Mulling on Monday #12

   3 Stars 

   So, here we are again, at another week. As of tomorrow, it will be three weeks until the official start of summer. The crowd cheers…yay. 

  Anyways, so for my ‘Monday Mulling’ moment, I have chosen to go a little outside of the box and go with a play, rather than an actual novel. Still. It is a classic, and is part of a few school English curriculum. 

  No, not Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (though that could be a valid option), rather, it is The Merchant of Venice. 

  A classic in any means, with a beautiful story line and marvelous speeches (The quality of mercy is not strain’d,/ It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven/Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest…) that are inspiring, and, once you can get past the Shakespearian wording and phrasing, then it is quite the story. 

  What I like about it is the dramatics. My, oh, my, how they go on and on in the most entertaining way, the sighing and everything that you have come to expect from a classic Shakespearian piece. The characters are not necessarily relatable, but they do represent somewhat of the population in that era. 

  The commentary! The presentation! (See? Dramatic.)And Shakespeare’s nerve to publish such a work is great.   

  What I did not like about this work was the fact that none of the characters are the sharpest tool in thy tool shed. Not really like-able, and they have the tendency to actually make you really upset, like the girl in the horror film that you scream at to not open the door. But what does she do? Open the door. This can be increasingly frustrating, especially when you just know what is being door number one. 

  I know that I had little to no issues reading the regular script, but I do know that many people struggle with the dialogue and the hidden meanings. 

  I realize that this was written hundreds of years ago, when racist and sexist were not words, but I did struggle with the way some of the characters were treated. This is also part of why the characters were not likable. 

  I also did not like the ending. I wish that it could have been a little more twisted, a little more un-predictable. But no, I did not get what I wanted. 

  Overall, a good work, but lacking in some essential areas. 

A classic work from Shakespeare.   

This is the tale of what friends will do for friends, what enemies will do to their enemies, and what lovers will do to their heart’s desires.

This is the battle for love, for allies, for enemies. It tells us how bitterness will lead us nowhere but ruin, and love will bring a smile to one’s eyes.  

It was a simple deal that was supposed to result in love and happiness, but instead triggered a landslide of anguish and dashed hopes. A debt to be paid. A pound of flesh. The chain of events that lead up to the moment in court when the deal must be followed through, and a friend must save another.  

 

  

Author: William Shakespeare

Published: January 1st 2004 by Washington Square Press (first published 1600)

Page Count: 228

ISBN: 0743477561    (isbn13: 9780743477567)

Book of the Week: The Secret Garden

4 Stars

Oh, but it’s such a classic! To all of you who are protesting, too bad. This is the book of the week, as it is a classic, and I have not been able to visit my lovely local library or the book store to get anything I really, really, super badly wanted to read.

I like this book anyway. It has a beautiful story, and even if I like A Little Princess better, this one remains close to my heart as one of those children’s novels that you remember for years to come.

What I love about it is the era; the writing is so classic as is the story. An orphan. A mysterious and depressed uncle. A strange secret boy. A forbidden garden. Honestly, it’s something that you can’t forget, and it has that pull to it that makes it so unique.

What I did not like was not due to anything but my age. It is written for children, so reading it again now made it a simple and light read. that’s okay.

Overall, I think that this is a great novel for any children to read, and if you have never read it, I think now would be the time to at least attempt this novel. It is interwoven into our history, and is as classic as any Jane Austen or Leo Tolstoy. It’s just for a younger audience.

“Mistress Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells and marigolds all in a row.”

Mary Lennox is a sullen, spoiled child raised in India by her rich and fabulous parents. Her world is rocked though, when a disease rampages through the household, and Mary is suddenly an orphan.

She is sent away to London, then to her uncle’s house out on the cold, rainy moor. The house used to be luxurious, but all the rooms are locked, the household staff quiet, and the gardens tended by a old and cranky gardener. And Mistress Mary has nothing to do.

Slowly though, she starts to learn of the secrets of the house, what it means to grow up, and how much nicer people look when they smile.



Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett

Published: August 1st 1999 by Aladdin (first published 1909)

Page Count: 416

ISBN: 0689831412    (isbn13: 9780689831416)

Quick Review: Anne Frank and Me

4 Stars

Okay, so here is, yet again, another YA novel that I have chosen to review. This time, though, it’s not really a fantasy. It’s more historical fiction, with a twist. and it deals with the subject of the Holocaust and World War II. It is very similar to The Devil’s Arithmetic, which is even mentioned in the novel a few times, and, of course, The Diary of Anne Frank. It is a book that ties into both of these, so it really works well if you have read both of them before reading this one. However, you don’t really need to; it can stand alone.

This novel is about a teenage girl named Nicole whose life is filled with the usual teenage stuff; shopping, dancing, high-school, and, of course, sighing over boys. Especially Jack, who does not even really seem to see she exists. However, on a field trip, Jack breaks her heart a little more, and she is thrust into the past; and it will change her life forever. Afterall, she is in the middle of the war.

What I liked about this novel was the way that it was written. The idea was executed well, and they used historical facts to really enhance the book (one would hope they did anyway…). The character was believable, and how she lived was also believable. Which is nice, becuase you have to be able to relate to the characters, or else they seems to very distant.

What I did not like was the fact that is was so similar to the The Devil’s Arithmetic. The idea was extremely close, and some of the story line echoed Yolen’s novel. I also do not like that the beggining is more memorable than the ending. Sometimes I even forget the ending altogether, becuase it ends so mistily.

Overall, though, a great novel.

Nicole Burns is an average 10th grader in a normal high school where life is crazy. She hates school, but loves to dance, shop, and fantasize over Jack…who seems oblivious to her very existence.

But Nicole’s world get turned upside down when they go to the Anne Frank Museum as a field trip. There is a crack of gunshots, and suddenly, life changes.

Becuase Nicole is no longer Nicole Burns. She is Nicole Bernhardt, of Paris, France. And she is living in the middle of World War II.

Filled with historical facts and the emotions of those trapped by War, Anne Frank and Me is a novel to remember.

Author:  Cherie Bennett & Jeff Gottesfeld

Published: November 11th 2002 by Putnam Juvenile (first published 1997)

Page Count: 352

ISBN: 0698119738    (isbn13: 9780698119734)

Quick Review: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

3.7 Stars.

Let me say that I was obsessed with the musical before I ever read the book(s). I know all the lyrics, all the jokes, one-liners. I know this musical like no other, even some of those that I have preformed in. So I saw the musical before I read the book, so it has greatly influenced my opinion on it…just saying.

I had issues with the book… as so many do. (Ah ha. I have been caught already making Wicked quotes.) The idea is so intriguing, the way it was written was…different. Yes, I know that they changed the musical a lot from the book, and perhaps that is why the two seem like two different stories.

What I liked about the book was just that; the book, the story, the idea that perhaps the Wicked Witch of the West was not wicked. That perhaps she was a real person who struggled with her identity, her love, and the color of her skin.

But,  “just wait a clock tick” (oohh…)

What I did not like was where the book went. Sometimes it was choppy and slow, other times it was confusing and jarring. I also was confused because I did see the musical first, so I had a hard time letting some of the characters be different, and letting them stray off of the well-worn path that I thought was behind-the-scenes Oz.

However, overall, the story is good, the writing is well-done, and the idea commendable.

Ever wonder why the Wicked Witch of the West was wicked? This novel tells the story.  Because, behind the cute story, there is more. Way more.

Elphaba is the witch that everybody loves to hate. Even in Oz. She is difference, green, has magic powers that make her an outsider. Her sister is an invalid. Water must not come near her. Her parents hate her. They call her names like ‘little frog’ and ‘lizard girl’. She has endured much growing up, and continues to fight her way through life.

She wants to get more rights for the Animals, the Munchkinlanders, the people of Oz. It does not mean that everybody agrees with her.

What would you do if you stood out so vividly, when you have something to say?

This novel explores the gaps that were left open in the Witch’s life, and everything in between. We now know the why- and the who.

Author: Gregory Maguire

Published:  December 5th 2000 by Regan Books (first published 1995)

Page Count:  406

ISBN:  0060987103    (isbn13: 9780060987107)