Oliver Twist, Of Mice and Men
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Finally. I've been reading this for such a long time. I made the mistake of cracking an intense book right around the Christmas season. Mustering up the time and the motivation to read more complex sentences and descriptions was not easy. But I just finished it this morning, and I'm very happy about that.
Dickens has always intimidated me. He's one of those authors you hear about and you know adults read his work. My mom has a set of Dickens books that are leather bound and look so... scholarly. I opened one one time (I think Tale of Two Cities), and couldn't (and didn't want to) make it past the first page. I was too bogged down by what I didn't understand.
Unbelievably, I adored Oliver Twist. Maybe I'm a little older and a little wiser, but Dickens descriptions are point on and contain a lot of depth. For as much that actually happens in the story, plot-wise, I think there are 2 and a half times as many descriptions, which absolutely make his writing.
Besides the fact that it's an endearing story, and you just feel for Oliver, somehow the story is tightly woven together, which don't realize until the very end of the story. Even after having to concentrate so hard on all of the words and what they mean (which, at times, was difficult for me), and feeling a little lost in terms of plot, I was still hanging my mouth open at some of the revelations toward the finale.
As an aside: When a book is called a "thrift edition", and only cost $4 (even in Korea, where most English books cost a lot of money), don't buy it. It probably has some words misspelled, and if you don't know a lot of the words anyway, it confuses things. You might think it's a new word you just don't know, but it's probably misspelled. Aye.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
More on a Steinbeck kick, as a try to read all of his works. I remember reading this story in high school, and liking it. I also remember how the high school boys snickered because the story mentions Weed, California.
Nice short story. Steinbeck is good at developing characters, and I admire his gentle way with awkward situations and the way you feel for all of their characters in their own unique situations. Steinbeck is about working class America, and I like that.
Finally. I've been reading this for such a long time. I made the mistake of cracking an intense book right around the Christmas season. Mustering up the time and the motivation to read more complex sentences and descriptions was not easy. But I just finished it this morning, and I'm very happy about that.
Dickens has always intimidated me. He's one of those authors you hear about and you know adults read his work. My mom has a set of Dickens books that are leather bound and look so... scholarly. I opened one one time (I think Tale of Two Cities), and couldn't (and didn't want to) make it past the first page. I was too bogged down by what I didn't understand.
Unbelievably, I adored Oliver Twist. Maybe I'm a little older and a little wiser, but Dickens descriptions are point on and contain a lot of depth. For as much that actually happens in the story, plot-wise, I think there are 2 and a half times as many descriptions, which absolutely make his writing.
Besides the fact that it's an endearing story, and you just feel for Oliver, somehow the story is tightly woven together, which don't realize until the very end of the story. Even after having to concentrate so hard on all of the words and what they mean (which, at times, was difficult for me), and feeling a little lost in terms of plot, I was still hanging my mouth open at some of the revelations toward the finale.
As an aside: When a book is called a "thrift edition", and only cost $4 (even in Korea, where most English books cost a lot of money), don't buy it. It probably has some words misspelled, and if you don't know a lot of the words anyway, it confuses things. You might think it's a new word you just don't know, but it's probably misspelled. Aye.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
More on a Steinbeck kick, as a try to read all of his works. I remember reading this story in high school, and liking it. I also remember how the high school boys snickered because the story mentions Weed, California.
Nice short story. Steinbeck is good at developing characters, and I admire his gentle way with awkward situations and the way you feel for all of their characters in their own unique situations. Steinbeck is about working class America, and I like that.
posted by Meghan at 5:15 PM
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