Holy Crap, Is This My Last Blog Ever?? - Novel Blog 10 (Slaughterhouse-Five)

"Billy and the rest wandered out onto the shady street. The trees were leafing out. There was nothing going on out there, no traffic of any kind. There was only one vehicle, an abandoned wagon drawn by two horses. The wagon was green and coffin-shaped. Birds were talking. One bird said to Billy Pilgrim, 'Poo-tee-weet?' "

~ Slaughterhouse-Five, page 215

Okay, time for an overall blog about Slaughterhouse-Five.

I really liked the book. It was very interesting - I've never read a book that combined time travel, war, and alien abduction - and it wasn't tedious to read. I really found myself enjoying it throughout even though we were supposed to analyze it. The structure was frustrating at times, especially in the beginning when it was hard to grasp the order and concepts, but it really added some unique qualities to the novel. I'm gonna be honest though, I still don't really know what the plot was; it seemed to be more of a memoir than a book with a clear purpose and climax.

I think that was what I struggled with the most while reading - it didn't seem like there was any point to the book. I mean, it was entertaining, but what was changed or achieved in the end? I don't think I've ever read something where the main character didn't want to attain something or fix a problem. It was just... different.

The ending also particularly frustrated me. There's a lot of action and a lot of things we ascertain from the bombing of Dresden in the last two chapters - and then it just ends? What the heck?? I guess that follows the structure of the book though; it's choppy and sporadic. I just thought there may be an "aha" moment at the end where everything clicked and made sense. That dissatisfaction and lack of resolution is really frustrating. But then again, what was there to resolve? I don't know.

Well, that was a pretty good book. Goodbye, blog readers! Enjoy your summer and have a lovely life hereafter.

Baby Imma Be Your Motivation - Novel Blog 6 (Frankenstein)

"Why had I not followed him, and closed with him in mortal strife? I shuddered to think who might be the next victim sacrificed to his insatiate revenge."

~ Frankenstein, page 123

So is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that Victor doesn't actually do anything in this novel? He just kind of sits there and thinks about the creature (who is no longer Cornelius because he's a jerk) and wonders who will die next and gets sick. I'm pretty sure he isn't healthy the entire book. Victor has two tasks that he completes during the novel:

1) create the monster.

2) chase the monster.

Other than those, the creature is the one who actually drives the plot. We would be absolutely nowhere if he just disappeared into the wild after Victor ran from him. Let's think about it: the creature tried to befriend the De Lacey's, killed William, framed Justine, threatened Victor (which led him to create the female monster - a task he still didn't even complete), threatened Victor again, killed Henry, killed Elizabeth, and motivated Victor to keep chasing him. Yes, the monster is a totally horrible being, but at least he's doing something. Victor literally just sits there and whines about how anxious he is and how sick he is and worried about everyone else he is. Then why don't you get the heck up and stop it, Victor? What a pansy.