265. Under Fire

Under Fire
Henri Barbusse
Around 350 pages
1916

I thought that All Quiet on the Western Front was the quintessential World War I novel, but I guess Under Fire beat it by quite a few years. It's hard to say which novel is better; both contain grim accounts of trench warfare that are hard to stomach.

Under Fire doesn't exactly have a plot. The novel is made up of journal entries from a French soldier during World War I. He describes the violence he witnesses in shocking, fairly disgusting detail. He also relates the deaths of several of his fellow soldiers, as well as an account of a trench assault.

Obviously, it is impossible to capture all the horrors of war in a novel format, but Barbusse does an effective job of communicating the emotions of the soldiers, from absolute despair to steely resignation. It was surprising reading this novel after The Inferno, the other Barbusse novel on the List, that was much more domestic in its plot. Just shows how many ordinary men were ripped from normality into the nightmare of warfare.  

This isn't a book I would recommend for the quarantimes, since we are all miserable enough already, but still a moving novel.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Published before the war ended.

One of the first novels about World War I to be published.

UP NEXT: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. Nooooooooooooooooooooo.

No.

264. Rashomon

Rashomon
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
1915
Around 30 pages

I read this story because I really like Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon. Turns out, this really has nothing to do with that film. Apparently, that movie is actually based off of another one of Akutagawa's stories, "In A Grove." Ugh, so many good books to read, so little time.

A recently fired servant and an old woman meet at the dilapidated Rashomon (which was the southern gate of Kyoto and a place where unclaimed corpses were dumped). They have a discussion on the ethics of the woman's behavior, as she is busy stealing the hair from corpses to make wigs. 

I like the inclusion of short stories on the List. And I always find works like Rameau's Nephew intriguing, where you simply read a philosophical conversation between two characters. I am sure there have been many college essays that dissect the morality of this story.

I can't wait to read more Japanese literature on the List, which, knowing the Listmakers, probably won't be for awhile.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa died by suicide at the age of 35. 

He wrote over 150 short stories.

UP NEXT: Under Fire by Henri Barbusse. I'm not opposed to reading another Barbusse, The Inferno was really good. 

263. The Good Soldier

The Good Soldier
Ford Madox Ford
1915
Around 200 pages

The novel starts with the line "This is the saddest story I have ever heard." I groaned when I read that line. Hey, 2020 has been rough, and I could do with some good old-fashioned escapism. Fortunately, this wasn't as emotionally devastating as the introduction seemed to promise. 

John Dowell tells us the story of his marriage to Florence, and their friendship with another couple, Captain Edward Ashburnham and his wife Leonora. Edward has a long series of affairs, but Leonora believes he will eventually "come back" to her, if she manages his finances and lets him get on with his infidelity. Oh, honey. Edward becomes involved with Florence, and John doesn't react the way you'd expect.

I think the narration style might bug some people. John tells the story in much the same way a real person would. The story isn't recounted chronologically, and John often goes on tangents. He'll provide background details here and there. He's a prime example of an unreliable narrator and putting together the "real" story is what makes this novel such a good read.

I am excited to read more books from this era, as I find this period of history fascinating.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

The title of the novel was sarcastically suggested by Ford, and stuck.

Ford originally used the name Ford Madox Hueffer, but changed it because Hueffer sounded too Germanic.

UP NEXT: Rashomon by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. This is a nice and short one.

262. The Voyage Out

The Voyage Out
Virginia Woolf
1915
Around 400 pages

This is the first of nine Virginia Woolf novels on this List, which seems a scooch excessive, even though I like Woolf. This is her debut novel, and probably her most accessible work. 

Rachel Vinrace embarks on a trip to South America on her father's ship. On the voyage, she meets many unique individuals. One of these characters is Mrs. Dalloway, who is the central figure of a later Woolf novel. Slowly, Rachel begins to break free of the confines of London life.

I really liked this novel. Woolf can get a bit too experimental for my taste. I like her best when she is satirizing British society, which she does very well here. It's also fascinating to see the inception of so many themes that she would elaborate on more fully in future novels.

So this is a nice introduction and a good way to ease into Woolf's style.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

E.M. Forster said of the novel, "It is absolutely unafraid... Here at last is a book which attains unity as surely as Wuthering Heights, though by a different path."

Woolf attempted suicide at one point while writing this novel.

UP NEXT: The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford. Never heard of it, but digging the author's name.

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.

255. Tarzan of the Apes

Tarzan of the Apes
Edgar Rice Burroughs
1914
Around 250 pages

I tend to only read horror novels in October, so this might be the last you'll hear from me until November. Over the years, I've really squeezed all the scary books out of the List, so my choices are pretty limited now. But, at the very least, my picks this year should qualify as disturbing: The Butcher Boy, The Ogre, Choke, Under the Skin, and The Killer Inside Me. Comment below if you have any spooky Halloween reads planned!

I think most people are familiar with the story of Tarzan. Personally, my heart belongs to the Disney version, as I grew up watching it and the soundtrack is banging. Of course, Disney tends to skate over some of the stickier plot points.

A British couple is marooned in the coastal jungles of Western Africa. Both die not long after their son is born, but he is soon adopted by a female ape, Kala. He is reluctantly accepted into the band of gorillas and rechristened "Tarzan" (White Skin in ape language). Tarzan has many adventures in the jungle, which include terrorizing a local tribe of cannibals, learning to read, and meeting other white people. 

