Book Review — The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Title:  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Author:  L. Frank Baum
Genre:  Fantasy
Pages:  Hardback, 185
Published:  This edition was published in 1963
Publisher:  Grosset & Dunlap Publishers
ISBN:  0-448-05470-1
Opening Lines:  "Dorothy lives in the midst of the great Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's wife."

Rating

"Join Dorothy Gale, Toto, and all of her friends as they explore the incredible land of Oz. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is American's most enduring fairy tale. From the moment Dorothy puts on the silver slippers (changed to ruby slippers by MGM to take advantage of their new advance in movie making: color) until the moment she clicks her heels and returns home to Kansas you will be swept away and captivated by her extraordinary story."

~ Goodreads

After watching Oz the Great and Powerful, I decided it was finally time for me to sit down and read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  Having grown up watching the Judy Garland movie, I felt I was pretty familiar with the book.  However, I was wrong.

When a tornado tears through the Kansas prairie and picks up Dorothy's house, the young girl is transported to the land of Oz.  After landing on the Wicked Witch of the East, Dorothy's greatest desire is to find a way back to her Aunt and Uncle.  However, the Good Witch of the North can only give her a kiss of protection and send her to ask the Wizard of Oz for help.  Thus begins Dorothy's adventure to the Emerald City, friendships with unlikely friends, the destruction of another wicked witch, and her way home.

To be honest, part of me felt that this book was not originally intended for children.  The whole reason behind the Tin Woodman being tin was rather gruesome, the issues surrounding Oz, and other things, really made me feel that a lot of these elements were not meant for a younger audience.  Further, Baum's political commentary would be completely lost of children.  That being said, I can see why this book has appealed to several generations of children and continues to be a classic.

While reading this book, I kept thinking that our current generation of children would not even survive Oz.  Dorothy, who is probably younger than ten, knows enough to conserve food, thinks logically about things, locks her house, and is extremely polite.  To me, that was completely astounding and wonderful.  I wonder what's happened to the current generation . . .

Even though this book is a classic, it really did not appeal to me.  The story very episodic and simplistic.  However, if I had read this book as a child, it might have held a lot more magic.  As it was, I found myself enjoying the movie more than the book.  The movie made some of the characters more loveable.  For example, the Scarecrow was a completely unlikeable and unsympathetic character.  Before receiving his brains from the Wizard, he was bossy, demanding, and a good foreman.  After getting the brains, he became more aloof and refused to talk to his friends because he was too smart.  What?!

It is interesting that this book is still poignant for our current political climate.  That being said, I generally did not love this book.  It was meh.  Honestly, everybody should read this book.  It's a classic, an interesting story, and a good look at the issues plaguing the nation at the time.

Current Pages: 3714
Current Progress:

14/50 books

Book Review — What Maisie Knew

Title:  What Maisie Knew
Author:  Henry James
Genre:  Classics
Pages:  Oversize paperback, 272
Published:  2002 (What Maisie Knew was originally published September 17, 1897)
Publisher:  Modern Library
Opening Lines: "The litigation had seemed interminable and had in face been complicated; but by the decision on the appeal to the judgement of the divorce-court was confirmed as to the assignment of the child."
Rating:

"In the aftermath of an acrimonious divorce, young Maisie Farange finds herself shuttled back and forth between her father and mother, both of them amoral and monstrously self-involved. After her parents find new spouses—and after the new spouses find themselves drawn to each other, as much for Maisie's sake as their own—Maisie feels even more misplaced. As she observes the world of adults and their adulteries, and finds herself in the position to decide her own fate, Henry James's rendering of her child's-eye view—his depiction of what precisely Maisie knows—draws the reader into this scathing satire of social mores and insightful meditations on familial dependence."

~ Jacket copy

Thoughts:  During my tenure as a student at the university, I read my fair share of 19th century authors.  While the 19th century was not my favorite time period—I took as many medieval literature classes as I could and devoured Viking/Icelandic sagas—Henry James was one of the authors that kept reoccurring.  Many of my professors liked his work; however, without fail, we would always read Daisy Miller.  So, even while I had a little experience with James, I never had the chance to read one of his novels.  When I discovered that What Maisie Knew was being turning into a film, I decided it was finally time to settle down with something other than a short story.  And, even though it was daunting, it ended up being well worth the effort.

