Book Suggestions for the Japanese Literature Challenge 4

A Personal Matter by Oe
A Quiet Life by Oe
After Dark by Murakami
All She Was Worth by Miyabe
Asleep by Yoshimoto
Battle Royale by Koushon Takami
Beyond the Blossoming Field by Jun'ichi Watanabe
Be With You by Takuji Ichikawa
Confessions of A Mask by Mishima
Dreaming Pachinko by Adamson
First Snow on Fuji by Kawabata
Five by Endo by Endo
Goodbye Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto
Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino
Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Murkami
I am A Cat by Natsume
In The Miso Soup by Ryu Murakami
Kafka On The Shore by Murakami
Kitchen by Yoshimoto
Kokoro by Soseki
Kusamakura by Soseki
Memoirs of the Priest Honkaku by Yasushi Inoue
Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids by Oe
Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro
Norwegian Wood by Murakami
Now You're One Of Us by Nonami
Paprika by Yasutaka Tsutsu
Rashomon by Akutagawa
Real World by Natsuo Kirino
Remains of The Day by Ishiguro
Rouse Up O Young Men of The New Age by Oe
Silence by Endo
Singing Shijimi Clams by Kojima
Singular Rebellion by Maruya
Snow Country by Kawabata
Some Prefer Nettles by Tanizaki
Supermarket by Azuchi
Strangers by Yamada
Tales of Moonlight and Rain by Ueda
Teach us to Outgrow Our Madness by Kenzaburo Oe
Ten Nights' Dreams by Soseki
The Bells of Nagasaki by Nagai
The Dancing Girl of Izu by Kawabata
The Diving Pool: Three Novellas by Ogawa
The Elephant Vanishes by Murakami
The Fox Woman by Johnson
The Housekeeper and The Professor by Ogawa
The Old Capital by Kawabata
The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki
The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Basho
The Pillow Book by Shonagon
The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea by Mishima
The Sea of Fertility by Yukio Mishima
The Setting Sun by Dazai
The Sound of Waves by Mishima
The Stationmaster by Asada
The Tale of Genji by Shikibu
The Temple of The Golden Pavilion by Mishima
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami
The Woman In The Dunes by Abe
Thirst for Love by Mishima
Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche by Murakami
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Murakami
When The Emporer Was Divine by Otsuka
Yakuza Moon by Tendo

The Brothers Karamazov: Part 4

April 29, 2010

Dear Mr. Dostoevsky,

What, are you kidding me?! I read almost 800 pages of dialogue, description, mystery and intrigue, and you leave me not knowing for certain who killed Fyodor Karamazov?!

Sure I have an idea, but that's all it is: my supposition. Is there any conclusive proof? Are we to decide for ourselves who the murderer was? I'd always heard the three brothers planned and then killed their father. And, if we take the words of the Bible that if we so much as think ill of someone we have as good as murdered them, then this is true. But, I do not believe for a minute that Dmitri actually took the brass pestle and killed his father with it. Although, he was willing to suffer, and bear the accusation, as he said:

You can revive and resurrect the frozen heart in this convict, you can look after him for years, and finally bring up from the cave into the light a soul that is lofty now, a suffering consciousness, you can revive an angel resurrect a hero! And there are many of them, there are hundreds, and we're all guilty for them! Why did I have a dream about a 'wee one' at such a moment? 'Why is the wee one poor?' It was a prophecy to me at that moment! It's for the 'wee one' that I will go. Because everyone is guilty for everyone else. All people are 'wee ones.' And I'll go for all of them, because there must be someone who will go for all of them. I didn't kill father, but I must go. I accept! All of this came to me here...within these peeling walls...It's impossible for a convict to be without God, even more impossible than for a non-convict! and then from the depths of the earth, we, the men underground, will start singing a tragic hymn to God, in whom there is joy! Hail to God and his joy! I love him!" (p. 591-592)

I admire how you made a debased character, the biggest scoundrel of all the Karamazov sons, to be the one who in the end finds redemption through his belief and acceptance. "I accept the torment of accusation and of my disgrace before all, I want to suffer and be purified by suffering! And perhaps I will be purified, eh, gentlemen? But hear me, all the same, for the last time: I am not guilty of my father's blood. I accept punishment not because I killed him, but because I wanted to kill him, and might well have killed him..." (p. 509)

I was puzzled at first, Mr. Dostoevsky, why you ended your novel with the tale of Ilyushka's death; here is a poor boy, another victim of circumstances, whose role with his father is in direct contrast with that of Dmitri and his father:

• Ilyushka's father loves him to pieces, grieves and cares for him beyond all measure; Fyodor cares not one whit about any of his three sons, letting Grigory bring them up the best his manservant can.


• In Ilyushka's case, it is the boy who dies; with the Karamazovs, it is the father.


• Yet both sons, Ilyushka and Dmitri, are victims of circumstances beyond their control. Ilyushka cannot overcome his sickness, Dmitri cannot overrule his sentence; they both suffer willingly for what has been their lot in life.

Alyosha reminds us all at the end that something good can come from the innocent child's death.