This is an excellent bit of escapism and it's easy to see why the story inspired so many sequels and adaptions. There are many stories to tell with this character and setting. Of course, it is also very much a product of its time and it's difficult to be numb to the racism in the story. 

So overall a very compelling story marked with the obvious flaws of its era. 

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

The first of 24 books written by Burroughs with the character Tarzan.

Burroughs held 17 careers before he started to publish stories.

Burroughs claimed his only inspiration was the Remus and Romulus myth in Roman mythology. 

UP NEXT: Rosshalde by Herman Hesse. So far my only experience with Herman Hesse is having to read Siddhartha in high school.

254. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
Robert Tressell
1914
Around 400 pages

I know I have to get over Emile Zola eventually. But I miss how deftly he handled social issues in his novels. I am not saying he never crossed the line into melodrama, but I always felt there was a mutual respect between the narrator and reader.

You can tell this was written by an inexperienced author. There is a hesitation to let the work speak for itself and a lack of trust that the reader can grasp metaphors. Animal Farm, for example, doesn't begin with a preface that says: "and though these characters are animals, let the animals stand in the reader's mind for the very real workers who have suffered..."

But Noonan (Tressell is a pen name) didn't attend Eton or study the craft of novel writing. If he had been afforded those opportunities, I am sure he would have been capable of producing masterpieces. Instead, he was a poor house painter who I guess wanted to create a very long Socialism pamphlet.

Frank Owen tries to convince his fellow workers that capitalism is the cause of all their problems. In these sorts of novels, there is always the one good looking guy that can eloquently explain Socialism, and amaze others with his cool logic and charisma. Insert eye roll here. I don't like it when characters are reduced to mouthpieces. I guess one thing that stands out about this particular novel is that Tressell appears to be angrier at his fellow workers who do nothing to change their situation (The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists) than the people who exploit them. 

The plot isn't good enough to make up for the preaching, and the preaching isn't persuasive enough to make up for the lack of plot.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Published after Robert Tressell's death from tuberculosis.

George Orwell has called this a book everybody should read. Sorry, I only take orders from Boxall. 

UP NEXT: Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs. This calls for a Phil Collins binge.

253. Sons and Lovers

Sons and Lovers
D.H. Lawrence
1913
Around 450 pages

I finally finished reading Infinite Jest, which I hate, hate, hated, but I suppose that is a rant for another post. It's okay. I don't mind waiting. My hate is an eternal flame that will burn long after this blog, and all its readers, are dead and buried. So for now, I'll content myself with discussing Sons and Lovers.

The protagonist of this novel is Paul, the third of four Morel children. Mrs. Morel is unhappily married to her abusive husband, who works in a mine. She is able to endure her life solely because of her love for her children. Paul's relationship with his mother affects every other relationship in his life, and constitutes his Freudian excuse for tormenting other women. 

Lawrence is obviously a wonderful writer, and it was fascinating untangling all the relationships in the Morel family. Lawrence isn't as intent on exposing the harshness of a mine worker's life as somebody like Zola, and, interestingly, he never takes us into the mine with Mr. Morel. But we get to see what Mr. Morel becomes because of the mine and the toll his behavior takes on the family. It's really the characters that stand out more than the setting. 

The characters are actually pretty frustrating, as nobody seems to act in their best interests. But I really liked this novel and look forward to reading more Lawrence in the future!

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

The character Gertrude Morel was heavily based on Lawrence's own mother.

Received a lukewarm reception by critics, but is now widely considered a masterpiece.

UP NEXT: The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell.

252. Death in Venice

Death in Venice
Thomas Mann
1912
Around 150 pages

I am amazed that somebody as longwinded as Mann could manage to write a novella, but I get the feeling Thomas Mann was less interested in creating a great work here and more interested in producing an outlet for his...urges.

Gustav von Aschenbach feels compelled to visit Venice, where, unbeknownst to him, a serious cholera epidemic is taking place. So if anybody is looking for a 1001 read related to outbreaks, add this to your 2020 nightmare shelf, along with The Plague and Love in the Time of Cholera. Anyway, Gustav sees a 14 year old Polish boy in a sailor suit and falls in love with him. It's like Lolita, but with a boy. Of course, this was written before Lolita so I guess Mann beat Nabokov to the pederasty punch.

I really don't know what to say about this one; critics really seem to go gaga over it. I won't necessarily hate a novel just because the main character is loathsome or pathetic or whatever the hell Gustav was. For example, I actually liked Lolita, which is not an opinion I tout about much. But I get the sense that Mann was just as damaged as this character was, so there was something intrusive about the experience of reading this. It felt like he was trying to suppress his desires, and when that didn't work, tried to intellectualize those urges to lend them some sort of godly significance. Like he was saying, "I'm not being a predator, I'm paying homage to the Greeks." Gee, I wonder how many times police have heard that excuse before. 

Of course, the writing is good, but there is a lot of good writing in the world. I wouldn't recommend spending time on this.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Thomas Mann's wife said that the idea for the story came when they were visiting Venice. Thomas became enthralled with a 14-year-old, Polish boy who was traveling with his family. Um.

Mann confessed to being attracted to his young sons in his diaries. Double um.

