Michael Chabon, Wonder Boys 1995

A novel, about a novelist, Grady Tripp in his forties. He is also a teacher. 

I really enjoyed this novel, right from the first page. It easily captured my brain, in that way that the words became alive, as smoothly as the tear would fall upon the cheek.  I love the twist! Michael Chabon also uses some extraordinary sentences that caught my attention. I read it twice, thrice, and I smiled. 

"[...] a ripple in the muscle of his jaw, told me he wasn't joking." (p.9) 

Is it only me, or is not that little description just fantastic? The plot is ironic in a great way, for it is about a writer, and his process of publishing a book he, Grady Tripp, has been working on for seven years. It made me laugh as I know, myself, of some writers who has been struggling with their book, for the same amount of time. Chabon also creates a relationship between Grady and one of his students, James Leer, which has a big importance to the whole plot and which also helps us understand what Grady's real purpose is as a writer in this book.

Wonder Boys, has its dark fragrance throughout the book, but it's light for a reader to take in as the journey of Grady's life is humorous and entertaining, it becomes ridiculously brilliant. It is as if you are reading about a writer, living his life as his own character; the funny thing is, is that the protagonist actually does mention it himself. "Doppelgänger" is found in the text three times. 

Many little points left me thinking what the characters' purpose was, and it all kept me excited throughout my read. I could myself get involved of figuring out the solutions, for both the characters' problems and what Chabon was trying to say when he wrote:

"He's writing his name in water." (p.43) 

...which I absolutely love. 

There are many lovely qualities and symbols in this novel. Chabon is using a simple technique of describing the image of one character's facial expression, with the same image as he used when he described another character's object, such as the colour of their shoes. 

Not new for you? It was for me. 

Highly recommended read.

Pnin, by Vladimir Nabokov

It is about an old, bald professor, teaching Russian language in America.

It has its little sentences that is little bit catchy, an interesting perspective, but this is a very confusing plot. I think this story could have a whole other meaning, better impact, if Vladimir Nabokov had written it differently. The plot was confusing as Nabokov was describing way too much about the character and each of their background stories, which makes the narrator not reliable.

The narrator is a man, who had to chance to be married with the bald professor, Pnin's wife, but was too late. The narrator later meet Pnin along the way through his life, as they both are growing up. But the narrator, this man, does not hear everything about Pnin's life until he meets Cockrell, a mutual friend, and they both see Pnin disappear in a truck.

This is suppose to be a novel with comedy element, but quite frankly I did not enjoy it, and it didn't make me laugh. Could it be that my humor has another sense, or could it be that it was badly written? For me, a definite fail of writing. It is not bad, but it is not good. Nabokov does not leave any freedom for the reader to get involved with the story. It is like a tv-screen in loss of connection, moving black and white lines and a scratching sound.

Each chapter is separated into different perspectives, or 'new episodes'. There were a very few which I enjoyed to read. Section 2, in chapter 1 almost got me a little excited. I wanted to know what was going to happen. Nabokov gradually lost me from chapter 2.

I finished reading it... it feels like I cleaned up the whole kitchen with the wrong cloth, it's still dirty. 

George Orwell, 1984

This is my first attempt to write a review, please be aware 

that I have opened a new door and still wearing the wrong type of shoes.

1984, a classic.
I am almost a little bit frightened to write about this book, as there are already so many reviews of this novel. This novel has so much that I can talk about, but what I cannot let go of is the Power George Orwell points out, especially in the end of the novel. Many things - which many have already mentioned - that relates to how we are, and to how we live today. The way of thinking. Chapter after chapter I caught myself thinking, 'Orwell is so clever! How could he write something like this during that particular period?' On a second thought, if he had not written that, perhaps we would not be where we are today? Books are read, interpreted by the readers, from readers the thoughts are produced, talked about and shared in their community. Someone will take the idea and employ it into their workplace, it will be produced, and people will take part in it - and it finally becomes a part of us. Suddenly we realise, of course it is related, because why would the text otherwise survive?
It is good, because it is real, the characters are real. It is the world that becomes a mirror of the mind, which is the part of sci-fi. It is a world built on many blocks with different shapes and it have many ways of turning Winston around. We see his life as the ordinary man in his word-place, the tender lover in the secret places, and he is the one finally being converted into the world which wants to control him. The vocabulary is simple, and it is a journey Orwell takes you through, which will end with you, looking at your world differently.