261. Of Human Bondage

Of Human Bondage
William Somerset Maugham
1915
Around 600 pages 

There are some characters you just instantly connect with, and for me, Philip Carey is on the top of the list. I've probably mentioned this before, but I have a bone disease that comes with its own unique set of baggage. Of course, Philip does not have what I have; he has a club foot. But there have been many moments in my life where I have been the resentful outsider with a limp. 

Nine-year-old Philip Carey becomes an orphan and is sent to live with his aunt and uncle. Eventually, he is sent to boarding school and he struggles to find a profession that can make him happy. He also falls in love with Mildred, a waitress who is a bit...withholding in her affections. 

I love that the book spans such a long period of time. You really become close to Philip and his way of thinking and seeing the world. His style is reminiscent of Balzac or Dickens, but there is something more personal in his writing. 

I think the experience of reading Of Human Bondage is life changing, and I can't praise it highly enough. The ultimate comfort novel.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

The novel is largely autobiographical, only Maugham had a stutter rather than a club foot. 

Referenced in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

UP NEXT: The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf. We are in a good streak of novels lately.

260. The Rainbow

The Rainbow
D.H. Lawrence

1915

Around 450 pages

I was unaware that Women in Love, another D.H. Lawrence novel, was a sequel to The Rainbow, and read Women in Love first. And although the gaff offends my sensibilities, it really didn't ruin The Rainbow too much, as Women in Love didn't give away that many plot details. 

The Rainbow tells the story of three generations of the Brangwen family, who live in the east Midlands of England. The novel begins with the tale of Tom Brangwen, a farmer who raises his stepdaughter as his own. It ends with Ursula and Gudrun, his granddaughters. Ursula receives the most attention from the narrator, and her story continues into Women in Love.

I really like Lawrence, I feel like he understands emotion very well. I feel like many writers settle into their characters experiencing 1-4 emotions per scene. Lawrence's characters jump from humiliation to triumph to anger to satisfaction to profound sadness, in the span of a few pages. Human beings are complicated, and he presents that perfectly.

Like other Lawrence novels, this has some racy material for the time, with Ursula developing a crush on a female teacher. I still don't think he has quite hit his stride as a writer, but that's just because I know how good his future novels are.

He's also a master at using symbolism effectively. Can't wait for the other Lawrence novels on the List.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

The novel was prosecuted in an obscenity trial in 1915, and 1,011 copies were seized and burnt as a result.

After it was banned, it was unavailable in the U.K. for 11 years.

UP NEXT: Of Human Bondage by William Somerset Maugham. One of my favorite novels of all time.

259. The Thirty-Nine Steps

The Thirty-Nine Steps
John Buchan
1915

Around 100 pages

I read this book awhile ago, because it is short, it is fun, and Alfred Hitchcock made a movie out of it. We've got some heavy authors coming up, so it's nice to sprinkle in some John Buchans, Robert Louis Stevensons, and H.G. Wells to lighten things up every once in awhile.

Richard Hannay has just returned from South Africa, and has resigned himself to being a boring Brit  again. One night, he is accosted by an American who claims to be a freelance spy. He warns Hannay of an anarchist plot to assassinate Constantine Karolides, the Greek Premier, and thus ignite war in Europe. Hannay agrees to harbor the American, and predictably gets more than he bargained for.

These kind of stories are always fun, where an ordinary person is thrown into an adventure that is hopelessly out of their league. It's always entertaining to watch them wrangle with and outwit the professionals, as you can imagine what you'd do in the same scenario.  There is also a strong feeling of patriotism behind the story, and Richard clearly represents the ideal Englishman of the time, who would go out of his way to protect his country. 

Just a fun story and a nice break from some of the heavier fare the List has to offer.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

First of five novels to feature Richard Hannay. 

Buchan wrote the novel when he was in bed with a duodenal ulcer.

UP NEXT: The Rainbow by D.H. Lawrence. I've been on a D.H. Lawrence kick lately, so I'm excited to read this.

258. Kokoro

Kokoro

Natsume Soseki

1914
Around pages

The List has a definite Western bias, so it's nice to see some diversity here with Kokoro. The 1001 album list was always a bit misguided when it came to their choices in world music, but I've enjoyed the Eastern entries on this List so far. 

An unnamed narrator meets an older man on vacation. His respect for the man grows, and he begins to call him Sensei. The narrator learns from Sensei's wife that he visits the gravesite of a friend every month. Sensei refuses to tell the narrator about his past, and the narrator is forced to return home because of a family emergency. While at home, he receives a letter from Sensei that explains his mysterious visits to the cemetery. 

Inevitably, something is always lost in translation. That being said, I still really enjoyed this story. I don't want to give too much away, but it was interesting to see the cultural difference in how certain events were handled in this story, versus how they would have transpired and been interpreted in an English novel. The reality of Sensei's dark past didn't quite live up to the hype, but I was still engaged for the entire length of the novel.

Worth reading, especially if you want to broaden your horizons with more world literature.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Title literally means "heart" or "feeling."

First published in serialized form in the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun.

UP NEXT: The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan. This is a fun one!

257. Locus Solus

Locus Solus
Raymond Roussel
1914
Around 250 pages

I guess I forgot just how weird Impressions of Africa was, and started this novel thinking I would be able to follow the plot. As the novel progressed, I remembered that Roussel is above such petty things as telling a story, and instead drifts, dreamlike, through set pieces. And you're expected to drift along with him.

Martial Canterel is an inventor and scientist who invites his friends to his estate, Locus Solus. He has many bizarre inventions to show off, and the descriptions of the "devices" make up the entire novel.

I think this is one of those surrealistic works that depends very heavily on the music of the language, because it's so lacking in the plot and characters department. Therefore, much is lost from the original novel for me, since I read an English translation. Or, at least, I am going to assume that's what happened, because I was not interested in what was going on in the slightest.

I did perk up towards the end, and his last invention I would reluctantly qualify as a showstopper. I wish I could read a better story that focuses on that concept. Oh well, at least it was short.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Translated in eight languages.

UP NEXT: Kokoro by Natsume Soseki

256. Rosshalde

Rosshalde
Herman Hesse

1914
Around 200 pages

I return from my October hiatus of reading scary/disturbing novels, and now will spend the rest of the year trying to get those images out of my head. Since you asked, the best of the bunch were The House of Spirits, The Day of the Triffids, and Under the Skin. All of these are List books, so I'll be posting about them eventually.

Johann Veraguth is a celebrated painter, but is a virtual stranger to his wife and their eldest son, Albert. His only real consolation in life is his youngest son, Pierre, who still hasn't chosen sides in the family's cold war. Pierre falls ill, which has the effect of changing the family dynamic forever.

Well, that certainly packed a punch. Hesse manages to do a lot with a pretty short novel. He is clearly drawing on his own experiences of trying to balance having a family with the life of an artist. It's a beautifully written and thoughtful read, and has significantly improved my opinion of Hesse. I am looking forward to reading more of his works.

Not the most cheerful reading experience, but I haven't had one of those in a long time.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Hesse worked against the Nazi party by reviewing and publishing the work of banned Jewish authors, including Franz Kafka.

His works were eventually banned by the Nazis.

UP NEXT: Locus Solus by Raymond Roussel. There's somebody I had no desire to hear from again.