UP NEXT: Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence. I am really excited to read this one. I have been meaning to read more Lawrence for awhile now. 

251. The Charwoman's Daughter

The Charwoman's Daughter
James Stephens
1912
Around 250 pages

I thought a Charwoman was a chambermaid, but I guess it's a dated term for a cleaning person (as opposed to a maid, who typically lived with the household). So the charwoman in question is actually more fortunate than I realized. Doesn't stop her from behaving...strangely.

Mrs. Makebelieve (yes, that is the character's name) hates her station in life and hopes one day Mary, her daughter, will marry rich and thus create a better life for them. Mary attracts the attention of a burly policeman, but isn't sure if she wants to get married.

This is a very weird book with very weird characters. Mrs. Makebelieve hugs her daughter so tightly that she hurts her, and Mary's dearest ambition is to be the victim of domestic violence. "Will not women cherish a bruise that it may be medicined by male kisses?" Stephens asks. Uh, can I reply to that question on behalf of my people? 

So in a lot of ways, it just felt like another failed attempt by a man trying to capture the female psyche. He did a better job with the characterization of Dublin, which is where this story takes place. His passages about St. Stephen's Green really hit me in the feels, as that was my favorite place in Dublin when I visited. I always find it fascinating when we read a book from the 1900s or earlier and the building/location being described is the same today. As an American, I'm used to places constantly changing.

Overall, though, you can skip the adventures of Mary Makebelieve and not be worse off for it.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Good friends with James Joyce.

Joyce initially expressed interest in having James Stephens help him finish Finnigan's Wake. Ultimately, Joyce was able to finish the book himself.

UP NEXT: Death in Venice by Thomas Mann. A shortie shortster, so I should have this one up soon.

250. Ethan Frome

Ethan Frome
Edith Wharton
1911
Around 150 pages

250! Seems like a pretty significant milestone. And it only took me nine years to get here. Doing the math, that means I'll finish when I'm...oh my.

What is this, a math blog? Let's talk about books.

The unnamed narrator is fascinated by a man with a quiet man, Ethan Frome, who limps around a village because I guess entertainment was thin on the ground back then. The narrative switches to Ethan's story from twenty years ago, which among other things, explains the limp.

I feel like the modern perception of an Edith Wharton novel is a long dreary book about stuffy people, but her pacing is actually excellent and her characters unforgettable. This isn't my favorite Wharton novel because it is a little heavy in the melodrama department, but it's a quick and easy read with an incredible ending.

I think an argument could be made that she is overrepresented on the List, but I am glad to be reading more of her work.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Initially began as a homework assignment Edith wrote for a French class.

UP NEXT: The Charwoman's Daughter by James Stephens

249. Fantomas

Fantomas
Marcel Allain and Pierre Souvestre
1911
Around 300 pages

I had never heard of Fantomas before, but apparently he is very popular outside of the United States and occupies an interesting space in the history of crime fiction. Now that I realize how cool this character is, I am fully onboard to stan this guy...even if I am about a hundred years late to the party.

Fantomas is a criminal genius that has become a legend in Paris. Some believe that he is just a sensationalized newspaper invention, who is simply blamed for all the crimes that police officers can't solve. Among those that believe in Fantomas is Inspector Juve. Juve thinks that Fantomas might be behind the recent murder and disappearance he has been called in to solve.

This was an interesting story that marks the transition from the traditional Gothic villain to the creepy serial killers were are so obsessed with today. I was curious what the character of Inspector Juve would be like; the genius detective is such a trope, even in 1911. Juve isn't the most distinct character but he is logical and a worthy opponent of Fantomas. I did guess elements of the plot ahead of time, which either means I'm a genius or it took some fairly obvious turns. I am choosing to go with the former. 

I should also mention this is one of those strange novels that is written by two people. You can tell, but only a little.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

The depiction of Fantomas wearing a blue mask and black gloves is not in the books, but was popularized by the 1960 Fantomas movies. 

UP NEXT: Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. An old favorite.

248. Impressions of Africa

Impressions of Africa
Raymond Roussel
1910
Around 250 pages

Based on the title of the novel and the year it was written, I expected it to be something I would have to grit my teeth through. But I didn't expect it to be so bizarre in structure. I'm pretty sure Roussel was tripping his balls off when he wrote this. 

The first hundred or so pages of the book are descriptions of the elaborate contraptions King Talu has arranged for his party. After that, you learn that a group of shipwreck survivors are being forced to entertain the king in all manner of crazy ways. It gets a little gross, and corsets are employed in a way even more painful than usual. 

I think most of this is lost in translation. Apparently, Roussel did a lot of impressive things with puns and homonyms that are understandably absent in the English version. The whole thing seems like the kind of nightmarish writing exercise my more eccentric professors would assign and make us read out loud in college. I guess public humiliation is supposed to get your trauma juices flowing and make you a better novelist. I don't think it worked on me.

So if you are a French speaker who digs surrealism this may be the book for you. Also, if that's the case, tell me more about yourself, you seem interesting.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Roussel died of a barbiturate overdose at the age of 56. Thought to be a suicide.

Admired by Dali. Naturally. 

UP NEXT: Fantomas by Marcel Allain. What by whom?

