The Book Thread

[Gortex]

20. War and Peace ---------- Leo Tolstoy

This is close to possibly the longest single book that I have ever read although it is really made up of 16 books over 2 volumes and between 19 â€" 38 chapters in each book. In other words this makes up to create the 7th longest Novel ever written in "originally in Russian" the English language and boy is it good.

In many ways it can’t decide if it is a Political, Social, Historical, Romantic, Philosophical, Artistic or Scientifical work as it covers all these subjects in great detail and really gets inside the world of aristocratic Russia during the early 19th C invasion of  Austria and Russia by France under Napoleon. It covers both the points of view from the Russian and French side of things and criticizes all those in power and the faults/errors carried out. So a very unbiased work which makes me respect the writer as so many times do I read something like this where they take just one side and from a narrow minded point of view.

It does take a while to get going as it takes a long time to introduce all the characters and where 1 word might do Tolstoy uses 3 but in such a way it makes for excellent reading and beautifully written. Half the book is in fictional novel style with lots of characters most of which really existed with the other half covering the situation the wars had on everyone involved from the rich to the poor and how this effected life and why Napoleon destroyed his army who is generally known as a genius.  

I loved and still enjoy reading the Sharpe novels by Bernard Cornwell but always felt there was something that Cornwell missed in his description of what all the actions Sharpe, Wellington and the rest had on life in general. Tolstoy captured this and much more so. If you enjoyed Sharpe or this sort of historic writing then you will enjoy this but be prepared to take some time in completing it.
 

Should you read it?
Yes you should and definitely read it if you like history and late 18th early 19th C French wars. But not a book to take on hols and stick with it.
Is it a classic and does it deserves to be on the list
Yes, Absolutely and should be higher than 20.

[Gortex]

182. Oliver Twist ----- Charles Dickens

Set in the first quarter of the 19C, it focuses on the difficult and trouble life of a young orphan Oliver Twist who is brought up in a work house and eventually escapes and ends up meeting and mixing in with the criminal underworld of London in that period of history. A good deal of the characters he meets treat him badly and use him to their own good, as was often the case for children of those times. A roller coaster of events and adventures await with some of the best sub characters ever written in the English language.

My second Dickens book review and quite frankly this is an absolute gem and helps me understand why Dickens was held Then and Now in such high esteemed as a one of the greatest writers that ever lived. This book in my opinion sums up everything I would class a Novel to be and I enjoyed reading every moment of it. His use of support characters like The Artful Dodger, Bill Sikes and Mr Bumble are of pure genus and really make the reader feel like he is involved in the novel. My favorite character by far though is the evil and sinister Fagin who the reader ends up loving and hating at the same time.
 
It surprises me to see this Novel so far down the list of greatest books ever written, but as I have other Dickens works to read then perhaps The Great Expectations (highest on the list) will prove me that this is not his finest work although at the moment I find that hard to except.

Should you read it?
Yes. This is a perfect example of what a Novel should be and if you only ever read 1 work by Dickens make it this.
Is it a classic and does it deserves to be on the list
Yes, Absolutely and puts to shame other books on the list which are higher.

[Gortex]

23. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ---------- JK Rowling

This is the second novel in the Harry Potter series and it kicks off pretty much straight off the back of the first book and forms the new term for Harry, Ron and Hermione and pretty quickly everything is going wrong.

This novel like the first book keeps its charm of young people going to a wizard school and the descriptions of lesson time are so well written that you really feel like you’re in the room when they carry out the spells. Like wise the introduction of the Weasley family and Mr Weasleys fascination in the muggle (our) world with questions like “what is the point of a telephone” had me in stitches.

 It tends to be a little more serious and a bit darker as you would expect from young people growing up at school which is captured well, and the characters greater understanding of magic with many more spells being used often with funny outcomes keeps it entertaining.

I personally really enjoyed it and look forward to reading the rest of the series but I would encourage people to read the books in order as it has lots of references to the previous book which might make it confusing to the reader if just picked up at random. Even if not all the books are in the Great Read (most are) I will continue to read the other novels and give my opinion.

