This novel concerns the early life of Mary Boleyn and her infamous sister, Anne. Mary Boleyn is a young, innocent girl who is commanded by her male elders to seduce the King. After bearing two of his children, King Henry loses interest in Mary instead favoring her sister Anne. Anne struggles with the King, wanting to be more than just a mistress to his desires. She has her heart set on becoming Queen, and will do anything to achieve that end. The book delves into the interesting love-hate relationship between the sisters, the role of women at Court, and the various ethical views of the time (divorce, homosexuality, etc).
This book did prove to be an excellent tie to our theme of cultural identity and isolation. The main character, Mary, is always surrounded by the pleasantries of the English Court, yet she is disregarded because of her gender. She must do exactly as she is told by the males in her family, ignoring her own feelings and ambitions. She is surrounded by people, yet she is utterly alone. There is no one for her to talk to about her true desires. In the end she breaks away from her structured society and decides to take charge of her own life, despite the consequences.
This novel was definitely NOT my favorite. It was rather long and there really wasn't much action. It got rather dull at times. Personally, the last three novels I have read have been classic works of literature. This "modern" novel just does not captivate and intrigue the mind as much. For one show more thing, instead of using allusions and letting the reader discover things on their own, the author feels as though she must tell the reader everything directly. I do not like this "directness" but instead prefer the more intelligent classic novels. show less

Have you been mystified and enchanted by Andrew Lloyd Weber's "The Phantom of the Opera"? Did you know that the musical was based on a book? Gaston Leroux's "The Phantom of the Opera" is an excellent read for anyone who loves the musical or anyone who loves detective novels. The novel is written almost as a documentary, with the author trying to figure out if the Phantom of the Paris Opera was ideed real or not. He recounts the strange events attributed to the Phantom, and claims that they are all real events because the Phantom is a real man. He was not a ghost or ghoul, but a real man with real emotions.
This book is very similar to the musical, but offers more insight into the thoughts of Christine, Raoul, and Erik (the Phantom). It also introduces a few new characters who help smooth out some of the rough/confusing parts of the musical.
This novel proved to be an excellent example of our "who's the hero" theme. Raoul is a daring, physical hero who risks life and limb to save the love of his life. Christine is the selfless, internal hero who gives up all of her happiness for the happiness of others. It could be said that Erik is a hero as well, due to his undying love and selfless acts at the end of the novel. There are several heroes in this book, and all are special in their own unique way. It was interesting to see how they faced their various moral dilemmas.
I really liked this book. Personally, I had just seen Phantom of the Opera on Broadway in November. I had never show more known the storyline before then. I was slightly confused about some of the things that happened in the play, so reading this book really cleared things up. The detective/mystery style layout of this book made the book really fun and easy to read. I really enjoyed it and I recommend it to anyone who loves the Phantom or just a good mystery! show less

"Pride and Prejudice" is the story of Elizabeth Bennet, a girl who is unlike any other girl of the time. Instead of being a "puppy" and following any man who shows any interest in her, she keeps a level head. She respects herself enough to know that marriage should bring her happiness, not only a wealthy husband. Elizabeth is stuck in a family that is completely consumed with the idea of wealth. They are not a rich family, in fact they are far from it. Mrs. Bennet and all her daughters are on a hunt for wealthy husbands. Elizabeth loves her family, but is ashamed of them
Throughout the course of the novel Elizabeth discovers love in the most unlikely man of all, and learns what it means to be happy. She experiences how uncivil her family can be, but still loves them and cherishes them all.
This book proved to be an excellent book in connection with our theme "search for self." Elizabeth begins the book prone to prejudices. She scorns those who are wealthier than her family and thinks that all men are exactly the same. Elizabeth torments Mr. Darcy, a very wealthy man, thinking automatically that he is too proud just because of his economic status. Elizabeth gradually learns to drop her protective barrier. She discovers that if she gives people a chance to show their true selves, they may not act as she assumed. Just because Mr. Darcy is rich, does not mean he acts like all other rich men. Elizabeth learns, through much painful trial and error, to be more adventurous with show more her emotions. She learns to love.
Mr. Darcy also goes on a journey to find himself. He falls in love despite all odds. He has to learn to overcome the barriers of wealth, greed, family relations, and family expectations. Once he learns to listen to his heart and follow his instincts, he becomes much happier. In the end, Elizabeth's search and Darcy's search intertwine in the most romantic way.
This was an EXCELLENT book that I highly recommend. In fact, it is my favorite book...EVER! It was a long book, but the wording was not difficult. It was easy to read and very entertaining. I found it difficult to put down! "Pride and Prejudice" is considered a classic novel of our times, and I can truly see why. It is practically timeless, a book that boys and girls alike can enjoy. I have enjoyed it so much that I am going to read "Sense and Sensibility" next! show less

This intellectually stimulating novel follows a man named Marlow on his adventure up the Congo river and into the middle of Africa, or "Heart of Darkness". He is a steam boat captain for a British Ivory-trading corporation. His duty is to first repair his damaged ship, then travel up the river to bring back the infamous Mr. Kurtz. Kurtz is a mysterious but highly intelligent man who somehow brings in boatloads of Ivory for the company. Marlow must embark on his journey to find Kurtz, to see if he's still alive, and perhaps unravel some of his secrets.

One of the main characters, Mr. Kurtz, has embodied the idea of a Utopian society. He is perfectly happy living in the jungle with no other people from the civilized world. He prefers to make friends with the natives and spend his time digging up fossilized ivory. He becomes enthralled with this savage lifestyle and longs to remain in the jungle and even die there. When Marlow tries to get Mr. Kurtz to leave the station, Mr. Kurtz dies on the inside. His Utopian, wild, native life has been ruined. He has been thrown back into the dystopian society of Europe. The "white" people have ruined the Utopian societies of the jungle. They bring greed and slavery into a world that did not know such things. A dystopian society is thrust upon the natives and Mr. Kurtz (who has practically become a native himself).

This was a very interesting book and overall it was very intriguing. It was a very difficult book to read, however. The show more wording was complicated at times and often the narrator, Marlow, went off on rants that would continue for pages and pages. If the storyline had been uninterrupted by these rants, the book would have been a lot better. This is definitely not a book you want to read for relaxation purposes, it takes a lot of thinking! Perhaps someone a little older would enjoy it more than I did. show less