Perhaps we will even become wicked later on, will even be unable to resist a bad action, will laugh at people's tears and at those who say, as Kolya exclaimed today: 'I want to suffer for all people'-perhaps we will scoff wickedly at such people. And yet, no matter how wicked we may be-and God preserve us from it-as soon as we remember how we buried Ilyusha, how we loved him in his last days, and how we've been talking just now, so much as friends, so together, by this stone, the most cruel and jeering man among us, if we should become so, will still not dare laugh within himself at how kind and good he was at this present moment! Moreover, perhaps just this memory alone will keep him from great evil, and he will think better of it and say: 'Yes, I was kind, brave and honest then.'  (p. 775)

I liked how you used this novel, Mr. Dostoevsky, to work through the grief you bore at your own son's death, the questions you pondered about faith and God, and the way you wanted to leave a message to your Russian people. Through these instances, you have left messages for us, that fundamentally we are saved through our ability to love. Even when we may suffer terribly due to injustice or our own infallibility.

Sincerely,

Bellezza



p.s. For all those who read The Brothers Karamazov, even if only through Part 1, please email me at bellezza.mjs@gmail.com so that I can mail you a bookmark. I'm so glad we ventured into this Dostoeyvsky together!

An Interview With Andrew Xia Fukuda

After being mesmerized by Fukuda's novel Crossing, I had a few questions that I longed to ask the author. Fortunately, Andrew had the time to answer them which you can read below:

#1. I could feel the plight of Xing so clearly. Is this a common experience for the Asian students that you know?

At the risk of over generalizing, there are two "types" of Asians (or Chinese) in America: the recent immigrant and the second generation Asian American.  Sometimes the acronyms FOB (Fresh Off the Boat) and ABC (American Born Chinese) are used to distinguish between the two.  The immigrant Asian experience can be vastly different from the Asian American experience.  Recent immigrants have a lot more obstacles to overcome and, because of language barriers and cultural misunderstandings, often make easy targets, especially during school years when ostracization is more overtly racist.  Xing comes solidly from the immigrant Asian camp, and his character is based on the many Asian teens I worked with in Chinatown.  Many of the Chinatown teens were shielded by the cloistered sanctuary that Chinatown afforded them.  But for those who venture out, by choice or by necessity (usually the latter), the sense of isolation and marginalization could be acute.

 
#2. In my town, outside of Chicago, the Asian students are looked up to. They are the ones who are the best musicians, the best gymnasts, and certainly the best students. They are always the ones with the best grade point average at our High School. I don't think the White kids can hope to accomplish what most of the Asian ones do. How would you respond to my experience?

I'm always a little leery when it comes to classifying all Asians under the "Model Minority" umbrella.  Although such a classification is on the surface very complimentary, a positive classification can be a short and swift step to a negative stereotype.  As Professor Frank Wu has commented, "every trait that is praised today can be condemned tomorrow: to be smart is to be an ostracized geek, to be hard-working is to be unfair competition, to be polite is to know one's place."

That said, there is no doubt that Asian Americans do tend to achieve success in many different spheres.  This is especially true for Asian Americans living in the suburbs just outside a major city like New York and Chicago where communities often have a relatively large and well-entrenched Asian American population.  There is safety (and acceptance) in numbers, and for second-generation Asian American teens attending often top-notch school with parents highly involved in their academic success, accolades and recognition are not uncommon.  Contrast this with Xing's life: he is an immigrant teen with a thick accent from a highly dysfunctional home, living in an all-white community where the only visible Asians work at the food court and massage parlors.  Sad to say, his hardships are not atypical for many immigrant teens living under similar circumstances.

 #3. I admire how you intertwined emotional issues with action/plot in your novel. It seems that there is an equal emphasis on both; did you set out to do this on purpose? Was it more important to you to establish an emotional connection or a heart racing thrill, or were they equal in your mind?

I always intended Crossing to be a novel that hit the reader at a deeply emotional level.  To me, that meant creating a really vivid protagonist.  I wanted Xing the character to be as fully-fleshed out as possible, for him to really lift off the pages, come alive, and be real to the reader.  Not necessarily likable or formulaically heroic, but somebody so tangible that the reader could see his pores, so to speak.

That said, the thriller element of the novel was very important.  For two reasons.  First, it's difficult to get to know a character in stasis - you need to see them in conflict, in moments of uncertainty, in naked fear, dealing with irrational thoughts, before you really get a feel for them.  Second, I'm as much a sucker for a fast-paced/adrenaline-filled thrillers as the next person.  It's the genre that most effectively has me so effortlessly turning the pages to the end.  Hopefully, Crossing has succeeded with both the emotional- and the thriller-components by weaving them together seamlessly in a way that snags the reader in and delivers an emotionally-bold and unforgettable ending.

Thank you, Andrew, for writing such a compelling novel which causes us to look at stereotypes, to look at issues which teens face, and for taking us on a roller coaster ride of suspense at the same time. I found your work profoundly moving, as I'm sure those who read it will agree.

Readers, don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of Crossing.

