To Air Differences and Remain Friends, the Essence of Civilized Existence, Don’t You Think?

As I have written previously, I was wholeheartedly disappointed with the first Ian McEwan novel I read. To this day, Atonement is still the only story for which I enjoy the film adaptation more than the original novel. I had been worried to see so many more of McEwan's novels on this list. Despite this, he survived his second chance, offering readers a beautifully written morality tale.

There is much lacking in this novel: it's characters seem to lose their luster halfway through the book, the excitement of the plot begins to lose steam, and the ending seems hollow. However, McEwan still paints an accurate portrayal of a dramatically conflicted friendship that is riddled with moral questions and debates; I have never read a book that examines euthanasia from such an interior perspective.

What struck me most about Amsterdam, however, really has nothing to do with the plot or themes. One of the main characters of the novel is a musical composer, and the way in which McEwan describes the way that character "sees" his symphony come together is brilliant. The imagery is beautiful and a true delight to read for anyone who loves music.

In the end, I still expect better from McEwan, an author who has four or five books on this list. I give this attempt a B+.

66 down, 935 to go!

"No one knows anything, really. It's all rented or borrowed." (Ian McEwan)

The More I Suffer, the More I Love

I had been looking forward to reading Bernhard Schlink's morality tale, The Reader, since hearing of the film and watching Kate Winslet cinch her Oscar win for it. I still haven't seen the movie, but I knew what it was about and anticipated an intense and dramatic novel to accompany its dark and tumultuous themes. Unfortunately, I found myself a bit underwhelmed.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading the novel. It's plot and themes (without giving away too much) are imaginative and thought-provoking, looking at the divisive nature of the holocaust from an entirely different perspective, but I found that the writing and character development left something to be desired. The whole novel just felt a bit flat. However, the part of the book from which the novel draws its title is beautiful and inspiring. It will be interesting to see if the movie follows along the same lines.

All in all, though, I'm giving The Reader a solid B+. It's minor plot twist and ultimate messages are wonderful.

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"People who commit crimes are not necessarily monsters. If they were, things would be easy. But they aren't, and it is one of the experiences of life." (Bernhard Schlink)

He Who Ruled Scent Ruled the Hearts of Men

Anyone that knows me well - actually, anyone merely acquainted with me - knows of my profound love of Alan Rickman. Whether my love is unhealthy or just enthusiastic is up for debate, but regardless, I was thrilled that Patrick Suskind's novel Perfume: The Story of a Murderer made this list. The movie (featuring Alan Rickman, of course) that this book inspired is brilliant, one of my absolute favorites. A subtle tale of horror, it's plot is so imaginative and the end is so unexpected that I acutely remember staring at my blank television screen in silence for about ten minutes after the credits were done rolling. Although I am generally of the belief that books are always better than their film counterparts, I admit being somewhat concerned that I would be disappointed; I did, after all, already know the ending.

However, the novel was the farthest thing from a disappointment. For fear of giving anything away, the most I will say about the plot is that the main character, the murderer, experiences the world not through sight or touch but through scent. It is truly an imaginative notion. To have such developed descriptions of his thoughts and feelings that are not explored within the limited narrative voice of the film was delightful. Reading the novel makes Suskin's ideas about scent and the emotions that they can inspire much more of a way of thinking about the world as opposed to mere plot points.

Stylistically, Perfume reads like a good mystery novel; suspense is always subtly building. At the same time, however, it takes the time to offer reflections on such important things as Beauty and Truth. It's fabulously written and truly one of a kind. I give it a resounding A and encourage everyone to read it AND see the film. You won't be disappointed... if not a little disturbed.

64 down, 937 to go!

"No human being can go on living in the same house with a pigeon; a pigeon is the epitome of chaos and anarchy." (Patrick Suskind)

I Hate Your City. It Has Standardized All the Beauty Out Of Life

We live in strange times. We are always encouraged to be individuals, to do what it is that will make us happy regardless of what others may think. At the same time, however, our society has a sneaky way of imposing conformity upon us. Most of us silently judge those who are too different. We generally prefer to socialize with those who think and feel the same way that we do. Don't forget, though, we're individuals.

It was not always this way. Conformity used to be much more obvious. Class divisions were more sharply defined; there were fewer visible symbols of ones wealth and prosperity. Even the most minute diversions from the path of acceptable behavior were seen as the worst of offenses. This is the society in which George Babbitt, the title character in Sinclair Lewis' novel, Babbitt, lives. Since Lewis' novel is, at its core, a satire, the unrelenting desire of the Babbitt family to successfully conform to society's standards is sickeningly desperate. Everything they do is measured in terms of the opinions of others; George routinely talks to himself about how wonderful it is that others will see his success and like him. Everything seems to be going perfectly for them. Slowly however, George becomes more and more tired of his work and family. As he finds even more about which to complain, he begins to resent everyone around him. He has grand visions of his own rebellion and, for a while, breaks the rules of prohibition and has affairs with various women in an attempt to break free of society's oppression. Before long, however, he is shamed back into conformity. This would all be utterly depressing if not for the next generation made up of young adults who still have time to break free and be true individuals if only they will try.

Generally, I am a huge fan of satire. However, I must admit that I don't find much appealing about the American 1920s, especially not when depicted with this extreme sense of conformity and contrivance. I found the incessant use of the slang of the times somewhat annoying, as I'm sure it was meant to be, but even so, it did lessen my enjoyment of the book. I give it a B-.

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"There are two insults no human being will endure: that he has no sense of humor, and that he has never known trouble." (Sinclair Lewis)