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| 0020425651
| 9780020425656
| 0020425651
| 4.29
| 16,522
| 1984
| Jan 01, 1986
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really liked it
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I loved this series as a child, and also enjoyed it as an adult even though the last book sucks a fat one. I didn't think so when I read it as a kid,
I loved this series as a child, and also enjoyed it as an adult even though the last book sucks a fat one. I didn't think so when I read it as a kid, but grown-up Pierce had major problems with it. Read the first four, then the Wikipedia entry for the fifth, and you'll be good to go. The links below go to my review for each book. I just like to keep these things all in one place in case I want to refer to them. Over Sea, Under Stone: ★★★★✰ The Dark Is Rising: ★★★★★ Greenwitch: ★★★★✰ The Grey King: ★★★★★ Silver on the Tree: ★★✰✰✰ ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Jul 24, 2018
Jan 1991
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Aug 18, 2018
Jan 31, 1991
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May 17, 2019
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Paperback
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| 0545044251
| 9780545044257
| 0545044251
| 4.74
| 291,842
| Oct 01, 2007
| Oct 16, 2007
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it was amazing
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HD Film Tributes music video of the main Harry Potter theme by John Williams. 1/14/24 update: Mama and I watch a movie each month, and each year has a d HD Film Tributes music video of the main Harry Potter theme by John Williams. 1/14/24 update: Mama and I watch a movie each month, and each year has a different theme. 2024 is Harry Potter, and we've decided to read the books in tandem with the movies. This should be fun, and I plan to update my book reviews as I go along. I don't know why I'm putting an update here since I already know none of them will make it onto my "liked movie better" shelf, and I doubt the star rating will change for any of the books. Maybe I'm just doing it for the record. Also for the record, the links below to go my reviews. Original review, 5/17/19: I give the series five stars, easily, yet none of the books gets the whole enchilada (though a couple of them are so close). Sup wit dat? Hell if I know. Perhaps I'm feeling more generous tonight than when I wrote the individual reviews, all of which are linked below. But the facts speak for themselves: I've read/listened to the entire series three times, hit one of the books eight times, and I'm sure I'll read/listen to them again. (It's not exactly difficult material.) If that ain't five star sentiments, then I don't know what is. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: ★★★★✰ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: ★★★✰✰ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: ★★★✰✰ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: ★★★★✰ (3.5) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: ★★★★✰ (3.5) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: ★★★★✰ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: ★★★★✰ Bonus material: Quidditch through the Ages: ★★★✰✰ Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: ★★✰✰✰ The Tales of Beedle the Bard: ★★★✰✰ ...more |
Notes are private!
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3
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Aug 04, 2017
Jan 2010
Jan 2002
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Mar 20, 2018
Jan 2010
Jul 21, 2007
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May 17, 2019
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Hardcover
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| 4.57
| 936,512
| Oct 20, 1955
| Jan 1972
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it was amazing
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I teetered between 4.5 and five stars with this, but I decided to push it to the top. It still has some of the shortcomings explained in my Fellowship
I teetered between 4.5 and five stars with this, but I decided to push it to the top. It still has some of the shortcomings explained in my Fellowship of the Ring review, but other parts are just too awesome. I was mistaken in my Two Towers review; Tolkien can write a battle. He's still not as good as some other writers in that regard, but the battle of Pelennor Fields has some top-notch scenes, especially the fight with Merry and Eowyn against the Lord of the Nazgul. I remember that scene from middle school which is the last time I read this... and I'm afraid another memory from that time period surfaced as I listened to this. Wanna hear about it? Here I go. I was the dorkiest, most over-imaginative kid in the history of ever... OK, maybe that's laying it on a bit thick, but I was certainly the dumbest that I knew. I was reading this in eighth grade on my own. At the same time in English class, we were reading things like Number the Stars and Gentlehands, so World War II was a topic of discussion. We were taught that the holocaust was a bad thing and that Nazi Germany was a land most evil and foul. Naturally I equated it with Mordor. Things were so bleak in Middle Earth that a darkness was cast over the land, and nobody saw the sun for several days. As Mrs. Maury was talking to us about the horrors of Auschwitz, a question occurred to my 13-year-old brain, and I raised my hand to ask "Did the sun ever shine there back then?" And though my class' reaction was... [image] ...and after a few years my own reaction was... [image] ...Mrs. Maury, an experienced and veteran teacher who was able to take a more tolerant view of my occasional inanities, didn't miss a beat and simply said, "Yes, the sun shone there," and went on with the lesson. I believe I provided ample entertainment for the teacher's lounge. I blame Tolkien for this embarrassing exchange which still causes me great shame when I reflect on it; he shouldn't have created such a believable world, the rat bastard. And I blame Mrs. Quinn, my physical science teacher that same year, for not adequately impressing upon me that clouds don't form simply because bad men are doing bad things... What, blame myself? Don't be silly. [image] Back to the book. Tolkien's dialogue is awesome. In other books by other authors such phrasing often comes across as forced and ostentatious, but in Middle Earth it just works, and I can't imagine it being done in any other way. I mentioned in my Fellowship of the Ring review that he created this world so he could have a place to put his language, and he pulled it off masterfully. This book has some of my favorite scenes in the series. The Pelennor Fields battle mentioned above is great, but what I love even more is Aragorn and Gandalf trying to get business done in the Houses of Healing with the long winded healers. It's a shame those didn't make it into the movie, for they contained some of the best lines. The fact that a lot of the best lines from the books didn't make it into the movies is actually one of my beefs with the films, though I admit my beefs are few; the movies are kick-ass in their own rights. To answer a question I had for myself in my Two Towers review: Faramir isn't a pussy boy in this book either, though his father, Denethor, is certainly a dick. He asks his father to think better of him if he pulls off the impossible task set before him, but it doesn't come across as weak or whiny at all. I don't know why I thought I didn't like "The Scouring of the Shire" at the end. I saw a Peter Jackson interview where he said he always hated that chapter, and I think over the years some of that bled over into my own opinion since it had been so long since I'd read the book, but I confess I was mistaken. That chapter was awesome and shows how much the hobbits had all grown during their journey. I won't say it's my favorite chapter in the series, but it's definitely in the top five. This has the longest denouement of anything I've read. The main climax occurs in chapter three of book six, and that leaves five and a half chapters of putting the rest of the story to bed, though there's another minor climax that occurs in the penultimate chapter referred to in the last paragraph. I thought this annoyed me back in the day because it dragged on and on, but I didn't get that impression this time. I like how everything is wrapped up by the end. Gollum got the last book onto my favorite villains shelf, and Sam is getting this one onto the favorite heroes shelf. He gets the most character development of everyone, and Frodo (not to mention all of Middle Earth) would've been toast without him. And as much as I love Sauron, he doesn't get to be in the villains club because we never see him. Personally I like it that way because it leaves an aura of mystery about him. We know he's a supreme overlord with phenomenal cosmic powers, and he causes enough trouble when he's broken. Can you imagine the damage he'd do if all of his horses and all of his men had been able to put him back together again? No, the way it played out was perfect. I think a full scale battle with a Sauron getting defeated after he had all his power back would've been rather lame by comparison. As for the audiobook, I listened to the unabridged version narrated by Rob Inglis, and that's the way to go. I think it's the only unabridged version out there, and he did a great job. I especially loved his voices for Gollum and Treebeard. If you've made it this far in the series, then you'll have no problem finishing it up. There are a couple of slow parts, and some excessive description, but you should be used to that by now and taking it like a champ. ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Jul 15, 2018
not set
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Jul 24, 2018
Jan 1991
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Jun 26, 2018
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 4.49
| 1,005,918
| Nov 11, 1954
| Sep 1970
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really liked it
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These books are difficult to review individually, and I think I said most of what I needed to about the series as a whole in my Fellowship of the Ring
These books are difficult to review individually, and I think I said most of what I needed to about the series as a whole in my Fellowship of the Ring review. This one has fewer songs, and we all sing hallelujah (without actually singing hallelujah, say hallelujah). This also has one of my favorite scenes: the fight with Shelob which shows us what Sam's capable of. That and a couple of other things get this to 4.5 stars, rounded down to four. There's naught left for me to do here save a couple of movie comparisons. I hate to say it, but Tolkien can't write a battle, at least not an exciting one. Maybe I'm not being fair since I'm comparing him to other authors who can nail it. Robert Jordan, for all of his other faults, excels in this area, and he's the measuring stick I use for that. Poor Tolkien doesn't come close, and I found Helm's Deep to be rather dry. However, Peter Jackson was able to take that and turn it into one of my favorite battle scenes not only in the Lord of the Rings movies but in any movie. In fact, I used to watch that over and over, night after night for a while back when the DVD first came out, then follow it up with the Ents at Orthanc. I liked the character changes for Saruman and Wormtongue, and the scene with Theoden coming back around, but they completely ruined Faramir. Book Faramir is noble, brave, and downright awesome. Movie Faramir is a pussy and a rat, and I'm not sure why they did that to him. He does the right thing at the end and the rat part goes away, but he remains a wimp with daddy issues going into the next movie. Since I can't remember what book Faramir does in The Return of the King, I can't say for certain how his interactions with Denethor run, but I think Jackson took some creative liberties for the sake of drama. I'll find out soon. And then there's Gollum. I can't pick which one I like better, book or movie, and I don't reckon I have to. Both of them are perfect in their respective mediums, and there really isn't a lot of difference between them. I'm not sure if he's a favorite villain or not (it is supposed to be an elite club, after all, but he's so, so close). Still, better safe than sorry, so he's earning this book a spot on my "favorite villains/antagonists" shelf. If you liked The Fellowship of the Ring, you're apt to like this too. If you didn't, then you probably won't; there are still some slow, excessively descriptive parts. At least there aren't as many songs and no obnoxious characters. ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Jul 06, 2018
not set
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Jul 15, 2018
Jan 1991
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Jun 26, 2018
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Mass Market Paperback
| |||||||||||||||||
| 0345015339
| 9780345215338
| 0345215338
| 4.39
| 2,865,202
| Jul 29, 1954
| 1970
|
really liked it
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HD Film Tributes music video: May It Be by Enya. This is so hard to rate as I have such mixed feelings about it. The story alone (for the entire series HD Film Tributes music video: May It Be by Enya. This is so hard to rate as I have such mixed feelings about it. The story alone (for the entire series) would get six stars if I could give them, but other parts are so tedious that stars are subtracted rapidly. To put it plainly, no book that contains a million songs and three chapters with Tom Bombadil will ever be able to get five stars from me, so that takes care of the top rating. Also, much of the journey could be summed up in places instead of the reader having to wade through pages of step-by-step accounts. But there's the wrinkle. Without those we wouldn't have Tolkien's Middle Earth. This world is so rich with its vistas and history, but only because we're shown things as we go along. So while parts are a chore to muddle through, I wouldn't change a word of it. How does one rate such a thing? He gives it 3.5 stars rounded up to four, of course. I would like for the record to show that I liked The Lord of the Rings before it was cool to like The Lord of the Rings. I think I read this first book thrice before the movies ever came out. Back in middle or high school some people were all like "Aw, come on man, you like that shit? Dork." (I agree with their assessment, I won't gainsay it. But that's neither here nor there). But then Peter Jackson did his thing and some of these same people were suddenly all like "WHOOOOAAAAHHHH! Lord of the Rings! Hells to the yeahs, mother fuckers!" I'd just like to take this opportunity to say "I TOLD YOU SO!" But, you can't be a dork; liking something before it was cool is the basis of dorkdom, and you can't be part of that band ya hipster, so PLBT! And speaking of the movie, I'll point out that the movies improved on a few things in the books. Both are top-notch, but I still like the books better if I had to pick. The interactions of the characters in the books often lack drama. The movies corrected this but sometimes overcorrected it. E.g.: All the extra love stuff between Aragorn and Arwen (who was barely in the books at all). Plus, Aragorn isn't so wishy-washy and conflicted in the books. It's okay to have a character who's sure of his purpose in stories, and that's something this modern age seems to have forgotten. Something to keep in mind about this is how the story came about. Tolkien didn't set out to write this story, but instead intended to create a world where his different languages and such could exist. This story grew out of that with the ring Bilbo finds in The Hobbit being the link. If I bear that in mind, all the flaws are forgivable because Tolkien certainly succeeded in achieving his goal. What an impressive world. This isn't for everybody. It's quite weighty in places, but there's also a lot of fun to be found, as well as some good lines and witticisms, especially when Gandalf gets involved in the conversation. If you just want the story, watch the movies though they depart from the source material here and there. If you want to see an awesome world steeped in its own history open in your mind, read the books. ...more |
Notes are private!
