Love of Literature Review Series: Passion and Purity

This week's "Love of Literature Review" is the first one in the series! :) I'm excited about doing this, because I love to read, and love to tell people about the things I've read! Mama suggested I do this too, as a way to cement the book in my mind! :) So here is the first review! :)
"Passion and Purity" by Elisabeth Elliot. This book was recommended to me by Meredith over at Striving to Serve at Home.
I had asked her for a list of the "top ten" books she'd recommend I read, and this was one of them!

As I knew Morgan owned the book, I borrowed it from her, and dug my nose into the depths of it! :) I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the book, seeing as I have read several books on purity before...how much more could there be to learn about? But this book intrigued me from the start, for it is a book on purity, as well as telling Elisabeth and Jim Elliot's love story. That is what interested me. It was the principles of purity put into action, and retold from a vantage point of 40 years or so that caught my attention. In this beautifully written book, Elisabeth Elliot covers topics such as honor above passion, loneliness, finding contentment in Christ, waiting patiently, bringing your heart and mind under Christ's guidance, and so many more topics! Sometimes I think we can be confused into thinking that passion and purity are opposites. Under Christ's control, they are a beautiful harmony. But without Christ, things quickly go wrong. In Mrs. Elliot's book, she shows an example of how a young man and a young woman, both deeply in love, had an even stronger underlying love for Jesus, and were greatly blessed by Him in their relationship.
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
"Through affairs of the heart, God uncovers our intentions."

"If your goal is purity of heart, be prepared to be thought very odd."

"A man's love for a woman ought to hold her to the highest. Her love for him ought to do the same. I did not want to turn Jim aside from the call of God, to distract his energies, or in any way to stand between him and a thoroughgoing surrender. This is what I understood real love to mean. "And love means following the commands of God. This is the command that was given you from the beginning, to be your rule of life.".....God leads his dear children along different pathways. But he asks the same brand of commitment to all of them. Everybody who wants to follow Him has to: Give up self, take up the cross, follow."

"Let's be candid with ourselves before God. Call a spade a spade or even a muddy shovel. If your passions are aroused, say so-- to yourself and to God, not to the object of your passion. Then turn the reigns over to God. Bring your will to Him. Will to obey Him, ask for His help. He will not do the obeying for you, but He will help you. Don't ask me how. He knows how. You'll see."

There are so many other quotes that I could go on for quite a while! :) But I was blessed and encouraged by the book, and would certainly recommend it for all older girls! :)

Final Score: *****
Age I Recommend "Passion and Purity" For: 18+
Cautions: I would recommend skipping the chapter entitled: "Love Letters"...it's a little...loverish. ahem.

There you have it! Have a great day! :) -Rachel

Beatrix Potter: A Review and Some Memories! :)

Beatrix Potter as an older woman, with her favorite dog: Kep

I don't think there is a single child in America and Great Britain who has not, at one point or another, experienced the fascinating world of Beatrix Potter. Her illustrations are, in my opinion, flawless, and the strike true as much today, when I am 18, as they did when I was 3. I have always loved Miss Potter's pictures since I was a small child. Back then, they entranced me because of the animals themselves, wearing such tiny clothes, yet looking so real....

No one can forget Jemima Puddleduck and the "Sandy-whiskered Gentleman"

Nor can one forget Jeremy Fisher and his sloshy hallways and friends that come to tea wearing black and gold waistcoats, and other such things! :)

And of course we mustn't forget dear, naughty little Peter Rabbit! :)

Now I love her art because of how faithful she was to keeping the animals themselves looking like real mice, or hedgehogs, or foxes, or geese, and yet romanticising their world to form a storybook land that seems as if you could step into it if you just went over one more hill. :) Recently, I bought the whole collection of her stories for children in one volume to put in my hopechest. These books have been a part of my childhood all the way up, and someday I want to read them to my own young ones. I can remember Dad and Mama reading them to me. I had a strange fascination with "The Tale of The Fierce, Bad Rabbit". I was terrified, and interested all at once. I always jumped when the hunter shot the bad rabbit's tail off- Dad would make a loud "Pop!" noise and jog the book! :) There are so many wonderful little tales! And they are all so clever! Particularly "Squirrel Nutkin" where she incorporates near a dozen little riddles, and hides their answers in the main body of the story! :) Gracie's personal favorite, and the one that I read to her every time I put her to bed is:

