Brian Davis

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Shelf reviewed a book.

“Paula_S said: 3 stars

This Swedish classic was an nice read, but didn't surpass my expectations. An ambitious farm hand, Carlsson, comes to the island of Hemsö to run the farm for the family owning the island; the men in the family are principally interested in fishing and hunting...”

“Paula_S said: 3 stars

This Swedish classic was an nice read, but didn't surpass my expectations. An ambitious farm hand, Carlsson, comes to the island of Hemsö to run the farm for the family owning the island; the men in the family are principally interested in fishing and hunting and the farm has been neglected. The book explores the conflict between sea people and land people and also follows the day-to-day work on the island. It is mostly interesting because of the view into the island comunity during the last 19th century.”

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Shelf reviewed a book.

“Kristel said: 4 Stars

This book is hilarious. Bertram Wooster or Bertie loses the services of his valet, Jeeves because of his inferno Banjolele playing. It is driving everyone crazy and he is evicted. Bertie moves to the country where he can play the Banjolele. In the country,...”

“Kristel said: 4 Stars

This book is hilarious. Bertram Wooster or Bertie loses the services of his valet, Jeeves because of his inferno Banjolele playing. It is driving everyone crazy and he is evicted. Bertie moves to the country where he can play the Banjolele. In the country, Bertie meets up with a bunch of former acquaintances and several misadventures.

Book Worm said: 4 stars

I found this a very entertaining and fast read I really enjoyed all the humour in the story.

Essentially this is the story of bumbling aristocrat Bertram Wooster and his highly intelligent "man" Jeeves

While Bertie blunders his way around trying to improve his life and that of his friends it is down to the unshakeable Jeeves to put into order all the chaos Bertie manages to stir up.

This is a first person narrative told entirely from the point of view of Bertie and as such we the reader are cast in the role of confidant, Bertie uses his own short hand when speaking which we are expected to understand within the context of the sentence, personally I find this endearing.

The 1001 books says this has no plot, no character developement and no jokes. While I agree with the first 2 statements I have to say the whole way the story is written is very humourous or at least it appealed to me and did have me smirking at several points I particulary like;

"The attitude of fellows towards finding girls in their bedroom shortly after midnight varies. Some like it. Some don't. I didn't"

The reason for the its inclusion on the 1001 list according to the book is for the sublime writing style, I really enjoyed the writing it was more like a conversation with an eccentric friend than a novel.

For anyone who has ever watched Jeeves and Wooster with Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry this reads exactly like the show and I could not get the characters out of my head, not a bad thing as it goes.

Paula_S said: 4 stars

This comedy classic didn't have me laughing out loud, but I did very much enjoy poor Bertie Wooster's misadventures and Jeeves' ingeniuity in getting him out of his problems. I read quite a lot of Wodehouse books when I was a teenager (but never this) and I think this book will be even better when I eventually come back and rereads it. I think familiarity with the plot and expectiations of what happens next will make the enjoyment even greater.”

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Shelf reviewed a book.

“Shelley S said: 2 stars

A simple French folk tale about a mysterious pool in a wood with a love story mixed in.”

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Shelf reviewed a book.

“Shelley S said: 3 stars

Life in a big factory filled with workers just trying to make a living and preyed on by individuals who follow the Party line. If this is the best of Chinese literature, I'd hate to see the worst. Oh, wait a minute, that honour would go to Half of Man is Woman.”

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Shelf reviewed a book.

“Shelley S said: 2 stars

A strange man in Holland meets another strange man, befriends him, reads about his death, meets the deceased's estranged son, attends a tea ceremony given by the son who then kills himself. Very strange book but thankfully not long.”

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Shelf reviewed a book.

“Matt S said: 1 star

This book felt like something was almost developed but then it just became uncoordinated in its narrative to the point of silliness. The characters are boring and their introductions are arranged in unrealistically convenient manners, and as the book progresses...”

“Matt S said: 1 star

This book felt like something was almost developed but then it just became uncoordinated in its narrative to the point of silliness. The characters are boring and their introductions are arranged in unrealistically convenient manners, and as the book progresses it goes off on so many tangential concepts of a disembodied narrator or the thoughts of some erroneous character until it's difficult to see how the beginning could reach such a pointless conclusion. Read with caution and patience.

Book Worm said: 3 stars

This is a shortish story about a fisherman Harry Morgan, Harry lives in Key West Florida during the Great Depression. Struggling to prevent his family starving Harry is taken in by a conman who ends up costing him hundreds of dollars when he does a runner without paying Harry.

Facing ruin Harry is forced into a life of illegal activity a life from which escape seems impossible.

Hemingways written detail is sparse and to my mind while I could follow that facing ruin leads Harry straight into act A I found it hard to believe that it also lead straight into act B as well, for me act B would take a lot of consideration for the seemingly law abiding family man Harry rather than the way he appeared to jump straight into it.

For me there is more going on off the page than there is on the page which leaves the reader reasoning their own way through Harrys actions and decisions.

There is also a social comment about life at the time as seen through several minor characters, smuggling between Cuba and Florida, drunkeness, despair, prostitution, unfaithfulness and violence are products of the depression and occur when people cannot earn enough to support themselves at the most basic level.

While the starkness of life for the characters reminded me of Steinbecks writings I just didnt find the enjoyment in this that I do with Steinbeck I couldnt connect with them the way I connect with Steinbecks characters both good and bad.

