Reviews and Comments

I think modern readers will be tempted to say the style feels incomplete, but to me the stark elegance of the prose is really refreshing. Austen novels happen after you close the book because they ask a great deal of the imagination and reward you for it. It is no small feat to set up the expectation of subverting the expectations of a "gothic" novel, and yet somehow creating a mystery that keeps you turning the pages.

I loved it. Put in the time. Take a few minutes on hard sentences or paragraphs (english has changed), and it will really reward you.

There is no getting around Longfellow's bias, but the beauty of his poetry and the sympathy of his heart makes this worth reading. It is a lovely retelling of several Native myths, and I look forward to exploring the real thing.

"For those who believe every human heart is human."

I did not enjoy reading this as sociology often rubs me the wrong way, though I do recognize it's value. However, as a parent of two young kids, I am glad I read this. I hope this book will spark change, so that we can give the future a healthier childhood.

For me, reading Baldwin is less about the individual essays than the sentences and honest truths Baldwin reveals about himself and his subjects. Absolutely a "life writer" for me.

I am not a socialist, but I sympathize and agree with may of the problems that socialists point out. The fact that this book led Teddy Roosevelt to break up the Beef Trust is a significant fact. but as a novel I can't rate it any higher than three stars. The spectacle of human cruelty and nihilism is one of the most brutal I have ever read. If you have a family this will read like a horror novel. I'd say it is worth a read as part of history, if you are prepared for it. I am glad to have read it, but I had to pace myself. It is not a good novel, but it wasn't really meant to be a good novel so much as an agent of change. It will make it hard for you to unsee the familiar patterns of greed that grind humans into meat for profit. We might not be doing it literally anymore (which is an improvement), but we're still doing it.

I hate to say it, but this is a rare case where the movie was better than the book for me. I did enjoy getting some of his Dad and more of Inigo and Fezzik's backstory, but despite the fact that Goldman says that he has "always thought of himself as a novelist," this just feels like a very weird novelized screenplay. It's fun, and perhaps my experience was ruined by seeing the movie first many times. I just felt that the fourth wall shtick got very old very fast, and that it wasn't that funny to begin with. He really overstayed his welcome at the end with the "second abridgement," and his inventing of super hot younger women who are totally into him has aged like milk. I guess if you are into snark then you will be into it, I just think the movie works better because it removes the narrator into the much more heartwarming character of his Dad/Grandad.

Favorite quote: "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles."

"Sounds okay I guess."

This book made me a fan of Dickens. His bewildering style is not my cup of tea, but I have finally come to respect and appreciate his talent. Don't try to write like him. I cried at the end.