Day 121
15.152 read, -1.056
A Game of Thrones 252-289
April 28th
Day 119
14.247 read, -1.137
A Game of Thrones 43-124
So, I started Game of Thrones yesterday but that was mostly catch-up, because originally, last year, I'd already read a "preview" of it from B&N (back when I had a nook, my first e-reader; I now have a Sony) that lasted through the first few chapters.
It'd been long enough that I thought I better start from scratch, especially since I hadn't read that much to begin with. So today I finally passed the point I had already read to.
I'm not usually a fantasy person, but what originally interested me in it (and I only ever first heard of it early last year) was the idea that seasons only change once every several years. That's a fantastic idea. Could you imagine living in a world where it's summer for years or winter for years? It's so cool to try and imagine, and imagine how life would be different in those circumstances. And then, I knew the book also had great reviews and (at the time) was just being made into a new tv show for the premium channel HBO which is often known for quality series.
But last year I read less the entire year than I've already read in four months this year and I was always trying to catch up with the book club selections, so I never got to Game of Thrones. And it was ONE VOTE away from winning the fantasy vote last year, but I'm glad it didn't. Because the Name of the Wind beat it, and I ended up loving that one; it was really a fantastic book.
So here we are then, I'm finally to it, finally caught up past where I got to. And it still took me a little while to get into it. As always, I read slow at first, really wrapping my mind around the world and situations. And spending a lot of time referencing the map. It's at the beginning of the book, but because of damn e-readers limitations and the same limitations I suppose on my Sony reader library software on my computer, the maps show up too fuzzy to read. It's happened on almost all pdfs. It's a pain in the ass and I can't wait until I finally get around to getting a new e-reader. The Sony 950 is really a top of the line e-reader but a nook tablet or Kindle Fire would hopefully read pdfs better and less fuzzy (and they'll be faster which is another pet peeve I have about the 950). Oh, and before you wonder, yes of course I tried zooming; it zooms bigger and then you just see the same fuzzy unreadable words, only bigger. And it's happened on many books with maps, not just this one (for instance, also the Lattimore Iliad which had maps of Ancient Greek cities and that was a real pita also)
Anyway...so I had to use my smartphone and find the same maps online and then I bookmarked it and kept referring back to it, and did that a lot since wow this Martin guy is nothing if not expansive. I don't think he can go a page without managing to somehow mention a brand new place or person in passing. I suppose it's not necessary to find all the place names on the map, but I like to.
What's funny is, you're reading, sort of waiting for the real story to begin, as you start to realise that this is all just the set-up happening now at Winterfell, that the real story begins once they get back to King's Landing, and then bam, the real story was already happening. *spoiler* I can't believe Bran got pushed off the ledge and is possibly dying now! Unexpected.
So that bodes well for the book. I like books that can surprise in a well-written way. His writing isn't perfect, but his world-building so far is pretty superb. And I get why they call Jon Snow "bastard" all the time (different world where it's more accepted) but still, come on, I think Martin overdoes it. I was just picturing some comedy skit, such as on Saturday Night Live, making fun of Game of Thrones, where everyone calls Jon Snow bastard too much and at the wrong times. Because in the book it does verge on excessive.
If I were to guess about the tv show, I'd say the first or second episode ends with Bran being pushed out the window, as that's the most surprising thing so far.
14.247 read, -1.137
A Game of Thrones 43-124
So, I started Game of Thrones yesterday but that was mostly catch-up, because originally, last year, I'd already read a "preview" of it from B&N (back when I had a nook, my first e-reader; I now have a Sony) that lasted through the first few chapters.
It'd been long enough that I thought I better start from scratch, especially since I hadn't read that much to begin with. So today I finally passed the point I had already read to.
I'm not usually a fantasy person, but what originally interested me in it (and I only ever first heard of it early last year) was the idea that seasons only change once every several years. That's a fantastic idea. Could you imagine living in a world where it's summer for years or winter for years? It's so cool to try and imagine, and imagine how life would be different in those circumstances. And then, I knew the book also had great reviews and (at the time) was just being made into a new tv show for the premium channel HBO which is often known for quality series.
