In the spirit of my commitment to read the first chapter of some of the world's greatest novels, I have this week begun to work my way through five books, at random. They include 39 Steps, by John Buchan; Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs; Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad; Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky; and a continuing engagement with Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain.
Setting aside the fact they are all written by men, they seem disaparate novels, each with a different focus, a unique style and acclaimed for a variety of reasons. Heart of Darkness is the seminal novel on one person's encounter with evil; Crime and Punishment explores the search for redemption; and Huckleberry Finn is a complex book that belies the apparent simplicity with which the main protagonist, Huck Finn, approaches life and all it holds.
If the opening pages are any indication to go by, these are five books that I want to continue exploring. I am drawn to each plot, each character, each turn of phrase...it is a pleasure to share them with my son, Brodie, as we embark on this journey of reading together.
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