SHORT REVIEWS OF 6 CLASSIC NOVELS

This is a further installment of some of the books I read while without the internet. I often enjoy reading in bunches -- a bunch of science fiction and fantasy, a bunch of classics, a bunch of prize winners, etc. These are the classics I read.




SONS AND LOVERS by D.H. LAWRENCE (1913) Second reading
D.H. Lawrence is familiar to most people as the author of the once-banned Lady Chatterley's Lover, which is famous (or infamous) for its sexual frankness. The title of this novel would seem to point to like content, but that is not the case. This is more about a mother's obsessive love for her sons and the effect this has on their own emotional life. It's a very good book, although I do not care for the writing style.

OLIVER TWIST by CHARLES DICKENS (1838) Third reading
Most everyone is already familiar with the basics of this tale of a gang of thieves who try to lead an innocent boy into a life of crime. This is actually one of my least favorite Dickens novels. It is more than usual dependent upon coincidences and improbable happenings, but the characters are certainly memorable. Who does not know who Fagin is?

STUDS LONIGAN TRILOGY by JAMES T. FARRELL (1932, 34, 35) Second reading
This would be considered a second-tier classic, I think. It's the story of the life of an Irish-American boy in Depression-era Chicago, from his tough-talking but good-hearted youth until his untimely death from alcoholism. It is very depressing. Much of the novel is composed of long trivial conversations in which the participants try to show how tough they are, so it is not much fun to read from that aspect. I would not recommend this, even though the Modern Library list of America's Top 100 novels includes this as No. 29.

DAVID COPPERFIELD by CHARLES DICKENS (1850) Third reading
This is one of my favorite Dickens novels. It is widely considered to be partially autobiographical. It's a coming-of-age story, with the title character making many wrong turns in judgment and in his love life. It is a thoroughly satisfying read.

A FAREWELL TO ARMS by ERNEST HEMINGWAY (1929) Second reading
I don't like Hemingway. I read this again to see if I might not like it better, as I have advanced in age and experience. I still don't like it. Hemingway's prose is often described as lean and muscular. I think it sounds more like my first-grade reader -- "See Dick run. Dick runs fast. Run, Dick, run." This novel also contains some of the most insipid pillow-talk I have ever read.

NOSTROMO by JOSEPH CONRAD (1904) Second reading, Reviewed in June, 2011
This is one of the best novels I have ever read. On the surface, it is the story of the events in an unnamed South American country leading to the stealing of a whole boatload of silver bars, but it has many additional layers, which make it one of those books which can be read time after time, with new insights at each reading. It is perfectly put together, and the language is wonderful. I consider it the best of Conrad, which is saying a lot, considering the excellence of The Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim.