CHS Book Forum

Devices and Desires by PD James

Reviewed by Ria I.

Devices and Desires by PD James is a curious take on the typical detective story. Commander Adam Dalgliesh of the New Scotland Yard is taking a break from London’s criminals and the publicity resulting from his newly published book of poetry to examine a converted windmill and cottage left to him by his deceased aunt in the Larksoken headland. His visit coincides with the appearance of the Norfolk Whistler, an enigmatic serial killer reminiscent of a villain from a twisted fairy tale. The Whistler is getting closer to the headland and killing more prolifically, until Dalgliesh stumbles upon the body of a unanimously-hated Acting Administrator at the Larksoken nuclear power plant, Hilary Roberts.

Exploring various themes ranging from the role of a mother and the consequences of her absence to sexuality as a source of power amounting to near-tyranny, Devices and Desires uses every character and every plot twist to make a statement on the universal needs and nature of humans.

While the use of a poetic policeman as a protagonist sometimes results in the reader dry-swallowing a moral pill, it also contributes to the overall aesthetics of the novel and starkly juxtaposes the picturesque setting with the horrors that occur on it. As an artist, I particularly enjoyed James’ portrayal of the nuclear power plant as, similarly to the Whistler, a foreboding presence invading the headland skyline rather than a tangible entity. The depth of the characters is subtly emphasized throughout the story, and the external frustration and aggression that accompany a murder investigation is moderated by emotional fragility and damage that evokes not pity, but a grudging respect for certain characters from the reader. James’ book is not the typical ‘Sherlock Holmes’ emotionally unattached investigation, but rather a modern, more exciting take on Jane Austen’s analysis of human character. As ‘murder destroys privacy,’ Devices and Desires sucks the reader into the most mentally stimulating and intimate details of a quiet English community ravaged by a single crime.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Reviewed by Sam W.

The Hunger Games is an extremely fast paced novel, drawing in the reader with one shock after another. “One more chapter” soon becomes “five more.” Suspense is created from the beginning, and at the end of each chapter, the reader is thrown for another loop, making it impossible to halt reading.

In Panem, the post apocalyptic world of the novel’s protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, there are twelve districts ruled by one Capital. This Capital annually hosts the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death of twenty-four tributes, a young male and a female from each district. This competition is set to represent the capital’s power, punishing the districts for a rebellion that occurred years before. Told from Katniss’ perspective, The Hunger Games follows her through the reapi ng, where the tributes are chosen, and until the end of the Hunger Games. At the reaping, Katniss steps forward to be the District 12 tribute, in order to protect her little sister, who had been chosen. The male tribute is Peeta, the son of baker and a familiar face from Katniss’ childhood.

Throughout the entire novel, the reader may find himself holding his breath. Half of the novel is a life or death battle, and there is not always a happy ending, making the ending especially unpredictable. The games end in extreme conflict – accept defeat or defy the capital. 

Overall, I would say the novel has a very interesting plot, and fairly unique. The Capital is a clear representation of corrupt political power. The life or death competition is similar to that of Stephen King’s The Long Walk. Katniss is a strong, likeable character and Suzanne Collins has made her inner monologues and conflicts very believable. Her style of writing is not overly complex and the writing itself is not overly crafted, but the story itself is compelling. It would suit any reader looking for a thrilling page turner with well-crafted characters.

Reviewed by Evan C.

What the Dog Saw is a collection of articles by Malcolm Gladwell. All of the articles first appeared in “The New Yorker” magazine and is the most recent of Gladwell’s four books. What the Dog Saw is broken down into three large sections with five or six articles in each section.

The first section is about some very impressive success stories. These stories range from the genius who created the perfect ketchup taste, to the dog whisperer, Cesar Milan, to a young Wall Street kid, Nassim Taleb, who realized how to turn an economic melt-down into fantastic personal success. All of the people in the first chapter are really good at something unusual, something most people would not think of as even being a profession.

The second chapter focuses on how we interpret information and makes interesting and unusual connections. For example, in one article Gladwell compares diagnosing breast cancer with calling in an airstrike on Iraqi radicals. Both involve the development of new technology to make crystal clear pictures. The problem is that no matter how good the pictures are, the people looking at them are still not completely sure what they are looking for. In other articles, he discusses the difference between two types of failing, choking and panicking, as well as why the Challenger Shuttle explosion cannot be blamed on anyone. This chapter focuses mainly on the idea that there is not a lack of information available, but that people simply do not know how to interpret all of the information that they have.

