Chunkster Challenge Wrap Up

“A big leather-bound volume makes an ideal razor strap. A thin book is useful to stick under a table with a broken caster to steady it. A large, flat atlas can be used to cover a window with a broken pane. And a thick, old-fashioned heavy book with a clasp is the finest thing in the world to throw at a noisy cat.” - Mark Twain

I have nothing against big books, however, they do tend to linger on my shelves longer than their shorter counterparts. Nancy over at Bookfoolery and Babble provided the perfect opportunity for me to finally dig into some of those heftier volumes.

Because of the six month time frame, I decided to only challenge myself to read 3 books, each over 800 pages. Initially, I had hoped to read three shorter chunkster books in between my offical selections, however, that was not meant to be. You see, I went reading challenge crazy and suddenly my plate was too full to fit in the extra books.

Chunkster Challenge Book List
1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (817 pgs)
2. The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald (820 pgs)
3. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb (894 pgs)

Not one of my choices in this challenge turned into a disappointment. I expected them to take awhile to get through, however, they were so engrossing that I flew through them. Each one held its own magic for me and earned high ratings from me in the end. The Way the Crow Flies is perhaps my favorite not only for this challenge, but of all the books I have read so far this year. Anna Karenina is not too far behind.

Having tackled these three books, anything less than 800 pages should seem like a breeze, right? Well, maybe not, but I imagine I will not wait so long to pick up the next chunkster just because of its size.

Many thanks to Nancy for hosting this fun challenge.

I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb

I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
Harper Touch, 1998
Fiction; 894 pgs

Started: 04/09/2007
Completed: 04/15/2007
Rating: (Very Good)

First Sentence: On the afternoon of October 12, 1990, my twin brother Thomas entered the Three Rivers, Connecticut Public Library, retreated to one of the rear study carrels, and prayed to God the sacrifice he was about to commit would be deemed acceptable.

Reason for Reading: My 3rd and final selection for the Chunkster Challenge. I added this to my list of challenge books because it was one I had heard great things about but had not gotten around to reading. It was about time it gave up its spot on my TBR shelf.

Comments: All of his life, Dominick Birdsey has had to take care of his twin brother in one way or another. Thomas was the weak one, the brother who could not stand up for himself. Dominick, on the other hand, was the tough brother, the one who knew he had to fight and stand up for himself if he was going to avoid being a victim like his brother.

In his multi-layered story about family, loss, betrayal, responsibility, and self-discovery, Wally Lamb takes readers on an emotional roller coaster of a ride as Dominick narrates his family’s story, the story of his difficult childhood, the onset of his brother’s mental illness, and deep into the family’s history, that of his grandfather, grandmother and the birth of his mother. The stories are intertwined, often sharing similar themes and features.

Dominick, much like his brother Thomas who suffers from schizophrenia, is like a lost soul. He battles the anger in his heart his own guilt over past actions, both as a boy and as an adult. It is in helping Thomas after his brother is placed in a maximum-security psychiatric hospital that he begins to finally search for what it is he needs to find to heal his own wounds. He must face his own demons no matter how difficult he finds the task. Author Wally Lamb pulls no punches in creating characters that are very real and true to life. Their vulnerability, flaws, and frustration with their lot in life make them even more than just characters out of a book. As upset and frustrated as I got at times with the main character, I could also see where he was coming from, the reasons behind his behavior and actions. I was less sympathetic with the grandfather, who I disliked throughout the story; however, as Dominick discovered, there was a lesson to be learned even from him.

There were a couple of moments it felt like the author was throwing in everything but the kitchen sink by way of what his various characters when through. Yet it somehow worked and did not overburden the story. I Know This Much Is True is well worth reading. As Dr. Patel might say, it a story about destruction . . . And renovation.

Favorite Part: I liked the way the author weaved history and current events of the time into his story. He kept in short and concise, which made the addition seem natural in the narrative. It also helped keep the story’s time line in perspective.

