6/30/2023 0 Comments Dead souls gogol review![]() Chichikov’s scheme soon encounters obstacles, but he is never without resource, and as he stumbles forward as best he can, Gogol paints a wonderfully comic picture of Russian life that also serves as a biting satire of a society as corrupt as it is cynical and silly. What can he have up his sleeve, the local landowners wonder, even as some rush to unload what isn’t of any use to them anyway, while others seek to negotiate the best deal possible, and others yet hold on to their dead for dear life, since if somebody wants what you have then no matter what don’t give it away. The first of the great Russian novels and one of the indisputable masterpieces of world literature, Dead Souls is the tale of Chichikov, an affably cunning con man who causes consternation in a small Russian town when he shows up out of nowhere proposing to buy title to serfs who, though dead as doornails, are still property on paper. ![]()
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6/30/2023 0 Comments The hunting party book![]() I was slightly concerned about the predictability of this novel, given its Agatha Christie-like style: a group of friends, stranded in one place, and one of them gets murdered. They’re naive, competitive young adults again. ![]() They’re no longer the sophisticated business women or high-powered stock brokers that they are in their day-to-day lives. Once the group of former Oxford students is together again, they fall right back into their original roles. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley, published by Harper Collins, follows seven friends as they reunite for a weekend away in the Scottish wilderness. A relaxing trip to the Scottish Highlands, just you and your friends.īut there’s tension in the air, and soon you realize you’re stuck in a remote wilderness with people you don’t actually know very well at all. ![]() ![]() ![]() Having greatly enjoyed Eyes that Kiss in the Corners I picked up Eyes That Speak to the Stars with a great deal of anticipation, and I was not disappointed. When a young boy is hurt by a school friend's depiction of him, with two slanted lines as eyes, his father tells him that his eyes "rise to the skies and speak to the stars." Interacting with his father, agong (grandfather) and di-di (younger brother), the boy gains strength and appreciation for his eyes, and for the members of his family. ![]() American author Joanna Ho and Vietnamese illustrator Dung Ho, who previously collaborated on the lovely Eyes that Kiss in the Corners return in this second picture-book, once again exploring the beauty of Asian eyes, and the importance of family love and relationships. ![]() 6/30/2023 0 Comments The capital robert menasse![]() ![]() However, he also knows this plan will not work. A master strategist and fencer, Strozzi knows that the President would never oppose a plan to embellish the EC’s image. The project reaches the “virtually unflappable” Romolo Strozzi, the private secretary to the President of the EC. What follows is a wonderful description of how to kill a project without ever openly doing so. Why not put Auschwitz survivors at the centre, to emphasize the fact that that the EC was created to unite Europe and to ensure that the Holocaust is never repeated? He convinces Xeno, who starts to contact her colleagues for support. One of her staff, Martin Sussman, has an idea. She thinks that masterminding a jubilee event for the EC’s 50th anniversary will bring her to the notice of those who have the power to help. ![]() But by foregrounding the people who work for the EC, with their individual quirks, worries and talents, Robert Menasse brings the institution to life.įenia Xenopolou (aka Xeno), the head of the Communication Department in the Directorate-General for Culture, is desperate to get out of Culture, the least prestigious of all the EC Directorates. The European Commission seems an unlikely setting for a novel. ![]() 6/30/2023 0 Comments A dance with dragons books![]() ![]() Believing that a son who killed his Lannister father is an ally, Illyrio takes Tyrion to Haldon, and they board the Shy Maid. On reaching Pentos, Tyrion meets Illyrio Mopatis, who takes him on a journey to meet Daenerys. ![]() As the ship sails across the Narrow Sea, he thinks of his first love, Tysha, a woman his father had disgraced and sent away. ![]() Tyrion’s internal conflict with himself makes him become a shell, a shadow of a once powerful and tactical man. As he sails to an unknown land, the thoughts of his encounter with his father and Shae linger in his mind, and he tries to drown all the emotions of hate and anger by staying drunk. The new characters and perspectives provide more detail to Westeros’s past and answer the questions about the origins of the mysterious creatures that rise as the winter falls upon the land.Īfter killing his father and leaving home, Tyrion begins a journey that takes him to the reaches of Essos. ![]() As the story dives into the complexities of Westeros and Essos, it shows the perspective of people who have struggled and tried to survive in the brutal world. ‘A Dance with Dragons’ introduces new characters into George R. ![]() |