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vertellerpaul's reviews
223 reviews
Het begin: Genesis by Guus Kuijer
5.0
Dit is een boek voor bijbelkenners en voor mensen die de bijbel niet kennen. Voor de bijbelkenners is het het plezier van het herkennen en telkens de vraag "hoe gaat hij dit verhaal aanpakken?" Voor wie de bijbel niet kent is het een heerlijke, degelijk vertelde kennismaking met de verhalen. God komt erin voor, natuurlijk, maar vooral als een onoplosbaar raadsel en op hetzelfde niveau als alle andere goden. Mensen die in God geloven zijn niet meer of minder waard dan de mensen die in de goden geloven of mensen die nergens in geloven. Twijfelen mag. Misschien gaat het wel om twijfelen. Maar in elk geval gaat het om respect voor elkaars overtuigingen.
En ondertussen geniet Kuijer (en daarmee ik) van het navertellen van de verhalen, het zoeken naar de menselijke maat en het invoegen van kleine verwijzingen naar andere verhalen uit oude en nieuwe testament, verwijzingen naar heel andere verhalen en naar de actualiteit.
En ondertussen geniet Kuijer (en daarmee ik) van het navertellen van de verhalen, het zoeken naar de menselijke maat en het invoegen van kleine verwijzingen naar andere verhalen uit oude en nieuwe testament, verwijzingen naar heel andere verhalen en naar de actualiteit.
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
4.0
As with the other parts in the series, this was not a well written book. Slightly better than the earlier parts, though. The language still holds many problems: rambling sentences, strange similes, meaningless adjectives.
The plot of this third installment is worse than the earlier two. No longer revolving around the actual Hunger Games, the book loses some of its structure. Far too much time is spent in some hospital room, recovering from physical or emotional trauma (usually both). These periods are interspersed with bursts of (very) violent action all the way to the sentimental ending.
It's very hard to say why I liked this book, but I did. The overall atmosphere is captivating. The characters fairly one dimensional, but interesting nonetheless. There are many sudden surprises, some predictable, others less so. The plot holes and unanswered questions (why such a complicated defense system with the pods?) put quite a demand on one's suspension of disbelief and yet, it works. It sucks you right in. Even the lead character who is surly, vengeful and at times delirious, starts to matter to the reader. And on the whole the premise of the book is interesting enough to keep my attention.
The plot of this third installment is worse than the earlier two. No longer revolving around the actual Hunger Games, the book loses some of its structure. Far too much time is spent in some hospital room, recovering from physical or emotional trauma (usually both). These periods are interspersed with bursts of (very) violent action all the way to the sentimental ending.
It's very hard to say why I liked this book, but I did. The overall atmosphere is captivating. The characters fairly one dimensional, but interesting nonetheless. There are many sudden surprises, some predictable, others less so. The plot holes and unanswered questions (why such a complicated defense system with the pods?) put quite a demand on one's suspension of disbelief and yet, it works. It sucks you right in. Even the lead character who is surly, vengeful and at times delirious, starts to matter to the reader. And on the whole the premise of the book is interesting enough to keep my attention.
Narratology and Classics: A Practical Guide by Irene J. F. de Jong
4.0
This is pretty much a must-read for every classicist. On the other hand De Jong offers a great, concise primer on narratology for anyone interested in stories. Read this and never use the word "perspective" when you actually mean "focalization".
De Jong gives a quick and clear explanation, illustrated with examples from both ancient and modern literature, of such narratological terms as narrator and narratee, time and space, fabula - story - text and many others. These are explained in a practical way, mostly avoiding the narratological discussion surrounding each of them, never claiming to be a universal literary theory. Instead it serves as a practical guide to using narratological concepts in discussing the huge, but by its very nature limited corpus of ancient texts.
The second part of the book is devoted to an extensive narratological discussion of three classical texts from distinct genres: epic, historiography and tragedy. Unfortunately these discussions mostly take the form of a fairly standard commentary, explaining the text and looking for inter- and intratextual references. The main narratological subject discussed in this part of the book is focalization. Hardly any of the other terms from the first part of the book shows up.
