What I've been reading: Books No. 21-22

Book No. 21 was a re-read of "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving. This was the first John Irving novel I read in my late teens or early 20s, and I got hooked on the author. My whole family fell in love with this book and passed it around to read it. My notes from my journal from that time say: "Powerful. I liked the way he made the most trivial things become part of the plot and become significant." I enjoyed this very much on my second read as well, and probably got more out of it in terms of noticing how well-plotted it is. Each long chapter is like a short story, but they all build on one another. Highly recommended.

Book No. 22 was "The House of Mirth" by Edith Wharton. Wharton's novel tells the story of Lily Bart, a beautiful woman brought up to enjoy the finer things in life and high society but without the personal finances to make it happen. The story follows the struggle between her wishes to live life on her own terms vs. the expectations society has of her. One of the downsides to a Wharton novel is that if you like lots of action, there isn't much. There are a lot of conversations over dinner or during a walk to church. The brilliance of Wharton novels comes from her descriptions of natural beauty, her observations about high society and human nature, and her ability to describe a character's personality in one or two little telling details. Recommended.


( The other books I've read so far this year: )