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SeanF1989
Guest
- Gone With the Wind
- Animal Farm
- Lord of the Flies
- Status
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stpurl
Guest
I had to read Lord of the Flies 50 years ago for freshman English class (high school). Detested it.
Read Animal Farm for pleasure around that same time. That’s one I can re-read every 10 years or so and have a slightly different take each time. Of course reading it in 1970 (just after the ‘summer of love’ and in a more homogenized world where we had BARELY found PBS to add to the giants of CBS, ABC, and NBC) was quite different from reading it in say 2010 right after the recession and with the kids finally out of the nest). But still, it is relatable.
Gone with the Wind. I started slogging through that at age 10 (after going through the Lord of the Rings the year before). Had no idea what the word “rape” was and nearly caused my dad to choke when I asked him. But that I loved, probably because my mom’s edition was full of color photos from the 1939 movie—those gorgeous, gorgeous dresses. And again, it’s another that I will reread every decade or so. The movie only scratched the surface of the book. Scarlet’s Catholicism is much more prominent in the book —I should say her heritage, as Scarlet pretty much rejects all her mother tried to teach her. *****SPOILER ALERT****Prissy makes me cringe now with her “I can’t birth no baby” and Scarlet’s hitting her is nauseating. The sheer waste of lives, and I’m not just talking war deaths, is numbing. Melanie is admirable but not glamorous and her life of quiet competence and love is only recognized by Scarlet when Melanie dies. And little Bonnie’s death is heartbreaking. And the scene of marital rape. . . Scarlet’s miscarriage. . .well.
So all of these books pretty much have some scenes of excitement, some words and characters to admire (though those characters usually wind up dead or unhappy), and plenty of angst.
GWTW is LONG. The others are a lot shorter.
So my personal suggestion is Animal Farm.
But do yourself a favor. After you read that, read Wind in the Willows or Black Beauty—something with a more positive and gentle message.
Same with LOTF: if you decide to read it (ugh), read the Swiss Family Robinson afterward.
Finally, if you want a major beach read and go with GWTW . . Afterward, take something like an Agatha Christa (I recommend The Murder of Roger Ackroyd) or go through the Chronicles of Narnia (they are short books and go very quickly).
IOW, balance things out and at least END with positive messages.
Read Animal Farm for pleasure around that same time. That’s one I can re-read every 10 years or so and have a slightly different take each time. Of course reading it in 1970 (just after the ‘summer of love’ and in a more homogenized world where we had BARELY found PBS to add to the giants of CBS, ABC, and NBC) was quite different from reading it in say 2010 right after the recession and with the kids finally out of the nest). But still, it is relatable.
Gone with the Wind. I started slogging through that at age 10 (after going through the Lord of the Rings the year before). Had no idea what the word “rape” was and nearly caused my dad to choke when I asked him. But that I loved, probably because my mom’s edition was full of color photos from the 1939 movie—those gorgeous, gorgeous dresses. And again, it’s another that I will reread every decade or so. The movie only scratched the surface of the book. Scarlet’s Catholicism is much more prominent in the book —I should say her heritage, as Scarlet pretty much rejects all her mother tried to teach her. *****SPOILER ALERT****Prissy makes me cringe now with her “I can’t birth no baby” and Scarlet’s hitting her is nauseating. The sheer waste of lives, and I’m not just talking war deaths, is numbing. Melanie is admirable but not glamorous and her life of quiet competence and love is only recognized by Scarlet when Melanie dies. And little Bonnie’s death is heartbreaking. And the scene of marital rape. . . Scarlet’s miscarriage. . .well.
So all of these books pretty much have some scenes of excitement, some words and characters to admire (though those characters usually wind up dead or unhappy), and plenty of angst.
GWTW is LONG. The others are a lot shorter.
So my personal suggestion is Animal Farm.
But do yourself a favor. After you read that, read Wind in the Willows or Black Beauty—something with a more positive and gentle message.
Same with LOTF: if you decide to read it (ugh), read the Swiss Family Robinson afterward.
Finally, if you want a major beach read and go with GWTW . . Afterward, take something like an Agatha Christa (I recommend The Murder of Roger Ackroyd) or go through the Chronicles of Narnia (they are short books and go very quickly).
IOW, balance things out and at least END with positive messages.
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Lost_sheep2
Guest
I’ve never read Gone With The Wind so I can’t comment although I’m sure it’s very good.
I had to read Lord of the Flies for English and I loved it. A lot. It’s the only non-Shakespeare text I read for school that I enjoyed. Animal Farm is great too but I’m biased
Although I agree with the other comment, maybe try reading something more lighthearted afterwards.
I had to read Lord of the Flies for English and I loved it. A lot. It’s the only non-Shakespeare text I read for school that I enjoyed. Animal Farm is great too but I’m biased
Although I agree with the other comment, maybe try reading something more lighthearted afterwards.- Status