The final chapter deals with personality quirks. Gladwell describes how criminal psychologists do not really help out investigators. He also questions whether or not people who are smarter than others at younger ages will always be smarter than the “late bloomers”.

I very much enjoyed this book. Malcolm Gladwell has a great way of explaining complex topics. He managed to explain the way Wall Street operates as well as a way to turn its failure into success in fewer than 30 pages. Everything he writes is very clear and he always narrates a story to go along with his explanations of topics (similar to Eric Schlosser’s writing in Fast Food Nation). This narrative makes every chapter very enjoyable to read. On top of just writing clearly and telling a story, the topics that Gladwell writes about may not seem interesting, but he has an amazing way of making any topic incredibly compelling. I expected the article about plagiarism to be a rant about how terrible it is and what a terrible crime it is. Yet Gladwell looks at plagiarism in a new light and suggests that plagiarism may not be such a terrible crime. He explains that plagiarism may even be necessary for the advancement of ideas. Everything that Gladwell writes about is extremely well researched and will have the reader learning very interesting facts about even the most mundane things.

I only have two critiques of the book and they are both very minor. The second chapter can get a little repetitive. The chapters about Enron and about the 9/11 terrorist attacks are very similar. Gladwell explains his topics in great detail, but when chapters are very similar, half of chapters wind up being almost identical. This does not make either article completely uninteresting, but it does feel like one of the chapters could have been omitted, or the two could have been combined. In addition, I think that some people will be disappointed that Gladwell writes a few details on a wide range of topics; some might prefer more detail on fewer topics. I think that people who like trivia will like this book, but people who like to read multiple books on the same subject might find that the articles gloss over opposing viewpoints.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

Reviewed by Meghan F.

In A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole takes the reader down the winding and twisting roads of the life of Ignatius J. Reilly. Ignatius is a gargantuan, flatulent, perverse, and offensive 30-year-old man who lives with his mother in New Orleans. Debt incurred from a car accident forces Ignatius to leave his life of pure introversion and to enter mainstream society in search of work. Though educated and well-read, Ignatius has difficulty procuring and maintaining employment. He first attains a position as a clerical assistant at the struggling Levy Pants and later switches to vending hotdogs on the streets of New Orleans. Throughout the entire novel, Ignatius records his observations and comments on society and his experiences as a “working boy” on the many Big Chief tablets scattered throughout his room. Ignatius’s writings, thoughts, and actions are plagued with dismay at the moral and theological decline in his fellow humans. This cynical outlook and violent revolt against the modern age, paired with Ignatius’s many physical ailments, create the ingenious and hilarious satire that is A Confederacy of Dunces.

Wherever Ignatius and his green hunting cap go, a trail of destruction and confusion is sure to follow. His pompous attitude, inverted views, condescending comments, and polysyllabic vocabulary bewilder the reader and the many characters he encounters throughout the novel. A Confederacy of Dunces opens with an epigraph, “When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.” This quotation from one of Jonathan Swift’s essays embodies Toole’s sharp, slapstick satire centered on the “true genius” Ignatius. The “dunces” in this novel are the colorful characters of New Orleans in the 1960’s including Patrolman Mancuso, the hard-working yet inept policeman, Darlene, the ridiculous stripper on Bourbon Street, Jones, the African-American “vagran’” donning dark glasses, Dorian Greene, the flamboyant homosexual who hosts many parties, and Mr. Levy, a wealthy business owner who despises his job and his manipulative wife. These are just a few of the many personalities that burst to life in the novel, creating a complex picture of New Orleans in the 1960’s. In the middle of it all is the bumbling and disparaging Ignatius J. Reilly, a character with seemingly few redeeming qualities.

I think the most striking aspect of the novel is the way in which it is told. Each chapter is divided into separate parts; in each part the third person narrator delves into the thoughts and actions of one particular character. Because of this structure, the novel is essentially a compilation of many subplots revolving around the circumstances and beliefs of the protagonist and each of the supporting characters. These subplots weave together in the end, tying up all loose strings and leaving the reader with a sense of satisfaction and completion. Seeing each character’s perspective of Ignatius adds an interesting dynamic to the reading of A Confederacy of Dunces. The opinions and situations contrast in a way that forced me to reflect on, question, and modify my assumptions about Ignatius. Furthermore, the wide range of perspectives reveals the nature of judgment: no one opinion is correct or representative of what everyone else believes.