But last year I read less the entire year than I've already read in four months this year and I was always trying to catch up with the book club selections, so I never got to Game of Thrones. And it was ONE VOTE away from winning the fantasy vote last year, but I'm glad it didn't. Because the Name of the Wind beat it, and I ended up loving that one; it was really a fantastic book.
So here we are then, I'm finally to it, finally caught up past where I got to. And it still took me a little while to get into it. As always, I read slow at first, really wrapping my mind around the world and situations. And spending a lot of time referencing the map. It's at the beginning of the book, but because of damn e-readers limitations and the same limitations I suppose on my Sony reader library software on my computer, the maps show up too fuzzy to read. It's happened on almost all pdfs. It's a pain in the ass and I can't wait until I finally get around to getting a new e-reader. The Sony 950 is really a top of the line e-reader but a nook tablet or Kindle Fire would hopefully read pdfs better and less fuzzy (and they'll be faster which is another pet peeve I have about the 950). Oh, and before you wonder, yes of course I tried zooming; it zooms bigger and then you just see the same fuzzy unreadable words, only bigger. And it's happened on many books with maps, not just this one (for instance, also the Lattimore Iliad which had maps of Ancient Greek cities and that was a real pita also)
Anyway...so I had to use my smartphone and find the same maps online and then I bookmarked it and kept referring back to it, and did that a lot since wow this Martin guy is nothing if not expansive. I don't think he can go a page without managing to somehow mention a brand new place or person in passing. I suppose it's not necessary to find all the place names on the map, but I like to.
What's funny is, you're reading, sort of waiting for the real story to begin, as you start to realise that this is all just the set-up happening now at Winterfell, that the real story begins once they get back to King's Landing, and then bam, the real story was already happening. *spoiler* I can't believe Bran got pushed off the ledge and is possibly dying now! Unexpected.
So that bodes well for the book. I like books that can surprise in a well-written way. His writing isn't perfect, but his world-building so far is pretty superb. And I get why they call Jon Snow "bastard" all the time (different world where it's more accepted) but still, come on, I think Martin overdoes it. I was just picturing some comedy skit, such as on Saturday Night Live, making fun of Game of Thrones, where everyone calls Jon Snow bastard too much and at the wrong times. Because in the book it does verge on excessive.
If I were to guess about the tv show, I'd say the first or second episode ends with Bran being pushed out the window, as that's the most surprising thing so far.
April 27th
Day 118
14.165 read, -1.219
Sylvie and Bruno Complete 385-412, 209-215
A Game of Thrones 9-42
Finished Sylvie and Bruno and at the end, it turns out that *spoiler* the doctor doesn't die.
Then I had to decide on something else to read. It was a pity that the mobileread vote still wouldn't end for a day (tomorrow night) and I wasn't absolutely positive what would win, so I had to pick something else. Also, the Odyssey read is starting very soon and I would start on that, but the Companion I ordered isn't here yet.
So I went back to my challenge list. I'm now starting to make good work of it, with A Room with a View, Sylvie and Bruno and Sylvie and Bruno Concluded finished. Only ten left. I had thought of going with a half-read one since very soon I'll have a lot on my plate to read (mobileread selection tomorrow, the Odyssey in a few days, and the lit club selection soon after). But both are long (Middlemarch and Anna Karenina), so even just reading half would take awhile.
And then, I didn't want to read another Carroll just after reading two (and I'm still waiting the Annotated Hunting of the Snark to arrive via snail mail as my next Carroll). And I'm planning on waiting to read Ulysses once I've read the Odyssey and possibly as part of a group read later this year.
Well, that only left three possibilites...and all fantasy! Which I wasn't particularly excited about reading just before a book club fantasy selection. I decided against the second Name of the Wind as being too long for just right now and that I might really want to go ahead and read the third right after, and there's too much coming up soon to read. So that left the second Hunger Games or the first Game of Thrones.
