The Modern Library 100 Best Novels Challenge discussion

August 2009 - Post comments here!

Maybe it's cheating a little...

I started reading this one last week because I was at the library and they happened to have a copy available. I found it interesting that the book was shelved in both the adult and YA sections - after reading about 40 pages of the book, and being a high school teacher, I don't think many teens would understand and appreciate this novel. I was dubious when I began the book because it won the Pulitzer, and so far, I have read very few Pulitzers that have been interesting; that being said, I don't know how I feel about this story yet. I am about to begin "Esteban" and because it is so short I am determined to finish it.

I hope to pick this one up at the library today. I found it at Barnes & Noble, but I didn't want to put down $14.00 for it. I thought I might be able to find it cheap at a Goodwill, but no such luck... I will either have this one or a copy of Dune by this weekend though.

Have you ever tried www.half.com? I buy many of my books from that site. Most of them hardcover and under $2, then some shipping. Not bad at all!

Also, do you have a Half Price Books near you? That chain is awesome! You literally pay 1/2 of whatever the listed price is - new OR used. I have gotten nice OLD copies of classics for under 30 cents! I remember receiving a $25 gift card for the store one Christmas and leaving with something like 12 books.

We have a few Half Price Books stores in/around Austin. That's about a 110 mile drive for me though. However, I get there pretty often. That's one of my favorite stores as well. I'm driving to GA tomorrow, so I won't be ordering antything for at least a week. On the plus side, there is a pretty awesome bookstore called McKay's (I believe) in northern GA. I went there last year and they had a great selection at very good prices, so I'll give them a look this coming weekend.

I finished this book yesterday, but will wait to post because technically we haven't started yet. ;) I am anxious to hear what others thought of the story.

I am picking up my copy today.

At the beginning, I thought this would be a dry little book as the stories were a bit stilted at times. It was hard to connect with the characters, too. But the final part of the book, "Perhaps An Intention" was quite a satisfying conclusion. I ended up really liking the book and want to read it again. I think reading the first bit again will be a very different experience the next time through.

Okay, I picked up a battered copy of this today at the library. I'll begin soon.

I found a copy at McKays (located in Chatanooga, TN as it turns out). I'll read it this week.

Welcome back Garlan!

Yeah! I picked mine up at the library yesterday and I'm 50 pages in!

I breezed through this last evening and was pleasantly surprised. I'll post my review, but you may want to skip it because it contains spoilers:

Five people die tragically in the collapse of a footbridge. Was it an accident or part of God's greater plan? A monk who witnesses the fall is determined to examine the lives of these people to see if the lives they lived led them to their deaths.

I thought the story was eloquently articulated. The short vignettes into the lives of the travelers who lost their lives reveals some intimacies about the characters, but still leaves room for conjecture. We are given the most information about Dona Maria, Esteban and Uncle Pio, presumedly because there is more to know about them because of their age. The children, Pepita and Jaime, have less story devoted to them since given their young ages there should be less to tell. I think this helps to illustrate the futility of the monk's effort to spend six years digging into the lives of these five individuals to see if he could scientifically prove what caused them to be at the bridge when it collapsed.

The narrator summarized the monk's folly by stating, "The discrepancy between faith and facts is greater than is generally assumed."(p136) This really made me consider how often people rush to judgment or make assumptions based on only a few nougats of information, which is more often than not misleading.

I was also struck by the narration itself. As I was reading, the narrator came to mind as the angels in It's a Wonderful Life, who are directing Clarence and making observations as to the plight of George Bailey. I see Brother Juniper as Clarence, who has good intentions, but is misguided. The monk thinks, "Either we live by accident and die by accident, or we live by plan and die by plan." The narrator seems to be cognizant of all of the characters and their relationships. He doesn't just tell the story, but he also makes judgments, which suggests he's some sort of supreme being.

Accidents happen. They happen to good people and to bad people. To speculate why it was this person or that persons time to die is to miss the point of their existence. The final insight by the Abbess is quite sublime, "But soon we shall die and all memory of those five will have left the earth, and we ourselves shall be loved for a while and forgotten. But the love will have been enough; all those impulses of love return to the love that made them. Even memory is not necessary for love. There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning." So in the end, it doesn't matter why those five died, what matters is they lived, they loved or were loved, and they are deserving of an honorable death.

Yet another disappointing Pulitzer to add to my list of disappointing Pulitzers. Yes, this book explores many important philosophical topics. Yes, the writing style is beautiful. Yes, the stories of the individuals involved in the collapse of the bridge are interesting. Yes, trying to use math to determine a person's worth using a system of markers and scores is fascinating. BUT, none of this added up to a fun read for me this summer. Frankly, I was bored for most of the book, although I did enjoy the story of Esteban.

