From the publisher:
“First published in 1895, America’’s greatest novel of the Civil War was written before 21-year-old Stephen Crane had “smelled even the powder of a sham battle.” But this powerful psychological study of a young soldier’’s struggle with the horrors, both within and without, that war strikes the reader with its undeniable realism and with its masterful descriptions of the moment-by-moment riot of emotions felt by me under fire. Ernest Hemingway called the novel an American classic, and Crane’’s genius is as much apparent in his sharp, colourful prose as in his ironic portrayal of an episode of war so intense, so immediate, so real that the terror of battle becomes our own … in a masterpiece so unique that many believe modern American fiction began with Stephen Crane.

The Red Badge Of Courage has long been considered the first great ‘modern’ novel of war by an American–the first novel of literary distinction to present war without heroics and this in a spirit of total irony and skepticism.”

My thoughts:
I didn’t know what to expect when I started this book. I knew it was a nineteenth century American novel about a soldier, but aside from that I had no knowledge. The writing itself was very good, but the entire novel was really one long description, so it was more than a tad dull. On the other hand, the description was quite accurate, I could tell & I couldn’t help but compare Henry’s experience to those related in recent read, Fifteen Days. Also brought back memories of my time in basic training. I enjoyed the essay that ended the book, putting the events in their ironic context.

From the publisher:
“Long before she made her first trip to Afghanistan as an embedded reporter for The Globe and Mail, Christie Blatchford was already one of Canada’s most respected and eagerly read journalists. Her vivid prose, her unmistakable voice, her ability to connect emotionally with her subjects and readers, her hard-won and hard-nosed skills as a reporter–these had already established her as a household name. But with her many reports from Afghanistan, and in dozens of interviews with the returned members of the 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and others back at home, she found the subject she was born to tackle. Her reporting of the conflict and her deeply empathetic observations of the men and women who wear the maple leaf are words for the ages, fit to stand alongside the nation’s best writing on war.

It is a testament to Christie Blatchford’s skills and integrity that along with the admiration of her readers, she won the respect and trust of the soldiers. They share breathtakingly honest accounts of their desire to serve, their willingness to confront fear and danger in the battlefield, their loyalty towards each other and the heartbreak occasioned by the loss of one of their own. Grounded in insights gained over the course of three trips to Afghanistan in 2006, and drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews not only with the servicemen and -women with whom she shared so much, but with their commanders and family members as well, Christie Blatchford creates a detailed, complex and deeply affecting picture of military life in the twenty-first century.”

My thoughts:
This is a very good book. Even though I’ve never experienced war and can’t possibly really understand what it’s like, Christie Blatchford has provided a window into the world of our soldiers in Afghanistan (at least what it was in 2006). You get a real sense of what operations are like, how it might feel to be under fire or at risk of an IED blowing up the vehicle you’re in, how the death of your mate could be so sudden and surprising but at the same time almost expected. She also gives insight into the lives of family and friends of the soldiers and the camaraderie of the military. I’m ending this book feeling even more respect for the troops because now I feel I have a greater knowledge of what they’re doing as well as a personal connection to them (even though I know the soldiers there now are not the same ones who were there in 2006). Anyway, I think Christie Blatchford really deserved the GG for this book.

This book was sent to me as part of Penguin’s Blog a Classic programme.

From the back cover:
“Probably written by a student of Aristotle, The Athenian Constitution is both a history and an analysis of Athens’ political machinery between the seventh and fourth centuries BC, which stands as a model of democracy at a time when city-states operated under differing kinds of government. The writer recounts the major reforms of Solon, the rule of the tyrant Pisistratus and his sons, the emergence of the democracy in which power was shared by all free male citizens, and the leadership of Pericles and the demagogues who followed him. He goes on to examine the city’s administration in his own time — the council, the officials and judicial system. For its information on Athens’ development and how the democracy worked, The Athenian Constitution is an invaluable source of knowledge about this city-state.

P.J. Rhodes’s introduction discusses authorship and sources, and compares this work to those of Aristotle. This edition also includes notes, a chronology, a bibliography, indexes and maps.”