Crossing by Andrew Xia Fukuda (and Give-away)

And my parents wanted me to sing all the time, I remember, especially on the hot summer nights when the town lost electricity and the small bedroom fan stood limp and useless. Sing us to sleep, Xing, they pleaded, help us forget the heat. And I would sing soft lullabies in the dark until they stopped wiping sweat from their brows and kicking at invisible blankets at their feet. Sandwiched between them, feeling their body heat humming against me, I never felt safer, never felt calmer than when I sang into the night even after they had fallen asleep. But after I arrived on the shores of America, I did not sing very much. Something seemed to lodge itself into my throat, inhibiting me. In the cacophony of foreign sounds flooding my ears, I lost my ability to speak, much less sing. I became quiet; I diminished. Over time, I sang less and less until all those songs I'd once cherished disappeared somewhere within me.  And one day I stopped singing all together. (p. 28)

More than anything, to me, this novel is about facing obstacles. The obstacles of isolation and prejudice, the obstacle of poverty, sorrow at the loss of a parent, anxiety of performing and over all of this, fear of a predator who has been terrorizing the town by killing three boys.

Xing Xu is a freshman at Slackenkill High School. His life is lonely, as he is only one of two Asian students, and his mother must work all the time since his father was killed coming home from work with Xing Xu. His closest friend, Naomi, becomes the girlfriend of a White boy, while another girl named Jan Blair wants more from Xing than he can give.

In an ever accelerating plot of suspense, his story unfolds. It is a story that I can relate to, a White girl in the suburbs of Chicago, because who hasn't felt intense loneliness at one time or another? Who hasn't been misunderstood for who they really are? Who hasn't wondered, at least once, why someone will not take the time to look beyond the superficial and into the essence of another person?

Overlaying these heart wrenching questions, though, is a plot which will grab you, with surprises at the end that I never saw coming. It is an  incredible novel.

I have one copy to send a lucky winner. Simply leave a comment as to your experience in High School to enter.

Half-Chinese and half-Japanese, Andrew Xia Fukuda was born in New York and raised in Hong Kong. After returning to America, he earned his bachelor's degree in history from Cornell University. Later, he went on to work in Manhattan's Chinatown with immigrant youth, whose struggles for acceptance in predominantly white America inspired him to write Crossing, his first novel. in 2009, Crossing was a semi-finalist in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Contest. Today he lives on Long Island with his wife and their two sons.

The winner of Crossing is Nadia. Congratulations, Nadia!

Mailbox Monday Winner

From the tried and true method of pulling a name out of a hat, or in this case, a crystal bowl:



the winner for Rachelle Rogers Knight's reading journal Read, Remember, Recommend is:



JoV of Bibliojunkie!

Congratulations, Jo! Email me your address, and I'll send off the reading journal straight away.

Initial Thoughts on Perec: Life, A User's Manual

I'm thinking that Frances, and Claire, and any other bloggers who are reading Georges Perec's Life A User's Manual are a lot smarter than I. Take this passage alone:

Smautf has been in Bartlebooth's service for more than fifty years. Although he calls himself a a butler, his services have been more those of gentleman's gentleman or secretary; or, to be even more precise, both at the same time: in fact, he was above all his master's travelling companion, his factotum, and if not his Sancho Panza at least his Passepartout (for there was indeed a touch of Phileas Fogg in Bartlebooth), in turns porter, clothes valet, barber, driver, guide, treasure, travel agent, and umbrella holder. (p. 52 of the Vintage edition)

If I hadn't read Jules Verne's Around The The World in 80 Days, I'd have no idea what the above reference was about. And so it is with more than half the names, or events, I encounter; I feel I should know of  them, or they should at least ring a bell, but alas, my cultural literacy seems to be sorely lacking.

However, I will continue on because the book is fascinating. (Murakami long ago prepared me for reading that which didn't make complete sense to me.)

And, I got a fabulous haircut yesterday so all is not lost.

Addendum: It's now 9:50 p.m., I'm on page 170, and I'm finally into it. I've given up trying to place a context for every name, every situation, and have given myself over to the characters. They are charming, they are flawed, and I'm getting the sense that this novel, called  a manual for life, is really a spoof on what we've turned our lives into. More to follow as the discussion takes place with Richard as our host on April 30.

Friday Fill Ins

1. Where are my minutes for alone time?

2. If wishes were horses they'd be out to pasture.

3. I'd like to see the stars in the Northwoods while I'm lying on the pier at night.

4. When I was a teen, I thought I'd know all the answers when I grew up.

5. One of my mother's favorite sayings was, "Courage grows strong in a wound".

6. I'd have a hard time doing without my laptop now that I'm blogging.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to writing a review for the novel Crossing, tomorrow my plans include returning to my Italian stylist, Santo Albanese, for a haircut and Sunday, I want to have a cup of tea after church and a long walk!

(Find more Friday fill-ins here.)

The Brothers Karamazov: Part 3

"Be so good, madame, as to listen for only half a minute, and I shall explain everything in two words," Perkhotin answered firmly. "Today, at five o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. Karamazov (Dmitri) borrowed ten roubles from me as a friend, and I know for certain that he had no money, yet this same day, at nine o'clock, he walked into my rooms holding out for all to see a wad of hundred-rouble bills, approximately two or even three thousand roubles. His hands and face were all covered with blood, and it appeared as if he were mad. To my question as to where he got so much money, he replied with precision that he had just received it from you, and that you had loaned him the sum of three-thousand roubles to go, he said to the gold mines..."

