Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Nobel Prize–winning This classic of 20th-century literature chronicles the spiritual evolution of a man living in India at the time of the Buddha—a tale that has inspired generations of readers

Here is a fresh translation of the classic Herman Hesse novel, from Sherab Chödzin Kohn—a gifted translator and longtime student of Buddhism and Eastern philosophy. Kohn invites readers along Siddhartha’s spiritual journey—experiencing his highs and lows, loves and disappointments along the way. We first meet Siddhartha as a privileged brahmin’s son. Handsome, well-loved, and growing increasingly dissatisfied with the life expected of him, he then sets out on his journey, not realizing that he is fulfilling the prophesies proclaimed at his birth. Siddhartha blends in with the world, showing the reader the beauty and intricacies of the mind, nature, and his experiences on the path to enlightenment.

Sherab Chödzin Kohn’s flowing, poetic translation conveys the philosophical and spiritual nuances of Hesse’s text, paying special attention to the qualities of meditative experience. Also included is an extensive introduction by Paul W. Morris that discusses the impact Siddhartha has had on American culture.

Paperback, 144 pages

First published January 1, 1922

Published September 19, 2000 

by Shambhala

3/5 stars

This was our family book club pick over the summer.  It was a short interesting read.  Not usually my type of read but I went with the flow.

I guess this is more a spotlight then a review.  Lots of reviews on Goodreads

This book was part of my 2023 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge

The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore

Idealistic Nikhil, a wealthy Bengali landowner, encourages Bimala, his tradition-minded wife, to venture out into the world. Bimala's gradual political awakening leads to her attraction to charismatic Sandip, a revolutionary who stops at nothing — neither robbery nor murder — to achieve his ends. Their love triangle unfolds against the backdrop of the 1905 Partition of Bengal, during India's long fight for independence from British rule. This brilliantly poetic novel explores the psychology of its three protagonists, capturing the turmoil that results when personal relationships and family life are exposed to the chaos of social and political change.

Originally written in Bengali and published in 1916, The Home and the World is the vision of Rabindranath Tagore, Asia's first Nobel laureate. 

The novel reflects Tagore's own inner conflict between embracing modern ideas and rejecting Western domination. His vivid historical setting, realistically portrayed characters, and philosophical insights form a compelling drama of the clash between old and new, realism and idealism, and good and evil.

Paperback, 176 pages

Published May 16, 2018

 by Dover Publications

3/5 stars

The Home an The World is a poetic story originally published in 1916. It is part of our Family Blessings Book Club where our theme is ‘let’s read some classics.'

This is a story with many layers, there is the relationship between husband and wife as well as between wife and a revolutionary taking place in 1905.

This was another audio read for me. I grabbed the edition with 3 distinct voices. Coming in with 176 pages (or 8 hours for the audio) there aren’t any fillers but a direct story that I had to pay attention to. It’s definitely not my normal read and I probably wouldn’t have picked it otherwise but still it was enlightening and enjoyable.

This book was part of my 2022 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Horror. Romance. Science. A classic tale that would be a fright to miss!

The idea for the story came to the author, Mary Shelley, in a dream she had about a scientist who had created life and was horrified by what he had made. This Gothic-style romance is among the first of true science fiction novels, if not the first. A young scientist named Victor Frankenstein, after going through his own near-death experience, decides to play God and create life in the form of a grotesque creature, which turns into a nightmare. Through his experience, he learns that the gift of life is precious, not disposable. His journey and personal transformation has deeply affected readers.

Paperback, 255 pages

Audiobook, 8 hours, 35 minutes

Originally published  Jan 1, 1818

3.5 stars

Mary Shelley has been seen as a one-novel author in her life time with Frankenstein. However it wasn’t until years later that more books were discovered. After read Frankenstein I am inclined to read more.

I had no idea what to expect with this book. My only knowledge of this book was through the movie Young Frankenstein, so really nothing.

This is more than a story about a monster but rather Victor Frankenstein the creator. I actually felt sorry for the creature, he didn’t ask to be created yet he was and then abandoned. There isn't anything to tell how he was created, which would have been interesting.

Even though I had the book on my shelf I listened to the audio via Audible and the Plus Catalog (free reads for members.) the reader was Dan Stevens, he did a great job.

