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Recent reading
Jenny by Sigrid Undset
For book club at work. Undset was a Norwegian Nobel prize laureate; Jenny was one of her first books, from 1911. Wow, did this book spark discussion--I don't think I'd've gotten as much out of it if I'd read it on my own. Spoilers ahead! Jenny is a painter who lives in Rome for a while, where she forms a relationship with a fellow Norwegian (Helge). They have a honeymoon-like period there, and then go back to Norway, where they break up because they are affected by Helge's parents' poisonous relationship. Also, Helge's father (Gert) subtly and manipulatively hits on Jenny, and after Helge leaves, Jenny ends up in a relationship with him. Augh. Then further drama ensues. Anyway, discussion centered on Jenny's character and the different relationships.
The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua
I've read bits of the comic online, so I knew what to expect, but it's all better laid out in book form. The whole thing is delightful, with footnotes that have footnotes that have footnotes, and lots of quirky biographical detail. For example: in an obituary for the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it says that he was "a Monument to Science and a Warning for Capitalists". That is a pretty cool obituary (although the reason he was a Warning for Capitalists was that his projects ruined his investors).
For book club at work. Undset was a Norwegian Nobel prize laureate; Jenny was one of her first books, from 1911. Wow, did this book spark discussion--I don't think I'd've gotten as much out of it if I'd read it on my own. Spoilers ahead! Jenny is a painter who lives in Rome for a while, where she forms a relationship with a fellow Norwegian (Helge). They have a honeymoon-like period there, and then go back to Norway, where they break up because they are affected by Helge's parents' poisonous relationship. Also, Helge's father (Gert) subtly and manipulatively hits on Jenny, and after Helge leaves, Jenny ends up in a relationship with him. Augh. Then further drama ensues. Anyway, discussion centered on Jenny's character and the different relationships.
The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua
I've read bits of the comic online, so I knew what to expect, but it's all better laid out in book form. The whole thing is delightful, with footnotes that have footnotes that have footnotes, and lots of quirky biographical detail. For example: in an obituary for the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it says that he was "a Monument to Science and a Warning for Capitalists". That is a pretty cool obituary (although the reason he was a Warning for Capitalists was that his projects ruined his investors).