Sarah’s Comments (group member since Jan 21, 2008)

Sarah’s comments from the Books I Want To Talk About group.

No, it's a novel. Havisham

Alicia wrote: "As someone above mentioned Havisham, can we discuss that one?"

Yes Ma'am!

Have at it, my little dumplings!

Isn't The Mystery of Edwin Drood sort of a thriller?

Have you read Dodger by Terry Pratchett? That looks interesting too.

It sounds interesting. I have a hard time reading derivative material, because Scarlett ruined that for me. I always struggle with part of me wanting to know what else happened to the character, but also thinking that if the original author didn't say it, it didn't happen.

But then again, maybe if I tried something other than Scarlett, I would feel differently.

I've been making very slow progress on this. The last couple books I tried to read in tandem proved to be un-put-downable and so I neglected this one. I'm going to try and put a good dent in it before I start Mr. P.

I just started it. It's going to be a very busy weekend so I probably won't read much at all for the next couple days.

Yes, I liked Divergent and Insurgent a lot. I also liked Lauren Oliver's Delirium a little bit, but the follow-up, Pandemonium, I liked quite a bit.

I know a few people are reading Les Miz right now, so let's discuss! French Revolutionaries! Dying whores! Police vendettas! Fun fun!

Yes, I live about a three-hour drive from Salinas. As you know, East of Eden is part love letter to Salinas. I've been to the National Steinbeck Center a couple of times during the Steinbeck Festival and I've visited the archives and all that. It's very, very cool. Much better than Cannery Row, which is like Fisherman's Wharf. It's a tourist trap with tacky souvenir shops and Thomas Kincade galleries (two!) and Sunglass Huts and Bubba Gump Shrimp. There is almost nothing that even suggests this was the place that inspired the book. Ed Rickett's place is still there (the original lab burned down, I think, but there is something there called Ed Rickett's Lab). But other than that, I was very disappointed in Cannery Row.

I've never visited the Steinbeck House because it's not actually in Salinas. It's about a half hour drive, I think, and the first time I went we were short on time and the second time I was with a big groub of Goodreaders, one of whom ( Kirk Curnutt ) was speaking at the festival, so we didn't get a chance to go then either. Next time, I hope.

Ah. East of Eden. The book was given to me for my birthday several years ago by someone with whom I have a rather complicated relationship. This, unfortunately, has given me a rather complicated relationship with the book as well. I never knew if part of the reason I loved it so much was because he'd given it to me. And then, six years after he gave it to me, I found out he'd never actually read it. Alas. Illusions were shattered. (I was also pleased to find out he was reading Proust. Until he pronounced it "Prowst." Another illusion shattered. Haha) I haven't read it again since discovering that, so I don't know if my opinion of the book will have changed at all either. But I doubt it, because I love Steinbeck's writing so much.

I read The Grapes of Wrath right after the financial crisis began and my husband was laid off and we were struggling financially. Let me tell you, it put things in perspective. I still have a soft spot in my heart for EoE but I actually think that GoW might be the better-written book. I love the "in between chapters" that are written about every man even more than the chapters with the Joads' stories.

And now back to Dickens... haha.

I love Cannery Row. That opening paragraph. Ugh. Love.

Jeremy, East of Eden is one of my all time favorite books and Sera and I bonded over that.

Jeremy wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Jeremy wrote: "Even though John Irving has paid much homage to Dickens and left no doubt that he was heavily influenced by him, when I was reading the scene with Mr. and Mrs. Badger i..."

One of my Goodreads friends is obsessed with both Irving and Greene, so I guess that makes sense. I haven't read Trying to Save Piggy Snead. I've only read the ones everyone has read: A Prayer for Owen Meany, The World According to Garp, The Cider House Rules. I have Last Night at Twisted River and Until You but haven't gotten to them yet.

Jeremy wrote: "Even though John Irving has paid much homage to Dickens and left no doubt that he was heavily influenced by him, when I was reading the scene with Mr. and Mrs. Badger it was the first time while re..."

Interesting. I've read a few Irvings and I never knew that.

I CAN SING SHOW TUNES??? I'm IN! hahaha.

And did you have madeleines with your tea?

Meghan wrote: "I may have to read AToTC next year. I was on a French Revolution kick earlier this year. It would be interesting to compare to The Scarlet Pimpernel."

I've been thinking of reading Les Miserables, but next year is the year I've pledged to tackle Proust, so that might be my Big Scary Book limit.

Meghan wrote: "No, I didn't mean all female characters are weak. But rarely is there a MAIN female character. GE was about Pip-- it was his story.

But I would argue a bit that Miss Havisham's bitterness made her..."

Excellent points.

I would disagree that all Dickens characters are weak. I think Miss Havisham from GE is one of the most iconic characters written.

What years are the Victorian era? I can never remember... but I always THINK it's like 1800-1865. Meaning anything from those years I classify as Victorian, even though I could be TOTALLY off. Haha.

Jeremy - read Jane Eyre!! I love that book. And then when you're done with that I have a few follow-up books. And my favorite Austen is Sense and Sensibility. I think it's the funniest.

I haven't read Middlemarch. Is it good?

I read A Christmas Carol in 7th grade and I have always loved it. The description of Scrooge in the first chapter is one of my favorite passages of prose in all of literature. I read Great Expectations in high school and liked that too. Then I read A Tale of Two Cities and David Copperfield and was bored out of my mind. I read Oliver Twist about ten years ago and loved it and got interested in Dickens again. I re-read about the first half of A Tale of Two Cities and liked it MUCH better.

Forgive me for not italicizing the titles. I'm too lazy at present.