The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera

"Loves are like empires: when the idea they are founded on crumbles, they, too, fade away."

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera is the complex story of a womanizing man married to a woman with a dog, who still maintains his mistress, who also happens to have her own lover. The novel takes place in Prague during the Soviet occupation of the 1960s. It is the fourth book I have read by Kundera, all in the last year, following Ignorance, Life is Elsewhere and Identity. I will say that in terms of clear storyline and ability to follow the novel chronologically, I think The Unbearable Lightness of Being is fairly consistent with Kundera's other works, and if anything I found it easier to follow. That said, it's certainly not straightforward.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being is incredibly interesting from a philosophical perspective. Kundera talks to his readers, he doesn't deny that this is fiction,

"As I have pointed out before, characters are not born like people, of woman; they are born of a situation, a sentence, a metaphor containing in a nutshell a basic human possibility that the author thinks no one else has discovered or said something essential about. But isn’t it true that an author can write only about himself?"

The novel is full of contemplations on life and death, love and sex. It is incredibly quotable. However the odd thing is that considering I wrote down nearly every second sentence as something that I wanted to remember, I didn't actually fall in love with the book. Kundera as a writer is somebody whose work I find more interesting intellectually than I do emotionally, and this was definitely the case in The Unbearable Lightness of Being where not a single character, except maybe the dog, was likable. It also may have been the specific mindframe I was in when reading the novel, but I could never really find myself invested in the story and it took me about a month to finish. It was actually surprising to me that it took this long because I devoured the first two of seven parts but at that point I became a little tired of the whole thing. A bit tired of the philosophical rambling and a bit tired of constantly being reminded that this is an exercise rather than a story when I just wanted to loose myself in the world Kundera kept reminded me it didn't exist.

I will definitely be picking up Kundera again in the future, I just have to give him a break and make sure I am in the right state of mind for his specific type of writing. Because when he's good, as he was in Identity, he's really good. And I know there are different, probably better, ways to look at this novel than I am but the mood we are in when we read something has such an important role in our response to it and in this case it seemed no matter when picked up the book, I just wasn't in the mood for it. I really do love the way Kundera words things, the way he captures and crystallizes human motivations and desires so clearly but as a novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being just didn't quite work for me.

Release Date: February 15th, 2011
Pages: 272
Source: Ebook/Personal Copy
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Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

"Oliver cried lustily. If he could have known that he was an orphan, left to the tender mercies of church-wardens and overseers, perhaps he would have cried the louder."

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens is the classic story of an orphan, Oliver Twist, who becomes involved with a gang of criminals in Victorian London after he runs away from an abusive situation. These criminals include Fagin who runs the organization of young pickpocketers, the Artful Dodger, and Bill Sikes.

Before discussing the novel as a classic work of literature, I wanted to note something that really bothered me from a personal standpoint. I was extremely offended by Dickens' totally anti-Semitic portrayal of Jews through the character of Fagin. Fagin cheats others and gets them to steal for him while he hoards away his wealth, and is constantly referred not by his name but rather as "the Jew", implying he is a representation of all Jews. I realize Oliver Twist was written almost two centuries ago but I don't think that is an excuse for the stereotype and close-mindedness it portrays. Reading books like this only serve as a powerful reminder of the persecution Jews have faced, which certainly wasn't helped by novels that normalized it.

Bigotry aside, one aspect of Oliver Twist I particularly enjoyed was the narration voice of the story. The narrator is omniscient and omnipresent, strategically letting  the reader in on certain situations while keeping particular information, like what one person whispers to another, secret. In general, I was surprised by how easy to read this novel was as I have previously attempted Dickens' David Copperfield and enjoyed it about as much as pulling teeth. Although the story is more fully developed, I think Oliver Twist is more akin to A Christmas Carol, the only other book by Dickens I have completed, than some of his other works. 

The story was quite different from what I can remember of the musical adaptation which was nice because I could still be surprised by how events turned out and managed to read the book without too many songs going through my head. As a villain I thought that Bill Sikes, the man who leads Oliver in an attempt to rob a house, was particularly well done and his ultimate fate was deliciously dramatic. I found myself most heartbroken over the outcome of his dog. Overall, I thought the novel provided interesting commentary on 19th century London as Fagin attempts to corrupt Oliver:

"Having prepared his mind, by solitude and gloom, to prefer any society to the companionship of his own sad thoughts in such a dreary place, he was now slowly instilling into his soul the poison which he hoped would blacken it, and change its hue forever."

Oliver Twist contains a lot of evil characters who do not seek redemption for their actions and end the book just as corrupted as when they started which surprised me slightly in the sense that there wasn't a lot of character growth going on. Characters who started the book evil like Fagin, mostly stayed evil and those who began the book good, like Oliver, didn't really show temptation to change either.  There was one or two minor characters who didn't fit this norm, but overall it was the case. Ultimately Oliver Twist was a thrilling and exciting book to read because of the adventure that goes on, but lacked the emotional connection I craved because so many of the characters showed no growth throughout the novel.

Release Date: 1837
Pages: 554
Overall: 3.5/5
Source: Ebook (Free Online)
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The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins (Post #2)

This is the second of two posts on The Woman in White. To read the first post written halfway through the novel click here. Also, this post is more of a discussion of the book than a strict review and therefore contains SPOILERS. I have included a final paragraph which summarizes without any spoilers, the start of which is indicated. 

