June 2018 Wrap Up

Books Read:
Measure for Measure  by William Shakespeare  4/5 stars  (my review here)

Heat and Dust  by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala  3/5 stars
This novel simultaneously tells the story of Olivia, living in India during the 1920s, and an unnamed woman, who comes to India some forty years later, trying to piece together Olivia's life from her letters.  It goes back and forth between the third person narrative of Olivia's life, and the first person narrator who details both her current life in India and her search for Olivia's past.  Jhabvala is a fine writer, and her prose is excellent.  The stories didn't flow together as well as expected, however, and neither was engrossing.

Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves  4/5 stars  (my review here)

Audio Books Completed:
Decline and Fall  by Evelyn Waugh  4/5 stars  (my review here)

Spotlight  by Patricia Wentworth  3/5 stars
A blackmailer is murdered during a house party, and Miss Silver helps the police with the investigation.  This follows Wentworth's standard formula (young girl becomes involved in a police investigation, seeks Miss Silver's help, and finds love in the end), but is still a relatively good mystery.  The murder itself, though, wasn't fully credible, lowering the rating.

You Sent Me a Letter by Lucy Dawson  4/5 stars
Sophie is awakened in the middle of the night by an intruder with a letter that is to be opened at her birthday party the following night; if she doesn't, her family will be hurt.  This psychological thriller drags a little about three-quarters of the way through, but other than that it is a stressful, intense read that will keep the reader guessing.

Men at Arms by Evelyn Waugh  4/5 stars
The first of Waugh's "Sword of Honor" trilogy, Men at Arms follows Guy Crouchback as he attempts to join the Army at the beginning of WWII.  While a serious novel, Waugh's understated humor and masterful satire make this a good read.

Silent Child by Sarah A. Denzil  4/5 stars  (my review here)

I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll  4/5 stars  (my review here)

Officers and Gentlemen by Evelyn Waugh  4/5 stars
In this second of the "Sword of Honor" trilogy, Guy Crouchback is assigned to a commando unit, then is involved with the messy retreat after the Battle of Crete.  (See Men at Arms above.)

Did Not Finish:
Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
Lawson's memoir did not resonate with me like her five star book about mental illness (Furiously Happy).  It was funny in parts, but some bits that were intended to be humorous just didn't work for me.

Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare

Isabella by Francis William Topham (1888)

Measure for Measure
William Shakespeare
c. 1603-04
4/5 stars

Antonio, left in charge by the Duke of Vienna, resurrects an old law that makes fornication punishible by death, and arrests Claudio under said law.  Claudio's sister, Isabella (a novice nun), comes to Antonio to plead for her brother's life.  Antonio becomes obsessed with her, and offers her Claudio's life for her virginity.

This play discusses corrupt government, attitudes toward sex and morality, and mercy versus judgement.  Antonio has an excellent soliloquy in which he turns from an upright man into a man consumed with lust.  The ending makes everything come right, but leaves the viewer wondering if it is really a happy ending.


Read for the Classics Club.

May 2018 Wrap Up

Books Read:
Dangerous Mystic by Joel F. Harrington   5/5 stars  (my review here)

If on a winter's night a traveler by Italo Calvino    3/5 stars (my review here)

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare   4/5 stars  (my review here)

The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson  4/5 stars  (my review here)

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare  1/5 stars  (my discussion here)

The Householder by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala   5/5 stars  (my review here)

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare  4/5 stars  (my review here)

du Maurier

Audio Books Completed:
The Scapegoat by Daphne du Maurier    4/5 stars
John and Jean meet and are struck by their identical looks.  Jean takes the other's identity, leaving John to deal with the Frenchman's demanding family.  This is a well-executed, gripping novel that makes the reader eager to read on.  Du Maurier's ability to write natural, believable people and their reactions to extraordinary circumstances is excellent.

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym    5/5 stars
In this sometimes charming, sometimes snarky novel, Pym explores a few months in the life of Mildred Lathbury, one of the "excellent women": thirty-something genteel spinsters who do good works in the parish or neighborhood.  Pym's ability to create comic characters and situations, as well as the everyday, is exceptional.