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4
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Jun 26, 2018
not set
not set
not set
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Jul 06, 2018
Jan 1998
Jan 1993
Jan 1991
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Jun 25, 2018
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 0486290727
| 9780486290720
| 0486290727
| 4.29
| 152,007
| Jan 29, 1845
| Apr 25, 1996
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it was amazing
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10/23/16: Read in The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe Your forgiveness I implore for being on Goodreads for six years without reviewing this 10/23/16: Read in The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe Your forgiveness I implore for being on Goodreads for six years without reviewing this, but the fact is I was napping. Warning: This is a non-review (though I promise it's tangentially related to this poem... eventually). I don't know that "The Raven" really needs to be reviewed. I mean, really, who on this site doesn't already know what they need to know about it including whether or not they like it? Who didn't come across it in school at some point or another? I read it first in seventh grade, and we were supposed to take turns reading it to the class in eleventh grade English, but a friend of mine we'll call "Enos Tinkleson" had such a hard-on for it that he read the whole thing! He was only supposed to start it! (I'm pretty sure I was the only person in the class upset by this turn of events). Well, I gave my own recitation for this later in life, and he wasn't there to steal my thunder then, so PLBT! (More on that in a few minutes). In the unlikely event that this is something you've never had the pleasure of reading, you can rectify the matter here. If you don't like reading (which begs the question why you're even here, but I digress), then you can choose from several audio versions. Christopher Walken, James Earl Jones, Christopher Lee, Vincent Price, Stan Lee, John Astin, Basil Rathbone, William Shatner. Hell, even The Simpsons did a version. I've even been known to recite it myself, but I've never been recorded. (11/28/23 update: I'm sorry to say that last statement is no longer accurate, and you can now listen to my deplorable performance here on YouTube.) People tell me I have a good voice for such things (11/28/23 update: they were lying), and that it's certainly unique (11/28/23 update: they spoke true). I was born a little hard of hearing so I repeat words imperfectly since I heard them that way. I was a good five or so years old before my parents and doctors figured this out, so I had plenty of years being a complete mush-mouth before getting several years of speech therapy. The end result was someone who enunciates with a slight lisp. I'm also a mimic so I repeat things I think sound cool (certain words in different accents), but since I hear them wrong, I fuck the whole thing up and out comes something never before heard on Earth. I also have a southern accent, and a voice in the baritone/bass area (I can sing in Bing Crosby's range without straining my voice, though I don't sound anywhere near as good as he, mostly because I'll go off key once in a while). And I get into anything I'm reading, and like to act out the dialogue which sometimes gets a bit hammy. Put all this together, and you wind up with a lamentable mess that people enjoy listening to in spite of the technical deficiencies. I've been accused of talking like James Cagney (though the guy who said it totally meant Edward G. Robinson). [image] "We're gonna take a walk down thish alley, shee? Then you're gonna fork over your dough, shee?" And then there's Sean Connery. In fact, when I was in college people at parties used to get me to say "Rough, just the way your mother likes it, Trebek," all the time. It never got old. (I'm sure alcohol had something to do with the entertainment factor's longevity.) Back when I still thought I was straight (folks: never underestimate the power of denial. I probably had all the evidence I needed by the time I was eight or nine, and certainly by the time I was 12. A girl has never once landed in the spank bank regardless of my attempts to put some there; they couldn't get the job done and always ended up morphing into something hotter, but this hetero delusion persisted until I was 25). Anyway, when I was 24 (I think), I met a girl and we went on a date. We both enjoyed it. I don't remember what we did for dinner (if anything), but we walked holding hands down Monument Avenue in Richmond, her listening to me tell her about the generals depicted in the statues (she liked history and claimed she was interested). It started to rain, and we went back to my car. Eventually it started to pour so bad I had to pull into a parking lot because I couldn't see. The lot offered the perfect view of all the lightning streaking down across the city; I had a WWII music CD playing (she also liked old music, just like me). Since we were stuck there, she asked "So, you want to go ahead and get our first kiss out of the way?" I said sure, though I was quite nervous about it. I wanted to do a good job, but had only ever kissed one girl before in earnest, and that was when I was 19. (Well, what do you expect? Girls just don't melt my Haagen-Dazs because they have squishy parts and stick out in all the wrong places, so I never pursued them as fervently as my straight friends, though I made as good a show at it as I could.) She said she'd take the lead, but the expectation was that I would take over that role soon after. It was quite magical with the rain and lightning crashing down all around us, which really should've been a sign that this relationship (for lack of a better term; it wasn't that glamorous) was doomed to failure, but that came later. I even got noticeably excited over this turn of events which was a miracle in and of itself, and it seemed we were made for each other (except for the fact that I preferred sausage to tacos, but like I said, denial). The rain abated, and I drove her home. She had just finished college and was still living with her parents, but they were asleep and left us alone downstairs. We talked about this and that, and I eventually espied The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe on a bookshelf nearby. We began talking about that, and she wanted me to read "The Raven" to her. I don't know if she was truly mesmerized by my recitation or just putting on, but she cuddled close as I read, and it was a lovely evening. Afterward I suggested that we get our second kiss over with (I'm a quick study sometimes), and she was more than happy to. Then I went back to Fredericksburg where I was living at the time, and we gave the long-distance relationship thing a try, but it wasn't meant to be. Three or four weeks later it was over. We had different ideas of how our futures should go, but the biggest wrinkle was that I didn't make enough money to support her idea of a family. I thought this was a little premature since I was only 24 and just getting started in life, and we both agreed we had great chemistry/magic ("chemistry" was her word, "magic" was mine), but she knew that wouldn't be enough a few years down the road and broke it off. Ah, sing it, Roxette! And would I ever kiss a girl again? [image] "Nevermore." Oh well. A couple of my friends were really mad at her about the whole thing though they had never met her, but I was just sad for a while. They think I dodged a bullet, but the metaphor doesn't apply since I certainly didn't try to "dodge" anything. I ran into her father a couple of months ago, and I understand she found what she was looking for shortly after we parted ways, is now living the American dream as the mother of five, and I'm genuinely happy for her. And I admit I'm happy I'm not part of it. She's hardly my lost Lenore, after all. (I'd be more concerned with my lost Leonard, if there were such a person). I've come to understand I have very little interest in the family part of the American dream, and it would be very unkind of me to subject a woman to what I have to offer. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Oct 1990
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Oct 1990
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Oct 23, 2016
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Paperback
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| 0451528956
| 9780451528957
| 0451528956
| 3.83
| 601,898
| Jan 05, 1886
| Sep 02, 2003
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really liked it
