My Suggestions

All three of these suggestions happen to be by Virginia Woolf. Why? Because she's "the greatest author ever to walk this Earth" *
*According to Erin, February 14, 2008

If you STILL want to know why. I would first criticize you for asking so many damn questions, and then I'd tell you this: Nobody does it like Virginia. Her stream of consciousness brings me near tears. In all of her books there comes times when I have to set down the book and just let my brain go over the beauty of her words. She makes you want to write, live, be British, go to a Lighthouse, or transform from man to woman over centuries.

Now the suggestions!

1) Orlando -- My first Virigina Woolf experience. It was junior year and I was doing a presentation on her for British Literature. My only exposure to her was through the wonderful movie and book "The Hours." Reading summaries of her most famous books, I immediately knew I HAD to read this one. It sounded farfetched with its magical sex change half way through and Orlando's immortality, Also wonderful about it: it is a love letter to Virginia's friend/lover Vita Sackville-West.

2) Mrs. Dalloway--I read this on the way to France. At first I didn't like it as well as Orlando, but then everything changed. This is my favorite novel. Seemingly mundane, all about an older woman planning a party, it also features a shell-shocked veteran of WWI whose prescence haunts the novel. I have never seen the streets of London, but through Virginia's words, I have lived there. "What a lark! What a plunge!"

3) To the Lighthouse-- The Ramseys are even more intriguing seeing that they are based on Virginia's parents. It is a portrait of family, of loss and love, of mortality. The second half of the novel astounded me. I am also reading this for my British Literature class.

New book?

Well I don't know how well you all considered this went this first time around, considering we didn't have much discussion and who knows who will actually read this and when, but shall we keep this going and move on to another book? I think it does help in applying more pressure to actually read and finish a book.

Erica, I know you had a suggestion. I forgot the name, but it had to do with driving and feminism.

I have a few books from Christmas/my birthday that I'm planning to read soon that might make good choices too. They include: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, The Braindead Megaphone by George Saunders (a book of essays) and Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson (that one is huge).

Thoughts?

GR leads us in song

for a dramatization at the beach

I Want To...

So I've both read the book and seen the movie. Naturally, I am dying to talk about the ending. However, I know many of you have yet to finish. I, therefore, will hold off on that discussion. But do know it is coming soon...

FINISHED (with part one)

I bet i tricked some of you! ok, this is the first time in my life that i have ever posted anything on a blog. so it is pretty intimidating. i wanted to go for a less-courageous comment on someone else's post, but i thought, what the heck, you only live once. so here i am. and, to make matters worse, i thought my first-ever post on this blog would be an engaging and intellectual discussion on the topic of perspective in part one of atonement. but since i am at work with one and a half hours left and deadlines to meet, my procrastination only allows me this hint of the brilliance that is certainly to come. i wish i had the novel with me so that i could at least add a quotation.

that being said, here is a rambling, unplanned, disorganized series of thoughts so far (not what i had intended and a bit disappointing, but it's a start): i LOVED part one. i thought it moved quickly and was really engaging -- the overall feeling was mysterious but not haunting and very real/relatable. it created a whole enclosed world of these people and this place (kind of like wuthering heights), the home, which is something i love most about novels. it felt more like reading a classic late 19th or early 20th century novel than something written by a contemporary author. it just was good literature, like something you read in english class but still really enjoy on your own.

most of all i was struck by how rich, specific and relatable each character was. i loved how we got a chapter from the many POVs, including Briony's, Emily's, Cecilia's and Robbie's -- was there also one from the cousins? each time the POV changed, i felt completely in the mind of that character and i felt like i understood him or her completely, with a full sense of personality. I also loved the idea of Briony's boredom matched with her wild creativity/imagination/intelligence/need for attention all contributing to the tragic turn of events. it's a really interesting theme to me -- the idea that when there is not enough of engaging, positive outlet for creativity, especially female (as that is more often the creativity that is stifled), things can turn destructive.

anyway, i flew through part one and now have been at a stand-still. i think it's because part one was contained, character-driven, intimate and enclosed in the world of the home and the mind of the characters. i know that in part two i have to venture out into the world, meet war, meet new people, leave the comfort of the quiet country-side, confront aging, and witness waiting and pining amidst the back drop of a major social/political world conflict. i think i will still like it, but it takes a bit more motivation and bucking up and i think that's why i've been reluctant to start (which is pretty lame). One thing i know for sure (hint erin): i will NOT allow myself to see this film until the novel is completed. a lot of will power, but i will do it.

I Haven't Touched the Book But--

Yes, indeed, I'm going to comment on the film based on the book. Who ever thought it would come to this? Of course, film cannot be substitute for literature--I believe this more than anyone--but I was so entranced by the movie that I don't care about that opinion. From the onset the visuals were stunning, each shot masterful and immaculate. The actors also bring a sense of youthful sensuality and glamour (of yore). Of the plot and screenplay, I was immediately taken with its seemingly simple facade: girl and boy discover they are mad about each other, one goes away, the other waits. It's the Odyssey in a nutshell and we've watched it in movies like "Cold Mountain." But here we have the omnipresent theme of revenge and atonement (what else?)-- can we really ever make up for the actions of the past? Can words heal as we always hoped whole-heartedly that they could? As a writer it was a particularly interesting statement to me how words can mean so much when spoken for the first time, how initially it is easy to say them, and then later in life, when words are actually required we are too proud or scared to let them come. This is all just a first superficial post and I promise more later....right now I have some finals to study for!

Finished!

Just to let everyone know, I have read the book in its entirety. I am ready for discussion! In the words of Pink, "I'm comin' up so we better get this party started."