Books, Books, Books
Haven't done a book review for a while:
1. Child of Our Time by Ruth David: a fascinating (but sad) book about the Second World War and how the British Government decided to save some of the children by bringing them to England (
mostly from Germany). However Ruth and a group of other girls ended up in a hostel run by 2 women who knew nothing about children and treated them rather horribly and without any emotions to how they must have felt leaving their parents wondering if they would ever see them again. Ruth never saw her parents again, they died like many millions of other Jews.
2. Rifling though my drawers by Clarrisa Dickson Wright: bought this one in Adelaide - its has pockets of interesting facts but overall not the best book I have read.
Currently reading:
1. After 30 years I am re-reading Anne of Green Gables and loving it. It is beautifully written in a style suited to both young and old girls.
2. The Purpose Driven Life by Rich Warren: the verdict is still out on whether I like this book or not and I would be interested in other peoples views on it.
Watched on DVD:
Wurthering Heights: Emily Bronte's books was dark and foreboding and so was the film. Bronte certainly had a wonderful imagination.
39 Steps: told that the film had chunks that weren't in the book (which is pretty typical) such as the girl, but as I have never read the book I didn't know this
mostly from Germany). However Ruth and a group of other girls ended up in a hostel run by 2 women who knew nothing about children and treated them rather horribly and without any emotions to how they must have felt leaving their parents wondering if they would ever see them again. Ruth never saw her parents again, they died like many millions of other Jews.2. Rifling though my drawers by Clarrisa Dickson Wright: bought this one in Adelaide - its has pockets of interesting facts but overall not the best book I have read.
Currently reading:
1. After 30 years I am re-reading Anne of Green Gables and loving it. It is beautifully written in a style suited to both young and old girls.
2. The Purpose Driven Life by Rich Warren: the verdict is still out on whether I like this book or not and I would be interested in other peoples views on it.
Watched on DVD:
Wurthering Heights: Emily Bronte's books was dark and foreboding and so was the film. Bronte certainly had a wonderful imagination.
39 Steps: told that the film had chunks that weren't in the book (which is pretty typical) such as the girl, but as I have never read the book I didn't know this
Hello, Jo, and thank you for coming to my blog. It is always nice to meet an Aussie. Australia is one place that I have never seen, but would love to. Who knows? Maybe someday!
ReplyDeleteLove your copies of the Vermeer paintings. I love them, too!
'39 Steps' missed half the book...
ReplyDeleteIs this the Wuthering Heights version on the box this weekend?
The Purpose Driven Life is a book written by a person, with his views on Christian life. I found his need to reference to The Message as a Biblical text, rather than as written - paraphrase, therefore not Biblical text is disappointing, as he used it to assist in making points that were not exactly there in actual translations. I think that he made some good points, has his own biases, makes a few bad points, and in part has a purpose of his own for the book - sales of this and the workbook. So it adds up to a book to take as a person's opinion, not as exegesis of the orignal texts. Its useful, but only to a point, in honing Christian Life, in that it is readable, and succinct, but beware the errors.
LL Stephen
Yes, Wurthering Heights is on this weekend. I brand new version from the BBC.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mary for visiting my blog - I always love visitors (and comments). I happen to have an American niece and nephews + an American sister-in-law so have some connection to the states!!
ReplyDeleteJo
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ReplyDeleteThe recent 39 Steps on ABC1 TV bore only a passing resemblance to John Buchan's story. Richard Hannay, the murdered Scudder, the police chasing him and the chameleon German spy are there but I hardly knew I was seeing the 39 Steps. I almost thought I was there with the thirty nine steps right at the end but it was on a Scottish loch not the coast in Kent!
ReplyDeleteSee John Buchan's 39 Steps @ :
http://freeread.com.au/ebooks/m00014.txt
From Project Gutenberg Australia
http://gutenberg.net.au/plusfifty-a-m.html
The 2008 TV version used some of the original events but the girl, as in both the 1935 Hitchcock version and the 1959 Kenneth More version are an addition, probably to please the box office.
I haven't seen a version yet true to the original. Perhaps they think they need a female lead as most of Buchan's stories with Hannay set around WW1 don't have much female personnel.
There is a notable exception in Greenmantle but she is not a romantic interest for the hero.
It seems the 1978 version follows JB's book the closest.
John Buchan's dedication in The 39 Steps qv. :
You and I have long cherished an affection for that
elemental type of tale which Americans call the
'dime novel' and which we know as the 'shocker'--the
romance where the incidents defy the probabilities, and
march just inside the borders of the possible. During
an illness last winter I exhausted my store of those
aids to cheerfulness, and was driven to write one for
myself. This little volume is the result, and I should
like to put your name on it in memory of our long
friendship, in the days when the wildest fictions are so
much less improbable than the facts.
J.B.