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Update, 11/22/19: Audiobook version narrated by Donald Pickering was great. Other than that, I've really nothing to add. Original review, 6/29/11: (Read Update, 11/22/19: Audiobook version narrated by Donald Pickering was great. Other than that, I've really nothing to add. Original review, 6/29/11: (Read in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories). Somewhere in the second trimester of fetal development of first world babies, knowledge of the story of Jekyll and Hyde is passed down the umbilical cord from mother to child, and thus are we all born with a basic understanding of this tale of duality. It is nearly impossible to live in a developed country and not understand a Jekyll and Hyde reference. Since I felt I already knew the story, and that the surprise ending is forever ruined for everyone alive today, I put off reading it until I was 32 years old, but I'm glad that I've now checked it out. It's my understanding that of all the film adaptations of this book (of which there are well over 100), not a single one of them gets it just right. The main character isn't Jekyll/Hyde, but John Utterson, a friend of Dr. Jekyll. This poor chap isn't even in most of the movies, I don't think. Anyway, the story is told from his point of view, not J/H's. And while Utterson is missing in most film versions, you know who is missing from the book? The woman! She doesn't exist. There is no tragic romance and eventual damsel in distress in the book at all. It's not even mentioned. It's a never-was. So, what really happens? We learn from a friend of Utterson's that a Mr. Hyde was seen trampling a little girl, and was forced to pay her family. Hyde presented a check written by Dr. Jekyll, a well respected physician and friend of Utterson's. This baffles Utterson, but Jekyll assures him it's legit, and that Hyde is Jekyll's beneficiary. Utterson can't understand it, but is told to wash his hands of the matter, and he does. Jekyll had been flying low under the radar during all this. Hyde kind of disappears for a bit, but reemerges and kills a man. He's hunted down, but escapes. In his house is found the murder weapon, a cane that Utterson himself had given to Jekyll as a gift a while back. Jekyll is confronted with this bit of intel, and he assures Utterson and the cops that he has permanently ended his association with Mr. Hyde. Dr. Jekyll reemerges into society, and is his old bubbly social-butterfly self for a few months, then suddenly he locks himself up in his house and refuses to see people. He sends his staff on errands for various drugs so he can make his crystal meth, but nobody ever sees Dr. J; they just receive his instructions from behind a closed door. The staff is now living in terror because they believe Mr. Hyde has come back and taken Jekyll prisoner, or something like that. The butler decides enough is enough, and tells Utterson what's going on. Utterson and the butler hit up Dr. J's lab, bust down the door and find Mr. Hyde dead on the floor wearing Dr. Jekyll's clothes, but there's no sign of Dr. J. They find a diary from Dr. Jekyll which explains everything, and he had somehow kept it hidden from Mr. Hyde. The long and short of it is this (as if you need to be told since you gained this information during prenatal development): Jekyll had made a potion which allowed him to entertain his more immoral desires with impunity which also altered his physical appearance to the point that he didn't even resemble his real self in the slightest. At first all was fine, and he had fun with sin, but then the sins started getting a bit serious. He tried to curtail, but it was difficult. After Hyde murdered the one dude, Jekyll cut it off cold turkey, and all was well for a while. But then Hyde started coming out while Jekyll was asleep, and Jekyll, while looking like Hyde, had to take the potion to turn back into his original self. Eventually Hyde just started showing up whenever he felt like it, so Jekyll locked himself away in his lab. He sent his staff all over the city for one ingredient he needed to make the potion, and the ingredient needed to be 100% pure and unsullied. He got this ingredient from several apothecaries, but with the same disastrous results: the potion didn't work. It turns out that it was an impurity in the ingredient in the original potion that made the magic happen, oh woe is Jekyll. As Jekyll wrote this in his journal, he felt Hyde coming again, and knew he would never be Dr. Jekyll again since he was a) out of the original potion and b) not strong enough to put Hyde away anymore. It's around this point that Utterson breaks in, and that's the end of the tale. (Insert dramatic music stab here). I understand better now why this is deemed a classic. The way it unfolds on the pages sets it apart from the movie adaptations, and makes it a much better story than I thought it would be. Reading it with a fresh and open mind was difficult since it's ingrained in my head from birth, but I can see why it was such a huge hit when it came out. A bit of background about how this novella came to be because it's one of those amazing stories: Stevenson was not a well man. He was on bed rest, not allowed to talk or move, and doped up on the leading opiate of the day when he started screaming in his sleep one afternoon. His wife was alarmed, and woke him up. Instead of thanking her, he admonished her saying something like "What'd you do that for? I was having an awesome nightmare!" That "fine bogey tale" (Stevenson's exact words) was the basis of "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." (The "The" was left off intentionally by Stevenson, but publishers added it after he died). For the next three days Louis wrote like a madman (probably because he was one), and presented the first draft to his wife. She had literary aspirations of her own, and was a harsh critic. She said it was a fine horror tale, but really it sucked monkey balls. While her back was turned, Louis burned the manuscript for fear that he might be tempted to use it. Also, he was really fricking pissed off and it was his way of saying "Well fine! Take a load off, Fanny!" (Fanny was Mrs. S's name, and nobody in the Stevenson household enjoyed their afternoon tea for a while after the page burning incident). So, he wrote it again, this time taking six days instead of three. He added allegorical elements (one of Fanny's suggestions), and shat out the classic that is now the frame of our concept of duality in modern society. Three days later after Fanny had finished editing it, it was sent off. A little over two months later it was published, and sold forty thousand copies within a year. It was discussed and written about all over the English speaking world, and used in church sermons. Soon it would be made into stage plays. When radio and film entertainment got fired up, it would invade those mediums, and 125 years after its initial publication, it is still relevant. How many stories can make that claim? Matters explored in The Literary Detective by John Sutherland: What does Edward Hyde look like? ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Nov 22, 2019
Mar 2011
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Nov 22, 2019
Mar 2011
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Aug 29, 2016
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Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
![The Chronicles of Narnia [Box Set] (The Chronicles of Narnia #1-7)](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328809416l/11134._SX50_.jpg)
| 0020442807
| 9780020442806
| 0020442807
| 4.28
| 666,556
| 1956
| Jan 01, 1970
|
it was amazing
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Update, 4/24/24: No star rating changes for the reread. Or perhaps relisten is a more appropriate term. It's a treat to revisit these stories and Lewis Update, 4/24/24: No star rating changes for the reread. Or perhaps relisten is a more appropriate term. It's a treat to revisit these stories and Lewis' superb writing. Original review, 10/1/15: My reviews for each book are linked below if you're interested. This is the children's fantasy masterpiece from Cesarean Section Lewis. I know everyone thinks the C. S. stands for Clive Staples, but I have it on good authority from his mother that the baby was such a bothersome birth that this was his original name. C. S.'s daddy didn't like it and argued for something else entirely. She was insistent on something literal that would forever remind the child how much trouble he was from the git-go. They eventually found a compromise with Clive Staples. Clive was the name of the attendant that passed for an OB/GYN in Victorian England, and Mrs. Lewis needed staples after the procedure, so Clive Staples Lewis it was. Naturally the kid was thrilled with neither Cesarean Section nor Clive Staples as a name, so he introduced himself as C. S. and was able to make it stick. A few notes about the series: Even though only one book in the set gets five stars, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, so I'm giving the series five. I prefer to read them in publication order rather than chronological. Firstly it saves the best for penultimate. If I read it chronologically then I'd read my fave first and that's no fun. I like saving the good stuff for last if I can. Secondly the novels that act as prequels work better later in the series. I think you'll miss some subtleties and references to the earlier published novels if you haven't already read them, though that wouldn't affect your ability to follow along. It's just a personal preference. I see from several reviews on here and elsewhere that many people have a problem with the Christianity in the series... I urge you to consider the source. This is C. S. Lewis. He's one of the most recognized Christian apologists (defender of the faith) in the world, and is still highly regarded. Christian influences should be expected. If such things offend you, then please don't read these books. It would be like reading a series by Gandhi and getting pissed off because you discover it's way too pacifist. You're just asking for it. By today's politically correct standards (which have gotten ridiculous if you ask me, but of course no one ever does), these books are also quite sexist and racist (mostly against Arabs). Part of that is due to some Christian ideals (see the previous paragraph), and the rest is because Lewis is a product of his time. Gender roles were completely different from 1949-1954 when these books were written. If such things get your goat, and you can't view it objectively through a historical lens, then you're probably not going to enjoy these. And really, the racism and sexism is nowhere near as bad as many people make it out to be. He can't touch Kipling, Lovecraft, or any Victorian era writer. However, those kinds of things didn't bother me at all, and I loved this. Plus, he's a great writer and this is great fun to read even if it's kid level literature though it's not dumbed down at all. There's plenty here that adults can appreciate. My 36-year-old self saw a lot that my 12-year-old self missed. Strongly recommended for kids, light fantasy fans, Christians, etc. Individual reviews: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ★★★★✰ Prince Caspian ★★★★✰ The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader" ★★★★✰ The Silver Chair ★★★✰✰ The Horse and His Boy ★★★✰✰ The Magician's Nephew ★★★★★ The Last Battle ★★★★✰ ...more |
Notes are private!