Madame Khokhlakov's face suddenly acquired a look of extraordinary and morbid excitement.

"Oh, God!" He's murdered his old father!" she cried out, clasping her hands. "I gave him no money, none! Oh, run, run...! Not a word more! Save the old man, run to his father, run!" (p. 448)

If I accused Part 2 to be largely devoid of plot, Part 3 more than makes up for it. The pace is almost frenetic, as we go from the death of Alyosha's cherished elder, Zosimov, to the death of the brothers' father, Fyodor Pavlovich. Dmitri makes a mad dash to obtain money and catch up with his love, Grushenka. Breathlessly, we follow him as he leaves Katerina's house, taking a brass pestle in his hand, and hides in the bushes outside of his father's home certain that Grushenka is there. When he discovers she is not, he is overcome with hatred for his father.

Mitya watched from the side, and did not move. The whole of the old man's profile, which he found so loathsome, the whole of his drooping Adam's apple, his hooked nose, smiling in sweet expectation, his lips-all was brightly lit from the left by the slanting light of the lamp shining from the room. Terrible, furious anger suddenly boiled up in Mitya's heart: "There he was his rival, his tormentor, the tormentor of his life!" it was a surge of that same sudden, vengeful, and furious anger of which he had spoken, as if in anticipation, to Alyosha during their conversation in the gazebo four days earlier, in response to Alyosha's question. "How can you say you will kill father?"

"I don't know, I don't know," he had said then. "Maybe I won't kill him, and maybe I will. I'm afraid that his face at that moment will suddenly become hateful to me. I hate his Adam's apple, his nose, his eyes, his shameless sneer. I feel a personal loathing. I'm afraid of that, I may not be able to help myself..."

The personal loathing was increasing unbearable. Mitya was beside himself, and suddenly he snatched the brass pestle from his pocket..."

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .      .     .     .    (p. 392-3)

What has Dmitri done? We know not, as we follow him blindly to the official Pyotr Ilyich Perkhotin's, where he buys back the pistols he had given for ten roubles, and orders an extravagant basket of sweets, fruit, pate and champagne to follow his troika to where Grushenka has apparently met with her former lover, Kalganov. It's like a soap opera in its drama, and the best mystery you've ever read, and yet the horror of it strikes my very heart.

Through Mitya we discover what it is to be on trial. When his clothes are stripped from him, for material evidence, he feels completely debased. When the questions come at him unceasingly, he must force himself to reveal his intentions no matter how private they may be. And, as a reader, I am completely unsure as to who actually did kill Fyodor. Was it Dmitri? He claims he did not. Was it Smerdykov? He was lying on the point of death after a night filled with seizures from his "falling sickness". Was it another brother, or another villain whose goals we know little about?

The suspense is killing me. I know not whom to trust. Could it really be true that Mitya is innocent of killing his father?

"Write it down? You want to write it down? Well, write it down then, I consent, I give my full consent, gentlemen...Only, you see...Wait, wait, write it down like this: 'Of violence-guilty; of inflicting a savage beating on a poor old man-guilty. And then, within himself, too, inside, in the bottom of his heart, he is guilty-but there's no need to write that down," he turned suddenly to the clerk, "that is my private life, gentlemen, that doesn't concern you now, the bottom of my heart, I mean...But the murder of his old father-not guilty! It's a wild idea! It's an utterly wild idea...! I'll prove it to you and you'll be convinced immediately. You'll laugh, gentlemen, you'll roar with laughter at your own suspicion...!" (p. 460)

Which brings to mind this question, "If we're not guilty of killing someone physically, are we guilty if we kill them in our hearts? (Matthew 5: 21-22)

Find other reviews here:

Sarah

Nicole

Frances

Allie

Hotel On The Corner of Bitter and Sweet

His father had said once, that the hardest choices aren't between what's right and wrong, but between what's right and what's best. The best thing was to let her go, and Henry had done just that, but his mind had filled with doubts.

Henry is a Chinese boy living in Seattle, whose father makes him wear a button that says, "I am Chinese." His father has worked hard to see that Henry can go to the elementary school, but he doesn't really belong. Neither does the lovely Japanese girl, Keiko, with whom he develops an instant friendship. More than that, really, they have a deep bond which resides in Henry's heart.

When Keiko's family must go with the other Japanese families living in Uwajimaya to Camp Harmony, Henry goes to serve food with the school's cook, Mrs. Beatty, just so he can see Keiko through the barbed wire fence. He brings a sketchbook for her birthday, and a rare and valued jazz record of Oscar Holden playing "Allie Cat Strut." It will be as if he is there listening with her, she tells him, and I'm reminded of how lovers who cannot be together grasp the smallest things through which to connect.

This is an intricate tale of exquisite beauty; it tells of the Panama Hotel, World War II, Japanese and Chinese, fathers and sons, but more than anything, of Henry's undying love for Keiko. It is a novel I won't forget.

