Lu
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Post by Lu on Jul 24, 2007 2:34:33 GMT -5
Thanks for the great descriptions and recommends lu, Italo Calvino would be good too, I've heard of him but can't think of what he's written? The Path to the Nest of Spiders The Cloven Viscount The Argentine Ant Italian Folktales (retelling of traditional stories) The Baron in the Trees The Nonexistent Knight Marcovaldo The Watcher Cosmicomics t zero Invisible Cities The Castle of Crossed Destinies If On a Winter's Night a Traveler It's all I can think of right now...my memory is so slow this morning, hope it gets better! I've read The Path To the Nest Spiders, The Cloven Viscount, The Baron in the Trees, and Marcovaldo and Italian Folktales when I was a child. I've read also If On a Winter's Night a Traveler but I really need to re-read it. The others are all on my TBR list because I always like so much Calvino's works. And I've heard good things of Invisible City (I think Juliet said it's her favorite) though I haven't read it yet.
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Juliet
Collection of short stories published by an independent editor
"To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.?Victor Hugo
Posts: 576
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Post by Juliet on Jul 24, 2007 2:47:46 GMT -5
yes i love calvino !!! i definetly recommend his books (especially invisible cities and i think that some of them should be translated in english...anyway the ones you have read lu are so good, i've read also if on a winter's night a traveler and the castle of crossed destinies but i really have to re-read them because they were just so complicated!
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Post by Dominique on Jul 24, 2007 3:58:22 GMT -5
Ok well I will leave it up to you guys to pick two of the best ones and I will include them
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Post by Carma on Jul 24, 2007 5:38:33 GMT -5
ok, I finished my description for vanity fair, but I think it's a bit long.. and I'm sure I made some mistakes.. (in spelling, grammar..) Vanity Fair – W.M. Thackeray Vanity Fair originally appeared in monthly parts, starting on January 1, 1847. The novel takes place during the Napoleonic Wars and concerns the lives of two very different girls, Amelia Sedley is the daughter of a rich City merchant and Rebecca Sharp is an orphan and very poor, but smart. All the characters in the book are connected through these two girls. The novel portrays the upper classes in the early nineteenth century, where wealth is considered a good thing, but that money doesn’t make you happy.
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Post by Dominique on Jul 25, 2007 4:02:38 GMT -5
thanks that's great everyone is helping heaps!
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Lu
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Post by Lu on Jul 25, 2007 8:06:03 GMT -5
I've checked some descriptions which haven't been done yet: THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN Eddie is 83 years and works as a maintenance man in an amusement park. The day of his birthday he dies trying to save a young girl from being crushed beneath a park ride; then he wakes up in Heaven, where he finds out he’s going to meet five people who have the purpose of revealing him the significance of his life. THE SCARLET LETTER Hester Prynne has a baby girl while her husband is supposed to be lost in sea and she’s sentenced to wear a scarlet letter, so everyone will know she’s an adulterness, she’s repeatedly asked the name of her “accomplice” but she always refuses. After she’s given her sentence, a man calling himself Chillingworth arrives from Britain and is determinate to find the baby’s father. IF THIS IS A MAN It’s an autobiographical novel written between December 1945 and January 1947 in order to give a testimony of author’s experience at concentration camp at Auschwitz during the Second World War. Quotidian life at concentration camp gives a view which makes the reader identify with the protagonist and virtually participate of his tragedy and suffering. TO THE LIGHTHOUSE The Ramsay family and some friends are staying on an island in the Hebrides. They plan a boat trip to the lighthouse, but the visi twill be delay because of bad weather. The narration mostly consist of Mrs Ramsay’s indirect interior monologue, which gives voice to her thoughts and impressions as she carries out her daily chores. LITTLE WOMEN Based on Alcott’s own experience growing up with three sisters, Little Women is the story of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy growing up during American Civil War, their activities and their friendship with neighbours. The four sisters have flaws, Meg is vain, Jo is quick-tempered, Beth is very shy and Amy is selfish, but also have strengths; through lessons and life expperiences they learn how to overcome their flaws and improve their strengths. Hope they're ok.
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Juliet
Collection of short stories published by an independent editor
"To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.?Victor Hugo
Posts: 576
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Post by Juliet on Jul 25, 2007 14:04:23 GMT -5
Ok well I will leave it up to you guys to pick two of the best ones and I will include them ok !
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Lu
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Post by Lu on Jul 26, 2007 12:50:40 GMT -5
Ok well I will leave it up to you guys to pick two of the best ones and I will include them ok ! We picked The Baron In The Trees and Invisible Cities. And we're going to write the descriptions.
