The Silmarillion (#2)

Pages: 102-197

Favorite Quote: "For from his first days in Gondolin he had borne a grief, ever worsening, that robbed him of all joy: he loved the beauty of Idril and desired her, without hope. [...] And however that might be, Idril loved Maeglin not at all [...] But as the years passed still Maeglin watched Idril, and waited , and his love turned to darkness ain his heart. [...] Thus it was in Gondolin; and amid all the bliss of that realm, while its glory lasted, a dark seed of evil was sown" (139).

I think that this idea of unrequited love is something that many people can connect to. Maeglin's feelings are not returned and it causes him much pain. It is intriguing to see that out of something so good and pure, Love, such maliciousness and evil can spring forth. I think that Tolkien uses this situation to show the connection between good and bad. It runs much deeper than anyone thinks it does, so that out of pure, or thought to be pure, goodness, evil can grow. Tolkien personifies this drive to harm and corrupt as Morgoth, a being of power which constantly withstands the assaults of the other powerful beings, or Valar, attempting to stop his evil.

Although there is a very distinct separation between what the Elves, or Eldar, are and the race of Man, the Elves seem all too suceptable to the same faults of humanity. Their feelings are the same: jealousy, vengeance, animosity. The Elves seem very "human" in their own right, behaving much like us and differing in their immortality and physical forms. They are more advanced than the Men in the book, but this is only because they were created first. It's rather interesting to see how the Elves regard Men as inferior and lower life forms, even though they themselves act like Men do too!

I'm not going to lie. The Silmarillion is a very intricate book, and it's taking me a while to get through it. There's many different people, places, and events which get tangled up a bit in my head sometimes, so I need to go back and reread sections quite frequently. However, I am enjoying the book quite thoroughly, and the stories are just fascinating.

My rating of the book so far: 10/10

(the Mist sent by Morgoth poisoned some mountains, evil tainting pure nature)

The Silmarillion (#1)

Pages: 1-102

Favorite Quote: "But the sons of Men die indeed, and leave the world; wherefore they are called the Guests, or the strangers. Death is their fate, the gift of Iluvatar, which as Time wears even the Powers shall envy" (42).

This isn't such a major quote, as it is only mentioned as Iluvatar makes his Children, the Elves and the Men. However, I think it's quite profound. People usually think of Death as a bad thing, something to be feared, nit jere. it is spoken of as a gift. As you read on, the fate of te Elves is discussed, and among them is Miriel who grows tired of living. Humans don't live all that long, so we don't know just how weary living can get. It demonstrates the need for a balance between silence and noise, peace and vigorous action.

The Silmarillion is a very enjoyable book for those who love mythology and stories of a more classical style. The language Tolkien uses flows so well, it's almost like poetry in prose. I do like to read novels written in this kind of style because it just seems so much more fluid and flowing. It's hard to explain, but like Watership Down, the writing style seems "old-fashioned" in a way. It uses more words to express an idea, but it's in a good way. I love getting back into this deep fantasy. The story is so enchanting, and mixed with Tolkien's writing, it's really fun to read.

The only difficulty I'm coming across is that there are so many different characters! Of the Valar, there are already so many, but when I read about the history of the Elves and how they are split into so many different groups and have different leaders, it does get confusing! I do have to reread parts at times just to figure out who is who. What I really like, though, is encountering characters that appear in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and finding out their backstories. So fascinating! Tolkien's world is very elaborate and well thought out, making it exceptionally interesting to read about.

My Rating of the Book so Far: 10/10

(Valinor!)

The Silmarillion by J.R.R Tolkien (Begin!)

The Silmarillion
by J.R.R. Tolkien

First thoughts:

I really love The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, so picking up The Silmarillion only seems natural. I read Tolkien's other books years ago, but I never got around to reading this one. This is actually the first Fantasy book I'm blogging about here, even though I usually read a lot of fantasy. Can't wait to get back into it. Let's see how it goes!

A Thousand Splendid Suns (End!)

Pages: 94-367 (Wow! I'm so happy that I got to read so much already. )

Favorite Quote: "Mariam is never very far. She is here, in these walls they've repainted, in the walls they've repainted, in the trees they've planted, in the blankets that keep the children warm, in these pillows and books and pencils. She is in the children's laughter. She is in the verses Aziza recites and in the prayers she mutters when she bows westward. But, mostly, Mariam is in Laila's own heart, where she shines with the bursting radiance of a thousand suns" (366).