(Visit Jamie Ford's site.)

Mailbox Monday and Give-Away

Into my mailbox came this wonderful reading journal developed by Rachelle Rogers Knight, who writes the blog Bibliobabe. This reading journal for book lovers is divided into the following categories:

• Awards and Notable Lists (including the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Awards, PEN/Faulkner Award and more)
• To Read (in which you can record the book, author and notes of books you own, recommend, plan to read, or want)
• Journal Pages (in which you can record the title, author, reason for reading, who recommended it, words to define and passages to remember)
• Recommendations (in which you can list books you'd like to recommend to others)
• Loaner Lists
• References and Resources (in which you can find helpful links to information on worldwide fiction awards, links for blogs, social networking sites and resources for book clubs)

I have one copy to give away. Just leave a comment as to why you would enjoy this journal, or how you would use it, to enter. The winner will be announced next Monday, April 26, 2010.

(Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.)

On A Spring Walk In Illinois...

A Prayer In Spring

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird
That suddenly above the bees is heard,
The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,
And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,
The which it is reserved for God above
To sanctify to what far ends He will,
But which it only needs that we fulfill.

~Robert Frost

Friday Fill-Ins

1. I'd like to spend the day reading.

2. One of my most favorite romantic memories is eating veal piccata as a very special dinner in Itasca. It was such a lovely indugence;  I was spoiled so thoroughly.

3. Last night, I had pears, water crackers, cheddar cheese and a glass of Chardonnay  for dinner.

4. Sorry for the way I retreat when I am hurt.

5. Can we begin the Japanese Literature Challenge 4 now instead of July?

6. One of my worst temptations is swearing; a half silent curse word is hard to resist even though I want to have a clean heart, clean mouth!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to finishing The Brothers Karamazov, tomorrow my plans include finishing the Hotel on The Corner of Bitter and Sweet for Tuesday's book club and Sunday, I want to finish all my piled up grading.

(Find more Friday Fill-ins here.)

The Brothers Karamazov: Part 2

For the world says, "You have needs, therefore satisfy them, for you have the same rights as the noblest and richest men. Do not be afraid to satisfy them, but even increase them"--this is the current teaching of the world. And in this they see freedom. But what comes of this right to increase one's needs? For the rich, isolation and spiritual suicide, for the poor, envy and murder, for they have been given rights, but have not yet been shown any way of satisfying their needs. (p. 313)

In the beginning of this section, we find that Dmitri has not only insulted his fiance, Katerina, but he has also insulted a certain captain named Snegiryov by dragging him out of an establishment with his whiskers. Snegiryov's son, Ilyusha, bit Alexei's finger to the bone in revenge, simply because Alexei was a Karamazov.

When Katerina learned of the embarrassment Snegiryov endured at the hand of Dmitri, she sent Alexei off with two hundred roubles to try to comfort the family. But, there was no way that Snegiryov, destitute as he and his family was, could accept it; he ground the crisp bills into the dirt with the heel of his boot after displaying incredible longing for them and what they could provide.

After this bit of plot, the rest of Part 2 consists mainly of thought-provoking ideas portrayed through Ivan as well as the elder, Zosimov. Ivan seems to be questioning everything.

"I must make an admission," Ivan began. "I never could understand how it's possible to love one's neighbors. In my opinion, it is precisely one's neighbors that one cannot possible love. Perhaps if they weren't so nigh...It's still possible to love one's neighbor abstractly, and even occasionally from a distance, but hardly ever up close." (p. 236-7)

He also voices his great discontent with God in the chapter titled Rebellion:

And it is my duty, if only as an honest man, to return it as far ahead of time as possible. Which is what I am doing. It's not that I don't accept God, Alyosha, I just most respectfully return him the ticket."

"That is rebellion," Alyosha said softly, dropping his eyes.

"Rebellion? I don't like hearing such a word from you," Ivan said with feeling. (p. 245)

But, in Ivan's "poem", The Grand Inquisitor, he continues with his rebellion. He maintains that what man wants from God is miracles, yet what God wants is faith:

But you did not know that as soon as man rejects miracles, he will at once reject God as well, for man seeks not so much God as miracles. And since man cannot bear to be left without miracles, he will go and create new miracles for himself, his own miracles this time, and will bow down to the miracles of quacks or women's magic, though he be rebellious, heretical and godless a hundred times over. You did not come down from the cross when they shouted to you, mocking and reviling you: "Come down from the cross and we will believe that it is you." You did not come down because, again, you did not want to enslave man by a miracle and thirsted for faith that is free, not miraculous. You thirsted for love that is free, and not for the servile raptures of a slave before a power that has left him permanently terrified. But here, too, you overestimated mankind, for, of course, they are slaves though they were created rebels." (p. 256)

Rather than faith, Ivan maintains that the stronger force is the Karamazov nature:

"There is a force that will endure everything," said Ivan, this time with a cold smirk.

"What force?"

"The Karamazov force...the force of the Karamazov baseness."

"To drown in depravity, to stifle your soul with corruption, is that it?"

"That, too, perhaps...only until my thirtieth year maybe I'll escape it, and then..."

