Fiction suggestions needed for Jan./Feb. discussion

[stahrwe]

Pilgrim's Progress sounds interesting, and it is available for free on the Kindle, but I personally struggle with that old style of English. After a chapter or two of trying to understand what I'm reading I have to go lay down and take a nap. Sometimes I cry a little.

If you promise no one else is listening, I agree. perhaps we can find a good quality updated version. I understand that Tolkien used to enter a room and begin shouting in Anglo Saxon. At least we don't have to deal with that.

[Chris OConnor]

Ah ha! There is a solution. Check out http://www.amazon.com/Pilgrims-Progress ... 366&sr=8-2

But now that I read some of the negative reviews maybe the original would be wiser.

What about a Mark Twain novel? Is anyone interested in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

[stahrwe]

Ah ha! There is a solution. Check out http://www.amazon.com/Pilgrims-Progress ... 366&sr=8-2

But now that I read some of the negative reviews maybe the original would be wiser.

What about a Mark Twain novel? Is anyone interested in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

I guess I am a few minutes behind you tonight. I read the reviews too and agree.

[Suzanne]

I guess I am a few minutes behind you tonight. I read the reviews too and agree.

But now that I read some of the negative reviews maybe the original would be wiser.

I did the same, and I also agree.

I would be willing to tackle the original version of "Pilgrims Progress".

What about a Mark Twain novel? Is anyone interested in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

Mark Twain's classic novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, tells the story of a teenaged misfit who finds himself floating on a raft down the Mississippi River with an escaping slave, Jim. In the course of their perilous journey, Huck and Jim meet adventure, danger, and a cast of characters who are sometimes menacing and often hilarious.
Though some of the situations in Huckleberry Finn are funny in themselves (the cockeyed Shakespeare production in Chapter 21 leaps instantly to mind), this book's humor is found mostly in Huck's unique worldview and his way of expressing himself. Describing his brief sojourn with the Widow Douglas after she adopts him, Huck says: "After supper she got out her book and learned me about Moses and the Bulrushers, and I was in a sweat to find out all about him; but by and by she let it out that Moses had been dead a considerable long time; so then I didn't care no more about him, because I don't take no stock in dead people." Underlying Twain's good humor is a dark subcurrent of Antebellum cruelty and injustice that makes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn a frequently funny book with a serious message.

http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Huckle ... 0140390464

[Dawn]

Chris, you could always try a modern translation of Pilgrim's Progress if that would help. Though some consider this an outrageous mangling of the original. For myself, if King James English doesn't speak my language, I have been known to avail myself of more modern versions. They may lack the linguistic beauty of the original but they have their place... One such is at http://www.amazon.com/New-Pilgrims-Prog ... 637&sr=8-1

[Dawn]

oh brother, I'm behind too. sorry.

I really think we'd enjoy The Brothers K. It would make for great discussion. The religion bashers could feel justified when they view the Mom and her religion. Others of us would relate to the brother who sides with his Mom... It's an excellent novel and a realistic picture of family life and religious differences and many other things. Do check out some reviews... And here's a sample quote I rather liked:

Papa:
“One more thing,” he said, “and this is the most important of all. Just because you think church is boring and awful, and just because Mama made you go to church, doesn’t mean that Mama is boring and awful.”
“She’s giving you this new freedom willingly, Everett,” he said. “Not without a hell of a fight, of course, and not without fear. But this is one hell of a concession for a woman like her… (p.180)
“Your mother’s girlhood was so terrible that when she finally discovered the Adventist Church, it seemed like absolute heaven in comparison.”
“That’s the real reason she went nuts tonight, by the way,” he said. “She wants to share her heaven with her kids. Do you understand? She wants the best for you, but gets it mixed up at times with what was once best for her. So it’s hard for her to stand back. Hard to let go. Hard to let you each seek your own sorts of heavens. Understand?” (p.181)

[Suzanne]

The religion bashers could feel justified when they view the Mom and her religion.

This does not sit well with me. I do believe that you had the best intentions when you suggested this book, but the above quote makes me now question those intentions. The quote itself is also very distasteful. Members who participate in fiction discussions enjoy exchanging ideas about writing style, meanings, symbolism author's motivation, etc. Of course, fiction discussions oftentimes branch outside of the book to include the feelings of readers and how the story affects them, but reading a novel for the sake of bashing people's beliefs, is not appealing. A fiction discussion is just that, a discussion, not an argument. You may have choosen your words rashly and did not mean to offend, but there does need to be more in a novel to discuss than just differences of opinion.

"Pilgrim's Progress" can be seen as a religously themed novel, however, it contains beautiful prose, and provides insight into the views of Christianity from the 1600s. "Pilgrim's Progress" was published in 1678 and is written by an author whose personal perspectives come from this time period. It gives the reader a glimpse into the past and offers much to be discussed.

Dawn, I do hope you understand my reasoning, and it is also my hope that you will participate in the next fiction discussion.

[Suzanne]

Every year, around this time I gravitate to Charles Dickens. Last year I read “Nicholas Nickleby” and this year I have started “Bleak House”. I’m really enjoying it. Would anyone be interested in reading Dickens?

Widely considered one of Dickens most superb and complete novels, "Bleak House" has a complex plot that contains one of his most elaborate attacks on a flaw of society: the chancery system. The kind John Jarndyce is tied up in litigation that only his wards Richard and Ada care to discuss. He then becomes guardian of Esther, an orphaned young woman who comprises a part of the experimental narration of the novel. A series of events take the vast array of comic and tragic characters from the slums of London to the mansions of noblemen, involving some in treachery and others in discovery. Dickens blends the perfect balance of comedy and social satire in a story that contains mystery, tragedy, murder, redemption, and enduring love.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/produc ... 55&s=books

What could possible be better on those long cold nights of winter, than curling up beside the fire with Charles Dickens!

[Dawn]

The religion bashers could feel justified when they view the Mom and her religion.

This does not sit well with me. I do believe that you had the best intentions when you suggested this book, but the above quote makes me now question those intentions. The quote itself is also very distasteful. Members who participate in fiction discussions enjoy exchanging ideas about writing style, meanings, symbolism author's motivation, etc. Of course, fiction discussions oftentimes branch outside of the book to include the feelings of readers and how the story affects them, but reading a novel for the sake of bashing people's beliefs, is not appealing. A fiction discussion is just that, a discussion, not an argument. You may have choosen your words rashly and did not mean to offend, but there does need to be more in a novel to discuss than just differences of opinion.

"Pilgrim's Progress" can be seen as a religously themed novel, however, it contains beautiful prose, and provides insight into the views of Christianity from the 1600s. "Pilgrim's Progress" was published in 1678 and is written by an author whose personal perspectives come from this time period. It gives the reader a glimpse into the past and offers much to be discussed.

Dawn, I do hope you understand my reasoning, and it is also my hope that you will participate in the next fiction discussion.

Time to eat humble pie. You are quite justified in your remarks. My words were rash. I fear I have spent too much time with Sam Harris and that discussion. I would love to escape to a discussion of another nature. Please accept my apologies. I look forward to whatever book we decide to enjoy together. I'd be glad to read Pilgrim's Progress. I enjoy Dickens too; is there one that doesn't sound quite so bleak? Thank you for your check. I wouldn't mind deleting that bit, but don't know how...

[Dawn]

Second thought, that quote doesn't sound so bleak... maybe I'll look up a copy ( :