His Dark Materials

A very long time ago my father gave me the first book of this trilogy, in Spanish. I remember reading the first page and dedicing that it was too boring for me. Indeed I did not read the book for many, many years; certainly more than 15 years. But then there were several independent instances through the years where I heard people expressing high praise for these books. Finally, when Aidan told me he really liked the universe of these books, I made the executive decision of buying all of them in one volume and read them.

  I am happy that I made that decision, as the narrative is entertaining and the books are well-written. Without knowing anything about Phillip Pullman, I knew just by reading the book that it had to had been written by an English author since the writing is characteristically polite and elegant. Which made the scenes of violence surprising in a way that I had not read before. And I think the writing alone is the reason I would recommend reading His Dark Materials.

  The rest of the book —the universe that Pullman created, and the storyline— is pretty much just the excuse Pullman had to show to the world how beautiful his writing is. In fact, the rest of the book is standardly simple. Though I do appreciate that the author offers young readers an introduction to the debate on right and wrong, and to humanity's fraught relationship with Christianity.

  I am left with mixed feelings. Though, I think Michael Torpey would be of the opinion that if a book makes you think about things, and makes you feel feelings, then it is probably a good book.

Dreamcatcher

Some dreams die and fall free, that is another of the world's bitter truths. (King, S. Dreamcatcher. p. 574. United States of America: Scribner, 2001).

       I have had this book on my bookshelf for more than ten years now. I remember being particularly excited to read this book when I saw it at the bookshop in... Was it Texas? I am almost sure it was. But just as Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix, it just laid there and never got read until now. It took me months, almost a year to finish reading this book. Because, just as Mr King himself was having a hard time while he wrote this novel - he says so in the author's note -, I was also having an existential crisis while I read Dreamcatcher.

       This must not be Mr King's best novel. In all truth, it was really difficult to read it. Not because it was dense, but because the story per se and the way it was told did not take my fancy. This is the first book of Stephen King that I have read. Perhaps I should have started with some other, more famous book. Maybe It would have been the most appropiate start. But in this world there are no coincidences, only the inevitable. I must say I feel so strained after taking so long in reading this book that it will take me a long while before I give another Stephen King novel a chance. At this moment, all I feel is an immense tiredness.

 

How many bitter truths there are. (King, S. Dreamcatcher. p. 574. United States of America: Scribner, 2001).

Great Expectations

Un libro terrible, no lo puedo creer. Es la historia de cómo un caballero verdadero, siéndolo tan honestamente, no puede ver que lo es y añora ser un caballero. Es la historia de cómo la Fortuna le presenta las oportunidades que él tanto deseaba tener y las toma. Es, también, la historia de cómo este caballero verdadero se vuelve en exactamente lo opuesto a lo que quería ser. La educación y el dinero lo han corrompido y, pensándose un caballero, no es más que una persona miserable.
       Me dolió el corazón ver cómo un alma tan buena puede volverse tan perversa. Acompañan a esta historia la vida del único caballero que sobrevivió, Joe, el que permaneció fiel a sus sentimientos y nunca se quejó de nada, pues sabía que, careciendo de todo, tenía todo lo que cualquiera desearía tener.
       También aparece una mujer, enseñada a ser perversa, y siendo así instruida se convence a sí misma de que ésa es su naturaleza. Grave error fue convencerse de eso, pues la Fortuna le paga perversamente.
       Mas la historia resultó, al final, ser tan maestra, que tanto al antes caballero, ahora miserable corrupto, como a la mujer que perversa se creía, la vida les abre los ojos al tocar el fondo del pozo de la Miseria.
       Muy maestra la escritura del libro. Muy obscuros y feos los temas que toca. No obstante, todo esto resulta en una gran novela que recomiendo a todos leer.

       "I took her hand in mine, and we went out of the ruined place; and, as the morning mists had risen long ago when I first left the forge, so, the evening mists were rising now, and in all the broad expanse of tranquil light they showed to me, I saw the shadow of no parting from her.". (Dickens, C. Great Expectations. p. 527. República Popular China: White's Books, 2010).