247. Howards End

Howards End
E.M. Forster 
1910
Around 350 pages

This was my first exposure to E.M. Forster many years ago and I really disliked it. Since then, I have read Where Angels Fear to Tread and A Room With a View, both of which I enjoyed much more than this. I think Forster is following the Henry James trajectory, where each novel he writes is progressively worse than the previous book. I'll wait until A Passage to India before I officially place him in that category though.

Helen Schlegel falls in love with Paul Wilcox, leading to a hasty engagement that is soon called off. Some time later, Margaret Schlegel, Helen's sister, befriends the Wilcox matriarch, Ruth Wilcox. Ruth is deathly ill, and soon succumbs to her illness, leaving behind a husband, Henry, and children. Henry becomes attracted to Margaret, but the other Wilcoxes aren't thrilled about his choice.

I know this is considered Forster's masterpiece, but once again, his characters don't seem real to me. The women are mostly irrational and driven entirely by emotion. The men don't fare much better in his depiction, although they are terrible in a different way (obstinate and prone to fits). His characters are a bit too melodramatic for my taste.

I will say that Forster always does a great job establishing a rich setting.  But I still think this one is skippable, which I know is an unpopular opinion.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Howards End is based on Rooks Nest, Forster's childhood home.

On Beauty (another List novel!) was written as a homage to Howards End. 

UP NEXT: Impressions of Africa by Raymond Roussel. I can only imagine what this is going to be. Brace yourselves.

246. Three Lives

Three Lives
Gertrude Stein
1909
Around 250 pages

I had never read any Gertrude Stein novels, but I was excited to dive into her works. For one thing, it is always exciting to hear from a female author on the List, as they are few and far between. I also feel a certain kinship for her since we were both born in Pittsburgh. Of course, her family moved her to Vienna and Paris when she was three years old and my parents...didn't. Anyway, now that I have read one of her novels, my opinion of her has diminished somewhat.

Three Lives is separated into three novellas, "The Good Anna," "Melanctha," and "The Gentle Lena." "The Good Anna" tells the story of Anna, a spinster servant who loves her dogs. Yeah, I didn't find that one particularly compelling either. "Melanctha" is the longest story, and is so disgustingly racist that I don't want to spend too much time on it. Yes, I know it was a different time, but it was still really tough to endure. "The Gentle Lena" is about a passive German girl who marries Herman Kreder to please her elders, and goes on to live a quiet, miserable life.

Gertrude Stein is unapologetically repetitive. It's almost like every story is a song, and like a song, has a refrain. It's definitely a distinctive but irritating style. It felt a little condescending to the reader, and even more condescending to her characters, none of whom she seems to like. 

I'm still looking forward to her other novels on the List, which sound like they contain more interesting plots, but this wasn't a great first impression of Stein.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Stein sent copies of this novel to W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Good lord, really?

After a year of rejections, Stein had the book published at her own expense.

UP NEXT: Howards End by E.M. Forster. I've read this one already, so expect a new post shortly!

245. Martin Eden

Martin Eden
Jack London
1909
Around 400 pages

This is the second and final London novel on the List. I think many people, me included, think of London as a rugged outdoorsman who writes survivalist stories, but once again, he presents us with something unexpected.

Martin Eden is an uneducated sailor who falls in love with Ruth Morse. Unfortunately, she comes from a bourgeois family. Martin vows to "make good" by becoming an esteemed writer, which would enable him to marry Ruth. As the novel progresses, Martin slowly finds acceptance from the class that once shunned him, but he doesn't enjoy it quite as much as he thought he would.

In many ways, this is your typical "artist becomes disillusioned, fame isn't what it's cracked up to be, etc" story. But I was very engaged even though the plot moved in a pretty predictable direction. London clearly put a lot of himself in Martin, and the ending (without giving too much away) is almost like fantasy fulfillment.

This was also a vast improvement from Iron Heel, in terms of characterization and pacing. I want to read more Jack London now but those seem like winter reads.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Written after London had already achieved fame with The Call of the Wild and The Sea Wolf.

Referenced in Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America.

UP NEXT: Three Lives by Gertrude Stein. I am excited for this one, I've never read any Stein.

244. Strait is the Gate

Strait is the Gate
Andre Gide
1909
Around 250 pages

I haven't quite clicked with any of our books from Gide yet and I am afraid this novel is no exception. Once again, he portrays a very unhealthy relationship with melodramatic characters. That's fine, but I think we are supposed to think this one was romantic. Ick.

Jerome is in love with his cousin Alissa, who strings him along for years, because that is how they will both get into heaven, I guess? Jerome is so enthralled with Alissa that he fails to realize his other cousin is in love with him as well.  I guess dating options were pretty thin on the ground back then.

I think we were supposed to mistake Alissa's mental illness for virtue. Instead I just found it kind of silly and over the top. Gide has one more chance to win me over on this List, but I don't have high hopes.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Based on Gide's own failure to woo his cousin.

The title is a reference to a phrase from the Gospel of Luke.

UP NEXT: Martin Eden by Jack London.

243. A Room With A View

A Room With A View
E.M. Forster
1908
Around 250 pages

E.M. Forster sure has a lot of opinions to share about women, doesn't he? He's not hateful, but he's one of those writers that makes his female characters (at least the young ones) into nubile nymphs frolicking around fields of violets. When they inevitably show their humanity, the male characters are all fairly disappointed. I prefer when my female characters are treated as, well, people, but I guess Forster kept an intentional distance from women all his life, which might explain his confusion. We are more alike than we are different, Forster, trust me. I hope you can hear me from my pedestal.