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3
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Jan 27, 2024
Jul 25, 2015
Jan 1991
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Apr 24, 2024
Oct 2015
Apr 1991
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Oct 01, 2015
|
Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0020442106
| 9780020442103
| 0020442106
| 4.01
| 283,781
| Sep 04, 1956
| Jan 01, 1970
|
really liked it
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Update, 4/24/24: I added this to my "dead or injured dog" shelf on a technicality, but (view spoiler)[the dogs have a happy ending and are only dead in Update, 4/24/24: I added this to my "dead or injured dog" shelf on a technicality, but (view spoiler)[the dogs have a happy ending and are only dead in the conventional sense. After all, all dogs go to heaven, don't they? Well, that's what Hollywood tells us. (hide spoiler)] I don't have a lot to add here. I still love this story, and some parts of it still infuriate me, but it was easier to deal with this time because I knew what came later. Original review, 10/1/15: This is Lewis' scaled down reenvisioning of John's acid trip which is recorded in the book of Revelation in the Bible. Being a boy who enjoys explosions, tornadoes, and the like, it's odd that I would enjoy a book about creation (The Magician's Nephew) more than one about destruction, but that was the case here. I really liked the story, but I found the ending kind of boring, and felt it dragged on so it loses one star. I know it's finishing up the tale, but the whole "we're all dead, but now we're with God and everything is so wonderful and we're all so happy we could just shit" thing makes for dull reading (or listening). Don't get me wrong; I really like the idea, and totally dig the "Yea for the glory of God" sentiment, but zzzzzzzzz. It's good denouement for the series as a whole but takes up a lot of space in this book. Thankfully the stuff leading up to the "happily ever after" ending is more exciting. In fact I found myself getting pissed off at the way things were going several times, and being so into a story is a sign of good writing. It shows I care and care a lot. Good job, Lewis! Part of my ire was due to making parallels between this story and what's going on in America today (yes, I'm afraid I'm going to go there) with Iran's nuclear deal, letting illegal aliens just come right on in, and Syrian migrants though that's more of a European problem at the moment. Fraternizing with enemies who on a daily basis say they want to kill your people, telling your people "No, these aren't bad guys, they're cool," then helping the enemies move in so they can upset everything, (treason). Well, I couldn't help but think of these things as parts of the story unfolded. No, I don't think Obama is the Antichrist; just a shithead. No, I don't believe we're in the end times just yet. There was plenty of other stuff in the book that doesn't apply to current affairs unless you really force it (which anyone can do if he tries). The things I mentioned above hit me straight in the face without me having to look for it at all. Hey, I just call it like I see it. Biblical allegory is peppered throughout the entire series, but this is allegorical out the wazoo. I didn't mind it, and actually enjoyed it, but don't read this if the Bible and Christianity piss you off. A lot of people tend to get upset about how Susan was treated. (view spoiler)[She denied Narnia's existence and therefore wasn't allowed to die with the rest of her family to go to super Narnia (heaven). This doesn't mean she might not get there one day when she dies herself for one of the many lessons we learn in here is that redemption is possible even if it happens at the one-yard line. All we know is that she's left on Earth for a while after the others have moved on. I think a lot of the hubbub over this is that people see death as a terrible thing. I'm more in line with Professor Dumbledore's take on it: "After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure." I don't know about the well-organized mind part, but I'm down with the rest. Course, a lot of people think I'm crazy. They might be right. The deaths of several loved ones have left me sad, but I cope for I know that we're all here for just a little while. Holes open up, then other people come in to fill them. They don't replace those who are gone, per se, but they still show up. Plus I get messages from those I was closest to in weird coincidental ways. Nothing ever speaks to me using conventional communication, or anything like that, but sometimes something just shows up (it could be nothing more than a penny on the ground with a particular year on it), and I just suddenly know what I'm supposed to do on some matter I'd been ruminating over because I sense the related dead person has said "Yo, you gotta blah, blah, blah." It's rather strange, and not something I can explain well here. I've been told I might have the gift of discernment, but the people who told me that might be crazy too. Anyway, the whole point of this is that due to all that I don't seem to find death as horrible as most other people, therefore I'm not too upset about Susan's treatment. Besides, it can be backed up with scriptural references which is what the author was going for with this whole series, so I don't judge him too harshly. And another thing: She's not out of the band because she likes nylon stockings and lipstick; she's out because she is "no longer a friend of Narnia" and denied that it ever existed. And again that doesn't mean she still can't get back there (hide spoiler)]. As usual, the writing was excellent and quite fun even with the heavy subject matter. Thank you Mr. Lewis for giving us these books. I loved them. As for the audiobook version... Are you ready for this? PATRICK STEWART! [image] Yes. Jean Luc Xavier, or Charles Francis Picard, or whatever. And it's not just because I like Patrick Stewart in general that I give his performance such high marks. He really is an excellent reader. His voices are great, and he's full of energy and excitement at all the appropriate times. What a great narrator to close out the series. ...more |
Notes are private!
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3
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Feb 10, 2024
Sep 30, 2015
Mar 1991
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Apr 24, 2024
Oct 2015
Apr 1991
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Oct 01, 2015
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Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0020442300
| 9780020442301
| B001J4X7UG
| 4.05
| 556,931
| May 02, 1955
| Aug 01, 1970
|
it was amazing
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Update, 2/10/24: Is this one still my favorite? I think so. It's hard to say, though. It definitely has some of my favorite parts in it (Jadis in Londo Update, 2/10/24: Is this one still my favorite? I think so. It's hard to say, though. It definitely has some of my favorite parts in it (Jadis in London which I mention below). But the book as a whole? I'm not entirely sure. The creation part in the second half is a tad slow at points, and a couple of the other books have no slow parts. It's a tough call. Is this still five stars? I think so for that too, but hell if I know for certain. It might be 4.5 now, so I ought to round down the star rating, but I really don't feel like exploring the matter further tonight, especially since Svengoolie is about to come on in a couple of minutes, and it's a movie he hasn't shown before (The Monster That Challenged the World in case you're interested, though I don't know why you would be.) Original review, 9/30/15: Why do I sometimes read other reviews before posting my own? Especially reviews by other blowhards who blow harder than I do? I'm very insecure and knowing that other people are even bigger jack wagons than me does nothing to help my self-esteem. Then I start thinking my opinions are wrong and that I'm really supposed to hate this book because of... whatever it was the other people were talking about. I didn't really follow all of it; it was philosophically and theologically beyond me. But then I remember some advice someone once gave me. "Enjoyment of something (a book in this case) is a matter of opinion, and the biggest mistake you can make here is to discount your own." So, I'm rolling with that, and fuck you if you don't like it. I love this book, it's my favorite in the series, and that's that, so PHLBT!!! And while I don't have to defend it, it behooves me to try to define it since I do enjoy writing reviews. Unlike The Horse and His Boy in which the second half is the better, this book shines for me in the first. Oh, Jadis. I love Jadis as a villain. I liked her plenty as the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but her role in this book is even better. Her shenanigans in the streets of London is something I've never forgotten since I first read it in seventh grade. In fact, it was one of the only things I remembered, and I was surprised to find there was still half a book to go after that part since I considered that the climactic scene. The rest came back to me as I listened to it, but all the parts with her in it were my faves. This book is worth reading just for those moments alone. Like the other Narnia books, this is a child's tale. None of the good guys die though they have ample opportunity to. Sometimes they don't even get hurt when they should have at least been severely maimed. The best example of this is when (view spoiler)[Jadis picks up Digory's aunt and throws her across one room and into another. Even the narrator says she should have at least broken several bones if not been killed, but luckily she landed on a mattress that she just happened to be mending when the witch showed up. It's not exactly an Aslan ex machina, but I like that phrase, and this is as close a place as any as I'm going to be able to use it. It's better than "convenient coincidence" which is really what it is (hide spoiler)]. The story of creation follows, and I really enjoyed that as well. Aslan is very Goddy in this, and I suppose he should be since he is God in a different form. I remember sensing a lot of "God the father" stuff in this one, and I liked it. He's like that in all of them, but it's amped up a notch here. He's still a jerk. (view spoiler)[I know damn well he could just huff and puff and blow Jadis out of Narnia if he wanted to, but instead he'd rather get on Digory's case about it for bringing her there on the very day he made the world. He's such a whiny butt (hide spoiler)]. You know, these books might be getting to me. As much as I love God I'm certain I'm rather irreverent. I feel like we're cool like that. He certainly has a sense of humor (some of the irony in my life is astounding), and I think He appreciates mine, but I might be wrong. I'm sure if we were face to face I'd have to avert my eyes the way people in these books do when being admonished. This is assuming he didn't strike me down to hell on the spot. Anyway, in spite of my heresy, I feel like this is the way to roll for now. He'll tell me if and when it's time to change. The audiobook was narrated by Gilderoy Lockhart his own self, Mr. Kenneth Branagh. Such a renowned Shakespearean thespian would probably hate that I know him for his Harry Potter role over any others, but I can't help that. Anyway, he did an excellent job with this production. Check it out. ...more |
Notes are private!
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3
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Feb 10, 2024
Sep 27, 2015
Mar 1991
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Feb 10, 2024
Sep 30, 2015
Mar 1991
|
Sep 30, 2015
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Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0020442009
| 3.91
| 362,515
| Sep 06, 1954
| Aug 01, 1970
|
liked it
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Update, 2/10/24: I don't know why I have it in my head that I don't enjoy this one, because I do. It's still in sixth place out of seven, so maybe that Update, 2/10/24: I don't know why I have it in my head that I don't enjoy this one, because I do. It's still in sixth place out of seven, so maybe that's why. But that doesn't mean it's bad; far from it. It's holding steady at three stars, or maybe 3.49 like The Silver Chair. Lewis' writing is still such a treat to experience, and I couldn't help but think of The Prince and the Pauper as I listened to parts of it since I've now read that also, and there are a couple of minor similarities. A quote that stuck out to me this time was when some royal person tells her slaves "...anyone I catch talking about this young lady will be first beaten to death and then burned alive and after that be kept on bread and water for six weeks." I've been trying to find a way to slip something like it into casual conversation the past couple of days, but it's not easy since my nieces and nephew don't live with me anymore, and I don't really outrank anyone at work. However, we do have interns for tax season... Original review, 9/27/15: I thought this was my least favorite of the series, but after a reread that honor is bestowed upon The Silver Chair. This starts out slowly which is why I made it only halfway through the second time I got to it, but it picks up in the second half. It feels slightly out of place with the other books in the series as the entire story occurs in Narnia's world (though very little occurs in Narnia itself), and there's no crossover into our world. Three of the Pevensie kids are in it briefly, though they're adults at this point. (The story happens during their Golden Age reign). The Calormenes are to Narnia what the Mohammedans are to Christendom, and they represent the worst that the Arab world has to offer. Racism, yeah, yeah, yeah, get over it or just don't read the book if you can't handle it. I enjoyed the story with all its Arabian influences even though that kind of story isn't my fave. Some of the sexism is still in here as well, but it's to be expected. PLUS! (And how could I nearly forget this)? This has Mr. Ed in it! (He's called Bree in here, but names aren't important). Aslan isn't as much of a jerk in this one and does more guiding and less admonishing. He also gives us a few pearls of wisdom that I always like hearing. C. S. Lewis' writing is great as usual, so there are no complaints there. You can see how he grows as a writer as the series progresses. The writing in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was great, but this is better. I still like Wardrobe more due to the story. Like I said, this one is slow for a while. The audiobook was narrated by Alex Jennings, and he did an excellent job. I had one problem, but the problem is mine and Mr. Jennings can't be held accountable for it. I'm hearing impaired and there are several scenes where the characters must whisper or speak lowly to each other. He does this very well, but for someone with some kind of aural contusion who once heard "Do you know anyone who can redo my couch" as "I want someone to cum in my mouth," well... it was problematic. Luckily I was able to follow along anyway during the quieter parts since I was using headphones and there wasn't any background noise, so I caught most of the words. Had I been listening to it in the car I would've had to save it for later or just miss those parts. As for the couch/cum thing, in my defense my coworkers were on the other side of the cubical partition, and I was on a phone call. It was one of the few times I was struck 100% speechless, but luckily I was able to put the customer on hold (I had to run her credit card anyway), and I asked if I heard what I thought I had heard. Girl one replied "Oh, yes." After another moment of silence I asked "So girl two said xyz?" Then they were the ones struck speechless and girl two, who was kind of prudish, said "NO! I asked abc!" Well, we had been discussing how gross boys were right before my phone call came in, and girl two had included her husband in this assessment. What does any of that have to do with this book? Hell if I know. Perhaps Aslan's influence prevented me from being fired and no sexual harassment charges filed? We all enjoyed a laugh over it, and 13 years later it's still one of my best misheard line stories. Anyway, read this book if you're reading the series, and don't quit like I did a few years ago just because it ain't quick out the gate. ...more |
Notes are private!
