Pride and Prejudice

Angstrat and I had been toying with posting some movies and DVDs and since I seem to be unable to finish a book lately I though I'd take a crack at it. I went to Great Britain in 1997 (ten years ago!) as part of a college study abroad trip. While we where there our Brit Lit professor found out the BBC would be replaying this miniseries and basically moved heaven and earth to find a TV to watch it on. About a dozen (of both genders) of us watched with her, and became transfixed. I had read Pride and Prejudice before but because I'm an extremely literally minded person I hadn't really seen the humor in the book. Mr. Collins was a minster who came to Longbourne to propose to his cousin. ok. Now, watching the movie, I saw just how funny he and the Bennets could be. I also completely feel in love with Colin Firth's Darcy (along with every other woman on earth). I came home and got my husband, Angstrat and several other friends hooked on this great movie. My husband (then boyfriend) watched the first half (all I had rented) and said to me in a wail, "you HAVE to tell me what happens to Charlotte Lucas!!". This is a great adaptation, a great movie, and great fun.

Primary Colors

This book was originally published anonymously but Joe Klein has since admitted authorship. The story of a Southern governor and his steely wife’s ride through the campaign system not so subtly parallels that of the Clintons. The book (and movie of the same name) were hyped by this fact, especially since the presidential candidate is accused of fathering the baby of a black teenage girl. For me, however, the book works better as a look inside the day to day operations of a campaign on the road, the machinations and mercenary nature of the staff, and the truly strange ways we go about picking our nation’s leaders. The book was entertaining, though I wish some of the characters, especially Susan, the wife of the candidate, were more fleshed out.

A Beautiful Mind

This book is so much better than the movie. Sylvia Nasar captures the complexities of John Nash, the brilliant mathematician and schizophrenic. Nash's decline is difficult to read as we see him lose the very qualities and talents that defined him. Nasar also doesn't skip over the things the movie does in order to foster the love affair aspect, including Nash's homosexual affairs and child out of wedlock. Nash's slow climb to recovery in the 1990's is also inspiring. I also really liked the glimpse into the Nobel process, when the committee, wanting to honor a game theorist, contemplates the ramifications given Nash's mental illness.

Emma

If you haven't read Emma yet, I'm jealous, because the first time I read this book was such a treat for me. Unlike Jane Austen's best known book, Pride and Prejudice, the heroine of Emma is not entirely sympathetic. She's bit of a snob, she's a terrible meddler, she can't accurately "read" the people around her. But despite all of this, Emma is quite impressed with herself. Kind of like a real person. Kind of like me in fact (cough). And even though she's far from perfect, Emma triumphs in the end. Despite all of this, or maybe because of it, I loved this book more than P&P upon first reading. And I am sure everyone knows, this book was the inspiration for the movie Clueless. (PS just ignore my husband if he tries to tell you this book is boring- He's wrong!)

Little Children

I just saw this movie, which I felt was a pretty faithful adaptation of the book by Tom Perotta, which I read when it first came out. Sarah is a little bored as a stay-at-home mom and a little appalled at the other playground mothers and their air of perfection. When Todd, who the other mothers dub "The Prom King" shows up at the playground, Sarah boldly goes up to him and shocks even herself as she kisses him. Todd is the primary caregiver for his son. His wife thinks he is spending his evenings at the library studying for the bar exam, but he spends all his time watching teenage skateboarders, joining a touch football league, or passing out fliers about the child molester who has moved in to the neighborhood with an acquaintance who has become obsessed with the molester. Sarah and Todd start spending their afternoons at the pool with their children and begin an affair. Meanwhile, the child molester and his mother try to adjust to the turmoil. Like Election, also by Tom Perotta and turned into a great movie, there is a dark humor to this book as well as some great insights into the nature of suburbia and marriage.

The Godfather

As the Sopranos comes to a close, this pick, the beginning of America's Mafia obsession, seems appropriate. I picked this up in a used bookstore my freshman year in college and read it one afternoon. I think I maybe the only person to have read the book but not to have seen any of the movies. The book is one of those novels that transports you entirely into another world, where you become Michael Corleone, being drawn into the family business, almost, but not quite against your will. At 18, I found this book to be incredibly sophisticated, but maybe I might feel differently now. Plus, I still need to see these movies. PS, to show how deeply The Godfather is enmeshed in our culture, my spellcheck auto-corrected Corleone.

What Was She Thinking?: Notes on a Scandal

I just saw the movie version of this after having read the book when it first came out. Bohemian teacher Sheba Hart arrives to teach art at St. Georges school and old-timer Barbara soon takes her under her wing. Barbara becomes Sheba's confidante and writes about her in her journal with an obsessive intensity. When Barbara discovers Sheba's affair with a 15 year old student, she is first betrayed and then sees an opening to exploit her knowledge to get even closer to Sheba. The weight of this secret adds a creepier dimension to their relationship. Zoe Heller's book focuses little on the actual scandalous affair, and more on how this knowledge is used as currency in the lives of others. While the movie was also good, I preferred the novel's more nuanced approach and the greater glimpse into the character's motivations.