I should've gone with the second Hunger Games. It is shorter and a quick read. But I also thought after reading it, I might want to go ahead and read the third right away. And I've been meaning to read Game of Thrones *forever* and I still have a friend who's now watching the next season on tv and still waiting for me to read it and finally start watching the show with them.
So I chose Game of Thrones and downloaded it. And then started it and happened to notice the total pages. Over 800! Holy crap! *head smack* So my whole selection process today centred around trying to choose one that's somewhat shorter since it's a busy reading period coming up. And then I go and unwittingly choose what's probably the longest book on my challenge list! (not counting Anna Karenina, which I've already read half of, so GoT is longer than half of Anna Karenina too)
I considered switching my selection, but I already had it downloaded and ready to go, and I really do want to finally read it, and once I decide on something, I usually like to follow through if possible.
So there we have it. Game of Thrones, then Neverwhere (which did end up winning the vote) and the Odyssey too! Game of Thrones and Neverwhere and Odyssey, oh my! Lots of fantasy and long books on the horizon. Even so, I am still excited for it all.
14.165 read, -1.219
Sylvie and Bruno Complete 385-412, 209-215
A Game of Thrones 9-42
Finished Sylvie and Bruno and at the end, it turns out that *spoiler* the doctor doesn't die.
Then I had to decide on something else to read. It was a pity that the mobileread vote still wouldn't end for a day (tomorrow night) and I wasn't absolutely positive what would win, so I had to pick something else. Also, the Odyssey read is starting very soon and I would start on that, but the Companion I ordered isn't here yet.
So I went back to my challenge list. I'm now starting to make good work of it, with A Room with a View, Sylvie and Bruno and Sylvie and Bruno Concluded finished. Only ten left. I had thought of going with a half-read one since very soon I'll have a lot on my plate to read (mobileread selection tomorrow, the Odyssey in a few days, and the lit club selection soon after). But both are long (Middlemarch and Anna Karenina), so even just reading half would take awhile.
And then, I didn't want to read another Carroll just after reading two (and I'm still waiting the Annotated Hunting of the Snark to arrive via snail mail as my next Carroll). And I'm planning on waiting to read Ulysses once I've read the Odyssey and possibly as part of a group read later this year.
Well, that only left three possibilites...and all fantasy! Which I wasn't particularly excited about reading just before a book club fantasy selection. I decided against the second Name of the Wind as being too long for just right now and that I might really want to go ahead and read the third right after, and there's too much coming up soon to read. So that left the second Hunger Games or the first Game of Thrones.
I should've gone with the second Hunger Games. It is shorter and a quick read. But I also thought after reading it, I might want to go ahead and read the third right away. And I've been meaning to read Game of Thrones *forever* and I still have a friend who's now watching the next season on tv and still waiting for me to read it and finally start watching the show with them.
So I chose Game of Thrones and downloaded it. And then started it and happened to notice the total pages. Over 800! Holy crap! *head smack* So my whole selection process today centred around trying to choose one that's somewhat shorter since it's a busy reading period coming up. And then I go and unwittingly choose what's probably the longest book on my challenge list! (not counting Anna Karenina, which I've already read half of, so GoT is longer than half of Anna Karenina too)
I considered switching my selection, but I already had it downloaded and ready to go, and I really do want to finally read it, and once I decide on something, I usually like to follow through if possible.
So there we have it. Game of Thrones, then Neverwhere (which did end up winning the vote) and the Odyssey too! Game of Thrones and Neverwhere and Odyssey, oh my! Lots of fantasy and long books on the horizon. Even so, I am still excited for it all.
April 26th
Day 117
14.096 read, -1.246
Sylvie and Bruno Complete 229-384
Wow, some great things happening today! First, I read 156 pages, a record for this year! This may end up being the day with the most pages read for the entire year, since once I catch up to my goal I think I'll slow down a bit. It was an easy read though; Sylvie and Bruno is pretty quick and easy.
Second, I'm now at 14 books read! Woohoo.
Third, I'm now less than two books behind my goal! Right now I'm 1 book and 246 pages behind the goal. And that puts me squarely back in the range of how far behind I was at times before the "long break" I took last month.
So I got a three-fer today! :D Now looking forward to getting less than 1 book behind my goal, and then looking forward to finally catching up with it!
The book is going well, and actually, I think Sylvie and Bruno Concluded is a better book than Sylvie and Bruno, though it is very similar. It's actually much more adult and serious than the first one, so it that way is even odder than the first one. And he really outdoes himself with subject matter, ranging from political philosphy (he's against Socialism) to the possible boredom and depression of eternal life (he thinks we can't ponder eternal life because it's like a baby pondering adult matters) to charity (he's against just giving your extra money and feeling good about it) to the true nature of sin (he thinks a murderer may be less guilty than one who can't resist a tiny and easily resistable temptation) to eugenics (and, oddly, discussed by a German or anyway an alien man with a German title, and Carroll doesn't really make his opinion on the matter fully clear) and on and on. But while the good doctor still lectures sometimes like in the first book, Carroll's better in this book about dividing the way the subjects are discussed and presenting them less lecture-like, and I think the subjects he chooses are interesting to consider.
And then there's the death again. Wow, he really pulls no punches. *spoiler alert* If you think what I've described of a "children's" book sounds odd, so far, wait until you hear what's next. So, the doctor never left for India like he was planning in the first book and the lady broke off her engagement to the cousin because her cousin wasn't "Christian" enough. So then the doctor (the "hero" of the story) and the lady become engaged. Then, in the fisherman's section of the village, a terrible illness breaks out similar to the Black Plague. They manage to confine it to that one area though.
The night of the engagement party for the doctor and the lady, officials come to tell the doctor that the doctor in the fisherman's village has also died from the plague and that they need a doctor to come. He knows it means almost certain death if he goes but he does decide to go, saying it's his duty. He and the lady marry the next morning in a quickie ceremony just before he leaves for the quarantined fisherman's village.
He does die in the village, and in what I think was a nicely contrasted scene, when the narrator meets the lady in the cemetery months later in her mourning clothes, she falls down on the ground and says the exact same words that Sylvie said when she flung herself on the ground beside the dead hare. Something about "Oh, you're life should've been so beautiful" or some such.
So, a very strange turn of events for a children's book. I really thought it'd end with the doctor and lady married and happy at the end. As Carroll wrote in an Alice book, "Curiouser and curiouser". But, in thinking it over, it does make sense from a religious duty viewpoint. It's obvious he wanted to infuse his religious thoughts in these two books, and so if you look at if from a religious morals viewpoint, it makes more sense. He wanted to present a scene that showed how moral and how far the doctor was willing to go to help others, which would go hand in hand with the charity discussion they had earlier in the book. And while secular books would obviously usually shy away from death discussions in children's books, when you add the religious element, people are much more likely to discuss death with children then, thinking they need to learn how to approach the thought of it and to illustrate religious principles and sacrifice, which is exactly the reason it happens here.
Anyway, I'm near the end now, and the narrator is finally back in Outland and we're finally dealing with the Sub-Warden and his wife again (who are now Emperor and Empress). I was wondering if they were going to come back or if that section had been completely forgotten.
In fact, it's all given a very nice sandwiched effect that I'm only now seeing at the end and I like it. Meaning, first it starts with the narrator in Outland, almost invisible to everyone, and the Outland drama. Then Sylvie and Bruno recognise the narrator and get him to go with them outside and eventually he watches them become fairies.
Then it changes to where he meets them as fairies and they treat him as a visitor/guest (not invisible) and play with him. Then, they show up in the real world, being able to go there and become bigger and visible to other humans.
Then it all reverses quickly. They're in the real world, then they disappear. Then after the doctor dies, he takes a walk with the lady where they both finally reveal that they both believe in fairies and then here comes Sylvie and Bruno for both of them to see, singing. And this time the humans are invisible to the fairies and after Sylvie and Bruno walk out of sight, the lady remarks that they're gone from that world for good.