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3
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Feb 07, 2024
Feb 1991
Sep 25, 2015
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Feb 10, 2024
Feb 10, 2024
Sep 27, 2015
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Sep 27, 2015
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Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||||
| 0020442505
| 9780020442509
| 0020442505
| 3.96
| 306,713
| Sep 07, 1953
| Aug 28, 1970
|
liked it
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Update, 2/7/24: I'm pretty much in agreement with everything I say below except the rating. This is easily a three star book by itself, maybe even 3.5 Update, 2/7/24: I'm pretty much in agreement with everything I say below except the rating. This is easily a three star book by itself, maybe even 3.5 or almost four. But since all the others in the series that precede it (along with the seventh) are showing at four stars, and this is definitely in the bottom two of my personal ranking, and I want the stars to reflect that, we'll... that is to say "I'll," (I hate it when the multiple personalities try to split and run amok; get back together everyone) call it 3.49 and round down. There. Now I feel better. Oh, and the ending brought this to mind this time, though Falcor isn't quite an Aslan, but he's still pretty awesome. Original review, 9/25/15: 2.5 stars rounded up to three. This is one of my least favorite in the series. In fact I stalled here on one of my rereads through the series when I was a kid. Made it halfway through and just didn't care enough to continue. (I stalled on The Horse and His Boy at the next series reread attempt, but I'll cover that in that review). Lewis is still a great story teller, but I just didn't think the story was as interesting as most of the others. Several aspects were lackluster by comparison. The villain wasn't as formidable, was hardly present at all, and her defeat was kind of anticlimactic. The adventure parts weren't as fun. I couldn't get behind the characters as much, though that doesn't mean I didn't like them. Maybe I was just missing the Pevensie children? Anyway, there was just a lack of "oomph" to it all. I wish I could explain it better, but I think it's a matter of personal preference. Lewis' wit is still pristine, and that carried me through the duller parts. Jill and Eustace's spats; Puddleglum's pessimistic observations though he was convinced he was being unreasonably optimistic about it all; Lewis' third person narrator asides and advice; the owls speaking consistently with "ooo" sounding words; these were all a hoot... Yaw haw haw. Here's a Puddleglum snippet: They're traveling underground on their way to the surface when the lights go out. Someone encourages everyone to take courage to which Puddleglum replies "That's right sir... And you must always remember there's one good thing about being trapped down here: it'll save funeral expenses." He's a laugh a minute. Be forewarned: Lewis has some views which are considered quite sexist by today's standards. He also doesn't seem to be a fan of unstructured schools. These seem to be sticking points for modern day free thinkers judging from some of the other reviews I've seen. Recognizing that Lewis is a product of his time I found those bits humorous myself, and was even with him on ridiculing experimental education where kids are allowed to do whatever they want without any guidance. There are the rigid schools where you're not granted any flavor for your fare (which suck), and there are the uber loose schools where kids can do whatever they want (which also suck). There is plenty of middle ground, and I like the schools that land there. Both of the extremes deserve ridicule, and Lewis socks it to the loose variety nicely in this book. I enjoyed that part of the book the most though it had little to do with the rest of the story. And here's a snippet related to that. (view spoiler)[Aslan, Caspian, Eustace, and Jill create a ruckus and "there was an inquiry into the whole thing. And in the inquiry all sorts of things about Experiment House came out, and about ten people got expelled. After that, the Head's friends saw that the Head was no use as a Head, so they got her made an Inspector to interfere with other Heads. And when they found she wasn't much good even at that, they got her into Parliament where she lived happily ever after." (hide spoiler)] I don't suppose you'd lose too much if you skipped this one, but you'd be lost on a few things when you read The Last Battle. Audiobook narrator: Jeremy Northam. He did a really good job, but I was still comparing him to the others, and I'm afraid they did just a bit better, especially Derek Jacobi in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Since I just listened to that one, poor Jeremy had a really tough act to follow. What bothered me the most was Aslan's voice. It just wasn't quite right, but a lot of the others were bang on. I loved the owls. Puddleglum didn't come across quite as gloomy as I would've liked, but now I'm just nit-picking. ...more |
Notes are private!
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4
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Feb 05, 2024
Sep 23, 2015
not set
Feb 1991
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Feb 07, 2024
Sep 25, 2015
Jan 1993
Feb 1991
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Sep 25, 2015
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Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0020442602
| 9780020442608
| 0020442602
| 4.09
| 479,226
| Sep 15, 1952
| Jan 01, 1970
|
really liked it
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Update, 2/3/24: I really don't have anything to add, but since I've updated the others, I reckon I ought to throw something extra in here as well just Update, 2/3/24: I really don't have anything to add, but since I've updated the others, I reckon I ought to throw something extra in here as well just for the sake of uniformity if nothing else. I don't know what the best opening line in all of literature is, and I'm sure opinions abound. A lot of people love "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again," from Rebecca, and it's all fine and good, but I've never understood the hype. However, I think the opening line for this might be my favorite; it's hard to say. It's definitely a top contender. Here, what do you think? "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it." From that one line alone, you learn everything you need to know about him and that he's probably going to cause trouble. Ingenious. Original Review, 9/23/15: I don't know why I love this one so much out of the series. Perhaps it's because it's the most like an adventure story? All the other books are solid novels with an overarching plot from start to finish, but this is more like a series of short adventures as they go from island to island on their quest to find the lost lords and perhaps the end of the world. I give this 4.5 stars, and I think this might be my second favorite in the series. The Magician's Nephew is probably my fave, but I've read that only once and that was 24... Wait that can't be right, let me do some math... it's still coming up as 24... OK, spring of seventh grade as near as I can reckon. That would make it 1991, and it's now September 2015... 2001 is 10 years. 2011 is 20. Four more to 2015. String em all up and it's 24 years ago... Can it really have been a quarter of a century since I was in middle school?... Wow. Anyway, I haven't read The Magician's Nephew in 24 years, but I remember really liking it. I hope I still do when I get to it soon. (I'm listening to them in the order in which they were written, not in the chronological order that they occur). What's odd about my liking this so much is that while I like kid's adventure stories, I typically don't like short stories. Perhaps it's because the adventures are so interesting? I really liked the concept of the island of dreams once its more nefarious aspects were revealed, and that hit me hard... sigh... 24 years ago when I first read it. Some of the magician's spells were cool, and I liked deathwater island. There were just some really cool concepts in here that my 12-year-old mind hadn't thought about before, and I still appreciate them today. As with the other books, there are religious overtones with Aslan as the guiding force. Either I've forgotten a lot of the Bible or never knew it all that well to begin with. I feel like there were a lot of references I was just barely missing. A lot of the stories and anecdotes brought up vague associations to stories or lessons in the Bible, but I couldn't pinpoint them exactly. I was able to enjoy it regardless, for this works just fine as a standalone book and any intended lessons are easy to pick up. One thing: Reepicheep. He's awesome but sometimes I'd like to punt him into the ocean and let him drown there. He could get annoying and causes more trouble than he's worth. The captain even makes this observation toward the end. Pride is definitely Reep's favorite of the seven deadly sins, but he never gets jacked up about it by Aslan like the others do for their own vices. C. S. Lewis is a great writer, and the whole journey is entertaining especially with his matter-of-fact way of putting things. The style reminds me of Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie, though it's not as over-the-top. Derek Jacobi narrated the version I just listened to, and it was excellent! I highly recommend checking that one out if you need an audiobook fix. ...more |
Notes are private!