Should you read it?
Yes. If you enjoyed the first novel then you will love this one.
Is it a classic and does it deserves to be on the list
Yes, but not as high as 23 and I wonder why they are in separately rather than just come under the one entry for the whole series.

[Gortex]

141. All Quiet on the Western Front ---------- Erich Maria Remarque

The book describes the German soldiers (Paul Baumer) extreme physical and mental stress during the war, and the detachment from civilian life felt by many of these soldiers upon returning home from the front. It covers Paul and his fellow class mates and comrades in arms and their experiences and how this changed and brutal life of a very young man affects him when visiting home and coming to terms with what civilians think about the War and the soldier’s involvement.

This is a short Novel and throws you straight away into the world of trench warfare of WW1 and be warned is incredibly powerful and in some cases disturbing reading. It holds nothing back and brilliantly delves into the physiological effect this kind of environment would have on a 19 year old lad. It is also fascinating as it is written from the point of view of the German side and not like most books I have read on the great Wars from the Allied and often American view, and covers the question “Why do we continue to fight”?  

This is possibly one of the best and most interesting, entertaining and emotional reads I have ever come across and in my opinion jumps straight in to my top 10 books read and has me asking the question why it has taken me so long to pick it up.

Should you read it?
Yes. One of the books you really have to read at some point.
Is it a classic and does it deserves to be on the list
Yes. This book should be in the top 10 if not 5 as it is just that good.

[Gortex]

13. Birdsong ---------- Sebastian Faulks

The focus of the novel tells of a man called Stephen Wraysford at different stages of his life both before and during World War 1. While most of the novel concentrates on Stephen's life in France before and during the war, the novel also focuses on the life of Stephen's granddaughter, Elizabeth, and her attempts to find out more about her grandfather's experiences in World War 1. The story is split into seven sections which cover three different time periods.

The pre war period focuses on a love affair between Stephen and married wife of his landlord and employer Isabelle. This is how the book starts and to be honest takes a while to get going in setting the scene and introducing the characters. It is not until the affair really starts to develop does it really grabs the attention and goes into some very graphic and descriptive love scenes which would often be found in Porn Magazines, except better written. Along with this it tries to show how turmoil the situation of life was for the rich and poor before the war started.

Once the War is declared Stephen joins up in the English army and is dispatched with the regiment to the Battle of the Somme. He befriends and gets involved with some engineers / Miners who aim to dig tunnels under the German defenses and set mines off. This a bit like All Quiet On The Western Front makes for very powerful and in some parts emotional reading. It is just brilliantly put together and like All Quiet holds nothing back in going into the details and descriptions of how hard war in the trenches was. It also goes into great detail how dangerous the miner’s job was and in some cases more dangerous than being shelled at by the big German guns on the surface.

I can not say that it is better than All Quiet On The Western Front as it is just different and covers other subjects like his love life, home life and also how his Grand daughter (1976 period) goes looking for information on her Grand father. There is if anything more to it than just War and if you enjoyed All Quiet then you will love this. I personally (once it got going) really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone as a must read book.

Should you read it?
Yes. Excellently written, interesting and powerful reading.
Is it a classic and does it deserves to be on the list
Yes. Fantastic read and deserves to be right up high on the list

[Gortex]

108. The Wasp Factory ---------- Lain Banks

This short novel is written from a first person point of view told by sixteen-year-old Frank Cauldhame, describing his childhood. Frank observes many Shamanistic rituals of his own invention, and it is soon revealed that Frank was the perpetrator of three deaths of children before he reached the age of ten. It also focuses on his brother and his escape from a mental institution and his aim to return home to their (Frank & Father) deserted island connected by bridge to a larger island in Scotland.

A word of warning should be given to anyone about to read this book that it has extremely dark humour and often very graphic a disturbing treatment of animals and humans. Not for the faint hearted that might get disturbed by this sort of material but once read something that is not likely to escape your memory quickly.

