Moby Dick; or, the Whale is a modern epic. The novel was published in 1851. October in Britain, and then November in America. Ten years prior to this Herman Melville, the author, had begun four years of sailing on whaling vessels. The size, and subject scope, of the novel reflects the author’s own experiences at… Continue reading Moby Dick; or, the Whale – Herman Melville
Category: Reviews
Chronicles Volume One – Bob Dylan
Who is Bob Dylan? A twentieth century legend, a giant of contemporary American music (and letters), with an unmistakable, inimitable ever-changing drawl? Or a humble folk musician – forever imitating his own idols, expressing himself through music, lyric and hard work, who happened to be in the right place (or the wrong place, perhaps) in… Continue reading Chronicles Volume One – Bob Dylan
The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway
The Old Man and the Sea is perhaps Hemingway’s most well loved, and certainly his most well known novel. He even saw it as probably his greatest piece of writing – the remarks which he made while it was being published certainly give that impression.
Rabbit, Run – John Updike
Beginning with a kid’s back-alley basketball game, Updike’s novel, ‘Rabbit, Run’, lures the reader in by foreshadowing the deeper events to come later. The game is interrupted by an ‘odd adult’, 26 year old Harry ‘Rabbit’ Angstrom – our (anti-?) hero. Even here, on the basketball court, where Rabbit feels most at ease in his own skin,… Continue reading Rabbit, Run – John Updike
Stoner – John Williams
“In the University library he wandered through the stacks, among the thousands of books, inhaling the musty odor of leather, cloth, and drying page as if it were an exotic incense.” Although I thought I was 50 years late to reading (and writing a review of) Stoner (1965) by John Williams, it turns out I’m really… Continue reading Stoner – John Williams
The Buried Giant – Kazuo Ishiguro
More to this tale then meets the eye… Kazuo Ishiguro has been receiving mixed reviews for his first published work in ten years, The Buried Giant. A highly anticipated arrival onto the book market, due in part to the length between releases, but mainly because of Ishiguro’s literary history and triumphs.