Book Reviews

While at an estate sale here in Fullerton, I happened upon an old book written by Helen Hunt Jackson first published in 1884, the name: Ramona.

Though it might all sound depressing, I found The Diving Bell to be inspiring. Many topics are explored, though two themes have struck me with special force.

In terms of literary quality, both books have generally been regarded as masterpieces, but for me it’s their underlying message that counts most. 

Similar to Emily Bronte, Sappho fascinates men and women from all over the world. Perhaps this is due to certain combinations that are very much present in the works of these two gifted artists:

Anyone who has spent a night or two in the wilderness knows that there is always a potential for danger.

“The Brothers Karamazov”, Dostoyevsky’s last novel (1880), is generally considered to be his masterpiece. Its central theme is arresting and provocative: if there is no God and no life beyond this life, then morality is non-existent; ANYTHING goes.

Readers should not expect realism from this book. The Soviet and Nazi regimes served only as raw material for a work that is in large part fantastical.

This is the sort of book that a person could hold onto indefinitely, delve into repeatedly, and emerge with an arsenal of life- and sanity-saving insights.

Merton himself was an interesting man.  He was a twentieth century Roman Catholic monk whose writings became very popular even among nonreligious readers. 

The gist of the ‘rime’ is the old man’s recollection of the guilty and fateful part he played in a doomed sea voyage.