And then, finally, they're back in Outland, and, as at the beginning of the first book, the narrator is as if invisible there, or rather ignored, and Sylvie and Bruno have come back for a banquet the Emperor and Empress are having.
And that's where I'm at. Full circle if you will. I suppose the end will deal with the Emperor and Empress tricking Sylvie and Bruno's father out of being the ruler of Outland (though he's now the king of Fairyland and hasn't been seen for much of the book).
I plan to finish this tomorrow (only about 30 pages left) and not sure what I'll start on next. If I were sure which book would win the mobileread vote I'd start on it, but I'm not. It's fantasy month and there's a three way run-off between Neverwhere, Kraken and The King of Elfland's Daughter. I am rooting for the King of Elfland but it's a very close vote and at the moment Neverwhere is in the lead by one vote. I suspected before the run-off vote went up and I still suspect that Neverwhere will win, unfortunately. But I can't be sure, so tomorrow after Sylvie and Bruno I'll be starting *something* else, I'm just not sure what.
14.096 read, -1.246
Sylvie and Bruno Complete 229-384
Wow, some great things happening today! First, I read 156 pages, a record for this year! This may end up being the day with the most pages read for the entire year, since once I catch up to my goal I think I'll slow down a bit. It was an easy read though; Sylvie and Bruno is pretty quick and easy.
Second, I'm now at 14 books read! Woohoo.
Third, I'm now less than two books behind my goal! Right now I'm 1 book and 246 pages behind the goal. And that puts me squarely back in the range of how far behind I was at times before the "long break" I took last month.
So I got a three-fer today! :D Now looking forward to getting less than 1 book behind my goal, and then looking forward to finally catching up with it!
The book is going well, and actually, I think Sylvie and Bruno Concluded is a better book than Sylvie and Bruno, though it is very similar. It's actually much more adult and serious than the first one, so it that way is even odder than the first one. And he really outdoes himself with subject matter, ranging from political philosphy (he's against Socialism) to the possible boredom and depression of eternal life (he thinks we can't ponder eternal life because it's like a baby pondering adult matters) to charity (he's against just giving your extra money and feeling good about it) to the true nature of sin (he thinks a murderer may be less guilty than one who can't resist a tiny and easily resistable temptation) to eugenics (and, oddly, discussed by a German or anyway an alien man with a German title, and Carroll doesn't really make his opinion on the matter fully clear) and on and on. But while the good doctor still lectures sometimes like in the first book, Carroll's better in this book about dividing the way the subjects are discussed and presenting them less lecture-like, and I think the subjects he chooses are interesting to consider.
And then there's the death again. Wow, he really pulls no punches. *spoiler alert* If you think what I've described of a "children's" book sounds odd, so far, wait until you hear what's next. So, the doctor never left for India like he was planning in the first book and the lady broke off her engagement to the cousin because her cousin wasn't "Christian" enough. So then the doctor (the "hero" of the story) and the lady become engaged. Then, in the fisherman's section of the village, a terrible illness breaks out similar to the Black Plague. They manage to confine it to that one area though.
The night of the engagement party for the doctor and the lady, officials come to tell the doctor that the doctor in the fisherman's village has also died from the plague and that they need a doctor to come. He knows it means almost certain death if he goes but he does decide to go, saying it's his duty. He and the lady marry the next morning in a quickie ceremony just before he leaves for the quarantined fisherman's village.
He does die in the village, and in what I think was a nicely contrasted scene, when the narrator meets the lady in the cemetery months later in her mourning clothes, she falls down on the ground and says the exact same words that Sylvie said when she flung herself on the ground beside the dead hare. Something about "Oh, you're life should've been so beautiful" or some such.