A History of India by Michael H. Fisher, Ph.D.  (The Great Courses)  5/5 stars
This is not an actual book, but is a 18 1/2 hour course on the history of India from earliest known times up to current day.  The course is well prepared and interesting, and Dr. Fisher, while sometimes halting, is generally a good lecturer.

Great World Religions: Hinduism by Mark Muesse, Ph. D (The Great Courses)  5/5 stars
This is not a book, but a 6 hour series of lectures on the theology of Hinduism and it's 5000 year history.  I was expecting more about the actual practices and more stories about the deities than it contains, but was not disappointed by the overall quality of the course.  Dr. Muesse was an enthusiastic and informative lecturer.

The Case of the Love Commandos by Tarquin Hall 4/5 stars
In this fun and complicated mystery, Vish Puri is asked to help locate the kidnapped Dalit finance of a high-caste woman, and in so doing becomes involved in murder, politics, and caste.  In the meantime, Mummy is convinced she has spotted a criminal on her pilgrimage, and is making a nuisance of herself with the local police.  Hall's prose is well-written and engaging, the characters are believable, and the situations, while far-fetched at times, are intriguing.

Did Not Finish:
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
There is nothing wrong with this semi-autobiographical book; Durrell writes engagingly and the narrator of the audio book was fantastic.  The problem is with me--the topic, zoology in Greece during the 1930s, just couldn't hold my attention.

The Merchant of Venice

Edmund Kean as Shylock

The Merchant of Venice
William Shakespeare
4/5 stars


Antonio takes out a loan from money-lender Shylock for his friend Bassanio, promising a pound of flesh if he can't repay.  When disaster strikes and Antonio looses everything, Shylock is determined to make him pay in full.  Bassanio's new wife, Portia, dons male garb and takes on the role as lawyer, to teach Shylock mercy.

With some of the most famous lines in Shakespeare, and a strong female character, this play is entertaining, and sometimes moving, though not as humorous as one would expect for a "comedy". The multiple subplots tie up nicely iwith a satisfying conclusion. The view of Judaism does not sit well with the modern mind, but other than that, The Merchant of Venice is an enjoyable experience.




Read for the Classics Club.

The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare

The Shrew Katherina by Edward Robert Hughes (1898)

The Taming of the Shrew
William Shakespeare
c. between 1590 and 1592
1/5 stars


Baptista Minola of Padua has two lovely daughters: Katherina and Bianca.  Bianca has many suitors, being retiring and maidenly.  Katherina, on the other hand, is a shrew, short of temper and sharp of tongue. Baptisa vows that he will not allow Bianca to marry until her older sister has.

Petruchio comes to Padua, intent on finding a rich wife. Katherina is just such a prospect, and he quickly arranges with Baptista to marry her, and then sets about to tame her.

I tried to view this play through 16th century eyes, rather than 21st century sensibilities, and to take into account that it is a farce, but I still did not care for it.  I even watched a version (my review here), hoping that seeing it staged would make it better, but to no avail.

To begin with, it starts as a play within a play, but that subplot is dropped immediately and never mentioned again.  Then, the humor, even ignoring it's outdated-ness, does not appeal to me.

Also, there is Kate herself; a such termagant is hard to pity.  Petruchio is not a character with whom one can sympathize, either, and is certainly not a hero to be admired. Next, we have the actual taming, psychologically cruel and degrading, which no one deserves, however much a shrew.

The bottom line is that I found nothing enjoyable about the play, and I'm surprised that it continues to be performed.

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

Scene from Twelfth Night, by Francis Wheatley 

Twelfth Night, or What You Will
William Shakespeare
c. 1602
4/5 stars

This is a tale of twins, Viola and Sebastian, who are separated by a shipwreck. Viola disguises herself as a man (Cesario) and becomes an attendant to Duke Orsino, with whom she falls in love. He loves Olivia, who in turn falls in love with Cesario.  The plot is further complicated when Malvolio, Olivia's steward, is tricked into believing that she is in love with him.

The plot is convoluted but engaging, and it is generally amusing; however many aspects would have benefited from more attention.  My main problem is that Shakespeare created too many subplots that required tying up, and, needing to end the play at a certain amount of hours, he threw everything at the audience in the last scene and made, to my mind, a weak ending.

(Read for the Classics Club; about the Classics Club)