Dreams

Reality has become so intolerable, she said, so bleak, that all I can paint now are the colors of my dreams.

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi

Fairy Tale

Every fairytale offers the potential to surpass present limits, so in a sense the fairytale offers you freedoms that reality denies. In all great works of fiction, regardless of the grim reality they present there is an affirmation of the life against the transience of that life, an essential defiance. This affirmation lies in the way the author takes control of reality by retelling it in his own way, thus creating a new world. Every great work of art, I would declare pompously, is a celebration, an act of insubordination against the betrayals, horrors and infidelities of life. The perfection and beauty of form rebels against the ugliness and shabbiness of the subject matter. This is why we love Madame Bovary and cry for Emma, why we greedily read Lolita as our heart breaks for its small, vulgar, poetic and defiant orphaned heroine.

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafsi

Reading Lolita in Tehran Review

I loved Reading Lolita in Tehran. It was beautifully written. I could really imagine the characters and land. I loved the way she mixed her history, Tehran's history, and literary analysis together. I felt I learned so much about Tehran and various authors all at the same time.

Girl with the Pearl Earring Interpretations

The reviews of Tracy Chevalier's Girl with the Pearl Earring were very interesting. Most wrote that they enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of the town and the ongoings of the house. I wholeheartedly agree; I really enjoyed the descriptions I could really see what was happening at almost every moment. The one thing with which I did disagree was in regards to the ending. Many reviewers like the "twist" ending; I feel this wasn't a twist in any sort of way. I feel it did not really add anything to the story and did not seem to be in the character of the painter. It seemed all rather sentimental hogwash for no real reason. In fact, I cannot believe the reviewers seemed to ignore the fact that this is a story about a woman who has the possibility to do great things but settles completely and full.

Girl with the Pearl Earring Review

I just finished Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. I can understand why the movie based on this book was so bad. The story is interesting enough but would not translate well to the big screen. The majority of the story happens in the mind of the heroine Griet. The plot was interesting enough but on the whole it was bland and used stereotypical plot devices. Girl and mother detest Griet (a maid) and make life difficult for her with very little explanation as to why. The fighting causes the story/plot to move forward but there is no way a resolution can truly occur because there is no reason for a conversation about why the two women hate Griet. The ending seemed forced.(Next is a bunch of spoilers.) The ending like the entire book was Griet settling. She never opened up and felt happy. She didn't even like being painted. She lived her entire life being unhappy in a bland written book.

Dry Interpretations

The reviews of Dry by Augusten Burroughs are a mixed bag. Half enjoy the book and the other half feel uncomfortable reading it. They felt Burroughs should have read a funnier book about alcoholism. Honestly, I feel the tone and story were fitting considering the subject matter of Running with Scissors. Did these reviewers honestly think that Burroughs was going to have a funny early adulthood? Did they think Burroughs was honestly happy as a child? I will admit that the book tied up too nicely but I still enjoyed it.

Love

"I'm sweet and weird and handsome. And I don't see you banging down my door."

"I know. But you don't have enough psychological problems for me. I need somebody with more damage."

Dry by Augusten Burroughs