The book opens with a vicious divorce between Beale and Ida Farange.  From brief details given, it seemed like a circus of mud-slinging.  And at the centre of it all is their little daughter, Maisie.  The court decides that she is to split her time between her parents.  Six months are spent with her mother; six months with her father.  And, through all of this, both of her parents decide to use her as their own personal weapon.  Sending her to the other parent with little "gems" and messages, Maisie cannot help being a carrier pigeon for her parents' continued hostility.  As things progress, each of her parents remarry.  And, from all appearances, her step-parents love her, care for her, and give her more love than either of her parents.  However, being the people that they are, her parents decide to partake in adulterous affairs with other people, and, whether it is full intentional or not, they involve Maisie.  All the while, her step-parents are drawn together out of their mutual love for the child.  Instead of being an innocent child, Maisie is thrust into an adult world of intrigue, drama, and failed relationships.

From the first page to the last, this book is heart rending!  It appears as though Maisie was merely an accessory to her parents.  She was constantly used as a way to send hurtful and damning messages to each parent, they wanted her as their own information gatherer, and so on.  Every horrible thing you can imagine, her parents made her do.  And, unless she had some juicy tidbit about the other parent, neither parent was interested in her company, and she was cast off to governesses.  When her parents do speak with her concerning other things, she is subjected to horrible psychological abuse.

Through all of this, Maisie is struggling with her position in the world, her family, and her role.  While she loves Sir Claude and Mrs. Beale—and the idea of them being together—she wants her parents to want her and to be a part of their lives.  At every turn, she is cast aside by the people who are supposed to love her the most.  When each parent individually asks the child to come with them, it hurt to read that Maisie—in the maturity and knowledge gained from watching her parents' self-destructive and self-involved behavior—knew they didn't really want her but where just reassuring themselves that they did try to put on a show that they wanted her. 

Honestly, this book is extremely hard to discuss without giving everything away.  Suffice it to say, this book obviously spans a number of years, and Maisie grows older as the story goes on.  However, while James does not tell the specific passing of time, it is obvious in Maisie's widening of knowledge, her field of vision, and her ability to learn and manipulate the games being played around her that she is aging.  While this book follows Maisie, it also seems to be a huge statement from James about parents refusing to take responsibility and the decay of the system of marriage and what people will do/sacrifice in order to keep themselves happy.  At the centre of the whirlwind of her parents' divorce and multiple love affairs, Mrs. Wix's batty nature, and Sir Claude and Mrs. Beale's relationship, is a young girl who has been cast aside by her parents and desperately wants someplace, someone to belong to.

The finally chapter of this book really brings home the reality that Maisie lives in.  Furthermore, it also uses Mrs. Wix as James' mouthpiece to attack the behavior exhibited by both sets of parents and voice his feelings concerning the parental role.  And, while I understand Maisie's final choice, I still find myself wishing that Sir Claude had been willing to do as the child had asked.  

Current Pages: 16,282
Current Progress:

55/50 books

Book Review — Lolita

Title:  Lolita
Author:  Vladimir Nabokov
Genre:  Fiction/Classic
Pages:  Hardback 327
Published:  1955
Publisher:  Campbell Publishing Ltd.
ISBN:  0-679-41043-0
Opening Lines:  "Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins.  My sin, my soul."
Rating:

"When it was published in 1955, Lolita immediately became a cause of célèbre because of the freedom and sophistication with which it handled the unusual erotic predilections of its protagonist.  But Vladimir Nabokov's wise, ironic, elegant masterpiece owes its stature as one of the twentieth century's novels of record not to the controversy its material aroused but to its author's use of that material to tell a love story almost shocking in its beauty and tenderness.

