Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: Huk/The Soil Author: Yi Kwang-Su (Hwang Sun-Ae and Horace Jeffery Hodges were translators) ISBN: 978-1-56478-911-2 Publisher: The Dalkey Archive Type of book: classes, 1920s? Korea, occupation of Japan, modern medicine, city life versus country life, selfishness, greed, helping, class divides, marriage, loyalty, fidelity, death, miscarriage, birth Year it was published: 2013 (originally 1932-1933) Summary: A major, never before translated novel by the author of "Mujong / The Heartless"--often called the first modern Korean novel--"The Soil" tells the story of an idealist dedicating his life to helping the inhabitants of the rural community in which he was raised. Striving to influence the poor farmers of the time to improve their lots, become self-reliant, and thus indirectly change the reality of colonial life on the Korean peninsula, "The Soil" was vitally important to the social movements of the time, echoing the effe...

Name of Book: Password to Larkspur Lane Author: Carolyn Keene ISBN: 9780448095103 Publisher: Grosset and Dunlap Part of a Series: Nancy Drew Type of book: Mystery, child to young adult, 1930s, lost relatives, scamming, mental hospital, fake doctors Year it was published: 1933 Summary: Nancy’s inextinguishable curiosity leads her to another case, this time with Bess in tow. The detective speaks to a doctor who was kidnapped and blindfolded by a criminal in order to care for a young woman held hostage. Nancy’s mission: Connect the jumbled mess of clues to save a woman and catch a criminal. Characters: Nancy is obsessed with mystery as always, and just like in previous novels she survives and makes it out alive from certain situations. Other characters stay the same, nothing new about them. Bad guys are bad, and good guys are good, no one makes any surprises. Predictable. Theme: I honestly have no idea. Plot: Same old plot with Nancy discovering a myst...

Name of Book: The Sign of the Twisted Candles Author: Carolyn Keene ISBN: 9780448095097 Publisher: Grosset and Dunlap Part of a Series: Nancy Drew series Type of book: Mystery, feud, foster parents, happy endings, 1930s, children's-young adult. Year it was published: 1933 Summary: While solving the mystery of an old man's disappearing fortune, Nancy ends a family feud and reveals the identity of an orphan of unknown parentage. Characters: Characters are typical. Nancy doesn't reveal any special talents in this books, and she is again the active and has more of a masculine role. Her father is not a background character and is active instead, while other characters are forgettable and unimportant. The villains are who you think they are and everything is tied up in a neat bow. Theme: No idea what theme should be, except there are reasons for everything. Plot: Its written in third person narrative from Nancy's point of view. Bess and George...

Name of Book: Farmer Boy Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder ISBN: 0-06-440003-4 Publisher: Harper Trophy Book Part of a Series: Little house in the big woods, Little house on the prairie prequels; on the banks of plum creek Type of book: pioneer, New York, 1866-1867, kid to adult, 19th century America, farming cycle Year it was published: 1933 Summary: Ten years in the future, Laura Ingalls will marry Almanzo in the town of De Smet, South Dakota. But now, Almanzo is miles away, growing up with his brother and sisters on his father's farm in New York. Almanzo's chores get him up at dawn and keep him working till dinner-summer and winter. But it is fun, and it builds character. And was there ever a boy who loved horses more? Was there ever a boy with a bigger appetite? Characters: It has been awhile since I read the latter Little House books, so I can't remember if Almanzo's obsession with horses remained constant or changed. There is strength and d...