Book Notes: "This Side of Paradise" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I was somewhat struck by the use of a play format for heavy dialogue, and the various long poems, interspersed with a two-book structure (and interlude) and a complex structure of interwoven characters and time-shifts. Well worth the read and I can only imagine the stir it would have caused in 1920. I can only wonder what the original drat of this novel would have been line and I remain bewildered by the life experience FSF had at such a very young age.



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Book Notes: "The Call of the Wild/White Fang" by Jack London

The Call of the Wild/White Fang by Jack London

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Brilliant. No wonder these are regarded as classics. As the synopsis suggests, reading the two novella together is a good idea. These reminded me of Black Beauty in style, yet London captures the harshness of the Northland and its people with the ever-present "Wild" that sets these two works apart.



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Book Notes: "Death in the Afternoon" by Ernest Hemingway

Death in the Afternoon by Ernest Hemingway

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This work has challenged a number of my views about life and death and culture and globalisation. Regardless of one's thoughts on the topic of the book, Hemingway's ability to weave dialogue and stories into a polemic while creating a historical document is almost classical. This book is rather like reading a history of the ancient events of The Colosseum written first-hand. The only difference with this book is the photographs.



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