Other useful links:
the Wikipedia entry for Aristotle
the Wikipedia entry for The Athenian Constitution

My thoughts:
I just finished this book. It took quite a lot longer than I expected it too (probably because the notes were as long, if not longer than the original text). Rhodes did a fantastic job of analyzing, translating, and contexualizing the document.

This is what I wrote for Penguin:

I had to laugh when I received this as my selection. I’m currently in the midst of reading the entire works of Aristotle. I was kind of hoping for something completely outside of my normal fare, but I guess it’s a good thing that it was I who got this instead of someone who has no interest or background knowledge of classical Greece.

So anyway, the first thing is that this was not likely written by Aristotle himself, but rather by a student of his, perhaps as an assignment. The very good, very informative introduction by editor and translator P.J. Rhodes gives a great analysis of what led scholars to that conclusion. The intro also discusses the author’s sources, the interpolated Chapter 4, and the style of the original Greek.

Rhodes’ name doesn’t appear on the front cover but really I think it should because the book wouldn’t be half as interesting without his introduction, synopses, notes, and back matter (including sections on weights & measures, chronology, glossary, maps etc.).

He’s divided the original into sections according to periods in the history of Athens, giving each section an introduction summarizing the content and comparing it to what we know from other sources like Thucydides. Each chapter has a corresponding endnote which gives further details, evaluates the historical accuracy of the content, and, in a few instances, provides an illustration of something mentioned by the author.

I wouldn’t expect many people to run out to buy this book to read it for fun, but anyone who is reading this to gain knowledge about the history of Athens or political systems will be gratified with this edition of The Athenian Constitution. I have no way to evaluate the translation, but I expect even those who can read the original Greek would find in this Penguin a valuable resource.

Now that I’m actually finished, the only thing I really need to add is that it was very interesting to read both the historical evolution of the Athenian form of government as well as the mechanisms established to allot offices and juries. We call what we have a democracy, but compared to the democracy of ancient Athens (when they did have democracy), it doesn’t seem democratic at all (rather more like an oligarchy).

Book 30, As For Me and My House (1941) - Sinclair Ross
From the back cover:
“‘It’s an immense night out there, wheeling and windy. The lights on the street and in the houses against the black wetness, little unilluminating glints that might be painted on it. The town seems huddled together, cowering on a high tiny perch, afraid to move lest it topple into the wind.’

The town is Horizon, the setting of Sinclair Ross’ brilliant classic study of life in the Depression era. Hailed by critics as one of Canada’s great novels, As For Me and My House takes the form of a journal. The unnamed diarist, one of the most complex and arresting characters in contemporary fiction, explores the bittersweet nature of human relationships, of the unspoken bonds that tie people together, and the undercurrents of feeling that often tear them apart. Her chronicle creates an intense atmosphere, rich with observed detail and natural imagery.

As For Me and My House is a landmark work. It is essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand the scope and power of the Canadian novel.”

Other useful links:
the Wikipedia entry for Sinclair Ross
the Wikipedia entry for As For Me and My House
An essay by Paul Denham: “Narrative Technique in Sinclair Ross’s As For Me and My House”
BookCrosser cellomerl’s review of the novel

My thoughts:
I really am trying to catch up so that I’m not writing these things months after I’ve actually read them! It’s very hard to recapture one’s feelings upon finishing a book, but I’ll give it a shot.

I did enjoy this book, especially its evocation of the prairies — and the small prairie town — during the Great Depression. In fact, the landscape is the only ‘character’ of the book that is unambiguous and stark in its reality. But even in that there is a possibility that the reader is being shown a facade (just like the “false-fronted towns” Mrs Bentley refers to); after all, the town is called Horizon — a place that can never be reached no matter how far one travels. There’s just so much to think about and discuss with this novel: how reliable is Mrs Bentley’s narration? is she or is Philip the main character? what is going on in the weeks that are omitted? There’s the role that art plays in the novel, the lost son, the replacement son in Steve, and the half-son Philip at the end of the book. There’s the theme of religion and lack of religious feeling. And a lot of hypocrisy on many levels to analyse. It’s a very short book and the whole thing takes place in only about a year, but there’s so much crammed in here. An excellent book by Sinclair Ross.