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1 out of 1 found this helpful: A good book that could have been great
Review: Never Let Me Go
 
This was well-written and hard to put down. It dealt with sexuality a little more casually and more often than I though necessary.
2007-08-13 12:30 | comment
Great writing, talented manipulator
Review: The Fountainhead
Ayn Rand has deeply affected a huge number of people with her philosophy of Objectivism. Although it is difficult to define, her hero, Howard Roark, embodies the philosophy.
While I have serious disagreements with Rand's philosophy (basically, it is that ego and indifference are the key to success and progress, and are the ultimate expression of self), my main beef with the book is its literary merit. Rather than exploring ideas through characters, Rand creates her characters in order to express her idea. Although this seems perhaps nothing more than a difference in semantics, there is a vital difference. Good authors journey with the reader and the characters, all headed toward (self)discovery. Rand is using her characters, and her readers, as a tool toward promoting her philosophy. This may make for interesting philosophy, but it makes for bad literature.
2007-02-10 12:06 | comment
A Deserving Classic
Review: The Brothers Karamazov
Brothers Karamazov is a masterpiece. Sure, it is a 19th century Russian novel (i.e. long and with a slow-moving plot), but it is fantastic. Dostoevsky is an artist at his best, examining humanity, despair, love, and hate.
If nothing else, read the excerpt "The Grand Inquisitor". It is one of the most compelling, moving pieces in world literature.
2006-11-19 23:43 | comment
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