"How will you escape it? By means of what? With your thoughts, it's impossible."

"Again, in Karamazov fashion." (p. 263)

Contrast this ideology with Zosimov's last words, summarized for us by Alexei:

"Yet the Lord will save Russia, as he has saved her many times before. Salvation will come from the people, from their faith and their humility. Fathers and teachers, watch over the faith of the people-and this is no dream: all my life I have been struck by the true and gracious dignity in our great people. " (p. 316)

When I compare this statement with Ivan's, I find that the Karamazovs (in general) appear to refute Zosimov's belief in Russia's people. In fact, we are presented with this very disturbing fact in Part 2: if Fyodor Pavlovich should die, many people may benefit financially. Dmitri knows that his father has three thousand roubles sealed in a big envelope, tied with a ribbon and addressed to Grushenka (also known as Agrafena Alexandrovna).

"Besides, he considers that same three thousand, sir, as if it was his own, and he told me so himself: 'My father,' he said,'still owes me exactly three thousand.' And on top of all that, Ivan Fyodorovich, consider also a certain pure truth, sir: It's almost a sure thing, one must say, sir, that Agrafena Alexandrovna, if only she wants to, could definitely get him to marry her, I meant the master himself, Fyodor Pavolvich, sir, if only she wants to-well, and maybe she'll want to sir...And she's quite clever in her mind, sir. Why should she marry such a pauper as Dmitri Fyodorovich, sir? And so, taking that, now consider for yourself, Ivan Fyodorovich, that then there will be nothing at all left either for Dmitri Fyodorovich, that then there will be nothing at all left either for Dmitri Fyodorovich, or even for you , sir, along with your brother Alexei Fyodorovich, after your father's death, not a rouble sir, because Agrafena Alexandrovna will marry him in order to get it all down in her name and transfer whatever capital there is to herself, sir. But if your father was to die now, while none of this has happened, sir, then each one of you would get a sure forty thousand all at once, even Dmitri Fyodorovich, whom he hates so much, because he hasn't made his will, sir..." (p. 273)

Like the very voice of Satan, here Smerdyakov plants the seeds of doubt and greed into Ivan's mind. If his father was to die, the three sons would greatly benefit; miracle, faith, or salvation be damned.

Find other posts on Part 2 here:

Sarah

Nicole

PickyGirl

Allie

Frances

Nish

Shelley

Mailbox Monday

Into my mailbox came a belated birthday book from one of my closest friends at school. It is Tracy Chevalier's newest work, Remarkable
Creatures.

From the moment she's struck by lightning as a baby, it is clear Mary Anning is different. Though poor and uneducated, she discovers on the windswept beaches of the English coast that she has a unique gift: "the eye" to spot fossils no one else can see. When Mary uncovers an unusual fossilized skeleton in the cliffs near her home, she sets the religious fathers on edge, the townspeople to gossip-and the scientific world alight. In an arena dominated by men,  however, Mary is barred from the academic community; as a young woman with uncommon interests, she is suspected of sinful behavior. Nature is a threat, throwing bitter cold, storms and landslips at her. And when she falls in love, it is with an impossible man.

Mary finds an unlikely champion in prickly Elizabeth Philpot, a middle-class spinster recently exiled from London, who shares he passion for scouring the beaches. Their relationship strikes a delicate balance between fierce loyalty, mutual appreciation, and barely suppressed envy. Ultimately, in the struggle to be recognized in the wider world, Mary and Elizabeth discover that friendship is their greatest ally.

Remarkable Creatures is an inspiring novel of how one woman's gift transcends class and social prejudice to lead to some of the most important discoveries of the nineteenth century. Above all, it is a revealing portrait of the intricate and resilient nature of female friendship.

(Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.)

Read-a-Thon Flunkie, That's Me

I had so much fun yesterday participating more in Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon than I did the first time I tried it in October.

Sure, there were distractions like company for five hours in the afternoon and becoming exhausted arount 11:30. But, it was great.

• I loved almost finishing The Brothers Karamazov.


• I loved seeing all the posts.


• I loved the comments flying around the blogosphere.

Until this morning when I realized a dreadful mistake. I'd been cheering for the cheerleaders on my team! Hello! Is there an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for participants in the Read-a-thon? Because I'm thinking I need one.

Not only did I not read for the full twenty-four hours, knowing that I had to greet at church this morning and go to work Monday morning, but I didn't accomplish my cheerleading correctly...no wonder it seemed so easy!

Well, now I have some goals for the next time around:

1. Clear the calendar of e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g including, and most especially, family luncheons and


2. Cheer for the readers instead of the cheerleaders.

Still, it was a blast. Thanks most wonderful team of leaders and bloggers for a very, very fun Saturday.

Read-A-Thon Update #3

As the sun slowly sets outside our picture window, and the company for luncheon has finally departed, I am ready to resume my reading.

My goals have changed.

Instead of hoping to read 9,352 pages today, I'm hoping to finish The Brothers Karamazov. I'm hoping to start Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino. I'm hoping to have at least the next four hours of SSR: Sustained Silent Reading for those of you who don't teach elementary school.