But that's okay, there is plenty of other things to enjoy here. Lucy Honeychurch is the name of the main character, which kind of tells you everything you need to know about this plot. But I'll continue anyway. Lucy is touring Italy with her spinster aunt. I guess if you don't get married when you are nymph you transition right into spinster aunt, even if you are an only child. They encounter Mr. Emerson and his dashing son George, after Mr. Emerson gallantly offers to swap rooms with them, so they can have a nice view. Lucy finds herself drawn to George and must choose between him and the snobbish Cecil who also desires her hand.

This is the second of four Forster novels on the List. I'm always entertained by his plots, but his characters never seem real to me. Cecil, for example, behaved one way for most of the novel, then did a complete 180 at the end. I am not saying people can't change, and I would certainly hope characters evolve throughout a novel. But Cecil's shift felt very insincere to me.

I feel like Forster just wanted a sweet, innocent novel so he was afraid to cross certain lines. So the results aren't terribly original but manage to be enjoyable just the same. I am still looking forward to A Passage to India.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

First novel that Forster worked on, although he put it aside to work on other projects before returning to it several years later.

Forster described this as not the best of his novels, but certainly the nicest.

UP NEXT: Strait is the Gate by Andre Gide

242. Tono-Bungay

Tono-Bungay
H.G. Wells
1909
Around 350 pages

This is the final H.G. Wells novel on the List, and while the man spins a good tale, he has perhaps overstayed his welcome here. It's hard to justify giving the white British male writers five (or more) novels apiece at the expense of so many other great books and authors.

Tono-Bungay is narrated by George Ponderevo, who is basically a stand in for Wells.  George is persuaded by his uncle to sell Tono-Bungay, a patent medicine that apparently helps with liver issues. George also narrates his various romantic misadventures, including when he cheats on his wife and feels absolutely no remorse or responsibility about it. Autobiographical indeed.

I feel like writers can't resist putting themselves into their work, and the results are generally pretty interesting/delusional. Here it falls more on the interesting side, and I enjoyed some of his commentary on consumerism and the class shifts going on in England at the time. On the other hand, this is a quote from one of Wells' female characters: "Women are such things of mood... We say ‘No’ when we mean ‘Yes’—and fly into crises." Oh, kindly fuck off already.

Speaking of Wells fucking off, it's time for our official Wells' novels ranking, since we are packing it in.

1. The Time Machine
2. The Island of Dr. Moreau
3. The War of the Worlds
4. Tono-Bungay
5. The Invisible Man

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

H.G. Wells considered this his finest novel.

Wells hooked up with Maxim Gorky's mistress. I know that is not particularly relevant to the novel, but it was tea I felt compelled to spill.

UP NEXT: A Room With a View by E.M. Forster

241. The Inferno

The Inferno
Henri Barbusse
1908
Around 100 pages

This is a good novel to read in quarantine times, as we all cooped up in our houses/apartments, unable to leave. Hopefully, you will not be motivated by this creeper to drill a hole in your wall and spy on all your neighbors. But if you do choose that course of action and see anything juicy, please let me know.

Our unnamed narrator discovers that he can spy on the next room in a Paris boarding house through a peephole. He sees all sorts of things, including adultery, incest, death, parties, and Catholic priests being terrible.

I liked the setup for this novel, as it is very Rear Window-y, though obviously this came first. I was just as intrigued as the narrator by the characters he saw on the other side of the wall, although I was slightly disappointed by which ones he fixated on. It wasn't hard to view this as an analogy for the life of the writer. Always watching, breathlessly recording, able to see the flaws and weaknesses of everybody around him but powerless to forge a meaningful existence for himself.

Overall, a worthwhile read and short to boot, even if Barbusse did not reach the most cheerful conclusions by the end of the novel.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Popular in France and sold more than 100,000 copies in 1917.

Barbusse was a lifelong friend of Albert Einstein.

UP NEXT: Tono-Bungay by H.G. Wells

240. The Iron Heel

Iron Heel
Jack London
1908
Around 350 pages

I decided to read the two Jack London novels on this List when the pandemic hit, thinking they would awaken the rugged survivalist in me. Well, it turns out that my perception of what Jack London novels are about was really off and the rugged survivalist in me unfortunately remains dormant.

The novel is structured as a manuscript written by Avis Everhard, and edited by a scholar from 2600 C.E. The story begins with Avis falling in love with Ernest, a socialist who is capable of striking his detractors dumb with his rhetoric. I always hate it when authors do this; I think you make a much more compelling case when you don't paint everybody that disagrees with you as an idiot. Anyway, the story then follows the fall of the US and Avis and Ernest's involvement in the Rebellion.

So this is a slight twist on the socialism novel that is so seemingly so popular in this era. London takes a more dystopian, sci fi approach with the story, which I guess is meant to serve as a warning about the direction socialism was headed in 1908. It's a pretty fascinating perspective at times, and the point of view was refreshing and different, even if London doesn't make the most convincing woman.

More an interesting product of its time than a riveting read, but I'm still glad I experienced it.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Cited as an influence behind George Orwell's 1984.

