Hatchet

Before thirteen year old Brian Robeson embarks on a plane trip across the rugged wilds of North Canada to spend the summer with his father, his mother gives him a hatchet as a parting gift. Brian thinks little of it when he hastily clips the hatchet onto his belt, but a few hours later, after his pilot dies and the plane crashes hundreds of miles off course, the hatchet is the only possession that Brian has. Brian quickly learns that the only way he'll stay alive in the rugged wilderness is to learn to use his hatchet...and his wits.

My dear friend Bev loves Gary Paulsen novels and she recommended Hatchet to me. (Thanks again, Bev!) As I have mentioned on here before, I adore a good survival story, and the Newberry Prize-winning Hatchet is no exception. A good survival novel has to have an appropriate level of suspense and action, and Hatchet certainly delivers on that count. Between the terrifying plane crash, Brian's pitiful early attempts to stay alive, and his unnerving encounter with an angry moose, I couldn't put this book down. Author Paulsen is an avid outdoorsman (He's even competed several times in Alaska's grueling Iditarod dog race); consequently, he infuses much of his knowledge of the wilderness into this book, adding an authentic feel that many other survival novels lack. I also enjoyed Paulsen's prose. He writes with a blunt, pared-down style, and his prose has a naturalistic, conversational tone which, oddly enough, reminded me some of The Catcher in the Rye. (That's a weird comparison, but it kept coming back to me as I read.) Paulsen also effectively uses repetition in his narration, giving the text an almost lyrical narrative poetry sound.

The biggest strength of this novel, though, is Brian. He is so easy to sympathize with. Of course, it's hard not to be sympathetic to his plight, but he is also a genuinely likable character. He lacks the angsty, whiny attitude that so many teenaged protagonists have (and which I find to be a distasteful turnoff.) Brian is also a realistic teenaged character who is easy to relate to. He's levelheaded and intelligent, but he's also no superhuman: he's vulnerable; he makes mistakes. His ordinary qualities make him all the more appealing.

Hatchet is a young adult novel which will delight readers of all ages. This novel is well-written, engaging, and exciting - the perfect antidote to a dreary winter day. Erm, dare I say this without being too corny? You'll enjoy getting lost with Hatchet.

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Next Time: For my first article of 2010, I will finally post my long-promised article on online book resources. I promised waaaaay back in September to add links to my blog. (You thought I forgot. Admit it.)) This article will serve as a tour guide, if you will, of my additions. I'll include some of my favorite internet sources for books and book recommendations (you guys have to promise you won't desert me for polished reviewers who do not ramble incessantly!), genre-specific websites, and online recommendations lists. If, and this if is highly contingent on my notoriously inept techno abilities, I can get them to load, I will also have links to prominent annual book awards and the New York Times' bestseller lists.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Paul Bäumer and his classmates were impressionable teenagers when they signed up to serve in the German army during WWI. They enter the military as idealistic young soldiers, but years of brutal trench combat hardens Paul and his comrades into disillusioned cynics. As the war drags on, Paul begins to question the war's purpose, yet he finds himself incapable of imagining himself in a world without the war which he has come to despise.

All Quiet on the Western Front is a stunning novel. This is one of the most moving novels I've ever read. Author Erich Maria Remarque served in the German military during WWI, and the remarkable amount of detail he uses to describe battle scenes and military life in general adds an exceptional layer of realism to this novel. I have never read more gut wrenching descriptions of battle - several scenes left me teary-eyed and physically ill. I also adored the characters. The sensitive, perceptive Paul is an endearing narrator and his friends, including the resourceful Kat, vindictive Tjaden, and bullheaded Muller are memorable. I always have read that All Quiet on the Western Front is a biting condemnation of war, so I expected to find a lot of blatant pacifistic philosophizing. I don't mind this in a book, (I actually enjoy it), but I do not enjoy being beaten over the head with it. I was relieved that Remarque didn't resort to such heavy-handed tactics. A lesser author would have blatantly told the reader that war was terrible; Remarque, on the other hand, shows the reader the horror of war and his book is all the more compelling because of it.

I watched the classic 1930 film adaptation of this book before I read it. I loved the movie and that's why I became interested in this book. When it comes to films vs. movies, I am usually biased in favor of whichever I encountered first. Not this time. The movie is excellent, but the book is much, much better. The movie stays with the story, for the most part, but the book has so many touching vignettes, which range from amusing to heartbreaking, that add atmosphere, humor, and character development that a film just cannot achieve. I do like the film's striking, famous end scene over the novel's more anticlimatic ending, but it's two entirely different mediums, so a comparision is a bit unfair.

