ind24's reviews
112 reviews

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

reflective relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Sun Also Rises is one of those masterclasses in the genius of writing where the true meat of the story lies in what’s a-brewing under the surface. A true celebration of the unsaid and how it’s not said.

Yet, the dialogs read like actual conversations between real people, and the settings are described so succinctly and vibrantly, that it is easy to feel like you’re in the middle of all the drama, as though you are sharing taxi rides and scrumptious meals with Jake and his crew. The feelings of resignation, hopelessness, and absolute loss are pervasive throughout the prose. This novel is easy to read and entertaining to the last with symbolism and metaphors abound! 

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Back in undergrad when I first gave this book a go I think I was not quite ready for the level of literature I was working with. It most certainly read differently to me now and, in ways more than one, I think it spoke to me. The Picture of Dorian Gray is an exquisite tale of art and sin, an exploration of the human soul, an exploit of external influence, and an expose of the inherent violence in vanity. I understand why this is one of the most talked about works of Mr. Wilde. His genius spills through every single word of this prose and seeps into the readers' veins, his intelligence is palpable, and his love for all things beautiful - tangible. His whirlpool of wordplay, inevitably and unquestioningly, sucks the reader in. The writing is brilliant and so very intelligent. 

I, for all intents and purposes, am currently valiantly resisting the urge to make this book my entire personality.

The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy by Moiya McTier

informative medium-paced

3.5

My absolute favorite thing about this book is how much fun Dr. McTier is so clearly having in telling us about our home galaxy’s story. Another beautiful positive about this book is that it’s extremely informative and yet hilariously accessible. However, the tone and the snarkiness of the Milky Way gets too old too quickly making it slightly hard to get through. 

More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

More Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is gentle exploration of life set with a backdrop rich in literary culture. While the narrative is beautifully light and comforting, it delves into deep themes of connection, loss, grief, and personal growth. The entire book seethes with soft charm and subtle sensibility. It is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of binge-able cozy reading experience, perfect for those seeking solace and sweetness.

The Cactus by O. Henry

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The ending man, the ending! It took me. Beautiful, eloquent, beautiful, and oh so poignant. The way it lets you experience the human behind the hubris.

An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde

funny lighthearted reflective relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

An ideal husband is a meaty story infused with Wilde’s trademark epigrammatic humor. There are a lots of very funny and very quotable lines. (Would it be a Wilde novel if there weren’t glorious gems scattered through out?) A quote that is still stuck in my mind and definitely sums up the core of the play: 

 "There was your mistake. There was your error.  The error all women commit.  Why can’t you women love us, faults and all?  Why do you place us on monstrous pedestals?  We have all feet of clay, women as well as men; but when we men love women, we love them knowing their weaknesses, their follies, their imperfections, love them all the more, it may be, for that reason.  It is not the perfect, but the imperfect, who have need of love. A man’s love is like that.  It is wider, larger, more human than a woman’s.  Women think that they are making ideals of men.  What they are making of us are false idols merely.  You made your false idol of me, and I had not the courage to come down, show you my wounds, tell you my weaknesses.  I was afraid that I might lose your love, as I have lost it now.  And so, last night you ruined my life for me—yes, ruined it! 

Let women make no more ideals of men! Let them not put them on alters and bow before them, or they may ruin other lives as completely as you—you whom I have so wildly loved—have ruined mine!"

Once you read the play it becomes apparent that the hypocrisy of the public's expectation for perfection from those in public life was Wilde’s target. All I can say is read the play; you shall not be disappointed. 

Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde by Moisés Kaufman

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

An astoundingly brilliant piece of writing. The way each scene plays out on the page, you cannot help but visualize the whole thing. What was most intriguing to me is the fact that the Oscar Wilde I knew until I read this book was Oscar Wilde: the court jester, the wordsmith, the magician, but the Oscar Wilde on these pages is a very serious, almost broken artist, practically a worshipper of aesthetics and beauty. The Oscar Wilde in the courtroom, it seems to me, was definitely not lacking hubris but was also imbued with an idea to have the souls of all of the humankind sing with stunning beauty of art. He seems to be pushing this idea that people need to question the purpose of art and artists, in general, and that was truly fascinating to me! Can you separate the art from the artist? And how far are you willing to go to define this separation? What is “morality” in the space of art? Those are the questions.

Oedipus the King by Sophocles

dark informative sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

"Mortality is man’s burden. Keep your eyes fixed on your last day.

Call no man happy until he reaches it, and finds rest from suffering." 

Sophocles' Oedipus Rex is a heartbreaking ancient tale of angst and calamity. The second I downed the first page I could recognize why it was Aristotle’s favorite play. The piece is very masterfully crafted and the characters are consistent from start to finish.

One of the initial thoughts I had after reading this was the fact that in a way all of Oedipus’ actions could be traced back to an incident of road rage at an intersection where three roads. How trivial I thought but then I realized that the word trivial can be traced back to the Latin noun trivium, meaning "a place where three roads meet." The Latin word was made from tri-, meaning "three," and via "way, road." The adjective form of trivium was trivialis. I don’t know, it’s just so funny to me how words originate. 

Although I knew of the story, (it’s hard not to, I believe the story of Oedipus and Jocasta is one of those tales that's been residing in our collective consciousness forever) I was thoroughly moved by the events that unfold on the pages of this book. Oedipus’ plight was so catastrophic, so larger than life. You cannot help but feel pity for this protagonist. To read his story is to feel his pain and sorrow. Moreover, it would be remiss not to appreciate the brilliance in the construction of the narrative that leaves the audience in awe. There is a certain sense of elegance in the words employed. The language seems huge and torrential which is pertinent to the colossal tragedy it attempts to describe to its readers. A classic with a capital C for a reason. 

“How dreadful the knowledge of the truth can be. When there’s no help in truth.”

Harmony: poems to find peace by Whitney Hanson

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

A tender, soft, and gentle work of art  carefully and meticulously executed. This beautiful compendium of poetry feels like a cozy weighted blanket. 

Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Oh what an enchantingly good story! Wilde’s wonderfully taut story telling, his perfect play with words, his utterly remarkable wit and humor make this a thoroughly entertaining read. His brilliance shines through each dialogue. A genuinely fun, powerful and ever so relevant piece of prose.