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Showing posts from September, 2019

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

"What is sure to be a delightful story for children is lackluster and dull when read in adulthood."  2 Stars Pros: Extremely easy to read/Simple to follow/The moral of the story is that you don't have to go out looking for brains/a heart/courage etc, it's within you all along. Cons: Even though it was a story meant for children, the characters had no depth, they were extremely one dimensional, but again, it's meant for children so, it can't be too complicated. Full Review:  The story of Dorothy and her magical trip to the land of Oz all starts during a Cyclone in Kansas. Toto, her mischievous but loyal dog, runs to hide under the bed and Dorothy runs after him instead of getting to the storm cellar. The cyclone then picks up the house and whisks it away to the mysterious land of Oz. Upon entering the land, she finds it lush and beautiful, much different than drab, gray Kansas. She is approached by the Munchkins and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North,

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

"A frightening chronicle of one of the worst times in human history told from the eyes of a girl who is forced to grow up in a terrible situation and who must learn independence and self reliance in the most unusual circumstances."  4 Stars Pros: Every girl who has gone through puberty can relate to the inner turmoil of Anne's thoughts and feelings/We see Anne's struggle to both be seen as an adult and her wish still have the carefree life of a child/ Cons: Everything is, of course, one sided, as it is all told from Anne's point of view. We only know her thoughts on the situation and no one else's/Some of the characters are a bit jumbled and confusing. People that Anne has probably known her whole life but to the reader, they are strangers, again though, it's a Diary, I'm sure she had no intention of writing to an audience. Full Review: Otto Frank and his family, his wife and two daughters went into hiding to try and escape the persecution of t

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.

"At first, a dense, complicated, hard to get through "tome" that transforms into a truly inspiring, heartbreaking meditation on life, Faith, predestination and how the people in our lives mean so much."  5 Stars Pros:  A truly unique coming of age story with memorable characters/Owen Meany in and of himself is larger than life in every aspect but for his physical appearance/The scenes of New Hampshire are truly vivid and for someone who has spent her entire life in New England, I could see everything with crystal clarity/The mystery behind the identity of Johnny's Father is what keeps the novel moving forward, also the idea of how every action leads to the next, that everything is intertwined, was interesting. Cons:  The idea that Owen Meany is always right and far above and removed from the average human, though that was the authors intent/The Owen Meany flame text (all capital letters) took some getting used to/Johnny's opinions of current events, for t