This is perhaps, the most frightening of Beatrix Potter's books! Benjamin and Abigail hated it, because Tom Kitten almost gets eaten by the rats: Old Samuel Whiskers and his wife "Anna-Maria"! :) But Gracie, like me with the Fierce Bad Rabbit, gets a certain thrill out of hearing the tale over and over and over and over again! :) She knows Tom Kitten will be okay, she has heard the story a hundred times if she has once, but still, she hides her eyes, and squeals, and shrinks when I say, in a particular voice: "Anna-Maria? Are you sure the string will be digestible? I'm not sure it's a good pudding- it is all over with smuts!" and when I read the "butter and dough" quarrel. I get as much enjoyment out of the story as she! :) Anyway, this is a sort of book-review/ nostalgic post! :) I highly recommend any of the Beatrix Potter books. Some are more interesting to little ones than others- Gracie does not like "The Pie and The Patty-Pan", or "The Tailor of Gloucester" for instance. But she adores "Mrs. Tittlemouse", "The Flopsy Bunnies" and "The Tale of Two Bad Mice". I think it hardly possible that anyone could go throughout childhood without enjoying her stories, but if you have not read them yourself, and wish for a good old-fashioned tale to read to your siblings, by all means find a copy somewhere! You will not be disappointed! :) -Rachel

Book Review On Charles Dicken's "Bleak House" Title is a misnomer! :)

Recently, I finished reading Charles Dickens's book: Bleak House. The name had turned me away from wanting to read it for a long time. But then some friends who had seen the movie told mee that it was opposite of it's name, and I found that to be true! :) In the words of the characters themselves: "Jarndyce of Bleak House, my lord," said Mr. Kenge. "A dreary name," said the Lord Chancellor. "But not a dreary place, at present, my lord." said Mr. Kenge." (By the way, the picture is from the BBC adaptation)

In every way, the book differed from what I would have expected from the title! Which is a good thing! :)

Plot: The story is told from two angles: One, from a young lady, Esther Summerson who is of unknown parentage, and has been brought up from her infancy by a woman who is cold and unfeeling toward her. The second point of view is objective, and the author switched views periodically. Within the first few chapters of Bleak House, Esther Summerson has joined two "wards of the Courts" (Ada Clare and Richard Carstone) at Bleak House, the home of their new Guardian, Mr. John Jarndyce. They live a happy, quiet, life together, until Richard Carstone begins to look into the decades-long Chancery Court case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce. The Guardian has avoided the case his whole life, perceiving how it has ruined so many people already, including mad little Ms. Flite, and Mr. Gridley. Things become more complicated as Richard Carstone moves out of Bleak House, in mounting suspicion against Mr. Jarndyce. This is all from Esther's point of view. The objective point of view focuses more on Sir Leicester, and Lady Dedlock, of Chesney Wold. They are leaders in society, and a party of the same case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce. But the drama sets in when it is discovered that Esther Summerson, is really the daughter of Lady Dedlock, who has assumed her dead as an infant. This is kept entirely secret except to Mr. Jarndyce, but when the evil old lawyer Mr. Tulkinghorn gets hold of some papers, telling the whole story, he holds it over Lady Dedlock's head, threatening at any moment to tell the whole of society, and ruin her. I will not spoil the rest of the story for you all, but I will tell you that all turns out in the end, though there is gripping mystery/drama to get there! :)

My Favorite Aspects Of The Book: By far, my favorite thing about Bleak House, is Esther Summerson. She is sweet, loveable, and has impeccable character in the face of many trials, including learning of her illegitamate birth. At one point, she catches the Smallpox, and her face is scarred for life, but she continues on, after struggling to conquer feelings of hurt pride and is as humble and beautiful as ever she was because of her inner beauty. At the start of the book, her former cold, unfeeling guardian says to her as a little girl of 10 or so, "Your mother, Esther, is your disgrace, and you were hers. The time will come-- and soon enough--when you will understand this better, and will feel it too, as no one save a woman can....For yourself, unfortunate girl, orphaned and degraded from the first of these evil anniversaries, (it was her birthday) pray daily that the sins of others be not visited upon your head...." After hearing these harsh words, Esther goes into her room, and prays that she may learn to be happy, content, and helpful, so that she may be loveable in some way, and be a blessing to others, despite her low birth.

I was struck with what a commendable character Charles Dickens has created, as I do not know if he was a Christian. There are many Biblical references in the book though, and Esther is a Christian. At the very end, 7 years after Esther is married to someone (I won't tell you who :) there is a terribly sweet scene between she and her husband...

"What have you been thinking about, my dear?" said ___ then.

"How curious you are!" said I. "I am almost ashamed to tell you, but I will. I have been thinking about my old looks-- such as they were."

"And what have you been thinking about them, my busy bee?" said ___.

"I have been thinking, that I thought it was impossible that you could have loved me any better, even if I had retained them."

"--Such as they were?" said ____, laughing.

"Such as they were, of course."

"My dear Dame Durden," (a pet name) said ___, drawing my arm through his, "do you ever look in the glass?"

"You know I do; you see me do it."

"And don't you know that you are prettier than you ever were?"

I did not know that; I am not certian that I know it now. But I know that my dearest little pets are very pretty, and that my darling husband is very handsome, and that my guardian has the brightest and the most benevolent face that ever was seen; and that they can very well do without much beauty in me--even supposing--- THE END"

Charles Dickens has got the character of his characters perfect! I enjoyed this book immensely, because the bad men are truly bad, and easily identified as so, the good characters that you are supposed to love are actually commendable to love and immitate, and the values in it are what I wish people would write more of today! :) Besides the people in the story, the story itself is exciting, interesting, humorous at times, and true to life. The rash and foolish acts of people are rewarded thus. Lady Dedlock has some (actually pretty dire) consequences for her having a child out of wedlock, and Dickens does not portray that as a desireable or acceptable thing.