Apart from that problem, which makes the final seventy pages less useful than they could have been, this was a very interesting take on both classical literature and narratology.
De Jong gives a quick and clear explanation, illustrated with examples from both ancient and modern literature, of such narratological terms as narrator and narratee, time and space, fabula - story - text and many others. These are explained in a practical way, mostly avoiding the narratological discussion surrounding each of them, never claiming to be a universal literary theory. Instead it serves as a practical guide to using narratological concepts in discussing the huge, but by its very nature limited corpus of ancient texts.
The second part of the book is devoted to an extensive narratological discussion of three classical texts from distinct genres: epic, historiography and tragedy. Unfortunately these discussions mostly take the form of a fairly standard commentary, explaining the text and looking for inter- and intratextual references. The main narratological subject discussed in this part of the book is focalization. Hardly any of the other terms from the first part of the book shows up.
Apart from that problem, which makes the final seventy pages less useful than they could have been, this was a very interesting take on both classical literature and narratology.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
4.0
Nice, exciting read. This episode seems more plotted and organized than the previous one. The writing has improved a little. I found the ending a disappointing plot hole, lacking in logic. Why not let Katniss and Peeta in on the plan? The reasons for that are weak. Still: fast paced, original. A large part of the book runs parallel to parts of the previous one, but with nice little twists.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4.0
There is a lot wrong with this book. The plot could be summarized in five lines. The characters are mostly flat without much development. The lead character, whose perspective we follow, is often sullenly doing what the situation asks of her. Much of what happens is predictable, although there are some nice (and nasty) surprises. Many sentences are stunted, images badly chosen, dialogue halting. The entire book seems to be a rather simple front end for a complicated and interesting, dystopian backstory. And the plot holes in both front- and backstory are big enough to fly a hovercraft through. But maybe we shouldn't look for logic in a book such as this.
So, why four stars? Because I couldn't put it down. Because I enjoyed this weird, dystopian future world. The contrast between the coal black from District 12 and the flamboyant colors of the Capitol. The cliffhangers, sudden changes of fortune, highly original storyline, weird situations, lovely details, black humor. And mainly the whole atmosphere of this book.
So, why four stars? Because I couldn't put it down. Because I enjoyed this weird, dystopian future world. The contrast between the coal black from District 12 and the flamboyant colors of the Capitol. The cliffhangers, sudden changes of fortune, highly original storyline, weird situations, lovely details, black humor. And mainly the whole atmosphere of this book.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
4.0
I'm ashamed to say I've never read anything by Stephen King so far. Most important lesson from this book: go read Carrie, go read The Stand...
Don't expect to find a detailed, turn-by-turn description of the process of writing that will work for you. This is not a magic wand to learn the craft. (There isn't any.) This book is as much an autobiography, a memoir (that's in the title!), a description of King's writing process, a celebration of his successes and his personal history that led to that. Expect a lot of fun, a rare opportunity to look over a successful writer's shoulder and many valuable tips.
King is a no-nonsense writer. Write fast, revise later. Fancy stuff like symbolism, theme and linguistic ornamentation are reserved for a second draft. Story comes first (and second and third) and then characters. Plot is optional, but often springs from situation (what if...?) and characters.
This book is a somewhat disorganized jumble (there is no table of contents, almost no chapter titles, no index, no logical order), tied together by little themes that spring up all over the book. The chapter on finding an agent was probably correct in 1980, but no longer in a digital age that seems to have largely passed King by. Manuscripts are handed in through e-mail. Thick guidebooks to publishers and agents really are a thing of the past.
It doesn't pretend to be a guide book for aspiring writers. King just says: this is how I do it, these are the things that work for me. Take what you can use, start writing and have fun. I had fun reading this.
Don't expect to find a detailed, turn-by-turn description of the process of writing that will work for you. This is not a magic wand to learn the craft. (There isn't any.) This book is as much an autobiography, a memoir (that's in the title!), a description of King's writing process, a celebration of his successes and his personal history that led to that. Expect a lot of fun, a rare opportunity to look over a successful writer's shoulder and many valuable tips.