I was most relieved when social worker Lisa Sheffer came on scene, followed by Dr. Patel. Both women earned my respect instantly and it never wavered throughout the novel. I was not too keen on the main character in the beginning, his arrogance, machismo, and anger combined were a off for me, and so the coming of these two women in particular, two characters I could relate to in some respects, eased me through a rough patch in my reading of the novel.

Read what Beastmomma has to say here.

Miscellaneous: Finishing my final book for the Chunkster Challenge comes with a big sense of relief. I was fortunate to pick three books that I enjoyed very much and were worth every page. I decided at the beginning of the month that I would not worry about reading the alternate books. I am involved with too many other challenges right now (overcommitted, you say?) and think I will focus on those now. Many thanks to Bookfool over at Bookfoolery and Babble for hosting this great challenge!

As a side note: Last night, Anjin and I finally got around to watching another one of our Netflix movies. We saw The Holiday, which we both enjoyed. It's a romantic comedy--not one of the best, but I'm glad we rented it.

The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald

The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald
Perennial, 2003
Fiction; 820 pgs

Started: 02/18/2007
Completed: 02/27/2007
Rating: (Outstanding)

First Sentence: The birds saw the murder.

Where Book Came From: I first heard about this book through PAGES magazine. I pulled it off my TBR shelf where it has been sitting patiently since October 2004.

Reason for Reading: This is the second book read for the Chunkster Challenge. A review by a fellow book lover (Lesley over at Lesley's Book Nook) prodded me to read this one sooner than later.

From the Publisher: For Madeleine McCarthy, high-spirited and eight years old, her family's posting to a quiet air force base near the Canadian-American border is at first welcome, secure as she is in the love of her family and unaware that her father, Jack, is caught up in his own web of secrets. The early sixties, a time of optimism infused with the excitement of the space race and overshadowed by the menace of the Cold War, is filtered through the rich imagination of a child as Madeleine draws us into her world.

But the base is host to some intriguing inhabitants, including the unconventional Froehlich family, and the odd Mr. March, whose power over the children is a secret burden that they carry. Then tragedy strikes, and a very local murder intersects with global forces, binding the participants for life. As the tension in the McCarthys' household builds, Jack must decide where his loyalties lie, and Madeleine learns about the ambiguity of human morality — a lesson that will become clear only when the quest for the truth, and the killer, is renewed twenty years later.

Comments: As I sit here trying to decide where to start, I find my eyes welling up with tears. Again. On many levels, I anticipated that, having read other readers thoughts about this book over the last three years and all the glowing reviews and recommendations from fellow booklovers. I just had no idea how much this book would get under my skin, how much of my own life I would see flitting across the pages. Or echoes of it at least. My life was not—and has not been—nearly as dramatic, of course. No war criminals or murders to worry about.

It was more so the little things that I found myself connecting with: the long car rides with my brother and I sitting in the back seat, playing games, sometimes arguing, stopping along the way at various historical landmarks; the packing up and moving again and again, something most military families grow accustomed to no matter the country; making new friends and learning where to fit in; and the security and community of living on a military base; the crush on the teenage heart throb, and the duck and cover drills. Even the search for the missing girl brought back memories of the community at Camp Pendleton coming together to search for a missing child one summer day, the concern and fear clear on everyone’s faces. Fortunately in my reality, the child was found safe and sound, having just wandered off. The novel is also full of pop culture phrases and references that, although some are a bit before my time, are well known enough to be very familiar.

All of this sets the stage for an intriguing and complex story about a family whose secrets begin to erode away their relationships with each other and themselves. Ann-Marie MacDonald painted a vivid and thought provoking novel, in which the reader can empathize with the anger, frustration and guilt that several of the characters struggle with. There is Jack who faces an ethical dilemma that spills over onto his family; Mimi who wants to be a good wife and protect her family as she sees the family unit begin to show signs of cracking; and Madeleine who falls victim to one of the worst kind of predators imaginable.

The Cold War served as the perfect backdrop for the telling of The Way the Crow Flies. It was a time when hopes and patriotism are high after the end of World War II and the focus from the Nazis onto the Soviet Communists shifted. It was peacetime and yet the governments of the Western World stood on eggshells, afraid of what their enemies might do. And while the West raced to be the first to the moon and overcome the East with technology, morality became a little blurrier. Ann-Marie MacDonald weaves the history of the times into her story seamlessly, adding depth and complexity to the characters and each of their stories.