Or, as my son used to call it when he was in first grade: Sit down, Shut up, and Read.

Read-a-Thon Update #2

Reading? What's that?

So far, since my last post, I've:

• mopped the kitchen floor


• cleaned the bathroom


• dusted the living room


• sliced fresh strawberries for strawberry shortcake which I served after we all came back from lunch.

Lunch was nice. The food was good, the conversation was better. But, the company's still here, talking at the dining room table as I sneak away to post, and my hours are slipping away...

Patience, come my way. (Do you suppose they'd miss me if I read a few hundred pages in the corner?)

Read-A-Thon Update #1

Woo-hoo! I just finished Part 3 of The Brothers Karamazov (in English, of course!).

I never expected the mystery to be so compelling, the writing to be so fascinating, the thoughts to be so deep.

Hey, you've got 24 hours...why not join in the read-along? ;)

The 24 Hour-Read-A-Thon Begins!

Not eleven minutes ago, the 24 hour read-a-thon officially began. This year I'm even more excited because I signed up to be a cheerleader! Yeah! This particular position eluded me in High School as I was neither blonde, into blue sparkly eyeshadow, or showing my bum as I walked. However, now is the perfect time to dwell in what I do best: Read! And, Support Others Who Read!

Be sure to check out the main page for the read-a-thon throughout the day as there will be not only tips, but exciting mini-challenges as well. Here's the first one:

Our first mini-challenge for you is the Hour 1 meme that Darcy wrote up quite a few read-a-thons ago. I’d alter it but I’m all about traditions, man!

Where are you reading from today?

• I'll continue with The Brothers Karamazov, and move on to a variety of ARC's...plus, I want to knock of a few challenge reads for both Clover, Bee and Reverie as well as the Once Upon A Time IV.

3 facts about me...

• I began blogging in 2006, on Blogger, and it wasn't specifically a book blog then.


• This is only my second read-a-thon ever.


• I can never remember a time in my life when I couldn't read.

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?

• Shelves and shelves and shelves? All over my flipping house?! I also have a number of audio books on  my iPod, but that would be the kiss of death: listening equals sleeping to me.

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?

• My main goal is not to get frustrated that my husband invited his mother and his aunt, both of whom I love, to lunch. Today! I know! How can I read when I'm entertaining?!

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time?

• See Debnance's post on Read-a-thon Lite. She cracks me up with her wonderful perspective.

Happy First Hour, everyone! I'll be around cheerleading today, especially those I've been assigned to!

The Brothers Karamazov: Part 1

My copy of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky is translated from Russian by Pevear and Volokhonsky. I bought it several years ago after my son gave me their translation of War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. Both read like a dream.

Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov, a "cunning and obstinate buffoon", has three sons. Dmitri, the eldest, was born of his first wife Adelaida Ivanovna Miusov. Ivan and Alexei were born of his second wife, Sofia Ivanovna, who died when Alexei was four. Their upbringing was largely left to the family servant, Grigory, as Fyodor Pavlovich was a drunkard and a fool, too intent on debauchery to act as father.

Alyosha (Alexei) chooses to join a monastery due in part to his great affection for the elder, Zosima. When an enormous disagreement over inheritance and property accounts arises between the eldest son Dmitri and his father, they seek Zosima's wisdom and influence. At this meeting, however, Fyodor is unable to contain his foolishness; he lashes out at everybody and calls for Alyosha to come home. A strange occurence, however, which has not yet been explained, is that Zosima bows at Dmitri's feet, touching his forehead to the floor.

But the whole scene, which had turned so ugly, was stopped in a most unexpected manner. The elder suddenly rose from his place. Alyosha, who had almost completely lost his head from fear for him and for all of them, had just time enough to support his arm. The elder stepped towards Dmitri Fyodorovich and, having come close to him, knelt before him. Alyosha thought for a moment that he had fallen from weakness, but it was something else. Kneeling in front of Dmitri Fyodorovich, the elder bowed down at his feet with a full, distinct, conscious bow, and even touched the floor with his forehead. Alyosha was so amazed that he failed to support him as he got to his feet. A weak smile barely glimmered on his lips.

"Forgive me! Forgive me, all of you!" he said, bowing on all sides to his guests.

Dmitri Fyodorovich stood dumbstruck for a few moments. Bowing at his feet-what was that?" (p. 74-75)

Dmitri is engaged to Katerina Ivanovna, who is a rich, aristocratic colonel's daughter. But the woman he seems to love is Grushenka, the kept woman of an old shopkeeper, whom he calls the "queen of insolence" at the end of Part 1. Apparently, Dmitri and his father each want Grushenka for his own.

To compound the difficulties of this triangle, Katerina Ivanovna seems to truly love Dmitri, despite the fact that he has spent three thousand rubles she gave him. Katerina and Grushenka are sitting together when Alyosha comes as messenger for Dmitri, and Grushenka rudely scorns Katerina by not returning her kisses and slandering her abominably.

"Insolent!" Katerina Ivanovna said suddenly as if suddenly understanding something. She blushed all over and jumped up from her place. Grushenka, too, got up, without haste.