King is a no-nonsense writer. Write fast, revise later. Fancy stuff like symbolism, theme and linguistic ornamentation are reserved for a second draft. Story comes first (and second and third) and then characters. Plot is optional, but often springs from situation (what if...?) and characters.
This book is a somewhat disorganized jumble (there is no table of contents, almost no chapter titles, no index, no logical order), tied together by little themes that spring up all over the book. The chapter on finding an agent was probably correct in 1980, but no longer in a digital age that seems to have largely passed King by. Manuscripts are handed in through e-mail. Thick guidebooks to publishers and agents really are a thing of the past.
It doesn't pretend to be a guide book for aspiring writers. King just says: this is how I do it, these are the things that work for me. Take what you can use, start writing and have fun. I had fun reading this.
Een familie, acht tragedies: bevat: Het verhaal van Orestes (Agamemnon, Dodenoffer, Goede geesten) . Elektra . Ifigeneia in Aulis, Elektra, Orestes . Ifigeneia op de Krim by Aeschylus
5.0
Een genot om deze verzameling van samenhangende tragedies te lezen. Sommige heftig en bloederig (Ifigineia in Aulis, Agamemnon, beide Elektra's), andere meer een spannend avonturenverhaal (Ifigeneia in Aulis) of een soort rechtbankverslag (Goede Geesten). Maar allemaal vol dilemma's, wanhoop, gevaar en versierd met tragische ironie en tragikomische bodeverhalen.
Inleiding, namenlijst en commentaar bieden een stevige meerwaarde, al beperkt het commentaar zich vaak tot het omschrijven van omstreden tekstpassages, iets waar niet elke lezer op zit te wachten. Voor mij als classicus is dat overigens wel interessant. Koolschijn kiest dan meestal voor een tekstvariant met zo min mogelijk aanpassingen en levert geregeld kritiek op commentatoren die de tekst willen aanpassen aan hun begripshypothese in plaats van andersom. Dat levert eigenlijk zelden problemen op in de begrijpelijkheid van de tekst.
Prettig en vlot leesbaar. Een uitstekende kennismaking met de van bloedwraak doortrokken familie van Tantalus. Vijf generaties ellende, waarvan de verhalen niet allemaal in deze tragedies worden verteld, maar waarvan je een mooi beeld krijgt in dit boek.
Inleiding, namenlijst en commentaar bieden een stevige meerwaarde, al beperkt het commentaar zich vaak tot het omschrijven van omstreden tekstpassages, iets waar niet elke lezer op zit te wachten. Voor mij als classicus is dat overigens wel interessant. Koolschijn kiest dan meestal voor een tekstvariant met zo min mogelijk aanpassingen en levert geregeld kritiek op commentatoren die de tekst willen aanpassen aan hun begripshypothese in plaats van andersom. Dat levert eigenlijk zelden problemen op in de begrijpelijkheid van de tekst.
Prettig en vlot leesbaar. Een uitstekende kennismaking met de van bloedwraak doortrokken familie van Tantalus. Vijf generaties ellende, waarvan de verhalen niet allemaal in deze tragedies worden verteld, maar waarvan je een mooi beeld krijgt in dit boek.
The Four Million by O. Henry
4.0
Want to take a peak at turn of the century New York? O.Henry is your man. This book has all kinds of love stories set in the Big Apple. Happy ones as well as unhappy ones, with even an occasional suicide.
Pearl in the crown is the renowned Gifts of the Magi, but every story has its appeal. O.Henry loved the city as much as he loved his characters.
Pearl in the crown is the renowned Gifts of the Magi, but every story has its appeal. O.Henry loved the city as much as he loved his characters.
Norfolk Folk Tales by Hugh Lupton
3.0
Nice, but very localized stories. As I live in Holland and I've never been to Norfolk, many of the places are foreign to me. Yet, many stories have universal appeal and I can recognize many story themes from folktales from all over the world. Hugh Lupton is a very gifted writer and teller of tales.