My mind is swimming with thoughts about this powerful novel, and yet, I do not dare lead you down that path for fear of spoiling the story any more for you than I already have.

Favorite Part: What was not to like about this book? Among my favorite bits were the trips it took me down memory lane, Jack and Mimi’s relationship, Mike and Colleen as characters, and the eccentricities of the Froehlich family. I especially liked how well drawn the characters were. Ms. MacDonald did an excellent job of creating a story and character with whom I felt right at home.

Quotes:
If your father is in the air force, people ask you where you are from and it’s difficult to answer. The answer becomes longer the older you get, because you move every few years. “Where are you from?” “I’m from the Royal Canadian Air Force.” The RCAF. Like a country whose bits are scattered around the globe. [pg 12]

Canada was one-third of the great North Atlantic Triangle poised between Britain and the United States. This triangle worked in cunning ways. Under the Lend-Lease plan, many of the airplanes were built in the U.S.—“the arsenal of democracy”—but until the Americans entered the war the planes could not be flown into Canada without violating the United States Neutrality Act. So pilots would fly the new aircraft to Montana or North Dakota and land just shy of the border. Only feet away, a team of horses waited on the Canadian side. The airplane was hitched up and hualed into Canada, then flown to the RCAF stations to supply the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. [pg 29]

Afterwards, in bed with a book, the spell of television feels remote compared to the journey into the page. To be in a book. To slip into the crease where two pages meet, to live in the place where your eyes alight upon the words to ignite a world of smoke and peril, colour and serene delight. That is a journey no one can end with the change of a channel. Enduring magic. [pg 123]

In pop culture and folk tales, ghosts haunt creepy houses at night, appear in old photographs of church picnics, are glimpsed in the rain-lashed beam of a headlight on a country road amid endless fields of corn. In life, they arrive when you are emptying the dryer at ten a.m.

The shadow is the same. It chooses mundane moments. Like most ghosts, it does not wish to scare you off. It needs to be seen. That’s why it has come. Imagine the sheer exhaustion of making the journey up from the shades time and again, only to have your long lost one shriek and run away. That’s why it learns to approach in the open, when you are engaged in familiar tasks, guard down. Doing the dishes. Driving. It doesn’t necessarily want you to crash, but it does want your attention. [pg 661]

Note About The Author: Ann-Marie MacDonald was inspired to write this novel because of the story of Steven Truscott, then 14, who was tried and convicted of murdering a 12 year old girl, and who to this day maintains his innocence. At my reading of the novel, the Ontario Court of Appeal is reconsidering the matter.

Miscellaneous: This weekend we saw Music & Lyrics (pretty good, cute) and El Laberinto del Fauno (aka Pan's Labyrinth--fantastic! ).

I am the unlucky recepient of a stomach virus and a cold all wrapped in one. Thank goodness for modern medicine.

All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. - from Anna Karenina

"If I were told that what I shall write will be read in twenty years by the children of today and that they will weep and smile over it and will fall in love with life, I would devote all my life and all my strengths to it." - Leo Tolstoy

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
Penguin Classics, 2004
(Originally published as a serial in the periodical Ruskii Vestnik, 1875 - 1877)
Fiction (Classic); 838 pgs

Started: 01/01/2007
Completed: 01/12/2007 (10:08 a.m.)
Rating: (Outstanding)


Reason for Reading: Anna Karenina is my first reading selection for the Winter Classics Challenge and the Chunkster Challenge.

Synopsis: Married to a powerful government minister, Anna Karenina is a beautiful woman who falls deeply in love with a wealthy army officer, the elegant Count Vronsky. Desperate to find truth and meaning in her life, she rashly defies the conventions of Russian society and leaves her husband and son to live with her lover. Condemned and ostracized by her peers and prone to fits of jealousy that alienate Vronsky, Anna finds herself unable to escape an increasingly hopeless situation.

