Beloved: Reflection

And so another story concludes. Was it a good story? Yeah. Was it interesting? Kinda. Was it easy to read? That's a big ol' "no". Never before have I been relieved to finally finish a book. Honestly, the finishing of this book didn't really even work to satisfy this feeling I had that I spet an enormous amount of time simply reading this book. Heck, it took me twice as long to read a page out of this book than it normally would. Not only that, I probably re-read half of it. In fact, its readability contrasted so much from The Road that it felt like I had been reading this book since the beginning of the semester. There were, however, some good things. For one, I really liked the subject matter of the story. For some reason, I have always enjoyed stories about slaves and their hand-crafted tales of gaining freedom. While this story still dealt subtly with this aspect, it also incoporated an intense set of varied themes. In addition, I also liked the language that was used. While sometimes difficult to comprehend, the poetic and sing-song nature of speech within this story makes for an engaging read. All in all, I can't say that I particularly enjoyed how this story was told, but I definetly enjoyed what it dealt with.

Beloved: Initial Reactions

First impressions? Eh. I cant really say that I am absolutely loving this book so far. That is, it took me the first 100 pages to finally get a grip on the whole ghost baby thing. In addition, the varying points of view make for a very interesting jumping around of character voices. Oh, and on top of that, it is like your reading a poem. Thats difficult to understand. And long. And sing-song-ish. Long story short, this book is hard to read. Not language wise, but voice wise. Other than those few factors, I have kinda liked what this book deals with. There was always something about the many "underground railroad" stories that captured my attention. They always seemed to be crafted in the most creative and emotional manner. In this case, I get to see the life after the excape. I get to see what escaped slaves have deal with after escaping their seemingly permanent fate. I think that in seeing this, certain things about life after the escape will surface. These concepts will most likely be draped in history and wrought with a fear that palgues the minds of the characters. I think I can teach myself to enjoy this book. It is just up to me to open my mind to it.

AP Inquiry Project; The Sisters Brothers: Refelction

This book was awesome. Although I don't often say this about a book, this one definetly was awesome. It effectively combined my favorite elements. For one thing, it was a Western and for some reason, I love Westerns. On top of that, it was action-packed, another plus. And above all, it was whimsically humurous. Case in point, it was my kind of book. I initially thought I was going to enjoy it, but not nearly as much as I actually did. It coherently told a suspensful story about two hitmen who happen to be brothers and it drew me in with its classic Old West feel. Not to mention, it also ties in perfectly with my guiding questions. The rationale for violence, which I will discuss in my paper, is explored through this novel by illuminating one of the brother's distaste for death. This is true in the fact that it offers a contradiction to the typical shoot-em up' lifestyle that so many of the American Old West characters live by. This conflict allows for a re-evaluation of the seemingly crucial role violence plays in the society of the Old West. The Sisters Brothers more than explores this topic and that is why I loved it so much and am looking forward to discussing it in my final draft.