Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare

Title: Romeo & Juliet
Author: William Shakepeare
Pages: 283
Published: 2004 (first published 1595)
Challenges: The Classics Club, 2012 Back to the Classics
Genre: Drama, Classic
Edition: E-book
Source: Free download from Kobo

Description: Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young "star-cross'd lovers" whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. 


Thoughts:  This is one of my favourite plays but for some strange reason, this took me awhile to actually read.  Part of it had to do with the fact that I didn't feel like reading and that I had other things to read in the meantime.  Anyways, I quite enjoyed it and still remains one of my favourites.  I think what struck me was how complex the play is and even though I have seen the Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Danes version of the play (yes, I realize that its a modern version of the play) on a number of occasions (yes, I did see it when it came out in theatres), I have seen the play performed live.  I think what takes me aback is how complex the play is and also how much humour is incorporated into the play, even thought it may only be slight.


Bottom line:  If you have read any of Shakespeare's plays or have watched the movie version of this play, I recommend the play highly.


Rating: 4/5


Pages for 2012: 9500

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

Title: The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Pages: 216
Published: 1995 (first published 1925)
Challenges: 2012 Back to the Classics, 2012 TBR Pile
Genre: American, Classic
Edition: Paperback
Source: Purchased

Description: Nick Carraway, a Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby's circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy. (via IMBD)

Thoughts: Despite the fact that this took me almost 2 months to read, I really enjoyed it.  There are a lot of similarities to the excess of the 1920s to what happened in the late 1990s, early 2000s with a lot of people living "high off the hog".   The story was a little dull at times and there were a few times in which I had to back track and reread what I had read in order to so that I wouldn't miss anything. Despite this, I could see why people are fascinated by the story and have to it time again and again.  And we will see it yet again coming to a theatre near you in December of this year (or January/February depending on where one lives).

While I wasn't as enamoured with The Great Gatsby as I was with This Side of Paradise, it was certainly worth the read and thought it to be a beautiful portrayal of those who try to live in the fast lane for any period of time and who are unable to manage who they associate with.

Bottom line: If you have read any of Fitzgerald's other work or anything by Hemmingway, you would probably like this.

Rating: 4/5

Pages for 2012: 6495

Back to the Classics Challenge 2012

I saw this challenge back in early November and I have hummed and hawed and finally I have decided to join in the fun.

You can find the details at Sarah Reads Too Much.  But essentially these are the goals that one has to complete:

• Any 19th Century Classic 
• Any 20th Century Classic
• Reread a classic of your choice
• A Classic Play
• Classic Mystery/Horror/Crime Fiction
• Classic Romance
• Read a Classic that has been translated from its original language to your language   - To clarify, if your native language is NOT English, you may read any classic originally written in English that has been translated into your native language.
• Classic Award Winner  - To clarify, the book should be a classic which has won any established literary award.
• Read a Classic set in a Country that you (realistically speaking) will not visit during your lifetime  - To Clarify, this does not have to be a country that you hope to visit either.  Countries that no longer exist or have never existed count.

Here are my picks:
• 19th century classic - Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
• 20th century classic - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Reread - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
• Classic Play - Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare
• Classic Mystery - The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
• Classic Romance - North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
• Classic translated from its original language to your language - Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
• Classic Award Winner - East of Eden by John Steinbeck
• Classic not set in a country that you will not visit during your lifetime - The Orestia (Ancient Greece)