Off The Bookshelf Song of Solomon (SparkNotes Literature Guide) (SparkNotes Literature Guide) Search Books

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1.Spark Notes The Fountainhead by: Ayn Rand, SparkNotes Editors July 15, 2002
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My first thought while reading this book was "Why does Rand hate women so much?" There does seem to be a misogynistic theme throughout the text, which is unfortunate because the story is pretty decent. Like "Atlas Shrugged," the characters here are one-dimensional and not terribly interesting, but Rand writes some good descriptions and the plot is good enough to make you want to finish it. Even though it's clear what her philosophy is in this book, she doesn't beat you over the head with it nearly as much as she does in her other fiction books. That said, you still do get the sense that if you don't agree entirely with how Rand feels about certain things (like, say, the arts), then you are an idiot and are part of the problem. Some authors are masters of subtly, but Rand isn't. She's ... Read More

2.Spark Notes Fahrenheit 451 by: Ray Bradbury, SparkNotes Editors January 10, 2002
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Our book club recently decided to make every other book choice a "classic" book which, for one reason or another, none of us has read. Fahrenheit 451 was this month's choice. After plowing through Bradbury's self-aggrandizing Foreward AND Introduction, I was ready to be enthralled. No such luck. This had to be one of the most abysmal books of all time. I suspect there's a bit of The Emperor's New Clothes (a much better read, by the way) going on here. In other words, if you dare to criticize Bradbury, then you must be one of the mindless rubes who hate books and philosophy and creativity and yadda yadda yadda. Fine, whatever. To put it delicately, this book stunk like yesterday's diapers. I have nothing but sympathy for the poor students who are forced to read this drivel for class--at least ... Read More

3.The Things They Carried (Spark Notes Edition) by: Tim O'Brien, SparkNotes Editors December 15, 2002
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Books are usually written a certain way; with a plot, set characters, conflicts, et cetera. The way Tim O'Brien portrays his story, The Things They Carried, is different than most books and his incorporation of truth and fiction tend to throw the reader off. Tim O'Brien constantly contradicts himself throughout the novel, and continually tells the reader that he or she won't be able to comprehend what he is trying to explain. My first point I would like to present is the book is full of fabrication. Right away, before the book even begins, on the copyright page, it clearly states, "This is a work of fiction. Except for a few details regarding the author's own life, all the incidents, names, and characters are imaginary." How is the reader supposed to differentiate between reality ... Read More

4.SparkNotes: Their Eyes Were Watching God by: Zora Neale Hurston, SparkNotes Editors January 10, 2002
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The only speedbump in this maddeningly addictive read is Hurston's rendering of dialect, spelled just as it's pronounced. Once you acclimate, and once you know that her writing was based on her astounding academic work as a folklorist and anthropologist, it only takes a few pages before you realize that you're in the hands of a master. The hundreds of people who have taken the time to review this book testify to its impact--once you're done with it, it evokes a compulsion to share the experience. The brilliance of the book is only enhanced by its brevity. You can easily read it in a sitting, although you'll find yourself lingering on some of the pages as you turn over the expressiveness and beautiful language phrase by phrase. So many reviewers have summed up the story's plot, I'll leave that description ... Read More

5.Spark Notes The Stranger by: Albert Camus, SparkNotes Editors July 15, 2002
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I am writing my report about a book called The Strangers. The Strangers setting is based a long time ago in France and it is narrated by Monsieur Maersault, reflecting on the end of his life. He is a man who keeps to himself and rarely shows emotion or that he cares about anyone or anything except Marie, and he lives in an apartment-like complex where he keeps to himself and has a feeling he is being followed. His close friends are Raymond, Mason and Marie. Maersault also has a friend, Secile, who owns a neighborhood restaurant. One day during the story Marie and Maersault were invited to Mason's house for a party. Mason owns a large house that has a large beach in the backyard. During the party, Raymond and Maursault walked down the beach, noticing two men had been following them, armed with knives. After they see this they ... Read More

6.Spark Notes Diary of a Young Girl by: Anne Frank, SparkNotes Editors July 15, 2002
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After I visited the building in Amsterdam where Anne Frank and her family had to hide during WWII, I finally decided to read her famous diary for myself. And I have to say: I was impressed. The book works very well on a variety of levels: As History This is an important historical witness of how the daily life of a teenager was restricted and finally squashed by the Nazi regime in Amsterdam. The humanity of Anne's daily thoughts - free-flowing and turbulent - make for a stark contrast to Hitler's cold machinery of might and control. Anne does not embody a perfect human but a real human. She becomes the face for all the faceless who were sucked into a totalitarian system. As Literature Considering that the diary is written by a thirteen to fifteen year-old, it is incredibly well written. The Nazis have deprived ... Read More

7.Spark Notes The Killer Angels by: Michael Shaara, SparkNotes Editors July 15, 2002
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"The Killer Angels" is several books in one. First, it is a splendid overview of the Battle of Gettysburg. From Buford's establishing the high ground, the armies converging on the previously inconsequential place, Lee overriding Longstreet's tactical advice, and Chamberlain's countercharge when the ammunition ran out to Pickett's ill fated charge on the final day, Shaara describes the battle in riveting detail. The sights, the sounds, the smells,the emotions....everything is portrayed in a narrative that puts the reader squarely in the middle of the battle. But the book is so much more. Shaara climbs inside the heads of the key players--particularly Longstreet and Chamberlain. Longstreet, the old warrior who has inherited Stonewall Jackson's position as Lee's right hand, is a tactician far ahead of his time who has, for a variety of reasons, ... Read More

8.Spark Notes All Quiet on the Western Front by: Erich Maria Remarque, SparkNotes Editors January 10, 2002
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I read this in hight school, and yes it was an assignment,(fortunately my literature always made us think about the books we read instead of gripe about them in ignorance) but I loved it. Basically, it pulls no punches, sugarcoats nothing. The author is telling it like he knows it from being there - war is hell, no matter what it's fought for, no matter whose side you're on. Reading a book from the point of a German fighter and seeing how they were all just lost kids too brings it home. This is not Tolkien (no offense to a great author, of course); when we make war, we're fighting against other humans, not some scary enemy who has no feelings and is pure evil. Overall the writing was captivating and the story is still relevant. It really opens your mind if you let it. All leaders should read it before considering such a grave undertaking as war.

9.Spark Notes The Bell Jar by: Sylvia Plath, SparkNotes Editors July 15, 2002
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How did I go 34 years without picking up and reading this gem? I'll tell you...It is not included on any public school reading list that I have ever seen and every college literature course that I took (just for fun) never examined Sylvia Plath's writing. Instead I had the misfortune of several lit. courses that focused on less talented modern poets/writers. In 1963, this book would have been shocking. The main theme is mental disturbia, suicide, losing virginity, (an all out attack on the quiet suburban status quo.) As I read this book with the jaded perspective of a modern day American citizen, I couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of innocence this 40 year old story emits. This book is like a three year old child attempting to shock her parents with something "provocative" but falling short of the parental outrage so desired and ... Read More

10.Song of Solomon (SparkNotes Literature Guide) (SparkNotes Literature Guide) by: Toni Morrison, SparkNotes Editors December 15, 2002
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The language is inescapably lush and beautiful. The layers of storytelling are breath-taking. The emotional power is undeniable. This novel has humor, pathos, tragedy and hope. A joy from beginning to end.

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