UP NEXT: The Inferno by Henri Barbusse. This one sounds juicy.

239. The Old Wives' Tale

The Old Wives' Tale
Arnold Bennett
1908
Around 600 pages

I asked a male friend of mine how much I would have to pay him to read a book like this, and the demanded price was unfortunately out of my range. Oh well, at least the Listmakers seem to enjoy narratives like this as much as I do.

The novel recounts the lives of Constance and Sophia Baines, two sisters of very different temperaments. Sophia is seduced by a scoundrel who has no intention of marrying her, while Constance copes with her son being an enormous brat/terrible human being (he stole cake out of somebody's hands at a party; there can be no redemption for such a villain). The story spans about 80 years.

I like stories like this, that really dive into the characters' psyches and motivations. Of course, there is that natural author tendency, particularly with male writers, to place women in one of two categories: the Virgin Mary or Mary Magdalene. Bennet plays with this trope a little bit, but there were still those awkward moments where he succumbs to that cliche.

But I still was delighted by many phrases, even if 600 pages was a bit on the long side.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Bennett was heavily influenced by Maupassant's book, Une Vie.

Original copy is held in Lilly Library, Indiana. I finally have a reason to visit Indiana!

UP NEXT: The Iron Heel by Jack London.

238. The House on the Borderland

The House on the Borderland
William Hope Hodgson
1908
Around 150 pages

I had this one marked down for a Halloween read, but ended up reaching it earlier than I expected. An eerie read is not entirely out of place in June of 2020, so I don't feel too bad about it.

Two Irishmen stumble upon the ruins of a house while on a fishing trip and find a moldering old journal in the crumbling walls. The journal recounts the story of an old man who used to live in the house with his sister and dog. He started the diary in order to record all the strange things happening within the house.

So this is sort of a throwback to gothic novels (e.g. the frame story of finding an old manuscript that tells a chilling tale, the exploration of the uncanny, etc.). At the same time, Hodgson is adding his own science fiction twist, and it's clear that this had a huge influence on sci fi writers.

It was a little too trippy for my tastes, but it was an entertaining read that clearly resonated with many future authors.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Terry Pratchett has said this novel was "the Big Bang in my private universe as a science fiction and fantasy reader and, later, writer."

Praised by H.P. Lovecraft.

UP NEXT: The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett. Sounds hot.

237. Mother

Mother
Maxim Gorky
1907
Around 500 pages

There have been quite a few social justice novels lately, I suppose those are the novels with the staying power. This one adds a fun twist, because it is a Russian novel, so there's a character named Vyesovshchikov and way too many Nickolays.

The Mother in the title refers to Pelageya Nilovna Vlasova, a world-weary Russian woman who is repeatedly "treated to cuts" by her husband (her words, obviously, not mine). After her husband dies unexpectedly, her son Pavel is the breadwinner and it appears he will be condemned to same miserable workman's life as his father's. Soon, however, he starts to read revolutionary materials and surround himself with a new type of a people, much to the dismay of Pela- his mother.

Weirdly enough, the story is not from the point of view of Pavel, who is arguably driving the story, but his mother. I suppose this is done because Gorky thought Russian readers would be less receptive to a story where Pavel is the protagonist, since he is educated and well-read. In every one of these socialism novels, there's always that one character that is just there to give rousing speeches to a crowd of admiring onlookers who feel the truth of the words all the way to their bones, and often times this character is not the protagonist. I guess this is to elevate those particular characters to "prophet" status, which requires putting some distance between them and the average Joe (or, in this case, Josephine) that picks up your novel. I still maintain that Germinal did this best (fight me).

So another important novel that is not very fun at all.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Adapted in a 1932 play.

Gorky had a rivalry with Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy was a jealous bee-otch.

Met Lenin, but Lenin didn't like any of his ideas and Gorky's relationship with the Soviet Union only grew worse over time.

UP NEXT: The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson.

236. The Secret Agent

The Secret Agent
Joseph Conrad
1907
Around 250 pages

I am not a huge fan of Conrad, but the Book doesn't care, so here we are with our fourth Conrad novel, with one more to go. Unlike some of the other List authors I don't click with, Conrad doesn't actively repulse me, but I just never find his prose very interesting. Still, I would take him over Henry James any day.

Adolf Verloc is a secret agent living in London in 1886. He owns a shop that sells naughty things with his wife, and they live with her mother and brother. He is enlisted by an unnamed embassy to spy on a local anarchist group, and to instigate a bombing of the Greenwich Observatory. The embassy thinks this will lead the British government to crack down on socialists/anarchists.

The plot of this novel sounds interesting, but once again, I was disappointed. I liked that we were moving away from sea faring stories, but I still found the plot confusing and convoluted. I suppose espionage plots are always like that, but I found it hard to follow, especially at the beginning.

So another so-so novel, and hopefully the next one isn't as frightening as it sounds.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

One of three most cited works of literature in American media in the two weeks after 9/11.

Dedicated to H.G. Wells.

Stevie is based on French anarchist Martial Bourdin.

The Unabomber was a huge fan of this novel, and kept a copy by his bedside.

UP NEXT: Mother by Maxim Gorky. The title kind of freaks me out, in a Norman Bates way.

