When Emmeline and I were crossing off our lists initially we had two highlighters for different categories. One was books that we had started but never finished and the other was books that we owned but hadn't read.
Given that The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway was a bookclub book (from the first week), is very short, and I had already begun it, I thought I would start there. Also we were at Joanne's and she had a copy I could borrow.
It turns out that I had barely read the first page and so didn't have much of a headstart. Also, reading a book after you've already sat through a bookclub on it is bizarre, because you are always straining to remember what was said and if it fits with what you are reading rather than just enjoying the book on its own merit.
[Spoilers beyond this point]
I did not like The Old Man and the Sea. If it wasn't so short and I wasn't reading it as part of this project I believe I wouldn't have finished it*. I knew the fish gets eaten by sharks so I knew all his hard work was for nothing. I also couldn't remember if he died at the end or not, so I thought that might happen as well** and the whole thing would have been a waste of time.
The imagery of the book was good, I could really imagine his hut, his body, his boat and the ocean.
I liked that the skeleton of the fish remained even after the sharks had demolished the flesh and the old man was revered for his skills upon return to the shore, rather than ridiculed for fanciful stories, which I was terrified he would be.
With the return of the young boy to fish by his side forevermore and the vindication of his skills as a fisherman; it was all in all a pleasant ending to a painful journey.
-Jocelyn
*I am not afraid to stop reading a book I don't like or am not currently in the mood for. On my consensus cloud The Scarlet Letter and 1984 are two books I previously have started reading but haven't felt like finishing and have discarded for a later time (which may or may not come).
**I always assume the worst will happen in books and movies. It can take away from their enjoyment and I have begun to seek out spoilers when I feel my enjoyment will increase. Previously I eschewed spoilers like the plague!
Given that The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway was a bookclub book (from the first week), is very short, and I had already begun it, I thought I would start there. Also we were at Joanne's and she had a copy I could borrow.
It turns out that I had barely read the first page and so didn't have much of a headstart. Also, reading a book after you've already sat through a bookclub on it is bizarre, because you are always straining to remember what was said and if it fits with what you are reading rather than just enjoying the book on its own merit.
[Spoilers beyond this point]
I did not like The Old Man and the Sea. If it wasn't so short and I wasn't reading it as part of this project I believe I wouldn't have finished it*. I knew the fish gets eaten by sharks so I knew all his hard work was for nothing. I also couldn't remember if he died at the end or not, so I thought that might happen as well** and the whole thing would have been a waste of time.
The imagery of the book was good, I could really imagine his hut, his body, his boat and the ocean.
I liked that the skeleton of the fish remained even after the sharks had demolished the flesh and the old man was revered for his skills upon return to the shore, rather than ridiculed for fanciful stories, which I was terrified he would be.
With the return of the young boy to fish by his side forevermore and the vindication of his skills as a fisherman; it was all in all a pleasant ending to a painful journey.
-Jocelyn
*I am not afraid to stop reading a book I don't like or am not currently in the mood for. On my consensus cloud The Scarlet Letter and 1984 are two books I previously have started reading but haven't felt like finishing and have discarded for a later time (which may or may not come).
**I always assume the worst will happen in books and movies. It can take away from their enjoyment and I have begun to seek out spoilers when I feel my enjoyment will increase. Previously I eschewed spoilers like the plague!
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