What is the definition of literature?


I picked Alice Sebold's novel "The Lovely Bones" up at a used book store because of the hype it has received since the movie has been out in theaters.  When I began reading it I was not expecting to read a piece of great literature.  To me, literature is based on a story that takes you to a place you weren't expecting, a story that makes you think.  "The Lovely Bones" did that in a number of ways for me.


For starters, choosing the story to be told through the perspective of a 14 year old girl was amazing.  It is such a crazy concept to think about being able to look from heaven and see the life that is being lead by the people you loved after you have died.   For that reason alone I believe that Alice Sebold's novel will stand the test of time and continue its popularity.  


The second reason I truly loved the novel, was the character development.  I was so interesting to see how each of the Salmon family members dealt with the death of their sister/daughter.  The reader obviously feels sympathy for all of the family members, but for me the father is who pulled on my heart strings.  What begins as a gut feeling in his mind, we as the readers know that he is correct and strive for him to be able to find evidence to support his theory.  Each family member struggles in their own way, and though it might not have been as clear, Susie's mother struggled with the death in her own way.  Some people just don't know how to experience the emotions that hit them when they are not expecting it, she was one of those people.  Her way of dealing could be seen as selfish, and for a majority of the novel I felt that she was, but I think she was just scared to feel such intense emotions that she ran away from them.


All and all, Alice Sebold is an amazing writer.  She welcomes her readers into a world that she creates in a very well thought out manner.  Good writing does not always mean lofty language, it is the ability to transport your readers and get them attached to your characters.  After reading this novel I learned that Sebold's first novel "Lucky" is a retelling of difficult events that have happened to her in her life, I will definitely be reading this novel and anything else she might write.


-Toni

Favorite Novels

Let's start a list of everyone's favorite novels...

Just add a comment to submit your choice and if you'd like say why :)

Movies based on books: Dear John

I've noticed that lately, there are so many movies coming out that are based on books. So I decided that I will occasionally write a post featuring a book-turned-movie and write what I thought about it. My big complaint about movies that are based on books is that the directors/producers of the films often take too many liberties with the text. Also, some books just can't be effectively translated onto the big screen.

Recently, I saw "Dear John". There was a lot of hype and press surrounding this movie and like so many others out there (mostly female) I was sucked in. With movies, usually my feeling is... I'd like to see that movie when it comes out on DVD. With this movie I had to see it the night it came out!! Obviously their advertising strategies weren't lost on me.

The movie is, of course, based on a book by the same name, written by Nicholas Sparks, master of the plot-twist driven, tear jerker romance novel. I've been a reader of Nicholas Sparks since I was in high school. Note that I said reader, not fan. As a 16-year-old high school student, I'm sure I thought he was one of the greatest American writers. Now that I am 10 years older and wiser, I can recognize that his writing is not up to par with that of Dickens, Fitzgerald, or Salinger. But he sure does know how to tell a captivating, sometimes heart-wrenching love story. Quite a few of Sparks' novels have been converted into films, including: The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, Message in a Bottle, and Nights in Rodanthe. 

"Dear John", both the book and the movie, center around "good girl" Savannah and "bad boy" John, who fall in love despite their differences. This is a pretty common formula for Sparks. Savannah and John fall in love during a week spent on the Carolina shore; Savannah is there doing habitat for humanity, while John is home on leave from the military and staying with his anti-social father. Soon, Savannah goes back to college while John returns overseas to fulfill his obligations for the army. Savannah and John write letters and their relationship flourishes. Just when John's enlistment is about to end and he and Savannah can begin their lives together, September 11 happens. John and his whole unit decide to reenlist. This creates a strain in their relationship, and, as the title suggests, John receives a "Dear John" letter. Then, in classic Nicholas Sparks fashion, a bunch of dramatic plot twists and tear filled moments ensue.

To be honest, I didn't remember much of this book when I went to see the movie. I had read it back when it first came out (maybe '05 or '06) and didn't want to refresh my memory about the plot because I didn't want to spoil the movie. As I watched, more and more of the book came back to me, so I was able to prepare myself for some of the movie's myriad sad moments.

Ultimately, I thought the movie was okay. It followed the book pretty closely (from what I remember of the book, that is). After seeing the movie I did re-read the ending and discovered that the book ends differently than the movie. (It's a pretty big difference, but I won't reveal it for fear of spoiling the movie for those planning to see it).

A few comments about "Dear John":
- I thought the actors who played John and Savannah (Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried) were well cast. Tatum plays a great tough guy and Seyfried is the ultimate innocent, sweet girl. However, together I didn't think they had very good chemistry. They didn't show a lot of passion on screen, and their love for each other wasn't very believable.