The blurb that came with the audio pretty much sums up my thoughts"

Narrator Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey) presents an uncanny performance of Mary Shelley's timeless gothic novel, an epic battle between man and monster at its greatest literary pitch. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor to the very brink of madness. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship, scientific hubris, and horror.

 

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . .

Working as a lady's companion, the orphaned heroine of Rebecca learns her place. Life begins to look very bleak until, on a trip to the South of France, she meets Maxim de Winter, a handsome widower whose sudden proposal of marriage takes her by surprise. Whisked from glamorous Monte Carlo to his brooding estate, Manderley, on the Cornish Coast, the new Mrs de Winter finds Max a changed man. And the memory of his dead wife Rebecca is forever kept alive by the forbidding Mrs Danvers . . .

Not since Jane Eyre has a heroine faced such difficulty with the Other Woman. An international bestseller that has never been out of print, Rebecca is the haunting story of a young woman consumed by love and the struggle to find her identity.

  Paperback, 428 pages,

July 16, 2015 by Virago

first published Aug 1, 1936

4.5/5 stars

This book has been in my tbr pile for years.  Recently our Family Book Club drew this title out of the hat and we all hunkered down for a group read. A couple read the book and 2 did an alternate read and listen.  Our feelings were similar.

We enjoyed this read.  Written in 1936 it was labelled as a romance, maybe that is because of the female author and era.  There was romance in the sense of a newly married couple but the story was more mysterious.

Rebecca unfolds nicely, introducing both likeable and unlikable characters - of course some that draw suspicion to themselves, while others that were rather annoying.  Lots of red herrings, an eerie setting and that Gothic feel made this an enjoyable read.

This was my first du Maurier book.  Her writing style was captivating with attention to detail, a well written story.  I look forward to reading more from her.

This book was part of my 2021 Reading Off My Shelf Challenge.

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

'One death, in exchange for thousands of lives - it's simple arithmetic!'

A new translation of Dostoevsky's epic masterpiece, Crime and Punishment (1866). 

The impoverished student Raskolnikov decides to free himself from debt by killing an old moneylender, an act he sees as elevating himself above conventional morality. Like Napoleon he will assert his will and his crime will be justified by its elimination of 'vermin' for the sake of the greater good. 

But Raskolnikov is torn apart by fear, guilt, and a growing conscience under the influence of his love for Sonya. Meanwhile the police detective Porfiry is on his trial.

It is a powerfully psychological novel, in which the St Petersburg setting, Dostoevsky's own circumstances, and contemporary social problems all play their part. 

Kindle Edition, 544 pages

Published September 1st 2017 

by Oxford University Press (first published 1866)

3.5/5 stars

Sometimes it's good to read out of ones comfort zone.  Such is the case with Crime and Punishment. In my endeavour to read more classics our newly created Family Book Club started with this one.

I'll confess to struggling a few times just because I'm not used to the writing of that era. Plus it took me 3 tries before I found a translation and format to my liking.

Raskolnikov has done the unthinkable and the repercussions almost destroy him (or do they?).  I enjoyed reading what life was like, how they lived and just how society functioned in 1860's Russia. On one hand it's a slow paced story when compared to contemporary novels but the slow pacing worked to really get into Raskolnikov's head.

While I wouldn't have picked this book up myself, I'm glad I read it. Also happy to move another book off my TBR shelf to my READ one. 

To Kill A Mockingbird by Lee Harper

The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic. 


Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.


What really can I say about this book?  It's a classic that took me this long to read (not sure why I didn't have to read it in high school - but maybe if I did I would not have liked it this much)
It was full of quotes, I love quotes.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”

“Atticus said to Jem one day, "I’d rather you shot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you’ll go after birds. Shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird." That was the only time I ever heard Atticus say it was a sin to do something, and I asked Miss Maudie about it. "Your father’s right," she said. "Mockingbirds don’t do one thing except make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corn cribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” 

“People in their right minds never take pride in their talents.” 

“Pass the damn ham, please.”

“See there?" Jem was scowling triumphantly. "Nothin' to it. I swear, Scout, sometimes you act so much like a girl its mortifyin” 

“Ladies in bunches always filled me with vague apprehension and a firm desire to be elsewhere.”