I was surprised to find this book shelved in both the adult and YA sections of my local library - I teach high school and I don't know many students that could handle the weighty Bridge of San Luis Rey, or would even try to finish it. I would NOT recommend this one for teens.

I am also going to add that I read this book before bed each night while on sleep-inducing allergy medication, so I might not have appreciated it as much as I could have. I think this one will need to be reread so I can assess it more fairly.

I'm only 38 pages in, but I too am having trouble seeing how this translated into a Pulitzer. Its not a bad book though, and it should be a quick read. Hopefully the other characters' stories will round the book out.

I had the benefit of reading it quietly, since my tv and phones were out. I think if I read this with distractions, the simplicity of it's message may have been lost.

I really liked the book, but I agree with the sentiment that it's hard to understand what made it worthy of a Pulitzer.

I read the book this weekend, and got to spend much of it in solitude--which did improve the book. For such a small book, it has stuck with me for a while. I can imagine that in 1928 the work was a little bit more "cutting edge" or exotic than it reads now. However it reminds me of a movie when the good scenes are so few that they are all in the previews, so you end up being disappointed in the movie. I felt like the whole book was written just for the last four sentences. However, I didn't feel too slighted because the last 4 lines are some of the finest ever. And the book was short.

I also liked the linked stories aspect. I'm not sure this totally qualifies as a linked stories, but I lately I have really enjoyed books that follow different characters and converge in some way.

It is hard to get over how different Pulitzers are.

There is actually a movie of this with Robert De Niro, Gabriel Byrne and Harvey Keitel. I haven't seen it, but apparently it wasn't too well received.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0356443/

I've never heard of the movie, but those are three of my favorite actors. I'll have to check out that site and see what they have to say about it.

I finished this one this past weekend and have to say that my initial opinion has changed a bit. The last two character profiles were very good. I especially liked the chapter on Uncle Pio. Overall, the book left me with a good feeling. The writing was actually quite lyrical, if a bit archaic. It reminded vaguely of "Lost Horizon" in its style, and in the author's manner of using an "observer" to tell the story. I gave it a 3 1/2 rating. I wish this site allowed us to use 1/2 ratings; I feel like I'm cheating some authors/books by only giving them a 3, but a "4" is sometimes too strong... Just a thought.

I enjoyed reading this book. While to me it read more like a collection of short stories (stories connected through the narrator and the main event), I enjoyed the basic storyline - the simplicity and complexity of life. I don't think there are any great philosophical points to be gained through my reading of this book - to me, it was simply a good story.

I do have a question regarding the storyline (for example, why would Brother Juniper even try to prove scientifically why the five died - he, as a Brother of the Church, would have just accepted it as God's Will - but, maybe, that's another story in itself?!), I am glad to have experienced the pleasure of reading this book.

WARNING--SPOILERS
I really ended up enjoying this one. First of all, it was refreshing to find a quick read, especially in light of some of the other things I've been reading this summer. Secondly, I thought it was a great story. The premise is quite thought-provoking--an attempted scientific investigation into why people (or certain individuals) die. The philosophy of death is a well touched-upon subject, but the fact that this was studied through a scientific, or statistical lens (and by a Monk nonetheless) was a fresh take on the idea. It left me wondering about the fact that Brother Juniper's research led to no concrete answers (and his own death, actually.) Is it supposed to be a message that we should not let "science" or "technology" come between ourselves and our faith? Is it meant as a way of saying we should have more humility than to think we can find all the answers to the mysteries of life and death? Or, is it a statement that there is no rhyme or reason to life, no one "pulling the strings" at all and that everything is random? I don't know, but this book really did make me think about all these things.

Aside from that, I really enjoyed the glimpses into the lives of these people and their stories. I thought the stories intertwined beautifully to create a wonderful picture of life in this small Peruvian village.

I even think this one might warrant a second read to see if I glean more from it. I read it quite quickly and think that given some more quailty time with it, I might come to find additional interpretations.

I guess I am in the minority here. I did not like this book. Just not my style. Not much else to add.

I didn't care for this one either. It felt like reading a homework assignment.

I agree stephanie. I have found that I am not a fan of the older fiction that is considered "classic". While reading Something wicked this way comes all I can think is that this book could have been so much better if a writer today had wrote it. I know this is not a popular opinion but I like what I like. I am glad that I have read these books and am so happy to have found your group. Thanks!