For me this was an interesting but unemotional read”

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Shelf reviewed a book.

“Shelley S said: 2 stars

Wretched book consisting of long boring discussions amongst middle aged drunken Englishmen and women of the upper middle class. It is of no surprise to me that it won the Booker Prize.”

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Shelf reviewed a book.

“Shelley S said: 3 stars

A disturbing novel based on the business dealings of Peachum and Macneath, unscrupulous businessmen from Victorian London. Peachum runs a business outfitting individuals who rent clothing, props, and locations for begging. Macneath rents out bargain...”

“Shelley S said: 3 stars

A disturbing novel based on the business dealings of Peachum and Macneath, unscrupulous businessmen from Victorian London. Peachum runs a business outfitting individuals who rent clothing, props, and locations for begging. Macneath rents out bargain basement stores to would be entrepreneurs who he then supplies with stolen goods from other cities. Peachum is satisfied with his lot but Macneath yearns for bigger things and eventually branches into buying dilapidated ships to sell to the British government to move troops to South Africa for the Boer War. Peachum is brought into the business but both run into financial trouble when a competitor arrives. Macneath, through nefarious means, gains control of the competitor’s bank and manages to wiggle both himself and Peachum, his father-in-law, free of disaster, but cannot help the small entrepreneurs out of the financial tsunami that overwhelms them. The cutthroat world of big business at the expense of the small shop owner is laid bare for all to see. The use of the Biblical parable of the three servants left to look after their master’s investment is used to chilling effect by a religious figure to rationalize the lack of sympathy to failed shop keepers. Christ would cry at this perverse use of His parable. It deserves four stars but was too long.”

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Shelf reviewed a book.

“Shelley S said: 3 stars

A utopia dreamed up by a Victorian Socialist/Communist wherein all are freed from the tyranny of law, religion, and government, where money has vanished, people live where they want, go where they want, work at whatever they wish, visit shops to choose...”

“Shelley S said: 3 stars

A utopia dreamed up by a Victorian Socialist/Communist wherein all are freed from the tyranny of law, religion, and government, where money has vanished, people live where they want, go where they want, work at whatever they wish, visit shops to choose whatever they want to wear, ride, or eat. The philosophy is "do what you will so long as none are harmed", an Anarchist's dream world. Morris would deny the Anarchist relationship but to all intents and purposes, he was a closet Anarchist.”

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Shelf reviewed a book.

“Sara W said: 5 stars + favorite

Though difficult to read it was a well written and intriguing coming of age story.

Augusta N said: 4 stars

This is a semi-autobiographical novel about Stephen Dedalus' childhood in Ireland as he grapples with maturity,...”

“Sara W said: 5 stars + favorite

Though difficult to read it was a well written and intriguing coming of age story.

Augusta N said: 4 stars

This is a semi-autobiographical novel about Stephen Dedalus' childhood in Ireland as he grapples with maturity, religion, Irish Catholic conventions and also coming to terms with himself, especially as an artist.

The novel shows examples of Joyce's modernist techniques that are developed more in his later works, such as Ulysees. It is told in free, indirect speech and does not have a clear narrative structure, as it will often jump from point to point (much as human thought does). When Joyce began the essay 'A Portrait of the Arist' he argued that events in the past, when they happened where not experienced as past but as present and that a narrative should recapture this. This enables Stephen's budding maturity to be shown in the prose style.

Joyce is not an easy read but he was an artistic genius and incredibly influential towards modern literature and also the study of English Literature that we have today. Joyce uses many techniques that I have appreciated in other writers, and he is really a master of such techniques, including: stream of consciousness, interior monolgue and focusing on a character's mental reality rather than their physical reality. I feel like there was so much I missed in just one reading and there would always be more to take from this with another reading.”

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Shelf reviewed a book.

“Karen P said: 3 stars

Eva is a strange central character who just lurches through life with no real regard for others. She's not particularly likeable but I did feel some sympathy for her. From an early age Eva is left in the care of nannies and governesses. Her mother dies when...”

“Karen P said: 3 stars

Eva is a strange central character who just lurches through life with no real regard for others. She's not particularly likeable but I did feel some sympathy for her. From an early age Eva is left in the care of nannies and governesses. Her mother dies when she is young and her father, who eventually kills himself, has very little to do with her. This distance is then repeated in her relationship with Jeremy. The ending was a little abrupt and I would have liked to know what happened afterwards.

Book Worm said: 3 stars

This is a story about a woman called Eva Trout (surprise!!) who inherits a huge amount of money but learns that it cant buy you love or acceptance.

Eva is a walking disaster for those around her, she goes from being an intense child who clings to anyone who shows her affection (she is an orphan) to being a woman who uses money to buy her whatever she wants no matter the consequence.

The people around her are drawn by her magnetism but at the same time repulsed by her demanding nature, she never settles and never learns to build herself a home which has tragic consequences.

The story was slow to get going and once it picked up pace I found the quirky use of language for me detracted from the story, it was also not a cohesive story you are never quite sure what is real or imagined and alot of the action is implied rather than stated which can lead to false conclusions.”

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Shelf reviewed a book.

“Joana M said: 5 stars

The story takes place in Newark, in 1944 when a swift and deadly spread of polio changes the lives of its population! It's one more excellent insight on the human condition, especially on chance, guilt and the choices we make every day.

Aga M....”