52:120 The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

A crazy little play about two men, neither of whom are named Earnest, who fall in love (at lightening speed in one case) with women who believe them to be named Earnest and swear that they wouldn't be able to love, let alone marry, someone of a different name.  This leads them to going to great lengths to make the name change and life change necessary to procure the love of the women they pursue.

I found it somewhat cute but also utterly preposterous.  Maybe it's something about the time it was written that doesn't translate well to current times but the whole "I just met you, let's get married" thing bugs me and then especially how if the man isn't named Earnest than forget it, can't happen.  I get that it's supposed to be a comedy and poking fun at the societal issues of the day but seeing women portrayed in that kind of foolish light really rubs me the wrong way.

Page count: 58p/12,313p ytd/193,351p lifetime

48:120 Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Ok, for those who have not read this here's the brief synopsis.  Pip is orphaned and living with his sister and her husband who is a blacksmith.  He meets a girl and dreams of being something more to have a chance of becoming worthy of her.  He gets a surprise benefactor who thrusts upon him "great expectations".  He turns into a jerk.  Girl doesn't care about him being a jerk or his "great expectations" and marries someone else.  The benefactor is not whom he had been assuming it was for years.  His life gets turned upside down and nothing went as he expected it.  The End.

There are a few more twists and turns (almost all of which are completely predictable) but those are the salient points.  It was a 490 page book.  It slogged and dragged.  I understand that some people get really into his language but I personally find it pedantic and lethargic.  It doesn't move, it doesn't paint a picture for me, it's dull and plodding.  My son had to read this for his book club and he didn't finish on time even with a month.  I am of the opinion even though I don't run that book club that I will read what he does for it so I read this around my own book club reads.  It's finally over and I'm glad it's over and I don't really care that I can now say I've read it.  I think the story itself might have been interesting if I'd ever actually cared about any of the characters but the narrator turned into a complete a$$ once he got into money, his friend wasn't fleshed out enough (although he was probably one of the more interesting characters), the one assistant lawyer again was sort of interesting but was more a ploy to get information to the character than a full-fleshed character himself.  I get that the story was supposed to teach a lesson about virtues and decisions and all that but I was hoping that Pip had hung with Magwitch for aiding and abetting because he was just so unlikable.  Maybe if Pip had been likable to any extent, or the book was half as long so it moved at a decent pace but as written....Blech!

Page count: 490p/11,885p ytd/192,877p lifetime

42:120 Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Ok, this is a simple story.  Macbeth is told by three witches that he will be king but Banquo's children will be kings for generations.  Macbeth isn't even king yet but hey, a few well placed daggers takes care of that problem.  Hey, kind of worried about Banquo and his kids so hire some murderers to take him and his kid out except they miss the kid.  Hire those same murderers to take out Macduff and his family only they let him escape and only take out his wife and kids which is enough to piss anyone off so of course, he gets some friends and their armies and kill Macbeth.  Self-fulfilled prophecy done.

I think this is definitely one of those plays that works better in a stage setting because reading it was boring and predictable.  I have a couple of different theatrical productions that I now just need to find time to watch.  I will grant that there are definitely some great lines from it even if the plot was tired.

Page count: 132p/10,113p ytd/191,105p lifetime