Book Notes: "The Quiet American" by Graham Greene

The Quiet American by Graham Greene




I really enjoyed Greene's work. This is an interesting period of history covered in this novel and I found Fowler to be hardened, cynical, and very believable. I decided to read Greene after reading Paul Theroux and I can see why Greene is held with such high regard. Whether his more recent novels carry the same weight remains to be seen, but a worthwhile venture nonetheless.



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Book Notes: "Ragtime" by E.L. Doctorow

Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is exactly the type of novel I enjoy most. If I wear to sum it up succinctly, I would say it was the precursor to Forrest Gump but with multiple protagonists intertwined with historical events from the beginning of the twentieth century until the end of the Great War. I did not read about E.L. Doctorow until I had finished his work, and it was no surprise to find he was a professor of history. The incorporation of Harry Houdini as a character was cleverly done, as was the use of the nondescript "Family", "Father", "Mother", "Mother's Younger Brother" to leave one guessing at the true historical characters they were inspired by. There is definitely some merit to reading more of Doctorow's work and Ragtime is easily one of my favourite novels.



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Book Notes: "Civilization and Its Discontents" by Sigmund Freud

Civilization and Its Discontents by Sigmund Freud

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


It is quite clear that Freud was so far ahead of his time that some of his theories may still prove to be correct, in spite of what "modern" evidence suggests. Freud resonates with so many unspoken thoughts it would seem that psychoanalysis provided his laboratory of the unspoken, enabling him to grasp what others had or could not. Given the context of the times, Freud appears to me to have seen through the veneer of the Victorian era, and even grasped the problems of the present era. It is more than obvious he was well-read in art and literature and rightly deserves the title of "genius". I went to Freud after reading Andy Warhol (despite the seemingly disparate connection it made sense to me) and now I am compelled to explore Voltaire and Kant. Voltaire to comprehend the context of the sublime and Kant to try to discover how one could articulate so much from so little observation.



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