It takes about half to two thirds of the book to actually start really getting to the point of the plot and taking structure to the novel and once it gets there ends all to quickly. The first half of the book talks about Frank’s obsessions, interests and things he has done in the past that he is proud of and often masochist and psychotic behaviour in violent acts. The second half starts to explain his brother, father and friend’s evolvement and what The Wasp Factory actually is and why he is this way he is with a quite shocking ending.

Personally I think it is ok… not that bad, but not that great either. Definitely something that would create good debates and conversations with others who have read it over a pint. At points I was shocked at what I was reading but then found myself chuckling about it afterwards.

Should you read it?
Yes a short novel that will have you thinking about it later and worth a read.
Is it a classic and does it deserves to be on the list
No. Not a great novel and definitely not a classic.

[Gortex]

17. Great Expectations -------- Charles Dickens

Dickens 13th novel and 2nd written to be fully narrated from first person with the first being David Copperfield. It is a coming of age novel based around the main character Pip and how his fortunes change through out his life. It is broken down into 3 parts with each part focusing on a period of his life. It is set in early to mid Victorian Brittan and main locations are the Kent marshes and City of London.

Apparently this novel was the favorite of Dickens from the many books he wrote and possibly one of the most adapted stories into film and stage ever written. With a total of 15 film and television versions made and a 16th released only last year on the big screen in UK. So quite likely a novel that if not read then defiantly heard of or and possibly seen by the great population in the UK and possible world.

Personally I thought it starts very well and within just a few pages you’re thrown into the disturbing meeting and chase of convict Able Magwitch, which in turn introduces the loveable Joe Gargery, disturbing Miss Havisham, and cold yet beautiful Estella. The descriptive writing, details and plot are all superbly written by the true master Dickens is, and his ability to create interesting sub characters is almost unequalled in quality and ability.

Part 1 is all about Pips childhood and excellent but when Part 2 get under way and Pip becomes into property and heads for London I found it a bit heavy going and really struggled to keep interested in some of the chapters, almost to the point where I had to force myself to trudge through it. My perseverance was rewarded though as Part 3 is also excellent with the return of Magwitch and the conclusion of Pip expectations which I thought pretty sad and not as happy an ending as I had expected (American film endings always seem to be happy and flowery).

To sum up, it is good but in my opinion not the best of Dickens work as I enjoyed Oliver Twist a good deal more as it kept my attention through out the story.

Should you read it?
Yes

Is it a classic and does it deserves to be on the list
Yes. But lower on the list than 17.

[Gortex]

86. Vicky Angel -------- Jacqueline Wilson

This is another novel in the top 200 books on the BBC most popular read, which is written for a children’s audience in mind. Written from a first person point of view it focuses around the main character Jade Marshal and her friendship with best friend Vicky.

Following a tragic accident to Vicky who then becomes a ghost that only Jade can see it then goes into how this event affects Jade and how she comes to terms with it in her life.

That pretty much sums up the whole novel and it is pretty short thank goodness as it seems to repeat chapter after chapter with the same sort of things going on with just the slight subject changing. So one minute it is how Jade will deal with going to school with the ghost of Vicky to the next chapter how will she cope with going to the local shops. I personally got fed up of this pretty quickly and really struggle to keep reading it to the end which in turn is nothing exceptional.

To sum up I think this book is directed at young teenage girls who have limited imagination other than shopping, emotions and what someone thinks of someone else. If you are such a person then you will probably enjoy this, other wise don’t even pick it up as it is not worth the effort.

Should you read it?
No avoid at all costs.
Is it a classic and does it deserves to be on the list
No. People who voted this in should be banded from all future votes.

[smilodon]

12. Wuthering Heights ---------- Emily Bronte

Surprised to learn that this was her only novel, before she sadly died aged 30. in fact I think all the Bronte sisters popped their clogs before they hit forty.

Wuthering Heights is the name of a large house on the Yorkshire moors and the backdrop to a tragic and doomed love story that spanned several decades. Unlike the Jane Austin feel good stories this is very dark and looks that looks at the destructive nature of passion and follows the lives of a collection of tragic characters for whom the story ends badly. I thought it was going to be a hard slog but surprisingly I zipped through this one.