"So I'll go right now and tell Mitya that you kissed my hand, and I didn't kiss yours at all. How he'll laugh!"

"You slut! Get out!" (p. 152)

What I love about this book so far:

• the dramatic relationships between father and sons, men and women, the public and the monastery (remember the women crying out to the elder for his blessing, particularly the one who had lost her son? It broke my heart! Dostoeyvsky himself suffered terribly through the loss of his own three year old son.).


• the elements of faith that Alyosha has, epitomized by this sentence; "But before going to sleep, he threw himself down on his knees and prayed for a long time. In his ardent prayer, he did not ask God to explain his confusion to him, but only thirsted for joyful tenderness, the same tenderness that always visited his soul after praising and glorifying God, of which his prayer before going to sleep usually consisted. This joy that visited him always drew after it a light and peaceful sleep." (p. 158)


• The way the tension is slowly building, layer after layer, with intricate detail.

Questions I'm pondering as I conclude Part 1:

1. Why did the elder Zosimov bow at Fyodor Pavlovich's feet at the monastery?


2. Why does Alexei feel so drawn to both the elder and that way of life? Is it in reaction to his father's dishonor, or a true calling?


3. What terrible thing is Dmitri predicting as he tells his brother, Alexei, of the darkness in his heart?

"You know me by now: a scoundrel, an avowed scoundrel! But know that whatever I have done before or now or may do later---nothing, nothing can compare in baseness with the dishonor I am carrying, precisely now, precisely at this moment, here on my chest, here, right here, which is being enacted and carried out, and which it is fully in my power to stop, I can stop it or carry it out, make a note of that! And know, then, that I will carry it out and will not stop it. I just told you everything, but this I did not tell you, because even I am not so brazen! (p. 156)

~~~~~

If you have written a review for Part 1, please leave a comment below to direct us to your post so that I can add your link here. If you haven't written a review, please feel free to leave a comment. What are your thoughts so far? Until we meet again to discuss Part 2 on Thursday, April 15, happy reading!

Find other reviews here:

Frances at Nonsuch Book

Sarah at What We Have Here Is a Failure To Communicate

Nicole at bibliographing

 Eva at A Striped Armchair

Nadia at A Bookish Way of Life

Allie at A Literary Odyssey

            Becca at Bookstack

            Shelley at Book Clutter

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Getting All Shivery About The 24 Hour Read-a-Thon

I can't stand myself, I'm so excited.

There are prizes.

There are cheerleaders.

There are buttons.

There are twenty-four hours in which to read. Read, read, read!

There are currently 266 participants. Are you one of them?

Mailbox Mondays

As you can see from my newly revised sidebar, there are lots of exciting books coming up which I've been asked to review. First on the list is Crossing, which has this enticing information:

A loner in his all-white high school, Chinese-born Xing (pronounced “Shing”) is a wallflower longing for acceptance. His isolation is intensified by his increasingly awkward and undeniable crush on his only friend, the beautiful and brilliant Naomi Lee.

Xing’s quiet adolescent existence is rattled when a series of disappearances rock his high school and fear ripples through the blue-collar community in which he lives. Amidst the chaos surrounding him, only Xing, alone on the sidelines of life, takes notice of some peculiar sightings around town. He begins to investigate with the hope that if he can help put an end to the disappearances, he will finally win the acceptance for which he has longed.

However, as Xing draws closer to unveiling the identity of the abductor, he senses a noose of suspicion tightening around his own neck. While Xing races to solve the mystery and clear his name, Crossing hurtles readers towards a chilling climax.

Debut novelist Andrew Xia Fukuda, a 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semi-finalist, is half-Chinese and half-Japanese. Crossing was inspired by his experience working with Chinatown immigrant teens and shaped by his work as a criminal prosecutor.

I'll be reviewing Crossing on April 27, and I hope you'll be as interested in reading it as I am.

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.

Happy Easter!

Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angle of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear or him, and became like dead men.

But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you."  So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word.

And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!"  (Matthew 28: 1-9)

~~~~~

For a great Easter blessing, see the poem that Arti wrote.

Plans for Reading in April

So, in my post of Spring Break Supplies I didn't know this darling, red ProAir HFA would be added! I've been coughing for two weeks now, as if I was a chain smoker, which I'm not, and giving birth to my lungs. This morning when I woke up I thought Minou was laying on my chest, but no, it was just the heaviness from bronchitis which I discovered I had after finally hauling my butt into the doctor's.  Hey, give me fourteen days, and I'll eventually go.

This cute little inhaler is at least red, to match my lipstick and my car. And my copy of The Brothers Karamazov.

Twenty people have now signed up to read along with us. I have purchased twenty five Russian bookmarks from the little Russian shop near my house for each one who completes the task. Hopefully, I'll need more.

In any case, my reading for April includes The Brothers Karamazov of course, but I'm hoping I'll have time for additional works. I want to read some books of poetry for Poetry Month and the Clover, Bee and Reverie challenge. I want to read The Clash of Kings and Cosmicomics for the Once Upon a Time IV Challenge. I want to read Crossing and Guest House which were sent to me by their respective publishers for review. So, April promises to be an exciting month.

Especially if I can start breathing again.