Litsy

Trying a second of my new poetry books. Hine was a late 20th century poet of form. He wrote a long poem of being gay in the 1970‘s, and didn‘t publish it for two decades. This is a 1991 collection, apparently an important later collection of his.

23 likes

BarkingMadRead

Mill on the Floss | George Eliot

Ch 13: #shortchapter #gleggwontcallontheloan #soobviouslytullywantstopayitback #butwheretogetthemoney #tomisleavingforschool #maggieisdevastated #girl #letthatjerkgo #staytuned #hashtagbrigade

BarkingMadRead
@librarybelle @bookwormjillk @cuilin @mcctrish @deblovestoread @dabbe @julieclair @ruthiella @clare-dragonfly @thearomaofbooks @daisey @quietjenn @morr_books @leftcoastzen @kwmg40 @alldebooks @eeclayton @sparklemn @elizamarie @kao @jenlovesjt47 10h

Bookwormjillk Bye Tom 👋 The short chapters made this a good pick for chapter a day IMO. 10h

mcctrish That chapter just went downhill fast 8h

26 likes3 comments

BekaReid

Gliff: A Novel | Ali Smith

Love this section of the book and brings me back the wonder I had upon being introduced to the library as a kid.
“Books everywhere.
So many books, more books than I'd ever seen all in one place. The backs of books, in rows that reached up to the ceiling, books and books and books, at every level, high and low, piles of them, shelf after shelf of them.
Wherever my eye went, books.
Oh! I said.“

15 likes

BarbaraJean

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 | James Fenimore Cooper

For our #LMMJournals readers (and those interested in the L.M. Montgomery connection!):

LMM mentions having read the book “in schooldays” and discussing it with Nate Lockhart. What did you notice in the book that might have attracted LMM as a schoolgirl? What characters and incidents do you imagine she might have discussed with Nate so enthusiastically?

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Last of the Mohicans discussion (5/5)

BarbaraJean @rubyslippersreads, @Daisey, @DieAReader, @JenlovesJT47, @lauraisntwilder, @TheAromaofBooks, @julieclair 20h

BarbaraJean I have to admit that I'm puzzled that LMM was enthusiastic about this book! I thought maybe she would have resonated with the nature descriptions, but honestly, I didn't find them that compelling. I guess it was just the action and adventure she was so excited to discuss with Nate?! And perhaps Cora would have been a compelling figure to her? 2h

18 likes2 comments

BarbaraJean

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 | James Fenimore Cooper

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Last of the Mohicans Discussion (4/5)

In general, did you like or dislike the book? What did you enjoy or not enjoy?
Do you feel this is a classic that‘s worth reading?

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, DieAReader, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

BarbaraJean Honestly, I didn't enjoy this. I didn't find it engaging, for all its action. The characters initially held promise, but weren't developed at all. Cooper sacrifices character development for horrific action sequences and scenic descriptions that fell flat for me. I'm torn about whether it's worth reading for how it's shaped other writing over the years. I think it has some value as a biased but illuminating portrayal of a specific time and place ⬇ 2h

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) ...in history, but I don't think I'd recommend it unless someone was specifically studying this time period and they were also seeking out supplementary sources to contextualize and balance the perspective here. 2h

18 likes2 comments

BarbaraJean

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 | James Fenimore Cooper

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Last of the Mohicans Discussion (3/5)

What do you think about the way the book portrays its Native characters (and the different tribes they belong to)?
What about the way it portrays the English and French characters?

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, DieAReader, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

BarbaraJean I mentioned this an earlier question, but I was bracing myself for far worse racial stereotypes. There was a bit too much “noble savage“ to the descriptions of Uncas and Chingachgook and the Delaware village. Then basically all Huron/Mingos were portrayed as bad/scheming/backward, but their French allies were largely let off the hook. But I also appreciated how there was SOME nuance in the way Magua was characterized, when he revealed ⬇ 2h

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) his treatment at the hands of the English. And Cora early on makes a remark about not judging someone based on the color of their skin (ironic that she makes that comment about the person who basically becomes the villain, though!). There were plenty of problematic racial stereotypes, but overall I was impressed by the complexity we did get. 2h

14 likes2 comments

BarbaraJean

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 | James Fenimore Cooper

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - Last of the Mohicans Discussion (2/5)
How much knowledge of the French & Indian War/Fort William Henry conflict did you have prior to reading this book? Did you seek out more info?
What do you think of how Cooper dramatized these events?
What responsibility does an author of historical fiction have in representing historical events? What do you think are appropriate or inappropriate changes or exaggerations?

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, DieAReader, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

BarbaraJean I didn't have much knowledge about the historical context, and so I looked up the Fort William Henry conflict after reading the section on the betrayal/massacre. I was frustrated by what I found. Cooper has been criticized for his “lurid“ and inaccurate characterization of the massacre--it was bad, but it seems it was not nearly as horrific as described, and the inciting event with the mother & baby seems like it was completely invented. ⬇ 2h

BarbaraJean (Cont'd) I do think a writer of historical fiction has a responsibility to present the backdrop of history and historical events as accurately as possible--dramatizing within the “spirit“ of what happened, so to speak. ESPECIALLY when it comes to war--attributing particular types of cruel violence that DID NOT happen, to one side or the other, is irresponsible, to me. 2h

14 likes2 comments

BarbaraJean

The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 | James Fenimore Cooper

#KindredSpiritsBuddyRead #LMMAdjacent - The Last of the Mohicans Discussion (1/5)

What expectations did you have going into the book?
How did it compare to your expectations? Was there anything that surprised you?

rubyslippersreads, Daisey, DieAReader, JenlovesJT47, lauraisntwilder, TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

Daisey I‘ve got two hours of audio left . . . Every few days I listen to a bit more, but I‘ve never felt fully invested. I‘ll come back to the discussion once I‘m done. 4h

BarbaraJean @Daisey Look forward to your thoughts when you finish! This was a bit of a slog for me. 3h

BarbaraJean I did NOT expect the ending. (I haven't seen the movie, and I'm curious--does it end the same way?!) I expected that the portrayal of the Native characters would be far more problematic. I cringed at some of the verbiage/stereotypes, but there was a LOT more nuance and complexity to the portrayal of Native characters and cultures than I expected there'd be, given when this was written. Also, I expected that it would be more engaging than it was!! 2h

17 likes3 comments

BarkingMadRead

Mill on the Floss | George Eliot