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5
|
Jan 30, 2024
Sep 20, 2015
not set
not set
Feb 1991
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Feb 03, 2024
Sep 23, 2015
Jan 1995
Jan 1993
Feb 1991
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Sep 23, 2015
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Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0020442408
| 9780020442400
| 0020442408
| 3.98
| 449,955
| Oct 15, 1951
| Aug 28, 1970
|
really liked it
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Update, 1/30/24: Looks like I was rather irreverent below, more so than I tend to be now. I think I'll leave it there anyway. After all, it's not like Update, 1/30/24: Looks like I was rather irreverent below, more so than I tend to be now. I think I'll leave it there anyway. After all, it's not like He doesn't know my heart, warts and all. What's the point in hiding it? As you can see, he has internet access. [image] I'm pretty sure He can see what I have posted on the internet currently, what was there in the past, and probably what will be there in the future. Besides, it's good to remember where I've been. Also, I can still drop that kind of sass today even if it doesn't spring to my lips (or fingertips) quite as readily as back then. As for the book, still a solid four star read. Original review, 8/10/15: Most of what I could say about this I already said in my Wardrobe review. You can scope that out for the meat, but here are a couple of potatoes. I mentioned I don't focus so much on the religious parts, but there are a couple of parts in this book where it puts the parable parallels right in your face. If you have a nodding acquaintance, or even a nodding off acquaintance, with parts of the gospel, you'll pick up on it pretty easily. But it tends to show God's/Jesus' (Aslan's) most assholish qualities. Don't get me wrong, I understand the "obey" aspect of the instructions, but does He have to be such a jerk? (view spoiler)[He's standing there on the side of a hill in the woods and wants the kids to follow Him because He knows the way out, however only Lucy can see Him. Lucy tried to convince the others He's there and that they should go that way, but since they can't see Him, they decide to go a more sensible way which doesn't work so well in the end. However, given the information they have it's still the most sensible course. While everyone is asleep, Aslan appears to Lucy and admonishes her for not following Him and making the others come as well. Why He doesn't just make himself visible to everyone so all can get where they're supposed to be going, I have no idea. That's God for you. (I think He's insecure, myself; always needing people to need Him). We're not to know the whole picture; we're to obey. I personally think that's kind of shitty, and if I had a friend who behaved that way we wouldn't be friends for long, but I don't make the rules. (hide spoiler)] Then there's another part where Aslan is romping through a town working miracles, but that section made me think of The Infancy Gospel of Thomas. I don't know why since He's not killing kids (kind of), and striking their parents blind when they bitch about it, and His daddy isn't wringing his ear and telling Him to behave, or any of that stuff, but the miracles seem to be similar to those of childe Jesus, and kind of mean even if the bad people had it coming. Like I said in the wardrobe review, the lines between good and bad are crystal clear as is the comeuppance and karma. Another side story: When I was a kid I used to confuse this book with the Prince Valiant comic strip and started to read that in the Sunday comics before I ever read this. I eventually found Caspian and Valiant were two different things, and admitted to myself that Valiant was boooooooooring, was actually a misnomer for Prince Valium, and quit reading it. I wanted to like it since I thought it was related to those books in mama's bookcase with the fun covers but had no pictures and were a bit beyond my ability to read at the time. (So was Valiant. Hell, that's beyond my ability to manage at 36. Sarlacc's bowels move faster than that shit, and if you follow that reference, I'm sorry. You're just as big a Star Wars nerd as I am, and that's nothing to be proud of). And I seem to have gotten off track again. This book is a nice, fun, kid's fantasy-adventure story. Check it out if you like such things. Also, the audiobook version read by Lynn Redgrave is done really well. ...more |
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6
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Jan 27, 2024
Aug 2015
not set
not set
not set
Jan 1991
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Jan 30, 2024
Aug 10, 2015
Jan 2005
Jan 1995
Jan 1993
Jan 1991
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Aug 10, 2015
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Mass Market Paperback
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| 4.24
| 2,874,793
| Oct 16, 1950
| Aug 1970
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really liked it
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Update, 1/27/24: Update apropos of nothing: I had forgotten how short these are, about four hours and fifteen minutes on audiobook, give or take. I'll Update, 1/27/24: Update apropos of nothing: I had forgotten how short these are, about four hours and fifteen minutes on audiobook, give or take. I'll definitely get two of them done before I need to start using my brain again at work, maybe even three. Anyway, still a great kid's book, and great for adults who can tap into their inner child. Holding steady at four stars. Otherwise, I've nothing to add to anything I said below. Original review, 8/1/15: Quite an enjoyable kid's book. Please don't confuse it for epic fantasy which is what the movie makes it into. Don't get me wrong, I love the movie as well but for different reasons. It's an apples/oranges kind of thing; both are delicious but taste different. One thing I love about some children's literature is that the lines between good and evil, right and wrong are often quite clear, and that's the case here. Witch: bad. Aslan: good. There's a little bit of conflict with the kids, especially Edmund who gets the most character development, but the good/bad thing is still simplified. I know "simple" isn't real life, but that's the beauty of stories. They don't have to reflect real life or its complexities. Grey areas in real life can be made black and white in a story, and it can still be fun to read. This is a pleasant trip into fantasyland where the motives for the good guys are good and the bad guys are rotten to the core. There are no good motives from the baddies, and vice versa. Do I remember when life was that simple, be I wrong or right? Yes, I think I do. Of course as I aged I learned that nothing is really that simple in human personalities, but thank you C. S. Lewis for letting me visit a place where it is that straightforward. Y'all know the story or can see it in many of the other reviews, so I won't rehash it here. Christian elements? Jesus figure? Yeah, I see them. I think they're pretty neat though I don't focus on it. I guess there's a bunch of allegorical stuff in here, but if I want Jesus' teachings I'll get it straight from the horse's mouth in the Bible. This is just a fun tale, and that's how I read it. If you like kid's lit and don't get bent out of shape about Christian references (which begs the question why you're reading C.S. Lewis in the first place), then you'll probably like this. If you love finding Christian references and enjoy fantasy, then you'll dig it keen. Also, Micheal York narrates the audiobook version of this. He's in all the Austin Power movies, but I'll forgive him for that because he does a great job with this. ...more |
Notes are private!
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6
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Jan 27, 2024
Jul 25, 2015
not set
not set
not set
Jan 1991
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Jan 27, 2024
Aug 2015
Jan 2005
Jan 1995
Jan 1993
Jan 1991
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Aug 01, 2015
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Mass Market Paperback
| |||||||||||||||||
| 0765376865
| 9780765376862
| 0765376865
| 4.64
| 4,023
| May 01, 2014
| May 2014
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really liked it
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I suggest this series to anyone who enjoys fantasy, can make the time commitment to get through 12,000 pages, and deal with some slow books in the mid
I suggest this series to anyone who enjoys fantasy, can make the time commitment to get through 12,000 pages, and deal with some slow books in the middle. If you like great prose, this will work for you. Character development? Jordan's your pusher. Compelling story? This is your hook up. However, be prepared to be frustrated with effusive excess and repetition. Mark Twain encouraged James Fenimore Cooper to "eschew surplusage." Jordan should have done that too. (And so should I, actually). Everything I have to say about the series can be found in my reviews for the individual books: New Spring ★★★★✰ The Eye of the World ★★★✰✰ The Great Hunt ★★★★✰ The Dragon Reborn ★★★★✰ The Shadow Rising ★★★★★ The Fires of Heaven ★★★★★ Lord of Chaos ★★★★✰ A Crown of Swords ★★★✰✰ The Path of Daggers ★★★✰✰ Winter's Heart ★★★★✰ Crossroads of Twilight ★★✰✰✰ Knife of Dreams ★★★★★ The Gathering Storm ★★★★✰ Towers of Midnight ★★★★✰ A Memory of Light ★★★★✰ If you've read those reviews, you know I spend a lot of time picking on the series as a whole. After all, there's no dearth of shortcomings that deserve excoriation. However, I really do love the series. In fact, I was so enamored with it at one point that I was inspired to make an afghan based on the Amyrlin's stole. [image] Shown here is five and a half years worth of work (between several other projects). I ended up giving it to my sister for Christmas a couple of years ago. Well, I didn't have any use for the thing; I was just making it to keep my hands busy from time to time. The stripes go in order of the Ajahs in the stole, and each has the Aes Sedai symbol on it. I even represented the Black Ajah with a black border, and it was supposed to indicate that the White Tower was keeping the darkness at bay, or some other dorky shit like that; I really don't remember. Five and a half years might seem like a long time, but this was faux double-knit. Meaning it comes out like a double knit piece, but it's really just a long afghan folded in half and tacked together on the inside, so I ended up doing twice as much work as I would've for a regular afghan. Here it is before I doubled it. [image] This makes it super warm and great for winter nights. And it was fun learning the mattress stitch to seamlessly sew the stripes together. A lot of calculation and scribbling went into it, and like Rand in The Eye of the World when his farm was first attacked by Trollocs and he was trying to get away safely, I "tried to make a plan," and by the time I got started I "had made and discarded ten." (Turning a good phrase was not one of Jordan's shortcomings which is what made slogging through parts of this bearable.) Here are some of my plans in making a pattern. [image] There were also three or four false starts while trying to figure out how to make it work in practice. I tried to make up double-knit intarsia, and... no. Just no. That is not a thing. It is an impossibility as near as I can tell, and I may as well have been a male channeling Saidin before the taint was removed for how insane that would've made me. Here's one of the first, failed double-knit efforts. [image] Once I got to the Aes Sedai symbol and saw it wasn't going to be the same size as the rest of it, I added a couple of button holes on the flap, as well as a couple of buttons, knitted up an i-cord, tacked it on the side, gave to a coworker to use to store her yoga mat, and called myself a hero. Oh, pack up your troubles in your old kit bag, and cry, cry, cry. You may be asking what's the point of all this? I'll tell you. When a book burrows so deeply into your psyche that you feel inspired to make something based on it, and you spend over half a decade doing so... Well, if that isn't high praise, then I don't know what is. ...more |
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1
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Jan 1995
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Jul 11, 2015
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Jul 12, 2015
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ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| 0812577566
| 9780812577563
| 0812577566
| 4.19
| 136,483
| Oct 03, 2005
| Dec 2006
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it was amazing
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I'm not sure if book 11 of The Wheel of Time is really a five star book... actually, I'm pretty sure it deserves four at most, but I'm going to leave