Set against this tragic affair is the story of Konstantin Levin, a melancholy landowner whom Tolstoy based largely on himself. While Anna looks for happiness through love, Levin embarks on his own search for spiritual fulfillment through marriage, family, and hard work. Surrounding these two central plot threads are dozens of characters whom Tolstoy seamlessly weaves together, creating a breathtaking tapestry of nineteenth-century Russian society.

From its famous opening sentence--"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way"--to its stunningly tragic conclusion, this enduring tale of marriage and adultery plumbs the very depths of the human soul.

Comments: My husband, Anjin, and I talked at length about how I would approach this review. I talked and fretted; he listened and offered support and the occasional word of advice. What do I say about a book that has stood the test of time, that is considered a classic? There was no way I could do it justice.

When I first began reading Anna Karenina, I gave myself permission to read the book as I would any other novel. I would not concern myself with its reputation nor would I approach it as if it was an academic assignment. I selected to read Anna Karenina because it sounded like a good story and because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. And so began my journey to the late 19th century Russia.

Setting and plot are vital parts of any story. The characters, for me at least, are the most important part. Set in Russia during the 19th century, Anna Karenina takes readers into the lives of various characters, most of who are among the higher echelons of Russian society. Leo Tolstoy did not miss a beat when drawing out his characters. He captured a side of human nature most people would rather not recognize in themselves. The common trait among them all seemed to be selfishness—egocentrism. The characters struggled to fit in with their peers, be liked, find purpose for themselves, and maintain the relationships with those around them. Misunderstandings and foibles could have easily been avoided had each of them been more honest with themselves and with their loved ones. Even in the most selfish of characters, who wanted to see nothing outside of their own wants and needs, I found myself feeling pity more than any other emotion. Tolstoy brought the characters to life for me, made me feel for them, and care about what happened to them.

The writing in the novel is beautiful. It was surprisingly easy to read. I do not know how much of that can be attributed to the translators, although I am sure they deserve some credit. There were moments when I got bored with the conversations of the nobles, as they talked about philosophy and politics. While some of the discussions were quite interesting and helped set the stage for the time period, at other times it seemed that the arguments went in circles. Perhaps if I approached the novel with a more critical mind or had been more knowledgeable about the time period, I would have better seen the point.

Overall, Anna Karenina was an enchanting and moving novel. It touched upon social and moral issues as well as the subject of love. Tolstoy is believed to have written this novel as sort of a rebellion against the changing tide of values in society during his lifetime. Whether that is true or not, I do not know. I do know that the author was able to get across the subtleness of change over time as well as the more obvious, be it in popular opinion or within oneself.

As for the subject of love . . . Love is complicated; Tolstoy reminds readers of this in Anna Karenina many times over.

Random Thoughts About Some Of The Characters:
My least favorite of the characters was Stepan Arkadyich, or Stiva for short. My impression of him from the opening of the book was not favorable. He struck me as a very selfish with very little concern for others or how his actions affected his family. Of all the characters, he is the one who changed the least over time.

I was also not too fond of Anna’s husband, Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin, as the story moved along, although I felt great sympathy for him in the beginning. He is not a man who wants to face his demons and as the story goes on, he becomes more and more disagreeable.

Konstantin Dmitrich Levin is among my favorite characters. Although his sullenness did not always make him an endearing character, he was one of the most down to earth characters. He was always a bit of an outsider, not sure whether he wanted to be with the in crowd or keep to himself. Of all the characters, I think he was the one most fleshed out. In the introduction of the novel, Pevear commented that Levin is most like Tolstoy in personality and shares some of the same experiences. Perhaps that would account for how well developed Levin is.

Like many others who have read this novel, I adored Princess Ekaterina Alexandrovna (Kitty). She has an air of innocence about her and yet she is an intelligent woman. Like Levin, she struck me as a down to earth woman. Of all the characters, Kitty is the one that I would not mind having as a friend.

