Hello everyone!! So sad to say this is our last blog post I honestly cannot believe it. Overall this semester just flew by I am honestly shocked we are going into our last week. I always feel like the second semester always moves faster than the first. Overall out of this whole semester, this was one of my favorite classes. It was a nice break from all my psychology courses and textbook readings. This course gave me the chance to explore different texts, learn new reading styles, and expand my…read more
Hello everyone! As we are soon approaching the end of the semester it is truly crazy to see how fast it has all gone. This course taught me so much about myself as a reader and pushed me to move past my comfort zone with reading to experience texts that I would have maybe never picked for myself. As we move to our last book I can say I did not enjoy reading but I am starting to open up to it. This week’s book “Faces in the Crowd” by…read more
The Book of Chameleons by José Eduardo Agualusa was one filled with such complexities as the revealings of truth and discovery are wrapped up in tellings of the past, present, and imagination. This book had so much going on that I was completely shocked at every revealing, I felt like I literally gasped throughout this book. I almost don’t even know where to start. At first this story is about a man named Felix Ventura and an observational gecko. This gecko lives in the home of Felix Ventura who is…read more
Piglia, Ricardo’s “Money to Burn” was a book that was quite interesting to read for me. In comparison to the other books in this course I felt the central plot and story reflected something different. This story follows the life of thieves who rob a central bank, town, which results in a standoff between the gang and police officers, it is one of violence and crime. I found this book easy to read and follow along which made it much easier to understand. As the story continued I felt drawn…read more
“The Lover” by Marguerite Duras was a book I actually really liked. Although I had anticipated to hate this book just from the context given in class it really caught me by surprise. The narrator’s perspective of the story is what caught my attention. In today’s world if a story is written about an underage relationship we automatically feel it is exploitive, abusive, and naive but this book took a very different view. The narrator takes back control and tells us the story in a way that suggests she knows…read more
“The Hour of the Star” by Clarice Lispector is a book following the protagonist, known only as “the Inspector,” as he moves through his life. This book was one I did not particularly love but at the same time, I didn’t hate it either. I was a bit confused at the beginning as to how this story is written and the relationship to the protagonists. One theme in the book that I think was large was existentialism. This text delves into ideas like the meaning of life and existence but…read more
“The Time of the Doves” was an interesting read. I feel as if it had many complexities and details and moved much faster than some of the other books. There was so much that was covered in this book. Throughout Natalia’s life, we see war, hardships, love, and resilience. I feel like we really got to see Natalia’s life up close. The theme of love is evident in this book. Through Natalia’s romantic relationships with different men, particularly her husband Quimet. This relationship seems very complex. As it starts off…read more
Zobel’s “Black Shack Alley” was an amazing read. Following the life of José we see his slow innocent realization of poverty and the world he was born into. José represents the numerous challenges and discrimination due to his race and socioeconomic status, but José is determined to improve his circumstances. I really liked how this text went into great detail about the interactions and memories of José’s childhood. Through this, José unfolds his memories but also depicts his shifted perspective of his reality. One theme that I really appreciated in…read more
Agostino by Alberto Moravia was a very interesting read. This young boy who is completely infatuated by his mother’s presence and longs so dearly for her love becomes evident in the rest few pages of the book. Right at the beginning of the book, Agostino states how much it means to spend time with his mother. Going boating every day, laying on the beach, and being in her presence fills his pride and identity but when her presence is shared with others he becomes jealous. An interesting theme that came…read more
‘The Shrouded Woman’ by María Luisa Bombal was an amazing read. I really enjoyed this text as I felt like I was so interested in her perspective. I found it so unique and capturing that she sees herself buried. Narrating from this view made this novel made it more impactful in a way as she looks back at her life. This perspective made the text so interesting almost like I was immersed in a show. I think this novel did a great job at capturing those emotions and feelings someone…read more