When reading A Confederacy of Dunces, I unraveled statements about society that were wrapped within the humor and adventure of the novel. This unique and refreshing reading experience arose from the rich and complex structure, the unexpected yet comical follies and adventures following the protagonist, the sharp wit, and the omnipresent satire that combine to create John Kennedy Toole’s masterpiece, A Confederacy of Dunces.

The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene

Reviewed by Bryan G.

The Elegant Universe, a book written by physicist Brian Greene, is a great book for people with little knowledge of physics looking to learn about what those famous scientists who we kind of know actually discovered. From force particles to gravity, Greene details the major advancements in the history of physics, while also explaining newer ideas such as M and superstring theory, using helpful analogies that allow the reader to understand the abstract and appreciate it’s significance.

The beginning of the book sets up the conflict between the two conflict between the two major pillars of modern physics, the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. Relativity bases itself on a deterministic view of the universe; the smooth space-time continuum exists and is warped as massive particles as everything interacts in a definite and quantifiable way. Quantum mechanics predicates itself on probability, as microscopic particles move in inscrutable manners that preclude us from measuring their position and momentum and being able to describe their motion accurately, prompting us to instead model their movement through probability functions. The dissonance manifests itself at the order of magnitude of Plank’s length (1.616*10^-35 m) as the laws of quantum mechanics say that as one shrink’s a frame of reference, the energy with which the particles move increases to the point that matter and antimatter begin to interact to create energy, perpetually annihilating and reappearing. These high-energy fluctuations theoretically conflict with the smooth space-time curvature depicted in general relativity, creating a major rift in the two most important physical theories ever created.

Greene then goes on to talk about newer theories, looking to discover the theory of everything that would unify the divergent branches of physics and truly find the fundamental principles governing our universe. String theory postulates that the fundamental particle of the universe is a one-dimensional string, oscillating in manners that create the properties of the particles they constitute. These strings would not be small enough to be used to probe scales less than Plank’s length, thus making the quantum foam underlying time-space inaccessible and irrelevant to the interactions of the universe.

All in all, the book is very interesting and much easier to understand than most books describing these topics. However, it was published in 2003, and other more recent publications may be more accurate.

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Reviewed by Alli M.

Atonement is an elaborate story written through the eyes of Briony Tallis, an accomplished writer and storyteller. The story details the love affair between Briony’s older sister, Cecilia, and the housekeeper’s son, Robbie Turner. In Briony’s synthesized version of the story, Cecilia and Robbie overcome many obstacles in order to maintain their relationship and finally end up together after years of separation. Briony’s story is convincing and engaging, enticing the reader to believe in the fantastical nature of Cecilia and Robbie’s relationship.

However, at the end of the novel, Briony reveals the true nature of the story. In Atonement, author Ian McEwan uses the powers of perception to transform a bittersweet reality into an imaginary fantasy between two lovers. He uses brilliant literary techniques, such as the foreshadowing of Briony’s true identity through her direction of small plays with her cousins as a child. Not only is the plot of the story appealing to any romantic, but the writing itself is intricate and fine. Atonement is comparable to romantic novels by Nicholas Sparks or Jodi Picoult, but contains a higher level of literary development that satisfies the reader and makes for a well-composed novel.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Reviewed by Dana S.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway is a classic narrative of an old fisherman’s conquest for the perfect fish. I read this timeless story for the first time, and was truly touched by it.

Santiago, the novel’s protagonist, is a weathered old man of routine. In his prime, he was known for his impressive strength and ability as a fisherman. However, years later, he is down on his luck, alone but for a special relationship with a local boy. To make up for his ill success in the Cuban harbor, Santiago packs a few supplies into his small boat, and, alone, heads far out to sea to catch the biggest fish he can.

The old man’s struggle with the marlin is long, tiresome, and extensive. As it progressive, it even becomes personal, as Santiago develops an unusual kinship with his prey. Left alone at sea for several days, Santiago’s mind wanders in a poignantly human way- to baseball, to love, to religion; to our pasts, our dreams, and to our weaknesses. His thoughts touch and explore subjects that we all at one point, surely, have considered.

The novel’s substance does not come from its plot, but from its heartening and relatable narration. Because the old man finds himself far out at sea for the majority of the story, the narration is almost purely internal, an endearing and personal revelation of the old man’s soul.

, at its core, a journey. Hemingway’s prose leads and anticipates. However, it tells more than of a timeline. The narrative, more importantly, leads the reader straight into Santiago’s heart. For this reason, the sorrowful ending is all the more chilling, and perhaps, all the more satisfying.
I enjoyed my first read of this classic. It was captivating and insightful in its simplicity, and Santiago was a character that I know I will keep close to my heart.