THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT

by John Steinbeck

 

This is the third book I’ve read written by John Steinbeck and as I expected it was a truly great story. Ethan is middle age man, working as a clerk at the grocery store.  He comes from a wealthy family, but all the family money was lost. What’s left is only pride, a good family name with high expectations from his wife and children that he will become rich again.

The Author shows Ethan’s life with no real hopes of getting back to the wealth and respect he once had.  In the beginning of the book Ethan seems to be an easy going lighthearted person, then the last 100 pages shows something completely different.  The pressure of the idea of regaining his previous status in society makes Ethan do things he never thought he would do.

I enjoyed this novel from the very first pages till the end. It was details what made this story for me. Steinbeck is a master in examination person’s deepest thoughts and secrets.  I have loved every book written by this author. This is not a book you will read in one or two evenings. It requires some time in order to really enjoy and appreciate the deepness of this novel.

The Red and The Black

by Stendhal

The story takes place in 1830 France, where Julien Sorel, a carpenter’s son, is dreaming of a better life.  Julien is studying to become a priest, but secretly he is obsessed with Napoleon’s ideas.

One day Julien was sent to work at the house of the wealthy de Renâl family as a tutor. Julien falls in love with his Mr. de Renâl’s wife. Everything gets complicated when the maid makes rumors about the affair in the small town and embarrasses M. de Renâl.  So Julien is sent away from their house to avoid the scandal. It is heartbreaking for her to do so because she loves Julien and can’t imagine being apart from him, but they don’t have any other choice.

I don’t want to spoil the story by telling anything more of it. It’s a great book and Stendhal is a very important author of 19^th century classic literature. His writings have inspired such authors as Balzac and Zola. This is definitely not an easy read. “The Red and the Black” plot is about many things like love, politics, society and it has some unexpected twists in the end. The language in this novel makes it a difficult read, but when you are ready to see the beauty of the story through complicated language and politics of 19^th century France, only then can you see the true beauty of this book.

Cancer Ward

by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn

This novel takes place around the early 1950’s in post Stalinist Soviet Union Uzbekistan. It’s about people who have cancer and about their lives after the diagnosis. The story begins at the hospital in a small cancer ward where they go through therapy.  Each of the characters is facing their own fears, worries and regrets. One of them is a wealthy man, named Rusanov; he thinks that he can win the fight with cancer because of his connections and money. He is more worried and scared about the possible revenge from a man he helped to put in jail many years ago during Stalin’s Great Purge. Many people were killed during that time; others have been arrested and then sent to the labor camps. One of them, Oleg Kostoglotov, is also here in the ward. He has spent years working hard in the labor camp while all his life passed by and now he has cancer. So during the months that he has spent in the hospital, he falls in love with one of the nurses and now feels a strong desire to live, not just give up. Another young man is using all of the time he has left to read and learn, because he wants to do something that will stay after his death. He wants something that will be important to other people and will make him stay alive in their memories.

From the title of the book you might think that it’s a depressing story, but it’s not. Sometimes it was sad, but there is also lot of joy in this book. It’s not just a story about the people and their illnesses; it was an allegory about Soviet Union as well, you can see it clearly in the sentence where Kostoglotov says: “A man dies from a tumor, so how can a country survive with growths like labor camps and exiles?”  I had no preconceived expectations for this book when I started to read it, but after only a few pages, I knew I would love it. The book is very deep and emotional, and exquisitely written. The characters in the book were so detailed and alive, their emotions so vivid, that sometimes you feel like they are your own.  Solzhenitsyn has written a true masterpiece. If you are looking for something very special then this is the book for you.