- By far the best actor was Richard Jenkins, who plays John's father. In the movie, Savannah, who has an autistic family friend, tells John that she believes his anti-social, eccentric father might be autistic (for the record, this is executed much better in the book than it is in the movie). The dad is really convincing and you really feel for him. I think Tatum and Jenkins do a good job playing father and son.

- The transitions between scenes in this movie is really weird and kind of uncomfortable. The transitions are kind of rough and choppy, which makes the movie come off as kind of amateurish.

Overall, it's a good date movie and both the book and movie are good for a nice, cathartic crying session. I also like that he integrated both autism and 9/11 to incorporate some current topics.

- Emily

The Thirteenth Tale

I recently finished "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield. This was the debut novel from this British author. The book was a huge bestseller a couple years ago and every time I've gone into Barnes and Noble or on Amazon.com in the past few years, I've seen it. I remember reading a description of the book awhile back and it the plot intrigued me. Plus, it had almost a perfect 5-star rating on Amazon. I decided to see what the hype was all about.

The basic premise of the book is this: a woman named Margaret Lea is a sort of boring, lonely woman who lives with her parents. Her father owns a used bookstore and buys and trades used books. Margaret has always had this void in her life, ever since she found out that she had a twin sister who died at birth. One day, Margaret gets a letter from a popular author named Vida Winter, who, despite her popularity, has lead an elusive life and has never been forthcoming about her past. In the letter, she tells Margaret that she is dying and would like Margaret to write her biography. Margaret is puzzled as to why Vida would chose her to write the biography, but she goes to live at Vida's estate and listens to her life story. As the book goes on, Vida slowly reveals more and more about her past, weaving a story that is even more unbelievable than any of Vida's popular novels.

Sounds pretty interesting, right? Like a story in a story. Cool. As I began to get wrapped up in the story and in the characters, I had really high hopes for what would be revealed by the end of the story. I was expecting some big plot twists, some major revelations, maybe some serious character development. I guess all of those things did happen, but the author's execution of these things was really weak.

As Vida's story of her childhood goes on, it becomes more and more unbelievable and implausible. In college, I learned about the concept of "willing suspension of disbelief." It's the idea that, if an author is skillful enough, he or she can convince you to believe something that, in everyday life, couldn't possibly happen. J.K. Rowling successfully convinced me that it was possible for a powerful wizard like Voldemort to split his soul into 7 pieces by creating horcruxes. Stephanie Meyer did a great job tricking me into thinking that a human and a vampire could conceive a baby that ages much quicker than a normal human. Believe me, I have no problem with the whole "willing suspension of disbelief" thing. But Diane Setterfield could not convince me that the things that happened in her book, and in Vida's life, were possible. It wasn't that they were too far-fetched; some of the books I've read have been way more out there. It's the fact that she couldn't convince me. When I finished the book, all I could ask myself was... Really?


Which brings me to the question... why is this book so popular? As an English teacher, I'm always kind of intrigued by bestsellers. I like to try to understand what all the hype is about. With this book, I'm really not sure. I don't get it. Readers like plot twists, I know that... just look at the success of plot-twist masters like Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult. But what I don't understand is what other readers saw in this book that I didn't. Did I miss something?

- Emily

"Three Cups of Tea"

"Three Cups of Tea" is one mans attempt to tell another mans amazing story of educating a nation in desperate need of educating.  Once I acclimated to the language (People's names, Places, Religious terms) of the Middle Eastern cultures presented in the novel, I was then able to get into the flow of the novel. Greg is nothing but an American hero-for more reasons then the already heroic act of giving so freely to a nation in need.  To me forcing yourself out of your comfort zone is an act everyone should attempt; it's difficult, but the act is always rewarding even if the end result isn't.  Fortunate for Greg the result is happy-he reaches his goal to climb "a metaphorical mountain."

I'm happy the author David Relin made mention that Greg's wife should also be considered a hero because she had the strength to hold down a family when Greg was on another continent fighting for peace.  I couldn't even imagine having my husband away for three or four months at a time-especially days away from going into labor.   

I do however wish that they kept their personal opinions of politics out of the novel.  I realize that in a novel steeped with cultural clashes politics are inevitable, but I think that unbiased reports are the most effective.

What I thought the book could have benefited from was more discussions with Middle Eastern people:  their thoughts of what was going on, how their lives were effected, something to deepen our understanding of their culture.

I always enjoy getting to know other cultures and getting to know different types of people-this novel fulfills that.  The message Greg was sending was peace and I respectfully agreed with his intense work to build the schools he promised to build.

I'm intrigued enough to read his next novel "Stones into Schools," but hope that it is more then just a play by play of the schools being built and the obstacles he is faced with.

-Toni