Although I had enjoyed the first half of The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, I was particularly excited going into the second half as that is where the action appears to pick up and I was definitely right. Even though the second half of the novel contains more action than the first, it is still told carefully and not at all rushed. However the reader is so drawn into the novel that even though there may be three hundred pages left, it becomes near-impossible to put down.

One aspect I particularly appreciated about the second half of The Woman in White was the fact that Collins made mention of the characters who had seemingly disappeared from the narrative, in particular Walter's sister, mother and friend. Walter explains that he has only included individuals when they are directly relevant to the story at hand, much like in a courtroom where only the necessary facts are presented. This both explained their absence, which had been bothering me, and emphasized the unique manner in which Collins tells the story of The Woman in White.

My initial impressions of most of the characters in the novel were not altered by the end of it. Overall I found Walter particularly bland, and lacked sympathy for Laura. I was disappointed that there were no more sections told from the perspective of Marian, given how much I enjoyed her narration style, but that was compensated for by one of my favourite portions of the novel- that written in the voice of Frederick Fairlie, Laura's anxious uncle. After previously introducing the reader to Frederick, it was both entertaining and enjoyable to hear the story told from his perspective. Frederick's section re-enforces whiny nature and includes such gems as:  

"Except when the refining process of Art judiciously removes from them all resemblance to Nature, I distinctly object to tears. Tears are scientifically described as a Secretion. I can understand that a secretion may be healthy or unhealthy, but I cannot see the interest of a secretion from a sentimental point of view."

At first I had been conflicted over Count Fosco, although he was clearly quite creepy I wasn't sure if he was going to be the villain in the story. However he most definitely is, and his under your skin type of evil is expertly captured by Collins. A memorable moment for me was when explaining his role in the hoax, he repeatedly says that he only used chemicals twice despite the fact that he could have easily murdered Laura based on his knowledge. The straightforward way he goes about stating this makes it seem as if he believes he should be commended for his kindhearted gesture in not murdering the girl. I absolutely adored his arrogance.

One of the most impressive aspects of The Woman in White is the fact that despite so many first person narrations being used Collins gives each character its own unique and distinct voice. The writing style alone makes it evident which person is speaking. When it comes to the story itself,  all the elements of the mystery all fell perfectly into place towards the ending of the novel, and although they may have fit slightly too perfectly, it only seemed fitting giving the amount of time Collins spent developing them. Also, even though the fate of the Count is probably the most convenient of these, I didn't find it bothered me because it was just so perfect for things to turn out that way for him.

SPOILER-FREE CONCLUSION:

Ultimately, I found The Woman in White to be a remarkably easy to read classic despite its length. The language flows easily, and while Collins is often wordy it allows for his biting sense of humour to come through. The novel certainly takes awhile to get started, but the result is that the reader really gets to know the characters involved. The characters themselves are well developed and believable, even if there two of the major ones, specifically Walter and Laura, got on my nerves at times. Overall, The Woman in White is an intricate and engaging novel and I certainly have plans to read more by Collins in the future.

Release Date: 1860
Pages: 672
Overall: 4/5
Source: Ebook (dailylit.com)
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The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins (Post #1)

Although I definitely have a large stack of contemporary books to read, I still wanted to spend 2011 making at least a small dent in the massive amount of classics I have yet to read. Classics are naturally a bit intimidating for me, so my first readalong was the perfect opportunity to knock one off the list. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins is being hosted as a readalong by Allie at A Literary Odyssey for the month of January and involves two blog posts- one halfway through the novel and one at the end of the book. I am reading The Woman in White as an ebook, available online through Dailylit.com, because of the convenience.  

The Woman in White is a mystery thriller which begins with an encounter between Walter Hartright and a strange woman dressed all in white. When Walter begins his job as a drawing master to the beautiful Laura Fairlie and her half-sister, the mannish but clever Marion Halcombe, he shares tells them what has happened and the three become determined to learn all they can about the woman in white, a task more dangerous than they could have imagined.

I admit I was hooked from the first sentence of this novel, which begins:

"This is the story of what a Woman’s patience can endure, and what a Man’s resolution can achieve."

In addition, the idea of unfolding a mystery like a courtroom drama, all the various voices which have their say, is extremely intriguing and original. Unfortunately so far I have found myself a bit impatient with the rate at which the mystery is unfolding, as enjoyable as Wilkie's rambles are, I often find myself wondering when the reader will finally begin to learn something more about the identity of the woman in white. That said, I have really been loving Wilkie's quirky comments and observations. For example:

"Women can resist a man’s love, a man’s fame, a man’s personal appearance, and a man’s money, but they cannot resist a man’s tongue when he knows how to talk to them."

Having made it just over halfway through The Woman in White I feel like the real action is just about to begin, and I am definitely excited for it. So far, I am finding myself indifferent to Laura who is repeatedly described as lovely and innocent but which basically just means she is boring. Similarly, Walter seems to be a pretty flat character, wanting to travel to the other side of the world if he can't be with Laura, but refusing to fight for her or even tell her how he feels. Marion on the other hand, is quite adamant that she is more like a man than a woman, which in this case actually means that she is a strong and stubborn character. Sir Percival Glyde has been expertly creepy from the beginning, and although I am conflicted over Count and Countess Fosco at the moment, I am certainly interested in what Collins has in store for them for the remainder of the novel.

Personally, I find Marion getting ill very suspicious and wonder if one of the other characters had a role in her sickness... Overall, The Woman in White has been off to a slow start but managed to keep my interest all the same and I am definitely anxious to see what the second half has in store, and especially curious about what exactly Sir Percival's terrible secret is and when the woman in white will show up again!