So, a very strange turn of events for a children's book. I really thought it'd end with the doctor and lady married and happy at the end. As Carroll wrote in an Alice book, "Curiouser and curiouser". But, in thinking it over, it does make sense from a religious duty viewpoint. It's obvious he wanted to infuse his religious thoughts in these two books, and so if you look at if from a religious morals viewpoint, it makes more sense. He wanted to present a scene that showed how moral and how far the doctor was willing to go to help others, which would go hand in hand with the charity discussion they had earlier in the book. And while secular books would obviously usually shy away from death discussions in children's books, when you add the religious element, people are much more likely to discuss death with children then, thinking they need to learn how to approach the thought of it and to illustrate religious principles and sacrifice, which is exactly the reason it happens here.
Anyway, I'm near the end now, and the narrator is finally back in Outland and we're finally dealing with the Sub-Warden and his wife again (who are now Emperor and Empress). I was wondering if they were going to come back or if that section had been completely forgotten.
In fact, it's all given a very nice sandwiched effect that I'm only now seeing at the end and I like it. Meaning, first it starts with the narrator in Outland, almost invisible to everyone, and the Outland drama. Then Sylvie and Bruno recognise the narrator and get him to go with them outside and eventually he watches them become fairies.
Then it changes to where he meets them as fairies and they treat him as a visitor/guest (not invisible) and play with him. Then, they show up in the real world, being able to go there and become bigger and visible to other humans.
Then it all reverses quickly. They're in the real world, then they disappear. Then after the doctor dies, he takes a walk with the lady where they both finally reveal that they both believe in fairies and then here comes Sylvie and Bruno for both of them to see, singing. And this time the humans are invisible to the fairies and after Sylvie and Bruno walk out of sight, the lady remarks that they're gone from that world for good.
And then, finally, they're back in Outland, and, as at the beginning of the first book, the narrator is as if invisible there, or rather ignored, and Sylvie and Bruno have come back for a banquet the Emperor and Empress are having.
And that's where I'm at. Full circle if you will. I suppose the end will deal with the Emperor and Empress tricking Sylvie and Bruno's father out of being the ruler of Outland (though he's now the king of Fairyland and hasn't been seen for much of the book).
I plan to finish this tomorrow (only about 30 pages left) and not sure what I'll start on next. If I were sure which book would win the mobileread vote I'd start on it, but I'm not. It's fantasy month and there's a three way run-off between Neverwhere, Kraken and The King of Elfland's Daughter. I am rooting for the King of Elfland but it's a very close vote and at the moment Neverwhere is in the lead by one vote. I suspected before the run-off vote went up and I still suspect that Neverwhere will win, unfortunately. But I can't be sure, so tomorrow after Sylvie and Bruno I'll be starting *something* else, I'm just not sure what.
April 25th
Day 116
13.200 read, -2.100
Sylvie and Bruno Complete 225-228
Rare recent slow day, only 4 pages read, and oddly even numbers (both ending in double zeros!)
13.200 read, -2.100
Sylvie and Bruno Complete 225-228
Rare recent slow day, only 4 pages read, and oddly even numbers (both ending in double zeros!)
April 24th
Day 115
13.196 read, -2.062
Sylvie and Bruno Complete 121-208, 9-17, 216-224
Today I have reached the halfway mark in catching up! The farthest behind I became this year so far was -4.171 or 4 books and 171 pages behind on April 3rd. So half of that is 2 books and 85.5 pages and now I'm below that at -2.062 or 2 books and 62 pages. It's a good feeling to know I'm working on catching up and have gotten farther than halfway from my most behind moment now. It's just a matter of time until I'm completely caught up!
I finished Sylvie and Bruno today, which ends somewhat abruptly and strangely. Then I went back and read Carroll's own preface to it. Then I started on Sylvie and Bruno Concluded, the sequel that in the same volume (starts page 216).