Anna Arkadyevna, for whom the book is named, is probably the most interesting of the characters—and the most mysterious. She married young to an older wealthy man. She was a doting mother, popular among society, and well respected. She had a confidence about her that was envied. Then she met Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky whose own love for her swept her off her feet in a way she could not imagine. Anna was tormented by the position she suddenly found herself in—married to one man but in love with another. Anna was not a completely likeable character in my view and yet there was something about her that drew me to her.

Favorite Part: My favorite part of the novel, although by no means the happiest moment, comes in the seventh part. Tolstoy’s writing throughout is such that he had me pulled into the story, feeling what the characters were feeling. That particular part especially held me captive. I felt what the characters felt and shared in their frustrations, doubts, and hopes. To say more would spoil the story.

I was most impressed too with how Tolstoy introduced many of his characters. For me at least, I found myself connecting with them instantly and that helped keep my attention later in the book during the more slow moments. I have to add though that there really weren’t too many of those, or at least they were over so quickly, I hardly noticed.

I especially liked the moments Tolstoy let me spend with Levin on his farm. I felt refreshed there, the tension of being among society falling away. I can see why Levin so much preferred to be at home and working much of the time.

Factoid About The Author: His real name was Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy.

Miscellaneous: I spent $1.26 on books today (thanks to gift cards and coupons). :-) As a reward to myself for completing Anna Karenina, I thought a little trip to the bookstore was in order (Yes, I know, not exactly in line with my #1 reading goal of the year. What can I say? I’m weak.) Here’s a sampling of what came home with me:

Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich ($5.49 with all the discounts! That's cheaper than it would have cost if I'd waited for the paperback). I know I’ll be reading Lean Mean Thirteen as soon as it comes out and I can’t skip this in between book.

The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason - I read an interview with Colleen on one of my favorite blogs (Carl V’s Stainless Steel Droppings), and her novel sounded interesting. It's the first in a new vampire series.

The Night Watch by Sarah Waters - A recommendation from Find Me A Good Read. I've actually been thinking about this one for a while but with the recommendation decided maybe it would be a good idea to try it.

More Miscellaneous: Anjin and I are began watching the second season of MI-5 on DVD tonight. We have not really been watching movies lately. With the tv season starting up again soon, I imagine movies will be set aside for awhile.

Bookfool's Chunkster Challenge

On my drive to work each morning, I am graced with a perfect view of the sunrise. Today's was especially colorful with the way the reflections played off the scattered clouds. Blues, purples, pinks, reds and oranges. All in a variety of shades. It's a shame I had to go inside, but then sunrises do not last very long do they?

Anyhow, onto the subject of books!

I was very adamant with myself that I would stick to the 2007 Winter Classics Challenge hosted by Booklogged and the 2007 TBR Challenge, which is hosted by MizBooks, and leave it at that. I did not want to over do it. Every where I turned people were talking about Bookfool's Chunkster Challenge. I blame the peer pressure. Not really, of course, but it sounds like a good excuse, doesn't it? Just a little good?

Bookfool did not make it easy to stay away from this challenge by making the rules so flexible. She took away my excuses for not jumping in the ring! While the challenge lasts six months beginning on January 1st, I can chose however many books I want to read during that time, can read them in whatever order I want, and can have alternates to my heart's content. Some people have chosen to read one book and others six, one for each month.

Before even deciding to throw my hat into the ring on the Chunkster Challenge, I made a list of all of my chunkster books (which I decided to categorize as those being over 500 pages). I have a lot, and I will leave it at that. Then the real dilemma had to be faced. Which ones and how many? Did I want to read six chunster books within six months? Would I be taking too much on?

I came very close to deciding to read three 800+ page books in alternating months and filling in the in between months with 500+ page books that I knew would be relatively quick reads. For the sake of the challenge though, I'm taking the easy road and will only commit myself to reading three chunksters in six months. I think it's the most reasonable plan for me and will allow me some wiggle room to continue reading other books I want to read in between or along side the 800+ paged tomes. This I came to as I drove to work this morning admiring the sunrise.

Chunkster Challenge Book List
1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (817 pgs) (Crossover for the Winter Classics Challenge) [read]
2. The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald (820 pgs) [read]
3. I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb (894 pgs) [read]