235. The Jungle

The Jungle
Upton Sinclair
1906
Around 400 pages

I don't think it was required that we read this is in my AP history class, but I did anyway, either in the pursuit of being extra, or because I was writing an essay. Either way, this was probably the first social justice novel I read, back before Emile Zola ruined me for other men.

Jurgis is a Lithuanian immigrant and thinks he can support his entire family by working at a Chicago slaughterhouse. He's wrong of course, and things get pretty gross.

So we all know exactly why this novel was written, and it's not to create a complex narrative with multidimensional characters. It's to expose the horrifying conditions that workers in Chicago endured and it does that very effectively. I don't find stories as enjoyable when I am being frog marched to a particular point, but this is undeniably a very important novel, and deserving of its place on the List.

An essential read, and another entry on the List that proves storytellers can save the planet.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Sinclair said of the novel, "I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident, I hit it in the stomach."

Jack London called this "the Uncle Tom's Cabin of wage slavery."

Sinclair worked incognito in Chicago's meatpacking plants for seven weeks to gather information.

Teddy Roosevelt referred to Sinclair as a "crackpot."

UP NEXT: The Secret Agent by Joseph Conrad. Ugh.

234. The Forsyte Saga

The Forsyte Saga
John Galsworthy
1906
Around 800 pages

I snatched this one off the shelf of a library, back in those happy times when we were allowed to go to libraries. I was attracted merely by the title (because I love multigenerational sagas), and didn't even realize it was a List book. I should have known the Powers That Be find these stories as irresistible as I do.

It's difficult to give a short plot summary about a series like this; The Saga consists of three novels. Instead, I'll just focus on the characters. Soames Forsyte is a jealous solicitor, married to the intensely unhappy Irene. Soames longs to possess Irene fully, and for Irene to give him an heir. Irene has her own ideas about what will make her happy, and it is the pursuit of this desired independence that drives most of the narrative.

Soames is a fascinating character, simultaneously vicious and pathetic. Irene was also an interesting character. I was almost frustrated by her, because she seemed so self-possessed in some instances and then naive during other crucial moments. None of these characters were one-note wonders, which made them very real, and very sympathetic.

Highly recommended, and a welcome entry after 233's debacle.

RATING: *****

Interesting Facts:

Galsworthy won the Nobel Prize of Literature in 1932.

Listed as #123 on BBC's Big Read poll of the UK's best loved novel.

UP NEXT: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Anybody else have to read this in school?

233. Young Torless

Young Torless
Robert Musil
1906
Around 200 pages

It's understandable to want to escape reality right now, and to dive into swashbuckling adventures or light-hearted romances. That has been my mood as well, so I have been doing a substantial amount of rereading during this time. I took a break from that carefree lifestyle to read Young Torless, and damn, that was a mistake.

Torless is a student of an Austrian boarding school, and is "friends" with fellow students Reiting, Beineberg, and Basini. Reiting suspects that Basini is stealing from him. Instead of turning Basini in and earning Slytherin 200 house points, Reiting and his friends decide to torture him themselves, physically, emotionally, and sexually.

At least 120 Days of Sodom didn't sneak up on me like this; I had heard of that one. I wouldn't say Young Torless was quite as disturbing as that novel, but man. What a grim perception Musil has of humanity. People are evil and no one person can change anything. I am not saying he's completely off base, but I am not in the mood to stew in all that ugliness.

Oh well, at least it was short.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Musil claims he wrote this novel "because of boredom."

Adapted into a 1966 German film.

UP NEXT: The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy. An old favorite.

232. Professor Unrat

Professor Unrat
Heinrich Mann
1905
Around 250 pages

Many, many moons ago I watched The Blue Angel for my movie blog, which is the film adaptation of this novel. I don't remember much about the movie except Marlene Dietrich being a sexpot, so I really didn't know what to expect when I started this. I think I would assign more importance to the movie than the novel.

Professor Raat is a cranky widower who is known as "Unrat" among his students and colleagues (the German word for garbage). He tracks down Rosa Frohlich, a night club dancer, intending to tell her off for "corrupting" his students. Of course, this does not turn out how he expected.

I'll start by confessing that my translation of this one probably wasn't the best. Since the libraries are closed, I have been living off of pdfs, which is exactly the kind of devil-may-care, cowboy lifestyle I am getting too old for. I am sure the sentences were less awkward in German.

That being said, I did feel like the characterization was rather thin. I didn't feel like I got to know any of these characters. I know Mann's focus was wider than that, but Rosa was nowhere near as striking a character as, say, Nana. Side note: I know I should stop comparing every author to Emile Zola, but I can't help it.

Overall, not terrible, but entirely skippable.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

The Blue Angel was shot simultaneously in English and German. The German version is considered the better film.

The Nazis burned Mann's books in 1933, as they were "contrary to the German spirit." Indeed.

UP NEXT: Young Torless by Robert Musil. Another one that doesn't ring any bells.

231. The House of Mirth

The House of Mirth
Edith Wharton
1905
Around 350 pages

I was surprised to see that there were still Edith Wharton novels on the List that I haven't read yet. I had burned through her classics pretty quickly (The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome, as I am sure you are dying to know). I'm delighted that there three other Wharton novels to look forward to on this blog.