I have to say, Sylvie and Bruno is quite an odd mixture. It's got the nonsense and whimsy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland but he also approaches it from a perspective of "esoteric Buddhism" and he includes some sombre and serious passages on death, philosophy and proper Christianity. What I mean by "esoteric Buddhism" (that's in his own words in a preface) is that he uses that principle in the structure of the book. in transference of physical form, as to how humans and fairies can interact. Specifically, in this book he uses first person for an old man and this old man keeps randomly crossing over from the real world to the fairy world and sometimes he's a part of the scene and sometimes it's as if he's invisible. Sometimes someone else will be in the middle of a sentence and then suddenly he'll find that he's in the other world and a character from the other world is finishing the sentence.
In that way though it's quite Carrollian really, employing a similar fantastic quality that the Alice books have. Later in the book he gives hints that perhaps the fairy world is only when he "falls asleep" and even says the transference is best when it's very hot and you're somewhat sleepy. But he doesn't bother following any rules he's made up really, as at one point he ends up with a time travel watch in the real world which he uses.
The sombre aspects though are what really differentiate it from the Alice books. The tone will change suddenly too. One chapter he's flitting about with Sylvie and Bruno in the fairyland, hearing silly songs just like Alice might have, then the next chapter he's sitting in the real world with his adult friends, having a very serious conversation on the proper way to behave on the Christian sabbath that sounds a bit like a lecture.
Then there's the death stuff. At one point little fairy Bruno whimsically uses a dead mouse (ew!) to measure distances as if he uses it all the time, and reclines on it when he's resting. Later on, the old narrator and Sylvie come across a dead hare that she cries over and that was apparently "scared to death" while hunters chased it, and he makes his anti-hunting views known. And the narrator is old and also ponders his own death at points too.
Then there's the strange story (for a children's book) in the "real world", which is that the narrator has a bad heart and is coming to see his young friend, a doctor, at a seaside village for rest and relaxation. There is a wonderful young woman who lives in the village, a lady, that the doctor is in love with and sees often. Though he sees her often in visits that include the narrator and the lady's father, he hasn't told her that he loves her yet and is waiting for some reason. Later in the story, a handsome young gentleman turns up that at first worries the doctor but turns out to be the lady's cousin, so he worries no more. But then, later it is revealed by the father that the lady and the cousin are basically a couple and that they're about to be engaged. So, in a fit of despair, the doctor decides to take a position in India. And this is how the book ends. The last chapter is even titled something like "Look Eastward" as the doctor and the old narrator have one final meeting before the doctor's departure discussing his plans in India.
Strange, no? I'm assuming these things will be corrected in the sequel, but when he published this book, no one knew there would be a sequel, so this was the end as far as many were concerned. And I know in past time periods that cousins marrying was more socially acceptable, but it still confused me. Because first when he finds out that they're cousins, he's worried no more, as if it's obvious that cousins won't marry (as we would think today). Yet later on that logic is out the window and they are engaged and no one minds. Huh? So is it acceptable then or not?
And the doctor character is quite a prig. He's the "hero" perhaps you'd say of the "real world" story, and at every visit with the lady, her father and the narrator (which is generally what's happening in most "real world" scenes), he's often going off on tangents to "teach" them things, with the lady listening in enjoyment and wonder like an eager pupil. This is where we get most of the serious scenes on Christianity in particular (there's not that many really, but they do stand out in a book like this).
All in all an oddity. I suppose the sequel will be more of the same but with a better conclusion. This book isn't terrible though, if I've given you that impression. It's odd and actually pretty interesting in its oddity, and a pretty quick read as well. And I like Carroll's ingenuity, that he's willing to play with perceived notions of genre. Not that he makes a splendid success of it here, but nonetheless it's interesting.
13.196 read, -2.062
Sylvie and Bruno Complete 121-208, 9-17, 216-224
Today I have reached the halfway mark in catching up! The farthest behind I became this year so far was -4.171 or 4 books and 171 pages behind on April 3rd. So half of that is 2 books and 85.5 pages and now I'm below that at -2.062 or 2 books and 62 pages. It's a good feeling to know I'm working on catching up and have gotten farther than halfway from my most behind moment now. It's just a matter of time until I'm completely caught up!