I assumed this would be the normal romantic stuff about unrequited love, reconciliation and happy ever after. It's not. It's about cruelty, malice, emotional pain and mental torture. Not one of the characters is truly decent and while some show they can be really monstrous at times none are universally bad people. There's always a reason why the characters are the way they are or become the people they become. But there are no heros and heroines here, no one for us to root for and no real happy ever afters. Wuthering Heights is a sad story but compelling and although we don't much care for the characters they are all fascinating and the story of their lives really draws us in and keeps us hooked. I suppose this is a literary form of watching a slow motion car crash unfold before our eyes, although a beautifully written one. There's certainly a voyeuristic slant to watching these people's lives unravel in the pursuit of love and passion. But it's still a masterpiece in my opinion and certainly not trashy or obvious.

Should you read it?
Absolutely

Is it a classic and does it deserves to be on the list?

Yes, it's 12 on the list and in my opinion should sit higher than some better placed novels!

[Sparhawke]

I have read a lot of books, and generally speaking I like them but "76. The Secret History ---------- Donna Tartt" is one that should be consigned to the eternal fires of hell and left there. Never have I come across a writer so impressed by her command of completely making you wonder why you started it. If I wanted to have to learn a new word of the day every other page I would've bought a dictionary.

The overall premise is good, but it is so long-winded...and people claim it to be a classic??!

Should you read it? Possibly, but make sure you have a gun and a bullet from page 2 onwards.

[Gortex]

86. Midnight’s Children -------- Salman Rushdie

The book was written and published in 1980 and won several prizes and was also the centre of a law action in the British Courts, over some of content from the novel.

It is written from a narrator point of view, told by the main character Saleem Sinai with the main subject covering the change of independence in India from British rule using actual historical events of the C20. Also the magical development of the “midnight’s children”, who are all born around the midnight hour of India’s independence with each child gaining special gifts like flight, enhanced strength or telekinesis. It covers Saleem’s family history pre and after birth until the present day, and is written over 3 books.

The first book seems to cover just his pre birth and although has some entertaining short stories in, it takes forever to get to the actual birth of the main character and repeats it self continually in case you had forgotten what had happened in the previous few chapters. It does this through out the all 3 books/parts and also annoyingly does not tell you clearly when one book ends and the next finishes. It feels very badly put together as if the editor got in a muddle and had the attitude of “oh that will do”.

It covers some interesting historical events and facts but these are all to brief and does not really go into detail in any way but focuses on how this affects him (Saleem) and his family. It also takes until half way through the 2nd book to even start describing the Midnight Children’s and their abilities which lasts for 1 chapter and then does not cover it again until a good way through the 3rd book. One of the major subjects in the book and possibly most interesting is extremely briefly covered leaving me disappointed.
 
The whole read from start to finish is so frustrating with each story starting well, then dragging on and on in the middle, to finally get to the main act, only to cover it in 1 or 2 paragraphs and then moving onto the next story. I really struggled to keep reading it and get to the end of the book and felt a total slog. It could have been really good and in my opinion falls very short.

Should you read it?
No. Not worth the effort.
Is it a classic and does it deserves to be on the list
No. Not sure how it won any awards.

[Gortex]

46. Animal Farm ------- George Orwell

The second book by George Orwell that is in the top 200 reads and was published in 1945 eventually after many publishers refused to support it. Often used in school or college English courses and probably because of this reason more famous than his other works.

It is set as the title says on a farm and from the perspective from the animals themselves living / working on the farm. There is eventually an uprising by the animals led by the clever pigs and control of life is turned over to the animals. Like 1984 this is a political, social and dictatorship peace with lots of short, but cleverly written chapters about the life on the farm.

The book is short and once started very hard to put down as it is always interesting how the society changes following a big event and then just goes back to how it was but with a different twist. I really enjoyed reading it and think it is excellently written from the start to the finish and in some ways better in my opinion than 1984 although both works are worth reading.

Should you read it?
Yes. Short, interesting and guaranteed to have your mind imagining from start to end.

Is it a classic and does it deserves to be on the list
Yes. Should also be higher up the list than 46.