All Quiet on The Western Front is an intense, powerful tale about courage and camaraderie. I highly recommend this excellent novel. I wish I would've read it sooner.

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Next Time: Welllll, it depends. I want to open up the new year with that list of book links and updates to my blog that I have been promising forever. I also want to review Gary Paulsen's Hatchet, which comes highly recommended to me by my dear friend Bev. If I can get Hatchet read before Friday, I will post the review and then do a post on the book links over the weekend. If I don't get it finished in time, my post on my new blog look will be the first one of the new year and then Hatchet will follow.

The Glass Menagerie

The Wingfield family is in sad shape. Domineering mother Amanda clings to memories of her aristocratic Southern childhood, perhaps to block out her impoverished life in a St. Louis slum after being abandoned by her husband. Her son, Tom, feels trapped and has become bitter. He hates his boring warehouse job and seeks escape in late night movies and D.H Lawrence novels. His emotionally fragile, disabled sister Laura has withdrawn into her own private world, which centers on her collection of glass figurines (The menagerie of the title.) Amanda decides that the only way the painfully shy Laura will ever be able to amount to anything is to marry well, so the willful mother badgers Tom into inviting a friend over to help coax Laura out of her shell. If only Amanda knew what devastation this plan ultimately brings...

Tennessee Williams' classic drama The Glass Menagerie is a moving exploration of shattered dreams and shattered families. As you may recall from last week, I had a hard time choosing between this play and Williams' other classic, A Streetcar Named Desire. I still debated over which one to do to the last minute, but I ultimately decided on this play because, as much as I love A Streetcar Named Desire, I think this play offers a more satisfying reading experience. (On the other hand, reading A Streetcar Named Desire is great, but watching it is even better. Watch the 1951 version with Brando. I am not just biased because I think he's the greatest actor ever, well, maybe just a little. If you've never seen it, go watch it now!)

I thoroughly enjoyed The Glass Menagerie. This play, unlike many others, does not rely on convoluted plot devices or outrageous scenarios. Instead, it focuses on a very authentic situation and advances its plot based on dramatic tension. I know that's not every one's cup of tea, but this play is masterfully crafted and never once did it lose my interest. Furthermore, at less than 100 pages long, it's easily read in one setting. The characters are also so realistically drawn that's impossible to not relate to them. Growing up in the South, I have met my fair share of Amandas (some even in my own family) and their smothered offspring; consequently, I found Amanda the most interesting character, even though Tom's the narrator and Laura's the centerpiece. I especially liked the interactions between Amanda, Laura, and Tom. Their petty disputes and heated arguments are something anyone with family will relate to and, even more importantly, their relationships ring true. Williams based all of these characters on members of his own family, and I believe that adds to the realism. Finally, I was pleased with the dialogue - the Southern dialect is perfect. This is something I am nitpicky about, but Williams nailed it perfectly, everything from the sentence structure to the frequent insertions of "honey, " especially when employed after an insult...

My only problem with this play is some of the stage directions. Williams intended this as a "memory" play, in which the scenes are presented as distorted by the human memory, rather than as fact. The result is a dreamy atmosphere that, for the most part, I found effective. However, the stage directions also call for the use of a screen to flash images and text throughout the play. Although occasionally the instructions were amusing, for the most part, I found this distracting. Williams conveys so much through plot and dialogue, so I didn't see why this was needed at all. Most directors of the play seem to concur, since this element of the play is usually not seen when staged, even when the play was first released in the 1940s.

I am a firm believer that, though plays are fun to read, they are still best experienced in their intended state - as performed drama. Sadly, I have never seen The Glass Menagerie performed. It's a popular play, so you may be able to catch it at a local theater. If not, you could watch one of the several film/TV versions available. The best known is probably the 1987 version, directed by Paul Newman. I have never seen it, but I read that it is a faithful adaptation. Critics, however, squabble over the quality of the acting.

The Glass Menagerie is a compelling combination of family drama, tragedy, and Southern Gothic. Easy to read and achingly authentic, this play is a great way to while away a winter afternoon. The Glass Menagerie is one of the most renowned post-WWII American plays and is well worth your time.

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Next Time: I will be reviewing Erich Maria Remarque's classic war novel All Quiet on the Western Front. I love the acclaimed movie that is inspired by this novel and bought myself a copy of the book with my Hanukkah money. (Yay!) I was trying to decide what to read next and Scott voted for this one. I am over halfway through the book, have enjoyed every bit of it, and should have a review up soon.