<p>Since this such an intellectual site, i thought i’d start a conversation about my favorite book, Of Mice and Men. Initially, i thought it was nothing special, but after studying it more comprehensively and actually reading every page, i realized how this book is comparable to Dicken’s oliver twist, Elliot’s silas marner, and Twain’s tom sawyer. A true classic, and after i watched the movie i loved it even more. Steinbeck def deserved the nobel peace prize he won. Anyway feel free to add input or thoughts on this novel and other novels you like.</p>
<p>“Kristin Lavransdatter” - by the 1928 Nobel winner Sigrid Undset. A woman’s life from cradle to grave in 14th century Norway. Beautiful. I’ve read it several times…</p>
<p>Classic: "Huckleberry Finn: for it’s humor and humanity, Twain’s use of setting & dramatic irony, and because it takes on slavery, the quintessential American identity issue.</p>
<p>Contemporary: “The Red Tent” for the wonderful depiction of life in Biblical times and for telling the untold story of women and their ancient wisdom. Achingly beautiful writing. You will weep during the entire final chapter.</p>
<p>Catch 22 and Catcher in the Rye - I have read them both every summer since college. I always pick up something new. Never touch them during the rest of the year.
Catch 22 - the absurdity of war.
Catcher in the Rye - the angst of growing up and dealing with family and loss.</p>
<p>I was so happy when my older S and D read them for the 1st time, so we could discuss them. I remember looking up Allie Reynolds’ career stats, because I had never heard of him…</p>
<p>Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance. (If only I knew more about Indian political history. I’m sure I missed half the meaning. Mini?)</p>
<p>George Eliot’s Middlemarch. It’s about combining wisdom and compassion.</p>
<p>have you read silas marner? Anyway, what i like about mice and men are the complex themes in the book. The way Steinbeck portrayed loneliness, alienation, friendship, and love was truly ingenious! I liked the movie a lot as well, anyone watch it?</p>
<p>btw, fell free to start discussions about other books you feel passionately about.(just make sure it’s famous enough that someone other than yourself has read it.)</p>
<p>Don’t know that it’s necessarily a “classic”, but I never read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn until a couple years ago. It was mentioned on another forum I participate in as several peoples’ favorite. I did read it and liked it very much.
However, since I’m currently a student and always reading scholarly things because I have to , when the semester is over I admit to reading pure fluff…along the lines of The Nanny Diaries :o</p>
<p>Drdrewsmom…A Tree Grows in B’lyn was the first “serious” book I read…I was about 12, I think - I remember being so shocked and saddened at parts of it…I grew up in 50’s suburbia and was so unaware of life…the part where Francie gets flowers on graduation still makes me cry thinking about it…</p>
<p>My best memories are of Steinbeck’s East of Eden. I grew up in Steinbeck country and my small hometown was in the storyline. I was about 12 when I first read it. Another that I think of often, probably more so because of the adjunct prof who taught the Charles Dickens class, is Old Curiosity Shop. The story of Little Nell was addicting (like CC). I was a math major and love to read, but I generally hated literature courses. Just had that one great teacher!</p>
<p>anyone read the poem by Robert Burns, of mice nad men was based on?</p>
<p>I’ve been begging my kids to read “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” for years - bought each of them her own copy, which each has ignored up till now. I plan to bribe the youngest to read it this summer. Her favorite author is Stephen King, so that will have to be some bribe. </p>
<p>The movie starring Peggy Ann Garner, Dorothy McGuire, and James Dunn (Oscar winner as the dad) was just about perfect, btw. They don’t make 'em or write 'em like that anymore. Gosh, I was born at the wrong time.</p>
<p>Voronwe: I, too love Kristin Lavransdatter…have you ever read The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley (I think?). Great book too, same feel.</p>
<p>All time fave: The Once and Future King.</p>
<p>ez</p>
<p>Classic:
Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury–it scrambles everything I think
Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov–deepest thing I’ve read;the big questions.</p>
<p>Contemporary:
Tournier: The Ogre, the whole publiv v private persona thing
Solzhenitsyn: August 1914, stunning! Stunning!
Kazantzakis: Zorba the Greek, my favorite story.</p>
<p>UMDAD – Catch-22 is one of my favorite books, too.</p>
<p>Ezduzzit - yes, I liked Greenlanders <em>very</em> much…but I liked KL better, because of the spiritual emphasis. Even though the particular FORM that 14th c. spirituality took may not fit most people (though I like it 
), I just appreciate the sense that there is something wider, some deeper love behind all our earthly suffering, and this made KL something that stayed with me longer than Greenlanders.</p>
<p>Woodwork - The Brothers K, to my mind, is the greatest novel ever written. While I would never quite call it my “favorite” - I didn’t “enjoy” reading it, the way I “enjoy” many things - I agree with you 100% that it is the deepest. The entire story spins out from the very thing that faith is based upon: that everything can look one way, everything can point in one direction, every evidential or pschological or sociological piece of evidence can seem to force you to mechanistically come to some pre-ordained conclusion - but there is still the possibility that what “everything” points to is wrong, and the overwhelming belief in hope, truth, and grace over determinism and despair is so amazingly well portrayed. You can read it over and over and over and never fail to be amazed at Dostoyevsky’s genius, and never fail to feel grateful.</p>
<p>People should read ‘Lolita’. Brilliant, funny and very very moving. You’d need to get past the perversion…or the disgust at the perversion.</p>
<p>Hm…classic novels. I liked ‘Crime and Punishment’ a whole lot.</p>
<p>There was a time when I was into existentialism. I enjoyed ‘The Stranger’ by Camus a lot…</p>
<p>voronwe,</p>
<p>that was a wonderful description of what matters about the Brothers Karamazov! I completely agree with your summation of the deeper meaning of the story. </p>
<p>Ivan: “If there is no god, everything is permissible”</p>
<p>“Kristin Lavransdatter” - by the 1928 Nobel winner Sigrid Undset."</p>
<p>I’ve always meant to read it, I bought it 15 years ago and it still sits on my shelf…maybe I’ll pick it up now, however. Thanks for the recommendation.</p>