[Gortex]

78. Ulysses ------- James Joyce

This is possibly the hardest review I have had to do of any book…..

The book was written in 1918 and broken into 3 parts of about 18 main chapters in total and is mainly a free thinking fiction peace and in terms of the period, one of the first to try this in the 20th Century. I take a quote from the man himself when describing the book "put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant," and to be honest this pretty much sums up the whole thing.

It covers a single day in the life of main character Leopold Bloom and set in the city of Dublin before the break out of the 1st world war. It pretty much covers what goes on during his generally normal day in real terms and everything that goes through his head throughout the day. So it covers things like him getting up in the morning and cooking kidneys for breakfast and what he thinks and feels about this process.

Every chapter is different and I mean very different. From the writing styles to what is going on in the novel. From one moment you’re reading about a funeral to the next someone hallucinating and beating someone with a stick while naked, and as a reader not really know what the previous 50 pages has to do with the current idea or paragraph your reading. I had to check the internet and synopsis a few times to try and understand what on earth was going on. To make matters worse as I mentioned the writing style changes pretty much from chapter to chapter for example you will be reading just a list of names for 2 pages followed by what can only be described as written verse and actor dialog. It truly is a difficult read and I thought Dracula was bad enough.

This is not to say it does not have some big pluses to it. For anyone who loves the English language and writing then this book covers pretty much every style you could think of. Also some of the chapters are truly excellent and the writing / descriptive style is very absorbing and thought provoking and I admit to really enjoying. It is almost as if the writer could not decide what sort of book to write so just did everything.

Should you read it?
 No. It is too long and makes no sense from start to finish and a real slog of a read.
Yes. Because it really has some excellent and amazing parts and for anyone with a love of English this is a good go.

Is it a classic and does it deserves to be on the list
No. I don’t personally count this work as a Novel which I think this list is all about. Were this the best 200 books of the written language then yes it should be there because of the truly original style and excellent example of free thinking writing and how it will create debates when ever talked about.

[Gortex]

11. Catch - 22 ------- Joseph Heller

Written in 1953 and published in 1961. It is based around World War 2 and 1943 from the US side and a fictional B-25 Bombardier squadron. It follows main character Captain John Yossarian and his attempts to avoid flying more missions. Each chapter of the book is taken from a different character and from their point of view of the situation and their own little stories which make up the bigger picture. This style of writing is new to me and I have not read anything else similar.

It does take a while to get going and as each character comes along it explains a bit more of the bigger picture of the novel. Unfortunately I found this made for the second half of the book a good deal more interesting and enjoyable than the first. It has some very funny scenes and many comical and ridiculous characters which are brilliantly written, along with an underlying physiological side looking at how constant danger in flying missions can affect your sanity.

I personally enjoyed it as something different form your standard war novels but as mentioned before a bit of a slog to get going.

Should you read it?
Yes. If you can stick with it then worth it in the end.
Is it a classic and does it deserve to be on the list?
Yes, due to the original writing style and hilarious characters.

[Gortex]

14. Rebecca ------- Daphne du Maurier

Written in 1937 and in a gothic romance style, It is a single volume work of around 385 pages and has been adapted many times into Film, Television and Theatre productions. It is a narrator read piece which is told from the main characters eyes Mrs de Winter and her meeting, falling in love and life with Maximilian who is an English gentleman and owns the house named Manderly which is where much of the story is focused.

It is not so dissimilar to Wuthering Heights in that it has a dark underling secret to it and often has very dramatic scenes which are quite unexpected and written in a most descriptive and thrilling way.

After a slow start to the novel it really picks up speed and I found myself completely enveloped in the whole story to the point I just could not put it down or stop reading. This was quite odd as I had expected it to be dull and pretty ordinary which was a great surprise and pleasure that I enjoyed it so much. This really is a case of don’t judge a book by the name or the cover as I think you will be pleasantly impressed.

Should you read it?
Yes. This is a must read on the list.
Is it a classic and does it deserve to be on the list?
Yes, One of the best on the list so far.