I'm not sure if book 11 of The Wheel of Time is really a five star book... actually, I'm pretty sure it deserves four at most, but I'm going to leave it at five due to its contrast with book 10 where nothing happened. All of the plots actually move in this one, and a couple are even resolved. Plus you get the sense that this bitch is finally starting to crown, so push, Jordan, PUSH! Take us on home. You can do it! [image] "Sorry, but I died after writing this one." Blood and bloody ashes! Mother's milk in a cup! Sheep swallop and bloody buttered onions! Burn me, but what'd you go and do that for you wool-headed, bull-goosed, jackdaw of a bilge stone? Oh well. Brandon Sanderson stepped in to save the day and wrote the last one though he broke it into three books. I'm a page and a half into The Gathering Storm, and so far we have a man sitting in his rocking chair on his front porch looking at his white washed picket fence wondering why his vegetables aren't growing and his grass is still brown. I myself am wondering if the rest of the series takes place in antebellum Missouri instead of Randland and if Tom Sawyer's going to put in an appearance. I've never seen a house like this in the Wheel of Time before. I suppose I should give it more than a page and a half before pronouncing judgment, and besides, that's the next book. Let's stick with this one. Book ten had nary a battle in it, but this one has plenty, and man can Jordan write a battle! (view spoiler)[I love the manor house battle with the trollocs which I'm assuming is a foretaste of Tarmon Gai'don. It's where the deathgates are first used. At least I assume they're used again; the good guys would be fools not to keep on with those when they need them. Perrin, the most pussy-whipped boy in this entire world, finally attacks Malden, and that storyline is wrapped up after four books with his precious Faile's rescue. Mat takes care of plenty of the Seanchan. Elayne wins the battle of Caemlyn, and secures the throne to boot. There are also fights galore for everyone, so for Jordan this book is downright action packed. (hide spoiler)] Even the chapters that don't include violence move the plot forward a bit. There are a couple where not much is going on other than people noticing other people's clothing, or shuffling papers over reports, and other mundanities, but those are the exception rather than the rule. Way to pull out of the funk, Jordan! Here are some memorable scenes: (view spoiler)[Rand has his hand blown off by Semirhage and Nynaeve heals his injury but is unable to grow his hand back. Bashere climbed down from his compact bay in front of him and frowned at the stump of (Rand's) left arm. Unbuckling his helmet, he took it off and held it under his arm. "At least you're alive," he said gruffly." I've seen men hurt worse." I think of this scene whenever I suffer a shock, though mine have never been as traumatic as having a hand blown off. I'm referring to mental disappointments. Sometimes I can pull this kind of thing off, sometimes not. Another scene: Tuon has never said Mat's name and instead calls him "Toy" since he was a queen's plaything when Tuon first met him. Mat got tired of it and eventually started calling Tuon "Precious." Tuon said "OK, we'll see who wins this game," which left Mat confused since he had no idea they were playing a game at all let alone what kind of game it was. A few weeks later, Mat, Tuon, Thom, and Selucia get attacked in a back alley by seven or eight men. Mat shouts "Run, Tuon!" and instructs Thom to get her and Selucia out of there. Mat kills most of the men, and Tuon a couple others. When they're done Mat turns and sees that there were men at the other end of the alley which prevented Thom from getting Tuon away. At this point Mat stands there bleeding from a dozen gashes just after they've won the fight... "This one can't live to be put to the question," Tuon drawled, frowning at the woman choking and twitching at her feet, "and she can't talk if she somehow managed to." Bending fluidly, she scooped up the woman's knife and drove it hard beneath the woman's breastbone. That rasping fight for air went silent; glazing eyes stared up at the narrow strip of sky overhead. "A mercy she did not deserve, but I see no point to needless suffering. I won, Toy." Tuon has always considered Mat a bit of a buffoon for the whole of her captivity by him. I also love the scene where she learns otherwise, watching him make battle plans to engage an army that just suddenly showed up in their path. Tuon looked at him, squatting there by the map, moving his fingers over its surface, and suddenly she saw him in a new light. A buffoon? No. A lion stuffed into a horse-stall might look like a peculiar joke, but a lion on the high plains was something very different. Toy was loose on the high plains, now. She felt a chill. What sort of man had she entangled herself with? After all this time, she realized, she had hardly a clue.(hide spoiler)] Love it! ...more |
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2
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not set
Jun 2008
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Apr 29, 2015
Jul 2008
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Apr 29, 2015
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Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0312864590
| 9780312864590
| 0312864590
| 3.78
| 128,073
| Jan 07, 2003
| Jan 01, 2003
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it was ok
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I once went 12 days without a bowel movement, and that was less painful than this. [image] And here we are. Book ten. The one even Robert Jordan say I once went 12 days without a bowel movement, and that was less painful than this. [image] And here we are. Book ten. The one even Robert Jordan says is the weakest in the series (so I read somewhere I can't find again), and I sure hope he's right about that. Finding one of the last three I have yet to read being as slow as this would be quite a pisser. I started this when it first came out in January 2003 and nipped along to the 10th chapter where the point of view changes to another storyline, and on page 280 I find that we are still on the same day as we were at the end of the previous book. At this point I figured the pacing must've been directed by Quentin Tarantino; either he inspired Jordan or vice versa. Here's how a bit of dialogue works in this book: Character A speaks a line. A paragraph plus of description about any damn thing ensues. Clothing, twitching, thoughts, facial reactions of other characters, anything. Character B responds to character A's line. A paragraph plus of description about... well, you get the idea. Jordan does this in other books as well from time to time, but for this one it was the rule instead of the exception. Anyway, I finished chapter ten and put the book away deciding to pick it up again after Jordan had finished the entire series. The announcement that he was finishing the last book came in 2007, I started the series again, got most of the way through it, then Jordan up and died. But the publishers said the story was complete and that Sanderson would make it readable, so I finished up through book 11. Publishers being what they are as far as getting as much money as they can (I don't complain about that too much since I support capitalism even if it gets annoying sometimes), they Peter Jacksoned this shit, broke the last book into three, and the final volume didn't show up for another five years by which time I had forgotten a lot of the subplots which enhance the story and needed to start this shit AGAIN! That's why the read count is 2.4. My gripes with this go along with almost any other review you can find on Goodreads or other sites: nothing happens outside of daily trivialities. Mat, Rand, and Perrin sit around pulling their puds, and Egwene, Faile, and Elayne pushing their pudendas, for 673 pages. (view spoiler)[On page 673 Egwene goes to do something, is betrayed and kidnapped, (hide spoiler)] and the book ends seven pages later. That's about what it amounts to. Mat and Tuon ride along with a circus and go nowhere. Faile is a prisoner of the Shaido for the third book running. Perrin mopes around camp for several chapters, and the climax of his storyline is when he goes to town for groceries. (view spoiler)[Well, maybe it's when he cuts someone's hand off, but that's as exciting as this book gets. (hide spoiler)] Elayne deals with politics of the palace and is a bitch. Egwene deals with politics of the rebel tower and is a bitch. She also gives us pages and pages of the self-importance of Aes Sedai that we've heard a skillion times before in other books. Rand is resting from what he did in the last book, and we see him in one chapter and a two page epilogue. [image] Seriously, this series needs some Metamucil or something at this point. Thankfully it will get it in the next book. There weren't any battles. There weren't even any physical fights! There were a couple of stabbings, and a matter-of-fact amputation, though I consider that extremely light fare for a 700 page fantasy novel. There was plenty of cat fighting among the women. With all the sniffing, how are any of these people's sinuses intact? With all the skirt smoothing and twitching, how are any of these people's garments not threadbare in a matter of hours? And did this man own stock in a textile mill, or something? Descriptions of clothing alone take up 200 pages, normally silk slashed with some color or some good stout woolens. Was it in his contract to describe apparel in such detail? Does he get a 1099-misc at the end of the year from The Silk Trading Company based on the number of times he mentions silk? If so, he'd have died a wealthy man if he never even sold a single book. The women in this series, main and secondary characters alike, are the most childish people you could ever hope to run across. I liked that about them when I was in high school and college and could appreciate it better since I was a snippity shit myself, but Jesus, get over yourselves! You're adults! And why are all the men terrified of them? Well, that's not too hard to understand actually. They're all shrews, and only men who are cads to begin with can find it within their hearts to knock them upside the head for the sake of the rest of the wimps. Jordan usually writes well, but even that is lacking in this volume. I expect better because I've seen better in the previous books, and I know it gets better again in the next one. Contrary to what you see above, I did enjoy most of the journey though I had to steel myself to make it, hence the few month gap between the last one and this. Mat's chapters are entertaining with the bullshit he has to put up with, but I really just wish he would've done something. Anything! Actually, it would've been nice if anybody would've done anything. Well, at least it's over, and I'm on to Knife of Dreams! There are a couple of awesome scenes in that one. This one has none, so I can't share any favorite parts with you. I recall hearing a couple of decent quotes in this, but I can't remember them, and damned if I'm going to seek them out if they're not already online somewhere. So there you go. Two solid stars, though it's the humorous parts of Mat's chapters that give it the second. His courtship of Tuon is entertaining and gets even better in the next book. ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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not set
Jan 2003
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Mar 19, 2015
May 2008
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Mar 19, 2015
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Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 081257558X
| 9780812575583
| 081257558X
| 3.97
| 142,237
| Nov 07, 2000
| Jan 07, 2002
|
really liked it
|
I was mistaken in previous reviews. I thought things got slower and slower between books 6 and 10, but this one (book 9) lurches forward a bit better
I was mistaken in previous reviews. I thought things got slower and slower between books 6 and 10, but this one (book 9) lurches forward a bit better than the previous one. However that's because its stumbles, and the story falls flat on its face for book 10. But this isn't about book 10. This is book 9. Let me leave my bitching about 10 for when I get to it. The Perrin/Faile/Shaido/Prophet storyline kicks this one off, but after the first 6 chapters we never hear from them again. I think this storyline spans 4 books, technically, and it started in the last one. Not a lot happens, and the next section starts on page 172... Jeezy peezy, Jordan! Elayne makes headway in securing the Lion Throne. Rand is warder bonded to the 3 loves of his life, and we later have a cool scene where he fights one of the Asha'man without the one power because they're in a place where it can't be used. It showcases again how badass he is. (view spoiler)[Rand is already bonded to Min when he kills Rochaid, so Min is aware of any emotions Rand might be feeling even if he's a few miles away. After Rand explains the fight with Rochaid and Kisman (who got away) to Min we get this: "Rand," she said slowly, "you did all that, killed one man and faced another and... Rand, I didn't feel anything. In the bond, I mean. No fear, no anger. Not even concern! Nothing." Just a man taking care of business. I love this book's climax as well when Rand and Nynaeve cleanse Saidin of the Dark One's taint. It's a rather memorable scene with a handful of others defending them from the Forsaken. We see a lot of people getting more powerful. At the beginning of the series there was nobody who could even hope to challenge the Forsaken, and by this point our heroes are adapting, and finding ways to circumvent their weaknesses. As a result, another forsaken bites the dust, and a couple others get singed, though the cost is greater for the good guys. At least Rand got his business done. (hide spoiler)] But that's not the best part of this book. We start the Mat/Tuon relationship story arc in this one, and I love that whole thing. Well, at least through the end of book 11 which is as far as I've read. Hopefully I'll like it all the way through to the end, but a friend who has read the whole thing indicates some badness happens in the last book. I hope it doesn't piss me off, but Jordan is good at that. He doesn't reap his main characters with a scythe like George R. R. Martin or Stephen King, but he'll make them do some shitty things that makes you want to throw the book sometimes. Anyway, Tuon is here now, and she's pretty awesome. I simultaneously root for her (because she's badass) and against her (because of her allegiance). I'm hoping Mat brings her around even if she's on one of the opposing teams. OK, 4 stars because a couple of things actually happen, and Mat is back! (He was absent for the entire 8th book). And also because Egwene was in only 1 scene and didn't even get a point-of-view chapter. She is so annoying that any book is improved by her absence. And yet I root for her as well when she's fighting other forces opposing Rand. One thing's for sure: Jordan can craft some complicated situations that leave you not sure whose team you want to be on. I'm 100% for Rand, and mostly for his allies, but even his allies fight him by aligning with some of his enemies for various reasons, and I sometimes support his enemies when they share a common enemy with Rand. Well done with taking the simplicity out of it Mr. Jordan. ...more |
Notes are private!