Another of my favorite aspects are the hilarious, loveable, and interesting characters. You need to have a good memory, and the ability to multi-task to fully enjoy Dickens, but I'm sure you'll be delighted by characters such as Mr. Guppy, Mr. Snagsby, Caddy Jellyby, Mr. Jarndyce, Mr. Boythorn, Ada Clare, Miss Flite, and many, many, others! :)

Morals: The book is full of great morals, though I'm not sure Dickens was a Christian. The overtone of the whole book is shown in the Biblical light of true happiness coming in contentment, stellar generosity and selflessness, serving others, and Christian love, and it shows the opposite side that comes with the love of money and worldly things, ending in potential destruction. Every girl would do well to learn lessons from Esther Summerson! :) And every young man should take a peek at Mr. George, Allan Woodcourt, Mr. Jarndyce, and several others for good examples of honest, upright men.

Summary:

Strength of Characters: *****

Strength of Plot: **** (I found it a tad confusing at points if I wasn't paying close attention :)

Over All Rating: *****

In the end, Bleak House is a book I hope to read again someday, and one worth reading to anyone else who will brave 760 pages of closely written text! :D -Rachel

Now It Has To Be Underland??? Creeps!

Okay. I may make some people mad here. But I have a big question, that has been stewing around in my mind for about a week: Wasn't the Disney Alice In Wonderland weird enough?
I am plagued by dozy, smoky, creepy catipillars and grinning cats that won't go away when I think of that movie. Also those very strange twins "tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum"
I met those creeps at Disneyland as an innocent 9 year old. They stole our hats. They ran around and wouldn't give it back. They demanded a hug from Sarah. They are crazy.
Then, wasn't that pinch-faced, flamingo-wielding queen of hearts angry enough in the cartoon version? For pity's sake! Now they make her a cross between a clown and a dwarf! And, nothing can displace the really strange fact that you are stuck in a stinkin' dream, that is creepier than any of your nightmares you've ever had. The confusing thing, is that you would willingly get stuck in someone else's nightmare for 2 hours! That you'd pay money to get scared out of your wits by real looking mad-hatters, and cats, and.... oh yeah! What is up with that white rabbit? During the whole movie I had an urgent desire to pick him up by his ugly ears and make him wait for whatever he was in a hurry for. He must have been rabid, because he had pink eyes! Anyway! That is my opinion of the whole "Alice In Wonderland" thing. And one last thing, why did the new version have to make Alice kill the "jabberwocky" from the poem? I can't even understand the words in the poem! How can anyone kill something that no one is sure what it is?
Creeps. -Rachel

My Review of "Pride and Prejudice"

Hello Everyone!(My word, I always seem to start off that way!) Okay, so this past weekend I watched the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice for the first time. I absolutely loved it!!!

I thought it might be interesting to give my thoughts on each character. (Not every one, but the main ones)

Lizzy Bennett:

I thought that BBC did a great job casting Lizzy. She is very pretty, but not in that make-uppy way, she just has naturally pretty features. The way Jennifer Ehle did the job, was great and I believe it captured the attitude and character of the heroine perfectly.I love the relationship between Lizzy and Jane, because it is exactly the way that sisters are in the "real world" ! ;)

Lizzy's faults of being prejudice and sometimes prideful, are very noticeable, and I love how her character develops when she realizes how unfeeling she's been.

Jane Bennett:

Jane is described in the book as being the prettiest of all the Bennett girls, and in my opinion, this production didn't really count that in. (Lizzy is prettier, I think. Though, I know the casting directors picked her out on purpose) I've always loved this character, because she is an oldest sister, who tries to forget about her troubles in order to be encouraging and helpful to the rest of her family. You can tell that the character is a great friend for Lizzy, and her over-all attitude is meek and and she has cheerful countenance.

Mr. Bingley:

Where shall I start- Mr. Bingley is the perfect gentleman, though, he's easily influenced by those he looks up to. He's always friendly and jovial, and makes sure to look into the needs of others.

I think he and Jane make a great match, in the end!!

Mr. Darcy:

This young, English gentleman is very prideful and totally the opposite of Mr. Bingley at the beginning of the story. As the story progresses, he notices how repulsive his actions and attitude are. The last bit of the book, he tries to improve his outlook of everybody or everything, and repents of all his old self. Though he still has a bit of pride in him at the end, I believe that he and Lizzy are perfect for each other! And Colin Firth was the best man for the job, I think!:)

Well, I may do more later.... I don't know, but Anna is needing to get on her for her math, so I'd better be going! Please leave a comment on your opinions or thoughts of this movie!

Thanks for reading this!

-Sarah