Review - Great by Sara Benincasa

Title: Great

Author: Sara Benincasa

Series: Stand Alone

Pages: 263

Published: April 8th 2014 by HarperTeen 

ISBN: 9780062222695

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

Description: Naomi Rye usually dreads spending the summer with her socialite mother in East Hampton. This year is no different. She sticks out like a sore thumb among the teenagers who have been summering (a verb only the very rich use) together for years. But Naomi finds herself captivated by her mysterious next-door neighbor, Jacinta. Jacinta has her own reason for drawing close to Naomi-to meet the beautiful and untouchable Delilah Fairweather. But Jacinta's carefully constructed world is hiding something huge, a secret that could undo everything. And Naomi must decide how far she is willing to be pulled into this web of lies and deception before she is unable to escape.

I Give This ...

 

 I was a little hesitant after noticing a couple reviews.  But, I decided to give it a go anyway.  I'm ended up really enjoying the story.  Perhaps the fact that I've never read The Great Gatsby helps in that regard.  

I found Naomi to be interesting.  I wondered if she picked the opposite of what a socialite would wear, act, etc. just to see how far she could push her mother.  It seemed like she didn't want to give this world a chance at all.  It wasn't until an outsider latched on and pulled her into this world was she able to see that it might have something to offer her.  She changes the way she dresses, donning the outfits her mother has filled her closets with.  She starts to ignore her friends at home, instead complaining when Jacinta and Delilah begin to exclude her from their plans.  It made her seem shallow at times, but I think she was just confused in how to meld these two sides of her self.

Jacinta was the character I never quite understood throughout this.  She was expecting a lot in return for throwing a few wild parties.  But, I think it goes to show that sometimes old grudges and impressions run dip and that it takes more than a few years and money to look past that.  It was also a sad reminder that even the best of us are going to look out for ourselves when put under the light.  It was sad to see how this destroyed Jacinta in the process.  I wish she would have been stronger than that though.

I seem to be one of the few that thought this was pretty good.  I sometimes think that putting in the category of a contemporary retelling of a classic can put a lot of pressure on a book.   

 

The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

Title: The Three Musketeers
Author: Alexandre Dumas
Published: First published in 1844
Pages: 640
ISBN: 9780375756740
Source: Library Book

Description:  First published in 1844, Alexandre Dumas's swashbuckling epic chronicles the adventures of D'Artagnan , a gallant young nobleman who journeys to Paris in 1625 hoping to join the ranks of musketeers guarding Louis XIII. He soon finds himself fighting alongside three heroic comrades, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, who seek to uphold the honor of the king by foiling the wicked plots of Cardinal Richelieu and the beautiful spy "Milady."
As Clifton Fadiman reflected, "We read The Three Musketeers to experience a sense of romance and for the sheer excitement of the story. In these violent pages all is action, intrigue, suspense, surprise and an almost endless chain of duels, murders, love affairs, unmaskings, ambushes, hairbreadth escapes, wild rides. It is all impossible and it is all magnificent."

I Give This Book 3 Stars!

I've only seen the Disney version (the one with Kiefer Sutherland) of this book, so thought I might enjoy it for my classics challenge.  Boy, was I surprised.  It was not an easy read.  It's large and cumbersome.  I didn't have to force my way though it, just had to take my time.  I was most shocked by the differences.  I was under the impression that D'Artagnan was a follower and more of the type to get into trouble.  He's actually more of the leader in this book.  The musketeers aren't as valiant and courageous as I thought.  More along the lines of men who like their women and their wine, and prefer to haggle their way to getting them for free.   There wasn't as much suspense, intrigue, coercion, and backstabbing as I anticipated.  I was glad when I finished it, but happy I read it.

Literary Classics Challenge

I have to admit that I am not well read in Literary Classics.  I more of a modern book kind of gal.  But, I though this challenge might be good for me.  Let's just say it was an eye opener :)  Here is what I read...

• 
  
  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen


• 
  
  Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte


• 
  
  The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne


• 
  
  Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens


• 
  
  The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

Pride and Prejudice was by far my favorite.  Oliver Twist and The Three Musketeers were worthy reads as well.  The Scarlett Letter was just ok.  Wuthering Heights...I just don't know.   I didn't like it, but feel maybe sometime in the future I may have to read it again.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Title: Oliver Twist
Author: Charles Dickens
Published: First Published in 1837
Pages: 512
ISBN: 9780451529718

Description: One of Dickens’s most popular novels, Oliver Twist is the story of a young orphan who dares to say, "Please, sir, I want some more." After escaping from the dark and dismal workhouse where he was born, Oliver finds himself on the mean streets of Victorian-era London and is unwittingly recruited into a scabrous gang of scheming urchins. In this band of petty thieves Oliver encounters the extraordinary and vibrant characters who have captured readers’ imaginations for more than 150 years: the loathsome Fagin, the beautiful and tragic Nancy, the crafty Artful Dodger, and perhaps one of the greatest villains of all time—the terrifying Bill Sikes.
Rife with Dickens’s disturbing descriptions of street life, the novel is buoyed by the purity of the orphan Oliver. Though he is treated with cruelty and surrounded by coarseness for most of his life, his pious innocence leads him at last to salvation—and the shocking discovery of his true identity.

I Give This Book 3 Stars!

I struggled a little with this book.  I had a hard time with some of the characters, namely that bad ones.  Now, I like a good villain story as much as anyone.  But, every time something good happened to Oliver, I wanted to cheer!  But, then something horrible would happen, and I wanted to throw the book out the window.  The ending was gruesome, and I just wasn't expecting it.  I was happy for Oliver when everything finally fell into place, but the story that took place for him to get there was just a strange twist of events.  I'm glad that I read it, but I think I might refrain from Dickens for a while...