story of thwarted love rings true in a way near impossible to describe. Emily Bronte's work is truly one-of-a-kind.
During the summer I read Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. This play is about an old, rundown salesman named Willy Loman. In his old age, Willy begins searching for the time that his life moved off course and led him to the place he is now--denial. However, he is not the only one lost and confused. His whole family which includes his wife Linda, and two sons Happy and Biff are all just as bewildered as Willy. The play follows Willy on his search for his place in this world and the courage to, or not to face the reality of where his life really is. All together I would give this piece of literature 4/5 stars. I think this play is still very reinvent in showing people (especially Americans) how easy it is to lose themselves in the world but when it’s all said and done, everyone needs to look deep inside themselves and ask, “I am the person I want to be?”
Pilgrim's Progress: **** 4 stars! I noticed that I was only one of two people in our class (Amy O was the other) to read this book, and I would recommend it to everyone who hasn't read it yet. John Bunyan's book has become one of the world's most famous allegories. The journey that the characters undertake is physical, but every page is to intended to be understood on a symbolically deeper, spiritual level. This book is rich in solid motifs that reflect archetypes and strong themes that get the reader thinking. I enjoyed reading this book before I went to bed because I could just read a few pages at a time, and the story was easy to follow. Definitely a great read if you are looking for something that dives beneath surface level!
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