"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Friday, December 22, 2017

Friday Quotes, December 22nd

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City ReaderShare the opening quote from the book.
Th
e Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's VoiceFind a quote from page 56.

Check out the links for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Participants don't select their favorite, coolest, or most intellectual books, they just use the one they are currently reading. This is the book I'm reading right now---



Title: My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin

Book Beginnings:
'Boo, hoo! Ow,ow; Oh! oh! Me'll die. Boo, hoo. The pain, the pain! Boo, hoo.'
Friday 56:
I was not sufficiently ill to be miserable, and being a pampered invalid was therefore fine fun.
Comments: The narrator of this very Australian story is Sybylla, as was the author. It is set in the outback where life is very tough and the advantages very few. Sybylla doesn't fit with her family. She is always pining for something more, something brilliant to do with her life. It was first published in 1901.

I am reading this book as part of my Classics Club reads and it was the spin book chosen for the month. I've long wanted to read My Brilliant Career because my mother used to tell me that I reminded her of Sybylla. Having seen the movie, I thought she meant that I was like Sybylla because we both had frizzy hair. Now I wonder if she meant that I was always the most dissatisfied of my siblings, always dreaming and striving, like the narrator. I honestly don't know what she meant by the comparison. So far, I'm about 40% completed, I like the book but it is certainly set in Australia using words and locations I am not familiar with.


14 comments:

  1. Hmm, I would also wonder if I were compared to someone with whom I had no connection. Interesting puzzle to ponder. Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog.

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  2. This looks like an interesting book. Enjoy your current read!

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  3. Hi, Anne!

    I've got this book. I read it a long while back. I should like to revisit it now.

    I love how your mother compared you to her. That's a great compliment in many ways. She's strong and knows what she wants.

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  4. Not sure what to make of it, so I guess I need more. Hope you love it!
    Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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  5. English is very different, depending on the country and the era. Some classic English books are difficult to understand as well. :)

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  6. There is a fine line between immersing the reader in the setting and creating a barrier to understanding. Of course, adding that it was written so long ago into the equation, I can see why the words and locations might be challenging.

    Thanks for visiting my blog and giving me hope about Oscar Wao.

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  7. I didn't even know there was a book! Sounds like it should be a fun read, though I don't know about that opening...

    Thanks for visiting.

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  8. I've never read or seen this one - I hope you enjoy it. :)

    Lauren @ Always Me

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  9. How fun to read a book your mother compared you to. Now I'm curious which she meant:)

    Thanks for stopping by for my post and have a Holly Jolly Christmas:)

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  10. This sounds like a really interesting read! Merry Christmas! :)

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  11. A pampered invalid--now that's an aspiration!

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  12. Ha, I like the humor in that 56. Hope you have a Merry Christmas!

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  13. Yes, you wonder what she meant. Maybe it will be clear when you have finished the book. I have heard about this book. Maybe I should put it on my classic list as well.

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  14. I've always wanted to read this book too, but haven't. I'll be interested to hear what you think of it. I vaguely remember the movie with Judy Davis, right? Life in the outback in 1901 must have been fierce. Happy Holidays.

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