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perfect_leaves's reviews
452 reviews
The Tempest by William Shakespeare
4.0
I typically don't enjoy Shakespeare, but I recently acted in a production of The Tempest and found that I really enjoyed the story. I can't even begin to explain the merits of acting a play versus reading it. I gained a much better understanding of the story and the jokes were actually funny! I didn't give it 5 stars because I'm not sure whether I would have like the play as much if I had just read it.
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
4.0
This book's reputation precedes it (there are countless Jekyll and Hyde adaptations and there's even a related syndrome). As a result, I pretty much knew the main plot line. Knowledge of the spoilers, however, did not ruin the book. It was quite well written and would have been extremely suspenseful, had I not known what was going to happen in the end. That said, the book was much less gruesome than some of it's adaptations. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it was certainly surprising.
I would recommend this book. It's a quick read (my version was 88 pages). It deals with the duality of human nature and made me contemplate my own evil side. I wondered what she would look like and what kind of things she would take pleasure in. It also occurred to me that since Jekyll's evil side had grown past infancy he has nurtured it (at least to some degree) throughout his life. This in and of itself is evidence that humans are neither purely evil nor purely innocent. I'm off to go find some psychology books now because the topic is so interesting.
I would recommend this book. It's a quick read (my version was 88 pages). It deals with the duality of human nature and made me contemplate my own evil side. I wondered what she would look like and what kind of things she would take pleasure in. It also occurred to me that since Jekyll's evil side had grown past infancy he has nurtured it (at least to some degree) throughout his life. This in and of itself is evidence that humans are neither purely evil nor purely innocent. I'm off to go find some psychology books now because the topic is so interesting.
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
3.0
This book isn't bad...it just isn't good either. The entire novel can be summed up by the following:
"My life was great then my crazy friend decided I needed to drive across America so I did. I did drugs and manipulated people along the way and realized the error of my ways but kept doing it."
In terms of writing style, the book is pretty decent. There are even moments where I thought "wow, that's pure poetry." I'd call the book semi-stream of conscious.
In terms of plot...there is none. I kept reading because I was waiting for something to happen; i was waiting for the book to move forward but it never did. I thought maybe something new would happen that would turn the book around. I was sorely disappointed.
I would recommend the book merely because it's "an American classic," but I didn't like the book enough to emphatically recommend it.
"My life was great then my crazy friend decided I needed to drive across America so I did. I did drugs and manipulated people along the way and realized the error of my ways but kept doing it."
In terms of writing style, the book is pretty decent. There are even moments where I thought "wow, that's pure poetry." I'd call the book semi-stream of conscious.
In terms of plot...there is none. I kept reading because I was waiting for something to happen; i was waiting for the book to move forward but it never did. I thought maybe something new would happen that would turn the book around. I was sorely disappointed.
I would recommend the book merely because it's "an American classic," but I didn't like the book enough to emphatically recommend it.