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Brunella
Collection of short stories bought by Random House
Posts: 1,441
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Post by Brunella on Jul 26, 2007 14:54:25 GMT -5
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy As one of the pinnacles of Russian literature, this novel has been long praised and admired. The plot follows the despair and most inner and intricate feelings of a Russian aristocrat: Anna Karenina. Tragedy, bewilderment and love taint this novel, giving it an undeniable originality. The protagonist’s immediate infatuation with Alexei Vronsky, a wealthy military officer, allows the reader to conjecture the development of the novel. The warmth through which Anna’s emotions are conveyed helps one to sympathize with her in her hours of woe and in her mistakes.
(I tried not to say anything about the affair because I didn’t want to spoil it. Wow, I just realized that waaay more than 3 lines, sorry! Feel free to shorten it in any way you want )
Frankenstein – Mary Shelley Although the story of Frankenstein is globally recognized, the novel offers much more than what the average horror movie can portray. The story centers on Victor Frankenstein, a “mad scientist”, whose abhorrent creation, a devilish and evil monster, rebels against him, committing crimes, and showing him the repercussions of dangerous scientific experimentation and of taking on the role of God.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s –Truman Capote This novella takes place at Manhattan’s Upper East Side, as a reminiscence of the relationship between the narrator and Holly Golightly, the women whose misadventures are followed throughout the book. This socialite’s wild life style and undeniable charisma serve as more than just a pretty image. They help subjugate Holly’s hidden past and her true identity. The relationship the narrator and the protagonist share suffers uncountable falling outs, only to pick itself up over and over again.
Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger Often described as “controversial”, this novel is narrated from the perception of Holden Caufield, a teenage boy whose expulsion from a college preparatory institution coincides with the beginning of the book. Holden’s unique and scolding view of the world and the people that surround him, helps represent his alienation and fear. From a cynical and jaded stance, Holden shows his unsatisfied take on what occurs in his vicinities.
Sorry if they’re too long or inadequate! I still have Madame Bovary hanging, but I’ll have it by Sunday at the latest.
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sagedautumn
Collection of short stories bought by Random House
You Might Need This!
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Post by sagedautumn on Jul 26, 2007 18:52:46 GMT -5
Those are REALLY well written Brune!! Bravo!!
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Brunella
Collection of short stories bought by Random House
Posts: 1,441
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Post by Brunella on Jul 26, 2007 20:44:51 GMT -5
Thanks Sagedautumn!!!!! !! You're one of my favorite people now! lol.
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Post by Dominique on Jul 27, 2007 5:50:36 GMT -5
Thanks Brune I agree they are good.
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copperboom
First poem written for Mother’s Day
"well, aren't we hooked on phonics"
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Post by copperboom on Jul 27, 2007 13:40:29 GMT -5
I'm in love with this book right now <br> One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn its a great short read :]
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copperboom
First poem written for Mother’s Day
"well, aren't we hooked on phonics"
Posts: 4
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Post by copperboom on Jul 27, 2007 13:42:01 GMT -5
Thanks for the great descriptions and recommends lu, Italo Calvino would be good too, I've heard of him but can't think of what he's written? The Path to the Nest of Spiders The Cloven Viscount The Argentine Ant Italian Folktales (retelling of traditional stories) The Baron in the Trees The Nonexistent Knight Marcovaldo The Watcher Cosmicomics t zero Invisible Cities The Castle of Crossed Destinies If On a Winter's Night a Traveler It's all I can think of right now...my memory is so slow this morning, hope it gets better! I've read The Path To the Nest Spiders, The Cloven Viscount, The Baron in the Trees, and Marcovaldo and Italian Folktales when I was a child. I've read also If On a Winter's Night a Traveler but I really need to re-read it. The others are all on my TBR list because I always like so much Calvino's works. And I've heard good things of Invisible City (I think Juliet said it's her favorite) though I haven't read it yet. marcovaldo is a great book, my favorite by Calvino. I would definitely recommend putting it on the list
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Post by Hazy on Jul 27, 2007 14:39:31 GMT -5
The Virgin Suicides The Virgin Suicides is told from the point of view of a group of boys reflecting on the suicides of Lisbon sisters. We view the world the lens of teenage boys in the 1970s, intoxicated by the beautiful and enigmatic girls. This delicately macabre novel is laced with ironic cliché and sexual tension as it explores the short lives of these girls and asks the question always bound to suicide, “why?”
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