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3
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not set
not set
Nov 2000
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Feb 11, 2015
Apr 2008
Nov 2000
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Feb 11, 2015
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Mass Market Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0062409859
| 9780062409850
| 0062409859
| 3.31
| 278,696
| Jul 14, 2015
| Jul 14, 2015
|
really liked it
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Favorite new book read in 2015 Update, 1/20/24: Most scholars now agree that this was a rough draft of To Kill a Mockingbird. (This shouldn't be surpris Favorite new book read in 2015 Update, 1/20/24: Most scholars now agree that this was a rough draft of To Kill a Mockingbird. (This shouldn't be surprising since it's rumored Lee brought this to the publisher and he flat out said "I want to hear more about the rape case and what they did as children," so she went and wrote that. Well, I read that on the internet a long time ago. I hope it's true because it makes sense.) It was easier to spot this go-round because I listened to it right after TKAM, and I caught a couple of places with identical sections, almost down to the words used. (E.G.: describing the differences between the Cunninghams and Coninghams, and the history of how Maycomb County came to be.) I still stand by what I say below though: this works fine as a sequel and just needed a tap here and a whack there to true up some inconsistencies, and to form it into a better flow; the side stories are great, but the transitions are a little jarring, and sometimes it feels like a series of vignettes instead of an over-arching narrative. Also, I'm back to making this a firm 4.5 stars, not 4.9. Update, 8-27-18: Still holding steady at 4.5 stars, or perhaps 4.9. It's so close to being a five star book I can practically taste it, but it's just not... quite... there. I feel so bad for anyone who can't get past Atticus' involvement with the Citizens Council and uses it as a basis for wholesale condemnation, for there is so much about this book that is great, and personally I think that part fits just fine as well (explained below). I also can't think of another book that so accurately portrays feelings in the South with the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. Not that I was around for that, but I know people who were, and I listen to them. And chapter 14 is still one of the best things I've ever read. God, I wish I could explain things like that. But I'm in danger of repeating stuff in my original review below, so I'll stop here. I listened to this on audiobook this time as read by Reese Witherspoon... [image] I love that meme. Anyway, she did a fantastic job except at the very beginning when she wasn't changing her voice for dialogues, and I had a little trouble following who was speaking. That kind of thing happens a little later in the book as well when she's switching between a character speaking and that same character running an internal monologue, but that's really no fault of hers. I'm not sure how one could pull that off with an audio format. Do yourself a favor and read this if you like southern literature dealing with southern issues in the early/mid 20th century. Original review, 7-19-15: There's so much going on in this book I don't even know where to begin. Since this was a rejected work made prior to To Kill a Mockingbird, I went into this expecting to be disappointed but was disappointed; this was excellent. 4.5 stars. I was teetering between four and five, but I can't give it the fifth. This story has great bones, but it's in need of a bit of polish by a good editor. Some facts should be updated for the sake of continuity, e.g. details of the rape trial which is clearly the Tom Robinson case. I've seen debates as to whether or not this is really a sequel, and I'm casting my vote as "yea." I don't think Atticus' racial views are out of character with his Mockingbird persona. It may seem that way on the surface, but it's explained well in the book. At least I was satisfied. Whether or not I like it is immaterial; it doesn't strain my suspension of disbelief. Oddly I'm indifferent regarding that particular turn of events for the story wasn't really about that. That's just what the media jumped on and tried to make a circus of as it's wont to do much like the current kerfuffle over the Confederate battle flag. It's odd that this book came out right when that was going on, and so soon after the Ferguson and Baltimore incidents. As I live in Richmond, VA and people are up in arms on each side and preparing to refight the Civil War here over the flag and some of our monuments, I could relate to a lot of the subject matter in this book. (1/20/24 update: Well, it didn't take long to lose those battles. Thanks a lot, Dylann and Derek, ya world class shits.) The ignorance over the issue is astounding, but I was very pleased to see uncle Jack hit the nail on the head when talking about the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Brown vs. Board of Education decision. I won't go into details here lest I be typing for the next three days, but I encourage you to read the book, particularly chapter 14. It sums up the south better than I ever could, and it's still the same today psychologically. Be it right or be it wrong, the matter stands the way it's presented here. As for Atticus' views on race, they're not at all out of place for a man his age in the 1950s, nor was he out of character with his involvement in the Citizen's Council or the KKK during his youth. (See my review of The Clansman for an explanation). The views might be vile, or you may think they're spot on, but one thing this book makes abundantly clear is that nothing about this subject is simple. Nothing can be summed up in a single reason. It's actually quite a breath of fresh air in this world that tries to simplify things down to a single cause or event, e.g. the Confederate battle flag stands for racist hate and nothing else. (May as well say the American flag stands for Japanese internment and nothing else). This is an excellent period piece that explores all the nuances involved and multiple viewpoints. The reader gets to decide which team he wants to be on. I could relate to different aspects of each character's opinion myself. I especially related to Jean Louise's umbrage at the abuse of the 10th amendment and the corrosion of our system of checks and balances which 60 years later is a sick joke with judges legislating from the bench on a regular basis and an executive doing the same from wherever he is with his pen and cell phone. Whether the actions they take are good or not, it's done illegally. That sets bad precedence, and nobody is holding them accountable... I better move on before I get upset. Back to the book. Even though it was published in 2015, it was written around 1955, and to judge it by 21st century standards is unfair. However, I will say I don't think the world in 1955 would've handled it very well as the race relations portion is quite heavy. I think it's great it came out, but also great it waited 60 years to do so. The world is more prepared for it today. Enough social commentary. That part's all fine and good, but where the novel shines is the conflict and character development for Jean Louise (Scout). Her world is turned upside down. The man she revered as a God turns out to be flawed as does almost everyone else she comes in contact with. Each of them pick a side on an issue, but they're opposite sides. She's lost; she doesn't know what to do. Nothing in this novel is simple for her much like real life. Sometimes there just aren't any good choices to make; a sacrifice must be made somewhere. Pride? Humility? Do you stand for your convictions, or do you make concessions? These are things she has to wrestle with, and I was bent around the axle about it all myself while reading. I didn't know which way I wanted her to turn. I simultaneously wanted her to stick it to the man and to make up. This is the hallmark of great writing. There are also several amusing side stories in this novel from Jean Louise's youth. The episode where Jem, Dill, and Scout were playing revival was an absolute scream. However, these episodes were cobbled together in a way that made the narrative feel disjointed which is something that was corrected in Mockingbird. Like I mentioned, a good editing could've fixed a lot of this. Another awesome thing about this book is all the references to any old thing. They're peppered throughout from start to finish, especially when uncle Jack takes the stage. There might be too many, but a nerd would have a field day trying to find all of them and making the appropriate connection. I didn't always know what the hell was going on, but I knew it was a string that led back to something else happening elsewhere in the real world. If you can view history objectively, then I think you should read this provided you have an interest in the South during the 1950s and race relations. However, if the word nigger offends you to the point that you can't even objectively read something that contains it, then you need to leave this alone. I explain that reasoning further in my Huckleberry Finn review, so see that if you care. Also, if you enjoy a good story, good prose, conflicting emotions, and the like, then I think you'd like this as well. It's a little rough, but still quite good. Check it out. I so want to give this five stars, but like I said it's in want of sanding and polish. ...more |
Notes are private!
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3
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Jan 16, 2024
Aug 23, 2018
Jul 14, 2015
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Jan 20, 2024
Aug 27, 2018
Jul 18, 2015
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Feb 03, 2015
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Hardcover
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my rating |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 4.29
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really liked it
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Aug 18, 2018
Jan 31, 1991
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May 17, 2019
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| 4.74
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it was amazing
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Mar 20, 2018
Jan 2010
Jul 21, 2007
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May 17, 2019
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| 4.57
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it was amazing
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Jul 24, 2018
Jan 1991
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Jun 26, 2018
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| 4.49
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really liked it
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Jul 15, 2018
Jan 1991
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Jun 26, 2018
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|||||
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| 4.39
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really liked it
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Jul 06, 2018
Jan 1998
Jan 1993
Jan 1991
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Jun 25, 2018
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|||||
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| 4.29
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it was amazing
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Oct 1990
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Oct 23, 2016
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|||||
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| 3.83
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really liked it
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Nov 22, 2019
Mar 2011
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Aug 29, 2016
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|||||
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| 4.28
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it was amazing
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Apr 24, 2024
Oct 2015
Apr 1991
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Oct 01, 2015
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|||||
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| 4.01
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really liked it
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Apr 24, 2024
Oct 2015
Apr 1991
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Oct 01, 2015
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|||||
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| 4.05
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it was amazing
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Feb 10, 2024
Sep 30, 2015
Mar 1991
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Sep 30, 2015
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|||||
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| 3.91
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liked it
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Feb 10, 2024
Feb 10, 2024
Sep 27, 2015
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Sep 27, 2015
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|||||
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| 3.96
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liked it
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Feb 07, 2024
Sep 25, 2015
Jan 1993
Feb 1991
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Sep 25, 2015
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| 4.09
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really liked it
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Feb 03, 2024
Sep 23, 2015
Jan 1995
Jan 1993
Feb 1991
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Sep 23, 2015
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|||||
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| 3.98
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really liked it
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Jan 30, 2024
Aug 10, 2015
Jan 2005
Jan 1995
Jan 1993
Jan 1991
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Aug 10, 2015
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|||||
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| 4.24
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really liked it
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Jan 27, 2024
Aug 2015
Jan 2005
Jan 1995
Jan 1993
Jan 1991
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Aug 01, 2015
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|||||
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| 4.64
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really liked it
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Jul 11, 2015
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Jul 12, 2015
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|||||
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| 4.19
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it was amazing
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Apr 29, 2015
Jul 2008
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Apr 29, 2015
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| 3.78
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it was ok
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Mar 19, 2015
May 2008
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Mar 19, 2015
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| 3.97
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really liked it
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Feb 11, 2015
Apr 2008
Nov 2000
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Feb 11, 2015
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| 3.31
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really liked it
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Jan 20, 2024
Aug 27, 2018
Jul 18, 2015
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Feb 03, 2015
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