I finished Sylvie and Bruno today, which ends somewhat abruptly and strangely. Then I went back and read Carroll's own preface to it. Then I started on Sylvie and Bruno Concluded, the sequel that in the same volume (starts page 216).
I have to say, Sylvie and Bruno is quite an odd mixture. It's got the nonsense and whimsy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland but he also approaches it from a perspective of "esoteric Buddhism" and he includes some sombre and serious passages on death, philosophy and proper Christianity. What I mean by "esoteric Buddhism" (that's in his own words in a preface) is that he uses that principle in the structure of the book. in transference of physical form, as to how humans and fairies can interact. Specifically, in this book he uses first person for an old man and this old man keeps randomly crossing over from the real world to the fairy world and sometimes he's a part of the scene and sometimes it's as if he's invisible. Sometimes someone else will be in the middle of a sentence and then suddenly he'll find that he's in the other world and a character from the other world is finishing the sentence.
In that way though it's quite Carrollian really, employing a similar fantastic quality that the Alice books have. Later in the book he gives hints that perhaps the fairy world is only when he "falls asleep" and even says the transference is best when it's very hot and you're somewhat sleepy. But he doesn't bother following any rules he's made up really, as at one point he ends up with a time travel watch in the real world which he uses.
The sombre aspects though are what really differentiate it from the Alice books. The tone will change suddenly too. One chapter he's flitting about with Sylvie and Bruno in the fairyland, hearing silly songs just like Alice might have, then the next chapter he's sitting in the real world with his adult friends, having a very serious conversation on the proper way to behave on the Christian sabbath that sounds a bit like a lecture.
Then there's the death stuff. At one point little fairy Bruno whimsically uses a dead mouse (ew!) to measure distances as if he uses it all the time, and reclines on it when he's resting. Later on, the old narrator and Sylvie come across a dead hare that she cries over and that was apparently "scared to death" while hunters chased it, and he makes his anti-hunting views known. And the narrator is old and also ponders his own death at points too.
Then there's the strange story (for a children's book) in the "real world", which is that the narrator has a bad heart and is coming to see his young friend, a doctor, at a seaside village for rest and relaxation. There is a wonderful young woman who lives in the village, a lady, that the doctor is in love with and sees often. Though he sees her often in visits that include the narrator and the lady's father, he hasn't told her that he loves her yet and is waiting for some reason. Later in the story, a handsome young gentleman turns up that at first worries the doctor but turns out to be the lady's cousin, so he worries no more. But then, later it is revealed by the father that the lady and the cousin are basically a couple and that they're about to be engaged. So, in a fit of despair, the doctor decides to take a position in India. And this is how the book ends. The last chapter is even titled something like "Look Eastward" as the doctor and the old narrator have one final meeting before the doctor's departure discussing his plans in India.
Strange, no? I'm assuming these things will be corrected in the sequel, but when he published this book, no one knew there would be a sequel, so this was the end as far as many were concerned. And I know in past time periods that cousins marrying was more socially acceptable, but it still confused me. Because first when he finds out that they're cousins, he's worried no more, as if it's obvious that cousins won't marry (as we would think today). Yet later on that logic is out the window and they are engaged and no one minds. Huh? So is it acceptable then or not?
And the doctor character is quite a prig. He's the "hero" perhaps you'd say of the "real world" story, and at every visit with the lady, her father and the narrator (which is generally what's happening in most "real world" scenes), he's often going off on tangents to "teach" them things, with the lady listening in enjoyment and wonder like an eager pupil. This is where we get most of the serious scenes on Christianity in particular (there's not that many really, but they do stand out in a book like this).
All in all an oddity. I suppose the sequel will be more of the same but with a better conclusion. This book isn't terrible though, if I've given you that impression. It's odd and actually pretty interesting in its oddity, and a pretty quick read as well. And I like Carroll's ingenuity, that he's willing to play with perceived notions of genre. Not that he makes a splendid success of it here, but nonetheless it's interesting.
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