P. G. Wodehouse’s famous offbeat humor develops in this Blandings Castle novel from the theft of the Empress of Blandings. Not a human aristocrat, the Empress is actually the prize-winning pig and all-consuming interest of the dotty Lord Emsworth of Blandings Castle, and she is due to defend her honor in an annual contest. A typical Wodehouse comedy of manners with its witty satire of upperclass life, the affectations, lack of perspective, and preoccupation with preserving the status quo, the novel also revolves around the subject of love as various characters must face their differences, counter false accusations, and even deal with an impersonation.
Read Full Post »
In her most playful and exuberant novel, Virginia Woolf writes the “historical biography” of Orlando, a young boy of nobility during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. A wild ride through four centuries, the novel shows Orlando aging, magically, only thirty-six years between 1588 and 1928. Even more magically, he also changes from a man to a woman. As she explores Orlando’s life, Woolf also explores the differing roles of men and women in society during various periods, ultimately concluding that one’s role as a man or woman is determined by society, rather than by birth. (Just click on the title to see full review.)
Read Full Post »
In what many call her most autobiographical novel, Virginia Woolf creates a warm and intimate portrait of a family which resembles her own–her parents, brothers and sisters–and the friends with whom they enjoy their summer vacation on the Isle of Skye in the Hebrides. Mrs. Ramsay, the mother of eight children, is the linchpin of the fictional family. She adores her husband, and though she often feels she fails him, she persists in smoothing his way so that he can work, managing the house and children, and inviting large groups of his students and friends to visit. Often strict and always right, Mr. Ramsay loves being the center of praise, but rarely praises others, and is often insensitive to the hopes and dreams of his children. No unifying plot and no unifying voice tie the three sections of the novel together, and many of the early characters play little role in the ending, yet in her hands the novel “works.” Woolf captures not only the passage of time but also the effects of time on all of her characters as they continue their lives, however changed, following in the footsteps of experimental writers like James Joyce, and taking literary chances which place her work with the best of the twentieth century. (Click on the title to see full review.)
Read Full Post »