"Awe and exhilaration—along with heartbreaking and mordant wit—abound in this account of the aging Humbert Humbert's obsessive, devouring, and doomed passion for the nymphet Dolores Haze.  Lolita is also the story of a hypercivilized European colliding with the cheerful barbarism of postwar America, but most of all, it is a meditation on love—love as outrage and hallucination, madness and transformation."

~ Jacket copy

Thoughts:  At some point, my father told me that his mother would not allow him to read Lolita.  I cannot remember if it was before or after I chanced upon the Jeremy Irons rendition of the film.  Either way, that started my love affair of Lolita.  Something that could grab my father's attention, bring my grandmother's disapproval, and capture Jeremy Irons had to be worthwhile.  However, for some reason or the other, I never got around to reading the book.  A few weeks ago, after reading an article on my phone, Lolita was brought back to my mind.  Spending a few minutes on my local library's website, I was happy to learn that they had a copy of the book!  And thus began my adventure with Lolita and the lovelorn Humbert Humbert.

Lolita is a hard book to discuss.  The subject matter alone is enough to cause one to curl their toes in disgust.  The idea of a 37 year-old man falling in love with a 12 year-old girl is rather startling.  More so was his devious way of getting close to the young girl, becoming her stepfather, and taking her on a cross country road trip after her mother died.  However, for all of the fault people can and will find with this book, I found myself enjoying it.  Vladimir has a way with words.  The prose in this book is simply remarkable.  Even though, at some level, I wanted to despise Humbert, I found myself feeling somewhat sorry for him at the end.  To me, that is the mark of a master storyteller.

Reading a lot of reviews, people are torn between the true villain in the story.  Some believe that Humbert was just Lolita's victim and not at fault for his actions.  While some view him as the ultimate sexual predator.  While I read this book, I kept both view points in mind, and I think both parties fall short.  Even though his actions were deplorable, I place a lot of the blame with Lolita's mother, Charlotte.  I am not sure where it started, but, by the time Humbert enters the picture, Charlotte seems to be fostering severe feelings of hate for her daughter.  She is constantly picking on Lo, she fills out surveys to describe the girl as horrid, she makes of a point of calling Lo "plain," and so on.  When it is obvious that something might be brewing between Humbert and Lo, she quickly sends the girl away to summer camp because she does not want competition for the affections of a handsome European.  Further, she seeks to send Lo away to a boarding school until she graduates.  Even Humbert himself remarks on these actions towards the girl.  When Charlotte discovers incriminating evidence in Humbert's desk, she still seeks to blame the child.

Coming from a family life where she lost her father at a young age and living with a mother who hates her, it is easy to see why Lo grabs onto Humbert.  He is a dashingly good looking European male.  He seems charming and gives her attention.  He does not scold her for normal childlike behavior.  It makes sense to me that she would flirt with him and so forth.  However, at some level, I think she knew full well what game she was playing.  That being said, at 12 years-old, she had not way to understand the ramifications of the game.  And, as the story progresses, I was left to wonder whether the child was horribly damaged by other past occurrences—things that would make a young girl think the only way to get attention from a male was through sex.

None of this is to say that Humbert was in the right.  From the onset of the book, he makes it clear that he knew he was in the wrong.  Knowing and continuing to act on something is disgusting!  Further, his constant justifications disturbed me.  Just because a love affair with a 12 year-old was common in the Middle Ages doesn't mean it is acceptable now.  (Also, the comment about Sade's Justine made my skin crawl.)  At many points during the book, I found myself wishing that Lo would tell one of her friends or someone would find out.  It was not fair to rob Lo of a childhood, because Humbert was in love with her.  That being said, I found myself feeling somewhat sorry for Hum at the end of the book.

The beginning and ending of this book will stay with me.  I am not sure how to describe the ending without giving anything away.  Let's just say, when all was said and done, in his own way, Hum truly loved his Lolita.

I truly loved this book.  It is hard to read and not for the faint of heart.  I would not suggest this book to most people; however, if you can get by the subject matter, I think it is well worth the read.        

Current Pages: 13,343
Current Progress:

42/50 books