Bridget Jones's Diary

When I first heard about this book, I thought it sounded terrible. What real woman keeps track of her weight, how many cigarettes she smokes and how much she drinks everyday and celebrates or mourns accordingly. But reading it I was very pleasently surprised. Bridget is an Everyperson, struggling every day to fit in and behave herself in a socially acceptable manner (thin, in control and so on). As the book progress she learns to be more comfortable with herself and thus, grows happier. (and she meets Mr. Darcy. That helps too).

High Fidelity

After breaking up with Laura, Rob goes back to visit his "top-five breakups" in order to get some insight into his romantic life in Nick Hornby's wonderful novel. Rob has never quite grown up and his job as a record store owner lets him hang out with his friends and co-workers Dick and Barry as they discuss music and pop culture and compose endless top-five lists. Rob's quest to visit his exes is funny and cathartic but the record store scenes are really the novel's highlights. Hornby's book was Americanized brilliantly for the movie starring John Cusack and Jack Black. Rob is such a great character--a little immature, a little narcissistic, a little obsessed with music, a lot messed up but very lovable. In Hornby's world, it is not necessarily who we are, but what we like, that helps to determine compatibility. I think I'd get along with most Nick Hornby fans just fine.

Jarhead

Anthony Swofford is bracingly honest in this memoir of "the first Gulf War", as my copy calls it. He talks about all the emotions he passes through as part of a spotter-sniper unit in the Marine Corp, from fearful to bored to stir-crazy. He also is honest about the behavior of the Marines, which like any group run the gamut. He talks about how many Marines (at least the male marines of his acquaintance) cheat wildly on the women at home whenever given the opportunity, and are obsessed with thoughts of the wives and girlfriends cheating on them (sometimes with reason, sometimes not). He talks about the good and bad sides of life as a Marine (don't call them soldiers, they are Marines) and how his father's service during Vietnam shaped his own life and choices. A well written memoir that is better than the movie.

Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio

This book was recommended by a former member of my book club. She enjoyed this book because she likes nonfiction that makes her think about what she would do in such a situation. In Prize Winner, Evelyn Ryan is the mother of ten children and married to a violent husband. She comes up with an ingenious solution to help her family get by. She enters contests and frequently wins the small prizes--$25, a toaster, even a trip to New York and a sports car. Most of these contests are for writing jingles. The book is written by her daughter, Terry, who reflects upon her mother's perseverance and her father's anger. My friend especially liked this book because, as a pessimist herself, she enjoyed reading a book about an optimist that wasn't annoying.

The Painted Veil

W. Somerset Maugham's book is all over the place now with the recent movie version. I decided to pick it up because Maugham is an author I've been meaning to read for awhile. Kitty Fane is a shallow young woman who spurns all her suitors until her younger sister becomes engaged. She then accepts a proposal from Walter, a shy bacteriologist with whom she has nothing in common. The two marry and move to Hong Kong where Kitty embarks on an affair with a British official. When Walter finds out, he is devastated and takes Kitty with him to the middle of a cholera epidemic where he tends the sick and conducts research. Kitty considers this a death sentence, but finds that the experience gives her a chance to reflect upon her existence. Maugham is particularly good at conveying Kitty's awakening. I was also impressed with his use of dialogue and how much of a character is revealed in a short conversation. I will definitely look for more Maugham in the future. Next up on the list of authors I've been meaning to read: Graham Greene. Any suggestions on where to start?

The Man with the Golden Arm

This book, The Man with the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren was recommened by a guy who I worked with for three years before I learned how much he loves "gritty Chicago" stories. Growning up in Chicago (or as we say around here, "the city") he loves books set there and particularly loves this one, for the great protrayal of the dark side of city life including drugs, crime and just plain hard luck. This was aslo made into a movie staring Frank Sinatra.

Master and Commander

My husband LOVES this book. In fact he loves the whole series. Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brien is the first in a series of twenty novels (and a twenty-first unfinished novel) about sea captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin. The books are set in the Nepoleonic Era and follow the career of Aubrey as he rises through the ranks in the British navy. The books are full of details about history and boats, have lots of action, and depict a great friendship between Aubrey and Maturin, who serves as ship's doctor and Aubrey's closest advisor. If you have seen the movie, don't be suprised that the book is different, as it actually based on one of the later books in the series. Also check out Salon's Table Talk, there are many mentions of Stephen Maturin in the characters we love thread.