Many people can probably relate to this quote. We all feel loss at some point, and Laila's feelings here express a kind of peace that we all want to feel afterwords someone disappears from our life. Laila's learned the best way to cope, to calmly accept and "endure" just as Mariam's mother advised. However, Mariam's mother, Nana's enduring had a different feel, a sullen stubbornness to stick to self-righteousness. Laila, like Mariam, has learned how to "endure" with grace, to accept what happens and to gain peace at heart. They're both better people for it.

In fact, Laila and Mariam both had examples of the first type of enduring. Both their mothers, Fariba and Nana rejected happiness in favor of wallowing in the past tragedies. Perhaps, the experiences with such defunct mothers is what steered Laila and Mariam to eventually change their own lives to better forms. The message of hope and eventual peace pervades the book even in its darkest moments, but I think that Hosseini may have overdone it a bit.

Although A Thousand Splendid Suns is a wonderful story, it seems a little too unlikely. Events happen that don't seem to be very probable to happen in the way they did. Maybe all the tragedy is overplayed, a missile exploding in Laila's house and killing her parents right before they are all about to leave war-torn Afghanistan. It's very dramatic, but more of these kinds of events make them seem cheesy. On the other hand, the book seems to have some very good intentions, detailing on how relationships change between people over time, how people are brought together or torn apart. Like The Kite Runner, this novel really focuses on the characters, the human aspect of stories. The extensive and vivid cast of characters is what really makes the reader feel like he/she is in the story, right alongside Mariam and Laila.

Rating of the book: 8/10 (The difference between this and The Kite Runner is just how real the book feels, other than that, it's a wonderful read.)

A Thousand Splendid Suns (#1)

Pages: 1-94 (Part 1)

Although it is told in third person, the main character of Part 1, Mariam, feels very much alive. The clarity of the way her thoughts and emotions are illustrated is striking when the slightly detached air of the story is taken into consideration. Even though there really aren't too many scenes described in the stretch of time Part 1 encompasses, the ones Hosseini does pick to elaborate on are vividly painted to make it seem like the reader has lived through it all and has really connected to the characters. Khaled Hosseini proves again that he is a master story teller.

A Thousand Splendid Suns seems to be a study in perspectives. Mariam's thought processes shift as she goes through many different experiences, from living on the outskirts of society as a bastard child to being forced into a marriage with a man 30 years older than her. We see her originally clinging to believing that her father is a good man, truly caring for her and rejecting the cynical pessimism of her mother. But then, she realizes the truth and her viewpoints completely turn around, now scrutinizing people's actions through the lens of her mother's attitude. Mariam's relationship with her husband also changes beginning in fear and uncertainty to care and tenderness to abuse and growing farther apart after several miscarriages.

The tragedy seems a little veiled though. It feels as if a few scenes were rushed, not pumping out all the potential feeling, but every where else, it's phenomenal. Although the book's plot doesn't seem to really go anywhere, it's greatest strength is the connection it forms with the reader, the bridge for emotions, feelings, the ups and downs of the characters to really flow. It's a nice change from all the plot-driven, not really in depth books that are really popular today.

Rating of the book so far: 9/10 (It's good, but I'm a little iffy about it)

(Mariam means white tuberose--the flower above)

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Begin!)

A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini

First thoughts:

I really loved The Kite Runner, and the author's writing style was just so appealing. I'm really hoping that A Thousand Splendid Suns is just as great. I'm wondering if A Thousand Splendid Suns will teach me any more about Afghan culture, since I really enjoyed that aspect of reading The Kite Runner. Let's see how it goes!

Watership Down (End!) and End of Quarter entry

Pages: 300-481

Watership Down was really an amazing book. I really enjoyed reading it and the whole story was very engaging. The end was very creative and although I first read it in its form in Fire Bringer, it was lovely. It's nice to know what the original is in these kinds of situations, and Fire Bringer was original and quite something, I can now clearly see the influences of Watership Down on it.

End of Quarter 1:

Blogging was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be because I can actually just write what I'm thinking which isn't so hard. For my entries this past quarter, I usually analyzed quotes or characters actions because those are what really interest me in books. I did include different topics in each entry though. Blogging also helped me somewhat. I delved deeper into the books and writing my thoughts down helped me to really understand those once vague ideas in the back of my mind.

For the second quarter, I'd like to read a little more so I can write more entries on different books. Watership Down was a rather hefty book, and many different factors kept from reading more. I thought I did a pretty good job with my blog entries, though, so I don't really know what to improve on in them. What would really get me more involved and excited would be to read more.