The Social Porcupine

Comparison of the books Jayber Crow   by Wendell Berry and Of Human Bondage  by Somerset Maugham. Contains spoilers.  I read Jane Eyre and Anna Karenina back-to-back with the purpose of comparing them. Ironically, I did not plan on comparing the next two books I read, nor did I expect them to be so uncannily similar. Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry  is the story of a boy becoming a man and how he immortalizes his suffering. It is a story of community lost due to progressive thought and industrialism, and of the lonely man. It is written to stir the senses toward empathy, perhaps somewhat toward apathy, but the light is tinted. Jayber Crow's story is not happy story, although he falsely believes himself to be happy.  Of Human Bondage  by Somerset Maugham follows the life of Philip Carey, of his search to find meaning and focus, and how he repeatedly succumbs to man's nature to the desire of treasuring suffering above goodness.  I shared most o...

Reviews can be found on my Goodreads .  2022 favorite reads in order of preference. The Growth of the Soil - Knut Hamsun Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy Peter Pan - J. M. Barrie The Island of Missing Trees - Elif Shafak Of Human Bondage - Somerset Maugham Hannah Coulter - Wendell Berry Good Omens - Neil Gaiman The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgahov Harry Potter Series Abolition of Man - C. S. Lewis The Hoosier Schoolmaster - Edward Eggleston The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho An Everyday Girl - Amy Ella Blanchard Rules of Civility - Amor Towels Longest book: Anna Karenina Shortest book: The Abolition of Man Most Moving: The Island of Missing Trees, The Growth of the Soil Most Challenging: The Art of Letting Go Most Fun - An Everyday Girl, Good Omens Favorite non-fiction: The Colossus of Maroussi by Henry Miller, Say Nothing Most Likely to Recommend (all ages) - Peter Pan, The Ascendance Series, The Hoosier Schoolmaster, Hannah Coulter Least Likely to Recomme...

Book Review of Jayber Crow (and sometimes of Hannah Coulter ) Contains spoilers Wendell Berry is best known for his essays and poetry, but I have begun with his novels, great literary works about a small Kentucky town called Port William, and the community who consider themselves Port William's membership.  I read Hannah Coulter first, a sweet and somewhat scandalous novel about a simple young woman who grows up to be a happy wife and mother, and then at last a reflective and welcoming old woman. It was one of those books that felt good to read. The prose was poignant. The story meant many things, like a well-spiced apple pie does, rich in texture. I wanted to savor it forever, and yet was glad to live after having finished reading such a book.  And so, I began  Jayber Crow, considered to be one of Berry's best novels.  At the start I loved it more than Hannah Coulter. We are introduced to Jayber, a barber who loves his clients and their stories, who com...

Comparison of the novels Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy Contains spoilers By Keturah Lamb, July 9, 2022 Jane Eyre is feisty and not very pretty, so we are told. But we fall in love with a little girl who has a sensitive heart willing to forgive those who torment her and to pray for them. The plot quickly turns away from the wit and misfortune of a Jane Austen type story and we see a foreshadowing of all the dark, sordid things ahead when Jane is locked in a room where she believes to see a red demon.  Anna Karenina makes quite the first impression. She is beautiful, elegant, but above all she sees those around her and all feel known and loved by her. In her first scene we witness Anna missing her son, but she is here to save her brother’s marriage. She exhorts her sister-in-law to forgive. It is a touching dialogue, and despite all that will follow I believe this to be Anna’s greatest work. The brother’s marriage is saved, the wife forg...

"Journeys can be a respite from living" All italics throughout this post are quotes from the book I read while camping in Vermont.   The Child From The Sea by Elizabeth Goudge Hello.  My disappearance has been slow, like a struggling string of smoke that won't spark into fire no matter how much life you blow onto it, yet it persistly exists... just to sting your eyes?  Quite lukewarm in actions, I've sorta just meandered out of the blogging world. I'm sorry for that. I'm not apologizing. I'm simply sorry.  And I'm not going to change my ways. I think the days of schedules for this blog are over. I have built new dreams and desires, but I shan't completely forget this lovely place or all your lovely blogs.  Occasionally I will make an appearance to bless and be blessed. I've gone roadtripping. What does one do while on the road? Mostly sing or cry. Or try not to make fatal mistakes. It's really a miracle that there aren...