Lily Bart is an orphaned socialite, which in these times, and certainly in these novels, means you have to go live with your bossy aunt until you can snag a husband. Lily is 29, which means she is already considered ancient on the marriage market. Lily tries to improve/maintain her social station but her inner spirit longs to rebel against the conventions she is trying so hard to obey.

I don't know what to make of Lily Bart. She is not nearly as cunning as other, more daring heroines, like Becky Sharp, but she isn't exactly an innocent fawn in the woods either. This makes her a very compelling, but frustrating, heroine. I have a slight issue with Wharton's moralizing, which seemed to take some characters to task but let others get away clean, but this is very well-crafted story.

Once again, women bring it on this List. It's nice to hear from them every twenty novels or so.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Title taken from the Old Testament: "The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth."

Originally serialized in Scribner's Magazine.

Her royalties were valued at more than a half a million dollar's in today's currency. Get it, girl.

UP NEXT: Professor Unrat by Heinrich Mann. Just what we need, another Mann.

230. Where Angels Fear to Tread

Where Angels Fear to Tread
E.M. Forster
1905
Around 150 pages

The title "Where Angels Fear to Tread" sounds like the name of a sappy Rock Hudson movie, but this novel is anything but sappy. I was particularly pleased about how enjoyable this was, because I've read Howard's End and found it terribly dull. Maybe Forster is like Henry James and will get progressively duller as the years go on. We'll see!

Newly widowed Lilia leaves her young daughter with her mother-in-law, Mrs. Herriton, to travel to Italy with her friend, Ms. Abbott. Ms. Abbot has been charged by the Herritons to keep Lilia in line abroad, only it doesn't go so well. Lilia falls in love with Gino, a short Italian who is *gasp* the son of a dentist. Mrs. Herriton sends her son, Phillip, to Italy to try to stop the match.

Speaking of Henry James (why can't I stop thinking about him? I hate him! It's my dating life all over again), this novel has a similar set up to The Ambassadors, but is much better done. Maybe it was because Forster was younger than James was when he was writing, but his observations about Europe felt less judgmental. It was like he did not blame his characters for any of their behaviors, so deep was his understanding of their motivations. Of course, he had to slip in the occasional off base comment about women here and there. Apparently, I am supposed to have "a woman's pleasure in cleaning anything." Yes, what a simple joy it is to scrub a toilet. It makes my ovaries sing.

I also appreciate his brevity; he didn't waste any time telling his story. A very good novel, and I'm excited to see what else Forster has in store.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

Forster completed ten chapters in one month.

Published when he was 26. Okay, now you are just showing off.

UP NEXT: The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

229. Nostromo

Nostromo
Joseph Conrad
1904
Around 550 pages

Okay, I realize the above picture isn't the Nostromo we are talking about, but if I get the chance to pay homage to Alien, I take it.

Nostromo is set in Costaguana, a fictional South American country that is likely based on Colombia. Charles Gould is a native Costaguanian (Costaguaner? Costaguanic? Whatever, he is from Costaguana) who owns a silver-mine. He enlists Nostromo, a daring Italian longshoreman, to protect his silver from local warlords by transporting it offshore.

It was kind of difficult writing that summary, because Conrad takes a little while to get to what I would call the main plot of novel. There's something about Conrad's prose that is tedious to me, I'm not sure what it is. I am always ready to be taken on a swash-buckling adventure and somehow he never seems to take me there.

Still, I can see the appeal for people who want something gritty and real. It's also an interesting setting, and there are some memorable characters here.

Not a favorite, but deserving of its place on the List.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, "I'd rather have written Nostromo than any other novel."

47 on Modern Library's list of 100 best English language novels of the 20th century.

UP NEXT: Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster. I have always wanted to read more of him so I am looking forster to this.  Geddit? ... I haven't left my apartment in a long time.

228. Hadrian the Seventh

Hadrian the Seventh
Frederick Rolfe
1904
Around 400 pages

Frederick Rolfe is weird. That might be the understatement of the century, at least this century, but there you go. He desperately wanted to join the Catholic Church, despite being a gay ephebophile, but was kicked out of two seminaries for his unpredictable behavior. He relied on patrons for support in his writing, but managed to alienate most of them. It's important to understand who Rolfe is before reading this, because this is an auto-biographical novel...or at least, Rolfe wishes it was.

George Arthur Rose is a writer who is expelled from a seminary. Three cardinals visit him and tell him what a horrible mistake they made. They invite him to attend the papal conclave and one thing leads to another and he's elected Pope.

This is really embarrassing, I don't know if there is a better way of putting it. Rolfe has delusions of grandeur that would make a real politician blush. He genuinely believes he is infallible, and that if given a big enough platform, like say Pope, he could not only fix the Catholic Church but all of Europe as well. Oh honey.

Life is a disaster, and writers want to make sense of it, make it beautiful, and yes, sometimes even correct it. Rolfe has no awareness of how wrong the world he has created feels, how untrue it is, because he is at the center of it.

I reserve zero star ratings for books that are actively trying to make me puke, but this was pretty bad.

RATING: *----

Interesting Facts:

37 on Guardian's List of 100 best novels. Scuse?

Rolfe would often abbreviate his name to Fr. Rolfe, so people would think he was a priest.

UP NEXT: Nostromo by Joseph Conrad. I just recently read all the Conrad novels on the List, so expect a review up shortly!