Classics

Death on the Nile

by Agatha Christie

★★★

If you are looking for a quick audiobook so you can squeeze in one more read, the BBC Audio production for Death on the Nile is a solid choice. The story is told with a full cast, so every character has a unique voice. Death on the Nile follows Christie’s usual style of playing the whodunnit game while further bodies pile up during the investigation. While I think the evidence would have been easier to track in writing, I liked that it felt like I was listening to a movie. I enjoyed being able to hear the suspicion in one person’s voice or the fear in another’s. While I might not have enjoyed DOTN as much as And Then There Were None, I do not regret spending two hours listening.

Lord of the Flies

by William Golding

★★★

I’ve spent all day teaching Shakespeare to teenagers, so my mind is on the classics. One classic I finally read recently was Lord of the Flies; I figured it was overdue. Let me just say… I was very underwhelmed with all of the hype I’d heard. I liked the proposed idea that maybe we are the monsters that go bump in the night, as well as the social collapse that’d occur without rules (or adults). I find myself randomly saying “sucks to your as-mar” now, but that about sums up my relationship with this book. I will say that Piggy and the others deserved better.

The Great Gatsby

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

★★

I know I should love the story as an English teacher, but I found it so dull! I usually love historical fiction, and I enjoy older novels; this one just felt so pointless. Gatsby is a man that’s love borders on obsession (I honestly got some stalker vibes from him, but that’s another issue), and Daisy feels superficial and materialistic. I felt like the narrator is just passively there, and he is almost condoning the nonsense behavior of the other characters. So we have an affair between Tom and his side partner, and it is implied that an affair is potentially present towards the end between Gatsby and Daisy- and yet people from the outside can’t tell which individual their own spouses are cheating with? This whole story was ridiculous in my opinion. I read it in case I had to teach it, but I’d be perfectly happy if I never had to think about TGG again.

Wuthering Heights

by Emily Brontë 

★★★★

Okay, so this was one of the first classics I actually enjoyed. Catherine and Heathcliff are brought together when Heathcliff finds himself under her father's care. Although they both have feelings for each other, neither are capable of abandoning their pride to be together. Instead, Catherine and Heathcliff destroy the lives of those around them in an attempt to resist their love and hurt one another. In my opinion, this is more of a heart-break story rather than a love story. The pair is toxic beyond belief, and Wuthering Heights is a prime example of what a love story is not.

The Screwtape Letters

by C.S. Lewis

★★★

I'd like to start by noting that I'm not religious by any means, but I decided to give this one a go thanks to my Tolkien and Lewis literature class. The Screwtape Letters are satirical, and they essentially focus on good ol' Uncle Screwtape giving advice to his nephew, Wormwood, on the work of tempting a spiritually strong-willed mortal. Screwtape considers many weaknesses and strengths of humanity, and considers how each choice can feasibly move the target closer to God (the "enemy") or to the Devil ("our Father below"). This battle over a man's soul is filled with observations of man's response to temptation, their own self-worth, love and sex, plus many others. This is a fairly quick read, and it's somewhat fascinating if you are interested in the perspective of the demons that are supposed to be tempting us towards Hell in daily life.