Well, I actually read this one in 2006. I was going to
do the whole Pulitzer list thing in 2006, but it never got off
the ground. Anyway, this book is 90 years old, so it reads like
typical early 20th century "Literature". I find a lot
lit-er-a-choor pretentious, so I can't recommend this one.
Again I read this one in 2006. I liked this one better, but
it still was not an easy read. I think there are some books that
are just better in their own time. Of course, some authors and works
are timeless (Shakespeare, Twain, Dumas).
Another period piece about New York high society in the late
1800's. A tragic story of unrequited love. Again, this loses
some of its impact with distance. But if the book is at all faithful
to the time, it should make one realize that our mores and values
do drift with time. Our current American society is just a snapshot in a
long history, and is no more inherently "right" or "wrong" than any
other. Don't miss the sly joke she plays with the characters names.
After a while these books seem to run together. This is another
moralizing story about the dangers of class and keeping up with the
Jones. Although the style is a bit stiff, you can't help
but keep reading, much like watching a car wreck.
This is the first book set somewhere other than the East coast.
It is the story of a Nebraska boy growing up during the Great War (WWI).
This book had a more natural feel to it. I liked it.
This was good. I kept waiting for something about the title
character, but 90% of the books was about his mother. I like Ferber's
style. I didn't know she had written so many popular books. She also
wrote Giant, Showboat and Cimmaron. I will
probably take a side trip to read Giant and see the Rock Hudson movie.
Another novel about the tragic East Coast upper class.
See Age of Innocence with the gender roles reversed.
Not a book I will be reading again. Not recommended.
What is it with the Lewis/Louis/Luis thing? The Pulitzer
committee must have had a good chuckle over this. Anyway, if
you like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, then you will likely like
this. I didn't. But I have been to several places in Peru that
are mentioned in the book, so that was of some interest.
A very different book than any of the prize winners to
date. I also read the last book Wilder wrote, The Eighth Day.
I was lukewarm on it, but it would have won if written
in the 20s or 30s.
